Starts off really cute, but…

Do not watch if you don’t like seeing a doe hand a dog a beating:

Word on the street is that that dog had converted an airsoft lower to a M16!

Talk about being incredibly protective of that fawn. I think that can serve as a lesson to everyone, that cute animals such as deer are still wild animals no matter how docile they appear at first.

For a while now we have known that the ATF has had an interest in airsoft guns which they claimed could be turned into real firearms.  We discussed it extensively in the following three posts:

• Airsoft Gun Seizure – Apparently Toys Can Be Real Guns
• 80% AR-15 Lower Receiver V.S. Airsoft Lower Receiver – Is there a legal difference?
• Airsoft To AR-15 Conversion – Fox News And ATF Beating A Dead Horse

Well it looks like our “calling out” of the ATF to prove their case, finally got a response.  The results are what I expected, but hoped would not be the case.

The ATF response letter, dated May 19, 2010 (Click to enlarge):

I know nothing about airsoft rifles at all, but the letter is apparently regarding the JG M4 airsoft rifle (a copy of the Western Arms M4 GBB design). I am not sure if the WE TTI M4 shipment that was confiscated in Tacoma is still under investigation.

What does this letter mean for the (thousands of?) American kids who own these airsoft rifles? My guess is that if they do not destroy them immediately they will be violating federal law and their parents who are responsible for them could face long prison sentences, and/or substantial fines.

How are the majority of the owners of these airsoft rifles even going to find out that they are in violation of federal law? Who knows…

Pretty ridiculous if you ask me.  Why was this not decided as soon as the first shipment of these airsoft rifles hit our shores? Making people into criminals after the fact is not fair.

What do you guys think?

Hat Tip: ArniesAirsoft via Tim

A FoxNews.com investigation reveals that a popular recreational pellet gun can be converted easily to a real semi-automatic weapon. And while the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is already aware of the issue, these “toys” — new, top-of-the-line airsoft rifles — continue to be sold throughout the country.

Full Story – HERE

Airsoft Gun Seizure – Apparently Toys Can Be Real Guns is the article I wrote back on Feb 28th on the airsoft gun seizure in Tacoma, WA.  I thought that situation would have been cleared up by now, but apparently not.

I said this once and I’ll say it again… if it can be “easily” converted, to me that means with the use of handtools in a few minutes time. Hell, anything could be made into an AR-15 lower receiver if you had the patience… why is the ATF not confiscating cutting boards, blocks of wood, billet aluminum, glass  etc…???  It’s nice to see that the firearms expert that they consult for this article actually is quoted saying the exact same thing.

The onus should be on the ATF to prove their case with a video or other detailed documentation. If they can not prove these toy guns can be “easily” converted then they should quit the harassment.

On April 30th, the 35th anniversary of the Vietnam war I posted an article with links to a few picture sets.

Big Picture (one of my favorite photo blogs) came out with their set today (a week late slackers!), here is a sample:

OH NOES trigger discipline.

Full set – HERE

Very talented guy,  I wouldn’t even know where to start.

Pretty neat that he made it in parts just like the real rifle.  I was pretty impressed to see the detachable ELCAN optic, magazine, and working bolt too.

Reminds me of the Wood Glock 19 I posted about a long time ago.

More info on the C7 at Colt Canada – HERE

Background of C7 wiki – HERE

Mexican soldiers have seized an arsenal of gold-plated and diamond-encrusted weapons believed to belong to the Valencia gang, allies of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel and, it seems, fans of hip-hip excess.

Showing just how flamboyant gang members spend much of their ill-gotten wealth, pictures show how most of the 31 ‘pimped’ pistols found in a raid on a home in western Mexico had gold or silver-plated grips or were glittered with diamonds.

Three of the assault rifles are almost entirely gold-plated and there was even a silencer plated with gold. One particularly image-conscious gangster has made his pistol unique by adding rows of gaudy red and green jewels and a Ferrari logo.

Full Story – HERE

I don’t know about you guys, but I’d open carry that black 1911 with the diamond punisher grips with pride.

I’m honestly shocked that someone in the main stream media was able to write an article on Mexican drug cartel’s guns and not even mention the ubiquitous “gun show loophole”

The rifles aren’t really my style, although I still think they would be an awesome addition to any collection. Pretty neat how even the suppressor has engraving all over it.

Where does one even get such badass work done?  I imagine it would takes days worth of time, and be very expensive.  My guess is that these cartels have jewelers and gunsmiths on the payroll.

I had a previous post on Mexican drug gang guns ( HERE )

Full set – HERE

More info on the Vietnam war – HERE

Very powerful pictures.  A few in this set because very famous, even won Pulitzer prizes.  I remember when the first Rage Against The Machine album came out in 1992 with the picture of the burning monk on the cover.  Definitely their best album by the way.

I’m sure war hasn’t got any easier, but when I look at those pictures it’s amazing to see how much they did with NO modern technology. Sure makes how I spend my days look insignificant.  I have the utmost respect for anyone that has ever served, or is currently serving in the Military.

UPDATE: Steven S. notified me of lots more pictures just put up at another PLOG – HERE

Another gun related photo shoot by Tyler Shields, the same guy that did the Lindsay Lohan one I posted about today.

This is was from 2009, and featured Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere:

I think that picture would be just as hot if she was holding the M16, rather than mocking suicide…but hey what do I know, I don’t live in Hollywood.

That was the only picture I could find related to the photo shoot.

Brigadier-General Daniel Ménard, who commands the Canadian and American troops who make up Task Force Kandahar, approached the media on Saturday, citing a need for openness, to say that his C8 carbine had fired unexpectedly at Kandahar air base on March 25th.

Full Story – HERE

I admire his coming forward and ordering an investigation on himself.  I’d assume that most, with such a high rank may have tried their hardest just to sweep it under the rug.  I guess the fact that he fired the rifle inside an American helicopter and almost hit a Canadian official probably made it a bit more of a big deal.

As you see in the title of the post I put “negligent” discharge, as opposed to it being a possible “accidental” discharge according to the article.  By my definition (and the definition of most) an accidental discharge is a mechanical failure of the weapon system, whereas a negligent discharge is a failure of the operator. Since the Brigadier-General was holding the rifle when it fired, I’d be willing to put my money on the fact that he had the safety off, and his booger hook on the bang switch.

I found the last paragraph in the article also interesting:

In the past 18 months, more than 600 Canadian Forces soldiers have been convicted of negligently discharging their weapons. Most of those incidents involve junior soldiers or recruits and many of them an instance of pulling the trigger prematurely during firing range practice.

Convicted?  So soldiers and recruits get convicted of a negligent discharge even if they are practicing on a the shooting range and the shot goes down range?  Although I don’t like the idea of a shot going ANYWHERE that is unintentional, I think it’s kind of harsh to tarnish the permanent record of a soldier that is still learning in cases where no one got hurt, and there was absolutely no chance of someone being hurt.  I wonder how a ND during training will affect their military career?  Seeing as retention is key in military organizations, this seems like a good way to lose soldiers.

600 ND’s in a year and a half seems like quite a lot, regardless of where they are occurring.

More info on the C8 carbine at Colt Canada – HERE

Jasmine was so happy in the Aladdin movie, look at her now:

Aladdin came out of the closet, and left her for the genie.  Now she looks pissed off because she was forced to take up arms to defend the middle east.

I’m not quite sure about that terrible trigger discipline (times 2, considering she has both her index and middle finger on the trigger)

Also, she’s going to be unpleasantly surprised when she finds out that the ammunition she has draped over her shoulder, is not compatible with her M-16A1.

You can check out the full “Fallen Princesses” set – HERE (they are all awesome, but there are no other gun related ones)

That smirk is because of her 172 confirmed kills:

She even has excellent trigger discipline.

It appears she got issued a left handed M4, which strikes me as odd   Does the military issue both right and left handed guns, or are lefties told to suck it up and learn to shoot right?

In my Money, Guns, Art – Scott Campbell post I mentioned how I have a weakness for weapon related art, and how I love the smell of money.

London artist Justine Smith creates some sculptures using U.S. $1 bills that I would love to hang on my wall:

M16:

S&W 645:

Fragmentation Grenade:

You can visit the artist’s homepage – HERE

I was thinking some more about that recent ATF airsoft seizure and came up with the following…

For your information, per provisions of the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968, 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, an unlicensed individual may make a “firearm” as defined in the GCA for his own personal use, but not for sale or distribution.

The GCA, 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(3), defines the term “firearm” to include the following:

… (A) any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may be readily converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive: (B) the frame or receiver of any such weapon; (C) any firearm muffler or silencer; or (D) any destructive device. Such term does not include an antique firearm.

Source – ATF.gov

Another paragraph of interest…

Individuals manufacturing sporting-type firearms for their own use need not hold Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs). However, we suggest that the manufacturer at least identify the firearm with a serial number as a safeguard in the event that the firearm is lost or stolen. Also, the firearm should be identified as required in 27 CFR 478.92 if it is sold or otherwise lawfully transferred in the future.

Source – ATF.gov

So… According to the ATF’s citations of the Gun Control Act and U.S. Code, you can make your own firearm and you do not need a FFL.

The ATF does not specify what material you have to use, and it does not put any restriction on making a firearm out of an object that previously had another use.  Hell, if you wanted to make a firearm out of a toaster, from what I understand you definitely could.

By that rationale, if you buy an airsoft gun that “Needs Machining” to complete its transformation to fit an AR-15 lower parts kit, is it not only considered a firearm once you complete it?

If you cannot drop a lower parts kit in those airsoft receivers without any machining then I think that is a VERY good argument that they are not firearms, and should never have been confiscated.

Ever since the military and law enforcement started using m16′s and m4′s produced by Colt, the company developed an elitist status because they chose largely to turn their nose up at civilian market.

Now they seem to want a piece of the market, with the new AR6720.

The fact the pricing for the Colt 6720 is being based on serial number just goes to show that you can’t shake old habits. I don’t know if the tiered pricing was decided by Colt or by Clyde Armory (the exclusive retailer of the 6720).  The serial number in itself obviously only has extrinsic value… meaning no one really cares what it is, unless you can find someone pretentious enough that “NEEDS” a certain serial number that you possess.  Unless of course for this model, Colt doesn’t clean or calibrate their machines after the first parts are made.  I guess that would make the later ones less valuable? heheh

Here is how the pricing goes…

• The least expensive guns are serial # 400 and up – $1200
• Most expensive serial # 11 – $3000

#1 – #10 are apparently “spoken for”

I’ll admit $1200 isn’t TOO terrible…  like Solomon at SNAFU! mentioned though, it is still quite a bit higher than similar offerings from Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, Armalite etc…

I don’t ever like telling people what to do with their money, but in my opinion if you even pay $50 more for a #300 to #399 serial you’re making a big mistake. No matter what, you are better off buying a different brand name AR-15 such as the ones mentioned above, and spending the left over money on ammo or a red dot optic.

Clyde Armory for purchase info on the guns – HERE

I didn’t report on this story when it first surfaced because I thought it was stupid, and would go away quickly.  But It didn’t.

TACOMA, Wash. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a shipment of 30 machine guns that arrived in an ocean container at the Tacoma Seaport last October.

Officials say the shipment of M-4 automatic rifles, manifested only as “Toys and Parts,” was valued at nearly $10,000 and was shipped from a manufacturer in Taiwan.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms found that the rifles were tooled to shoot plastic balls, but replacement of internal components with original machine gun components would render the rifles capable of firing live ammunition.

“These rifles could have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm in the American population,” said Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director, Rolando Suliveras, Jr. “This was a good interception by our officers.”

The guns will be destroyed.

Source – King5 News

Here is a news story on the incident:

Special agent Kelven Crenshaw has a bit of trouble with the magazine at 1:18   I guess they only teach the operation of the m4 platform in “extra” special agent school.

Interesting info from the company who got their guns seized, AirsoftOutletNW:

Now we at Airsoft Outlet Northwest, being the rational individuals we are, went out and had a gunsmith check the true compatibility of these replicas and found the following information:

• The WE TTI M4′s lack any sort of functional gas tube which is integral to an AR15′s operation
• The upper receiver of an AR15 fits onto the lower of the WE TTI M4
• The stock trigger pack in the WE TTI cannot strike the firing pin of a AR15 bolt
• The body of the WE TTI lower is several mils thinner than an AR15 lower, and shims would be needed for any AR trigger pack to work
• The trigger pack of an AR15 appears to be able to fit onto the lower receiver of a WE TTI M4, one of the AR15 trigger pack retaining pins is impossible to insert without major modification, and the hammer isn’t operable with the WE TTI lower.

The full article, Airsoft: An Industry Without Standard, is actually a really good read if you have the time, regardless of whether or not you are into airsoft.

The only real issue I would say may exist, is if you could put a REAL upper on an airsoft lowers and have it fire, either fully automatic or semi automatic.  The lower receiver of a M4/M-16/AR-15 is not subjected to any extreme pressures when a round is fired, so as long as the material the airsoft replica was made out of is semi rigid, it would likely hold up for a while at least.  That said, I highly doubt that any of the airsoft lowers would be able to accept a REAL upper, and fire without any modification.  Although the whole airsoft industry thrives on authenticity, it is not in their best interest to get attention like this, which is why I doubt the parts are exactly 1:1 interchangeable.

Basically, if the ATF claims these airsoft guns can be easily converted into real guns, they should just demonstrate the conversion, and put a couple of magazines through it.  There needs to be some accountability and burden of proof placed on these government organizations.

Brunswick Corporation – Rifleman’s Assault Weapons (RAW)

Designed, fabricated and tested by Brunswick for the U.S. Army MIRADCOM to provide the non-dedicated riflemen with a lightweight, portable assault weapon system to defeat enemy positions in an urban and fortified combat environment.

Features:

• Compatible with M-16A1 rifle
• Diameter: 5.5 in. (140 mm)
• Total System Weight Goal: 5.0 lbs
• Explosive Payload: 3.0 lbs
• Rocket propelled
• Effective Range: 200+ meters
• Maximum Range: 2000+ meters
• Straight Line of Sight Trajectory
• Terminal Velocity: 600 ft/s
• Varied Payload: CS, HE, Flame, Smoke, Marker, Fragmentation, WP
• Can be fired by any rifleman

Performance:

RAW Launcher attaches to the muzzle of an M-16A1 rifle utilizing existing triggering and sights.  The RAW projectile is initiated through the firing of a standard 5.56 mm ball round of ammunition.  RAW does not interfere or prevent the firing of the rifle’s standard ammunition at any time.  Raw produces a 14″ hole through 8 inches of double reinforced concrete and defeats light armor.  Since RAW travels line of sight, It can be fired from below a canopy or in sewers and storm drains.  RAW produces minimal back blast pressure and noise and can be fired from within enclosed areas.

Read the rest of this entry »

The artistic photographic series you never wanted to see:

“Yes, I was told that the gun had to match the mixer.”

valheru21 off AR15.com built the above AR-15 for his wife.  Apparently the color is “lavender” not purple.

If that’s what it takes for some girls to enjoy shooting, it’s a small price to pay!

Source – HERE

If life gives you no money for a rail mounted laser:

Improvise!

A military themed Rihanna video where she is in skimpy clothing, shooting guns, playing in the mud, standing on tanks etc…

Seriously what’s not to like?

For those that like rap I recommend her album. There are a ton of good songs on it.

For $8 with free shipping you can’t go wrong.