The Michael Bane Blog

...too tired to write after FREEZING Media Day at the Range. Some quickie points I'll be elaborating on Wednesday on the podcast:

• TAVOR blew me away. I ordered one on the spot. Heck of a rifle!
• FNH long slide FNS 9mm...another must have.
• Daniel Defense Integrally Suppressed Rifle in .300 Blackout! Pay the $200 and wait.
• DoubleStar C3 Constant Carry Carbine! Another slam-dunk.
• Springfield Armory XD/s 9mm...slick.
• Ruger Guide Rifle with world class muzzle brake...make mine a .375 RM! Controllable thumper.

All that on DOWN RANGE Radio Wednesday...and more!

Plus, Michael buys a crossbow!!!

Ruger is helping people get in touch with their Senators and Congresspeople. Good on them!


Some thoughtful reading on guns from a psychiatrist:

A disarmed population is allowed the toxic luxury of feeling as though our way of life and our safety from oppression comes without the tremendous responsibilities and moral complexities of wielding force. The same people who passively pay taxes that put tanks on the streets and fighter jets in the skies over our enemies' nations can cringe at the idea of owning guns themselves — projecting their survival instincts onto an all-powerful father figure (the state).

BTW, the Nazi Germany meme is having an effect...so much so that the big liberal guns of HuPo and Salon are in full whine...here's my favorite moronic comment from Salon:

The law did prohibit Jews and other persecuted classes from owning guns, but this should not be an indictment of gun control in general. Does the fact that Nazis forced Jews into horrendous ghettos indict urban planning?

Here's my response:


The "useful idiots" were the first to take the ride East. This is Joe Biden's Yellow...er...Blue Ribbon plan for American gun owners! Maybe they'll offer the patch in fetching colors...

I think my friend Ed Head has the best AR "house carbine" I've seen...essentially it's a short-barreled AR stripped of all the frippery and fitted with a white light, a sling, an Aimpoint Micro and a Surefire Suppressor. It's sighted in for 15 yards and designed solely for home defense. I'm working on an old carry handle M4 copy AR for a friend who wants exactly the same thing, but is happy with his irons. Light, fast-handling and simple; the only accessory a light on the front. My own house rifle is a Spike's Tactical fitted with an old military Aimpoint and a Streamlight mounted at the 6PM position. That gun is sighted in at 25 yards, verified at 50, 75 and 100 yards.

The operative words for a house rifle are light-weight, no frills, a mounted white light (because rifles take 2 hands to operate, so if you have to search you have a light on the gun), and either irons or an ultra reliable red dot. An extensive rail system just adds weight and doesn't buy you much. The plain vanilla M4 carbine configuration is excellent in this role.


The best commercial rifle to fit this model is the just-released DoubleStar Constant Carry Carbine (C3). I haven't had a chance to shoot the gun yet, but I went though all the design parameters for the gun with Don Alwes, DoubleStar's chief trainer and a good friend. He sees the C3 as his vision of a patrol rifle...you're not going to take it to Afghanistan, but then again, you're not going to Afghanistan, are you?

For 3-Gun, it's no secret that JP Rifles are among the best in the world, and are priced accordingly. I shoot a JP, and it is a far better gun than I am a shooter. The amazing thing now — assuming we survive the current war — is the plethora of 3-Gun ready rifles. My Sweetie is shooting a Stag 3G and it's a heck of a gun, especially at the price point of roughly $1500. Her only complaint is that it is a little over-comped, that is the compensator is too efficient and brings the gun back down below horizontal on  recoil. Before the new season starts I'm going to replace the Stag comp with a Miculek comp.

I haven't shot the new DoubleStar 3-Gun rifle, but the one I handled looked spot on. I'll shoot it Monday on DoubleStar's 3-Gun stage at media day. There are any number of specialty 3-Gun rifles...the Noveske is magnificent, and my good friend Mark Passamaneck at Carbon Arms builds a wicked competition rifle. I have a proto Ruger 3-Gun rifle built by JP that is sweet...we've never done video or stills on it, which we will this spring assuming we all get through this. You'll also see the Ruger on SG 2014.

Note that the 3-Gun dedicated rifles are relatively heavy...makes them perfect for when you have to carry the rifle for no longer than a couple of minutes or you're using them for prairie dogs or coyotes.

Also note that Stag, DoubleStar and Ruger are sponsors.

For a tactical class rifle, I say love the one you're with. I've run classes with a baseline S&W M&P and a baseline Stag, and both were perfect for that. Not as light as a dedicated house self-defense gun, but a couple of pounds off the beefier 3-Gun beasts. If all you've got is one AR, use that one. One thing I want to do this spring is take (and film) a carbine class — hopefully one of the Magpul Dynamics classes — with a .22 LR AR. My off-the-top-of-my-head plan is to use my old Tactical Solutions conversion unit that's semi-permanently mounted on a Stag lower. I have lots and lot of rounds through that rifle, and I have enough CCI Tactical .22 in stock to get through even a long class. I just pulled my Millett DMS 1-4X off the FAL and put it on the TS/Stag .22 for 3-Gun practice, so that's probably the configuration I'll use.

Have I mentioned to you guys that I have a newfound appreciation of the AR-15 pistol? I've been bopping around all over the place, and a Rock River piston AR pistol has become a near-constant companion. It's as reliable as dirt, and a couple of PMAGS with TAP seems like a wise move in troubles times.

Interesting enough, I've been hired by a major hunting magazine to write up my top 10 AR platform guns at SHOT. The Colt LE901 is so going to be on that list. Also the DoubleStar Constant Carry Carbine. Me and Steve Hunter are going to be stalking the SHOT floor Friday searing what's cool and what's not.

I'll post appearances and signing tomorrow: I'll definitely be at the ARMSCOR/Rock Island booth, the DoubleStar boot and with my friends at Tactical Solutions. here will also be a big WHOOP-DE-DOO at Crimson Trace for the premiere of the newLaser's Edge training video with me, Iain Harrison, Julie Golub, Richard Mann, Todd Jarrett and Dave Starin. Times posted tomorrow!

This from the Boulder Daily Camera:

LAFAYETTE -- "No regrets." That's how Jax Mercantile President Jim Quinlan feels three weeks after making a controversial decision to stop selling assault rifles and high-capacity magazines throughout his outdoor gear retail chain, including the store in Lafayette. He doesn't deny that a fair number of customers were angry enough that they pledged never to shop Jax again, but Quinlan said the bulk of the reaction he has received has been from those applauding the stand he took in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. The killer in the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting that left 26 people dead -- 20 of them students -- used a Bushmaster .223-caliber AR-15 rifle, classified by the federal government as an assault weapon. Until mid-December, Jax sold the popular AR-15 model rifle. The chain also no longer sells magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.

So basically this...gentleman...Quinlan thinks we're all to blame for a psychopath? I strongly suggest that we avoid this man's stores like the plague. Jax Mercantile has in the past given gift certificates to matches as prizes--I even won one. Here is my deal...if you are a match director, DO NOT deal with this man! Your shooters and your other sponsors deserve better than a gift certificate from this quisling. I suggest if you have such a gift certificate, it makes excellent toilet paper!

Please feel free to let me know what companies are still being sold in Mr. Quinlan's stores so I can speak to them directly and very personally at SHOT! Jax is a small, local operation...he deserves to fail. Let's help him!

Probably the most "misunderstood" battle line in this current war is our insistence on no ammunition capacity limits for magazines. The strategy we've been pursuing is two-fold — there are so many standard capacity magazines out there that any such legislation would be an unenforceable joke; secondly, all guns are made to be reloaded quickly and efficiently, therefore any arbitrary magazine capacity limit can not and will not achieve what its backers expect.

As a commenter noted on yesterday's post, that strategy is not without obvious risk. We've gone down that path because it seemed and still seems like the best way to derail the proposed legislation...remember, our goal is to WIN this battle, if we have to win ugly, we'll win ugly.

I think, however, that we need to start moving toward the core argument — stated simply, if we say it's okay with us for the government to say how many cartridges we can have in our firearms at any one time, then we give the government the right to set that number at "ZERO!"

And it will. We already see that process happening. Connecticut Bill #122: Restrict All Guns to a Single Shot :

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: 

That the general statutes be amended to establish a class C felony offense, except for certain military and law enforcement personnel and certain gun clubs, for (1) any person or organization to purchase, sell, donate, transport, possess or use any gun except one made to fire a single round, (2) any person to fire a gun containing more than a single round, (3) any person or organization to receive from another state, territory or country a gun made to fire multiple rounds, or (4) any person or organization to purchase, sell, donate or possess a magazine or clip capable of holding more than one round. 

And from Andrew Cuomo in his New York "State of the State" address yesterday:

“I say to you forget the extremists. It’s simple — no one hunts with an assault rifle. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer and too many people have died already,” Cuomo said.

Wow...that didn't take long! Less than a month from 10 rounds to one round. How long do you think it will take to get from one round to no rounds? There is no "reasonable" gun control, no "national conversation on guns," no "third way," no "middle ground." There is only an all-out war over civilian disarmament. Period. I've had gun owners contact me and ask about how they can argue 30 round magazines with other gun owners who are with us on no registration (registration always leads to confiscation), on no AWB ban (the AR is the most popular rifle in America and no different from any other semi auto rifle, including the Ruger 10/22), but waffling on magazine capacity. This is your argument, and, please, show them the examples from CT and NY!

Some interesting news from WSJ Online:

Despite the press's exuberant efforts to cast congressional gun supporters as having changed their minds, there has been no actual movement. Senate Democrat Joe Manchin caused a media sensation when he declared, immediately after Sandy Hook, that nobody needed "30 rounds in a clip." Less reported was that it took the Democrat about the time necessary for your average West Virginian to drive to a ballot box to clarify that statement and to add that he's "so proud of the NRA." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, even with the press's best efforts to parse his remarks, has committed himself to nothing more than a "thoughtful debate." 

... Over in the House, when asked recently what was more likely—passage of gun control or Speaker John Boehner becoming a pagan—a senior GOP leadership aide told Buzzfeed: "Probably the latter."

Another data point from Yahoo News, a largely liberal news outlet, under the headline of, "Is an Assault Weapons Ban Out of Reach?":

But Biden's omission of the ban from his description of his package of proposals on Thursday suggests an assault weapons ban is out of reach. (It's still possible that the ban could be included in Biden's final proposal, which will be announced Tuesday, and both Biden and Obama have voiced support for the ban on other occasions in the past few weeks.) A lot has changed since 1994—including public opinion,the legal landscape and the political might of the NRA. 

"I don't think a ban on assault weapons—which is a ban on some of the most popular rifles in America—is likely to get support," said Adam Winkler, a UCLA law professor and Second Amendment expert.

From ABC News, thoughs on the Administration backing away from an AWB and NRA commentary:

But opponents of such a ban predicted it would not have the votes to pass in Congress. David Keene, president of the NRA, speaking on NBC Friday morning, said he doesn’t believe there will be an assault weapons ban. Congress won’t support it, he argued, and from his view it did nothing to stop violence when it was passed in 1994. “I do not think there is going to be a ban on so-called assault weapons passed by Congress,” he said.

Remember, these are only data points. You are a member of the NRA, aren't you? If not, JOIN NOW! Yesterday I called Colorado's 2 Senators and wrote a long letter to the Governor. What have you done this week to save the Second Amendment? What are you going to do next week to keep the pressure on Washington and your state governments? We must keep the pressure cooker building up! All of us need to be on the same page!

The next big administration push will be to separate the shooters from the hunters! Don't fall for propaganda (like, for instance, that Gabby Gifford's organization is "moderate." It is the same crap in a different sack). I think they'll fail — if we stick together!

...we talked about this a little last week, but I am getting the feeling that our blood enemies have indeed lost control of the narrative. Greasy Joe Biden threats yesterday of executive action on stripping us of our guns was tantamount to a public admission that Congress is not playing nice. KEEP THE CALLS AND LETTERS COMING, FOLKS!

Next Tuesday Greasy Joe will deliver his recommendations so The Man Who Would Be King.

I do fully expect executive orders! At this point I figure the first will be directed at importation stuff, including standard capacity magazines (a serious issue with so many American companies using foreign suppliers for their handgun mags) and anything that has to do with black rifles (including the rifles themselves). If you're looking at an FAL or AK parts kits, or you're light on handgun mags, might be a good time to love it quick.

If you can find the stuff you want, that is.

The chatter I hear bouncing around the ether includes possible additional executive orders shutting down firearm and ammo sales on the Internet and ordering background checks on all sales. Expect these orders, when and if — and let me emphasize the "if"...at this point I'm passing gossip — they come to be hit with a major pounding of lawsuits.

This is not the rule of law, folks...this is Banana Republic stuff. Welcome to America Ver. 2.0...

On that note, here's some reading. The first is from author Matt Bracken. If you haven't read his great novel ENEMIES FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, do so immediately. You will read it with a sick feeling in your stomach that, somehow, we've all fallen into the pages. Here's his brilliant article from Western Rifles Shooters Association:

Those of us who enjoy firearms feel it deeply when some lunatic misuses one to slaughter innocents. Shooting ranges are virtually churches of gun safety, with safety rules posted everywhere, taught to one and all, and enforced strictly. Passing down our tradition of safe and responsible gun ownership from generation to generation is considered a sacred trust. When a firearm is misused by a criminal, our greatest wish is always that we had been present with our legally concealed pistols to stop the slaughter of unarmed, defenseless innocents. And more frequently than you might imagine, this actually happens.

Please, read the whole thing...it is important. Next, a piece from the PowerLine blog on how liberals have, essentially run out of ammunition (and why the exec order scenario looks more plausible):

One of the striking features of the current debate over gun control is how tired the liberals’ ideas are. Chief among their proposals is re-instituting the ban on “assault weapons.” But we’ve already tried that: a ban on “assault weapons”–a meaningless term that finds significance only in the arbitrary definitions of the defunct federal statute–was in effect for ten years, from 1994 to 2004, and no one claims that it did any good. Connecticut, like a number of other states, already bans “assault weapons,” but that availed the kids at Sandy Hook nothing.

From Paul Barrett at Bloomberg, who still has his head up his ass concerning standard capacity magazines, BTW, but is on point with most of the article. C'mon, Paul! You know lots of shooters...get one of them to take you out to the range and show you a reload or 2 Here's Todd Jarrett on YouTube shooting a El Prez in 3.73 seconds...that's a draw, turn, 6 shots, reload, 6 shots! And Paul, before you say, well heck, that's Todd Jarrett, let me assure you that reloading any firearms, from a revolver to a lever action rifle to a 1911 to an AR-15, is lots easier than driving a car, and lots of people somehow manage to drive a car every day!

Gallup also found that more than 80 percent of Republicans have favorable views of the NRA. A slight majority of independents share the positive opinion, while less than 40 percent of Democrats have a favorable view. These figures explain why the Republican Party opposes tougher gun control and why the Republican-controlled House will almost certainly block any ambitious bill before it gets to Obama’s desk. That’s democracy in action, not bogus wizardry.

From world-class science fiction writer (and expert on THE BEST DEFENSE/SURVIVAL) Michael Z. Williamson, let's regulate guns like we regulate cars:

To buy a sports car, you will have to be 21. A "Sports car" will be defined as any combination of any two of the following: 2 doors instead of 4, spoked rims not requiring hubcaps, aerodynamic effects such as spoilers or air dams, a wheelbase under 100 inches, a manual transmission, a curb weight under 3000 lbs, fiberglass or other non-metal construction, or painted logos. 

For every purchase, you will have to fill out a questionnaire confirming you're a US citizen, do not use drugs or abuse alcohol, have never had a conviction for alcohol related incidents or reckless driving. 

Lying on this form will be punishable by 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. New cars will only be purchased from Federal Automobile Licensees who must provide fingerprints, proof of character, secure storage for all vehicles, and who must call the Federal Bureau of Motor Vehicles to verify your information before purchase. They may approve or decline or delay the sale. If they decline, you may appeal the decision in writing to a review board. If they delay, it becomes an approval automatically after 10 days. However, the dealer may decline to complete such a sale in case of later problems.

Finally, on a lighter note, a really lucid exploration of antigun men from a woman, comedienne Julia Gorin:

He often accuses men with guns of "compensating for something." The truth is quite the reverse. After all, how is he supposed to feel knowing there are men out there who aren't intimidated by the big bad inanimate villain? How is he to feel in the face of adolescent boys who have used the family gun effectively in defending the family from an armed intruder? So if he can't touch a gun, he doesn't want other men to be able to either. And to achieve his ends, he'll use the only weapon he knows how to manipulate: the law.

Have you called, written or emailed your legislators this week! Remember...

As you all know, I am a relentless self-promoter, so I thought I would take a brief moment before SHOT to relentlessly self-promote. As you also know, the OUTDOOR CHANNEL Golden Moose Awards are the big soiree OC holds at SHOT to award programming excellence and buy us all drinks.  Golden Moose nominations came out yesterday. My shows are nominated for 9 awards, which is cool.

Best Overall Series
GUN STORIES

Best Shooting Series
SHOOTING GALLERY
GUN STORIES
THE BEST DEFENSE
RAPID FIRE

Best Educational Series
THE BEST DEFENSE
GUN STORIES

Best Show Open
RAPID FIRE

Best Graphics
RAPID FIRE

I was heart-broken that we weren't nominated for Best Turkey, but I suppose you can't have everything. Last year my shows were nominated for 4 GMs, and we won 2 for GUN STORIES.

Seriously, these nominations are a testament to the incredible teams I work with on the various series. John Carter and Mike Long from Hatch Entertainment produce SHOOTING GALLERY and handled the ground portion of RAPID FIRE and specialty videography for GUN STORIES. For last year, Dan Ramm and Joe Mantegna came on board as producers for SHOOTING GALLERY, greasing the skids for our Celebrity Shoot-Out.

Tim Cremin at Winnercomm produces GUN STORIES and RAPID FIRE and worries nearly constantly. Last year Matt Shults from Winnercomm took over as producer of THE BEST DEFENSE. We all committed to take the shows to the next level, and we did.

We don't get to make these shows without sponsors, that is, the people who put up the money and who support us when we want to make these shows better and better. Crimson Trace has been name sponsor  of SHOOTING GALLERY since the beginning, 13 seasons ago. My great friends at Midway USA are name sponsors for GUN STORIES and RAPID FIRE and participating sponsors on the other shows. Other long-term sponsors like Ruger, Stag Arms, Streamlight and so many others have given us the ability to build great shows.

Maybe most importantly, the guys out front in the shows are the make-or-break component of a great series. THE BEST DEFENSE has 2 of the finest trainers in America, Michael Janich and Mike Seeklander, as co-hosts. Seeklander stepped up for RAPID FIRE as well, joining Iain Harrison for his weekly does of abuse! LOL! And, finally, the great Joe Mantegna has allowed Tim and I to create the firearms series of our dreams, GUN STORIES.

Hey, maybe we'll even win one or 2! They'll join our 5 "Telly" (cable Emmys) statues, the numerous NSSF Excellence in Commercial Broadcasting awards and a bunch of other wall hardware the shows have received over the year.

Thank you, all.

...sort of sprinting toward SHOT. I now have enough meetings to fill up about 2 weeks...maybe 3. Can you believe that field mice ate the wiring harness of my poor Honda Element? Maybe I need a small cat to live in the engine compartment. Tomorrow I have to get my finger x-rayed...I broke it about 3 months ago, and since them I've been pretending it'll heal up all by itself. Apparently, this is just another of my self-delusions. At least it's on my left hand, which hasn't affected my shooting.

I have a couple of good articles for you today. This one from law professor Nicholas J. Johnson, a scholar on Second Amendment law:

The implication that modern semiautomatics are a distinctly dangerous category is a pure canard. Consider this from an 1862 report assessing Winchester’s lever-action Henry rifle: 

"187 shots were fired in three minutes and thirty seconds and one full fifteen shot magazine was fired in only 10.8 seconds. A total of 1,040 shots were fired and hits were made from as far away as 348 feet at an 18 inch square target with a .44 caliber 216 grain bullet [compare the .22 caliber 55 grain AR-15 round.]" 

This was common nineteenth century technology when the Fourteenth Amendment trumped state laws denying citizens of United States the constitutional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense.

Read the whole thing. You have contacted your two Senators and one Representative, haven't you?

This one is from Dr. Harry Wilson, published on Fox News:

Individuals who are intent on committing mass murder won’t be deterred by any of the above measures. Seung Hui Cho used two legally purchased handguns, which he accumulated over months, to kill 32 and wound 17 people at Virginia Tech. Timothy McVeigh used only fertilizer and racing fuel to kill 168, including 19 children, and injure 450 others at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

BTW, I note that Magpul Dynamics have lowered the costs of their training classes and are allowing students to use .22 LR (or pistol caliber) AR-15s...GOOD FOR THEM! We are all going to have to deal with a hellish sort age of ammunition for the ext year at least regardless of whether we  win this war. Battle aside, we need to keep shooting, keep training, and if that means running .22s, so be it. I talk about that al to on tomorrow's podcast, which I finished about half-an-hour ago. Yes, there are downsides to training with a .22, but it beats the heck out of not training at all!