Category Archives: modern military conflict

Lasers + Police Choppers, How about Dont

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“If you are the type of person who thinks shining a laser into a police helicopter at four in the morning sounds like a good time, be warned that the FBI can and will identify you by the cut and color of your underwear.

We know this thanks to a 23-year-old Texan named Kenneth Santodomingo, who according to the FBI was in the backyard of his Dallas home at 4:08am on January 28, 2013, shining a laser pointer into the cockpit of a Dallas Police Department helicopter called “Air 1.” Santodomingo allegedly scored four direct hits on the cockpit; according to the FBI agent investigating the case, “the intensity of the light of obscured the vision of the pilot and impaired the pilot’s ability to control the aircraft.””

Well Ken, looking at a $250k fine now…dumbass

And the Bears are Back over Guam

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http://www.guampdn.com/article/20130216/NEWS01/130216006

The two bomber aircraft were followed by two U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter aircraft from Andersen Air Force Base, according to Air Force Capt. Kim Bender, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Air Force in Hawaii. She said the jets “scrambled and responded to the aircraft.”

“The Tu-95s were intercepted and left the area in a northbound direction. No further actions occurred,” she said. Bender said no other details would be released “for operational security reasons.”

According to one military official, the Russian Bear bombers remained in international airspace, the encounter between the U.S. and Russian aircraft “stayed professional” and there was no incident.

The official said it’s impossible to determine whether the Russian bombers carried any nuclear weapons. The giant 188-ton Bear can carry up to 15,000 kg (33,000 lb), including the Raduga Kh-20, Kh-22, Kh-26, and Kh-55 air-to-surface missiles and have an unrefueled range of over 9000-miles.

An-F-A-18-Hornet-escorts-a-Russian-Tu-95-Bear-long-range-bomber-aircraft

The Five Most Innovative Shotguns Ever Made

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Shotguns have been around for hundreds of years in one form or another. The blunderbuss and the classic fowling piece, large smoothbore muskets that fired loads of shot, were popular for centuries. What we think of today as modern shotguns started in about the 1830s and over the past 180 or so years has been moved forward by five designs to which just about every gauge in current production can trace its lineage.

Read the rest in my column at GUNS.com

SpencerShotgun high standard model 10 auto five lefaucheux-pinfire-sm aa12 being tested by marines

Beretta 93R: Another cool handgun you can’t own

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Since the handgun was invented, firearms visionaries have often muttered the motto of smaller,  faster, and more effective. This has led over the centuries to handguns that are increasingly better made, hold more bullets, and can deliver said projectiles in a faster rate of fire in a smaller package. However, one of the evolutionary branches that have been stunted by regulation (at least in this country) is in the handheld machine pistol. Moreover, no article mentioning a machine pistol in the opening paragraph can neglect the Beretta 93R.

Read the rest in my column at GUNS.com

 

The 1946 Battle of Athens Tennessee

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When ill-informed people speak of the Second Amendment to the Constitution, they speak only of
how hunting is a noble right and sports shooting is a valid hobby. What is often left unsaid is that the Founding Fathers had intended this inherent right as a protection against tyranny of all sorts. An unarmed society is a society waiting to be enslaved. A legally armed one is a functioning republic.

There is no better modern example of this than in the 1946 Battle of Athens.

Read the rest in my column at Firearms Talk

battle-of-athens-tennessee-historical-marker

The Navy’s Mk 22 ‘Hush puppy’ Pistol

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So you are a Navy SEAL crawling around deep in the enemy’s back yard. You are vastly outnumbered which means your primary weapon is stealth. You are a shadow—you have to be if you expect to get out of this alive. The thing is, the enemy’s camp has dogs that are bound to bark. What do you do to keep hidden?

Bring a Hushpuppy.

Today the US Navy’s 2000+ Special Warfare operators, commonly referred to as SEALs for their mastery of SEa, Air-and Land insertion and extraction techniques, are well-known. In the 1960s, however the concept was brand new and just a few hundred men formed two small teams of frogmen. The majority of these divers, trained to fight in small groups, were forward deployed in a nice slice of green hell and brown water known as Vietnam. Operating in an intensive and unforgiving environment, these early Seals were always on the lookout for non-standard firearms to help give them an edge. Besides the myriad of standard-issue military weapons in Uncle Sam’s deep closets, the Seals used Swedish K-guns, commercial shotguns, and non-standard pistols.

Among these was the Smith and Wesson M39, a 9mm handgun. Originally bought as a commercial off the shelf design this compact semi-auto pistol was coupled to an effective detachable suppressor and dubbed the Mk 22. Since its use was in taking out sentries and the occasional yapping stray dog, it was commonly referred to as the Hush Puppy.

Read the rest in my column at GUNS.com

hushpuppy in seal museum

Navy Hemms Up Own Carriers

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With the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) decommed, the US Navy is down to 10 Nimitz class flattops until the USS Gerald Ford commissions in 2015. One of these ten, the USS Lincoln, is basically up on blocks at Norfolk waiting to begin a 4-year refueling of her reactor cores (RCOH). Sistership Theodore Roosevelt is still in RCOH until this summer at the earliest.

The thing is…the Navy can’t afford it.

An article at USNI News   states that a navy spokesmen passed on “CVN-72 will remain at Norfolk Naval Base where the ships force personnel will continue to conduct routine maintenance until sufficient funding is received for the initial execution of the RCOH.”

uss

This comes only a week after the USS Truman’s Carrier Battle Group was sidelined the day before they were due to head to the Persian Gulf for a six month deployment due to budgetary reasons. Its deployment had been affected earlier by the Nimitz, now pushing 40 years of age and scheduled herself to strike around 2020, having increasing mechanical issues.

So to recount in the past few months : Enterprise stricken, Nimitz cranky, Lincoln laid up, Truman sidelined due to funding, Theodore Roosevelt still in RCOH…

Then again, in terms of carrier math, China still only has one as does Russia.

Good thing.

German Subs Stalking US Fleet in Atlantic

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Ok, Ok, I know it’s an overly dramatic title, but its true.

u32
Here we see crew members carry supplies on board the German Navy’s U32 submarine (L) at the navy harbor in Eckernfoerde, Germany, 07 February 2013. The submarine is expected to sail on 10 February 2013 to join the four-months lasting international maritime maneuver ‘Westlant Deployment’ on the east coast of the United States. A central exercise during the maneuver will be a simulated maritime combat between the submarine and a US aircraft carrier battle group.

The U32 is a Type 212 submarine of the Bundesmarine that was launched in 2003 and in current service. A fast diesel SSK boat, she is 183 feet long and carries a baker’s dozen of the worlds most advanced torpedoes. She is AIP and has such a low emission profile that she is considered 183-feet of the quietest ocean wherever she is– a literal black hole in the water. This coupled with the fact that she can operate submerged in as little as 45 feet of water, makes her a littoral specter.

However with the Truman’s deployment put on hold…who knows. If so, the U32 will have to get a lot closer to Norfolk.

Operation Drumbeat Part Zwei!

USN Tests Griffin For Littorial

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To give the lightly armed LCS, the remaining 179-foot Cyclone class coastal patrol craft, and the new 85-foot MK VI boats, the US Navy is testing the lightweight Griffin missile. This economical ($45,000 a pop, which is cheap as far as this type of stuff goes) little bottle rocket is just the thing for splashing a small boat (such as a Iranian Boghammer) or a quiet sea-side hut full of pirates. Small in profile, it can be used in an 8-pack launcher that is all above deck, fitting in any area that can accept a Mk38 sized mount.

Cheap and effective, the Griffin is smaller even than the vaunted Hellfire missile. And they could be coming to a LCS near you.

Cheap and effective, the Griffin is smaller even than the vaunted Hellfire missile. And they could be coming to a LCS near you.

Designed for small UAVs to be used in precision strikes against buildings and vehicles, the AGM-176 Griffin has a proven track record in air-to-ground use. The 45-pound missile uses components of the FGM-148 Javelin and the AIM-9X Sidewinder. It can send a 13-pound warhead guided by laser, GPS, or INS out to 12-miles. The Navy is at least using a proven missile for once. In its surfaced launched version it can reach out to 5500-meters (3.5-miles), which is still well past the range of heavy machine guns and RPGs which are the probable weapons of any small boats that the Griffin would defend against.

One has been mounted on the USS Monsoon (PC-4) for trials and seems to work just fine so far.

Feinstein Gun Ban List of 157 Firearms You Cant Have

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Direct from the good Senator’s website is the official list of 157 specifically named firearms that she intends to legally ban the sale, transfer, manufacturing and importation of.

Firearms Talk brings you this list as a public service to the gun community as a whole for your personal reference.

List of firearms prohibited by name

Rifles: All AK types, including the following: AK, AK47, AK47S, AK74, AKM, AKS, ARM, MAK90, MISR, NHM90, NHM91, Rock River Arms LAR47, SA85, SA93, Vector Arms AK47, VEPR, WASR10, and WUM, IZHMASH Saiga AK, MAADI AK47 and ARM, Norinco 56S, 56S2, 84S, and 86S, Poly Technologies AK47 and AKS; All AR types, including the following: AR10, AR15, Armalite M15 22LR Carbine, Armalite M15T, Barrett REC7, Beretta AR70, Bushmaster ACR, Bushmaster Carbon 15, Bushmaster MOE series, Bushmaster XM15, Colt Match Target Rifles, DoubleStar AR rifles, DPMS Tactical Rifles, Heckler & Koch MR556, Olympic Arms, Remington R15 rifles, Rock River Arms LAR15, Sig Sauer SIG516 rifles, Smith & Wesson M&P15 Rifles, Stag Arms AR rifles, Sturm, Ruger & Co. SR556 rifles; Barrett M107A1; Barrett M82A1; Beretta CX4 Storm; Calico Liberty Series; CETME Sporter; Daewoo K1, K2, Max 1, Max 2, AR 100, and AR 110C; Fabrique Nationale/FN Herstal FAL, LAR, 22 FNC, 308 Match, L1A1 Sporter, PS90, SCAR, and FS2000; Feather Industries AT9; Galil Model AR and Model ARM; Hi-Point Carbine; HK91, HK93, HK94, HKPSG1 and HK USC; Kel-Tec Sub2000, SU16, and RFB; SIG AMT, SIG PE57, Sig Sauer SG 550, and Sig Sauer SG 551; Springfield Armory SAR48; Steyr AUG; Sturm, Ruger Mini-14 Tactical Rife M14/20CF; All Thompson rifles, including the following: Thompson M1SB, Thompson T1100D, Thompson T150D, Thompson T1B, Thompson T1B100D, Thompson T1B50D, Thompson T1BSB, Thompson T1C, Thompson T1D, Thompson T1SB, Thompson T5, Thompson T5100D, Thompson TM1, Thompson TM1C; UMAREX UZI Rifle; UZI Mini Carbine, UZI Model A Carbine, and UZI Model B Carbine; Valmet M62S, M71S, and M78; Vector Arms UZI Type; Weaver Arms Nighthawk; Wilkinson Arms Linda Carbine.

Cause Thompsons have been used in so much recent violence right? Is this 1926?

Cause Thompsons have been used in so much recent violence right? Is this 1926?

Pistols: All AK47 types, including the following: Centurion 39 AK pistol, Draco AK47 pistol, HCR AK47 pistol, IO Inc. Hellpup AK47 pistol, Krinkov pistol, Mini Draco AK47 pistol, Yugo Krebs Krink pistol; All AR15 types, including the following: American Spirit AR15 pistol, Bushmaster Carbon 15 pistol, DoubleStar Corporation AR pistol, DPMS AR15 pistol, Olympic Arms AR15 pistol, Rock River Arms LAR 15 pistol; Calico Liberty pistols; DSA SA58 PKP FAL pistol; Encom MP9 and MP45; Heckler & Koch model SP-89 pistol; Intratec AB10, TEC22 Scorpion, TEC9, and TECDC9; Kel-Tec PLR 16 pistol; The following MAC types: MAC10, MAC11; Masterpiece Arms MPA A930 Mini Pistol, MPA460 Pistol, MPA Tactical Pistol, and MPA Mini Tactical Pistol; Military Armament Corp Ingram M11, Velocity Arms VMAC; Sig Sauer P556 pistol; Sites Spectre; All Thompson types, including the following: Thompson TA510D, Thompson TA5; All UZI types, including: Micro-UZI.

Shotguns: Franchi LAW12 and SPAS 12; All IZHMASH Saiga 12 types, including the following: IZHMASH Saiga 12, IZHMASH Saiga 12S, IZHMASH Saiga 12S EXP01, IZHMASH Saiga 12K, IZHMASH Saiga 12K030, IZHMASH Saiga 12K040 Taktika; Streetsweeper; Striker 12.

Belt-fed semiautomatic firearms: All belt-fed semiautomatic firearms including TNW M2HB.

(Any gun that takes a banana clip is evil)

(Any gun that takes a banana clip is evil)

Observations:

Looking at the above list we have come across the following conclusions thus far about what the lobby seems to be up to:

  • Going hard after 50-cals: The ban list specifically mentions the Barrett M107A1; Barrett M82A1. These long-range target rifles are among the best known and bestselling 12.7x99mm chambered guns on the market. Their use in crimes is completely unheard of and their magazine capacity is under the gun control lobby’s publicly stated 10-round limit. In addition, the only belt-fed gun listed by name, the TNW M2HB, is a fifty. It seems that as a class, 50s have a senseless target on their back.
  • Feinstein hates pistol caliber carbines: Almost every pistol caliber carbine in modern production is on this list. These guns, light compact rifles that fire 9mm/40/45ACP ammunition common to handguns, are extremely popular with target shooters who like them for their ease of balance, mild recoil, and affordability to shoot. They also make ideal home defense firearms for those who have problems with handguns and are unable to absorb the recoil of shotguns. For this reason, they make good personal defense guns for persons with disabilities. Their use in crime is extremely rare. Examples of this type are the people’s champion Hi-Point carbine, the Beretta CX4, Feather Industries AT9, the Thompson rifles (all 13 makes!), the UZI variants, the Calico Liberty Series, and the KelTec Sub 2000.
(The humble Hi-Point 995 keeps the anti-gun lobby awake at night)

(The humble Hi-Point 995 keeps the anti-gun lobby awake at night)

  • If its 556 or 7.62×39, it’s an assault rifle: It seems as if the gun lobby flipped through the pages of the Shotgun News or Recoil magazine and circled anything that looked scary to them, especially if its chambered in 5.56mm or 7.62x39mm. Of the 157 guns on the list, with the exception of the 20 or so pistol caliber carbines, the TNW M2HB and Barrett guns, and the dozen or so shotguns, nearly 100 of them are in these two calibers.
  • Shotguns are ok, except for guns that have been in a lot of action movies such as the Franchi, Streetsweeper, and SPAS series, oh and anything that says Saiga on the side of it.
  • Many in Congress and the right say that this bill is dead in the water.

If you have an opinion on it, share it with your own representatives, and by all means, forward this article around.

If nothing else, it makes a good shopping list.

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