The Truth About Guns

Way back in 2013 I picked up a couple of parts from Gear Head Works for my TAVOR. The TMF, or Tavor Modular Forearm, was definitely something I’d wanted. I loved the idea of integrally mounting a flashlight instead of slapping it on a rail somewhere. The FLEx, or Fulcrum Located Extra swivel, had less appeal to me and I wasn’t going to buy it until Paul, owner of GHW,  convinced me that I would definitely notice a difference in gas blowback to the face even if I wasn’t planning on using it as a sling attachment point. Okay, okay, I picked it up and am now ready to voice my opinion . . .

Yes, this is a blog so ostensibly I’m here to write and you’re here to read (not that I don’t also read TTAG incessantly). But, sometimes it’s just eas

If you’ve ever given a PowerPoint presentation, we feel for you. Actually, we feel for your audience even more, but sometimes these things must be done. Be that as it may, there are some basic pointers the pros will impart to make the experience more informative and less sleep-inducing. Things like, don’t read every word on the slide out loud, keep it to no more than four bullet points to a page and make them brief and punchy. Now, though, have to hand it to Jerome Hauer. New York’s Director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has found a new, sure-fire way to make damned sure no one in his audience nods off while he’s droning on . . .

According to

Wikipedia tells us that ZZ Ward first performed Put The Gun Down on VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live with Carrie Keagen. And now, more than a year-and-a-half later, we know the appropriate line dance for the song. In Taiwan. If you’re line dancing alone. Anyway, American music travels well. There are more than a few gun-related songs out there, somewhere, inculcating the world to our pro-gun POV. What’s you favorite gun song? No points for Ted Nugent’s classic Kiss My Glock.

I used to be a 1911 hater, but those days are long gone. Much like a young cigar aficionado who can’t appreciate an expensive Davidoff, I just didn’t understand why 1911 handguns were so popular. Now I carry a Wilson Combat 1911 and haven’t looked back. But there’s something to be said for the original, the 1911A1, and for those looking to own a modern manufactured version of that historic handgun, Springfield offers their 1911A1 GI model that can be bought for less than the price of a GLOCK 19. But even at that price, is it worth the money? . . .

The Springfield 1911A1 Mil-Spec would, one would think, be a straight reproduction of the iconic 1911A1 handgun a

Remington is gearing up to show off their brand new 20/20 line of rifles at SHOT Show this year, the rifle that combines TrackingPoint’s wonder scope with Remington’s ballistic manufacturing capabilities. We weren’t expecting to see one before next week, but during a trip to the Austin Cabela’s store we stumbled across this Remington 20/20 in their gun library. And up close it just looks…well, terrible. I wasn’t impressed in the least. Anyway, we’ll put the rifle through its paces at SHOT Show and let you know how it actually works.

usatoday.com takes its Shannon Watts love-fest to the next level, offering readers a Q & A with the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (a wholly owned subsidiary of Mayors Against Illegal Guns). Yes, Ms. Watts’ replies contain the usual anti-gun agitprop. And yes, the McPaper shamelessly accepts the former PR exec’s inflated claims about MDA’s “membership.” But there’s some excellent intel within the highly-edited-by-mutual-agreement exchange. The warm-up: “Q: Did you have any personal experience with guns or violence? A: One in three Americans have, but I had never been affected by gun violence. I did not grow up in a home with gu

“The company was founded on the principle of keeping Americans and our allied forces safe. We’re not saying that Pakistan would get the weapons and do anything bad with them, but there’s just a heavy set of unrest over there.” – Desert Tech sales manager Mike Davis, Honorable Utah gun manufacturer praised for refusing to sell guns to Pakistan [at bizpacreview.com]

SWORD International will be demonstrating this all-new Mark 18 Mod 0 semi-automatic .338 Lapua at the SHOT Show Media Day At The Range, and we’d like to take an informal poll: should we shoot it? This isn’t a scientific survey, but keep in mind that there is only one correct answer . . .

The Mark 18 Mod 0 is based on the AR-15 platform design, although I’d be surprised if parts commonality extends beyond the buttstock and pistol grip. The immense size and power of the .338 Lapua cartridge require a truly massive operating system; even the buffer spring has to be much stronger than anything you’d ever stuff into an AR-15 or AR-10.

This rifle features a free-floated Lothar Walther barrel, a proprietary piston-driven operating system, and a 10-round double-stack magazine that must be the size of a small telephone book.

…and what’s behind those eyes. Newly released video of George Zimmerman’s girlfriend reporting to police (she later recanted) that he pointed a Kel-Tec KSG at her. Also that George choked her – which she didn’t report because “he always got away with stuff.”

When Uncle Sam bitched and moaned about the “iron river” of illegal guns heading south from US gun stores to arm Mexico’s cartels, TTAG called bullsh*t. For one thing, the cartels have hundreds of thousands of guns from decades of “legal” arms sales to South American governments, mostly from the United States. It’s called seepage or, if you prefer, U.S. taxpayer donations. For another, Fast and Furious, wherein the feds enabled the very thing that they were bitching and moaning about. And lastly, Mexicans need guns! To defend themselves against the cartels, corrupt cops and “rogue” government troops. Mexicans don’t have an uninfringable right to keep and bear arms, so they can’t tool-up legally. So . . . the

The Seattle Times is running a poll about two initiatives that will be on the ballot in the next Washington State election.  Instead of two questions that the voters will face, the poll asks three, summed up thusly . . .

Do you think background checks should apply to:

All gun sales, as proposed in I-594

Only for sales by licensed dealers, as proposed in I-591

No one. Americans hav

Oops, I did it again. I played with a shotgun. And shot the squad car dead. To be fair, I think we can assume that this is Austin Police Officer Dustin Turner’s first negligent discharge. But it’s the third reported negligent discharge with a shotgun for the Austin Police Department in one month. You may recall that two – count ‘em two – APD officers received a one-day suspension for firing their shotguns inside their patrol cars, earning themselves a place on TTAG’s illustrious IGOTD roster. Now comes word from

Does concealed carry have a deterrent effect on crime? “Allowing citizens without criminal records or histories of significant mental illness to carry concealed handguns deters violent crimes,” John Lott concludes in his stat-laden report Crime, Deterrence, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handguns. Common sense would also suggest a link – if only because a perp shot by an armed citizen has remarkable deterrent effect on the bad guy’s future predation. So I’m going with “yes.” But that’s a far cry from suggesting that the prospect of concealed carry deters crime. Citing Chicago’s falling firearms-related homicide rate,

Hunting shows hunt far and wide for a new concept to appeal new and existing audiences. As we all know (or knew what I used to link to Israeli supermodels), sex sells. Does it work both ways? Will women and gay hunters tune into Run2Gun to see Jordan Miller work out? I mean, the “some of you” that Mr. Miller refers to when he says “some of you may be thinking there’s no way I can do a traditional barbell squat” are, what, 80 percent of American hunters? These are not the exercises that OFWGs (Old Fat White Guys) are looking for. It’s too bad this isn’t a fitness program for armed self defense for all sexes, ages and body types. Anyway, do you work out and eat right? Is your ability to fend off attackers part of your motivation?

After decades of success with traditional hammer-fired DA/SA pistols, SIG SAUER is jumping into the world of striker-fired hanguns with a completely new design that’s also modular — and multi-caliber. But why the mysterious blue box? . . .

Because the P320 is so new that it hasn’t officially been announced yet. There are no photos of it, but SIG has leaked plenty of other details in advance of the official launch at the SHOT Show. Until then, here’s what we do know:

• Striker-fired like a GLOCK or Springfield XD.
• Serialized fire-control group like the not-too-successful P250.
• Modular frame and slide/barrel assemblies in Subcompact, Compact, and Full sizes.
• Available in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 and .45 ACP with double-stack magazine capacities the same as the P250.
• SIGLITE night sights are standard.
• MSRP: $713 for a complete pistol; additional frame kits and caliber conversion kits will be extra.

We’re still waiting for a lot of other details, though:

• Will it use P250 magazines?

In 3-gun competitions, stage designers love to be evil. And the definition of “evil” in this case is setting targets out at 3 yards, and then forcing you to quickly shift and engage some more at 300 yards. Doing that with the same rifle without switching optics is tough, since too much magnification on close range stuff will suck almost more than too little magnification at long range. Normally you’d need to find a balance between the two and settle for something in the middle, but Leupold’s Mark 6 1-6x20mm scope asks the question, “why not have your cake and eat it too?”

Quick full disclosure notice here. For the last year I’ve been shooting with Team FNH USA, and Leupold is one of their sponsors. As such, use of the scope was part of the deal. However, now that the year is over and I’m no longer sponsored by FNH USA or Leupold, I can give a relatively impartial

The New York Times’ article Banished for Questioning the Gospel of Guns “exposes” gun journo “extremism.” It’s based on an unsurprisingly sympathetic profile of Dick Metcalf. You may remember Mr. Metcalf as the Guns & Ammo writer given the old heave-ho after writing a column suggesting that government regulation of gun rights isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Suffice it to say, Warren Zevon’s

“There is a strong public safety need for this information to be accessible to the NICS, and some states are currently under-reporting or not reporting certain information to the NICS at all. This proposed rulemaking is carefully balanced to protect and preserve individuals’ privacy interests, the patient-provider relationship, and the public’s health and safety.” – Kathleen Sebelius, Obama Seeks Tighter Mental Health Restrictions on Guns [at bloomberg.com]

So a left-leaning pro-gun control commentator watches a video of a courageous commuter tackling an armed robber and advises viewers “don’t try this at home kids I’m telling you you’re going to get shot.” Whether or not you think that’s wise counsel isn’t really the point. This kind of armed encounter involves so many variables it’s impossible to play ‘parse the pistol.’ But one thing’s for sure: if you’re going to attack your attacker, do so with as much force as you can possibly muster. Go all in as quickly and violently as you possibly can. No holds barred. (Forget the friggin’ iPod.) It’s that aspect of Krav Maga, rather than any trick techniques, that makes it such an effective method of self-defense. But you don’t have to master it to use it.