The Truth About Guns

A good offense is often the best defense, but when the bullets start flying it might not be such a bad idea to have that whole defense thing covered too. That’s where items like bullet proof vests and plate carriers come into play, offering some solid protection against flying lead for your vital squishy bits. A relatively new player to this game is AR500 Armor, and they’ve sent us one of their Urban Go Plate Carrier kits to test out. And I must say that I’m pretty impressed.

To be fair, the only thing that AR500 Armor actually manufactures is the Level III steel plates that go inside the plate carrier, the rest is made by Condor and sold in the kit. But if Bushmaster can get away with using other people’s parts and re-branding them as their own then I’m going to let these guys slide as well.

The kit comes with two NIJ certified Level

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmqly9v8pk8&feature=youtu.be

I’m a bit of a lone wolf. Or, as my teachers used to say, Robert doesn’t play well with others. This time, I did. I assembled, organized and managed a team of creative gunnies to create a cohesive, dare I say kick-ass video. Of course, we had inspiration. Dan, Nick, Alan, Barry and I are huge Kirsten Joy Weiss fans. We admire her marksmanship, professionalism, passion and perseverance. Not to mention her mad editing skillz. And the way she rocks a trench coat. I’m sure this video will be a big step in KJW’s journey to fame and fortune. For me, it will always be a reminder that no man is an island. And if he is, he sure ain’t safe from helicopter-born snipers. Know what I mean?

By Rock Island Auction Company

The sun is rising, warming the cool morning air and providing a halo for the surrounding hotels and business buildings. Already collectors are awake. Showered, combed, adorned in jeans, some wear cowboy hats and nearly all of them wear glasses – attesting to the slowly climbing age of this group. Some carefully select their continental breakfast, others munch it quietly while reading their morning paper, but most talk excitedly to friends and strangers about the event that will come alive in a short time: the gun show. Coffee is almost not needed. The air is abuzz with conversation while buttons from previous conventions flash like their animated eyes as stories are told and passions are shared. Soon a conference center or hall or casino or fairgrounds will fill with firearms enthusiasts, dealers, collectors, and window shoppers, packing the empty spaces between the tables fi

You wear one of these. OK, it’s not that funny. (It is, in fact, Revision Military’s IHPS small arms helmet. “The helmet’s optimized shell design contours the shape of the wearer’s head, increasing their area of coverage and protection while reducing system weight and unneeded space. The system weighs less than existing combat helmets and includes upgradeable mandible and visor protection. It also features an innovative retention and netted suspension system with dial-in comfort settings and high-impact ba

The problem with shotguns is that the ammunition is huge and awkward. As a result, the traditional way to keep a shotgun running has been a tube magazine running along the bottom of the barrel. It works well for things like skeet and hunting, but when you get into “tactical” uses or competition shooting the game becomes a test of who can stuff rounds in their gun faster. The VEPR-12 semi-automatic magazine fed shotgun from Molot seems designed to change the game.

Semi-auto AK-style shotguns aren’t new, and we’ve reviewed them before on the site. My

Wolf—the same people who make ammunition so questionable that using it voids the warranty on many a firearm—has announced that they’re stepping into the world of optics and night vision devices. And while the brand is somewhat questionable, the specs look really good. MAC has the exclusive scoop on Wolf’s new lineup of optics, and he’s given me permission to share some of them with you . . .

The fact that caught my eye is that the night vision scopes aren’t the Gen 1 intensifier crap we’ve seen from other vendors—they’re Gen 2+ or Gen 3 tubes. AKA “the good stuff.” Which is what has my hopes up that these will actually turn out to be solid products at a good price. Here’s what Tim has to say about them:

“I urge everyone to be extremely cautious with their firearm…I know from personal experience how easy it is to discharge a firearm accidentally.” That’s Kentucky state legislator Leslie Combs stating the painfully obvious. Well, obvious unless you’re an elected official. As yahoo.com quotes fellow Dem Rep. Jeff Greer, ”She was emptying the weapon and she thought that it was empty and pointed it away and down and pulled the trigger and it went off. Thankfully, no one was hurt. I know she feels terrible about it. … It’s just an unfortunate event.” Yes, a very unfortunate event. Unfortunate that she’s too pig-ignorant to know that simply dropping the magazine doesn’t ensure an empty gun. Unfortu

“Universities are typically non-threatening environments that see violent crime only in rare occasions, and mass shootings such as the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 are even rarer. If students are allowed to carry firearms on campus, that environment will likely gain a tense atmosphere of fear and paranoia that is detrimental to the classroom setting and could open the door to increased violence . . . Though it may be comforting to know you could have a firearm ready to defend yourself from violent crime, this is an extreme measure for far too rare of a circumstance on college campuses.” –  Alex Rosenthal, No need for guns on campus [via usforacle.com]

We’ve been saying that the NRA needs to reach out to minorities since we first hit the net. Maybe not all the people in this video. But the point remains. That doesn’t mean that the NRA should “moderate,” “sugar coat” or “compromise” its pro-Second Amendment stance. But it should do more to get African American, Hispanics and the LGBT community to join the NRA. MrColionNoire is an excellent spokesman, but America’s largest gun rights group needs on-the-ground activists to get it done. Specifically, it needs to do what it can to get minorities to jump through all the hurdles needed to keep and bear arms. Gun owners first, NRA member second. If that’s even possible.

Carolyn McCarthy has been one of the most outspoken advocates for gun control in the United States. Elected after her husband was shot and killed on the Long Island Railroad, she championed the original Assault Weapons Ban along with Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and just about every measure that would restrict the ability for Americans to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. News comes today that she will not be seeking re-election, instead retiring at the end of this term. I for one am sad, since we’ll have to find a new poster child for politicians attempting to regulate something which they have literally no idea how it works or what it does. But I’m sure one will be forthcoming. From the AP report:

Senior Democratic aides say two House Democrats — Carolyn McCarthy of

I’m sad to say that my hometown is the latest in the long line of small towns to pick up a “surplus” MRAP. Apparently they paid only $2,000 for the 30-ton armored vehicle, which has only 5,000 miles on the odometer. Now, my little city isn’t what it was 20-25 years ago, but it’s still not what anyone would call “crime-ridden.” I won’t deny it looks pretty cool in matte black, and it’ll probably be quite popular in the annual parade. . .

If anyone needs PMAGS, Palmetto State Armory is running a deal right now that if you buy 10 (Gen 3) for $149.95,

There are some benefits to a side-mounted charging handle, mostly to do with not having to reach so far back on the gun to operate the bolt. Economy of motion and all that. For some, the AR-15 would be the perfect weapon system but for the want of that one part. There have been custom AR-15 rifles that have such charging handles for ages now, but they’re all pretty expensive and require either a new rifle or extensive modifications to your existing gun. Now, Gun Fighter Gear offers a new solution in the form of a drop-in replacement charging handle . . .

“A domestic dispute over space aliens escalated Saturday morning when a lingerie-clad New Mexico woman allegedly pointed a silver handgun at her boyfriend, a weapon she retrieved from her vagina, where it had been placed while the accused was performing a sex act, police allege.” If that’s not enough to make you read on, check your pulse. The, um, accused is Jennifer McCarthy, ex-wife of Pulitzer Prize winner, Cormac. “After removing the gun from her vagina, McCarthy pointed it at her boyfriend’s head, investigators charge. Fearing that he could get shot, the man grabbed the weapon from McCarthy and put it in the toilet.” ‘Cause where else would you stash an over-lubed heater? The only question is, did she use Rem Oil or Astroglide? Oh, and you’re welcome. [h/t Kirk K.]

It’s a new year! Your luck has to improve, right? Sure, the odds may be against you, but what will it cost you to throw your hat in the ring? [Thanks, as always, to Aaron Spuler at The Weapon Blog]

Handguns

• Taurus Model 85
  Deadline: January 31, 2014
  Added to this list: January 8, 2014
  http://floridagunsupply.com/free-guns/
• Sig Sauer SP2022 Desert
  Deadline: January 31, 2014
  Added to this list: January 7, 2014
  http://www.sigsauer.com/Promotions/Sweepstakes.aspx
• Springfield Armory XDM 3.8 9mm
  Deadline: January 10, 2014
  Added to this list: December 3, 2013
  

Despite the GLOCK 42′s relatively portly dimensions, the Austrian outfit’s selling their new .380 as the ultimate concealed carry gun. To back up the not-quite-a-backup-gun’s pitch, GLOCK’s worked with the leather lovers at Galco to ready holsters for the pistols’ release. Buyers looking to carry the something-less-than-entirely-diminutive GLOCK 42 can choose between four Galco carry systems: the Classic Lite, Pocket Protector, Stow-N-Go and Walkabout (nothing to do with Nick Roeg’s classic Australian flick of the same name). Moving from the almost-sublime to the not-entirely-ridiculous, Galco offers

Here at The Truth About Guns, we like to get into the, you know, actual TRUTH about guns. And when a gun is the object of as much conflicting information, wild opinions, disagreement, arguing, insults, flame-fests and fanboyism as the Taurus Judge has been, that presents a prime opportunity for our man ShootingTheBull410 to dig in and figure out what the real story is. Sure, it takes a Ransom Rest, ballistic gel, a cantaloupe, a 12-gauge, a few dozen different types of ammunition, and a whole lot of Dirty Bird targets, but it’s worth it to cut through all the bull, no? . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDMDd4eAQO0

Now even Matt is getting in on the fun. “Hey Nick, it’s a new M&P15-22. Because it’s got a new paint job. New.” Sigh. The M&P-22, a .22lr version of the AR-15 rifle, now comes with a new paint job. Hooray.

Some people carry three guns, but I’m pretty happy with just one: a Wilson Combat 1911. The only exception to my contentedness is the short supply of ammunition that my gun carries. Eight rounds might be enough for the statistically average gunfight, but I don’t plan for the statistical average. I plan for the outliers. Which is why carrying an extra magazine is something I’ve intended to do for some time, but every option I’ve investigated so far sucks. Until I found the SnagMag, that is . . .

The traditional spare mag carry methods are either in a holster on your belt or buried deep in your pocket. The belt-based solution is easy to use and quick to access, but it’s massively u

The 27-year-old thief, who family identified as Blake Moore, and his girlfriend were already driving a stolen Honda with stolen plates when they pulled up to a home in the 21800 block of SE 236th Place just after midnight,” komonews.com reports. “As the man then began breaking into a pickup truck, the truck’s owner came out to walk his dog and confronted the thief . . . The truck owner’s aunt hailed her nephew, who is a former Marine, as a hero for saving her life as the bullets began flying. ‘He shoved me out of the way when the guy was going to shoot at us,’ said Kristen Hague. ‘Looked like (the thief) had a gun and pushed me out of the way and yelled ‘gun!’ and I don’t think if he would have done that, I would be alive . . . My life was in danger; my nephew’s life was in danger, and he did the right thing even though it ended really bad and really sad.

“After donating $2.5 million to the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg is signaling that his great crusade against guns is running out of steam,” medialite.com reports. Not “signaling” in the sense of the Bat Signal. More like throwing his cash behind – rather than against – Senate Democrats “soft” on “gun safety” (e.g., AZ Sen. Mark Pryor, NC Sen. Kay Hagan and AK Sen. Mark Begich). Scribe Noah Rothman reckons that means gun control is on hold. I don’t think so. I think it indicates that the anti-ballistic billionaire is learning the practical value of realpolitik. That makes him more dangerous. During a dangerous time; the post-Ne