The Truth About Guns

Once upon a time a derogatory comment on TTAG re: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America jefe Shannon Watts (above right) showed up on a mainstream antis’ website. Dan and I quickly decided that we had to extend our “no-flaming” policy to the subject of our posts – not just TTAG, its writers and fellow commentators. We didn’t want to give the antis anti-gun agitprop ammunition. Although it’s proven difficult (I’m looking at you Dirk and Ralph), especially on our Facebook page, we’ve adhered to that policy. JK sent us this image making the rounds on Twitter. See? Our commenting policy is like that old adage everything in moderation. Except moderation.

SIG SAUER has for a long time been engraving small batches of their handguns to order. They offer a program in which outside organizations, such as law enforcement groups or military units, can design an engraving pattern to be put on a handgun to commemorate…well just about anything. But SIG doesn’t do it for everyone — just the organizations whose principles they agree with (sorry, Moms Demand Action, no commemorative P226 pistols for you!). At the NRA Annual Meeting this year SIG unveiled their NRA commemorative P227, emblazoned with the NRA logo. They say some of the sale price will be donated straight to the NRA itself. You in?

Choosing a winner in our little contest was particularly tough given the impressive amount of creativity and talent put forth by TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia. A brick of .22LR is apparently a mighty powerful incentive. But choose we must and the winner of our little competition was Don N. for this gem that was at the same time apt and hilarious. Have fun with the ammo, Don. We know you’ll put it to good use.

“The standards for who can carry in one state versus another vary greatly — as they should given that carrying in Utah is a very different thing than carrying in a densely populated city.” – Everytown for Gun Safety spokesperson Lizzie Ulmer, quoted in Gun Control Advocates Slam NRA Push for Nationwide Concealed Carry [via america.aljazeera.com]

Everyone knows at this point that Massachusetts’ gun laws are some of the strictest in the country, so that makes it that much more surprising to find out that almost half of the illegal guns seized and traced last year in Boston came back to Massachusetts as their point of origin. 509 handguns (not pictured) were seized in 2013 in Boston, some used in homicides or other crimes, and some simply possessed illegaly. 326 of those were traced to their original point of retail sale, and 46% of that number were originally purchased legally in Massachusetts. Even more interesting, despite the strengthening of MA’s already strict gun laws over the last 18 months, that 46% number is much higher than back in 2005 & 2006 when gun laws were weaker . . .

Lots of gun owners (like our reader Wendy) think the NRA could do a better job appealing to a younger, wider audience than it does. By the look of the gun rights org’s latest recruitment effort, it appears they’ve heard the criticism. (Although RF was a little disappointed when Batman didn’t show up.) So…how did they do?