The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 1 month 16 hours ago
Stand Strong Connecticut
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).
Daily Digest: Breaking Up Edition
Columbus Police Swat Snipers are checking out a new kind of ammunition that is designed to be safer for bystanders and hostages during hostage situations. When those occasions arise, police are often faced with suspects that are behind some form of bullet-resistant glass, and firing conventional rifle rounds through it can result in fragmentation of the round or spalling of the glass to the detriment of all who are behind it, without regard to innocence. The new round is designed to penetrate the glass without shattering it or breaking up itself. The round appears to be effective against both the very thick plastic that you might find in a convenience store and . . .
against car windshields, where it punches right through without any separation whatsoever. The article says it “stays intact until it meets the intended target,” but given the bullet’s appearance of being a turned piece of solid metal, I’m not sure it d
Oath Keepers Heat-Up Looming Confiscation Confrontation
Molon labe. That’s the sentiment spreading throughout what TTAG used to call “slave states” (i.e. the states where citizens’ Constitutional rights are under direct and emphatic attack). This video cuts close to the bone, asserting that citizens have a right to shoot armed police officers coming to confiscate their firearms. We don’t have any information about the who, what, where and when of this but it’s not out of line with what fellow Oath Keepers are saying, or at least suggesting. (Click here for a Stand Strong portrait from an Oath Keeper in our Facebook album.) Speaking of Facebook, the
This Open Carry Tale is No Fish Story
Florida is one of five states that generally ban the open carry of firearms. As with all such states, exemptions to the general ban are included in the law. Florida Second Amendment supporters are pushing for a restoration of open carry rights in the state. Toward that end, they’ve organized a number of open carry events under the exception for open carry to, from, and during fishing in the state . . .
Spacecoast321 at opencarry.org relates what happened when he attempted to join one of these events a few days ago:
Well after a lengthy hiatus I was finally able to go the Open Carry fishing event in Melbourne. Sadly I RSVP’d too late, about an hour before the event, on MeetUp and the host (I later
OMG! Gun Bullies! In Austin! OMG!
It’s been almost three days since the Moms Demand Action crowd had something to be outraged – OUTRAGED! – about. Fortunately, Texas is full of gun owners safely going about their business, so yesterday’s Come And Take It Texas open carry march through Austin provided just the excuse Shannon and her sisters needed to work up a Class 5 tizzy. The Moms’ reaction was, well, predictable. From their Facebook page: “THIS IS NOT NORMAL: Yesterday, the same gun activists who tried to intimidate our moms at a Dallas restaurant last year marched through the streets of Austin with guns. “The rally was held in response to a panel Moms Demand Action participated in at South By Southwest last Saturday” . . .
Shannon’s shrieking shrews let
Gun Hero of the Day: Texas Governor Rick Perry
TTAG commentators are quick to point out that Texas isn’t the most gun-friendly state in these here united. Constitutional Carry? Nope. Open carry? No sir. Guns in schools? Not a chance. And yet America’s second most populous state has an extremely strong gun culture. So while we can’t credit Texas Governor Rick Perry for rolling back the Lone Star State’s civilian disarmament legislation – save the recent reduction in mandatory training hours for concealed carry permits – we can certainly acknowledge his unabashed enthusiasm for armed personal defense. The former presidential candidate never fails to defend and promote gun rights in interviews. Perry also leads by example, shooting all manner of semi and fully automatic guns for fun, carrying a Ruger LCP (with which he shot a coyote while jogging) and keeping an FN FiveseveN for bedside backup. As a high-profile poster boy for firearms freedom, Perry makes the grade. For that he gets our thanks a
It Should Have Been a Defensive Gun Use: “In My 27-plus Years of Policing in Madison, This is One of the Most Disturbing and Heinous Crimes I’ve Ever Seen” Edition
“I can tell you that in my 27-plus years of policing here in Madison, this is probably one of the most disturbing and heinous crimes that I’ve ever seen.” That’s the exact pronouncement of Madison, Wisconsin Interim Police Chief Randy Gaber [via wkow.com] re: a home invasion by six scumbags. Specifically, “Madison police say three men planned a home invasion, but broke into the wrong home on Quincy Avenue on the north side around 6 a.m. on February 23. Police say the suspects were aware it was not the intended home, but they proceeded to violently attack the two victims who had been sl
IWA: Hands On With Walther’s New CCP and PPQ Handguns
At IWA Walther was showing off some new handguns for the self defense and competition markets, specifically their five-inch PPQ and their new CCP line of pistols. I was able to get my hands on the guns, and I was actually pretty impressed . . .
The five-inch PPQ is a damn slick gun, sporting an extended magazine release button and a fiber optic front sight that would make it perfect for competitive shooting. The trigger is crisp and clean, and the trigger shoe is flat and smooth.
Incendiary Image of the Day: Law Enforcement Today Edition
Law Enforcement Today Tweeted the image above. It seems the boys in blue are feeling a bit unappreciated. Combative even. The sentiment is more than a little reminiscent of the 60′s, when police brutality against civil rights and anti-war protesters earned cops the nickname “pigs.” While I haven’t heard that epithet in years, it may make a comeback if Connecticut State Troopers enforce the Constitution State’s post-Newtown gun control pogrom. And not for nothing. Are we, the general public, supposed to be reassured by an image of five military-style cops with their faces obscured by weapons [banned from civilian use] pointed in our genera direction? The caption assumes its either the cops or a crackhead when we’re in trouble. What about self-relianc
Stand Strong Connecticut
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).
Win a Kel-Tec KSG!
You know you want one. You’ve been intrigued since Kel-Tec announced the KSG. But like most new Kel-Tecs, you figured you’d be old and grey before you actually ran across one in the wild. And that may still be the case. But here’s your chance. Click here to enter from your laptop or here from your mobile device, and you could be taking home your very own desert tan KSG. How cool is that?
Ares Armor Holds Off ATF Raid – For Now
“An Oceanside store that sells various gun parts to build a rifle from scratch warded off a federal raid Wednesday.” That from fox5sandiego.com, describing some legal fancy footwork done by Ares Armor. What’s their alleged crime? Other than selling 80% lowers – which the ATF has apparently now has deemed “firearms” – made by EP Armory, not much. That, and the fact that the ATF would love to get their hands on names of people who’ve bought them. The firearms regulators had been pressuring Ares for their customer list for almost two years. And when they didn’t get anywhere, they’d taken to threatening Ares with a raid to take whatever they want . . .
Range Report: Heavily Modified Nagant 1895 Revolver
After a year and a half of tinkering with an old Nagant revolver that I had, I finally got around to putting it back together yesterday. I posted a picture of it (above) on Reddit last night and it was surprisingly popular. Several people asked for a range report, so here we go. This particular revolver was made at the Izhmash factory in 1943 and then refurbished after WWII. After I bought it, the nice folks at Yankee Hill Machine, added a Q.D. flash hider to the barrel and I had a gunsmith mount a 2″ rail to the top strap. I stripped off the old, worn-out bluing and parkerized it (well, it was a good first attempt anyway). A cheap NC Star red dot sight and some new grips (bakelite sucks) rounded out the rebuild . . .
For this
Idaho Governor Signs Campus Carry Bill Into Law
The limited reform of Idaho’s restrictions on campus carry (SB 1254) was signed by Governor Butch Otter yesterday. The law removes the university-imposed restrictions from retired peace officers and people who have received Idaho’s enhanced concealed carry license. Those two groups will now be able to legally carry concealed weapons on the public property of college and university campuses . . .
The legislation allows a limited group of people to carry concealed weapons on col
Obscure Object Of Desire: MAB Model A
A French gun is an Obscure Object Of Desire? You’re probably wondering how much wood alcohol got into the hooch I’ve been drinking all winter. But bear with me, because something like this gun probably has a place in any true collector’s portfolio . . .
Manufacture d’armes de Bayonne was a French arms manufacturer who supplied handguns to French police and military forces (and, briefly, Nazi German occupiers) from 1920 to 1982. Their designs were typically based on successful patterns from other manufacturers such as Browning and Walther, and their P-15 briefly held the title of ‘world’s most capacious handgun’ with its (duh) 15-round magazine.
You’ve probably already recognized the profile of the .25 ACP Model 1906 Browning (with grip safety) in the MAB Model A, which is exact
Quote of the Day: I Am the Standard By Which All Gun Rights Advocates Should Be Judged Edition
“I’m not sure I would call myself anti-gun, because I understand the appeal (and utility) of hunting and hitting the shooting range. However, I don’t understand the mindset of feeling like I would need to carry a gun as I would carry my smartphone. I know the threat is out there, but so is the threat of tornadoes, and I don’t carry a storm shelter on my person at all times. Because I don’t live like I could be under attack at any moment, I don’t [see] how introducing more guns in a kids’ environment is better than showing them how to best get out of harm’s way. In fact, given the high emotion that runs at kids’ sporting events, I worry more that introducing guns into that environment brings a higher risk of some knucklehead brand
BREAKING: TTAG Writer Saves Anti-Gunner…Potentially
The South by Southwest festival continued its run in Texas’s capitol last night when tragedy struck. An unnamed drunk driver being chased by police plowed his car into a crowd of SXSW-going hipsters, killing two and injuring at least 23. cnn.com quotes attendee Russ Barone: ”‘I’ve never seen nothing like it. I felt like I was at a war or something,’ Barone said. ‘I was down here for the music … we were having the best time ever. And then it turned into the worst thing I’ve ever seen.’” All of which makes Shannon Watts’s outrage at the photo she paused for seem, well, a little ungrateful. Our scribe, Alan Brooks, a Marine, ex-Leo and special educ
Stand Strong Connecticut
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).
Daily Digest: That’s A Fur Piece Edition
A half dozen Civil War-era firearms will be up for auction this Friday in Carmel, Indiana, including a Morse carbine, a rare firearm that never made it into mass production. The .50-caliber breechloader was one of the most technologically advanced weapons of the Confederacy, but had one major flaw. The gun’s hammer, used to cock the weapon, also served as a catch to keep the trapdoor closed over the ammo chamber. But when the hammer was cocked, the trapdoor cover could pop open if the gun wasn’t held level. Tilt it 45 degrees or more, and the shell would fall right out. Also up for auction are percussion muskets from 1855 and 1861, and a flintlock musket from 1816. More photos are over at usatoday.com. Read on . . .