BATF Gets Slammed With Truth About M855 Ammo

The following is filing from The Georgia Gun Rights Group to the BATF about the proposed ban on M855 ammo. In it, they rip the proposed reclassification to shreds. They prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that according to the language currently used by the BATF, that this would be illegal. If the BATF goes ahead and does it anyway, I believe there will be a lawsuit, and I believe it will be successful. I also believe that the BATF knows this already. But when the President of the United States asks you to look into it, then you look into it.

Introduction

GCO is a non-profit corporation whose primary mission is to foster the rights of its members to keep and bear arms. GCO’s membership is largely based in the State of Georgia, but GCO has some members from other states and other countries.

In the Framework, the Bureau announces its intentions to re-classify one of the most common rifle rounds in existence as “armor piercing,” thus rendering manufacture and sale of such ammunition illegal under federal law. Because the Framework fails to take into consideration the statutory requirements, and the constitutional ramifications of the Framework as applied, GCO opposes the Framework.

Background

18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(17)(B) and (C) provide:
(B) The term “armor piercing ammunition” means—
    (i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium; or
    (ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile.

(C) The term “armor piercing ammunition” does not include shotgun shot required by Federal or State environmental or game regulations for hunting purposes, a frangible projectile designed for target shooting, a projectile which the Attorney General finds is primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes, or any other projectile or projectile core which the Attorney General finds is intended to be used for industrial purposes, including a charge used in an oil and gas well perforating device.

The Framework proposes to re-classify M855 (NATO 5.56 “green tip”) ammunition as “armor piercing” under the statute, resulting in the prohibition of its manufacture or sale. The Framework asserts that M855 ammunition meets the definition of armor piercing under 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(17)(B)(ii), and that it is not primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes.¹

Discussion

I. M855 Fails the Statutory Tests for Armor Piercing Ammunition

Congress created objective tests, coupled with a subjective “savings clause” for determining whether given ammunition is armor piercing. Ironically, whether the ammunition does pierce armor, or is more adept at piercing armor than other (presumably “non-armor piercing”) ammunition, is not relevant. Instead, Congress elected to establish criteria related to caliber, weight, and other physical characteristics, plus design intent, to determine objectively if ammunition is armor piercing. Only ammunition that meets these objective criteria is then considered under the subjective test of whether the attorney general finds that there is a “sporting purpose” for the ammunition. The objective criteria are:

    1. The projectile must be “larger than .22 caliber;”
    2. The projectile must have a jacket that weighs more than 25% of the total weight of the
projectile;
    3. The projectile must be fully jacketed;
    4. The ammunition must be designed and intended for use in a handgun.

GCO will show below that M855 ammunition does not meet any of the objective criteria, and therefore does not meet the statutory definition of armor piercing.

a. M855 Is Not “Larger Than .22 Caliber”

A threshold requirement for armor piercing ammunition under the statute is that it must be “larger than .22 caliber.” The Bureau seems to have assumed, without discussion, that M855 meets that requirement. The SAAMI specification for M855 projectile diameter is 5.7 mm, or .224 inches. By contrast, the diameter for .22 long rifle projectiles is 5.72 mm, or .225 inches.² Both are commonly referred to as “.22 caliber.” On that basis alone, one might conclude that M855 is not larger than .22 caliber.

Moreover, because the statutory requirement contains only two significant digits, one must round any subject ammunition to two significant digits in order to make a comparison. M855 projectiles, rounded to two significant digits, are .22 in diameter. Thus, M855 ammunition fails the threshold requirement of being larger than .22 caliber and cannot, by definition, be armor piercing. Ironically, one might argue that .22 LR ammunition should be rounded up to .23 caliber, and therefore it passes this test.

b. The Jacket Does Not Weigh More Than 25% of the Core

Another threshold requirement is that armor piercing ammunition must have a jacket whose weight is more than 25% of the weight of the projectile. In its Framework, the Bureau fails to make any findings regarding this requirement. The jacket on the projectile of M855 ammunition weighs approximately 10.8 grains.³ The entire projectile weighs 62 grains. That means the jacket weighs approximately 17% of the total weight of the projectile. By definition, M855 ammunition is not armor piercing, and the Bureau would be exceeding its authority to determine otherwise. It is unclear why the Bureau apparently assumes, without finding, that M855 ammunition meets this requirement.

c. M855 Is Not Fully Jacketed

Yet another threshold requirement in § 921(a)(17)(B)(ii) is that the projectile have a “full jacket.” M855 ammunition has only a partial jacket, the tip being an unjacketed steel core painted green.⁴ In addition, GCO understands that at least some manufacturers do not jacket the entire butt end of the projectile. Because it is not fully jacketed, M855 is statutorily excluded from being armor piercing ammunition.

d. The Ammunition is Not Designed and Intended for Use in a Handgun

The Framework acknowledges that the M855 ammunition was developed at a time when there were no commercially available handguns chambered for it. Relatively recently, however, manufacturers have begun marketing handguns that will fire .223/5.56 NATO ammunition, including M855. Significantly, the availability of such handguns is the only development the Bureau cites as evidence that M855 is designed and intended for use in a handgun. That is, nothing about the ammunition itself has changed. There have been no design changes since the advent of handgun availability. Ammunition manufacturers continue to produce ammunition to exactly the same specifications for rifle use that they made when the only devices commercially available to fire the ammunition were rifles. In short, the ammunition is not designed to be used in handguns. Instead, firearms manufacturers have developed handguns intended to be used with rifle ammunition.

It is a feature inherent in our economic system that innovators will find new ways to use existing products, and will even develop new products to be used with existing products. New applications for existing products cannot be logically thought of as design changes of those products.

Dried peas were on the market for decades. One day, someone invented a spring loaded plastic toy in the shape of a handgun, capable of discharging dried peas at harmless velocities. Did that invention cause newly-dried peas to be designed and intended to be fired from pea shooters? Of course not, at least not in any logical use of the word “designed.” Dried peas continued to be designed and intended as dehydrated food. It just so happened that there were devices chambered to fire them.

II. The “Sporting Purpose” Requirement Is Unconstitutional

If the Bureau were to find that M855 ammunition meets all the statutory criteria for armor piercing status (in the face of the apparent lack of meeting any of the criteria), then the attorney general may consider whether the ammunition nonetheless is primarily “intended for use for sporting purposes.” The phrase “sporting purposes” is not defined, but the Bureau interprets it to mean “for shooting sports.” Framework, p. 8. This regime thus supposes that the federal government may limit or ban all handgun ammunition that is not primarily intended for shooting sports. In doing so, the regime ignores that the Second Amendment guarantees a core right to “keep and carry arms in case of confrontation.”

District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570, 592 (2008). Given that “[T]he American people have considered the handgun to be the quintessential self-defense weapon,” [Id. at 629], it is difficult to understand why the test is “sporting purpose” rather than “self defense purpose.” For if the Bureau applies the “sporting purpose” test in such a way as to exclude ammunition readily usable in a handgun for self defense, then the Bureau could make a similar finding against any or all handgun ammunition.

The very reasons the Bureau uses for proposing the lack of a sporting purpose are the very reasons that make a given handgun more readily usable for self defense. The Framework concludes that only single-shot handguns, with a bolt action or break action and no magazine, are “sporting purpose” handguns. But such handguns are not particularly suited to self defense. Repeating guns, either revolvers or semiautomatics, are much more commonly used for self defense purposes. By applying the “sporting purpose” provision so as to exclude commonly-used self defense handguns, the Bureau is infringing on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms for self defense in case of confrontation.

Conclusion
M855 does not meet any of the statutory criteria for being armor piercing, but even if it did, it would be unconstitutional to ban its manufacture on the premise that it is not intended for a “sporting purpose.” The Framework is fundamentally flawed and must be discarded. Dated the 25th day of February, 2015

¹ The Framework does not assert that M855 ammunition meets the definition of § 921(a)(17)(B)(i), so GCO does
not address that possibility here. GCO observes that M855 would not meet that definition, however, because it
has some lead in the core, and therefore is not “entirely” made of the materials listed.

² SAAMI specifies a range for .22 LR projectiles, of 0.2255 +/- 0.004 inches.

³ GCO cannot find a published specification for jacket weight, but some literature suggests a typical weight is 10.8
grains. If there is no specification, the Bureau would be unable to find that all M855 ammunition meets the jacket
weight element of the test. Instead, the Bureau would have to find this on a product by product basis and could
not categorically exclude all M855 ammunition.

⁴ GCO observes that some manufacturers describe their product as “full metal jacketed,” but of course the
manufacturer’s description is not dispositive. If a projectile is not completely encased in the jacket, it can hardly be
described as fully jacketed.

One shot. One Kill.

And elderly 71 year old man in Columbus, Ohio successfully defended his home. One shot. One dead bag guy. The homeowner reported to 911 that someone tried to kick in his front door. When the door flew open, he fired one round and dropped the guy in his tracks.

Excellent!

I was talking to a gentleman from Australia that told me of how the AU's laws are radically different from ours when it comes to defending yourself or your home from a break in. He told me how a guy broke into his house, so he hit the guy with golf club and tied him up. He then waited almost an hour or the police to show up. When they did, he reports that they were both taken to jail, and he was charged with assault. He was told by the judge that if someone breaks into your home, you must try to exit the home and call the police from a neighbor's house.

Granted this is all him telling me what happened. But in doing a Google search on the subject seems to confirm his claims.

Thankfully this 71 year old man does not live in a place where he is not allowed to protect himself.
SOURCE LINK

You better take a gun to the mall!

Over the weekend, with little traction in the news, Homeland Security released information about a claim from Somali Terrorist wanting to plan attacks on the Mall of America in Minnesota. those terrorists themselves released a video asking radical muslims to specifically target this location.

Guess what the Mall of America chose to do. They put out a statement reaffirming that their mall is a gun free zone, and they even put up more signs saying such.

Stupid stupid people.

These terrorists called for a similar attack like what happened in Nairobi, Kenya. Where dozens were killed and injured. And the Mall of America says the solution is to put up signs saying no guns allowed. 

Wow... That will scare off the bad guys.

Right after that attack, Secretary General of Interpol said that there was only 2 ways to prevent mass shootings like this. "One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves (should be) so secure that in order to get into the soft target, you're going to have to pass through extraordinary security."

Ah the sweet sounds of of common sense.

Since 1950, all but 2 mass shootings in America have occurred only in gun free zones. In Europe, all of them have.

Murders often talk about how gun free zones are their targets of choice. Elliot Rogers killed 6 people in Santa Barbara, CA. His 141 page manifesto he wrote how he turned down sites because he was worried that a concealed carry holder would end his killing spree early.

Justin Bourque killed 3 in Moncton, Canada. His Facebook page made fun of gun free zones.

The Aurora, CO movie theater shooter had 7 theaters showing the premier of Batman within 20 minutes of his apartment. But he chose one further away because it had a no guns allowed policy.

Gun control advocates claim that permit holders will only make things worse, as they are more likely to accidentally shoot a bystander. Or that when the cops show up, they will kill anyone with a gun including the permit holder. However, we now have established history on our side. Of the numerous cases where a concealed carry holder stopped shooting in churches, malls, schools, etc. no permit holder has ever accidentally shot a bystander. By the same token, no cop has mistakenly shot the permit holder.

Now here is my advice to those who live in Minnesota that have concealed carry permits. Current law does not recognize gun ban signs outside of businesses. Meaning that they can put up all of the signs they want, but unless a business specifically tells you to leave, you are good to go. You can carry concealed all you want. So I call on all my brothers and sisters from the great state of Minnesota to conceal their gatt and go shopping. Make the mall a safer place.

I am a Kelly Clarkson fan and you need to be too

I always thought Kelly Clarkson was cool even when I saw her win American Idol all those years ago. But I admit I never bought a single CD that she put out. That changes today. Because I believe in supporting any star that bucks the status quo among their peers and says the are pro-gun and pro-second amendment.

In a recent interview with Us Weekly Magazine, she revealed 25 things about herself that you probably did not know. I will post that excerpt below, but the most important thing you need to be aware of is number 24.

She is a concealed carry holder.

LOVE YA' KELLY!

1. Ever since I was a kid, I have wanted to be the singing and talking voice for an animated film. 

2. I want to be on Broadway. I fell in love with NYC when I recently spent two weeks there just for fun.

3. I have abnormally short arms.

4. When I was 11, I was convinced I was going to marry Sully from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

5. I am addicted to tea and coffee. Doesn’t have to be caffeinated. I love the whole process of making tea and/or coffee. It soothes me, for some odd reason.

6. My favorite movies are An Affair to Remember, Out of Africa, Gladiator, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. 

7. My favorite bakery is called Busy B’s Bakery in Burleson, Texas. I’ve ordered the same thing since I was 10 years old: Bavarian cremes and sausage rolls.

8. I can take a two-hour bath easily, but it has to have bubbles and essential oils.

9. When I was pregnant with [8-month-old] River Rose and so sick, I’d get sucked into the vortex that is YouTube, watching clips of Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon, and anything Meryl Streep–related.

10. Also while pregnant, I was extremely hormonal and miserable from vomiting. I apparently called my assistant crying, “I’ll never be Meryl Streep!” I don’t remember this, but I don’t think my assistant could make that kind of ridiculous statement up.

11. I love cleaning out my ears. I’m obsessed with Q-tips and ear candling.

12. I secretly want to try out for The Voice to see if I can get all four chairs to turn around.

13. I cannot understand the fact that controlled narcotic substances and alcohol are legal and weed isn’t. How many people do you know who have died from weed? My point exactly.

14. I can still remember how peaceful I felt the very first time I saw my husband, [Brandon Blackstock], almost nine years ago.

15. I wanted to be Dixie Carter from Designing Women or Clair Huxtable from The Cosby Show when I was little.

16. I’ve never liked the beach or lying out in the sun for vacations. I’d rather be in the mountains wrapped up in a blanket on a cold day with a bottle of wine and a great book.

17. My favorite drink in the entire world is called the Milkbone at Fido in Nashville.

18. One day, I will build a secret garden like the one in the novel.

19. I have a horse called The Unicorn because he is perfect and anyone can ride him.

20. Until I was 19, I thought the title of the song was “Secret Asian Man” instead of “Secret Agent Man.”

21. I cried for a solid hour on the phone with the creator of American Idol and pleaded to be let out of the contract that said I had to film From Justin to Kelly.

22. Most of the time I love animals more than I love humans.

23. My favorite books are Matilda, Jane Eyre, Persuasion, and A Little Princess.

24. I have a concealed handgun license.

25. I hate Brussels sprouts and can’t stand that every time I say that, somebody always says, “Oh, but you’ve never tried mine!” I love and eat every kind of vegetable, but not that one. 

Read more: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/kelly-clarkson-25-things-you-dont-know-about-me-2015252#ixzz3SrDhRlex

A Facebook Exchange With A Gun Grabber

I just had a great Facebook exchange with a gun grabber. As he did not result to profanity, I thought I would share here. After the exchange, he had no reply to offer, and just vanished.

He and I are "friends" on Facebook thanks to our mutual love of photography. When he found out about me starting this gun blog, he had plenty to say about how stupid we Americans are. You see, he is from the great country of Australia.

Now there is a country that has some practical experience with gun control. So I was eager to go back and forth with him. We have vollied back forth for a few weeks now. But this latest exchange was a great one so I thought I would share.

He started off with sending me this Youtube clip of a AU comedian that he claimed had valid points. I will post it here because he was indeed funny. If not completely wrong about most everything.



This is how the exchange then begin to take place:

HIM: Something funny to watch. Disregard the bad language. He makes some darn good points!

ME: Problem 1 - Gun Control advocates call any killing of 2 or more a massacre. You just had one with a guy and a shotgun. And you have had MANY since 1996 where more than one person was killed. Since we are discussing using Gun Control talking points, he is already lying. Or at the very least, he is failing to outline the definition of what a massacre is in his mind. Does he think it's 2 like the Mother's website does? Or 5? Or 10? When does murder turn to massacre?

Problem 2 - Your violent crime launched through the roof after removing your guns in 1997. Your crime rate skyrocketed. It took a massive doubling of your police forces to turn the tide. Since then it has come back down, but your violent crime and murder rate is now back to where it was prior to 1996. Exactly the same. You are just dying by more baseball bats and knives than you were before. In other words, they changed tools. These are facts.

Problem 3 - He stated the only argument we have is the fact that we just like guns. And it's the only argument we have. Well he just stated that lies and bull crap arguments were something he could not tolerate. But it's OK for him to use them because he's a comedian? The hard facts and numbers are all on our side. You guys that want to take them away blow everything out proportion and fail to compare them to anything else that kill people, because if you did, it would show how flawed your argument is. Plus even when you pass stringent gun control laws, nothing changes for crime and mortality rates. And we know that to be truth by looking at your country, the UK, Cuba, Russia, Germany, France, and every other country that has tried it. The crime rate NEVER changes after gun control laws are passed. Ever. Unless they go up. Which they do with frequency. You do nothing to change violence and save lives. Ever. 

At that point I stopped watching the video because I have to make a school run. But I will pick it back up when I get back. Until then, here is my answer with hard facts and common sense that cannot be refuted.



HIM (while I was dropping kids off at school):  I didn't expect you to agree with it James. You need to come over to a safe country like mine and actually experience what it feels like to not need a weapon to feel safe. See I have lived through both scenarios and know from REAL experience and not some varying stats that change depending on the source.

What makes you any better than all the people who you discredit for their stats? And I'm pretty sure if one of those 200+ people killed by a rifle where your wife or children then You may not be laughing at the amount of people who have died.

ME: What an absolute ridiculous thing to say. No matter how my wife died, I would be horribly crushed inside. And I would never laugh, nor have I ever laughed, at death in general. Ever. But to blame it on the mere existence of a tool, to the point that you blow it so far out of proportion is stupid.

I would not blame the butter knife if she tripped and fell on it. I would not blame the car if she ran off the road. You are freaking out over the hammer when the screwdriver has a reputation for killing more people because the hammer looks scary. To do so defies common sense, and embraces pure irrational thought derived from emotion. 

Try using common sense and put things into perspective. Try it just once. It is a cool thing. Here, let me show you how it works.

Knives, baseball bats, and people's own 2 hands kill more people than guns over here. At the exact same ratio as your country. Actually less. Guns are involved in 8% of all violent crime here, versus 13% in your country. But your gun laws are insanely restrictive. And no matter how many times I try to use your own country for an example, you never have anything to say about it.

Your country tried it. It changed nothing. Nadda. Zero. Your country was one of the safest to begin with. Prior to 1996 it was safer than Switzerland. But you over reacted and did what you did because one mentally ill man when nuts. Guess what - it changed nothing. 

How come you have no argument for that? How do you ignore that despite stringent gun control laws that make it near impossible to even have a shotgun legally, that your violent crime rates are exactly the same now nearly 20 years later, as they were prior to the ban? How do you explain how a shotgun - illegally obtained - was used just a few months ago in a coffee shop terrorist attack in your own country? You can't explain it because it does not work no matter how you try to spin the numbers.

When you start pitching a hissy fit over having bed rails installed on all beds in order to save lives because they kill way more people than assault rifles, then you will have credibility with me.

When you lobby to have skateboards removed from the public because 100,000 kids went to emergency rooms from skateboard injuries versus the 6,000 from a firearms - in a country with 310,000,000 million people and just as many guns, no less - then you will have credibility with me.

When you start lobbying to have backyard swimming pools require safety covers and fencing with child proof locks because they kill 500% more kids each year than do firearm accidents, then I will listen.

Until you start approaching things using common sense, perspective, and truth, instead of just blind emotion, then I won't respond to your silly arguing points, because they are based on emotion and not backed by fact.

But, you see, that is all the gun control people have. Emotion. Because the facts don't add up.

You ignore facts, and the most incredible is the amount of people SAVED by defensive gun use in this country. The most recent estimate is around 170,000 times per year. Despite those numbers, I have provided 2 personal experiences where a gun saved my life, or at the very least, serious bodily harm. Would you have denied me that defense?

Go ahead. You stated that I might change my mind if my wife or a loved one had been murdered. So what is your argument for the fact that the opposite actually happened to me? That I still get to live my life with my wife and family thanks to a 9mm? On 2 occasions in my lifetime, no less. In fact I won't listen to anything else until you address THAT argument. 

Oh and the fact that your crime rate has never changed. It's like you are ignoring it. Answer that one. Why has oppressive gun control laws in your country not changed one freaking thing?

Common sense, perspective, and truth. You start arguing using that, and you will have something. It's like a three legged milking stool. Without, you have nothing.

The Truth About Assault Rifles

Shotgun Turns Tables On Would Be Burglers

Two guys broke into the home of a North Carolina resident. Their choice to become criminals turned one of them into a murderer and the other into a corpse. The homeowner heard a window break in the basement. He did two things. First he called the cops. Second, he grabbed his shotgun and went to the doorway of his bedroom to become a last line of defense for his wife, who waited on the phone with 911.

Shortly afterwards, both bad guys kicked in a hallway door, and started towards Mr. Fox and the bedroom. The homeowner let loose with one shotgun blast and struck the first one in the chest.

He died.

The second one took off running and the cops are looking for him. Under North Carolina law, because his partner died in the commission of a crime, -HE- will be charged with murder when he is caught.

There are many states that have similar laws, but I think it is brilliant. You make the choice to do evil things, and somebody dies in the process - your accomplice, or the victim, or anyone at all - No matter who actually does the killing, and YOU will be charged with murder.

Awesome.

SOURCE LINK

Beretta Announces First Striker Fired Pistol - The APX

Their first venture into the striker fired pistol market, seems to be a doozy. It also seems to be geared for entering the open competition to replace the ARMY's aging service pistol. Though, it does not seem to meet some of the requirements that the ARMY lists as must haves. However, it is unclear if there is still some unseen surprises looming underneath it' polymer frame.

Most impressive is a slide design that provides grip anywhere along it's surface for even gloved hands to rack, clear, and load. It also includes a very high beaver tail design that allows for a high choke hold on the lower receiver. This would help to mitigate recoil. There is an equally impressive measurement from the center of the barrel to the top of the palm. Again, this would help to mitigate recoil.

The lower receiver includes a cutout into the lower trigger well, that would also help to mitigate recoil, by allowing the highest grip possible.

The front of the trigger well is a flat surface to promote attachments on the front, or to allow a Jerry Miculek front finger wrap. There is also a front rail for attachments.

Overall, the design seems quite impressive. We will be looking forward to some hard core reviews as they begin to release some samples into the eager hands of bloggers and press.

Son buys handgun for Mother. She needs it one week later.

A young man decided to buy his widowed mother a handgun as he was concerned for living alone. A week later, she shoots and kills a bad guy breaking into her home. Proving that guns are the greatest gift of all. In this case, it was partnered with the gift of life.

SOURCE LINK (Video)

OKC Man Shoots Bat Wielding Intruder

A man in Edmond Oklahoma, a fairly nice part of the Oklahoma City area, opened the door to a man he knew from a while back. That is when the assailant took a swing at the home owner with a baseball bat. The homeowner was struck in the hand and retreated to the kitchen. The assailant gave pursuit. It ended badly for the bad guy, as the good guy had a gun in the kitchen. The bad guy was shot in the face, neck, and hand. He took off, gravely wounded.

Police apprehended him a short while later as the bad guy, seeking help, went to his girlfriend's house. She called the cops in a panic.

SOURCE LINK (video)

Pharmacist Saves Entire Store

The below video comes out of Virginia. It is surveillance video from a small pharmacy. A man walks in with a mask and his hands in his pocket. The owner jokes that maybe he is here to rob us. That is when all hell breaks loose. The short of it is that he lived, all of the patrons loved, but the bad guy died.
CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH.

Bicycles Are On A Rampage Across America!

We here at Guns and Wammo like to illustrate absurdity with absurdity. We hear how awful guns are and how everything is worse with them. But truth be told, it is a bunch of people with an agenda. They want to disarm America. So they blow everything out of proportion and make things worse than they really are. They give you numbers pointing out how dangerous guns are. But they never compare those numbers to other things that seem less menacing. If they did, they would expose the absurdity.

Did you know that more kids drown in their pool in the backyard than die from a firearm in their home? By a gigantic amount. 500% more kids die from a swimming pool at home than do because of a firearm in their home. Did you know that there are only 4.5 million homes that have pools but there are 100 million homes with firearms? Does that not illustrate the absurdity?

So when I say: Pools kill 50 times more children than guns do, that is a great example of illustrating absurdity with absurdity.

Did you know that of all accidents at home, falling down kills 43 times more people than a gun in their home does?

So... Gravity kills 43 times more people than guns do. Absurdity with absurdity. In fact, when you look at worldwide numbers, and include every single instance of somebody dying by a bullet, you are not even close to the ravaging that takes place by evil Mr. Gravity. Including even the death tolls of war. Gravity kills 230% more people than guns do. Each year. Gravity, of all things.

But we focus on guns because there is a political agenda to disarm citizens.

That leads me to an interesting factoid that shows just how absurd people can be. There is roughly the same amount of gun owners in America as there are bicycle owners. Did you know that? If we were really concerned with keeping people safe, we would require safety courses on bicycle use, require licensing and background checks as well. Why? Because even though the number of gun owners and bicycle owners are roughly the same, over 50,000 kids each year go to the hospital due to a bicycle injury. But gun accidents account for less than 7,000. Where is the concern about the public well being for bicycle injuries like we see for guns?

It is this absurd illustration that shows you that there is political agenda around disarming citizens. It has nothing to do with actually keeping people safe.

Here is another factoid for you. Over 100,000 people go to the emergency room each year due to skateboards. That is 900% more often than the evil firearm. How come there are no Mother advocacy groups trying to get skateboards off of the street? But we sure do have them to get rid of guns.

Look I understand that most people just want people to be safe and live a long life. But when you have a politician yell about something being evil. When an advocacy group says something is evil. When anybody tries to pull on your heart strings and use emotion to sway your opinion, you better start doing some fact checking. On your own. Not reading a website that quotes you numbers trying to sway your opinion. Look all of those numbers up yourself, and then compare them to more normal things in life.

For instance, alcohol related deaths are about 75,000 each year. Gun related deaths - all of them combined - is 30,000. Something supposedly so evil and dangerous is half as likely to kill you as something so normal as alcohol.

Remember: Always do the absurdity check on your own, before you ever believe a politician about anything.

I will leave you with a quote from George Washington. Our first President and hero of the war for independence. During a speech in front of the first American Congress, he said the following:

"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence... From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day. Events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to ensure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. Every corner of this land knows firearms, and more than 99/100 percent of them by their silence indicate they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference - They deserve a place of honor with all that's good. When firearms go, all goes. We need them every hour." - George Washington, Address to the Second Session, First United States Congress.

Gravity is a homicidal Maniac!

Welcome to our series on debunking the most popular gun myths. In it, we aim to totally destroy all of the myths that you are most familiar with. You will be able to use these to cram the truth down a gun grabber's throat.

Because sometimes the truth hurts, we don't care if they choke on it.

#8 - OMG!!! Gun accidents kill thousands each year!

Yet another incredible lie quoted by politicians and spread by the internet. Guess what, gang. Not everything you read on the internet is true. Here is a statistic straight from the National Safety Council. Only 400 people out of a population of 310 million, are accidentally killed by a firearm while at home. Firearms are only the eighth most likely thing to kill you at home. A much-much-much more dangerous thing is gravity. It is the second most dangerous thing to kill you. Falling down kills 17,500 people each year at home. That is 43 times more people than accidentally die by guns.

I know what you are thinking. I said dies at home. So what about all of those people that go hunting? I bet those numbers are through the roof.

WRONG! The same National Safety Council said that the number one safest relaxing activity is Camping. The second one is shooting pool. Billiards. The third safest relaxing past time is - wait for it - HUNTING! In fact you are 3 times more likely to sustain an injury playing golf than going hunting.

Here is the most amazing statistic of all: Gun sales and gun ownership is growing at an almost immeasurable rate year over year. Like we can't even track how fast it's growing. Yet accidental gun fatalities, homicides involving guns, and all violent crimes using guns are going down. They are moving in opposite direction. In fact, any negative stat that you can quote about guns, have been steadily decreasing BY DOUBLE DIGIT PERCENTAGE POINTS, while gun sales and ownership are going through the roof.

It's almost as if the more guns we buy, the better everything gets. I know. I know. That sounds silly. Silly or not, accidents and crime involving guns are going down, while firearm ownership is going up. WAY up!

....Weird...

Here is another little factoid for you. Worldwide, the number of firearm related deaths is roughly 250,000. That includes murder and all violent crime, war and regional conflicts, and all accidents and suicide. Absolutely all gun deaths. By the same token, gravity - falling down - kills over 550,000 people worldwide. That gravity is a real pain in the keester.

Put things in perspective people...

To see the next myth destroyed click here. 

Guns accidents kill so many kids each year

Welcome to our series on debunking the most popular gun myths. In it, we aim to totally destroy all of the myths that you are most familiar with. You will be able to use these to cram the truth down a gun grabber's throat.

Because sometimes the truth hurts, we don't care if they choke on it.

#7 - OMG!!! Gun accidents kill soooo many kids each year!

Where did this complete lie come from??? Here are the official numbers of accidental deaths from The Centers For Disease Control for 2013.

Accidental death from firearms ages 1-4: 27
Accidental death from firearms ages 5-9: 15
Accidental death from firearms ages 10-14: 24
Accidental death from firearms ages 15-24: 107
Total = 173
Total accidental death for all sources = 9,000
Reality = 1.9% of accidental child death is gun related

QUITE BLOWING THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION!!!

Here are some realistic headlines that sound stupid when phrased the same way...

OMG!!! Less than one half of one percent of all child injuries involve firearms!!! Source = Centers for Disease Control

OMG!!! Swimming pools kill 50 times more kids than guns do. Source = Centers for Disease Control.

Maybe we should institute a backyard pool ban...

To see the next myth destroyed click here. 

Take away guns and you stop suicides

Welcome to our series on debunking the most popular gun myths. In it, we aim to totally destroy all of the myths that you are most familiar with. You will be able to use these to cram the truth down a gun grabber's throat.

Because sometimes the truth hurts, we don't care if they choke on it.

#5 - Take away guns and you stop suicides.

Ummm.... Not really. The Center For Disease Control has hard numbers on suicide. On average 40,000 people each year chose to end their life. Out of that 10,000 choose suffocation. Meaning they hung themselves. Over 6,000 chose to poison themselves. 20,000 chose to put a gun to their head. And you believe that if we take away guns, those 20,000 will somehow change their minds?

You don't really believe that, do you?

Let me ask you a question. Don't you think that if guns vanished overnight, most all of them would find another way? Betcha' they would. How do I know that? Because half of that number hang themselves each year already. A slower and more painful way to die. Half of that number poison themselves. The rest find other means.

Plus we can look at the UK for an example. Their suicide rate is virtually identical to ours. But they have very oppressive gun control laws compared to the US. And guess what, most of them are all hanging themselves or popping pills. Few guns. Same suicide rate. No differences.

Need other countries for comparison?

Cuba. Very restrictive gun laws. Same suicide rate as ours.
China. Very restrictive gun laws. Same suicide rate as ours.
Germany. Way more restrictive gun laws. Same suicide rate as ours.

I could list about 10 more, but I think you get the point. The bottom line is that we have ample proof that this claim is bogus.

I know what you are thinking. But if just a few of the ones that normally put a gun to their heads, suddenly change their minds and choose life, wouldn't that be worth it?

Let me ask you a couple of other questions. Did you know that in the US, 70,000 people each year shoot a bad guy that tried to harm them? Would you take away 70,000 people's right to keep on breathing, for just a few that wanted to end it all anyway?

How about this? 10,000 people each year hang themselves. Would you be willing to make buying rope illegal? After all, a lot of people use it each year to hang themselves. 

OF COURSE NOT! That would be silly. And so is the claim that making guns vanish would change the suicide rate. 

To see the next myth destroyed click here. 

Good guys with guns, never stop bad guys with guns

Welcome to our series on debunking the most popular gun myths. In it, we aim to totally destroy all of the myths that you are most familiar with. You will be able to use these to cram the truth down a gun grabber's throat.

Because sometimes the truth hurts, we don't care if they choke on it.

#4 - Good guys with guns, never stop bad guys with guns.

Totally 100% wrong. This claim was put out on the internet with zero data to back it up. I have even heard politicians repeat it is. But it's a bold faced lie. In fact, it probably happens millions of times each year.

How do I know that? Well the FBI reports that on average, 70,000 people shoot a bad guy each year. That bad guy ends up with a bullet in him thanks to the good guy. And these are regular people. Not cops. The bad guy either went to jail, or ended up dead due to his injuries. 70,000 times each year.

BUT WAIT! That number starts getting much bigger when we add in the number of times the good guy didn't actually shoot the bad guy. Or sometimes you just show the bad guy the gun, and he runs away. Sometimes the cops are never called when that happens. That has happened to me twice. I had guys with knives threaten me and demand my money. I showed them my gun. They ran away. I never called the cops.

NOW how big is that number?

The National Crime Victimization Survey says 108,000. Many don't like this number because it does not actually ask victims about defensive use of guns. That number is "derived" from the rest of their answers.

The Kleck Survey asks specifically, "Have you ever defended yourself using a firearm?" That number gives us 4,500,000. - 4.5 MILLION!

And yet another survey just counts news stories and headlines each year. That number is 2,500,000. - 2.5 MILLION!

THE TRUTH: No matter what number you decide to go with, way - WAY - WAAAAAYYY more people defend themselves with a gun, than are ever harmed by a gun.

To see the next myth destroyed click here. 

More Guns = More Crime

Welcome to our series on debunking the most popular gun myths. In it, we aim to totally destroy all of the myths that you are most familiar with. You will be able to use these to cram the truth down a gun grabber's throat.

And because sometimes the truth hurts, we don't care if they choke on it.

#3 - More guns = more crime. Simple math.

Totally 100% wrong. Even though we have 310 million guns for 310 million people, violent crime involving a gun is incredibly low. How low? Like really low. Like mind blowing low. Like when I tell you how often a gun is involved in a violent crime, you are not going to believe me and demand proof. So guess what, I am going to give it to you. I am going to give it to you real good.

Ripped right from the pages of the Bureau of Justice Statistics - a US Government entity that gathers crime data - I present to you the truth about guns and violent crime.

ONLY 8 PERCENT OF ALL VIOLENT CRIME INVOLVE A GUN!

Get the freak out of here! You mean 80% right? Nope. A single digit number. 8. 8 freaking percent. Not exactly what you have been lead to believe, is it?

That means 92 percent of all violent crime involve anything else other than a gun. In fact 78% of the time, a violent crime is committed with body parts. Meaning a fist, or foot.

I got it! Maybe we should take away everybody's feet. That will surely change the crime rate.

But wait, that's not all! - What does the government show historically about guns and violent crime? Surely this is just a weird fluke, right? Wrong! Really wrong. This report show that in 1992 when they started tracking this data, only 13% of all violent crime involved a firearm. Since 1992 it has gone down. And it has gone down every year to the current level of 8%.

WAIT! Are you telling me that as more and more people buy guns, violent crime involving a gun is moving in the opposite direction?!?!?

Yep. The truth is far less scary than what you were led to believe, wasn't it? Can't figure out why. Politicians and the news media never blow anything out of proportion to further an agenda. Never...

To see the next myth destroyed click here.