Shooting from the Hip

Students can now carry empty gun holsters on a Texas college campus following a three-year battle that ended last week.

Why would Tarrant County College administrators care about students sporting holsters without guns?

Apparently the school felt empty holsters were a security threat that would scare some students or entice others to actually bring weapons to school. Students wanted to wear the holsters as part of a carry concealed protest organized by Concealed Campus.

According to the national grassroots group, more than 600 campuses have hosted such protests garnering much media attention for second amendment rights. These types of holster protests surged after the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007.

The students at Tarrant County College, however, were not allowed to participate and took their grievance to court. They argued that their right to free speech was squelched by the holster ban. And a federal judge agreed.

“We’re really pleased with Judge Mean’s opinion,” ACLU attorney Lisa Graybill told the Star-Telegram. “The ruling permanently enjoins [administrators] from stopping these protests. They’re going to be able to wear their holsters in the classroom.”

Watch a 2008 news clip about the empty holster controversy below.

After spending two-and-a-half years fighting for the right to bear arms, 46-year-old James Cap was awarded a gun permit last week.

Why was he fighting for these rights? His condition as a quadriplegic made some question his ability to handle a firearm, especially because of his proposed set up. In order to aim and fire, he would need to breathe through the tube of a special device, which would have to be set up by a friend.

According to The Star-Ledger, Superior Court Judge John Pursel told Mr. Cap “I hope you enjoy the use of your firearm” right before signing the order. While the judge ruled in Mr. Cap’s favor, the debate on whether a person who is physically unable to shoot a gun should be permitted to use one.

On the story comments section on NJ.com, one person writes, “The police chief who originally denied the permit was correct. This guy (Cap) is an accident waiting to happen.”

Another commenter over at Huffington Post showed support for Mr. Cap, writing: “Thank god for some judges that understand what the Constitution actually SAYS!”

The Young Turks called the ruling “absurd” and said “I can’t have you pulling a trigger by breathing. What if you sneeze?” See the opinion commentary video below.

What do you think about Mr. Cap’s personal victory?

Developing pet names for inanimate objects is nothing out of the ordinary, especially when it comes to possessions as prized and powerful as guns. Yet sometimes these nicknames come not from adoration, but from pure disdain or infamy. Here are five historical gun names that are, at times, a hybrid of both good and evil.

1. The Pig

It wasn’t just the M60′s appetite for bullets that contributed to its porker of a moniker. The machine gun’s substantial weight at 23 pounds and unreliability also played a hefty role. The belt-fed machine gun made its debut in 1957 and has been employed by every branch of the U.S. military since. With the ability to shoot up to 1,200 yards, the M60 can be fired accurately at shorter ranges, too, because of its design.

2. Burp Gun

This gaseous nickname for the German MP38 and MP40, according to the Urban Dictionary, comes from its resemblance to a classic gun toy that blasted ping pong balls and was manufactured by Burpco — no joke. Developed in Nazi Germany, the submachine gun was used by paratroopers, platoon and squad leaders along with other troops during World War II. Both weapons were a more simplified version of the MP 36, which was constructed from machined steel.

3. Bloop Tube

We’d be lying if we told you that Bloop Tube was the only nickname for the M79 grenade launcher. It’s also referred to as Thumper, Thump Gun, Blooper and Wombat Gun. We just like Bloop Tube the best because it’s fun to say. Originating in the United States, the M79 struck a chord with American soldiers in the 1960s calling it “the platoon leader’s artillery.” While popular at one time, it was soon replaced by the M203 because of its weight and single-shot ability.

4. Hitler’s Chain Saw

Tacking “Adolf Hitler” to any name gives it an immediate ominous connotation. However, the pairing of it with “chain saw” makes it that much more menacing. It’s probably why the MG 42 was once called the “most terrifying infantry weapons” in Nazi Germany. With the ability to fire 1,200 to 1,500 rounds per minute, it’s no wonder they compare the MG 42′s sounds to the revving of a chain saw.

5. Plumber’s Nightmare

World War II soldiers had a love-hate relationship with the Sten gun, particularly the Mark II variant, because it wasn’t the most reliable gun to carry on the battlefield (jamming, random discharging, etc.). Especially detested by frontline troops, the submachine gun earned a few names: Plumber’s Nightmare, Plumber’s Abortion or Stench Gun. Created in the United Kingdom, Stens were also used in the Vietnam War and Korean War.

(Images via Wikimedia Commons)

iBearArms iPhone Application

With a clever name and a repository of government information about concealed carry laws, iBearArms has its sights set on becoming the mobile resource for gun owners on the go.

Updated last week, iBearArms offers information on state laws for concealed weapons and other helpful tidbits such as forbidden areas, permit costs as well as government maps, phone numbers and a FAQs section.

At a cost of $2.99, the app has been extraordinarily helpful to those whose states are covered, but has garnered some criticism for not covering all 50 states.

“I would easily pay 10 times the asking price if this application included all the states,” Zion8343 wrote on AppStoreHQ.com. “This app has the potential to be the definitive CCW firearms guide — especially since it takes the information directly from the state resources.”

Despite coverage setbacks, iBearArms appears to be gaining a lot of momentum. The application appeared in the top 100 paid apps this week — two months after its release!

The states covered by the app includes:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Florida
• Georgia
• Michigan
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington

(Via ITS Tactcal)

If you’re a gun owner and haven’t received an e-mail forward warning of the horrors of SB-2099, an alleged U.S. Senate bill that would enforce a federal tax on firearms, then you are one of the few.

This mythical bill, which has been dispelled since 2000, claims that:

• Senate Bill SB-2099 will require gun owners to put on the 2009 1040 federal tax form all guns that you have or own.
• It will require fingerprints and a $50 tax per gun.
• The bill will become public knowledge 30 days after it becomes a law.

All of the above is completely and utterly false (well, according to Snopes). But why would this rumor resurface after being disproved nearly a decade ago? According to About.com’s Urban Legends, the 2008 election was the catalyst.

The latest e-mail about the SB-2099 “bill,” is a combination of the 2000 forward and another e-mail about the Blair Holt bill, which is true. The amalgamation of both bills, however, proves false.

The recent forward resurgence caused the NRA to release a statement in August that said the e-mail ruckus had caused them to receive “hundreds of e-mails warning us about SB-2099”

“Like many rumors, there’s just a grain of truth to this one,” the statement said. “Someone’s recycling an old alert, which wasn’t even very accurate when it was new.”

The video opinion commentary below discusses SB-2099, saying that the whole thing is a hoax, and points to potentially more pressing matters for those who own firearms.

This oldie-but-goody video of a DEA agent shooting himself in the foot while lecturing about gun safety is a painful reminder of the importance of a good, secure gun holster.

In the video, you will see that he accidentally pulls the trigger while trying to put his gun back in its holster. From the video: “I’m the only one in the room professional enough that I know of to carry this Glock .40. I’m the only … (shoots himself and pauses) … Is everybody all right?”

Although we’re constantly amazed by his ability to not freak out after being shot, we’re equally amazed by his utter stupidity. Granted accidents do happen, things like this probably shouldn’t in a classroom filled with students learning about gun safety.

In 2006, two years after that nearly fatal mistake, the injured agent in the video, Lee Paige, became internationally infamous and filed a suit against the government over his humiliation. According to The Smoking Gun, Mr. Paige claimed that the DEA was responsible for the video’s distribution that was widely circulated online and on TV, which ultimately led to public shame and kept him from taking part in future undercover operations and motivational lectures.

“And I actually had an accident where I almost hit my femoral artery, and I could have died,” Mr. Paige said in a 2006 CNN interview. “The physician indicated I would have died in 22 seconds had that happened. So, and also, my — my safety and my ability to do my job is compromised.”

Below is an excerpt of Mr. Paige discussing the incident on ABC.