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Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 1 week 6 days ago

Gun Review: Crosman 1377 ‘American Classic’ Air Gun

Mon, 11/11/2013 - 11:00

The Crosman 1377 / PC77 for this review was provided by Pyramyd Air.

Crosman’s 1377 ‘American Classic’ lives up to its name. This air gun really is a classic and it probably defines the upper limit of how much shooting fun you can have for $140. I shot this one until my hands were raw and covered with lead residue, and most of the few ‘issues’ I could discover were so tiny they could be cured with a scrap of emery paper and a sliver of plastic shim. The gun itself is only $55; the balance of this frugal but worthwhile investment provides you a cherry-picked and chrony-tested gun from Pyramyd Air, a shoulder stock and enough pellets to last you for

MA Lawmaker Wants Home Inspections for Gun Owners

Mon, 11/11/2013 - 10:00

In Massachusetts, things aren’t looking very rosy for civil liberties. Already suffering under a “high capacity” magazine ban and other draconian firearms restrictions, some lawmakers don’t feel they haven’t gone far enough toward preventing another Newtown. While there’s already a “safe storage” law on the books, Swampscott Selectman Barry Greenfield believes police should go door-to-door to inspect the gun collections of his town’s residents—to see if they’re in compliance with the law. Apparently Barry isn’t familiar with the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Or maybe he feels like when it comes to guns, the word “unreasonable” has a much less strict interpretation, as

Happy Veterans Day

Mon, 11/11/2013 - 09:00

If you’re off today – or even if you’re not – find yourself a vet and thank him or her for everything they’ve done to help ensure our way of life. It’s the least we can do.

Quote of the Day: Well Exactly Edition

Mon, 11/11/2013 - 08:00

“If SCOTUS decides this case in favor of Abramski and the NRA, we might as well get rid of the background check system all together. But isn’t that what the NRA wants?” - Mike Weisser, The NRA and the Upcoming Supreme Court Gun Case [via huffingtonpost.com]

NJ Governor Chris Christie: Gun Control Can Be a Part of “Violence Control”

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 21:32

“New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) shrugged off the suggestion that he’s not conservative enough to win the Republican presidential nomination on Sunday and stood by his belief that gun control can be a necessary part of violence prevention,” huffingtonpost.com reports, regurgitating his Fox News Sunday interview [3:00 above]. “‘If you look at what we’ve done in New Jersey we want to control violence . . . And some of that may involve firearms, but a lot of it doesn’t.’” Christie goes on to say gun control “can be” part of “violence control.” “In New Jersey I’ve signed some of those measures. But I’ve also vetoed some measures I thought were over-reaching and not consistent with Second Amendment rights.” Christie trots out the “c”

Cop to WI Open Carrier: “I Think What You’re Doing is Detrimental to the Constitution of the United States”

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 20:00

I’m all in favor of open carry. Like Ralph, I don’t think that “being a good little gun rights advocate” and keeping your firearms hidden from view makes it any more likely that the enemies of firearms freedom are going to stay their collective, metaphorical hand. Open carry creates “gun normalization” that protects our rights. Besides, if something is legal to do then it’s legal for you to do it. Ipso facto. And yet the Neenah Wisconsin officer felt free to . . .

threaten to shoot the open carrier in the head if he made a furtive move. Twice. This despite the fact that the officer clearly knew the “suspect” was exercising his Constitutional right to keep and bear arms without any intent on shooting anyone. ”Oh we’re playing that game are we?” The threat of violence was entirely unnecessary. It was a verbal assault. Not illegal, but hardly designed to de-escalate the situation. Which wasn’t what I’d call tense.

At 6:52, the officer gets into it:

I’m a pro-Second Amendment Patriot American and I love my Second Amendment ri

Boston Globe Anti-Gun Editorial Forgets the “T” Word

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 18:00

What is it with gun control advocates? Do they not understand the entire point of the United States Constitution? Hello? It’s a document whose sole purpose is to limit the power of the federal government—so that the government doesn’t become a tyranny. Tyranny. As in a system that disarms citizens (duh) so that it can deprive them of their natural, civil and human rights. Like . . . Nazi Germany. So while while those of us who value our life and liberty mark the 75th anniversary of an incident that proves this is what happens to a disarmed populace and pronounce never again, the Boston Globe ”celebrates” the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination with a call for universal background checks. You know: all sales monitored and approved by the Uncle Sam. Gun registration. Talk about myopia . . .

It’s hard to see how this bill would be a burden on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun purchasers, since

Giffords/Kelly Start Veterans for Responsible Solutions

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 16:00

 

“Former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and husband Mark Kelly are trying to enlist veterans in their effort to bring about changes in gun laws, most notably to expand the use of background checks,” the AP reports. Which is especially heinous considering all enlisted men and women must swear an oath to uphold and defend the United States Constitution, whose Second Amendment prohibits any and all infringement on Americans’ individual, natural and civil right to keep and bear arms. Oh wait, wasn’t Kelly in the Navy? And didn’t Giffords swear the same oath before taking office? Huh. “Kelly joined Friday with a handful of former mil

Which Gun Would You Grab: HK P30 V3 9mm or SIG P228 M11-A1

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 14:00

The above photo was graciously supplied by my local gun store, Sportsman’s Finest. What’s their motto? I dunno what a motto with you? No seriously Poomba, it’s “The very best in Fine Firearms and Fly Fishing gear!” Yes well, “finest” is a subjective term. And relative. So which of these two pistols is the finer firearm: the HK P30 V3 (click here for TTAG’s review) or SIG P228 M11-A1? The $1125 SIG M11-A1 has phosphate coated internals and SIGLITE® night sights. The $1,023 Heckler & Koch pistol hates you—but c

Question of the Day: What Gun for Running?

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 12:00

Why not? You’ve probably read suggestions for what to carry in every situation from walking your dog to taking a shower. If you caught this morning’s quote of the day, at least one jogging aficionado would prefer to see all assault weapons modern sporting rifles and pistols banned from public ownership so he can feel more comfortable on his daily constitutional. Only one problem. Even if you could somehow disarm everyone who might assault you on your run (good luck with that) not all predators are two-legged. The governor of the great state of Texas can certainly attest to that. So assuming that jittery sprinters like Nick Symmonds don’t get their way

Retiring NYC Police Commissioner Wants 6 Taxpayer-Funded Full-Time Bodyguards

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 10:00

“Outgoing Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly wants to take half a dozen detectives to protect him and his family after he leaves the NYPD, DNAinfo New York has learned. “Citing the fact that he will remain a ‘high profile target’ after he leaves office, Kelly informed insiders at Police Headquarters that he will request the contingent of detectives — each will remain on the city payroll making about $120,000 a year — to shepherd him around town and protect him and his family during their tr

Quote of the Day: You Can Run But You Can’t Hide Edition

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 08:00

“As Americans, we have a long history with firearms. We also have a government built on compromise, so here is the compromise I propose: Ban assault rifles and handguns for everyone except police and military personnel. These weapons are made to kill humans and should be strictly limited. At the same time, allow responsible citizens to own rifles and shotguns. Rifles are for hunting big-game animals, shotguns are for hunting birds; non-automatic versions of these weapons should be available for those with an interest in hunting or target shooting.” - Nick Symmonds, Guns in America: Time for Change [via runnersworld.com]

2 Shot at Houston House Party. And?

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 07:43

“A sheriff’s office says a man and a woman are dead and at least 22 other people have been injured following gunfire at a large house party in a suburb near Houston,” foxnews.com reports. “Texas’ Harris County Sheriff Office issued a statement early Sunday that two suspects are being sought after shots erupted between 11 p.m. Saturday and midnight in the suburb of Cypress. The statement says more than 100 people, mostly young adults, were at the house and many fled in panic from the gunfire, with injuries ranging from minor to critical.” Gang bangers. Whatcha gonna do? The reason we’re posting this? The headline from kveo.comMass shooting at Houston party, 22 hurt, 2 dead. Talk about parroting and enabling gun control advocates . . .

Ralph: There are Three Kinds of Gun Control Advocates

Sat, 11/09/2013 - 20:00

Hoplophobes are afraid of guns as if firearms had a mind of their own. Hoplophobes are ignorant and we’d like to teach them, but they (mostly) do not want to learn. They are happy in their ignorance. They are only dangerous because they vote . . .

Anticulturalists hate gun culture and wish it to be destroyed. The guns are secondary. We are their target, and they’d hate us even if we were disarmed. The hatred of us is palpable. Listen to their language. They use phrases like “gun nuts” and far worse to deride our culture. They would exterminate us if they could get away with it, but they can’t. Most of the anti-gun crowd are anticulturalists fighting this culture war. It’s p

MA FBI Agents Charged with Failure to Secure a Large Capacity Firearm. Or Not.

Sat, 11/09/2013 - 18:00

“A $20,000 [taxpayer-funded] reward is being handed out to an unnamed Bay State resident who helped [unnamed] cops track down two FBI rifles allegedly stolen by a 16-year-old from Lawrence [from unnamed FBI agents],” bostonherald.com reports. “The two weapons, one an M16-A1 rifle, the other a sniper rifle, were stolen between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. During a press conference announcing the arrest of a 16-year-old for the theft, Andover Police Commander Charles Heseltine would not say how the FBI SWAT vehicle was broken into, but he said other cars nearby were also burglarized and those cars we

Incendiary Image Of The Day: Fire Extinguisher Gun

Sat, 11/09/2013 - 16:00

Finally, some gun-safety warnings we can all pay attention to! Duracoat did up this low-priced Mossberg Maverick over-under with a custom ‘Fire Extinguisher’ coating for the guys at Student Of The Gun. Make the jump for more incendiary/extinguishing fun…

Why didn’t they Duracoat the flashlight too? Probably because they were saving their last can of orange whoop-ass for the left side of the buttstock, that’s why.

Magpul Misogyny. Or Not.

Sat, 11/09/2013 - 14:00

Since the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) labeled me a misogynist (and an insurrectionist) I’ve been extremely careful not to express anything but respect and admiration for strong, intelligent, sensitive, capable, caring, sensual women. Wait. Did I take that too far? Is calling a women sensual sexist? I’m so confused! Anyway, as for women who don’t answer to that description I think I’ll find one I hate and buy her a house. Hey, it’s my comfort zone. Meanwhile, isn’t this horrible? Bad Magpul! Bad! Oh wait. Is that a woman taking the pictures? That makes it OK, right? I’m so confused!

Why New York Times’ Columnist Joe Nocera Thinks It’s OK to Infringe on Your RKBA, And What You Can Do About It

Sat, 11/09/2013 - 12:00

 

New York Times columnist Joe Nocera jumped on Guns & Ammo-gate lickety-split. Duh. Joe is the Gray Lady’s leading proponent of civilian disarmament, through his context-less Gun Report “feature” and regular editorials. Joe starts this morning’s anti-gun piece When a Gun Advocate Dissents with a simple statement: “It’s not as if Dick Metcalf was some kind of gun control fanatic.” You see what he did there? With one sentence Nocera paints gun rights advocates as intolerant fanatics. The rest of the polemic follows entirely predictable lines, especially this bit . . .

When peop

Quote of the Day: Guns.com Backs Metcalf: Regulations are Not Infringements

Sat, 11/09/2013 - 08:00

 

“Why people are so butt-hurt by Metcalf’s editorial is puzzling to me. The gun owners I pal around with are the smartest, most thoughtful and responsible people I know. To have a significant faction of the community wig out over a column that makes a rather obvious and well-known point is shocking to me. Where are their heads at? . . . one cannot make a convincing argument that he’s wrong about placing limits on the Second Amendment. Truth be told, there are regulations that are not considered to be infringements.” -   [not shown] Did Dick Metcalf deserve to be fired over Guns & Ammo column on 2A limitations? [via <

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