The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 3 days 20 hours ago
NJ Homeowner [Barely] Avoids Jail for Racking Shotgun at Intruders
“At about 2 a.m., [former firefighter 24-year-old Samuel] McGraw said he looked outside his home in the Deepwater section of the township and saw flashlights moving around outside near his truck,” nj.com reports. “He said he was nervous, as well as concerned for the safety of his parents, who were also home at the time. He opened the door and said he ‘racked’ his shotgun, hoping the sound would scare away what he thought were intruders.” Only the intruders weren’t intruders per se. In fact, the lights outside . . .
were no
Civil Disobedience Grows as NY “Assault Weapon” Registration Deadline Approaches
“Come Tuesday, owners of assault weapons in New York will be faced with a choice: Register those firearms with the state or potentially face a felony charge.” That’s the blunt, entirely accurate assessment of usatoday.com of the situation facing New York gun owners who possess unregistered “assault weapons” who are refusing to abide by the mandate created by the dead-of-the-night SAFE Act. And just in case you didn’t get the messag
On Respect for the Law and Respectable Laws
If we are to live in peace in a nation of laws, two things must happen. 1) Citizens must respect and obey the law, and 2) governments must make and enforce respectable laws. Every day Americans obey the laws that govern things from speed limits on the streets to keeping their lawn properly trimmed. Only a tiny fraction of a tiny fraction of laws require the intervention of police and the courts. This is a wonderful thing and reflects very well on the character of America’s people. I think one cannot be a good citizen without respect for the law and for those charged with writing them and enforcing them . . .
But this social compact is beginning to unravel. The breakdown we are witnessing is overwhelmingly a failure of the government to make and enforce respectable laws. In the standoff between Cliven Bundy, his family, and the assembled supporters who ultimately induced a fe
Moms Demand Action Demand Safety After KC Shooting
Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released the following statement from Reverend Michelle Reed, a member of the Kansas chapter of Moms Demand Action in response to the shootings at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and Village Shalom where at least 3 people were killed today . . .
Kansans are still reeling from the breaking news that, on the eve of Passover, a gunman has killed at least three people at the JCC and Village Shalom – our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones,” said Reverend Reed. “We don’t know all of the details yet, but we know that events like this remind us how none of us is immune– gun violence knows no boundaries of religion, race, class or age. We won’t wait until our families or communities a
TTAG Exclusive: Kirsten Joy Weiss Peep Mayhem!
Resurrection? Rebirth? Renewal? Sure, those are traditional Easter themes, but it seems that in recent years, Peep hate has crept into the annual spring repertoire, too. And marshmallow markswoman Kirsten Joy Weiss has totally jumped on board the peep pejorative bandwagon. Now she’s lined up an array of the squishy little chicks ShootingTheBull410-style to test their lead-stopping potential. And the results may surprise you. [h/t Henry Repeating Arms]
MAC Confirms TTAG’s Take on the Remington R51
“The gun is just flawed.” “Unfinished.” “It just doesn’t feel good to me.” “I really hope this doesn’t blow up.” “It’s just dangerous.” These are a few of the phrases that Tim at the Military Arms Channel uses to describe the Remington R51. We published our two star review of the Remington R51 a while back and got a lot of flak from the fanboys, claiming that it was a “sandbag job.” They said we were just biased against Remington and that the gun was in fact fine. Tim is one of the few people outside of TTAG who I really trust to give a fair review, and in his recently posted video . . .
he describes and confirms every single flaw that I found in the gun…and then some. His gun malfunctioned even when he was 100% sure he assembled it properly. His T&E gun (sent by Reming
Question of the Day: Should TTAG Be Reporting This Story?
As you no doubt know, the vast majority of concealed carry permit holders are peaceable people. Well they would be, wouldn’t they? Concealed carry permit holders have gone through a criminal background check; past history is an excellent indicator of future performance. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Well there would be, wouldn’t there? We’re talking about millions of people. But should we be talking about those people who have a concealed carry permit and do bad, bad things? Take this story from nydailynews.com . . .
Antonio Seisdedos, who claims to be a former Marine,
Just Arrived from Taurus: View Revolver
Technically, Taurus calls their wee new wheel gun the 85VTA Revolver, but you probably know it as the View. It may be the snubbiest snubster you’ve ever seen. With that minuscule 1.41″ protuberance of a barrel and an uber-compact grip, there’s hardly a pocket it won’t happily call home. But besides its diminutive size and 9 oz. weight, (by comparison, a 642 Airweight tips the scales at a comparatively portly 15 oz.) what caught a lot of eyes at SHOT was its oh-so-revealing Lexan side panel . . .
Who are we kidding, though? While the View’s svelte nature — thanks to its titanium cylinder and barrel — would seem to ensure
Incendiary Image of the Day: Another Day, Another MRAP Edition
Fourteen years ago, the U.S. Census recorded the not-so-surprising fact that Washington, Louisiana was home to 1,082 souls. I’m guessing the town still has fewer residents than an average-sized LA housing project. The Washington PD needs an MRAP like the local airport needs a runway for a 747-700. So why in the name of Sam Hill do they have one? Never mind the rationale expressed by the Chief in the video above: protection for officers during an active shooter event. Here’s your answer [via Wikipedia] . . .
According to a 2007 report Washington was named one of the 10 worst speed traps in the state of Louisiana. W
Sons of Guns Gets Small and Goes Home. If Only . . .
“A WWII British 75mm Scorpion Tank pulls into Red Jacket’s parking lot and demands Will’s attention.” Demands? As in the tank commander rolls up, aims the 75mm gun at Will’s new digs and demands satisfaction? For what? Forcing Yanks to watch Kris flirt with Stephanie? That sounds vaguely interesting – if entirely scripted. And yet the preview video above features a gun so small The Lego Movie‘s Emmet could use it as a toothpick (and yes he’s that dumb). What are these Sons of Guns guys thinking? Are they thinking? I’m not sure I would be after 61 episodes of Frankengunning. Still, the cash cow must be milked until the thing drops dead. Any thoughts on what the SOG’s finale should look like?
Quote of the Day: NY Governor Claims Confiscation Fears Unfounded
“You have been registering your handgun for decades and decades and decades. When has government ever come and knocked on your door and said, ‘I know that you have five handguns because they’re registered’? It hasn’t happened. So I never understood the fear in the first place because it hasn’t happened.” – New York Governor Cuomo quoted in Gun owners say they’re state’s target [at democratandchronicle.com]
Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Officer Daniel Dominguez
You at least have to give the San Antonio PD props for honesty. The vast majority of officer-involved negligent discharges are compliantly reported by local media, providing convenient stenography services for the local 5-0 and listing the officer involved as “unidentified.” And that’s all you ever hear about it. But after a San Antonio copter pilot blew a hole in his hand on Wednesday, the cop shop named names. The fly-boy with the see-through left hand is Officer Daniel Dominguez . . .
Here’s mysanantonio.com’s description of the result of Officer Dominguez’s Rule Two (at a minimum) violation:
Dominguez took his duty pistol, a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson, from his on-duty holster, which was attached to his flight vest, according to police. He was
Housekeeping: TTAG Facebook Page Crests 100k. MDA in our Sights
Once again, we have Celby Richoux to thank for putting the paddles to the TTAG’s formerly moribund Facebook page. Before her fateful advice at January’s SHOT Show, our Facebook page was trundling along at around 5k likes. This after more than three years of automatic postings from our main site. “Post your links manually she advised.” And so we did. Last night, our Facebook page crested 100k Likes – and beyond! Being the competitive folk that we are, we’ve set up the Insights widget to keep track of some of our competition. The most important of which is Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. As you know . . .
BREAKING: Two Shootings at Jewish Venues in Kansas
Two deadly shootings have been reported in two Jewish-related locations in Kansas City [above],” jupdates.com reports. “The first shooting was reported at around 1:00p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. Overland Park. Police confirmed multiple shots were fired at the center, which is located at 5801 W 115th St. . . . A second shooting was reported at Village Shalom, which is an assisted living center at 5500 West 123rd St. Worried relatives of residents tell KCTV5 that Village Shalom has been placed on lockdown. The suspects are in custody and there have been two fatalities, one at each location.” More news as it arrives.
Why It’s So Hard to Discuss Guns Rationally With Some People
I have a colleague who, until the Sandy Hook shooting, was very congenial, even complimentary. Though we don’t teach in the same department, we always got along very well, frequently chatting in more depth than merely exchanging greetings. And then one morning, I chanced onto a conversation between him and another teacher about school shootings. The encounter occurred shortly after Sandy Hook, while the issues raised by it were still very much the rage. He asked me if I thought arming staff was a good idea . . .
I should have known better, but I naively plowed ahead, expecting the same kind of cordial, collegial conversation we’d always enjoyed to that point.
He employed appeals to emotion. I countered with logic. He became outraged and questioned my humanity. I replied with calm and fact. Ultimately, I said “It all comes down to this: when an armed killer is walking down the hallway toward your classroom, do you want yourself and other teache
Phoenix Cop Shoots Perp Who Tased Him
I’ve learned my lesson. I will not pronounce “good shoot” or “bad shoot” when reporting Officer Involved Shootings (OIS). For one thing, many members of TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia are a lot more knowledgable of and experienced with these types of incidents than your humble scribe. Second, I’m from Rhode Island. When it comes to tales of criminality, I know that the first story is never the real story. This one from ktar.com sounds decidedly dodgy . . .
A 37-year-old officer was doing off-duty security near Interstate 17 and Cactus Road with another officer at an apartment complex when Duncan and 40-year-old Jo
Housekeeping: A Note About Our Liberty Ammunition Sponsorship Agreement
Yesterday we announced our new partnership with Liberty Ammunition. They will be supplying ammo for our reviews, and in return they get to call themselves our official sponsors and we’ll give them a nod when we use their rounds. Some of you seemed to be a little concerned that we might be selling our credibility for the price of a little 5.56 NATO ammo. To clear the air, I’d like to add my two cents, being the Testing & Reviews Editor for TTAG and all . . .
A gun review takes a lot of ammo. Like, a ridiculous amount. For my review of the PWS Mk114 rifle I went through at least 250 rounds if not more on the first day alone, and that’s just one rifle I was testing that day. And it doesn’t include the ammo used for shooting groups. Every time I go to the range the ammo bill is
Quote of the Day: Don’t Scare the Sheep Edition
“Having armed guards at school entryways to ward off an active shooter, for example, relays the wrong message to students: that they have a target on their backs. Engaging youngsters in active shooter drills, instructing office workers of all ages to watch survival training videos on how to “run, hide and fight,” and expanding concealed weapons laws so citizens might stand their ground needlessly arouse fear and anxiety in schools, the workplace, and society in general.” - James Alan Fox, the Lipman Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy at Northeastern University, quoted in Quit abusing ‘active shooter’ term [via usatoday.com]