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The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters

March 14, 2013 by 2 Comments

My fellow LuckyGunner Blogger Shoot alumnus Tom McHale of the My Gun Culture blog has just published his The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters. I just downloaded the Kindle version of it and it looks good. It is illustrated with his Half-Cocked cartoons as well as lots of really helpful information on a wide assortment of holsters.

To make things even better, Tom is making his 259-page book available for FREE on Amazon Kindle through March 14th. If you have a Kindle or Kindle software, you can get this very helpful book by clicking here. It is normally $9.99.

Tom’s press release about The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters is below and will give more information on the book.

Americans are flocking to buy guns like never before. The political
climate, a “foaming at the mouth” media and the desire to win the
neighborhood arms race are creating millions of first-time gun owners.
But how do folks learn about guns, holsters and concealed carry in an
amusing and approachable way?

Enter the team of My Gun Culture. They specialize in making sense of all that complicated shooting stuff with a large side helping of humor.

Their new book, The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters is now available on Amazon.com.

From Chapter 5: 10 Ways to Spot Someone Carrying a Concealed Gun

“If you see someone cruising around with a steady or intermittent
glow emanating from their pocket area, it means one of two things.
Either they have a really, really serious urinary tract infection, or
their holster is causing the pistol laser to activate.”

The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters
educates on a myriad of ways to safely carry a gun. Whether packing
heat on your belt or in your underwear, this book will teach new
shooters about the dizzying array of gun holsters on the market. In
addition to discussing numerous methods of carry in detail, The Insanely
practical Guide to Gun Holsters profiles over 120 specific holster
models. Dozens of photographs and Insanely Practical Tips help readers
learn how to carry a gun safely and invisibly.

Readers will learn important concepts including:

  •      A brief and entertaining history of gun holsters.

    •     

  •     How to weigh concealment versus gun accessibility.

    •     

  •     What’s better? Open or concealed carry? How to start a really enthusiastic argument.

    •     

  •     What options are available for ladies only?

    •     

  •     Is belt carry the best overall option? If so, how? Inside or outside?

    •     

  •     How to carry a gun using undershirts, belly bands and harnesses.

    •     

  •     How to use an ankle holster without making your ankles look fat.

    •     

  •     Pocket holsters. Why some work and others don’t.

    •     

  •     How folks can carry one or more guns in their underwear!

    •     

  •     Effective ways to stash guns in clothing: pants, shirts and jackets.

    •     

  •     Using off premises parking — ways to carry a gun not attached to the body.

    •     

  •     Home, office and car holster options.

    •     

  •     How to easily carry extra ammunition with magazine and ammo holders.


Let’s face it. Holsters are a tough thing to buy — especially for
someone new to the world of guns. Stores rarely have a big selection,
everyone has a different opinion, and it’s hard to try them on with your
specific gun. Holsters are expensive, and most experienced shooters
have a whole box of unused, and very expensive, holsters. This book will
dramatically improve the odds of making the right buy the first time.
It’s also filled with helpful tips, like how to make sure your gun stays
secure.

From Chapter 8: A Word on Gun Belts

“Wearing your jeans with the waist band around your knees is in
vogue these days. While stylish and trendy, this doesn’t work so well
for concealed carry with waist holsters. It’s bad enough having your
wallet swinging around at knee level. Having a gun swinging around that
low would certainly make you the center of attention. Unless of course,
you live in Mogadishu.”

The Insanely Practical Guide to Gun Holsters
is free for three days only! Download The Insanely Practical Guide to
Gun Holsters from Amazon.com at no charge Tuesday, March 12, 2013
through Thursday, March 14, 2013.

###

About Insanely Practical Guides

Insanely Practical Guides author Tom McHale was born a helpless,
shooting-deprived infant. Later in life, he created Insanely Practical
Guides to pursue his passion of creating slightly offbeat, but
educational, content related to guns, shooting, concealed carry and self
defense. He also produces a website, MyGunCulture.com
that is a half-cocked but right on target look at the world of shooting
and all things related. If you want to learn with a laugh about all
things shooting, visit him there.

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You Go, Girl!

March 13, 2013 by 2 Comments

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), one of the more notorious gun prohibitionists in Congress, held a town hall meeting yesterday entitled, “Preventing Another Newtown: A Conversation on Gun Violence in America.”

The panel included such gun control luminaries as CSGV’s Josh Horwitz and the Brady Campaign Legal Project’s Jonathan Lowy. There were no one but two people affiliated with Mayor Bloomberg and his Illegal Mayors – former ATF Special Agent David Chipman and Karen Marangi of the Raben Group, their PR firm.

Given this lineup, I’m sure Rep. Moran was a little surprised when the young and very attractive Celia Bigelow confronted him in the Q&A session. She asked why he wasn’t “pro-choice when it came to self-defense for women”. His response – next question.

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Is This A False Flag Operation?

March 13, 2013 by 5 Comments

In my email this evening I got an email entitled, “Gun Control and the Cultural Divide.” It was from the “Southern Conservative Newsletter” and discussed what they termed Northern and Southern views on guns.

It starts off by saying:

To understand the gun debate, one must know how each side comes to understand guns in the first place. As federal and local lawmakers consider new gun restrictions on law-abiding citizens, how do we shape the debate to actually solve problems such as the safety of our children and the reduction of crime – which are the stated purpose of all gun control efforts?

The email says in the South everyone grew up with guns and if you were part of the gun culture you were left out.  Of course, even in the South, not everyone grows up with guns.

When it comes to discussing the gun culture of the North, this email starts talking about Newtown and how gun control measures are a reactionary response. I can agree with that but I also know that response is not “Northern” but more urban in character. While still “discussing” the gun culture of the North, this email says we as Southerners can’t just “cross our arms and just say ‘no’ to any discussion of keeping guns away from criminals and the mentally disturbed” or we’ll be shut out of the discussion.

Now I don’t see anyone in the gun culture, Southern or Northern, just crossing our arms and saying “no” to keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals or the mentally ill. In fact, I see most of the impetus on the mental health front coming from us and not the gun prohibitionists.

The email concludes by saying:

Long prison sentences for those using a gun in a crime, mental health and criminal checks for those wishing to purchase a gun, safety courses – all of these are reasonable ways politicians can reduce criminal use of firearms and protect rights of those who use guns lawfully. We must be the ones to tell them, but we must first understand the nature and thought process of those on the other side of the debate.

Since when did anyone need a “safety course” to enjoy their enumerated rights under the Constitution? And are those “mental health and criminal checks” for firearms purchases meant just for those buying from a dealer or do they extend to private sales as well?

The email has buttons to either signup for the newsletter or to forward it. Both buttons seem to designed to capture email addresses. What makes me even more suspicious of this email is that if you Google “Southern Conservative Newsletter”, you get five results. They are all links to a blog by a liberal Floridian called The Spencerian who is dismissive of the newsletter.

The email address given is for the domain “southernconservativenewsletter.com”. The only problem is that this domain is a parked domain by GoDaddy.Com and they are offering it up for sale.

Call me paranoid or call me suspicious but I don’t trust any so-called conservative newsletter pushing background checks and safety courses in order to own a firearm.

If anyone has heard of this bunch, I’d like to know more.

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The Revised S. 374 – Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013

March 12, 2013 by 19 Comments

Today in the Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) submitted a substitute amendment for S. 374. This substitute not only changed the name of the bill from the Protecting Responsible Gun Owners Act of 2013 to the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013 but it also provided that action component that had been missing from the earlier version.

Title I of the bill deals with records submission by the states to the Federal government for purposes of integrating that information into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This section provides a carrot and stick approach to getting the states to submit data. It provides for a $100 million appropriation for grants to the states to improve their databases and to help them submit the necessary data to the FBI for NICS check. Up to 10% of this money could be used for a relief from disabilities program. That is, a program to report those to whom firearm rights are restored. I must say this would be a change coming from Chuck Schumer who has stymied the relief from firearms disabilities for years.

The improved data that the bill concerns would be the court records of  those convicted of a felony and those under either a court order or convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as well as the mental health adjudications that would cause the loss of firearms rights. The stick component that goes with the grants from Attorney General would be a reduction in monies from the grants under Section 505 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The states would have two years to bring the records submitted to the 50% or greater level or lose 3% of the Federal monies. It goes up to a 4% reduction after three years if the state didn’t submit at least 70% of the required records. Finally, after the third year there would be a mandatory 5% reduction for any state at less than 90% compliance.

All in all, I can’t argue too much about the intent of Title 1. It is in the interest of everyone to have the records at state level be as accurate as possible and it is also in the interest of everyone that the records in the NICS check system be accurate.

Title II of the S. 374 is a gun controller’s wet dream.

First, Section 202 makes it illegal for a firearm transfer to be made between unlicensed persons. It would required a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to first take possession of it, enter it in their bound book, perform a NICS check, fill out a Form 4473, and then and only then, complete the transfer.

The exceptions include:

  • Bona fide gifts between spouses
  • Bona fide gifts between parents and children
  • Bona fide gifts between siblings
  • Bona fide gifts between grandparents and grandchildren
  • Transfers made from a decedent’s estate by will or operation of law
  • Temporary transfer between unlicensed persons if
    • It occurs in the home or curtilage (adjacent property) of the transferor
    • The firearm is not removed from the home
    • And the duration is less than 7 days.
  • Temporary transfers in connection with lawful hunting or sporting purposes
    • At a range if kept within the premises of the range at all times
    • At a “target firearm shooting competition” under the auspices of a State agency or non-profit organization and the firearm is kept within the premise of the shooting competition.
    • If while hunting to a person with the requisite hunting license during a designated season for a legal game animal.

Section 202 would set a maximum fee for doing the paperwork. It would also require the Form 4473 be kept by the FFL doing the transfer.

The penalty for violating this section is not at all clear. However, it seems to fall upon the FFL who would be liable for a $5,000 civil fine and an up to six months suspension of his or her license. (If you can find another penalty for violating Section 202, please let me know.) Sec. 202 become 18 USC 922 (s) which under 18 USC 924 (D)(5) stipulates a year’s imprisonment and a unspecified fine.

Section 203 is equally egregious. It mandates the reporting of lost or stolen firearms within 24 hours of discovery to the “Attorney General and to the appropriate authorities.” More importantly, the penalty for knowingly violating this provision is 5 years imprisonment!

If passed, the law goes into effect in 180 days from passage. So far, it has passed out of the Judiciary Committee on a 10-8 party-line vote.

While the gun prohibitionists would like to have bans on standard capacity magazines and semi-automatic firearms with ugly cosmetics, universal background checks is what they really want because the only way to make enforcement of them possible is a national firearms and firearm owners database. As Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel Corporation, famously said, only the paranoid survive.

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Results Of Today’s Senate Judiciary Committee Meeting

March 12, 2013 by 1 Comment



As I said earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee was going to resume meeting to discuss three gun related bills and the nomination of Kenneth Gonzales. They have released the results of the meeting and I have posted it below. Gonzales’ nomination was not acted upon nor was Dianne Feinstein’s S. 150. However, both Sen. Chuck Schumer’s S. 374 and Sen. Barbara Boxer’s S. 146 were reported out of committee with amendments.


Results of Executive Business Meeting – March 12, 2013
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a continuation of an executive business meeting to consider pending legislation on March 12, 2013. The Committee was not able to complete action on all pending matters and the meeting recessed subject to the call of the Chair.

Agenda
I. Legislation

S. 374, Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act of 2013
Ordered Reported by Roll Call Vote, 10-8

Amendment ALB13180 (Schumer)
Adopted by Unanimous Consent

S. 146, School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013
Ordered Reported by Roll Call Vote 14-4

Amendment OLL13111 (Leahy)
Adopted by Unanimous Consent

Amendment OLL13112 (Grassley)
Withdrawn

 Last week I wrote that I found it strange that Sen. Chuck Schumer’s S. 374 – Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act of 2013 – did not have an action component. It merely consisted of findings which were more suited to a Senate Resolution than to actual legislation.

That was then and this is now. The amendment that Schumer made today in committee to S. 374 contains the meat of the bill and it isn’t pretty. Not only does it have universal background checks but it contains a provision that requires gun owners to report stolen weapons within 24 hours to authorities. The bill has also been renamed to the Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013. There is more to the bill and I will have a separate post up about it after I finishing reading the whole thing.

Here is the link to my separate post on the bill.

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Senate Judiciary Committee Meets Again

March 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

Last Tuesday the Senate Judiciary Committee met to vote on nominees for various judgeships and on a whole host of gun control bills. They ran out of time and only passed out S. 54 which is Sen. Leahy’s bill on “gun trafficking”.

Today they will continue this meeting. US Attorney for New Mexico Kenneth Gonzales will be back on the agenda as the nominee for a District Court judgeship for the District of New Mexico. Also on the agenda are the three gun control bills that they didn’t vote on last week.

As an aside, Chuck Schumer’s S. 374 – Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act of 2013 – still doesn’t have an action component to the bill. It still reads more like a resolution than a bill.


CONTINUATION


A continuation of the March 7, 2013 Executive Business Meeting has been scheduled by the Committee on the Judiciary for Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at 10:15 a.m., in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.


By order of the Chairman.


AGENDA


Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 226
March 7, 2013 at 10:00 a.m.


I. Nominations


Kenneth John Gonzales, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Mexico


II. Bills


S.150, Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 (Feinstein)


S.374, Protecting Responsible Gun Sellers Act of 2013 (Schumer)


S.146, School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 (Boxer)

The Judiciary Committee is also scheduled to meet on Thursday, March 14th, on a similar agenda.

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Gun Bills In Colorado

March 11, 2013 by 2 Comments

Today is the day that the Colorado State Senate votes on five gun control bills. Two other gun control bills – concealed carry on campus and liability for “assault-style weapons” – were killed by their sponsors.

HB 1229 – Universal Background Checks – has passed the Senate 19 – 16. The lone Democrat to vote against it was Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D-Thornton). It will now go back to the House to get agreement on amendments added in the Senate.

HB 1228 – Background Check Fees – was passed by the Senate 19 – 16. Sen. Andy Kerr (D-Lakewood) was the only Democrat to oppose the bill. This bill would impose a $10 plus fee for each background check by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. This bill now goes to Gov. John Hickenlooper who has indicated he will sign it.

SB 197 – bans guns for domestic abusers – was passed by the Senate on a 20-15 party line vote. It now goes to the House for passage there. Anyone with either a conviction for domestic abuse or a protective order would have to surrender their firearms within 24 hours. This could be extended to 72 hours by a judge’s order.


SB 195 – Online Training – passed the State Senate on a 22-13 vote. This bill would ban online training for a concealed carry permit. It no goes to the House for passage.

The final bill – HB 1224 – which would ban magazines with a greater than 15 round capacity is still being debated. This was the most controversial bill due to Colorado magazine manufacturer Magpul’s determination to leave the state if it is passed.

UPDATE: HB 1224 passed the Colorado Senate on a 18-17 vote a few minutes ago. It will now go back to the House because the Senate amended the bill with a change to the shotgun provision.

A Democratic sponsored bill that limits
ammunition magazines of more than 15 rounds passed through the Senate
Monday, despite some members of the party defecting and casting votes in
opposition to the measure.


The bill passed on a 18-17 vote, with
Democratic Sens. Democratic Cheri Jahn of Wheat Ridge and Lois Tochtrop
of Thornton voting against it. Two Republican lawmakers on Monday said
they will disobey the measure if it becomes law.

Unless Gov. John Hickenlooper veotes this bill when it reaches his desk, Magpul and a few other companies will be saying, “Hey, hey, Goodbye!”

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Hartford Courant On The AR-15 And CT’s Gun Companies

March 11, 2013 by 1 Comment

The cover of today’s Hartford Courant featured the following headline – “America’s Rifle”: Factories Boom. Under the title the subtitle read, “As Debate Goes On, State Gun-Makers Cash In On Popular AR-15.”

Reporter Dan Haar of the Courant had two stories regarding the AR-15 and the role that Connecticut gun makers have in producing it. Both stories were well-balanced and fair. While the Violence Policy Center and Josh Sugarmann got quoted, so too did the heads of Colt, Stag Arms, and Mossberg.

The first story concentrated on the investments that Connecticut firearms manufacturers have made in upgrading plant and equipment. Combined the companies have spent well over $50 million in upgrading their plants with most of the investment going towards making the AR-15. Given that investment, the head of Mossberg agreed that it would be hard to up and leave the state even if they couldn’t sell rifles there. That said, the crap they are getting from their own legislators doesn’t give them a warm and cozy feeling.

Echoing other local owners and executives, Bartozzi said Mossberg would never threaten to pick up and leave if Connecticut were to adopt a strict ban. “That is not our style,” he said, and besides, he added, it’s not only a history the company has in Connecticut but more to the point, a skilled and loyal workforce.

“It is damn hard to move a factory,” he said.

On the other hand, Bartozzi said, “To say that Mossberg is not looking at other options would be wrong. … I’m not feeling a lot of love from many of our legislators. It’s getting tiring. It really is getting tiring. … It takes a lot out of you.”

Mossberg, with a factory of similar size in Texas, has had active talks with officials from Southern states trying to drive a wedge between the firm and its home state. All of the firms have similar stories.

 The second story by Haar looked at the history of the AR-15 and its rise in popularity. He did a good job of examining the versatility of the AR as contrasted to its “military cosmetics”. The article did an excellent job in looking at the development of the AR-15 by ArmaLite which was an offshoot from Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corp., the role of Colt in licensing the design, and how other companies entered the field.

I don’t normally say good things about the mainstream media but in this case, the Hartford Courant and Dan Haar, did an excellent job. Just as importantly, they played it straight and they got their facts right.

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More Interested Teachers Than Spots In Free CCW Class

March 11, 2013 by 2 Comments

The Rowan County Wildlife Association thinks the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. To help increase the number of good guys they offered a free NC Concealed Handgun Permit class for teachers on Saturday in the Salisbury, NC area. The good news is that they had a lot of interested teachers show up. The bad news is that they had to turn some away because they didn’t have enough room.

Some of the teachers told Eyewitness News they were taking the class to help keep their students safe.


“That’s why we are teachers, because we love the children we work with,” interim teacher Jordan Waller said.

Waller joined dozens of other educators at the free concealed carry class in Salisbury.

She sat next to Susan Smith, a teacher’s assistant, who worries about her students who have special needs.

“Our children are not very mobile,” Smith said. “They would have a very hard time getting out of the way.”

Smith and Waller both support bills in the state Legislature that would allow teachers to carry weapons.

“If that’s what the world is coming to, I’d go along with it,” Waller said.

Of course as the report below makes clear, the gun prohibitionists at North Carolinians Against Gun Violence are aghast and resort to quoting junk research.

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NC Handgun Permit Modernization Act To Be Introduced

March 11, 2013 by

According to Grass Roots North Carolina, Rep. Jonathan Jordan (R-Ashe & Watauga) will be introducing this week the Handgun Permit Modernization Act. This bill if enacted would do three things: remove redundant mental health checks, stipulate that no additional fees or information could be required over what the state mandates, and reduce processing time from 90 days to 45 days.

In my home county it took me 85 days to obtain my NC Concealed Handgun Permit. This was in 2009 when sheriffs’ offices were swamped with applications. By contrast, the Complementary Spouse applied for her permit in Buncombe County. In addition to fingerprints, training, background check, and the fee, Sheriff Van Duncan (D-Buncombe) required applicants to mail a mental health records release to Mission Hospital and to another mental health agency. While the Complementary Spouse did receive her CHP sooner than I did, it came with extra fees. This bill would change that.

GRNC is asking people to do two things: contact the General Assembly leadership and to contact their own legislator to push this bill. Their alert with more info is below.


Remove Obstructions To Concealed Handgun Permits

Over the past two years, many of you have told GRNC that some sheriffs are obstructing concealed handgun permits by either delaying issuance or asking for intrusive personal medical information. Others are imposing extra requirements such as photos, character affidavits and fees for redundant criminal background checks.

1. GRNC has listened. Thanks to Representative Jonathan Jordan (R-Ashe, Watauga, GRNC ****), this week will see introduction of the “Handgun Permit Modernization Act,” which will:

Remove redundant mental health checks: Our CHP law predates the computerized National Instant Background Check System, which for several years has included mental health data. Yet NC CHPs continue to be delayed as sheriffs send forms to local mental health facilities. Worse, some sheriffs have begun requiring physicians to “certify” the mental health of applicants.

Stipulate that no additional information or fees may be required: Among the abuses we have seen, sheriffs have had applicants line up with sex offenders for mug shots, while others have required additional background checks (and fees), notarized character affidavits, and even contact information for employers.

Limit permit application processing to 45 days: At present, sheriffs are delaying permits for several weeks due to mental health check delays from local facilities.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!

Help Rep. Jordan move this bill, which will be filed on Monday:

  • Email NC House Speaker Thom Tillis and Rules Chair Rep. Tim Moore and ask them for a favorable committee assignment for the bill


  • Immediately email and call your representative to the North Carolina House and ask them to co-sponsor this critical legislation

CONTACT INFO

Speaker Thom Tillis: Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net

Rules Chair Rep. Tim Moore: Tim.Moore@ncleg.net

To find your House rep, go to: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/representation/WhoRepresentsMe.aspx

DELIVER THIS MESSAGE

Suggested Subject: “Remove Obstructions To Concealed Handgun Permits”

To Speaker Tillis and Rep. Moore:

Dear ______________:

Please support Representative Jonathan Jordan’s “Handgun Permit Modernization Act” by giving it a favorable committee assignment. Too many obstructions prevent lawful North Carolinians from obtaining concealed handgun permits essential to protecting themselves and their families. Our law was drafted long before creation of the computerized National Instant Background Check System, and long before North Carolina began reporting mental health data to that system. Yet permits are being delayed as sheriffs make archaic, haphazard and redundant inquiries to local mental health clinics.

Some sheriffs are subjecting permit applicants to arbitrary requirements beyond those stipulated by the General Assembly despite the fact that our concealed handgun permit application system was intended to be a uniform statewide process. These extra requirements include “mug shots,” extra fees and even phone calls to employers.

Since inception of the law in 1995, concealed handgun permit-holders have spent eighteen years proving themselves sane, sober and law-abiding, with a rate of permit revocation of less than three tenths of a single percent. By reducing delays in permit issuance, this non-controversial bill may well save lives.

Respectfully,

To your House rep:

Dear _______________:

Please co-sponsor Representative Jonathan Jordan’s “Handgun Permit Modernization Act.” Too many obstructions prevent lawful North Carolinians from obtaining concealed handgun permits essential to protecting themselves and their families. Our law was drafted long before creation of the computerized National Instant Background Check System, and long before North Carolina began reporting mental health data to that system. Yet permits are being delayed as sheriffs make archaic, haphazard and redundant inquiries to local mental health clinics.

Some sheriffs are subjecting permit applicants to arbitrary requirements beyond those stipulated by the General Assembly despite the fact that our concealed handgun permit system was intended to be a uniform statewide process. These extra requirements include “mug shots,” extra fees and even phone calls to employers.

Since inception of the law in 1995, concealed handgun permit-holders have spent eighteen years proving themselves sane, sober and law-abiding, with a rate of permit revocation of less than three tenths of a single percent. By reducing delays in permit issuance, this non-controversial bill may well save lives.

Respectfully,