A candle to end violence
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it….”
John 1:5
My plan for ending violence:
My M&P .40 Pro Series, Blade-Tech holster, and some Hornady Critical Defense. The picture is terrible inasmuch as I have no artistic sense. But it’s not meant to be pretty; it’s meant to give comfort, and to remind me that I have nothing to fear.
And when she heard what I was doing, the little one wanted to get involved:
That’s her Ruger Bearcat .22. She’s small, but mighty.
Carry your guns, people. They are a lighter burden than regret.
Is today backwards day?
After posting this, I read further in my blogroll, and Weer’d pointed to this article on Fox News.
Have I woken up in opposite town?
Quote from Peter Vallone, of all people:
“By prosecuting this woman and seeking 3 1/2 years of jail, we are shooting our own [gun-control] efforts in the foot and giving the rest of the country ammunition,” Vallone said.
True enough, I think. Cases like these make the obvious point that we need to standardize our concealed carry laws, and that laws that prevent individuals from carrying their firearms amount to harassment at best. (Assault is already illegal, guys.)
But here’s where it gets wacky:
“Clearly, the laws are too strict here, but that’s something we need to work out for ourselves without honoring licenses to carry guns in states where felons can carry them,” he said.
Emphasis is mine. We have a Democrat New York City councilman admitting that the laws are too strict, which is crazy enough. But then he goes on to articulate the standard that he thinks is the correct one. That they should honor permits from other states, except for states where felons are allowed to carry guns.
Um…I’ll take it. Inasmuch as there are no states where felons can carry guns. So, yeah, universal reciprocity.
Weer’d points out the foolishness of this statement, but I think it provides a window into what they think that they can get away with. And that bar is pretty low, my friends.
Another reason we need to pass HR 822
Female medical student from Tennessee sees “No guns allowed” sign at the 9/11 memorial, asks where she can check her gun. Bloomberg’s minions arrest her. Full story here.
I think issues like this are going to become more and more common as concealed carry becomes normalized. Folks who have entered the gun culture in its modern, normalized state don’t even think about places where gun rights are restricted. NY recognizes her drivers license…why not her handgun license.
Oh, and a correction for the original author:
Mayor Bloomberg has made out-of-state guns one of his major issues. It was an out-of-state gun that recently killed police officer Peter Figoski.”
This should read:
Mayor Bloomberg has made out-of-state guns one of his major issues. It was an
out-of-state gunmurdering scumbag that recently killed police officer Peter Figoski.
Ughhh
Steve at the Firearm Blog posted a link to the “Statue of Liberty” Glock being auctioned for the 2012 SHOT show:
Now, Glocks are many things. Pretty is not one of them. I appreciate good engraving as much as the next guy, but I would have chosen a different canvas!
Buying guns as gifts
A friend recently sent me an email. She wanted to buy her husband a pistol for his birthday, and was looking for some advice.
Guns make great gifts, but there are some pitfalls.
When I asked my friend what he wanted, she told me “a 9mm.” Not quite enough info to go on, so I probed a little. Like a lot of new gun owners, he wasn’t really sure what he would ultimately end up using it for. In that case, my default setting is a full sized, polymer framed, striker fired duty gun. Why? Full sized guns are easier to shoot than small guns. They make a good platform to get started on. Modern striker fired guns are easier to learn to shoot with than single/double action. There is only one trigger pull to learn.
Caliber wise, 9mm is a great choice. Modern 9mm ammo is excellent, and is cheaper then the alternatives, which means more ammo to shoot with. But honestly, despite all the ink that has been spilled on the subject. it just doesn’t matter. 9mm, .40, .357 Sig, .45, they will all work just fine.
I told my friend that buying a pistol was a little like buying shoes. Pistols are personal items. I like brand X, and you like brand Y, and we are both right. A lot of choosing the right gun is subjective: how does it feel in the hand, how well does it point for you? That makes it hard to choose a gun for someone else.
I recommended that she get her husband to go to the range to do some shooting and tell her what he liked. This is always a good idea. Lots of ranges will offer a wide selection of rental firearms; give different models a try and see what works for the shooter.
You also need to know the law in your area. North Carolina requires a purchase permit whenever a pistol is transferred. Purchase permits are a vestige of Jim Crow. It used to be that you couldn’t buy a gun unless the Sheriff said so, which kept guns out of the hands of the newly freed slaves. Today, purchase permits are essentially shall issue, meaning unless you are a prohibited person then they have to give them to you. Today, they exist basically as a tax. If you have a concealed carry permit, you don’t need a purchase permit.
The important wrinkle for North Carolina residents is that a purchase permit is required any time a pistol is transferred, even as a gift. So, in theory, my friend needs two purchase permits; one that she will give the dealer when she buys the pistol, and her husband needs one to give to her when she gives the pistol to him. This is one reason why it makes sense to get a carry permit in North Carolina, even if you have no intention to carry; we can forget all of this purchase permit nonsense.
Finally, I advised her to not just get her husband a pistol. She should give him some training as well. Here in North Carolina, we have an excellent resource that I have mentioned before: TigerSwan. One day of pistol training costs $210, and is worth every penny. It will get a new shooter started on the right foot, and provide the foundation for a lifetime of shooting skills.
Missing the picture
I meant to blog about this earlier in the week, but the week got away from me.
Last weekend, the family and I went out for some sorely needed R&R to an undisclosed large amusement park. On the way in, they do a haphazard bag check. As we were entering, the security guard stopped me and asked me about the knife in my pocket.
“Excuse me, sir?”
“Yes?”
“You have a knife on your pocket.”
“Yes.”
“Can I see how long it is?”
“Sure” I take it out and show it to him and put it back in my pocket.
“Sir, are you police?”
“No.”
“Active duty military?”
“Nope.”
I’m not sure where this is going…there isn’t any law against bringing a three inch pocketknife. What does it matter if I was police or military? You can see the wheels turning in his head, whether he is going to let me in or make me loose the knife. Finally, he says: “OK, sir. Just put it in your bag so it doesn’t fall out on the rides.”
“Sure thing.”
I was a bit miffed, and thought about making a scene, but my wife was giving me the dagger eyes that she wanted to get going, so I relented. Two points, though:
- I was later vindicated when my daughter wanted the tag cut off of a new stuffed animal, and I smugly presented my pocket knife.
- Um, Mr. Security Guard? You missed the Kahr .380 in my pocket.
NRA Annual Meeting, Day 2
What a day! Got to meet Breda, Jay G, Alan, Weer’d Beard, and Countertop. Ran into Joe and SayUncle again.
The floor was pretty cool. I’ve got pics and things, but I’m flying to Moscow (Russia, not Idaho) tomorrow, and I’ve got lots to do before I rest. But a few quick impressions:
- Got to handle the new LCRs. The small .38 has a really small grip. Not sure why we need that…I’ve never found the grip on the LCR to be a problem. The .357 is a little bigger than the .38. The grip is really comfortable.
- Got to handle the S&W Bodyguards. The .380 is about as big as the LCP, but feels heavier. The sights were not bad…not as good as those on the Kahr, but much better than the LCP. The laser was not as goofy as I thought at first glance. The .38 seems to be an answer in search of a problem. The cylinder latch is confusing and hard to manage. It’s light, and the grip is really small. Trigger felt much lighter than either the LCR or the other J-frame guns.
- S&W also has a new M&P in the line…in flat dark earth, with sights that feature both fiber optics AND tritium, in both .40 and 9mm.
New guns from Ruger
Looks like Ruger is adding to the LCR lineup:
- A .357 version
- A smaller .38 version, with Hogue boot grip and XS Big Dot sights
I can’t wait to check these out at the annual meeting. Pics coming soon.
Too cool!
Brownells has launched a Flash based tool to let you design your own custom AR-15, then print out the parts list for easy ordering. It’s really neat, and a great way to learn about what you can do with an AR.
http://www.ar15builder.com
The black rifle market
A collegue and I were recently chatting. He’s looking at picking up his first AR, and he asked me about the market. Here is what I told him. Right now the pipeline is empty, from parts through to rifles. That is driving up prices to astronomical levels. ($1500 for a bone stock Bushmaster M4gery? I don’t think so.)
I think that will die down next year sometime, for two reasons. First, I don’t think that the gun bans are coming right away. Executive orders will be a problem in the short term, and will probably be focused on niche things. Imported parts kits (above and beyond what the ATF has already done), and imported ammo are things that I think are at risk in the short term. I don’t believe that a new AWB is likely before the midterm elections. Obama can’t risk having what happened to Clinton happen to him. He will be under pressure by his base to do something on guns, and it will be interesting to see how he resists that pressure.
So, the panic buying will continue through the end of the year. Then next year, when nothing comes initially, people will relax and stop buying like mad. It will take time for the pipeline to fill, and it will fill from the head back…meaning we will see full rifles first, then as makers large and small refill their inventory, we will see parts and kits reappear. That will take about 6 months or so. (A SWAG on my part. I don’t know how much manufacturing capacity there is out there. I know that certain parts, such as receivers and barrells, are fairly labor intensive as well as fairly concentrated in terms of number of manufacturers.
By summer, the market will start to open up, as rifles become more availalbe. Prices will be higher…in some cases a lot higher, especially for premium brands like Stag and Smith and Wesson, but rifles will be available. The secondary market will bloom, as people realize they don’t need 20 recievers and dealers realize they won’t be able to charge confiscatory prices on things. Gunshow deals should be great next year, as dealers need to free up capital for things they can sell.
So, if you are in the market for an AR, I’d hang in there until the middle of next year.
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Do your part!
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