Michigan urges travelers to leave firewood at home

As the summer travel season begins, the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources remind vacationers to leave firewood at home to prevent the spread of invasive tree insects and diseases.

Hauling firewood from one part of the state to another is a common way for these destructive pests to move to new locations, which could be devastating to Michigan’s native trees. The emerald ash borer already has wiped out millions of ash trees across the state. High-impact diseases, including oak wilt and beech bark disease, now are making their way through Michigan – often helped by travelers with trunkloads of wood harboring unseen fungi that can spread to healthy trees in new areas.

“Visual inspection does not always reveal disease or insect damage in wood,” said Gina Alessandri, MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division director. “Disease may be in an early stage, and insect larvae can be hidden under bark. The safest choice is to burn firewood at or near the location it was harvested.” Read more

Wildlife

Beretta In- Field Armorer Schools


Accokeek, Maryland –– Beretta USA is now offering armorer training on our line of LE/Military firearms including the 92/96 (M9) and Px4 Storm pistol series at the In-Field locations listed below. Space is limited, so please register today.The Beretta Armorer Training Courses are designed for the Law Enforcement/Military armorer, firearms instructor and technician. These courses provide complete, detailed answers to specific questions concerning the mechanical functioning, operating procedures, field stripping, inspection, trouble shooting, and maintenance of our firearms. Read more
Firearms

Strike From the Ground or Air With Barnett Raptor Crossbows


Birds of Prey like the Raptor are known to strike from anywhere with instant lethality, making them the perfect inspiration for the critically acclaimed Raptor family of Barnett crossbows, including the award-winning Raptor FX2 and the radically efficient BC Raptor Reverse.Using their speed and maneuverability Raptors are considered to be one most efficient predators out there. These qualities are directly reflected in the FX2. At just 6.5 pounds, it’s easy to carry afield or use in the air. The light 150-pound draw produces an impressive 330 fps arrow speed and 97 pounds of kinetic energy.

Custom Composite Laminated Limbs are powered by Barnett’s exclusive Crosswire® String and Cable System for power and efficiency. The lightweight composite stock is topped with a CNC-machined 7/8″ Picatinny rail for solid and reliable scope mounting, as well as an adjustable butt pad that creates a custom fit for shooters of any size.

The Raptor FX2 also features Barnett’s new patented Floating Bristle Retainer (F.B.R.), providing superior arrow retention and assures proper arrow to flight track engagement. Safety features include an anti-dry fire trigger, finger reminders and pass-through foregrip. Read more

Archery

Flying guns? Michigan lawmakers seek to ban weaponized drones

Legislation would make it a crime in Michigan to weaponize an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Democratic state Rep. Jon Hoadley of Kalamazoo says: “We don’t need flying guns in Michigan.” He says the legislation introduced earlier this month would make it illegal for weapons, even those legally attainable in Michigan, to be attached to a drone.

“This is one of those where no matter where you fall on the Second Amendment conversation, most people agree this far exceeds that and there is too much danger associated with it,” Hoadley told FOX 17.

“The responsible gun owner can’t even imagine pulling the trigger without seeing the sightline, but that’s exactly what could be happening with these drones.”

More here…

Gun Control

Michigan: State Adds 103rd State Park


DNR announces Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve in southern Michigan as Michigan’s 103rd state parkThe Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced a $2.9 million purchase of 717 acres of land in Norvell Township, Jackson County. Combined with 405 acres of contiguous land owned by the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission in Manchester Township, the property will become the 1,122-acre Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve.

The DNR property will become Michigan’s 103rd state park and will be the first state park in Michigan to be jointly managed with a county recreation agency. Adoption of a formal management plan to guide the development of the park will take place following a series of yet to be scheduled public input meetings. The park’s planned recreational offerings include hiking, bird watching, upland hunting, mountain biking and other activities. Read more

Wildlife

SCOTUS Passes On Sandy Hook Suit, Congress Passes on Gun Measures

Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court declined to take up a constitution challenge to the Connecticut law banning certain semi-automatic weapons and magazines passed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Plaintiffs in Shew v. Malloy had hoped the court would rule in the case, clarifying Second Amendment questions remaining following the high court’s 2008 Heller decision.

Meanwhile, on capitol hill, the Senate took up dueling measures introduced following the worst mass-shooting in U.S. history. Four measures – two from both parties – were introduced, none of which reached the 60-vote threshold required for passage.

A fifth measure is still being crafted by moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Her bill would bar people on the government’s no-fly list from gun purchases, a significantly smaller number of people than the government’s terror watch list. Collins’ measure also sets protections in place for anyone wrongly placed on the no-fly list. Regardless of actions in the Senate, House Speaker Paul Ryan has made it know that there’s little chance any of the Senate measures will get a vote there.

Gun Control

UTG PRO USA Made Keymod, M-LOKT QD Sling Swivel Adaptors


It is never a bad idea to equip your long gun with a sling. A sling frees up the hands while keeping the equipped long gun within reach at all times, helping the user retain their firearm when climbing, navigating through various obstacles, and while interacting with others. There are a variety of ways to attach and wear a sling so why not extend that versatility to your sling swivel adaptor. UTG PRO has just released two excellent QD sling swivel adaptors, specifically, one for the M-LOK™ and Keymod attachment systems.Made right here in the USA, they are extremely lightweight, low profile in size, and are milled out of 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum with a matte black hard coat anodize or Cerakote™ ceramic firearms finish. Read more
Firearms

New Nightforce Competition SR Fixed 4.5 x 24


The popularity of Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) and NRA service rifle matches, combined with recent rule changes, have resulted in the new CompetitionTM SR Fixed 4.5 x 24 riflescope by Nightforce.
The CompetitionTM SR Fixed 4.5 x 24 is purpose-built to comply with 2016 rules that, for the first time, allow the use of riflescopes having a maximum magnification of 4.5x, objective lens diameter to 34mm, and combined weight of optic and service rifle to 11.5 pounds. Read more
Optics

SAF To Jeh Johnson: “Gun Ownership Is Part Of Homeland Security”

GW: You’ll never hear this from anyone in the Obama administration and it’s at the core of the Second Amendment.

BELLEVUE, WA – Contrary to what Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Tuesday that gun control is a “critical element” of protecting the nation against terrorists, the Second Amendment Foundation today said the right to keep and bear arms is this country’s original homeland security, and he needs to remember that.

“The threat we face today from terrorism is exactly why the Founding Fathers wrote the Second Amendment,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Every American has the right to self-defense, and for Johnson to contend that infringing on that right is the way to keep the country safe is simply preposterous.”

Johnson was on CBS television, at which time he stated, “We have to face the fact that meaningful gun control has to be a part of homeland security.” Read more

Gun Control

Seek Thermal Announces First Affordable, Pro-Grade Imaging for Smartphone


SANTA BARBARA, CA, JUNE 21, 2016 — Seek Thermal™ announced today the company’s first line of high performance, affordable, infrared thermal imaging cameras for hunting, wildlife and outdoors experts. Available soon, the Seek CompactPRO weighs less than 0.5 ounces and plugs directly into an iOS or Android smartphone device for instant connect-and-detect convenience. The CompactPRO is the first thermal imaging camera built for a smartphone to ever feature 76,800 measurement pixels, a thermal sensor array of 320×240, and an unprecedented price point under $500. The CompactPRO is also an innovative game-changer in helping to make thermal imaging technology and thermal vision more easily affordable and available to those pursuing field sports, pest control, wildlife control, and night optics.”Seek Thermal was founded by 35-year industry veterans in the infrared thermal imaging space who believed that the world hugely benefits by making this technology available to all,” said Tracy Benson, CMO/VP of Global Marketing for Seek Thermal. “The outdoor and field segment has always been an important focus for our company. High performance thermal imaging tools used to be expensive, difficult to carry, and primarily used by few people in military and defense – or those with deep pockets. It is one of the most important sensing technologies that can prevent costly land damages due to overpopulated pests or predators, make it easier to watch animals, scout and recover, and is better suited for conditions approaching absolute darkness. Read more
Hunting, Optics
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