And This Is Why The Gun Culture Distrusts The Media

The Guardian is a center-left newspaper out of the UK. It is also vehemently anti-gun.Their latest effort was published on Saturday as I was flying west to go east (but that’s another story for another time).


Rupert Neate and his videographer Mae Ryan did a story called, “Sex, guns and ammo: inside the world’s largest gun industry trade fair”. It was their idea of an expose’ of the SHOT Show. By chance, I happened to speak with Ms. Ryan on the first day of the SHOT Show in the Press Room. I asked if she had gone to Media/Industry Day at the Range and she replied that The Guardian wouldn’t let them attend it. This was in contrast to the young videographer from CNN Money who did attend Media Day, got to shoot some firearms, and had a great time.

Neate tried to tie the growth in sales of firearms to sex, fear of gun control, and mass shootings.

As all marketeers know, sex sells – and guns are no different. Manufacturers have hired a string of professional models to pose with their latest guns. Guns.com, the daily guns blog, collated pictures of its favourite women at the show “who do their very best to highlight and promote new products, equipment and, of course, guns”. Attendees who want to see more are invited to “the sexiest ammo show after party” at the Sapphire strip joint down the strip. Free entry with Shot Show pass.

Guns are a big business, and the industry is raking in record sales and profits as people rush out to arm themselves following a series of mass shootings and out of fear of increased gun control legislation.

He also used misleading stats such as this:

“People are buying guns as part of the American dream of freedom and liberty,” said Brauer, who is based at the Hull College of Business at Augusta University. “And also, the hope and the dream of being able to use guns in self-defence.”

People very rarely get to live out that dream, with FBI data showing that gun owners are 78 times more likely to kill themselves than they are to carry out a “justifiable homicide”, which the agency describes as “the killing of a felon, during the commission of a felony, by a private citizen”.

However, what took the cake is shown in the video below where Neate asks a S&W representative if the M&P 15-22 Sport (in .22 LR) is the same rifle as was used by the Islamofascists to kill 14 people in San Bernardino. This was after he violated Rule No. 1 by pointing what appears to be an air rifle with a scope at an attendee.

The Poynter Institute which has as its mission elevating journalism took Neate, Ryan, and The Guardian to task over its one-sided, misleading, and unfair story.

While the video makes for interesting viewing, in my judgment, the story isn’t fair. It was theatrics masquerading as even-handed reporting. From the very beginning of the video, it was clear the journalists counted on causing a stir on the convention floor…

But when journalists tackle contentious issues, they have an obligation to develop expertise about the story they are reporting. They build trust with sources on all sides of the story. The more you know about a subject, the more aggressively you can pursue it.

Serious subjects require serious reporting. Not self-serving stunts.

I think Poynter hits on the head – serious subjects require serious reporting – not this anti-gun editorial that could just as well have come from Bloomberg’s The Trace.

Angling For A Veep Spot?

“Mike Bloomberg is a good man. We disagree on a whole lot of things, but he’s a good person and he’s a patriot and wants the best for the country.”

So saith John Ellis Bush to Jake Tapper.

That would be Jeb! Bush who has spent over $128 million to secure 5th place in a national poll of Republicans.

Bloomberg is, as Michael Bane call him, a nasty little Fascist who would abrogate one, if not more, of our rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights. He already thought he could mandate what residents of New York City could eat and drink. Imagine what he would want to do if President.

Given that, is it any wonder that Jeb! is finding that money can’t buy him neither love nor votes.

It is almost as if he wants Bloomberg to run so that he can be his vice-presidential running mate.

And This Illustrates My Travel Problems

I got a call from Southwest Airlines at 8 this morning. They were calling to tell me that the second half of my flight home – Chicago to Greenville-Spartanburg – was canceled and that I needed to make adjustments.

And this is why:

So instead of getting home Saturday night, I will be spending the night in Houston. I’d much rather spend the night in Texas than in Chicago!

We, by the way, live in that nice pink area on the border of Buncombe and Henderson counties. The Complementary Spouse says it has started snowing again — heavily.

It could be worse. I could be living in northern Virginia with a car stuck at the airport. That’s the situation facing a lot of the NRA staff here at the SHOT Show.

I’m With Ian And Karl On This

When I asked for suggestions as to which products you wanted me to check out, reader David suggested somewhat facetiously that I see Trigger Point Technology. He also asked me to find out their business plan to avoid getting sued out of existence.

As you can see in the video below made by Ian McCullom and Karl Kasarda of InRange TV, a laser or light that is activated by touching the trigger is really a bad idea. Just like with so-called “smart guns” or “microstamping”, just because your engineers can invent a technical device it doesn’t mean it will work in the real world.

On the Trigger Point Technology product, just say no.

2016 SHOT Show: Vicious Circle

What does the fashion forward, well-dressed woman wear when she is in a non-permissive environment to afford her some modicum of protection?

The Mantis Knives Vicious Circle last-ditch knife! It looks like a modern style necklace but it contains a sharp surprise.

Closed

And now open:

The knife opens when you pull it free from the necklace. It isn’t meant to be the first line of defense but it sharp and it can put an attacker in a world of hurt.

The MSRP of the Vicious Circle is $65. It comes in 10 colors and with different stones.

2016 SHOT Show Industry Day At The Range – GunBlast.com

Since I only made a part of Media/Industry Day at the Range, I think this 2-part report by Jeff Quinn at GunBlast.com gives a better picture of what was shown there.

I did get to shoot the new revolver from Kimber. It is a six-shot, double-action only .357 Magnum revolver. I found the trigger pull to be smooth and the revolver controllable by even me while shooting .357 Mag ammo. I would have liked to try it with some .38 Special to get a better feel for the gun without the concussion but beggars can’t be choosers.

Now for the second part of Jeff Quinn’s report.

Glock 17/19 MOS

Glock has now introduced two of their most common pistols set up for reflex optics. I got a chance a shoot the Glock 19 MOS yesterday and I like it. Shooting a pistol with a red dot reflex optic takes some getting used to but as many others have said, it probably is the wave of the future.

My only problem with Glocks is that I have small hands and they don’t quite fit me that well. I’ll have to work on that.

GLOCK Releases Two New MOS Pistols:
G17 Gen4 in MOS & G19 Gen4 in MOS
Las Vegas, Nev. – Jan. 18, 2016 Today, GLOCK, Inc., announced the release of two new pistols to join the Modular Optic System (MOS) series, the G17 Gen4 in MOS and the G19 Gen4 in MOS.
Now, two of GLOCK’s best selling pistols are available with milled slides designed specifically to be adaptable to multiple optic systems without costly customization. The G17 Gen4 MOS and G19 Gen4 MOS are the ideal addition to the series as the market continues to trend toward optic-ready everyday carry and defense.
“We’re seeing more and more professional trainers recommend the use of optics for primary and defensive use,” stated Josh Dorsey, vice president at GLOCK. “Optic ready pistols will enable faster target acquisition when a reflex sight is mounted.”
Both pistols are chambered in .9mm and do not differ in specifications from their respective standard models. Other MOS pistols, introduced in January of 2015, are the G34 Gen4 MOS, G35 Gen4 MOS, G41 Gen4 MOS, and the G40 Gen4 MOS.  The new models were unveiled today at the Range Day for SHOT Show and will be on display at the GLOCK booth (#12254) throughout the week. The pistols will be available for purchase at retailers in the following weeks.
To learn more about the new MOS pistols, visit https://us.glock.com/MOS.
Above:  The new G17 Gen4 MOS
Above: The New G19 Gen4 MOS

SHOT Show Day One: Preliminaries

Day One is off to a good start. I got my luggage at 6am this morning! Southwest finally came through. I know it was the insurance I bought yesterday – a trip to Walmart to get clean underwear and socks.

I just spoke with a young reporter who is doing videography for CNN Money. She is from New York and is excited to be at her first SHOT Show. She took in Media Day at the Range and loved it. I don’t know if it was her first time shooting but it is another media person who is now somewhat inoculated against the lies of the gun prohibitionists.

Despite mechanical problems on both of my Southwest flights which caused me to arrive here a day late, I still made it to a portion of Media Day at the Range. Thanks to Paul and Susan Lathrop of The Polite Society Podcast I do have some pictures to prove it. I did get to shoot many of the firearms that I wanted to try out but not the Ruger American pistol nor the Ruger LCR in .327 Federal Magnum. There is always next year or a range rental.

I just ran into Rev. Kenn Blanchard, the Black Man with a Gun, who is starting a new outreach program for minorities and other underserved groups in the shooting community. He’ll be having a press conference on it tomorrow and I plan to attend. His group is called 2AO.org. As I said in the first paragraph, my day is off to a good start. It is always good to see Brother Kenn.

Now off to check out the first floor of the Sands Expo Center which is where the smaller companies are usually located.

A Little Late To This

As many of you know, Mike Vanderboegh has been battling cancer among a whole host of ailments. Recently, he was told by his oncologist that his time for this world was quite limited. David Codrea is spearheading a campaign to raise money for Mike and his family during his last days.

Per Mike, the doctors have told him he is not long of this world. As we all know, his financial situation due to years of disability and devotion to the larger issue of self-sacrifice for freedom is terrible. He is doing what he can to get his affairs in order, but the reality is, his wife will be left in really bad shape. I would like to help with a funding appeal.

I looked at various “crowdfunding” sites, but there are hoops to jump through and/or a cut they take. For now at least, in order to get the ball rolling and hopefully growing as it does, I’m asking all of Mike’s friends to spread the word and to send gratitude offerings directly to him:

Paypal to georgemason1776@aol.com*

Check, money order, cash, etc. to Mike Vanderboegh, PO Box 926, Pinson, AL 35126.**

Mike is cranky and cantankerous and can be a SOB at times. That said, he deeply loves his wife Rosie and his daughters and son. While he may have pissed off a lot of people over time, he still was the person with David Codrea and Dave Workman who broke open Operation Fast and Furious aka Project Gunwalker. If that was all he ever did in his life for the Second Amendment, then it would have been a life well spent.

As David Codrea writes in Ammoland today, donations and gifts to Mike should not be seen as charity but rather “gratitude gifts”.

I like that and will be contributing. I hope you will see it in your heart to do so as well.

SHOT Show Bingo

This was posted on Facebook and I liked it. What can I say?

Now I need to get to work and finish packing and all the other stuff that needs to be done before I leave tomorrow afternoon for Las Vegas.

If you are going to be at the SHOT Show, introduce yourself and then you can check off the block at the top of the center row.