Did They Really Have To Tell You This?

I'm reading over the list of items that are prohibited in your luggage when flying. I was trying to decide whether my camera batteries needed to be in my carry-on or checked luggage. In the category of things I learned while looking for something else come this from the TSA.

Can you believe that? Hand grenades are banned on planes even if they are in your checked luggage. They also listed dynamite as being banned. No word on C-4 or Claymore mines but I'm assuming they are a no go as well.

What Can I Bring?

Planning ahead and packing properly can facilitate the screening process and ease your travel experience at the airport. Know what you can pack in your carry-on and checked baggage before arriving at the airport by reviewing the lists below. Even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. Read about civil penalties for prohibited items.

For items not listed here, simply snap a picture or send a question to AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or Twitter. We look forward to answering your questions, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends/holidays.

The final decision rests with the TSA officer on whether an item is allowed through the checkpoint.

Flammables 

Hand Grenades

• Carry On Bags: No
• Checked Bags: No

Queen Cutlery Closes Its Doors

Queen Cutlery, maker of fine pocket knives, announced last week that they would be closing their door and furloughing their employees.

From their Facebook page:

Kenneth Daniels CEO and President of Queen Cutlery has announced effective January 10, 2018, that due to issues with cash flow, Queen Cutlery Company has been forced to cease all production and close it's Titusville Pennsylvania facility, and furlough it's employees while it goes through a period of reorganization.

KnifeNews.com wrote on the closure:

It is unclear whether or not the closing will be a permanent one. But either way, it marks the end of 507 Chestnut Street’s run as the longest continually operating knife factory in the United States. Schatt & Morgan first opened the plant in 1902. It was then purchased by Queen in 1933. In the early seventies, Queen itself was bought by the Servotronics corporation and subsequently acquired by Kenneth Daniels in 2012.

In recent years Queen has produced knives under its own label, as well as Tuna Valley Cutlery and Schatt & Morgan, and for Northwoods Knives. One of their most recent projects was a series of old-style automatic knives, which they kicked off with the John Henry model last year under the Schatt & Morgan label. Like other traditional slipjoint manufactures, Queen knives enjoyed an avid fan base. Ryan Daniels told us last year that about 80% of their business came from dedicated collectors.

Queen Cutlery had been in business for 90 years. They are not the first traditional pocket knife maker to close in recent years. Canal Street Cutlery closed its doors back in 2015.

As a collector and user of traditional slip-joint pocket knives, I find this very sad. I have a number of Queen, Canal Street, and Schatt and Morgan knives. I never really got into collecting Case knives though I have a few. Beside Case, this leaves Great Eastern Cutlery as the remaining major US manufacturer of traditional pocket knives.

I'd suggest now is the time to start scouring stores and online if you want any of the Queen or Schatt and Morgan line.

UPDATE: There is a long thread about the Queen Cutlery closure on BladeForums.com. The gist of it is that quality was down, prices were up, customer service was poor, and their best cutlers had left to go to Great Eastern Cutlery which is also in Titusville, PA. Read the thread and make up your own mind as to what was behind the demise of Queen.

Not The Noogie You Remember From The Playground

Everyone should remember giving or getting noogie in school or on the playground. DoubleStar, the Kentucky based maker of firearms and knives, has a different sort of noogie that they've just released. It is an "assisted bottle opener" and they call it the Noogie.

According to the press release, the Noogie is a light, comfortable and robust bottle opener with all the right ergonomics." They guarantee that it will make "quick work of even the toughest import bottle." DoubleStar suggests checking your local laws before purchasing. That is probably because there are some - not me, of course - who might think of an alternate use for the Noogie.

Here are the specs on the Noogie:

Made from ½" thick durable 6061-T6 aluminum, the Noogie is coated with Type III anodizing, providing it with extra strength around the cap contact location. The unique shape provides power and allows the thumb and index fingers to be free to hold objects while opening another bottle.

Noogie ABO Specificiations:

Material:	T6061 Aluminum
Overall Length:	4.25"
Width:	2.75"
Thickness:	0.5"
Weight:	3.6 oz.
Handle Opening:	2.75"
Finish:	Grey or Black Type III anodizing
MSRP:	$39.99

Ruger Sponsors Shooting Team

Ruger has announced that they will be sponsoring a shooting team. The official announcement is below but their PR Manager, Paul Pluff, let the cat out of the bag on Sunday on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk radio show. One of the things he noted on the show was Ruger's interest in developing up and coming junior shooters. Given Pluff's service on the Board of Directors of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation, he has seen many of these juniors in action.

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) is proud to announce the launch of its professional shooting team. This move marks Ruger's formal debut in the competitive shooting sports arena. Leading this team is newly signed world champion shooter Doug Koenig and more shooters will be announced in the coming weeks.

"We are very excited to introduce Team Ruger, and particularly with a shooter of Doug Koenig's caliber at the helm," said Chris Killoy, Ruger's President and CEO. "Doug is an outstanding addition to the Ruger team, bringing both a winning attitude and a true passion for growing the shooting and outdoor sports to the team."

In addition to serving as Team Ruger's Captain, Doug will also represent the Company as an official Brand Ambassador. Highly regarded for his talents, Doug is an athlete, lifelong hunter and world champion professional shooter. Doug began shooting competitively at the age of 17, winning both regional and national competitions. Since turning Pro in 1990, he has shot a perfect score of 1920 an unprecedented 17 times at the NRA Bianchi Cup. As he approaches his 31st year competing, this 18-time Bianchi Cup Champion's wins include more than 70 National and 10 World titles.

"I am thrilled to join Team Ruger and partner with such an iconic brand in our industry," said Koenig. "Ruger's depth and breadth of products is a perfect fit for both my competitive shooting and hunting endeavors," he concluded.

Doug also hosts his own TV show, "Doug Koenig's Championship Season," where Ruger is now the Presenting Sponsor. Each week, the show features a gritty combination of fast-paced shooting competition and wild hunting adventure - all with rugged, reliable Ruger® firearms.

Media and team inquiries should be directed to Paul Pluff, Public Relations Manager and coordinator for the new shooting team.

Getting Doug Koenig from Smith & Wesson is a coup for Ruger. Not only is a coup but it indicates the seriousness with which they are embarking on this new endeavor. Someone with the stature of a Doug Koenig is not going to switch teams on a whim and he had to be assured Ruger was serious about it. I would not be surprised to see a "Doug Koenig Special" 1911 being released down the road.

From what I understand, the rest of the Ruger shooting team will be introduced at the SHOT Show. It will be interesting to see who all is on the team in addition to team captain Doug Koenig.

Brian Aitken Pardoned....Finally

In one of the last acts before he leaves office on Tuesday, Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) issued a long overdue pardon to Brian Aitken. The pardon issued on Friday pardoned Brian for possessing hollow-point bullets and simple assault. His earlier conviction for illegally carrying firearms was overturned by an appeals court who found that he was indeed, as he always claimed, moving to a new residence.

From the Courier Post:

Aitken, a businessman whose seven-year prison term previously was commuted by Christie, said he was "so happy to finally put this chapter behind me."

"Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me over the years," Aitken said in a Facebook post. "I can't thank Gov. Chris Christie enough."

Aitken was arrested in January 2009 when a Mount Laurel police officer found three unloaded guns in his car. Aitken had purchased the guns legally in Colorado, but lacked a permit to carry them in New Jersey.

Aitken served almost four months in a state prison for unlawful possession of a weapon and other offenses before Christie commuted his sentence in December 2010.

 We interviewed Brian on the Polite Society Podcast after the release of his book on the arrest, court battle, and sentencing to prison. His book, The Blue Tent Sky: How the Left's War on Guns Cost Me My Son and My Freedom, is available on Amazon. I've read the book and it would be $1.99 well spent for the Kindle version to fully comprehend the war on gun owners in New Jersey.

Brian issued this note of thanks on his Facebook page:

Thank you everyone who has stuck with me over the years. I'm so happy to finally put this chapter behind me. Tuesday will be a sad day for the State of New Jersey but today is an incredibly happy day at the Aitken household. I can't thank Governor Chris Christie enough. I'm sure there's more to say but it's all still a bit surreal. I just wanted to make sure you guys heard it from me first.

Since he had his sentence commuted by Gov. Christie, Brian wrote his book, got married, started a business, and had a daughter. However, unless I'm mistaken, I still don't think he has visitation rights with his son from his earlier marriage which is incredibly sad.

You can see more about the Brian Aitken miscarriage of justice in this video by NRA News and in his talk with the Cato Institute.

I'm glad that Brian has his full life back now and I've both happy and amazed that Chris Christie did the right thing in pardoning Brian.

Twitter Factoid Of The Day

John Tyler was born in 1790. He was both the 10th President and 10th Vice President of the United States. He served from 1841 until 1845 after assuming office on the death of President William Henry "Old Tippercanoe" Harrison.

Here's where it get incredibly interesting. His grandsons Lyon Gardiner Tyler Jr. and Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the children of his son Lyon, are still alive. Lyon was born in 1924 and Harrison was born in 1928. Their father Lyon was born in 1853 to Tyler's second wife Julia Gardiner (1820-1889).

John Tyler, America’s tenth president, was born in 1790. He has two living grandchildren.

Yes, grandchildren. pic.twitter.com/ZHrXrEBJr1

— Matt Smethurst (@MattSmethurst) January 10, 2018

As Matt Smethurst joked in a follow-on tweet:

Another way to think about this: There are people who could look at you today, in 2018, and say: “Yeah, my dad was 8 years old when the war started.”

“World War 2?”

“Ha, nope.”

“Oh wow, World War 1?”

“The Civil War.”

Think of it - you have three generations of one family spanning parts of four centuries. That is just incredible.

Which Is Faster - Old School Remington 870 Or New Remington 870 DM?

In an amusing - and incredibly well edited video - photographer Yamil Sued compares which Remington shotgun is faster in sending 10 rounds down range - the 870 or the new box mag-fed 870 DM.




Obviously, the Remington 870 DM is quicker to reload for the average person. However, if you look at the video, the old school Remington 870 is quicker to get off the first five shots. I wonder what the difference would have been if Yamil had used one of those loading devices for use in 3-gun competition.

50 Female Gun Owners Set Sights on Washington DC

The DC Project started by retired police officer and 3-Gun champion shooter Dianna Muller will once again descend on Congress this June. Composed of women from each of the 50 states (or darn close to it), they visit Congressional offices promoting a pro-Second Amendment message.

While they have some sponsorships, they are seeking funding through a GoFundMe page. Their goal is to raise $25,000 and they could use your support in their efforts.

The Girl and A Gun Women's Shooting League is a presenting sponsor. Their announcement on the event is below:

AUSTIN, TX — Women from around the country are preparing to travel to the U.S. Capitol as part of the DC Project, a nonpartisan initiative that brings 50 women, one from each state, to Washington, DC, to meet with their legislators about issues addressing the Second Amendment. The women, who will be meeting with Congressional members and staff from June 20-23, 2018, have diverse professional experiences, ethnicity, and political beliefs, but share a common interest centered on the appreciation of America’s gun culture.

The DC Project was started by champion shooter Dianna Muller in 2016 to encourage female shooters to meet with legislators in order to give politicians a direct connection to the fastest growing demographic of gun owners. Females provide unique stories and perspectives on the attraction of the 2nd Amendment, including competition shooting sports, commerce, self-defense, hunting, and conservation. “The Second Amendment is part of the United States Constitution and does not belong to one party,” said Muller. “Female gun owners are diverse, and have individualized stories and accounts of why this Amendment is so important to them. These stories need to be shared as they are representative of many within legislators’ constituencies.”

A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) is the presenting sponsor of the DC Project. With a nationwide network of firearms instructors and female gun owners, AG & AG is a strong voice for the Second Amendment. Robyn Sandoval, Executive Director, is making her third trip with the DC Project to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

“A Girl & A Gun is honored to be a part of this initiative. As a mother who was a supporter of gun control for decades, I now devote my life to empowering women with the safe use and storage of firearms,” said Sandoval. “It is important that our lawmakers learn our stories and have access to our resources for education on gun-related issues.”

The DC Project will host several events during the week as participants give speeches and meet with lawmakers to address the rising demographic of female gun ownership; the value of the 2nd Amendment in today’s society; and the importance of the preservation of America’s gun culture, from conservation and commerce to competitive sports, hunting, and self-defense.

For more information on the DC Project visit: http://dcproject.info

About A Girl & A Gun

A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AG & AG) is a membership organization whose events have been successful stepping stones for thousands of women into the shooting community and fostered their love of shooting with caring and qualified instructors to coach them. AG & AG breaks barriers for women and girls in the area of self-defense and in pistol, rifle, and shotgun shooting sports by welcoming beginners to learn the basics of safe and accurate shooting and providing experienced shooters with advanced-level opportunities. The club has more than 5,000 members in 48 states, with chapters that host recurring Girl’s Nights Out at more than 150 ranges throughout the nation.