The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 6 days 10 hours ago
Constructive Possession of NFA Firearms – Red Hands Not Required
By Matthew J. Bergstrom, Esq.
There has been much confusion about the handling of another person’s NFA firearms and when criminal liability could arise. Generally speaking, possession of an NFA firearm by someone other than the registered owner could be viewed as an illegal transfer. Possession, however, is not limited to the person caught red-handed with your can. The concept of constructive possession covers a broader set of circumstances encompassing many common situations for gun owners. Unfortunately, not everyone takes these issues seriously.
Constructive possession exists when a person knowingly has the potential for access or control of NFA firearms outside the supervision of the registered owner of those arms.¹ When NFA firearms are in possession of someone other than the registered owner it could constitute an unlawful transfer subject to the severe penalties of the NFA and the tax code. These penalties could include a prison sentence, hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, and loss of the right
GOP And National Review Embrace Gun 2.0 With AR Giveaways.
National Review Online is the independently edited web version of William F. Buckley, Jr.’s conservative magazine. This month, in cooperation with the National Association For Gun Rights, they’re giving away a Colt 6920 like the one shown here. Go ahead and click to enter. No, really: the link will take you to the actual sweepstakes entry page. But hurry, because the contest closes Friday at 5:00 p.m. EST. And meanwhile, in Georgia…
Quote of the Day: Florida is the Pitts Edition
“They call Florida the ‘Gunshine State.’ But this madness is not Florida-centric. In Colorado, you can have a gun in class. In Arizona, you can take one to the bar. In Georgia, they’re trying to make it legal to take one to church. So this isn’t just Florida. It’s America. We live in states of insanity.” Leonard Pitts, Even gun owners think Florida needs stronger gun laws [via newsday.com]
Daily Digest: Just In Time Edition
A grand jury indicted a Charlotte, NC police officer for voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of an unarmed Florida A&M football player, Jonathan Ferrell (above). Ferrell wrecked his car on back in September and went to a nearby residence for help. He banged on the door, frightening the resident, who called police. Three officers responded, including Randall Kerrick, who fired 13 shots, 10 of which struck Ferrell. Kerrick was the only officer to fire his weapon. This is the second grand jury that the case has been before; the first refused to indict Kerrick, but the AG decided to put it before a second grand jury because the first one was missing four members. Voluntary manslaughter carries a prison sentence of up to 11 years . . .
Your Lockdown of the Day™ comes from New York City, and it’
Horned Frog Fails to Avoid Stupid People in Stupid Places Doing Stupid Things
“TCU defensive end Devonte Fields was walking toward his off-campus house at 5:50 a.m. when he was jumped by three suspects, including one who used a semi-automatic pistol to strike Fields on top of his head,” espn.go.com reports. Hmmm. Shouldn’t the 2012 AP Big 12 defensive player of the year have been fast asleep at the time, instead of returning from God-knows-where at the crack of dawn? He
BREAKING: Federal Judge Upholds CT Gun Ban
A federal judge has upheld Connecticut’s recent package of gun legislation: “An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children‟s Safety.” In a decision released today, U.S. District Judge Alfred V. Covello found that the Constitution State’s gun legislation was a constitutionally valid means of balancing gun rights and the State’s interest in promoting public safety. Judge Covello wrote “The court concludes that the legislation is constitutional. While the act burdens the plaintiffs’ Second Amendment rights, it is substantially related to the important governmental interest of public safety and crime control.” This despite concluding that . . .
“Th
Why California Matters
By ST
Like many of you, I used to read headlines regarding California and their gun laws with amusement. But I’d like to change your perspective because, like it or not, what passes in California this year stands a good chance of being Federal law in five years. And maybe sooner. Here’s why . . .
I used to think to myself when one of California’s gun-hating politicians took the stage, “Oh, those poor souls have bullet buttons and ten-round mags. Sucks to be them. Guess I’ll go back to cleaning my non-Cali legal rifle before I openly carry my not-Cali legal handgun.” Then one day at work, a client new to the state stopped by. As we talked, I discovered they were newcomers to South Dakota from Washington D.C., also known as the gun owner’s version of Mordor.
Why did they move? It’s the economy, stupid. States with bloated, crazy gun laws also tend to have bloated, crazy high costs of living. In an
In Praise of the Zombie Apocalypse
By Cliff Heseltine
I see a lot of snide comments here and elsewhere on the interwebz about “zombie guns,” “zombie bullets” and “zombie targets.” What exactly is your problem with these artifacts if, in fact, they get people interested in firearms and shooting and survival strategies? Does every bit of training have to be absolutely related to real-world scenarios even if that means people who could otherwise be recruited to the side of liberty and defense of the Second Amendment will be lost to us? Where is the sense in that? A little background, just for fun . . .
In modern fiction zombies are the result of either a naturally occurring catastrophic viral mutation or the intentional creation of an infection agent, extremely virulent, but only transmitted when bitten by a zombie. Once bitten the “infection” can’t be prevented or cured. Incubation may take as much as an hour or more, or symptoms may
Brazil Set to Disarm Its Citizens
A commentator recently chided TTAG for focusing its editorial ire on Great Britain and Mexico’s civilian disarmament. In the interests of global diversity, click here for the final wording of Brazil’s “Statute of Disarmament.” It’s American antis’ wet dream of a gun control regime, with everything from universal background checks (no sales or transfers without government approval) to its logical corollary (universal gun and firearms owner registration). No business can sell a gun without government approval. But wait! There’s more! . . .
New From Guncrafter Industries: CCO in 9mm
Are you one of those who looks at the GLOCK 42 with thinly veiled contempt? Someone who wouldn’t carry anything smaller than a 9mm and can’t stand the smell of polycarbonate in the morning – or any other time? You’re in luck then. Guncrafter Industries has expanded their CCO line of commander-sized 1911s, adding a model in 9×19. You’ll want to save your shekels (or intercept that tax refund check before the spousal unit sees it) though. All that custom goodness doesn’t come cheap. MSRP is $2,945. Press release after the jump . . .
GUNCRAFTER INDUSTRIES EXPANDS THE “CCO” LINEUP TO INCLUDE 9MM.
Huntsville, AR – Guncrafter Industries expands on the newly added “CCO” line to include the 9mm, making it the ideal choice for all
CAGV Proposes a Registration Amnesty “Compromise”
Sure, it may have taken him a while, but the Empire couldn’t pull the wool over Admiral Ackbar’s widely spaced piscatorial eyes. We can only hope the few actual gun rights supporters in Connecticut’s state legislature are at least as vigilant. As we mentioned recently, Connecticut is considering an extension of the registration deadline for “assault weapons” and frighteningly long magazines due to the dedicated public servants at the USPS shutting down early on new year’s eve. Civilian disarmament stalwarts Connecticut Against Gun Violence have noticed and sense an opportunity. While they oppose an extension, they’d be happy to see one enacted in exchange for repeal of the Nutme
Mexican Revolution Continues
We’ve been following the rise of so-called vigilante groups in southern Mexico. In truth, they are revolutionaries: an armed populace rising up against their own government. And why not? The drug cartels own the police and military lock, stock and American-sourced AR-15s. The torture and violence visited upon the locals by drug thugs and government goons alike beggars description. At some point, anyone would grab a gun rather than suffer. We recently posted on the Mexican government’s response to the uprising and predicted that the “legalization” of the “vigilante groups” would go nowhere fast – mandating as it does that the revolutionaries register themselves and their weapons with the federales
Gun Hero of the Day: Sanford Florida Airport Police Cmdr. Larry Dale
“An armed passenger stopped by TSA last week received concierge-style service from the Orlando Sanford International Airport Police Department,” orlandosentinel.com snarks. “Rather than arrest the man Friday, as is customary at the larger Orlando International Airport, cops allowed Michael Deegan to catch his flight to Ohio and held the loaded .38-caliber revolver for him while he was away. On Monday evening, Deegan returned from Columbus and retrieved his gun. He headed home to Fort Pierce without criminal charges, unlike more than 1,000 armed passengers arrested at U.S. airports last year, according to interviews and records.” You want common sense gun control? Here’s y
Question of the Day: What’s the Most Important Gun You Own?
Aside from his brothers, the Holocaust wiped out my father’s side of the family. He arrived in New York City with a suitcase and . . . that’s it. Over the next six decades he owned one firearm: a Winchester side-by-side shotgun. It was stolen during a burglary and never replaced. Mom was a South African immigrant and as anti-gun as you wanna be (or not). So the only gun-related family relic I own is shown above: a box of Remington shotgun shells. Which means that the most important gun in my collection is the one I wear on my hip. But I bet some of you have family heirlooms that you treasure, or a firearm you purchased that has enormous sentimental value. Spill. What’s the most important gun in your collection?
Colorado Mag-Limit Repeal Has Majority Senate Support, No Chance Of Passage
Last year, Colorado’s knee-jerk reaction to the Sandy Hook and Aurora shootings limited the state’s new magazines to a maximum capacity of fifteen rounds. This foolishness has saved exactly zero lives, but it has succeeded in costing the state several hundred highly skilled, high-wage jobs. A new bill aims to repeal that stupidity, and it has the support of a (bipartisan, thank you very much) majority of the Colorado Senate. But it has no chance of becoming law and restoring the constitutional rights of Colorado shooters . . .
Fair Is Fair: Washington State Recognizes Idaho CCW Permits.
With the adoption of Idaho’s ‘Enhanced CCW’ permit, the neighboring states of Idaho and Washington now fully recognize each others’ (enhanced) CCW licenses. Now if we can just get grumpy old Oregon on board . . .
Idaho has offered a ‘basic’ CCW license since 1990. It’s been liberally (in the ‘generous’ sense of the word) issued to just about anyone over the age of 18 without a disqualifying conviction. Local LEO’s had the choice of whether to require any specific training to qualify for a basic Idaho CCW, and most chose not to.
This, ahem, ‘liberality’ has caused most other states to deny CCW reciprocity to Idaho CCW holders. States typically only grant recipr
BREAKING: Winchester Recalls Lots Of .22 Long Rifle Ammo
If you were one of the lucky few guys who found any .22 long rifle on the shelves in the last thirteen months, Winchester needs you to check your stockpile. It turns out they double-charged two lots of their M22 plinking/target ammo, and these accidental .22 Super-Duper Magnums can blow your gun up and ruin your chiseled, movie-star good looks. Make the jump for the recall details . . .
From Winchester’s Recall Page:
1/28/2014Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling two (2) lots of M*22™ 22 Long Rifle 40 Grain Black Copper Plated Round No
Quote of the Day: Who Will Notify the Crooks? Edition
“I encourage all business owners to make your business establishments gun-free. Our neighborhood and businesses will best prosper when everyone — business owners, customers, and residents alike — feels they can walk the streets and shops of the 43rd Ward safely.” – Chicago Alderman Michele Smith, Ald. Smith Encourages Making All Businesses ‘Gun-Free’ [at dnainfo.com]
(h.t. W.H. Thompson)
Daily Digest: Breaking Out All Over Edition
Apparently the tactics from the story from Mississippi I told you about Saturday are a thing now. Three men backed a car (well, probably only one was driving) into The AR Bunker in Newnan, Georgia at about 5 a.m. Sunday morning. The men took less than a minute to jump out and clean out the display cases. The store’s owner initially estimated losses at $50-70,000, but later revised that estimate down to about $40-50,000, after discovering that about half the guns they took (11 of 22) weren’t actual AR-15s, but .22LR copies. There was also a
90% of Americans Support Background Checks. And?
I was listening to Al Sharpton on msnbc.com the day before the President’s State of the Union address. America’s preeminent race hustler was paving the way for President Obama’s State of the Union promise to ditch the whole checks and balances thing. “Fifty-two percent of Americans support the President’s plan to take action on his agenda through executive orders,” Al opined in his endlessly annoying sing-song cadence. My first thought: I wonder how many Americans support mob rule? Probably as many as those who don’t know the difference between a democracy and a constitutional republic. Scary thought. Regardless, we are a constitutional republic. So the fact that 90 percent of Americans support background checks (note: no longer “universal background checks“) doesn’t mean Jack. They are unconstitutional. End of deba