LuckyGunner Special on 308 Ammo

LuckyGunner.com is offering a special promotion through Friday March 25th 2011 for $30 off bulk orders of 308 Ammunition. To take advantage of this limited time offer use coupon code "Magtech308-$30OFF" while checking out. Happy St Patrick's Day!

Guns from Santa?

The NSSF has a good article you should check out if someone you love has told you that all he or she wants for Christmas is a new handgun, shotgun, or rifle.

Sounds like a great gift to find under the Christmas tree on Christmas Morning. Be sure to include eye & hearing protection, as well as training from your favorite instructor. The NRA has a list of NRA certified instructors Nationwide.

Phoenix Steps on the 1st Amendment to Attack the 2nd

The city of Phoenix, in an effort to attack local businesses who were advertising their gun safety training classes through an advertising campaign led by TrainMeAZ.com, stepped on the 1st Amendment right to free speech by censoring paid advertising which did nothing other than promote gun safety training. What exactly does Mayor Phil Gordon and the Phoenix City Council have against gun safety programs? Does the Mayor really want everyone to be as incompetent and unsafe around guns as he appears to want to be? It is clearly his right to choose not to learn about gun safety, but it is not his right to prohibit free speech that does nothing other than promote gun safety programs for everyone else.

Update 1: Latest news from Jeff Knox.

Fiocchi Ammo

Lucky Gunner has posted an interview with Carlo Fiocchi of Fiocchi Ammo. Whey you buy Fiocchi Ammunition, you're supporting US Jobs, because much of the ammunition they sell here is manufactured in the US (100% of shotgun shells, 95% of rifle ammunition, and 75% of pistol ammunition).

Yes on Prop 109 to Protect Hunting & Fishing in Arizona

Animal Rights and Anti-hunting groups are attacking our right to hunt and fish in Arizona. Proposition 106 is our chance to stop them at the pass. The NRA-ILA has the details.

Update 1: The Arizona Game & Fish Commissioners have created a website with facts vs myths about Prop 109.

TrainMeAZ.com

TrainMeAZ.com is a new one stop resource to find places to shoot, competitive events, and places to train in Arizona. In the future it will include additional information as well, such as firearms dealers and upcoming gun shows. Definitely worth a visit.

Ammunition

I'm still having difficulties finding many types of ammo at my favorite local retailers. For example, I'm not finding any self defense .380 ammunition at any of them. I'm only finding it online at this point, and some brands are often on backorder. What are your favorite online retailers for ammunition? Let me know in the comments section.

I feel sorry for my friends in California who are facing the upcoming online ammunition sales ban of AB 962 in Feb 2011 unless the NRA/CRPA lawsuit is successful.

Update 1: Good news: Lucky Gunner has Lots of JHP Self Defense .380 ammunition.

Tactical Pants Review

Tacticalpants.com has a great side by side comparison of 9 different brands of Tactical Pants, including Blackhawk, EOTAC, Kitanica, LA Police Gear, Propper, Tru-Spec, Vertx, Woolrich, and 5.11 Tactical.

Top Shot Season 2 Casting Call

Would you like a chance to participate in the second season of Top Shot, and have a chance to win up to $100,000.00 in prizes? The deadline to apply is August 12th, 2010. If the second season ends up being half as good as the first season of Top Shot, you won't want to miss it.

Top Shot

Top Shot is a new reality TV show airing on the History Channel that follows a group of people competing for the title of Top Shot. It has the normal two team setup with elimination rounds to eliminate one competitor from the team that looses the latest competition in each episode. I've seen two episodes so far, and am enjoying it. It has amazing HD slow motion footage of the action, and even includes good tips on how to improve marksmanship.

So far Caleb is 2 for 0 - he is doing a great job so far and has not missed a shot. His blue team has been victorious in both competitions that have aired so far.

If you've been missing out, you can catch up on the episodes you've missed.

Update 1: Top Shot Season 2 Casting Call!

NSSF Response to Mexican President's Call to Ban the Modern Sporting Rifle

The NSSF has responded to Calderon's Call to Ban the modern sporting rifle:

NEWTOWN, Conn -- Following calls by Mexican President Felipe Calderon that the United States re-institute a ban on modern sporting rifles, or so-called "assault weapons," the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the trade association for America's firearms industry -- issued the following statement:

"While we respect the work of President Calderon to willingly take on his country's powerful drug cartels, we are disappointed that he, in the name of security, would urge our Congress to reinstitute a failed ban on so-called 'assault weapons.'

"Let's be clear, semi-automatic rifles, demonized as so-called 'assault weapons,' are not machine guns but modern sporting rifles that are used every day by law-abiding Americans for the shooting sports, hunting and home protection. Since 2004, when the Clinton/Gore 'assault weapons' ban expired, modern sporting rifles have fast become one of the most popular types of firearms for law-abiding Americans to purchase.

"Firearms that Congress would label "assault weapons' are functionally no different than any other semi-automatic civilian sporting firearm. They shoot only one shot per trigger pull, no spray firing as some allege, and use the same ammunition as other guns of the same caliber. What differentiates modern sporting rifles from other guns is cosmetic; for example, the type of stock on the firearm.

"According to the Department of Justice, so-called "assault weapons" are rarely used in crimes (less than 2 percent). Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established that banning firearms and ammunition have no effect on crime levels.

"Some 29,000 firearms were recovered in Mexico in 2008, of which approximately 5,000 were traced to U.S. sources. That means more than 80 percent of the firearms recovered in Mexico were not traced to the United States. Furthermore, according to the ATF, those firearms traced were originally sold at retail not recently, but on average 14 years earlier. This is completely inconsistent with any notion that a flood of newly purchased firearms are being illegally smuggled over the border into Mexico. And let's not forget, no retail firearms sale can be made in the U.S. until after a criminal background check on the purchaser has been completed.

"In recent years as many as 150,000 Mexican soldiers, 17,000 last year alone, defected to go work for the drug cartels - bringing their American-made service-issued firearms with them. It has also been well documented that the drug cartels are illegally smuggling fully automatic firearms, grenades and other weapons into Mexico from South and Central America. Such items are not being purchased at retail firearms stores in the United States.

"Even more, investigations and regulatory compliance inspections by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) into firearms trafficking along the Southwest border have confirmed that firearms retailers are law-abiding businessmen and women who are playing a key role in detecting and deterring illegal purchases of firearms. As part of a Project Gun Runner Impact Team firearms trafficking operation, more than 1100 firearms retailers were inspected by ATF. Of these inspections only one retailer license was revoked. One.

"Members of the firearms industry take seriously the criminal acquisition and misuse of their products. This is why our industry supports the Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009, sponsored by Sen. Bingaman (D-NM) and Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), and will continue to work cooperatively with law enforcement. For nearly a decade our industry has partnered with the ATF in a national campaign called Don't Lie for the Other Guy that makes the public aware that it is a serious crime to illegally straw purchase a firearm. The program also helps ATF to educate firearms retailers to be better able to detect and prevent illegal straw purchases. It is our hope that Don't Lie will once again receive grant funding from the Department of Justice – a move that would allow NSSF and ATF to further expand this worthwhile program. For the last year, Don't Lie has been financed entirely by members of the firearms industry.

"Again, we applaud President Calderon for taking steps to stop the cartels when past Mexican administrations paid only lip service and allowed rampant corruption to fester. Still, it is wrong for anyone to blame the Second Amendment and America's firearms industry for the problems Mexico is currently facing.

"Sacrificing the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans will not make Mexico safer – especially when the sacrifice is rooted in unfounded allegations and hyperbole. President Calderon would be doing both his country and ours a favor if instead of pushing for already failed crime-control measures, he used his time in the United States to call for proven methods to combat criminal acts, such as putting more cops on the street and more prosecutors in the court rooms.".

Free Ben Avery Shooting Classes

Ben Avery has a host of free introductory shooting classes. One of their programs, Desert Roses, is a clay target shotgun class exclusively for women. I have a friend who has attended a number of the Desert Roses classes and really enjoyed them. As an added bonus, the Ben Avery Clay Target Center is world class. AZCentral recently wrote an article about the Desert Roses program, and below is an embedded video about the Desert Roses program aired on Fox 10 news.

My boys and I LOVE the Ben Avery sporting clays courses. Sporting Clays is a bit like golf for shotguns, only much more fun than plain old golf. You walk from one target stand to the next, each with a unique method of throwing the clay targets. One of our favorite stops along the course is the bunny rabbit stand - a clay target bounces along the ground, simulating a bunny rabbit on the run. It is so much fun to hit that orange rascally rabbit and watch it explode. If you don't yet own a shotgun, they have a limited number of free shotgun loaners available, and additional shotguns are available for rent if their free loaners are all in use. You really have to try it to find out for yourself how much fun you've been missing!

My Ruger LCP

After spending a lot of time researching to determine which pocket pistol I wanted to get for myself for use as my backup gun, along with many trips to my local gun dealer to try the feel of competing pocket handgun models in my hands, I finally made the plunge this evening & purchased a Ruger LCP. It only set me back $299.00 plus tax so I feel that I got a lot of bang for my buck. I also picked up a pocket holster: the DeSantis Nemesis.

The fellow I spoke with while making my purchase this evening mentioned that the Ruger LCP is by far and away the hottest thing right now in pocket pistols. He said they're flying off the shelf more quickly than any other make or model of pocket gun. It makes sense to me, as it is a very nice pocket handgun. I'll be heading to the range next week to try it out and I will give you all my report.

AZ: NRA Open Range Day at Ben Avery

The NRA is hosting an Open Range Day on May 8, 2010 at Ben Avery:

FAIRFAX, VA – The Disabled Shooting Services of the National Rifle Association is proud to announce the second annual Open Range Day at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 8, 2010. Open Range Day is an all inclusive event where certified trainers and instructors introduce a wide variety of shooting sports to people with physical disabilities.

"We had a huge response from first-time shooters last year," said Disabled Shooting Services Manager Vanessa Ross. "Registration for 2010 is already twice the size of last year's class, and we can’t wait to get things started."

Open Range Day begins with a safety clinic led by NRA Certified Instructors. Participants then have the opportunity to learn the proper way to shoot shotguns, rifles, pistols, and air guns. "The important thing is for everyone to explore their personal potential on the range and simply have fun," explained Ross.

The event is made possible through the generous donation of time and materials. In addition to the numerous volunteers who will be on hand to guide the shooters, companies like Ruger, White Flyer, and Davidson's have graciously donated materials.

"We wouldn’t be able to hold such an event without our corporate sponsors,” said Ross. “Ruger, Savage, and Davidson's are donating the use of their firearms, White Flyer Targets and Birchwood Casey are donating targets, while Kowa Optimed, Pyramyd Air, Lapua and Remington are donating spotting scopes and ammunition."

For more info on Open Range Day, contact Vanessa Ross at (703) 267-1495 or e-mail: Disabled-shooting@nrahq.org. To learn about NRA’s disabled shooting programs, visit http://www.nrahq.org/compete/disabled.asp.

NSSF Survey on Shooting Sports Activity

The NSSF commissioned a survey that showed that users of the modern sporting rifle (AR-15 style rifles) were the most active in the shooting sports last year. About 8.9 Million people used modern sporting rifles in shooting sports on an average of 22.9 days during 2009.

It also showed that 2009 was a record year for all shooting sports activities, hitting a high water mark of 34.4 Million people who participated in one or more types of shooting sports activities overall.

The next time you head to the range, be sure to invite a friend along with you. The shooting sports are fun, I have brought many people with me, and have yet to find anyone who did not have a great time. As always, be sure to teach them the gun safety rules before you let them touch your gun. Have fun!

New Sponsor: LuckyGunner.com

I'd like to welcome our newest sponsor: LuckyGunner.com

You'll notice their banner on the right hand side of the page.

A few highlights:

• They don't do back-orders. They use a real time inventory system. As a result, what you see on their website is what they have in stock.
• If you place an order by 2 PM EST on a business day, orders are shipped the same day - otherwise they are shipped the next business day.
• They carry more than ammunition, such as survival gear, primers, and other reloading supplies.

Please thank them by visiting their site & placing an order. Once you receive your order, feel free to post comments on this post to share your customer experience with all of us. Thanks!

AZ: 118th Annual Washington's Birthday Match

The Arizona State Rifle & Pistol Association is sponsoring the 118th Annual Washington's Birthday Rifle Match at the Ben Avery Shooting Range this Feb 20th & 21st which includes a practice session and beginners clinic on Saturday February 20th. Chris says it's the longest continuously running rifle match in the nation, and it certainly sounds like a fun time to me.

Due to recent expansion at Ben Avery there is room for up to 320 shooters in the competition this year, so come one and all to join in on the fun! The deadline to submit your entry form is Feb 16th or whenever they hit the 320 shooter limit, whichever comes first. Don't miss out on the fun!

Project Appleseed

I took one of my boys to a Project Appleseed event in Buckeye Arizona at the General Joe Foss Shooting Range this past weekend. It coincided with the 1 year anniversary of the opening of the range, so we all took a short break to attend the flag ceremony put on by US Military Veterans which was a nice bonus. While waiting for the flag ceremony to begin, I found my friends from the Arizona Citizens Defense League had set up a table nearby, so I took a quick moment to renew my AZCDL membership early.

Massad Ayoob attended an Appleseed event in Florida the same weekend and did an excellent writeup of what Appleseed is all about. The description of what a rifleman is from the Appleseed website itself is:

What's a rifleman?

In short, a rifleman is an armed American, trained in the tradition of American Liberty. It's a man [or woman] who has learned to shoot a rifle accurately — accurate enough to score "expert" on the Army Qualification Course. Until you can do that, you're considered a "Cook," unprepared and unqualified to carry a rifle on the firing line of freedom. But after attending an Appleseed AQT shoot, you'll have the credentials necessary to be a true rifleman, and will understand the critical need for defending freedom in this country.

There was a great mixture of men, women, and children attending the Appleseed event. I can vouch for the fact that none of the women there felt outnumbered, and some of the best shots at the end of the day ended up being some of the women and young ladies shooting for the first time rifles they had never even fired before.

Steve and KC (known as AZGromit and AZRedhawk44 on the Appleseed forum) were knowledgeable & skilled instructors. They excelled at presenting the training materials in a way easy for all to follow & understand, and did a touching job of retelling the history of the American Rifelman and the people and events that lead up to the American Revolutionary War for the Independence and Freedom we still enjoy today.

There is probably an Appleseed Event coming to a location near you. Sign up, I'm confident that you'll be glad you did.

Steve Lee: I Like Guns

Tom Gresham interviewed Steve Lee, a singer/songwriter in Australia who created the I Like Guns Music Album. The first part of the music video takes place in Australia where there is a current ban on most semi-automatic guns, the second half took place in Cambodia - you'll notice the weapons he used in Cambodia included items not legal in Australia such as full auto machine guns and rocket propelled grenades - looks to me like he had a blast. Steve Lee has an I Like Guns album available in iTunes.

Good News for Hunters & Target Shooters in Arizona

The NRA has Won the right to defend Hunters against a lawsuit that was filed last year against the Arizona BLM & Fish & Wildlife Service that is seeking to ban lead ammunition. This is good news for all Arizona gun owners, for those who hunt, and those who don't.