This week's Supreme Court ruling striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act will also aid gun owners.
The next step hurtle for gay marriage proponents is that gay couples legally married in one state aren't recognized in another state. What's expected to happen is that this will be challenged under the Fair Faith and Credit Clause. This is the same clause that allows a drivers license from one state to be valid in every state. If we carry this logic through, even if a state doesn't itself legalize gay marriage, it has to recognize the marriage from another, then gun owners will be able to challenge the lack of reciprocity of concealed carry licenses between states.
Showing posts with label guns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guns. Show all posts
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Monday, August 16, 2010
a better ending to the weekend
Sunday was much better. Got out early to shoot the Glock Sport Shooting Association local match. I've never bought a Glock, so I borrowed a friend's Gen1 Glock 17 (9mm). It's a match designed for non shooters. The match is designed where accuracy is more important than speed, but I can't shoot that way well. I came in 50th out of 92. The friend I went with came in 24th, and shot twice as well as I did.
Sunday Evening went to a customers house and watched Summerslam. A great pay-per-view. A number of surprises, good matches.
These made up for the Mini disappointment.
Sunday Evening went to a customers house and watched Summerslam. A great pay-per-view. A number of surprises, good matches.
These made up for the Mini disappointment.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Upcoming NoCo events
Gnarly Barley Brew Fest is coming up on Aug 7th.
Also, the weekend after that (Aug 14-15) there are two events:
1- Glock shoot at Weld County.
2- Mini Takes the States is at Infinity Park in Glendale on SAT, with events test drives and other stuff. I've signed up for a free test drive/ autocross of the new AWD Countryman (I think) on sat morning.
Also, the weekend after that (Aug 14-15) there are two events:
1- Glock shoot at Weld County.
2- Mini Takes the States is at Infinity Park in Glendale on SAT, with events test drives and other stuff. I've signed up for a free test drive/ autocross of the new AWD Countryman (I think) on sat morning.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Concealed Carry Class and Guns
I took a concealed carry pistol class this week. There are a lot of contradictions, some may say choices, in choosing a concealed carry pistol, and what to take to the class. We all know small, light pistols conceal better, and carry easier due to the size and weight. However, those two features are a disadvantage when you have to shoot that pistol. Small pistols are less reliable and less dependable. That is, they malfunction more often, and their service life is shorter. They're also harder to shoot well, and hold less ammo. So, the best gun to carry isn't the best gun to shoot. The same relationship extends to caliber. In addition, the smaller the caliber, the smaller the gun needs to be to handle the power of the load. I have a .380acp pistol that weighs 8oz. I've seen very few .45acp pistols less than 20oz (the Kahr .45 is 17.3oz.)
I took my alloy 1911 sub-compact that is 24oz. I planned to make it my carry gun, as I don't expect to shoot it a lot, but I wanted to have a .45 if I needed to shoot. In the course we had a steel target with upper and lower plates that swung when shot (think of plates at either end of a letter 'S', so it looked like this --S--. Hitting the plates at the right time, with enough shots, would cause them to spin around the post. It was a lot easier for the .45 shooters to swing the plates than the .40 or 9mm shooters, but they had more shots in each magazine to succeed. I was able to spin it using a 6 round magazine (on my second mag). Still, my mousegun is a handful, with considerable recoil, and I lack in accuracy when shooting it. After trying the method taught, I encountered a problem with my gun where the trigger would lock up. Racking the slide would fix the problem, and shooting it the way I'm used to 'prevents' the problem (at least I never had the problem until then). The instructors and I decided I should switch to my second gun, a full sized 40oz 1911, also in .45acp. This gun shot great, accurately, and has two more shots, but it's HEAVY, and caused discomfort on my waist as the day wore on.
Quick aside. We were told to bring a jacket, so we could conceal and practice drawing our guns. I bought a used Sport Coat, but everyone in the class had a vest or winter jacket. Luckily, I also had an old winter jacket that I used day one, and a fleece vest for day 2.
The course was 2 days, with half of the first day being classroom, and the rest being at the range. The classroom time was about everything, except what we were going to be doing later. It covered philosophy, methods, law, equipment selection, student and instructor introductions and some other stuff. I felt like the Mall Ninja of the class- having the gear, but not the training or expertise. As it turns out, I may have been able to shoot better than a couple of guys in the class, but it was probably luck (I know I'm a D shooter in USPSA).
I took my alloy 1911 sub-compact that is 24oz. I planned to make it my carry gun, as I don't expect to shoot it a lot, but I wanted to have a .45 if I needed to shoot. In the course we had a steel target with upper and lower plates that swung when shot (think of plates at either end of a letter 'S', so it looked like this --S--. Hitting the plates at the right time, with enough shots, would cause them to spin around the post. It was a lot easier for the .45 shooters to swing the plates than the .40 or 9mm shooters, but they had more shots in each magazine to succeed. I was able to spin it using a 6 round magazine (on my second mag). Still, my mousegun is a handful, with considerable recoil, and I lack in accuracy when shooting it. After trying the method taught, I encountered a problem with my gun where the trigger would lock up. Racking the slide would fix the problem, and shooting it the way I'm used to 'prevents' the problem (at least I never had the problem until then). The instructors and I decided I should switch to my second gun, a full sized 40oz 1911, also in .45acp. This gun shot great, accurately, and has two more shots, but it's HEAVY, and caused discomfort on my waist as the day wore on.
Quick aside. We were told to bring a jacket, so we could conceal and practice drawing our guns. I bought a used Sport Coat, but everyone in the class had a vest or winter jacket. Luckily, I also had an old winter jacket that I used day one, and a fleece vest for day 2.
The course was 2 days, with half of the first day being classroom, and the rest being at the range. The classroom time was about everything, except what we were going to be doing later. It covered philosophy, methods, law, equipment selection, student and instructor introductions and some other stuff. I felt like the Mall Ninja of the class- having the gear, but not the training or expertise. As it turns out, I may have been able to shoot better than a couple of guys in the class, but it was probably luck (I know I'm a D shooter in USPSA).
Monday, October 30, 2006
Guns and Games: supply problems
This week the World of Warcraft Collectible card game came out. Stores and distributors under ordered as the customers for this product are new, coming from the PC game, so the store owners (and distributors) had no way to gauge interest. Looks like the restock/reprint will be in Jan '07.
The FN FS2000, a Bullpup .223 rifle is out, but not available everywhere. I see it on gunsamerica, but the gun store I've ordered it from has no idea when they'll get it. I'm willing to wait, as I get a good price from them.
Two hot products, two supply problems. This results in hype for the product, inflated prices, and a possible overreaction in ordering leading to a glut of dead product. Oh, and a lot of annoyed stores and customers who want the product.
In the 3 tier model (manufacturer, distributor, retailer) the question is where the burden of risk should be. Manufacturers presell most new products to distributors. They may make extra, usually to take advantage of economies of scale (it's less expensive to make one run of 5000 than two runs of 2500). They've taken the risk of time and money creating the product, and if they make extra, they risk not selling it.
Distributors get preorders from retailers and may order extra as many stores don't preorder product. They also order extra as they want to be able to provide product after a maker is sold out. They risk this extra product not selling, and retailers not honoring their preorders. Distributors are like superstores as they carry a lot of product, very deep. Think of a distributor as like Sams Club, but with better selection.
Retails are the contact with the end consumer. They preorder based on gut instinct as few customers preorder. They want to carry product, but don't want to carry deeply, expecting to reorder weekly from the distributor if it sells. They want a wide selection, or at least the appearance of having a wide selection. There's a business axiom "You get 80% of your sales from 20% of your inventory". I may carry the whole Glock line, but sell few Glock 32 compared to the 17. New products sell better than old product. New products that don't sell well are dropped from any of the three tiers, good selling product stay in production and become evergreen.
The bottom line of risk IS the Bottom Line. In return for their respective risk, how much money are they making? Supermarkets make little on each item but sell many items often. Car dealers are the other end: they sell little, but make a lot on each. They both make a lot of money doing this. If you don't believe this, look at advertising. It's expensive. Who's doing a lot of it? Non-Electronic Games and guns are both industries where the retailers aren't chains. I'm not sure exactly what this means, but I assume if there was good money to be made a chain would exist to maximize it.
The FN FS2000, a Bullpup .223 rifle is out, but not available everywhere. I see it on gunsamerica, but the gun store I've ordered it from has no idea when they'll get it. I'm willing to wait, as I get a good price from them.
Two hot products, two supply problems. This results in hype for the product, inflated prices, and a possible overreaction in ordering leading to a glut of dead product. Oh, and a lot of annoyed stores and customers who want the product.
In the 3 tier model (manufacturer, distributor, retailer) the question is where the burden of risk should be. Manufacturers presell most new products to distributors. They may make extra, usually to take advantage of economies of scale (it's less expensive to make one run of 5000 than two runs of 2500). They've taken the risk of time and money creating the product, and if they make extra, they risk not selling it.
Distributors get preorders from retailers and may order extra as many stores don't preorder product. They also order extra as they want to be able to provide product after a maker is sold out. They risk this extra product not selling, and retailers not honoring their preorders. Distributors are like superstores as they carry a lot of product, very deep. Think of a distributor as like Sams Club, but with better selection.
Retails are the contact with the end consumer. They preorder based on gut instinct as few customers preorder. They want to carry product, but don't want to carry deeply, expecting to reorder weekly from the distributor if it sells. They want a wide selection, or at least the appearance of having a wide selection. There's a business axiom "You get 80% of your sales from 20% of your inventory". I may carry the whole Glock line, but sell few Glock 32 compared to the 17. New products sell better than old product. New products that don't sell well are dropped from any of the three tiers, good selling product stay in production and become evergreen.
The bottom line of risk IS the Bottom Line. In return for their respective risk, how much money are they making? Supermarkets make little on each item but sell many items often. Car dealers are the other end: they sell little, but make a lot on each. They both make a lot of money doing this. If you don't believe this, look at advertising. It's expensive. Who's doing a lot of it? Non-Electronic Games and guns are both industries where the retailers aren't chains. I'm not sure exactly what this means, but I assume if there was good money to be made a chain would exist to maximize it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)