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Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 6 days 19 hours ago

Evolve’s First Safety Spot Aims at ‘Dumbasses’

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 12:00

As Evolve co-founder Rebecca Bond tells it, her org isn’t about taking sides when it comes to guns. She wants to be “a third voice” in the conversation, one with a message of…safety. And that’s it. As she sees it, safety isn’t about one side or the other. It’s cause everyone – gun grabbers and responsible gun owners alike – have a vested interest in furthering. So Bond’s taking a different tack in getting Evolve’s message out there. Something a little more engaging than the snoozers the NSSF and NRA crank out. Illustrating absurdity by being absurd. Does it work for you?

NEW YORK, NY – February 14, 2014– Evolve, the gun responsibil

Maneater of The Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 11:00

It was in the summer of ’09 when I first heard of the remarkable events surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in northeastern Minnesota. I have known the public servant who was involved for several decades, and I can vouch for his integrity and veracity. Out of respect for his privacy, I will not reveal his name. He has since retired from government service and now lives a modest but invigorating lifestyle in the remote reaches of the upper midwest, not far from the shores of Gitche Gumee . . .

A few minor details may have been mangled. Such is the risk in any narrative. All fault belong with the author. I am honored by being allowed to tell the story. I set down these events as they were related to me. As is common in the age of the ascendancy of the progressive media, no mention of them will be found in the local or national journals.

The population of indigen

Incendiary Image of the Day: Marines’ “Wield the Shield” Riot Control Training

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 10:00

Yes, yes: United States Marines need to train for riot control. These days, the Few, the Proud are “peacekeepers” keeping the peace in territories prone to civil unrest. Unrest that’s occasionally sparked by the presence of U.S. Marines. Where was I? Oh right. Obviously this riot control training has nothing to do with peacekeeping on U.S. soil. That’s the job of the National Guard. I mean, the police. Unless it’s a big thing or a federal emergency of some sort. Then it’s down to the DHS. FBI? ATF? I can’t keep track. Someone non-military – in command structure if not weapons and tactics. The incendiary part of this video comes at the tail end, as the vid fades out. Is that standard practice for riot control?

New From Mission First Tactical: TORCH Backup Series Lights

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 09:00

Do you have a light rig hanging from your nightstand gun that’s roughly the size of a Pringle’s can? Are you worried that if you hear that dreaded bump in the middle of the night, you’ll have to warm up before attempting to hoist that thing around the house? Is that what’s keeping you up at night? Never fear. Mission First Tactical is out with three slim, reasonably-priced options for your home defense gun. Their TORCH Backup LED lights are available in white, white/red and red/IR for you night vision-equipped operators. MSRP for all three is $59.95 . . .

Quote of the Day: Smile When You Say That Edition

Fri, 02/14/2014 - 08:00

“The opinion of the pro-gun movement seems to be that the guy with the gun is always right, no matter what the facts of the case are; that gun possession makes you a super-citizen with enhanced rights to take life, avoid prosecution, and use lethal force in response to non-lethal force. Somehow, gun ownership increases your judgment and makes you smarter than other citizens.” Executive Director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Josh Horwitz, The Pugilistic Double Standard of the Pro-Gun Movement [via huffingtonpost.com]

Daily Digest: Citizen Lawmaking Edition

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 21:00

What you’re looking at is the Gatchet, by MeleeMods.com. Yes, this is a real thing. Machined from 1065 carbon steel, heat-treated to RC 52, and black anodized, this glorious beauty will set you back $110.00. Only fits XDs and GLOCKs, according to their site, so “Sorry, S&W guys!” Would go well with the Manly Innovations MBX pistol bayonet, methinks. Make the jump to see the Tact-Axe, the version designed to fit on shotguns and AR-pattern rifles. . . [h/t Have Blue]

Reason TV Highlights Police Shooting of 80-year-old CA Engineer

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 20:00

The War on Drugs and police militarization remind me of the scene where Batman says to the Joker “I made you – you made me first.” In other words, America’s anti-drug laws and our up-armored police’s heavy-handed tactics are a marriage made in Hell. Can one end before the other? It’s doubtful. While some see the growing legalization of marijuana in state law as a step in the right direction on both fronts, there’s no evidence that police are cutting back on drug-related no-knock warrants or easing up on their all-round love for SWAT teams. Meanwhile, the widow of the California engineer murdered by the police – if murder it be – has filed a wrongful death suit against the County of Los Angeles and the police involved with the drug raid gone

Defensive Gun Use of the Day: Seconds Counted Edition

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 19:00

We may never know what drove Earl Edward Clague Jr. to ram his car into the Perry, Florida car dealership where he worked and open fire with a shotgun last week. What we do know is that everyone there is extremely fortunate to have had a good guy with a gun on hand to stop him. Deputy Lundy took a blast to the midsection (he wasn’t wearing a vest) and two others were also wounded by Clague before Lundy shot and killed him. officer.com reports that Lundy happened to be having his patrol car serviced when Clague, a longtime dealership employee, chose to go postal automotive. Which makes this one of those rare circumstances in which seconds counted and an officer was immediately available to stop a bad guy with

U.S. Gun Sales Cooling. Thankfully?

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 18:00

 

“Americans, apparently, may finally have enough guns and ammunition,” BloombergBusinessweek.com asserts, clocking Cabela’s latest financial results. Wow! “Apparently” and “may” in one entirely misleading lead sentence! Still, there is a bit more than anti-gun agitprop here. “Sales at Cabela’s stores open more than one year plummeted 10.1 percent in the recent quarter, primarily because of sluggish firearms sales and a ‘much sharper than expected’ decline in ammunition buying, says Chief Executive Tommy Millner.” One wonders if the decline in ammo sales had something to do with the fact that they don&

NH House Kills Universal Background Checks Bill

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 17:00

A controversial bill that would have imposed the requirement for government permission for nearly all private firearm transfers overwhelmingly failed in the New Hampshire House of Representatives yesterday. In the image above, a yea votes were cast to kill the bill. HB1589 appeared to have some support, with a majority vote early in the amendment process. After nearly two hours of debate, though, the house voted over two to one to kill it . . .

As examiner.com reports:

An amendment was brought forth by Representative Laura Jones which would require a study commission be set up to further study the bill. This amendment passed with 

Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Shaneka Torres

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 16:00

Let me set the scene for you. It’s 3 AM on a week night, and you and your BFF suddenly get a craving for some cheeseburgers. So you hop in your ride, cruise down to the local Mickey D’s and pull into to the drive-thru lane. The over-worked, under-paid employee on the other end of the intercom takes your order, and when you pull around you’re handed your food…but without the bacon you’d ordered. What do you do? Well, obviously the best option is to pull your heater and put a round through the building. This is, after all, bacon we’re talking about . . .

From The Smoking Gun:

According to cops, after ordering at the drive-thru window, the 29-year-old Torres and another woman “compla

Self-Defense Tip: Keep Calm and Carry On. Or Not. [Video NSFW]

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 15:00

“This was the FIRST SHOT FIRED from a Brand new Vulcan 50cal using factory ammo,” generes posts at ar15.com. “The bolt lugs disintegrated, the charging handle sheared from the bolt, and the bolt exploded backwards and lodged into the guys neck area.” Well, that sucks. What’s interesting here (for me): the guy ‘effing and blinding as he shouts for a towel. And the calm voice repeatedly telling a bystander “I need you to stay back.” The contrast highlights two possible responses to a life-or-death situation: unbridled aggression or self-contained calm. Which is the correct response? Well that depends . . .

When an armed American can’t escape an attacker threatening death or grievous bodily harm, the tooled-up good guy shouldn’t think of the required response as “self-defense.” They should launch a sudden and vicious attack designed to stop an attacker from attacking. No holds barred. Chocks away. Let ‘er rip. Survival depends on speed, surprise and violence of action.

Not

I Love the Smell of Guns and Helicopters in the Morning

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 14:00

 

I awoke the same way I had countless times before: in a cheap no-frills hotel located in a town I’d never heard of. As predicted, the wake-up call never came and my cell phone’s alarm saved me from over-sleeping. I briefly considered hitting the snooze button and dozing off for another few minutes, but then I remembered why I had driven all this way and only slept around four hours — today was the day I got to shoot stuff from a helicopter . . .

Dave Montana at HeliBacon had contacted me a few weeks prior and invited me out to see what they had to offer, and I just couldn’t refuse. Shooting stuff from a helicopter has always been on my bucket list, and while it wasn’t quite the M60 out of a UH-1 that I had imagined, a Robinson R44 was close enough. So the weekend after SHOT Show I drove out

BREAKING: CA Ninth Circuit Strikes Down “Good Cause” Carry Provision

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 13:14

“The Ninth Circuit’s decision in Peruta v. San Diego, released minutes ago, affirms the right of law-abiding citizens to carry handguns for lawful protection in public,” washingtonpost.com reports. “The Ninth Circuit, in a 2-1 opinion written by Judge O’Scannlain, ruled that Peruta was entitled to Summary Judgement, because the ‘good cause’ provision violates the Second Amendment. The Court ruled that the

CBS Hearts MDA

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 13:00

Why would CBS News give so much airtime to a fringe group of extremists bent on denying Americans their natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms? Because guns! To be fair, props to the “Tiffany Network” for giving Gun Owners of America jefe Larry Pratt five seconds of air time in a 1:15 infomercial for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and, laterally, its parent company Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Could this news package (and related Pratt-less online gun control story) be any more profoundly biased in favor of civilian disarmament? Perhaps someone should . . .

take Manhattan-raised CBS News president David Rhodes back to his father’s native Texas, avoiding his alma mater (

Question of the Day: Does the Family The Shoots Together, Stay Together?

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 12:00

Two of my four daughters [not shown] shoot. One lives in The Land of Hope and Glory, a country where shooting sports and shooting smack are equally acceptable. The other is estranged. So I get to do the family shooting thing once a year with one of my girls. It’s a seriously enjoyable experience, unlike any other family activity. Watching her pleasure at mastering a gun, knowing that she’s gaining a skill that could save her life (and the life of her family), fills me with pride and pleasure.  But again, it’s a black swan event. So I have a question for those of you who are more family firearms fortunate than I: does the family that shoots together stay together? Is hunting more of a bonding experience than target practice, or is it all good?

On Hunting Man-Eating Tigers In India

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 11:00

“No one has lived long enough to describe the tiger in detail, but some things about her are known. She traverses great stretches of land in a day and is comfortable wandering deep into human territory,” nytimes,com reports. “After killing her first three or four people, she began to eat her victims — starting rump-first, one expert said, as she would a deer.” Makes sense to me: that’s where the meat is and a tiger’s gonna do what a tiger’s gonna do. The Times reports that more tigers are doing more of what tigers do in India as of late. Who could have predicted such a thing? Well .

NY Taxpayers Shell Out $15.8m for “Gun Violence” Prevention

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 10:00

“Seventeen counties will compete for $13 million as part of a new initiative to fight gun violence,” democratandchronicle.com reports. “Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined in his budget address Jan. 21 that he

Random Thoughts About Re-Animated Food and Open Carry

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 09:00

So there I was, sitting at a lunch counter at a funky retro-50′s diner on Congress Ave. The guy to my left was a Chinese national. The guy to my right was a transplanted New York lawyer. The lawyer was sharing tales of his Chinese travels. I was keeping myself to myself when the lawyer’s food started moving (see: above). The waitress said it was some kind of dried fish. Yeah re-animated dried fish. Anyway, a conversation started and the next thing I know the lawyer’s going all anti-gun. It was like a lightning round game show or, if you prefer, chasing chickens . . .

He argued that the “well-regulated militia” part of the Second Amendment establishes the right to keep and bear arm as a collective right, designed for common defense. Nothing to do with personal liberty. I reminded him that all of the rights in the Bill of Rights are individual rights, as per the Supreme Court’s Helle

Quote of the Day: Sign of the Times Edition

Thu, 02/13/2014 - 08:00

 

“It doesn’t matter what the issue is. The instant knee jerk reaction is, they’re coming after our guns. And that’s not it at all.” – Tucson city councilman Steve Kozachik, City councilman asks gun stores to post suicide prevention signs [at kvoa.com]

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