D-Day: The Largest Seaborne Invasion In World History

If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you know I love infographics. I found a very appropriate one that helps put June 6, 1944, D-Day, the invasion of Normandy into perspective.

I found this infographic on The Sitrep and it came from a BBC guide to D-Day.

Stephen Green gives another perspective on the numbers involved.

I want you to imagine picking up every resident of a medium-sized city, everything they'll need to eat and drink and rest for a few days, any vehicles they might need, gasoline, of course, plus lots of guns and ammo -- did I mention this was a hunting trip? -- and then moving them all in a few short hours a distance of anywhere from 30 to 125 miles or so.

Now imagine you have to move all those people and all that stuff partly by air, but mostly across heavy seas in foul weather.

Under enemy fire.

I should also mention that if you messed up any of the big details, a lot of your people are going to die, and then you're going to have to figure out how to move them all back without getting too many more of them killed.

And all that is just the beginning. Because once you've done all that, those men on that "hunting trip" are going to have to take and widen a beachhead big enough and secure enough that you can rebuild (or build from scratch!) the ports and roads necessary to bring another million men over... plus all the additional stuff all those additional men will need.

Mortality, Google Searches, And What The Media Reports

I came across a very interesting infographic that compares actual causes of death, what people find in Google searches, and how the media treats the various causes of death. The media was represented by examining coverage in the New York Times and the UK's Guardian for the period 1999 to 2016.

If you only relied upon the media, you would believe that over 50% of deaths were the result of either terrorism or homicide and that very few were due to heart disease. The reality is that heart disease followed by cancer are the first and second causes of death in the US. Moreover, the two combine to account for almost 60% of deaths.

This comes from OurWorldInData and you can get the data behind these charts here. You can read more analysis of the data here.

This Is Pretty Weak -- Even For The Violence Policy Center

Josh  "I invented the term Assault Weapon" Sugarmann's Violence Policy Center is taking note that the NRA Annual Meeting starts on Friday. They have come up with a graphic asserting the Annual Meeting is showcasing "manufacturers of mass shooter's weapon of choice".

Normally, I appreciate a good infographic. This is just weak stuff.

More interesting is what they fail to show. I believe the terrorists who killed 130 concert goers at the Bataclan Theater in Paris used AK-47s. Likewise, I believe the Islamic terrorists that attacked the Taj Hotel in Mumbai and killed 165 and wounded over 300 used AKs. This does not even begin to approach the total number of people who have been killed in mass murders with bombs and arson.

More importantly, this graphic fails to take in account the number of defensive gun uses using the firearms produced by these manufacturers. I'll be gracious and even include Hi-Point in that list.

The graphic also fails to specify which of these locations was an officially gun-free zone. Just glancing over the list I see that most of them qualify.

They put this graphic under their "Investigating the Gun Lobby" banner which is devoted to the National Rifle Association. The actual official gun lobby is the National Shooting Sports Foundation which represents manufacturers. Moreover, if you want to get more expansive, every one of us who supports gun rights is the gun lobby. It isn't only an organization in Fairfax, VA.

An Interesting Use Of Venn Diagrams

We all learned about Venn diagrams when we were in elementary school. However, I sincerely doubt our teachers, no matter how liberal or even libertine, would have ever used this example.

I found this infographic on Reddit and it comes courtesy of LibationLab.com. This is an alcohol-related blog by M. Quinn Sweeney that seeks to demystify bartending and cocktails.

Infographic - Suppressors And Hearing Protection

Brownells, Inc. has posted an excellent infographic on their Facebook page. It shows things like the decibel level of a gun shot, the average decibel reduction by use of a suppressor, and the impact on hearing of shooting with only a suppressor. Given the nonsensical approach taken by media like the New York Times editorial page and the lies from anti-gun groups like American for Responsible Solutions, this is instructive.

While wearing hearing protection such as ear muffs and ear plugs is essential, the combination of a suppressor plus muffs or ear plugs is even better.

This goes to illustrate when the Hearing Protection Act is not an effort to spur sales for the gun industry but an effort to both reduce noise pollution and to promote public health. While the passage of the Hearing Protection Act would spur sales that is merely incidental in my opinion. As I wrote earlier this year, can you imagine waiting 272 days for government approval to use a product that improves health and safety? Could you imagine the fine OSHA would levy a business if it waited that long?

Every Picture Tells A Story, Part VI

With the Show-Me State becoming the 11th state to adopt some form of constitutional carry, Rob Vance has updated the graphic we've been publishing since 2011. The latest graphic shifts Missouri from shall-issue concealed carry to constitutional concealed carry. They already had open carry.

Back in April, I said that I might have to update what I said a few years ago. To wit, that shall-issue is the new norm. I concluded that I might have to change this to constitutional carry is the new norm. I think that might be going a little far but one can always hope.

My fellow co-host of the Polite Society Podcast Rachel Malone is very active in Republican politics at the state level in Texas. She said in our last podcast that the Texas State Republican Executive Committee had adopted constitutional carry as one of their key legislative priorities in 2017. Imagine how the blue area would expand if the second largest state by both size and population adopted constitutional carry!

To illustrate how much things have changed since the original graphic was published, I am reposting the graphic. No issue (the red area) has gone to virtually nil and unrestricted (blue area) has grown exponentially.

I Love Good Infographics!

This came across my desk today. It shows the increase in gun sales, NICS checks, etc. since President Obama was elected. I know I sure as hell have bought more ammo! I also got my carry permit after he was elected.



Via: Ammo.com

Interesting Infographic On Trapping

If you've read this blog for any amount of time, you know I love a good infographic. I came across this one from BassProShops on trapping. I think trapping is one of those lost outdoor skills that could prove essential in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

The infographic below does a good job on outlining the types of traps available plus their pros and cons.

Interesting Map

Below is a map generated by the website iSideWith.com. The website polls visitors and seeks to match up potential voters with the candidates that most represent their views.

In this case, people were asked did they support more gun control. The results are interesting. With the exception of the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and the western suburbs of Boston, there was no strong push for more gun control. Amazingly given the attitudes of the local politicians, the people in the District of Columbia, Baltimore, and the DC metro counties were not strong proponents of gun control.

By contrast, there is the state of Wyoming. It is in deep purple. I never thought of purple as the color of freedom but in this case it is. More power to wonderful Wyoming, the Equality State.

H/T Rob Morse

Infographic: All Things AK

I stumbled across this infographic on AKs this morning. It shows the defining details of the various AKs and how to tell them apart.

When I thought about posting it here, I said why not. AKs are the most produced rifle in the world or it may just be a recognition that Vladimir Putin, the despot running Russia, is more effective on the world stage that Barack Obama, our wannabe despot.

Knife Sharpening Tips - Infographic

55 knife experts were asked, based on their own experience, to give their best knife sharpening tips. The website KnifePlanet.com summarized them in the infographic below. You can read all the tips here.




Courtesy of: KnifePlanet.net

Girl Power - NSSF Infographic

This week at the SHOT Show the National Shooting Sports Foundation released a study on women gun owners. The study looked at the purchases, perceptions, and participation. I just obtained a copy of this study today and still am studying it.

In the meantime, NSSF has released the infographic below that summarizes some of the findings.

Interactive Infographic - M16A1

I came across this interactive infographic at Stars and Stripes. It was in a historical section on the Vietnam War.

It should give info on each section of the rifle if you click on the red bullet. I'm giving it a try.

The Many Ways To Break The Law Thanks To I-594

The flowchart below is based upon the text of the Washington State initiative, I-594, that was passed by Washington voters on Tuesday. I did not create this flowchart. That said, it is a good illustration of all the trapdoors built into I-594 by Bloomberg's minions.

Interesting Graphic

I came across this interesting graphic with an exploded drawing of an AK-47 this afternoon. I can't remember if I saw it first on Facebook or Tumblr. It is from a Russian site called Defending Russia.

Based on the camo, I'd say the guy holding the AK is with either the Spetnaz or the MVD Internal Troops.

by egorov.

NSSF - The Changing Face Of Target Shooters

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released a great new infographic about target shooters. One can clearly see the difference between gun culture v1.0 and gun culture v2.0.

How Do Silencers Work?

I am a sucker for a really good infographic and SilencerCo has put one out. They are the Utah-based manufacturer of silencers/suppressors for rifles, pistols, AND shotguns.

SilencerCo has always put a lot of effort into educating people on the legality, history, and usage of silencers. This infographic is their latest effort. Interestingly enough, it has caught the attention of the business press. BusinessInsider ran a story featuring the infographic below on Monday. Unlike most stuff you see in the media, it was accurate and non anti-silencer.

As someone who has a hearing related problem - tinnitus - due to shooting without hearing protection earlier in life, I really wish silencers and suppressors were not NFA items. At most, they should be listed as AOW or any other weapon and have a $5 transfer fee. The reality is that hearing loss is a public health issue and silencers, despite all the myth and legend about them coming out of Hollywood, are a hearing safety device.

SB 53 - Just One Of A Number Of Anti-Gun Bills In California

Gun rights supporters in California have their hands full with all the misguided, stupid, and ineffective bills coming out the California Assembly and Senate that impact them. One of these bills is SB 53 from Sen. Kevin DeLeon (D-Los Angeles). The bill would ban on-line sales of ammo, create a registry of ammo sellers and purchasers, and require another license for gun owners.

Will it stop gangs from obtaining ammo for their guns? Of course not but that really wasn't the point anyway.

The Firearms Policy Coalition has created a very good infographic illustrating just what the bill would do if passed. Unfortunately, it is almost out of the legislature and heading for Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.

The FPC has created an easy way to state your opposition to this bill. You don't even need to live in California to send an email. Just go here and you can tell every legislator in California what you think of this bill.

If you want to see other bad bills from California, just go here. Another of Kevin DeLeon's bills would outlaw "ghost guns". In other words, any firearm without a serial number such as your collectible .22 LR rifle from before 1968 like my Remington 511 Scoremaster.

The Seven Deadly Sins Of Shooting - Infographic

The Center Mass Group was started in 2011 by former Navy SEAL instructor Chris Sajnog to provide tactical and firearms training. Sajnog is the author of the well received book How to Shoot Like a Navy SEAL (Combat Marksmanship Fundamentals Book 1)

They created and sent out this infographic recently. I'm a sucker for a good infographic and this is one of them.

We're Number One!

According to the Defence IQ Press, the United States is still the number one exporter of military arms.

As much as things change, they still stay the same. US versus Soviet Union; US versus Russia. Cold War; post-Cold War. Business is business and money is to be made. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Cool infographic.