The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 4 weeks 1 day ago
OMG! Armed Teachers! With MACHINE GUNS! OMG!
Machine guns are the Voldemort of gun rights groups. America’s Second Amendment advocates argue against Universal Background Checks, for open carry and around felons’ and mental health patients’ gun rights. But none are willing to stand up and say “Americans have the right to own fully automatic machine guns” (a.k.a., “military-style assault rifles”). So hats off to State Senator Lee Bright, currently challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina’s Republican prima
Quote of the Day: Good Clean Fun Edition
“Because I’m 18, I’m not allowed to gamble and I’m not allowed to drink, but I am allowed to go to strip clubs and shoot machine guns, so that’s why I’m here.” – Eagle Scout John Kovacs, Machine gun tourism in Sin City [at cnn.com]
Smith & Wesson Confirms M&Ps Will Fall Off CA Approved List
The dominoes are officially falling. Ruger was the first to confirm that they’d rather let their guns drop off California’s approved list of semi-autos than try to comply with the farce that is microstamping. Now Smith & Wesson is out with a statement (after the jump) confirming that, with the exception of their new Cali-compliant M&P Shield and SDVE, all of their uber-popular M&P semi-auto guns will fall off the state’s approved list by August of this year. And Golden Staters have the nation’s
Mexican President: Revolution? What Revolution?
“Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said Wednesday that the vigilante ‘self-defense’ groups of Michoacan had ‘in no way’ been allowed to expand on his watch, even though the groups began to emerge three months after his inauguration and have indeed grown in scope and power since,” latimes.com reports. In other words, bullshit. The current situation in Mexico’s southern territories is best described as “tense.” The Prez’s major domo, one Alfredo Castillo, deployed 4,500 troops and 4,800 federal police into the Tierra Caliente to roust cartel members and placate the “armed vigilantes” who took control of their own government. Whether and when “placate” becomes “pacify” –
Daily Digest: Responsible Reporting Edition
Cody Wilson, inventor of the blueprint for the first fully 3D-printable gun, has signed a quarter-million dollar deal with Simon & Schuster to write a non-fiction book about his journey to create the first fully 3D-printable firearm. Wilson told Forbes.com that he’d use the opportunity to fully explain his ideological motivations for creating a deadly firearm anyone can download and print in the privacy of their garage. Wilson said the reaction from publishers to his book proposal were very mixed. “It was pretty hot and cold,” he says. “Some think I’m awful, that what I did was terrible, and others think this is an incredible story that needs to be told.” . . .
Purdue Profs Ignored Active Shooter Protocol
“A surreal scene unfolded around noon on Tuesday,” purduereview.com reports. “As a gunman shot an instructor at point-blank range in front of a classroom of students, some Purdue professors continued to teach class as if nothing was amiss, ignoring students’ pleas to lock the doors and turn off the lights. ‘I’ll have the TA tackle him if he comes in,’ joked Professor Rebecca Trax, according to Sami Menard, a student in her 12:00 Introduction to Accounting class. Trax may very well have been describing the scene that unfolded in the Electrical Engineering building, where a TA was killed.” And if you think that was
Which Gun Would You Grab: Glock 26 or Sig 224?
Baby fever has swept my household. My wife and I are expecting our own little bundle of joy in the next couple days. [ED: mazel tov!] So it is with thematic obviousness that this week’s post features two small or “baby” 9mm pistols. The first being the plastic fantastic Glock 26, affectionately known as the “Baby Glock.” The second being the SIG SAUER P224, the all [heavy] metal new kid on the block. Both guns offer 10+1 capacity, both are as thick as brick. So, you can’t carry at the hospital. But later, as the adrenalin wears off and you fight off the dulling effects of sleeplessness, you’re heading to a late night store to get some milk. Which gun would you grab?
Housekeeping: Hunting Guide Rachel Ahtila to Blog for TTAG
“Próis Hunting & Field Apparel not only takes pride in putting an accent aigu over the letter “o” ‘not being one of the guys’, the company thrives on celebrating the most dedicated female hunters around the globe,” the company’s AmmoLand presser proclaims. “It’s why the company sent out a clarion call to the industry once again to seek out this year’s most die-hard female hunter – a gal who thoroughly exhibits determination, a passion for the hunt and involvement in conservation management and community. The competition was stiff, but there can only be one winner who will claim the coveted title and prize. This year’s Próis Award goes to Rachel Ahtila.” [Full press release after the jump.] I met the Canadia
Not So New at SHOT: Merkel Three-Barrel Drilling Rifles
I’ve been shooting for around 36 years, but I had never a seen a break-open three-barreled rifle and shotgun combo. So when Chris Dumm and I stopped by the Merkel booth at SHOT Show, I thought I had stumbled cross something, um… ”new.” Calling Chris over, I said: “Check this out.” He comes over and says: ”Oh, cool, a drilling.” ”A what?!”, I responded with a confused look on my face. Chris says “It’s a drilling: a three barreled rifle shotgun combination.” Surprised that Chris would know anything about high-end European rifles, I asked: “How did you know that?” He responded “There was an article on TTAG a while back, for one thing. They have been making these things for over a 100 years in Europe.” Hmmm. Ok, I’m feeling kinda stupid at this
Self-Defense Tip: Move to the Country
As a math-challenged gun writer, I love me some info-graphics. That’s true even when the stats are provided by an anti-gun group like top-criminal-justice-schools.net, who couldn’t resist chiding pro-gun folk with a picture of a 1911 in their gun death stat info-graphic. And proclaiming that “U.S. gun deaths are off the chart” – at the top of their charts. Anyway, it seems clear that moving to a farm is the best way to decrease your odds of buying the farm via gun homicide. Saying that,
BREAKING: Illinois Proposes Confiscating Firearms from Medical Patients
Medical marijuana is all the rage these days. States all across the US are proposing new laws either implementing a system for legalizing marijuana use for medical purposes, or making recreational use legal once again. But the state of Illinois has decided that they don’t want to let another opportunity to confiscate firearms from law abiding citizens go to waste, and have proposed in their new law that people who are prescribed medical marijuana must turn in their FOID card — and their guns . . .
An article appeared in the Chicago Tribune today entitled “Proposed medical marijuana rules: Your pot or your gun” and gleefully describes how the prop
Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Police Chief David Counceller
“It was just a little accident. Dave is an excellent marksman. Apparently the Glocks don’t have the trigger safety that they should have.” Huh? Them’s fightin’ words, GLOCKnoids! That’s Connersville, Indiana mayor Leonard Urban trying to explain away his top cop’s negligent discharge that send a round through his own leg. But you gotta give it to Chief David Counceller. As usatoday.com reports, he’s not making any excuses. ”‘I need to pay more attention,’ Counceller said. ‘I know what the dangers are. It was pure carelessness on my part.’” There’s still a problem, though . . .
Actually there are two. The
Hollywood Anti-Gun Agitprop is Breaking Out All Over!
“I’d gotten tired of carrying guns, a little bit. I don’t know how I ended up carrying so many guns, I really don’t. I hate the f**king things!” Irish actor Colin Farrell told Total Film magazine. “I think I’d gotten tired of doing some films that were thematically quite similar – that revenge and retribution played a prominent role in.” So it’s official: Hollywood’s hoi polloi (e.g. Miramax movie mogul Harvey Weinstein) are coming out against firearms ownership and swearing off movies that rely heavily on gunplay. Note: unlike Harvey . . .
Colin’s been here before. And admits his moral “weakness.” “I’ve been saying for about three years I thin
Billy Johnson on Second Amendment Usage Requirements
In which Billy declares himself and unflinching, unreasonable gun rights advocate. Step off, gun grabbers!
Question Of The Day: Executions: Is The Bullet Better Than The Needle?
In the wake of pharmaceutical manufacturer embargoes and a botched execution attempt in Ohio, several state legislatures are considering bringing back the firing squad. Which way would you rather go? Or alternately (and let’s not get too gruesome here) how would you send murderers back to hell, the drip or the bullet? . . .
Several major pharmaceutical manufacturers have stopped selling the drugs which comprise an executioner’s deadly chemical cocktail to prisons. This has led state penal institutions to experiment with previously untested drug combinations to administer their lethal injections, and the results have been, in some cases, horrifying.
Dennis McGuire, shown above, gasped and convulsed for 25 minutes in an Ohio death chamber after receiving an experimental two-drug cocktail recently. His family has sued the state for ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, and other states are trying to avoid making Ohio’s mistake.
Wyoming and Missouri
GLOCK Hearts Off-Body Carry
So, the GLOCK 42 is a woman’s carry gun. And, we discover, a man’s carry gun too. But I’m wondering about GLOCK’s decision to show the pistol as the right choice for off-body carry. Regular readers will know I consider the perfect gun for off-body carry any gun that’s carried on-body. In other words, if you like your off-body carry you can keep your off-body carry. Period. But I don’t recommend it to anyone, ever. Not even if the bag has a holster compartment (:14). At :30 GLOCK gal emerges from her meeting into the proverbial dark parking garage. While she’s situationally aware, her right hand swings free and her left’s curled around the bag. Aside from the fact that she forgets to pause to scan the environment, I’d like Annie to get her gun in time to attack her attacker(s). At :36 GLOCK gal shows us why off-body carry sucks . . .
She’s engrossed in conversation with a friend. Her bag <
New from Tactical Shit: Liberal Tears Gun Oil
It probably had to happen, right? We don’t know if the scat-obsessed brain trust at tacticalshit.com cribbed their idea from Congressman Steve Stockman or not. Whatever the inspiration, they’re now selling gun oil under the Liberal Tears name. According to the site, guns have only two enemies; rust and liberals, and Liberal Tears protects against both. And all for just a Hamilton. Such a deal! [h/t DrVino]
NRA [Finally] Responds to Harvey Weinstein’s Threat
I met National Rifle Association Veep Wayne LaPierre at SHOT Show. We had a brief moment of togetherness between booths; just me Wayne, his bodyguard and his Executive Assistant. What’s he like? Let’s just say any similarity between Mr. LaPierre and a Disney Audio-Animatronic is strictly coincidental. Mr. LaPierre launched into a spiel that included something not unlike a fist pump accompanied by “We gotta win in 2014!” OK, then. To be fair, busy! Also, Wayne’s world is so big it makes aircraft carriers look like hydrofoil racers. So it’s no surprise, really, that it’s taken the NRA five days to respond to movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s threat to “make them wish they weren’t alive.” Over at
Quote of the Day: Where Have We Heard That One Before? Edition
“We’re not trying to take guns away from people. We’re trying to keep guns out of the wrong hands.” – VA Lt. Governor Ralph Northam, Little movement predicted on gun laws [at dailypress.com]
BREAKING: CA Modifies SB808 to Outlaw “Ghost Guns”
Last night, California legislators modified bill SB808. If enacted, it will force all gun owners to register any and all future or previously home-built firearms regardless of type. In other words, the Golden State is about to create a new class of criminal. What’s the bet the recently beneficiaries of $24m in state funding – the Armed & Prohibited Persons System (APPS) – will experience a little mission creep? Click here to read the amended text on the official website or make the jump for the relevant section . . .
CHAPTER 3. Assembly of Firearms
29180.
(a) For purposes of this chapter, “manufacturing” or “assembling” a firearm means to fabricate or construct a firearm, or to fit together the compon