Lots of Guns and Nobody Got Hurt

When gun prohibition fanatics get cranked up about more guns translating to more crime and violence, all anybody has to do is point to the recent gun rights rally in Richmond, Va. on the same day the 2020 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show cranked up in Las Vegas.

In Richmond, crowd size estimates ranged from 22,000 to 25,000 legal gun owners and Second Amendment supporters who carried who knows how many loaded sidearms and long guns in the streets around the Capitol. In Las Vegas, the annual SHOT Show Writers’ Day at the Range unfolded with hundreds of gun writers and videographers filming and shooting handguns, rifles and shotguns. For the following four days, tens of thousands of people strolled through the aisles of the Sands Expo Convention Center where they examined and handled many thousands of firearms.

And nobody suffered so much as a hurt feeling in either location.

I skipped the SHOT Show this year due to a bit of surgery in December, but I was able to cover a gun rights rally in Olympia, Wa. where there were enough firearms present to have shamed Dodge City or Tombstone residents in the frontier years.

How does this happen? Well, first you get a bunch of responsible gun owners together, and then turn them loose. They tend to not harm anybody, opting instead to enjoy camaraderie, safe gun handling and shooting, and maybe demonstrating that guns and people who own them aren’t so bad as the Michael Bloombergs of the world would have the public believe.

Gun Control Isn’t Gun Safety

Keep in perspective the lifestyle of a gun owner versus the lifestyle of someone who hates guns and people who own them.

When reporters covered Richmond and Olympia, they talked about “gun safety” or “gun reform” groups, none of which know anything really tangible about safety, and who define “reform” as ridding the landscape of firearms. These groups do not field thousands of volunteer certified instructors. Their spokespeople couldn’t recite the Four Rules of Gun Safety without cue cards. They couldn’t identify such legendary folks as Jeff Cooper, Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan or Skeeter Skelton on a bet.

Were they to suddenly wake up at Writer’s Range Day, or find themselves walking among the 1,600 SHOT Show exhibitors lining 12.5 miles of aisles, odds are they’d be terrified of every shadow or just faint dead.

Incidentally, those four rules are:

• Treat every firearm as if it were loaded.
• Never point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
• Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
• Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

Since We’re Talking About Guns

Folks who attended the SHOT Show had the opportunity to snoop out two new models of the Stoeger STR-9 semi-auto pistol — one finished in Flat Dark Earth, the other an Optics-Ready version.

Previously only available with a black nitride finish, both new models still sport interchangeable backstrap grips, a fiber optic front sight, front slide serrations and Picatinny underrail for lights, lasers and accessories. Both pistols have a low bore axis with 4.17-inch barrel and overall length of 7.44 inches. The Optics-Ready model supports a variety of red dot sights via four interchangeable mounting plates on the slide.

The STR-9 ships with three 15-round magazines, though 10-round models are also available to meet requirements of restrictive states that have adopted cartridge limits for magazines.

https://www.stoegerindustries.com/str-9-semi-auto-pistol

Outlaws & Lawmen

Saddle up sixgunners, Uberti has added another smokewagon to its Outlaws & Lawmen series, this one dubbed the Dalton, and it’s a handsome specimen chambered for the .45 Colt cartridge.

A homage to Dalton Gang leader Bob Dalton, the wheelgun is intended to be a historically accurate rendition of the famous revolver found on is body after the fatal gun battle in Coffeyville, Kan. in 1892.

An 1873 single-action Cattleman, the gun sports an engraved 5.5-inch blued barrel with matching 6-shot cylinder, blade front sight and traditional notch rear, one-piece simulated pearl grip and color-case finished frame.

The Daltons provided a textbook illustration about the value of an armed citizenry. Back on Oct. 5, 1892, the Dalton Gang attempted the first broad daylight double bank robbery in Coffeyville, only to discover local citizens didn’t really want their banks robbed.

Emmett and Bob Dalton were in the First National Bank and were headed out the front door when an American Express agent cut loose, according to an online history at Wikipedia. Both Daltons turned back into the bank and out the back door.

Meanwhile, Grat Dalton, Dick Broadwell and Bill Powers were sticking up the Condon Bank. When the shooting started, two hardware stores started handing out guns to the locals, who started shooting. When the smoke cleared, Bob and Grat, Powers and Broadwell were all dead. Emmett had suffered 23 bullet wounds. Three citizens and town Marshal Charles T. Connelly were also killed.

The Dalton looks like it will provide a bit of history for Old West fans.

https://www.uberti-usa.com/outlaws-and-lawmen-revolvers

Active Duty Loads For Civilians

After being awarded a contract to supply ammunition for the U.S. Army Modular Handgun System (MHS) program, Winchester is not making their Active Duty 9mm loads available to the public.

Featuring a flatnose 115-grain FMJ bullet and military grade primer, the ammo is loaded to military specifications with a reported muzzle velocity of 1,320 fps and available in 100- and 150-round boxes.

Winchester also has eight new offerings in its Silvertip series, including a 175-grain 10mm Auto, a 145-grain .357 Magnum, a 110-grain .38 Special, a 85-grain .380 ACP, a 155-grain .40 S&W, a 185-grain .45 ACP, and two 9mm loads, one with a 115-grain bullet and the other with a 147-grain projectile. All come in 20-round boxes.

https://winchester.com/Products/Ammunition/Handgun/Active-Duty

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