Meet Yuri Sivitski – The Soviet-Born Shooting Enthusiast with Muscular Dystrophy
How One Disabled USSR-Born Shooting Enthusiast is Chasing the American Dream
If you are surfing GunLink, then chances are good that you are a shooting enthusiast or, at least, have some interest in self defense, hunting, plinking, or other shooting sports. For many of us, picking up a firearm and hitting the range is a perfect way to spend a weekend. For others, however, as enjoyable as it sounds, that is not a possibility. Such is the case for Yuri Sivitski.
We recently made the online acquaintance of Yuri through Twitter. Yuri was born and grew up in the Soviet Union – in the Belorussian Soviet Socialistic Republic, now known as the Republic of Belarus. There, he was diagnosed at a very young age with muscular dystrophy – a disease without specific treatment or cure that weakens the musculoskeletal system and hampers movement. You can see how this would be problematic for someone interested in the shooting sports. Yuri has shared more of his story here on the GunLink Forums, where he has opened himself for an Ask Me Anything (within reason) Q&A session.
Yuri notes the irony of being a 46 year old man who is still working with “the rest of the same muscles I was born with” – which continue to deteriorate. Although he has never been able to walk, and could never lift objects weighing much more than one pound, he has a great interest in firearms and the shooting sports.
I cannot remember, how it started, but everything about firearms has always been one of top interest in my life. As you can imagine, in the Soviet Union access to guns for citizens was, let’s put it softly, restricted.
Given the nature of the Soviets’ harsh restrictions on firearm ownership by the general public and Mr. Sivitski’s condition, he did not have much opportunity to enjoy the shooting sports that he dreamed of, or even to go to a library to learn more about the subject that he loved. For years, a meager selection of a few books and magazines were his only source of information on the topic, so he read and re-read them over and over. And then… the internet came. With this nearly limitless supply of information and knowledge now available to him via the internet through the use of assistive technologies, Yuri described himself as a “dimensionless sponge” to soak up information. He was finally able to pursue knowledge about his passion, even if he was not able to put it into practice on the firing line. Continue reading
2016 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits Gallery
The 2016 iteration of the National Rifle Association Annual Meetings and Exhibits (NRAAM) has drawn to a close and it was a resounding success.
With just over 80,000 in attendance over the three-day span, this year’s event was the second biggest in the show’s 145-year history, creating what the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates to be a $53 million economic impact for the city.
The GunLink team was there from the pre-show events to the closing bell on the last day (serenaded out by Mark Wills at the FN booth). We got to catch up with some old friends, speak with exhibitors and attendees, spend money on show specials, and snap photos. In case you were not able to make it to Louisville, here is some of what you missed…
ASA Hosts 3rd Annual Media Day Ahead of NRA Show
NRAAM Starts Off With a pffffttt.
The American Suppressor Association (ASA) hosted their third annual media day in tandem with the NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits in Louisville, Kentucky, today – one day ahead of the exhibit floor opening to attendees – and the GunLink team was there to take part in the invitation-only event. The Media Day event, held at Knob Creek Gun Range, was an excellent opportunity to get hands on experience with some of the newest gun mufflers on the market. Now is a great time to buy and own NFA items like suppressors, despite some of the new hurdles placed in front of some owners by the 41F ruling.
The ASA touts itself as the unified voice of the suppressor industry with a mission “to unite and advocate for the common interests of suppressor manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and consumers” by lobbying at the state and federal levels, educating the public, and providing industry research. ASA’s main objectives include raising public awareness, relaxing ownership laws in the 9 remaining states which do not allow private ownership, relaxing hunting regulations that prohibit the use of such hearing protection equipment, and fixing issues with the NFA – including the bottlenecks that result in lengthy wait times.
Among the industry participants at the event – which featured live fire demos – were Advanced Armament Corp. (Booth 3947), Daniel Defense (2401), Gemtec (2819), Liberty (4561), Sig Sauer (5333), SilencerCo (2430) and sister company SWR, Silencer Shop (5835), Thunder Beast Arms (2941, and Yankee Hill Machine (5940).
While here, we got to see and shoot some of the new silencers that we saw at SHOT Show in January – as well as some that we somehow missed – and some even newer cans and guns. Continue reading
Brownells New Product Week in Review :: May 13, 2016
Learn about the hottest new Brownells products from the best brands from Merchandise Manager Paul Levy.
- Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 2 – High-powered weaponlight comes with Picatinny rail mount, push-button tail switch, remote pressure switch and mounting hardware. Runs on two CR123A lithium batteries, included. Beam can be switched from a blinding 625 lumens down to only 60 lumens for maximum runtime. User can choose between momentary- and constant-on modes. Also has a strobe function that can disorient a threat.
- Magpul QD Paraclip Adapter – Steel adapter fits into QD swivel sockets and allows use of slings with Paraclips and other clip-in-style attachments. Eliminates need to buy a whole new sling. Tough Melonite coating resists wear and corrosion.
- TangoDown Vickers Tactical Magazine Extension For Glock 43 – Durable polymer magazine extension replaces factory Glock 43 magazine floorplate and adds 2 rounds capacity. Extension has outer covering specially shaped to enhance the firing grip. Comes with proper-length stainless steel spring for reliable feeding.
- Hornady Rapid Rack – Empty-chamber indicator also works as a load-assist device to allow storage of a firearm with an empty chamber, but a full magazine. Cartridge-shaped portion of the Rapid Rack inserts into an empty chamber, while red handle portion sticks out, indicating unloaded and safe. Firearm can be instantly loaded by grasping the handle and pulling sharply to the rear. Rapid Rack will fall out and next live round in the magazine will be charged. Available for AR-15, AR-Style .308 firearms, and certain 12 gauge shotguns.
George Zimmerman Auctioning Pistol Used in Self Defense Shooting
Update – Auction Terminated Before it Even Started
The February 26, 2012 self-defense shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman seems so long ago now. The case divided much of the nation, stirred up protests – some violent, and had many CCW-ers putting themselves in Zimmerman’s position: what if I had to defend myself with lethal force? An unpleasant enough prospect, even without having your name publicly dragged through the mud in nationwide news coverage that resulted in receiving numerous death threats.
Since the trial, Zimmerman has been periodically popping up in news feeds for various shenanigans, including being arrested for allegations of aggravated assault and domestic violence (twice), being shot at in an apparent road rage incident, getting caught speeding, and ruffling feathers on social media with a number of controversial posts, mainly on his now-banned Twitter account. Now, in his latest bid (no pun intended) for the limelight – and some extra walking-around money – Zimmerman is auctioning off the KelTec PF-9 pistol that was used in the self defense shooting.
The auction, which runs on Gun Broker (auction #558112068), begins today at 11AM with a starting bid of $5,000. Clearly never one to avoid getting in a few jabs, the auction listing has the following description: Continue reading
Gang Members Who Shot Up Mother’s Day Parade Get Life
ATF Success Story: Brothers Sentenced Three Years After 2013 Parade Violence
Shootings, drugs, gang violence. It’s in the news a lot these days…most every day, in some fashion. What isn’t seen every day, what doesn’t usually make breaking news is when justice is delivered and the shooters are taken off the streets.
Three years ago, on a sunny afternoon in New Orleans, a Mother’s Day celebration turned violent when shots rang out leaving 20 people injured. A parade was underway in the 7th Ward in New Orleans. The gun play? It was all about control over turf, drugs, and the Frenchmen/Derbigny, also known as the FnD gang.
Last month, Travis Scott, aka “Trap,” aka “Slim,” Shawn Scott, aka “Shizzle,” Stanley Scott, aka “Stizzle,” and Akein Scott, aka “Keemy,” were sentenced in United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana for charges related to racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy, firearms conspiracy, and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Scott brothers had previously pleaded guilty to these charges.
According to court documents, the FnD gang was an enterprise engaged in racketeering under federal law. The Scott brothers, as members of this gang, conspired to commit numerous overt acts in furtherance of the gang’s activities. Gang members sold illegal drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine, and they committed acts of violence, including shootings. FnD members often sold drugs in the Frenchmen Meat Market, a convenience store located at the corner of Frenchmen and North Derbigny Streets. FnD members used intimidation, violence, and threats of violence to maintain the gang’s control over turf that extended from Elysian Fields Avenue, North Johnson Street, the I-10 Interstate Highway, St. Anthony Street, and North Claiborne Avenue. Continue reading
