The Legion

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed an order Thursday overturning a ban on using lead ammunition on wildlife refuges. Zinke signed the order on his first day in office, overturning a policy implemented by former Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dan Ashe on Jan. 19, the Obama administration's last full day in office. Ashe's policy banned the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on all FWS wildlife refuges that allow hunting or fishing, as well as in all other hunting or fishing regulated by the agency elsewhere. It was meant to help prevent plants and animals from being poisoned by lead left on the ground or in the water. "After reviewing the order and the process by which it was promulgated, I have determined that the order is not mandated by any existing statutory or regulatory requirement and was issued without significant communication, consultation or coordination with affected stakeholders," Zinke wrote in his order. Zinke also signed an order Thursday asking agencies within his purview to find ways to increase access to outdoor recreation on the lands they oversee. "It worries me to think about hunting and fishing becoming activities for the land-owning elite," he said in a statement. "This package of secretarial orders will expand access for outdoor enthusiasts and also make sure the community's voice is heard." http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/interior-secretary-repeals-ban-on-lead-bullets/ar-AAnJfF0?OCID=ansmsnnews11 Gun rights advocates, sportsmen's groups, conservatives and state wildlife agencies were united against the lead ban. Lead is standard in ammunition, and lead-free bullets are more expensive, leading opponents to accuse the FWS of trying to reduce hunting. Furthermore, opponents say, scientific studies do not show large-scale harms from lead use in hunting and fishing. "This was a reckless, unilateral overreach that would have devastated the sportsmen's community," Chris Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement, thanking Zinke. "The Obama administration failed to consult with state fish and wildlife agencies or national angling and hunting organizations in issuing this order. This was not a decision based on sound scientific evidence - it was a last second attack on traditional ammunition and our hunting heritage." Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who had asked for the repeal Wednesday, applauded Zinke's action. "I'm pretty certain the bureaucrat that put this regulation in place has never hunted elk in Montana," he said in a statement. "Secretary Zinke is off to a strong start protecting Montana's and our country's hunting and fishing heritage." But the Sierra Club said there is "no reason" not to take lead out of ammunition and tackle. "Non-lead options are available, effective, cost-competitive, and most importantly safer," said Athan Manuel, public lands director for the group. "Overturning the lead ammunition ban may win political points with a few special interests, but it could cost the lives of millions of birds and the health of families that rely on game to feed their families."

I looked at one of these handguns the other day and was very impressed with how it felt in my hands.

I did not know this. Thank a lot.

I use Wilson Combat Ultima-Lube II Universal year round. It has worked well for me.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/congress-scraps-obama-rules-on-coal-mining-guns/ar-AAmyAlJ?li=BBnb7Kz WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled Congress on Thursday scrapped Obama-era rules on the environment and guns, counting on a new ally in the White House to help reverse years of what the GOP calls excessive regulation. The Senate gave final approval to a measure eliminating a rule to prevent coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby streams, while the House backed a separate resolution doing away with extended background checks for gun purchases by some Social Security recipients with mental disabilities. The Senate's 54-45 vote sends the repeal of the stream protection rule to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it. The gun measure awaits Senate action. Republicans and some Democrats say the coal-mining rule could eliminate thousands of coal-related jobs and ignores dozens of federal, state and local regulations already in place. The Interior Department, which announced the rule in December, said that it would protect 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests, preventing coal mining debris from being dumped into nearby waters. The vote was the first in a series of actions Republicans are expected to take in coming weeks to reverse years of what they call excessive regulation during President Barack Obama's tenure. Rules on fracking, federal contracting and other issues also are in the cross-hairs as the GOP moves to void a host of regulations finalized during Obama's last months in office. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the stream rule "an attack against coal miners and their families" and said it would have threatened coal jobs and caused major damage to communities in Kentucky and other coal-producing states. "The legislation we passed today will help stop this disastrous rule and bring relief to coal miners and their families," McConnell said. Democrats called the vote an attack on clean water and a clear win for big coal-mining companies and other polluters. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the stream rule had nothing to do with the decline of coal, which faces stiff competition from cheap natural gas. "This rule was not in place" when coal production began declining in the past half-dozen years, Cantwell said. In the House, the issue was an Obama rule extending background checks for disabled Social Security recipients mentally incapable of managing their own affairs. The House voted 235-180 to scuttle it. Under the rule, the Social Security Administration had to provide information to the gun-buying background check system on recipients with a mental disorder so severe they cannot work and need someone to handle their benefits. The rule, also finalized in December, would have affected an estimated 75,000 beneficiaries. "There is no evidence suggesting that those receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration are a threat to public safety," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "Once an unelected bureaucrat unfairly adds these folks to the federal background check system, they are no longer able to exercise their Second Amendment right," he said. After the 2012 school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, Obama directed the Justice Department to provide guidance to agencies regarding information they are obligated to report to the background check system. In Newtown, 20 children and six educators were shot to death when a gunman entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. The gunman had earlier killed his mother inside their home, and he used a gun and ammunition that she had purchased. His mental health problems have been extensively reported since the shooting. Democrats said Republicans were doing the bidding of the National Rifle Association, which opposed the Social Security Administration's rule. "These are not people just having a bad day," Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., said. "These are not people simply suffering from depression or anxiety or agoraphobia. These are people with a severe mental illness who can't hold any kind of job or make any decisions about their affairs, so the law says very clearly they shouldn't have a firearm." The NRA said overturning the regulation will protect a broad class of vulnerable citizens from government overreach. And the American Civil Liberties Union agreed, telling lawmakers that a disability should not constitute grounds for the automatic denial of any right or privilege, including gun ownership. Republicans are employing a rarely used tool to roll back some of the rules issued in the final months of Obama's tenure. The Congressional Review Act provides a temporary window for a simple majority of both chambers to invalidate a rule. Trump would have to sign the disapproval measure for a regulation to be deemed invalid. The law also prevents the executive branch from imposing substantially similar regulations in the future. On the coal mining vote, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the sole Republican to oppose the repeal measure, which was supported by four Democrats: Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Claire McCaskill of Missouri. All four face re-election next year in states Trump won.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/16/gun-rights-groups-hope-trump-nixes-social-security-role-in-background-checks.html Published January 16, 2017 FoxNews.com Second Amendment advocates hope President-elect Donald Trump will reverse a new rule by the outgoing Obama administration under which the Social Security system could be used to block gun purchases for thousands of benefit recipients. “We’ve already made the request to the Trump administration to look at repealing this,” Erich Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, told FoxNews.com. The Social Security Administration finalized a rule in December under which the agency would submit information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) on recipients of disability insurance and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) if the government determines they are “mental defectives,” or unable to manage their own affairs. Gun control groups insist the government should take action to keep guns away from the mentally ill, citing the recent airport shooting in Fort Lauderdale. But critics of the SSA rule contend the system could use overly broad criteria to end up denying guns to “harmless, law abiding” people with no history of violence. One concern is how a similar program has worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has been reporting some veterans to the background check system when they have been unable to manage their own financial affairs. The VA reported the names of more than 257,000 military veterans who couldn’t manage their finances. A 2012 Congressional Research Service report found 99.3 percent of all names reported on the background check system as “mental defectives” came from the VA. “Now it will be the same premise with Social Security if grandpa has trouble paying the bills,” Pratt said. The SSA change was months in the making. President Obama’s White House announced a package of executive actions in January 2016 that said, “The Social Security Administration has indicated that it will begin the rulemaking process to include information in the background check system about beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm for mental health reasons.” The rule was not finalized until Dec. 19. Kate Folmar, spokeswoman for Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said this is part of a larger push to ensure the mentally ill don’t obtain weapons. “Certainly the Fort Lauderdale shooting incident highlights that more can be done to keep guns out of dangerous hands,” Folmer told FoxNews.com. “For example, four states -- Connecticut, Indiana, California and most recently Washington State -- have laws on the books that allow family members and law enforcement to petition courts to remove someone's weapons if he is a threat to himself or others; these laws include specific provisions to protect the individual's right to due process.” The new rule is meant to comply with the 2007 NICS Improvement Amendments Act, which requires federal agencies to provide relevant information to the Justice Department for inclusion in the background check system, SSA spokesman Darren Lutz told FoxNews.com. “This is why Social Security is planning to refer the records of affected individuals to the NICS, in accordance with the policies described in the regulation,” Lutz said. “Social Security will not refer the records of all Social Security beneficiaries to the NICS database.” Specifically, the regulation affects anyone from 18 years old through retirement age who qualifies for disability because of a “mental impairment” that prevents the person from working who must have a “representative payee” for handling their finances, Lutz said. According to the rule, if Social Security first determines that someone else is handling a person’s financial affairs, it will look at whether the person is mentally impaired. The rule states, “at the commencement of the adjudication process we will also notify individuals, both orally and in writing, of their possible federal prohibition on possessing or receiving firearms, the consequences of such prohibition, the criminal penalties for violating the Gun Control Act, and the availability of relief from the prohibition on the receipt or possession of firearms imposed by federal law.” This will affect “tens of thousands of harmless, law-abiding people,” who will lose a constitutional right without due process, according to the National Rifle Association, which also plans to ask the incoming Trump administration to take “corrective action” on the matter. “At no point in the actual ‘adjudication’ is the individual’s propensity for violence a necessary consideration,” said an NRA statement issued after the rule was finalized. “Rather, the question ultimately devolves to whether or not the individual has any sort of mental condition and can responsibly handle money, which is not a fair basis to strip someone of their constitutional rights.” In July, Elizabeth Avore, legal director for Everytown for Gun Safety, expressed support for the regulation in a letter during the public comment period. “Everytown applauds the White House for a set of recent executive actions aimed at improving the gun background check system and giving law enforcement tools to combat gun trafficking,” Avore’s letter said. “Those actions included initiating this rulemaking process, which seeks to bring the SSA in line with the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 ('the NIAA') requirement that federal agencies submit prohibiting records into NICS.”

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/01/12/marines-get-groundbreaking-unstoppable-new-rifle-magazine.html Published January 12, 2017 FoxNews.com A reliable weapon can be the difference between life and death for those serving in the military. The Magpul Industries PMAG GEN 3 is a magazine for rifles that ensures the user stays lethal in a fight. More than 20,000 rounds fired? No problem. Still no magazine stoppages. Why is that so important? Because every time a stoppage happens with a weapon, it means a lost opportunity to neutralize an enemy combatant. But the even bigger issue is that a stoppage can put the warfighter at risk and even lead to loss of life. With AR, M4, and M27 weapons for example, magazine problems are a primary culprit in stoppages. But if a warfighter uses the PMAG, then the risk of stoppage is massively reduced. The US Marine Corps has made the decision to ensure that all Marines have the best magazine available. Going forward, Magpul’s PMAG GEN 3 has become the official magazine, giving Marines that extra advantage to stay alive and lethal in a firefight. This is the first commercial magazine adopted as the official standard for the Marine Corps primary service rifle, Magpul explained. THE 5 COOLEST MILITARY INNOVATIONS OF 2016 Magpul has also introduced the PMAG GEN 3 in the “medium coyote tan” color. The black and medium coyote tan are now the only magazines authorized by the USMC for combat and training. The government-designed EPM USGI (aluminum) magazine will be used only for training purposes. PMAG GEN 3 Basics The PMAG GEN 3 would be ideal for the M4, M16, M27IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle) and M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon). And the magazine works with all types of bullets. And in spite of tens of thousands of rounds, it won’t melt because of its special advanced material. The military put the PMAG GEN 3 through years of testing, and thousands and thousands and thousands of rounds. And what did they find? No stoppages. For example, testing found that even in 20,400 rounds of M855A1— a tricky ammo type— still there were zero stoppages. Expand / Contract (Magpul Industries) How tough is tough? Both the US and NATO have what’s called “rough handling” testing and Magpul’s PMAG GEN 3 passed all of it with flying colors. What does mean? It is one rugged magazine. You can use it in extreme cold— as in -60 degrees Fahrenheit cold— all the way through to 180 degrees of extreme heat, and this magazine still cannot be stopped. It is reliable. HOW SKYDIVING MILITARY SNIPERS HARNESSED TOP OXYGEN TECH ON MOUNT EVEREST The magazine also easily passed military testing against things like dust, UV exposure and even salt fog. You can also throw whatever dirt and grime is around and it will still outperform other magazine options. So how does it work? The PMAG GEN 3 loads from stripper clips. It inserts rapidly on a closed vault with a full 30 rounds. There is a smart over-insertion stop to protect against hard-core magazine changes and drops. When you’re shooting, there is a handy window that Magpul describes as working like a gas gage. As you fire, it will provide exact data on just how many rounds you have left by a quick glance at the orange coil. THESE HACKERS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE IN A DISASTER This magazine drops free, making reload very quick and efficient. There’s a dust and impact cover, but you don’t need it to store the magazine loaded. It is really there to protect against major impact like dropping the mags out of aircraft, for example. Unlike the USGI aluminum magazine, it is very easy to disassemble to clean. Dominating the field and winning the Marine Corps contract In battery after battery of military testing over the course of several years, the PMAG GEN M3 relentlessly dominated the competition. In tens of thousands of rounds, there were zero magazine-related stoppages and it performed better than any other magazine. The GEN M3 was pitted against both government developed USGI and commercial mags— but none could come close to rivaling the PMAG GEN 3’s relentlessly reliable performance. Magpul is highly motivated to find top-notch solutions for warfighters. Founder Richard Fitzpatrick was Marine Reconnaissance, many at the company served in the Corps, and have children currently serving. This is a company that understands the needs of those serving in the US military and takes delivering excellence extremely seriously. “Firearm performance is a passion for us at Magpul, whether for military weapon systems or for civilian arms for defense and recreation,” Duane Liptak, Magpul Industries’ product management and marketing director, said. “Very early in the company history, Magpul’s founders identified shortcomings in the USGI magazine, and we’ve been dedicated to making the most reliable magazines in the world because although it may seem like a simple box with a spring, people’s lives depend heavily on this item performing.” What’s next for Magpul? For civilians, there will be some very big reveals at SHOT Show next week. To find out first, download the latest Tactical Talk and meet a former Marine Corps fighter pilot who will give you an exclusive peek at some of the exciting news.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/09/gun-rights-groups-have-high-hopes-for-national-reciprocity-bill.html Published January 09, 2017 FoxNews.com Gun-rights groups have high hopes for a new bill looking to grant “national reciprocity” for Americans with concealed firearm permits, introduced just as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. The bill, put forward in the new Congress last week by Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., would allow gun owners with a state-issued concealed-carry license to have that license recognized in any other state that allows concealed carry. This also would apply to states that recognize so-called “constitutional carry” where a license is not required for a concealed handgun. The goal, Hudson says, is to prevent gun owners from getting caught in a patchwork of state-by-state laws. “Your driver’s license works in every state, so why doesn’t your concealed-carry permit?” Hudson’s office said in an accompanying fact sheet. The perils that concealed-carry permit holders can face recently were brought to national attention in 2014 when Shaneen Allen, a Philadelphia mother of two, was arrested and faced three years in prison after mistakenly entering New Jersey in possession of a loaded handgun. When Allen was stopped by an officer for a traffic violation, she told the officer she had the gun and a permit for Pennsylvania, but was unaware her permit was not transferable. She was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and hollow-point bullets. Allen was pardoned in 2015 by Gov. Chris Christie. The bill has picked up the approval of a number of gun-rights groups. “Law-abiding citizens should be able to exercise their fundamental right to self-defense while traveling across state lines,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “This is an extremely important issue to our members and we thank Congressman Hudson for leading the fight to protect our rights.” While the bill likely would sail through the Republican-dominated House, it may struggle to attract 60 votes in the Senate, which would require some Democratic support. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told The Wall Street Journal in December that any version of a national reciprocity bill would be “dead on arrival” in the chamber. However, the Journal also reported that other Democrats believe some form of national reciprocity is likely to become law in this Congress. Erich Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, told FoxNews.com that his group is confident it can pass the Senate. "We think the chances of passing concealed carry reciprocity are very good. The Senate has already voted on similar legislation twice in the past -- and both times the bill garnered a large majority," he said, pointing to amendments in 2009 and 2013 that gained 58 and 57 Senate votes, despite Democratic control of the chamber. An aide to Hudson told FoxNews.com that the bill now has 69 co-sponsors in the House, including two Democrats. This may indicate a degree of bipartisan support which could transfer to the Senate. Hudson introduced a similar bill in 2015, but the bill was never put up for a vote and instead referred to committee. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and met a similar fate. However, the election of Trump has given impetus for a Republican push on gun rights. In December, a group of GOP House lawmakers led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., formed the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus with the intent of pushing a pro-Second Amendment agenda in the 115th Congress. “The recent election results present us with a new opportunity to advance pro-gun legislation and reverse the erosion of the Second Amendment that's occurred over the last few decades. I look forward to working with the new president and this determined group of conservatives to promote a pro-gun agenda,” Massie said at the time. Hudson echoed the sentiment in introducing his bill this week. “As a member of President-elect Trump’s Second Amendment Coalition, I look forward to working with my colleagues and the administration to get this legislation across the finish line,” he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/02/guns-state-background-checks-study The share of Americans who obtained a gun without first undergoing a background check is dramatically lower than previous estimates, researchers at Harvard and Northeastern universities have determined. The finding re-shapes one of the most prominent assumptions of the US gun control debate. Just 22% of current gun owners who acquired a firearm within the past two years did so without a background check, according to a new national survey by public health researchers at Harvard and Northeastern universities shared in advance with the Trace and the Guardian. For years, politicians and researchers have estimated that as many as 40% of gun transfers are conducted without a background check – a statistic based on an extrapolation from a 1994 survey. Gun rights activists had decried that estimate as outdated and inaccurate. The new survey, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that the current proportion of gun sales conducted without a background check is about half of the figure cited by prominent Democratic gun control advocates, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. It also found that gun owners in states that require background checks on all private gun sales were much less likely to report acquiring a gun without a background check than those in states with no universal background check law – a potential indication that efforts to boost screenings at the local level are succeeding, even in absence of federal legislation. The study’s authors hailed the new statistics as good news. “We’ve been moving in the right direction,” said Deborah Azrael, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health. Background checks screen for individuals who are not permitted by law to own a gun, including criminals and those who pose a public safety threat. But the expansion of background checks has been a key political battleground in the gun control conversation. Since the 2012 massacre at the Sandy Hook elementary school, President Obama and other Democrats have made the case for new gun laws by arguing that as many as 40% of guns in America are sold without a criminal background check – a statistic criticized by gun rights groups. The figure was revived again in the 2016 presidential election. In October 2015, Hillary Clinton earned “three pinocchios” from the Washington Post Fact Checker blog when she said during a campaign rally that “40% of guns are sold at gun shows, online sales”. Azrael hopes the new research can help inform better debate – and policy – concerning background checks. “It’s crazy that nobody has asked these questions since 1994,” Azrael said. “I mean, should we be citing 20-year-old statistics in support of contemporary policy? Probably not, but the problem is that there has been no effort to maintain any kind of ongoing check on what has been happening.” Advertisement Phil Cook, a prominent gun law researcher, said the new, smaller estimate did not undermine the argument that the US needs a federal law instituting universal background checks on gun sales. In fact, he said, the finding that a smaller number of guns are acquired without background checks could be an advantage for supporters of stricter gun control laws. “The headline is that we as a nation are closer to having 100% of gun transactions with a background check than we might have thought,” says Cook, a gun violence researcher at Duke University who conducted the 1994 survey. “So, it’s more attainable, and cheaper, to pass a universal requirement than it would be if 40% of transactions were still being conducted without these screenings.” The National Rifle Association, which has called the 40% estimate a a “lie”, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new background check statistic. Donald Trump, a close NRA ally who ran on a pro-gun rights platform, opposes expanding federal background check laws, arguing instead that “we need to fix the system we have”. Gun control advocates say enforcement of the current background checks system is as much a policy goal as expanding background checks. The federal background check system has put a stop to more than 2.4m gun transactions since its implementation in 1994, but checks are not required on sales between private parties, like many of those made at gun shows and arranged online. “It’s not that the laws are ineffective, it’s that they’re so weak,” said Joseph Vince, a former agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who currently heads the criminal justice programs at Mount St Mary’s University. “With the legislation currently in place, it’s incredibly difficult for law enforcement to track down guns that emerge from the secondary market.” Over the past two decades, 19 states have moved to regulate private gun transfers, including, as of 1 January, Nevada. While research suggests that background checks can help reduce gun offenses, measuring the full impact is difficult given the myriad factors that can influence crime rates. Some studies also suggest that background checks can disrupt the flow of interstate gun trafficking. The new survey also found that in states that had passed universal screening laws by 1 July 2013, just 26% of gun owners said they had obtained a gun through a private sale without a background check, compared to 57% of purchasers who live in states without such requirements. Overall, researchers found that half of guns transferred privately in all states within the past two years were obtained without a background check. While the share of gun owners who obtain weapons without being screened has shrunk, the updated survey results expose the holes that remain in the background check system. Among owners who purchased their most recent gun from a friend or acquaintance, 77% did so without a background check. If the purchase was made online, roughly 45% of respondents didn’t face screening. “Compared to ’94, there is this shift toward more people getting background checks,” says Matt Miller, a professor of epidemiology at Northeastern and co-director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. “But we still can’t lose sight of the fact that there are still millions of people every year who are getting guns, often from friends and acquaintances, without them.” The new study also shows that more Americans than ever are buying their firearms as opposed to inheriting or receiving them as gifts. Eighty percent of gun owners who obtained their most recent firearm inside the past two years purchased it, compared to 60% of people who obtained a firearm more than five years ago. The new background check statistics come from the most rigorous survey of American gun ownership in more than a decade – but as with any self-reported survey data it has limitations, including potential bias from respondents’ faulty memories. Because the survey was conducted online, the researchers wrote, the results may be less subject to the bias that affects surveys conducted over the phone, where people may be more likely to give live interviewers the answers they think are more socially acceptable. The researchers asked 1,613 adult gun owners if they had undergone a background check for their most recently acquired firearm. The researchers also asked if the person who sold respondents the gun had asked to see a firearm license or permit before going through with the sale. If the answer to either question was yes, the respondent was listed as having gone through a background check. The team later asked the gun owners when they had acquired their most recent firearm. The 2015 survey found that just 22% percent of gun owners who had acquired a gun in the previous two years reported doing so without a background check. Gun owners who had acquired a gun earlier than that – between two and five years before 2015, or more than five years before – were more likely to remember doing so without a background check. A full 57% of gun owners who reported acquiring their most recent gun more than five years before 2015 reported getting the gun without a background check. Because the survey relied on the memories of the participants, the researchers wrote, the more recent gun acquisition data might be more accurate.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/gunmaker-smith-and-wesson-to-change-name-to-american-outdoor-brands-corp/ar-AAlw4Ub Shareholders of the gunmaker Smith & Wesson (SWHC) voted to change the company name to American Outdoor Brands Corp., the company said in a Tuesday statement. The new name will go into effect on or about Jan. 1, after which the company will be traded under the ticker AOBC. President and CEO James Debney said in a statement that the company is excited about the results of the vote. "We believe that American Outdoor Brands Corp. is a name that truly represents our broad and growing array of brands and businesses in the shooting, hunting and rugged outdoor enthusiast markets," Debney said. The proposed name change was approved by Smith & Wesson's board of directors last month to reflect the broader product offering of the company, it said in a statement on its website on Nov. 7. Debney added, "Looking ahead, and operating as American Outdoor Brands Corp., we intend to continue building upon our portfolio, focusing on brands and products that best meet the needs and lifestyle of our target consumers." The brand name Smith & Wesson will remain for its firearms products, operating as Smith & Wesson Corp., a subsidiary of American Outdoor Brands Corp.. Horace Smith and D.B. Wesson first produced revolvers under their names in 1852. Its 44 Magnum handgun is famous for being Clint Eastwood's weapon of choice in the "Dirty Harry" series of films. As well as manufacturing firearms, it makes tree saws, knives and accessories such as cleaning products. It bought knife and tool maker Taylor Brands in August and laser-sight manufacturer Crimson Trace million in the same month, as part of its diversification efforts. The latter will form part of the company's new electro-optics division, while the acquisition of survival equipment maker UST brands in November was described as important to its "vision to become the leading provider of quality products for the shooting,hunting and rugged outdoor enthusiast," as per an investor relations presentation this month. Smith & Wesson's revenue for 2016 was $723 million and the company estimates 2017 revenue of $920 million to $930 million.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2016/12/07/gop-lawmaker-betting-on-trump-to-push-new-concealed-carry-law.html The new session of Congress doesn’t begin for a few weeks, but one Republican policymaker has already drawn up a bill that would allow people to carry a concealed handgun from one state to another. The lawmaker behind the bill, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), joined the FOX Business Network’s Stuart Varney to discuss how the proposed National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill would work. “It would work just like a driver’s license,” he said. “If a state has concealed carry, then what it says is you recognize the concealed carry right and you have to follow their laws.” Even though the bill couldn’t be imposed in states that don’t enforce the concealed carry law, in Rep. Hudson’s opinion, the bill has a very good chance of getting passed. “In the last Congress that’s about to end, in 48 hours, we had over 200 co-sponsors… so I think passing the House is not going to be a problem and now more importantly… we’ve got a President who supports this freedom,” he said.

The MSSA AP match directors and AP Vice President, Walt Sawyer have looked at the utilization of the AP range at MSSA and submitted a new schedule of events starting in January of 2017, that will give you more shooting opportunities. We have added a 2nd steel shoot and moved some dates around to smooth out some transitions between events and competing schedules. Below is the schedule. Steel will now be on the 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday. USPSA will now be on the 2nd Saturday and the 4th Sunday, IDPA will now be on the 3rd Saturday and 3 gun will be on the 5th Saturday or Sunday once a Quarter. Rifle will be on the specific dates given below. If you have any questions, please contact Walt Sawyer, Lynn Jones, Bill Grewe, Tom Ross or myself. I hope everyone has a great Thanks giving. 1st Saturday - Steel 1st Sunday - Open 2nd Saturday - USPSA 2nd Sunday – Open 3rd Saturday - IDPA 3rd Sunday - Steel 4th Saturday - Open 4th Sunday – USPSA 5th Saturday – 3 Gun (29th of Jan, Apr, Jul and October) (Rifle on 30 Sept and 30 December) 5th Sunday - Open

That maybe very true!

http://video.foxnews.com/v/5214445342001/?#sp=show-clips

Here is a link that may help you. http://www.gunsumerreports.com/review_burris_xtreme_tactical_rings.php

http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/33115465/pastor-who-won-ar-15-rifle-raffle-wont-be-charged By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (AP) - A suburban Portland pastor who won an AR-15 rifle in a raffle and then said he gave it a gun-owning friend for safekeeping will not be prosecuted for transferring the weapon without conducting a background check, authorities said. Officials were investigating whether Rev. Jeremy Lucas may have violated a recent state law that makes transferring a gun without a background check illegal, even if the arrangement is between private parties and no money changes hands. But investigators uncovered no evidence that Lucas, 45, actually transferred the gun and never determined the name of the gun-owning friend, Clackamas County District Attorney John S. Foote said in a letter to the Oregon State Police. The letter was written on Sept. 9 and made public Thursday by state police. Lucas declined to speak with investigators, state police said in a statement. "Without the transferee in this case, I don't think we could ever have a prosecutable case," Foote wrote. Lucas, a pastor at Christ Church Episcopal Parish in the affluent suburb of Lake Oswego about 10 miles south of Portland, said in interviews this summer that he spent about $3,000 in discretionary church funds to buy as many rifle raffle tickets as he could for a softball league fundraiser. When he won, he passed a background check to take possession of the weapon. He told The Washington Post in July that after he won the rifle, he gave it to a friend for temporary safe-keeping. But a state law passed last year makes transferring a gun without a background check illegal, even if the arrangement is between private parties and no money changes hands. The Oregon Firearms Federation, which lobbied against passage of the law, pointed out Lucas's potential law violation to the Oregon State Police, the Lake Oswego Police Department and 30 state lawmakers. Kevin Starrett, the group's executive director, said Friday he was not surprised that authorities did not charge Lucas. "Of course they would not prosecute, because it would illuminate the lunacy of this law," he said. "It's theater. It's farce." Comments Lucas made to the newspaper about the transfer of the gun were "insufficient to prove that it happened," Foote wrote. Lucas could not be reached to comment Friday at the parish offices, which were closed for the day. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment sent to a general parish account. This story corrects that the letter's author was Clackamas County District Attorney John S. Foote, not Senior Deputy District Attorney Bryan Brock, and that the letter was written on Sept. 9, not Thursday.

This has been a hard scope to find. I order one from Amazon yesterday and they have 2 left if anyone is interested. Here is a link. I notice they also raised the price. I got mine at $899.00. https://www.amazon.com/Vortex-6-24x50-Riflescope-Reticle-Pst-624f1-/dp/B003AQUGXC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1473266928&sr=8-3&keywords=vortex+pst+6-24x50+ffp

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-09-06/a-new-legal-assault-on-firearm-makers-some-guns-may-be-dangerous The Massachusetts attorney general is using a state consumer safety law to probe Glock and Remington. Trouble is brewing in New England for gun manufacturers. The Massachusetts attorney general has launched an innovative investigation of major firearm makers based on her state’s expansive consumer-protection law. The probe targets at least two companies—Glock Inc. and Remington Outdoor Co.—and possibly others. The investigation came to light because of lawsuits the gun companies recently filed seeking to block or narrow the Massachusetts safety investigation, calling it overly intrusive. The defensive litigation stated that Attorney General Maura Healey is demanding that Glock and Remington surrender a wide range of internal documents, including safety-related complaints from customers. Glock is Austria-based and controlled by its founder, 87-year-old Gaston Glock. Beginning in the mid-1980s, the company’s pistols revolutionized the handgun market with their large ammunition capacity and lightweight, mostly plastic frame. Remington, 200 years old and based in Madison, N.C., is part of Freedom Group, which, in turn, is owned by a New York private equity firm by the name of Cerberus Capital Management. Since the Glock was introduced in America 30 years ago, critics have said its design makes it more likely than other handguns to fire accidentally. For example, the Austrian gun fires with relatively little pressure from the shooter’s index finger, and it has an unconventional safety mechanism built into its trigger, which some detractors say is ineffective. The company has responded that with proper training and careful technique, users will avoid accidental discharges. Remington has had safety issues of its own. The company recently recalled two lines of rifles manufactured from 2006 through early 2014 because of accidental discharges. The recall notice stated to owners that “any unintended discharge has the potential for causing injury or death. Immediately stop using your rifle until Remington can inspect it to determine if the XMP trigger has excess bonding agent used in the assembly process, which could cause an unintentional discharge.” The Boston Globe, which broke this story on Sept. 1, reported that, in her court filing responding to Glock’s suit, Healey argued that the manufacturer’s pistols are “prone to accidental discharge” and that the company may have been warned about the problem by customers but still failed to act. “Responding to Glock’s lawsuit,” the Globe added, Healey referred to “news stories about a sheriff's deputy accidentally firing a Glock pistol in San Francisco’s Hall of Justice, a Los Angeles police officer who was paralyzed from the waist down after his 3-year-old son accidentally fired his Glock pistol, and a Massachusetts man who was dancing at a July 4th party when his Glock handgun fired while it was in his pocket.” Guns, it's worth noting, are one of the only products not regulated by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/08/24/second-amendment-backers-arm-up-with-ink-and-paper-to-battle-californias-gunmageddon.html By Hollie McKay Published August 24, 2016 FoxNews.com Barry Bahrami went from incredulous to angry last month when California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a batch of firearms control laws known collectively as “Gunmageddon.” Then, the San Diego-based CEO became determined to fight back against the laws, which take aim at so-called assault weapons, enforce ammunition background checks, mostly take effect Jan. 1 and outlaw the possession of high-capacity magazines and ban the "bullet buttons" that already require a tool to release the magazine, instead advocating that the rifle is partially disassembled, and that any rifle with a detachable magazine will be defined as an assault weapon. "These laws are completely insane to almost anyone with a real knowledge of firearms, and I did not think Gov. Brown would sign them," Bahrami told FoxNews.com. "Many California gun owners are still unaware they will be criminals soon." The all-Democratic team of bill sponsors proudly christened the new legislation with its apocalyptic moniker, but Bahrami vowed that voters will have the final word. He and other Second Amendment stalwarts have organized 1,600 volunteers across the Golden State with the goal of garnering 365,880 signatures -- although ideally they would like to get far more than that to ensure validity before submitting -- for each of seven referendum petitions to get on the Nov. 8 ballot. If they succeed, and they must have the signatures by the end of next month, they will put gun rights in the center of the presidential election. And if they win at the ballot box, they will overturn the nation’s newest and most far-reaching gun control laws and negate a somewhat redundant set of gun control measures already set for a referendum even though the laws they provide for are largely in effect. "It comes down to this: get enough signatures on paper from registered voters in an insanely short period of time and the law will go on the ballot for voters to decide,” Bahrami said. “It is a simple 'yes' or 'no' and majority wins. To my knowledge, the option has never been exercised to this scale before... I had to get the ball rolling." “Veto Gunmageddon” activists have so far set up hundreds of tables outside supermarkets, along busy sidewalks and at gun stores and shooting ranges. They have placed signature collection boxes at local stores, tattoo parlors and dental offices. In addition to thousands of autographs, they collected nearly $60,000 to cover printing and other costs and seen their volunteer ranks swell. Already set for the Nov. 8 vote is a set of gun control proposals from a group headed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom that basically mirror the laws Brown signed. Critics say Brown and legislative leaders on one side, and Newsom on another, were trying to get their anti-gun measures enacted first, and Newsom’s group carried on with Proposition 63, known as “Safety for All,” even after Brown signed the bills. Supporters of Newsom’s initiative -- which include groups such as Women Against Gun Violence, California Federation of Teachers and the California American College of Physicians -- contend that the proposition would keep guns and ammunition out of the wrong hands by closing loopholes in existing laws and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns for self-defense, hunting and recreation. "Safety For All" spokesperson Dan Newman said they "welcome a vote of the people on the issue of gun safety." "That is why Lt. Gov. Newsom took Prop 63 to the ballot -- it's the best way to make serious progress to save lives," he told FoxNews.com. "The veto movement only underscores how important it is to give voters a chance to stand up to the NRA and take bold action to reduce gun violence." As many as one-fifth of California's 35 million citizens are believed to own at least one firearm, although estimates vary. The sweeping new laws – both those signed by Brown and those proposed by Newsom’s group – puts them in the crosshairs, according to Sam Parades, executive director of Gun Owners of California. "The end game is to disarm everyone -- rich, poor and those in-between,” Parades said. “It is easier to go after an inanimate object than human behavior." A representative for Gov. Brown declined to comment on the Veto Gunmageddon campaign. Bahrami declined to give specifics on how many signatures they have acquired to-date. The group is confident, he said, but added, "we don't have it in the bag until it is in the bag."

Thank you Mike

First post updated.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/07/31/latest-gun-owners-are-new-silent-majority.html Gretchen Lager's fondest childhood memories involved shooting bullets at tin cans and balloons along the Slippery Rock Creek in western Pennsylvania - but one day in 1995, guns became a far more menacing presence in her life. Her brother-in-law killed his wife of 30 years - Lager's sister - with a deer hunting rifle. He then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide that orphaned their 15-year-old daughter. For years afterwards, Lager was stridently anti-gun. "I have been hating guns with everything I believe until lately," she said. But earlier this year, Lager recalled those more pleasant childhood memories, "and I thought, `there's something about guns that I really know and love. There's a mechanical beauty. There's something fun about it."' Lager, 64, who now lives in Hershey, purchased a .22-caliber pistol more than two months ago to rekindle her target shooting hobby and enrolled in a gun safety class at the Palmyra Sportsmen's Association. Still, she's far from the stereotype of a gun owner, decked out in camouflage and stockpiling weapons while waiting for the apocalypse. Lager hates the National Rifle Association - "I think they are opportunists" - believes in mandatory training for people purchasing guns, and would never want to use her firearm to hurt an animal, much less a person. Instead, she considers herself part of a "silent majority" between two political extremes on guns. Lebanon County residents are buying guns and obtaining permits to carry firearms with increasing frequency, according to data kept by the Pennsylvania State Police. Local gun stores said many of their first-time firearms owners are, like Lager, outside of the stereotypical gun-owning demographics: women, older couples, even 80-plus-year-old women and the disabled. Why people buy weapons Steve Wier holds one-on-one firearm safety courses for first-time gun buyers at Enck's Gun Barn in Myerstown, and always asks his students why they wanted the training. One man had agreed to learn to shoot as a bonding activity with his son. After his son passed away, he decided to become trained in firearms anyway in his son's memory. Couples have told Wier they are looking for a sport they can do together when one of them has a physical problem that prevents other activities. The most frequent reason is a desire to get involved in competitive shooting, and it's not uncommon to meet people who want to dress up as cowboys and cowgirls for Western-style weapon competitions. Personal defense is often a secondary reason, but it's on most students' lists, he said. Some people consider firearm safety to be like knowing how to swim - good general knowledge even if you don't plan to carry a gun. While Lebanon County still has a strong hunting and sport shooting community, the most commonly growing reason people are seeking firearms is personal protection, local gun sellers said. Shyda's Outdoor Center caters primarily to hunters, but Vice President Brad Shyda said interest in hunting rifles is down and purchases of semi-automatic weapons for self-defense purposes are up even at his store. "You can tell all their lives they've been against guns, but now they want to feel safe," he said. "They come in and say, `I want a 9mm' - they don't even know what a 9mm looks like, but they want a 9mm." Politics probably plays a role. Fears of a possible president Hillary Clinton banning firearms is likely motivating people to purchase guns in the same way President Barack Obama's two elections led to spikes in gun sales, Shyda said. "We're seeing that deep mistrust everywhere, in every corner of society, whether it be guns, Black Lives Matter, the trans(gender) community," said Craig Good, an Annville resident and salesman for Elizabethtown-based Lanco Tactical. "Just because (government leaders) say one thing, nobody really believes it because our politicians don't stand behind it." Improvements in the types of tactical semi-automatic weapons available to civilians may also be making such weapons more attractive, said Art Kalbach, a gun salesman for Lanco Tactical. "When I bought my first AR-15, there were two choices: a long one or a short one," Kalbach said, but there are many more styles and types of semi-automatic guns available now. "Tactic-cool" If world emergencies magnified by media hype can fuel the fear of guns, gun store owners admitted they can also boost their sales. The world "tactical" has become such a buzzword that Lanco Tactical Owner Nathan Lamb jokes about being "tactic-cool," although he opened his store years before the fad started, he said. The word has more to do with a mindset of being "prepared for the unknown" than a type of weapon, Lamb said. That demographic is often also interested in other products Lanco Tactical offers, such as non-perishable food and survival gear. "I think people are finally starting to realize that just because it could happen to anybody, that doesn't mean it couldn't happen to you," Good said. Good said gun owners who want to be able to defend themselves from an increasingly scary world find themselves stereotyped by people who don't own weapons. He's heard gun control advocates go as far as wishing someone be shot with their own gun in an attempt to make a point on social media. "They say unfair things like, `all gun owners are crazy.' I think that's unfair because they don't know me. They don't know that I'm a school teacher, they don't know my friends, they don't know the people I associate with," he said. But wait - Is there really a trend? Statistical information about firearm owners is limited due to concerns by gun rights supporters that gun registration would lead to confiscation, so it is difficult to get a handle on the amount of first-time firearm purchasers. Lebanon County Sheriff Bruce Klingler said in November that he had seen a spike in permit applications after terrorist attacks in Paris, but said more recently that the trend has leveled off. Statewide, the number of monthly background checks recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigations for gun permits and purchases spiked in December 2015 and have remained higher than the previous year for each month since then. Margot Bennett, executive director of Women Against Gun Violence, said claims that more people are becoming first-time firearm owners should be treated with caution due to the lack of available data. "Although gun purchases are on the rise, they are being purchased by fewer households and by people who already own a gun(s)," Bennett said in an e-mail. However, several people involved in Lebanon County's gun industry said there is steady demand for new gun owner training classes, and that middle-aged and retired women are one of the most interested demographics. Does owning a firearm keep you safer? Andrew Patrick, spokesman for the Coalition to End Gun Violence, also said it is difficult to tell whether first-time gun purchases are really rising - and if they aren't, he thinks that's a good thing. "The studies we've seen over and over against indicate that buying a gun is more likely to be harmful to members of the family and the person than to harm an intruder," Patrick said. People living in homes with guns are 90 percent more likely to die of homicides than people in other homes, according to a 2004 story in the American Journal of Epidemiology, and they are also more likely to die of suicide. Gun ownership may also not make people safer. A comparison study of 27 developed countries published in the October 2013 edition of the American Journal of Medicine found that countries with more guns per capita had more firearm-related deaths, but did not have reduced overall crime rates. Kalbach, however, said the idea of banning all semi-automatic pistols and rifles would make the possibility of using your weapon for self-defense far more difficult. One of the most likely alternatives would be a revolver, which is limited to six bullets. "If you've got three people who are breaking into your house, and they're high on PCP, you'd better be accurate with those 5-6 bullets," he said. Gun advocates also said those people who accidentally shoot themselves or others are simply not using their weapon safely. If proper techniques like always checking if a gun is loaded when first holding it and keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe location are followed, such accidents shouldn't happen, said Vic Buus Jr., a certified National Rifle Association pistol instructor who teaches classes with the Palmyra Sportsmen's Association. Experience and training Still, several gun sellers agreed that the possibility of accidental shootings or being ineffective with the weapon in a defensive emergency are good arguments for getting safety training. A person who buys a gun without training is no more likely to be able to defend themselves than they are to buy a guitar and become Jimmy Page, Wier said. "Instead of buying a super-expensive handgun, buy a good, reliable handgun for less money and spend the rest of your budget on training, because the experience and the training is what helps you defend yourself," Kalbach said. Both Wier and Shyda said people sometimes come into the gun stores looking to buy a semi-automatic weapon they don't even know how to operate. While people often take offense at being asked why they are purchasing a gun, there are more subtle ways to encourage them to take a safety class, Wier said. Like driving a car, the more experience you have, the more likely you are to operate a firearm properly in an emergency, Good said. "Now, who knows what I will do in that moment," he said. "I hope that in that moment I make the right decision, my muscle memory kicks in, and I'm able to either take that shot or, more importantly, not take that shot if I don't have to - because that is an absolute last resort."

Yes I do.

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