Richmond Guns

I have only recently begun carrying a revolver some of the time, and this article at American Rifleman echoes a lot of my thinking on the subject:

If my travels had me passing through more dangerous areas, a powerful semi-auto would be my hands-down choice. Were I a shopkeeper in an area where robberies by multiple assailants were not uncommon, a slab-sided autoloader with spare magazines would be my constant companion. However, for a day in shorts where a belt holster would be uncomfortable, my choice would be an ultra-light wheelgun in a windbreaker pocket.

Perhaps most importantly, the article also mentions that "For most civilians involved in a deadlyforce encounter, the event is over in three shots or less." If somebody tries to mug me walking along Franklin Street, my first hope is that my assailant will flee as soon as I pull the gun. If I do have to shoot, I'm certainly not sticking around for any longer than necessary: fire and retreat.

Not tremendously informative but it is pretty funny.

Thanks & congratulations to the VCDL, Senator Hanger and his fellow legislators for making this happen:

From NRA-ILA:

On Tuesday, March 2, the Virginia House of Delegates voted to approve SB334, sponsored by State Senator Emmet Hanger (R-24) by a margin of 72 to 27. The measure previously passed in the Senate on February 16, by a vote of 22 to 18 and will now be sent to Governor McDonnell’s desk for his consideration.

Senate Bill 334, sponsored by State Senator Emmett Hanger (R-24), would allow concealed carry permit holders to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense in restaurants that serve alcohol, provided they do not consume alcohol. Senator Hanger’s bill would make it a misdemeanor for a permit holder to consume alcohol while on the premises of the restaurant.

Check out the rest of the article at the NRA-ILA news site, and please consider joining or contributing to the VCDL.

I'm really excited about the Southeastern Guns & Knives (SKG) gun show in Doswell this weekend. I really like the Meadow Event Park location - it's a vastly superior venue to the Showplace in Richmond, with a high ceiling, better ventilation, better lighting and wider aisles between the tables.

Here's SGK's summary of the event:

The SGK Gun Show this weeked in Doswell, Va., is just north of Richmond, at the Kings Dominion exit, the gun show will be held in the Farm Bureau Center at Meadow Event Park. The gun show will feature 275 tables, an indoor laser tag arena and indoor virtual hunting and skeet shooting as well as a non-lethal self defense seminar. So Bring the whole family.

Included with admission is free access to our indoor laser tag area and virtual hunting and skeet games. Whether your a child, in your twenties, thirties, or older, you'll enjoy all day access to our indoor laser tag arena and virtual hunting and shooting games with admission to the show. So come out and test your tactical combat skills in our laser tag arena or sharpen your shooting skills with our virtual hunting and skeet shooting games. Its all included in the price of admission.

Also, at 2:00 p.m. daily, we will feature the following seminar:
NON LETHAL SELF DEFENSE FOR THE CONCERNED CITIZEN
A brief study and comparison of the various options available for civilian self defense. Presented by a certified law enforcement and civilian self defense expert trainer. This class will examine the pros and cons of different "non deadly" personal defense weapons. The instructor will present objective information concerning what works best as well as some of the associated legal concerns. Weapon options will include Pepper Spray, Stun Guns, Expandable Batons and TASER products.

You can register for a dollar-off coupon for the show here.

Over the last few weeks, there has been a large volume of negative comments posted to our Dark Sun Surplus page. The surge was in contrast to over a year's worth of mostly-positive comments about the Richmond-based gun seller.

After looking into it I discovered that nearly all of the comments came from the same IP address - a Verizon account in metro Richmond. So I deleted all the comments posted by that individual and banned him from posting here again.

House Bill 505, which would amend the current Virginia concealed carry laws as to allow lawful concealed carry in bars and restaurants so long as the permit holder consumes no alcohol on the premises. Here's the NRA-ILA take:

On Tuesday, February 9, the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee passed HB505, by a vote of 16 to 6.
House Bill 505 would allow a concealed carry permit holder to carry his or her firearm into a restaurant, provided he or she does not consume any alcohol. This bill is similar to last year’s bill that was passed by both the House and Senate Chambers and ultimately vetoed by Governor Tim Kaine (D).

Two legislators, Delegate Jim Shuler (D-12) and Delegate Bill Barlow (D-64), who previously supported reforming Virginia's concealed carry statute, voted against this year’s bill.

This bill will make my life a lot easier. I'm very meticulous about carry laws, and as a committed pedestrian in an urban area I'm often unable to join my friends at unplanned dinners in restaurants. Once this bill passes I'll be able to enter a restaurant and enjoy dinner with them.

Cheaper Than Dirt has a great post about which rifle to keep in your car:

To understand where the concept of a trunk gun came from, let’s go back a few years. Traditionally, farmers and ranchers often had a ranch rifle hung in the back of their pickup truck. The role of the rifle was to enable the easy elimination of varmints, or to be used to put down injured horses or livestock. Nowadays, many farmers and ranchers still keep a durable rifle hung in the window or stashed behind the seat for the same reasons. But in addition to the traditional reasons for toting along a truck or trunk gun, many people in urban and suburban environments see the usefulness of having a rifle somewhat readily available in the trunk of a car for self defense and general preparedness. For preparedness minded individuals, the trunk gun is often paired up with a BOB (Bug Out Bag).

The article mentions several rifles, including my beloved Kel-Tec SUB-2000. Check it out here.

Today I upgraded the way comments are handled on the site, but there's been some fallout. The author of the module that handles the comments changed the way they're loaded, and so older comments aren't currently visible. I'm hoping he'll have a fix soon, so old comments will again be visible.

The comments aren't lost or deleted, they're just hard to get to.

Thursday night be sure to attend the Richmond VCDL Meeting at the Topeka's Steakhouse on Parham Rd. And remember not to miss the venerable Dixie Classic Gun and Knife Trader's Show and Sale this weekend at the Showplace on Mechanicsville Turnpike.

Reason.tv has named New York City's busybody mayor, Michael Bloomberg, as its 2009 Nanny of the Year. They don't mention Bloomberg's hostility to private gun ownership in the video, which makes him suck even more.

[Nanny of the Year - Reason.tv]