NRA Women, Presented by Smith & Wesson, encourages everyone to head to the range this weekend, but not before checking out this week’s shooting tip! Kim Heath, Vice President of the Women’s Tactical Association and competitive shooter speaks to her preference for using the “counter supination grip” when shooting rifles. Visit www.nrawomen.tv/range-ready every Thursday for a new tip and be sure to share your tips on Twitter using #NRAWomen!
First Rule of Safety: Don’t use a rifle as a crutch, or you might kill someone.
Has this man ever heard of “Tools and their uses?” This was the name of an old Navy Correspondence Course we had to do as part of the advanced electronic program. We learned the proper use of every tool from a hammer to a plane to a level to a micrometer. The course also went into great deal about what NOT to do, centered around trying to use one tool in place of a different necessary tool. Using the correct tool for the job applies 1,000 fold when one is talking about firearms. I just read the following news article:
A man in Grants Pass, Oregon named Jon Andrew Meyer, Jr. told police he was using his modern rifle as a crutch to help him get up from the couch when it fired a burst through the ceiling of a Grants Pass apartment and killed a little girl upstairs, according to court records. Mr. Meyer says the gun went off accidentally. Defense lawyer Gary Berlant adds that Meyer had been assured the gun was not fully automatic. Meyer is being held on $250,000 bail on charges of manslaughter, assault and unlawful possession of a machine gun. Authorities say he was responsible for the reckless burst of rifle fire that killed 5-year-old Alysa Bobbitt of Shady Cove and wounded apartment resident Karen Hancock. Read more Here.
He had a moment of complete stupidity, maybe more than one. He had a moment of laziness, maybe more than one. He used his rifle as a crutch to help him off of his couch. What if he had not had his rifle loaded, what if he had kept his finger off the trigger, and most importantly – what if he had used something else for leverage BESIDES his rifle to stand up at that moment? His booking photo says it all:
The look on a person’s face as they have their mug shot taken following the death of an innocent 5 year old girl because they did something 100% preventable and 100% final.
Please, THINK before you act. When there is a firearm actively or even passively in the vicinity – remain vigilant. A firearm is meant to fire a bullet and somehow accidental discharges have a way of finding innocent targets. Do not wait until you have been Mirandized and are standing in front of a police photographer to think about what you should have done. It is too late, lives have been deeply affected or ruined. In this case, the life of little Alysa, the wounded Ms. Hancock, anyone who loves these ladies, and yes, the life of Jon Meyer. He has to live with the lackadaisical way he treated the power in his hands and no matter what other punishment he receives, this look on his face will be somewhere inside of him forever.
Fly with the angels little Alysa Bobbitt… May other lives be saved in your memory.
This is the store that Mark Kelly, former Astronaut turned gun-control opportunist, oops – I meant activist, purchased an AR-15 from a few weeks ago. He was doing this as a PR stunt, apparently wanting to show how “easy” it is to buy such a rifle. Even though I am still getting over the shock that someone with the Top Secret government clearances required to be part of the space program can pass a background check, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Diamondback Police Supply Co., Inc. in Tucson, AZ has decided that they do not need Mark Kelly’s business after all. Read the statement they have posted on their Facebook page today. If you are in Tucson, please support this business – they did not ask to get dragged into this media circus. Although, they look like true professionals and Mr. Kelly looks like a bully. Mr. MacKinlay – I salute you!
Read the following statement posted on the company Facebook page by Douglas MacKinlay, Owner/President, Diamondback Police Supply Co., Inc.
“While I support and respect Mark Kelly’s 2nd Amendment rights to purchase, possess, and use firearms in a safe and responsible manner, his recent statements to the media made it clear that his intent in purchasing the Sig Sauer M400 5.56mm rifle from us was for reasons other then for his personal use. In light of this fact, I determined that it was in my company’s best interest to terminate this transaction prior to his returning to my store to complete the Federal From 4473 and NICS background check required of Mr. Kelly before he could take possession this firearm. A full refund was sent to Mr. Kelly, via express mail, on Thursday of last week.
The Sig Sauer rifle will be donated to the Arizona Tactical Officers Association where it will be raffled off to generate funds the association can use to purchase much needed tactical equipment for the organization’s members. The A.T.O. A. represents the SWAT and Special Response officers of the state’s law enforcement community who regularly place their lives on the line to protect the residents of this state.
Additionally, Diamondback Police Supply will make a $1295.00 contribution (the selling price of the M400 rifle) to the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program that teaches children, in pre-K through 3rd grade, four important steps to take if they find a gun. The emphasis of the program is on child safety, something that is important to all of us and at the core of the current debate on gun control,” stated Douglas MacKinlay, Owner/President, Diamondback Police Supply Co., Inc.
Mark Kelly buying an AR-15 March 5, 2013 at Diamondback Police Supply, 170 S. Kolb Street, Tucson, AZ.
Charles “Pinocchio” Rangel sure does tell some TALL tales!!
New York Rep. Charlie Rangel appeared on MSNBC this morning to opine about the assault weapons ban getting dropped from the Senate gun-control bill. He made a few claims about politics as usual and the power money can have in this type of a case, but his most noteworthy comment was about his knowledge on crime statistics.
“I’m ashamed to admit it but its politics and its money, The NRA has taken this position, there is no reason, there is no foundation. There is no hunter that needs automatic military weapons to enjoy the culture of going hunting,” the Democrat told MSNBC’s Chris Jansing.
“We’re talking about millions of kids dying — being shot down by assault weapons,” he continued. “Were talking about handguns easier in the inner cities, to get these guns in the inner cities, than to get computers. This is not just a political issue, it’s a moral issue…”
The FBI’s 2011 data says only 323 people were killed by rifles, compared to 728 people who were killed by hands, fists, feet etc. Handguns are much more likely to be used in a homicide with 6,220 killed nationwide in 2011. Read more here.
I wrote about this exact topic on WeLikeShooting.com, if you want to see the details on the actual FBI crime statistics – please read my article “Is an AR-15 the deadliest rifle? Can you handle the truth?”
Not a single executive from a major U.S. gunmaker was among representatives of firearm victims, law enforcement officials and gun rights advocates — including the National Rifle Association — when the Senate Judiciary Committee hosted its first major gun hearing last month. Nor will gunmakers be among the witnesses at Wednesday’s hearing, when the panel begins considering a new assault weapons ban.
While the NRA stands as the most powerful voice for gun rights in the United States, firearms makers have arguably the biggest financial stake in the outcome of a debate that has threatened to ban one of the industry’s biggest money-makers — known among gunmakers as the “modern sporting rifle” and to gun-control advocates as the “military-style assault weapon.”
The rifle’s popularity helped 465 U.S. gun and ammunition makers generate an estimated $12 billion in revenue last year, surging from about $9 billion in 2007, according to an industry analysis by IBISWorld, a market research firm.
“Despite the economic fallout generated by the global financial crisis, guns and ammunition have proved to be items that many people believe they cannot live without,” IBISWorld senior analyst Nima Samadi wrote in the firm’s October report.
The spike in revenue comes as a record 6.2 million firearms were produced in 2011, a nearly 20% increase from 2010.
Included in that number, according to data compiled by the firearms industry trade association National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), was another record 2.3 million rifles of all kinds, part of thriving overall industry that employs nearly 100,000 people in the U.S., from assembly-line workers to sales people at local sporting goods stores.
Sturm, Ruger & Co., based in Southport, Conn., is ranked as the nation’s largest gunmaker; it accounted for 17% of total firearm production in the country with 903,968 total guns made in 2010, the foundation’s data show.
The enormous growth, analysts said, can be tracked in part to two major familiar themes running through the past decade: the government’s demand for firearms in the prosecution of two wars and the 2008 election of President Obama.
Concern that Obama would pursue new gun legislation helped ignite the market almost immediately with a sustained spike in gun and ammunition sales. Though guns were never part of Obama’s first term agenda, the next four years — post Newtown — promise something altogether different.
“This administration represents the most serious threat to the industry since the 1990s,” said Larry Keane, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s general counsel, referring to Congress’ enactment of the decade-long assault weapons ban that expired in 2004. “The stakes are very high.” Read more here.
Early Tuesday morning, Christopher Boise heard a noise coming from the basement. As he walked toward the source of that noise, the RIT student noticed two men standing in the downstairs portion of his apartment.
“They were waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs,” said Boise.
One of them had a handgun trained on Boise. Boise screamed. His cries were heard by his roommate, Raymond. “It wasn’t like a, ‘I stepped by stepped on a piece of glass’ kind of scream,” Raymond said. “So, I instinctively went to my gun bag.”
Raymond owns an AR-15 which is a military style rifle.
Raymond estimated that just five seconds passed until the door started to open. It was one of the intruders.
“By the time I had it out and ready, one of the men came at my door, slowly opened it, saw that there was a barrel on the other side and from there backed out,” Raymond said.
The two men fled the apartment. Nothing was taken and no shots were fired. The rifle was not loaded at the time of the home invasion, according to Raymond.
“They decided this place was a good place to rob, just a wrong decision on their part,” Raymond said.
“I’m happy he saved my life. I was very thankful he had his (gun),” said Boise.
Raymond, who is from New York City, said he uses the rifle for sport shooting at local gun ranges. “The weapon was legal and he protected his property, said Rochester Police Chief James Sheppard. “We’re thankful that no one was injured,” he said. Read more here.
Idea: Print out the Groupon Logo and use it at the range for target practice. If anyone asks why, tell them what Groupon has done and encourage them to spread the word.
Thank you Groupon, you have just become part of the problem. They announced that due to pressure from gun-control advocates, they have canceled all gun-related deals in North America. Read more here. What is the goal of gun control if it is not to “force” gun owners to be responsible? All the politicians and people on the side of increased gun control say they are not interested in taking away the 2nd Amendment rights, they just want to take away what they call assault rifles.
I do not want to talk about AR-15s right now, I want to talk about firearm training and time spent at the range. I do occasionally use a Groupon deal to go to a winery, a pedicure, a new dinner experience – you get the picture. My Groupon has never offered me firearms training, or a day at the range, but if it had – I am likely to have taken the deal. I am sure that ranges and firearms instructors used Groupons to drum up business. They may have gotten someone who ALREADY has a gun to the range to practice, so they are less likely to make a mistake. They may have taken a class where they learned numerous safety lessons they would not have learned anywhere else. Groupons occasionally have great deals and people who could not afford a firearms class might have been able to attend one, if only Groupon had not gone spineless. Well done Groupon, with an already failing business model, It does not seem prudent to turn away a customer. Well done.
Jessie Duff is recognized as one of the most accomplished competition shooters in the world. Competing – and excelling – in five different shooting disciplines, Jessie has won both world and national championship titles, included among them are the prestigious Bianchi Cup and the Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships. Over the last couple years Jessie has been a fixture in the shooting sports industry representing her many sponsors, chief among them Taurus.
In this video on the Fox News show, Hannity. She really demonstrates the difference in various guns, and why banning an AR-15 will not do anything. We are simply going to get to the root cause of the mass shootings. I do realize that by posting a Fox News video – some people will believe it is skewed. This video is nearly 100% Jessie Duff talking and showing the difference in different kinds of guns and different calibers. I think this is a fair video. Let me know what you think!
If you had a chance to read my Analysis of the 23 Executive Actions that Obama said he was taking during a Press Conference earlier this week, or if you have been watching the News, you know some of the Presidents plan focuses on the mental health issue. I am worried that there will be too much “gray area” and these actions will be extremely overreaching – stomping on the 2nd Amendment rights of Americans who would never cause another harm unjustly. I read your article about Obama’s executive orders. I have heard many gun people talk about the mental health issue in gun control. The president seems to be focusing on this. I think we should be vigilant about this and not fooled by something that sounds like common sense.
Google “mental illnesses listed in DSM” (DSM = “diagnostics and statistics manual of psychiatric disorders” the handbook used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental illness.) I think you will be surprised by what you find. Such things as “male erectile disorder”,”nightmare disorder”,”premature ejaculation”, “caffeine-induced sleep disorder”, “night eating syndrome” and “primary insomnia” are listed as psychiatric disorders. If mental illness is used to exclude people from owning guns, then 90% of the population could possibly be excluded.
About seven percent of adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. This alone could exclude a large segment of our population. I am not for arming the mentally unstable but mental illness is a catch-all phrase that puts a stigma on people who function normally, but may have a problem or condition that does not pose a threat to themselves or others but requires therapy or medication.
I think to exclude people who see doctors or take medications for minor things such as generalized anxiety or mild depression is a mistake and uses twisted statistics and overly broad definitions to disarm a few more people. The next argument they will use is that certain over the counter and/or prescribed medications cause diminished capacity and poor judgement therefore if you use these you cannot own a firearm.
Also, doctors, in the interest of keeping their licenses and avoiding lawsuits, will tend to be less forgiving and more aggressive in diagnosing and reporting those who might in the absence of the new executive orders would otherwise not be of concern and not be reported. Err on the side of caution has always been their motto. This is good when diagnosing cancer but when depriving a person of their liberties, a different and higher standard should be used.
I know most mass murderers in the U.S. had mental illness. Does that mean anything? Is it statistically significant? What percentage of people with mental illness commit violent crimes or mass murder specifically. Think of how many people in the U.S, take antidepressants or something to help stop smoking who have never committed a violent crime. I think this is just a device to begin excluding people from gun ownership. For that matter what percentage of law abiding gun owners commit violent crime? Also,what percentage of each gender, or each religion, or each ethnicity commits violent crimes? Should the government determine who has what rights based on these?
While I am ranting, as far as the “if it saves even one child” issue/war cry used by gun grabbers to justify more erosion of our rights; this also is a strategy designed to elicit sympathy and also sounds like common sense. This is the biggest lie used by these people. They (elitist government) don’t care about our children except that our children will provide future cannon fodder for their wars or wage slaves to enrich corporations that they own part of. If they really meant “if it saves even one child” then they would require crash helmets to be worn in cars, sprinkler systems installed in every home, and annual full body MRI’s for everybody. I mean, these things will save more than just one life. Better yet, if they care so much for children then ban abortion, as this will save more than one child’s life.
I think “mentally unstable” would be a better term to use when referring to those who shouldn’t own guns due to mental illness and a better definition to exclude people from gun ownership. Since six of the twenty three executive orders proposed for gun control have something to do with mental hearth either directly or indirectly it seems that “the mentally ill should not own guns argument” will be a large part of this latest gun grab attempt. It sounds good, but mental illness is based on a doctor’s or social worker’s opinion and interpretation of a manual that is based on opinion and statistics. In my opinion anyone who is crazy should not own a motor vehicle therefore no gun grabber or second amendment opponent should own a motor vehicle because one has to be crazy to think that by making more laws stating that criminals can’t have guns will keep criminals from owning guns and make people safe from these criminals. Again, I don’t think that the mentally unstable should be allowed to own guns, but we better be wary of the road on which we allow our government to travel. In depriving us of our liberties they will start from the outer edges and peel away layers of citizens and rights citing various references and studies until they finally reach the center which is where they see themselves to be.
~ A concerned citizen
“On Wednesday, when Obama makes his long-awaited announcement of proposals to reduce gun violence, he will be joined by Grant, Tajeah and other children from across the U.S. who expressed their concerns about gun violence and school safety to the one person they think can make a difference: the president.
The White House shared three such letters with The Associated Press, from young writers who seemed to agree that Obama should do what’s necessary to make it harder for people to get guns.
Obama has spoken in favor of banning assault-style weapons, limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines and requiring background checks for every gun buyer.” Read more via The Associated Press: In letters, children ask Obama to change gun laws.
This entire gun fiasco was started from the deaths of tiny first graders in Newtown, CT. Most of the politicians who are rushing these gun control measures into law already planned to do so, and then the Sandy Hook tragedy gave them the platform on which they could stand to make their dreams a reality. Now, law after law will be signed by our elected leaders, while the apathetic country sits by nodding their head, “Oh yes, this is surly necessary, it is for the children after all.” Some will say, “Oh, if it saves the life of just one child, I will gladly give up my liberty.”
I do not want to know a world where my children, my daughter, my son, cannot protect themselves. I do not want to know a world where they are defenseless against whatever evil may come.
Stand on the platform provided to you by the murder of the Sandy Hook Children, Mr. President, read letters from children around the country, make your announcement in front of a group of adorable youngsters, all while you take away liberties their young minds cannot even comprehend.
