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
Moore Wins Fifth All-Around Individual Army Small Arms Championship
FORT BENNING, Ga. – More than 200 Soldiers from around the force competed against each other and Mother Nature at the history-making 2014 U.S. Army Small Arms Championship. Snow, ice and bone-chilling weather, combined with the highest female participation in two decades and the crowning of a five-time champ, made this year’s iteration of the Army’s premier marksmanship training event one to remember for years to come . . .
“It was interesting,” said Master Sgt. Russell Moore “It was great combat weather. It wasn’t anything our Soldiers aren’t facing around the world. It definitely affected things and you had to plan accordingly. I think it brought out the warrior in everybody.”
Cementing his legacy within the lore of the “All-Army,” Moore w
CA DOJ Gun Confiscation Team Get It Wrong
The California Department of Justice has a police squad dedicated to confiscating firearms from prohibited persons through the Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS). They work from a government database. See the problem? “[Michael] Merritt said that was the night of Nov. 5. Several agents arrived at his door and started asking questions about which guns he owned. ‘I thought, he’s here to get my guns for some reason,’ Merritt described. ‘He says, ‘You have a felony here from 1970.’ I said, ‘A felony? A pot possession charge from 1970.’” Let’s talk about “gun bullies” shall we? ”‘We told them to leave the house and go get a warrant, and they said that’s fine,’ wife Karla Merritt said. ‘But, when we get the warrant and we come back, you’re going to jail,’ agents reportedly told the couple.” So Merritt handed over his guns. And then . . .
Merritt said several days after his guns were taken, an agent called back to s
California: Wine, Kimchi and Crackheads
I just got back from San Francisco, and while I realize it might not be for everyone, I really like the city. My wife does too. And it has become one of our go-to destinations for vacation. We like the food, we like the weather, we like all the wine and the sea lions on Fisherman’s Warf are pretty cool, too. Austin has a lot of things, but a certain “depth” it does not. So when we want to visit cooler weather in a city, SF is usually the ticket. That said . . .
I hate traveling around SF as I’m almost completely disarmed compared to my day-to-day life in Texas. And that bothers me quite a bit as I’m sure you, dear reader, can understand. So bothered, in fact, that I’m constantly on edge walking around the city. Factor in the high number of people muttering to themselves and the “keep it weird” vibe, and I think that’s fairly rational.
Further compounding my fear (irrational or not) was a story one of my wife’s friends told to me several weeks before our trip. A resident of Oakland, she was chased do
UK Physics Teacher Fired for BB Gun Accident
“I can’t believe a teacher thought it was appropriate to take a gun into a school. Surely there are safer ways to do this experiment than taking a deadly weapon into the classroom?” This from an anonymous parent speaking to (or existing entirely in the imagination of) dailymail.co.uk. The deadly weapon: a BB gun. The teacher in question: Richard West of St Peter’s Collegiate, Wolverhampton [UK]. The experiment: measuring the deceleration of a pellet as it passed through sheets of paper. The problem . .
Obscure Object Of Desire: Glockworx/Zev G34 Race Gun
I’m not a GLOCK fan. I know they’re probably the most simple, reliable, functional handgun ever made, and I respect them for that. But I respect them from a distance. I’ve never owned one, nor have I desired to. Until I saw this muzzle-to-magwell custom G34 from Glockworx . . .
G34s aren’t that common to begin with, but my pal Cory left no part unmodded in trincking out his 9mm long-slide. All of the parts and work were done by Glockworx/Zev Technologies, and Cory’s more-or-less complete parts list includes:
- Technologies Magwell
- Extended Mag Release
- Dragonfly Cut Slide
- Stainless Recoil Rod/15lb spring
- Fixed Rear Sig
Housekeeping: TTAG Crests 2m Unique Readers Per Month
This Saturday, while I was out shooting with three members of the Young clan, The Truth About Guns quietly passed an important milestone: two million unique readers per month. [Google Analytics screen cap after the jump.] To put that in context, here are some stats from an April 2013 article at adweek.com: “American Rifleman and America’s 1st Freedom, both of which are benefits of NRA membership, saw their circulations increase 14 percent to 1.9 million and 8 percent to 545,019, respectively, in the first half of the year versus the year-ago period. Handguns
Question of the Day: Should The People of the Gun Stop Rallying?
“The ranks of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association nearly doubled over the past year amid outrage to New York’s gun-control law, but the group doesn’t plan to hold major protest rallies this year,” democratandchronicle.com reports. “Thomas King, the group’s president, said the membership increased from 24,000 to 41,000 over the last year, and the group has raised $200,000 for its lawsuit to overturn the controversial SAFE-Act . . . ’My opinion is that the time for protests are over,’ King said. ‘It’s a time to concentrate on overturning the legislation in the courts. That is where we will be putting most of our s
Gun Review: FNH USA FNS-40L Long Slide
By Michael Stephenson
Folks, the three-gun craze has been good to us gun owners. After years of everything from “zombie green” revolvers to glow-in-the-dark ammo, it’s nice to see functional improvements being made to new products. FNH USA enters the already competitive “out-of-the-box” competition handgun market with its new(ish) FNS Long Slide line (in this case, the FNS-40L). But with guns like the XDm Competition and M&P Pro already having a strong foothold, and at least three new handguns being released in the category this year (GLOCK 41, FNS-L, and the PPQ Long Slide), does the FNS-40L stand out? The answer is…maybe . . .
Now before the flaming begins, let me say this: I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I’m grateful to the folks at TTAG for choosing me as
EDC For CCW: Ka-Bar Neck Knife
We typically think of EDC knives as folders, discreetly clipped inside a pocket. But they’re not the only game in town when it comes to last-ditch defensive blades. If you’re open to new ideas (and if your jurisdiction allows concealed carry of 4-inch fixed blades) you might consider the Ka-Bar Neck Knife.
Jump to The Truth About Knives for more.
How ATF’s Electronic NFA Form System is Ruining my Business
This is not an exaggeration. Our federal regulators have a site that is designed to handle NFA transactions electronically, and it’s failing miserably and nobody seems to know why it’s barely operational. As of this writing, logging in is simply not possible, and filing ATF Form 3 or Form 4 or checking existing drafts just isn’t happening. This is incredibly frustrating to me and others in the industry and the how and why it’s ruining my business, but let’s preface this article with the fact that we’ve discussed problems with the ATF’s eForms back in August . . .
I’m well aware that being in the NFA business isn’t for the faint of heart. Your retailer should know how to do a Form 4 – and if they don’t, you’re looking at delays in getting your s
Quote of the Day: There’s No Winning With These People Edition
“Just because you’re a law-abiding citizen today doesn’t mean you’re going to be one tomorrow.” Kristen Rand, legislative director at the Violence Policy Center in Washington, quoted in Gun debate: Is price of an armed America a more dangerous America? [via csmonitor.com]
Daily Digest: Mistakes Were Made Edition
A New Jersey State Policeman assigned to Governor Chris Christie’s security detail has been suspended without pay and arrested for shoplifting. Police in Tilden Township say the officer, William Carvounis, stole nearly $300 in merchandise from a Cabela’s. He was observed placing items in his basket, then removing the packaging, placing the items in his pockets and discarding the empty packaging on nearby shelves. He was also seen removing the price tag from a Cabela’s hat, which he was wearing. . .
when he attempted to exit the store. Police say that when caught he invoked his position, asking repeatedly for a little professional courtesy so he wouldn’t lose his job. Carvounis through his attorney denied both the shoplifting and the request for special treatment. [h/t PetitionForRedress]
Your Lockdown of the Day™ today is, un
It Should Have Been A Defensive Gun Use: Indianapolis Pizza Delivery Edition
“And some actually carry a gun,” the news anchor tells viewers, his voice heavy with incredulity. What’s with the surprise? As the report points out, some Indianapolis-area pizza delivery dudes were tooled-up long before two of their colleagues were mowed down. Would 30-year-old Papa John’s employee Daniel Jaffke still be alive if he’d been exercising his natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms while shuttling pies? Ditto John Sullivan? Hard to say, but I wouldn’t want to leave this world without a fighting chance. And now, thanks to the media coverage, bad guys know that Papa John’s and Pizza Hut drivers are unarmed, by company fiat
NSSF: SHOT Show Staying in Las Vegas Through 2018
The SHOT Show staying in Las Vegas through 2018 just works. If anyone who has an interest in guns can wrangle themselves a ticket to the show, I recommend they do so. The show is for the industry only, but vendors and retailers often need help setting up displays or canvassing the show. It’s simply too big for one person to cover with any amount of rigor in four short days. From an NSSF email:
SHOT Show® to Stay at Sands Expo through 2018LAS VEGAS — The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) followed up its recently concluded, record-setting Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade ShowTM (SHOT Show®) by adding another year to its agreement with Sands Expo in Las Vegas.
Under the new terms, NSSF will put on the SHOT Show at Sands Expo through 2018.
The 2014 SHOT Show, which ran Jan. 14-17, attracted more than 67,000 in total attendance, an
Des Moines SWAT Team Does What SWAT Teams Do
The reporter’s note above the whotv.com account of this Iowa SWAT team no-knock raid says it all (save Radley Balko’s WaPo takedown): “We have some new information regarding the story we reported Monday night on a search warrant that was executed at a Des Moines home. The search was conducted to recover about $1,000 worth of items purchased with a stolen credit card. Ankeny police spokeswoman Captain Makai Echer says they consider several factors when deciding whether to send officers similar to a SWAT team to a house to serve a warrant, or simply knock on the door. In this case . . .
Echer says, officers looked at the suspects’ cr
LAPD Chief: Cops Who Fired on Newspaper Delivery Pickup Truck Violated Dept. Policy
“Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has found that eight officers who opened fire on two women in a pickup truck during a search for [cop killer] Christopher Dorner violated the department’s policy on using deadly force,” latimes.com reports. Wait. So it’s not standard police policy to open fire on unarmed civilians who aren’t posing a deadly threat to anyone? Who knew? “Beck will meet Tuesday with the Police Commission, which oversees the LAPD and has the final word on police shootings, to share his finding. The commission will then vote on whether it agrees the officers violated LAPD policy. It will then be up to Beck to decide how to discipline the officers, if at all.” If at a
Just Arrived: Remington R51
Remington’s new R51 handgun was the belle of the SHOT Show ball this year, arguably beating out the Glock 42 in terms of popularity. We didn’t hold out much hope for getting our hands on these anytime soon since TTAG and Freedom Group aren’t exactly BFFs, but to my surprise two of these puppies arrived at my FFL this morning. One is destined for some heavy testing, and I get the feeling that Robert has designs on using the other to replace his Caracal carry gun while waiting for the gun to come back from the shop. Stay tuned as we find out if the R51 is really worth the hype.
What Could (Did) Possibly Go Wrong: Drive-By Shooting Prank Edition
In the last sequence, a “pranked” pedestrian shoots back at the faux drive-by. Who saw that one coming? [h/t JLO]
Hey CZ: Where Are Our Dan Wesson Revolvers?
Interchangeable handgun barrels and grip frames are really nothing new. Decades before SIG SAUER launched the P250/P320, Dan Wesson sold eponymous revolvers that could morph from a medium-frame snubnose to a vent-rib metallic silhouette cannon with the turn of a few strategically-placed screws and bushings. Sadly, these fine revolvers have been out of production for several years . . .
As a budding young shooter in the early 1980s, Dan Wesson handguns were the epitome of cool. Before The Age Of Glocks, Dan Wesson ‘Pistol Packs’ like this one were everything you could ask for in accurate, reliable firepower. Remember: this was just before the dawn of the ‘Wondernine,’ when most 9mm semi-automatics were hopelessly unreliable by today’s standards, and even the best of them often choked on the few 9mm hollowpoints of the day. In 1982, if you wanted a sturdy handgun that reliably fired hollowpoints, you wanted a revolver.
The Dan Wess
Dr. Ignatius Piazza Fights FUD with FUD
Front Sight’s floridly named Dr. Ignatius Piazza sent me an email blast this morning – as he does most mornings – with links to two pro-gun “Superbowl ads.” [Warning: Dr. P's website autoplays audio.] Piazza claims he “couldn’t get the ad agency to even review the ads for placement.” Be that as it may, the above ad is interesting in that it doesn’t show a firearms-related solution to the threat of home invasion. On one hand, it’s based entirely on the fund-raising scare tactics the NRA’s been using for donkey years. On the other hand, why not? A gun is the most effective counter to a threat of death or grievous bodily harm. Clever how you don’t have to see it to get it. Maybe this is the better tack for pro-gun promotion. I mean, if the antis can wave the bloody shirt with impunity to crank up the