The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 1 month 4 hours ago
Incendiary Image of the Day: There’s One Born Every Minute
Our man ShootingTheBull410 recently ripped R.I.P. ammo a new one, twice, putting “the last bullet you’ll ever need” on a par with a .380 hollow point. But the hype is strong with this one. If marketing campaigns could kill, G2 Research wouldn’t even need to produce ammo. The hype has been so fantastic – literally – that we’re not surprised to discover an enterprising Texan attempting to cash-in. As tipster SD wrote: “I’m not sure if there
What Could Possibly Go Wrong: Cops Under [Google] Glass Edition
“Google Glass may soon become a favored tool for law enforcement agencies in the United States. The New York City Police Department’s massive and controversial intelligence and analytics unit is evaluating whether Google Glass is a decent fit for investigating terrorists and helping cops lock up bad guys. The department recently received several pairs of the modernist-looking specs to test out. ‘We signed up, got a few pairs of the Google glasses, and we’re trying them out, seeing if they have any value in investigations, mostly for patrol purposes,’ a ranking New York City law enforcement official told VentureBeat.” Cops wearing glasses with a heads-up display linked to a real time facial recognition system to ID and
Question of the Day: What Shouldn’t You Say at a Gun Range?
Over at satireworld.com the floridly named Bargis Tryhol offers The Top 20 Things A Guy Should Never Say at a Gun Range. Many of his suggestions seem a little . . . homophobic. An impression that’s not contradicted by a pic of Richard Simmons in a tutu. Something to do with his last name? Anyway, let’s right set Mr Tryhol straight (so to speak). What shouldn’t you say at a gun range? I’m going with “Nice 1911. Too bad it’s not a GLOCK.”
SIG SAUER 1911-22 Promotion Too Popular for It’s Own Good
TTAG’s Chris Dumm recently blogged SIG SAUER’s BOGO (Buy One Get One) promotion. Mr. Dumm loved the idea but was less than optimistic about it chances in the marketplace. “Given the current scarcity of .22 long rifle ammo, this otherwise-brilliant promotion might not get the traction SIG is hoping for.” Sorry Chris, you couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s been so successful that SIG has been forced to tell frustrated consumers there ain’t no mo’. What’s more, an email from Commercial VP Bill Silver [after the jump] apologizes on behalf of the corporate mothership for not knowing where the ones that is, is. “SIG’s mark
Can Can Concealment Contest a Hit!
Did you see our post kicking off a give-away of some of Can Can Concealment’s, uh, discreet carry gear? If not, you’re one of the few. Entries from gun-loving women have been clogging our in-box since we announced it yesterday. Getting creative, contributors have taken every approach from challenging to cheesecake. You can see all the snaps we’ve received on our Facebook page
Quote of the Day: Ban Open Carry. For the Children.
“I’m surprised by it. I don’t think it’s a good signal to our children in this state that people can open carry something that is so dangerous and intimidating to others. It sends a message that this is the norm and children are not as able to get away from it.” Frances Schenkkan, board member of Texas Gun Sense, quoted in Davis Takes Friendly Fire on Gun Issue [via texastribune.org]
Quote of the Day: Just Kos Edition
“The NRA is a paper tiger rushing headfirst into the American fringe. Its evolution from advocacy group for hunters to Alex-Jones-style conspiracy mongering is complete. Its money is ineffective and its issues unpopular. It can no longer fight its own battles.” – Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas, NRA losing its sway [via thehill.com]
Daily Digest: Preemptively Banned in CA Edition
In an incident that I can find no other word to describe than “pathetic,” a single bullet led to the complete stoppage of repair work at a home in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, a small town in central England. Workmen were replacing a fence panel, but “had to abandon their work after discovering a bullet in the garden.” The workers knocked on the door and told the homeowner, a pregnant mother of three, that they were calling the police because they’d found the live ammunition. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. . .
“I’ve got to keep the kids out of the garden until it is removed. I’m worri
CORRECTION: TTAG Not More Popular Than NRA’s American Rifleman. Yet.
In our original, self-congratulatory post marking the fact that TTAG crested 2m unique viewers per month, I claimed that we had more readers than the American Rifleman. Turns out I was using old data. Using the kind of run-on sentence that makes their copy so readable, adage.com provides box-fresh circulation data on the NRA’s house mag. “American Rifleman, one of the magazines that members of the National Rifle Association can receive as part of their membership, posted a 29.3% boost in circulation in the second half of last year, compared with the second half of 2
Random Thoughts About Tea, TTAG and Gun Culture
My first ex-mother-in-law always poured the milk into her cup before her tea. One day, I asked her why. She didn’t have a clue. Further research revealed that milk wasn’t pasteurized back in the day. Pouring hot tea on lukewarm milk offered some protection against bacteria. How that milk-first practice morphed into a Swiftian demarcation of the English class system I’ll never know. But this much is clear: the average gun control supporter has no more understanding of their anti-gun beliefs than ex-MIL I had about the origins of her tea etiquette. In both cases, it’s more a matter of cultural indoctrination than coherent thought. That said . . .
Am
Tommy Thacker Lands Gig as President of Armalite
Tommy Thacker is one heck of a good shooter. Formerly a member of Team FNH USA and most recently shooting for Loudon Guns, he’s consistently ranked among the best 3-gun shooters in the United States (and really, therefore, the world). Tommy was actually the 1st place winner of the 3-Gun Nation Pro Series in 2012, and his teammate Greg Jordan followed in that tradition with his own 1st place win this last year. But now, only a couple years since he left FNH USA, he’s moving into a shiny new office at Armalite as their new president . . .
Press release from Armalite:
ArmaLite, Inc. announces the appointment of Tommy Thacker as new corporate President.
Tommy brings nearly 20 years of top
BREAKING: Former MAIG Mayor Says Organization’s Goal is Confiscation
OK, maybe that’s not so breaking. At least to most readers here, who knew damned good and well that the nanny who used to occupy Gracie Mansion would like nothing better than to grab Americans’ guns. Still, it’s nice to get confirmation from a former MAIG mayor. John Tkazyik, mayor of Poughkeepsie, New York, isn’t just picking his feet and occupying the office. He found time in his busy day to pen a column for the Poughkeepsie Joural (which you can’t read without a subscription…as if) to explain why he quit the petulant, pint-sized plutocrat’s anti-gun org . . .
It the mayor’s piece, freebeacon.com quotes him thusly:
I’m no longer a member of MAIG. Why? Just as Ronald Reagan said of t
Book Review: How To Shoot Like a Navy Seal
If you think that Chief Petty Officer Chris Sajnog’s How to Shoot Like a Navy SEAL sounds like yet another attempt to shamelessly cash in on the Navy SEAL cachet, you’d certainly could be forgiven for that impression. If you actually go to the book’s website, it’s highly reminiscent of the hard-sell approach favored by your typical internet snake oil salesman: multiple huge fonts, different colored text and action buttons (“Yes, CHIEF! I want to learn how to shoot like a Navy SEAL”). And when you find out this 120 page book will cost you $47 in print and $27 in Kindle format, you have to wonder if it’s yet one more on-line scam (The video FEMA doesn’t want you to watch!) . . .
You certainly could think all of that, but then you’d be missing an opportunity to pick up one of the best books I’ve read on develop
Win Unmentionable Carry Gear From Can Can Concealment
Last night’s post highlighting Can Can Concealment’s frilly female-oriented carry gear was an eye-catcher. And why not? Gear like their Garter Belt and Holster combo (above) is hardly your typical Kydex molded sheath. So if you or someone you know has the curves that would benefit from some of their unconventional carry options, you can get some for free. That’s right, Can Can is offering TTAG’s readers a Hip Hugger and a Garter Holster/Garter Belt combination, gratis. All you have to do is send us a photo of yourself (assuming you have two X chromosomes), your wife, daughter or significant female other with a gun. Email it to guntruth@me.com before midnight on Sunday, February 15 and put ‘Can Can Submission’
Does Every Gun Owner Have to Train Like a SEAL?
By Cliff Heseltine
There is plenty of controversy among “gun guys” regarding the best caliber for a pistol. Even before gun guru Jeff Cooper put in his .45 cents, arguments over “big, slow and heavy” versus “small, fast and accurate” raged at the drop of a hat. Getting a heated discussion going on this topic is easier than trolling a liberal talk radio show (if you can find one) and suggesting that women should be encouraged to lean pro-life and be stay-at-home moms. But that is not what this post is about . . .
There’s another controversy among The People of the Gun that can almost as quickly devolve into acrimonious debate that needs to be discussed since the gun community is hardly homogenous (no, that doesn’t mean “queer” for those of you in Rio Linda). As in any society, skills, interests and abilities vary widely.
At one end of this group you’ll find those magnificent individuals and marvelous physical specimens that make up the milit
New for Your Range First Aid Bag: Xstat Wound Packing System
The debate has raged for years as to which is better for a “blowout” kit on a range (one designed to treat gunshot wounds): Celox or tampons. Each camp has their opinions and evidence to back them up. But as with most things in life, there’s a tradeoff when choosing one over the other. Neither is ideal. But a new product being introduced seems to bridge the gap between the two approaches, providing immediate wound-packing to prevent further blood loss as well as giving the blood something to use as a structure around which to form the clots necessary to stop internal bleeding. It’s called the Xstat . . .
For those wondering, the argument for the tampon is that it’s a commonly-available cylindrical object that works well when
Question of the Day: How Do I Do Something About My Daughter’s School’s Lax Security?
For the sake of maintaining a modicum of OPSEC, I will simply say this: the security at my daughter’s school is woefully inadequate. (I’d say laughably but then it’s no laughing matter.) The question is: how do I broach the subject with the principal if, indeed, that’s the best place to start? As I previously reported, the jefe’s already gave me grief when a parent suspected I was carrying on school grounds (someone glimpsed my empty holster). Nowadays he gives my hip the malocchio
Gun Review: Robinson Armament XCR-M
By Austin Knudsen
It isn’t every day that I get the opportunity to shoot a $2,500 rifle. My rifles generally fall more into the gun shop bargain rack category. So when the opportunity to play with one presents itself, I figure I’d better take the time and do it right. The rifle in question is a Robinson Armament XCR-M, chambered in .308 Win/7.62×51. Admittedly, I’m not much of a semi-auto rifleman. I own a couple, but I don’t shoot them all that much. For what I do, a bolt action is usually what the juris doctor ordered. Plus, I’m so careful with my ammo these days that I swear I hear a cash register ringing every time I pull a trigger . . .
I also tend to burn lots more ammo in a semi-auto rifle range session. However, a friend has recently gotten into semi-auto battle rifles in a big way and he asked me to spend a little
TX Cop Killer Skates. Have No-Knock Raids Jumped the Shark?
“A Burleson County Grand Jury declined to indict the man who shot and killed Burleson County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Sowders who was serving a search warrant in December,” kbtx.com reports. “Investigators were executing a search warrant at Henry McGee’s mobile home near Snook when the shooting happened.” The shooting didn’t just “happen.” “Henry McGee admitted to shooting Deputy Sowders before sunrise on December 19th while the deputy and other investigators were serving a no knock search warrant for drugs at McGee’s mobile home near Snook. Magee’s Defense Attorney Dick DeGuerin says his client thought someone was breaking