The Truth About Guns

Most EDC knives aren’t equipped with four inches of razor-sharp S30V, but if you’ve got big hands and deep pockets (in both senses of the term) Spyderco’s large ‘Military’ might be just the backup blade for you. You can pocket a standard Military for about $150, but our resident Spyderco historian Jay reviewed the more expensive (and damn-near indestructible) Titanium-framed version.

Jump to The Truth About Knives for the full review.

Secretary of State John Kerry has signed the United Nations Small Arms Trade Treaty. The chances of Senate ratification are somewhere between slim and none and Slim just left town. In the wake of that historic non-event, STRATFOR‘s Scott Stewart’s taken a look at the global arms market as it applies to the Syrian civil war, republished here with permission . . .

The many and diverse efforts to arm the various actors in the Syrian civil war are really quite amazing to watch. These efforts are also quite hard to decipher — and intentionally so — since many of the arms transfers occur on the murky gray and black arms markets. Indeed, it is quite doubtful that anyone, whether Syrian intelligence, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service or the CIA really has a complete picture of all the channels used to funnel arms into the conflict. Certainly, I cann

Baltimore’s WBAL radio is reporting via Twitter that “Federal judge Catherine Blake denies (temp) restraining order from blocking gun control law in MD from taking effect. Today’s decision by Judge Blake doesn’t end efforts to halt the gun control law. The plaintiffs are seeking a prelim. Injunction.” Given the trainwreck the Old Line State’s made of the background check and licensure process in the run-up to the law going into effect, you might have expected a TRO to give the people’s dedicated servants a chance to catch up. Alas, not. Free Maryland.   [h/t Danny C.]

Billy’s back and he cares about the children. Which is why he’s pointing the metaphorical finger at domestic violence as a much bigger (if less photogenic and emotionally volatile) problem than mass shootings will ever likely be. The gist: if civilian disarmers really gave a flip about the chil’run as they profess, they’d be using their big bucks and bully pulpit to attack that problem – one with orders of magnitude more victims – rather than cynically exploiting a few discreet, if high profile, shootings. Billy makes his point in his customarily cogent, effective way. Alas, it will have precisely zero effect on those at whom it’s directed. More’s the pity.

I was thinking about some of the comments underneath the post 7th Grader Suspended for 2″ Arcade Toy Gun. There was a whole lotta nostalgia going on; reminiscences about toy guns being too cool for school. Only not. Members of our Armed Intelligentsia shared tales of wearing cap guns and holding toy rifles in class and school competitions. These days? ZERO TOLERANCE! And yet gun ownership continues to rise; Illinois gun ownership has risen from 1.2 to 1.6 million in the last three years. Still, the question remains: in the face of all the spree killings and anti-gun agit-prop, are guns still cool? I reckon the ability to defend yourself—personally—will never go out of style. You?

by Christopher Barnett

My preferred, primary carry pistol is one with a single-action-only trigger and a full-size, metal frame. I realize there are many who would question that choice and for the most part I understand and even respect their arguments. Yes, the guns tend to be boat belt anchors. Yes, there is a manual safety to commit to muscle memory. Yes, modern, polymer-frame, striker-fired pistols tend to offer excellent reliability. I get it. However, my opinion is that you should bet your life on a weapon . . .

(1) that works, given its design and the degree of care you are able and willing to provide it, (2) that you really are willing to carry every day, and (3) that promotes the greatest level of confidence *with you* among all options satisfying the first two criteria. For a while, for me, that has been a government-size 1911. I am more accurate, quicker to target and more confident with a 1911, I do not mind the size, and I would rather train to devel

Square ranges are the bunny slopes of shooting—especially the ones that don’t let you draw from a holster or rapid fire. “Real” defensive/tactical shooting means shooting while moving, and shooting at things that are moving, and shooting while moving at things that are moving. Judging from the “experimental” video above, the Marines are finally realizing that their live-fire training needs to be more realistic. On the civilian side, more and more trainers are doing the move ‘n shoot thing, though not the moving thing thing. Cops? Sigh. The problem is, of course, money . . .

Square ranges are safer and more profitable than interactive ranges. Everything is contained in a small space. Everybody does the same thing the same way at the same time. Maintenance is [relatively] minimal and predictable. Insurance costs are low. And square ranges are . . . there. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get planning

By Josh Wayner

Josh Wayner’s taken it upon himself to challenge what everyone “knows” as far as barrel length, velocity and accuracy are concerned. According to his results, the conventional wisdom ain’t all that wise when it comes to longer-barreled ballistics. The only question then is, if you buy in and go with a short barrel, can you stand the noise?

Abstract: This is an independent scientific study that has been conducted in western Michigan. This study addresses the misunderstanding of the concepts related to barrel length, muzzle velocity, and accuracy in a rifle . . .

Elements of the Study: This study was conducted with a set of standards that do not necessarily correspond to all manner of firearms. The combination of weapon and ammunition used for this study was carefully determined and analyzed for the best results. This study wa

“Every time I write that maybe, just maybe, we should talk about guns, gun lovers send me the results of an NRA-cooked survey that found that 70 percent of Americans consider the Second Amendment ‘a bulwark against tyranny.’ I say ‘cooked’ because terms like ‘bulwark’ and ‘tyranny’ are designed to push respondents to a specific response. My guess is that if I asked the same question with similarly loaded and equally unfair language — ‘Do you think the Second Amendment gives you the right to shoot an American police officer or an American soldier if you happen to disagree with the policies of a legitimately elected government?’ — much of that support would vanish.” - John Krull, Gun lovers just don’t get it [via

Not too long ago TTAG had a short piece on Apple’s patent of a tech that would allow the government or police to block transmission of information, including video and photographs. Now comes a story out of NYC that the NYPD (your tax dollars at work) have been stopping people and asking them to upgrade to iOS7, handing out leaflets with more information (click photo above for larger version). The reason they’re recommending the upgrade is enhanced security measures to prevent the reuse of stolen phones, but is that the only reason? We report, you deride. [h/t: Jeremy S.] . . .

A new (to Florida) gun rights group is attempting to empower Orlando homeowners to protect their neighborhood

If you don’t schlep a spare mag with your everyday carry gun, you should. Mag issues are the most likely reason for a firearms failure. You can usually bring a non-operational handgun back into the fight with a simple mag change. Of course, “simple” is a relative word when you’re facing an imminent, credible threat of death or grievous bodily harm. But if

NB: the fact that the accidental/negligent firearms-related death rate continues its dramatic decline in the U.S. was buried in the 75th paragraph of the 110-paragraph Times epic Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll and unmentioned in the following press release.

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Based on an expose in Sunday’s New York Times suggesting that so-called “accidental” shooting deaths of American children are radically underreported, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is calling on Congress and state legislatures to take immediate action to address the lack of adequate government oversight of guns. These deaths

TTAG’s resident sharp shooter has yet to learn the lesson handed down to us by legendary magician Harry Houdini: don’t make it look too easy. Houdini used to flub his tricks on purpose so his audience could appreciate the mastery needed to perform an illusion. Of course, Ms. Weiss’ markspersonship is no illusion. The skills needed to blast the infamous candy from its pencil perch are mad. But I’m mad Kirsten Joy Weiss didn’t make it look more difficult. Then again, as Matt points out, it’s a single camera take. And the result isn’t difficult to look at. I reckon that’s half the battle in the world of entertainment to which Ms. Weiss aspires. N’est-ce pas? [Click here to see more trick shots at kirstenjoyweiss.com]

Gun buybacks are ridiculous. There’s no proof whatsoever that buying unloved, unwanted and broken-ass guns from the general public—with “no questions asked” immunity from even the most heinous offenses—does anything whatsoever to reduce crime. None. But gun buybacks certainly prove that gun control theater is more important than practical measures when it comes to maintaining political power for left-leaning “leaders.” For example, “NY State Attorney General Eric Schne

“The state of Maryland says gun advocates waited too long to challenge tougher firearm regulations set to take effect Tuesday,” foxnews.com reports, displaying a mysterious preferences for the word “tougher” over the more accurate modifier “unconstitutional.” “Attorney General Doug Gansler asked a federal judge in Baltimore on Monday to deny [a motion] for an order blocking enforcement of the law. Gansler says the plaintiffs sat o

The massacre at the U.S. Navy Yard has The People of the Gun protesting the existence of gun-free zones. Again. Still. Less well reported: the reaction of hundreds of thousands of military men and women; disarmed Americans not well pleased about losing their Second Amendment protections the moment they step on a military facility (if not before). Obviously, they can’t grumble publicly. Not about the Navy Yard shooting nor the workplace violence terrorist attack at Fort Hood. But this dissatisfaction with disarmament extends up the ranks. We caught a rare glimpse of this pro-gun position via 

The incident began when the driver of the Range Rover [in the viral above] called 911 to report a group of bikers stunting and flossing on New York City’s West Side Highway. A biker parked in front the luxury SUV, causing the driver to stop. When a biker walked toward the car, the Rover driver floored it, smashing into several bikes and riders. When the truck got caught in traffic, a pursuer tried to rip open the door. When the driver got caught in traffic a second time, a biker smashed the driver-side window with his helmet. Cops told the New York Post that the biker slashed the driver in front of his wife and child. He ended up with a couple of black eyes and stitches to his face and chest. Would a gun have made the situation better? Only if you understand that it could have been much worse without it. [h/t Allen V.]

Thanks to my ten-year-old daughter, TTAG is now on Instagram. #guntruth. As it is for Twitter. And YouTube. We’re at The Truth About Guns on Facebook. And www.thetruthaboutguns.com here. I’m giving serious thought to opening a tumblr account, if only to be able to pun at a sixth social media venue and announce that we’re on instatwittergramtumblefacebookwebtube. Much catchier. And yes, Nick will get rid of my mug from the Instagram home page ASAP.

HARTFORD [via courant.com] — “A police officer’s gun accidentally discharged during a response to an armed robbery on Franklin Avenue on Saturday, and an officer was shot in the arm, police said. It was not clear whether the officer whose gun discharged was shot, or another officer. The injury to the officer’s forearm is non-life threatening, police said.” And now, after a temporal pause, we get a vital update: “Two people entered the store, displayed a weapon and took some money from the register, then fled, police said. The officers arrived shortly thereafter, and while clearing the building, one of their guns discharged, police said.”

By beetle

There are a lot of features in modern guns that we take for granted. At a basic level, the design of most pistols today seems very similar. Almost every one will make use of a magazine feeding device. This magazine is almost always loaded into the grip of the gun. The similarities also extend to the operation of the gun. Virtually every semi-automatic handgun that fires a round more powerful than .380ACP will make use of a locked breech system. But where did these innovations come from? Did different manufacturers invent them on their own? If we trace back the history of pistols, we’ll find that one gun was the “father” of all modern semi-automatic pistols – The Borchardt C93, introduced in 1893 . . .

To understand what a leap forward this was you n