I need to take a break from the SHOT Show coverage to pass around a pretty big piece of news.  As some of you know (and way too many others were unaware), a new law (AB 962) passed in 2010 would ban direct mail order or Internet sales of “handgun ammunition” to customers in CA.  Under the law, set to take effect on February 1, handgun ammo sales would have to take place in a face-to-face transaction with a licensed dealer, and would require a registration process that includes a thumbprint. 

I watched in shock as this insanely vague legislation rolled right through the CA legislature with relatively little fanfare.  Publicity was nominal, although of course the gun rights organizations were in vocal opposition.  When I mention the looming ban to hunting friends and associates, few even knew it had happened.  “Too late now, I thought.”

But maybe not too late after all!  In a ruling yesterday, a Superior Court judge in Fresno found the law unconstitutionally vague, and the court enjoined enforcement of the statute.  At least for now, you will still be able to order ammo via the Internet or mail order catalogue.  However, I’d strongly recommend getting involved in the push to completely overturn this law and others like it that are sure to follow. 

You can read more about it on the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) website.  While you’re there, if you’re not already a member, that’s a great time to read more about what this organization is doing and maybe even join up.  While they do occasionally employ some of the rhetoric of the NRA, they’re more focused on CA issues and providing a voice for CA hunters and gun owners alike.

There’s a discussion going on right now over at Holly’s NorCal Cazadora blog regarding the near-passage of Assembly Bill 962.  You should definitely head on over and read what she’s said, and get involved in the discussion.  Me, I’m not trying to horn in, but just think it’s important to spread this around as much as possible.

In short, this bill is designed to curb handgun violence by requiring anyone purchasing handgun ammo in CA to submit a thumbprint and other identifying data.  It also restricts mail-order handgun ammunition sales (e.g. Cabelas, MidwayUSA) by requiring ammo to be shipped to a dealer so that the appropriate registration process can be performed. 

I’ve been quiet on this one, and maybe by doing so I’ve done all of you readers a serious disservice.  Maybe I should have been up on the rooftops yelling about it, in the same way I did about the lead ban.  I could have done more, perhaps, to mobilize hunters and gun owners to get their voices heard early and often as this thing went through the process. 

I’d beg pardon on the excuse that I honestly never thought the bill would get through the Assembly, much less through the Senate.  But it did, and now, as you know if you ever watched Schoolhouse Rock, it’s on the Governor’s desk to either be signed into law or vetoed and sent back down.

I also tend to stay away from the general fray of the gun rights fight.  There are other sites much more adept at this battle, and individuals who are much more deeply involved at all the levels.  I throw my support their way, both in the way of membership in certain gun rights organizations, and by making my voice heard to my legislators and the Governor.  But I seldom use this blog to echo the messages sent to my by the NSSF, NRA, CRPA, or others.

But after some thought, I felt that maybe I should feel more “duty bound” to step up on the stump and yell about this one, in particular.  The implications of AB962 go so much further than some folks seem to recognize, not to mention the pure senseless nature of the legislation. 

Here are some thoughts that I’ve been thinking…  (more…)

It’s hard to turn around right now without tripping over yet another story about the ammunition shortage and how it’s causing problems for hunters and recreational shooters (rather than a single story link, here’s a recent Google news search on the term, “Ammunition Shortage”).  Alongside every story is a slew of conspiracy theory.  Take your pick:

• It’s a plot by the industry to jack up prices.
• It’s a backdoor plot by the Obama administration to make ammo hard to get
• It’s a plot by the Chinese to buy up all the raw materials so we can’t defend ourselves
• It’s a plot by the NRA to incite panic and increase membership

Personally, I find this kind of thing both sad and laughable. It’s amazing the lengths we’ll go to in order to explain something we don’t understand.  It’s also a great example of the pervasive nature of meme theory (an idea is planted in the collective mind, and is passed along, mutating and evolving just like genetic material).  But let’s not get too esoteric here… the point is that a meme usually has to have, at least, a basis in fact to take root.

The reality of the ammo shortage is complex and serious, but probably not quite as sinister as it’s been made out to be. 

It’s not a new issue, as there have been reports about shortages since shortly after 9/11, Afghanistan, and the second invasion of Iraq.  Between training and combat, the troops are using an awful lot of powder, primers, brass, copper, and lead.  Stateside law enforcement was the first population hit by the shortage, in large part because they use many of the same weapons as the military.  Ammo supplies for training have been cut significantly in many places.

In addition to the supplies to support the war, raw materials have been in high demand overseas, particularly in China.  While most western economies were crashing, China’s economy stayed stable enough so that they could afford to buy copper, lead, and other key materials that would typically be used by the ammo industry.  Supply and demand… short supply means higher prices.  When higher prices don’t reduce demand, supply runs even shorter. 

There certainly has been a marked increase in sales of both guns and ammo since the Obama administration took over, and I DO believe that’s the result of an orchestrated propaganda campaign by both the NSSF and NRA.  See?  I’m not immune to a little conspiracy thinking myself.  But in this case, I think the facts bear me out.  The frenzy was driven to fever pitch… “the liberals are going to take your guns,” and in this atmosphere of distrust and fear, the cultural psyche is fertile ground for such paranoid rhetoric. 

The question, I suppose, is whether or not the propaganda is well-intentioned (someone really cares about Second Amendment Rights) or if it’s really a clever marketing campaign.  Cynical of me, but an honest question nonetheless. 

Regardless the causes, there does appear to be a very real shortage of ammunition, and ammunition components right now.  Recreational shooters and hunters are now seeing the shortages, although we’ve actually been paying more for ammo for several years now.  I’m hearing over and over from folks now who are having trouble finding ammo for practice, and even for hunting.  Personally, I haven’t seen it yet.  I picked up a couple of boxes of .243 ammo prior to my Texas hunt without a problem, and I’m pretty well stocked for my other guns. 

Which leads to my question to all of you… are you having a hard time finding ammo, or reloading components?

As I may have mentioned before, one of the blogs I read on a regular basis is Dave Petzal’s Gun Nut blog.   Mr Petzal, and occasional guest blogger, Phil Bourjailly (shotgunning) offer some great info and opinion about all things guns… but particularly sporting guns. 

So anyway, I checked in yesterday and saw this sucker! 

That’s right, it’s real. 

Chambered in .600 Nitro Express, this is truly a hand-cannon!  It’s created by the Austrian company, Pfiefer Waffen, and can actually be purchased if you have about $16,000 dollars laying around.  Actually, that price is a bit cheaper than some double rifles in the same caliber, so I suppose it’s quite a bargain. 

Fully suited for anything from REALLY big hogs to brontosaurus, it’s a revolver fit to make Dirty Harry drool in envy.  If you should see one and get a chance to shoot it, odds are it will make you drool too… brain damage can do that to a person.  Personally, the S&W .500 was as much handgun as I ever care to shoot, so you can have at it. 

Apparently this thing is also available in .458 Winchester, for the less manly masochist. 

So, should you choose to run out and pick one of these things up, let me know.  I’d love to hear about it… from a great distance.

In the meantime, I’m still daydreaming about this beauty from the SHOT Show a few years back.

Speaking of the SHOT Show, only eight more days until the Media Day at the Range where I’ll have the opportunity to put my grubby hands on all kinds of more traditional firearms.  If there’s anything new out there you’d like me to check out, let me know!   I will, for sure, be looking at all of the new offerings from Winchester, Browning, Sako, Beretta, and probably Smith and Wesson (I LOVE their Elite Gold double-barrel). 

I’m also hoping to get my hands on the new bolt actions from Mossberg and Marlin, as they should be the perfect thing for the economy-minded hunter. 

So sing out, and let me know if you want me to check out anything in particular.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention last week’s “momentous” Supreme Court ruling in the case of D.C. vs. Heller.  It’s hardly news at this point, and if you’re disappointed that I didn’t cover it sooner…well, sorry.  There are far too many politics and gun rights blogs, newspapers, sites, and organizations out there who are much better prepared to trumpet this news to the world… complete with their own spin and prognostication. 

Personally, while I think its a good deal that the decision came down on the side of reason, I don’t think it was quite the victory the gun rights crowd was hoping for.  What surprised me more than anything was the blatant retort from the dissenting Justices who, in essence, argued that there’s no such thing as an individual right to bear arms.  I expected some kind of wrangling about the “greater good” and public interest, but not for any of them to come right out and say that the American People have no right to arm themselves in self-defense. 

Anyway, it’s not over yet.  There’s still a lot of room open for firearm restrictions.  They’ll just have to be tailored against the letter of the law as it was just defined.  A roomful of lawyers can handle that well enough, and you can be sure they will… and the fight will go on and on. 

Anyway, unless something truly big comes down the pike on this issue, I’ll leave discussion of this topic to those more inclined, such as Tom Remington over at the Black Bear Blog.  Tom’s right on top of this, and just wrote a really nicely done post regarding the implications of the decision, as well as a great summary of the justification provided by Justice Scalia. 

In the meantime, I’m all for staying involved at all levels (and I do), but as far as the Hog Blog goes, we’re gonna focus on keeping an eye on the small stuff, like the lead ban and hog hunting legislation.