The Truth About Guns

When I was strolling the aisles at IWA, I ran into quite a few companies manufacturing modular silencers — cans for which you could expand or reduce the length and effectiveness depending on what you wanted to do that day. It’s a nifty concept, and while I don’t see it being available in the US anytime soon, it’s still nifty to see how these things are made. Idar from Sonic Silencers sent me this video showing the whole process from start to finish — take a look!

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“Michael Smith went outside shirtless after being awakened Tuesday morning, yelling at tree removal workers to get off his property,” pressherald.com reports. “The workers thought they saw a gun in his waistband and called police.” As Norridgewock, Maine doesn’t have its own police department, some bright spark called out the Staties – who responded with a SWAT team. Make the jump for a snap of an “assault rifle” wielding cop taking-up position near Mr. Smith’s house, and a money shot quote from the man himself. The po-po didn’t file any charges because “[Maine State Police Trooper Scott] Duff sai

TTAG reader MP emailed us this letter without any explanation. No explanation needed. It’s a trap! Vets ask for their free gun locks, the VA notes their participation in the program. When a vet returns for psychological counseling, they Doc declares them PTSD. The authorities to confiscate their weapons. After all, if there is some kind of insurrection, the vets will be the government’s most formidable opponents. Or not. Maybe I/we are just being paranoid. I mean, does the U.S. government really want to disarm the citizenry? Are various federal agencies – the ATF, DOJ, NSA, etc. – all working in that direction? More to the point, are they doing so in any kind of coordinated way. Tin foil hats on boys! We’re goin’ in!

We don’t review many air guns here at TTAG, but it’s a segment of the American gun industry that’s growing right alongside traditional firearms. Thanks to modern enhancements in compressed air technology the guns are getting more powerful and more accurate every year. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where hunting medium sized game with an air rifle is actually a feasible option. Sam Yang Industries have come out with a series of air rifles designed to fill that specific niche — air rifles for hunting — and their “top of the line” model is the Dragon Claw. Air Venturi is the US importer and they were nice enough to send me one to review . . .

The last time I fired a

Given my job and RF’s new home base in Austin, I have reason to travel to Texas from time to time. You know, Texas – that nirvana of gun rights where every cow poke totes a six shooter and guns are ingrained in the culture like nowhere else? Yeah, well that’s mostly a load of horse hockey. Texas’s gun laws have a long way to go before they approach the freedoms firearms owners in a lot of other states enjoy. Places like…Missouri, for instance. Yes, the gun laws in my home state make Texas looks like, well, Maryland by comparison . . .

Well almost. Missouri has concealed carry almost everywhere, a statewide preemption law that covers everything except open carry (and that may change soon, too.) None of those ludicrous 30.06 or 51% signs that can turn almost any business into an instant felony zone. Still, that doesn’t m

By Brandon Robinson

The recent closure of the 150 year old Doe Run lead smelting plant in Herculaneum, Missouri caused quite a stir. Conspiracy theories continue to abound in a community used to finding new gun control schemes under every rock from D.C. and San Francisco. For many, this closure was, at best, an example of the heavy-handedness of the EPA, again wreaking havoc on a beleaguered manufacturing sector. At worst, the closure was a malicious attempt by the Obama administration to use the EPA’s thugs to further squeez

I just got off the phone with Dimitrios Karras, owner of Ares Armor (which was recently raided by the ATF). Ever since the ATF’s visit they’ve gone completely radio silent, and the lack of information has made it hard for even us to keep track of what’s really happening. There’s a lot of conflicting information floating around, and he wanted a chance to clean things up and explain exactly what was going on. It’s still not 100% clear even to Karras, but I’ll take a shot at laying out the facts of the case . . .

It all started over a hunk of plastic.

A firearm only becomes a firearm when it becomes fully functional. Raw materials — even those destined to become firearms — are not regulated like a firearm until all the manufacturing processes have been completed to make it operational. But that creates a loophole for do-it-yourself gun owners, since the

“Our Western partners headed by the United States prefer not to be guided by international law in their practical policies, but by the rule of the gun. They have come to believe in their exceptionalism and their sense of being the chosen ones. That they can decide the destinies of the world, that it is only them who can be right.” – Russian President Vladimir Putin, Putin says U.S. guided by ‘the rule of the gun’ in foreign policy [via Reuters]

A grandmother in Cary, North Carolina has found herself in the crosshairs of her homeowner’s association for posting the sign above in her front yard. Laurie Cherico moved into neighborhood back in November, and posted the sign a little over a month ago. Now the homeowner’s association notified her that the sign might violate community guidelines. Homeowner’s associations get a lot of flack, around here and in general, but the reality of the situation is that when you buy in their neighborhood, you’re buying into their system. So it would seem the HOA has the authority to limit things like this. The association spokeswoman said that the content of the sign isn’t an issue [except it is, to some folks; keep reading], it’s that Cherico didn’t apply for

The Omaha, Nebraska Police Department held a ‘Gun Amnesty Day’ on Saturday, inviting residents to drop off their unwanted and/or illegal guns and ammunition for destruction. As is usually the case with these taxpayer subsidized dog and pony shows, the OPD’s event was done on a no-questions-asked basis. Twenty-one guns were collected, along with two reportedly live items of explosive military ordnance . . .

Despite the pitiful turnout, er, turn-in, the Omaha PD was immediate and effusive in its effusive self-congratulations. OPD Sgt. Matt Manhart told WOWT that “Any time we can get a firearm or handgun or

“The N.R.A. objected to the [Doctors for America] letter’s support for a federal ban on the sale of assault weapons and ammunition, a buyback program to reduce the number of guns in circulation, limits on the purchase of ammunition, mandatory safety training for gun owners, and mandatory waiting periods before completing a purchase,” the New York Times editorial board opines. “The N.R.A. also objected to the group’s sensible recommendations that Congress lift restrictions in federal law that effectively block funding of

There’s a stereotype that Americans are more business focused and Europeans tend to take life easier. And just like most stereotypes, its based on a grain of truth. Americans take fewer days off, get fewer vacation days, and tend to identify ourselves by what we do. Europeans, not so much. But while I subscribe to the American idea of working too hard and over-achieving, there is one tradition I’d love to see imported from the Eropean IWA to the American SHOT Show: the in-booth bar . . .

At the SHOT Show there’s always one or two booths that wheel in a keg after business hours are over and hand out beer, but it always seems like an after-thought. The booth wasn’t designed as a pub, so getting a drink can be somewhat awkward. But over on the other side of the pond, it seemed like every major firearms manufacturer had a VIP section with a fully sto

The second time he escaped from a Nazi work camp, the Russians captured my father. Dad escaped that hell too, but not before picking-up some of the local lingo. He taught me three Russian expressions: “f*ck your mother,” “give me your watch” and “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.” Not being a Russian soldier or an American politician, I’ve had no need of the last two. After watching the video above, I would certainly consider using the third if Russian special forces invited me for a little pistol training. In fact, I think I heard it in the middle of that yelling somewhere. Which reminds me of an old Russian expression: live by the macho, die by the macho. At least I think that’s what it means. [h/t PetitionForRedress]