Category: Guns
Retro
I’ve noticed there seems to be growing interest in retro AR-15s, like this Colt SP1. I have to admit I’m strangely attracted to the retro look, and the A1 style handguards. One of these could end up being an impulse buy if I run across one at a show or gun store.
SHOT – American Made Styer AUG
It’s about time. There is to be already is an American made Styer AUG, and it can be had in 6.8 Remington SPC too. My friend Jason has wanted one of these for a while, and now it’s looking like it might be possible to get one for a reasonable price.
XR9 – Backwards Loading
I’m not sure what the advantages to this design are, but it looks interesting.
UPDATE: Uncle says it’s to get a longer barrel in a smaller package. Didn’t think of that. One thing though, is I thought it was pretty difficult to do a straight blowback operation with a cartridge as powerful as 9mm? Hi-point does it with its 9mm pistol, but it also has a huge block of metal for a slide. Exceptionally powerful springs in this maybe?  Is that going to be reliable enough? Someone who knows more about gun design that I do can hopefully answer.
On Moderate “Allies”
Thirdpower speaks of a commenter regularly appearing over at Tom King’s blog:
What he considers a “principled” stance is to throw gun owners he doesn’t associate with under the bus to protect his personal interests for the time being yet can’t seem to understand why we don’t like him.
I’m willing to stand with a hunter who will stand with me any day of the week, but I’m even willing to stand with a hunter who mostly just fights for his sport, as long as he doesn’t actively work against mine. I’d hardly consider that Great Britain was being a good ally to Czechoslovakia when they agreed to let Hitler gobble it up in order to have “Peace in our Time”, and it’s hard to consider a guy like this a real ally too, even a moderate one.
But I do think we need to dispense with the term “Fudd,” and drop the generally adversarial relationship we often promote with the hunting community. We need hunters, for a lot of reasons. I’m a proponent of getting them more on board with the gun rights thing, and it’s hard to do that if they see us insulting them, and denigrating their sport. We won’t get through to all of them, but I don’t see any reason to write off this important demographic in the shooting community. We may not convert this moderate “ally” into someone who sees the light, but there’s no reason not to try.
UPDATE: Pistolero has a different point of view. I should clarify that I’m not suggesting we need to abide by hunters who just decide to be selfish and actively work against the gun rights of others. The proper term for someone like that is gun control advocate, and they must be opposed. My caution here is to not assume that every horse of this persuasion can’t be lead to water. Many of them can. That’s why I caution against terms like “Fudd” that some might see as denigrating. If the shooting community factionalizes, we’re doomed.
Too Lax
Maureen Downey, who is the queen of PSH for the Atlanta Journal and Constipation, isn’t happy with Georgia’s permitting process, or the new bill to ease carry restrictions:
Supporters defend the expansion by pointing out that it applies only to Georgians with permits to carry concealed weapons. That would be more reassuring if acquiring a permit involved a careful screening process, but it does not.
Under Georgia law, police chiefs and sheriffs are all but forced to grant concealed carry permits to anyone who can buy a handgun; there is no requirement that permit holders undergo safety training.
In contrast, California gives police far more discretion to deny concealed weapon permits. In a state of 37 million people, about 50,000 Californians are licensed to carry concealed weapons. Compare that to Georgia, a state of 9 million people where an estimated 300,000 people have permits.
Of course, what she’s hoping you don’t notice is what the criteria for issuing a license in Georgia actually are, and that applicants are indeed subject to background checks.
In addition to that, it’s worthwhile to note that Georgia has a lower violent crime rate than California. She also brings up the VPC’s debunked study showing Texas license holders are particularly prone to criminal behavior. Keep drinking the kool aid Ms. Downey. Tastes good doesn’t it?
Even More SHOT
Looks like there are some fun 22LR firearms coming out, including a .22LR target pistol from Walther. There’s also the Ruger Charger, which looks like it would be a great pistol to use for handgun silhouette. Anyone has to love a revolver that can fire a .410 shotgun shell. I agree with Uncle that this little folder is way cool.
This Kalashnikov looks like an NFA item, but would be an excellent home defense rifle if you don’t live in a crowded area where over penetration is a concern. Even more pictures of TDI’s Kriss Vector CRB/SO. The more I’m thinking about it, the more I think I’d pay the NFA tax to get an SBR version of this. The SCAR-L would appear to be another SBR. One thing I haven’t liked about the SCAR is that the folding stock look like it’s attached to a door hinge, but ugly is OK if it’s functional.
UPDATE: There’s also SHOT Business.
Ordered 15 More Ounces of Gunzilla
I just received another three five ounce bottles of Gunzilla. It took me a while to go through the 1.9 ounce bottle I got at the NRA convention, just to try out. My original review of their product was here. The stuff works so well I ordered myself what will probably be a two year supply. One of the 5 ounce bottles will be for Bitter, to go with her new present which is on its way here thanks to Traction Control.
I can’t say enough good things about this cleaner. It works just as well as petroleum based cleaners, has virtually no odor, and isn’t a hazardous material.
Confused on Clinton’s Gun Position
For once I share Bryan Miller’s sentiment on something. I also think Clinton’s assault on Obama’s stance on guns is laughable on its face.
So, we must turn our attention to the Democrats. Democrats like Clinton should know by now that pandering to the pro-gun community will not work. How many Dems have to be ostentatiously photographed in duck blinds or loudly claim fealty to the Second Amendment – and then lose – for the rest to realize that such pro-gun nonsense fools no one on either side? To pro-gunners, these are amusing missteps by candidates who would never get their votes anyway, and it makes the rest of us yearn for a candidate who is genuine and principled.
I agree, it’s not going to help her win that vote. Pretty much everyone knows what Hillary’s position was on the issue, and no amount of kowtowing to the pro-gun vote is really going to help her much.
That said, it has to be frustrating for gun control activists to see candidates on both parties running away from their issue like a panicking crowd in a bad Godzilla movie.
Another View on National Park Carry
From Andrew McKean of Outdoor Life’s “The Gun Shots” blog:
On the other side, some of the most passionate gun-rights advocates claim their Second Amendment rights allow them to carry guns anywhere, forgetting that the American landscape is dotted with areas where private guns are prohibited. These include prisons, military installations and most public buildings.
The sensible middle is where this proposal should be debated. The Interior Department should relax firearms restrictions in national parks and refuges because it keeps honest people honest. And because it would prevent otherwise law-abiding gun owners from inadvertently becoming felons simply because they cross a jurisdictional boundary.
I am not at all opposed to the proposal for allowing unconcealed or cased firearms to be transported through National Parks. If that all the DOI is willing to give us, I’ll take it, and will advocate strongly for it. But I wouldn’t discount so readily how inconvenient the ban on concealed carry is for people who have state licenses to do so. The perspective of someone out west might be a bit different than mine.
Out West, the parks are big, and boundaries more apparent. Here the parks are small, and often not readily apparent. I routinely drive through property owned by the Department of Interior, namely Valley Forge National Park, sometimes Hopewell National Historic Site, and on the grounds of Independence National Historical Park. In the last case the street outside these places is technically under authority of DOI, but it also a Philadelphia city street. Am I to cross the street? Or drive around Valley Forge constantly? Going miles out of my way?
Most people who drive through these state rights-of-way are often unaware they are in a National Park. While DOI says they enforce state law on state rights-of-way, there’s always the problem of hitting a deer (a real possibility in Valley Forge), and suddenly finding yourself in violation of federal law because you stopped.
The National Park restrictions on concealed carry a major impediment to those who choose to carry. I would hope sportsmen will get behind the most recent efforts to force DOI compliance with state laws on this matter, and won’t merely support a “middle ground” which will only really benefit them.