The Truth About Guns

The way the day was originally scheduled, Robert’s post about the rubber band man would be the last thing we published this year. And I just… I can’t let that happen. So instead, please enjoy this video of exploding watermelons. And have a happy New Year.

What this has to do with holiday season consumerism I have no idea. Something to do with being cheap I think. Anyway, I’m glad onshoulders got this done [just] before the New Year so we can distract you from all the Year in Review recaps, which somehow place more importance on What Does the Fox Say? than New York’s SAFE Act. Go figure.

Dear VPC Supporter,

Before the New Year, I’m sending one last message to ask for your help.  In 2014, the Violence Policy Center will be moving full speed ahead as we educate the public about gun violence prevention and advocate for meaningful change. Before the year ends, please make a tax-deductible donation to the Violence Policy Center and join our efforts for a safer America. Here are just a few of the Violence Policy Ce

The wife and I have had our conceal carry permits for some time now, and the time to renew rolled around again late in 2013. Honestly, I dread dealing with the government at all, so I put it off for as long as possible. Finally, on a day we both had a little spare time, we headed downtown. My wife, wise in the ways of the world, suggested calling ahead to make sure they were going to be open until 5:00. I called the Sheriff’s office and a pleasant woman said yes, they’d be open until 5:00, but that the deputy in charge of renewing licenses wouldn’t take renewals after 4:00 PM for some inexplicable reason. Since it was 3:50 PM at the time, we knew we weren’t going to make it, turned around and headed back home . . .

A few days later, I arrived at the Civil Courts building. It’s a magnificent edifice, an embodiment of the ideals of justice, even as its minions inside struggle to meet tho

Scenario: You usually aren’t a gambling man, but when your friend, the Class 3 FFL, wagered his knowledge of foreign gun laws against yours, you couldn’t resist. Your friend insisted that he knew British gun law like the back of his hand. Ask him anything, he said. If he was wrong, he’d let you have your pick of two integrally suppressed guns from his shop. He would even eat the cost of the $200 transfer tax. Well, your friend wasn’t quite the expert in UK gun laws he thought he was and lost the bet . . .

On top you have the: Underground Tactical M&P 15-22 Integrally Suppressed. It’s a fun and compact package that’s whisper quiet. You can shoot all day long on the cheap and you won’t bug the neighbors.

On bottom, you have a

“The Claremont church has a long history of politically motivated Christmas scenery,” ijreview.com reports, “but this one really shows how they’re willing to literally deify their political icons. Obama the Father, Trayvon the son (if Obama had one), and… Nelson Mandela the spirit? The Church of Liberalism’s politically correct doctrine is pretty simple: if anyone says anything you don’t like, take offense at it – but don’t ever worry about offending those you disagree with… like Christians. It would be nice if we could unite in the true spirit of Christmas and promote un

An anonymous reader writes:

Soon after my state became a “Shall Issue” state, I purchased the ideal concealed carry weapon. As you’ll see, I continue to purchase the ideal concealed carry weapon. Over and over again. Here’s a short list of my quest for the perfect carry gun:

Firearm and Purchasing Rationale:

GLOCK 26 – Everybody says you need a GLOCK. No comment regarding its attractiveness.

Walther PPK – I love PPKs. Had it customized with a hand checkered frontstrap, action job and dehorn. Waited three months for a Milt Sparks Versa-Max II IWB (Inside the Waist Band) holster, which is a work of art. It’s a beautiful gun and holster . . .

1911 Officers Model – Complete custom gun, built on a Caspian titanium frame and stainless steel slide. I added a pair of beautiful double-diamond rosewood grips. Ordered another

From buffalonews.com: “Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny said the law, a response to the Sandy Hook shootings that killed 20 children and six adults, is not a violation of the Second Amendment. The one exception Skretny found was the law’s seven-round limit, which he called “tenuous, strained and unsupported.” Gun rights organizations are expected to appeal Skretny’s decision.” Ya think? This will, in all likelihood, wind up at the Supreme Court. As always, watch this space. [h/t OneIfByLand]

[Text of the decision can be found here. (pdf

This is it. The last day California gun owners can purchase a long gun without having the great state of California maintain a record of the sale. Needless to say, this frightening extension of the Golden Sate’s handgun registry has confiscation-fearing gun owners flocking to stores to stock up. Long guns are now thin on the ground. Just Guns owner John Deaser tells sacramento.cbs.local.com that sales of long guns are up 30 to 50 percent. “Supporters of the new law say it will improve public safety and help keep guns out of the wrong hands. Deaser says many of his customers are stocking up on long guns now rather than waiting until 2014 when they would have to register. ‘These are law-abiding citizens,’ he said. ‘They’re not trying to beat the system or anything like that. They just don’t want to be tracked.’” CBS ends the piece by quoting a customer who says he’s just

I’ve tested a couple body armor options for TTAG in the last year. They’ve ranging from Kevlar level IIIA vests to level III steel plates and plate carriers. And while they work, and might save your life, they’re nowhere near comfortable and are often downright cumbersome. That’s where AR500 Armor’s latest product comes in handy . . .

The usual way to make a bullet resistant panel is to sandwich layer upon layer of heavy Kevlar until you have enough material to stop the requisite projectile. Then pop that into a vest of some sort for the end user to wear. Kevlar, though, is neither lightweight nor flexible, meaning that the vests are extremely heavy and very stiff. They work, but it’s not something that you’d want to wear every day.<

Nope. Ain’t gonna happen. Despite long lines and bureaucratic delays reminiscent of the Affordable Care Act website debacle, Constitution State Governor Dannel Malloy ain’t gonna cave to Republicans calling for an extension to the registration deadline for “assault rifles” and “high capacity” ammunition magazines. “A spokesman for Gov. Dannel Malloy said the deadline, which was set six months ago, can’t be moved because it is set by statute,” newyork.cbslocal.com reports, ignoring the President’s recent moves on the ACA. ”He added that the state government will do everything it can to accommodate people who try to register firearms in advance of the deadline. Gov. Malloy said 25,000 assault weapons were registered by late last Wednesday. H

Year-end lists have become pretty much obligatory. But when we decided to name the best of the best in the world of guns for 2013 – a first for TTAG – we didn’t want to do all the heavy lifting ourselves. Where’s the fun in that? Instead, we figured it made more sense to leave the decision-making to the collective wisdom of you, our readers. And I probably don’t have to tell you you’re an opinionated group. So now that we’ve weeded out the snark and older stuff, here are your choices for the best new products in the firearm firmament for 2013 . . .

Best Rifle of 2013 – TAVOR SAR

“One thing is clear. If you haven’t registered it, on the following day, it is completely illegal contraband.” – Connecticut Undersecretary for Criminal Justice Michael Lawlor, Gun Owners in Conn. Rush to Register Guns, Magazines [at wggb.com]

Your Lockdown of the Day™ comes to you from Millington, Michigan and is for about the most ridiculous reason you’ve heard yet (and keep in mind you’ve heard some doozies). It seems that a female volunteer went to Kirk Early Elementary and asked if she could open carry a handgun in the school. Despite having her carry permit and it being completely legal for her to do so, she was told no, and then the Millington Schools were put on “modified lockdown” as a security precaution…

until Superintendent Males and Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene had determined that the woman was off school property. The schools were placed on lockdown until they could make sure she’d left because she asked a question. Added note: The original source of the story,

“The number of law-enforcement officers killed by firearms in 2013 fell to levels not seen since the days of the Wild West, according to a report released Monday,” seattlepi.com reports. “The annual report from the nonprofit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund also found that deaths in the line of duty generally fell by8 percent and were the fewest since 1959. According to the report . . .

Color me flabbergasted. George Zimmerman, a man who’s been brutalized by the media, the justice system and his own post-acquittal misjudgments seems to have done a remarkable thing. Rather than demand to see life’s manager or hire engineers to develop a combustable lemon to burn down the house that is his life, he’s taken to the solace of art . . .

As a guy who likes to write and has endured a certain amount of grief (mostly self-imposed) I can appreciate a guy who does something positive despite the heaping pile of rotting lemons that have been handed to him.

Moreover, the painting sold on Ebay for over $100,000.00. With 96 bids,

Demarcus Brandon doesn’t have to worry about checking in with his parole officer any more. The convicted violent felon was released last July after serving less than half of a 13-year sentence for armed robbery and weapons charges. Brandon had been shot in the neck by police several years ago during his arrest, but that wasn’t enough of a disincentive. No, the siren song of the Thug Life was apparently too strong for this felonious Odysseus to resist and he was shot dead while robbing a Chicago cell phone store last week. Maybe he should have lashed himself to the mast after all . . .

Police say that Brandon pulled a handgun and tried to rob a small cell phone store on East 87th Street, but the store clerk was packing, too. They exchanged gunfire, and Brandon’s years behind bars didn’t do much for his marksmanship skills. The clerk turned out to be a good enough shot in a tight situation, and he

Taurus‘ newest iteration of the almost-classic Model 85 isn’t what it looks like. Instead of a non-firing cutaway dealer sample, the View is a fully-functional Model 85 with a concealed hammer, round butt, and a transparent Lexan side panel. Taurus is marketing it as a serious CCW firearm, although the optional pink frame version may suffer from a deficit of street cred . . .

I’ll say it so you won’t have to: trigger discipline. But she’s ar

No trick shots today ladies and gentlemen. File this addition to the Kay Jay Dubs ballistic oeuvre as an example of “performance shooting.” It’s a more complete and polished version of our previous TP destructo video. It’s also a love story. In her own words, “with the Benelli, I just brought the gun up to my shoulder and shot – clear mind. Fluid. One can rarely explain love.” I can! Like Little Feat’s late drummer Richie Hayward, Big Ben never misses a beat. The recoil pad makes shooting full-zoot 12-gauge shells so easy a girl could do it. JK, KJW. No, she can’t have it. But if Benelli would like Ms. Weiss to become a demo shooter for the brand, I’m sure something could be worked out. Right after they sign-up for next year’s first annual Texas International Firearms Festival. Details to follow.

I have not forgotten the last time I killed an animal in cold blood, though it was half my lifetime ago. It was not the last time I killed an animal, of course; we all kill animals by proxy, we all command the steak and deputize the death. Even if we are vegan we consent to the distant dispatch of foliage-threatening deer and marauding mountain lions and unwanted pets. But this was the last time I pulled a trigger and deprived another creature of life for sport, on a whim, for pleasure. And there are evenings when I remember it, though it is counterproductive to do so, though it is meaningless, though it is weak . . .

In the fall of 1992 I was wandering through a small patch of thickly wooded ground south and east of Miami University. Perhaps eighty acres at most, behind a trailer that itself sat a hundred yards back from a country-maintained two-lane. It was fifty degrees out and the trees were bare. My tennis shoes crunched on the leaves