The Truth About Guns

A big shout out to anyone who’s managed to shoot anything (legally) during this deep freeze. Dan the Man and I journeyed to The Shooting Ranch in Buda to talk some biz and shoot some guns with the owners. Talk we did (at a nearby Starbucks). Shoot? Not so much. OK, not at all. But hats off (or on) to those of you who’ve braved arctic temperatures to fling some lead downrange. What was that like?

After a long and busy holiday, the tree is down, the decorations are put away, the houseguests are gone, and the stories are piled up. So without further ado, let’s jump right back in with another round of “Is it an arsenal?” Police on Vancouver Island seized 19 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition after executing a search warrant on drug-related charges. This is not really a story, but there’s a photo, and in the photo is a gun that won TTAG’s readers’ choice award for best rifle this year. It’s now in the custody of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia. Sorry, guys. . . Oh, and go Tigers!

Several businesses just a block from the W

“On Capitol Hill on New Year’s Day, an unsettling event occurred that had been reported nearly 1,400 times in the District in the previous year: Property was taken at the point of a gun,” washingtonpost.com reports. “It happened about 9:30 p.m., well after nightfall, as the victims were walking in the 200 block of 8th Street SE, a largely residential area near Eastern Market and Independence Avenue SE, D.C. police said.” It seems odd that the WaPo would highlight this trend. It indicates that a great many of these armed robberies would best be countered by what NRA Veep Wayne LaPierre famously called “a good guy with a gun.” And that’s without considering deterrence. Oh wait. Liberal paper. Right. This is proof that D.C. needs more gun control.

In yet another RKBA-related defeat for the Chicago disarmament machine, a federal court has struck down the Windy City’s ban on gun sales within city limits. In finding the prohibition unconstitutional, Federal Judge Edmond Chang wrote that “Chicago’s ordinance goes too far in outright banning legal buyers and legal dealers from engaging in lawful acquisitions and lawful sales of firearms . . .” So it’s legal to engage in lawful commerce involving a legal product? Even in Chicago? Will wonders never cease? Still . . .

In what likely foreshadows further efforts by the city council and Mayor Rahm to squelch firearm sales in any way they can, suntimes.com reports that Judge Chang also wrote, “Indeed, nothing in this opinion prevents the City from consider

“Just before 6:00 A.M. an 8 member SWAT team broke through the door of Henry Goedrich Magee [below] to serve a warrant which would permit the team to search the mobile home in which Magee and his pregnant girlfriend were living,” westernjournalism.com reports. Reacting to the pre-dawn, forced entry Magee grabbed a rifle propped against a bedroom door frame and fired at the unidentified intruders, killing 31 year old sheriff’s deputy Adam Sowders [above]. No one else was injured and Magee was taken into custody. He is being held on $1 million bail and has been charged with capital murder, punisha

“But nobody needs an AK-47 to defend themselves!” We’ve all heard it, right? It’s been a rallying cry for the CDC (civilian disarmament cabal) for decades. But now it’s time to give this disingenuous bit of anti-gun agitprop a dirt nap. A Florida man owes his life to his AK after a brutal home-invasion robbery. According to NBC News Miami, three armed men entered the man’s Davie apartment on Thursday night and severely pistol-whipped him in an apparent robbery . . .

“Union County will become the second government in New Jersey to require vendors who wish to sell firearms to county law enforcement agencies to answer questions on gun safety and responsibility,” nj.com reports. “The initiative was laid out today by newly elected Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak [above] at this year’s county reorganization meeting. Hudak was formally elected chairman at this afternoon’s meeting. The board’s decision to only do business with gun sellers who answered questions regarding social responsibility follows the model of Jersey City and its mayor, Steven F

Silencerco is rocking the New Year with its new Harvester 30 caliber and Harvester Big Bore suppressors. “Utilizing its lightweight design, the Harvester is barely noticed on the end of your barrel,” the company’s presser proclaims, ignoring the protrusion factor. “The Anchor Brake offers best in class recoil reduction across a range of calibers.” Better yet, “Using modular thread adapters, the Harvester can be used on a wide range of threaded barrels.” One suppressor to rule them all? No sir! “The Harvester Big Bore encapsulates all the features of the Harvester, but adds the capability to allow the use of a modular adapter to utilize various mounting options. From direct thread to Patented ASR mounting applications, the Harvester Big Bore has your needs covered.”  The Harvester is shipping now, with the Big Bore version in production and shipping in Q2. Nick is al

You been hankering for a longer slimmer GLOCK 21? Something with the same slim-line 5 3/4″ slide as the GLOCK 34 Tactical/Practical 9mm? You got it! The new GLOCK 41 is, for all intents and purposes, a Tactical/Practical GLOCK 21. Happy? Confused? Now, what’s up with Mas’ shirt collar? Is that part of the video’s whole Super 8 quality vibe? Oh, and here’s a shocker: Guns & Ammo really likes the new way-bigger-than-its-competitors .380 GLOCK 42. “Most compact pistols have been shunned because they’re too small and are not comfortable to shoot,” Chris Mudgett opines. “The new G42 won’t share that reputation.” It’s a feature not a bug! Never mind GLOCK fanboys, be of good cheer! “Many of you had your sights set [so to speak] on Glock announcing a single-stack 9mm in 2014. Me too. It’s not the end of

“[LeBron] James and his wife Savannah went for a little his & hers target practice at Lock & Load Miami on New Year’s Eve, where they sprayed bullets from multiple guns, including a M-249 SAW (that’s the one [not] featured in the video),” tmz.com reports. This is a good thing; any time a celebrity picks up a gun and has fun an anti cries a little. “LeBron was assigned a specialist to help him on the range — and the guy is a legit badass … an ex-police officer who’s currently a military reservist. Mr. and Mrs. James spent roughly two hours firing weapons … and we’re told they were very cool to fans, signing autographs and taking pictures.” And just in case you were wondering, “No one was harmed in the making of this post.”

Way back in 2013 I picked up a couple of parts from Gear Head Works for my TAVOR. The TMF, or Tavor Modular Forearm, was definitely something I’d wanted. I loved the idea of integrally mounting a flashlight instead of slapping it on a rail somewhere. The FLEx, or Fulcrum Located Extra swivel, had less appeal to me and I wasn’t going to buy it until Paul, owner of GHW,  convinced me that I would definitely notice a difference in gas blowback to the face even if I wasn’t planning on using it as a sling attachment point. Okay, okay, I picked it up and am now ready to voice my opinion . . .

Yes, this is a blog so ostensibly I’m here to write and you’re here to read (not that I don’t also read TTAG incessantly). But, sometimes it’s just eas

If you’ve ever given a PowerPoint presentation, we feel for you. Actually, we feel for your audience even more, but sometimes these things must be done. Be that as it may, there are some basic pointers the pros will impart to make the experience more informative and less sleep-inducing. Things like, don’t read every word on the slide out loud, keep it to no more than four bullet points to a page and make them brief and punchy. Now, though, have to hand it to Jerome Hauer. New York’s Director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has found a new, sure-fire way to make damned sure no one in his audience nods off while he’s droning on . . .

According to

Wikipedia tells us that ZZ Ward first performed Put The Gun Down on VH1 Big Morning Buzz Live with Carrie Keagen. And now, more than a year-and-a-half later, we know the appropriate line dance for the song. In Taiwan. If you’re line dancing alone. Anyway, American music travels well. There are more than a few gun-related songs out there, somewhere, inculcating the world to our pro-gun POV. What’s you favorite gun song? No points for Ted Nugent’s classic Kiss My Glock.

I used to be a 1911 hater, but those days are long gone. Much like a young cigar aficionado who can’t appreciate an expensive Davidoff, I just didn’t understand why 1911 handguns were so popular. Now I carry a Wilson Combat 1911 and haven’t looked back. But there’s something to be said for the original, the 1911A1, and for those looking to own a modern manufactured version of that historic handgun, Springfield offers their 1911A1 GI model that can be bought for less than the price of a GLOCK 19. But even at that price, is it worth the money? . . .

The Springfield 1911A1 Mil-Spec would, one would think, be a straight reproduction of the iconic 1911A1 handgun a

Remington is gearing up to show off their brand new 20/20 line of rifles at SHOT Show this year, the rifle that combines TrackingPoint’s wonder scope with Remington’s ballistic manufacturing capabilities. We weren’t expecting to see one before next week, but during a trip to the Austin Cabela’s store we stumbled across this Remington 20/20 in their gun library. And up close it just looks…well, terrible. I wasn’t impressed in the least. Anyway, we’ll put the rifle through its paces at SHOT Show and let you know how it actually works.

usatoday.com takes its Shannon Watts love-fest to the next level, offering readers a Q & A with the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (a wholly owned subsidiary of Mayors Against Illegal Guns). Yes, Ms. Watts’ replies contain the usual anti-gun agitprop. And yes, the McPaper shamelessly accepts the former PR exec’s inflated claims about MDA’s “membership.” But there’s some excellent intel within the highly-edited-by-mutual-agreement exchange. The warm-up: “Q: Did you have any personal experience with guns or violence? A: One in three Americans have, but I had never been affected by gun violence. I did not grow up in a home with gu

“The company was founded on the principle of keeping Americans and our allied forces safe. We’re not saying that Pakistan would get the weapons and do anything bad with them, but there’s just a heavy set of unrest over there.” – Desert Tech sales manager Mike Davis, Honorable Utah gun manufacturer praised for refusing to sell guns to Pakistan [at bizpacreview.com]

SWORD International will be demonstrating this all-new Mark 18 Mod 0 semi-automatic .338 Lapua at the SHOT Show Media Day At The Range, and we’d like to take an informal poll: should we shoot it? This isn’t a scientific survey, but keep in mind that there is only one correct answer . . .

The Mark 18 Mod 0 is based on the AR-15 platform design, although I’d be surprised if parts commonality extends beyond the buttstock and pistol grip. The immense size and power of the .338 Lapua cartridge require a truly massive operating system; even the buffer spring has to be much stronger than anything you’d ever stuff into an AR-15 or AR-10.

This rifle features a free-floated Lothar Walther barrel, a proprietary piston-driven operating system, and a 10-round double-stack magazine that must be the size of a small telephone book.

…and what’s behind those eyes. Newly released video of George Zimmerman’s girlfriend reporting to police (she later recanted) that he pointed a Kel-Tec KSG at her. Also that George choked her – which she didn’t report because “he always got away with stuff.”

When Uncle Sam bitched and moaned about the “iron river” of illegal guns heading south from US gun stores to arm Mexico’s cartels, TTAG called bullsh*t. For one thing, the cartels have hundreds of thousands of guns from decades of “legal” arms sales to South American governments, mostly from the United States. It’s called seepage or, if you prefer, U.S. taxpayer donations. For another, Fast and Furious, wherein the feds enabled the very thing that they were bitching and moaning about. And lastly, Mexicans need guns! To defend themselves against the cartels, corrupt cops and “rogue” government troops. Mexicans don’t have an uninfringable right to keep and bear arms, so they can’t tool-up legally. So . . . the