August 11, 2017 Newsletter by Jeff Pittman
More loose ammo
Last week we reported on a loose round of ammo going off in the console of a vehicle (https://guntalk.com/news/extras/loose-rounds-your-vehicle-safety issue).
This week we have a report and video of a round going off in a pants pocket.
Maybe your ammo should be in some sort of carrier or magazine.
Should have been a DGU
- Will wife-beater get a Get Out of Jail Free Card? (graphic pictures warning)
We also have reports of armed home invasions in both Tupelo and Columbus, MS this week. In one case the invaders reportedly were impersonating cops. One resident shot and injured.
DGUs
An accused armed robber who allegedly stabbed three people in Seminole, FL, on Sunday was ultimately stopped by a man with a gun without a single shot fired.
In Polk County, NC, a man who ignored an order of protection, went to his ex-girlfriend’s house with a container of gasoline and a baseball bat and attacked a man there was shot by his victim. The perp was taken to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, and is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and violation of a protection order. What if the victim hadn’t been armed?
Gun shop customer lights up store
A man wearing body armor entered Big Bucks pawn and gun shop in Ladson, SC, asked to see an AR-15 rifle, inserted a loaded magazine that he brought with him, and opened fire. A store employee returned fire from his own firearm as the suspect fled the store. Gregory Franklin Westfall from Boise, ID, was arrested for the incident and is charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm during a violent crime.
What caliber for bear?
Lawyer warning
Attorney asks for gun rights records concerning the definition of a “courtroom,” gets escorted to courthouse restroom for “gun check.”
Enemies
This week, US Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) tweeted that the NRA and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch were “becoming national security threats.”
In Conroe, TX, the police chief was asked to leave the Texas Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists because he was carrying his gun to his appointment.
The Only Ones
We have a report that a Marion County, IN, sheriff’s deputy was shot in the leg during the funeral for Southport police Lt. Aaron Allan, who was recently murdered on duty. The report states that a preliminary investigation indicates the shot came from an unidentified Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer’s gun that never left its holster and “may have been some type of equipment malfunction.” The funeral and incident occurred at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sunday. We note that the venue prohibits possession of “weapons of any type, including chains, knives, firearms, and spiked jewelry.”
Thomas Martens, 67, a former FBI agent of 30 years, and his daughter, Molly Corbett, 33, were convicted by a North Carolina jury of second-degree murder in the baseball-bat-to-the-head beating death of Molly’s husband, 39-year-old Jason Corbett, on Aug. 2, 2015. Sentenced to a minimum of 20 years each.
About grooved bullets.
NWR hunting expanded
US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced a proposal to open or expand hunting and fishing opportunities at 10 national wildlife refuges. If finalized, this would bring the number of refuges where the public may hunt up to 373, and up to 312 where fishing would be permitted.
Army guns
The US Army has released a solicitation for a new 7.62mm infantry rifle to replace the 5.56mm M4. The Interim Combat Service Rifle program would replace M4 Carbines in use with combat units (not all the Army’s M4s) with a new weapon in 7.62x51mm NATO.
Since the Army is apparently otherwise happy with the AR platform, it would seem that an AR-10 style rifle would be a no-brainer.
SIG P320 issue
Some sources are indicating that the Sig Sauer P320 pistol, a variant of which was selected as the US Army’s Modular Handgun System (M17), is NOT drop safe and will fire if dropped at a certain angle or if struck a sharp blow on the rear of the slide. As far as is known, this malfunction is due to the inertia of the trigger carrying it to the rear under an impact, which is prevented in many other striker-fired handguns by inclusion of a trigger safety lever or jointed trigger.
At least one major law enforcement agency has suspended use of P320 pistols by its officers, at least one retailer has suspended sales, and at least one LEO has filed suit against Sig over a dropped pistol that fired. Sig says its guns ARE drop safe and that “There have been zero (0) reported drop-related P320 incidents in the U.S. commercial market,” and apparently will not issue a recall of the roughly 1/2 million pistols already sold. Tom Taylor, Sig’s CMO & EVP of sales, said the P320 “is the safest striker fired pistol on the market today.” Uh huh.
However, we hear that the Army’s pistol has an upgraded trigger that Sig already developed which just happens to fix the problem Sig doesn’t think it has, and Sig will offer this trigger for commercial P320 pistols as a “voluntary upgrade” to make its already “drop safe” pistols actually drop safe. Meanwhile, Sig has also reportedly stopped production of the P320 pending inclusion of the upgrade. But it’s still not a problem and not a recall, according to Sig. More details coming Monday at sigsauer.com.
Related to the Sig trigger, Apex Tactical Specialties, “out of an abundance of caution,” has chosen to suspend sales of its trigger products specifically designed for use in the Sig Sauer P320, and is accepting returns of those triggers for credit.
Meanwhile, this from Glock:
Ruger Precision Rifle Safety Bulletin
Products
Academy Sports has Ruger AR-556 FDE rifles for $700. Buy one and they give you a free Ruger 10/22 rifle.
The Kel-Tec KSG-25 shotgun is a full-length version of its bullpup design, with a 30″ cylinder bore barrel and similar length dual mag tubes which will hold a cumulative total of 24+1 standard 2.75″ 12-ga. shells. 9.25 lbs. $1400.
“Handles” for your Harris bipod adjustment knobs.
Federal Premium is now offering its Trophy Bonded Tip as a component bullet for handloading, in six popular caliber and weight options.
American Tactical is now marketing its own line of light target shotshells in 12 and 20 gauges and .410 bore. The interesting load of the bunch is a 2.5″ .410 load with 9 pellets of size T (0.20″) lead shot. They erroneously call this a .410 gauge buckshot load. $12/25 for the T load. We don’t know who is actually loading this ammo.
Quote of the Week
“All our liberties are due to men who, when their conscience has compelled them, have broken the laws of the land.” — William Kingdon Clifford
