The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 1 week 2 days ago
BREAKING: Two Shootings at Jewish Venues in Kansas
Two deadly shootings have been reported in two Jewish-related locations in Kansas City [above],” jupdates.com reports. “The first shooting was reported at around 1:00p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas. Overland Park. Police confirmed multiple shots were fired at the center, which is located at 5801 W 115th St. . . . A second shooting was reported at Village Shalom, which is an assisted living center at 5500 West 123rd St. Worried relatives of residents tell KCTV5 that Village Shalom has been placed on lockdown. The suspects are in custody and there have been two fatalities, one at each location.” More news as it arrives.
Why It’s So Hard to Discuss Guns Rationally With Some People
I have a colleague who, until the Sandy Hook shooting, was very congenial, even complimentary. Though we don’t teach in the same department, we always got along very well, frequently chatting in more depth than merely exchanging greetings. And then one morning, I chanced onto a conversation between him and another teacher about school shootings. The encounter occurred shortly after Sandy Hook, while the issues raised by it were still very much the rage. He asked me if I thought arming staff was a good idea . . .
I should have known better, but I naively plowed ahead, expecting the same kind of cordial, collegial conversation we’d always enjoyed to that point.
He employed appeals to emotion. I countered with logic. He became outraged and questioned my humanity. I replied with calm and fact. Ultimately, I said “It all comes down to this: when an armed killer is walking down the hallway toward your classroom, do you want yourself and other teache
Phoenix Cop Shoots Perp Who Tased Him
I’ve learned my lesson. I will not pronounce “good shoot” or “bad shoot” when reporting Officer Involved Shootings (OIS). For one thing, many members of TTAG’s Armed Intelligentsia are a lot more knowledgable of and experienced with these types of incidents than your humble scribe. Second, I’m from Rhode Island. When it comes to tales of criminality, I know that the first story is never the real story. This one from ktar.com sounds decidedly dodgy . . .
A 37-year-old officer was doing off-duty security near Interstate 17 and Cactus Road with another officer at an apartment complex when Duncan and 40-year-old Jo
Housekeeping: A Note About Our Liberty Ammunition Sponsorship Agreement
Yesterday we announced our new partnership with Liberty Ammunition. They will be supplying ammo for our reviews, and in return they get to call themselves our official sponsors and we’ll give them a nod when we use their rounds. Some of you seemed to be a little concerned that we might be selling our credibility for the price of a little 5.56 NATO ammo. To clear the air, I’d like to add my two cents, being the Testing & Reviews Editor for TTAG and all . . .
A gun review takes a lot of ammo. Like, a ridiculous amount. For my review of the PWS Mk114 rifle I went through at least 250 rounds if not more on the first day alone, and that’s just one rifle I was testing that day. And it doesn’t include the ammo used for shooting groups. Every time I go to the range the ammo bill is
Quote of the Day: Don’t Scare the Sheep Edition
“Having armed guards at school entryways to ward off an active shooter, for example, relays the wrong message to students: that they have a target on their backs. Engaging youngsters in active shooter drills, instructing office workers of all ages to watch survival training videos on how to “run, hide and fight,” and expanding concealed weapons laws so citizens might stand their ground needlessly arouse fear and anxiety in schools, the workplace, and society in general.” - James Alan Fox, the Lipman Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy at Northeastern University, quoted in Quit abusing ‘active shooter’ term [via usatoday.com]
Weekend Digest: Making Adult Decisions Edition
A new gun range in Oklahoma City slated to open this spring is aiming to be quite a bit different than anything else in the state. Wilshire Gun will be a state of the art facility that plans to have 24 firearm lanes, 10 archery lanes, a simulation room, classrooms, and a VIP lounge. But what’s raising eyebrows is the plans to have a cafe that will serve both food and alcohol. There are a few other ranges across the country that have a similar offering, but they’re still pretty rare. Co-owner Jeff Swanson said they’re working with some of those other ranges, who have never had a problem, to make sure Wilshire does it right. The goal is to make sure people shoot, then drink, not the reverse. The main aspect of the system to ensure that . . .
is that anyone who orders a drink has their driver’s license scanned, and t
Wisconsin Governor Walker Signs Shooting Range Protection
Wisconsin’s SB527 range protection legislation passed the legislature by wide margins; 19 – 13 in the senate and 65-35 in the house and was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday. The law builds on current law which exempts sport shooting ranges from zoning ordinances related to noise and grandfathers in ranges that legally existed prior to July 16th, 2013. The bill also extends immunity from lawsuit to the owners and operators of the shooting ranges . . .
To counter strategies that have been used to attack and sometime close ranges in other states, the new bill exempts ranges from state or local zoning conditions or rules related to noise or to nonconforming use, including zoning laws related to shorelands or navigable waters, and immunity from civil l
Incendiary Image of the Day: Financial Disaster Edition
RF just forwarded this photo he took in the stock room of Sportsman’s Finest, his LGS in Austin. Those are the store’s recalled Remington Sevens and 700s, waiting to be FedEx’d to big green for repair. That’s one relatively small retailer. Can you imagine what the back room of your average Dick’s Sporting Goods looks like? Or an Academy? Gander Mountain? Then multiply that across the country and let the dollar figure that this will cost the Freedom Group boggle your mind.
Liberty Ammunition is Official Ammo Supplier to TTAG
We don’t have to tell you that, depending on the part of the country and the caliber, ammo can be difficult to get. Still. When you’re in the business of reviewing guns, that can be a problem. Which is why we’re so happy to have solved that problem in most cases by partnering with Liberty Ammunition for our gun food needs. Here’s their press release . . .
Liberty Ammunition Signs on as Official Ammunition Supplier to TheTruthAboutGuns.com
Liberty Ammunition to Supply Ammunition to TTAG for a Duration of Six Months as Part of Sponsorship
BRADENTON, FL (April 2014) - Liberty Ammunition, global leade
BREAKING: BLM Backs Down at the Bundy Ranch
In an apparent move to de-escalate the situation at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada, our man on the ground, Bryan Hyde, tells us that the Bureau of Land Management is backing down. Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie has brokered a deal with the BLM to release the impounded cattle and allow Bundy to graze them on public lands again. Bryan tells us that during the Sheriff’s press conference at the Bundy Ranch to announce the deal, Bundy was surrounded by militia types in full tactical gear. And that the rancher isn’t satisfied with the latest arrangement. More to come as we get it.
Question of the Day: What is the Bundy Ranch “Range War” About?
Click here for conservative commentator Dana Loesch’s look at the history of the Bundy Ranch confrontation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Cliven Bundy reckons he had access to federal lands that predates BLM supervision. At some point he didn’t pay the BLM grazing fees for his cattle – but did pay the State of Nevada an unspecified amount. And then endangered turtles entered the scene. And maybe something about fracking. And political favors. I still don’t understand what this “range war” is all about. Can someone please explain what’s at stake and why militias are deploying on Bundy land? Meanwhile, here’s Shiree Bundy Cox’s explanation of the kerfuffle . . .
Post from Shiree Bundy.
I have had people ask me to explain my dad’s stance on this BLM fight. Here it is
Retired Supreme Court Justice Stevens: My “Fix” for the Second Amendment
Back in February, I eviscerated an essay by Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s Paul Barrett riffing on retired Supreme Court Justice Steven’s proposed change to the Second Amendment. Yesterday’s washingtonpost.com published a larger excerpt from Justice Stevens’ new book
Quote of the Day: Detroit Free Fire Zone Edition
“Certainly people have a right to defend themselves in their home but they do not have a right to make it a free-fire zone, and the chief, or his spokesperson, should never put that in the minds of people. We must operate not on the basis of fear but on the basis of understanding and how we as a community can come together to stop the violence.” – Ron Scott of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, quoted in Homeowners using deadly force against intruders: Has it gone too far? [via
Daily Digest: Cost Of A Casket Edition
This one slipped through the cracks for a few days, but Kansas legislators passed a bill last Saturday that would seem to encourage the practice of open carry in that state. Open carry is already legal in Kansas, but HB 2578 reinforces that with a state level preemption, saying that cities and counties are prohibited from adopting or enforcing regulations regarding firearms, and further prohibits any regulations relating to federal firearms licensees that are more restrictive than similar regulations regarding the sale of any other commercial goods. The new law specifically and categorically nullifies any ordinances, resolutions or regulations already in place prior to the effective date of the bill. Read on for one of the more ridiculous Lockdowns in recent memory . . .
BREAKING: Remington Recalls Model 700 and Model Seven Rifles for Trigger Trouble
Remington Arms has thrown in the towel re: claims that their flagship Model 700 rifles are not drop safe/safe from unintentional discharges. The company has just announced (on a Friday, of course) a Voluntary Product Recall of all 700s and Model Seven’s with the X-Mark Pro triggers manufactured from May 1, 2006 to April 9, 2014. No doubt The Freedom Group this announcement accompanies an agreement to settle the lawsuits filed against the company by injured parties. Equally certain: the payout will trigger the arrival of an entire fleet of ambulance chasers. Add in the cost of this recall and man, that’s got to hurt. But not as much as getting shot by your own rifle. Press release after the jump . . .
Remington Announces Voluntary Pro
You Wish Your “Grassroots” Organization Was as Big…
On Saturday night I was a guest of TTAG and Dan Zimmerman at a local event. His wife, my wife and other like-minded folk attended a Friends of the NRA dinner where hundreds of gun nuts get together and place bids on donated items. One of my clients, Mid America Arms, was in attendance offering their FFL services to make sure winners of firearms passed the appropriate background checks before taking possession of their rifles, pistols and shotguns . . .
This event happens twice a year and all the money is used to support local shooting sports programs. The National Rifle Association mothership gets very little, if any, and none goes to the political side of the operation. It was a big crowd of people from all walks of life, essentially tossing money around to help promote and protect a healthy gun culture.
Could Moms Demand Action assemble such an event? Twi