 of our Constitution: there must be ZERO INFRINGEMENT, per our Constitution, on the rights, access, ownership, and carry of firearms with regard to all law-abiding citizens.
The Deadly Cost of “Waiting”...
When it comes down to the matter of wasted time, I think Benjamin Franklin may have said it best: “Lost time is never found again.” No matter how much we plan ahead or how hard we try, time is always moving forward. We simply can’t turn back the clock.
I sure do wish I had the power to turn back the clock, especially for Carol Bowne. You see, I’m thinking about time right now, because I am so deeply saddened by the situation involving Bowne’s death on June 3, at the hand of her ex-boyfriend. Late at night, outside her own home in Berlin, New Jersey, this 39-year-old woman was brutally stabbed to death.
This scenario, alone, is tragic and horrible. But what really makes this situation unacceptable is that Bowne had applied for her firearms permit in an effort to protect herself…MONTHS before her tragic death occurred. She knew that a restraining order wasn’t enough to deter this convicted felon. She knew she needed to take action.
Sadly, Bowne’s own home state let her down. New Jersey—which has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation—happens to be one of the worst places for responsible gun owners. And this young woman lost her life because of lost time.
Lost time waiting for her permit.
Lost time waiting for permission to protect herself.
Lost time waiting for an outdated and restrictive process to tell her she was allowed to exercise her Second Amendment rights.
Bowne’s senseless murder could have been prevented. If she had been able to carry a gun, she would have at least had a fighting chance. She did the right thing. She followed the law and began the months-long process of obtaining a handgun. But that “may-issue” process failed her. In fact, she checked the status of her firearms permit just two days before her murder. But New Jersey’s requirement of time interfered…and cost Bowne her life. At the time of her death, her 41-day-old request to protect herself with a firearm was still being processed.
Bowne’s senseless murder is also further evidence that better reciprocity laws are needed nationwide. This is not simply a New Jersey issue. This is an American issue. We can’t just shake our heads and take comfort in the fact that we might not live in the Garden State. Tragedies like this remind us that we all need to stand together as a nation and defend our Constitutional rights.
Take my home state of Wisconsin, for example. The state Senate recently approved a bill that would eliminate our decades-old, 48-hour-waiting period for handgun purchases. It’s at least a step in the right direction.
The bottom line, though, is this: Carol Bowne was left defenseless to a known violent predator, stripped of her right to protect herself with a firearm.
Indeed, Bowne paid the ultimate price while she waited for the chance to defend herself with a gun.
Carol Bowne’s blood isn’t just on her attacker’s hands. It’s on your hands.
Everyone should be able to protect himself or herself against danger by bearing arms. Everyone deserves a fighting chance. Everyone deserves time.
“Shall not be infringed” applies to us all.
P.S. - Don't forget to check out the 3rd video in the Self-Defense Aftermath Series to hear the true story of a USCCA member and what happened when he found himself with his back against the wall - charged with a crime simply for doing what was right… Listen to his full story here and feel free to leave a comment...
Oh, I was just sitting here thinking I should start a great big fight. You ready?
I had a strange reaction when I tried it. I have very spotty memory of what happened and it is in no chronological order.

I remember walking in the lake at my family's lake house. I remember chasing a fox or coyote on a four wheeler. I remember filling my gas tank four towns over from where I live (meaning I drove =(     ) and I remember walking around without a shirt on in my front yard. The rest is a void in my memory. I wouldn't suggest you do it to be honest.

I should probably mention that I blew three 10mg pills in an hour. I think I over did it a bit.- Aurum Trust
SA’s Problem of a Narrow Tax Base and High Taxes
Article by Adriaan Kruger, Moneyweb
Analysis of collections by Sars shows why things are not working in SA.
One of the first paragraphs in the annual tax report published by National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (Sars) gives one of the main reasons why public infrastructure is deteriorating and living standards for a large section of the population are falling.
“In the last few years, SA’s economy has significantly underperformed. Economic growth has lagged behind global and emerging markets, real GDP has grown slower than population growth for five consecutive years and our current GDP performance on a per capita basis is the weakest since the 1960s,” according to the authors of Tax Statistics 2019.
The figures supplied by the authorities show the stark truth: a handful of taxpayers cannot afford to fund the hospitals, schools, roads, libraries, water networks, postal services, police protection and a range of social grants for a population of 56 million (and increasing).
Although the number of individuals registered for personal income tax increased to more than 22 million at the end of the 2019 tax year, this is misleading as most of the registered taxpayers do not pay any tax. The high number of taxpayers on the books is purely the result of a change in tax policy that require employers to register all employees with Sars even if their salaries are lower than the threshold that will oblige them to pay tax.
At the time the report was written, Sars expected only 6.6 million taxpayers to submit returns and by August last year some 4.9 million taxpayers had done so.
Although only 75% of returns had been assessed at the date the report was published, available data shows that 97% of total personal income tax paid was collected from fewer than three million individuals in the past tax year.
Uneasy burden
That is three million people who the rest of the citizens in SA are leaning on to support them with infrastructure and, in millions of cases, help with food, free education and healthcare.
Just more than two million people, earning between R200 000 and R750 000 per annum, paid 44% of all the personal income tax collected in SA in 2018/2019.
Individual taxpayers have seen their tax liability increasing surreptitiously during the last few years, with only small changes to tax tables.
This has resulted in bracket creep, an increase in the top marginal rate from 40% to 45% and changes to the tax treatment of medical expenses, pension deductions, fringe benefits and travel expenses.
Out of options
It seems Sars and Treasury have exhausted their options when it comes to raising more tax from individuals’ salaries. The tax report, signed off by Sars Commissioner Edward Kieswetter and Treasury Director-General Dondo Mogajane, says tax revenues are constrained.
This became clear during the last tax year, when low economic growth reduced tax revenues while government spending continued to increase. The report states that “whilst revenues generated from the tax system move in tandem with the economy, on average, the growth in tax revenues has (usually) been higher than economic growth”.
However, the recession last year led to lower growth in revenue collections, which culminated in a downward revision of revenue targets.
Yet even the lower targets could not be reached.
The report says 2018/19 tax revenue collection amounted to R1 287.7 billion, some R14.5 billion lower than the revised target of slightly more than R1 302 billion.
Nearly 90% of the shortfall is attributable to lower than expected collections from personal income tax and company tax.
Tax buoyancy down
The report states that tax buoyancy in South Africa – a measure of the sensitivity of tax revenues to changes in economic growth – has deteriorated during the last two years as companies saw profits plunge, employees had to accept lower increases in salaries and Sars started to run out of options to increase tax rates and introduce new taxes.
Sars says growth in total tax revenue did not keep up with economic growth over the last two tax years, signifying lower compliance levels in a constrained economic environment.
Overall tax collections are also slowing, according to the figures. While total tax revenue collected by Sars increased from R986.3 billion in 2015 to R1 287.7 billion in 2019, tax revenue has increased by only 6.9% per annum during the last five years compared to growth of 10.5% in the preceding five years.
Worrisome
That tax revenue is growing slower than in the past is worrisome for state finances, especially if one considers the increase in the Vat rate to 15%, the increase in the marginal tax rate to 45%, and the introduction of several new taxes, such as sugar tax and environmental levies on tyres, plastic bags and CO2 emissions.
Personal income tax remains the largest source of government revenue with the reliance on this type of tax increasing to just more than 38% of total revenue compared to less than 36% the previous year.
Swings and roundabouts for Vat
Vat contributed somewhat less last year (25.