New figures show gun owners are holding back on handing in their firearms, because they’re waiting to hear how much the Government will pay for them
I suspect, as with most “buybacks”, it will be for dramatically lower sums than the firearms are worth. I distinctly remember a recent one here in the states that gave $50 for a handgun, $75 for a long gun, and a whopping $100 for an “assault weapon.” Even at PSA AR prices that’s a heavy loss.
Figures released to Newstalk ZB by the New Zealand Police showed that, as of Sunday night, only 530 guns had been handed in since the ban on semi-automatic guns was finalised in early April.
There are around 250,000 licenced firearm holders in New Zealand and it’s estimated as many as 300,000 guns could now be illegal.
New Zealand does not have a 2nd Amendment. They don’t have “2nd Amendment” rights to be violated. Self defense is a human right, however no nation enjoys as robust a tradition of civic arms as The United States.
The make or break point for the New Zealand ban will be how much cash will the government fork out. The ban is going to be either a partial failure or a colossal failure and the dollars going to owners will be telling. I have feeling that even with the much more casual attitude towards firearms held by New Zealanders the non-compliance rate is going to be directly correlated to just how over the coals they’re being raked.
Police Minister Stuart Nash said in April that regulations, including a price list, would be considered by Cabinet by the end of May.
Nicole McKee, Secretary of the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that there had not been any communication from Government about prices for the buyback.
Well we are at the end of May…
McKee expected most people would comply with the laws, but she said that there was no trust in the system whatsoever among firearms owners, and that people felt blindsided and blamed. [Emphasis added]
“We are effectively being punished for the acts of a foreign terrorist, and we want to make sure that our personal and private property is adequately compensated when it is confiscated.”
Just how badly this goes? We will see. I honestly don’t see the NZ government ponying up the cash to make this happen fairly. If you roughly estimate each banned firearm at $800 this program will cost a quarter of a billion dollars at minimum, assuming that only 4% of the money spent is on administrative costs. This “moral imperative” handed down by a reactionary government could come with a ten figure price tag without trying too hard.
We need to start a new political party – the Emoticratic Party – which governs entirely upon the emotion the party members feel that day.
Oh wait – we already have that. I wish I could claim credit for that moniker, but it’s been floating around the dusty corners of the internet for years. I just felt that it needed to be given more use. (I “felt” – see what I did there?)
Democrats newly in the majority in the House of Representatives have wasted no time in throwing just about anything in the way of gun control against the wall to see if it sticks. And they’re trying to make it extra sticky – with tears and blood.
The justification for even more incursions upon the rights of law-abiding Americans is “safety” and “saving lives” – *sniff, single tear*. Senator Kamala Harris is even advocating waving the bloody shirt in front of legislators just before a vote. Never mind that every previous emotionally-driven piece of anti-gun legislation has done precisely zero to affect violent crime rates. I’m looking at you, Chicago, California, et al.
The mayor and city council members of Pittsburgh were willing to actually violate Pennsylvania state law by imposing their own city firearms restrictions in the wake of the synagogue shootings. Because feelings. Now millions of taxpayer dollars will be wasted because they are being taken to court and will have to defend their emotion-driven (and also craven political) actions.
The only thing that apparently matters to these politicians is power and using emotional manipulation to get that power and keep it. They know this is an effective strategy because once the limbic juices are flowing, rational thought is dead. Anyone who opposes them can be painted with the brush of “wanting more dead kids”. (I had that one thrown at me personally. I am a pediatrician, recall)
But the Founders were nothing if not intellectuals. They crafted the entire Constitution very carefully. They knew the damage that the inflamed masses could do to governance, and thus did everything in their power to put roadblocks in the way of rash emotional action on the federal level.
Unfortunately that hasn’t stopped gun-grabber politicians from the erosive destruction of Second Amendment rights – one teardrop at a time. They cravenly waste no opportunity to use the blood and tears of their constituents to increase the rate of corrosion.
As we enter the choppy waters of a new election season, let us do everything in our power to resist and expose the agenda of crocodile tears. Facts, not feelings are what should underlay enduring governance – especially when it comes to the Constitutional Rights of every American citizen.
What it our training responsibility? How many courses are enough? What level of course work covers what we need to know?
The answer is ludicrously simple.
More.
Continuity of training is imperative to continue the learning process and keep fresh on a skillset. Taking a course over again, especially one that you enjoyed, is easily among the best ways to accomplish that.
I have attended four Tavor/X95 courses and still do not technically own the rifle. I have purchased the rifle, I ordered the variant as soon as it was announced. However, thanks to a series of unfortunate acts (the NFA and government shutdown) my lawfully purchased property is not mine yet.
Behind the scenes at NFA branch
That’s not our topic though.
The purpose of training cycle continuity
Continuity in training is about immersion. If we keep jumping in the pool to swim laps regularly, even at the shallow end, we don’t lose all the little microefficincies and gains that we make when we take developmental classes. Taking T1 again was a no brainer. You catch up with friends, you meet new ones, and you shoot guns in a structured learning environment. Also really cool guns usually make an appearance… #FullAuto
When you’ve taken time off from a skill set you do not go right to the hardest tasks you spun up to complete at the peak of your last training cycle. You worked to get there and you will need to work back to get there again. LEO and Military units do the same thing, they work up for a mission or deployment from the base tasks to the final mission requirements. When they go home, relax, complete other work and then get tasked with a new mission they spin up the training cycle again from the ground up.
You’ll see that in these courses too, as the student body reaches standards they move forward. Starting from the fundamental base means nobody gets left out to rot in confusion because something was skipped and they went too far too fast.
Fundamentals and Functions
Malfunctions and Positions
Problem Solving
T1 in three phrases.
Picking up a class taken previously is illustrative, the most notable item is how much you forget. The fundamentals are an immersion skillset and they will slip when you stop practicing regularly (and you will). Putting yourself into that student learning environment, where you aren’t driving your own practice schedule, checks your homework as it were. Objective standards of performance graded by a third party who is there to help you improve.
IWI Galil ACE 5.56 with SB Brace and TA50 ACOG
Taking a course again is like rewatching a good movie, you lock onto your favorite spots and you pick up on some of the little items you missed. Often there are new anecdotes for teaching, new things learned since last class, and new experiences to apply.
No two classes are the same. Learning how to fight the gun better than last time and checking those standards again to see where you’re at.
Fighting Gun Fundamentals
The full course curriculum: 1, 2, 3, & new this year TNOC (which you can sign up for after completing T1, I am heading there) is developing the shooters ability to use a rifle as an individual in a gunfight. Citizen, Cop, Marine or Soldier, Mom or Dad, those roles are on equal footing in the course design. The individual running the rifle is protecting their life, the focal point of the whole system and the perspective being learned from.
It’s my sincerely held opinion that, in addition to far too little range time, the military and LEO organizations move towards team tactics far earlier than they should before competence on the weapon as an individual is reached. They assume, wrongly, that adding the new tactics, techniques, and procedures into the mix also somehow redundantly practices the basic fundamentals.
I honestly wish more courses were taught on IWI Academy’s format. Any rifle, handgun, shotgun, or long gun/handgun system benefits from the format. The course is on the X95 but my proficiency on my Galil was the developing skillset.
Enhancing the total student comprehension of the rifle system. The individual can actually fight the gun because they know what is happening and can figure out what has gone wrong if the rifle stops. Instead of just parroting motions and punching paper or ringing steel, the whole system makes sense to the system operator.
It’s a chronic problem within military and law enforcement circles, parroting in place of comprehension. Continuity of training drastically increases the comprehension and eliminates the parroting. By regularly entering the learning circles we recheck the skills we know but haven’t touched in a minute.
Revisiting the Basics
What are those basic concepts that you haven’t checked off in awhile?
When was the last time you zeroed? Actually zeroed and confirmed at distance? A good basics course will get you back on the gun and on target, checking all the things we simply tend to assume are on and “close enough”.
“Close enough” starts falling apart as soon as 50 yards. It tells no lies by 100 yards. Go zero your rifle if its been minute.
8″ group at 100 yards out of an 8.3″ barrel dropping to prone unsupported (USMC Rapid Fire style). The Galil is an accurate little package.
The quick zero I had prior to class, shot with about 15 rounds at 50 yards and declared good enough, was not. When starting the process anew it was fine at 25, as expected, but we adjusted for a theoretical 100. At 50 I adjusted again for a windage correction and when confirming it was dead on center mass at 100. Distance tells, check it.
Even just the proper mechanics of loading. All the little steps to get it right and check that your weapon is up and running. Errors were made. Errors were corrected. The learning environment exists to comprehend the machine, it’s mechanics, it’s possible faults and how to correct them.
Do you remember how the gun feels when it goes to bolt lock? How does an empty chamber or misfire sound and feel? How does the dead trigger of a “Type 2” or “Hard” malfunction (double feed, usually) feel?
The most common bubble I saw busted was actually “I’m going to run the gun dry and see how it does.” That was an easy test. The guns got hot, the guns got dirty, the guns had stoppages a few hundred rounds in. The hot dirty guns that were running lubricant didn’t have stoppages. Lube the bolt carrier = Fewer problems.
So what’s your plan for Continuity of Training?
The curriculum for T1 wasn’t altered, the instructors were different so the experience was different. Every time I attend a course I can see how I’ve improved and where I need to improve. I dust off skills, sometimes years untouched, and I develop new ones from good instructors and students.
I don’t run my M16 like I did as young Marine in 2007. It’s faster now, more efficient, with many lessons learned and a better ancillary gear list. It’s still ultimately the same rifle. The foundations of that Marine are still there. But I am a vastly superior shooter now compared to then and it is all thanks to guys like Tom, Yossi, and Steve running courses to provide that continuity.
They haven’t stopped, I haven’t stopped, you shouldn’t stop.
We routinely attend and speak at the Gun Rights Policy Conference each September, someone gets to the NRA Annual Meeting in April, and we’ve seen a member visit and review the National Shooting Sports Federation’s SHOT Show the past two Januaries in Las Vegas. This was the first DRGO visit to this relatively new event.
NRA and SHOT Show can be overwhelming, both in merchandise on display and in the number of attendees. GRPC is very different, with hundreds of the most motivated gun rights advocates speaking and listening to each other, but little stuff to gawk at.
The USCCA Expo is a perfect mix of these. It’s solely focused on all things concealed: weapons (certainly), ammo, clothing for women (and men), tools, training, techniques and advocates. Concealed carry is USCCA’s sole mission—the organization takes it very seriously, and knows and shares everything about it. It has published Concealed Carry Magazine since it was founded in 2003 by Tim Schmidt, who is its President still. It introduced its Legal Protection plans in 2012. (Don’t call it insurance—USCCA had to pull out of New York and Washington on the heels of the NRA Carry Guard problems). I’ve been an enthusiastic member since 2009.
Good time was also spent with Mike Piwowarski, host of Arms Room Radio; we had an interesting chat that will come up on the podcast shortly. And to this first-time visitor, Pittsburgh was an attractive, action-packed city that our family will visit sooner than later. So action-packed that a Garth Brooks concert downtown drew 75,000 people along with some college graduations, which made it almost impossible to get lodging nearby.
Pennsylvania had long been firearms friendly, but since 2015 the state government has been led by unfriendly Democrats, who limited reciprocity to 27 state’s resident-only permits. However, rural counties in western Pennsylvania want outdoor tourism and some make it quick and easy to pick up a Pennsylvania non-resident permit, which I did on the way down from New York State. The Expo, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and Pittsburgh in general were quite congenial for carrying, with nary a “No Guns” sign to be found.
There were, as advertised, hundreds of exhibits with products beyond count, a variety of shooting activities (including live-fire tryouts of many handguns), and continuous seminars (most free, some at a fee) running all afternoon Friday, and all day Saturday and Sunday. Everything was discounted from website prices, which I’ll quote here. Here are some of the things that caught my fancy:
In the training department, dry-fire practice at home can be made more realistic. DryFireMag is “The Trigger Reset Magazine”, which goes for $90 to $110, depending on the model. It’s a magazine shaped device with a spring at the top that resets the trigger with each pull, so racking the slide isn’t necessary between pulls. Each feels and sounds normal, while not even using the firing pin, which permits unlimited repetitions. It is so far available for most striker-fired Glocks, Smith & Wesson M&Ps, and Springfield XDs. It does not work with laser inserts that operate with the firing pin. It also will not drop out to mimic tactical reloading but must be pulled. My only complaint is that mine sticks well out of my Glock 26, so doesn’t feel identical in the hand. However, the company is developing models for more and more firearms, and you can request yours go in their queue.
Speaking of laser training, there is a new device in town, “Recoil Laser Training” by Laser Ammo. This does it nearly all. It comes as various models of handgun simulacra, that feel and weigh about what yours does. Like the DryFireMag, it allows repeated dry fire with a realistic trigger feel and (louder) sound, as well as a degree of recoil. It comes with laser targets that light up when tagged. It doesn’t have the full sound or kick of a real pistol, but it is as close as you’d want when dry firing indoors. A set costs from $250 to $400 depending on the model and accessories chosen, so I denied myself that.
The BodyGuard Belt is a new, improved classic belly band, costing $59, in black or beige (the website says “white”). I grabbed one of each. This is made of neoprene, so feels comfortable (though a bit sweaty). It’s special in that it can hold a handgun vertically or horizontally (or at an angle), with extra magazines on either side. So you can carry in any waist position, under an arm, or in between. A bonus zipper pocket can be positioned front or back, depending on the carry spot. You’ll want something between your skin and the part of the handgun projecting above the waist.
Another purchase for me was the NexBelt. This is a stiff gun belt with a leather (or nylon) exterior and synthetic interior. The trick is the way it buckles. The interior has a strip of ratchet-like cogs toward the end which NexBelt’s buckle grabs. This makes the belt continuously adjustable, a real advantage with different layers and holster options. There were just a few when I looked, but I was impressed enough to buy one. Later I found literally scores of belts and buckles on the website and ordered just a buckle I preferred. The buckle end of the belt can be cut to fit your range of sizes, and is held very tightly by a clamp and 2 set screws.
I’d seen the ArachniGrip Slide Spider advertised in the USCCA magazine. I hesitated because I thought it was a sticky applique adding grip to the slide. I was glad to see it in person because it’s actually an abrasive (like coarse emery paper) which means it won’t stick in a holster and interfere with the draw. It is custom fit to just about any manufacturer’s pistol slides. It works, for just $20 a pair, with a cool red spider logo or in plain black.
An item falling into the “Why didn’t I think of that?” category were “Handgun Holster Mounts” from PUG Protective Gear. These are simple mounts belt-width that can be screwed in anywhere and accept the belt clip of holsters. They come with or without simple neoprene holsters, but the clip is the thing. Any standard belt clip holster (for a firearm, cell phone, whatever) will grab it just like a belt. Voilá—your pistol goes anywhere you like, never out of its own holster, no fancy grips or containers required. The clips alone go for $7, $12 for two. It’s a no-brainer.
Mike and I made sure to stop by Wilderness Tactical Products to say “Hi”. These folks have offered first aid and survival kits for some time that we’ve found well thought out. Turns out they’ll still sell red pouches of various sizes, but the demand for stocked expert kits (we’re talking clotting gauze and bandages, chest seals, tourniquets, etc.) isn’t high because docs and EMTs like to choose their own supplies. (Mine live in a pocket of my sling bag/laptop bag along with my exam tools. Dr. Edeen wraps his trauma kit around an ankle.)
There were new magazine loaders, neat knives and, of course, every conceivable hand-holdable firearm, from Ideal Conceal’s 2-shot .380 Cell Phone Pistol to Ruger’s Super Redhawk 5502 .44 Magnum single-action revolver. KelTec has ended production of its iconic P11 10-round 9mm pistol, but says something new is coming soon. Clothing designed for concealed carry abounded, with plenty of purses, packs and other creative ways to conceal firearms anywhere.
Seminar presenters included highly-regarded names like Rob Pincus, and of course Tim Schmidt, Kevin Michalowski and Beth Alcazar of USCCA. There were handgun, ammunition, and accessory giveaways all over. 5.11 gave out evocative caps depicting the number 93 superimposed on a red pentagon superimposed on silver Two Towers.
This was an event that could keep a body busy all 3 days without setting foot outside the convention center. Yet it was still small enough that with a bit of planning all the exhibits could be perused in one afternoon. Learning fundamentals of self-defense, live shooting with a variety of weapons, admiring the latest and greatest, and picking up a few bargains all went on together.
Check out the 6th annual USCCA Expo in Kansas City, Missouri, March 20-22, 2020. It will be another great weekend!
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— DRGO Editor Robert B. Young, MD is a psychiatrist practicing in Pittsford, NY, an associate clinical professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Modularity is all the rage for 21st century weapons. Multi-caliber with multiple barrel lengths sporting multiple optical systems for multiple missions. Heckler & Koch is somewhere shaking their heads because they did this in the 50’s when they built their modular receiver and trigger group weapon systems. The belt-fed version is the HK21.
While the G3 succeeded the German adopted variant of the FAL and the MP5 has international worldwide success the HK21 didn’t see nearly as much service adoption. The German defense forces didn’t need the HK21, they just built a new version of the MG42 in 7.62 NATO dubbed the MG3.
MG3 with Schmidt and Bender Optic, via Pinterest
The HK21 was built for other clients, like Portugal, who didn’t have a domestic GPMG, whose soldiers were likely conscript level, and who were using the G3 as a service rifle. The commonality in the manual of arms and low level ease of maintenance allowed the beltfed to be easily integrated into existing services equipped with H&K roller lock weapons.
In the video above Ian (Forgotten Weapons) takes the 21 out to the range for a little time behind the trigger.
Personally, having a 21 would be fantastic fun from a full auto and historical standpoint. But we don’t have one…
We do have an 11 though, the magazine only fed sibling.
While weapon mounted handgun lights have shrunk to the point of being concealable many still choose to carry without one. There are a number of reasons, some want to reduce bulk or their carry guns too small for lights, or they can’t find a holster and light combo that works. There are plenty of valid reasons to carry a weapon and flashlight separate from each other, and numerous people and organizations have created a variety of different flashlight techniques.
I researched and practiced with numerous styles and techniques, and wanted to provide a good how-to, as well as the pros and cons of each.
The Grips
There are two basic grips with a flashlight. The sword grip, in which hold the light with the palm upwards. Your fingers are fully wrapped around the light with the lens on the same end as your thumb and pointer finger. Works best with flashlights with side switches. The sword grip isn’t used very often due to modern light design.
Sword Grip
The Second is the ice pick grip. Your palm is facing downwards and your thumb is on the opposite end of the light. With modern light design, your thumb is positioned next to the light’s power switch and is a more common grip.
Ice Pick Grip
Harries Technique
The Harries Technique is an old technique that at the time of its invention was innovative. At the time it was invented lights were massive, think Mag-lite sized flashlights. It made more sense then, but can still work with today’s lights.
You hold your gun in your dominant hand and your flashlight in your offhand. Extend it into a Weaver shooting position with one hand. Your flashlight and the hand holding it goes underneath the shooting hand and you press the backs of both your hands together. This creates tension and aids in stability.
Harries
This works, but you do sacrifice some control with your weapon. You’re effectively using one hand and a little tension to engage a target. It will make shooting fast, accurately, or far difficult.
Cheek or Neck Index
Another option that utilizes one hand is the cheek or neck index method. This has you extending with your firing hand and bringing your light hand to your neck or cheek. It’s positioned at the neck or lower cheek to avoid block your peripheral vision.
It does position the light so you can always see where you are looking. This flashlight technique is very simple, and quick to assume. However, it does highlight your head as a target and only allows for one-handed shooting.
FBI Technique
As far as flashlight techniques go the FBI technique looks somewhat goofy. You extend your firing hand forward into a one-handed shooting position. Raise your light holding hand as if you were attempting to flex your bicep. Your arm is essentially at a 90-degree angle.
This holds the light away from your head and body and doesn’t draw fire to your vitals. However, you are still only shooting with one hand, and holding a light in this position is tiresome. It’s often a position you switch from cheek index too, and vice versa.
The Two Handed Techniques.
The above techniques are all unique, but also encourage one-handed shooting. More modern techniques have found methods that utilize both hands and your light. The Surefire, Chapman, and Ayoob techniques are very similar and seem to differentiate between how the fingers orient over the flashlight.
These flashlight techniques offer greater control over your weapon and are easy to use with modern shooting stances.
The Surefire
My personal favorite of all these flashlight techniques is the Surefire. The Surefire Technique is the most comfortable with modern lights and rear power switches. The Surefire technique has you position the light between your pointer finger and your middle finger. The rest of your fingers wrap around the grip of your handgun. Your light should not be touching the gun.
This technique is quick and easy to assume and comfortable with smaller modern lights only. With this grip, you have no problem activating a light with a tail switch. This modern technique has a learning curve but is well worth practicing.
The Chapman
The Chapman technique uses a modified sword grip. You wrap your thumb and pointer finger around the light. The rest of the fingers wrap around your firearm’s grip like a standard two-handed grip. The thumb of your firing hand adds additional grip to your flashlight.
This technique is very stable and you have a great hold on the flashlight itself. However, if it’s a flashlight with a tail cap you can only reach the switch with the firing hand thumb. As far as flashlight techniques go this one is certainly a bit outdated and designed for Maglites rather than Surefires, Streamlights, etc.
The Ayoob
The Ayoob is very similar to the Chapman. You use a grip similar to a sword grip. The flashlight sits on the pointer finger of your offhand, with the pointer finger hands wrapped around your gun’s grip if possible. This technique is again old and designed for use with big flashlights with side switches.
It’s comfortable and quick to assume. It takes very little training but doesn’t provide a ton of increased control compared to the Surefire or Chapman. This flashlight technique is the easiest to learn.
Flashlight Techniques
What I found so interesting is how these techniques feel like they were all created for the generation before mine. The only exception is the Surefire Method. It dawned on me that even 2 of the 3 more modern two-handed techniques are designed for Maglite style massive flashlights with side switches. We haven’t seen much innovation, and this is likely due to the fact that weapon mounted lights have shrunk, and become incredibly common.
Photo of events at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., May 17, 2013. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp was in attendance as President Barack Obama laid a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns in honor of all those who have fallen during military combat. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley.
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Owning guns is not just a right, but a responsibility. As a gun owner you have the responsibility to ensure your weapon is controlled and only used safely. Another major responsibility is owning an animal. If you are both a gun owner and a pet owner you know you have a responsibility to ensure your animal knows proper gun safety. Felines are naturally curious creatures and we all know they tend to love guns. This makes teaching your cat gun safety paramount.
How do you approach such a subject? Well, that seemed to be a popular question and the AAP has addressed this with their newest book, “How to Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety.” This short, but complete guide is here to help you discuss gun safety with your feline friend.
The book breaks down numerous subjects including the Proper Age to Discuss Gun Safety with your Cat, why you should have the talk, allowing your cat to hunt with guns and more. The short guide is very succinct and wastes no time in getting frisky.
Cats and Gun Safety
The book isn’t just a rehash of how to teach humans, or dogs, or gerbils about gun safety, it’s specifically about how to talk to cats and what affects felines and gun safety. There is some solid and pertinent advice in training your kittens on how to use guns. Even advice on how to choose the right gun for your cat. Your Cat’s Gat should be within their skill level and guns like the Desert Eagle 50 AE and Barrett 50 Cal should be reserved for only the most skilled felines. A AR 15 with a shot 300 Blackout upper is likely the best beginner’s choice outside of a 22 LR.
Some advice I never considered was being sure to never attach a laser sight to your cat’s gat. This will cause them to drop the gun and chase the laser, this will create an unsafe situation all around. These cat based factoids are fascinating.
Another interesting point was the fact that over 40% of accidents involving firearms and kitties are caused by cats trying to shoot birds out of trees. I never even considered that having an untrained cat is a danger to everyone.
What I didn’t Agree With
One piece of advice regarding defense from dogs I did not agree with. It advised cats fire a warning shot. I disagree with the idea of the civilian warning shot and believe it creates an undue danger to us all. Although, the warning shots are advised to be shot into the ground, which while safer than firing indiscriminately can still create ricochets or splatter.
The Best Advice for Gun Safety And Cats
While “How to Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety,” is chock full of good advice regarding how to talk about gun safety and kitties the best advice is in the back. It teaches you what needs to be covered when it comes to gun safety and kitties. Four safety fundamentals that you can build upon to teach your cat proper gun safety.
They are as Follows
If you encounter a strange gun don’t touch it
Never let your paw touch the trigger unless you are prepared to fire the gun
Never point the gun at something unless you intend to shoot it
Remember guns are not balls of yarn. They shouldn’t be batted around or handled lightly. Always keep a secure grip on your gun.
These are solid fundamentals and should be part of every gun safety conversation you have with your feline friends.
Illinois is a bastion of firearms freedoms, as we all well know, so it is not surprising to find out that the proposed ‘Fix the FOID’ act wants to add a fingerprints requirement to the identity data the state collects on persons wanting to exercise their civil rights.
Illinois State Police said Aurora shooter Gary Martin slipped through the cracks by lying on his application for a FOID card, and because Illinois does not have a fingerprinting requirement, the system missed his 20-year-old conviction for stabbing a former girlfriend in Mississippi. – CBS Chicago
If the ISP had just had his fingerprints there is NO WAY he would have had a gun… Minus the fact he already illegally had the gun and the state was the entity that failed by issuing the FOID.
Very few states have fingerprints as a state requirement for ownership. Carry, yes, but not ownership. Federally anyone looking to purchase an NFA item also must submit updated prints to the ATF.
The Fix the FOID fingerprint submission is not an unheard of requirement. Nor is it particularly burdensome with technology like Livescan. But assuring us that if this particular requirement had been in place that Aurora wouldn’t have happened seems like a stretch… I would hazard that there were other factors involved beyond fingerprints.
The addition of fingerprint data isn’t the only issue up in the act. Raising the tax for ownership ID by 500% is also. Yes, raising the tax… on a civil right… by 500%. I’m certain making it more expensive will help with that homicide clearance rate as those funds will undoubtedly be slated to combat ‘gun violence’. That’s usually the line they sell the tax increase with at any rate, and besides it only affects those crazy gun owners who dare to own guns legally. Fix the FOID now looks like a money grab from this angle.
According to data obtained by CBS 2, in 2018 3,429 cards were revoked in Cook County, but 39% of those cards were never actually returned.
You mean to say that people didn’t want to return their access to arms? Color me shocked! Shocked I say! But how would Fix the FOID change that non-compliance rate? Are those 3,429 revocations based on a background check in error? Would fingerprints have corrected those errors? None of that data is stated although the correlation is implied to bolster an argument for fingerprinting. In reality that number likely represents total revocations for all reasons, including expirations and criminal conduct. Very few of those are likely a revocation based on a background check error, and fewer of that subset would be corrected by having fingerprints on file.
The “Fix the FOID” Act passed out of committee Tuesday. It is poised for a vote in the House. The Senate would have to sign off before it goes to the governor’s desk.
The Memorial Day weekend sale is live at Aero Precision. If you’ve been looking for parts to finish a build, upgrade a build, or just finished a build and need parts for the next one…
AR15/M4E1 and M5E1 Completion kits are on sale. M4 and M5 upper receiver sets with and without handguards. Combinations to get you everything you need. Pricing it out quick, every part for a 16″ .308 build would be about $865 minus a stock, pistol grip, charging handle, and trigger of end user choice. No wasted spend.
Having just finished two more builds here at the office the M4E1 and M5E1 distinguish themselves as of the highest quality user friendly systems to build your custom platform. An 11.3 (my CEO’s gun) and my 12.5 have been added to our AR inventory. The builds were the smoothest and least profanity filled I’ve completed to date (no build is profanity free) and the final products are exactly the systems we wanted.
Home defense or truck gun pistols. Duty grade rifles. Precision hunting or PRS rigs. The Aero Precision platform gives an extensive level of user direction and compatibility with the build’s end goal, the attention to detail at the manufacturing level contribute to end user success with no corners cut. It’s the little things, like the threaded bolt catch and integral winterized trigger guard, that make the process smoothest from delivery to test fire. Whether you run an ATLAS, an Enhanced, or torque on a Geissele or Midwest rail the system supports the end user, the whole process is about efficiently delivering the final rifle you want.
While kicking off summer you can kick off or round out the next project. I feel like that is the American way of things.
I had a fantastic experience on a Spring Gobbler hunt recently. I’ve only turkey hunted twice before – once last year with a mentor, and one attempt by myself last year which I wrote about here.
The hunt was an experiment and was limited to four women including myself. We stayed in a rented vacation cottage and hunted on a Friday morning and Saturday morning, with guides to call for us and advise us.
We met up Thursday night at the cottage and had a get-to-know-you “girl evening” the night before our hunt so we could go over details. These were all women who had done hunts with Calibered Events or some other manner of hunting before. It turned out to be a really fun group. We had a short evening though as we needed to get to bed for our pre-dawn wake-up call.
Our first hunt day started with a wake-up alarm at 4 am with the goal of being in the blind no later than 5:30 AM. We broke our group of four women hunters up into two groups, with two gals going with each guide to blinds on different areas of the property. I went with Sarah and property owner Don as our guide. The other gals went with Calibered Events hunting guru Ann Marie.
Our blind was located in some upper fields that were at about 3000 ft of elevation in the mountains of Western Maryland. Spring was still getting a foothold up there. It was beautiful.
After driving through several pasture gates near the top of the mountain, we left the truck and walked the rest of the way around the field to our blind. We used headlamps to light our way in the darkness. The 8-man pop-up blind was like the freaking Blind-Mahal. The thing was HUGE. There was plenty of elbow room for three adult hunters, chairs and gear and even room to get up and move around.
While our guide set up the decoys we gals got settled and I loaded up my camo-wrapped Benelli M2 12-ga former 3-Gun shotgun.
My Benelli M2 dressed up in camo.
The distant gobbles started almost immediately at dawn. It was so exciting to hear these wild birds answer the calls from our guide!
Shortly after dawn, we heard distant shots, and after an interminable wait, were informed via text that one of the gals in the other group had shot her first gobbler! Reportedly, a couple gobblers came in fast on them, intending to kick around the jake decoy that was set out. But one of those Toms got a surprise he wasn’t looking for!
From our blind there were several gobblers visible on a hill in a far field, maybe 600 yards away. They would answer back, but they would not come over to our field. That part was a little frustrating, but even just that interaction was exciting for me. This was already more “action” than I had in my previous two turkey hunts combined! There was near constant calling back and forth for quite awhile, but ultimately those Toms wandered off in a different direction and left our decoys – probably to pursue real hens.
Things were quiet then for over an hour, but it was so pleasant listening to the various birds calling in the trees behind us. There were whippoorwills, and brown thrashers, woodpeckers, crows, and even a few geese and ducks flying overhead.
BUT then a single hen came in alone. She wandered in from our right (opposite from where all the gobbling had been). She checked out our decoys and listened to Don calling, but she ultimately moved on. She did not have any gobblers nosing after her either, much to our disappointment. Don thought she might have had a nest nearby.
That was the extent of our action for the first day, but it was SO interesting! Our guide was a font of information about turkey hunting. I learned much more about nesting and breeding habits than I had ever known previously.
When it was getting close to noon and the end of shooting hours, we headed back to our rental cabin and then on to the taxidermist to get our successful hunter Lauren’s prize mounted.
Lauren and her first gobbler.
On the second morning the was zero activity despite frequent calling for the first few hours. It was so different than the previous day when there were gobbles almost from the first break of dawn. But we finally saw a head pop up over the rise and slowly approach us – without a sound. That bird said not a word – it was crazy. We thought it was a hen at first. In fact we thought it might have been the same hen we saw the previous day who was just backtracking along the same route.
But when I handed my binoculars over to our guide, he said he thought he saw a little beard, and then confirmed that the head was red and there was definitely at least a 5 inch beard!
That bird went from hen to little jake to longbeard in the space of about three minutes. That was when the mad scramble started. My teammate Sarah and I were scrambling around like clowns at the circus trying to get into position for a shot. We had been relaxed and just watching because we thought it was a hen, but then WHAAAAH!!! I don’t know how that bird didn’t hear us panic whispering to eachother and getting ready.
Don tried his best to call that gobbler in, but that bugger didn’t make a peep and was starting to side-step us to the right. He wasn’t gobbling, he wasn’t strutting, he was just feeding and hanging out in the wisps of sorghum left after the winter.
Our guide thought he was out about 40 yards, and thought we should try to take a shot – both of us. My chair was too low and we were facing uphill, so even though I did have a shooting stick, my body position needed to be out of the chair and in a half crouch – not sitting, not kneeling, but not fully standing either. It was not an ideal or terribly stable shooting position but I did my best.
Sarah and I both took our shots simultaneously. Our guide said he thought he saw a feather or two float away, but then the gobbler was airborne – and gosh was he pretty! I used my second shell trying to lead him like a giant pheasant but missed him as I ran out of room in the blind window and he flew off into the woods to our right and behind us.
We thought in retrospect that the timid gobbler was eyeing our Tom decoy and keeping his distance. In Don’s words, “I think that guy has gotten his ass kicked a few times and was being cautious.” We had a good laugh over that one, but the experience taught me even more about turkey behavior.
Afterwards, we thought it might be nice to have those few feathers for a souvenir, but when we got out there at the end of the morning, we couldn’t find them. When Don paced off the actual distance, it was 58 yards – much farther than we had thought. So I didn’t feel so bad about the miss. Knowing that, I’m just glad we didn’t cripple him. When he was airborne he proved to be a lot bigger than he looked on the ground.
But we had our story to tell and that Tom lived to gobble another day. What a heart-pounding experience! I saved my two spent shells as a souvenir of the day.
The shells I used to miss my first turkey.
During the next lull, Don helped me work on my calls a bit. He roughened up the glass side of my call and gave me a wood striker to use as my fiberglass one wasn’t working very well.
I had practiced an assembly call, but even so, I wasn’t very “fluent”. In fact we joked that I was probably speaking “Turkey French”. Then that started a cascade of jokes about a gobbler being like Skunk Lothario Pepe le Pew – “Where you go, my Leetle French Love?” I had to keep from laughing too loud. There was no fun at all in our blind – nope, none.
The call I used to speak “Turkey French”.
We heard more distant gobbles through the morning, but could not get anybody to come even as close as that last one had come, so when noon rolled around we were again empty-handed. But I was certainly not empty-hearted.
I learned much more in those two mornings than I had in the entire previous season – mostly because there’s only so much you can read about. You reach a point where you simply have to EXPERIENCE.
The changing conditions on the top of those hills, and the turkeys’ reaction to it was a real education. In those two mornings of hunting we saw sprinkling rain, sun and blue sky, rolling fog and dropping temps. It’s funny that the hen we saw showed up during the sprinkles rather than the sunshine. And it was really interesting how that Tom didn’t make a single peep the whole time he was around our decoys. I learned so much, and I would definitely do this again!
This was the first time this hunt has been offered by Calibered Events and Wild Wings Hunting Preserve. I think they were a bit worried how we four women would react if we didn’t bring home a turkey. Unlike a released pheasant hunt, these are wild birds and there is no predicting behavior from one day to the next. There were NO guarantees. But it proved to be an AWESOME experience!
That’s the nature of hunting though. You have to be able to enjoy the entire experience, because you aren’t guaranteed a harvest. Wild animals are unpredictable. Although getting up at 4 AM two mornings in a row wasn’t my favorite part, that was what allowed me to experience the dawn, the birds waking up, the mist rising off the fields, and all of the intangibles that make hunting the almost spiritual thing that it is for me.
Many thanks to Ann Marie Foster of Calibered Events, and Don and Lisa Calhoun of Wild Wings Hunting Preserve for a memorable experience! I hope they decide to offer this opportunity again next year!
[Ed: The conclusion of the piece begun on Tuesday.]
What lessons emerge from the pattern of such incidents, of which we’ve mentioned but four in vignette only?
First, is that if one party means to impose its will upon members of another party the former must effectively disarm the latter. Such has been done successfully in diverse cultures throughout the world. Overall, the results have too often been tragic. American gun owners have learned the lesson.
Second, those who stand up for themselves have some chance of prevailing over an apparently overwhelming force. Douglass succeeded, as did the whole mass of Black Americans later, notwithstanding that they have always been a minority. The man prepared to die to defend his rights is the more formidable combatant when facing a tyrant who would prefer to live a comfortable life.
Third, men are not always entirely rational. Douglass was pushed beyond his tolerance. He had every reason to expect to be whipped to death; still, he would die on his feet, not on his knees. The Sioux had no rational expectation of defeating their white militia opponents, let alone regular troops. Southern secessionists failed to judge their inability to export their cotton and tobacco produce to finance a protracted war. They could successfully smuggle guns, power and shot; they just couldn’t pay for them.
Fourth, when men fail at discourse, debate and diplomacy, the consequences are devastating. We will never know the number of slaves who were whipped to death. When a minority is so powerless as to be treated contemptibly then contempt will work its coercive effect until there is no way forward but to sink or swim.
The course of gun control has taken diverse paths in various nations throughout history. It took a century for the Parliament to disarm and emasculate the loyal subjects of the United Kingdom. There is now no effective impediment to smuggling or cottage manufacture of guns. Today, Englishmen won’t even protect their daughters from sexual slavery to say nothing of self-defense. Their debate is now over cutlery control.
America is a different place. It took a century following the Civil War for Blacks to step up and demand a place at the table to insist upon their civil rights. American gun owners will not now sit by quietly as they are gradually divested of their enumerated Second Amendment rights. It would take far more than another century to accomplish that feat.
Gun owners are growing increasingly impatient with the contempt gun controllers heap on them. Former Attorney General Eric Holder once called for “brainwashing” people against guns. In the wake of the Parkland shooting major corporations withdrew their NRA member discount programs. Banks are withdrawing credit from Federal firearms licensees. Hollywood condemns gun ownership while profiting immensely on movies depicting shootings in exciting and glamorous scenes. All these Masters of the Universe demonetize and censor gun content.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and his Attorney General attack the NRA calling it an “extremist group”, claiming that its insurance indemnifies illegal acts, and trying to shut off its access to broad banking services. “Common sense” “gun safety” measures are perceived by rights advocates as expressions of contempt and subjugation—as Cuomo said, its defenders “have no place in the state of New York.” Even the ACLU sides with NRA in this.
I’d hazard the following prediction. Confrontation will not accomplish gun control–but neither will it end opposition to gun rights. Second Amendment advocates are most likely to find a strategy of collaboration effective.
In the theater of politics there are many constituencies, such as for: free speech; free press; religious freedom; freedom from unreasonable search and seizure; Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter and all lives matter; defense of property rights; self-protective minorities and women; LGQBT activists who feel likewise; rational public health advocates; and so on. Any of these constituencies might logically make common cause with gun rights advocates.
This may produce strange dance partners. We will watch this choreography unfold on the stage of life, hoping for a better outcome than Civil War II.
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—‘MarkPA’ is trained in economics, a life-long gun owner, NRA Instructor and Massad Ayoob graduate. He is inspired by our inalienable rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and holds that having the means to defend oneself and one’s community is vital to securing them.
Ian over at Forgotten Weapons takes on a belt fed that most people have probably only seen in the digital space. The KAC LAMG, Knight’s Armament Company – Light Assault Machine Gun, is a continuation on KAC’s legacy of developing and modernizing systems from Eugene Stoner.
With origins back to the Stoner 63 system, the LAMG uses a “constant recoil system”. The lightweight machine gun doesn’t need a buffer to catch the back of the reciprocating bolt carrier. The recoil spring slows and returns the bolt over its full travel distance without delivering a jolt to the shooter.
From Knight’s Armament
The 5.56 variant weighs in at 9lbs unloaded and gives a rifleman in a fireteam belt fed suppression capability with a controllable rate of fire and an incredibly easy recoil impulse. Much lighter than an M249, the KAMG doesn’t compromise a teams maneuverability. It can still operate as a true automatic rifle and not as a machine gun.
The nature of both the 5.56 and 7.62 variants, as well as caliber derivatives of both those, is mobile and controllable squad firepower. They still have quick change barrels, low (for automatic, 600m) rates of fire that vastly improve accuracy and ammo conservation. It can operate in the spaces that the M240 and M249 operate and allow those heavier weapons to operate on platforms that their weight is not a detriment, vehicles and emplacements.
The LAMG is compatible with the full spectrum of optics, ancillaries, and even AR grips to grant the end user agency or branch an array of customization to fit their mission profiles. M-LOK for rails or direct attachment and a KAC heavy duty bipod keep the weapon fully inline with its support role.
The SIG P365 was quite the gun at SHOT 2018 and since then it’s been a massive success with numerous awards and thousands adopting it as their new EDC. The P365 is a sweet gun, it’s a striker fired 9mm that holds 10 rounds in a package that is the same size as most single stack 9mms that hold 6 rounds. The P365 was alone at the top, but it’s about to get a younger, but bigger brother. Osage County Guns released the first look at both the new SIG P365 XL and the new SIG Romero Zero optic.
The information comes from an alleged spec and sale sheet, so things may change prior to the gun being released to the public. We saw little hints this was coming when the Gun Mag Warehouse published a listing for a 15 round P365 magazine. Until now that just seemed to be a SIG extended mag. The P365 XL will feature a slightly longer barrel and longer grip frame.
Courtesy of Osage County Guns
The P365 XL will sport a 12 round flush magazine with a 15
round extended mag. The barrel grows from 3.1 inches to 3.7 inches. What looks
interesting is the fact that the frame’s dust cover looks to be the same length
as the standard P365. This may be hinting towards compatibility with the 3.1-inch
slide for a Glock 43X style gun.
Besides the longer barrel the gun is hosting a ton of new
features. This includes a flat faced trigger, an extended beavertail, a carry
magwell, and best of all an optic’s cut slide.
The P365 XL and Romeo Zero
The slide is compatible with the Shield RMSc optics, as well as the brand-new Romeo Zero optic. The Romeo Zero optic is smaller than miniature red dot. SIG likes their cover plates to integrate a rear sight, so it’s removed when you want to mount an optic.
Courtesy Osage County Guns
The Romeo Zero features an integrated rear sight, and it
appears as if the gun will naturally cowitness with the P365 XL iron sights. While
not confirmed I would love to see the standard P365 get an optic’s cut slide
model in the near future.
Release dates point to mid to late summer, and I’ve reached
out to SIG for comment, and additional details. Watch this space for updates.
9 Hole Reviews takes the AK 74, stock, to the range and stretches its legs. The results of their practical accuracy tests are telling. With iron sights in high wind the AK in 5.45×39 tells its naysayers precisely what it can do.
The 5.45×39 cleans the 150-500 yard course in 30 rounds, a feat very few rifles have been able to match. The “poison bullet” of the Soviet/Afghan conflict does what it does so well because it was designed to match or beat the range, accuracy, and lethality of the M16, just in the AK platform the soviets knew well by this point.
The rifles are accurate.
The shooter makes or breaks it.
I was using a 8.3″ barreled 5.56 AK variant out to 200 yards this past weekend and making my all day hits. 100 yard group with M193 was about 3-4 MOA over 30 rounds (three 10rd strings)
AKs run and they can take what you aim to hit. Like the FAL, the G3, and the M16A2 a stock AK is behind the modern curve ergonomically, but that doesn’t negate its base effectiveness.
Don’t believe me? Show us all wrong. Or perhaps learn something new.
Sentinel Concepts AK 47 in Alliance with Tom Alibrando of IWI and Steve ‘Yeti’ Fisher. Sign up here
