Month: August 2013

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Athena Lee On An Alternate Method Of Mag Changes

August 10, 2013 by 5 Comments

Normally when one makes a mag change, you shift the pistol in your hand so that your strong hand thumb can push the mag release. Champion shooter Athena Lee, by contrast, maintains her grip of the pistol with her strong hand and uses her weak hand thumb to push the mag release.

In the video below produced by Armscor, she notes that she has smaller hands. After viewing the video, I’d have to say her method of mag changes seems just as fast as the traditional method. I may have to give it a try as I, too, have smaller hands.

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A Man’s Gotta Eat

August 9, 2013 by 1 Comment

Louisiana repealed a 22 year old ban on hunting in portions of Orleans Parish, Louisiana yesterday. Orleans Parish is home to New Orleans as well as the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. While special youth-only waterfowl hunts have been allowed in the refuge for the last two years, this was only by special exemption.

On Tuesday the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) voted to repeal a ban on all hunting for portions of the Orleans Parrish. The ban was originally instated in 1991 by the LWFC to assist the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in establishing the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. More than 20 years later, the refuge is now currently the largest urban wildlife refuge in the country and plays host to an increasing amount of young waterfowlers.

Bayou Sauvage is entirely within the city limits of New Orleans and is the largest urban wildlife refuge in the country.

It will be up to the City of New Orleans as to what other hunting will be allowed within their city limits outside of the National Wildlife Refuges. They currently allow limited deer hunting in certain swamps within the city limits. The latest figures from the LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shows 15 deer taken in the 2011-12 season in Orleans Parish.

Keith Westlake, a wildlife specialist with the refuge noted that they were starting to have problems with feral hogs.

Striking down the ban could potentially allow hunters to pursue feral hogs, which are causing problems outside the refuge. Westlake said that beginning in 2011 wildlife officials have culled 575 pigs from the area to reduce the damage the animals can cause. Feral hogs are an increasingly critical problem for conservationists and hunting regulations for these animals are generally lax.

For now the area’s alligators seem to be enjoying the lack of competition, as well as the carcasses left behind by management hunts.

I imagine some of the more imaginative chefs in New Orleans might find a better use for wild hogs than as food for alligators. I certainly hope so.

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Remington Breaks Ground On Ammo Plant Expansion

August 9, 2013 by 4 Comments

As I reported a few months ago, Remington is planning to expand their ammunition manufacturing plant in Lonoke, Arkansas. Yesterday, they held their ground-breaking ceremony. It attracted the politicians as both Gov. Mike Beebe (D-AR) and US Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR) spoke. I’m sure as Democrats in an increasingly red state they wanted to be perceived as pro-gun. Pryor, by the way, was one of the few Democrats to vote against Manchin-Toomey.

The plant expansion is a $32 million project and is expected to be operational somewhere around mid-year 2014.

Remington Plant Manager Jim Grahlmann declined to comment on the purpose of the new facility, for competitive purposes, he said. Grahlmann added that while he couldn’t be specific, the new plant will add 50-100 “relatively high skill positions.”

He added that some of those jobs may be offered to current employees of the plant, depending on their qualifications.

Grahlmann said the new addition to the plant will be 35,000 square feet and should be constructed by June 2014, though he is unsure of when it will officially open, due to the company having to move the equipment into the facility.

While the plant manager is being a little closed mouthed about the purpose of the new facility, the PR department of Remington was not so reticent.

The Remington expansion will help meet consumer demand for quality ammunition products at a time when many sportsmen and gun owners are struggling to find supply. Further, it will stimulate both the state and local economy.

“This groundbreaking ceremony marks a significant event for Remington and for the Lonoke community,” said George Kollitides, Chief Executive Officer of Remington. “It demonstrates our commitment to state-of-the-art facilities; ensuring quality, increasing product availability and improving on-time delivery to our customers. The expansion also allows us the opportunity to provide job growth within a community that has supported us since we laid the first cornerstone here in 1969. We are honored and pleased to celebrate this expansion with such great partners.”

I really did like one comment that Gov. Beebe made regarding supporting expansion versus only recruiting new businesses.

“As we strive to create new relationships with new partners, we must never forget the ones we already have,” said Gov. Mike Beebe in reference to helping an existing manufacturer. “It is so much easier to expand existing business than it is to create new ones.”

THV Channel 11 has more on the ground-breaking below. I do want to correct one mistake that anchor Craig O’Neill made. He stated that Remington was the only company to make both firearms and ammunition. That is incorrect. ATK which makes Federal Ammuniton would also fit in that category with its acquisition earlier this year of Savage Arms.

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Gun Usuage And Death Stats

August 9, 2013 by 1 Comment

I don’t want you to think I’m on some sort of infographic kick or something but I just stumbled across this great infographic showing US gun usage, ownership, and death statistics. It shows that as the number of guns owned has increased by 50% gun-related crime has declined by 73%.

In terms of accidental deaths, you are 17 times more likely to die from a fall than you are from an accidental shooting. As an aside, if more people – especially youth – were taught gun safety, the differential between falls and accidental shootings would likely rise even more.

It can be seen full size here

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It’s Time To Win

August 8, 2013 by

I hope everyone has their Powerball tickets for tonight’s $425 million prize drawing. If you don’t win, might I suggest going to the Weapon-Blog and entering to win some of the fine firearms that are being offered. Given that you have a 1 in 175 millionth chance of winning the big Powerball prize, I think you might have some better odds there.

This month’s listing has 2 custom 1911s, a HK P30, at least 5 ARs, 2 Mossberg 500s, and that is just the beginning. There are also some nice bolt guns just in time for hunting season. Speaking of which, he also is now listing hunting trip giveaways including a woodland caribou in Newfoundland!

As always, please take a moment and thank Aaron for this great service he provides.

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It’s Just Another Moral Monday

August 7, 2013 by 2 Comments

If you read the New York Times or follow North Carolina politics, you may have heard of Moral Mondays. It is a protest organized by the so-called progressives in North Carolina to vent their feelings towards Gov. Pat McCrory (R-NC) and the Republican-majority North Carolina General Assembly.

This past Monday the protests moved to the progressive island of Asheville which, by the way, was number 3 on the list of Best US Cities for Hippies. Need I say too much more?

Given that perception is reality for these protesters, it is not surprising that they think that the state’s education budget was much higher the last time that the Democrats controlled the General Assembly. Actually it isn’t. But that didn’t stop the protesters from signing a petition demanding that the education budget be restored to the levels passed by the Democrats. The video below from the Buncombe County Young Republicans shows just how out of touch most of these people really are.

UPDATE: YouTube removed the Buncombe County Young Republican’s video. They are saying it violates YouTube’s terms of service. I guess showing the stupidity of low-information voters constitutes a violation. The local TV station WLOS reports some of the people signing the petition are saying that they were duped. Uh, hunh. Has duped become another word for stupid liberals?

Not to be deterred by the anger of idiots complaining to YouTube, the Young Republicans have just reposted the video using Vimeo.

Mountain Moral Monday education petition from Buncombe YRs on Vimeo.

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Not Just For Women

August 7, 2013 by 2 Comments

The NRA has been featuring a series of training videos featuring Kim Heath. They are called Tips and Tactics and come under the NRA Women TV label. Just because they are labeled “women” doesn’t mean men can’t get a lot from them.

I know for a fact that I’m not in the same physical condition I was in my 20s and 30s. I think one of my docs has referred to it as “deconditioned”. What it means is that I don’t have the same strength and stamina that I had earlier in my life. Kim’s videos show different ways to compensate for our body’s limitations.

The latest is on managing rifle weight. As a day of shooting goes on the rifles tend to get heavier. Kim shows a way to take some of that weight off your arm and transfer it to your body.

I also really like the Counter Supination Grip that she shows in the video below. I might not use it all the time but it does allow you to transfer the weight of your AR from your arm to more of your body.

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Morris V. US Army Corps Of Engineers

August 6, 2013 by

The Mountain States Legal Foundation filed suit yesterday in the US District Court for the District of Idaho challenging the US Army Corps of Engineers’ prohibition on firearms on Corps-administered lands. The plaintiffs in the case, Elizabeth Morris and Alan Baker, are residents of Idaho who wish to have functional firearms for self-defense while they are camping, boating, or hiking in Corps-administered recreational areas.

A bit of the history behind the suit from MSLF:

Ms. Morris was issued an emergency license by the Nez Perce County Sheriff to carry a concealed handgun in 2012 due to threats and physical attacks against her by a former neighbor. She regularly carries a handgun for self-defense. She uses Corps-administered public lands near the Snake River in Lewiston, Idaho, to boat with friends, regularly walks the Corps-administered paths in the area with her dog and/or her family, and must travel across Corps-administered public lands to reach Hells Gate State Park.

Mr. Baker is a NRA-Certified Home Firearm Safety, Personal Protection In The Home, Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun Instructor, and also a Utah Concealed Firearms Instructor. He is licensed to carry a concealed handgun in Idaho, Utah, Oregon, and Arizona and regularly carries a handgun for self-defense. A life-long outdoorsman, he regularly recreates on Corps-managed lands in Idaho, including Dworshak Dam and Reservoir on the North Fork Clearwater River.

Because Corps of Engineer regulations ban functional firearms, even while camped in tents, Ms. Morris and Mr. Baker are subject to criminal prosecution if they exercise their Second Amendment rights. The Corps of Engineers did not respond to requests from MSLF seeking exemptions from its firearm ban for Ms. Morris and Mr. Baker. Also filed with their complaint is a motion for a preliminary injunction, asking the court to immediately stop enforcement of the firearms ban.

The lawsuit makes the point that when camping a tent should be considered a temporary dwelling that is treated no differently than something made from bricks and mortar. This argument was used in another successful MSLF lawsuit against the State of Nevada and their park system. Mr. Baker was the plaintiff in that case.

The plaintiffs present two claims for relief. The first alleges that by prohibiting law-abiding individuals from possessing a firearm in a temporary dwelling on Corps-administered lands, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the other defendants are violating the plaintiffs’ Second Amendment rights. The plaintiffs are asking for both declaratory and injunctive relief.

The second claim for relief in Morris et al v. US Army Corps of Engineers et al is that the Corps is again violating the plaintiffs’ Second Amendment rights by prohibiting the carrying of a functional firearm – whether openly, concealed, or in a vehicle. Again, the plaintiffs are asking for both declaratory and injunctive relief.

While the Heller decision allowed the prohibition of firearms in “sensitive areas”, I think it would be hard to argue that a campground or a lake constituted a sensitive area. They are not sensitive areas like the control house for the dam and powerhouse on Lucky Peak Lake.

The complaint in Morris et al v. US Army Corps of Engineers et al can be found here.

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It’s Small But Still An Increase

August 6, 2013 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation reported their adjusted NICS checks for the month of July 2013. It marks the 38th straight month in which the NSSF-adjusted NICS checks increased when compared to the same month a year previously.

The July 2013 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 855,259 is an increase of 0.2 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 853,355 in July 2012. For comparison, the unadjusted July 2013 NICS figure of 1,271,571 reflects a 1.4 percent decrease from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,289,585 in July 2012.

The increase was only 0.2%. While still an increase, I think it may mark the end of the massive rush to purchase guns and ammo that started when President Barack Obama started proposing gun control measures in the wake of the Newtown shootings. That said, even if the August numbers come in lower than the previous period in 2012, we are seeing a new normal. Gun sales may have hit a plateau but it is a much higher plateau.

Of course, it is important to note that the adjusted NICS checks are not perfectly correlated with gun sales. The NICS background checks are used by many states for background checks on new and existing concealed carry permit holders.