The Truth About Guns

I’m sad to say that my hometown is the latest in the long line of small towns to pick up a “surplus” MRAP. Apparently they paid only $2,000 for the 30-ton armored vehicle, which has only 5,000 miles on the odometer. Now, my little city isn’t what it was 20-25 years ago, but it’s still not what anyone would call “crime-ridden.” I won’t deny it looks pretty cool in matte black, and it’ll probably be quite popular in the annual parade. . .

If anyone needs PMAGS, Palmetto State Armory is running a deal right now that if you buy 10 (Gen 3) for $149.95,

There are some benefits to a side-mounted charging handle, mostly to do with not having to reach so far back on the gun to operate the bolt. Economy of motion and all that. For some, the AR-15 would be the perfect weapon system but for the want of that one part. There have been custom AR-15 rifles that have such charging handles for ages now, but they’re all pretty expensive and require either a new rifle or extensive modifications to your existing gun. Now, Gun Fighter Gear offers a new solution in the form of a drop-in replacement charging handle . . .

“A domestic dispute over space aliens escalated Saturday morning when a lingerie-clad New Mexico woman allegedly pointed a silver handgun at her boyfriend, a weapon she retrieved from her vagina, where it had been placed while the accused was performing a sex act, police allege.” If that’s not enough to make you read on, check your pulse. The, um, accused is Jennifer McCarthy, ex-wife of Pulitzer Prize winner, Cormac. “After removing the gun from her vagina, McCarthy pointed it at her boyfriend’s head, investigators charge. Fearing that he could get shot, the man grabbed the weapon from McCarthy and put it in the toilet.” ‘Cause where else would you stash an over-lubed heater? The only question is, did she use Rem Oil or Astroglide? Oh, and you’re welcome. [h/t Kirk K.]

It’s a new year! Your luck has to improve, right? Sure, the odds may be against you, but what will it cost you to throw your hat in the ring? [Thanks, as always, to Aaron Spuler at The Weapon Blog]

Handguns

• Taurus Model 85
  Deadline: January 31, 2014
  Added to this list: January 8, 2014
  http://floridagunsupply.com/free-guns/
• Sig Sauer SP2022 Desert
  Deadline: January 31, 2014
  Added to this list: January 7, 2014
  http://www.sigsauer.com/Promotions/Sweepstakes.aspx
• Springfield Armory XDM 3.8 9mm
  Deadline: January 10, 2014
  Added to this list: December 3, 2013
  

Despite the GLOCK 42′s relatively portly dimensions, the Austrian outfit’s selling their new .380 as the ultimate concealed carry gun. To back up the not-quite-a-backup-gun’s pitch, GLOCK’s worked with the leather lovers at Galco to ready holsters for the pistols’ release. Buyers looking to carry the something-less-than-entirely-diminutive GLOCK 42 can choose between four Galco carry systems: the Classic Lite, Pocket Protector, Stow-N-Go and Walkabout (nothing to do with Nick Roeg’s classic Australian flick of the same name). Moving from the almost-sublime to the not-entirely-ridiculous, Galco offers

Here at The Truth About Guns, we like to get into the, you know, actual TRUTH about guns. And when a gun is the object of as much conflicting information, wild opinions, disagreement, arguing, insults, flame-fests and fanboyism as the Taurus Judge has been, that presents a prime opportunity for our man ShootingTheBull410 to dig in and figure out what the real story is. Sure, it takes a Ransom Rest, ballistic gel, a cantaloupe, a 12-gauge, a few dozen different types of ammunition, and a whole lot of Dirty Bird targets, but it’s worth it to cut through all the bull, no? . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDMDd4eAQO0

Now even Matt is getting in on the fun. “Hey Nick, it’s a new M&P15-22. Because it’s got a new paint job. New.” Sigh. The M&P-22, a .22lr version of the AR-15 rifle, now comes with a new paint job. Hooray.

Some people carry three guns, but I’m pretty happy with just one: a Wilson Combat 1911. The only exception to my contentedness is the short supply of ammunition that my gun carries. Eight rounds might be enough for the statistically average gunfight, but I don’t plan for the statistical average. I plan for the outliers. Which is why carrying an extra magazine is something I’ve intended to do for some time, but every option I’ve investigated so far sucks. Until I found the SnagMag, that is . . .

The traditional spare mag carry methods are either in a holster on your belt or buried deep in your pocket. The belt-based solution is easy to use and quick to access, but it’s massively u

The 27-year-old thief, who family identified as Blake Moore, and his girlfriend were already driving a stolen Honda with stolen plates when they pulled up to a home in the 21800 block of SE 236th Place just after midnight,” komonews.com reports. “As the man then began breaking into a pickup truck, the truck’s owner came out to walk his dog and confronted the thief . . . The truck owner’s aunt hailed her nephew, who is a former Marine, as a hero for saving her life as the bullets began flying. ‘He shoved me out of the way when the guy was going to shoot at us,’ said Kristen Hague. ‘Looked like (the thief) had a gun and pushed me out of the way and yelled ‘gun!’ and I don’t think if he would have done that, I would be alive . . . My life was in danger; my nephew’s life was in danger, and he did the right thing even though it ended really bad and really sad.

“After donating $2.5 million to the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg is signaling that his great crusade against guns is running out of steam,” medialite.com reports. Not “signaling” in the sense of the Bat Signal. More like throwing his cash behind – rather than against – Senate Democrats “soft” on “gun safety” (e.g., AZ Sen. Mark Pryor, NC Sen. Kay Hagan and AK Sen. Mark Begich). Scribe Noah Rothman reckons that means gun control is on hold. I don’t think so. I think it indicates that the anti-ballistic billionaire is learning the practical value of realpolitik. That makes him more dangerous. During a dangerous time; the post-Ne

We called it. Mother Jones just published their story about gun sales on Reddit, and the entire “scoop” boils down to a couple snarky quotes from TTAG contributor FirearmConcierge and a heaping helping of the same thoroughly debunked anti-gun propaganda that we’ve seen time and time again. Hoary old gems like “40% of sales happen without a background check” (despite that being from 1994 before NICS was even in place). I love that we even correctly identified the quote from FC that they used. As for the meat and potatoes of the article, plan on going hungry . . .

There was no smoking gun of a transaction on Reddit that was illegal. There was no sto

You’ve heard me say it before. If there’s one complaint I have about the otherwise excellent SCAR series rifles, it’s the charging handle. In this day and age, to have a gun with a reciprocating charging handle for purposes other than nostalgia is lazy design work. Thankfully there are industrious companies like GG&G out there who see the opportunity to improve on an existing design and make a little money for themselves in the process. Enter GG&G’s latest creation, the SCAR Non-Reciprocating Charging Mechanism . . .

GG&G’s device (I’m not typing that whole name out every time) is a bolt-on addition to any SCAR series rifle that gives you a non-reciprocating charging handle without any destructive modificat

[h/t DrVino]

A lot of the fun in designing firearms is just making a gun that looks cool. And in places like New York and California, that’s damn near impossible thanks to their ludicrously restrictive laws (which don’t stop crime and don’t save lives). Now, though, Plinker Arms is looking to solve that situation by introducing a 10-round magazine that looks like a 30-rounder. It’s the magazine equivalent of putting a fake silencer on your rifle, but there’s no doubt that it’ll look cool in the process. Presser after the break . . .

CORNELIUS, NC (January 2014) – Plinker Arms, LLC, makers of American-made firearms magazines, accessories and components, answers the call for firearms enthusiasts everywhere with the new Response Magazine; a magazine with the look and performanc

“If we thought the antigun side of the debate were interested in good-faith compromise, we’d be all for it. The dishonesty of their debating tactics, their ghoulish and opportunistic use of horrific crimes like the Newtown massacre to advance their agenda, and the onerous (and likely unconstitutional) regulations that exist in places where they hold political sway–such as New York City, where we live–persuade us otherwise.” – James Taranto, The Extreme ‘Centrist’ [at wsj.com]

“An officer stopped [Tyrone] Watson’s vehicle on Water Street at 1:25 a.m. Sunday, because the officer felt that Watson was tailgating him,” thehour.com reports. “The officer let Watson’s car pass, then pulled him over. While trying to find his license and registration, Watson took out his pistol permit and quickly put it back, according to police. The officer asked if Watson had a weapon on him, and Watson replied that he was carrying a gun, police said. The officer secured the handgun for the duration of the motor vehicle stop and w

The Indian army recovered 40+ weapons and a whole pile of ammunition a few days back in a place most of you have never heard of. It doesn’t really matter. Just look at that artistic layout. Our cops are really behind the times with their “toss it on the table” photo ops. . .

A clerk at a Seattle convenience store was ringing up a customer when two men entered the store wearing masks. One approached the counter and demanded money, pulling a gun. The clerk thought the gun “didn’t look real,” so he told the guy, “I have a

In our first look at the Hera Arms magazines, things didn’t turn out so well. The feed lips went all French revolution on me liberated themselves from the rest of the magazine, leaving me with a useless piece of plastic. Turns out Hera Arms heard the many, many customers reporting similar crappy performance with their magazines and came out with an updated version that they claim actually works. Our source sent us two fresh new magazines, and testing began again.

Good news first: the magazines didn’t explode. They actually functioned in a real firearm, running both 5.56 and 300 AAC Blackout rounds without an issue. I only was able to run about 500 rounds through the magazine thanks to limited supplies at the secret Top Gear test track TTAG testing range (just west of Austin on highwa

New York’s SAFE Act was crafted in the aftermath of the Newtown massacre, It was passed in the dead-of-night, 20-minutes after it landed on legislators desks. Governor Cuomo signed the bill that same day, bypassing the usual three-day waiting period by claiming that the Act was an “emergency measure.” The result is an egregious an infringement on Empire Staters’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. Amongst its Second Amendment-defiling provisions: a law prohibiting legal gun owners from loading more than seven rounds in their handgun – unless they’re at a state-approved gun range. That particular stipulation was so obviously arbitrary and unjustifiable that the bone-headed federal judge that upheld the rest of the SAFE Act tossed the seven-round limit. On this, Governor Cuomo will not yield – and for good reason . . .

“Nobody needs weapons of war on America’s streets. Nobody needs more than fifteen (ten? eight? seven? six? two?) rounds for self-defense.” Bullsh*t. A California restaurant employee is alive today because he had enough rounds in his gun when two men stormed his Vista eatery with bandanas over their faces and guns in their hands. If he’d only been armed with a revolver or mouse gun, he’d have been outgunned . . .

The employee, who hasn’t been named by police, was holding down the fort at Uncle Tony’s Italian Cuisine on the night of January 3rd. When the two gunmen tried to rob the restaurant, the employee drew his own pistol and opened fire. His combat shooting was better than that of most police officers: he fired eight times and managed to hit each of the gunmen at least once.

Police were dispatched to the scene at about 9:40 p.m., but the gunmen had already fled. The employee gave police a good descriptio