“The RX Helix is a revolutionary hunting rifle conceived three years ago by a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family and created by Merkel, a German gun company wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi investment company Tawazun,” the national.ae reports. “Sheikh Hamed . . . wanted to see a rifle ‘for the 21st century’ – light, easy and safe to use, capable of handling a range of calibres and which could be broken down quickly, without fuss or tools, for easy transport.” Sounds like a plan. In terms of market position, that’s not quite so easy (eh Mr. Bond). Merkel’s priced various versions of the RX.Helix between $5,445.87 to $32,675.20. If you’re looking for price-no-object multi-caliber backpack-friendly ballistic awesomeness, click here to check out VO’s take on the Sheikh’s idea. [h/t Greg Lyons]
Pro Tip: Use Spirit Gum to Secure a Fake Beard
Love can make you stupid. Or too smart for your own damned good. When planning just about anything, it’s usually best to keep things simple. Fortunately, a would-be Rockville, Maryland murderer wasn’t a KISS principle adherent. No, he tried to plan the perfect murder. One Columbo himself wouldn’t be able to unravel. But in a story worthy of a Scott Turow novel, the dark-hearted Census Bureau manager saw his elaborate plot undone by a poorly secured fake beard. It’s always the small things that trip you up…
Question of the Day: Should People on Anti-Depressants Lose Their Gun Rights?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJNMMLHE8yY
I spoke with Top Shot contestant Paul Marinaccio this morning. The NJ Detective was adamant that training and screening should be a precondition for concealed carry. When I pointed out that the Second Amendment doesn’t say anything about training or any other qualifications (including a criminal record), Marinaccio countered by saying “You don’t want mentally ill people carrying guns do you?” According to usatoday.com, back in 2005 some 10 percent of Americans (27 million people) were taking antidepressants. If you adopted a no-carry for anti-d’s stance, hundreds of thousands of Americans might not seek psychiatric help. On the other hand, click here for stories of good drug addicts gone bad—with a gun. Although the post-Loughner spree killing clamor for a crackdown on mentally ill gun buyers/owners has simmered down, what’s your take? Should members of Prozac nation lose their gun rights?
MA Firefighter Cleared of Being Hydrated While Carrying
It took a six-person jury just 19 minutes Wednesday to clear a Brockton, MA firefighter of being hydrated while carrying a gun last year. The firefighter, Jaime Barbosa, drew his .40 cal Glock twice while breaking up a brawl outside a watering hole involving two fellow firefighter buddies who had been attacked by an unknown pair of miscreants. You’d think he’d be in line for a commendation. Nope…
James Ray Palmer and the Truth About Gunfights
On September 13, James Ray Palmer rode his motorcycle to the Crawford County courthouse in Van Buren, Arkansas. He carried three semi-automatic handguns with him, along with an AR-15 style rifle. He wore a tactical vest holding several magazines full of ammunition for his various firearms, with everything apparently concealed under a long duster coat. All reports indicate that Palmer went to the courthouse that day to kill Judge Gary Cottrell, who presided over Palmer’s divorce case and subsequent child custody hearing . . .
Top Shot’s Paul Marinaccio: Hats Off to Jake Zweig
I just got off the blower with Top Shot contestant Paul Marinaccio, eliminated from the competition in Tuesday’s episode. As I suspected, the NJ Detective’s chances of taking the Top Shot title came a cropper thanks (in part) to the Corner Shot’s video screen. “The glare was so bad [that] I didn’t know I’d hit the target until Colby called it out . . . Jake [above] was wearing a hat that shaded his eyes so he could see the screen. But in any case he slammed it.” When TTAG asked the critical question—are Colby’s teeth really that white?—Marinaccio laughed for a good fifteen seconds. And proceeded to change the subject. Needless to say, I wasn’t going to let it go that easily . . .
Ruger Introduces New SP101 .22LR Revolver
Ruger’s rock and rolling with this new addition to their nail driving (as in actually driving nails) SP101: the .22LR revolver. I’m not quite sure why the new Ruger msrp’s at $675 when the SP101 in all the other calibers clock-in at $629. My money’s on the fancy schmancy engraved and checkered walnut grips and the non-SP101 standard sights. Or not, as I’m extremely happy with my Gemini Customs modified SP101 in .38/.357. Still, that wasn’t cheap. And for those who want to shoot less expensive .22LR ammo, or prefer a revolver without so much recoil (this should kick like a slightly peeved gnat), the new 30-ounce wheelgun should git ‘er done. Oh, and you get eight bites at the cherry.
Philly Police Commissioner’s Testimony on H.R. 822 – National Concealed Carry
Yesterday saw the first congressional hearing on H.R.822, a bill to make concealed carry reciprocity universal in the United States (click here for an overview of what H.R.822 proposes). In that hearing members of congress heard from Charles H. Ramsey, commissioner of police for the city of Philadelphia, PA. And he wasn’t too pleased with the idea.
Judge Awards Dupont $920m in Kevlar Copy Case
“DuPont Co. was awarded $919.9 million in damages by a federal jury on Wednesday in what executives called a landmark intellectual-property case involving high-strength fibers used in its Kevlar body armor,” wsj.com reports. “The jury in Richmond, Va., found in favor of the U.S. manufacturing group that had sued South Korea’s Kolon Industries Inc. two years ago, finding that Kolon stole trade secrets and confidential information related to Kevlar.”
ATF Death Watch 83: Felony Murder?
TTAG Commentator John Earnest writes:
Might the “felony murder” doctrine be applied to any persons in the Executive Branch who conceived, ordered and implemented Operation F&F/Gunwalker? As you may have expected, the only answer that can be given is, “it depends”, because the felony murder rule is kind of mushy and very fact-dependent. Best guess is no, for several legal reasons, the initial one being statutory immunity for acts done in the execution and regular course of one’s duties of office . . .
Increasing 911 Wait Times; When the Police Are Only 15 Minutes Away
The 911 Emergency Response System works because of one thing and one thing only: the 911 dispatcher. They have an uncanny ability to bring order to chaos, calm the hysterical, and prescribe just the right number of resources for an emergency situation. Unfortunately, as an article in Radio Resource Magazine points out 911 call volume is increasing while the number of available operators have been decreasing, meaning citizens can expect to be on hold as long as EIGHT MINUTES before even talking to an operator. Why is this happening and what does this mean for you?…
The Most Beautiful Handgun Ever Made. Maybe.
What restaurant makes the best pizza? Who’s the best looking actress? Why do people park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? These are some of the great unanswerable questions of our time. Now comes Garry James of Guns & Ammo to give his answer to another of them: What’s the best looking handgun ever made? He submits for your consideration the Colt 1860. Gotta give it to her, she definitely has curves in all the right places. But is she really the most beautiful? The Grace Kelly of gundom? Oh, and check out his four runners up. The reaction to numbers four and five may give new meaning to the term blowback. Let the flame war begin!