The Beat Goes On, VPC Version: The gun industry and the National Rifle Association (NRA) don't want you to know that gun sales have stagnated for years, and their campaigns to legalize concealed carry and fight restrictions on the sales of highly lethal weapons are part of their strategy to boost stagnant gun sales. Tom Diaz, senior policy analyst at the Violence Policy Center, argues that this business strategy does a disservice to the sport shooters and hunters who make up the bulk of the NRA's membership, and has resulted in turning the United States into the "last great market" for cheap and highly lethal weapons. Diaz, the author of Making a Killing and the forthcoming No Borders: Transnational Latino Gangs and American Law Enforcement, spoke to the Shepherd about the true motives of the gun industry, how President George Bush allowed assault-style weapons to be imported into the United States, and what President-elect Barack Obama should do about gun violence... (Lethality is a property of the projectile, not the platform from which it is launched.) http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-4966-i-wish-you-would-provide-a-more-balanced-approach.html --- Rule One Reminder: The mysterious shooting of a would-be Yankee cavalryman from the Bronx during the filming of a Civil War re-enactment in Virginia in September has been solved, according to the authorities, with the indictment of a latter-day Johnny Reb who, they say, accidentally fired a .44-caliber ball from an 1860 Army Colt pistol that was supposed to be empty. The shot wounded Thomas Lord, a 73-year-old former New York City police officer from Suffolk, Va., and a bluecoat with the Seventh New York Volunteer Cavalry. The group's roots include a pitched battle against Confederates in the trenches near Suffolk in 1864... (Rule One: All firearms are always loaded.) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/nyregion/18reenact.html?ref=nyregion --- Rule Two, Rule Three Reminder: A 6-year-old girl was killed Friday afternoon when her uncle tried to unload a gun to make it safe and it went off, fatally wounding the child, deputies said... Investigators said the uncle took the .45-caliber handgun out from under a sofa and was unloading it because he was concerned about Madison's safety. Deputies said that while the uncle was trying to unload the gun, it fired and struck Madison in the face. Spartanburg Sheriff's Major Dan Johnson said, "The sad part about it, he was trying to make it safe for the child to play in the house." ... (Rule Two: Don't let the muzzle cross anything you're not prepared to shoot. Rule Three: Keep your finger out of the trigger guard, up on the frame, until your sights are on the target and you're prepared to fire.) http://www.wyff4.com/news/18497134/detail.html# --- From John Farnam: 15 Jan 09 2009 SHOT Show, Orlando, FL Yesterday, I attended the first "Range Day" the SHOT Show has ever put on. It was hosted by the Orange Co SO at their wonderful, and expansive, outdoor range complex. It provided an opportunity to actually handle and shoot many of the weapons that will be on display at the Convention Center. Cor-Bon is now making a frangible training round in 223, 7.62X39, and 308, called MPG. It features a conventional-brass-jacketed, compressed-powder bullet. The problem with many "compressed powder" training bullets has been that they disintegrate before they're ever used, often breaking in half in the magazine. MPG's brass jacket addresses that problem. Several other ammunition manufacturers are now making something similar, as the durability of frangible training rounds has been a real issue. Aimpoint was on hand at the Range, and I had a chance to shoot several rifles and shotguns equipped with the Micro T1, H1, and R1. I've been using Aimpoint's military-grade T1 on several of my rifles, with great success, but Aimpoint now offers the H1 and R1. Both are identical to the T1, but one-hundred dollars less expensive. The only difference is that the T1 can be submerged to one-hundred meters and still function. The H1 and R1 are limited to five meters! So, for most non-military uses, the H1 and R1 will run just fine. The H1 is black. The R1 is silver. Burris is making a small, open-screen optic, called the XTO. It is similar to the popular DR sight. They had several mounted on shotguns, and I tired my hand at shooting clay birds with a Beretta shotgun, so equipped. The mount is clever, in that is positions the sight low enough so that one can use an unmodified cheek-weld. With a little friendly coaching from a skeet-shooter, I found the System to work extremely well! At the Sniper Range, I had the opportunity to shoot a Sako bolt-gun in 370 Sako (9.3X66) with Barnes-bulleted Federal Ammunition. I was effortlessly knocking down LaRue self-resetting steel targets at 200m. The 370 Sako is ballistically similar to a 375H&H, but with a shorter bolt-throw. SIG was on hand, and I finally got a chance to shoot a copy of the P250, this one in 45ACP. It has a smooth trigger, with a deep reset. Excellent pistol! I'll have my own copy shortly, so I can carry and use it in training. At Ruger's section, I got the chance to examine and shoot their new LCR. The LCR is a 38Spl, five-shot, snubby revolver. Frame is aluminum. Grip is polymer. Barrel and cylinder are steel. The cylinder is heavily skeletonized to reduce weight. It is light and extremely functional. Slightly bigger than a S&W snubby, but still very suitable to concealed carry. They will hit gun-shops in March. Beretta's PX4 compact pistol's magazine has an extremely clever magazine-lip extension that extends as one grasps the pistol, and then can be pushed back into it's "retracted" configuration as the pistol is carried. Mark LaRue is now making the OSR, a 308 autoloading, military rifle with, naturally, an integrated rail. It uses the conventional, Stoner gas system. Most such "upscaled" Stoner rifles have been clunky and awkward. By contrast, Mark's version is slick and elegant. Nice gun! POF (Patriot Ordinance Factory) had their own candidate on display, the P308. All POF rifles feature a conventional gas-piston, and all are NP3'ed, complements of Robbie Baarkman at ROBAR. I may have to get a copy of the P308. It represents a nice set-up, and runs well. A local manufacturer here in FL, Spike's Tactical, had on display a drop-in upper for an AR-15 that converts the rifle to 22LR! I shot it, including full-auto, through several hundred rounds, and it ran fine. With the cost of 223 ammunition being what it is, devices like this will enjoy great popularity! At the low-light event, I had a chance to shoot rifles equipped with Aimpoints, enhanced with night-vision optics. The two optics are mounted in tandem on the receiver. You dial the Aimpoint dot way down, but it, and the downrange area, then come into full view through the starlight-scope. Another version is the "occluded-eye." Here, a starlight-scope is suspended over one eye, via a bracket on the helmet you're wearing. With the other eye, you look through the Aimpoint on your rifle. Your brain then merges the two images, so that you can see the downrange area, and the dot, at the same time. The Aimpoint dot is super-imposed over the target. This took some getting use to! I'm not sure my brain ever got the full hang of it, but, when it works, it represents some real capabilities. A third version featured an IR "flashlight" mounted to the rifle. When the unit is turned on, you can't see anything with the naked eye. But, through the night-vision optic, it looks as if a flashlight is shining downrange. When the IR flashlight is combined with a laser, you can plainly see the downrange area and the laser dot on the target. This third version can, of course, be detected from downrange. By contrast, the first two options are completely passive. The main part of the SHOT Show opens today. The 2010, 2011, and 2012 SHOT Shows will all be in Las Vegas. More to come! /John 15 Jan 09 2009 SHOT Show Today was the first day of the 2009 SHOT Show at the huge Orlando Convention Center. Notes: Lynn Thompson at Cold Steel showed me his new all-aluminum Ti-Lite. I carry a Ti-Light daily, but I'm going to have to get a copy of this new one! Lynn's knives are insanely strong, and no one is more passionate about excellence and personal competence. Lynn is a real force in this industry! DSA's TP9 is a technically a short-barreled rifle. It is in 45ACP, and, with its folding stock, it fits into a pistol case for air transport! Nice way to have a heavy arm with you when traveling, and it is light! Demand for FALs continues very strong. In a joint project with Robinson Arms, Cor-Bon has introduced the 6X45 cartridge in DPX. The 6X45 is basically a 223 case, necked-up to 6mm (23.6 caliber). It features an 85gr DPX bullet at 2,800 f/s. As soon as Alex Robinson gets the XCR in this caliber into production, I'll have a copy for testing. The 6X45 may breath new life into the 223 case! STI had on display a thirteen-shooter, 1911 pistol in the new "7mm Pistol" caliber! It looks like a 30 Carbine cartridge, proportionally reduced in size. The 7mm Pistol cartridge is now being manufactured by Fiocchi. It features a 55gr bullet at 1,600 f/s. It I'll be checking it out the Fiocchi booth tomorrow. Kahr had on display their new P380 compact pistol in 380Auto. It is virtually the same size as the Kel-Tec 380 and the Ruger LCP, but thinner! This is a nice back-up pistol, and I need to get a copy! I liked Earnie Emerson's new CQB8. It is a heavy-duty, but thin, fighting folder, featuring the "Wave" opening system. The wave portion of the back of the blade conveniently hides itself when the blade is deployed. I like this knife, because if its generous scallop, designed to keep finger from sliding forward onto the blade itself. Earnie himself will be presenting a knife-fighting seminar tomorrow EOTech showed its new XPS2 version of its well-known optic. This is the most compact one yet and is powered by a single 123 battery. Available in June. The Aimpoint-style, single-dot, which I prefer over the circle/dot, is available as an option. Mag-Pul is marketing a one-point/two-point sling, called the MS2. I really like this system! It permits the sling to be used in either a one-point, or a two-point, configuration, and one can get in and out of it quickly. ...more tomorrow /John (Back at the 1998 seminar of the American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers, Jim Cirillo was enthusiastically describing to me the great results Marty Hayes was getting blowing out the .223 case to accommodate a 6mm bullet. The conversation ground to a halt when I inquired what this new round could do better than the 6mm PPC. For those who are not familiar with the 6mm PPC, it is a benchrest cartridge, based on the 7.62x39mm case but using a small rifle primer.) 16 Jan 09 2009 SHOT Show, Second Day: I talked with friends at Action Target today. They have grown considerably, and are now involved in everything except video/simulation systems. Action Target specializes in steel targets and goes after the LE market with a passion! Action Target's main competitor, Meggitt, is now the largest manufacturer of range/training equipment in the world, having absorbed Caswell, Kory, Detroit Armor, and now FATS! So, they do everything, including video/simulation! ATK, which includes Federal Ammunition, is now producing their own version of Simmunitions marking/pistol rounds. It's called "Force-on-Force" ammunition. Nice to have more than one source! Para-Ordinance is moving their operation from Canada to Georgia, to become an American company. Guess they grew weary of stupid Canadian gun laws! Para-Ordinance is now making an AR-like rifle, with the recoil spring in the receiver, so it can be equipped with a folding stock! I talked with folks at Taurus. Their "Judge" pistol (five-shot revolver, chambered for 45LC/410 Shotgun) is wildly popular, more so than their infinitely more practical 24/7! They literally can't make them fast enough. There is now even a three-inch version! I talked with a number of USMC officers in attendance. They're all getting out! The mass-exodus is System-wide. America's best military minds are all bailing. No one wants to serve under BHO! I was, once again, amazed at Advanced Training System's "Dummy Dumper!" This is an animated, jointed, three-dimensional mannequin that "collapses" when hit. No one else offers anything like it! Tango-Down is making a "plastic," 30-rnd, AR magazine which is designed to be non-binding, going in and out, in any rifle. It also features a non-binding follower that is skeletonized to allow water to drain out. It is made of fiberglass-reinforced nylon! I'll have a copy or two soon for testing. Bruce Siddle, owner of Detonics, showed me a copy of his new CXT Pistol. A compact, 9mm, autoloader with a rakish, fifty-degree grip-angle. Frame is plastic. Trigger/rail system lifts out, much as with the SIG P250. This may be the next "Glock!" I stopped in to see Mark LaRue at LaRue Tactical. I had an Aimpoint T1 (Micro) on a famous LaRue Quick-Release mount, with a riser designed to elevate the Aimpoint enough to facilitate co-witnessing with my Troy flip-up iron sights. However, the riser I had was too high when mounted on my Robinson Arms XCR in 7.62X39 (with which I'm currently traveling). Mark, of course, swapped it out for a lower riser, on the spot, and installed the Aimpoint on it. It is back on my XCR, as of this evening, and alignment with iron sights is now perfect. Customer service just doesn't get any better! Good show, Mark. I stopped by to see John Ring, of Ring's Inc, makers of plastic prop-guns. He had copies of nearly every pistol you would ever run into on display! Most are blue in color, in order to avoid confusion. I bought several for a Class I'm doing here in FL next weekend. I'll pick them up Sunday. John, like Mark, is a stand-up guy! More tomorrow... /John (I'm not sure if I would accept a Taurus Judge as a gift but Taurus can't keep up with demand - go figure. The TangoDown magazine was actually developed for the SCAR Light Rifle but is fully compatible with the AR-15, M16, etc. I suspect that the grip angle of the new Detonics pistol emulates that of the Luger. I'm sure that the late Rex Applegate told Bruce Siddle, as he told me, that the Luger is the most naturally pointing of the autoloading pistols.) 17 Jan 09 SHOT Show, third day. Items of interest: SIG had on display their new P238, 380Auto, 1911-style pistol. It is a seven-shooter. Smaller than their P232, but still bigger than Kahr's P380. Addressing the small, concealed-carry market is popular this year! SIG optional "Short-Trigger," available on most of their autoloading pistols, including the new 250, is really just a "thin" trigger. The bulk of the trigger is reduced, with the effect that the distance from the trigger-face to the backstrap is reduced slightly. Recommended for medium to small hands! Safariland is marketing an ingenious holster system, the QLF/MLF, which allows holsters to be quickly attached to, and detached from, various mounts on belts, backbacks, et al. Blackhawk is simultaneously marketing a similar system. Both are extremely versatile and robust! Bill Mathes, of 21st Tactical was the first to introduce this concept, and it has obviously caught on! Blackhawk also had on display a SERPA Holster for Tasers! We see SERPAs everywhere! At ASP, I saw their new "Triad" flashlight, which features an ultraviolet bulb, so that officers can check driver's licenses in the field. This is the brightest, small flashlight at the Show, featuring an honest 200 lumens. It is bright! Another ingenious ASP new product is training handcuffs! These cuffs work just like regular cuffs, except that they can be taken off quickly, without a key. So, in mechanics-of-arrest training, students can have increased iterations of handcuff application, because cycle time is greatly reduced. I can't believe no one has thought of this before. I can't believe I didn't think of it! ASP's regular handcuffs now feature split pawls, which makes picking them much more difficult, and unlikely to succeed, than with conventional cuffs. Insight is now making a small flashlight, the HX150, that can be set to flash a continuous "SOS" signal. Again, I surprised no one has thought of that feature before, but it surely makes the HX150 a good travel companion! The rest of this day I spent greeting old friend and meeting, in person, all the people I normally only talk with over the phone. That is why I attend the SHOT Show. Like all trade-shows, it's hectic and overwhelming, but I have to be here if I claim to be in this business! Last day tomorrow... /John (I am not a big fan of the .380 ACP as it lacks the energy for effective shots to the pelvis. Still, a pistol chambered in this round definitely beats a pocketful of rocks. I find it somewhat ironic that Kahr is now offering this chambering because I have long argued that I saw no reason to accept the 9x17mm chambering when Kahr offered pistols in the 9x19mm chambering that are as small or smaller than many .380's. I like the SERPA retention system but find, at least with their holster for a limited number of J-frame revolvers, that the desire for modularity places the holster too far from the belt for optimal concealment. I'm not familiar with Safariland's offering but perhaps concealment is not part of its mission. I own a couple of SERPA holsters for J-frame revolvers, mostly if I need to carry one exposed - I am uncomfortable with open carry without some retention feature built into the holster and the SERPA system is quite intuitive to the user.) -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .