The ASJWs and the Trending Violence Problem

*Before I get to my main topic for today, I have to apologize. I intend to have another gun review before too long, however my local gun range has been closed for renovations. Please bear with me.
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As I listen to the news during my morning commute, I hear of another shooting that occurred at a shopping center in Houston. This is the second shooting that's gained mass media attention in the span of 3 days - the first incident was at a mall in Washington state over the weekend.

Most of America will jump to the conclusions that these killers are mentally unstable and should have been banned from having "weapons that can kill so efficiently," and they will push the gun control agenda. But here's the thing that everyone overlooks:

*MOST OF THESE KILLERS CANNOT, AND DO NOT, OBTAIN A FIREARM LEGALLY* 

Surprising I know, but most of these crimes, including street violence, occurs with weapons that were obtained illegally. That being said, those in favor of gun control will say things like, "Well if law-abiding citizens didn't have guns, they can't be stolen by criminals and then used in crimes." To that I say:

*CRIMINALS WILL FIND WAYS TO COMMIT CRIME, NO MATTER WHAT*

This bugs me because many people that are pushing for gun control fail to see this very simple concept. I know they're tired of hearing it, but you can't stop insane people from doing insane things. I hope we eventually get to the point in our lives where we can predict and identify mentally incompetent individuals before they can act, but until then, no amount of federal background checks will change anything. Banning certain types of guns won't change anything, firearm registration won't change anything, and until the terrorist watch list has due process, it won't change anything either (even with due process it may not). The shooter in Orlando had every background check imaginable, and that didn't stop him.

You'll hear liberals say things like "this is an everyday occurrence in the U.S. We need to look at Great Britain and Australia as an example for gun control." Here are my replies:

• No, it's not an "everyday occurrence" - thank goodness. As a matter of fact, gun violence is the lowest it's been in 20 years, according to the FBI.
• The media (most of which is liberal) are covering more shootings to push an agenda - there's no such thing as non-biased journalism today. Violent crimes can happen frequently, but you only hear of the crimes they want you to hear (more on this later).
• Great Britain and Australia have a higher violent crime rate than the U.S. according to the FBI. 

So why are these mall shootings happening? Here's my honest and brutal opinion: It is becoming a trend. Every time the media attempts to push their gun control agenda, they are glorifying every shooting that occurs. The shooter's name goes down in history, even if it was for a heinous act. Some of these shooters have pledged allegiance to terrorist organizations like ISIS/ISIL, but terrorism is a topic for a different post. How do we end these so-called mass shootings? Stop glorifying the shooter. Don't say his/her name and don't tell the race of the shooter. Why does the shooter's name/race/religion matter? IT DOESN'T.

____________________Beginning Media Rant____________________

What bothers me more than ANY of this, is the violence that does occur every single day in the U.S. that doesn't get attention. The only stories that media covers are the ones that could cause riots in the streets - because that's what sells. They don't care about the insane gang-related inner-city violence numbers. They only care about violence if it could be linked to racism....and then the Armchair Social Justice Warriors (ASJWs) come out on social media for the sole purpose to make themselves look superior. 

                       *The league of ASJW's job is to sit behind their computer with their 

                         haughty attitude and share unchecked, false information while spouting off 

                         their opinions just so they can feel high and mighty. It's a very 

                         egocentric group of individuals.

But you better believe the ASJW's opinions will be the popular opinion - regardless of actual facts. They're the kind of people that didn't originally care about a topic, but then immediately switch and care too much when the opportunity arises.

____________________Rant Over____________________

I'm getting too worked-up about that. Now back to guns. The point I'm trying to make with this is that the ASJWs will not do the actual research on gun violence in the U.S. before claiming "We have a gun problem!" and posting false statistics. They won't look up the inner-city violence numbers and how many of these criminals should not even be on the street because of currently existing gun laws. They don't care about same race violence. They are only looking for a topic that they can cause unrest.

U.S. Military Sidearm UPDATE

Over a year ago, I wrote an article about the military's search for the next sidearm. Well now the Modular Handgun System is in full-swing and the options have changed quite a bit since I wrote about it last. I decided to compare my estimates from last year to what has been confirmed so far.
                                                             *Updates are in RED*

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*There is no particular order to this list. I will not pick favorites*

• Springfield XD - While I love a good all-metal design, I feel like the next generation pistol will favor polymer, mainly due to weight, ergonomics, and ease of production. The XD is similar to a Glock because of it's cult following. Not so easy on the eyes, but it offers many different models and calibers to choose from and includes an added safety feature that the Glocks don't have. I personally am not a huge fan of the XD, but it meets the specified requirements - all without breaking the military budget.
• UPDATE: The Springfield XDM 9mm and .40 is currently being tested

• Smith and Wesson M&P - Again, another pistol with adaptable ergonomics and slender frame. Comes in a variety of calibers and models. you can get these pistols with or without the frame-mounted safety. Either way, it is a very small safety that won't get in the way. Trusted by police forces all throughout the nation.
• UPDATE: The M&P .40 is currently being tested

• Beretta Px4 Storm - In the early 2000's, Beretta released their second full-sized pistol. Primarily for the purpose of becoming the next military sidearm for the now-defunct Joint Combat Pistol program. With it's polymer frame, interchangeable back straps, accessory rail, and adoption by numerous police forces in the U.S., the Px4 is building a solid reputation as a great all-around gun. It is a little thick, but its large, beefy external safety is not a mandatory option.
• UPDATE: No longer in consideration. Originally to be carried over from the Joint Combat Pistol trials, but it appears that the military wants a hammerless design.

• Glock - I cannot give an exact model that would be used, but I still believe that the military would value the capacity of the 9mm over a 45. So maybe a Glock 17 or 19? A valued feature of the Glock would be how flush the gun sits. It is a very "snag-proof" design. And now the 4th generation pistols have the ability to swap out the back straps. The biggest issue with the Glock is that soldiers will not have the ability to tinker with the gun to make it "perfect," therefore I feel like many military Glock fans would be upset with this.
• UPDATE: The Glock 17 and 22 Gen 4  are both currently being tested

• H&K 45c - Already used by several branches of the military. This has everything you could want in a new pistol design, including the long sought-after 45 caliber bullet. However, the price tag will be this weapon's downfall. I'm sure it'll be less under military contract, but I can't imagine the military paying close to $1,100 per handgun.
• UPDATE: No longer in consideration. H&K instead submitted their VP9 and VP40 instead of the 45c

• FN Five-Seven - I am adding this to the list only because it was designed to not only meet the requirements of the new military sidearm, but also be an alternative to the 9x19 NATO round. I feel like if the gun didn't cost an arm or leg to buy, our soldiers would already be carrying this weapon. The Five-Seven uses a unique cartridge, the 5.7x28 mm. It is a long and skinny round, designed to act like a rifle caliber, but for a pistol. It holds 20 rounds and has greater effective range and stopping power than a 9x19 NATO round. After holding this weapon, you can tell that this gun was built around ergonomics, it's possibly one of the most comfortable pistols I have ever felt.
• UPDATE: Status unknown. FN has reportedly entered a striker-fired design, but they have not officially announced a model or caliber. Could still be the Five-Seven...

• Beretta APX - Beretta has finally done it. After years of criticism of not making a striker-fire pistol, they finally have an answer. The Beretta APX. This pistol falls right into the "no external safety, split trigger, polymer, striker-fire" category. Price hasn't been announced yet but we could probably expect that it falls around the $600 mark. It's a little late to the game, but maybe it'll get some military consideration. Only time will tell.
• UPDATE: Still in consideration. Both in 9mm and .40

• FN FNP - The FNP is right there with the H&K 45c when talking about look and feel. But it's a little more reasonable when it comes to price. And talk about options! This pistol comes in about as many configurations as you can imagine. I feel like the military could have a field day just building what they want. This is one of the few pistols that have replaceable frame rails that allow it to be rebuilt after extensive use. This will drastically increase the gun's service life and end up saving money. 
• UPDATE: Probably no longer in consideration. This was a good option before I knew about the apparent striker-fire only rule.

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BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!
Since I wrote the last article, there are several new contenders to recognize. I'll give a one sentence opinion on each:

• Sig Sauer P320 MHS 
• I love this gun, I could see this winning easily.
• CZ P-09 MHS 
• Great gun! Cannot argue with this option. I feel that the only thing that could hold the CZ back from winning would be the overall size - it's rather large.
• STI-Detonics Defense STX 
• Another attempt to go back to 1911. Do we want that?
• Taurus PT24/7 OSS 
• I just don't see it passing the NATO endurance tests. Sorry Taurus. 
• Walther PPQ M2 
• Good option, but for some reason it's not compatible with standard PPQ mags already in production. Strange move on Walther's part.

I am also a little surprised that the military is conducting tests with the .40 S&W variants of the pistols. Especially after the FBI studies on the reduced lifespan of service weapons. 

I won't go into too much detail about each gun in consideration at the moment, but if we get a confirmed short-list of options, you better believe I'll have a lengthy opinion on the matter.