Which To Attend? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

My Mom got an email today from the Brady Campaign. I guess at this point I should mention that she passed away almost six years ago, but I digress.

The Brady Campaign is having their very own Brady National Summit in Washington, DC in June. The announcement and details are below:

The Brady National Summit will take place June 9-10, 2014, at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center, with a cocktail reception on the evening of June 8. This year’s theme is “Bring It Home!”

The summit will feature experts, thought leaders, key advocates from across the country, and fellow Americans who have been personally impacted by gun violence. Participants will hone the skills needed to effectively engage friends, neighbors, media and elected officials in our national conversation about gun violence, and learn about what they can do in their community to help reduce gun violence.

The summit will close with a powerful day of citizen lobbying, as we join together to spread our message throughout the halls of Congress!

Join us for three days of education, inspiration & empowerment on reducing gun violence in our country.

The cost to attend this soiree is a mere $50. And more importantly, it will feature thought leaders! I guess these are the people who tell the thought police how to prosecute thoughtcrime.

And speaking of thoughtcrime, my alternative to the Brady National Summit is the NRA Annual Meeting which is free, is not in DC, and not full of Debby Downers.

Which to attend? Such a hard decision. Or not.

Screw it! I'm going to ignore the thought leaders and chance the thought police to indulge in thoughtcrime in Indy and I going to have a helluva time doing it.

People Violence

I guess I could have titled this "Comment of the Day" but the above title more accurately describes this. It is a Facebook post by Sheriff Jim Wilson regarding the knife attack by a student on his fellow students in western Pennsylvania yesterday.

THE RECENT SCHOOL KNIFING TRAGEDY is just a reminder that we are not faced with GUN VIOLENCE in our society. It is PEOPLE VIOLENCE that is causing all the trouble.

The kid could have used a machete, a baseball bat, a firearm, or even a weed whacker to cause harm. Violence is violence regardless of the adjective that precedes it.

UPDATE: I would also point readers to a post by Jim Shepherd at The Outdoor Wire who notes that the usual groups calling for something to be done (e.g. CSGV, Brady, MAIG, Demanding Mommies) are strangely absent from the media after this knife attack.

Turns Out The Rumors Were True

When the rumor first started that Russian-made 5.45x39 ammunition with steel cores (7n6) was about to be banned, there was a bit of discussion and it seemed that the rumor was just that. Given that it started with the somewhat infamous James Yeager that made some sense.

Well, it turns out the rumor is now reality thanks to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. They issued a special advisory yesterday (April 7th) saying that it was prohibited from importation into the United States because they found a "pistol" chambered in that round. They deemed the steel core made this ammunition "armor piercing" which is prohibited from importation under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (unless for government use).

I remember buying two more spam cans of this ammo for about $159 per can plus shipping on Election Day 2012. Checking the Internet, the cheapest to be found is going for $209 a can with most other places selling it for $260 to $270 per can of 1,080 rounds. I'm glad I laid in what for me will be a lifetime supply for my AK-74.

To paraphrase that old saying about the blind pig and acorns, even James Yeager can be right...sometimes.

The BATFE special advisory is below:

Test, Examination and Classification of 7N6 5.45x39 Ammunition

On March 5, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) received a request from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) to conduct a test, examination and classification of Russian-made 7N6 5.45x39 ammunition for purposes of determining whether it is considered “armor piercing ammunition” as defined by the Gun Control Act (GCA), as amended. Since 1986, the GCA has prohibited the importation of armor piercing ammunition unless it is destined for government use or testing. The imported ammunition about which CBP was inquiring was not destined for either excepted purpose.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), as amended, defines the term “armor piercing ammunition” as:

“(i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium; or

(ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile.” (emphasis added)

When ATF tested the 7N6 samples provided by CBP, they were found to contain a steel core. ATF’s analysis also concluded that the ammunition could be used in a commercially available handgun, the Fabryka Bronie Radom, Model Onyks 89S, 5.45x39 caliber semi-automatic pistol, which was approved for importation into the United States in November 2011. Accordingly, the ammunition is “armor piercing” under the section 921(a)(17)(B)(i) and is therefore not importable. ATF’s determination applies only to the Russian-made 7N6 ammunition analyzed, not to all 5.45x39 ammunition. Ammunition of that caliber using projectiles without a steel core would have to be independently examined to determine their importability.

H/T SayUncle

For Chicago-Area Gun Right Activists

The Illinois State Rifle Association has released an urgent alert regarding a public meeting held by the anti-concealed carry forces including the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (sic) and anti-gun State Rep. Elaine Nekritz. They are trying to build support for more restrictions on concealed carry in Illinois. After fighting so hard for so many years, it would suck to see all that hard work go to waste through overbearing regulations.

From ISRA:

URGENT ALERT - YOUR IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

GUN GRABBERS PLAN ANTI-CONCEALED CARRY MEETING

The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence along with Anti-Gun State Representative Elaine Nekritz are planning a public meeting to build support for legislative restrictions on Illinois new concealed carry law.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT LAW-ABIDING GUN OWNERS SHOW UP FOR THIS MEETING!

Anti-gun forces in the Illinois House are attempting to pass legislation that would make it nearly impossible for law-abiding citizens to get concealed carry permits. They even want to force the removal of firearms from American Legion and VFW halls. Imagine that. Our vets serve their country with honor and the gun grabbers want to thank them by denying them their Second Amendment Rights.

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN STOP THIS NONSENSE!

1. IMMEDIATELY call (847) 229-5499 and politely tell the person that you would like to RSVP for the April 16th public meeting. Call and RSVP even if you cannot make it to the meeting. DO NOT say anything to the person on the phone about your position on guns. If asked, just say that you are interested in learning about the impact of the concealed carry law on you and your family. Again, DO NOT say anything to the person about being pro-gun...they do not need to know where you stand...they only need to know that you are RSVPing for the public meeting. It's important that you make their phones ring off the hook! Keep them busy!

2. Attend the public meeting - even if organizers tell you that there is no space available:

a. Indian Trails Library, 355 Schoenbeck Road, Wheeling, IL
b. The meeting will be held Wednesday, April 16, 2014 and begins at 6:00 PM. Be sure to show up by 5:15 or so to be sure that you get a seat. This meeting will be very crowded so plan ahead and get their early.
c. The antigunners who will be there will certainly attack your right to keep and bear arms and your right to defend yourself and your family from dangerous criminals. Be prepared to vigorously defend your rights! Do not let these people trample on the rights that so many brave Americans fought and died for.
d. If you see members of the media there, approach them. Tell them that you are a law abiding citizen and that you do not appreciate having your rights challenged. Tell the media that you fully support the right to self defense that you will not allow your right to defend yourself to be diminished.

Remember - only you can preserve and protect your rights. If you leave that job up to the "other guy," you will see your rights evaporate.

DO NOT FORGET TO RSVP (847) 229-5499 WHETHER YOU PLAN TO ATTEND OR NOT!

CALL NOW!

Memorial Services For Otis McDonald Set For Friday

Funeral services for civil rights champion Otis McDonald who passed away last week will be held this coming Friday. The services will be at 11am at the Bethlehem Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey, Illinois with interment to follow at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.

The Second Amendment Foundation posted an obituary this afternoon with remembrances of Mr. McDonald from Alan Gottlieb and Alan Gura. They will be having a remembrance of his life at the Gun Rights Policy Conference held in Chicago this coming September.

From SAF:

SERVICES FOR OTIS McDONALD SET FOR FRIDAY;
SAF REMEMBERS GUN RIGHTS HERO

BELLEVUE, WA – Funeral services for gun rights champion Otis McDonald will be held this Friday at the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Harvey, Ill., the Second Amendment Foundation has learned, with interment to follow at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.

A pre-pass celebration of Mr. McDonald’s life will be held from 10 to 11 a.m., and the service begins at 11 o'clock. Mr. McDonald passed away April 4 following a long illness, leaving behind his wife, Laura and five children. His nephew, the Rev. Dr. Fred Jones, will officiate, and host pastor is the Rev. Dr. J.C. Smith.

“Otis will continue to live in the hearts and minds of freedom-living Americans who will long remember his important contribution to the gun rights movement,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We were honored to know him, and we are heartbroken at his loss.”

“Otis truly loved people,” attorney Alan Gura, who argued the SAF-funded case of McDonald v. City of Chicago before the Supreme Court. “He was universally kind, patient, and positive, and wanted very much to see his neighbors enjoying their freedom to which they are entitled. We all owe Otis a debt of gratitude that he could fulfill that wish.”

Born in Fort Necessity, La., Mr. McDonald moved north to Chicago after serving in the U.S. Army. He arrived with $7 in his pocket that he had been given by his mother, and for a time he stayed with a friend while searching for and finally landing a job. He worked in several jobs before finding is career as an engineer at the University of Chicago, where he worked as a journeyman engineer. He also worked his way through college, earning a degree in engineering from Kennedy-King College in Chicago. He later served as president of his local trade union.

Mr. McDonald was 80, and in his final years he became the champion of gun rights for which people will remember him. The case that bears his name, filed on his behalf by the Second Amendment Foundation, incorporated the Second Amendment to the states through the 14th Amendment. The victory forced Chicago to get rid of its handgun ban, and paved the way for the courts to force Illinois to adopt a concealed carry statute, which was another SAF case.

The family suggests that remembrances be made to the Second Amendment Foundation and Illinois State Rifle Association.

SAF will hold a remembrance of Otis McDonald’s life and his contribution to the Second Amendment at the Gun Rights Policy Conference, to be held in his home city of Chicago Sept. 26-28.

Just In Time For The NRA Annual Meeting

The 5.11 Tactical Duty Kilt or TDK is released on a sporadic basis and soon sells out. I saw quite a few gun bloggers wearing them at last year's NRA Annual Meeting in Houston especially at gun blogger get-togethers. Just in time for this year's Annual Meeting, 5.11 Tactical is releasing the TDK again on April 15th. If you have any money left over after paying taxes, now might be the time to grab one.

According to Guns.com, the kilts will retail for $69 in solid colors and $79 in camo. What would be even cooler is if you could get a tactical kilt like this in your own family tartan (assuming you are of Scottish descent).

Surprising Numbers From IWI About Tavor Sales

I will admit that I was more than a little surprised when I read the following press release announcing that IWI US (Israel Weapons Industries' US subsidiary) had shipped their 20,000th Tavor SAR bullpup carbine. The market for a bullpup like the Tavor SAR or the Steyr Aug would seem a bit limited given the design and the price but obviously I'm wrong in my estimation. And reading their press release below, it seems I'm not the only one wrong in my estimation. Sales were three times greater than IWI US projected themselves.

The press release announcing this milestone:

Harrisburg, PA (March 2014) - IWI US, Inc. a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., proudly announces the 20,000th TAVOR® SAR has been shipped. The IWI US facility was officially opened in December of 2012 and began shipments to distributors of the highly anticipated; Israeli designed and built rifle in late March of 2013.

2013 became the year of the TAVOR® SAR, with unexpected demand that tripled projected sales and garnered the receipt of two coveted awards: American Rifleman’s Golden Bullseye Award for Rifle of the Year and the popular blog, TheTruthAboutGuns.com, Rifle of the Year. IWI US doubled their employee base to meet the demand for the TAVOR® SAR, as well as hired additional management as the product found a receptive audience in the law enforcement community.

IWI US expects to expand its facility in 2014 to accommodate continued growth. Additionally, IWI US will launch an online store with a variety of IWI US approved accessories for the TAVOR® SAR in the coming weeks.

“This is a watershed moment for IWI US and our employees,” Michael Kassnar, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for IWI US commented. “We could not have met our goals without the enthusiasm, dedication and the Pennsylvania work ethic of the IWI US team.”

NSSF Defensive Pistol Tip - Drawing Your Pistol In A Car

In one of the latest training tips videos from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Adam Painchaud, Director of the Sig Sauer Academy, discusses drawing your pistol from concealment while in the driver's seat of a car.

For the majority of us who are right-handed and carry on the strong side, the seat belt can be problematic. Adam shows a way of using the steering wheel to give yourself enough leverage to draw your pistol without interference from the seat belt. He also discusses alternate methods of carry including shoulder holsters, cross-draw, and the ankle holster. Personally, I drive a lot and the idea of using an ankle holster is getting more and more appealing.