The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 4 weeks 15 hours ago
New From Hot Shot: Universal Fit P-Rail Light Mount System
Need to see what you’re shooting at? Crazy, sure, but if you do, Hot Shot Tactical has a new way to pop a light on your Picatinny. Their new P-Rail Light Mount is an ABS plastic job that allows you to snap on just about any 1-inch barrel light including…their new HS900 Flashlight Illumination Tool! Press release after the jump . . .
Question of the Day: What Are the Five Most Iconic Firearms?
In his write-up of the Thompson submachine gun yesterday, Nick kicked things off by ruthlessly poking the bear. Declaring the Tommy gun truly iconic (no argument there), he included it in a select group of four guns he said were 1) instantly recognizable (even to a lot of non-gun people), 2) have a look and feel all their own and are 3) “ambassadors for their eras.” What were the other three members in the Leghornian icon pantheon? None other than Eugene Stoner’s M16, Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47 and Gaston’s
Gun Review: Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
John Moses Browning was a genius — which is kinda like saying water is wet or snow is cold. It’s so blindingly self-evident, it really doesn’t need to be said. The operating mechanisms of his designs were revolutionary in their time, and continue to be used in modern firearm design today. Some of his masterworks continue unchanged (like the 1911 handgun), and others live on in the derivative designs of others. The Browning Automatic Rifle is one of those quintessential Browning designs that not only proved to be indispensable to soldiers in its day, but whose operating components would go on to form the basis for the main battle rifles still in use by some European countries in the 21st century. OK, so on with a little history lesson . . .
With World War I in full swing, the need for a lightweight, man-portable machine gun was becoming more and more critical. Brown
Moms Demand Action and American Progress Defend Women. Or Not.
The Chicago Tribune can’t handle the truth. If they could face the truth about guns they would have published ‘Time to block gun violence against women‘ with proper attribution—letting readers know that Chelsea Parsons [not shown] is the Associate Director of Crime and Firearms Policy at American Progress an Shannon Watts [also not shown] founded Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Make no mistake. The Trib’s failure to positively ID Parsons and Watts [above] is carefully calculated anti-gun ag
Dirk Diggler: This is Why I Take Extra Mags With Me When I Go Home for the Holidays
“An attempted car theft in a quiet neighborhood Tuesday morning turned into a Wild West shootout when an off-duty River Rouge police officer exchanged gunfire with two groups of robbers,” detroitnews.com reports jumping the metaphorical shark with their over-used, poorly chosen, Hollywood-based metaphor. “The off-duty officer, a sergeant with the River Rouge Police Department, received a call from a neighbor that several men were attempting to steal the officer’s vehicle . . . The officer armed himself, grabbed his police identification and went out to investigate . . .
Quote of the Day: From His Lips Edition
“These guys want nothing to do with the SAFE Act, and they are not going to enforce the SAFE Act, except if they have a bad guy and they are putting him under arrest and there are other charges.” – New York Assemblyman Bill Nojay, State Police issue ‘field guide‘ for N.Y.’s gun law [at democratandchronicle.com]
Daily Digest: Not Drop-Safe Edition
ExtremeBeam, makers of the 290 lumen XT-8 series of flashlights, introduces The Metal Molle (above). The device transforms the XT-8 into a hands-free angled light with up to 720 feet of projection and three flexible usage settings. It is machined from solid bar-stock aluminum [kudos for not using the ubiquitous "billet" aluminum terminology] and has a limited lifetime warranty that even covers destruction. $29.95 direct from ExtremeBeam for The Metal Molle, right around $100 when combined with your choice of XT-8 flashlight.
The NSSF put out an email blast today saying they learned that the recently launched ATF e-Form system will be going dark due to the government shutdown, so submissions of Forms 1-6 will be back to the standard paper method. In reality, this doesn’t
Annals of Police Militarization: LAPD SWAT Goes Green
Press release [via thetacicalwire.com]:
Monterey, California – Los Angeles Police Department Metro Division’s D-Platoon (SWAT) has announced the selection of the Laser Devices (LDI) DBAL-A2 with high power green laser (Part No. 40172) for all assaulter carbines. After a comprehensive testing and evaluation process involving several competitive tactical laser aiming systems, the LDI DBAL-A2 has been adopted as part of LAPD SWAT integrated night capability system. This integrated system also includes BNVD night vision goggles, Wilcox mounts, and IFF equipment. “LAPD is continuing the trend of law enforcement teams adopting fully integrated night vision and IR capability,” said John Chapman, Laser Devices Senior Global Support Specialist . . .
“We are proud to have been
Defensive Gun Use of the Day: Vehicular Edition
RF hasn’t secured his Texas CHL yet, but he may want to accelerate that process. Or maybe stay out of South Austin. “A man responding to an activated security alarm at a South Austin church fired at a suspected burglar who tried to run him over with a car Friday morning, police said.” When an un-named man was notified of the alarm and arrived at the Texas Oaks Baptist Church, he found Jesse Silva nosing around on the property. Silva then hopped in his car and steered for and steered toward the responder. That’s when he went all Mannix on him . . .
From kxan.com:
Fearing for his safety, the man then fired 8-10 shots at the car, striking Silva once in the chest, according to the
This is What Happens to A Disarmed Populace: Freedom of Speech Edition
Despite the fact that the New York Times relentlessly agitates for civilian disarmament, publisher Arthur “Punch” Sulzberger has a concealed carry permit. If pressed, Sulzberger’s employees would probably claim their jefe is different. More of a target than, say, someone living in Brooklyn. Be that as it isn’t, the paper has a history of using guns to defend its business: “The mob was turned back at the Times office by staff manning Gatling gu
BREAKING: NY SUV Basher Was Undercover Cop
“In a stunning twist in the case of an SUV driver attacked by motorcyclists, an undercover New York police officer is expected to be charged this week for bashing the window of the SUV,” abcnews.go.com reports. So much for depending on “New York’s finest,” armed and ready to protect and serve, to get you out of a jam. You are your own first responder. Period.
OMG! Guns Sales on the Internet! OMG!
I’m not exactly sure why illegal firearms sales via the Internet are any more “bad” than illegal gun sales out of the trunk of a 1967 Buick Riviera. I would have thought that an internet sale would be a lot harder to
Tuesday Gun P0rn: Taurus CT9
In addition to being a talented and thorough gun reviewer, Joe Grine’s a hell of a photographer, too. He’s also the lucky guy who’s drawn the assignment of reviewing the new Taurus CT9 carbine graciously provided by the The Kentucky Gun Company. So when he took it with him on a camping expedition somewhere in the beautiful Oregon wilderness, he couldn’t help but take some time to capture a couple of seksi snaps just to whet your ballistic appetite. His review’s in the works, but you’ll have to wait for him to put the finishing touches on his M+M AKM write-up first. Don’t worry, it’ll be worth the wait . . .
Are Logic and Guns Mutually Exclusive?
By Jon
At first glance, you wouldn’t expect there to be much similarity between guns and modern medicine. Still, both serve vital purposes in our society, yet have the potential to cause great harm. Unfortunately, many citizens are forgetting or ignoring the benefits of guns. They aren’t able to separate emotion from logic when confronting this issue due to the emotional attachment of seeing senseless acts of violence in the news. As a nurse and gun enthusiast, I believe it’s high time we acknowledge the abandonment of logic in the discussion of gun violence . . .
In healthcare, we have to evaluate whether any medicine or treatment poses more of a benefit than a risk to the patient. This risk/benefit analysis is vital to ensuring that we honor our first principle to do no harm. Sadly, even with all our modern medical technologies, sometimes harm is done. As
Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Officer William Scott Kern
When anti-gunners argue that the police are OK to carry firearms that they’d ban from private use—because cops are trained to handle the responsibility—I just laugh. I think about the cops I’ve seen shooting at the gun range and I laugh and laugh until my sides are sore. Until my heart is sore, for all the Americans denied their gun rights. Law-abiding, peaceful, God fearing, taxpaying citizens left defenseless by power-crazed utopians who don’t or won’t understand that a disarmed populace is prey to tyrannical thugs who answer to no law except their own. People like . . . the Baltimore police . . .
The Baltimore police supervisor who shot a recruit d
Poll: Americans want More Gun Control, But Know It Won’t Work
The debate about guns seems to be dying down a little these days, and from all indications gun rights advocates have carried the day. We’ve successfully kept our rights from being trampled by knee-jerk legislation, and that has the other side PISSED. Nevertheless, the standard background noise of agitation for more draconian control over firearms ownership is ever-present as a recent Quinnipiac poll points out. However, despite the average American wanting more gun control, it seems like they also realize that it won’t do a lick of good in stopping mass shootings. . .
First, some discussion of that leading table. Republicans don’t support increased gun control, Democ
Gun Review: Thompson Submachine Gun
There are very few truly iconic firearms, ones that the lay public as well as gun nuts can identify at first sight. Not only are those instantly recognizable guns a perfect representation of the era in which they were designed and first used, but they have a look and feel all their own that sets them apart from the rest of the firearms world. They’re ambassadors for their era, giving us a unique insight into the mindset and the technology of their time. And in my opinion, only four firearms make the cut: the M16, the Glock, the AK-47, and the Thompson SMG. Until recently, I had never fired the last one on that list. But thanks to Kevin Brittingham, that oversight has recently been corrected . . .
To understand the Thompson SMG, you need to start at the beginning of the story.
The realities of trench warfare during World War I were simply too much for the technology of the time. Guns had developed based on the idea of the traditional European battlefield, with tightly choreographed regiments of soldiers marching in formation, all firing in unison. Firing
Gun Control Sucks. Do the Math. Properly
What are the odds that gun control advocates will drop their endlessly-professed faith in “common sense” and examine the issues surrounding civilian disarmament from a rational, scientific point-of-view? By the same token, how many gun rights advocates are seeing what they want to see in polling and crime data numbers without “proper” analysis? Let me put it this way: if TTAG writer, computer programmer and former DHS analyst Nick Leghorn says something’s scientifically accurate, chances are it is. If that squares with John “More Guns, Less Crime” Lott’s point-of-view, that’s another clue you’re cozying up to the truth about guns. If someone agrees with either braniac because of their own political predilections—rather than mad math skillz—they’re still right! How great is that? [h/t SS]
The Best Way to Save the Elephants: Shoot Them!
This is pathetic. Poor Africans killing elephants because they need the money and the meat. Poachers turned gamekeepers hunting (and killing) poachers because the gamekeepers need the money. Wildlife officials turning a blind eye—and an open wallet—to the trade. International prohibitions that achieve sweet FA. And an elephant population that continues to plummet. Wikipedia reports that 23 sub-Saharan African countries have legalized trophy hunting. It’s time for Kenya to abandon their ban on trophy hunting and get with the program. Legalized hunting would distribute money and meat more effectively to those who need it, continue to feather the nests of corrupt officials (it is what it is) and protect the elephants from over-predation.
Quote of the Day: Accur81 Edition
“We live in a world where people are not bound by the law, and it takes more than law to stop them.” – TTAG commentator Accur81 underneath “High Capacity Magazines”: Our Enemies Have ‘Em But You Can’t!