The Truth About Guns

“Racism and guns go together,” nydailynews.com “reports.” “That’s the finding of an international study released Thursday that says the two are linked. More specifically, odds are greater that a racist white American also keeps a gun at home and opposes gun control regulations. The conclusion wasn’t too surprising for researchers at Australia’s Monash University and Britain’s Manchester University, which sought to better understand American gun culture.” Considering the source, I’m not surprised, either. “’There had already been research showing that &#8230

Click here to see nbcconnecticut.com’s report on Hartford Police Sgt. Eric Smith’s negligent discharge, which he somehow forgot to report until someone else reported it. Smith’s memory issues aren’t entirely unexpected—given his limited powers of observation and knowledge of ballistics. (He didn’t think a .40 caliber bullet would make it through a layer or two of drywall.) Seems Smith wasn’t the only Forgetful Jones in this affair. NBC Connecticut forgot to show a picture of Sgt. Eric Smith. This isn’t the first time my Google Fu’s been challenged by an Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day. For some reason the mainstream media doesn’t think it appropriate to show the mug (or heaven forfend the mug shot) of a law enforcement officer who fails to follow the four rules of gun safety. If it were you or me (especially me) our picture would be all over the news, with special attention given to any image showing us in a negat

The LA Times is reporting that the shooter at Los Angeles Airport was a former TSA worker. Press conference underway now. [Click here to view.] Mayor Eric Garcetti says the situation is now “static”; flights are taking off and leaving the airport.

By Craig Stockwell

Now that October’s in the rear view mirror, Veterans’ Day will be here soon. Veterans’ Day was originally meant to honor the veterans of the First World War, although today, all men and women who served our nation can take pride on November 11. The First World War and its aftermath was the most catastrophic calamity in human history to that point and I doubt that 21st century people can fathom what life must’ve been like for the men in the trenches. But a number of the rifles they used in the day are timeless and worth a look back  . . . .

Today, the average soldier around the world carries a select fire rifle in some 5mm caliber with a detachable 30 round magazine (more or less) and bolt action rifles are relegated to snipers. Designated marksmen typically carry semi-automatic or altered select fire rifles like the

Reader CA.Ben writes:

I’m a second year mechanical engineering student at a private California university. After graduation, I am fleeing this state for a more firearms-friendly locale (I’m thinking Idaho). My goal is to eventually work in the firearms industry. Right now though, I am interested in adding to my firearms knowledge, which is made difficult by the – surprise! – lack of firearms-based classes at my university. Lately I’ve been searching for good literature on firearm history and development. I own a copy of the 1975 reprint of R.K Wilson’s classic Textbook Of Automatic Pistols, and am trying to expand my library. What literary recommendations do you have for someone in my position?

Writing…

It’s ironic, in the non-Alanis-Morrissette sense, if you think about it: The Glock 17 pistol and its successors have been tirelessly vilified, demonized and even libeled by the firearms-hating American media since before it found a single owner on this continent. Yet the fantastic polymer dishwasher-safe double-stacker is the best possible example of firearm-as-tool. Consider the following scenario: You have been informed that you are 100% certain to be in a gunfight tomorrow and that you can only take one pistol and one backup magazine with you. You don’t know what the weather will be, what the number of opponents will be, what the lighting conditions will be. Nothing is certain but the this: you’re going to have to fire your weapon in anger. How many of us would take anything but a Glock? . . .

In a world where nobody had any personal attachment whatsoever to a firearm — a world where we chose a pistol the sa

This is easily the most excited I’ve been for an opening weekend in a long time. With the last few years showing us Texans the real meaning of drought, the whitetail population has been pathetic at best. Last year was a great year for killing off some cull bucks and hey, Dan got his first deer, but it was HOT all last summer, rain was nonexistent and my ranch was basically burned to a crisp . . .

But this year has been absolutely spectacular. We had a mild summer and this fall has been drenched. I was out at the ranch a few weeks ago and saw acorns everywhere and my pond is finally full again. A mild summer, lots of water, and a bumper crop of acorns means opening weekend is going to be the best one we’ve seen in years. The icing on the cake is a 

Tiger McKee of Shootrite Firearms Academy writes:

You’ve prepared and practiced with your weapon. You understand the principles and tactics necessary to defend against a violent attacker. Every day you carry your pistol. At the same time you pray it never sees action. But, tonight is the night. You’re going to face a threat intent on taking your life. The attacker is not quite human. He has no moral problems ripping out your gutty works with a knife, shooting you in the face, or methodically crushing your throat with his bare hands. He’s got nothin’ to lose. For you, failure means death. You die; lose your family and all your hopes and dreams. And, even though you’re completely aware of this fact, or soon will be, you have to completely ignore it . . .

“The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement.” Lee writes in

“People in the community are nervous to join a group (neighborhood watch) that was tarnished in the media and got a bad image with everything that happened. We really want to put those fears to rest and get the community going on the program.” – Sanford Police Department spokeswoman Shannon Cordingly quoted in Florida city bans guns for neighborhood watch volunteers [via chicagotribune.com]

Via bearingarms.com: What’s wrong with this picture? (click to embiggen) “Mr. Polen exited the passenger-side rear seat, and pointed an AK-47, which is very similar to this weapon here, at the officer…” Answers after the jump . . .

A M1 Carbine underfolder (.30 Carbine or 7.62x33mm) with an AKM magazine (7.62x39mm) and what appear to be 5.56mm rounds, plus a random unexplained pistol caliber cartridge. Original story (with video) at palmbeachpost.com.

Over the weekend I

Thanks to all of you who responded to my request for a Remington 870 to test Advanced Ballistic Concepts’ Multi-Impact shotgun ammo. That shout-out delivered first contact with ammo tester ShootingTheBull410, who’s now become a regular TTAG contributor. It also brought us a good half dozen Austin-area readers with Remington 870′s at the ready. So I thought, well, what could be more fun than a line of 870 shooters all firing at the same time, maybe slow-walking towards a target? And so TTAG’s holding an 870-fest at Best of the West range in Liberty Hill, Texas on Sunday, November 10, from 9am to maybe 1pm. If you’d like to attend please ping guntruth@me.com with subject l

“The mother of one of the first graders killed in the tragedy at Sandy Hook pleaded today that the 911 recordings and the crime scene photographs never be released,” wtnh.com reports. “A special task force on crime victims’ privacy must make recommendations to the General Assembly in j

Nick’s got a pet peeve: gunmakers who make a minor variation on an existing model and then make a big deal about it like it’s a brand new rifle. Personally, I like variations on a theme. I’ve got more than one Glock and now, maybe, a brace of Henry Repeating Rifles. Specifically, their “new” Henry Silver Eagle: a Golden Boy .22LR with a nickel finish receiver, buttplate and barrel band. I’m WAY too OCD to own a Golden Boy; one major scratch and I’d be on edge anytime I even thought about the gun. But man is that rifle a sweet shooter—everything a Marlin should be except dirt cheap ($849.95). Speaking of dear, the Original Henry Rifle repro’s finally made it to production. The lim

Dear VPC Supporter,

For women, gun violence is closely linked with domestic violence. Just look at the numbers: Ninety-four percent of women murdered by men were killed by someone they knew. At least 61 percent of the women who knew their killers were their intimate partners. And the most common weapon that men used to murder women was a gun . . .

These are some of the findings in our annual report, When Men Murder Women, released for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. We looked at the FBI statistics for 2011 — the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available — and found that 1,707 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents. At the state level, South Carolina had the

Hornady’s released its new product lineup for 2014. [Press release with product-specific videos after the jump.] I’m not so sure about the company’s decision to stretch their brand into non-ammo products with a “Security Division.” While their clunkily-named ArmLock™ Box & TriPoint™ Lock Box looks better than the competition, the Rapid Safe is about as discreet as a Zombie T-shirt on Michal Idan. More to the point, anything that interferes with the Hornady = ammo association hurts the brand—long term. (They should have created a new brand.) In the short term I’ll have two please. Hornady’s new line of Custom Lite® low-recoil rifle and shotgun ammo could be a huge success, given the number of women and new shooters entering the market. There’s new stuff for [both] reloaders looking to decrease time spent away from the family and a beer mug to rival

“Few galas can boast as many lights, cameras and action as the Houston Police Foundation gala.” With a lead like that you gotta know this gem from chron.com is going to be a great story. And so it is—if you love you some police militarization. “The sixth annual soiree returned to its original location at the River Oaks mansion owned by Landry’s CEO Tilman Fertitta and wife Paige. The lights started blocks away, as parked police cruisers flashed without abandon, and continued up

I fully admit to being a 300 AAC Blackout fanboy. Ever since Kevin Brittingham handed me a suppressed 300BLK HK416, I was hooked. A heavy-hitting caliber in the same familiar AR-15 platform? Sign me up! So as soon as I got back home, I started trying to build the perfect AR-15 in the wonder caliber. And after much trial and error, I think I’ve got it figured out. Let me take you through my journey, with pictures and build notes from each step of the way . . .

My first foray into the world of 300 BLK was a 16″ version. I didn’t have an SBR-ed lower receiver handy, so while I was figuring out how to get that done I bought a 16″ 300 BLK upper from AAC and started tinkering.