Anti-gun advocates have long held that loosening concealed carry laws would result in rampant violent crime and “blood running in the streets.” So, imaging their furor when John Lott published his book More Guns, Less Crime back in 1998. “How dare Lott write such a travesty?” they decried. “Everyone knows more guns equals more crime.”
Fast forward nearly a quarter century, and gun-ban advocates again threw a fit. When the U.S. Supreme Court passed down its ruling in New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, affirming that the Second Amendment protected firearms carried outside the home, gun-haters again predicted gloom and doom.
“Today’s ruling is out of step with the bipartisan majority in Congress that is on the verge of passing significant gun safety legislation, and out of touch with the overwhelming majority of Americans who support gun safety measures,” John Feinblatt, president of so-called Everytown for Gun Safety, said at the time. “Let’s be clear: the Supreme Court got this decision wrong, choosing to put our communities in even greater danger with gun violence on the rise across the country.”
Additionally, Lisa Vicens and Samuel Levander described at Scotusblog.com a future with burgeoning violent crime because of the Bruen ruling.
“The Supreme Court’s decision in Bruen will have a detrimental effect on the safety and well-being of New Yorkers and Americans,” Vicens and Levander wrote. “As Justice Stephen Breyer acknowledged, and as we demonstrated in an amicus brief we submitted on behalf of social scientists and public health experts, leading social science research shows that ‘proper cause’ regimes, like the one in New York, lead to lower rates of homicide and violent crime when compared to ‘shall issue’ regimes.”
Again, the naysayers couldn’t have been more wrong. During the period since Bruen, when more Americans have begun carrying a firearm for self-defense, violent crime has dropped dramatically, according to statistics from the Real-Time Crime Index (RTCI).
The RTCI is a sample of reported crime data from hundreds of law enforcement agencies nationwide which mimics national crime trends with as little lag and the most accuracy possible. Crime statistics are inexact, but sampling agencies in this way is a proven method for accurately measuring trends while waiting for national crime estimates published each year.Standardizing the offenses collected and time periods measured from hundreds of agencies makes it possible to evaluate trends up or down as they develop.
Note that RTCI tracks a sample using the numbers provided by 570 agencies. However, the relative proportions of the sample are said to track within 2% of the proportions of FBI numbers in the Uniform Crime Report, lending lots of credibility to the numbers.
According to RTCI, as of October 2025, the latest numbers available show the 12-month running average of violent crime has dropped 14% since June 2022, when SCOTUS ruled in the Bruen case. Even more interesting, murders dropped 39% since the ruling, which prompted anti-gun doom and gloom predictions.
Of course, cause and effect are much more difficult to determine than simply looking at some numbers. While we can’t say for sure the increase in concealed carry since the Bruen ruling has caused the reduction in violent crime and murders, we can certainly determine that the increase didn’t cause crime to go up, like the anti-gun advocates claimed—another victory for the principle of more guns, less crime.
Peter Ortiz was a proper war hero long before he went to work in Hollywood. Public domain.
Robert Downey, Jr. is one of the most esteemed actors of his generation. His depiction of Tony Stark as Iron Man across 10 big-budget superhero movies became iconic. I once read a commentary by a British film critic who said that Downey’s English accent in the Sherlock Holmes films was the only example of an American playing a Brit that he felt was in any way believable. What makes that so remarkable is that Downey never took acting lessons. He just got in front of the camera and did his thing. He’s a natural.
There was a time when this was the rule rather than the exception. John Wayne’s natural swagger certainly could not be learned. Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, actors were not necessarily mushy, fragile prima donnas. They often were drawn from the ranks of truly manly men out in the real world. Principle among them was one Peter Ortiz.
Filmography of a Hero
Peter Ortiz starred in 27 films and two television series. His filmography includes such classics as She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Retreat, Hell!, The Outcast, Twelve O’Clock High, Wings of Eagles, and Rio Grande. Ortiz brought a gritty realism to the sundry roles he played on screens both large and small. That’s because he was arguably the baddest man ever to grace the silver screen.
Pierre Julien Ortiz was born in New York in 1913. His mother was of Swiss stock, while his dad was a Spaniard born in France. He was educated at the French University of Grenoble. Ortiz spoke 10 languages. In 193,2 at age 18, he joined the French Foreign Legion.
The Foreign Legion is comprised of some legendarily rough hombres. Peter Ortiz thrived in this space. He earned the Croix de Guerre twice while fighting the Riffian people in Morocco. In 1935, Ortiz turned down a commission as an officer in the Legion to travel to Hollywood and serve as a technical advisor for war films.
Peter Ortiz is shown here second from the left with his team of OSS operators in occupied France during World War 2. Marine Corps photo.
Proper War
We modern Americans often overlook this fact, but World War II burned on for a couple of years before we got involved. As soon as the shooting started, Ortiz left Hollywood and returned to the Legion as a sergeant. He soon earned a battlefield commission and was wounded while destroying a German fuel dump. He was captured soon thereafter but escaped through Portugal, eventually making it back to the United States.
War was a growth industry in the early 1940s, and American citizens with combat experience were invaluable assets. Ortiz enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in June of 1942 and earned a commission as a Second Lieutenant 40 days later. He made captain by year’s end and was deployed to Tangier, Morocco, assigned to the Office of Strategic Services. The OSS was the predecessor to the CIA. Captain Peter Ortiz was now officially a spy.
Undercover Ops
Ortiz was wounded badly, recovered, and then parachuted into occupied Europe several times. He repatriated downed Allied flyers and helped organize French Underground units. In August 1944, he was captured by the Germans. He survived torture by the Gestapo and somehow avoided execution. In April 1945, Ortiz’s POW camp was liberated. Now a Lieutenant Colonel, he made his way back to Hollywood to pick up where he left off.
In 1954, Southeast Asia was heating up, so Lt. Ortiz volunteered to return to active duty. However, by then, he was more than 40 years old and sort of famous. The Marines turned him down but promoted him to full Colonel in retirement.
Decorations
We’ve glossed over this guy’s amazing career. He was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the government of England. He earned both the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart, each twice. The Navy Cross is our second-highest award for valor, right after the Medal of Honor. Here’s an excerpt from his first Navy Cross citation:
“Operating in civilian clothes and aware that he would be subject to execution in the event of his capture, Major Ortiz parachuted from an airplane with two other officers of an Inter-Allied mission to reorganize existing Maquis groups in the region of Rhone.
By his tact, resourcefulness and leadership, he was largely instrumental in affecting the acceptance of the mission by local resistance leaders, and also in organizing parachute operations for the delivery of arms, ammunition and equipment for use by the Maquis in his region.
Although his identity had become known to the Gestapo with the resultant increase in personal hazard, he voluntarily conducted to the Spanish border four Royal Air Force officers who had been shot down in his region, and later returned to resume his duties. Repeatedly leading successful raids during the period of this assignment, Major Ortiz inflicted heavy casualties on enemy forces greatly superior in number, with small losses to his own forces.”
Ruminations
There were two Hollywood films that were based upon his personal adventures. 13 Rue Madeleine came out in 1947. Operation Secret hit theaters in 1952. Ortiz had one son, Pete Junior, who served as a Marine officer himself, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Of his dad, the younger Marine said, “My father was an awful actor, but he had great fun appearing in movies.” Colonel Peter Ortiz might not have been the greatest actor of all time, but he was an amazing warrior.
Thank you for your service. As a veteran myself, I am indeed honored when my fellow countrymen choose to offer those hallowed words. There is an implicit kindness and gratitude that is never sought but always appreciated. Despite our many squabbles, disagreements and warts, we are, at our hearts, all Americans. Ours is the most powerful, most successful country in all of human history. That is because of countless millions of good Americans who have sacrificed so much over the past 250 years to get us to this point.
To thank those that serve their communities, Springfield’s FIRSTLINE offers special pricing and benefits to first responders such as firefighters and many more.
The Springfield Armory FIRSTLINE reflects the organization’s basic ethos. Springfield Armory is as much a family as a gun company. Early board meetings took place over the dinner table. Nowadays, Springfield Armory is a foundational powerhouse among American arms producers. That’s because they live a patriotic code.
FIRSTLINE is an initiative wherein a large selection of top-quality Springfield Armory firearms is offered to those who serve our community at special discount prices. While this obviously applies to law enforcement and military personnel, Springfield Armory also includes such worthy demographics as firefighters, paramedics, EMT’s, commercial pilots and flight deck officers, judges, corrections officers, and state-licensed security officers, military veterans (and more). In so doing, Springfield Armory has chosen to give back to those who give so much for us.
Sheepdogs
Have you ever noticed how folks tend to fractionate based upon their character? Human beings are tribal. This curious aspect of our genetic makeup shades most everything about us. Certain personalities are inexorably drawn to certain pursuits.
Law enforcement professionals — both active and retired — can take advantage of FIRSTLINE to purchase Springfield Armory firearms at a discounted rate.
The Internet has provided a vehicle to connect folks with disparate interests in a truly unprecedented way. A few short decades ago, somebody with a passion for West African mud sculptures might have believed themselves all alone in the world. Nowadays entire communities of like-minded souls are seldom more than a few clicks away.
While this aspect of ourselves drives how we spend our free time, it also tends to govern our professions as well. Sheepdogs are those who are drawn to a life of professional service. They are the ones who stepped up on the playground to stop the bully who was picking on the little kids. As adults, they strap on a gun, pick up an axe, or otherwise place themselves in a position of hardship for the betterment of humanity. If you have any questions just look inward for a moment. You know who you are.
Sheepdogs are natural protectors. They don’t protect the sheep to get extra food or special accolades. They fight to defend the flock because that’s who and what they are. They could never be satisfied otherwise. The human sort don’t do what they do for the money. They do it because they cannot do anything else.
Gun People
In my experience, the type of person you meet at the range or the local gun shop is the sort you’d lend your pickup to or ask to keep an eye on your home while you’re off on vacation. Those of us who are immersed in this quirky little sport are, by definition, among the most law-abiding rule followers in American society.
In recognition that first responders like paramedics venture forth into some of the worst situations to protect life, they are also covered by FIRSTLINE.
By extension, most sheepdog people like guns. Exercising our Second Amendment rights is what fundamentally separates us from everybody else on Planet Earth. Lots of people talk about being free men and women; Americans actually ensure that is true.
It has been my experience that those called to a lifetime of service tend to be among that overarching pool of gun people.
Guns are simply tools. However, in the right hands, these tools are what free us from oppression, secure us in our homes, and grant us the confidence we need to venture out into the dark places to render aid and offer stability. Springfield Armory recognizes this fact and, via FIRSTLINE, makes it that much easier for the sheepdogs to access the tools they want and need.
The Details
The world is covered in a thin patina of silly gimmicks — bait and switch sleight of hand designed to capture your interest and separate you from your money via subterfuge. This is not one of those.
When Springfield Armory set out to design this, they specifically avoided anything that would make it gimmicky or hard. FIRSTLINE is a straightforward initiative that rewards those who serve without a great deal of ancillary fluff.
Commercial pilots and flight deck officers are also covered by FIRSTLINE.
FIRSTLINE is administered at the individual dealer level. Dealers become certified through the company to participate, and they handle the details locally. Verification is straightforward and intuitive.
Unlike a great many such things, all you really need is some basic professional documentation that most anyone has handy. There is an interactive map on the Springfield Armory website that will help connect you with one of the nearly 200 participating dealers nationwide. Be sure to check it out and find out the closest dealer.
Who Is Eligible?
Eligible professions include sworn law enforcement officers at federal, state, county, and city levels, both active and retired. Corrections officers, to include parole and probation officers, law enforcement academy cadets, and state-licensed armed security officers are on the list. In each case, verification involves presentation of official ID front and back or enrollment documentation from a recognized LE academy.
FIRSTLINE not only includes handguns, but also a broad selection of Springfield Armory rifles like this SAINT Victor 5.56mm.
Eligible military personnel include anyone either on active duty or in the reserves. Military retirees and honorably discharged veterans also qualify. Certification requires nothing more than an official ID card front and back or a copy of a DD214 along with a driver’s license.
Firefighters, both full-time and volunteer, are eligible with an agency ID (front and back). The same goes for EMT’s and paramedics with the same credentials. These heroes venture forth into some of the worst situations to preserve life — oftentimes at risk of their own. They are made from the same stern stuff as our cops and military veterans.
In the Information Age, court judges and prosecutors find themselves subject to the ire of some of society’s very worst people. Administering justice is a dirty, ugly thing, but it has to be done. Our judicial officials are a critical part of the system that helps protect law-abiding Americans. They make the cut with official employment ID.
Nowadays, commercial pilots and flight deck officers are often authorized to carry firearms. The attacks of 9/11 left a scar on our society that will never fully heal. Arming aircrews is one way that we avoid ever having to repeat those horrible events. Aircrew with commercial airline ID qualify for FIRSTLINE benefits as well.
What Is Offered?
The list of eligible firearms is on the website, and it’s extensive. Hellcats, 1911’s, Echelons, SAINTs, M1A’s, Hellions are included. The list is liberally populated with Waypoint and Redline bolt guns, XD pistols, and Kunas as well. Prodigy? Yep, it’s there as well. Take a look, and I’m sure you’ll find something I overlooked. Seriously, it looks like practically the entire Springfield catalog is represented there.
Members of the U.S. military — both active and honorably discharged — can also take advantage of the FIRSTLINE program. Image: Surefire
Concealed carry pistols, home defense iron, patrol guns, precision rifles, competition arms and recreational tools — Springfield Armory can hook you up with whatever you need via FIRSTLINE.
Guns are like insurance policies. You never need them until you actually do. Then, that firearm becomes the most important thing in your universe. Serious applications demand serious iron, and the wares from Springfield Armory are designed for hard use in the real world. These are the guns upon which you can reliably bet your life.
Springfield Armory makes some of the finest firearms in the world. All you need do is heft an Echelon, SAINT, Prodigy or M1A to prove that to yourself. FIRSTLINE gets these superlative guns into the hands of our most deserving citizens at a reasonable cost. Also, all FIRSTLINE handguns come with three magazines.
Ruminations
FIRSTLINE is just one way that Springfield Armory gives back to the community. In today’s world, the threats to public safety are more varied and serious than ever. However, amidst the darkness, the light shines all the brighter. Despite our many well-documented difficulties, good Americans still stand willing to step into the gap and sacrifice for the greater good. FIRSTLINE recognizes them in a real and substantial way.
FIRSTLINE is just one way that Springfield Armory gives back to the community.
Head on over to the FIRSTLINE section of the website and see for yourself the sweeping selection of quality firearms that are eligible. Then, locate the FIRSTLINE dealer nearest you. Give them a shout to work through the details and go land some top-flight Springfield Armory iron at a great price. Think of it as a well-earned token of gratitude for a hard job well done.
A centenarian Royal Navy veteran took full advantage of an appearance on live television to express his sorrow at the state of modern Britain, saying he and his comrades fought for freedom that has been frittered away, eliciting what critics called a “patronising” response by show hosts.
Royal Navy and Arctic Convoy veteran Alec Penstone told Britain’s ITV breakfast show “the sacrifice wasn’t worth” what the country has since become, mourning the loss of freedom he and his friends fought and died for.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Friday for a segment on the upcoming Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day on November 11th, Penstone was asked what the events commemorating fallen troops from the two World Wars meant, and what his message to the country now is.
Far from the feel-good sentiments the piece had evidently been set up for, 100-year-old Penstone remarked: “I can see in my mind’s eye those rows and rows of white stones.
“All the hundreds of my friends, everybody else, who gave their lives. For what? The country of today. No, I’m sorry, the sacrifice wasn’t worth the result that it is now.”
Comedian Adil Ray, best known for creating Citizen Khan, a BBC comedy about a “British Pakistani” family living in “the capital of British Pakistan” — Birmingham, England — quickly interjected to ask of the veteran: “what do you mean by that, though?”.
Penstone continued: “what we fought for was our freedom. We find that even now, it’s a darn sight worse than what it was when I fought for it”.
Ray’s co-host Kate Garraway, a former journalist and news presenter, placed her hand on Penstone’s shoulder and reassured him that people of her generation did appreciate the sacrifice of the veteran and his friends, before announcing that he was to be presented with a compact-disc of Second World War-era popular music in thanks.
British academic Professor David Betz was among those responding to the turn of events, calling Penstone’s remarks “heartbreaking” and the response from the television hosts “patronising” and “simply infuriating”.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron (L) greets 98-year-old British D-Day veteran Alec Penstone during the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion’s commemorative ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II “D-Day” Allied landings in Normandy France, on June 6, 2024. (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
According to a profile by the Royal British Legion, a prominent veterans organisation, Penstone was a young man when the Second World War broke out and initially volunteered as a messenger for the Air Raid Precautions organisation in London during the height of the Blitz.
He said of his time in London during some of the worst bombing of the war: “The moments at 15 years of age, pulling bodies out of bombed buildings you grow up very quickly.”
His father, a veteran of the Great War, made Penstone vow not to serve in an infantry role due to the horrors he’d witnessed in the trenches in the Great War. So he joined the Royal Navy as a submarine-detector, and ended up in one of the most deadly assignments of the Second World War, on the Arctic Convoys. He also served in mine sweeping to clear the sea ready for the D-Day landings, and in the far east, fighting Japan.
The Imperial War Museum states of the Arctic Convoys delivering materiel to the Soviet Union to help them fight Nazi Germany:
Conditions were among the worst faced by any Allied sailors. As well as the Germans, they faced extreme cold, gales and pack ice. The loss rate for ships was higher than any other Allied convoy route.
Over four million tons of supplies were delivered to the Russians. As well as tanks and aircraft, these included less sensational but still vital items like trucks, tractors, telephone wire, railway engines and boots.
While appearing on television today, Mr Penstone was seen wearing the distinctive white beret and badge of the Arctic Convoy Club, a veterans organisation for survivors which disbanded in 2005, given it had so few surviving members.
On his left breast he wore a rack of British medals from his war service including the 1939-45 Star, the Atlantic Star, the Arctic Star, the Pacific Star for service in Burma, and Defence Medal for his service in the ARP.
Separately on a red ribbon, Penstone wore the insignia for a Knight of the Légion d’honneur for role in liberation of France. In 2024, Penstone was personally greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron and thanked for his service.
On his right breast, Penstone wore several Russian Medals including Medal of Ushakov for convoys, and USSR-era convoy medals.
While these are not authorised for wear by Britons in uniform, it is normal practice for British veterans of the Arctic Convoys to wear them on the right breast in this way.
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