The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 1 week 4 days ago
John Moses Browning and Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal – The Greatest Partnership In Firearms History
[ED: John Moses Browning was born on this day in 1865. How many Browning designs do you own?]
Mention the name “John Moses Browning” to knowledgeable American gun owners and their usual reaction is profound respect and great appreciation. This is for good reason: though he died over 90 years ago, John Browning either created or influenced the design of many of the most iconic pistols, lever-action rifles, semi-automatic shotguns, and machine guns in use today.
California Dance Hall Mass Murderer, Age 72, Kills Himself As Police Close In
Yesterday, a man killed ten and wounded many more at a ballroom dance club where patrons celebrated the Lunar New Year. Thanks to California’s strict gun control schemes, no good guys had the means to fight back. Hours later, police tracked him down in a vehicle and the 72-year-old Asian suspect committed suicide as police approached.
Of course, until that point the mainstream media uniformly fixated not on the killer or his description, but the tool he used.
SHOT Show: Number 1 FLITECONTROL Ain’t Coming Back…Yet
Prior to SHOT Show 2023, Federal issued a press release detailing a number of new cartridges being produced. Alongside several sat two new loads of Number 1 buckshot. These No. 1 loads were in the premium line of Federal ammo, and for many shotgun nerds, this meant the possibility of the return of No. 1 loads with Federal’s FLITECONTROL wads. That’s a shotgun geek’s favorite option for defensive buckshot.
Why Number 1?
Number 1 is the smallest pellet capable of consistently getting through twelve inches of properly calibrated ballistic gel.
Continue reading SHOT Show: Number 1 FLITECONTROL Ain’t Coming Back…Yet at The Truth About Guns.
SHOT Show: AeroMod 22+ Silencer From Precision Armament Has Some Slick Features
Walking past the Precision Armament booth I was surprised to see that they’ve taken the plunge into silencers. After winning the first two of my muzzle brake shootouts with their M4-72 brakes and me being a fan of their products ever since, I was intrigued and I popped in to learn more about their new AeroMod 22+ silencer.
As you can see, it’s a completely modular design in that each and every baffle can be removed and reinstalled per the shooter’s preference.
Gunman Still On the Run After Killing 10, Wounding 10 More in Los Angeles Dance Club
By Andrew Dalton, AP
A gunman killed 10 people and wounded 10 others at a Los Angeles-area ballroom dance club following a Lunar New Year celebration, setting off a manhunt for the suspect in the fifth mass killing in the U.S. this month.
Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said Sunday that the wounded were taken to hospitals and their conditions range from stable to critical. He said the 10 people died at the scene in the city of Monterey Park.
SHOT Show: Two Simple AR Upgrades From Armaspec
Who among us hasn’t struggled while changing the grip on an AR platform rifle? No, it isn’t difficult — or shouldn’t be — because all it takes is the turn of a screw. But that screw is shrouded by three-plus inches of polymer that can make getting at that screw a challenge.
The Armaspec Battle Grip screw is a V8 moment forehead-slapper. It’s simply an extended screw that brings the screw head up to the opening in the bottom of your AR grip so you can get at it quickly and easily.
Continue reading SHOT Show: Two Simple AR Upgrades From Armaspec at The Truth About Guns.
SHOT Show: Matador Arms MAT-9
Matador Arms makes my favorite AR to PCC adapter. It’s a mag block that fits into a mil-spec magwell and allows me to use CZ 75 magazines in my AR. That’s what I knew Matador Arms for, but that was before the MAT-9.
The MAT-9 is a AR-9 upper designed to fit any AR 9mm lower. With the MAT-9, a bugger tube is no longer needed, and the entire operating system is contained in the upper receiver.
Continue reading SHOT Show: Matador Arms MAT-9 at The Truth About Guns.
SHOT Show: Bond Arms New Cyclops .45-70 and Stubby 9mm Derringers
If you’re a derringer lover, Bond Arms‘ newest additions to their line of break-open guns will likely pique your interest. First is the single shot Cyclops chambered in a stout .45-70. The Cyclops weighs 28 oz, and combined with a 3D printed grip that has a generous palm swell, the Bond folks tell us that tames the recoil nicely.
I saw video of the gun being tested and with lighter loads, shooting this little beast with its 4″ barrel looked very manageable.
Judge: Alec Baldwin’s Doctrinaire, Dogmatic Leftism is What Killed Halyna Hutchins
In a ridiculous interview on ABC with DNC gnome George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin broke down in tears, while insisting that he felt no guilt about what had happened. “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is,” Baldwin told Stephanopoulos in the interview. “But I know it’s not me.”
Had a single National Rifle Association safety advisor been on the set of Rust (as they are on other movie sets), Halyna Hutchins might be alive right now.
Judge Partially Blocks Enforcement of Illinois’ New ‘Assault Weapons’, ‘Hi Capacity’ Magazine Bans
An Effingham County, Illinois circuit judge has put on a law school class in issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s gun and magazine ban law late Friday afternoon. Tom DeVore filed the suit on behalf of 860+ plaintiffs and the “as applied” lawsuit exempts the named plaintiffs (and only the plaintiffs for now) from the law’s provisions.
A hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction banning enforcement for all Illinois gun owners is scheduled for February 1.
SHOT Show: GOSAFE Mobile Mag and Mobile Safe
At SHOT this year, GOSAFE was showing off their Mobile Mag and Mobile Safe products. These are magazine-shaped devices that insert into your pistol and are then locked by turning a bicycle lock-style key in the baseplate. This both locks the mag and either locks the entire action or just the trigger function of the firearm.
The Mobile Mag functions like a normal magazine and feeds rounds into the chamber of the firearm.
Continue reading SHOT Show: GOSAFE Mobile Mag and Mobile Safe at The Truth About Guns.
SHOT Show: American Tactical Import’s GSG-9
I’m a big fan of PCCs and subguns. I think it’s because I came of age during the time when the MP5 ruled and subguns were the dominant weapon for special forces, SWAT teams, and general bad hombres.
With that in mind, the GSG-9 that’s being imported from ATI caught my attention. GSG famously made clones of the MP5 in .22LR, but HK sued them, and the guns had to change in outward appearance.
Continue reading SHOT Show: American Tactical Import’s GSG-9 at The Truth About Guns.
SHOT Show: Franklin Armory CA320 SIG P320-Compatible Pistol Available in California
Manufactured by Franklin Armory as a single-shot pistol, the CA320 has been added to California’s approved handgun roster for sale in the state. That’s the menu of handguns Californians are allowed to purchase, and there effectively haven’t been any new ones added to it since 2013 or so.
Because the CA320 is a single-shot handgun, it’s exempt from a few of the restrictions and Franklin Armory was able to get it on the roster.
Oops: Department of Justice Acknowledges That Criminals Commit Gun Crimes
President Joe Biden has worked in tandem with gun control advocacy organizations seeking to disarm law-abiding American citizens and demonize American firearm manufacturers. While this connection between the Biden administration and gun confiscation supporters is well known, the Department of Justice has threatened to undermine that relationship by daring to recognize the indisputable truth that criminals are responsible for the crimes they commit.
At the same time, President Biden’s Justice Department is conveniently ignoring initiatives led by the firearms and ammunition industry that are proven to prevent gun crimes and keep communities safer.
SHOT Show: Magpul’s New DAKA Hard Gun Cases with Modular Grid Blocks
Coming soon in three sizes, and likely more in the future, the new Magpul DAKA Hard Cases are a family of well-thought-out rifle and gear cases with a Lego-like modular foam padding system inside.
Grid blocks come in multiple sizes and shapes to allow for the custom-configuring of the internal padding structure. With a peg on one side and hole on the other, the grid blocks connect together and can be re-configured as often as you desire.
SHOT Show: Real Avid’s New Master Gun Workstation With Smart Assist Accessory System
Real Avid seems to have included everything but the kitchen sink in their new Master Gun Workstation. If this thing doesn’t make working on your gun easier – from basic cleaning to mounting an optic or customizing your boomstick – you may have a you-problem.
The Workstation ($199) and the optional Smart-Assist accessory system ($99)will be available later this year.
SHOT Show: The Tisas Fatih .380 Pistol
Two SHOT Show Range Days in a row have brought me to the SDS Imports table. Last year it was to see the Retro Riot Gun, but this year it was for the Tisas Fatih. I keep calling it the Fatty, which seemed to be a common joke among the SDS Imports staff. The Fatih is a clone of the Beretta 84, a gun I consider to be the pinnacle of grip ergonomics. I’m not sure why that gun fits my hand oh so well, but it does and it always has.
Continue reading SHOT Show: The Tisas Fatih .380 Pistol at The Truth About Guns.
Latest Research: Murder Isn’t a Gun Problem, It’s a Blue City Crime Center Problem
Murders occur overwhelmingly in dense urban areas, many with tough anti-gun restrictions, and far less in suburban and rural areas where firearm ownership is more common, according to a national study of killings.
“This research shows that murders in the U.S. are highly concentrated in tiny areas in the U.S. and that they are becoming even more concentrated in recent years,” said the report from John R. Lott’s Crime Prevention Research Center.
Black Collar Arms Announces the New Priapus Grip
From Black Collar Arms . . .
The perfect hybrid of precision rifle and tactical, the Black Collar Arms Priapus Grip delivers the hand positioning, shape, and control of a PRS-style grip with the size, circumference, and light weight of a tactical AR-style grip. It’s the first precision grip that you can also run and gun with. But wait, there’s more!…
The recessed, smooth fields on all four sides of the Priapus Grip are specifically designed for the application of skateboard grip tape (just like our Black Box magazine).
Continue reading Black Collar Arms Announces the New Priapus Grip at The Truth About Guns.