Prepper and Shooter Magazine

THE mag for the preparedness and Second Amendment Communities. WE COVER IT ALL: Firearm & firearm accessory reviews, nuclear/biological/chemical survival, weather survival, communication electronics, wilderness skills, knife reviews, book reviews, herbal remedies, survival equipment, first aid, survival food, alternative energy, man-made disaster preparedness, self-defense, gardening, livestock, tactical shooting, firearm training, bomb shelters, hunting, on & off road survival vehicles, and more!

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Multiple solar flares are facing Earth and “strange objects” are passing near a massive sunspot CME. Sunspot AR1934 and AR 1936 possess beta gamma magnetic fields and possess the power to emit strong solar flares, according to NOAA. The space weather experts put the odds of an X-Class solar flare at one percent and the possibility of an M-Class solar flare at 25 percent. The United States is not prepared for a massive solar flare, according to statements made by a University of Colorado scientist who specializes in solar storm research. Dr. Daniel Baker and his space weather peers reportedly believe that if a major CME (coronal mass ejection) hits the Earth, “complete mayhem” will occur. (via Solar Flares: Two Sunspots Facing Earth)

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BB gun control laws in New Jersey could make the classic childhood took a thing of the past. The popular youth guns may be gathering dust on store shelves in the Garden State due the enactment of the Graves Act. The law requires BB guns to be registered and subject to the exact same laws as deadly firearms used for hunting and self-defense purposes. Parents may no longer be uttering, “You could shout your eye out, kid” when issuing safety warnings after a longed for BB gun is unwrapped on Christmas morning. The New Jersey BB gun control law could make possession of such a prized possession a felony. The holiday classic, A Christmas Story made Daisy’s Red Ryder BB gun a favorite gift for both boys and girls for decades. (via Gun Control: Graves Act Mandates BB Gun Registration)

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NatWest was hit by a cyber attack that left customers unable to garner access to their online bank accounts. The United Kingdom bank was reportedly the target of a distributed denial of servie (DOS) attack, according to the Mirror. A statement released by the bank maintains that the cyber warfare posed “no risk” to its customers. The cyber attack began with a multitude of deliberate internet traffic that prompted the online service offered by NatWest to fail. A spokesman for the financial institution noted in a release to both customers and the media that some appropriate action has been taken to restore activity to the affected websites. Cyber warfare is one of the top five concerns for the insurance industry, according to a new Towers Watson survey. Insurance executives from around the globe reportedly consider cyber attacks among the most extreme risks which could rattle the world to its core. (via NatWest Cyber Attack Causes Alarm For Customers And Insurance Industry)

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Christmas Day shooting outside a Tractor Supply store in Logan, Ohio was an apparent murder – suicide attempt. Law enforcement officers in the rural southern area of the state report that the fatal shooting occurred around 6pm at the Hocking Valley Mall. Logan is situated in the Hocking Hills and is approximately 50 miles southeast of Columbus. Teresa Bickley, 30, of Glouster, Ohio was shot by Phillip Loschiavo, also 30, of nearby Bremen, before turning the gun on himself. Loschiavo was transported to Grant Medical Center in Columbus hospital with serious to life-threatening injuries, including a reported gunshot wound to the head. Loschiavo is reportedly in critical condition. Although a definitive motive remains unknown, the Logan Daily News is reporting that Bickley was the girlfriend of the allged shooter’s wife. (via Christmas Day Shooting At Tractor Supply Parking Lot In Ohio)

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Gardening in winter, especially in a sustainable manner can be quite difficult. Bestselling garden design author Rick Austin recently sat down with The Inquisitr to discuss the process and to share some details about his new book, The Secret Greenhouse Of Survival: How to Build the Ultimate Homestead & Prepper Greenhouse. Austin’s latest sustainable gardening book penned is a follow-up to bestseller Secret Garden of Survival: How to Grow a Camouflaged Food Forest. Rick Austin is an off grid living and homesteading expert who tours the country speaking at conferences when not busy writing or working as a consultant for the National Geographic network and a renowned homesteading keynote speaker. (via Sustainable Gardening: Interview With Author Rick Austin)

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Trans Pacific Partnership protesters caused a bit of a disturbance at a gathering hosted by Nancy Pelosi.The House Minority Leader initiated the event in order to commemorate the first ever White House “Status of Women” report. A group comprised primarily of college student activists urged Pelosi to vote against the trade deal which some are calling a “NAFTA on steroids” move. The potential deal between the United States and Pacific Rim nations has been so closely guarded that Congress has reportedly been able to garner only a few details about the agreement.The free trade deal negotiations memos recently leaked to the media have swanned alarm among economists, labor unions, and environmental groups. The TPP involves 12 different nations and could give “radical new political powers” to international corporations, restrict banking regulations, and drive up the cost of prescription medicines, if predictions by opponents are accurate. (via Trans Pacific Partnership Protest Interrupts Nancy Pelosi Event)

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Mandatory flu shots are infringing upon parental rights in New York City. With the support of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the city’s Board of Health voted this month to require children between the age of six months and five to submit to flu shots if they attended preschool of licensed day care programs. Parents who oppose the flu vaccine due to potential side effects are infuriated and balking at Bloomberg’s nanny state endeavor. Parents concerned about the mandatory flu shots order in New York City often note that young children are already required to undergo multiple vaccinations and adding another “immunization cocktail” increases the possibility of an adverse reaction occurring. Some parents believe flu shots are linked to autism. About 150,000 children will be impacted. As the law is currently written, there are only limited exemptions. A child who is allergic to the vaccine could opt out, but it must be “certified by a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state.” Connecticut and New Jersey also require flu shots. (via New York City To Require Flu Shots For Children 5 And Under | Off The Grid News)

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Shooting a cat with a BB gun could land you in prison with a felony charge on your record, as one Michigan man recently discovered. Stein Samuel Nowicki, 33, had had enough of a nuisance-causing, flea-ridden stray cat that snuck into both his garbage and his house – so he grabbed his BB gun and attempted to take care of the problem. He struck the stray cat down with one shot and, after disposing of it in his trash, considered the problem solved. What happened next surprised both Nowicki and hundreds of thousands of Americans around the country in the now viral story. The Michigan man had a felony charge of torturing and killing an animal levied against him and was subjected to a jury trial. (via Man Gets Felony For Shooting Stray Cat With BB Gun | Off The Grid News)

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Open carry of a firearm is legal in Colorado parks, but that did not prevent the arrest of an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran after last year who recently won a $23,000 lawsuit against the city of Colorado Springs. James Sorensen was shocked when a Colorado Springs police officer approached him and began interrogating him about openly carrying a handgun in the park. The 13-minute ordeal was captured on video and ultimately involved three officers and a sergeant. Sorensen’s Second Amendment rights were violated because none of the local law enforcement officers knew that Colorado law began allowing open carry in city parks a decade ago. When the initial Colorado Springs police officer approached Sorensen and told him to put his hands in the air, the war veteran, who had just exited a gay pride festival, replied, “Negative, sergeant.” This exchange occurred several times, leading the sergeant to inform the war veteran that he was about to get the “s**t kicked out of him.” (via Veteran Wrongly Arrested For Open Carry Wins Big Settlement | Off The Grid News)

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America is not prepared for a massive solar flare, and barely dodged one in 2012 that could have ended life as we know it for weeks or months, according to a University of Colorado scientist who specializes in solar storm research. “My space weather colleagues believe that until we have an event that slams Earth and causes complete mayhem, policymakers are not going to pay attention,” Dr. Daniel Baker said. “The message we are trying to convey is that we made direct measurements of the 2012 event and saw the full consequences without going through a direct hit on our planet.” (via Solar Storm Nearly Took Out US Power Grid In 2012, Report Finds | Off The Grid News)

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Common Sense Prepping is proud to announce that Practical Preppers founder Scott Hunt will be this week’s featured guest. Although Hunt may be most well-known for helping develop the prepper’s scoring system for National Geographic’s Doomsday Preppers series, the homesteading expert’s self-reliance expertise and services goes far beyond the small screen. The hit prepping series will utilize an enhanced and more in-depth scoring system during the coming season, according to Hunt. The prepping expert noted his enjoyment at interacting with featured more in the upcoming season. Hunt recently launched the Practical Preppers app to share his skills and advice with the masses and is nearing completion on his first book, which will serve as a detailed sustainable living manual. 12-23scott and baxterAlthough Preppers LLC has garnered notoriety for the connection to the Doomsday Preppers series, the company remains very much focused on helping regular Americans with disaster preparedness. During retreat consultations, the folks from Practical Preppers have clients complete a survey to determine not only what type of scenario they are preparing for, but to gather information about the location itself. Typical Practical Preppers LLC retreat survey topics include questions about water, security, and energy systems, grid down cooking, bartering, medical, and communications plans. (via Tara & Common Sense Prepping! Mon 8:00pm/Ct - The Prepper Broadcasting Network :: The Prepper Broadcasting Network)

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Memos involving Trans Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations leaked to the media have alarmed economists, labor unions and environmental groups. The TPP involves the United States and a dozen different nations and could give new powers to international corporations, restrict banking regulations, endanger America’s food supply, and drive up the cost of prescription medicines, if predictions by opponents are accurate. As previously reported by Off The Grid News, the Trans Pacific Partnership deal appears to be cloaked in not just controversy but secrecy as well. That trade deal, along with the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal, would allegedly force the United States to “harmonize” food safety standards – causing America to abide by the standards of other nations. Americans who are concerned that the USDA, FDA, and EPA agencies are not protecting the safety and integrity of our food supply are among those deeply concerned about the emerging partnership. (via Obama Wants Corporations To Have Greater Power In Trade Deal | Off The Grid News)

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Author Rick Austin may have another best-seller on his hands. The Secret Greenhouse Of Survival: How to Build the Ultimate Homestead & Prepper Greenhouse is available on Amazon in both print and Kindle version now. The first survival gardening book penned by Austin — Secret Garden of Survival: How to Grow a Camouflaged Food Forest — hit the number one spot on Amazon’s Garden Design list. Rick Austin is not only a long-time friend to Off The Grid News, but also a consultant for the National Geographic network and a renowned homesteading keynote speaker. My “weeds are good pal” — as I so often refer to him when seeking some expert input on a homesteading or GMOs article — he graciously offered us a sneak peek at The Secret Greenhouse of Survival and the opportunity to write the first review of his new book. Friendship aside, Austin knew that he would get a very honest and blunt review of the greenhouse gardening book – we are just that type of friends and I am nothing if not brutally honest. (via ‘Camouflaged Greenhouse’ Provides Food And Secrecy, Author Says | Off The Grid News)

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Volunteer fire departments around the country could face closure if forced to purchase health insurance through Obamacare for their firefighters. That’s because the Affordable Care Act considers volunteer firefighters who work more than 30 hours a week municipal employees — even though they risk their lives for free. Approximately 71 percent of the fire departments in the United States are staffed entirely by volunteers. An additional 16 percent of fire departments are served by a mixture of paid and volunteer firefighters. The law does not distinguish between regular fire departments and voluntary fire departments, so if a fire department has 50 or more volunteers, it must provide health insurance – a prospect that the large majority of departments cannot afford. Of course, smaller towns may not have that many volunteers on their roster, but would surely like to increase their numbers in order to provide increased safety for both the community. (via Obamacare Rules Could Close Thousands Of Fire Departments | Off The Grid News)

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The FDA trans fat ban may be more than simply a health-based initiative. The proposed Food and Drug Administration rule would ban trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils – PHOs) in processed food. But the Alliance for Natural Health is but one food related organization that feels the FDA ban may actually have been crafted to benefit a new Monsanto GMO product. According to the group, the government ban impacts not all trans fats – only the artificial ones that are created when vegetable oils and hydrogen are added during processing in order to make the product semi-solid. As it turns out, biotech companies are beginning to promote a GMO-laced soybean oil they say is healthier than oils that have trans fat. (via Did The FDA Ban Trans Fat To Benefit Monsanto And Biotech? | Off The Grid News)

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A movement to call a constitutional convention and tweak America’s founding document in order to limit the federal government appears to be gaining momentum among conservatives. Approximately 100 legislators from a total of 32 states recently converged at George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, to debate the possibility of calling a convention of the states. Article V of the US Constitution details the process state lawmakers could utilize in order to vote on amendment additions to the document drafted by our Founding Fathers. No constitutional amendment has ever been added via a convention of states – yet. The possibility of such an endeavor has both fervent supporters and opponents among conservatives and libertarians. According to Article V, two-thirds (34) of state legislatures must approve an application for a convention to occur before the gathering has any official power. Proposed amendment would then require the ratification of three-fourths of the states. (via State Legislators Propose Changing Constitution To Limit Federal Government | Off The Grid News)

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Las Vegas government officials may be expanding their leadership roles to include the real estate business. The city of North Las Vegas is among several cities who are debating the idea of using eminent domain to seize foreclosed homes – a controversial move that has opposition from many circles, including those opposed to government growth and waste, and firm believers in private property rights. Five towns in California already approved the much-criticized program. San Bernardino and Chicago lawmakers considered and then rejected the property seizures initiative. Cities are saying they’ll seize the homes if banks don’t agree to work with the owners. If North Las Vegas goes forward with the eminent domain project, it will be the largest city to do so to date, according to KVVU-TV in Las Vegas. Supporters of the idea say a multitude of residents are underwater on their mortgages and in desperate need of a solution to their home ownership problems. Taking over bad mortgages, supporters say, will ultimately keep the city form losing out even more on potential property taxes. Opponents note that eminent domain is designed to take private property for public use, and not to seize private property just to turn around and keep it private. (via US Cities And Towns Threatening To Seize Homes If Payments Not Made | Off The Grid News)