sweasel.com

Here is some banana on Chris Matthew’s show claiming the NRA stokes paranoia so it can sell more guns.

Hello?! THE NRA DOESN’T SELL GUNS.

I have shilled for the NRA before.

Gave my wife a 5-year membership over the weekend. Told her this morning; she was tremendously excited. Now she wants a Glock for Christmas. 🙂

I’m finishing up a Life membership on the installment plan ($25/mo for 40 months)…

I just sent in my payment for a Life membership, to beat the price increase. The letter they sent me said that it was $500 until Jan 1. I’ve been an Annual member for 40 years.

Plus, if you wear an NRA t-shirt and scruffy jeans into Whole Foods, you can blend in beautifully for a while…

Yabbut you also have to buy overpriced pretentious food. Whole Foods is one of the few non-luxury stores that never has anything I would buy at their prices.

The NRA is great, but if you really want to blow minds, join Gun Owners of America – they consider the NRA a bunch of weak-kneed compromisers.

Sigh – I just told Mrs Vegetable yesterday that I am going to go ahead and finally get a concealed carry license. Of course, I will have to get a pistol to carry – and I don’t really need one or even particularly want one for that matter. I like guns as machines, and as tools, and as objects of design, but beyond enjoying the satisfaction of hitting the target and enjoying the smell of gun powder, they don’t hold a lot of fetish power for me.

So, this is a purely political act. Still, if I am going to get a pistol I want it to be a quality piece… Any suggestions? Just because I’m doing this to piss off the Progressives doesn’t mean any cheap piece of Russian scrap will do.

Oh, and now that you’ve made me think of it, of course I am going to join The NRA.

Try the JPFO. I was a member.

Some veg: getting the CC permit is all the political statement you need. Actually carrying concealed isn’t a statement because, er, concealed.

The route I’ve taken is get an “easy” .22LR gun (or two!) to take to the range (like a Browning buckmark, s&W revolver, etc) and practice a lot. Then go for concealed carry. Then shop for a CC piece (like ruger LCP380), and practice, practice…

I may not ever carry concealed – I just want to be in a position to do so if and when I choose to.

Some Veg, you should consider a SIG P250, a fascinating piece of macinery. The interior parts, the frame, the hammer, lock, and trigger assembly are in one unit, which is removeable. SIG makes conversion kits, which consist of a grip,a magazine, a barrel, and a slide. So, if you were to buy a P250F/9, a full sized gun in 9mm, you can convert it into a .357 SIG, or a .45ACP, just by transfering the frame assembly. SIG has just released a .22lr conversion kit, as well as a P250C/22, a complete Compact P250 in .22lr. If you were to get a .22 P250, after you learned to shoot it well, you could buy a 9mm conversion kit, ad practice with the .22, and use the 9 as your carry weapon, as everything will work exactly like the .22. Practicing with the .22 will save you a lot of Quatloos.

Some Veg: The best advice on handgun selection I can give is to go to a range that rents them and rent several. Regardless of how “good” the quality of the manufacturer is, if that particular model of firearm isn’t comfortable in your hand when firing it then it isn’t worth owning. You will have too much to overcome to achieve and maintain practical proficiency with it. It therefore will not be fun to target shoot with, as well as being a poor choice for protection. Any major manufacturer is good as long as it fits!

If you are anywhere near Central Ohio, I extend an offer of my help directly. Stoaty has my email info!

Sweas, if you think the postman who delivers the NRA magazines in the US is “polite”; consider the reaction of HM Post at handling such. Y’all might get a visit from Special Branch when it starts. They probably would not mind if you were ISIS, but the thought of an American or a Brit reading such subversive things would probably chill them to the bone. 😉

Lester is right, if the pistol does not fit, you will not be accurate with it, and it will not be pleasant to shoot. Try several brands, even try a revolver or two.

I myself, find the grip angle wrong on a GLOCK, so I don’t own one, as I cannot consistently be accurate with one. I like HK best, but they are awfully expensive, and if are not a batchelor like me, you may not be able to afford one. GLOCK and Ruger would definitly be on your to try list, as is SIG.

Scott the Badger – I have a P250 and like it a lot, but I’m not sure I would recommend one as someone’s first pistol. The long, double-action trigger pull takes quite a bit of practice to master. I’ve heard good things about the new P320, which is a similar system except striker fired and has a lighter trigger.

Some Veg – I would second LesterIII’s advice, and suggest (if you are actually going to concealed carry) that you start with a look at the Ruger LC9s, Smith & Wesson Shield, and Springfield Armory XDS. Those are three of the best ‘pocket guns’ right now in my opinion; they come in multiple calibers, but 9mm will be the easiest to shoot. The most important thing is to get something that is comfortable in your hand and that you can shoot reliably.

Okay, I’ve finally tapped pot after several years of dithering. And I figured I might as well go big and start working towards a lifer membership.

Stoaty, do they still hit you up for the extra ten spot if you go digital?

Not sure, Jasonius. I thought they charged you less because they didn’t have to send you a paper magazine.

When I joined an indoor range in Rhode Island, they made us all go through a ‘safety course’. In practice, it meant a quick introduction to the basics, followed by each of us firing a few rounds of every single gun the club owned. It was the most fun safety course I’ve ever taken, and I learned a lot. Like the heavy calibers are not for me (though my bedside table gun was a .357).

Oh, and linky: Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. The most politically incorrect of all the gun orgs.

bds, I can accept that. I guess I forget that I have been shooting for 35 years, and that what is just fine for me could be quite ormitable to someone just starting. I have heard lots of good things about the 320, but duty holsters are very hard to get. I also hear that the the HK VP9 is quite nice too.

Second the recommendation on finding a gun that fits you. I will always love the old Walther P-38, because it was the basis for the famous “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” gun. But that wide grip doesn’t fit my hand. The P-08 Luger is wonderful; I fired one at a range, and the grip seemed molded for my hand. Point the gun where you want the bullet to go, it seemed to me, and that was where it went. But Lugers are expensive.

There are one or two ranges near me that rent. I need to go see how a .38/.357 Ruger revolver does in my hand.

And the small part of me that grew up on Western movies (well, maybe not so small) wants a .45 Colt Single Action Army revolver, the Peacemaker.

Heed LesterIII, for he is wise. You must let the gun find you, kind of like a cat that wanders in and sets up shop. I can’t fire a Glock for more than 20 rounds before severe pain happens, but the first time I picked up a 1911 it was twu wuv. Fit my hand like it was molded to it, and I can shoot it quite tidily 🙂

I’ll second (or third, or fourth) the motion about trying as many pistols and revolvers as you have access to. The matching of firearm to shooter is highly individualistic. I remember several years ago taking my visiting bro-in-law to my local range and we each had our favorite 9mm pistols with us. We swapped guns and each of us did better with the other’s pistol…and we’re both darn good shots.

If you’re looking at high-ish powered revolvers, pay particular attention to the curve of the grip. In recoil, a significant amount of the energy can be dissipated by rotation. The downside is it takes a moment longer to recover your sight picture for a second shot, but practice will bring that down to virtually negligible.

Ah, the smell of gun powder.

I love it here. 🙂

Nina, the technical term for the psychological phenomenon that accompanies that smell is known as Cordite Induced Happiness.

I like the old reliable Colt .45 auto as a carry piece, but it’s kind of large for smaller folks to conceal. In that case I’d go with a good .380 or 9mm (same thing, .380 is known as 9mm short)

It comes in many variations, pick one. Learn to handle it safely, and carry it. A gun does no one any good in a drawer.

I’ve been a life member for many years. I feel better now about our chances of maintaining our 2nd Amendment rights than I have in a long time.

Yes, the Ds want to disarm us all and the Rs would sell us down the river in a heartbeat if it got them good press for a day, but more people than ever seem to understand that guns aren’t the problem.

When prominent black athletes and entertainers like Demon Sanders, Usher and Samuel L. Jackson are fearlessly making pro-gun comments after an event like San Bernardino, there’s obviously been a cultural shift. No, we can’t let our guard down, but there isn’t a chance that another Brady Bill will make it through congress any time soon.

I’d like to extend my sincere apologies to Deion Sanders. I had no intention to imply that he is in any way possessed by demonic forces.

S. Weasel @ December 8, 2015, 7:13 am: Oh, and linky: Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. The most politically incorrect of all the gun orgs.
Actually I think that would be the Pink Pistols.

The problem with JPOA (IIRC) is that they had goy affiliate members, some of whom were helping run the group, and then all the Jewish organizers quit for various reasons.

Davem123 @ December 10, 2015, 4:37 am:…there isn’t a chance that another Brady Bill will make it through congress any time soon.

No, But that’s not how they’re going to do it.

What will happen is some UN agreement with a mile of attached boilerplate. The document will include an obscurely phrased requirement that signatories stop all “improper” traffic in firearms, which means all private traffic. It will be railroaded through the Senate with no discussion of this clause. Then it will be revealed as a fait accompli.

I don’t know why the demon sanders typo made me giggle, but it did.