The Truth About Guns

From Fox News’ report of Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson’s press conference:

When an armed school resource officer entered the room, Pierson believed he was cornered and turned his gun on himself, Robinson said.  The entire attack lasted approximately 80 seconds and was captured by security cameras.

Sounds to me like that school resource officer stopped what could have possibly been another tragedy in this country. It’s a result that we expected, based on our own independent testing of school shooting scenarios. If the armed school resource officer wasn’t pr

A reader who prefers to remain anonymous sent this question to RF:

Robert, I know you are busy but would like to ask your opinion on how to handle a situation. My daughter is four years old in a private pre school. There is a boy there (not pictured above) that plays a little rough and I have spoken to the teachers about her coming home complaining about him being mean to her. Today I pick her up at their play time and see the boy being a little aggressive towards another kid, but not physical. I get in the car with my kid and ask her if that boy has been playing nice she tells me that just today he pointed his finger at her and says “I’m shooting you dead” . . .

These kids are four years old. I know you have daughters and wanted your input on how I should handle this with my kid and with the school. I’m obviosly pro-2A and don’t mind kids playing cops and robbers or cow

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (and Really Big Fires) is, without a doubt, a rogue agency. We have Ruby Ridge, Waco, the “glory hole” debacle, the “cigarette walker” scandal, the as-yet-unexplained Fast and Furious anti-gun running gun-running op

By Alan Brooks

The anti-gun group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America held rallies yesterday in 50 cities across 36 states. Their Jessie Jackson-esque message on the anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting: “No more silence. End gun violence.” Unfortunately, their rally in front of City Hall in Austin, Texas was less than spectacular. Maybe it was the cold, windy weather. Maybe it was poorly-promoted. Or maybe there just aren’t that many people who agree with MDA’s message of civilian disarmament. Whatever the reason, the turnout was small. Minuscule, even. All of twelve to fifteen people were there (mostly white, middle-aged, upper-middle class women) — and nearly as many reporters . . .

If I hadn’t been looking for the rally I wouldn’t have noticed it and I certainly wouldn’t have known what their cause was. Most of the women were huddled around, sipping Starbucks co

School shooter Karl Pierson purchased an as-yet-unidentified 12-gauge shotgun at an as-yet-unidentified Denver-area gun store on Dec. 6, and bought ammunition Thursday, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson told the media. Pierson turned 18 on Sept. 3, making the purchase legal. Colorado gun law does not require a permit to purchase a rifle or shotgun. No background check is required. The gun does not have to be registered with the state. There is no indication that the attack will spur changes in the law. Yet.

“I think there are a lot of folks on our side fighting against the ‘guns everywhere, anytime for anyone’ thing that the gun lobby’s doing. And in quite a few states our advocates have been able to defeat some of that stuff, like bringing guns on college campuses. I think focusing on what we want is long overdue in our movement and is a big focus now . . . We were fighting on their terms in states across the country, now they’re fighting on our terms.” –  

Shoulda been a DGU: Three people were injured in a hatchet attack in an east Texas Walmart early Sunday morning. The attacker was a transient who had the hatchet (not pictured) with him when he entered the store. He attacked two female employees, and a male customer was slightly injured trying help the women. Police did not believe that the transient knew the women, and there is no known motive. One woman was treated and released, the other spent a few days in hospital. The customer was only slightly injured and refused medical treatment. The transient was arrested and remains in jail on $225,000 bond charged with three counts of aggravated assault . . .

Today’s Lockdown of the Day™ is brought to you by Albany, Ohio, where the Albany campus of the Alexander Local Schools was locked down Friday afternoon after ammunition was f

As providencejournal.com is reporting, all four Exeter, Rhode Island city councilmen survived an attempt to recall them after they voted to push concealed carry permit responsibility to the state’s attorney general. “According to unofficial Journal figures, each of the four council members survived the recall attempt by wide margins.”

It’s only a matter of time before there will be “another Sandy Hook.” I don’t mean a lone spree killer acting out his sick fantasies on innocent children, although that too. I mean a coordinated terrorist attack on a school. Or a mall. Or a public building. Or some other highly populated soft target. The Kenya Westgate mall killings and the Belsan “Hostage Crisis” are not anomalies. They are harbingers of things to come. And when that evil arrives, all the local, state and federal SWAT teams will be too little, too late. Eventually, the good guys will defeat the bad guys. What then? Will citizens arm themselves or will the government crush gun rights in the name of safety? I like to think the former but I fear the latter. As much as a terrorist atta

One year after the Newtown massacre there hasn’t been a lot of progress on school safety—depending on where you live. Some states—most notably Utah—have made it easier indeed possible for teachers to arm themselves to defend against an attack. Also on the positive side, new school construction is putting target hardening at the top of the agenda. In Newtown, Connecticut and elsewhere, armed School Resource Officers now patrol school corridors. In general, though, it’s more of the same safety procedures that failed at Sandy Hook Elementary: shelter-in-place “lockdown drills” and “call the cops” protocol. So what can your child do to survive during the rare but potentially cataclysmic event of a school shoo

After DHS and ATF agents raided his house, gun dealer Bob Adams found this tableau waiting for him in front of his gun safe. “The middle finger was a novelty item I bought in Mexico some 30 years ago,” Bob told TTAG. “It was buried in a pile of junk. Someone dug it out and placed it there, leaving a clear message.” Click here to read Bob’s account of the raid. Updates on the progress of his case as they occur.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the Newtown massacre it’s time to take stock of school security. In general, nothing’s been done. The NRA’s School Shield initiative was the only comprehensive attempt to tackle the challenge of keeping school children safe from active shooters. The final report offered excellent advice on target hardening and best practices for an active shooter incident. The report, though, was DOA. It also failed to address the single most important step we can take to protect our children: abolishing Bush the Elder’s Gun Free School Zones Act . . .

The GFSZA is not a blanket ban against civilians carrying a firearm into a school zone. If state or local law specifically allows firearm possession

The video is labeled “Hunting fail” but I don’t think its creators were hunting. Them’s targets in the background. Let’s hope not, ’cause the anti-hunting PETA people are going to put a “callous, foul-mouthed hunters terrorize Bambi” spin on this one. Not that anyone’s going to buy it who hasn’t already drunk the anti-hunting Kool-Aid. Anyway, it’s funny, in its own special way. And in my business, you don’t cut funny.

AWR Hawkins (via Ammoland.com) writes:

On December 21, 2012, the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) Wayne LaPierre spoke of the heinous crime at Sandy Hook Elementary by decrying the fact that “we protect our banks…airports, office buildings…even sports stadiums…with armed guards” while our children are left “utterly defenseless.”  Nearly one year since that speech, banks, airports, office buildings, “even sports stadiums,” remain better protected than our schools . . .

Winchester White Box is so . . . white. Bland. Non-descript. While millions of gun owners consider minimalist WWB the sina qua non of range ammo, the ammunition company reckons new shooters need a little spizzarkle. Especially new female shooters, for whom a bit of low-recoil bling is just the thing. Not to mention range and defense ammo that matches. [Note: I'm not making this up. Check out the press release after the jump.] And so Winchester’s developed their W Train & Defend 9mm ammunition. To ensure newbies choose the correct cartridge for the correct application, the company’s tagged the boxes T and D (naturally) and stuffed the hollow-points into nickel-plated shellcases. I’m thinking the cost differential will be another clue, but the presser neglects to put a price on style. The company promises .45 and other caliber T&Ds in the future. Watch this space . . .

East Alton, IL – -(Ammoland.com)- With the growing

“The teenage gunman who entered Arapahoe High School on Friday afternoon and shot two fellow students with a shotgun was outspoken about politics, was a gifted debater and might have been bullied for his beliefs, according to students who knew him,” denverpost.com reports, obliquely enough. “‘He had very strong beliefs about gun laws and stuff,’ said junior Abbey Skoda, who was in a class with Pierson during her freshman year. ‘I also heard he was bullied a lot.’” Hello? Those beliefs were . . . ? Finally, in

By Pascal

From news.yahoo.com:

“After a year of personal suffering and political frustration, (Nicole) Hockley and other Newtown parents are fighting to stay optimistic as their effort builds a national operation backed by an alliance of well-funded organizations working to pressure Congress ahead of next fall’s elections. The groups are sending dozens of paid staff into key states, enlisting thousands of volunteer activists and preparing to spend tens of millions of dollars against politicians who stand in the way of their goals. It may well take time, they say, to counter the influence of the NRA on Capitol Hill . . .

“‘I know it’s not a matter of if it happens. It’s a matter of when. This absolutely keeps me going,’ says Hockley, who

Mayors Against Illegal Guns co-chairs Michael Bloomberg and Thomas Menino are the lamest of ducks. Both the New York and Boston mayors’ terms end in the next few weeks. Menino has accepeted a cushy do-nothing spot at Boston University. Mayor Mike will no doubt continue his anti-gun jihad by bankrolling people like Shannon Watts and shoveling money from his virtually bottomless wallet into MAIG. For a while now, one MAIG’s favorite whipping boys has been armslist.com. And now the civilian disarmament org is out with a breathless white paper claiming that the website is facilitating the sale of “tens of thousands” of firearm sales by “high

“President Barack Obama marked the anniversary of the Newtown school shootings today by calling for tighter gun control and expanded mental health care,” dailymail.co.uk reports. Only not in so many words. In his weekly video address [click here for text] the President asserted that “We have to do everything we can to protect our children from harm—except arm them against the evil people who would steal their lives.” OK, I added that last bit. But that’s how it is. And here’s how it ain’t . . .

“Real change won’t come from Wash

“I didn’t realize that so many people here in our corner of Rhode Island were so passionate about guns,” a nonplussed Calvin Ellis told the Wall Street Journal. Bless his heart. It’s safe to say, though, that he his three fellow Exeter town council members have now been thoroughly educated on that matter. That’s because, as RF relayed, 80% of the town council – Ellis included – stand to lose their jobs in a recall election today because they voted to transfer their shall-issue concealed carry licensing authority to the state’s may-issue at