From a friend in Israel
8 Aug 12 International trends, from a friend in Israel: “American-made M16s and variants are still the mainstay here, but our locally-made Tavor is now gradually replacing the M16, at least in our special-forces brigades. The bullpup Tavor Rifle (TAR21) is designed and manufactured by IMI (Israeli Military Industries). Until several years ago, rear echelons […]
Nasty confrontation avoided?
7 Aug 12 This from a student in the Midwest: “Yesterday evening, my wife and I were out on our usual evening walk. We live in a quiet, upscale, suburban neighborhood. Suddenly, a local taxicab came up behind us, beeped his horn, slowed to a stop, and, through the open passenger-side window, the driver asked, […]
Evil!
6 Aug 12 This from an LEO friend: “In July of 1966, Richard Speck sexually assaulted and then, one by one, murdered eight student-nurses in their apartment in the Jeffrey Manor Neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. Speck, a weedy, unimposing, perpetually-unemployed loser, used a knife to intimidate and eventually murder all eight of his victims. […]
Sage comments from various correspondents
4 Aug 12 Sage comments from various correspondents: From WY: “‘Learned Helplessness’ is forcibly injected into the veins of every American child the moment he/she enters grade school! I recently consulted with a local school district on their ‘safety plan.’ In it, teachers are ordered to notify an administrator (one of only two or three) […]
Home Invasions?
3 Aug 12 I recently viewed a TV news program, emanating from the Chicago area, purporting to provide home-owners with sound advice with regard to home-invasions by VCAs. The “expert” they consulted mouthed perfectly the party-line. The “principles” promoted by these nanny-state Liberals never change: 1. You’re too stupid to own a gun! Daring, initiative, […]
These comments from a recent immigrant from SA
30 July 12 “Dignity of an Armed Citizen” RA Heinlein These comments from a recent immigrant from SA: “… as a proud American Citizen (by choice, not by birth) I want to shout a warning to all my countrymen: don’t allow erosion of our right to be privately, individually armed! I lived through this in […]
From a friend in the West Indies
27 July 12 From a friend in the West Indies: “Greetings from the warm, wild, wild West Indies. “As you know, we have some of the strictest gun laws under the US Flag. Mandatory jail-sentence of seven years for possession of an unlicensed firearm. Possession of ammunition, not on your license, evokes a similar state […]
Theater Shooting in CO
25 July 12 By this time, we’re all familiar with events of early Friday (20 July 12) in Aurora, CO. The suspect apparently purchased all guns and ammunition used, legally. He did not have enough of a criminal record, at least officially, to by rejected for purchase by NICS. However, a television interview with his […]
“Man plans, and God laughs”
19 July 12 “Man plans, and God laughs” In the last of his radio “Fireside Chats” of 1940, FDR coined a new phrase, “Arsenal of Democracy,” to describe the hysterical domestic military build-up, then going forward at a frenzied pace. War-fever had caught on! Hitler’s precipitous invasion of Poland a year earlier, and his U-Boats […]
Wrong direction
16 July 12 “Chance favors the prepared. Fortune, the bold. Providence, the audacious!” We’re going in the wrong direction: Wars can’t be successfully propagated exclusively with cantankerous, grumbling, Metamucil-swigging, easily-irritated codgers, so, as noted, we have to inject our years of experience directly into the blood of our current generation of heroic, young firebrands. “Readiness” […]
Are we training, or just pretending?
15 July 12 At a Defensive Handgun/Urban Rifle Program recently, one of my students was a strapping, young Marine E6 with a nearly a decade of active service. His learning attitude was excellent. He was there on his own dime, and anxious to learn everything he could. As a Marine Infantry Officer (Ret), I am […]
USMC BBQ, Loveland, CO, 28 July 12 (Sat)
14 July 12 USMC BBQ, Loveland, CO, 28 July 12 (Sat) My good friend and colleague, Bob Jensen, is hosting a BBQ at his shop (Jensen’s) in Loveland, on 28 July 12 (Sat). Proceeds benefit our Wounded Warrior Program. As a USMC Infantry Officer (Ret), three-times wounded myself (Vietnam), I appreciate what Bob is doing, […]
Premium ARs
14 July 12 I’ve written recently about utility ARs, most of which currently retail at 1k to 1.5k. Windham, and a few others (Palmetto, Del-Ton) come in below $800.00. I don’t have personal experience with all, but Windham’s version seems very acceptable. Friends tell me the other two mentioned above are acceptable also. I like […]
Blown Primers, Revisited
14 July 12 At an Urban Rifle Course in CO last week, one of my Instructors brought a Doublestar AR, which ran fine until the second day. Ammunition was WW White-Box. During a live-fire drill, the rifle’s bolt-carrier stuck in its retracted position, within the buffer-tube. No amount of coaxing persuaded it to resume normal […]
Windham Weaponry
13 July 12 Windham Weaponry: I don’t endorse products, but I do recommend some. Since I have no financial connection with any gun company, nor any ammunition company, I’m free to say terrible things about any of them! Of all companies currently manufacturing utility ARs, or at least putting them together under their name, I’ve […]
DHS “study”
5 July 12 “True literature… is created, not by diligent and trustworthy officials, but by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels, and skeptics” Zamyatin A curious “study,” funded by DHS, now labels all Americans who are “suspicious of centralized federal authority,” or “reverent of individual liberty” as terrorists! It is not surprising that such government-funded “studies,” […]
From a friend in the System
2 July 12 From a friend in the System: “The only real purpose of ‘Fast and Furious,’ now altogether discredited, was to fraudulently vilify honest American gun-owners and retailers, with, of course, all-too-enthusiastic cheerleading on the part of the Administration’s media lackeys. Leftist politicians dependably single-out for punishment constituencies who do not support them politically. […]
Fearful “Protectors?”
1 July 12 Armed, US Border Patrol Agents are now being ordered by Janet N at DHS, and by proxy BHO himself, when encountering “active shooters,” to: “… run away and hide” “… call law enforcement” Since there is no such thing as organized, political terrorism in Janet’s world, only “workplace violence,” even police are […]
Excellent comments on Urban Rifle training
26 June 12 Excellent comments on Urban Rifle training, from a recent student: “Competent, attentive instructors are essential. Critiques from instructors must be delivered immediately, politely, but with concern. When your instructor fails to notice misplaced fingers, poorly run triggers, and sloppiness in gun-handling, you’re not getting your money’s worth. It’s a simple fact that, […]
Comments from a friend and long-time LEO in a neighboring state
25 June 12 Comments from a friend and long-time LEO in a neighboring state: “With regard to your previous Quip, we are assuredly seeing the trend here. Our local gun-shop looks as if it is going out of business, because display cases are mostly bare. During ‘normal’ times, there are at least sixty handguns on […]
Gun industry legends Dave Spaulding, Massad Ayoob, Mike Boyle, and John Farnam join Fernando Coelho to dive deep into the history of the gun industry, shedding light on how firearms and firearms training have transformed over the decades. They discuss the dramatic shift from traditional print reviews to the digital age of internet forums, social media influencers, and YouTube personalities of the industry.
