In light of the recent tragedy, I wanted to talk about our gun laws. I'm going to speculate that James Holmes obtained the 4 guns used through legal means which goes against the argument that most crimes are committed with guns obtained illegally. However, I don't consider this incident a crime. It should be appropriately described as a massacre. That being said, I feel it's the exception to the rule regarding gun control. I am a concealed carry permit holder. While I don't carry 100% of the time, a movie theater is one of the places I always do. Why is that? Well, a movie theater is one of the easiest targets for something like this. There is a large amount of people confined in a small space. They are in the dark, and their attention is anywhere but looking out for their own safety.

I expressed this concern to family and friends as I explained my reasoning for carrying a gun into the movie theater. A lot of people laughed at me or responded with something along the lines of me being paranoid. The results are in, and now nobody is laughing.

In recent news, a 71-year old man at an "internet cafe" shot at two "alleged robbers." You can read more and see the video, but the internet cafe is actually a place that operates using computers for legal gambling. There are many of them around and through a legal loophole they are allowed to operate but call themselves internet cafes. They are frequent targets for robberies. Going back to the Century 16 incident, I'm surprised that nobody in the theater was carrying and/or tried shooting back. Although, we weren't there and don't know exactly how it all went down. I'm sure many people were in shock and I still can't find any information about what the "gas canisters" actually were or what guns were used. James Holmes was apparently outfitted with a gas mask, bullet proof vest, and other tactical items described as "riot gear." It may surprise you that all of these items can be purchased legally. As far as the gas canisters I can only speculate they were plan smoke signaling devices commonly used at sea to spot ships in distress.

Back to my original point; despite all the speculation and details surrounding this tragedy, bad news like this always spawns arguments for stricter gun control or even a ban on guns. Many pro-gun fans are concerned that President Obama, the UN, or US government is trying their hardest to take guns from civilians. Personally, I don't think anyone will ever take away our 2nd amendment rights. Some argue that our country was founded on the right to have guns and others believe history will repeat itself and we will have another civil war over the it. However, at the end of the day the NRA very powerful. I think they are arguably, one of the most powerful private organizations in the country. They defend our right to the 2nd amendment and have done a pretty good job so far.

Despite this tragedy, remember that we still live in America. It's still the greatest country in the world and even though bad things like this happen we still have it better than anywhere else in the world.

God Bless America

There are many different kinds of weapon lights out there. How does one go about choosing which one to buy? Well, there are several steps to go through, but in the end you need to buy a quality product. I can only imagine how much money is spent each year on knock-off or poor quality weapon lights. If you are buying a weapon light, there are several things to consider:

1. Caliber of weapon
2. Rating of light intensity (measured in lumens)
3. Bulb type
4. Construction/light activation

Number one is very important. Do not buy a cheap light and mount it to a shotgun. The recoil will almost certainly break light will not work. Cheap lights are fine for something like .22 caliber where there is next to no felt recoil. The intensity or overall brightness is measured in lumens. You may see some rated with “candlepower” but lumens is what you should compare all weapon lights against. Anything over 100 lumens is going to be well suited for both indoor or outdoor use.

When using a light over 250 lumens, you must be very careful while using it indoors. Flashing a 300 lumen light onto a white wall will bounce back severely, and possible blind the shooter. Bulb types are important as well. Incandescent lights have a traditional bulb that will shine a fairly “yellow” light. Think of the old headlights used in cars before the xeon lamps.  In contrast, LED lights will shine a “white” light. They have better battery life, and will put out more lumens than incandescent.

All quality weapon lights will be at least water resistant and better ones are submersible. Some may be rated to go deeper than others but the best weapon lights are submersible to around 33 feet. Although, the rating is provided in depth and duration in minutes.   Check each product rating for specifics. Construction is also important based on how and what weapon it will be used with.  Some lights are specific for rifle use as their mounts will not work with handguns.  Weight and button placement also exclude them from use on a pistol.

Some lights are designed primarily for pistol use, but because of their compact size and weight are also outfitted on shotguns and assault rifles.  Some models can have tap switches attached for easy activation.  Depending on the intended use, tap switches may be a bad idea.  While they are convenient, they also allow for shooters to give away their positions if accidentally activated.

The lights below are commonly used on both pistols and rifles.  They are all good products that will hold up under harsh conditions and to weapon recoil.

People often ask what the difference is between a background check for a standard firearm, and one for an NFA item. The short answer is nothing. Both simply run a check through NICS. Although, there is some controversy over applying for NFA items as a corporation.

Technically, a corporation cannot have a criminal record. If you pass the background check for a standard firearm, you will pass the NFA check as well. When submitting a form 4 for a suppressor as a corporation or with a trust; there is no personal identifying information. You are not required to submit a social security number. However, once the form 4 is approved you will need to fill out a standard 4473 before taking it home.

The majority of the time spend waiting for tax stamps is due to the examiners looking over the gun trusts, CLEO sign-offs (if used). Remember, the NFA stuff goes through a department of the U.S. government and they are anything but speedy. In fact, the only thing they do quickly is cash your check.