From top left, clockwise: S&W 625 in .45 ACP, 929 Performance Center in 9mm, 986 Pro Series in 9mm, 640 Pro Series in .357 Magnum, and Airweight in .38 Special.
The 4 Biggest Mistakes of the 3Gun Beginner
Now that I’ve been submerged in all things 3gun for a minute or so, my understanding of the sport has gone from learning the basics, to removing the obsticles that are keeping me from moving forward. As a complete beginner I needed to learn terminology, rules, and the mindset that is needed in order to successfully get through a 3gun stage. Much of this information could have likely been found in a book. (While this would not have been the best way to learn these ideas, it could have gotten the job done…theoretically.) But the next step of the 3gun learning process is all hands-on. Here are the four biggest issues that have held me back, as my 3gun training moved forward.
Palmer vs. DC and concealed carry in Washington, DC
You may have heard over the weekend that the district court for Washington DC recently overturned the District’s ban on carrying handguns. For more details, I’ll refer you to Alan Gura’s blog, since he’s the guy who won the case anyway. The meat of the decision is that in light of Heller and McDonald, the District court ruled that DC’s ban on carrying handguns was a violation of the Constitution and that DC must implement a system for lawful concealed carry. I assumed that DC would either 1) appeal the decision to the Supreme Court and that this would drag on forever, or that 2) they’d go the Illinois route and try to implement the most odious, Byzantine permit system possible. Then I read three tweets I thought I’d never read:
STUNNING DEVELOPMENT: DC Police Chief Lanier just told force not to arrest a person who can legally carry a gun in DC or any state.
— Emily Miller (@EmilyMiller) July 28, 2014
Photo of the day: ParaUSA Expert 14.45 Stainless
The perils of owning a gun shop: even though I should really know better, I kind of want one of these. The ParaUSA Expert 14.45 Stainless, buy it now for $599!
Colt’s Manufacturing Company Donates Commemorative Firearm to The Museum Collection at The Connecticut State Library
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (July 25, 2014) – Colt’s Manufacturing Company marks the 200th birthday of founder and American industrialist Sam Colt with the donation of a commemorative pistol to The Museum of Connecticut History at The Connecticut State Library. The commemorative pistol is a Colt O1991Z model, a direct descendant of the original Colt 1911 model. It is specially engraved to mark the 200th birthday celebration, with designs including the Colt dome, Sam Colt’s bust and the bicentennial 1814-2014 date. Colt’s Manufacturing Company symbolically donated serial number 200 to the library’s museum on July 19 at the Colt 200th festival in Hartford.
“We are honored to donate this special commemorative firearm to the outstanding collection already housed at the Connecticut State Library,” said Joyce Rubino, Vice President of Marketing at Colt’s Manufacturing Company. “This is an historic occasion not only for our company, but for the entire firearms industry and manufacturing and industrialization in America. An inventor and industrialist, Sam Colt’s patented revolving cylinder design was a crucial part of America’s industrialization and evolution of the assembly line, and his legacy has been a part of our country’s history ever since.”
The Museum of Connecticut History at Connecticut State Library houses one of the finest collections of early Colt prototypes, factory models and experimental firearms in the world. In 1957, the Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company Factory Collection was donated to the library’s Museum of Connecticut History. The 200th commemorative pistol will now join this collection.
The pistol donation at the birthday festival in Hartford was part of an entire year’s worth of Colt’s Manufacturing Company’s birthday commemorations for its well-known founder. It has also been very important to the company to celebrate Sam Colt’s birthday with its customers throughout the country. In the spring, a random sampling of thousands of customers across America participated in a brand survey from Colt. The responses gave company leaders greater insight into customers’ opinions, preferences and brand perceptions of Colt and its products.
“The survey results were very helpful in keeping us closely connected with our customers,” said Dennis Veilleux, President and CEO of Colt’s Manufacturing Company. “Customers told us they are passionate about the Colt brand, that Colt has a well-earned reputation for producing reliable products, and that Colt and its customers hold true to traditional values built upon honesty, hard work and love of country.”
The company has also been celebrating with fans on Facebook with giveaways throughout the month of July. This will culminate with one winner being selected from thousands of Facebook entries to win a Colt Single Action Army® Revolver. There is still time to enter the contest by visiting Colt’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/ColtFirearms.
Colt’s Manufacturing Company plans to continue commemorating its founder’s bicentennial birthday with more special announcements and promotions to come in 2014.
About Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC
Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC is one of the world’s leading designers, developers and manufacturers of firearms. The company has supplied civilian, military and law enforcement customers in the United States and throughout the world for more than 175 years. Our subsidiary, Colt Canada Corporation, is the Canadian government’s Center of Excellence for small arms and is the Canadian military’s sole supplier of the C7 rifle and C8 carbine. Colt operates its manufacturing facilities in West Hartford, Connecticut and Kitchener, Ontario. For more information on Colt and its subsidiaries, please visit www.colt.com.
Brooke Sevigny Wins Ladies Championship in Amateur Open Division at 2014 Pro-Am Shooting Championship
GASTON J. GLOCK style LP, a sponsor of the Sevigny Performance Team, is pleased to announce that Brooke Sevigny took home the Ladies Championship title, along with the 1st B-Class Title, in the Amateur Open Division at the Pro-Am Shooting Championship, held July 18th-20th, 2014 at the Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof, FL. This was Brooke’s fourth time competing at the annual tournament.
Winning the B-Class Title was Brooke’s number one goal entering the Pro-Am this year. She reflected, “It felt great to accomplish my goal of winning one of the most competitive classes in the Amateur division.” The Pro-Am Shooting Championship is a handgun competition using knock down steel targets and a maximum allowable time to shoot the course of fire. The most plates knocked down within the “par time” wins. There are divisions for Pro and Amateur competitors, along with brackets for each skill level.
“We are so happy for, and proud of, Brooke for accomplishing her goal of winning 1st in B-Class, as well as taking home the Ladies Championship title. Brooke has shown what dedication and hard work can do and she continues to be a great ambassador for our brand,” Beate Arnold, CEO of GASTON J. GLOCK style LP said.
The next Pro-Am Shooting competition for the Sevigny Performance Team will be the Pro-Am Southeast Regional November 7th – 9th, 2014 at the South River Gun Club in Covington, GA. GASTON J. GLOCK style LP is a match sponsor. Several openings for Amateurs remain for Friday, November 7th. Most weekend slots are now sold out. Match details can be found at www.proamse.com.
Visit http://www.facebook.com/GASTONGLOCKstyle to get the latest news on GASTON J. GLOCK style LP and their sponsored Sevigny Performance Team.
It’s time for #muzzleflashfriday
It’s time for MuzzleFlash Friday! Send your submissions in to [email protected] or on twitter @gunnutsmedia or instagram @calebshooting Starting next week we’re going to start giving away gunswag to the best #MFF photo we get on Friday! This week’s winner is Matt Strong, blowing it up with an AK74. Hit the jump for the rest of the submissions!
Sometimes violence is the best medicine
Once more we have another real life lesson in the futility of the ficticious “gun free” zone, this time from Darby, Pennsylvania. A patient who had some sort of “history” with the institution decided he was mad enough to kill somebody and darned if the “gun free” policies of the place weren’t much backup to the murder-free policies of the state of Pennsylvania. It’s almost like the bad guy wasn’t dissuaded from his intentions by words written on a page somewhere in the slightest!
Fortunately for the people at the hospital it appears that someone else ignored the “gun free” zone, but with an entirely different motive. A physician in the office where the shooter manifested was armed and after being wounded by the bad guy returned fire effectively, grievously wounding the active shooter. The police chief of the area has gone on record saying: “Without that firearm, this guy (the patient) could have went out in the hallway and just walked down the offices until he ran out of ammunition.”
It’s customary to be modest and claim that I just hate to say I told you so but I’m not the slightest bit bashful about it. There are many gray areas in life but this isn’t one of them: Bad men do not respect laws and policies. They respect force. Some men can live peaceably with others because they have a functional moral code which they use to guide their behavior. Some men will never achieve that kind of moral standing and must be kept in check by the knowledge that straying outside the moral lines will bring sufficiently unpleasant consequences that they don’t risk it. Some will not be troubled by morals or the promise of eventual judgment. For these men there is no alternative to force. If you find yourself face to face with such a man without the ability to visit effective forms of violence on his person…well…it does not bode well for you.
Lots of people preach non-violence, but non-violence is a luxury provided by modernity. People at a social function today can stand around eating a pathetic attempt to recreate “tapas” and talk about how they could never use violence against another human being because they have the expectation that they can whip out a cell phone, dial 911, and have an armed police officer show up to sort a bad man out. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think anyone willing to call a dude with a gun is really a non-violent pacifist. “I would never harm another human being! I’ll just call another heavily armed person to do it for me. Gaze upon my superior morality and despair!” If I was really committed to non-violence I wouldn’t tolerate any violence done on my behalf, either…but maybe that’s just me.
We hear all the time how violence never solves anything, but it’s pretty clear here that the doc’s prescription for hollowpoints solved the problem of this dude shooting up a hospital. Sometimes violence is the best medicine.
The physician who acted to save his life and the lives of others runs the risk of disciplinary action for violating the hospital’s policies on weapons…but I would submit for consideration that if the only reason you know an employee or associate has a weapon is because they pulled it and stopped somebody who was murdering others, it’s kind of stupid to try and hammer them for it. Had the presence of the good Doc’s weapon been discovered because he was goofing around with the gun and accidentally launched a round into a patient, by all means fire the guy. It would be absurd, though, to get ticked off about a gun you never even knew was there until somebody had a damned good reason to pull it out and use it. Hopefully the doc’s actions, the gravity of the situation, and the support of the authorities and the general public will be enough to prevent him from experiencing any career or financial setbacks as a result of deciding to discretely arm himself just in case somebody tried to murder him. I mean, what are the odds that’s going to happen, right?
Photo of the day: Sight Radius comparison, L-frame vs. 1911
Looks like it’s a tie. The 1911 is a Colt, wearing Crimson Trace Anniversary Laser Grips, and the revolver is a S&W 986 Pro Series in 9mm.
Follow me on Instagram to see photos that don’t make the blog!
5 people doing great things for the shooting community
We spend so much time online talking about the terrible things that we see in relation to the shooting community. New gun control laws, tactical derp, cheating scandals; there is drama everywhere. Sometimes it’s easy to forget all the good things that are going on around us; the people who are working hard to support the sports, to educate and create new shooters. Today, I want to shine the spotlight on five people I know in the industry who are doing great things and helping ensure that we have a future in the shooting sports.
1. Natalie Foster, Girl’s Guide to Guns & NRA Media
If you don’t know who Natalie is, you’re doing it wrong and you need to fix yourself immediately. Her rise to the top of the hill has been nothing short of meteoric, starting first with her blog Girl’s Guide to Guns, and resulting in her now working as an NRA Commentator as well as having her on show for the NRA, Love at First Shot. Natalie’s a lot more than a pretty face with an AR15, she’s also 100% squared away. She understands the political issues that the gun culture faces, and more importantly understands that the way to long term victory for gun rights isn’t through fiery rhetoric but rather through winning the hearts and minds of people on the fence. The only question we have for Natalie is “what’s next?”
2. Tisma Juett, National Shooting Sports Foundation First Shots
Are you familiar with the NSSF’s First Shots program? You know, the one that has introduced thousands of new shooters to the shooting sports in a safe, fun, and entertaining environment? If you have, or if you’ve attended a First Shots event in the past few years, you have Tisma Juett to thank for that. Tisma took over First Shots in 2011, and has been busy kicking ass since then. On her watch, the First Shots program has grown, and has begun interfacing with other major industry players like IDPA and A Girl and a Gun shooting league. In person, Tisma is sort of the Energizer bunny – always ready with a laugh and a smile, and always on the lookout for opportunities to bring more shooters into the sports we all love.
3. Tom Hughes, NRA Competitive Shooting
Tom Hughes saved the Bianchi Cup. That’s not hyperbole in any way. Before he was brought on as NRA Action Pistol Coordinator, the Cup was in serious trouble. Shooter numbers were tumbling, there was no media attention on the match, sponsorships were down, and it had largely become a relic of the past, a shallow reflection of its former glory days. Fast forward a few years to 2014: Bianchi Cup is once again the most prestigious pistol only match in the country with the largest prize table, the most media attention, and more shooters each year. That is due in a large part to Tom, who is nothing short than a force of nature when he sets his mind to a goal. Tom went out on a limb and convinced Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA to support the Cup. That’s been a thriving partnership ever since, as the Cup happens practically in Midway’s backyard. Tom brought in all the media he could – from peasant bloggers to big industry shows like ShootingUSA, Bianchi Cup now gets more pixel power than any other major match. I am absolutely serious when I tell shooters at the match that if they’re looking for someone to thank, thank Tom for preserving one of the crown jewels of the shooting sports.
4. Trevor Baucom, Team S&W
Trevor is one of the shooters on Team S&W. What sets Trevor apart from others out there is that Trevor isn’t just another shooter in a jersey, he’s a disabled veteran who lost the use of his legs in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Since then, he’s become an ambassador for the shooting sports to our community of disabled veterans, working closely with organizations like Honored American Veterans Afield. He also happens to be a great guy, genuinely funny and kind to everyone around him.
5. You (maybe)
At NRA Annual Meetings in 2014, the NRA launched a new campaign – We’re millions of people with 25 dollars.
There are countless ways that average people like you and me can support our continued right to keep and bear arms. Joining the NRA is both easy and an effective way to preserve our rights. You can also volunteer for your state level organizations, get involved politically and volunteer for candidates that support the right to keep and bear arms; become an NRA certified instructor and teach people how to shoot.
The important thing here is that just because you don’t run a major match, or have your own TV show doesn’t mean you can’t help preserve the right to keep and bear arms. You can do great things to make sure that you children and grandchildren still have the chance to participate in the shooting sports in years and decades to come.