Posts Tagged ‘Modern Sporting Rifle’

When Storage Wars Meets Gun Hoarders

Tuesday, September 6th, 2022

Back when I’d visit my parents a decade or so ago, one of my father’s guilty pleasures was watching Storage Wars.

If you’re unfamiliar with this cable staple, it features competing teams of people bidding on abandoned storage units, then going through the ones they won trying to figure out what things were worth. Storage Wars was infamous for every episode having one or more “surprise items” that the buyer just happened to know an expert who could identify the item and its value. It was a little cheesy, and like all realty TV, was fake and scripted, but was a higher, more nourishing brand of cable junk food, than, say Ice Road Truckers or Deadliest Catch (which is evidently still on).

Anyway, people still bid on abandoned storage units, and a guy who has a YouTube channel bid a princely $5,786 for a unit because he saw some gun cases in there.

Did it pay off?

Boy did it!

There were a few cheap handguns, but also a lot of expensive hunting rifles, including:

  • A Marlin 1895CB chambered in 45/70 Government.
  • Two Remington Model 700s chambered in .270.
  • A Winchester Model 1894 chambered in 450 Marlin.
  • Etc.
  • But also thousands of rounds of ammo, a whole lot in loaded magazines.

    This video is almost 100% pure gun pr0n:

    Let this be a reminder: If you have a large firearms collection, you want to make sure you have an itemized and notarized will, so your designated heirs end up getting fair value for your collection.

    California Assault Weapons Ban Struck Down

    Saturday, June 5th, 2021

    This is a welcome development:

    A federal judge ruled Friday that California’s “assault weapons” ban is unconstitutional.

    The court found the state’s ban on the sale of AR-15s and other popular rifles violated the Second Amendment. Judge Roger Benitez [of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California] ruled the guns targeted by California are in common use. He said the state ran afoul of the Constitution in restricting access to them.

    “This case is not about extraordinary weapons lying at the outer limits of Second Amendment protection,” Benitez wrote. “The banned ‘assault weapons’ are not bazookas, howitzers, or machineguns. Those arms are dangerous and solely useful for military purposes. Instead, the firearms deemed ‘assault weapons’ are fairly ordinary, popular, modern rifles.

    “This is an average case about average guns used in average ways for average purposes.”

    California’s ban is one of the oldest and most aggressive in the country. It was instituted in 1989 but has been expanded multiple times in the decades since. The state added more guns and features to the ban. Eventually, it banned the possession of unregistered “assault weapons” before the latest iteration of the ban was challenged by gun-rights groups in federal court.

    Benitez said the AR-15’s versatility made it widely popular in the United States, and that popularity is part of what gives it protection under the Second Amendment. He compared the modular firearm to a “Swiss Army Knife” and noted its use for home defense and civil defense.

    “Good for both home and battle, the AR-15 is the kind of versatile gun that lies at the intersection of the kinds of firearms protected under District of Columbia v. Heller and United States v. Miller,” he said. “Yet, the State of California makes it a crime to have an AR15 type rifle. Therefore, this Court declares the California statutes to be unconstitutional.”

    1989 means the ban even predates the cosmetic Clinton-era “assault weapon” ban intended to ban ARs, AKs, and most modern sporting rifles. Indeed, the Roberti-Roos Assault Weapons Control Act of 1989 was the model the Clinton Administration used for their own ban, including the dreaded barrel shroud. Roberti-Roos is also the source of California’s infamous ban on detachable magazines and those holding more than 10 rounds.

    For those that say the Republican Party has been completely useless at achieving conservative objectives, I would point to the appointment of strong Federalist Society and pro-Second Amendment judges as one of many counter examples. Without Reagan and Bush41, we don’t get Scalia and Thomas, and without them we don’t get Heller. Indeed, without originalist judges, the Second Amendment would probably have been legislated away entirely by now…

    Brandon Herrera On New ATF 80% Lower Rules

    Monday, May 17th, 2021

    I am very far indeed from an expert on ATF regulations, and have never bought an 80% lower (i.e., a partially milled metal blank that can be machined at home to produce the receiver for an AR-15 pattern modern sporting rifle). Youtuber Brandon Herrera digs into new proposed ATF rules and finds a lot of really worrying ambiguous language:

    He’s especially concerned that a new, broader definition of “frame or receiver” could now be interpreted to include mundane firearms parts kits.

    He suggested those who are concerned about the new rules to leave comments on the proposed regulation.

    Gun News Roundup for January 15, 2019

    Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

    Been a while since I did one of these, so let’s have at it:

  • The Trump Administration’s bump-stock ban is a legal abomination:

    The new rule represents the most sweeping federal gun control effort since the so-called assault weapons ban, which was passed in 1994 and expired in 2003. Even the Obama administration, which was overtly hostile to Second Amendment rights, rejected the logic of Trump’s bump stock ban.

    As a matter of both law and physics, the Trump administration’s gun control rule banning bump stocks is an abomination. The Department of Justice (DOJ), which formally issued the rule, not only ignores underlying federal statutes that precisely define what constitutes a fully automatic “machine gun,” it also ignores the mechanics of how guns are fired and how bump stocks increase the rate of fire. Even worse, the faulty logic of the new gun control rule could eventually be used as a basis for a presidential administration unilaterally banning and confiscating all semi-automatic weapons.

  • Another concern about the bump stock ban: It doesn’t just ban them, it make those already legally purchased before the ban illegal to own:

    “A current possessor may destroy the device or abandon it at the nearest ATF office, but no compensation will be provided for the device. Any method of destruction must render the device incapable of being readily restored to its intended function.”

    Get caught in violation and prepare to have your life destroyed through arrest, prosecution, incarceration and a lifetime ban on owning guns. All brought to you by a “pro-gun” president taking his lead from NRA’s plea to regulate instead of legislate.

    This is, to my mind, an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment, and if allowed to stand, would pave the way for future gun confiscations via regulatory mandate.

  • Borepatch makes his position clear: “Gun control is unconstitutional. All of it. ALL OF IT.” Further: “I would roll it all back past the 1934 Gun Control Act. No lists. No watchdogs. No limits on design or rate of fire.”
  • Speaking of unconstitutional, “red flag laws” are bullshit.”
  • Just in case it was unclear, Democrats really do want to ban all modern sporting rifles. (Hat tip: Say Uncle.)
  • City of Austin: Don’t think you can bring your foolish “gun rights” here. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton: Here, have a lawsuit:

    Austin could face punishment for infringing on the citizen’s rights: state law allows for a $1,500 daily fine for blocking licensed citizens from entering city hall with their permitted handguns. According to Paxton’s press release, the city has been barring the resident for more than 500 days, and the attorney general’s team asked the court to impose a total fine of over $750,000.

  • Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead Not Taking Our Guns

    Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

    The “assault weapon” ban of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-osen’t Know the Constitution) died before it could even reach the Senate floor.

    What happened? The NRA-ILA happened. Ted Cruz happened. Actual voters happened. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid evidently didn’t have the clout to put the squeeze on members over gun control the way Nancy Pelosi did on Obamacare and taxpayer-funded abortions. That, or the fact there’s no way in hell the Republican House would pass a ban, Reid decided the political cost would be too high (including, very possibly, the loss of the Senate) for no legislative gain.

    This is one of the times that the Senate’s glacial pace helped prevent knee-jerk liberal opportunism from making it’s way into law.

    There’s still a lot of other bad gun control ideas floating around Washington, DC (not to mention out in the states), but at least we managed to kill this one.

    Maybe in a few months I can buy an AR at a decent price…

    A Quick Roundup of Gun News

    Monday, February 18th, 2013

    Here’s a Whitman’s Sampler of gun news for you to chew on:

  • The Truth About Assault Weapons, in easy-to-follow graphic form.
  • Dwight is all over Polifact Texas “checking” Ted Cruz’ statements about untracked gun buyers.
  • Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot appeared on a RedState podcast discussing guns.
  • More on the tremendous success of Chicago’s gun control initiative, and how it’s throwing a wee bit of a kink into Obama’s gun control pitch.
  • In the Texas legislature, Rep. James White’s House Bill 1142 would allow firearms safety to be taught as an elective.
  • Missouri Democrats introduce a bill to seize the guns of the law-abiding.
  • What happens when an expert arrives to provide testimony on modern sporting rifles? If you’re a Minnesota Democrat, you actually walk out of the presentation.
  • Borepatch suggests a legislative strategy.
  • Interesting profile of Bond Arms of Granbury, which makes derringers. The article calls them the only gun manufacturer in the DFW area, which I rather doubt.
  • Ted Cruz will be visiting LaRue Tactical to support the Second Amendment. Sadly, Wayne Slater is evidently too unprofessional to bother telling you when Cruz will be visiting. (Do they just not teach “Five Ws and an H” in journalism school anymore?) Since I offer a full-service blog: Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 11:00 AM, LaRue Tactical, 850 County Road 177, Leander, TX 78641.
  • Finally, here’s a fine NSFW rant about how liberal “civil libertarians” are only too ready to watch the rights of gun owners trampled:

    “At the time the Constitution was written, the weapons in question were muskets.”

    You know what? You’re right. And marriage was between one man and one woman. So what’s with gay marriage? No longer will I offer any moral support, oppose any online statements attacking it, speak out for it. They have the same right as anyone—to marry someone of the opposite gender. And given that all gays support raping little boys (just like all gun owners support shooting school kids), I don’t think I can support them. We should do things just the way they were done 220 years ago. That’s the liberal way.

    “The Heller Decision was by an activist court. It doesn’t count.”

    Indeed. Just like Roe v Wade was an activist decision. It doesn’t count.

    “We’re not trying to take your guns away, just have reasonable limits. It’s a compromise.”

    And some people want reasonable limits on abortion, like waiting periods, gestational time limits, ultrasound, etc. It’s a reasonable response to an activist court decision, and reasonable restrictions on a right, for public benefit. Don’t come whining about your right to murder babies, and I won’t come to you whining about my right to shoot school kids.

    And no one is saying you can’t ride the bus. You just have to sit where people think is reasonable. No one is saying women can’t work. They just have to get paid what is reasonable for the work they do, allowing for the fact they’re going to leave the workplace and raise a family. It’s a compromise.

    “Assault weapons are an extreme interpretation.”

    True. And not allowing any religious emblems on government premises is an extreme interpretation. As long as they’re privately paid for, what’s it to you? No one is saying you can’t belong to the Christian church of your choice, just not to extreme groups, like atheists or Muslims. It would be paranoid to think anyone was trying to infringe on your legitimate right to be free from state religion, just like I’d be paranoid to think they wanted to take my guns. Quite a few states had official churches well into the 1800s. This is not an infringement on your freedom of religion.

    “Given Sandy Hook, you have to make reasonable compromises.”

    “We just want licensing and safe storage requirements so the wrong people don’t get guns.”

    “Publicizing the information lets people make informed choices about who they live near.”

    Accepted. In exchange, gay men should make reasonable compromises over Penn State. They will simply have to accept being registered and kept a safe distance from children. This isn’t a violation of their rights. It’s just common sense. The public has a right to know.

    This should apply to protests, too. No reasonable person would object to being identified. They should welcome it—it means they can’t be wrongly maligned. All union members, blacks, gays and feminists should be signed in with ID before a march or gathering, just so we can track the real criminals to keep the rest safe.

    Also:

    First they came for the blacks, and I spoke up because it was wrong, even though I’m not black.

    Then they came for the gays, and I spoke up, even though I’m not gay.

    Then they came for the Muslims, and I spoke up, because it was wrong, even though I’m an atheist.

    When they came for illegal aliens, I spoke up, even though I’m a legal immigrant.

    Then they came for the pornographers, rebels and dissenters and their speech and flag burning, and I spoke up, because rights are not only for the establishment.

    Then they came for the gun owners, and you liberal shitbags threw me under the bus, even though I’d done nothing wrong. So when they come to put you on the train, you can fucking choke and die.

  • How Not To Commit the Perfect Robbery

    Saturday, February 16th, 2013

    If you want to commit a comically inept but still dangerous robbery, here are a few easy pointers from this Valentine’s Day holdup in Inkster, Michigan:

  • Be sure to try and rob the place in broad daylight.
  • Pick a place that has an obvious security company car parked right in front.
  • Make sure not to conceal your own features, even though there’s a security camera at the door.
  • Pull out your gun and wave it around in a limp-wristed fashion, ensuring you’re more likely to hurt yourself than hit what you’re aiming at when you fire.
  • Have your partner in crime lackadaisically take several seconds to casually pull her own gun out of her purse. No hurry! It’s not like speed is important during a daylight armed robbery.
  • Pick a tax preparation business where the guard has an AR-15 in the next room.
  • Run back out the front door in a panic when you see it.
  • To make sure you’ve understood all these vital pointers, watch the video below. (15 second ad at the beginning, but well worth it.)

    Fox 2 News Headlines

    And liberals: The fact criminals seem to find the AR-15 every bit as scary as you do? That’s not a bug, that’s a feature.

    What I Saw At The Austin Gun Show

    Saturday, January 26th, 2013

    Long lines. It took 40 minutes for my friends to get in at noon, and about 28 minutes for me at 1 PM.

    Here’s my video of the line:

    And the show itself? Pricing on modern sport rifles (AKA “the guns Democrats want to ban because they look scary”) were ridiculous, double or triple what the asking price was before liberals started their latest gun control push, and there wasn’t a great selection on Glocks (I’m looking at a 4″ 9mm Glock as a carry gun).

    Honestly, the most tempting thing there was a Barrett .50 BMG rifle at $4,000, which is about list, but: A.) It was the single shot, and I was more interested in a carbine model, which he also had…for $12,000, and B.) I think I need to embark on a rigorous weight-lifting regime before buying a Barrett; those suckers are heavy!

    So I bought the traditional item people of my tribe buy when they can’t find a gun to buy at the gun show: venison jerky.