RELOADERS CORNER: more mistakes over more time, now what?

May 16, 2020 msshootersadmin 14 Comments

In doing higher-volume loading, one fear is “what if” and that refers to having made a mistake… READ MORE

errors — Not much worse than a bunch of newly loaded rounds tainted by potentially problematic imperfections. I’ve had more of these with pistols than rifles. Not sure why…

Glen Zediker

So you’ve put, say, 500 rounds together and there’s a flaw, and this may (usually always) be constant and consistant throughout. Or, maybe something changed during, someting shifted, at some point from then at the start to now at the end.

This can happen, and you’re fortunate indeed if you have no stories to share.

Before getting far into what it was and what was the influence or effect we’re now facing, this next will suggest a few things to check beforehand to head it off.

I don’t know that I’ve ever read much on handloading that didn’t come with at least a few ideas on checks, checkpoints. One of the first I propellant dispensing. Using a meter for these loads, throwing charges, there’s a question about how often to stop and run a check on your volume progress against the consistency of each charge thrown into each case.

Advice I’ve seen varies and ranges from the way too often to the every now and again. Folks, honestly, I never check or double check once I’m underway. I am also using expensive meters with Culver inserts. These I have proven to meter more accurately than my scale can determine. The level of effort and attention that went into my being able to make that statement is another article, and, along the way, will be. But, if you’re not using a Culver, it is a wise investment in a minute to throw a charge or two, weigh each, and satisfying the self that all’s well. If you see a problem, if your meter won’t hold a setting, that is a huge red-flag that needs fixed.

mistakes — A truly good meter takes worries about case to case weight consistency away. Get one!

I always start a session checking propellant dispensing weight. I do this more to satisfy that tiny tickle of paranoid uncertaintly than I do for any tangible reason, but we do a lot of things to fix those tickles (like look both ways before crossing a one-way street). Well. I do. I click-dial my meter to where my notes say it should be (and do the same to the other Culver-equipped meters that might be involved in this session), then throw charges with each and see the right weight from each (I usually through 4-5 at a time, weigh the pan, and divide by however many throws are in the pan). Sometimes I think I do this more to just satisfy myself respecting how good this system is.

Next I essentially check die “tightness” by confirming that the sized case dimentions are what they should me. And then also do the same for bullet seating depth.

A few tricks here come from a treat like a good turret-head press. After getting the dies adjusted to what you want for a load (this load), snugging them down and adding index marks means that, one, no there should be no movement between uses, and, also, it will be easily seen becaues of the marks. Index marks are no more complex than a paint-marker-line from die body, to lock ring, to press top. I index the sizing and seating adjustments at the top of the die also.

The fewer times anything is loosened, moved, tightened the radically greater chance it has to stay perfectly in place.

Next I triple check the bullet seating depth. By the way, I’ve also become convinced that the more initial checks made reduce any chance for an erroneous check. I look once, then again, and then again, and by then I sho should have seen all there is to see. I might overlook something, though, if I look only once, and I have done that before setting seating depths.

The best trick I can tell you to keep tools lined up where they should be, when they have to be moved, is to handle a threaded die ONLY BY ITS LOCKING RING! Never, ever hold on the die body to thread the piece in and out the press top. Handled only by the ring, there’s no chance of movement (well, assuming that the ring was snugged in place as it should have been).

Next time we’ll look at a few things that might have gone wrong, and see about getting them fixed, or worked around.

The preceding is a adapted from information contained in Glen’s Top-Grade Ammo. Available at Midsouth Shooters Supply. Visit ZedikerPublishing.com for more information on the book itself, and also free article downloads. Also, check out our new new lineup of eBOOKS!

Reloading Components, Tactics & Training

Proper Ammunition Storage

May 15, 2020 msshootersadmin 15 Comments

If you are hoarding or only keeping what you need on hand don’t let your investment rust away. READ MORE

ammo storage — Fiocchi’s 80 rounds in a can is possibly the best combination of 12 gauge buckshot and easy storage.

Heyward Williams

Storing ammunition is at least as important as properly storing your firearms. After all, the firearm is no better than a stick or a club without ammunition. While many of us like to have an adequate supply of ammunition for a SHTF situation this isn’t my primary motivation. I am more concerned with an adequate supply of ammunition for training and recreation than for possible use in a societal break down. I have had to curtail my personal training and firearms classes during shortages because I simply could not obtain enough ammunition. There was considerable price gouging at times and I no longer patronize those outlets. Finding twenty nine boxes of ammunition when you really need fifty is discouraging. (Fifty students, fifty rounds each, every class for months is a lot ammunition.) Conversely I walked into Academy Sports a few months ago and saw several pallets of Winchester 9mm ball for $6.99 per fifty cartridges. I estimated 20,000 rounds on the floor. The shortage, it appeared, was over. Now it is back. These things run in cycles — even if the current shortage is short lived, we may see another shortage, particularly around election time.

What are your needs?
I don’t hoard things for their own sake. I like to have a few months supply of the ammunition I really need on hand. When I taught handgun marksmanship and tactical movement students seemed never to bring enough ammunition and others brought gun and ammunition combinations that were not proofed and they malfunctioned. I have learned quite a bit about ammunition storage. As an example I have handloaded my handgun ammunition for more than forty years and cannot recall a misfire cartridge due to storage issues. Ammunition isn’t quite in the category with silver and gold but may be more precious and useful if you need it. It is expensive enough that you should respect the investment and take steps to store it properly. This is more important the greater the amount of ammunition you store. Some like to burn up their ammunition on the weekend and call on Monday and replace it. That’s fine, a minimal inventory works for some of us. I am not comfortable with that program. Buying in bulk and keeping ahead on the ammunition supply is important.

I don’t know if we will face a societal upheaval and you will need that ammunition. I certainly hope not. But if you are in a bad situation the ammunition you have expended in training is the single greatest predictor of survival. My goal for ammunition storage is have a good supply for practice, hunting, and personal defense use as well as training family members. This demands the ammunition be stored properly. I store ammunition in the original box. Sometimes I simply put it on the shelf in the shipping box it arrived in. (Online is so easy!) Unless I am certain I am going to the range the next day or so I never open the boxes and pour the contents into a metal can. Sure, having those 500 9mms in an ammo can is cool enough but they are far more subject to damage from handling and the elements. Also, in the event that you trade one firearm and caliber for another, it isn’t usually possible to trade ammunition as well unless it is in the original box. For most of us, purchasing large quantities of ammunition — a case of five hundred to one thousand cartridges — and storing it properly is important.

Ammunition Longevity
I have fired ammunition more than one hundred years old with good results. During my police career I saw ammunition improperly stored in cruiser trunks and in the basement of the PD that became corroded and useless in a few months. Storage is everything for shelf life. Ammunition manufactured since World War One or so was designed to last for centuries. Winchester was given a military contract in 1916 based on one bad primer in 100,000 — and the standard is higher today. I would never purchase older ammunition save as a lark or to feed some non critical use antique. I don’t trust surplus ammunition — there are too many storage and quality issues. Not to mention corrosive primers. Purchasing good quality ammunition means it will last much longer. Quality case mouth seal and primer seal is important for both storage and critical use. My handloads do not have this seal but as I mentioned I have not had misfires, because I store ammo properly. The keys are cool, dry and dark. Cool not cold. A closet in the home is ideal. Stack the original boxes on shelves, on the floor, or in a large MTM plastic box. Heat itself isn’t that destructive in normal ranges but it may cause humidity and condensation. We have all had our glasses or cameras fog up when moving from an air conditioned home to a hot back yard. You don’t want your ammunition supply to be subjected to these highs and lows. Moisture will attack gun powder. In my experience far more failures to fire are related to powder contamination than primer failure. (Don’t store solvents and cleaning compounds with ammunition!) In some instances the cartridge case may even become corroded. This is dangerous as they may lose some of their integrity. Just remember that moisture and humidity are the enemy. Normal fluctuations in household temperatures are okay. I would avoid extremes such as basement storage or storage in the attic. This is especially important with lead bullet loads. Many of them — and some jacketed loads — feature a lubricant on the bullet, in grease grooves. This grease will melt out of the grooves into the powder if the ammunition becomes too hot.

Get in Order
Getting the ammunition in the proper order is important. I fire mostly 9mm and .45 ACP handguns. I also use the .223 and .308 rifle. The 12 gauge shotgun is my to go gun. We all need a .22 — then there is the .357 Magnum and the .45 Auto Rim and .45 Colt — so organization is important. Two thousand .45 ACP cartridges are on hand tonight and one hundred .45 Auto Rim, and that’s plenty. I keep handgun ammunition separated by training and service loads. Shotgun shells are more difficult to store and I do not have nearly as many. They are in one corner of the designated closet. My home is one hundred fifteen years old the ammunition storage was once a food larder. Works for me.

Other points — I keep firearms in a safe. While a couple may be loaded for various reasons I do not normally store ammunition in the safe. Some like to have an ammunition supply in loaded magazines. That’s okay if they are stored properly. Take these magazines, fire them in practice, and rotate the supply. If loaded down from 30 to 26 or 20 to 18 rounds quality AR 15 magazines will run forever. Pistol magazines from MecGar are much the same. Glock magazines loaded to full capacity never give trouble. If you need a stack of magazines loaded at the ready for emergency your zip code is probably written in Cyrillic or located abound Bosnia. These tips, points and cautions will work well for most of us and keep the ammunition supply fresh and uncontaminated.

Tactical Gear, Tactics & Training

The Glock M44 — Glock Imperfection?

May 15, 2020 msshootersadmin 1 Comment

It isn’t perfect but the Glock M44 is a good addition to the Glock battery. READ WHY

G44 — The Glock M44 is a great all around trainer and target practice handgun.

Heyward Williams

The Glock 44 rimfire was met with some derision by those wishing to own a single column magazine 10mm or perhaps the long awaited Glock carbine. I don’t know if Glock is seriously considering these firearms but they listen, they certainly do. They listened when American officers asked for self loading pistols to level the playing field. Chiefs, bean counters and administrators were grudging to give officers much needed hollow point bullets. The avoided leveling the playing field. (Anti gun and anti cop goes hand in hand.) The Illinois State Police paved the way with self loaders but the Democrats in charge limited them to FMJ ammo. A Republican governor finally made the change. In most jurisdictions administrators agreed to issue self loaders when a double action only was offered. The big American makes turned a deaf ear to American cops offering a warmed over Americanized P 38 for police service. They thereby abrogated the police market to the Europeans for the next four decades. Glock’s Model 17 9mm was the first Glock followed by many other Glock pistols including my favorite the Glock 19. Glock responded to police requests with the Glock M 22 .40 and the .45 GAP, an underrated caliber with many applications. That is all a thrice told story. The .22 rimfire Glock is today’s headline.

G44 — The M19 and M44 frames are similar but not identical.

Glock has boldly moved out of the personal defense and service market. Many makers or aftermarket makers offer rimfire conversions for their handguns. Some work well, others not so well. I have used a .22 caliber handgun for marksmanship training, practice, and small game hunting for decades. They are just fun guns. You don’t have to have a reason to own one. Shooters that neglect to own a .22 handgun are missing out on an important tool. The cost of a handgun pales over the cost of an extensive training regimen. The .22 allows many thousands of rounds of rounds of ammunition to be fired for a pittance. The problem is the .22 is a hoary old design. The rimmed cartridge case and heel based bullet don’t make for the most reliable feeding not to mention powder designed for rifles. The resulting pressure curve makes for difficulty in convincing a pistol to feed properly. Most makers warranty their pistol with work only with high velocity loads. Since standard velocity loads are generally more expensive than bulk produced high velocity loads this isnt a demerit. CCI alone manufactures billions of .22 LR cartridges a year.
The Glock M44 is a Generation 4 type with finger groove frame. The pistol is designed to mock the popular Glock 19 9mm. The Glock 44 is well suited for rimfire practice for those that own Glock centerfire handguns. The pistol is equally well suited to beginning shooters and those that enjoy informal target shooting and small game hunting. A radical departure from the Glock 19 is a lightweight slide that is a hybrid mix of polymer with metal reinforcement. A steel slide would be too heavy to be actuated by rimfire recoil. While it may be tempting to fit aftermarket sights, perhaps the same XS sights found on your Glock 23 as an example, makers tell me they do not recommend steel sights be pressed into the polymer Glock hybrid slide. Downer there. Otherwise the takedown, magazine release and trigger action are straight up Glock.

G44 — The internals of the Glock 44 and Glock 19 are similar. The Glock 44 has a longer ejector and different locking block.

You cannot place the Glock 44 slide on a Glock 19 frame. The locking block and other parts differ. The barrel is removeable. The barrel is what Glock calls a Marksman barrel. The chamber is fluted to aid feed reliability. A threaded barrel will be available within weeks Glock tells us. Spare magazines are about twenty eight dollars. The pistol is supplied with two magazines. And no loading tool. The easy load design doesn’t need a loading tool.

G44 — An easy load magazine is a big plus for the Glock 44.

The overall length is 7.28 inches. Barrel length is 4.02 inches. Standard Glock type frame inserts are included. The Glock 44 features a rail for mounting combat lights. Unlike most .22 caliber rimfire handguns the Glock 44 may be dry fired without harming the firing pin. The difference most apparent in handling is weight. The Glock 44 weighs just over 14.5 ounces, nine ounces less than the Glock 19. The Glock 44 uses a single column ten shot magazine. Glock tells us that a high capacity magazine is difficult to convince to feed with the rimmed .22 Long Rifle cartridge. The magazine features a nicely located tab on the follower that makes loading easy. Depress the tab and load one round at a time to properly stack the ammo in the magazine, do not depress the tab and drop cartridges into the magazine. The proper sequence ensures feed reliability. The Safe Action trigger breaks at 5.8 pounds compression.

G44 — The Glock 19, top, in 9mm, is a bit heavier than the similar Glock 44 .22, bottom.

I have fired the Glock 44 extensively with a lot of help from the grown grandchildren. The pistol is a fun gun. Personal defense drills may be ran quickly. It really isn’t much faster to fire a string than the Glock 19, at least accurately, as you have to be careful to center the sights and the whippy slide makes it a bit more difficult. No problem this is a .22. So- cross training with the 9mm is pretty realistic. As for hunting I will no longer have to hold the Colt Frontier .22 in one hand and a light in the other. I can use two hands and light up a racoon with the TruGlo combat light on the rail of the Glock 44. As for reliability well it isnt up to the usual Glock standard. Various institutional shoot outs have subjected the Glock 9mm to ten to forty thousand rounds of ammunition and found the piece very reliable. Occasionally a trigger return spring will break at thirty thousand rounds. Big deal. The Glock 44 has a drawback in mounting after market sights, but that’s ok. Just not perfect commonality with the service gun. The trigger action may be changed out with an aftermarket trigger group so that’s good. The slide and barrel differ in the locking block so you cannot put a Glock 44 slide on the Glock 19 and that’s good. Reliability is the big problem. It isnt as reliable as Glock claims. With several types of High Velocity loads it is almost but not quite one hundred per cent. Be careful how you stagger the cartridges in the magazine. Subsonic ammunition is supposed to work. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Once the piece is dirty sub sonics don’t work as well. The first sign is the slide doesn’t lock open on the last shot. The pistol is reliable with CCI Mini Mags, either RN, HP or segmented. These loads are one hundred per cent at least up to about four hundred rounds. Don’t laud my efforts too much, it was a lot of fun. Keep the Glock 44 .22 pistol clean and lubricated and it will go several hundred Mini Mags without a hiccup. That’s all we can ask. It is a neat .22, a Glock, it is less reliable than some .22s and more so than others.

Industry News, Tactical Gear, Tactics & Training

OPINION: WASHINGTON SECRETS

May 15, 2020 msshootersadmin 7 Comments

Gun sales up over 200% in some states, most ‘new to gun buying’ READ MORE

Paul Bedard

Some of the top prepper advisers who rightly counseled people in the early days of the coronavirus crisis to hoard toilet paper and fuel are now urging the purchase of “defensive guns” as the national lockdown drags on through April.

Pew-Pew Tactical boss Eric Hung told us that firearms are still hot but that the focus has turned to “more oriented home-defense guns like pump action shotguns and cheaper handguns.” And with that, he added, ammunition and sights for those guns are surging.

What’s more, he said that makers of AR-style rifles are sold out. “AR-15s are selling briskly too with some manufacturers completely out of their inventory and only able to sell what they can make in a day,” he told us.

Hung, whose page is a one-stop educational, sales, and review website for weapons and prepping advice, said there has also been a surge in rookie gun buyers looking for self-defense items. “It seems a lot are beginner firearm owners as we see more searches to our intro articles and a 4x increase in our online beginner handgun video course,” said Hung, who has posted a Prepper 101 guide.

Justin Anderson, the marketing director for Hyatt Guns of Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the nation’s biggest, told us, “Most of the customers we’re seeing are new to gun buying. So, if there’s one bright spot during this crisis, it’s seeing people exercising their Second Amendment rights for the first time.”

The proof is in the surge of FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System, up 80% in March, and even higher in some states.

A new report from the National Shooting Sports Foundation shared with Secrets Tuesday showed that the checks jumped over 200% in Michigan and Alabama, which have eliminated ways to skirt the checks.

Uncategorized

Grassroots Networking In These Unique Times

May 15, 2020 msshootersadmin 2 Comments

While much in the world has been suspended or stopped, our efforts to protect and defend the Second Amendment must go on. Creativity is the the key!

Source: NRA-ILA

While we all know the most effective methods of communicating with voters about an upcoming election involve person-to-person interaction, current circumstances make that near impossible. Thus, we must adapt and adjust to make sure we are utilizing all the tools in our grassroots toolbox to make sure our fellow Second Amendment supporters are kept updated on the importance of the 2020 elections, as well as all issues pertaining to our firearm freedoms. And as always, our efforts to engage voters is highly dependent on you!

Below are some of the ways that we are reaching out to remind everyone of the importance of the Second Amendment during these uncertain times. If you are interested in assisting, contact us at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) or ILA-Contact@nrahq.org, and we will put you in touch with your state’s Grassroots Coordinator so he/she may assist you. Or, you may undertake many of these activities on your own with your own networks.

Making Phone Calls: Now that more of the population is choosing to spend time at home, we are reaching out to them over the phone. Our goal is to remind everyone that with all of the declarations of states of emergency, now is an important time to stay vigilant in defense of our Second Amendment Rights. Make sure you are also proactively calling your family, friends, and fellow firearms owners as well, reiterating this important news and keeping them informed.

Sending Text Messages: One method of reaching out to voters that is relatively new in our Grassroots arsenal is to send text messages. Using a number of different systems, we are able to give volunteers log in credentials and then assign a list of voters to communicate with. The best part about this type of peer-to-peer text messaging is that you can actually see who responds to your message, and if the voter has questions, you can answer them in real time! As with phone calls, you too can simply create your own text groups and keep them posted with regular updates and calls to action.

Hosting Web Based Meetings: Another relatively new technology that your Grassroots Programs and Campaign Field Operations Division has used to expand our reach is our web-based meeting software. We have been able to hold virtual meetings in an effort to help educate and train new volunteers and campaign staff all across the country, and have taken steps to better utilize this software to stay connected during these uncertain times. As we host webinars open to our members and supporters, we will be sure to alert you and provide you with instructions on how to access these informative briefings.

If you would like to get involved in any of the efforts mentioned above, please contact us at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) or ILA-Contact@nrahq.org, and we will put you in touch with your state’s Grassroots Coordinator so he/she may assist you. Phone calls and text messages can be done from anywhere into any of our election priority states, and we can use the web-based meetings to show you how step-by-step.

It’s more important than ever that we continue to think and work creatively and strategically to make sure we and our supporters are as engaged in our mutual efforts as possible.

Act smart and be safe!??

Ammunition, AR-15, Gun Rights

Clinton and Biden Join Forces to Infringe Your Rights

May 15, 2020 msshootersadmin 3 Comments

Clinton Endorses Biden, 2A in serious danger. READ MORE

NRA-ILA

Despite ongoing speculation as to whether a deteriorating Joe Biden will even be the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nominee, on April 28 failed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton endorsed the former vice president’s White House bid. The endorsement took place during a socially distant “Women’s Town Hall,” where the lifelong politicians focused almost entirely on the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinton noted that the pandemic “would be a terrible crisis to waste” and urged that it should be used to enact permanent government interventions.

On the issue of gun control, the former secretary of state and the former vice president are a perfect match. Both Clinton and Biden support the prohibition and confiscation of common firearms owned by law-abiding Americans. Moreover, both reject the core holding of the U.S. Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller – that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms “in common use” for lawful purposes.

During an October 2015 campaign event in Keene, N.H., then-presidential candidate Clinton expressed her support for Australia-style gun confiscation. A member of the audience told the former first lady that Australia “managed to …take away …millions of handguns, and in one year, they were all gone.” He then asked her, “Can we do that?”

The candidate responded that both Australia and the United Kingdom were “good example[s]” of how countries should respond to a “mass killing.”

“The Australian example,”she said, “that was a buyback program.”She went on to explain that the Australian government “offered a good price” for “buying hundreds of thousands of guns, and then they basically clamped down going forward ….” They were thus able, she explained, “to curtail the supply” of guns and “to set a different standard for gun purchases in the future.”

Clinton went on to say, “I think it would be worth considering doing it on the national level if that could be arranged,” adding, “certainly the Australian example is worth looking at.”

As NRA has repeatedly pointed out, an involuntary “buyback” is gun confiscation.

These Clinton-endorsed gun confiscation measures are right in line with what Biden has in mind for American gun owners.

When asked about commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms during an August 5, 2019 interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Biden and Cooper had the following exchange.

Cooper: So, to gun owners out there who say, well, a Biden administration means they are going to come for my guns.

Biden: Bingo! You’re right, if you have an assault weapon.

In addition to wanting to ban and confiscate America’s most popular firearms, Clinton and Biden also share denial of the Second Amendment.

During the 2016 presidential race, Clinton repeatedly made clear that she does not believe the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms as the U.S. Supreme Court held in D.C. v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago.

On September 25, 2015, Clinton attended a private campaign fundraiser in Greenwich Village, New York City. An audio recording of the event captured Clinton telling those gathered, “the Supreme Court is wrong on the Second Amendment. And I am going to make that case every chance I get.”

A May 30, 2016 New York Magazine article shed more light on Clinton’s radical position. The article described a scene at a Clinton campaign rally at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. While speaking with a family that lost a loved one in the Sandy Hook shooting, Clinton told them her plans for gun control. During the interaction, Clinton described District of Columbia v. Heller as “a terrible decision.”

Given the opportunity to clarify her extreme position, Clinton refused to back off her incorrect interpretation of the Second Amendment. During the June 5 edition of ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos asked Clinton, “Do you believe that an individual’s right to bear arms is a constitutional right – that it’s not linked to service in a militia?”

Clinton evaded the question, prompting Stephanopoulos to reiterate, “Do you believe that [the court’s] conclusion that an individual’s right to bear arms is a constitutional right?” Refusing to concede that the Second Amendment protects an individual right, Clinton responded, “If it’s a constitutional right, then it, like every other constitutional right, is subject to reasonable regulations.”

Clinton will feel right at home in Biden’s camp.

Even two years after her loss to President Donald Trump, Gallup measured Clinton’s favorability rating an all-time low of 36 percent. With numbers like that, it’s unclear from a political standpoint why Biden would seek out a high-profile endorsement from the two-time presidential loser. From an anti-gun policy standpoint, it makes perfect sense.

Industry News

Federal Judge Enjoins Massachusetts Gun Store Lockdown

May 15, 2020 msshootersadmin 2 Comments

Gun stores struggle to remain open during national crisis. READ MORE

NRA-ILA

Last week, Judge Douglas P. Woodlock of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction that allows gun stores to resume operation in the Bay State as long as they adhere to a set of social distancing guidelines. The ruling is an important victory in the fight to protect Second Amendment rights during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

On March 23, Governor Charlie Baker issued COVID-19 Order No. 13, which required the closure of all businesses not deemed “essential.” The order did not designate gun stores as “essential” businesses.

On March 28, the Trump administration updated the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) guidance on the critical infrastructure that should remain open during state shutdown orders due to COVID-19. The guidance identified “Workers supporting the operation of firearm or ammunition product manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and shooting ranges” as critical infrastructure.

Following the federal government’s determination, on March 31, Baker issued COVID-19 Order No. 21. Complying with the DHS guidelines, the order designated firearms retailers as “essential” businesses.

However, later that same day the Baker administration removed firearm retailers and shooting ranges from the list of essential businesses. This reversal was cheered by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who declared to her Twitter followers, “Gun shops and shooting ranges are NOT essential businesses during a public health emergency.”

On April 9, a group of Massachusetts gun stores filed suit to halt Baker’s gun store closure on Second Amendment grounds. Later that month, NRA and its state affiliate Gun Owners’ Action League filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs.

In the amicus brief, NRA made clear that Baker’s orders were an impermissible violation of the Second Amendment. The brief pointed out that in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a total ban on the acquisition of a single class of firearm — handguns. Baker’s order effectively prohibited the acquisition of all classes of firearms in Massachusetts and therefore are illegal under Supreme Court precedent.

Further, the brief noted that Baker’s order was impermissible under First Circuit precedent. In the 2018 case Gould v. Morgan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit adopted a controversial two-step analysis for Second Amendment cases. First the court must determine “whether the challenged law burdens conduct that falls within the scope of the Second Amendment’s guarantee.” If the measure does implicate the Second Amendment right then the court is tasked with determining what level of scrutiny to apply to the measure and whether the law is permissible under that level of scrutiny.

In Gould, the First Circuit “identified the core of the Second Amendment right as ‘the possession of operative firearms for use in defense of the home’ by responsible, law-abiding individuals.” As Baker’s order foreclosed the ability to acquire firearms for this purpose, the order struck at the core of the Second Amendment right.

The First Circuit also made clear in Gould that “A law or policy that burdens conduct falling within the core of the Second Amendment requires a correspondingly strict level of scrutiny.” Therefore analysis of the Baker orders demands strict scrutiny.

Strict scrutiny requires that the Government prove the restriction furthers a compelling interest and is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest. A closure of all firearms-related businesses is not narrowly tailored. Moreover, the state cannot demonstrate that a blanket closure of firearm retailers will directly or materially alleviate the harms posed by COVID-19 considering the plaintiffs challenging the order stated that they would abide by all social distancing and workforce requirements for the operation of essential businesses.

Woodlock’s order underscores the excessive nature of Baker’s actions, as the standard for obtaining a preliminary injunction is rigorous. A plaintiff must show that they are likely to succeed on the merits of the case, show that there is irreparable harm without the injunction, demonstrate that the balance of equities is in their favor, and establish that the injunction is in the public interest. In granting the preliminary injunction, Judge Woodlock made clear that Baker’s orders are likely unconstitutional, cause irreparable harm to Bay Staters’ rights, and that this attack on Second Amendment rights was against the public interest.

According to Reuters, Baker told the press that his office will review Woodlock’s order and stated, “[w]e will certainly comply with any kind of judicial ruling on anything.” Sincere compliance with a lawful court order would mark a welcome change in the Baker administration. In late 2018, the Baker administration declared its intent to defy court orders issued by the state’s courts pertaining to the issuance of firearms licenses before backing down in early 2019.

NRA will continue to monitor the situation in Massachusetts and work to ensure that Second Amendment rights are not a casualty of the COVID-19 crisis. Please visit HERE to stay up-to-date on this and other important COVID-19 related Second Amendment issues.

Industry News

The Streak Continues: April Sets NICS Record

May 15, 2020 msshootersadmin Leave a comment

April 2020 set another record for background checks conducted through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Check System (NICS). READ MORE

NRA-ILA

The FBI NICS office conducted 2,911,128 background checks last month — a nearly 25% increase from the previous April, which had been the previous record high for the month of April.

April 2020 is now the fourth-busiest month in the history of the NICS office. Moreover, the week of April 13th through the 19th is the 9th busiest week in NICS history.

The more than 2.9 million checks run last month included: 984,872 checks related to the transfer of a handgun; 508,122 checks related to the transfer of a long gun; 68,746 checks related to “other” transfers; and, 34,779 checks related to multiple transfers in one transaction. There were also 311,568 permit checks and an additional 888,385 permit rechecks.

To be blunt: Americans set another record for background checks last month because we are a nation of law-abiding gun owners intent on keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe. Nearly three-million background checks to purchase a firearm or obtain a permit were conducted in just the thirty days of April. That is not a small group of “super gun owners” stockpiling thousands of firearms or some small subset of the general population.

Gun owners include all, from every race, gender, and creed. We — the gun owning community — reflect the overall population because we are a significant part of the overall population.

April continued the 2020 trend of record-setting months for the NICS office. January was (at the time) the sixth-busiest month ever and the busiest January by far. February saw even more checks than January, making it the third busiest month ever (at the time) and easily set the February record. March reset the all-time record with more than 3.7 million checks.

This is not an emerging trend. December 2019 saw more than 2.9 million NICS checks and was the second-busiest December ever. Before that, each of these months in 2019 had set the record for that respective month: April, May, June, August, September, October, and November. Of course, April 2020 and May 2020 shattered those respective records.

There were more NICS checks run in 2019 than in any other year, and there were more run in 2018 than any prior year except 2016. The four busiest years for the NICS offices have been the last four years. So far this year, there have been 32% more NICS checks run than there were in the same time period in 2019.

We suspect that we may see more NICS records broken this year. The anti-gun billionaires see these numbers, as do their “volunteers” and their bought-and-sold puppets. Do you think that Mike Bloomberg is going to take this as a sign that the American people support 2nd Amendment rights?

This is a man who spent more than a billion dollars on a shortsighted bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination that only lasted three months. Bloomberg and his allies — as well as those that depend on his funding for their campaigns –will double down as they try to eliminate gun rights in the United States.

We respect the millions of Americans who have decided to become law-abiding gun owners in 2020, but their rights may be revoked if they do not vote this November.

Protecting our rights will take every one of us. Every single American that applied for a permit and/or purchased a firearm this year must do everything they can to help us protect our rights.

Volunteer. Spread the word. Get your family and friends registered to vote. Vote and make your friends and family vote, too.

NRA is always looking for volunteers. See how you can help today.

Industry News

Breaking! Canada Moves to Ban 1500 types of Military Style Weapons

May 4, 2020 msshootersadmin 31 Comments

Just when you thought Trudeau couldn’t neuter Canada much further, he goes and does something like this. Read On!

Nearly two weeks after the deadliest mass shooting in Canada’s history, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday introduced an immediate ban on what he described as “assault-style military weapons.” The 14 hour Nova Scotia shooting spree left 23 people dead, including the gunman.

“These weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time,” Mr. Trudeau said. “There is no use and no place for such weapons in Canada.”

The killer did not have a firearms license and many of his guns and rifles had been smuggled into Canada from the United States, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, highlighting one difficulty Canada may face in enforcing the new measure. The gunman’s “arsenal” included two models banned on Friday, said Bill Blair, the country’s public safety minister.

Mr. Trudeau said the government will introduce legislation to buy back the rifles, another part of his campaign promise, at a future date. Until then, owners have been given two years to keep their rifles although they can no longer use them, trade them or sell them except to buyers outside Canada with a permit. Gun shops can return any of the weapons they now have in stock to manufacturers.

The leader of the Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, once again spoke out against any ban or buyback of military-style weapons, noting that many mass killers, including Gabriel Wortman in Nova Scotia, and other criminals use illegal firearms brought in from the United States. “It’s easy but lazy government to ask the people who follow all the rules to follow more rules,” Mr. Scheer told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He also criticized Mr. Trudeau for introducing the measure through a cabinet order while Parliament is not meeting in normal sessions because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Follow this link to read the full government declaration for yourself: https://www.scribd.com/document/459370005/Federal-government-banning-military-style-guns#from_embed

Reloading Corner

RELOADERS CORNER: Lockdown continues. So do we.

May 1, 2020 msshootersadmin 20 Comments

Be proud of all yourselves. MORE

Glen Zediker

Due to range issues (not all, evidently, see themseves as “essential”) and general isolation this edition’s Reloaders Corner won’t be standard — no topic that can be handled and settled in a few hundred words. Like most folks, I guesss, I’ve kind of been thrown into pensive mode, and, mostly, find myself reacting to the daily challenges of this virus.

I also know I’m edging over into topics that have an end-of-year feel to them. And here it is not even really Summer. Reason for that is, know it or not, we’ve seen some big changes in our industry, supply side and consumer side. Anyone who’s tried to order and got put on the “be patient” list knows that. We’ve seen changes in shipping schedules, and there have been others in the logistics of promotion. We have survived. We are, from my side of my contribution to our industry, likely to see some changes that are staying around. Right here are Midouth we’re making some focus and topic-content changes in the Blog driven by some of the needs we experienced.

We’re also daggone tired of this daggone virus. Keep, however, firmly in mind that it can and will and has killed us deader than a hammer. When it finally settled into my home state I was frightned well beyond my core’s capacity to accept the toll it took. I know a lot of my competition-oriented friends have been REALLY put out that NRA ceased all tournaments until next year, that’s 2021. NRA take on it is that there needs to be a shot for it before we start shooting again.

And of course we saw some of the silliest, sadly now predictable, attempts to take advantage of the whole pandemic status and undermine gun rights. Good googly moogly. Even better was the radical (radical) increase in gun sales. My good friend Bill called me about a week in and asked me to go shopping with him for his first.

Next edition back on track with an actual reloading topic. I’ll have some to say about high-volume case prep!

Hang in there.

Finally: Please let me know more about what you’d like to see in these pages. Not only Reloaders Corner, but the whole publication.

Let’s get focused also on the “other” dangerous pandemic of misinformation. Not a whopping lot of time left to make some decisions on how some things are going to be decided on.

Midsouth Shooters Blog

Monthly Archives: May 2020

RELOADERS CORNER: more mistakes over more time, now what?

Proper Ammunition Storage

The Glock M44 — Glock Imperfection?

OPINION: WASHINGTON SECRETS

Grassroots Networking In These Unique Times

Clinton and Biden Join Forces to Infringe Your Rights

Federal Judge Enjoins Massachusetts Gun Store Lockdown

The Streak Continues: April Sets NICS Record

Breaking! Canada Moves to Ban 1500 types of Military Style Weapons

RELOADERS CORNER: Lockdown continues. So do we.

The reloading blog where you can find articles, tips, industry news, gear reviews, and more!