Uncategorized

Gun Nuts tonight: End of the year!

Posted on by Caleb

That’s right, tonight’s Gun Nuts Radio is our last show of 2009 (but not the last show of the decade, that would be in December of 2010).  It’s going to be a lot of fun, as I’ve imposed a two-drink minimum on myself and Breda prior to the show’s beginning, so as we go and review our best moments, our Christmas hauls, crotch-bombs, and other awesome topics, we’ll also be just a wee bit looser than normal.

But we don’t want to hog all the fun tonight at 9pm Eastern time at www.blogtalkradio.com/gunnuts, we want you to join us by calling in at 347-539-5436!  Shows like this are all about the callers, so please join us tonight to tell us what your favorite moments from Gun Nuts Radio in 2009 were.  We’d love to hear from you about your favorite parts of the show.

We’re also going to take a look forward at 2010; we’re going to have more industry guest, bigger shows, awesome promos, and we’ve finally nailed down a date for the HAVA Charity Auction, which will allow listeners from Gun Nuts to bid on top of the line products from Crimson Trace, Leupold, DPMS, Ruger, and many more to support an excellent charity organization!

Join us live tonight at 9pm Eastern Time at www.blogtalkradio.com/gunnuts – this is where the fun is going to be!

ammo/self defense

Gear Queer

Posted on by Caleb

You know, that title is going to bring some weird google searches…but I digress.  Tam asks if you’ve ever seen someone flash their gear belt at a restaurant.  So the question is, have you ever seen someone’s spare mag carrier in a setting other than the range or a match?

Like Tam, I’ll confess to not carrying spare ammo as often as I should – when I’m carrying a full size pistol, I usually am also carrying the famous Jetfire pocket gun instead of a spare mag.  If something happens to gun number one (or when it runs out of ammo after six shots) I’m not going to try and fumble a speedloader into it, I’m just going for the pocket rocket as a backup.

To the original question though, I have never in my life seen someone’s ammo carriers in a restaurant, unless they were open carrying, in which case I’ve also seen their pistol as well.  The whole “people want to flash their gear at restaurants” line doesn’t really hold water with me, as I’ve been to a lot of restaurants and have yet to see someone expose their bat-belt at the table.

self defense

Weird

Posted on by Caleb

My wife and I just got back from our every-other-year trip to Seattle (and boy are my arms tired), and while the trip itself was great it was also rather weird.  Not anything that my family or friends did, so Mom I know you’re reading this and you can relax, but rather it was weird for me, as it was the first time traveling in quite some time where I wasn’t carrying.

You see, Washington State in its infinite wisdom has decided that my Indiana carry permit, which I received after passing a state, local, and federal background check isn’t good enough for their exacting standards.  Yes, Washington is an open carry state, and in most of the places I would be going that wouldn’t be a problem…but there are plenty of places that I visit with my wife and friends where open carry is forbidden (such as private property that prohibits weapons).  I’m also aware that WA issues out of state permits, and I really should take the time on my next visit to go through that process, but for now it remains that I quite simply don’t carry when I’m visiting my family.

And that my friends is what’s weird.  I carry a gun every day, unless I know for a fact that I’m going somewhere I can’t carry.  For me, sliding my Jetfire into a pocket or strapping on a 9mm is as normal as putting on my pants, or carrying my wallet or a pocketknife.  It’s just something I do, and when I can’t do it, my whole day feels off.  I know that may sound odd to non-gunnies out there, but it’s quite simply the truth.  You get used to doing something for so long, it becomes a habit and part of your comfort zone.  I’m proud of this – I received my Indiana carry permit 3 or 4 years ago, and it’s taken that long for me to feel like carrying a gun was an important part of my daily routine.  Probably the most influential factor in that was acquiring a pocket gun that allows me to carry when I’m wearing the Business Casual uniform of my people.

The moral of the story is quite simple: carry your f***ing guns, people. Carry them until not carrying them seems more odd to you than strapping on a pistol every day.

Update: After reading some comments below, I decided to look up the relevant statute in WA law regarding reciprocity. It seems that WA would honor my IN permit…but for one teeny little factor.

The other state does not issue concealed pistol licenses to persons under twenty-one years of age.

That’s the relevant part of Washington law, and because Indiana’s permit process has a minimum age of 18, it’s not eligible for reciprocity with Washington. Figures.

rifles

Don't bring a pistol to a rifle fight

Posted on by Caleb

While on vacation, I’m reading Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough; this is the factual accounting of the exploits of Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie & Clyde, etc on which the Michael Mann movie of the same name is loosely based. The book itself is quite good, as Burroughs does an excellent job of weaving the patchwork of witness accounts and FBI files into a compelling narrative. I for one had no idea that Bonnie and Clyde were active at the same time as Indiana’s most infamous son, nor did I realize the amount of interconnectivity between the various V-8 bandits of the time.

However, what’s interesting about the book from a gunnie perspective is the firearms selection by the criminal class. While virtually everyone carried a pistol, if they knew they were headed for a shootout, they would always take a rifle, a shotgun, or an SMG. Long guns were the weapon of choice when violence was certain.

The same holds true for the lawmen hunting the criminals. When they knew a fight was coming, they’d always be kitted out with rifles, SMGs, and shotguns. Despite the prevalence and concealability of handguns, it seems that what the old cowboys knew in the 1800s was still true – pistols are for fighting your way back to your long gun.

That’s still true today – the role of a pistol for the armed citizen hasn’t changed from the ’30s. Valuable for its portability, it behooves us to remember that the real fight stoppers are fired from the shoulder.

handguns

Hey look, a Glock

Posted on by Caleb

Leaked photos of the Gen4 Glock. While interesting, my real comment to the new Glock is “hey, maybe now Glock can reclaim the marketshare they lost to Smith & Wesson’s M&P”.

In all seriousness though, it’s great to see a Glock model with a modular backstrap to accomodate shooters with different sized hands. I’m holding out for the G19 version though, as I don’t have a lot of use for a G17.

Uncategorized

Still time

Posted on by Caleb

To get the hottest item this holiday season – the 2010 Gun Nuts calendar now marked down to $6.50 to liquidate remaining inventory! Now for only $10 which includes shipping you can own the hottest calendar of the year! Get yours now!

Also, if you’re looking for the finest in tactical gear, check out the Gun Nuts Store, where you can find polos, coffee mugs, and other Gun Nuts gear.