The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 3 weeks 4 days ago
New from Maximus Arms: Gladiator 1911
Ever since I saw the movie Airplane, I have a hard time taking all that macho Gladiator stuff seriously. But I do pay close attention to products “built in the USA.” Maximus Arms‘ press release (after jump) doesn’t say anything about their new 1911′s origin, but the headline at ammoland.com and the website pic proclaim that the company’s take on John Moses Browning’s masterpiece is “100% American made.” I reckon that’s a good thing, not a
“Gun Reform.” Do It For the Children?
user3369 writes:
According to childstats.gov, there are approximately 48.6 million children under the age of 12 in the United States. msnbc.com and Mother Jones are jumping on a study on children were killed in gun homicides in 2012/2013 since Newtown. They’re “appalled” that roughly 200 (173 in MSNBC and 194 in Mother Jones) died this way.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? The Hero911 Network
Hero911 Network™ (iOS, Android Free) (www.hero911.org)
“This is a free app and is exclusively for active law enforcement officers from all jurisdictions and for retired officers who complete annual certification training to carry their weapon. The app requires applicants to submit their credentials and/or official government work email. Official police officers vet the activation requests and will approve or deny them within 24-48 hours. If the requests are approved, the Hero911 app will sit dormant on their phone and will only alert officers if they are in close proximity of a school shooting reported from the
Gary Hughes Quits Sales VP Position at Silencerco
There’s no doubt that Advanced Armament is the 800 pound gorilla of the silencer world, but Silencerco is one of the companies nipping at its heels. With the sales of their Saker silencer picking up and their Osprey handgun silencer gaining popularity, one would assume that the Vice President of Sales would be pretty happy with how things are going. However, news comes today that Gary Hughes has left Silencerco. According to the press release (written by the man himself) the reason was to take a different job at a non silencer related company, but given the recent firing of Mike Pappas (co-founder of Silencerco) it’s not hard to see a correlation.
FNS-40 Video Contest Entry: Tom’s Trick Shots
By Tom in Oregon
The Straight(er) Skinny on UK Gun Laws
Brit reader Adam Pugh read yesterday’s ‘Which Gun Would You Grab’ post and saw, well, a few problems with the way gun laws in the Land of Hope and Glory were portrayed. Being an aspiring gunsmith, he appears to have experience navigating Blighty’s ballistic barriers to bangstick ownership. Being from Cambridge, he eschews the Oxford comma and for that we salute him. Here are his corrections and amplifications . . .
1. Semi-automatic centrefire guns are not banned outright – only semi-automatic centrefire rifles and pistols. You can own semi-automatic shotguns in both Section 2 (shotgun certificate, limited to 2+1 capacity, 24+” barrel – 40+” OAL) or Section 1 (firearms certificate, unlimited capacity, if semi or pump then same dimension requirements as Section 2, if SxS, O/U,
Question of the Day: Are We Winning the Culture War?
Perry Danos sent me this song as a wv file. I asked him to upload it to YouTube for your dining and dancing pleasure. Also to make the point that new media has opened-up new avenues for the pro-2A crowd. Could you imagine Colion Noir’s rants on a “regular” TV channel or this website—which recently passed 100m page views—as a mainstream magazine? The question is, now that we have access to newbies is the pro-gun message getting through? Are we winning the info war?
Gear Review: Rand CLP
CLP stands for Cleaner, Lubricant and Preservative. It refers to a liquid substance that’s designed to be the “one gun fluid to rule them all,” something you can use to clean the gun and then leave in place to keep it from rusting and make sure everything slides around properly. Most CLP formulas result in a watery and runny fluid that quickly evaporates or disappears after a few days in the gun safe. Rand CLP, on the other hand, is not “most formulas” . . .
The Rand CLP fluid is without a doubt the most viscous CLP I’ve ever tried, but despite looking for all the world like a glop of glue it is slippery as all heck. Squeeze a little out onto a cloth cleaning rag and it forms a bubble on the surface instead of soaking into the cloth, and then as you apply the fluid to the gun you can feel how slick it makes the surfaces.
That viscosity is a double edged sword, though.
Wisconsin Manufacturer Moving Gun Barrel Line to…Connecticut?
In what might appear to be a counter-intuitive move, Wilson Arms plans to move its barrel production facility from Wisconsin to Connecticut. But the company already has operations in Connecticut and this move will be a consolidation of operations. The company owner, Hugo Vivero, purchased the company from the Wilson family six years ago. Wilson Arms was founded in New Haven, Connecticut back in 1954 when firearms regulation and legislation were more sane and reasonable . . .
Wilson’s acquisition of the former Ba
EDC For CCW: Kershaw Ken Onion Blur S30V
Ken Onion’s Blur doesn’t have the aggressively ‘tacical’ styling of the Zero Tolerance 0350, but this one has the same supersteel at its heart: CPM S30V. It’s a little more discreet, a little more comfortable to carry, and a little less comfortable for heavy cutting. This all-metal, all US-made thumbstud assisted opener can handle any cutting task you throw at it, and it won’t even freak out the knife muggles when you’re opening a UPS package with it. Is this spendier S30V version worth the extra money compared to the 14C28N version? I don’t know…yet.
Check out more at The Truth About Knives.
New from TrackingPoint: XS4 338 Lapua Magnum Smart Rifle
[UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 9 AM EST 12/12]
TrackingPoint is a company apparently in crisis. After firing their CEO, CFO and 30 additional employees, one wonders whether the company can maintain their lead in the “really awesome high-tech rifle” market. Then again, it isn’t hard to do when you’re the only player on the field. Building off their success with the XS2 line of rifles, TackingPoint is now expanding into a .338 Lapua Magnum platform (compared to the .300 Win Mag) with an effective range of 1,200 yards (200 further than the last generation) that should be very interesting to see in action. If only we had a 1,200 yard range to test it on. It’s still over 400 yards shy of the 1 mile mark, but we’re getting there. Press release after the jump.
TrackingPoint Announces XS4 338 Lapua Magnu
Quote of the Day: Risk vs. Reward Edition
“Why take the risk of a nastygram in the mail, or armed goons at the door when you can avoid that fate by keeping your guns off government lists?” – J.D. Tuccille, How Government Officials Doom Gun Registration Laws [at reason.com]
Daily Digest: “Fly casual” Edition
If you take away the guns, only criminals will have… fake guns? As a followup to the 328 gun seizure in Queensland, Australia earlier this month, a woman in Campbelltown, NSW has been charged after police and customs found replica guns, electronic shock devices, knuckle dusters, batons, ammunition and tear gas at a Sydney container facility. Firearms and Organised Crime Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent (how’s that fit on a business card?) Wayne Walpole said the seizures “prevented a large number of replica firearms and other dangerous weapons making their way into the community and being used in the commission of crimes.” Gotta watch out for t
Which Gun Would You Grab: Shotgun or Rifle…In England?
By Michael Holderer
Scenario: You’re a real go-getter. You have a great job and you’re doing so well that your company has decided to promote you. Your new position will pay in the seven-figures range. There’s just one catch; in order for you to secure this salary, you must relocate to London for five years. There are many wonderful things about London: the British Museum, the London Symphony Orchestra and great beer. Unfortunately, British gun laws do not fall into that list . . .
Nevertheless, as a true-blooded American, you are determined to own a gun wherever you go. To that end you’re looking at two very high-end guns that are going to be commensurate with your new salary and London-friendly.
British gun laws prohibit civilian ownership of semi-automatic centerfire guns. Gun licenses are divided into numerous categories. The two most common categories are the Shotgun Certificate and t
Moms Demand Action Infiltrate NJ Police Procurement Process
“New Jersey’s second-largest city is adopting a novel approach to gun control by requiring weapons-makers bidding on municipal contracts to answer questions about their positions on gun safety issues,” the AP reports. “Jersey City Mayor [and Marine] Steven Fulop says he wants municipalities to use their purchasing power to influence America’s gun-safety conversation. The bid specification going out Wednesday — for roughly $200,000 worth of guns and $150,000 in ammunition — includes six questions measuring vendors’ gun safety record. One asks whether the manufacturer would commit to preventing its weapons from appearing in violent video games. Another asks what the company does to combat illegal gun trafficking.” God knows how Jersey City’s gonna weight the answers. But we know to whose tune they’re d
FNS-40 Contest Entry: (Black) Man With a Gun
By Mafic
I started my experience with guns at the age of five, mostly in hunting and target shooting. I can thank my father for that and at such a young age he had taught me to be respectful of guns and how to use them safely. He taught me to never aim it at something unless I intended to kill it, treat every gun as if it were loaded, and only kill what I would eat. Which reflecting back on those now seems pretty good as we have never had any firearms related accidents . . .
While I have been shooting for the majority of my 26 years on this earth, I find it difficult to find my place in the world of firearms. I fully support the 2nd Amendment and opposed the most recent attempt at ‘gun control’ (and any future attempts for that matter). But yet past experiences have led me to believ
The Art of Shooting Guns
To support my advertising graphics business I have a large and quite complete,photo studio set up that collapses into one wall of my shop. I’m usually shooting such exciting items as aftermarket stainless steel mufflers and racing headers, which don’t exactly blow wind up my skirt. But once in a while I shoot something that makes for a fun afternoon. My friends, and friends of friends, know I have this studio photo capability and a couple times a year I’ll get a call “I have this old gizmo I want to put on eBay.
Gear Review: Voodoo Tactical Padded Soft Gun Case
Heading to the range can be a hassle. Especially when you’re bringing more than one gun, you can end up walking out the door with multiple cases and bags just to hold all of your ammunition and supplies. There have been a number of bags and cases marketed to make that problem go away, providing one convenient bag to carry all of your guns and gear in a self-contained package that you can just grab and go. One of the best bags I’ve ever come across is the padded rifle case offered by Voodoo Tactical . . .
For years I’ve been using a drag bag I bought online to haul all my guns and gear to the range, and while it seemed perfect at the time, the shine has definitely come off the rose. The pockets are too small, the interior isn’t padded, and the material is so flimsy that it’s starting to