The Truth About Guns

In general, submachine guns are dirty, noisy, inaccurate and ugly contraptions. Especially those made around the middle of the century. I mean, just look at the M3 “grease gun.” But every once in a while, a truly inspired design comes along and just takes your breath away. Beretta’s Model 12S SMG is one of those designs, something so perfectly functional and asthetically beautiful that to many people, it’s the gold standard to which all other SMGs should be compared. And I can definitely see why . . .

At the end of World War II, the Italians were still cranking out their old Beretta Model 38 submachine guns to su

“Armenia has refused to rent Iran 50,000 hectares of Syunik pasture for 10 years, where 10,000 Iranian Azerbaijanis armed with shotguns were to be deployed,” news.az reports. ”‘The question of renting pasture in Syunik to the Iranians has been closed,’ Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration Vache Terteryan said.” Wait. What? “This year the Iranian province of East Azerbaijan and Syunik region of Armenia signed a memorandum that considered renting to Iran 50 hectares of Syunik pasture for 10 years. The program could settle in Armenia at least 10,000 shepherds – Iranian Azerbaijanis, armed for protection against wolves and other predators.” Ignoring the political ramifications, sending sympathy to Turki

In California you can buy any handgun you like—provided it’s on the California Department of Justice’s list of acceptable handguns. [Click here to view the government-sanctioned selection.] Every now and again, not often, the CA DOJ adds a handgun to the GTG (Good to Go) list. On September 27, they decided that the Smith & Wesson Model 10-14 is OK for sale. The what? I’m no “Smith weenie” as Ralph calls himself. But I know that the 10-14 would be a fairly enigmatic choice for modern self-defen

“It’s absolutely grotesque to suggest that if my mom had a gun that the Newtown massacre may have somehow turned out differently. She was a mother and an educator — not a Marine. And she did everything in her power to protect those children from harm. These cowards don’t have an ounce of the courage that my mom had.” - Erica Lafferty, daughter of murdered Sandy Hook Elementary principal Dawn Hochsprung, Pro-gun groups plan ‘Guns Save Lives’ day on Newtown massacre anniversary [at nydailynews.com]

This handgun was manufactured in Mexico, exploiting a loophole in Mexican law regarding the manufacture of certain types of rimfire handguns, before being imported into the United States. Kind of a switch from that whole Fast and Furious thing. For full credit, name (1) the manufacturer, (2) the type of handgun, and (3) what loophole they were exploiting.

I remember watching All in the Family as a kid. My mother loved the show. My father not so much. While he appreciated Carroll O’Connor’s acting chops and comedic timing, he wasn’t stupid. My father that is. He knew Archie was, ultimately, a figure of fun; the show dissed conservatives even as it gave voice to their beliefs. As it does above, with the suggestion that Alabama Governor George Wallace might not have been disabled by an assassination attempt if he’d had a “rod” to shoot Arthur Bremer. What’s intriguing about that clip: Lionel’s reply to what “his people” think about guns. “Depends who’s holding it.” Someone was thinking outside the box there. Here’s Archie’s gun control editorial . . .

“We’re being attacked, Bonnie Devine thought as a brick shattered her living room window, only inches above the couch where she slept. It was just past 5AM on September 29, and luckily the brick-throwing vandals didn’t break through the second of two window panes, which would have sent deadly glass shards cascading upon her.” I’m not so sure about that deadly shard deal (unless it’s the Chardonnay I sampled at a pizzeria the other day), but you can forgive vice.com writer David P. Ball a bit of hyperbole. After all, “The attack follows six years of white supremacist violence against h

So The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) publishes the Modern Sporting Rifle Comprehensive Consumer Report [available to members]. The industry lobby group first surveyed some 22k assault rifle MSR owners back in ’10. They’ve updated the info for ’13. Not a lot’s changed. Most military-style weapon MSR owners use their gun for target practice and own more than one. “Most modern sporting rifles were purchased from an independent retail store, with the average cost $1,058, which is $25 less than the average from the 2010 study.” [NB: may not apply to

The goal of most firearms trainers: turn you into them. If a trainer’s tactical dress, clipped tones and head-on-a-swivel stance makes you suspect that they’re ready, willing and able to do wet work in Mogadishu, they may not be the best option for self-defense instruction. As Clint Smith asserts above, not shooting is the armed Americans’ primary goal. If your trainer is all about the shooting, Houston, we have a problem. Saying that, I’m not that picky about my firearms training save the safety component. I take everything I learn with a grain of salt the size of the Hope Diamond. Besides, all that tacticool stuff is fun! So how do you choose training? Price, proximity, style, what? BTW: Did a SWAT team visit Thunder Ranch recently? There’s a motionless dog behind Clint . . .

TTAG reader Danny gave us the heads up on this one, providing a “somewhat quick translation” of what is said from 0:39 to 1:28:

Bandit: Stop stop stop stop stop stop… Give the alarm!

Biker: Sure sure…

Bandit: Give the alarm! Give the alarm! Give the alarm!

Biker: It’s here! It’s here! It’s here!

Bandit: Fucking give it!

Biker: It’s here! It’s here! It’s here! You can take it! You can take it!

Bandit 2: Give it to him (or something similar).

Biker: You can take it! You can take it! I don’t have a weapon! I’m not a cop! You can take it! You can take it!

Bandit gets shot.

Biker: Thank you officer! Thank you officer! Really, thank a lot! You are going to steal in hell now crazy fuck, you are going to steal in hell, my bike you ain’t taking, my bike you ain’t taking for god’s sake!

Danny has a question

“‘The authorities are turning a blind eye. They’re being bought off by the gun lobby and it makes America a dangerous place. When Elise goes to school that will definitely be in my mind. I love America but if they continue to do absolutely nothing and the scale and volume of the outrages continues to accelerate, there’ll come a point when I think ‘I don’t want to be here with young children.’” Pier Morgan quoted in Piers Morgan’s star secrets [via mirror.co.uk]

An Indianapolis City Council member demonstrated her integrity over the last few months with regard to a new tax measure. You see, a new ordinance was passed that expanded the police taxing district from the old city limits to the county line. The problem is, there’s another ordinance that prohibits the discharge of firearms within the taxing district, so they accidentally outlawed the discharge of firearms for the entire county, including rural areas. Don’t worry, a fix is already in place by the mayor’s office. The integrity issue is that Democratic Council member Angela Mansfield, who unsuccessfully tried to expand the discharge prohibition to the county lines in 2007, was aware of the potential issue for some months, but kept mum until the ordinance was passed. “I was quite tickled to death that the mayor was able to accomplish what I couldn’t years ago,” said Mansfield. . .

Th

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“Stutsman County was created by the 1872-73 territorial legislature and named for Enos Stutsman, who was born with Phocomelia (lacking arms or legs), but who nonetheless not only homesteaded, but became a powerful politician in the early days of the Dakota Territory. The county government was first organized on June 20, 1873,”

NRA Veep Wayne LaPierre is enervated by the recent signing of the U.N. Small Arms Trade Treaty. Click here to read the text of the treaty. Make the jump for Wayne’s presser (coming to a fund-raising letter to you soon). Click here for the Gun Owners of America’s treaty takedown. Click here for Senator Jerry Moran’s six-part kvetch. Or click here to learn more about camel-cavalry.

FAIRFAX, Va. --(

I absolutely hate off-leash dogs in public. Whether their dog is a beagle, weinerdog, poodle or pit bull, many dog owners just know that their lovey little puppy would never hurt a soul. But dogs are intelligent and complex (and not always predictable) animals. You can’t absolutely know how they’ll react to strange dogs or strange people, and a leash is cheap insurance against the possibility that Fido reverts to his pack or hunting instincts when you’re out in public. Justin Doss (featured in the video above, near the scene of this crime) is living proof of this . . .

He may also help prove the theory that there are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners. Luckily for 74 year-old Nancy Ashworth, she was prepared with a ‘Defense In Depth’ of nonlethal and lethal weaponry when a Doss and his dog both went feral on her. Instead of getting bitten and beaten, she pwned the skateboard punk in his own crib.

The Lone Star State is not turning purple. Texas is a red state and that’s the way it’s staying. In fact, I suspect that Texas is turning more conservative, not less. Yes, there is a significant and growing Hispanic population. Yes, that demographic tends to vote Democrat. But there’s another demographic trend that doesn’t get much ink: red state refugees fleeing to Texas. You may say I’m a dreamer; anti-gun liberals will accompany the exodus and, eventually, carry the day. But I’m not the only one . . .

Out at the range today, a bearded OFWG Cowboy Action Shooter was

You watch an entire video of a shotgun recycling testing machine. Or even part of it. Your turn! What videos have you watched that non-gunnies wouldn’t notice or even consider? Full marks for anyone who’s watched an entire Nutnfancy review. In one sitting. Without fast-forwarding.