ATF Releases US Firearms Trace Data for 2013
Following the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently released 2013 international firearms trace data, the ATF last week released aggregated firearms trace data for all US states and territories for calendar year 2013. Firearm traces provide critical investigative leads to law enforcement and can link a suspect to a firearm in a criminal investigation, identify potential traffickers, and detect local, interstate and international patterns in the sources and types of crime guns. Traces provide information on the movement of a crime gun from the manufacturer or importer through distributors and ultimately to the retail point of sale and purchaser.
The 2013 report includes a state-by-state breakdown of types and calibers of firearms recovered and traced, source states, criminal offenses associated with the crime guns, time-to-crime, and age ranges of crime gun possessors at the time of recovery. Key findings of this year’s report include pistols as the most common firearm type recovered and traced, 9 mm as the top caliber recovered and traced, and 11.08 years as the average time-to-crime for crime guns recovered and traced in the U.S. and its territories. Continue reading
NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits Heading to Indianapolis for 2014
The busy spring season for firearms and outdoor shows is wrapping up later this month as the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits speed into the home of the Indy 500. The annual event, which moves around the nation each year, will be held at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis from Friday April 25 through Sunday the 27th.
Attendance is free for NRA members and online registration is available now. If you are not already an NRA member, you can join online now and save $10 on your membership dues.
NRAAM hosts over 600 exhibitors that cover more than 400,000 square feet of exhibit hall space, this show is sure to have something for everyone. Unlike SHOT Show earlier in the year, which is an industry-only event, NRAAM is open to the public, who spend the show’s three days visiting every major firearm and firearm accessory manufacturer in the country, seeing beautiful collections of priceless firearms and more. The GunLink crew will be there to capture the action and bring you coverage of the latest guns, gear and more.
The event isn’t just about the exhibits, either! There are dinners and benefit auctions, leadership forums and entertainment including the NRA Country Jam and a special appearances by Alabama, Sara Evans and Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North at the Stand & Fight Rally. Continue reading
Buy, Sell and Trade on the GunLink Marketplace
It is no secret that many companies are anti-gun. There are stories about PayPal freezing accounts used to purchase firearms accessories. eBay seems to selectively police what is and is not allowed for sale on their website on a whim. Amazon recently announced changes that will allow fewer types of firearms accessories to be listed for sale. Facebook disallows firearms related advertising and, along with Instagram, is cracking down on private sales of firearms. If you have ever tried to post wanted or for sale ads for firearms or accessories on Craig’s List, you know that they are almost immediately flagged and deleted.
Putting aside the politics and the theory that this is just more propaganda to demonize anything related to firearms, it makes it difficult to complete legitimate, individual, private sales of firearms and accessories. Let’s say you have a box of holsters you don’t use or a firearm you no longer shoot or magazines for a rifle you no longer own. How can you sell your items if you can not list them on eBay or Amazon to get widespread exposure or even Facebook or Craig’s List for the local crowd? This is a familiar, frustrating experience for many people in the market to buy or sell firearms and firearms related accessories.
All hope is not lost, however. The recently-opened GunLink Marketplace is a section of the online GunLink Forums with sections to post for sale, wanted and wanted to trade ads for legal transactions between private individuals. Forum members are able to post their buy/sell/trade announcements in the forums, communicate with the other parties to the transaction, view and leave feedback and more.
As a bonus, since the GunLink Marketplace is brand new, to get things started we are even offering an opportunity to win some prizes just for posting your ad. For a limited time, when you post a buy/sell/trade ad in the GunLink Marketplace, you will be entered for a chance to win some great prizes like firearm-related stickers and patches, knives, flash drives, paracord gear and more.
Kel-Tec Adds New Bullpups to Kennel with RDB and M43
SHOT Show 2014 saw Kel-Tec add two new bullpups to their lineup that already includes the KSG shotgun and RFB in 7.62 NATO. Their latest offerings, the RDB and M43, bring the 5.56 caliber into the mix with standard AR-15 magazine compatibility. Built around the same steel frame and downward-ejecting, rotating bolt, piston operated bullpup action, the two are essentially the same firearm – albeit dressed in radically different furniture.
The RDB (for Rifle, Downward-ejecting, Bullpup) looks like something you would expect to come out of the Kel-Tec labs, wit its polymer furniture and familiar styling. This is the tactical model, featuring a picatinny rail for mounting your favorite optics and/or irons. The lightweight tactical RDB, with its aluminum and polymer parts, tips the scales at just 7 pounds.
The sheet metal and wood of the M43 adds a Continue reading
Meet the New Glock Pistols
At SHOT Show 2014 Glock showcased two new pistols, their smallest model made to date alongside one of the largest: the G42 .380 and the G41 Gen 4 .45ACP. We got to handle and shoot both new buzzworthy pistols at Media Day at the Range in nearby Boulder City the day before the official show opening.
The G41, which Glock is touting as “practical/tactical,” is essentially a G21 but, instead of a 4.6″ barrel and 6.77″ sight radius, it gets stretched out with a 5.31″ barrel and 7.56″ sight radius while still managing to shave off 2.3oz. While certainly not helping improve concealability, the longer sight radius should help improve accuracy – a welcome trait whether your life is on the line or you’re just trying to win a match. The extra barrel and slide length make the G41 feel more balanced than a G21 and also improve the already more-than-managable felt recoil and muzzle rise from the hefty .45, making it easier to get back on target for follow-on shots. Continue reading
BATFE Tests of 3D Printed Firearms
There has been buzz among the firearms community for some time now regarding 3D printing, rapid prototyping technology and how it can be used to produce firearms. Much of the fervor was stemmed by the Wiki-Weapon project.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) led a multi-agency working group testing the use of 3-D printing technology in the making of firearms. The test, focusing on the Liberator design, resulted in several videos which were posted to the ATFHQ YouTube Channel.
The Bureau tested the Liberator produced with ABS material with what appears to be successful results: Continue reading
