The Truth About Guns

Marines putting the Legged Squad Support System through its paces at Fort Devens, Massachusetts earlier this month. The system, or LS3, designed to reduce the load Marines carry in combat, can reach speeds of 6 mph and carry up to 400 pounds. I’m sure it’s ridiculously expensive, and it’s clearly got a ways to go, but you can’t just snap your fingers and be in the future. You’ve gotta get there somehow. . .

Police in Sanford, Florida have backed off a plan to ban the carry of personal weapons by members of the neighborhood watch. While the police chief refused to give any specific reasons for the reversal, it’s likely that someone pointed out to him that the explicit ban on carrying firearms would likely run the city afoul of state firearms law preemption. The carry of weapons will still be discouraged

I swear I’m not making this up. This piece of junk is for sale on Etsy as a ‘Steampunk Bladerunner Pistol,’ and chances are decent that some moron will flush away $220 for a surplus Polish flare pistol and a wooden AK heat shield. Oh yeah: there’s two little brass bands on there too, so there’s that.

Let’s clear the air. TTAG has been critical of law enforcement from day one. Some have even called us anti-cop. While I don’t think that’s a true statement, I do think we hold Johnny Law to a very high standard. And, in an intellectually honest move, I think we hold armed citizens to the same standard. With that disclaimer out of the way, I’d like to spend a few minutes talking about two absolutely amazing interactions I’ve had with local law enforcement over the last few weeks . . .

The first happened while my wife’s car was in the shop. She drove my EDT (every day truck), so I took the motorcycle. I’ve been riding for over a decade and in that time have been stopped several times for various infractions. I’m largely a safe rider, but I can be heavy handed on the throttle.

On my way to work, I exited I-35 and kept

NSSF Press release:

Americans Skeptical of ‘Smart Guns’; Oppose Their Legislative Mandate, National Poll Finds

NEWTOWN, Conn. — By a wide majority, Americans are skeptical of the reliability of technology intended to prevent all but authorized users of a firearm from being able to fire it. They also say overwhelmingly that they would not be likely to buy such a so-called “smart gun” and overwhelmingly oppose any government mandate requiring the use of this technology should it become available . . .

I think I might have stumbled on the ultimate gun guy thing. It’s simple really.

1. Find a friend who is willing to bankroll gun builds but doesn’t have the time to deal with it himself.
2. Suggest gun builds that might be fun
3. Build the guns
4. Shoot the guns
5. Give them back to the friend
6. Move on to the next project . . .

Here are a few snaps from my first build which started life as a Savage 111 chambered in .30-06. This particular rifle was from the package series Savage sells called the

Have you ever thought to yourself, “ya know what would be cool? A semi-auto SBR MAC-10 look-alike in 5.7x28mm!” If you have, were you sober at the time? Yeah, didn’t think so. MasterPiece Arms, on the other hand, thinks that there’s enough demand for just such a firearm and they’ve introduced a brand new SKU for it and started shipping them. From the press release . . .

MasterPiece Arms, manufacturers of the MPA MAC Line of pistols, carbines, suppressors and MPAR Rifles, , introduce the short barrel version of their popular MPA570SST rifle. Built for maneuverability in close quarters while providing extreme accuracy, the new rifle appeals to both home defense individuals and law enforcement officers.

Based on the standard MAC design, the MPA570SST-SBR semi-auto rifle with side cocker is cha

TTAG’s resident sharp shot Kirsten Joy Weiss began her trick shooting career behind the trigger of an Anschütz competition rifle. When certain members of our commentariat chided Ms. Weiss for using a German low-caliber high-end rifle to demonstrate her prowess we reached out to various manufacturers for something more prosaic. And so Ms. Weiss is headed to TTAG central command to tape Trick Shots 2.0, where she’ll be plying her trade with various long guns including a Benelli shotgun, some way-cool ARs, an FN product or two and a brace of Henry lever guns. Which one will be KJW’s go-to gun? Wait! Don’t answer! How about an Anschütz MSR RX22? They’ve been as rare as Henne Zähne. But the company’s presser (after the jump) informs us that RX22′s are finally headed states

“There are other countries in the world prone to natural disaster, but what distinguishes the Philippines, and has made the delivery of aid even more problematic after Typhoon Haiyan, is the prevalence of guns,” Alex Spillius asserts at telegraph.co.uk. Really? “Whatever the causes of the pervasive gun culture and high murder rate, the reports of armed looting that emerged two or three days after Haiyan struck surprised no one. Even if some reports were exaggerated, the Philippines’ reputation for poor law and order preceded it.” Hmmm. “Even if some reports were exaggerated.” That kind of waffli

Last week I showed you one of the most impressive and savage bullets, the Lehigh Defense Maximum Expansion round from a Taurus Judge. It performed amazingly well, but it raised a very valid question — how would that massive hollowpoint cavity handle four layers of heavy denim? All it took was a quick trip to the range, a leftover gel block and a pull of the trigger to give us the answer.

When members of Open Carry Texas rallied in front of a meeting of four—count ‘em four—members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, MDA had a hissy fit. With the help of a misleading photograph (exposed first here), the mainstream media went big on the story. Forbes proclaimed Texas Gun Bullies Use Semi-Automatics To Terrorize Mothers Against Guns-NRA Remains Silent. 40 Armed Members Of ‘Open Carry Texas’ Try To Intimidate 4 Unarmed Women Of ‘Moms Demand Action’

It isn’t often that you see a new firearms manufacturer come into the scene and even rarer that they start with the kind of bang that Black Rain Ordinance has been enjoying. Going from an unknown manufacturer to being a featured firearm in Cheaper Than Dirt’s catalog in less than four years is an accomplishment, but that speed also means that there haven’t been many opportunities to review their guns. We asked BRO to provide a rifle to test at the SHOT Show… back in 2012. And we asked yet again in 2013. But it was only when I was squadded with one of their guys at the Fallen Brethren match that they finally shipped us out a rifle. And man, was it ever worth the wait . . .

There are a TON of AR-15 “manufacturers,” but not many of them a

It’s amazing how a potential felony charge can focus the bureaucratic mind. Gonzaga U. students Erik Fagan and Dan McIntosh had their guns confiscated in a midnight raid by university police after a recent defensive gun use. They say they were unaware that they were violating school policy by keeping their legally owned firearms in their off-campus university-owned apartment. When Gonzaga’s rent-a-cops weren’t cooperative when the two tried to retrieve their heaters, the young scholars reported the guns as stolen to the Spokane PD. Now, khq.com reports that the GLOCK

Actually, it’s worse than that. Turns out the Obamacare stats for “enrollees” includes people who abandoned a policy in their shopping cart. Whereas people who endure the 4473 paperwork that proceeds a NICS check are ALL going to buy a gun. That said, in direct contravention of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, most states require a NICS check for citizens seeking to exercise their natural and civil right to bear arms. How many of them carry a firearm on a daily basis? Not so many. Maybe  . . . ten percent? Still, I bet Obama’s Boyz would settle for that kind of conversion ratio.

As I said in my review, the Barnes 110 grain offering in 300 AAC Blackout is about as perfect as you can get for hunting. But Barnes isn’t happy with mere perfection, and they’re looking to expand their lineup in 300 BLK by adding a 120 grain flavor in addition to the existing 110. They claim it will have a better profile for improved long-range accuracy, and hopefully we’ll be able to get some here shortly to put that claim to the test. Make the jump for their presser . . .

Mona, UT – As the industry’s leading supplier of 300 AAC Blackout ammunition and bullets for reloaders, Barnes Bullets, LLC (“Barnes”) is proud to announce a new 120 grain offering in addition to the current 110 grain TAC-TX™ in VOR-TX™ Ammunition and component lines. The new products will be made available in February, 2014.

Featu

“I don’t want to own a gun. But I have evolved on my stance on guns over the last year and I think many can. I don’t want to be a sitting duck if other people have guns and they’re not going away. I wonder, should I be armed myself if everyone else on the block is armed and I’m the only one?” – Don Lemon, Anthony Bourdain and Don Lemon’s Refreshingly Honest CNN Debate Over Gun Rights [via mediaite.com]

Mayor Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns took a decent hit last week when nearly two dozen members of the coalition lost their bids for reelection, while another 69 members chose to retire and not seek reelection. According to townhall.com, many of the mayors who chose to retire were from cities in New York and Connecticut, where harsher gun control laws have been implemented since last year. You can find the full list of defeated mayors at the link above.

If you’re a Twitter-person, and you go forth to do battle for the 2A, the other Shannon Watts would like you to ensure you’re tweeting the right person. The twitter handle of the founder of Moms Demand Action is @shannonrwatts (note the ‘r’), NOT @shannonwatts (no ‘r’).

I get an ins

Australia, home to some of the world’s most draconian gun control laws. Also home to “gun crime.” While no amount of evidence [of gun control's failure to control crime] will deter the civilian disarmament industry complex from its unstated statist goals, it’s worth noting that bad guys in The Land Down Under don’t seem to have any trouble acquiring firearms. And training those guns on each other, those they wish to intimidate and, on occasion, innocent passersby. Here’s a list of recent gu

I was sitting in a tree stand a couple days ago waiting to murder some hogs that had injured someone in the area when a whole mess of deer wandered by and started playing. They looked so delicious and I still had tags left on my license…but I didn’t take the shot. The reason? I own a hatchback, not a pickup truck. I mean, as illustrated in the image above, it’s entirely possible to fit two bucks into the trunk of a standard saloon car (I regularly evaluate trunk space based on the number of bodies it will hold anyway), but I’d hate to be the guy that has to clean it out afterward. Pickup trucks make the trip to the deer processor much easier and cleanup is a snap. And you won’t give the motorists behind you nightmares.

“Our goal isn’t just to fight new legislation, but to also begin the fight to turn back laws already on the books that we believe infringe on our Constitutionally protected rights,” MAC writes at thebangswitch.com. “Laws like the Hughes Amendment that has been ignored by other pro-gun groups.” Other than that one example and promises to be faster, tougher and shinier than “other gun rights organizations,” it’s unclear where Armed Citizens United will differ from the NRA, GOA, SAF, etc. When the ACU comes out for the abolishment of all background checks and restoration of felons’ rights you can color me impressed. Meanwhile, MAC’s working with ”fellow Patriot” and YouTuber Don Sootch and 

“A study set for publication in the December issue of Pediatrics confirms what some of Hollywood’s sharpest critics have suspected,” nytimes.com reports. “The level of gun violence in the top-selling PG-13 movies has been rising, and it now exceeds that in the most popular R-rated films.” So G now stands for “gun-related gore-fest”? “Violent encounters with guns occur, on average, more than twice an hour in the best sellers in both ratings categories, according to researchers.” Here it comes . . . “In announcing the study, its authors called for changes to the ratings system, which, according to some of its critics, is tougher on sex than on violence.” Which is wrong because . . .