In The News
Updates from Tom
My First YouTube Video!
Okay, I had to be pushed to do it, but I put up a question on YouTube for the Republican Presidential candidates. A listener (rightly) took me to task, basically saying "put up or shut up." Well, I was in Oregon, shooting video with Clint Smith at Thunder Ranch. Since I had the camera . . . well, why not?
So, Clint Smith and I have a question for the candidates. I don't know how CNN selects the questions it uses, but it can't hurt if it gets a lot of views. Take a look, and spread the word!
What is an AR-15? Help us decide.
No, no. I know what it actually is, but on the radio, we've been talking about coming up with a term to describe it, and other rifles of that genre. The term "assault weapon" was coined by gun banners who knew they could confuse the public who doesn't know the difference between a full auto and a semi auto. It worked, and we got the Clinton Gun Ban (aka, the "assault weapon ban").
Of course, the AR-15 platform is the most popular model rifle being made, and people use them for hunting, self protection, plinking, informal competition, national match competition, and pretty much any other type of shooting, because these rifles are robust, rugged, accurate and fun.
So, I decided we need a better descriptive term. Jim Shepherd, editor of The Shooting Wire (www.shootingwire.com) had a
suggestion. Jim Kenzie, producer of Tom Gresham's Gun Talk had a good one -- Utility Rifle. I like that one.
So . . . here's your chance to vote. I'm putting several options on the Gun Talk web site in a sort of poll. I'm doing educational talks for the media on the AR-15, and I'd like to use a good, descriptive term that carries our idea of what this rifle is, and how it is used.
Click Here to vote!
"A right delayed is a right denied." Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pennsylvania To Shut Down Gun Sales
This has been discussed for two weeks, with negotiations going on. Basically, Pennsylvania plans to shut down the computers which handle the instant background checks for firearms purchases. It is scheduled to be down for "at least" three days while the state does maintenance on their computers.
Imagine shutting down free speech for three days for computer upgrades! This is the same thing.
An appeal is scheduled for this Friday, August, 31. If that fails, gun stores will not be able to sell guns during what is traditionally the weekend with the heaviest firearms sales. A coincidence?
Public says No More Gun Laws
A recent survey by Zogby International produced a response which should be a warning shot to all politicians supporting additional repressive gun control laws. According to Zogby, 66 percent of the responders said that we don't need more gun laws, and that the current laws are sufficient.
Well, duh. With more than 20,000 gun control laws, and with a Centers for Disease Control study revealing that this often anti-gun agency could find no evidence of gun control laws reducing crime, the mood of the country is one of enlightenment. People understand that they must provide for their own protection.
Remember: When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
