Remember (the Guns of ) The Alamo
Today marks the anniversary of the start of The Battle of the Alamo – General Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón’s (a.k.a, for obvious reasons, Santa Anna) assault on the Alamo Mission. On February 23, 1836, Santa Anna led approximately 1,500 troops – under a red “no quarter” flag – into San Antonio de Béxar as a step toward putting down the Texas Revolution. Although William B. Travis – who had been stationed at the Alamo Mission for only 20 days – had been writing letters pleading for reinforcements, few arrived to supplement the approximately 100 men garrisoned at the Alamo, the 30 men that James Bowie brought and the 18 regulars who came with Travis weeks earlier.
Over the course of the following ten days, as several skirmishes unfolded, Santa Anna’s forces were reinforced to several thousand men while Texian fighting forces numbered only a couple of hundred. Despite the extremely lopsided numbers, the Texians fought bravely until their eventual defeat. According to some sources, Mexican casualties numbered 400-600 – nearly a third of their forces involved in the final assault on the Alamo while the number of Texians killed is believed to be between 182 and 257, as Santa Anna purportedly killed survivors of the battle, including any who may have surrendered. Santa Anna’s viciousness inspired many Texians to join the Texian Army. Under cries of “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad,” the Texian Army defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto on April 21, bringing an end to the Texas Revolution. The rest, as they say, is history. This, however, is not a history website – it is a gun website, so let’s take a look at some of the arms thought to have been used during the Battle of the Alamo. Continue reading
Pro-Defense Tactical Fast Pull Pro Review
Optics blocking the controls on a firearm isn’t a new problem. Shooters who have spent time behind a scoped lever- or break-action rifle are probably familiar with hammer extensions that let them manipulate the hammer when it is blocked by the scope. As the popularity of flattop AR-platform rifles has grown over the past decade or so, allowing optics and accessories to be mounted, this problem has manifested there as well.
A good, by-the-book overhand grip on the charging handle can easily be impeded by rail-mounted optics. Getting an index finger on the latch and pulling from one side might work if you can get to it, but it can also apply undue lateral stress on a stock charging handle designed for the overhand grip. If you are using your scoped AR for hunting in cooler weather, wearing gloves can add additional complications into the mix.
There are charging handles with extended latches, but they are often quite expensive and are overbuilt to solve problems that many users just don’t need to solve. That is why the Tactical Fast Pull from Pro-Defense caught our eye at SHOT Show 2015. The company founder was at the booth to show us the Tactical Fast Pull (shown above) and Tactical Fast Pull Pro. Following the show, he sent us the Pro kit to try it out for ourselves. Continue reading
Armed Citizen: Passerby halts purse-snatching
A mother was in the parking lot of a Family Dollar store in Houston, Texas when a pair of purse snatchers grabbed her bag and dragged the woman, who was still holding the purse, into the middle of the parking lot. A man in the parking lot witnessed the attack, retrieved a handgun, and confronted the criminals, forcing them out of the car and onto the ground. The armed passerby then held the pair at gunpoint until police arrived.
Following the incident, a local media outlet interviewed the manager of the Family Dollar store, who said of the armed citizen, “The guy is something else… He’s a hero.” (KHOU, Houston, Texas 04/28/14)
See more stories of how responsible owners have used their firearms to protect themselves at NRA-ILA Armed Citizen.
Armed Citizen: Neighbor fells vicious dog
After a woman arrived home with her pet pit bull in Exeter Township, Pa., she was attacked by the dog as she tried to remove it from her car. The woman’s partner came to her aid, but was also attacked by the dog. One neighbor described the scene to a local news outlet by stating, “The dog would not let [him] go.”
Other neighbors came to help the couple. When the dog failed to stop after one neighbor hit it with a metal bar, another neighbor shot the dog, ending the attack. The wounded couple was taken to a local hospital. (WFMZ, Allentown, Pa. 05/01/14)
See more stories of how responsible owners have used their firearms to protect themselves at NRA-ILA Armed Citizen.
NRA-ILA: BATFE To Ban Common AR-15 Ammo
M855 ‘Armor Piercing’ Classification Could Drastically Impact Ammunition Availability
In a move clearly intended by the Obama Administration to suppress the acquisition, ownership and use of AR-15s and other .223 caliber general purpose rifles, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives unexpectedly announced today that it intends to ban commonplace M855 ball ammunition as “armor piercing ammunition.” The decision continues Obama’s use of his executive authority to impose gun control restrictions and bypass Congress.
It isn’t even the third week of February, and the BATFE has already taken three major executive actions on gun control. First, it was a major change to what activities constitute regulated “manufacturing” of firearms. Next, BATFE reversed a less than year old position on firing a shouldered “pistol.” Now, BATFE has released a“Framework for Determining Whether Certain Projectiles are ‘Primarily Intended for Sporting Purposes’ Within the Meaning of 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(17)(c)”, which would eliminate M855’s exemption to the armor piercing ammunition prohibition and make future exemptions nearly impossible.
By way of background, federal law imposed in 1986 prohibits the manufacture, importation, and sale by licensed manufacturers or importers, but not possession, of “a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely . . . from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium.” Because there are handguns capable of firing M855, it “may be used in a handgun.” It does not, however, have a core made of the metals listed in the law; rather, it has a traditional lead core with a steel tip, and therefore should never have been considered “armor piercing.” Nonetheless, BATFE previously declared M855 to be “armor piercing ammunition,” but granted it an exemption as a projectile “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes.”
Now, however, BATFE says that it will henceforth grant the “sporting purposes” exception to only two categories of projectiles: Continue reading
Armed Citizen: Store owner fells armed criminal, robber’s accomplice charged with murder
Three armed men entered Duece’s Smoke Shop in Pharr, Texas and attempted to rob the store. An owner responded to the threat by retrieving a gun and firing at the criminals, striking and killing one, and causing the others to flee.
Police captured one of the suspects shortly after the shooting and have charged him with murder in the death of his accomplice. Pharr Police chief Ruben Villescas told local media that he does not expect the store owner to be charged. (The Monitor, McAllen, Texas 05/02/14)
See more stories of how responsible owners have used their firearms to protect themselves at NRA-ILA Armed Citizen.
