Carbon Fiber and Titanium rifle

The Carbon Fiber and Titanium rifle uses aerospace technology to produce a rifle that’s lighter and more accurate than traditional tactical rifles.

Christensen Arms Carbon Fiber Tactical Force Multiplier Rifle

Christensen Arms

 Christensen Arms, manufacturers of superior hunting, tactical and sport shooting firearms utilizing the latest in carbon fiber technologies, is pleased to introduce its new Tactical Force Multiplier (TFM) rifle.

“We’re gun guys at heart.  It was a logical transition of resources and expertise.   Our goal was to use the same carbon fiber manufacturing expertise (from the aerospace industry) to build a cutting edge tactical rifle.   Our rifle is lighter and technically more advanced than your traditional tactical rifles.  I am very pleased with the final product,” said Jason Christensen, the owner of Christensen Arms.

The TFM features carbon fiber technology and precision machining only found at Christensen Arms.  The three main components of the TFM (stock, barrel, and bolt action) are an advanced combination of traditional firearms features and aerospace grade componentry.
The Tier One tactical stock astonishingly weighs only 2.3 lbs.  It is manufactured in house from hand laid carbon fiber.   Shooters of all sizes will find customized fit and comfort with the embedded tactical adjustment dials for length of pull and comb height.  Perfected for the battle field, the Christensen Arms tactical stock is the perfect cross over stock for both the traditional bench-rest shooter and high country hunter.
Christensen Arms developed and manufactured the first carbon rifle barrel in the industry.  Nearly 20 years later, it remains the standard for ultra-lightweight, highly-accurate rifle barrels.  The TFM is fitted with an original carbon fiber wrapped, select match grade barrel.  Each TFM rifle is backed by ½ MOA accuracy guarantee.
Christensen Arms has now added its own billet machined bolt action to their carbon fiber rifle components.   Each stainless steel receiver is precision machined in-house to tight aerospace tolerances.  The receiver includes an integral Picatinny rail, fluted bolt with tactical knob, adjustable Timney trigger, and drop box magazine.
The TFM is available in .223 REM, .308 WIN, .300 WIN, and .338 LAPUA. Experience the unique combination of traditional firepower and the technological advancements of the aerospace industry.
Tactical Force Multiplier Specifications:

Calibers:	.223 Rem	.308 Win	.300 Win Mag	.338 Lapau
Accuracy:	½  MOA	½  MOA	½  MOA	½  MOA
Weight:	8 lbs (may vary based on options)	8 lbs (may vary based on options)	8 lbs (may vary based on options)	8 lbs (may vary based on options)
Barrel:	24”	24”	26”	26”
Contour:	Sporter	Sporter	Sporter	Bull
Rifling:	1-12	1-10	1-10	1-10
Pull:	Adjustable	Adjustable	Adjustable	Adjustable
Trigger:	Timney – 2.5 lbs.	Timney – 2.5 lbs.	Timney – 2.5 lbs.	Timney – 2.5 lbs.
Mag Capacity:	3+1	3+1	5+1	5+1

To keep up with Christensen Arms, customers can opt-in to a newsletter that will offer new product information, hunting and shooting sports news and tips, customer stories and videos and promotions.
For more on Christensen Arms, visit their website or join the conversation on Facebook.

Christensen Arms Carbon Fiber Tactical Force Multiplier Rifle CA Bolt Action

Christensen Arms Carbon Fiber Tactical Force Multiplier Rifle

About Christensen Arms:

Christensen Arms was founded in Gunnison, Utah in 1995 as a result of Dr. Roland Christensen’s knowledge of carbon-fiber and passion for hunting. Dr. Christensen first earned his Doctorate of Science in Mechanical Engineering and went on to start a company that utilizes carbon-fiber material for the aerospace and medical industries. This technology was revolutionary in barrel production and saw widespread acceptance. Christensen Arms builds a full range of firearms, including bolt-action rifles for hunting, target shooting and tactical applications, with hand-laid-up carbon-fiber stocks, a line of AR-styled tactical rifles and custom, handcrafted 1911 pistols. These firearms are among the most precise, distinctive and technologically advanced products on the market today.

The Texas Firearms Festival Needs Shotgun Sellers!

Posted on August 12, 2015

The 2015 Texas Firearms Festival is Almost Fully Booked. Shotgun Sellers Need Apply!

Texas Firearms Festival

Texas Gun Fest

Austin, TX -(AmmoLand.com)- It’s hotter than Hell here in Central Texas. Thankfully, in less than one hundred days, the hot bath that is Austin will cool down for the 2015 Texas Firearms Festival.
The weather will be perfect for the 4,000+ firearms enthusiasts gathering at Best of the West Shooting Sports in Liberty Hill on Nov. 14 and 15. Tickets are already selling quickly — ahead of our fall billboard, radio and social media campaigns. And why not? Check out all the companies showing their stuff at the “try before you buy” gun show.

In the big bays: FN USA, Noveske/US Optics, STI Guns, IWI, CMC Triggers, Texas Custom Guns, War Sport, Armalite, LANTAC USA, SIG SAUER, HPR Ammunition, PWS, Silencer Shop, Roughneck Firearms, Republic Forge, Walther and YHM.
On the rifle range: Bergara Custom Rifles, Leupold, Double D Armory/Gorilla Ammunition, Daniel Defense, Blaser, LWRC, Battle Rifle Company, Cobalt Kinetics, Henry Repeating Arms and Sons of Liberty.
In the retail village: DSG Arms, DPX Gear Inc, Kangaroo Carry, Texas Concealed Carry, Dead Goose Society, Bond Arms, Pipe Hitters Union, Sure Shots Magazine, Trophy Tools, A Girl & A Gun Women’s Shooting League, Well Armed Woman, Fighter Design, Lone Star Gun Rights, Americase, 610Precision, Brim-It, AR Customs, Ducks Unlimited, Second Amendment Foundation, Bee Tactical, Precision Small Arms, Texas State Rifle Association, KNS Precision and Target Vision.
In addition, the Texas State Rifle Association is sponsoring our new-for-2015 Competition Zone. The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s sponsoring our VIP tent. We’ve made room for more companies in our Retail Village. What we need now: shotguns! We have three shotgun demonstration/sales areas left – just opposite the NSSF VIP tent.
If you’re interested in a retail spot or a shotgun position, please contact Lee Johnson on 832 656 5870 or email lee@texasgunfest.com. If not, click here to buy your tickets to the 2015 Texas Firearms Festival, where we shoot guns, wear short sleeves and pity our freezing northern neighbors.
About the Texas Firearms Festival
The Texas Firearms Festival is on November 14 and 15 at Best of the West Shooting Sports in Liberty Hill, Texas. Purchase tickets to the “come and shoot it” event at www.texasgunfest.com/tickets/. For more information or exhibitor reservations call Lee Johnson on 832 656 5870 or email lee@texasgunfest.com.

Sandra Bland Protest: All White People Should Be Killed

WALLER COUNTY, Texas — Breitbart Texas was at the Waller County Sheriff’s Office county jail Saturday evening when a protester told reporters and others present, that all white people should be killed. She also called white people and reporters, “terrorists.” Her orders – “go back into the cave where you came from.”
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the group Anonymous posted a YouTube video and made threatening demands upon the Waller County Sheriff’s Department and Waller County officials saying, “We all know where you live. No mercy for murderers.”
The group planned protests in 35 cities throughout the U.S. on Saturday, August 8th, and made specific threats against the Waller County Sheriff and other Waller County police officers. They were at the Waller County jail on Saturday evening.
“You see this nappy-ass hair on my head? … That means I am one of those more militant Negroes,” a protester later identified as “Sunshine” said.
She told reporters she was at the protest because “these redneck mother-f**kers murdered Sandra Bland because she had nappy hair like me.”

The protester, aka “Sunshine,” was live-streaming the protest and her verbal assaults on journalists and photographers. She posted on her @ClaimMalcolmDay Twitter page – “I’m broadcasting ‘F**KWHITESUPREMACY’ live on @Ustream.”

“Sunshine” as she is referred to, describes herself on her @LOLatWhiteFear Twitter page as “The noncompliant negro female formerly known as @stylistsunshine founder of #CMXD campaign. 1 of the organizers of #Fergusonspring.”

“I’m a nappy-haired militant non-compliant Negro that’s here because Sandra Bland was murdered…” (Photo: Breitbart Texas/Bob Price)

#CMXD or @ClaimMalcolmDay states on the Twitter page, “This year we give Malcolm X a national holiday. We are not asking, we are TAKING it!”
After saying she was a follower of Malcom X, Breitbart Texas asked “Sunshine” if she agreed that all white people should be killed. She retorted, “You’re damn right I do! You think I am scared to say that to you?!”
Breitbart Texas caught this on video, and Sunshine said she was recording this on her live stream.
She continued, “You mother-f**ckers thought we should be killed when ya’ll came and stole us from Africa and put us in chains and murdered us for over 400 years, so yeah, you do need to die. I think everybody else on the planet would have peace when you’re dead.”
Prior to the video being recorded by Breitbart Texas, “Sunshine” told Price that she was a follower of Malcolm X. Sunshine apparently is #CMXD or @ClaimMalcolmDay because “CMXD” posted that “I’m broadcasting ‘F**KWHITESUPREMACY.”
This protester verbally assaulted Breitbart Texas journalists and other journalists, bloggers, and photographers while at the protest. All of the victims of her verbal tirade were white.
“Sunshine” called white people and reporters “terrorists” and said she didn’t “negotiate with terrorists” when reporters asked her questions.
“I think you should go back to those caves that you crawled out of in the Caucasus mountains because you can’t leave black and brown people alone. We can’t have any peace on the planet because of white supremacy and white existence. So yeah, f**king die or go back to the cave. I’m not scared to say it.”
The Caucasus mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia.
She said, “I don’t do too well with racist-ass, hick-ass, white people. I just don’t. And nobody that like should be here, except for them and us and him (looking at some protesters). The rest of them are just here to like, I don’t know, just get a story or whatever. They don’t give a f**k about Black genocide. They don’t give a f**k about what happened to Sandra Bland. They don’t give a f**k about the fact that these people (pointing to the Waller County Sheriff Department jail) have told several different stories about what happened to this woman.”
She said she was at the jail just two weeks ago when “Sheriff Glenn Smith told me that she sat down on a toilet and that is how she f**ing died. That is not what they said on CNN. I will release the video to ya’ll.”
She said, “they” have continued to change “their story,” have told story after story, and come up with something different each time.
“Sunshine” said of reporters, “None of these f**ing pale-skinned people give a f**k about that. All they give a f**k about is getting a G**-damn story.”
A young white man at the protest told her that he had a Black friend, his best friend, and his friend was there.
“Sunshine” told him, “I don’t give a f**k about you having a Black friend. I don’t give a f**k about you having a Black friend. … Then get out here and die for him. … If you give a f**k, get your ass out here and die for him because a lot of people are dying. I don’t give a f**k about your Black friend. All racist white-people have a Black friend. Get the f**k out of here with your token Black. That don’t impress me.”
She told the young white man, “Get the f**k out of here. If you … were really his friend, you would know why the f**k we were saying, what we’re saying. Get the f**k out of here with that s**t.”
Before Sunshine left the area where reporters were gathered she said, Waller County is “white-supremacy at its finest.”
Neighbors told Breitbart Texas there was nothing racist about the county.

NRA Supports Senator Cornyn’s Bill to Halt Obama NICS Abuses

More

On August 5^th, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced S. 2002, a bill to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens from continued bureaucratic abuse by the Obama Administration.  As we reported on July 18^th, Obama’s latest gun grabbing ploy was to forward all individuals receiving Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits through a representative payee to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as “prohibited persons” under federal firearms law.  This is estimated to impact over 4 million Americans.

But this approach is nothing new to Obama bureaucrats.  In fact, stripping Second Amendment rights by administrative fiat has become Obama’s favored tactic in the face of Congress’ refusal to pass gun control.  As we’ve previously reported, the Veterans Administration (VA) was the first to develop an administrative mechanism to forward records to NICS without due process protections in place.  The VA is doing so for those veterans who have a fiduciary assigned to their account.  This is being done without any adjudication or finding that such veterans pose a danger to the community, but simply because they need help managing their financial affairs.

While Obama may relish the ease by which his pencil-pushers can deprive American citizens of constitutional protections, the NRA has pressed Congress for legislation to end this abuse.   Senator Cornyn answered our call by introducing S. 2002, a bill that provides critical protections needed in the face of Obama’s bureaucratic onslaught.  

The bill clarifies that an “adjudication” under the Gun Control Act’s (GCA) mental health provisions will require due process protections, including a full hearing in which an individual has notice, the opportunity to participate, and the right to counsel.   Moreover, the findings of such a process are clearly specified and focus on adjudications that involve individuals that are a danger to themselves or others. 

Importantly, the bill removes the category “lacks the ability to contract or manage affairs” as relevant to the determination of a prohibited person under the GCA.  This provision was the hook used by the VA and SSA, and presumably being considered by other federal agencies under Obama’s directive, to sweep broad swaths of the American public into NICS.  

For veterans, the bill even provides additional protections.  It requires notification to veterans who have been submitted to NICS under the “fiduciary” program and an opportunity to have their individual case reviewed by a board established for this purpose.  The standard is exactly where it should be, requiring the new board to find the veteran is actually a danger to themselves or others to justify retaining their record in NICS.  In all cases, the board’s decision will be subject to court review. 

The bill would also significantly expand avenues of relief from firearm prohibitions for others, including those who have their record expunged, those who are no longer subject to an order for treatment, and those who have been granted relief by a state program.   The bill further requires the Attorney General to remove from NICS the record of any person who would not be considered prohibited under the new requirements of the bill.  

The states will be encouraged to submit records with a “carrot and stick” approach where the states can maximize grant allocations by forwarding 90% or more of disqualifying mental health records within 18 months of the bill’s passage.  Importantly, the bill’s safeguards provide the standards by which records can be transmitted.  Only those mental health adjudications which comply with the new due process protections are to be forwarded.  

In summary, this bill would protect millions of law-abiding citizens from bureaucratic abuse by the Obama Administration, while ensuring only relevant records that comply with the new due process safeguards are entered into NICS.

Boy Scouts Are Now Using Gun Silencers During Shooting Practice

These Boy Scouts Are Now Using Gun Silencers During Shooting Practice

A Boy Scouts camp in Maine is now using silencers — the controversial devices that muffle the sound of gunshots — as part of their marksmanship training, thanks to donations from various firearms companies and coordinating efforts by pro-silencer groups.
In July, Camp William Hind in Maine began using 10 silencers donated from two of the leading silencer companies, Gemtech and SilencerCo, Scout Executive Eric Tarbox told VICE News. Gemtech donated eight silencers and SilencerCo gave two. The camp also received a donation of eight .22 rifles and ammunition. Shooting programs have been a central part of Boy Scouts training for decades, but Camp William Hinds, which is overseen by Boy Scouts of America's Pine Tree Council, is the first to use silencers.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) connected Tarbox with the American Suppressor Association (ASA), a pro-silencer advocacy group, NRA spokesperson Lars Dalseide told VICE News. The ASA then acted as a liaison between the Boy Scouts and the manufacturers after the Pine Tree Council expressed interest in acquiring silencers.
The adoption of the silencers, also called suppressors, comes after the camp recently acquired 50 more acres of conservation land and finished constructing a new shooting range, said Tarbox. He said Scout leaders wanted to keep the noise down in the surrounding conservation area.
"The noise of shooting, simply, is sometimes distracting to people trying to enjoy the nature," Tarbox told VICE News. "We wanted to truly embrace the conservation mindset of respecting our neighbors, frankly."
In addition to reducing noise pollution, Tarbox added that the silencers are "about adding an extra modicum of safety for hearing."

Silencers are a way to make membership and camper activities more interesting, ASA president Knox Williams told VICE News. "Really for these kids, for these young scouts, being able for them to say they went out and did something cool is a pretty neat thing," Knox said. "When I was a Scout I absolutely would have used one."
First patented in 1909, the original .22 caliber silencers were sold as a novelty so that shooting enthusiasts could take target practice quietly. The technology was quickly adopted by the military, however, and has historically been associated with gangsters, criminals, and assassins. The possession and manufacture of silencers are tightly regulated under the National Firearm Act, a law passed in 1934 in the years after the Valentine's Day Massacre — which saw six mob associates and a mechanic murdered in Chicago — in an effort to curtail the use of dangerous weapons, including automatic machine guns and sawed-off shotguns.
Yet despite the negative reputation of being a tool for quiet killers, few gun control groups have an official position against silencers. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence declined to speak to VICE News about the issue, saying the group does not have a specific stance on suppressors. The Violence Policy Center also declined to comment on the issue of silencers.

 'When I was a Scout I absolutely would have used one.'

New Yorkers Against Gun Violence does not have a specific position on silencers, but the group's director, Leah Gun Barrett, told VICE News that silencers "are notorious for people being able to snuff out other people's lives silently. Any of these things in the hands of civilians are unnecessarily dangerous and can be misused."

Gun companies "are going to dress up [silencers] as being okay, as being actually a reduction in noise pollution," she said, "when actually it's an increase in gun pollution and gun injury."
A Silencer SurgeThe Boy Scouts' Camp Hind is the latest indication of the rapid rise in the market for silencers in recent years. The number of registered silencers in the US increased by 177 percent between 2010 and 2015, according to the most recent numbers from the ATF. In the past year, silencer registration increased by nearly 40 percent.
This is in part because an increasing number of states have rapidly legalized silencers for civilian use: 41 states now allow them, with Minnesota and Vermont passing laws most recently in June.
But silencers are still relatively difficult to obtain. If someone wants to legally acquire one, they must pass an extensive federal background check, receive written approval from their chief law enforcement officer, register their silencer with the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and pay a $200 tax. The entire process usually takes nine months to a year.
In an effort to make the process easier, SilencerCo, one of the companies that donated to the Boy Scouts, offers legal services for a $130 fee.

Firearms suppressors, including the SilencerCo Osprey 9, SWR Octane 45, and SilencerCo Saker 5.56.

For many years the NRA did not have an explicit stance favoring silencers, in part because of the negative image associated with the devices. This changed in 2011, when the NRA backed a group of gun manufacturers, including Gemtech and SilencerCo, in forming the American Suppressor Association. A primary objective of the ASA, according to the group's website, is to "raise public awareness about the benefits and merits of suppressors through a comprehensive public awareness campaign." In other words, move the association of silencers away from the gangster-associated past and reframe them as a tool for safety.
"Billions of dollars are spent every year in our healthcare system for hearing loss conditions, such as shooting-related tinnitus," the NRA wrote in a 2011 article titled, "Suppressors - Good for Our Hearing… and The Shooting Sports," which extolled the virtues of silencers.
"Sound suppressors attached to firearms… are an additional tool available to help protect our hearing and are quickly gaining in popularity throughout the country," the article said.

Getting silencers into the hands of Boy Scouts is the latest example of how the devices have been rapidly normalized since the days of Al Capone, and, according to Barrett, a direct result of firearms manufacturers attempting to increase gun ownership across the country. "The market is shrinking and the [gun industry] is interested in trying to build it back up," Barret said. Giving Boy Scouts ammunition and accessories such as silencers "is one of their desperate attempts to do so."
The NRA does not deny this strategy. In 2011, one NRA spokesperson said that silencers were important for "getting younger folks involved. They're less afraid of the loud bang," according to Salon.
Gun companies "will do anything they can" to make money, and silencers are a major way to do so, Barrett claimed. Since guns don't wear out, the industry needs to rely on selling accessories, ammunition and add-ons such to keep profiting, Barrett said. Firearms companies make a substantial amount of money from the sale of accessories, sometimes more than the guns themselves.
"There was absolutely a PR aspect to it," Knox said of the decision to donate silencers to the Boy Scouts. "We'd like to see every Boy Scout rifle have a suppressor on it, as well as every shotgun they learn to shoot on have a suppressor on it," he said.

Topics: americas, boy scouts, boy scouts of america, firearms, guns, silencers, suppressors, nra, national rifle association, asa, american suppressor association, national firearm act, gun control

Stag Arms AR-15, Model 2L—Retrospective Look From a Southpaw Shooter

Stag Arms is one of the few manufacturers offering a left-hand oriented AR-15. This gun has been around for many years now, and this review is from the perspective of a southpaw shooter who’s used it for the past seven years. It’s been run in several marksmanship and defensive carbine classes, lugged around for miles in preparation for and execution of run-and-gun competitions, and general practice.

FEATURES

The author’s Stag Arms 2L with a custom rear sight and optic.

This model has a standard adjustable buttstock that extends the collapsed 32.5-inch length to 35.75. It’s available, at this time and historically, in black only. It’s chambered for 5.56 so will also shoot .223. The 16-inch barrel has a 1:9 twist and sports a handsome flash hider. Sights include an adjustable Midwest Industries flip-up rear sight—which I replaced with a lower-profile one—and a fixed front post sight/bayonet lug. The front sight is quite prominent and necessitates an extra-high mount of most optics so as not to block the view.
The left-handed features on the 2L represent, in this writer’s opinion, a place where the booming industry still lags in satisfying customers….but kudos to Stag for trying. The most dreaded feature of right-hand bias rifles (for us lefties anyway), the case ejection port, has been placed on the left so hot brass flies safely away from the shooter’s face. In the process, Stag mounted the dust cover as a flip-up rather than the standard flip-down mechanism. The disadvantage here became obvious the first time a magnifying optic was mounted on the rifle. On the next practice session, failures to eject suddenly occurred with regularity on this once-dependable carbine. Upon inspection, we discovered that the bell-shaped scope end happened to be over the dust cover and was impeding its full opening to a degree that caused malfunctions in about one in five shots.
The other nod to southpaws on the 2L is a left-handed safety. It’s a great feature for both safety and smooth operation.
What’s lacking for left-handed shooters are two features that would seem to be common sense, but they’re not there. The most annoying is a standard right-hand bias charging handle. Over the years, I became accustomed to reaching over the top of the weapon with my right hand to reach the charging handle. Unwieldy, but with practice it worked. Now that I’ve changed it to an ambi charging handle, it’s still a challenge to overcome this unwieldy habit that practice instilled.
The other missing feature is a left-mounted magazine release. Right-handed shooters have the “luxury” of depressing the mag release with the trigger finger. Stag has done a disservice to the efficiency of left-handed shooting by keeping the mag release on the right, forcing the operator to let go with the support hand and use the right thumb to drop magazines. It’s an efficient motion when practiced consistently, but lacks speed when compared to typical right-hand operation.

RELIABILITY

Reliability is the hallmark of this AR. It’s not elegant or even attractive by today’s standards, but its enduring value lies in reliability. In years of use and thousands of rounds, with the exception of the dust cover issue mentioned above which was promptly corrected, it has never malfunctioned. It’s cycled cheap Russian ammunition (yes, some may consider that to be rifle abuse) and many kinds of match ammo, from 55 to 78 grain, without problems. The trigger is a battle-ready mil-spec, somewhat grainy character with what Stag calls a five-to-eight pound pull. Today’s average American rifleman, harboring affection for a light and smooth trigger pull would likely pick the trigger as the first upgrade.

ACCURACY

Giving the 2L a workout on a blustery winter day.

Accuracy is what we can reasonably expect from a battle rifle. This writer has hit 18×24-inch targets with the 2L at 400 yards, only with complete attention to fundamentals. It consistently fires 4 MOA groups out to 100 yards. Ammunition and fundamentals here are at least as important as the gun. The Stag 2L demonstrates better accuracy with Silver Bear brand ammunition for practice, and Prvi Partizan match ammo. In attempts to make this 2L a better partner for the long-distance segment of some competitions, I’ve tested six common brands of match ammunition. Prvi Partizan 72-grain match performs better than others do.

APPEARANCE

Appearance is in the eye of the beholder. Stag would do well to update the flared handguards, which aren’t conductive to mounting lights or other accessories. It does offer a nice length of Picatinny rail to give shooters choices on where to mount optics. The butt surface is rather austere; I’ve added a wrap-around shoulder pad to soften recoil and ease fatigue—incidentally, a shoulder pad is a suggested accessory for most rifles in the hands of a left-handed shooter, to diminish heartbeat interference.

WEIGHT

The Model 2L is light enough to run with for miles.

Weight is on the light side, and ideal for the run-and-gun competitions in which this gun has logged mileage. At 6.5 pounds, it’s easy to carry on the run and not so easy to hold still in windy conditions. The fixed sling attachments are somewhat limiting, but this has been overcome by rigging a more flexible arrangement on the butt with paracord.

WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN?

In a word, yes. The Stag 2L AR-15 is an excellent choice for the novice left-handed shooter. Importantly, it eliminates the hot brass/facial interface possibility that’s present with standard AR-15s. This recommendation is given with cautionary advice: its handler is best served by making a commitment to this AR and none other. The habits formed by operating the half-left-handed set of features on this AR will interfere with operation on a “normal” AR-15, especially when rapid engagement is desired

NRA A+ Rated Republican Announces New Gun Control Measure

It is not often we find new gun control legislation being offered by the Republicans. Even more rare is a Senator with an NRA A+ rating proposing new gun control measures. However, before you get your dander standing on end, look at the details and make an informed decision. Then, leave your comments below to give your “informed” two cents.

Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) has received an A+ rating for the NRA. His current proposed legislation also has the backing of the NRA.

While millions of gun owners are blamed and slandered by politicians and the media every time there is a high profile shooting, there has been a strong link in each case to mental health that is for the most part, if not completely, ignored. This fact has not evaded the radar screens of gun owners, politicians or the media. The difference has been that the mainstream media and many politicians pushing gun control have chosen to ignore it.
Even pro Second Amendment lawmakers have not taken action on mental health until recently. As a knee-jerk reaction, I would say that was a good thing. Legislation is good when it is well thought out and well reasoned, not when it is slapped together in response to a news headline the day before. That is what makes Sen. John Cornyn’s (No. 2 Republican in the Senate) proposal worthy of a look.

Misleading Measure or Misleading Media?

Cornyn’s proposed the Mental Health and Safe Communities Act, which address the heart of the problem behind high profile mass shootings—mental health. The bill seeks to reward states for sending more information regarding their residents with serious mental health issues to the federal background check system. Beyond simply data collection—because we all know passing a law will not prevent another tragedy—the new proposed bill would also bolster programs designed to treat mentally ill people and handling confrontations with the mentally ill.

“This legislation will strengthen programs that promote preventative screening and crisis response training so that we can better understand and treat the factors which may endanger public safety,” Sen. Cornyn continued. “By giving our communities the resources necessary to recognize and prevent acts of violence, we not only protect American families, but help those affected by mental illness.”

Mental health is a touchy subject. While it sounds common sense on the surface, and is often billed that way by gun control advocates and politicians, the definition is often too broad. Many veterans return from overseas tours carrying a weapon one day with the government’s blessing, then deemed unfit to own a firearm the next when they are stateside. Why? Because they sought needed help for depression or stress and in the process had their rights stripped from them.

Sen. Cornyn’s new bill would not change requirements already in place. It would provide an incentive for states to share mental health information for background checks.

Two years ago, the NRA and Republicans soundly defeated a Senate measure that would have expanded background check requirements; Cornyn was a big factor in ensuring that defeat. Cornyn’s bill will now compete with a new Democrat sponsored bill that was introduced about a week ago. The Democrat-led effort seeks to go much further than Sen. Cornyn’s. Nevertheless, Sen. Cornyn is breaking new ground that has some pro Second Amendment forces wary. He’s marching through seldom-charted territory by a Republican by broaching anything that could be considered gun control.
If the bill passes, some firearm purchases will be stopped. Many Second Amendment proponents do not believe there should be any sort of background check as our rights are granted by the Second Amendment. This has gun owners debating whether this the common sense legislation that is needed, or whether Sen. Cornyn betrayed his NRA A+ rating? Cornyn has a rich history of opposing measures that sought to restrict firearm ownership, but supported others that limited firearm ownership of the mentally ill. This new bill follows that line.

“Gaps in existing law or inadequate resources prevent our communities from taking proactive steps to prevent them from becoming violent,” said Cornyn, R-Texas, in a written statement.

The NRA is backing Cornyn’s proposed bill. This is not much of a surprise. NRA leaders have been on the record for some time stating the high profile shootings are not a gun issues but instead a mental health issues. Will Sen. Cornyn’s bill advance the effort to prevent the next tragedy?

Jennifer Baker, spokeswoman for NRA legislative affairs, said the bill took “meaningful steps toward fixing the system and making our communities safer.”

Mental Health and Safe Communities Act of 2015

The Mental Health and Safe Communities Act of 2015 is designed to improve outcomes for people with mental health disorders that come in contact with the criminal justice system through a number of actions, including:

• The authorization of pretrial screening, assessment, and supervision programs to improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses by ensuring they are accurately diagnosed and receive appropriate need-based treatment that focuses on increasing public safety.
• An increase in the use of treatment-based alternatives to incarceration for people with mental illnesses.
• The establishment of a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of diverting eligible offenders from federal prosecution, federal probation, or a federal corrections facility, and placing those eligible people in drug or mental health courts.
• Improvements to reentry programming for people with mental illnesses who are released into the community by authorizing the deployment of Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Initiatives, which are designed to ensure that people with mental illnesses receive treatment-based interventions.
• The expansion of specialized law enforcement crisis intervention teams, which respond to and de-escalate mental health crises for federal law enforcement personnel.

The Mental Health and Safe Communities Act of 2015 also includes reauthorization of the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), an essential funding mechanism that supports the use of mental health courts and crisis intervention teams in local law enforcement agencies. The bill would extend MIOTCRA for an additional four years, effectively filling critical gaps in the system, including providing additional resources for veterans’ treatment courts to help those suffering from behavioral or post-traumatic stress disorders. The bill also offers broader training during police academies and orientation as well as increased focus on prison- and jail-based transitional services and reentry programs that can help reduce the likelihood of recidivism.

The Mental Health and Safe Communities Act of 2015 seeks to increase the odds of preventing a mentally ill person from passing a background check through increased mental health reporting.

Would Anything Change?

Arkadi Gerney, a gun policy expert for the liberal Center for American Progress, said prodding states to submit additional data to the background check system is “a good and smart notion,” but it would be better to push broader legislation “that covers all the gaps.”
If the antis agree, but think it does not go far enough, does that mean we should decide or oppose it? The current background check system already bars firearm purchases to people legally determined to be “mentally defective” and those who have been committed to mental institutions. Sen. Cornyn’s new bill would not change this. It would, however, provide more information on individuals who have already met the legal standard to have their gun rights suspended. Currently, states do not have any responsibility to share mental health information. This creates a gap in safeguarding the public versus practices.

“While potentially dangerous mentally-ill individuals are often known to law enforcement and local officials, gaps in existing law or inadequate resources prevent our communities from taking proactive steps to prevent them from becoming violent,” said Sen. Cornyn.

While Cornyn’s bill would not change the law or force state’s to comply, it purportedly would (these details are unconfirmed at this time) increase grants under the government’s main law enforcement program by up to 5 percent for states that send the federal system at least 90 percent of their records on people with serious mental problems. States providing less data could see grants from a broad range of justice programs penalized by the same amounts at the attorneys’ general’s discretion.