Brad Kozak Archives - Page 55 of 57

Should Gun Control Advocates Have A Concealed Handgun License?

February 2, 2025March 22, 2010 by ttag

Let’s say you’re a pro-mass transit environmentalist; you considered automobiles the devil in-car-nate. Chances are you’d have both a theoretic and emperical understanding of how cars work; what they can and can not do. The drawbacks and the advantages. I bet you have a handle on tailpipe pollution regs and which cars are better for long distance trips or commuting. I’ve talked to a lot of people on both sides of the gun control debate. The majority of those who favor restricting Americans’ Second Amendment rights have never touched a gun in their lives. They want NOTHING to do with guns. And so they don’t. Wrong answer. If gun control advocates received the training necessary to receive a concealed handgun license in their home state, they would be better informed. I’m not saying they’d change their position. I AM saying they’d be able to hold a more intelligent, rational and effective conversation.

Conceal This

February 2, 2025March 19, 2010 by ttag

I have something to confess. I have a concealed handgun license (CHL) and I rarely carry my handgun. The reasons why I don’t carry that often—and why thousands of other concealed carry permit holders also leave home without it—bears examination.

Gun Review: Springfield Loaded 1911-A1

February 2, 2025March 18, 2010 by admin

When you think about handguns that have made their mark in the public’s mind, there is, hands down, no firearm more iconic than the venerable creation of John Browning, the Model 1911-AI. Call it a “1911,” a “Colt .45 auto” or a “Navy .45,” this was the gun that got us through WWII, the Korean War, and just about every conflict since. But if you’re late to the party, you might not realize that 1911s were not always held in such reverence. Nope. After WWII, a huge number of surplus 1911s flooded the market. Some good. Many of them not so good. In fact, it was far more likely to find a 1911 that wouldn’t even run, than it was to find one that was a lean, mean, fightin’ machine. As well, there were certain design idiosyncrasies that made the 1911 less than fun to shoot – especially the combo of grip safety and hammer that had a nasty tendency to take a bite out of your shooting hand at inappropriate times.

Texas Starbucks Robbed At Gunpoint

February 2, 2025March 18, 2010 by ttag

Lost among the hyperbole of Starbucks’ policy of allowing local custom/laws to determine their position on conceal carry is the question: “has Starbucks ever been robbed at gunpoint?” To which I can reply without hesitation, “yes.” My ex-wife witnessed an armed robbery at a Texas Starbucks. It went down like this . . .

Should We Fingerprint Guns?

February 2, 2025March 17, 2010 by ttag

The Holy Grail of gun forensics: a method to definitively match a bullet and/or spent cartridge to a specific firearm. It’s also the centerpiece of any number of anti-gun advocates fondest dreams. There’s as much incentive for finding the solution to gun “fingerprinting” as there is to finding a miracle drug cure for cancer or AIDS. Maybe more. So what is science’s solution to the conundrum? Equally important, will it blend?

Perception v. Reality: Which ones are “Gun States”?

February 2, 2025March 16, 2010 by ttag

As you might have heard, several states have passed—or are in the process of passing—laws that (re)assert states rights over guns that are manufactured, sold and used within their respective states. Despite concerns about the cost of such legislation, Utah is one of the latest to join the “keep your hands off of my gun rack Jack” pack. Conventional wisdom holds that these laws are designed simply to test the Supreme Court’s mettle (and win votes). Should they make it upstream to the fount of federal jurisprudence, they’ll “help” the Court decide a fundamental question: does the federal government have the right to pass and enforce laws that fly in the face of the 10th Amendment? If the States’ cases hold up, we could be looking at the undoing of roughly 80 years worth of progressive laws; laws that have upset the delicate balance between the Feds and the “Several States.”

Choosing a Handgun, Part VII: The Sum of All Fears

February 2, 2025March 15, 2010 by Robert Farago

Overwhelmed yet? Choosing the right handgun is not a slam-dunk, as we’ve seen over the past six articles. And in the interest of making sure you’re armed with the best information, let’s recap what we’ve learned, and see if we can make sense of it for you. We’ll start from the premise that you are ready and willing to defend yourself, and are prepared to purchase a handgun to do it. Here’s a handy questionnaire that is designed to narrow down your options.

Do you want the handgun purely for nighttime home defense?
Buy a shotgun.

Do you think you’ll need more than five or six rounds loaded in the gun?
The answer depends on you perceived threat level . . .

Gun Safety: Thinking Inside the Box

February 2, 2025March 14, 2010 by ttag

Handguns, rifles and shotguns do one thing, and do it very well: they blow holes in things. This is a good thing—if the hole you’re talking about is one you’ve put through a bad guy intent on harming you and yours after disobeying a direct order to stop and drop. If, on the other hand, the gun falls into the hands of a child, that’s a very bad thing indeed. All responsible gun owners should secure their weapon so that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized personnel (read: “kids” and “bad guys”). Failure to do so could lead to tragic consequences. And even if it doesn’t, in some states, you can end up in jail. Just ask Richard Runyan . . .

Choosing a Handgun, Part VI: Stopping Power

February 2, 2025March 12, 2010 by ttag

Before I started down the road of responsible gun ownership, my perceptions about guns were shaped by Hollywood. Like most people that accept what they see on TV or sliver screen as gospel, I thought that guns were guns. You chose one based on the “cool factor” (.50 cal Desert Eagle), a desire to emulate a Tinseltown hero (.44 Magnum/Dirty Harry) or a desire to “go retro” (a wheelgun for Film Noir fans, or a six-shooter for Western buffs). None of this, of course, was useful, practical intel. When it comes to personal defense, you’ve got to choose a weapon that can get the job done. In the pistol packer’s parlance, that’s called “stopping power.” And it’s serious business.

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