The AR-15: what the black rifle really is (Preview)

Hey Folks,

   This is a post letting you all know that there is a post up-and-coming about the AR-15, the history of the AR-15, and what it really is. Is it an assault rifle? Is it really the cause of crimes? Why in the world does this rifle get such a bad rap from the media and people who just don't know anything?

This post is not meant to do anything but explain what this rifle is, what it is not, and to clear up some of the smear that has been put on what is an excellent rifle for sporting, target shooting, and home defense.

This post will even include a video from yours truly that should help explain the rifle as well!

    -Patrick

P.S. - look for the post tomorrow or Thursday!

Price Doesn't Sell

Hello all,

   While reading a blog post from the Gunner's Journal, I ran into this little piece of treasure:

The Kimber has a one year warranty. Rock Island LIFETIME warranty. Repairs on the Rock Island are seldom needed. Turnaround time for warranty repair is one week to ten days. Kimber warranty work has a turnaround time of one month from what I’ve read in the 1911 forums. Rock Island normally adds an extra magazine when returning a warranty repair gun to the owner.
Would I carry the Kimber while going in harms way? Yes after breaking it in and it having shown itself reliable after the initial problems. Would I carry the Rock Island? Yes without a second thought.
I believe this provides enough information for anyone in the market for a 1911 to make an informed decision to choose between the two brands. I welcome your comments, experiences and opinions.

You can read the whole post here, but for a guy like me, who's next gun purchase will be a 1911, this means a lot. Price doesn't always sell, and research like this can mean a lot for people like me, who don't have a lot of money to put into a gun, but still want one.

Reciprocity: A Story of Gun Laws in NY

Picture this: you’re driving along without a care in the world and suddenly you see flashing blue and white lights behind you. It’s the police pulling you over. You roll down the window and politely ask the Officer what the problem is, and he informs you he caught you speeding, 60 mph in a 45 zone. He takes your information, gives you a ticket and promptly drives away. You just got caught breaking the law, and all you have to show for it is a fine to pay the county.

Admittedly, you’re asking “what’s the big deal? I was just speeding.” and you’re right, speeding is not high on the list of worst crimes to commit, but by going over that posted limit, you have in fact broken the law. Driving offenses rank at the top of law violations in the country, and there are much worse cases to describe. What happens when you get issued a DUI? A DUI sits on your record forever, and can do extreme damage when looking for a job. But in the end, you can still get your license to drive back after a DUI infraction.

And this is where I want to contrast the world of gun laws. If ever I’ve seen black and white in the law, it’s when dealing with firearms. I have an example of what happens when you nonchalantly violate a firearms law. Now, this story happened in the State of New York, a state which is notorious for its laws concerning firearms. Case in Point: If you look in the New York Code concerning loaded firearms you will see this statement: “ ‘Loaded firearm’ means any firearm loaded with ammunition or any firearm which is possessed by one who, at the same time, possesses a quantity of ammunition which may be used to discharge such firearm.’ your gun doesn’t even have to have bullets in it to be considered “loaded”. Pretty harsh.

So let’s look at our first story, about a Marine by the name of Ryan Jerome. Ryan, a resident of Indiana, was visiting New York City, and had his pistol with him. He possessed a valid concealed carry permit in Indiana, so he thought there wouldn’t be a problem in New York. Upon his arrival at the Empire State Building for a visit, he saw a “no guns” sign, and walked right up to security to check his firearm. Like a flash of lightning, security called the police and Ryan Jerome found himself in a New York City jail with the threat of a felony charge hanging over him. 

As of the writing of this post, no charges have officially been made against Mr. Jerome. The District Attorney’s office has been pressured from both NYC council members and the public alike to let Ryan Jerome walk away. But what if that were you and me? I guarantee you that had I tried to check a firearm at the Empire State Building security desk, my court date would be solid as rock, and my rights to firearm ownership would be gone forever. Once convicted of a felony, you lose any right to own any type of firearm. It’s possible I could face up to 15 years in prison for what seems like such a simple mistake.

Had Mr. Jerome taken even a cursory look at New York State firearms laws, he would see immediately that taking a firearm there is a bad idea. New York is one of two states which has no reciprocity for concealed firearms permit holders. It doesn’t matter where you come from, New York will not allow you to carry your firearm.

This is just one example of a firearms law, and what it means when you break it. You don’t get a fine, you don’t lose your privileges for a short time, you lose your right to own a firearm. I’m not here to argue for less strict laws, I’m here to tell people that there can’t be a question in your mind about your firearm when you walk out your door.

Firearms owners can be portrayed as backwards people who break laws left and right. Maybe that is the case for some, but for the majority of firearms owners, especially those who conceal carry a firearm everyday, knowing any and every law associated with that gun is essential.

Take a moment and think about all the laws you violate on a regular basis and imagine what it would be like if you lost something important to you because you weren’t thinking about it at the time.

Gun Talk #1 - Talkin' at you!

hey all,

chances are if you found this blog, you're probably thinking "oh it's just another gun nut talking about how awesome his rifle is". And you'd be correct! But more than that, I want this blog to be an educational forum about firearms.

There is a lot of talk out there and a lot of misconceptions about guns, how buying a gun works, and just a lot of prejudices about this so-called "controversial" way of life for a majority of Americans. Not only do I want to help more people understand what gun ownership really is, I want to get them excited about firearms and get into what is such a versatile hobby.

Now what I'm going to write on this blog is not legal advice, and is by no means universal. If you live in awful states like California and New York, most of this probably won't even mean anything to you, but I'm going to try to include information not only about my home state of Virginia, but other states as well.

Remember that as gun owners, it is our responsibility to know when, where, and how we are supposed to conduct ourselves, carry our firearms, and be in accordance with both federal and state statutes. I will get into this more in other articles as I find and relate news stories as well as personal narratives.

This is going to be a collaborative effort and I hope to draw a lot of information from my fellow bearers of arms throughout the internet. Everyone brings a new perspective and different ways to look at different issues, so I'm hoping that there will be articles not only by myself, but friends and colleagues in the firearms world.

So stay tuned and look forward to a lot of great commentary, ideas, and gun talk from this blog in the future!