Michael Bane

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Airline Merger News For Gunnies

May 20, 2011 by

The Wall Street Journal had a story yesterday on the issues that United Airlines and Continental Airlines are dealing with as they complete their merger. Important issues such as the color of baggage tags and how many bowling balls that may be checked are part of the discussion.

However, for gunnies who travel with guns or trophy hunters with an elk/moose/caribou rack, there was some important news.

Hunters’ trophy antlers now will face United’s size restrictions of 120 linear inches for cargo carriage. Continental had no limits. And passengers can check five guns—Continental’s rule—instead of United’s two-gun maximum. The company says there is no industry standard or compelling reason to justify United’s limit.

Given Michael Bane’s rant in his latest podcast about United Airlines and the way their Phoenix counter handles those traveling with firearms, I’m sure that he’ll welcome the news that he now can have five guns when he travels. Whether or not it will cure the problems with the anti-gun sentiment at the United counter in Phoenix remains to be seen.

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Speculations On Operation Fast And Furious

April 6, 2011 by 4 Comments

Michael Bane devoted a good part of his weekly Down Range Radio podcast to Project Gunwalker. Given that Michael is the master of the rant, it was entertaining as well as thought-provoking. You can listen to it by going to the link above or downloading it on iTunes.

He has two threads of speculation about Project Gunwalker and those involved in running it. As he calls it, “just wild and crazy speculation”. Nonetheless, it makes good sense.

First, that Operation Fast and Furious is only one of the programs with “Jolly Pirate names” that allowed weapons to be smuggled into Mexico. We only know of this one because of the brave whistle-blowers who were sickened that fellow U.S. law enforcement officers were killed with the “walked” guns.

Second, in his experience Bane notes, that BATFE loves their gadgets. This is especially true of gadgets that supposedly will help them in their law enforcement functions. The gun dealers who worked with BATFE on Operation Fast and Furious (despite their grave reservations on selling AK-47s to what they knew in their gut were straw purchasers) were selling 10, 20, and even 40 AKs at a time. This leads to the question – why didn’t BATFE chip the guns with mini GPS trackers? It would have been very easy to chip these guns and then call the purchasers saying your guns have arrived.

The chip shown above was from 2008 and sold publicly. Imagine how much smaller one of these devices sold into the restricted Federal law enforcement market would probably be.

Expanding on the mini GPS trackers, one must wonder why the cars and trucks of the known straw purchasers and smugglers weren’t tagged with auto-sized GPS trackers. It might have enabled BATFE to actually follow the guns into the Mexico and not lose them.

As Michael notes, this is all speculation. Maybe we have all watched too many cop shows on TV and expect all law enforcement to use those gee-whiz gadgets even when they don’t. Still, you have to wonder.

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A Serious Rebuttal To Colin Goddard

March 16, 2011 by

By now most people have heard the name Colin Goddard. Many people also know that he was one of the students shot by the deranged student at Virginia Tech. Many also know that he is now a paid staff member of the Brady Campaign with the title of Assistant Director of Federal Legislation.

The New York Daily News called Goddard a “walking, talking poster boy for gun control” while discussing his movie “Living for 32.” I didn’t realize until I read that article that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sister, Maria Cuomo Cole, was both the producer and financier of Goddard’s movie.

Michael Bane is his Down Range Radio podcast last week provided a serious examination and rebuttal to Colin Goddard. Goddard is now touring the country promoting “sensible gun control”. As Michael notes, we seem in this country to confer special rights and status to those who are “victims”.

Goddard has said when the gunman came to his classroom that he and his fellow students “didn’t know what to do”. As Michael rightly points out, “Which sensible gun law protects you when you are cowering under your desk?”

While you can listen to the whole podcast on the embedded player below, the relevant part starts at the 32:06 mark and continues to the end. It is well worth a listen.

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Congratulations, Michael!

January 19, 2011 by

Congratulations are due to Michael Bane – blogger, podcaster, TV producer and star(!), and writer – for winning this year’s Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award. Past winners have included Jim Carmichel of Outdoor Life and Tom Gresham of GunTalk.

Jan. 18, 2011, LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Michael Bane was humbled to the point of speechlessness … impossible … but close. The Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) honored veteran journalist Bane with the prestigious POMA/NSSF Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award during the Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show State of the Industry dinner. Tom Gresham presented the award.

When informed he’d be honored, Bane’s usual edgy barrage of commentary was stilled, for a few moments.

“I’m honored, almost to the point of speechlessness, which is abnormal for me,” Bane admitted. “Within my field, the field of media, this is the preeminent award. Selection means you have the respect of your peers, and that means so much to me.

“A lot of what I’ve done is take risks, as an early adopter of new media. I’m honored that POMA and NSSF look out there and recognize new media.”

In honor of legendary outdoor communicator Grits Gresham, POMA and the NSSF developed the Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award in 2005. It recognizes communicators within the firearms/shooting sports/Second Amendment arena who grasp the ideals, foster the commitment, and display the talent Gresham showed during his storied career.

Bane’s biography reads like an adventure novel. His escapades climbing big mountains, scuba diving flooded cave systems and kayaking spectacular rivers around the world have been chronicled in such magazines as National Geographic Adventure, Men’s Journal, Men’s Fitness and hundreds of others. Additionally, he’s authored 21 books, including Over The Edge: A Regular Guy’s Odyssey In Extreme Sports.

However, it’s Bane’s moniker as a shooter and his multi-media vision and expertise that found him center stage and being honored as the 2011 Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator.

“Michael has been a pioneer in firearms multimedia for years. From magazine articles, books and television shows to podcasts, online videos and a daily blog, he is a leader when covering competition, self-defense with firearms, gun news, and always strongly supporting gun rights,” Tom Gresham said.

“I’m especially happy to have the award go to a media veteran who explores all aspects of responsible gun use. Just as my father (Grits) was a pioneer in bringing the message of shooting and conservation to the public through network television, Michael spreads the word, and introduces new people to our sport, using all forms of new media. Michael promotes the basic message that others would do well to follow – that no matter what kind of gun you are using, shooting is fun!”

“As a television show, website and podcast host, blogger and exceptional writer, Michael embodies the new breed of media professional who is adept at using all the tools at his disposal to reach gun owners, shooters and hunters with news they need to know,” added NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.

“His work with NSSF’s Media Education Seminars program helped journalists from major news organizations better understand firearms and firearm issues and continues to have a positive effect on media stories to this day. Michael joins a prestigious list of communicators who have earned this award, and he is most deserving of it.”

Bane, a five-time Telly Award winner for excellence in cable television programming, is the:

Executive producer and host of Shooting Gallery, now filming its eleventh season
Executive producer of Cowboys, which just aired for a seventh season
Executive producer and co-host of The Best Defense, in its third season
Executive producer and co-host of the two-year-old TBD/Survival
Co-founder of Down Range TV (www.downrange.tv) the largest firearms video website 2006, now owned by Outdoor Channel
Host of Down Range Radio, established in 2006 and one of the top firearms-related weekly podcasts
Author of The Michael Bane Blog, established 2004 and heavily followed by outdoor enthusiasts
Host of Weekly News (OutdoorChannel.com), a weekly firearms-related video podcast, and
Executive producer of two new television series, Gun Stories and Big Bore Chronicles, slated to air in late 2011

Nominations for the Grits Gresham Shooting Sports Communicator Award come from all corners of the shooting sports industry. Affiliation with a communications or industry organization is not required. Shooting sports industry professionals are encouraged to make nominations through the POMA Web site: www.professionaloutdoormedia.org.

UPDATE: Michael dressed for the occasion!

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Golden Moose Awards – Go Vote (updated)

November 29, 2010 by 2 Comments

If you have been around the gun community for more than say 10 minutes, you know who Michael Bane is. He has a whole host of shows on the Outdoor Channel, puts out one of the best weekly gun podcasts around, is a fellow gun blogger, and an all around raconteur of the gun culture.

The Outdoor Channel “for whom he labors” as Michael would say, is having their 11th annual Golden Moose Awards which are fan based. His shows like Shooting Gallery and the Best Defense: Survival are not eligible for these awards as he is an employee of the Outdoor Channel. However, Michael is eligible to win the award in the Fan Favorite – Host/Personality category.

I’d love to see a fellow gun blogger win this prize. You can vote for him by going to the link below:

http://www.outdoorchannel.com/gma.aspx

If he wins, he promises to throw a big party for everyone in the gun culture! With plenty of free ammo for everyone!

Just kidding, Michael. And thanks for the encouragement you gave me at the NRA Annual Meeting in Charlotte to start this blog as I approach my 400th post.

UPDATE: Tam and SayUncle both have reminder posts to go vote. Tam makes a great point about Best New Show and she will be doing some future work for S.W.A.T. Magazine.