Month: May 2013

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Chicago Hit Job On World Shooting And Recreational Center

May 14, 2013 by 6 Comments

You shoot trap or skeet. You live in the ‘burbs. You aspire to a Perazzi or Krieghoff custom shotgun to go with your Beemer. You don’t particularly care for the NRA as all they care about is protecting those mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals and their evil black rifles. Besides, Mayor Bloomberg and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have always said they are only after the illegal guns and that they respect American sporting traditions like trap and skeet.

Sorry to intrude on your dream world but you might want to think again.

Fox 32 News out of Chicago has just done a nice hit piece on the home of the Grand American – the World Shooting and Recreational Center in Sparta, Illinois. They are saying it is an expensive boondoggle that has cost and continues to cost Illinois taxpayers millions of dollars.

Chances are you’ve never heard of the World Shooting and Recreational
Complex; which is too bad, because you almost certainly paid for it. In
fact, Illinois taxpayers kicked in tens of millions of dollars for the
downstate tourist attraction. The problem is, it isn’t attracting a lot
of tourists and it continues to lose money.

And who is leading the charge to get rid of it? None other than Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) who is one of the leading gun prohibitionists in the Illinois General Assembly.

“The state must live within its means. Fund what works. Get rid of what
doesn’t,” Kotowski says. “Should we be in the business of making sure
that we have sport shooting competitions, shooting competitions should
the state government be in that business whether it makes people feel
good or not? I think we should be in the business of educating our
children.”

Unfortunately, the World Shooting and Recreational Center is also being targeted by the free-market leaning Illinois Policy Institute. They have consistently called for the state’s spending on it to be cut. They call it a “giant white elephant” in the Fox 32 report which can be seen below.

It should be pointed out that the World Shooting and Recreational Center hosts more than the Grand American and skeet and trap shooting competitions. There are regular SASS, IDPA, and USPSA pistol competitions held there. You can also shoot trap, skeet, and sporting clays most days of the week when competitions are not being held.

Would the World Shooting and Recreational Center be better served by being in private hands? Maybe. That said, the attack on it now by Dan Kotowski and others is a backdoor attack on shooting in general. If they can limit places to shoot, they will make it harder to exercise our Second Amendment rights.

Chicago News and Weather | FOX 32 News

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ATK Gets Into The Gun Business

May 14, 2013 by

ATK – formerly known as Alliant Techsystems – announced today that they were buying Caliber Company. Caliber is the parent company of Savage Sports Corporation. This marks the first true firearms company owned by ATK. They make ammunition under a number of labels including Federal Premium, CCI, Fusion, Speer, Estate Cartridge and Blazer. They also own a number of companies in the firearm accessory and reloading field including BLACKHAWK!, Alliant Power, RCBS, Champion targets and shooting
equipment, Gunslick Pro and Outers gun-care products, and Weaver optics
and mounting systems.

Savage got an equity infusion early in 2012 from NorWest Equity Partners. While no numbers were mentioned when NEP made the investment in Savage, I’m sure the $315 million in cash that ATK is paying represents a significant return on their investment.

From ATK’s press release which provides more details:

ARLINGTON, Va., May 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — ATK (NYSE: ATK) announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Caliber Company, the parent company of Savage Sports Corporation. Savage is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hunting rifles and shotguns, delivering innovative products for more than 100 years. The acquisition would expand ATK’s portfolio offering by adding long guns to its leading brands in commercial and security ammunition, shooting sports and security-related accessories. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. ATK anticipates closing the transaction in the first quarter of its Fiscal Year 2014 (FY14), which ends June 30, 2013.

Under the terms of the transaction, ATK will pay $315 million in cash, subject to a customary working capital adjustment. This represents a trailing twelve months ended March 31, 2013 EBITDA multiple of approximately 5.5 times (unaudited). ATK believes the acquisition will be accretive to FY14 earnings per share. ATK will finance the acquisition with cash on hand and funds available under its existing credit facility.

“The acquisition will complement ATK’s growing portfolio of leading consumer brands,” said Mark DeYoung, ATK President and CEO. “This opportunity will allow us to build upon our offerings with Savage’s prominent, respected brands known for accuracy, quality, innovation, value and craftsmanship. Savage’s sales distribution channels, new product development, and sophistication in manufacturing will significantly increase our presence with a highly relevant product offering to distributors, retailers and consumers.”

Operating under the brand names of Savage Arms, Stevens, and Savage Range Systems, the company designs, manufactures and markets centerfire and rimfire rifles, shotguns and shooting range systems used for hunting as well as competitive and recreational target shooting. The company was organized in 1894 by Arthur Savage and has expanded into market-leading positions. Savage is located in Westfield, Mass. and Lakefield, Ontario, and employs approximately 600 skilled employees.

“Savage offers customers a unique value proposition that is unmatched by any other firearms manufacturer and will be a tremendous complement to ATK’s existing ammunition and shooting accessories portfolio,” said Al Kasper, Savage President and Chief Operating Officer.

ATK will integrate Savage within its Sporting Group business. ATK’s Sporting Group is the established leader in sporting and law enforcement ammunition and shooting accessories. ATK’s ammunition brands include Federal Premium, CCI, Fusion, Speer, Estate Cartridge and Blazer. ATK’s accessories brands include BLACKHAWK!, Alliant Power, RCBS, Champion targets and shooting equipment, Gunslick Pro and Outers gun-care products, and Weaver optics and mounting systems.

Caliber Company has been a portfolio company of Norwest Equity Partners (NEP), a leading middle market equity investment firm, since January 2012. NEP is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn.

ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with approximately 15,000 employees and operations in 21 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally. ATK is headquartered in Arlington, Va. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atk, or on Twitter @ATK.

UPDATE: More on the acquisition of Savage by ATK from The Republican of Springfield, MA.

Bill Dermody, director of marketing at Savage, he had no information about how the sale will impact operations and employment in Westfield. The deal doesn’t become official until June.

But he did say ATK doesn’t manufacture firearms now, despite the fact that its brand portfolio includes standbys like Federal ammunition. ATK’s shooting accessories businesses make backpacks, cartridge bags gun-cleaning kits and other products. Up until now, the company didn’t make guns themselves.

“They don’t have a firearms factory. There just doesn’t seem to be any redundancy there,” Dermody said. “They are bolting us on to their organization.”….

A private company, Savage has grown in each of the last five years. But Dermody said figures will not be released because it is a private company.

Savage sold 645,000 firearms last year, mostly bolt-action rifles. That is a third of the total market for traditional firearms. Savage’s guns are designed for the recreational market of target-shooters and hunters and are sold through major retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and Cabela’s.

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ISRA – The Heat Will Be On This Week

May 13, 2013 by

The Illinois State Rifle Association issued an alert this afternoon regarding moves by the gun prohibitionists in the Illinois General Assembly. They feel the anti’s will make some moves this week and they are asking Illinois residents to contact their state senators and representatives.

As June 9th grows nearer, a lot of attention will be focused on the General Assembly’s efforts to comply with the court order to enact concealed carry. As important as passing shall-issue concealed carry is, gun owners should not let the carry issue distract them from other efforts already underway to diminish their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Those of you who have been following the topic of gun control this year know that there are some key items on the gun-grabbers’ legislative wish list. Among the crown jewels are the ban and confiscation of semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns; the ban and confiscation of standard capacity magazines; the registration of lawful gun owners; and the mandatory reporting of lost and stolen firearms. The gun controllers claim that these measures are necessary to protect public safety. Of course, firearm owners know that these measures are designed strictly for the purpose of punishing people who dare to own a gun.

A glimpse of what we may soon be facing was provided by a front-page feature in the latest Sunday edition of the Chicago Tribune. In that story, we learned of a single mom so desperate for cash that she volunteered to become a straw purchaser for hardened criminals who were prohibited from purchasing firearms. She was eventually caught and is now serving a multi-year prison term for her misdeeds.

As far as gun owners are concerned, the hapless straw purchaser is right where she belongs jail. Interestingly, the author of the piece spins the story to suggest that the woman is in jail not because of her decision to commit crimes, but because the “gun lobby” has fought against legislation supposedly designed to combat straw-purchasing. Once again, the notion is put forth that muggers, mass murderers, and straw purchasers only commit crimes because the “gun lobby” lets them. In this case, it’s gun owners’ fault that this mom is in jail rather at than home with her kids.

In short, it seems that the purpose of the straw purchase story is to promote legislation requiring gun owners to report “lost or stolen” firearms to the police within a short time of them being lost or stolen. As is often the case, such legislation may sound good on the surface. But, the devil is in the details, and those details place an undue burden on firearm owners. Such proposals may be fine in theory, but problematic in practice.

So, here is what you need to do to help ensure passage of shall-issue concealed carry and prevent passage of extremist gun control proposals:

1. Call your State Representative and your State Senator. Politely tell the person who answers the phone that you are a law-abiding Illinois firearm owner and that you would like the senator or representative to vote for “shall-issue” concealed carry and vote against “may-issue” concealed carry. Likewise, advise the person that you oppose any proposal that would diminish your right to keep and bear arms and expect the legislator to oppose such measures as well. If you do not know who your representative or senator is, the Illinois State Board of Elections has an interactive search page here:www.elections.state.il.us/DistrictLocator/DistrictOfficialSearchByAddress.aspx

If you already know who your legislators are and just need the contact info, you can find that here: www.ilga.gov/house/. and here: www.ilga.gov/senate/.

2. Pass this alert on to your friends and family and ask them to make calls as well.

3. Post this alert to any and all Internet blogs or bulletin boards to which you belong.

FURTHER ACTION The Will County Board will vote on a resolution in favor of Concealed Carry this coming Thursday at 9:30 in the Will County Office Building, 2nd Floor, 302 N. Chicago Avenue, Joliet. It’s important that firearm owners show up for the vote to show their support for the measure. Plan on being there at 9:00 AM so that you can get a seat.

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Stumpies Custom Guns (Updated)

May 13, 2013 by 7 Comments

Every now and again, it helps to read a feel-good story involving guns. While this story starts out in tragedy, it has a good ending.

Sgt. Brad Lang was a Marine Explosive Ordnance Detail Technician serving in Sangin Province, Afghanistan when he lost both of his legs to an IED. He was in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for 9 months. While there, he was roommates with fellow teammate and EOD technician Johnny Morris. Morris had lost a leg in another IED explosion a month earlier than Lang.

Rather than feeling sorry for themselves, Lang and Morris made plans to go into business for themselves after they finished their rehab.

And while they rehabilitated their injuries, the two friends began their post-military careers by starting Stumpies Custom Guns, Inc., a gunsmith shop in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

“My wife came up with the idea for the name,” Lang said. “We were in
our wheel chairs trying to get some fresh air and talking about
business. We didn’t want some federal job where we worked out butts off.

“In Jacksonville there are 60,000 active-duty Marines who like
firearms with no good gunsmiths around. We were sitting there talking
about a name and my wife said, ‘Stumpies, duh. You only have one good
leg between the two of you.’”

They are now open for business in Jacksonville and have their FFL. Prior to the Marine Corps, Morris had worked in a gun store in Alabama and Lang had taken training in machining and CNC programming.

Their store motto is “We can’t run, but we can shoot.” With that kind of spirit, I don’t see how they can fail.

H/T Blackwater Tactical Weekly – original post was on Dec. 30, 2012

UPDATE: Tonight on 60 Minutes, Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a program that helps disabled veterans become entrepreneurs. Featured in this report was Sgt. Brad Lang of Stumpies Custom Guns. The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities is a 6 month online training program followed by a 10-day intense on-campus class. It is an all expense paid program funded through grants from major corporations like Walmart and Pepsico. The program is headquartered at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management and includes seven other universities.

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Messing With The Gun Prohibitionists

May 12, 2013 by 18 Comments

I like nothing better than to use the gun prohibitionist’s own resources to send a pro-gun message to Congress. The Giffords-Kelly organization, Americans for Responsible Solutions, is now providing one such opportunity. They have a letter going out asking Congressmen to support the House version of Manchin-Toomey – HR 1565. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Peter King (Rino-NY) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA).

The “suggested” letter from Americans for Responsible Solutions uses the subject line, “Please support King-Thompson (H.R. 1565) to reduce gun violence.” Their text is below:

As you know, over 90% of Americans support expanding background checks for gun purchases – Republicans and Democrats, gun owners and everyone else.

There’s a bill in the House of Representatives that I believe you should co-sponsor today. H.R. 1565, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Right Protection Act, is a bipartisan bill that would reduce gun violence and protect gun rights by expanding background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill. The bill is IDENTICAL to the Manchin-Toomey bill in the Senate that enjoys overwhelming public support.

It already has over 150 co-sponsors, and I hope you’ll add your name to theirs today.

As a constituent of yours, I look forward to keeping track of your commitment to this issue.

Here is how I re-wrote their letter. I changed the subject line to read, “Please oppose King-Thompson (HR 1565).” Feel free to use it or make changes as you see fit.

As you know, the claim that over 90% of Americans support expanding background checks for gun purchases is a myth. This hasn’t stopped the gun prohibitionists from the White House on down from repeating it as if it were the Gospel truth.

Rep. Peter King and Rep. Mike Thompson have co-sponsored H.R. 1565, the Public Safety and Second Amendment Right Protection Act. The bill is IDENTICAL to the Manchin-Toomey bill in the Senate. Just like that bill, it would have done NOTHING to stop the recent mass murders in Newtown, CT and Aurora, CO. In both cases, the firearms were legally purchased with NICS background checks.

I am asking that you oppose HR 1565. It will do nothing to prevent gun-related crime yet would infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of all Americans. As Professor David Kopel has pointed out, the so-called “pro-gun” provisions of the bill are a bonanza of gun control.

As a constituent of yours, I look forward to keeping track of your commitment to this issue.

You can link to their tool here. You just need to put in your ZIP+4 and it will pull up your Congressman or woman.

Like I said, I love it when they make it easy for us to use their own resources to get out a pro-gun message. The Brady Campaign and MAIG have gotten smart about these things. Obviously, being newcomers, Americans for Responsible Solutions still has a bit to learn which is just fine by me. I think we need to take advantage of their naivete while we can.

UPDATE:  If you go to the link above, it will automatically load the anti-gun subject line and letter. Make sure you change it before sending or you could inadvertently suggest support for the bill. Thanks to Don in SC for this warning.

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Great Interview With Rick Ector And Kenn Blanchard

May 12, 2013 by

Cam Edwards of NRA News interviewed Rick Ector and Kenn Blanchard at the recent NRA Annual Meeting in Houston. I got a chance to meet Rick again in the media room. I was introduced to him last year at the Annual Meeting in St. Louis and have followed his work ever since.

As to Kenn Blanchard, what can I say? It is always good to catch up with Kenn. I’ve listened to Kenn’s Urban Shooter Podcast for years and have really gotten to know him at various events such as the Lucky Gunner Blogger Shoot and the various Gun Rights Policy Conferences. I feel privileged every time that I get to spend quality time with Kenn.

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A Good Letter To Send Now

May 12, 2013 by

Just because S. 649 was beaten back last month doesn’t mean we can let up. If anything, we need to keep the pressure up to make sure such ill-conceived measures stay buried.

Krinkfreak on The AK Forum has been very good at providing pro-gun letters to members on that forum. The latest deals with the erroneous perception that “gun violence” (sic) is on the rise when in fact it has decreased. The letter notes that gun-related crimes are down, asks that lawmakers support the Second Amendment, and requests that they focus on mental health issues along with enforcement of existing laws. The letter is below and you can just cut and paste it. You can use the NRA-ILA’s tool to send it which is found here.

Dear Elected Official,

Since the Sandy Hook tragedy in Newtown Connecticut, I have written numerous letters to you to express my concerns with this Administration’s efforts to demonize law-abiding gun-owners, and eliminate the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

A recent Gallup Poll revealed only “4% of Americans think guns and gun control are an important problem facing the country.” The top five concerns among Americans polled by Gallup are:


  • The Economy in General

  • Unemployment and Jobs

  • Dissatisfaction with Government

  • Federal Budget Deficit and Federal Debt

  • Healthcare

I read an interesting article the other day in the Los Angeles Times. It was reporting on the Bureau of Justice report that was released this week showing that gun violence has plummeted in America since the mid-90s. Since 1993, gun killings have dropped 39%, and non-fatal gun attacks are down 69%. All this happened while the population in this country increased by over 20%.

The interesting note in the article, though, was that a majority of Americans actually believe gun violence is on the rise in America. A Pew Research survey showed that only 10% of Americans recognize that gun-related crimes have gone down at all!

This proves what we have known all along: the mainstream “biased” media wants us to believe that gun-owning Americans are wreaking havoc in this country. They do not want us to exercise our Second Amendment rights to protect ourselves and our families, and they will go to great lengths to create an environment that allows the politicians in Washington to enact unconstitutional laws.

This is why I am counting on you, my elected official, to fight to protect the Second Amendment, stand up to the “biased” media, and ensure that our children and grandchildren will inherit the same freedoms we currently enjoy.

If President Obama’s Administration is serious about reducing gun violence in our society, then they will focus on mental health issues, enforcement of existing gun laws, and encourage our public schools to have armed and trained security guards to protect our children from any threat…including domestic and foreign terrorism.

In closing, if you cannot support me as a constituent of this state, then I cannot and will not support you in future elections.

Respectfully,
[INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]

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The “Real” Liberator Pistol

May 12, 2013 by 2 Comments

The new Liberator pistol from Defense Distributed is gaining as much attention from having its 3-D plans removed from their website at the request of the State Department as for the plans themselves. I know that I for one downloaded the plans from Pirate Bay just because.

This got me to thinking about the FP-45 Liberator pistol from World War II. It was designed as an insurgent’s weapon with the idea that the resistance fighter would use it to kill a German soldier and take his weapon and ammunition. The original idea was to drop these by the thousands in Occupied Europe. While some did make it to France, more were distributed in China and the Philippines by the Office of Strategic Services.

In the video below, Phil Schreier, Senior Curator at the NRA National Firearms Museum, discusses the history of the FP-45.

Doing a little Google search, I found the original blueprints for the FP-45 as designed by the Inland Manufacturing Division of General Motors. You can see them below as well as download them from Scribd.

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The Guns I Went To See And The Guns I Want

May 12, 2013 by 9 Comments

Firearms manufacturers really don’t have any incentive right now to introduce new guns as they are selling everything they produce. I’m sure many of them have new designs ready to go when the market for guns appears to be slowing. Because of this, I didn’t expect to see many new guns at the recent NRA Annual Meeting. I did, however, have a couple I wanted to check out.

The first firearm that I really wanted to see and handle was the Mossberg 500 Bantam Tactical 20 gauge shotgun. It is an 8-shot 20 gauge pump with a 13″ length of pull and a ghost ring sight. I have been looking for a youth-sized shotgun for the Complementary Spouse in 20 gauge. I want her to have a self-defense shotgun.

According to the specifications from Mossberg, the Bantam Tactical (Model 54300) weighs 6 pounds, has a 3″ chamber, and has a cylinder bore. It is drilled and tapped for a scope or red dot sight if you want to add it. The MSRP on this shotgun is $485 but the rep agreed that the street price should be around $400.

I found the shotgun easy to handle, pumped smoothly, and easy to get on target. The front blade sight has a red insert which makes it easy to see. This shotgun is going on the buy list. I really liked it and it would work for either the Complementary Spouse or myself. It isn’t too short but just right.

Mossberg also makes a model (54301) with the same 8-round capacity but equipped with a pistol grip and adjustable AR-style stock. While it is more adjustable with a length of pull ranging from 10 3/4″ to 14 5/8″, it is heavier by 3/4 of a pound and the tang safety is hard to manipulate with a pistol grip. It is more “tacticool” but it just didn’t do much for me. It also lists for $121 more.

The other firearm I wanted to examine was the Zastava Mini-Mauser with the Mannlicher stock. It is imported from Zastava of Serbia by Century International Arms and is available in both .223 and 7.62×39. I thought it would be a fun rifle to have. Given that it was coming from Serbia and that it was being sold by Century, I thought it might not be too expensive.

The rifle weighs just less than 6 pounds, has a 5 round integral magazine, and has a  18.11″ barrel. The stock is made of European walnut and comes with an oiled finish. Trying it out, the trigger pull was smooth and crisp but the bolt could have used some work. From what I can find on the Internet, the street price is around $500. For that price, I’d have to think about it a lot more. I know that Ruger, Savage, and CZ also make or have made bolt action rifles in 7.62×39.

While I did check out a number of other firearms companies and saw a lot of guns that I liked, there was only one that made the buy list. That is the CZ 75 Shadow SAO.

It just fit my hand right and the trigger…oh, the trigger. It is essentially a custom trigger in a production gun. I had thought of a 1911 in 9mm but I decided why not a pistol in the caliber for which it was designed.

From CZ-USA’s description:

When building the SAO (Single Action Only), focus turned to creating the
best trigger pull possible. Fitted with a redesigned unit originally
used in the CZ 75 Champion, the hammer of the SAO is slightly wider with
modified sear engagement, resulting in smoother release and more
positive ignition. The CZ single action aluminum trigger has an
overtravel adjustment screw and pulls at 3.5-3.8 lbs. To further smooth
the trigger pull and improve trigger reset distance, the CZ 85
Combat-style slide without a firing pin block is used. Lighter springs
(15 lb. recoil, 16 lb. main) create a smoother, more consistent action
and the CZ 75 SA wide ambidextrous safeties give more purchase and
better positioning of the thumb.

I’m used to the CZ 75 as I have a couple of Tanfoglio Witnesses which are clones of it. They are nice pistols but this goes to another level. The MSRP on this is $979 but I’ve found it for less. Now to start searching for one in stock.