Tech Topics
In this feature, we examine new tools and tooling, tips and techniques, and news items of interest to the gunsmithing community. Solder-Free Front Sights for Large-Frame Revolvers
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Teenage Girls Taking Up Shotgun Sports–In Record Numbers
I didn’t know much about what interested teenage girls, even when I was a teenager myself—except that most of them were not interested in me. No doubt, I know even less about them today. That’s why I was quite surprised by a…
“First Shots”: A Chance to Give Handgun Shooting a Try
There are 40 million Americans who actively enjoy target shooting and hunting. But for newcomers the biggest challenge is knowing how to get started. Anew program from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), “First Shots,” provides a free opportunity for newcomers to…
Protection of Lawful Commerce In Arms Act Signed into Law
On October 20th, as I worked diligently on this issue, two emails arrived in my inbox almost simultaneously. Both concerned the passage in the House of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (S.397), which had recently passed in the Senate.…
Firearm Industry Granted Consultative Role to United Nations
The firearm and ammunition industry now has a seat at the world table of the United Nations. The 191-country international-relations body has granted official consultative status to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI). SAAMI, founded in 1926, publishes voluntary industry…
Tech Topics
In this feature, we examine new tools and tooling, tips and techniques, and news items of interest to the gunsmithing community.
Governor Jeb Bush Signs Florida’s New Self Defense law
In a recent ceremony at the state capitol, Gov. Jeb Bush signed Florida’s “Castle Doctrine” into law. Sponsored by Senator Durell Peaden and Representative Dennis Baxley, the bill (SB-436) unanimously passed the Senate and overwhelmingly passed in the House, 94-20. Prior to…
Senate Passes Reform to Stop ‘Junk’ Lawsuits
Just prior to this issue going to press, Congress took a major step toward restoring fairness and integrity to the nation’s judicial system, as the Senate passed a landmark bill to block lawsuits that seek to hold firearms manufacturers liable for the…
NRA Offers Free Disability-Awareness Book
The National Rifle Association’s Disabled Shooting Services Department receives thousands of requests annually for guidance with disability-related hunting and shooting-sports problems. More than a few callers tell of being refused entry into an activity because the local organizers have no idea how…
Winners Announced in Annual Contests
Hundreds of photos and stories about newcomers to the shooting sports poured into the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) headquarters for the annual Step Outside® photo and story contests. From that extensive field of entries, judges selected three winners in each contest.…
SCTP Kicks Off New Season
If its first event of the new season is any indication, the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) is in for a big year. SCTP kicked off its third season in January with a hugely successful regional invitational…
Project Child Safe on the Move
As we go to press, it’s been a busy few months for Project Child Safe’s fleet of 15 mobile classrooms as the vehicles spread out across the country, visiting nearly a dozen states and bringing firearm-safety education to as many as 150…
Optimism Remains High for Legal Reform
When the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, commonly referred to as S.659 and, later, S.1805, finally appeared ready for a Senate vote in early March, optimism was dampened by political reality. The bill had overwhelmingly passed in the House of…
Charity Watchdog Says Pro-Hunting Non-Profits Outperform All Other Charities
Conservation groups promoting the protection of wildlife and game lands for hunters and fisherman operate more efficiently than the average charitable group, according to a recent study conducted by Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator. Of the nine hunting and fishing groups…
NRA Disabled Shooting Services Enters Second Decade
Most Americans are aware of the National Rifle Association’s vigorous defense of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, their pioneering firearms-instructor training courses, and many historic competitions dating back into the late 19th century. But for the past 10 years,…
The Constitutional Right to Hunt: Orion Sporting Group Sets Trail Date
A press release I received recently indicated that the Orion Sporting Group is going to trial on April 20, 2005, for a lawsuit to protect the constitutional right to hunt and shoot in the state of Virginia. “Virginia and other progressive states…
Sportsmen‘s Voice Prevails in Elections
Although the recent election results came just before this issue went to press, George W. Bush’s reelection as president is old news by now. What might not be clear is how loudly the voices of hunters and shooters were heard across the…
Fifty Millionth Background Check Flags Felon
Do you have any idea how many instant background checks have been performed since the NICS system was instituted? I didn’t either until I read a press release issued by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) just before this issue went to…
Failed ‘Assault Weapon’ Ban Ends
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s “Bullet Points” online news service, the Justice Department says that the violent crime rate fell 54 percent in the last 10 years despite an increased supply of semi-automatic firearms. During the last decade, manufacturers continued…
Jury Clears Beretta in Accidental Shooting
Handgun Control, Inc., has struck out in a third retrial of a case that has garnered national attention. Shortly before we went to press, the NSSF’s online news service reported that an Alameda County (California) Superior Court jury found that Beretta U.…
Tech Topics
In this column, we examine new tools and tooling, tips and techniques, and news items of interest to the gunsmithing community. Kuhnhausen Does it Again
S&W Introduces Disabled Marksman Award
Smith & Wesson has established an award honoring the marksmanship accomplishments of Americans with physical disabilities. This award is significant, as it marks the first time that a major pistol manufacturer has chosen to highlight the contributions that disabled marksmen make to…
NRA Program Aids Disabled Veterans
An innovative NRA program that gained international recognition for its medical application of rifle shooting has begun serving the nation’s disabled veterans. On March 25, 2004, a NRA Rehabilitative Shooting Unit was accepted for use at the Brockton, Massachusetts, Veterans Affairs Medical…
Win Chuck’s “My Cold Dead Hands” Rifle
Former NRA President Charlton Heston has donated his Winchester Model 1866 to be used as the Grand Prize in an NRA membership drive and fundraiser. This exceptional firearm, handcrafted in 1870, is valued at over $25,000, and is truly one of the…