My Response To Academy Sports + Outdoors

The following is my reply to the absurd new policy Academy Sports + Outdoors that removes Modern Sporting Rifles (AR-15s) from public view. The rifles are still available, but you have to ask a person at the gun counter to retrieve them from the back. Academy is doing this so they don't "offend" any of their customers. Well... now they've offended more people than they ever would have if they left the MSRs on the shelf.


To whom it may concern,

Up to this point, I have always been a loyal customer of Academy Sports & Outdoors. My family and I have spent hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars on ammunition and shooting supplies. However, after the stance that you have taken on Modern Sporting Rifles, I will be looking at alternative businesses when I need to make my outdoor/hunting purchases. Your new policy on "hiding" AR-15 rifles is not only confusing, it's just downright absurd. If you are doing this so that you don't offend customers, you are not succeeding in your goal. As a once regular customer, it makes me feel uncomfortable when I have to ask an employee to see items "from the back" -  like I'm participating in some shady dealings. I would like to thank you for years of quality products and service. I hate that my business with you has to come to an end... all because of outrageous policies that are designed cater to the nonexistent 1% and offend a vast majority of your customers.

Best Regards.


Feel free to copy some of this verbiage and send it to Academy's info desk on their website.
Remember to stay civil when commenting. Law abiding gun owners are above name-calling and swearing.

Gun Reviews - What I Look For

As I've said before - I love guns of all kinds. I feel like I've gotten past the "I hate all *insert manufacturer here* because they all *insert derogatory statement here."

Some might be saying "Not so fast! You've already said that you hate all GLOCKs!"
Wrong! I said that I hate the marketing of Glock being the "perfect pistol." As a weapon I believe that its a fine gun. Very reliable and very durable - but I personally wouldn't have one and the reasons change from model to model.

When I review guns, there are several key things that I look for.
First thing item is ergonomics. If a gun isn't comfortable to shoot, there's no point in purchasing it. For example, I've shot several small pistols where the pinky extension pinches your finger with every shot. It kinda ruins the experience if you have to wince in pain with every shot.

Second most important feature for me is the trigger. Not necessarily the weight, but how smooth it is. I also want to be able to easily predict the trigger break. Items like trigger weight and reset are important, but minor compared to how smooth the trigger is and breaks. Have you ever pulled the trigger on a Ruger American Pistol? Once you do that, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. It's even more impressive when you find a double action revolver that can do the same thing.

Third: Off-the-shelf features and value. First impressions are everything, and like a car, more features are always a plus. What comes with the gun? Not necessarily how many magazines come with the it, but what kind of sights come on it. Does it come with a rail? How about interchangeable grip options (see ergonomics)?

Fourth: You can't purchase a gun if it's unreliable. If a gun malfunctions while I'm testing it, I will mention it. A gun needs to be 100% reliable, and if it can't make it through the 100 or more test rounds I put through a gun, there's no reason to think it will last for thousands of rounds and it will not get a recommendation from me.

While there are still some other features I might look at, these are four items that are taken into serious consideration. Rest easy, if I can't shoot a gun long enough to write a thorough review, I won't write one. Simple as that.

Mind of a Proud Liberal (on guns)

This election season is driving me crazy. I've hardly been able to talk about new products because I'm too busy watching and waiting for some gun-bashing politician to get all fired up over something that they know little to nothing about. The mind of a liberal truly is quite an awe-inspiring thing.

Here are some of my observations about the anti-gunners:

• They think that you can buy a gun at any gun store without background checks.
• They believe that gun purchases at gun shows don't have mandatory background checks.
• They think that any person can purchase a fully-automatic weapon.
• They think that you can have a gun shipped to your house.
• They think that guns "just go off."
• They think that guns are more responsible for shootings than the person pulling the trigger.
• They want to ban guns, but in case of an emergency, call for police to bring a gun.
• They call people that allow an infant to accidentally fire a weapon, "another responsible gun owner."
• They refuse to admit that gun violence is at a 20-year low (according to the FBI).
• They refuse to admit that accidental child shootings are at an all-time low (according to the FBI).
• They may not know because they're just spouting off what they hear from anti-gun media.
• They refuse to think that there are such things as "responsible gun owners."
• They think that magazines take minutes to swap and a mag restriction will save lives.
• They think that removing guns from the hands of non-felons will keep felons from committing crimes.
• They fail to see the words "right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" in the Constitution. 
• They think the NRA gets all their money from gun companies but fail to recognize the NRA's 5+ million members. Not to mention the millions of supporters.
• They call a murder/suicide a "mass shooting."
• They think that so called "assault rifles" make up a majority of shootings in the U.S. (when in fact it makes up less than 1% of all gun crime)
• They fail to see that gun free zones don't work.

.... And my personal favorite:

• They call gun owners paranoid but then say things like "mass shootings are becoming commonplace." 
• If they are so "commonplace," why don't you want to be prepared to defend yourself and family? 

As you saw in my last post, you can't just say any of these things to an anti-gunner. If you post a comment they don't like, you'll be silenced. If you try to talk to them, they will walk away. 

Why do they avoid the conversation?

Because they know they'll lose.

The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Banned Me on Facebook

I shouldn't be surprised that an organization that wants to get rid of second amendment rights also seems to want to ignore the first amendment as well. There is no free speech on the Coalition's Facebook page. I made one comment as a rebuttal to an incorrect fact that one of the group members had posted. There was no name calling. There was no foul language on either side. All of a sudden, not only can I not view my post on their page any more, I can't continue the intellectual conversation that I had started having. All of my commenting privileges have been removed.

This seems extremely typical of the anti-gun media. They see something they don't like - they repress it. They ask a question and receive a pro-gun answer that they don't expect - that answer is removed. All of a sudden, they will comment as if gun owners are left "speechless."

Sounds a little like Katie Couric doesn't it...