The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 1 week 2 days ago
May Was the 34th Consecutive Month With 1 Million or More Guns Sold
Innumerate media types will look at the NSSF’s graph of adjusted background check data and thrill to the fact that May, 2022’s total was down significantly from the 2020 spike and the 2021 total.
But if you look at the May, 2022 bar on the graph above in relation to the May numbers in The Time Before years, you’ll see that last month’s adjusted NICS total was about 20% higher than it’s been in any previous May.
Cowan’s Offers the Definitive Collection of Frontier Firearms Including the Sitting Bull Rifle
From Cowan’s Auctions . . .
Assembled Over the Course of Nearly 50 Years, the Collection is One of the Most Comprehensive Offerings of Native American Used and Related Frontier Era Arms to Ever Come to Market.
On June 8, Cowan’s Auctions will offer one of the largest and most complete collections of Native American related and used firearms in its Frontier Firearms from the Lifetime Collection of Larry Ness auction.
Geraghty: The Problem With Warning Signs, the Mentally Ill, and ‘Red Flag’ Laws
We have a national problem of angry young men, disturbed and fantasizing about inflicting horrific violence upon innocent people. These angry young men often make threats to others before carrying out their massacres, but those whom they threaten rarely feel compelled to report the threats to the police because they don’t think it will make a difference, or they fear they will be targeted for retribution after the police contact the person making the threats.
ATF Nominee Dettelbach: I’ll Enforce Gun Laws Using the Tools Congress Gives Me
President Joe Biden’s second nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Steve Dettelbach, answered questions from U.S. Senators in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. The hearing was held in the shadow of the incomprehensible tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.
The president’s first nominee, David Chipman, was forced to withdraw his nomination after his record and questions about unprofessional conduct led even Senate Democrats to reject him.
Seen at NRA: Iver Johnson’s Pocket Ace 4-Barrel Derringer
It’s hard to miss the new Iver Johnson Pocket Ace pistols, tiny though they may be. After all, it isn’t every day you see a tiny handgun like this one. Sure, it’s little when it comes to dimensions, but it has four barrels. Four. Barrels. How can you not be interested?
The Pocket Ace is a pepperbox derringer chambered in .22LR. If you’re at all unfamiliar with Iver Johnson, one of the cool things about them is that they’ve been around since right after the Civil War.
Continue reading Seen at NRA: Iver Johnson’s Pocket Ace 4-Barrel Derringer at The Truth About Guns.
New York Mayor Floats Plan to Install Gun Detectors in City’s Subway System
By David Porter, AP
In the aftermath of a mass shooting on a New York City subway train, the mayor floated a high-tech idea: deploy scanners that can spot someone carrying a gun into the transit system before they have a chance to use it.
The technology to scan large numbers of people quickly for weapons does exist, and is used now to screen people at places like sports stadiums and theme parks.
Biden: We Shouldn’t Allow ‘High Caliber’ 9mm Handguns That ‘Blow the Lung Out of the Body’
The president made the remarks outside the White House after returning from a visit to the site of a mass shooting in Texas where 21 people, including 19 elementary school children, were killed last week.
Recounting a visit to a New York trauma hospital, Biden said doctors showed him X-rays of gunshot wounds.
“They said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in the lung, and we can probably get it out — may be able to get it and save the life.
Gun Meme of the Day: Anything To Feel Better Edition
I mean, if you want to virtue signal then go all the way.
Continue reading Gun Meme of the Day: Anything To Feel Better Edition at The Truth About Guns.
Palmetto State Armory’s JAKL AR/AK Hybrid Pistol Is Finally Here
If you’re in the market for a solidly-built AK/AR hybrid pistol chambered in 5.56 NATO? Palmetto State Armory’s JAKL pistol checks all the boxes for attention to detail and promises to be a fun shooter and maybe the perfect truck gun.
PSA designed the JAKL as an AK/AR hybrid with a 6061 monolithic upper receiver. The upper is compatible with AR-15 lowers and has a captured buffer, meaning it doesn’t extend beyond the receiver itself.
Enumerated Civil Rights Still Outweigh the Political Imperative to ‘Do Something’
By Lee Williams
While most Americans were spending time with family this Memorial Day weekend commemorating those who gave their lives in defense of this great country, a growing list of politicians and members of the gun-ban industry – aided and abetted by their friends in the legacy media – were busy conspiring how to best strip away the very rights so many brave men and women died to defend.
We don’t have to live this way.
Justice Department Will Review Police Tactics in Delayed Uvalde School Shooting Response
By Lindsay Whitehurst, AP
Since the Columbine High School massacre more than 20 years ago, police have been trained to quickly confront shooters in the horrific attacks that have followed.
But officers in Uvalde, Texas, took more than an hour to kill a shooter who massacred 19 children, a lapse of time that will likely be a key part of a Justice Department probe into the police response.
The rare federal review comes amid growing, agonized questions and shifting information from police.
FN’s New Multi-Role 509 Midsize Tactical Pistol
I had a chance to shoot FN’s 509 Midsize Tactical pistol at an event back in March. The new midsize version completes a tactical trio along with FN’s full-size 509 Tactical and the 509 Compact Tactical pistols. A number of us shot the hell out of the new gun which may be the ideal combination of size, performance and features for most people.
The 509 Midsize Tactical is in that Goldilocks size range where it’s a great choice for concealed carry, home defense or duty roles.
Continue reading FN’s New Multi-Role 509 Midsize Tactical Pistol at The Truth About Guns.
Colt’s New Rimfire Revolver: King Cobra Target in .22LR
We all know how crazy-popular the snake guns from Colt are, so it really comes as no surprise that the gun maker would launch another one at NRA. It might be a little bit of a surprise, though, that the newcomer is chambered in .22LR.
The new model is, in every way, a solid Colt King Cobra revolver, it’s just chambered in a more diminutive round than .357 Magnum. The cylinder is drilled for 10 rounds of .22LR and Colt says it’s a versatile gun useful for everything from plinking to competition shooting to hunting.
Continue reading Colt’s New Rimfire Revolver: King Cobra Target in .22LR at The Truth About Guns.
Gun Meme of the Day: This One’s a Little Edgy Edition
Well that’s…provocative. Funny in a “whoa” kinda way. Not entirely outside the realm of the possible or even the justified, though?
Continue reading Gun Meme of the Day: This One’s a Little Edgy Edition at The Truth About Guns.
Springfield Armory XD-M Elite OSP in 10mm Auto for Bigger Booms
Do you love 10mm handguns? It seems like new models are being introduced with increasing frequency lately (about which I have zero complaints). Springfield Armory is joining in with their XD-M Elite OSP in 10mm Auto, a gun designed for either defensive use or handgun hunting.
This pistol is the latest addition to the company’s Elite lineup. It’s chambered in 10mm, but doesn’t lack for capacity. With 16 +1 rounds available, there’s no need to worry about running out as long as you have (and can afford) the ammo to keep it fed.
The Unintended Consequences of The Rush to Enact Red Flag Laws
The senseless murder of 19 children and two teachers at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas is leading to calls for more gun control. To some, “red flag” laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders, seem like the obvious solution. These laws allow judges to seize a person’s guns without a trial, based solely on a written complaint that the person might be a danger to themselves or others. All a judge needs is “reasonable suspicion.” …
It has always been possible to take a dangerous person’s guns away.
A Report From The Secret Service On How To Stop Most Mass Shooters
I’m a big fan of the LASR App and SIRT dry-fire training pistols, and regularly get e-mails from them with useful training information. They recently shared a great resource that gives us some important information in the wake of the Uvalde shooting. They didn’t provide a lot of commentary, but they did give us a link to a report by the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center.
The topic? Preventing mass killings in schools.
Hands On With the New Bond Arms Stinger Derringer
Bond Arms announced their new aluminum frame derringer, the Stinger, earlier this year. It’s Bond’s slimmest lightest gun, perfect for concealed carry and we had a chance to play with one at NRA on Saturday.
The Stinger is about half the width and just over half the weight of Bond’s popular standard size derringers.
The aluminum Stinger weighs 12 oz. while Bond’s steel Texas Defender is 20 oz.
Continue reading Hands On With the New Bond Arms Stinger Derringer at The Truth About Guns.
Memorial Day To-Do List
Your Memorial Day 2022 to-do list includes (in no particular order):
- Fly the flag.
- Attend a Memorial Day parade.
- Barbecue some meat.
- Drink a cool adult beverage or two.
- Throw a ball around with the kids.
- Take a dip in a pool.
- Watch a good war movie.
- Remember those who gave their lives to make all of the above possible.
Continue reading Memorial Day To-Do List at The Truth About Guns.
New From Taurus: Executive Grade 856 Revolver
Taurus has launched a new sub-brand, in effect, to bring impressively high-quality firearms to market through its existing manufacturing, sales, and distribution channels. Perhaps akin to how Toyota created Lexus or TRD, or Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center line.
Called “Executive Grade,” it will be a line of Taurus models given special, hands-on attention during production to create more refined, higher-end finished products. The first of these is the Executive Grade 856 .38 Special revolver.
Continue reading New From Taurus: Executive Grade 856 Revolver at The Truth About Guns.