The Truth About Guns
If It’s NERF or Nothing, Introducing Nothing
Over at everydaynodaysoff.com, the TTAG-reading gunblogmeister casts his jaded eye on NERF’s new rivals: BoomCo blasters. [Link autoplays.] ENDO is impressed! With Mattel’s distribution channel. Not their marketing. Roger that. This video only smells like teen spirit; it singularly fails to show the product as a serious weapon for hormone-crazed, violence-prone teens. You know, some cool kid sneaking up on some Call of Duty dweeb and firing a dart at his face – that sticks to his Coke bottle-bottom glasses. (BoomCo’s USP: PostIt Note tips.) In fact, this could just as easily be an ad for Frosted Flakes. Except BoomCo’s blasters don’t look so grrrrreat! But what do I know? I carry a 1911. And the last time I rode a skateboard, grindin
It Should Have Been A Defensive Gun Use: Florida Bear Attack Edition
A couple of years ago, just before the school run, as a weak winter sun struggled to light-up t
New from SIG SAUER: Elite Performance Ammunition
Porsche makes most of its money selling SUVs, but the Mom-mobiles weaken the sports car maker’s brand. Eventually. I repeat: brand extensions are profitable in the short term. Long term they take a company’s eye off the ball. IMHO. In SIG’s HO “Every product SIG SAUER produces will have the same attributes for which our firearms are known around the world – reliability, accuracy, and unparalleled performance,” said Jeff Creamer, SIG SAUER director of product management. As for the Elite Performance Ammunition, “The proprietary SIG V-Crown stacked hollow point bullet features an additional smaller hollow point cavity behind the main cavity. This design, along with the V-shaped jacket skives, guarantees controlled, uniform expansion at all effective distances and velocities.” Initially available in 90gr .380Auto, 124gr 9mm Luger, 125gr .357SIG, 165gr .40S&W, and
Inside the Twisted Mind of a Gun Control Advocate: President Obama Edition
Back in 2006, then Senatorial candidate Obama filled-out a questionnaire that asked “do you support state legislation to … ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns?” The form was returned with the typed word “yes.” During his first presidential election, Obama left voters (and your humble scribe) with the impression that he viewed gun control as a political third rail/non-issue. If you like your gun you can keep your gun. Like that. And then Newtown
ShootingTheBull410: 9mm Ammo Quest – Winchester Ranger
When it comes to defensive ammo, you’ve probably heard it said many times – “I use what the cops use.” But is that really the best idea? The thing is, the cops don’t use little 3-inch barreled pocket pistols. So how does cop ammo, designed for full-size duty pistols, perform from a pocket pistol? In this latest installment of the 9mm Ammo Quest, ShootingTheBull410 puts Winchester Ranger Bonded 147gr Law Enforcement Ammunition through the 3″ barrel to find out.
New from Troy Defense: Troy Pump Action Sporting Rifle
I once was “lucky” enough to win a pump action .22 at an NRA dinner. As pinball addicts declare when a machine refuses to surrender its charms (despite mega flipper time), it was a lot of pay for not much play. I’m not saying Tory Defense’s Pump Action Sporting Rifle isn’t a heap of fun in that “look what they done to my gun, ma” kinda way. Nor am I suggesting that anyone stand in front of it when the business end gets busy would enjoy the experience. But I reckon the Pump Action Sporting Rifle’s utility is pretty limited to embarrassing New York or Connecticut cops when they bust you for possession of an illegal black modern home defense sporting rifle (a.k.a., “assault weapon.”) Oh how they laughed! Click
Question of the Day: Do You Bring Your Gun When You Shop for Clothes?
My wife reminded me this weekend that I had reached a critical threshold re: pants. It turns out all my pants had holes and only one pair could still be considered work-appropriate. Barely. So she graciously accompanied me to the GAP to try on some new pants. Also accompanying me was my GLOCK 19 in a Don Hume H715. It is easily my thickest carry rig, so I brought it along to make sure that my new pants could comfortably accommodate IWB carry. Do you bring your piece into the dressing room to make sure your new pants, shorts, dresses, and shirts are compatible with your EDC method of choice?
Bundy Ranch vs. BLM. The Fat Lady Hasn’t Sung
Those who have been anticipating a Boston Tea Party type event likely got what they were expecting last Saturday in Bunkerville, Nevada. The impasse between Rancher Cliven Bundy and federal Bureau of Land Management officials has been going on for a long time. After 20 years of Bundy defying edicts to remove his cattle from hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, the BLM recently began impounding his herd. The impoundment operation involved bringing in hundreds of heavily armed agents to enforce the shutdown of nearly 6,000 square miles of public lands. They also provided security for the cowboys and helicopter pilots who were contracted to carry out the roundup and removal of Bundy’s cattle . . .
The heavy-handedness of the agents became an issue almost immediately. Bundy family members were threatened at gunpoint and Cliven’s son Dave was beaten and arrested after taking video outside of a “designated free
Freedom Group Killing AAC?
Confidential sources tell TTAG that the Freedom Group is about to eliminate the Advanced Armament suppressor brand. [Note: we've put in a call to Remington.] According to our informant, TFG will merge AAC and TAPCO to create a new, as-yet-unnamed firearms accessory brand. If so, it’s a bold, not-to-say reckless move; both Tapco and AAC have considerable brand recognition. That said, Freedom’s shown itself to be a die-hard cost-cutter (e.g., their decision to move Marlin and Bushmaster’s manufacturing to Remington’s New York factory). Watch this space. Meanwhile, we’ve heard that the Model 700 and Seven recall will cost Remington . . .
some $20m. Gi
Chicago Police Supt. Blames Lax Gun Laws for Weekend Shootings, Murders
Last weekend at least 36 people were shot in Chicago, four fatally. chicago.cbslocal.com reports that Police Supt. Garry McCarthy’s getting heat for failing to curtail the “gun violence.” When pressed, McCarthy put the focus on the locus of the problem: Chicago’s gangs and the politicians who protect them. OK, the gangs. And weak gun control laws. “McCarthy said police have identified some gang rivalries at work in some of the most recent shootings, and were moving to intervene; but the superintendent said ‘lax state and federal gun laws’ thwart the department’s efforts.” You mean there aren
Quote of the Day: Spooking the Muggles Edition
“There is conflict within our ranks. Some feel the real in-your-face open-carry protests are detrimental because they scare middle-ground people.” – The Firearms Coalition’s Jeff Knox in New Push in State to Carry Guns Openly [at sfgate.com]
Daily Digest: Falling Down Edition
A doctor living in the tony Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago was jailed on Friday after he fired a shot from a revolver through the wall of his apartment and into the one next door on Wednesday. Luckily, he injured nothing but the kitchen backsplash in that apartment. Michael Olivieri (above) told prosecutors he thought he’d replaced the live ammo in the revolver with dummy rounds when he laid it on his kitchen island. For some reason, he decided to squeeze the trigger as it lay there, telling police he “squeezed the trigger as a nervous tic like squeezing a tennis ball.” Investigating officers confiscated eight guns, including at least one rifle, and prosecutors say none of them were registered. When police came to pick him up on Friday . . .
he
NJ Homeowner [Barely] Avoids Jail for Racking Shotgun at Intruders
“At about 2 a.m., [former firefighter 24-year-old Samuel] McGraw said he looked outside his home in the Deepwater section of the township and saw flashlights moving around outside near his truck,” nj.com reports. “He said he was nervous, as well as concerned for the safety of his parents, who were also home at the time. He opened the door and said he ‘racked’ his shotgun, hoping the sound would scare away what he thought were intruders.” Only the intruders weren’t intruders per se. In fact, the lights outside . . .
were no
Civil Disobedience Grows as NY “Assault Weapon” Registration Deadline Approaches
“Come Tuesday, owners of assault weapons in New York will be faced with a choice: Register those firearms with the state or potentially face a felony charge.” That’s the blunt, entirely accurate assessment of usatoday.com of the situation facing New York gun owners who possess unregistered “assault weapons” who are refusing to abide by the mandate created by the dead-of-the-night SAFE Act. And just in case you didn’t get the messag
On Respect for the Law and Respectable Laws
If we are to live in peace in a nation of laws, two things must happen. 1) Citizens must respect and obey the law, and 2) governments must make and enforce respectable laws. Every day Americans obey the laws that govern things from speed limits on the streets to keeping their lawn properly trimmed. Only a tiny fraction of a tiny fraction of laws require the intervention of police and the courts. This is a wonderful thing and reflects very well on the character of America’s people. I think one cannot be a good citizen without respect for the law and for those charged with writing them and enforcing them . . .
But this social compact is beginning to unravel. The breakdown we are witnessing is overwhelmingly a failure of the government to make and enforce respectable laws. In the standoff between Cliven Bundy, his family, and the assembled supporters who ultimately induced a fe
Moms Demand Action Demand Safety After KC Shooting
Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America released the following statement from Reverend Michelle Reed, a member of the Kansas chapter of Moms Demand Action in response to the shootings at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and Village Shalom where at least 3 people were killed today . . .
Kansans are still reeling from the breaking news that, on the eve of Passover, a gunman has killed at least three people at the JCC and Village Shalom – our thoughts and prayers are with them and their loved ones,” said Reverend Reed. “We don’t know all of the details yet, but we know that events like this remind us how none of us is immune– gun violence knows no boundaries of religion, race, class or age. We won’t wait until our families or communities a
TTAG Exclusive: Kirsten Joy Weiss Peep Mayhem!
Resurrection? Rebirth? Renewal? Sure, those are traditional Easter themes, but it seems that in recent years, Peep hate has crept into the annual spring repertoire, too. And marshmallow markswoman Kirsten Joy Weiss has totally jumped on board the peep pejorative bandwagon. Now she’s lined up an array of the squishy little chicks ShootingTheBull410-style to test their lead-stopping potential. And the results may surprise you. [h/t Henry Repeating Arms]
MAC Confirms TTAG’s Take on the Remington R51
“The gun is just flawed.” “Unfinished.” “It just doesn’t feel good to me.” “I really hope this doesn’t blow up.” “It’s just dangerous.” These are a few of the phrases that Tim at the Military Arms Channel uses to describe the Remington R51. We published our two star review of the Remington R51 a while back and got a lot of flak from the fanboys, claiming that it was a “sandbag job.” They said we were just biased against Remington and that the gun was in fact fine. Tim is one of the few people outside of TTAG who I really trust to give a fair review, and in his recently posted video . . .
he describes and confirms every single flaw that I found in the gun…and then some. His gun malfunctioned even when he was 100% sure he assembled it properly. His T&E gun (sent by Reming