The Truth About Guns

After Colorado’s Democratic legislators rammed through their knee-jerk magazine ban last year, angry Centennial State voters kicked two of the bastards out of office and forced a third to resign before she was voted out, too. A recent Quinnipiac University poll suggests that Democratic governor John Hickenlooper is feeling the heat of gun owners’ wrath as well. In an ominous signal of his re-election chances, his approval rating has dropped to below 50% for the first time in his term. And it’s not just because voters are offended by that horrible rug on his head, either . . .

Last month’s Q-poll revealed that Hickenlooper’s overall approval rating had dropped from a high of 66 percent just after the Aurora theater shooting, to a low of 48% in November 2013. Almost half of Coloradans (49%)

“Unfortunately, a lot of people just want to shoot guns.” – Lt. Col. Robert Bateman, “Your Days Are Numbered”: On Death Threats and Gun Rights [at esquire.com]

CMP Ammunition Update

“The CMP has been notified by ammunition manufacturers and distributors to expect price increases and significant delivery delays for all calibers of ammunition, especially for .22 rimfire. The price increases and delays apply to orders we have already placed with the manufacturers. Prior to 2013 CMP received deliveries of truckloads of ammo within a few weeks of placing orders. We are now being advised, as in the case of Aguila .22, that it may take several years to receive all of the 35,000,000 rounds of Aguila ammo we have on order. . .

“As a result of this situation, CMP has placed orders with several different manufacturers for large amounts of ammunition in various calibers. We expect to receive only a few pallets at a time because manufacturers and distributors are rationing the ammo to their customers. As we receive ammo, we will contact customers with oldest orders already in place with the option to purchase whatever we receive at the new prices, cancel the order, or remain on the list for the manufacturer they originally requested. A

On the anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings, the town of Greenwich, Connecticut played host to the saddest little gun turn-in in the history of the world ever. The residents of the wealthiest per-capita town in the United States (pop. 62,000) surrendered a grand total of five rifles and one handgun to be destroyed by the Connecticut State Police . . .

The Greenwich Time, stretching journalistic descriptive license beyond any recognizable limits, called it “quite a haul” of firearms. They were even more proud that another five rifles (whoa Nelly!) were turned in prior to last Saturday’s event, bringing the ‘grand’ total to eleven unspecified guns. Also not specified: the amount of money and police time wasted by the Greenwich Police Department in hosting this pitiful

“Claire Davis, the 17-year-old high school senior who was shot last week by a classmate at their Colorado school, died Saturday,” cnn.com reports. Ms. Davis suffered a shotgun blast to her head from classmate Karl Peterson. ”It is with heavy hearts that we share that a 4:29 p.m. this afternoon, Claire Davis passed away, with her family at her side,” Littleton Adventist Hospital said in a statement. ”Despite the best efforts of our physicians and nursing staff, and Claire’s fighting spirit, her injuries were too severe and the most advanced medical treatments could not prevent this tragic loss of life. Claire’s death is immensely heartbreaking for our entire community, our staff and our families.” Our condolences to Ms. Davis’ friends a

Under the banner of “gun safety,” the gun control industrial complex lobbies for firearms registration, weapon and magazine restrictions, mandatory firearms training and “safe storage laws”—anything that can delay or deny Americans their natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. It’s the latter that’s the most insidious. Who can be against requiring gun owners to store their firearms safely? Do it for the children! Truth be told, safe storage laws “invite” the government into your home. “We need to inspect your gun storage”—without notice. It’s for the children! Don’t laugh. It’s already the law in the UK and Australia. What really grinds my gears: the same governments that want to check my safe storage fail to maintain their own. Che

When it comes to gun fashion, the AR-15 is definitely This Year’s Girl. In fact, she’s been This Year’s Girl for at least a decade, strutting the runways and showing off the latest in rifle styles and accessories. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of her at Fashion Week the SHOT Show wearing every conceivable manner of rail, grip, stock, trigger and optic. Battle Rifle Company is previewing its Spring 2014 line ahead of the show, with a handful of ARs that might appeal to tactically fashion-conscious shooter . . .

Pictured above is the Battle Rifle Wolverine. Intended for 3-Gun competition, the Wolverine wears a 16-inch barrel and a 15-inch free-float rail. The 3-chamber muzzle brake tells you this rifle is not for law enforcement CQB entry teams. It’s available in 5.56 and .300 BLK.

2006lariat at ford-truck.com reports that he “found a way to make the wife very angry.” His advice: don’t go there. [h/t BL]

My definition of an optimist is a man carrying a revolver with a speedloader. [Click here for Gun Digest's advice on how to "recharge your revolver".] What’s yours?

There’s just something awesome about a Krink. The AK-47 pattern (or, more accurately AK-74 in this case) is pretty nifty to begin with, but make it pocket size and it gets even cooler. It used to be that you needed to get a kit and build your own Krink from the receiver on up, but Arsenal has started making factory rifles with the proper gas system length and sight radius that all you need to do is get your tax stamp and then procure yourself a hacksaw. It gets better — the front sight gas block is already threaded for the typical Krink muzzle device, so when the barrel is short enough, it’ll all just work. It’s so sweet that I might just have to buy one myself. Make the jump for the presser . . .

LAS VEGAS, NV – Arsenal Inc. is happy to announce the new SLR-104UR

“For some reason or another, I just can’t buy into guns in school. I’m not sure that’s the best way to (take care) of the situation.” – Gainesville Georgia school board member Willie Mitchell quoted in Gainesville board votes to put guns in schools [via gainsvilletimes.com]

Hear something, say something? According to the New York Post, panic is in no short supply in and around New York City lately, with many local residents calling 911 in a panic to report shots fired. Sirens wail, squad cars roll, only to find out that the “bad guy shooting up the place” is nothing but a film set. Although (simulated) gunfire is the most common cause of alarm, occasionally EMS crews get to play, too. During a recent shoot for “Nurse Jackie,” seven residents called 911 to report a horrible car wreck, which turned out to be a mock accident with an overturned car. Local precincts are supposed be…

(and usually are) notified when there will be filming in their area, but according to their source, you still have to respond when people call, and you still “have to go into the situation thinking that it is real.”

Florida has a

From Canada’s National Firearm Association daily media report [h/t Steve S.]:

December 17, 2013
Airdrie, Alberta

Mr. Ian McPhail, Q.C., Interim Chair
Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP
National Intake Office
P.O. Box 88689,
Surrey, BC  VEW 0X1

Dear Mr. McPhail:

RE:  HIGH RIVER – LONG-GUN REGISTRY RECORDS USED IN FIREARMS SEIZURES!

Reference is being made to our four previous letters sent to you outlining the many issues and concerns that need to be examined during your investigation of the RCMP’s break-in and unwarranted search of more than 1,900 homes in High River and the seizure of hundreds of firearms and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition . . .

I want to thank you for sending your investigator, Robert Falla, to Calgary to interview me last week.  It was very reassuring to know the depth of your

[h/t DrVino - clicking on image will take you to the NSFW source]

There is an interesting case in Wisconsin in which a concealed carry weapon license (CCW) holder has been charged with “negligent operation or handling of a dangerous weapon.” From jsonline: ”According to the criminal complaint, Marvin W. Jackson, 34, was shopping in the Burlington Coat Factory at 3700 Durand Ave. After he took of his jacket and laid it on a rack while he tried on another, his female companion picked up Jackson’s jacket and laid it over her arm because he had forgotten it on a rack earlier. But as she did, Jacson’s silver .38 caliber two-shot derringer fell out, hit the ground and fired a shot that pierced three sweatshirts before lodging in the metal display rack. The couple quickly left the store.” Just one problem . . .

Jackson was not handling or operating the derringer when the negligent discharge o

Do you know why the Ruger LCR has one of the best if not the best trigger of any snubbie on planet Earth (Smith weenies need not comment)? “Its double-action-only trigger pull is uniquely engineered with a patented Ruger® friction reducing cam fire control system. The trigger pull force on the LCR® builds gradually and peaks later in the trigger stroke, resulting in a trigger pull that feels much lighter than it actually is. This results in more controllable double-action shooting, even among those who find traditional double-action-only triggers difficult to operate.” Roger that. Hammer time! Now you can savor the LCR’s Israeli supermodel’s inner thigh-smooth trigger pull AND shoot the snubbie single-action. [Press release after the jump.] Quite why you’d want a hammer on a gun that was born for deep concealment and CQB—sav

To say that RF isn’t technologically savvy is like saying an orangutan is slightly deficient when it comes to high energy physics. They’re both well meaning and eager to learn (especially if bananas/Israeli supermodels are the reward) but sometimes you just need to take the wheel and get a project to the finish line yourself. Which explains why, almost a year after we bought the SSL certificate for The Truth About Guns, you can finally use it (https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com). A few things are a little wonky, like the font not being exactly right, but we’ll iron those out ASAP. You don’t need to use the encrypted version of the site, the regular version will work just fine, but the option is there for those who want to keep their TTAG readership and commenting secure and on the down low.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop recently “consulted” with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America on his procurement process for his city’s police. Fulop devised a questionnaire for prospective suppliers asking about their position on various gun control measures (e.g., “universal background checks” and “assault weapon” sales). Appearing on the NRA’s Cam & Co., NRA Board member Scott Bach criticized the move and noted that Fulop sh

TTAG reader BR writes:

There is a school of thought that says that if a man is too dangerous to be allowed to have a gun, he is too dangerous to be free. I have not previously subscribed to this school of thought. There are few black and white things in life so surely there must be shades of grey as far as how dangerous somebody is. If the state has the power to lock you up, then they should also have the power to let you out of the cage with some limits on what you can or can’t do/possess. If a person commits a violent felony, you lock em up for a period of years, then let them out with restrictions on their ability to own firearms. The theory being, they paid their time, if they re-offend they won’t shoot somebody. This should theoretically lower the risk of letting the offender back out to an acceptable level. Theoretically . . .