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Tag: Firearms
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John Garand: The Forgotten History of the Man Who Invented the Iconic M1 Garand Rifle
“In my opinion, the M1 rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised.” — General George S. Patton
Today is John Garand’s Birthday! Any gun nut – er, “firearms enthusiast” – worth their salt has heard of the M1 Garand (it rhymes with “errand,” by the way). This .30-06 semi-automatic rifle is one of the most iconic American firearms of all time, and was the standard-issue weapon for American infantry troops during World War II and the Korean War. Drill teams and honor guards continue to use this in the present day, such is its role as a symbol of the American military.
Fewer, however, know about the life story of the man behind the weapon – John Garand, a Canadian-American engineer and weapons designer. Born one of a whopping 12 children on a Quebec farm, Garand’s father relocated the entire family to Connecticut following the untimely death of the clan’s mother in 1899. All six boys in the family had the official first name St. Jean le Baptiste, however, John Garand was the only one of them who used “Jean” as his first name. The other five used their middle names.
Operation Fast and Furious: The Forgotten History of the ATF’s Notorious Gunwalking Scandal
The ATF isn’t all bad. In fact, they had a policy of letting illegal gun purchases go between 2006 and 2011. It ended up getting US Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry killed on December 14, 2010, and let Mexican criminals get enough guns that they were found at over 150 crime scenes where Mexican citizens were either killed or maimed. And some of the guns were used in the November 2015 terrorist attack in Paris at the Bataclan. But other than that, it turned out just fine.
(In case you’re not picking up on it, we’re laying on the sarcasm very thick right now.)
You probably know what was officially called “Project Gunrunner” as “Operation Fast and Furious.” Started under George W. Bush, this ATF policy audaciously grew under President Obama and became indicative of the perceived attack on American gun owners by both policymakers and their friends in the establishment media.
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Banding Together, As Brothers
Americans are constantly bombarded by the statistics “gun violence” here in our country, but what’s missing from the conversation is what those numbers really represent. The vast majority of deaths involving guns aren’t due to violent crime or school shootings or accidental discharges, the problem is suicide, and it’s a very big problem indeed.
Since 2008, the rate of gun suicides has risen 22 percent and is driving the increase in gun-related deaths. (Suicides make up almost two-thirds of all gun-related deaths.) Among children and teens in particular, the gun-suicide rate is up more than 76 percent. Although only a small percentage of suicide attempts are made with a firearm, more than half of all suicide deaths are carried out with one. The primary victims are older white men.
Something Isn’t Working as It Should
In a few short months, gun owners have gone from counting votes in the Senate to get CCW reciprocity passed nationwide to fighting for our Second Amendment lives.
Gun owners are in a culture war and we’re losing. The forces of civilian disarmament are using the techniques of the anti-smoking movement against the private ownership of guns and they’ve had more success curbing civilian gun ownership with this tactic than they’ve had fighting a political war over the previous 10 years.
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Gun Rights Policy Conference Live Feed, Day One
I’m in Tampa, Florida this weekend for the 31st Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference, put on by The Second Amendment Foundation. Gov. Rick Scott is scheduled to kick things off at 8:15 am or so, and then there will be speeches and seminars by notable figures in the Second Amendment movement such as Alan Gottlieb, Alan Gura, and John Lott.
This year looks to be especially interesting, as Florida Open Carry, the NRA and others are on verge of enacting some new gun laws that are being blocked in the Florida Legislature, (by a “Republican”, no less). And having an conference like this in Florida, where the revolution in concealed carry began over 20 years ago, will help advance the cause of freedom and get our laws on-par with other, more gun-friendly states.
Group Therapy
All across America, interest in the shooting sports is booming. Gun sales set new records month after month, and target-shooting is one of the biggest reasons why people are buying guns, along with competition and self-defense. Safely shooting guns is a very enjoyable activity, which is one big advantage we gun owners have over those who seek to take away our guns. After all, have you ever seen anyone smiling at an “Everytown for Gun Safety” meeting?
Me neither.
Going to the range is fun, but going to the range and doing well is even more fun. It’s like golf: When you play a round of golf, at the very least, you’re spending a pleasant afternoon outside with your friends. But playing a round of golf when you sink a tough putt or knocking one out of the tee box that seems to go on forever makes a pleasant afternoon with friends even better, and just like golf, consistent results are the key to better performance.
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So You’ve Decided Not to Own a Gun…
Author’s Note: One of the nice things about being a member of Ricochet is participating in the robust discussions in the Member Feed and joining in on the activities there, such as topic-specific group writing projects. This month, the topic is guns, and this is my contribution. If you like this sort of thing and want to add something the conversation, please consider joining Ricochet.com.
I recently attended the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting, and given the title of this post and the NRA’s reputation, I’ll bet you’re expecting me to write a long missive about why gun ownership is for everyone and you’re crazy if you don’t want to own a gun.
Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many good reasons not to own a gun, and gun ownership is not to be taken lightly. Taking control of your personal security and the security of your loved ones is one of the most adult decisions you can make in your life and, sometimes, the answer to that question is “no.”