Connect with Local Second Amendment Supporters on the States Forums
GunLink Local Discussion Boards Get a Makeover
The shooting community, and Second Amendment advocates in general, have always been a relatively tight-knit group. It is always refreshing to see the camaraderie between the good, honest people from all walks of life who show up to big events like the NRA Annual Meetings or the biannual machine gun shoots at Knob Creek and Big Sandy or industry events like SHOT Show. That camaraderie is perhaps even more evident on a smaller scale such as on a competition circuit, shooting club, or informal get-together of friends participating in the shooting sports.
In the political realm, the phrase “grassroots” is often bandied about (despite its invasion by “astroturf” movements) because, realistically, concerned individuals working together to effect change is what brings about real legislative changes. This can be seen in gun-rights rallies, letter writing campaigns, and other local pushes to contact representatives to ensure that vox populi is heard. These days, it is easier than ever to connect, thanks to the internet.
The GunLink Forums has had state-by-state forums for a few years now. Those local discussion boards have served a number of purposes including, for several years, acting as an online rallying point for members of a national gun rights organization. During that period, the boards were largely limited to locating members in your area and chit-chat, even that of a local nature, was kept to a minimum.
The states’ forums have recently undergone another facelift with much of the old restrictions now removed. Under the new format, the local boards are open for any kind of discussion you like (within reason and within the general forum rules, of course). Open for discussion are all things relevant to members in your area, including shooting events, news, elections, firearm legislation, meetups, links to your buy/sell/trade listings in the GunLink Marketplace, and just about anything else.
To get started, visit the Get Local forums, or find your state below. Continue reading
SHhhhhhhOT Show 2016 – The Silencers of SHOT Show
The popularity of gun mufflers has exploded over the past few years thanks, in part, to efforts by manufacturer conglomerates, silencer demos and events, social media hash-tags that bring awareness (#SilencersAreLegal, #FightTheNoise), and the relative ease of procuring them – despite the blatantly unconstitutional restrictions placed on them by laws and BATFE rulings. There is even legislative action to make them even easier to procure – requiring only a 4473 instead of the tedious NFA paperwork and wait time (contact your reps!).
As such, it is no surprise that recent years at SHOT Show have seen an increase in suppressors in display, and the 2016 show was no exception. Continue reading
Concealed Carry Purses Provide Off-Body Carry Options
When women shop for accessories, we shop for looks as well as function and fit. A common problem with many IWB and OWB holsters for women is that our tops are typically more form fitting than men’s shirts and women’s jeans tend to ride around the hips rather than the waist. This can make it difficult to effectively conceal a pistol on the waist. A common solution, since many women already carry a purse, is to opt for off-body carry and make the purse their “holster”.
There are a number of companies on the market that make purses designed specifically for concealed carry. Features can include a specific pouch or pocket in the purse (or outside the purse) for carrying the weapon. This pocket can be accessible from inside or outside (sometimes both) the main pocket of a purse. Some companies include locking zippers and some even include a cable-lined strap for reinforcement (and to prevent theft). Continue reading
The New Tactical Optics of SHOT Show 2016
New Optics from Aimpoint, EOTech, and Vortex
There were several new tactical scopes on display at SHOT Show 2016, with three standout companies behind them.
Vortex’s US-made precision, red dot, and prismatic scopes
For precision shooters, Vortex was showing off their Razor HD AMG scopes. The Razor is a US-made first focal plane (FFP) scope that features apochromatic objective lenses, so the colors you see through the scope will remain true and the glass-etched reticle – available in MOA or MRAD versions- will remain in proportion to the target across the entire, substantial 6-24x zoom range. The constant reticle proportions and large, easy-to-use adjustment turrets will make this scope easy to use across a range of changing shooting conditions. All this comes with a price tag of around $3400.
Vortex also had a pair of tactical 1x scopes more suited for CQB, quick shots, and closer target shooting. Up first is the SPARC AR – an unmagnified AR-ready red dot. The new SPARC has a 2 MOA dot with 1 MOA adjustments and rear-facing digital brightness adjustments. It also includes an auto-off feature that shuts the unit down after 12 hours to save your battery – so no having a battle-ready rifle in your safe that is always-on and ready to grab and go. More good news: that battery is a standard AAA battery that is easy to find and easy on the wallet. That battery will net you anywhere between 300 and 5000 hours of run time, depending on which of the 10 brightness levels you choose. Continue reading
Girls with Guns Unveils New Hunting Gear at SHOT
Chances are if you are a female interested in the outdoors, hunting, or shooting, you have heard of Girls With Guns (GWG). GWG started in 2008 with apparel designed to be fashionable while still allowing a young woman to wear camouflage to the store. From humble beginnings in a garage, GWG started out designing and embroidering their own hats and now their items can be found in national chains such as Cabela’s and Dick’s.
Norissa Harman and Jen Adams are two friends who are young, fashionable, and avid hunters. They grew tired of having to wear small men’s, and probably large boy’s, clothing while hunting. When you are out in the field hunting, ill-fitting clothes can cause many problems, such as exposed skin, being noisy, and restricted movement. They eventually expanded their clothing line to include hunting clothes, designed by women for women. Continue reading
2016 SHOT Show Garners Rave Reviews
The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade ShowSM (SHOT Show®) rang up its second highest attendance total ever, attracting more than 64,000 industry professionals during a four-day run. Held at the Sands Expo Center Jan. 19-22, the SHOT Show also attracted a record number of buyers, sending a strong signal about the health of the firearms industry.
“We are ecstatic at the response to this year’s show,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “And we’re optimistic for a year of strong sales, shooter participation, business-to-consumer outreach efforts, safety education and technological innovation.”
This year’s SHOT Show offered several new features that were well-received. These included SHOT Show TV, which aired in more than 70,000 hotel rooms across the city, a new NSSF Members Reception and the SHOT Show NEXT Pavilion.
“It takes an in-depth knowledge of what our industry wants and where it wants to go to pull off a show of this size and have the vast majority of those attending state, unequivocally, that this is the best show they’ve attended in years,” said Dolnack. “That kind of positive response is the result of working hard to add value to the customer experience through new, innovative features.” Continue reading
