For Those Who Say All Gun Buyers Should Be Screened, the Data Don’t Matter – “But it turns out that whatever the actual number is, it reinforces the case for mandating a background check every time someone acquires a gun. Duke University criminologist Philip Cook, who co-authored the 1997 study that was the source of the claim that “as many as 40 percent of all gun purchases…take place without a background check” (as President Obama has repeatedly asserted), says the new, much lower estimate shows that the goal of universal background checks is eminently achievable.” All data reveal the need for more gun control laws. Because shut up.

An island of sanity in a sea of denial . . . Czech Gov’t: Placing Weapons in the Hands of Citizens is Best Defense Against Terror – “The Czech Republic has resisted calls by the European Union’s executive Commission to tighten gun controls in response to terror attacks, forcing the E.C. to alter its proposals, allowing for the private ownership of semi-automatic weapons.

“The Czech interior ministry now wants to loosen its own laws a step further, proposing a constitutional amendment on Monday that would allow its citizens to bear legally-held firearms against the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, such as those in Nice or Berlin, the Czech news agency ctk reported.”

Presser: A Night Vision Revolution is Here: ColorTAC Opens the Eyes of Existing NVGs to a World of Color – For all of night vision’s advantages and the many improvements made since its introduction in WWII it has had one glaring disadvantage. The “green glow,” monochromatic image denies the NVG viewer critical visual information: color.  … Thankfully, this important deficiency of current monochromatic night vision has been addressed. The future is here and Chromatra is bringing it. Chromatra, LLC, established in 2014, is ready to introduce to the world its first product; ColorTAC. ColorTAC, when used in conjunction with any of the over 1-million night vision devices already on the market today, provides the user with, simply, a color image at night. For those who rely on NVG’s to perform their mission, the ability to See What’s Missing can be the difference between life and death.

Another one of those defensive gun uses that never happens . . . Fatal home invasion: ‘He grabbed me and pushed me into the apartment’ – “‘As soon as he took me to the bedroom, I looked over and the gun was sitting there – and I was like, there’s a reason the gun was sitting there,’ (Kay) Dickinson said. ‘I was just hoping he wouldn’t see it because if he saw it he might take it and I knew that was my only chance.’

“Dickinson was able to wiggle loose from the belt. She jumped on the bed, grabbed the gun and pulled the trigger. (Willie Franklin) Stith ran towards the front door and then collapsed. She called 911 and took the gun out of his hand.”

“Adjustable, adaptable, and smart. Securit’s Cradle, the Grid, and the Stock Base work in unison with one moving part that promotes straight line access to each firearm without the need to move any other gun. The system also amplifies organizational awareness, meaning the gun owner has full view of all firearms and gear.” RF needs to work on his organizational awareness. Just sayin’ . . .

Custodian finds gun on Chesterton church grounds – “The man pointed the gun into the ground and began to test what he thought was the manual safety to make sure the revolver would be safe to carry to the Chesterton Police Department, according to a police report. ‘To his surprise, he accidentally fired a round into the ground,’ the reports states. ‘That is when he realized the tab on the left side of the frame was the cylinder release, not a manual safety.'” Too bad he didn’t know what that curved thingy hanging down under the cylinder was, either.

Nice shot:

39 COMMENTS

  1. Czech Republic for the win…makes me want that CZ. And you go girl . I’m glad you shot the bastard.

  2. Very obvious that the leaders in the Czech Republic have a lot more common sense than the current moron defiling the white house.Unfortunately, even when he’s gone he is still going to be a huge amount of trouble. Wonder if him & his bag can be deported to live with his 1/2 brother in his shack on $20 a year.

    • The more eastern Europeans (from Poland down to Greece) have a much more clear-headed idea of what Islam means when it comes calling.

      The French, Germans and northern Europeans (including the Brits) are ignorant of the consequences of allowing Muslims to flood into their lands. They’re going to learn… the hard way.

      • As I see it the northern euros, including the brits, have 3 basic choices. 1) Become a protectorate of Putin.(Most likely to happen). 2) Learn to except a caliphate as their new rulers. 3) Learn to become men and fight back. (Least likely to happen.)

        Euro women will continue to prefer their castrated men even tho the burka awaits them all.

      • Plenty of Czechs still remember the tyranny of Soviet Rule, and especially 1968 when Soviet tanks rolled into Czeckloslovakia and terrorized everyone. The rest of eastern Europe also remembers what it was like under the boot of Soviet tyranny. They also know that ISIS is even worse than that. Of COURSE it is reasonable to them to allow their citizens to defend themselves with firearms.

  3. Can I get some help and advice from you folks? No matter which way I push, pull, or shove it, the @#$% safety on this revolver doesn’t work right!

    • When he pushed the release the cylinder should have flopped out, or at least come out of position a little bit, at which point it would become apparent that it’s a cylinder release and not a “safety,” and he then should have emptied the rounds. This guy is a really special kind of stupid.

      • On my revolvers, if I hold the gun so that the release is facing up, and then operate the release, nothing happens. There’s nothing to make it open even a little. Gravity holds the cylinder in place.

  4. About 60% of my guns I got without a background check by virtue of inheritance and hand-me-downs. Before prohibition of such. 40% doesn’t surprise me.

      • Yeah let’s try it this way. 9% of my firearms were acquired without a background check (just 1 gun which I bought before Facebook shut down all the gun trading groups). So I’m VERY surprised by the 40% myth.

        Personal experience is a solitary data point in a sea of such.

      • Well, I have purchased a few firearms over the years, including fairly recently– and yet, the last time I underwent a background check was at a gun show in Florida, circa 1994 or 1995. However, I purchased these guns from licensed FFLs, at bona fide LGS gun stores… technically, maybe 80+% of my firearms have been purchased “without a background check.”

        Now, I know that we aren’t THAT ornery’n’outlaw in Arizona, nor are we that smart and original… but we have figured out that, generally speaking, it’s a waste of everyone’s time and resources to conduct background checks on citizens who are already vetted, licensed, and so permitted. Surely other states have long figured this out, too, I reckon. So, while I had to fill out a 4473 for a few firearms, the background check was “bypassed” because…

        We already done been back-’rounded, y’all! And, it was a bit more stringent a scrubbing than the NICS checks that them ordinary non-special heehaws have to endure (e.g., we had to read about our state laws and surrender our fingerprints and so forth sinister infringements…). Point being, one has to wonder how many regular and lifetime sportsmen/shooters out there supposedly “don’t go through a background check” when purchasing another gun. Technically, I suppose we could wait to resort to a seedy life of crime until AFTER we get our shiny CCW permits (and hope not to get caught in between renewals, I guess)… but all in all, how many of y’all don’t even do background checks anymore?

        Something tells me that the antiguns would surely figure it BOTH ways– cue the mythical “superowner” of the 3% of gun-hoarders who has 546.8 guns all to himself, but yet why not count all that guy’s firearms as “having been purchased without a background check” (…even though all those 27 million background checks are supposedly for these aging white superfudds who already have more guns than wrinkles and bedsores put together). Yaaa, okay…..

        Now, I told my sister this– a California physician at the VA hospital– that I don’t have to undergo a background check at a gun show or in a gun store, OR even in Home Depot parking lot while buying evil assault weapons. Nor do most regular, serious shooters, since they are likely permitted. God almighty, she was completely (and genuinely) horrified. No waiting period, either? She said, “Well, then everyone should have to get a mandatory psych evaluation by law before being able to buy a gun.”

        I said, “Let me guess… Anybody who has a propensity towards violence or violent behavior, and anyone who feels that they really need to own a gun or several guns is therefore unhealthy and not suitable to own a gun. But, if one tends to be interested or fascinated by guns, and so one believes that they may want to own one or more guns for whatever reason, then by definition, they must have a strong propensity towards violence and violent behavior… and they should therefore not be allowed to own a gun at all. Is that sound reasoning?”

        Her response: “Absolutely right.” Oh, for sure… she voted for Prop 63… said I was “in denial” about gun control. It’s truly something to behold, this Alternate Universe of Crazy California…I seem to remember, as kids we spoke of this “Opposite Land” from time-to-time. Huh.

        Be safe.

        (Our mother treated us this way as kids; firearms were totally verboten, toys and all… which is why on the morning of my 18th birthday, I rushed to the Woolworth’s department store and bought a Mossberg 500. My dream is to take my nephews shooting… some day, not too much longer. Meantime, gonna buy the 11yr old a drum kit for his birthday…. ha)

    • Fortunately, we don’t need to rely on anecdotal evidence. At least one state actually makes the data available: Colorado. https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cbi/previousyearstatistics

      Prior to 31 March 2001, Colorado was like most other states in that private party transfers (PPTs) did not require background checks.

      From 31 March 2001 through 30 June 2013, all transfers at gun shows required background checks, whether the transferor was an FFL or not. That is, PPTs at gun shows now require a background check.
      C.R.S. 12-26.1-101

      On 1 July 2013, Colorado’s “universal background check” law became effective. With very few exceptions (e.g. bona fide gifts between certain family members, some loans, etc.) all transfers must go through an FFL and are subject to a background check.
      C.R.S. 18-12-112

      In Colorado, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the “point of contact” for BCs. Since July 2013, the CBI has kept a monthly tally of how many transfers were “FFL sales” (transfers out of an FFL’s own stock that would be subject to a BC by federal law) vs “private sales” (transfers between non-FFLs that only require a BC due to state law). “Private sales” include those at gun shows that were covered by the 2001 law.

      From 1 July 2013 through 30 Nov 2016 (the last month for which data is available), the CBI processed 1,173,154 transactions through their InstaCheck unit. “FFL sales” accounted for 1,116,491 transactions. The remaining 56,663 transactions were “private sales”.

      In Colorado over the last three and a half years, only 4.83% of transfers have been PPTs that, under federal law, would not have required a background check.

      Why does CO’s data differ so wildly from the “40%” number? I can think of a few possibilities:
      1. People aren’t obeying the law
      2. PPTs have plummeted in CO since July 2013
      3. Most PPTs in CO are intra-familial gifts that are exempt from the new law
      4. The “40%” number is utter nonsense

      My money’s on some combination of these, with #4 accounting for most of the discrepancy.

      • I think that #4 is the conclusion, and #3 is the biggest reason #4 is true.

        For a lawful gun owner, guns tend to come from one of three places:

        1. Purchased through an FFL.
        2. Purchased from a friend/family member.
        3. Gifted from a family member.

        • You forgot gun shows.
          Here in AZ, gun shows are a great way to legally buy a gun without the BC, as long as it’s from a private party.
          PPs walk around with a gun or three, wearing a sign detailing what’s for sale. Cash changes hands, then the gun. That’s in addition to those PPs who bought table space.
          My last acquisition was from a PP; I found a gun I’ve been wanting, he had it, we haggled a little, and cash and gun changed hands.
          At the gun shows I go to, my observation is that the vast majority of sales are from FFLs, as most want new guns, there are a lot of private sellers with older models, or just used ones they no longer want, and they sell some of those.
          The last one I went to, in December, was one of the larger ones at the Fairgrounds, and I saw a lot of what I took to be new buyers, and they were mostly buying from FFLs.
          I also observed two other things: prices are up (M1 Garands were offered for over $1300!), and the number of ‘operators’ was down (probably because prices were up).
          .22LR rifle sales were brisk, especially 10/22s. AR sales were slow. Shotgun sales looked to be good, especially “tactical” models, if the price was right. To me, this means a lot of new buyers.
          (I like to watch the people too, not just look at stuff on tables.)

        • I consider myself a lawful, typical gun owner (I might be wrong on the “typical” part). While by no means large, my “collection” reached double digits a few years ago.

          I have been involved in exactly one transfer that would have met CO’s exception for a bona fide gift between family members: my Mom gave me a Marlin No. 29 that her great aunt originally purchased in about 1913. (I did buy another gun from an FFL and gave it to my then 10-year-old for his birthday, but I’m guessing that still counts as “my gun”.)

          Based on just my experience (and ignoring for the moment that I hate single-sample anecdotal “evidence”), I find it hard to accept that intra-familial gifts, exempt from CO’s background check requirement, account for a significant fraction of the “40%” number.

          In the case of Colorado (and I realize that “transactions” does not equal “guns”):
          * presume people obey the laws
          * presume 40% of all transfers have no background checks
          * presume that’s because they’re PPTs
          * presume CO is representative of the USA
          * 1,116,491 transactions listed as “FFL sales”
          * 1,116,491 must be 60% of total transfers
          * there must be 1,860,818 total transfers
          * 744,327 non-FFL (PPT) transactions (40% of the 1.86M)
          * 56,663 private transactions actually handled by CBI

          That leaves 687,664 private transactions – 92% of the total PPTs – that were not subject to Colorado’s “universal background check” law in the last 41 months because they met one of the exceptions listed in the statute (bequests or bona fide gifts between family members).

          That’s hard to believe.

          For me, at least, it’s far easier to believe that the 40% number is a complete load of crap with no basis in reality.

  5. ‘In a statement on Monday, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said that amending the constitution would reduce the chances of attacks by enabling “active and rapid defense.”

    Citizens should be given the right to use fire arms to defend their “life, health and property” and contribute to “ensuring the internal order, security and territorial integrity” of the country, he said.’

    The government may threaten punishment for the exercise of it’s citizens’ God given rights, but they cannot in fact grant those rights themselves.

      • Natural, civil, human, fundamental rights. Your deities don’t “grant” anything to me. The FFs were mostly “deists” at most generous, with John Jay being the notable exception. Freedom from religion as much as freedom of it. The CoE or some random Islamic shithole is what happens when religious nonsense gets into government.

        • You’re a) grossly overstating the percentage of the founding fathers who were deists and b) misinterpreting what an 18th century deist was. They believed in the Christian god, they didn’t believe that that god influenced the affairs of men. To them there was no divine providence, not that malicious deeds would go unpunished.

          ‘Deism (/ˈdiː.ɪzəm/ [1][2] or /ˈdeɪ.ɪzəm/), derived from a Latin word “deus” meaning “god”, is a theological/philosophical position that posits that a god(s) does not interfere directly with affairs. It also rejects revelation as a source of religious knowledge with the conclusion that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to determine the existence of a single creator of the universe.[3][4][5][6][7] [8]’ – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

        • Also, if God doesn’t grant you your civil rights then they must be granted by men, and therefore what men can grant they can also deny. Force becomes the arbiter of who is right and who is wrong.

  6. Lhstr, Yep my sp101 the safety doesn’t work either, I pull trigger and it goes bang everytime. I think I’ll call Ruger right away now!

  7. That ColorTAC device is gigantic. Not much use to someone that uses a pair of nods on their helmet.

  8. Man, I’m really starting to respect the Czechs, even more than I did previously. They seem to be the only former Soviet country that actively threw off their chains and truly embraced the freedoms Moscow had denied them after the collapse of the USSR. Now they’re holding fast and refusing to cave to the EU and all of their neighbors. They’re under tremendous pressure from all sides, but they’re not backing down. Good for you guys, and we stand with you!

  9. Shocked that the “media” did manage to provide a photo of Willie Franklin Stith III. Would doing so be a “micro-aggression” or somesuch BS>

  10. Excellent for Czezh Rep.

    Excellent for the woman who saved her life with a defensive gun use.

    Not excellent for the custodian pulling the trigger to see if a gun was loaded.

    Excellent (for once) that the news article didn’t say “…and the gun ‘went off’ into the ground”.

  11. “Adjustable, adaptable, and smart. Securit’s Cradle, the Grid, and the Stock Base work in unison with one moving part that promotes straight line access to each firearm without the need to move any other gun. The system also amplifies organizational awareness, meaning the gun owner has full view of all firearms and gear.”

    Damn, that’s using a lot of words just to say “shallow gun cabinet”.

    • …”amplifies organizational awareness”… whoo boy….I’m sure that took a few beers to come up with.

  12. I think the foolish custodian is a different type of example of what happens to a disarmed population.

  13. Interesting that it is a CZ-USA, made in the states (and awesome, btw), but the Nato Stock Number still shows the Czech Republic as the nation of origin.

    • CZ-USA is mostly just an importer and distributor of CZ’s Czech-made guns. A few of the lower-production rifles are made in the USA, but I think all of the handguns are imported (and thus marked with the “CZ-USA Kansas City” import marking). The other side of that gun is stamped “Made in Czech Republic”.

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