The Truth About Guns

We don’t review many air guns here at TTAG, but it’s a segment of the American gun industry that’s growing right alongside traditional firearms. Thanks to modern enhancements in compressed air technology the guns are getting more powerful and more accurate every year. In fact, it’s gotten to the point where hunting medium sized game with an air rifle is actually a feasible option. Sam Yang Industries have come out with a series of air rifles designed to fill that specific niche — air rifles for hunting — and their “top of the line” model is the Dragon Claw. Air Venturi is the US importer and they were nice enough to send me one to review . . .

The last time I fired a

Given my job and RF’s new home base in Austin, I have reason to travel to Texas from time to time. You know, Texas – that nirvana of gun rights where every cow poke totes a six shooter and guns are ingrained in the culture like nowhere else? Yeah, well that’s mostly a load of horse hockey. Texas’s gun laws have a long way to go before they approach the freedoms firearms owners in a lot of other states enjoy. Places like…Missouri, for instance. Yes, the gun laws in my home state make Texas looks like, well, Maryland by comparison . . .

Well almost. Missouri has concealed carry almost everywhere, a statewide preemption law that covers everything except open carry (and that may change soon, too.) None of those ludicrous 30.06 or 51% signs that can turn almost any business into an instant felony zone. Still, that doesn’t m

By Brandon Robinson

The recent closure of the 150 year old Doe Run lead smelting plant in Herculaneum, Missouri caused quite a stir. Conspiracy theories continue to abound in a community used to finding new gun control schemes under every rock from D.C. and San Francisco. For many, this closure was, at best, an example of the heavy-handedness of the EPA, again wreaking havoc on a beleaguered manufacturing sector. At worst, the closure was a malicious attempt by the Obama administration to use the EPA’s thugs to further squeez

I just got off the phone with Dimitrios Karras, owner of Ares Armor (which was recently raided by the ATF). Ever since the ATF’s visit they’ve gone completely radio silent, and the lack of information has made it hard for even us to keep track of what’s really happening. There’s a lot of conflicting information floating around, and he wanted a chance to clean things up and explain exactly what was going on. It’s still not 100% clear even to Karras, but I’ll take a shot at laying out the facts of the case . . .

It all started over a hunk of plastic.

A firearm only becomes a firearm when it becomes fully functional. Raw materials — even those destined to become firearms — are not regulated like a firearm until all the manufacturing processes have been completed to make it operational. But that creates a loophole for do-it-yourself gun owners, since the

“Our Western partners headed by the United States prefer not to be guided by international law in their practical policies, but by the rule of the gun. They have come to believe in their exceptionalism and their sense of being the chosen ones. That they can decide the destinies of the world, that it is only them who can be right.” – Russian President Vladimir Putin, Putin says U.S. guided by ‘the rule of the gun’ in foreign policy [via Reuters]

A grandmother in Cary, North Carolina has found herself in the crosshairs of her homeowner’s association for posting the sign above in her front yard. Laurie Cherico moved into neighborhood back in November, and posted the sign a little over a month ago. Now the homeowner’s association notified her that the sign might violate community guidelines. Homeowner’s associations get a lot of flack, around here and in general, but the reality of the situation is that when you buy in their neighborhood, you’re buying into their system. So it would seem the HOA has the authority to limit things like this. The association spokeswoman said that the content of the sign isn’t an issue [except it is, to some folks; keep reading], it’s that Cherico didn’t apply for

The Omaha, Nebraska Police Department held a ‘Gun Amnesty Day’ on Saturday, inviting residents to drop off their unwanted and/or illegal guns and ammunition for destruction. As is usually the case with these taxpayer subsidized dog and pony shows, the OPD’s event was done on a no-questions-asked basis. Twenty-one guns were collected, along with two reportedly live items of explosive military ordnance . . .

Despite the pitiful turnout, er, turn-in, the Omaha PD was immediate and effusive in its effusive self-congratulations. OPD Sgt. Matt Manhart told WOWT that “Any time we can get a firearm or handgun or

“The N.R.A. objected to the [Doctors for America] letter’s support for a federal ban on the sale of assault weapons and ammunition, a buyback program to reduce the number of guns in circulation, limits on the purchase of ammunition, mandatory safety training for gun owners, and mandatory waiting periods before completing a purchase,” the New York Times editorial board opines. “The N.R.A. also objected to the group’s sensible recommendations that Congress lift restrictions in federal law that effectively block funding of

There’s a stereotype that Americans are more business focused and Europeans tend to take life easier. And just like most stereotypes, its based on a grain of truth. Americans take fewer days off, get fewer vacation days, and tend to identify ourselves by what we do. Europeans, not so much. But while I subscribe to the American idea of working too hard and over-achieving, there is one tradition I’d love to see imported from the Eropean IWA to the American SHOT Show: the in-booth bar . . .

At the SHOT Show there’s always one or two booths that wheel in a keg after business hours are over and hand out beer, but it always seems like an after-thought. The booth wasn’t designed as a pub, so getting a drink can be somewhat awkward. But over on the other side of the pond, it seemed like every major firearms manufacturer had a VIP section with a fully sto

The second time he escaped from a Nazi work camp, the Russians captured my father. Dad escaped that hell too, but not before picking-up some of the local lingo. He taught me three Russian expressions: “f*ck your mother,” “give me your watch” and “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine.” Not being a Russian soldier or an American politician, I’ve had no need of the last two. After watching the video above, I would certainly consider using the third if Russian special forces invited me for a little pistol training. In fact, I think I heard it in the middle of that yelling somewhere. Which reminds me of an old Russian expression: live by the macho, die by the macho. At least I think that’s what it means. [h/t PetitionForRedress]

The great thing about tattooing your child’s name on your body: you’ll never regret it – as one might if one inked the name of the mother of said sprog on one’s epidermis. TTAG reader DB’s daughter Livvy knows her old man is fully committed to his progeny, body and soul. She also knows that Daddy is a 1911 fanboy-for-life, twice over. I seriously doubt DB will ever think to himself, screw John Moses Browning, Gaston Glock’s my guy now. And I mean that in a totally asexual way. Are those holes life-size? OK, I’m gonna stop now.

In another victory for a broader interpretation of Second Amendment rights outside the home, the Delaware supreme court has ruled that the Wilmington Housing Authority cannot limit the right to keep and bear arms to the interior of its properties. [Click here to read the decision.] Doe v. Wilmington Housing Authority, challenged the original ban of firearms from all WHA properties. That policy was amended to prohibit firearms in common areas after the Chicago McDonald decision. But today’s ruling (available here) makes clear that the Second Amendment extends beyond the limits of the home.

A Germantown, Wisconsin man was accosted by police for exercising his rights on Saturday. William Polster was carrying a holstered pistol and a shotgun (with a pistol grip!) on a sling on his back. He says that he carries the firearms to educate the public about their rights and for personal protection. As 620wtmj.com reports, police received “frantic” calls from upset residents about the gun-toter. This is certainly possible, but in a number of other cases, such as with the Culver five in Madison and an open carrier in Michigan, calls received turned out to be mostly asking the police whether open carry was legal, something that actually

“The NRA has launched a campaign against President Obama’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. Why?” New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV) asks, rhetorically. “Because he believes gun violence is a public health problem.” Well yes, there is that. The National Rifle Association knows that gun control advocates are trying to frame gun rights as a public health concern to open a new front in their relentless, underhanded campaign to infringe upon Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep bear arms. More than that, the Doctors for Obama founder . . .

Charleston, WV Mayor Danny Jones must be a fan of the Talking Heads. Specifically, the song Crosseyed and Painless, wherein the singer complains that “facts don’t do what I want them to.” In this soon-to-be-famous clip, Jones finds himself teetering on edge of the anti-gun rhetorical abyss. He flails about like a cartoon character trying to prevent the inevitable plunge off the proverbial cliff. While I’m no fan of any bill that restricts Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms, the Mountain State’s new gun law is almost worth it – just to see Jones come a cropper in this lopsided “debate.” Almost. But not quite.

Send your STAND STRONG CONNECTICUT photo to guntruth@me.com. We’ll post them on our Facebook album [click here to view.] Please put STAND STRONG in the subject field of your email. You can click here to purchase a Stand Strong Connecticut t-shirt (half of profits go to Connecticut Carry).

Sgt. Patrick Hayes writes:

There has been talk that the only way Connecticut can enforce their new gun laws is by confiscation. Of course the State is saying they don’t intend to do that – just like all the anti-gun folks always say “Nobody is after your guns.” Should the Police enforce these laws? The short answer is NO. Of course I am biased. I can read the Constitution and I understand the meaning of “shall not be infringed.” And then there’s the fourth Amendment  . . .

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

I had been feeling bad about my poor Mosin. There it was, sitting under a bunk bed in the cabin. All but forgotten and slowly rusting away. It had probably been two years since it was last fired. I know I’m not alone here – there are maybe 4,000,000 Mosin Nagants in the U.S.. Hard to say how many of the apparently 37,000,000 or so that were produced actually made it to our shores, but it’s fair to say they’re pretty ubiquitous in gun safes, closets, attics and under beds all over the country. The world, really. Many of those not getting shot much. Rusting . . .

“The Alaska Legislature has considered some preposterous notions in its 101 years,” Terrence Cole [above] writes at adn.com, “but Sen. John Coghill’s proposal to allow guns on UA campuses, which reportedly came from a student intern in his office, is probably the most ill-informed idea to ever come out of Juneau.” I fail to see what’s preposterous about the idea that an American’s natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms shouldn’t end at the gates of a public university – any more than their right to free speech shouldn’t cease when they set foot on campus. Mr. Cole intends to school me in that regard. But first, what’s up with dissing interns? I mean . . .

We, the employees of TTAG, are writers — not programmers. I’m the exception, since I’m an incurable nerd and hold down an IT job to pay the bills. But even that gives me only so much ability to fix things when they go wrong. A few days ago the plug-in we use to provide a clean and usable mobile experience for readers on tablets and smartphones decided to push out a major update – which removed the ability to reply to specific comments. Our only options at the time: update and accept the new status quo or code something else ourselves (the old code version was no longer usable for technical reasons). We opted to update. The coders assure us that the ability to reply to specific comments is coming in future versions. Until then, we are aware of the problem and we will implement the fix as soon as it is available. Sorry for the inconvenience.