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.
While there’s been plenty of firm handshakes, wide smiles and flawless product demos, The SHOT Show hasn’t been going so smoothly for some — namely 21 industry executives who were rounded up by the FBI.
According to Business Week, the feds used the show as an opportunity to pinpoint those allegedly willing to pay illegal kickbacks to an African defense minister. “This is one case where what happens in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas,” Lanny Breuer, Assistant Attorney General, was quoted as saying at a news conference about the case.
On the lighter side, Jim Braaten, an outdoors writer, blogger and photographer, was a Twitter photo rock star yesterday. He snapped pictures of the busy press room and of famed guitarist and gun rights supporter Ted Nugent. “Celebs like Ted Nugent draw booth traffic. The line for Ted’s autograph must be 150′ long. Wowsa!!,” he tweeted as @jim7226, Braaten’s Twitter handle.
Ted Nugent at SHOT Show 2010
And if you’re looking for more pictures, check out a great slideshow on The NRA Blog. Not only does the SHOT Show bring together gun industry bigwigs, but with more than 1,300 registered media, it’s also the largest gathering of the international press who cover the outdoor industry (check out the next video). Media outlets such as PoliceOne.com and the Military Times have had extensive online coverage of the show. Check out PoliceOne.com’s coverage here and Military Times coverage here.
As for the state of the industry, NSSF president Steve Sanetti said its “the strongest” he’s seen it (Isn’t that what industry leaders always say?). Watch his address at Tuesday’s industry dinner.
And now, let’s check out what else has been taking place at the Sands Expo & Convention Center. Outdoor Channel’s Michael Bane took the logical route and did his weekly shooting podcast from show.
Take a look at the laser grips Crimson Trace was showing off at its booth.
More laser talk: Michael Bane chats with Lou Riley about a new series of green laser products from Laser Genetics ND3 series, a product that’s already been labeled a “game-changing technology.”
EOTAC had some new offerings this year as well. Fernado tells us about their lizard-pattern, old-school field jacket.
Outdoor Channel’s catches up with Nick Mundt at the Bushnell booth. He talks about their Bone Collector line of optics, which features a HD flashlight “that is probably the coolest flashlight I’ve ever used.”
Gun Websites gives us a first look at a .22lr rifle, which is said to be styled after the H&K 416.
What would the SHOT Show be without a tip from a pro? Max Michel, Sig Sauer team captain, shows the proper shooting stance.
Find out what TAPCO brought to this year’s show for the AR-15 rifle system.
Watch Mike Kroll of L3-EOTech talk about its line of new sights including SU231, M40GL, EEXP, 512 and G23 Gen II.
Reload in style with the new Dillon Precision’s BFR 50BMG Reloading Machine.
Have an interest in Hydro Weapons? Because that’s what Spencer Ladd of MGI demonstrates in this video.
The SHOT Show even featured a few guns up for auction, including the 10,000,001st Remington 870, up for grabs on gunbroker.com.
You definitely need a place to put all those firearms. Bruce Pendleton, owner of Pendleton Safe, debuts the Pendleton Valuables Management series of gun safes.
And finally, The Outdoor Channel posted this about SHE Outdoor Apparel, specially made gear for wilderness women. “The No. 1 thing that keeps those girls out of the woods is being too cold,” said Pam Zaitz of SHE Outdoor Apparel. “We took care of that last year. But it’s too warm.”
Now onto the tweets, of which there were many. Aside from the general aches and pains that come from endless booth-to-booth walking and unfortunate taxi lines, most attendees only accentuated the positive with their tweets.
@gunnuts_radio: Another day, another load of sweet goodness for gun nuts. #shotshow is jam packed with everything for the hunter and shooter!
@jim7226: Things are hopping on the #SHOTshow floor this morning. Here’s folks checking out the new SigSauer offerings f http://tweetphoto.com/9223613
@BrianJeromeKing: Vegas officials are reporting their PHUN meter is off the charts thanks to @PheasantPhun & @TeamHuntress! #SHOTshow
@ShooterGifts: #ShotShow – Walk it all and get in shape…we’ve been told the show is about 14-18 miles of vendors. Lots to see.
@robertstarling: Minor flooding at most intersections along Rainbow #vegas #shotshow
@thenakedgrape: Food discount tonight for our friends at #shotshow – easy too – just show us your badge. We feature great wines & live… (via @GrapeVegas)
@jim7226: Some #SHOTshow products really make me laugh. At one booth they’re selling survival strobes that would be hardly visible at 30 feet.
@natalietweets: @TXPeddler wow! I haven’t heard any of this. But the show is humongous. You can’t see the forest through the trees here!
@USPALM: Taxi lines. Fail! If you stand in line longer than it takes to walk there, you lose!
@NRAblog: SD Press conference: “South Dakota gets it. we’re not going to regulate the firearms industry out of business.” #SHOTshow
@JCShoe: I wonder how many people will be found still wondering around the endless number of exhibit rooms long after the #shotshow is over?
@JohnBeath: Rain and floods in ‘Vegas today. Raining inside my hotel room. Got some great video interviews at SHOT Show today. www.letstalkoutdoors.net
@techaskew: OMG! I just met LTC James “Maggie” Magellas! We are Free Today because of great men like him! #SOT #shotshow
@nrohrbach: Whoever decided to make the #shotshow shuttle passengers @LuxorLV wait in an uncovered area should be fired. It’s 40 degrees and raining.
@babw: Latest musing: Seen at the 2010 SHOT Show: SHE Outdoor Apparel: While much of the SHOT Show is focused on many tra… http://bit.ly/7t4j7V
We’re back with extended SHOT Show coverage … the kind that makes you feel like you’re actually there — blazing down the bustling show concourse doing meet and greets like a pro and dealing out your business cards like free all-you-can-eat buffet coupons. Er, or something like that.
Day two brought on a barrage of awesome twitpics uploaded to Twitter. Our favorite? Bacon-flavored lip balm (pictured below). According to ShakaTweet, the Shaka Laka lip balm is a limited edition that’s being distributed at the show. So, get bacon lips while you still can!
Martial arts master Steven Seagal made an appearance at the ArmorWorks booth and called the SHOT show “amazing.” “It’s probably the greatest gathering of special technology for police and military that I’ve ever seen in one place,” he said. Watch Mr. Seagal promote the aptly named “Seagal Tactical Gear” line.
Meanwhile Field & Stream, who posted this gem about booth babes last year, is broadcasting live from the show. Here’s yesterday’s footage that features new guns, gear and, um, autographed panties.
Magpul’s truck creation is also turning a lot of heads at the show. “Looks like it’s just like their gear — it’s gonna go anywhere and do anything.”
And now onto the guns… the much-hyped Smith & Wesson’s Bodyguard line.
Outdoor Channel’s Michael Bane chats up Corey Gumbert about Beretta’s new TX4 home security firearm, “a tactical shotgun with a very famous, old name on it.”
Land Warrior also had some new products on display including the new M6 SPR, which we should expect to see out in the middle of 2010.
Watch Bill Wahn from First Light USA demo a pretty sweet tactical and home defense light system.
Oh, and for those who didn’t stop by the 2010 Advanced Armament SHOT Show party at the Voodoo Lounge at Rio, you missed 50 plus Maxim girls dancing like this…
And without further ado, here’s the best of SHOT Show Day Two tweets.
@JCShoe: Day two of #shotshow begins. The rain has stopped. I have fifty booths to hit. It’s going to be a busy day.
@CGPRMarblehead: Day one..of SHOT Show..done..heading into day two..lots of energy..tactical side of the business seems very healthy.. http://bit.ly/7jreoa
@robertstarling: Why is it that the food samples from the freeze dried exhibitors tastes as good or better than the pricey concession food? #shotshow #vegas
@jim7226: 1st floor level at SHOT is very crowded. Has to be a record turnout 4 the show. Somehow I always find myself walking behind S-L-O-W people.
@muelleroutdoors: At the SHOT Show today in Vegas with the crew from IMG. It appears to be much smaller this year. Sign of the times!
@wileyoutdoor: Don’t forget to come by Flextone booth #13305 at the #SHOTshow Be sure and ask about the new turkey calls!
@NRA_Rifleman: #SHOTshow photos, still warm! Lots of great products including the intriguing Taurus TCP. http://j.mp/8FfeGA #guns #firearms
@robertstarling: Local Vegas tip: Don’t blindly drop a quarter in slots. Check the payout scale; identical slots side-by-side pay different. #shotshow #vegas
@robertstarling: Definition of “Tweetpit”… trying to get signal out of the basement exhibit area of the Sands! Argh! #shotshow #vegas
@anwags: Day #2 of #shotshow. The dogs are barking, but have much more comfortable shoes on today to walk around.
@cheaperthandirt: Day 2 of #SHOTshow – the doors are open. Will get some pictures this time – gonna swing by the Bushmaster booth and drool over the ACR.
@TankaBar: Just ran out of business cards at the shot show
@jim7226: One thing about the SHOT Show. If you can dream it there’s probably already someone here selling it. Product options can be mind boggling.
@techaskew: Made some new friends and reconnected with old ones today at #shotshow. Our Troops are amazing and vendors provide them great tools! #SOT
@230grain: http://twitpic.com/z174r Once again Remington focuses their attention on the hunting market with another fudd gun. #SHOTshow #hunting
@getgrip: #Shotshow, day 2 and holding strong. Celebs showin up all over. Very impressive display of new prod. See all tomorrow!
@ptecdive: while I feel gross from #shotshow mayhem, I have tix to see #blueman group, so no need to shower twice
@jim7226: Coolest new gadget I saw at the #SHOTshow today wasn’t even being exhibited at the show. Must do some more research before I announce it.
@robertstarling: Local Vegas tip: Unless you like waiting DO NOT get in the Sands taxi line. Go to front of casino! Trust me! #shotshow #vegas @NRAblog
If you’re not in Las Vegas, then you’re not at the No. 1 industry event of the year: SHOT Show 2010. On our sister blog, we highlighted seven things to check out at the show. Yet following the event’s kickoff, attendees have given us much more to share. They’ve been busy blogging and tweeting about, well, everything — from Asian noodles to tactical scopes. Here’s just an iota of what you’re missing out on.
Meanwhile, we’ve collected an assortment of videos covering yesterday’s SHOT Show madness that have been uploaded in the past 24 hours. The video below comes from the Outdoor Channel featuring Bone Collector co-hosts T-Bone Turner, Nick Mundt and Michael Waddell talking guns … what else?! “It’s an animal,” says Mundt about the gun he’s holding in the video.
Jason from Vectronix introduces us to SORD, or Shooter Objective Ranging Device, which, according to CS Tactical, is already in use by Marines and SEAL Snipers.
Another demo, this one of the Premier V8 1.1-8×24 CQB Tactical Scope…
And yet another demo… check out ArmaLite’s AR15 Cutaway.
Still yearning to be in the center of the action? For the remainder of the week, we’ll highlight the top SHOT Show tweets each day. Here’s our favorites from day one…
@HunTTrader: #SHOT SHOW had 70,000 people there yesterday! @HunTTrader was one of them.
@MichaelBane: #shotshow…day 1…breakfast with my friend Larry Potterfield frm Midway USA…AM Shot Show TV interviews…PM Shooting Gallery!
If you’re thinking about busting out a concealed gun during a Twitter-organized event and not have the world talking about it moments later, think again. That is, unless you’re going to a NRA Tweetup.
At a Saturday snowball fight in Washington D.C., a handful of adults met via Twitter for some midday fun. They pelt an undercover cop’s Hummer with a few powdery white spheres … and bam! He whips out a concealed weapon right out of the holster.
The high-tech crowd immediately snapped photos, shot videos and tweeted all about the subsequent seconds. And because of the excellent footage and social media connection, the story was picked up by The Washington Post, Mashable and many other news outlets.
“This dude has a gun in his hand, he’s driving a Hummer, and people are throwing snowballs at him,” one stunned bystander reports in a video that was picked up by the Associated Press. “That does not seem like a good idea in any way, dude. They are still doing it … we’re about to get shot.”
The cop’s actions have now been publicly criticized by the D.C. police chief, and he has been placed on desk duty until further notice.
Apparently history just isn’t enough for The History Channel anymore. It’s venturing into the reality show world with a bang. Albeit a bit delayed (didn’t this whole “reality” trend start back in early ’00?), Top Shot promises to give gun enthusiasts a 10-episode fill of competition-fueled fun.
So, what will shooters compete for? Well, money, of course. Like every reality show ever, there will be a cash prize — $100,000 to be exact — as well as a chance to break a world record.
From the producers of Dirty Jobs and The Ultimate Fighter, the new show will challenge opponents by having them recreate famous shots like William Tell’s apple-on-head assault or Annie Oakley’s playing card trick.
Due out in 2010, Top Shot has already begun its search for someone with “mind-blowing shooting skills and a big personality.”
If you actually are interested (and have unmatched mad shooting skillz), e-mail TopShotCasting@gmail.com with your name, city/state, phone number, a recent photo of yourself, and a brief explanation of why you should be on the show by is Jan. 18. Or, check out the official casting call page here.
In the meantime, you’d better brush up on legendary marksmen, starting with William Tell.
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?
What’s more, this “hysteria” stems from an e-mail that’s been passed around since 2007. Sigh.
The e-mail, which included a few snapshots of a curious cougar hanging out on a porch, claimed that this big cat was peering into the windows of a nearby home, watching children play and strongly suggested he was surveying the wee ones as potential dinner options.
A recent write up in the Wall Street Journal mentioned this specific e-mail, saying that it was passed along as “proof” that cougars are back in a big way. When comparing various versions of the e-mail, you come to realize that this exact cougar showed up on the same exact porch for the same exact photo shoot in five different states. Exactly. That’s one busy cougar.
According to The Journal, there has been 765 cougar reports in Missouri alone since 2005. But how many of those have actually been verified by Missouri’s Mountain Lion Response Team? Oh, about two.
Apparently cougar-sighting mania has been going strong in Missouri since 2006. That’s when Missouri Conservationist published this in-depth article outlining the mountain lion myth.
“We have had only a handful of confirmed mountain lions in Missouri, despite hundreds and hundreds of reports,” writes Dave Hamilton, a resource scientist at the Missouri Conservation Department. “There have been eight confirmed mountain lions since 1994. One of these was hit by a car near downtown Kansas City in 2002 and another in 2003 near Fulton.”
Despite this low number of actual confirmed cougar sightings in the state, Missouri still employs an eight-person Mountain Lion Response Team, on hand to calm any further hysteria that might arise. So, you can rest easy … until that next forward makes its way into your inbox.
In the meantime, watch this crazy video of a mother cougar protecting her young from a grizzly bear.
While often stereotyped as a man’s hobby, gun enthusiasts of the female variety have been forming gun clubs, and these ladies-only clubs are popping up all over the place in the United States.
Most recently, The Telegraph featured Debbie Ferns, author of Babes with Bullets, Women Having Fun With Guns and gun club organizer, where she discussed this surge of female interest in firearms.
“It started with one camp in 2004 and now we’re planning 15 to 20 camps for 2010,” she told The Telegraph.
According to Ms. Ferns’ Web site, her favorite shooting sport is Tactical 3-Gun, utilizing a rifle, shotgun and handgun.
With the upswing of these women-only gun groups, those who sell gun accessories are catering to the stereotypical feminine need — to possess everything in pink! Watch below as Ms. Ferns explains what attracted her to the sport and why she is getting her girlfriends involved, too.
Founded on the philosophy that “just because I shoot like a man doesn’t mean I have to look like one,” Packing in Pink, a Canadian company specializing in gun products with a girly twist, offers products designed by women only for women.
“Safety is always priority number one, but unlike other manufacturers, sex appeal and comfort are a very close second,” reads the company’s Web site. “Because of our devotion to women, PIP will make a donation to breast cancer research with every purchase.”
Two of the products featured on the site include blush-colored ear muffs ($34.99) and glasses ($19.99).
It’s something we unfortunately see all too often: A police officer just doing his job, protecting the community, and a criminal goes after his weapon, attempting to disarm him.
That was the case most recently in Ontario, Canada. An emotionally disturbed man went after an officer’s holster, and actually managed to tear it away from him, The Hamilton Spectator reported last week.
Fortunately the gun was locked safely inside a holster. The man was unable release it from the holster because of three safety clips, therefore not allowing him to shoot anyone.
According to the paper, the officers were equipped with Level Three Safariland holsters and have been for nearly two decades. However, it was the first time these holsters were put to a real-world test.
Read the full story here, and watch a review of the Safariland ALS holster below.
Students can now carry empty gun holsters on a Texas college campus following a three-year battle that ended last week.
Apparently history just isn’t enough for The History Channel anymore. It’s venturing into the reality show world with a bang. Albeit a bit delayed (didn’t this whole “reality” trend start back in early ’00?), Top Shot promises to give gun enthusiasts a 10-episode fill of competition-fueled fun.
While often stereotyped as a man’s hobby, gun enthusiasts of the female variety have been forming gun clubs, and these ladies-only clubs are popping up all over the place in the United States.