The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 5 days 16 hours ago
Polymer80: NBC News Wants You to Think Home Built Guns are a Menace to Society
The professional jernalizmists at NBC News set out to produce sensational hidden camera hit pieces on JSD Supply and Polymer80. The goal, of course, was to send a chill down the spines of Mr. And Mrs. America over the looming threat that “ghost guns” present to law and order. They want the average uninformed citizen to associate legal home-built firearms with criminals and violence.
In the process of putting together their ham-handed piece on JSD, NBC’s highly trained media professionals managed to violate a range of local, state and federal laws (allegedly), something we and others have pointed out (see here).
After the Arrest of an Armed Felon in the Sacramento Shooting, Gun-Grabbers Struggle for Solutions
They’ve banned high-capacity magazines and cracked down on assault weapons. They’ve made it so Californians have to pass a background check to purchase a gun and ammunition. They’ve prohibited buyers from having ammo or “ghost” gun parts shipped directly to their homes.
When it comes to gun laws, California’s legislators have passed some of the most stringent regulations in the country, checking off nearly every box on national gun control advocates’ wishlist.
Gun Meme of the Day: He’s Doing His Best Edition
Happy wife happy life? He’s trying.
Continue reading Gun Meme of the Day: He’s Doing His Best Edition at The Truth About Guns.
Gun Review: Taurus G3XL 9MM Pistol
Taurus recently released the G3XL 9mm pistol along with the G3X at SHOT this year. Both guns are variations on Taurus’s successful G3 full-size pistol. The G3X combines a slide length of the G3c (with its 3.2-inch barrel) with the larger frame of the G3. The G3XL reverses that. Sort of.
The G3XL puts the longer slide of the G3 (4.0-inch barrel) on the smaller G3c compact frame. The idea is to give you a longer sight radius and better ballistic performance of a longer barrel with smaller, more concealable frame.
Continue reading Gun Review: Taurus G3XL 9MM Pistol at The Truth About Guns.
NRA-ILA: Happy That Half the States Have Constitutional Carry? Thank the NRA
A press release from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action . . .
A more than 30-year effort by the National Rifle Association (NRA) reached a milestone [last week] as the Georgia legislature became the 25th state in the nation to pass constitutional carry. A movement long championed by the NRA, constitutional carry eliminates the need for government permission before a law-abiding individual can exercise their right to bear arms.
“The NRA paved the way for constitutional carry by first leading the charge for right-to-carry nearly 40 years ago.
Gendle: There is No Legitimate Use for Magazines Holding More Than 10 Rounds
In my view, it’s time to stop obsessing over the nebulous term “assault weapon,” as well as the cosmetic features that are employed to define exactly what type of firearm might qualify as such a weapon. All too often, proposals seeking to regulate or ban “assault weapons” focus on cosmetic characteristics, such as the existence of flash suppressors, pistol grips, bayonet lugs, external magazines or overall “military styling.” These add-ons and designs do not meaningfully impact the firearm’s functionality or how potentially deadly the firearm might be.
Junk Science: RAND Finds only 123 of 27,900 Gun Control Studies Meet Rigorous Scientific Standards
We’ve all heard stories — on a monthly basis, if not more often — about alleged “studies” that allegedly show that if we just pass a few more gun control measures, we can finally turn the tide on the criminal misuse of firearms. Various big gun control groups love to tout these studies to support their baseless claims that more commonsense restrictions on law-abiding citizens’ rights will make the difference where thousands of other gun control laws have failed.
Fifth Circuit Rules Against New Jersey in Defense Distributed 1st Amendment 3D Gun File Case
From the Second Amendment Foundation . . .
The Second Amendment Foundation and Defense Distributed today are celebrating a court victory in a long-running battle to allow online publication of information related to the 3D printing of firearms, thanks to a ruling by the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that returns claims against the New Jersey attorney general (NJAG) to its jurisdiction.
A district court order had wrongly severed the case against the NJAG, from a lawsuit filed by the plaintiffs, and transferring it to a federal court in New Jersey.
AMNY: It Turns Out ‘Ghost Guns’ Are Traceable After All
Leave it to the little media outlets to publish the truth that corporate media organizations would prefer to avoid. In this case, AMNY, a tiny publication, did some actual journalism about so-called guns without serial numbers – termed “ghost guns” by those who want to ban Americans from making guns at home.
In the AMNY report, the New York Police Department admitted that guns without serials numbers are still traceable.
Indeed, just like traditional serialized guns made by gun manufacturers, firearms without serial numbers still leave plenty of trace evidence.
Continue reading AMNY: It Turns Out ‘Ghost Guns’ Are Traceable After All at The Truth About Guns.
Roberts: Why Do Gun Makers Deserve Protection Before Rape Victims, Transgender Kids?
It seems some banks no longer want to do business with some companies that make and/or sell guns.
Berkshire Bank, for example, quit lending money to Sig Sauer a few years ago, choosing not to help the company make more of the MCX rifle that was used to murder 49 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando in 2016.
JP Morgan and Bank of America also have pronounced themselves uninterested in financing the manufacture of military-style rifles for civilians.
NSSF: March Gun Sales Up 300,000 From February, Still Trending Up Long Term
While the NSSF’s adjusted March NICS background check numbers indicate fewer guns sold in 2022 than the same month in 2020 or 2021, look at the 2022 total versus prior years. March 2022 sales were substantially higher than the pre-Covid/George Floyd surge monthly totals by a significant margin.
The NSSF’s Mark Oliva tells TTAG that . . .
Anecdotal reports of reports of increased interest in firearm purchases following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine proved to be true as we saw background check figures for firearm sales increase by more than 300,000 from February’s adjusted figure of 1,352,105 to March’s 1,669,578.
Philadelphia Corner Store Robbery Duo No Match For CCW Holder Who Shoots One Dead
A good guy with a gun who was shopping in a Philadelphia corner store reacted as you’d expect to an armed duo who were waving a gun around threatening people as they tried to carry out a robbery just after high noon on Wednesday. The concealed carrier was waiting for an order when one of the two armed robbers pistol whipped him.
When the man who struck him then handed his gun to an accomplice, the concealed carry licensee drew his own gun and shot the man who attacked him twice, center mass.
Support for the Second Amendment Means Supporting Gun Rights for ALL Americans
The black nationalism of the Black Panthers — otherwise known as the “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense” — couldn’t be further from our own vision of building a future for black and white Americans together. But they weren’t wrong that law enforcement in certain cities was not trustworthy in 1966. When the Panthers started placing armed patrols in neighborhoods known for police abuse, the overwhelmingly white state legislature proposed the Mulford Act, named for Oakland assemblyman Don Mulford, which prohibited carrying loaded firearms in public spaces.
Weekend Photo Caption Contest: Win a Pair of Howard Leight Bluetooth Earmuffs
We’re not bringing back a weekly photo caption contest (at least not now) but we ran across this AP photo that was taken when a Ukrainian soldier took a break for lunch outside of Kyiv…and we couldn’t resist.
Enter the best caption for this photo in the comments below by midnight Sunday and you’ll win a pair of Howard Leight Bluetooth-enabled electronic earmuffs courtesy of Honeywell. Good luck.
Georgia Senate Passes Constitutional Carry Bill, Governor Kemp Promises to Sign It
After some back and forth between the Georgia House and Senate reconciling different versions of constitutional carry bills, the Senate voted 34-22 in favor of the latest version that passed the House earlier this week. That sends the final bill to Governor Brian Kemp who has said he’ll sign it into law.
From The Center Square . . .
“I look forward to signing the Georgia Constitutional Carry Act of 2021 into law soon and fulfilling another promise I made to the voters of this state,” Kemp said in a tweet.
Street Gang Used Soldiers at Fort Campbell, KY to Straw Purchase Guns Bound for Chicago
By Michael Belsamo, AP
Twelve people, including three U.S. Army soldiers, are accused in a large-scale gun trafficking ring that prosecutors allege supplied nearly 100 guns to gang members in Chicago and led to at least two killings, the Justice Department said Friday.
The soldiers — Demarcus Adams, 21; Jarius Brunson, 22; and Brandon Miller, 22 — were enlisted in the Army and stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where they would legally purchase guns from local dealers in Tennessee and Kentucky, prosecutors charged.
The ‘Ghost Guns’ That Time Forgot
Reader James Kaleda writes . . .
Gun rights deniers are increasingly up in arms about 3-D printing and the making of “ghost guns.” Many states, such as New York and New Jersey, have jumped on the bandwagon, passing laws intended to prevent people from purchasing certain parts, downloading 3-D plans, and all kinds of other silly restrictions. The ATF is putting a rule in place to redefine what “gun” means.
It’s all so silly, not just because prohibition never works, but because the materials and instructions for making your own firearms have been readily and easily available for decades.
Continue reading The ‘Ghost Guns’ That Time Forgot at The Truth About Guns.
Biden’s Budget is Another Sop to Gun Control Groups That Will Never be Satisfied
President Joe Biden is caught on the horns of a dilemma.
He’s attempting to placate a stubborn and loud national gun control movement that buoyed his presidential campaign and that continues to yell “Do more!” while seeing their influence and relevance evaporate.
Countering that is the rest of America. By the millions they’ve rejected the president’s gun control pushes and purchased firearms in record numbers over the past two years, creating the most diverse gun-owning community ever.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS: Dashcam Video Shows Cabbie Thwart Armed Carjackers
Here at TTAG, we’ve covered the great utility of dashcams for evidentiary value as well as for self-improvement. Now comes a dashcam video from a taxi driver in Chile who narrowly escaped a robbery and carjacking late one night. The taxi driver’s response to the attempted attack looks to be virtually textbook perfect.
The incident began with the carjackers forcing their vehicle in front of the taxi driver at an exit (see photo at top).