Advanced Armament Corp (AAC) sighted in Minnesota

Yesterday I and a few others members of my unit got the chance to pre-shoot Outbreak Omega. The zombie-themed 3-gun shoot is hosted by Ahlman's in Morristown and sponsored by a number of big industry names, including Advanced Armament Corp out of Georgia. John Hollister was there demoing a number of AAC products, both loud and quiet.

As far as I an aware, this was the first public demonstration of silencers (AAC's preferred name for the device) in Minnesota.

The sound level on the suppressed pistols was little more than the action moving, while the suppressed rifles with supersonic rounds were much louder but not enough to require hearing protection. Everyone who fired a suppressed gun for the first time came away with a big grin, which is why we're winning.

Suppressors in Minnesota

The most popular post on this blog so far has been Suppressor Law in MN, and the regular comments there have kept the subject close to my thoughts since.

Recently Minnesota law has been changed to add military units, law enforcement agencies, and the dealers who supply these agencies to the list of organizations authorized to own suppressors. This is a good step towards allowing background-checked, licensed civilians to own and use suppressors, which is more in line with federal law and my interpretation of the Second Amendment.

First of all: some data on hearing damage from firearms. Even if you never own a suppressor, this should give you a good reason to remember to wear hearing protection at the range. Keep in mind that the decibel level for permanent hearing damage from a sudden noise (impulse noise) is 140 decibels (dB).

9mm   = 159.8 dB

.223 (18" barrel) = 155.5 dB

.45 ACP = 157 dB
12 gauge (18" barrel) = 161.5 dB

.357 Magnum = 172 dB

One of the counter-arguments to the legalization and normalization of suppressors is that no one has a good reason for owning a firearm muffler. Despite 'no good reason' not being a valid counter-argument, I have three examples where this is not true.

Home defense:

Many people keep a firearm in the home for the purpose of defending themselves or their family, but if they ever need to use that firearm they will almost certainly suffer permanent hearing loss from the event. Even a single outdoor exposure to the report from a small caliber firearm falls above the safe noise limit. 

Indoors, more of the sound is reflected into the firearm user's ears for a substantial increase in permanent hearing damage. An installed suppressor would bring the report of the firearm down to hearing-safe levels, and make a horrifying experience less physically damaging.

Training:

It's always a great experience to bring a new shooter into the sport, but training them to be safe an accurate with a firearm can be difficult with bulky hearing protection on. A suppressor makes the process safer, more educational, and more fun. In fact, the normalization of suppressors is probably one of the biggest threats to the 'gun control' people because they minimize one of the biggest technical complaints about firearms and make shooting even more fun for a first-timer. A suppressor on a .22 is great way to guarantee a great big first-time shooter smile. Don't believe me? Ask Oleg Volk (fair warning: some images are NSFW)w

Hunting:

Many Minnesotans (averaging around 360,000 for the last five years) buy deer licenses and, presumably, go hunting with them. Sitting out in the woods is a quiet, calm affair interrupted by extremely loud noises. At normal 'shooting in the woods' distance, most deer take off running at the first gunshot. While a suppressor does not eliminate the sound of guns being fired, they do help to mask the direction that a shot came from, letting hunters shoot multiple deer in a herd to fill their limit, or simply take a second shot at a deer that their first shot missed. Allowing hunters to use suppressors would help to make the deer harvest quieter and more efficient, and making the deer hunting season safer for hunter's ears and less annoying to people who live on farms and in houses near hunting lands.

I think it's important to not that while I used the term 'allow' regarding the government letting it's citizens own suppressors, I don't think this is the correct word. It is not, in my opinion. the government's place to 'allow' people to own suppressors, any more than it's the government's place to 'allow' any other exercise of constitutional rights. The government's only role regarding fundamental human rights is to protect them, not limit them.

Brownells Career Fair 2012

I had the opportunity to attend the Brownells Gunsmith Career Fair this past weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. Many big name companies from the firearms industry were in attendance, including Hornady, Barrett, Ron Powers, STI, DSA, Jard, Les Baer, Lauer Custom, and the ever-effervescent Sharon Dressel.

I took a few pictures while I was there, but it was not my first priority. Hope you enjoy.

The Barrett MRAD with a BORS:

 The Noreen Bad News in .338 Lapua Magnum or .300 Win Mag

Note the KNS pins holding the receiver together. This simplifies machining by eliminating the detent housings.

Note the redesigned bolt lug shape. Also: The side charging handle.

An adjustable, dual position gas block. Each of the two positions is individually adjustable.

An identical manual of arms.

 Peter Noreen, the designer of the firearm. He was gracious enough to answer many questions about the Bad News and share his vast knowledge of firearms design.

The rear half of the bolt carrier is made of aluminum for light weight, with a polymer bushing for smooth operation.

This is the end that is 'Bad News' to the bad guys.

The American Pistolsmiths Guild showed up with a beautiful cut-away 1911 that shows the interactions between all of the parts.

There were many others present, unfortunately I did not have the presence of mind to take more pictures. Ahh well, next year,

Thank you Frank and Pete Brownell for the opportunity to meet with so many great people and for taking such good care of us over the weekend.

Fighting Fire with Fire

When the BATFE asked for comments regarding their recent proposal to create a federal long-gun registry in the southwest US, the other side won. 70 percent of comments were in favor of the registry. Most of those comments were identical emails from a bulk emailer program courtesy of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

While some might argue that such measures are distasteful, the only figure that is going to be reported by the BAFTE is the one that says that 70% were in favor of an illegal registry.

John Richardson at No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money and reader 'P.T.' have put together a similar program to even the odds.

Please head on over and type in your first and last name and email address into the boxes. City and State are optional. The commenting period closes May 31st.

Link

Home Invasion in Pima County, AZ

It's May 5th at 9:00AM. Jose Guerena had gotten two hours of sleep in his bed after working the night shift at a nearby mine, when according to his wife Vanessa:

"When I saw this guy, like, pointing me at the window (she makes a 'gun' gesture) so I got scare, and I got, like 'Please don't shoot, I have a baby.' So I got my baby and I put my back into the window and I tell Jose 'Jose, wake up!"

Vanessa had more reason than most to be afraid. Two members of her sister-in-law's family, Cynthia and Manny Orozco, were murdered last year during a criminal invasion of their Tucson home.

Jose, a formerly-serving-Marine and two time combat veteran, grabbed his rifle and confronted the home invaders. Jose did not raise his weapon or point it at the invaders, he did not even take the safety off. One of the assaulters fired a shot, then the rest opened fire with their military-style weapons. He was shot at least 60 (edit: 22) times in seven seconds, with 71 shots being fired in his direction. His wife rushed into the room and says she heard him moaning before one of the black-clad figures grabbed her and dragged her out of her home.

The invaders were members of the Pima County Sheriff's Department SWAT Team.

They had a warrant (which is sealed from the public). They were looking for drugs. They found nothing illegal.

Paramedics arrived on scene two minutes after the shooting and were not allowed into the home for 1 hour and 14 minutes while SWAT searched the house with a remote-control robot. Jose Guerena died at the scene.

The justification for the no-knock home invasion? A vehicle from the residence followed a detective's car for an unspecified distance.

This is why no-knock warrants are a Very Bad Idea. When The SWAT team entered the Guerena's home, they were yelling 'search warrant'. They were dressed in 'tactical' uniforms with POLICE emblazoned on them. Criminals will, and have, conducted the same types of raids wearing the same types of clothing and play the part of police until the family is tied up. Then they torture their victims for the location of valuables. Often the invaders ensure that no witnesses remain.

This in only possible because police are entering homes in the same way.

No-knock warrants must be stopped for the sake of everyone's safety, citizen and police.

(Hat tip to William Grigg, Tamara K.)

Happy 1911 Day!

On this day 100 years ago John Moses Browning's M1911 pistol was adopted by the U.S. Army. variants of it are still in use with elements of the military today, making it the second longest-serving firearm in the U.S. arsenal (after the Ma Deuce).

Go out to the range and celebrate!

(Thanks for the reminder, GNM)

Corroboration of Collaboration

Bitter and Sebastian over at Snowflakes in Hell have posted some interesting information regarding a Minnesota Public Radio correspondent's acceptance of a $5,000 grant from a gun control group with the understanding that the articles he wrote would "have a major public policy impact."

In my crazy fantasy world we call that 'bought and paid for' reporting.