The Truth About Guns


Why You Need to Home Carry…Even In the Shower
By Joseph Nizzari
In my 18-plus years of teaching firearms professionally, I have encountered contrasting perceptions regarding various methods of carry. These modes include inside or outside the waistband, appendix carry, small of the back, 3 o’clock, 4 o’clock, condition three, etc. And, as always, I have addressed those different modes of carry with my students employing both my professional and personal opinions. It’s been proven that an individual must first select a mode of carry that gives fast, consistent, and deliberate access to the defensive firearm from the same location every time it needs to be deployed whether or not that mode of carry provides total comfort . . .
In the words of the venerable Clint Smith: “Carrying a gun is not supposed to be comfortable; it’s supposed to be comforting. The gun that’s with you is better than the one that’s home in the safe.”
IWA: Gunsmithing at its Finest
Guns in general are beautiful works of art. But sometimes, the designers go above and beyond by embellishing their art with intricate designs and using precious metals. It’s a completely different level of “gun porn” from what we usually see here in the United States, and it was on full display over at the IWA show in Germany. So while I have a moment, I thought it might be nifty to tease out some of the better pieces and give you a post with nothing but pretty pictures. Enjoy!
Ares Armor Update: The Skinny on EP Armory Polymer 80% Lower Receivers
At the moment, we still have no idea what exactly the ATF is investigating Ares Armor for. Speculation is rampant, and the two main competing theories are that it either has something to do with the EP Armory polymer 80% lower receivers, or a suspicion that Ares Armor is “helping” people manufacture complete firearms without the proper license and paperwork. It may very well be the latter, since the judicial system has granted Ares Armor a restraining order against the ATF keeping them out of their hair for investigations related to the polymer lower receivers and the ATF claims their raid was on an unrelated charge. But just for giggles, let’s look at the situation surrounding those lowers and why the ATF might b
Neil Steinberg: Where Are These Defensive Gun Uses You Speak Of?
By Johannes P.
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg isn’t a fan of the fact that citizens in the Land of Lincoln will be able to legally carry a concealed firearm. Of course, that’s after jumping through numerous hoops such as undergoing a background check, paying a rather significant chunk of change, obtaining a Firearm Owner’s ID and enduring two days of training. And as long as they don’t try to do it in an area that’s on the long list of places that the Illinois legislature has banned concealed carry for ordinary proles. “Guns are about perception, fear, fantasy,” he says in a recent Sun-Times column . . .
A SIG SAUER Masterpiece: The Excalibur
SIG SAUER has been around for a while. Long enough, in fact, for their master gunsmiths to get a little…bored. And instead of doing what everyone else does when they’re bored (Reddit), SIG gave them a nearly unlimited budget and asked them to make something amazing. And man, they didn’t disappoint . . .
The Excalibur is one of the firearms in SIG’s “Masterpiece” line of firearms, guns specifical
Stand Strong Connecticut
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BREAKING: Obama Executive Order Freezes Russian Arms Dealers, May Stop All Russian Firearms, Ammo and Gun Parts Importation
The President has issued an executive order to punish Russia for its Machiavellian machinations in Crimea. Click here to read. Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person (including any foreign branch) of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in . . . (B) to operate in the arms or related materiel sector in the Russian Federation.” Our legal eagle Chris Dumm
Question of the Day: Would You Shoot an Active Shooter Who’s Surrendered?
In Armed Citizen Response to an Active Shooter: A Law Enforcement Perspective (click here to read) Sgt. Patrick Hayes points out the perils of an active shooter who surrenders to an armed civilian. “If the active gives up, you are now in a very dangerous situation. You are pointing a gun at a person laying on the ground. Consider how this will look to the police or another armed citizen.” Sgt. Hayes says “If you can physically retrain the shooter without your gun, do so.” What he doesn’t say: shoot the bad guy and reholster. But really, isn’t that the safest course of action?
Gear Review: American Security ‘Heavy Duty Handgun Safe.’
Every serious gun owner should already have a primary gun safe in the home. A heavy, armored vault that will defeat determined, if not expert, thieves with a crowbar or cordless drill and the time to use them. In addition to safeguarding the rest of your collection, such a safe is where you keep the Big Gun, a shotgun or carbine of decisive firepower which is too big to keep handy next to your bed. These big safes are great, but . . .
Unless your bedroom is also your gun room (or your wife has very accommodating tastes in home decor) you’ll also need one or more secondary safes where you can securely stash a handgun for quick and convenient access when something goes ‘bump’ in the night.
An Inadequate Solution
Connecticut Confiscation: It Won’t Be Door-to-Door
Reader John writes…
TTAG’s post, Connecticut: The Coming Storm was the last straw for me. Many have been discussing the general theme of confiscation for a while, and while I believe that is a good thing (the discussion, that is), I believe too many are far behind the curve. The hypothetical/fictional scenario illustrated in that piece is certainly possible, and even likely; but it is behind the curve in terms of the tactics that are likely to be used . . .
I liken this to the argument that antis make (made?) that no one is coming for our guns. Before Newtown, I never really heard anyone arguing that someone was actually coming for our firearms. Then ag
Search Warrant Sheds Light on Ares Armor ATF Raid
People have gotten a up in arms – metaphorically speaking, so far – over the situation with Ares Armor, and on the surface the agitation seems justified. The ATF busts into a business that sells legal 80% lowers in violation of a court issued restraining order? Consider the internet’s jimmies sufficiently rustled. But with some new documents that have been released by the Department of Justice, it’s starting to look like the investigation of Ares Armor is about something more than just selling hunks of metal. And if the documents are right, someone is about to be in a world of hurt . . .
An 80% lower is, in a legal sense, just a hunk of metal. It’s not a complete firearm, so it isn’t treated like one. It’s no more a firearm than a block of marble is a work of art by Michelangelo. But it has enough of
Quote of the Day: An Armed Populace Can Hold Off an Entire Modern Army Edition
“In a rare visit to eight villages in Northern Sinai last week, a Reuters reporter saw widespread destruction caused by army operations, but also found evidence that a few hundred militants are successfully playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Arab world’s biggest army and are nowhere near defeat . . . Residents say the militants – a mix of Egyptian Islamists, foreign fighters and disgruntled youth – have seized control of about a third of the villages in the region and are now taking their fight closer to Cairo. ‘The army is in control of the main roads but is unable to enter many villages. It can only attack them by helicopter,’ said Mustafa Abu Salman, who lives near al-Bars village.” Special Report: Egyptian militants ou
Stand Strong Connecticut
Send your STAND STRONG CONNECTICUT photo to guntruth@me.com. We’ll post them on our Facebook album [click here to view.] Please put STAND STRONG in the subject field of your email. You can click here to purchase a Stand Strong Connecticut t-shirt (half of profits go to Connecticut Carry).
Kentucky Sec. of State Grimes is Pro Gun…Just Ask Her!
By Johannes P.
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundgren Grimes (above), is challenging GOP Senator (and 2008 winner of the NRA’s Defender of the Constitution award,) Mitch McConnell for the right to represent the Commonwealth in the U.S. Senate – and she’s hinting that she stands behind the Second Amendment. Ms. Grimes recently issued a challenge to Senator Mitch McConnell . . .
The senior Senator from Kentucky has apparently not responded to that challenge, and so Ms. Grimes needled McConnell again on Twitter after he walked out on stage at CPAC Friday holding a rifle al
Save The Children Ad: Anti-War or Prepper Heads-Up?
Save The Children UK created the video above. It’s an extremely effective anti-war statement. Because war sucks. What the video doesn’t say is how or why wars begin, or how or why they’re ended. Here’s a clue: they’re not ended by making donations to charitable organizations. They’re ended by force of arms. In fact, they’re prevented by force of arms. If you want to know why America hasn’t descended into armed conflict, the Second Amendment. Oh wait, the Civil War. Yes, well, the UK is morphing into a totalitarian police state. Maybe this video should be This Is What Happens to A Disarmed Populace: UK Future Edition. Don’t say it couldn’t happen; history tells us it jolly well could. Keep your friends close, your rifle closer? Like that. [h/t everydaynodaysoff.com]
Ares Armor CEO After ATF Raid: We’ll Be Back In Biz Monday
Ares Armor CEO Dimitrios Karras posted an update on Facebook: “The ATF did execute a search warrant against all of our buildings today. None of our employees have been detained or arrested. We will be open for business tomorrow. We will be back up and shipping out orders on Monday. We wholeheartedly believe that they are WRONG in their actions and we will be relentlessly pursuing remedy through the courts. Quote from an ATF Agent during the raid ‘searching is fun! paper work sucks.’ Maybe the ATF thinks the Constitution is part of that paper work that sucks… Despicable behavior on their part. This is just the beginning! Thank you all for the support!” Yes, well, how many people will be ordering “untraceable” 80% AR-15 lowers from Ares now, given the ATF troll through Ar
Lessons from South Africa: The Blade-Runner’s Self-Defense Claim
By Matthew J. Bergstrom, Esq.
Despite its location in South Africa, another high profile shooting offers lessons for US gun owners. International Athlete, Oscar Pistorius, stands accused of murdering his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day 2013, and now we’ve had the opportunity to see his case presented in a South African courtroom this week. Pistorius, known as the “the Blade Runner—the fastest man with no legs,” claims he thought he was shooting an intruder in self-defense inside a bathroom in his home . . .
The trial has met expectations for dramatic moments after a year of anticipation and speculation driven by the media. Pictures have circulated of Pistorius vomiting in open court during a witness’ testimony detailing the mortal gun shot wounds suffered by Reeva Steenkamp. Prosecutors also introduced physical
Stand Strong Connecticut
Send your STAND STRONG CONNECTICUT photo to guntruth@me.com. We’ll post them on our Facebook album [click here to view.] Please put STAND STRONG in the subject field of your email. You can click here to purchase a Stand Strong Connecticut t-shirt (half of profits go to Connecticut Carry).
TTAG Reader Mugged at Knife-Point at South by Southwest
TTAG reader Karlan in Austin, TX writes:
Some friends and I went to the free MACC [Mexican American Cultural Center] show last night. I wasn’t sure of my right to carry; it was city property, but they were serving liquor. So I decided to “play it safe” and leave my gun home. After the show ended I separated from my friends to grab a bus home (approx 11:40 pm). While walking on the lakefront path between MACC and Congress Street I see two individuals sitting to the side. Two other people had just walked past them. They were waiting for me, alone . . .
One crosses into the path like he is holding a phone conversation, I immediately know something fishy is up and walk on the hill on the pa
Question of the Day: How Much Ammo Is Enough?
I’m cribbing this question from the good folks usacarry.com. Responses to their HMAIE enquiry ranged from “Everything from ‘if you’re not drowning or on fire, you can’t have too much ammo’ to a slightly more normal ‘thinking 1,000 rounds per gun or per cal owned then buy a box shoot a box’ to a recent moron saying ‘So you’re advocating that everyone reading this article should continue to hoard and buy everything in sight, furthering the shortage that is a direct result of the behavior you advocate for?’ My take: unless you’re preparing for an extended ammo drought you only need enough ammo to maintain a reserve (vs. yo