Month: January 2014

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An Infographic That Illustrates The Anti’s Endgame In California

January 17, 2014 by 1 Comment

The CalGuns Foundation has released the infographic below that show the end result of the Handgun Roster and the microstamping requirement in California. The end result is no handguns available which would please the gun prohibitionists no end. Moreover, they will say they didn’t outlaw these guns but merely demanded that they be safe. It is the “fault” they will say of a firearms industry that didn’t care about either their customer’s safety or of being able to “assist” police supposedly solve crimes through microstamps.

CalGuns has put together an abbreviated history of the Handgun Roster as well as the microstamping requirement. For even more info on the Roster, go here.

1/1/2001: CA laws (SB 15 – 2000) creating a Roster of “not unsafe” handguns certified for sale are enforced.


1/1/2006: CA law (SB 489 – 2003) requiring loaded chamber indicator or magazine disconnect for all new semi-automatic centerfire handguns added to Roster is enforced; CA law (SB 489 – 2003) requiring magazine disconnect for all new rimfire semi-handguns added to Roster enforced.


1/1/2007: CA law (SB 489 – 2003) requiring both loaded chamber indicator and magazine disconnect for all new semi-automatic centerfire handguns added to Roster enforced.


4/30/2009: During a short period of time in which the United States Constitution’s Second Amendment applied to states and local governments within the federal Ninth Circuit through a case called Nordyke v. King, The Calguns Foundation and 5 other plaintiffs — including the Second Amendment Foundation — filed a federal civil rights lawsuit called Peña v. Cid (now Peña v. Lindley) against the California Department of Justice that challenged the constitutionality of the state’s “Handgun Roster” laws. The Peña case, helmed by civil rights attorneys Alan Gura, Donald Kilmer, and Jason Davis, was argued at the trial court on December 17, 2013, on cross motions for summary judgment and is currently pending decision.


5/17/2013: CA law (AB 1471 – 2008) requiring “microstamping” for all semi-automatic handguns to be added to Roster enforced by CA Attorney General Kamala Harris (CA DOJ).

It also appears that Ruger is sick and tired of kowtowing to the California rules and will let their semi-auto pistols drop off the California Handgun Roster. Given that a significant portion of Ruger’s sales growth comes from new introductions and given that new pistols must be microstamped under California law, I frankly don’t blame Ruger. I see it as a reasonable business decision on their part.

From C. D. Michel’s CalGunLaws.Com:

In perhaps one of the more shocking discoveries at the 2014 SHOT Show, Ruger spokesperson Kevin Reid revealed that Ruger was going to let it’s entire California Semiautomatic pistol roster “…drop off…” the CA Department of Justice Approved Handgun List.

It seems that in Ruger’s slavish dedication to the concept of “continuous improvement”, and that California is milking some $ 200 per pistol per year to stay on the list AND that microstamping is now the rule, Ruger has already let some 60+ semiautomatic pistols drop off the approved handgun roster with the rest shortly to follow. (Note to the legal beagles out there: NSSF Governmental Relations/State Affairs Director Jake McGuigan did announce at an early morning seminar that NSSF had filed suit on or around January 9 regarding the microstamping issue in California.).

How this effects Ruger Sales of revolvers and rifles in the Fool’s Paradise of Kalifornia remains to be seen. While Ruger continues to produce excellent revolvers, California gun owners are notorious for voting with their feet against businesses that desert them when the chips are down. Hopefully this won’t too badly effect the roll-out of the latest GP-100.

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Target Shooting Means 4,460 Jobs And $459 Million For North Carolina

January 17, 2014 by 1 Comment

The National Shooting Sports Foundation just released a study analyzing the economic impact of target shooting in the United States in terms of jobs and money put into the economy. This economic impact is distinct from the influence of hunting. The study found that target shooting created 185,000 jobs and injected $23 billion into the US economy.

NSSF has broken this down by state and the impact on North Carolina’s economy is significant.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released a major new report about the importance of target shooting activities to the economies of North Carolina and the nation. NSSF is the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

The report, Target Shooting in America: Millions of Shooters, Billions of Dollars, was released today in conjunction with a press conference at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show), the largest trade show of its kind in the world and a showcase for the firearms and ammunition industry.

The report provides a first-ever look at U.S. target shooting-related expenditures. Also included are state-by-state statistics for the number of target shooters, retail sales, taxes and jobs. The target-shooting report complements the Hunting in America report released by NSSF and the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies in March 2013.

In North Carolina, target shooting-related spending contributed $459,373,038 to the state’s economy and supported 4,460 jobs.

Nationally, the money target shooters spent in 2011 resulted in $23 billion being added to the nation’s economy and supported more than 185,000 jobs.

“More people target shooting is good news for the industry, and it is equally good news for America’s economy,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.

Retail sales related to target shooting account for nearly $10 billion, with rifle and handgun shooting being the leading contributors, followed by shotgun and muzzleloader shooting. California and Texas are the top two states ranked by retail sales.

Combining data from Target Shooting in America and Hunting in America shows that target shooters and hunters together poured more than $110 billion into the nation’s economy, fueling more than 866,000 jobs. “Communities and businesses of all sizes benefit from these activities,” said Sanetti.

Target shooters ($8.2 billion) and hunters ($8.4 billion) spend nearly equal amounts on equipment common to both pursuits, such as firearms, ammunition and accessories. Hunters spend more overall than target shooters when factors such as fuel, food, lodging and transportation are included.

“The Target Shooting in America and Hunting in America reports give us a more complete understanding of the economic importance of the shooting sports to America,” said Sanetti. “We’ve long known about the recreational benefits of these activities, and now we know how much they contribute to our country’s financial well-being.”

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2014 SHOT Show – Ed Head On Ruger 10/22 50th Anniversary Edition

January 16, 2014 by 3 Comments

As part of their Day Two roundup, Ed Head and Tommy Sanders of the Outdoor Channel examined the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Ruger 10/22 that was designed by customers. Instead of calling it the 50th Anniversary Edition, they could just as well name it the Appleseed Edition because it seems like a stainless and polymer-stocked version of the RWVA’s Liberty Training Rifle.

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David Asks An Interesting Question

January 16, 2014 by 3 Comments



You may have seen a story recently that actress and model Charlize Theron convinced her new boyfriend Sean Penn to give up his guns. He had them melted down and made into a sculpture by Jeff Koons which generated $1.4 million in a charity auction.

What you didn’t hear in the press or see on E! News are the questions that David Codrea raises today in his National Gun Rights Examiner column.

What Penn is even doing with guns in the first place is a mystery, if the reports are true that when partnered with Madonna, he tied her to a chair and beat her up with a baseball bat.

The Lautenberg amendment prohibition on gun ownership applies to those convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, and according to the New York Daily News, “Penn was also charged with felony domestic assault during his marriage to Madonna. He pleaded to a misdemeanor.”

Was that report in a major metropolitan newspaper accurate, and if so, is Penn a prohibited person, or have his legally-recognized gun rights been restored? How? Those would seem to be fair questions to explore.

While I am not a fan of the denial of constitutional rights based upon a misdemeanor conviction, I am also not a fan of the high and mighty being treated differently than some poor schmuck living in a trailer park.

David asks even more questions and I think the public deserves some answers.

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2014 SHOT Show – Media Day With Gunblast.Com – Part 2

January 15, 2014 by 4 Comments

In Part Two, Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.com again previews a number of new firearms being released at SHOT Show.

Included are a number of revolvers from Smith and Wesson including the reintroduced Model 66, the Model 686-6 in .357 Mag, the 5-shot 460 S&W Magnum, and the Model 986 in 9mm. This last gun seems to have very minimal recoil with the 9mm.

Speaking of low recoil, Armalite has introduced the AR-31 .308 Target Rifle that has a muzzle break more like one would see on a Barrett .50 BMG rifle.

Sig Sauer held their portion of Media Day at a separate range from what I understand. Jeff shot the new Sig P320 which is their first striker fired pistol and the Sig MPX submachine gun. It is a damn shame that the Hughes Amendment prevents us from being able to buy one of those because it looks like a great gun.

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CalGuns Wins On Carry Licensing In LA County

January 15, 2014 by

The CalGuns Foundation had sued Sheriff Lee Baca of Los Angeles County for his policy of forcing carry applicants to first be approved by their local town or city police chief. This acted as a de facto ban on carry licenses in LA County. On Tuesday, this policy was overturned in a decision by Judge Deirdre Hill.

From the CalGuns release on their win:

ROSEVILLE, CA — In a decision released today that forces the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to begin accepting and processing handgun carry license applications, Judge Deirdre Hill said that LASD must “consider the applications of all persons seeking a CCW permit in the first instance without requiring any applicant to first seek a CCW permit with his/her local police chief or city.”

The case, titled Lu v. Baca, was filed in 2012 by California-based gun rights organization The Calguns Foundation and a number of individual plaintiffs seeking to overturn an unlawful LASD policy that functioned as a de facto ban on handgun carry licenses for Los Angeles County residents.

“This decision means that all Californians need not jump through more hoops than those required under state law in order to apply for a handgun carry license and exercise their Second Amendment rights,” explained Gene Hoffman, the group’s Chairman.

According to the Foundation’s executive director, Brandon Combs, the victory represents an affirmation of its legal strategy and presents new opportunities to advance gun rights in the Golden State.

“It’s long past time for sheriffs and police chiefs to adhere to the same laws they swore an oath to enforce, starting with the Constitution,” said Combs. “Hopefully they’re getting the message that our fundamental rights are not open to debate. We’ll keep filing lawsuits if that’s what it takes to restore Second Amendment freedoms in California.”

“I’m very pleased by the outcome,” said Charles Hokanson, the plaintiffs’ Long Beach-based attorney. “It is always positive to see the rights of law-abiding people vindicated as they were today in this decision.”

The CalGuns Foundation will be filing more lawsuits as part of their Carry License Sunshine and Compliance Initiative to force state and local officials to comply with state law, legal precedents, and the US Constitution. Since they started their legal campaign in 2009, the number of carry permits in California has grown by almost 30,000. This may not seem like a lot but it is tremendous when you consider that there are California counties whose carry permits number in the single and double digits.

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Enough Already With The Zombie Theme!

January 15, 2014 by

I think most reasonable people – even ones who love all things zombie – can agree that the zombie theme has jumped the shark a long time ago. We have zombie killing ammo from Hornady, we have zombie green ARs, and now, we have Trulock Zombie Slayer Choke tubes.

From the product description:

New for 2014, the Trulock Tactical Zombie Slayer Choke is available by special order as part of the Tactical Choke Tube line. Available in zombie hunter green, the Zombie Slayer Choke is designed to give optimum performance with breaching rounds, buckshot and rifled slugs to eliminate the need to change muzzle devices when alternating ammunition from breaching rounds to buckshot or rifled slugs.

The crenulated muzzle ensures positive grip when used as a standoff tool. More than just a breaching tool, this new design goes beyond single purpose. The Trulock Tactical Zombie Slayer produces improved downrange accuracy and performance for buckshot or rifled slug applications.

Like all Trulock Chokes, the Tactical Zombie Slayer is resistant to cracking, abrasion wear, corrosion and damage from common gun cleaning chemicals. The Tactical Zombie Slayer is backed by Trulock’s lifetime warranty and its 60-day satisfaction guarantee.

I’m sure this choke would work just as well if finished in flat black or a blued finish. I don’t see how neon green paint improves anything more than marketing performance. I guess you could make the argument that the neon green is easier to find in your range bag than something in black but even that is stretching it.

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2014 SHOT Show – Day One With Ed Head And Tommy Sanders

January 15, 2014 by

The Outdoor Channel is streaming live interviews from the SHOT Show at different times during the day. The host of it is Tommy Sanders who used to host the outdoor block of programming for ESPN. In the recap of Day One of the SHOT Show, he talks with Ed Head of Gunsite and Downrange,tv.

Ed makes the point that he really hasn’t seen anything that was new and revolutionary. Rather, it has been an evolution of existing product lines. Much of these evolutionary products are aimed at the new shooters and especially those that are younger and women. These are the growth areas of the gun culture and smart companies are the ones who have responded with new products for that segment. He mentions Ruger in particular as a company that has seen good growth from their new products.

The other thing in this interview that caught my ear was Ed’s description of the mood of this year’s SHOT Show. He said people seem upbeat and united. He contrasted that with last year when the SHOT Show came about a month after the shootings in Newtown and the mood was gloomy. We expected to be hit with both new gun control laws and Executive Orders aimed at firearms. As Ed notes, the community rallied and beat back much of this. He says the AR-15 was the firearm that provided the rallying point. I’m not sure if I totally agree on that but it is an interesting point.

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Chicago Has Six Months To Develop Gun Sale Regulations

January 15, 2014 by 5 Comments



When Judge Chang granted the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment in Illinois Association of Firearms Retailers v. Chicago he stayed it so that the city could either appeal or file a motion to stay his decision. Today, he granted Chicago’s motion to stay his motion for six months in order to give the city time to develop new regulations for gun sales and gun stores.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A federal judge today granted the City of Chicago a six-month delay in allowing gun stores to open in the city so that Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration can set up rules and regulations to restrict where the new firearms sellers can hang their shingles.

The extension was expected after Emanuel said last week that he wouldn’t fight U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang’s order in court because he wasn’t interested in in “litigation for the purpose of litigation.” The city has suffered a series of legal setbacks in recent years while fighting in court to reverse rulings favoring firearms advocates.

Chang today agreed to give the city time to put together the regulations. He issued his ruling from the bench today at the Dirksen Federal Building.

The devil will be in the details. I don’t expect Chicago to either make it easy to open a gun store or to conduct a private sale of a firearm. I fully expect them to regulate private sales more stringently than do the State of Illinois or the Federal government. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has instructed the city’s law department to work with community leaders and public safety experts to craft a “comprehensive set of restrictions on the sale of firearms to ensure that illegal guns don’t find their way into the hands of criminals or straw purchasers.” By public safety experts, I’m assuming he means gun control groups.

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2014 SHOT Show – Media Day With Gunblast.Com

January 14, 2014 by

Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.Com shows a number of the firearms and optics that he tested at Media Day. Contrasting with last year, it doesn’t seem quite a cold and windy.

Among the firearms shown in the video below include the Glock 41 and 42, the Ruger American Rimfire, the Double-Star Compact Constant Carry SBR, and Colt Competition 14.5RR. The optics shown include scopes from Burris, Trijicon, and MSE.