The Truth About Guns

I’m a polymer-framed 9 mm pistol kind of guy. Well, at least I fancy myself one. Truth be told, I haven’t shot enough of them to have the depth of experience to really qualify as a polymer pistol “guy.” But I’m working on it. And when Nick threw me the keys to his FNS 9 for an unspecified amount of time, it seemed like a good time to put another check on the list. Who knew that I’d find a new favorite polymer gun in the process? . . .

Some of the writers on here can just make a review flow flawlessly from one section to another. Me, I like to take the pilot’s approach: checklists. So let me outline some of the more important qualities I look for in a gun, and tell you how the FNS-9 fared in those categories.

“The Supreme Court refused on Monday, as it has done repeatedly in recent years, to reopen the issue of whether Second Amendment rights to have a gun extend beyond the home,” Lyle Denniston reports at scotusblog.com. “The Court, without comment, denied three new petitions — two filed by the National Rifle Association. The cases were Nos. 12-1401, 13-137, and 13-390.”

For the third year in a row, I’ve been tapped to represent TTAG at the Crimson Trace Midnight 3-Gun Match. The competition is designed to highlight some of the company’s light-emitting firearms-related products. Illuminating items such as Crimson trace’s lasers, Surefire’s flashlights, and FLIR’s thermal imaging stuff. It’s a great way to try out the new gear, and I’m really looking forward to see what this year’s stages look like. But there’s an added twist: a $2,500 check for the first place finish among the members of the media. Now, remind me: who currently holds that title? . . .

You might expect ex-CNN chat show host and notorious anti-gunner Piers Morgan to go quietly into that long good night, accepting his dismissal from CNN, keeping his mouth shut and scoring another gig that allows him to maintain his U.S. work visa. But no, the battling Brit is finishing as he started, spewing venom at Americans who seek to defend and extend their natural, civil and constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. In fact, Mr. Morgan seems bound and determined to test the limits of TTAG’s posting policy forbidding ad hominem attacks in the comment section. At this point, one wonders if Mr. Morgan has an armed security detail. Speaking of which, would you defend to the death his right to denigrate our Second Amendment rights? I would, but I’d have to be paid a rather significant sum, including a generous life insurance policy. Just sayin’ . . .

By Beetle

The turn of the century into the 1900s was an interesting time in firearm development.  The invention of smokeless powder and Hugo Borchardt’s first semi-automatic pistol caused the world’s armies to re-examine their sidearms. Switzerland and Germany adopted the Luger pistol.  We know that the United States choose John Moses Browning’s Colt 1911 pistol.  The Kingdom of Norway also conducted pistol trials during this time.  Their decision along with subsequent history leads us to today’s interesting and ironic story . . .

The Norwegian Military of Defense established the Permanent Rifle Commission in the 1880s to evaluate all types of small arms.  The commission tested all of the commercially available semi-automatic pistols of the time, including the C93 Borchardt, C96 Mauser, the Luger

By Cliff Heseltine

I recently received an e-mail blast from another gun blog that shall remain un-named. It’s one that loves to end their posts with the supposed bona fides of their writers, the idea being that you should just accept what they’ve written as gospel because of the credentials of the author. The subject of that post is not really relevant, but this wasn’t the first time I had read one of these “authoritative” sources and just wondered, WTF? The concept, as presented, just seemed full of logical holes or conceptual errors . . .

Just for the record, I have had military training, served 6½ years as a medic and spent a good deal of time reading about this subject. But I’m not a certified trainer, ex-Special Forces, law enforcement, nor an “operator” by any stretch. What I am is a reasonably intelligent person who tends to look at things “experts” profess and consider

“Today every citizen of Ukraine understands why our country has hundreds of thousands of policemen. Last illusions were crushed when riot police used rubber batons and boots at the Independence Square on peaceful citizens. After such actions we realize that it is not enough to only adopt the Gun Law. As of today Ukrainian Gun Owners Association will start to work on the preparation of amendments to the Constitution, which will provide an unconditional right for Ukrainian citizens to bear arms. People should have the right to bear arms, which will be put in written (sic) into the Constitution. Authorities should not and will not be stronger than its people! Armed people are treated with respect!” – Official statement, Ukrainian Gun Owners Association [h/t KW]

In Russia, rail rides you! This ‘Bizon-2′ subgun has a more extensive rail network than the entire United Kingdom. Never heard of the PP-19 Bizon before? You’re not alone . . .

The ‘Bison’ was first developed in the early 1990s from the Kalashnikov platform of the AKS-74. The PP-19 is a true Kalashnikov design, and not just a knockoff, since it was actually developed by Mikhail’s son Viktor Kalashnikov.

Unlike the AKS-74, the Bizon is a true subgun. It was originally chambered in 9×18 Makarov, and has also been offered in 9X19, .380 ACP (huh?) and 7.62 Tokarev.

This video shows perhaps its most interesting feature, a 64-round helical drum magazine reminiscent o

“There have been times when the CNN host Piers Morgan didn’t seem to like America very much,” David Carr at nytimes,com opines, “and American audiences have been more than willing to return the favor. Three years after taking over for Larry King, Mr. Morgan has seen the ratings for “Piers Morgan Live” hit some new lows, drawing a fraction of viewers compared with competitors at Fox News and MSNBC.” And so BOOM! He’s gone. From Piers Morgan Live anyway. “It’s been an unhappy collision between a British television personality who refuses to assimilate — the only football he cares about is round and his lectures on guns were rife with contempt — and a CNN audience that is intrinsically provincial. After all, the people who tune into a cable news network are, by their nature

UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler is no friend of ours. Back in August 2011, I outed the so-called “centrist” in a blog about his article The Secret History of Gun Control. Adam’s back on our radar with his latimes.com editorial Want fewer guns on California streets? Open carry may be the answer. “San Diego will undoubtedly appeal the [Peruta] d

Remember the outbreak of squeegee men back in the late 80s and early 90s? You’d stop at a traffic light and some grifter would sidle up, perfunctorily wipe your windshield and then demand money in exchange for leaving your glass in one piece. While it happened in a number of cities, it was one of the best-loved parts of the gorgeous mosaic that was New York City under David Dinkins’ administration. In addition to the race riots, that is. Anyway, a new twist on the scam is back now that a large swath of the country has spent most of the last two months under a think blanket of global warming . . .

As

The Truth About Guns passed the four-year mark on February 17. I guess I was a bit busy, what with writing posts, working on the Texas International Firearms Festival, taking care of my daughter and bemoaning the fact that my only chance at a date turned out to be a shill for some multi-level marketing misegos. Still, it’s important to take time out to celebrate important milestones. In the last year, TTAG has come of age. Again. Still. I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve done here in that time. And by “we”

“In 2002, only 194 babies were named Colt,” the dailybeast.com reports, “while in 2012 there were 955. Just 185 babies were given the name Remington in 2002, but by 2012 the number had jumped to 666.” Uh-oh. “Perhaps the most surprising of all, however, is a jump in the name Ruger’s (America’s leading firearm manufacturer) from just 23 in 2002 to 118 in 2012 . . . In 1999, Gunner ranked 739th on the list of the Official Social Security site’s 1000 most popular names for boys—by 2012 it jumped to 293rd. Remington, for both girls and boys, spiked in the last few years as well, starting at 731st place in 1999 and jumping to 421nd a decade later. In 2012 alone, approximately 1,607 babies per million were named Colton—a p

Your eyes don’t deceive you. This AR magwell doesn’t bear the standard of a rampant Colt, the crosshairs and lion of an ArmaLite, or the generic logo of a ‘Your Name Here’ parts-bin AR builder. That’s the FN logo, because this is a new FN-15 carbine . . .

FN has been making military M16s and M4s for years, so I’m not sure you can quite call the FN-15 an ‘M4gery.’ The FN-15 doesn’t share the M4′s full-auto bolt group or receiver (no surprise there, eh?) and it also sports a chrome-lined, button-broached 1:7″ barrel instead of one of FNH’s legendary cold hammer-forged barrels.

It comes with all the bits you expect on an upper entry-level flattop AR with a $1000 street price, and it tips the scal

“We do not doubt that many sincerely believe the measure, passed after the Newtown massacre, should never have become a Connecticut law because it violates their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. But that doesn’t give them the right to disobey it. The law’s constitutionality is a matter for the courts to determine, not the individual gun owner. In the meantime, he or she must obey the law or face the consequences of breaking it.” - Gun owners must obey registration law [via theday.com]

Some sneaky gun control legislation out of Illinois… I know, you’re surprised. Democrat Sen. Don Harmon (above) has proposed Illinois Senate Bill 2669, which is being touted by myfoxchicago.com as a positive thing. They say that Harmon is “proposing that signs be put up that say businesses do allow guns inside.” They further say that the proposal “would allow business owners to post clear signs at building entrances and other places on the premises indicating they do allow concealed firearms.” Sounds good, right? For gunnys, that’s like a “shop here” sign. However, my curiosity was piqued when I saw a quote from a local rep of MDA praising the measure. So I wen

By Westin D. Floeter, Communications Manager for K Rounds holsters, writes:

KYDEX was the brainchild of Rohm and Haas Company, a Philadelphia-based materials manufacturer working in the aircraft interior business. In the late ’60′s, a range of industries realized that KYEDX sheets could be manipulated into almost any shape by applying heat and molding the material around forms. In 1997, KYDEX, LLC was born. Since then, “KYDEX” has become something of a generic name for plastic holsters – and not always by “mistake.” Some holster companies sell “KYDEX holsters” that aren’t made with KYDEX plastics. What’s more, even genuine KYDEX holsters vary in terms of quality. In the interests of consumer education, here’s Everything You Wanted

“I often hear comments like ‘I only trust a full size 1911 because they are more reliable,’” Bill Wilson writes at wilsoncombat.com. “Well folks I’m here to tell you this statement isn’t necessarily true. While it is true some ultra compact 1911s with barrel lengths under 3.5” often have reliability issues, there are other important factors involved such as spring weights, firing

Earlier today, I blogged Zack Beauchamp’s op-ed Ban the Second Amendment. Most of our commentators dissected Beauchamp’s arguments with intelligence, insight and wit. Some reacted to Beauchamp’s civilian disarmament agenda by attacking him personally, including remarks about the Brown grad’s skinny jeans and simple instructions on putting things where the sun doesn’t shine. In the past, this website has allowed these comments to stand. After Shannon Watts and the Campaign to Stop Gun Violence used some vulgar TTAG comments to pillory and mischaracterize gun rights advocates we altered our comment policy to remove ad hominem attacks from the comments section. This new

In a well-publicized Florida case, former Marine, John Rogers, shot and killed a drinking buddy, James DeWitt in 2012. Rogers claimed he’d been attacked after he asked the man to leave. According to testimony, DeWitt charged him, giving Rogers no choice but to fire. The case gained notoriety because Rogers, who spend 22 months in jail awaiting trial, is legally blind. Then, half way through the trial, the judge dismissed the charges, ruling that Rogers was innocent under Florida’s stand your ground law . . .

Evidence showed that the dead man was shot from a distance of 18 inches, supporting Rogers account and casting doubt on the claim of DeWitt’s girlfriend, Christina Robertson, that the shooting had been unprovoked.

Friday, nearly two years after the shooting, Judge John Galluzzo rel