LearnAboutGuns.com

As reported, a Phoeniz, AZ woman fired at and killed a violent ex who broke into her home. Terry Milburn, 45, reportedly went to the woman’s home at about 2:30am – despite a court order or protection. The woman, whose Read the rest of this article »

Having a gun that is comfortable for the user to hold and fire is important.  A gun that doesn’t fit the user will be unpleasant to shoot, and accuracy will suffer.  This article addresses such considerations when selecting a gun: Read the rest of this article »

A former co-worker of mine, who knows that I’m a fan of firearms, sent me the following:
Read the rest of this article »

I’ve noticed a rather hypocritical bias against hunting, and though I would take a moment to address it, from the perspective of someone who has never gone hunting but respects the hunting rights of others: Read the rest of this article »

It is a well understood principle that as a right becomes more difficult to (lawfully) exercise, fewer people will (lawfully)exercise that right.  This holds true for guns, and many of the so-called “reasonable restrictions” on guns actually amount to de facto gun bans: Read the rest of this article »

As I’ve previously mentioned, the murder rate in Chicago is up 18% this year.  Instead of hiring additional police, or at least maintaining the same number of police, Chicago has intentionally allowed hundreds of vacancies to remain unfilled in the police department to cut costs: Read the rest of this article »

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are likey the two most anti gun candidates in presidential history, and they know that this may cost them the election. They are therefore attempting to confuse gun owners by (untruthfully) casting themselves as pro gun.  Biden did it last week, and now Obama is at it, making the utterly untrue statement that “Illinois sportsmen know him as an advocate for their rights”.  The ISRA has set the record straight: Read the rest of this article »

As I previously mentioned, armed robbery in Oak Park, IL is up over 250% this year,  Instead of stepping up police patrols to protect residents, Oak Park is cutting back on police protection and wasting money trying to uphold their pointless handgun ban.  Since criminals like easy targets (such as unarmed Oak Park residents), the armed robberies continue: Read the rest of this article »

I recently read about a few vocal gun owners that have become disillusioned with the NRA, and are suggesting that people join other pro gun organizations instead of the NRA.  Basically, their complaints are that the NRA is overly concerned about raising money for itself, or that it does not do enough to protect the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.  I happen to disagree with these complaints, however there is a much bigger issue at play – the need for unity in the pro gun right cause: Read the rest of this article »

I read some truly distrubing news today, indicating that Barack Obama’s campaign is threatening TV stations which air the NRA’s ads about Obama’s anti gun record: Read the rest of this article »

I’ve noticed an interesting anti gun argument that (incorrectly) assumes gun owners are more likely to be killed by their own gun than to stop a criminal in their home, then assumes that such an (incorrect) statistic applies to each and every gun owner.  This is one of the more flawed anti gun arguments I’ve heard, so I thought I would take a moment to discuss the flaws with such reasoning: Read the rest of this article »

Smugglers have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, gaining access to expensive equipment and using some rather impressive tactics.  This is yet another reason that gun bans simply won’t work: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, A 16 year old male was ordered held Monday on involuntary manslaughter and weapons charges in the unintentional death of his friend, 16 year old Arthur Tyler, who was fatally shot in Chicago’s South Side Englewood neighborhood around 2:30am on Sunday. The teenager who is charged allegedly told police he unintentionally shot Tyler as they were playing with a shotgun he believed was unloaded.  My thoughts on this entirely preventable shooting are below: Read the rest of this article »

I read an interesting blog post discussing a proposed New Jersey law that would require each gun sold to contain a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip with the owners personal information.  Tagging guns with RFID chips is a rather bad idea, as discussed below: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, Thomas Thompson alleged broke into a Vero Beach, FL home on 74th Avenue, by prying open the front window and popping out the screen.  Once inside, police say Thomspon used two knives to threaten a mother of 2, Joanne Hornsby, who was laying in her bed.  She screamed, and her sons, Austin and Roger, ages 19 and 20, rushed to their mother’s aid. The youngest son, Austin, pulled out a shotgun and killed the armed home invader in self defense and defense of his mother. Read the rest of this article »

Tony Peraica is running for the Cook County State’s Attorney office, which is the state prosecutor’s office that covers the city of Chicago and many surrounding suburbs. Peraica is a republican, and is running against the extremely anti gun and anti self defense Anita Alvarez. For the reasons discussed below, I support Tony Peraica for Cook County State’s Attorney. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve previously discussed how Joe Biden, the running mate of Barack Obama, is one of the most anti gun rights politicians in America.  Biden has called gun owners mentally unstable simply because they wish to own a gun (see this video clip), and has pushed for a variety of draconian gun bans.  Joe Biden is also highly rated by the leading anti gun rights groups.  Now, Biden is trying to pass himself off as a pro gun rights guy in order to get votes from gun owners: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, armed robberies in the village of Oak Park, IL are up a staggering 250% compared to 2007, and during the last 4 days, 3 Oak Park residents have been robbed a gunpoint in their own garages. Read the rest of this article »

Cleaning one’s firearms is important to ensure that they will function safely and reliably for years to come.  Strange as it may sound, however, it is sometimes important NOT to clean a gun: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a Chicago rapper and producer who thought he was scouting our some new talent was instead robbed of $35,000 in jewelry. The man was lured to a stairwell in an Oak Park apartment building on the 200 block of Washington Blvd and surprised by a man who displayed a silver semi automatic pistol. When the producer turned around, the another man pulled out a black 9mm handgun and robbed the man of his jewelry.  As with the countless other armed robberies Oak Park has experienced, the handgun ban did not deter the criminals, since the possibility of a $1,000 to $2,000 fine won’t phase someone who is willing to commit serious felonies such as assault with a deadly weapon and armed robbery.

Anita Alvarez is the Democrat running for Cook County State’s Attorney.  In the video clip shown below, she is interviewed about her thought on gun rights.  She states that nobody should own a gun, and than she does not want women to be able to defend themselves with guns, even know she is aware that the police often cannot get there in time.  She goes on to say she supports a ban on so called “assault weapons“. Read the rest of this article »

As I mentioned before, a city of Chicago vehicle booter was recently shot while performing his duties.  This is not the first time that such a shooting has occurred.  Mayor Daley has rejected calls to either have the employees work in teams of two, or to provide police protection to these workers.  Instead, the Chicago police act as 24 hour bodyguards to Daley and other politicians, and do so at tax payer expense. Read the rest of this article »

For quite a while, there has talk about developing and then mandating so-called “smart guns”; that is guns that use an electronic system to prevent anyone but their owner from firing them. This idea is touted as a way to prevent criminals or children from misusing firearms, but in reality it will result in guns that are less reliable for self defense, and considerably more expensive. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the U.S. House of Representatives voted today to approve the National Rifle Association (NRA)-backed “Second Amendment Enforcement Act” in an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 266-152. The Act, passed as an amendment to H.R. 6842, will overturn the District of Columbia’s gun control restrictions that defy the recent Supreme Court ruling by continuing to limit D.C. residents’ right to self-defense. Read the rest of this article »

There are quite a few untrue rumors still floating around about Sarah Palin, the pro gun rights Governor of Alaska whom McCain selected as his runing mate.  FactCheck, which is known for its impartiality, has a nice article that clears things up. Read the rest of this article »

I received an email today from a gentleman named Mick, who mentioned a rather serious problem going on in Illinois with respect to FOID card issuance.  Mick and several other people he knows have waited over 60 days to get their FOID cards, despite the fact that the law requires the FOID be issued or denied within 30 days.  I also personally know of a person whose FOID application has been pending for more than the 30 day waiting period allowed by law. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve previously discussed the racist history of junk gun laws; however this article is intended to point out the fact that “Junk Gun” is a subjective term, and is simply one more way for anti gun rights groups to erode the Second Amendment right to gun ownership.  Banning inexpensive guns is not rationally related to safety, and only serves to prevent poorer people from having a gun for self defense: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a City of Chicago worker who was putting boot on an older Buick coupe was reportedly shot in the back by the car’s owner. The Department of Revenue worker was listed in serious condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after the shooting. The 35-year-old revenue worker was booting the car when a man who claimed to be the owner attacked him with a stick, ran away down an alley, and then he re-emerged with a .22 caliber pistol. Read the rest of this article »

In many areas, anti gun rights politicians and organizations have mandated waiting periods before a gun can be purchased.  They argue that his will provide time for an angry person to “cool off” so that they don’t go buy a gun and commit a crime, and that this time is needed to run a background check.  These arguments may seem persuasive at first, but are in fact rather weak and poorly reasoned; failing to prevent crime and instead leaving citizens who need a gun for self defense in a vulnerable position: Read the rest of this article »

A few months ago, I set up a discussion forum for LearnAboutGuns.com.  The first goal was to facilitate discussion that was not just directly related to the articles I’ve written, as I can’t possibly think of every gun related topic.  Another goal was to give visitors a place to ask questions, as a question asked on the discussion forum could be seen by many people [although visitors are certainly not discouraged from emailing me]. Read the rest of this article »

I’ve heard of a few cases in which a citizen is in their own home when an violent intruder breaks in, and that citizen is counseled not to use their gun in self defense as the attacker comes at them. This is simply wrong: Read the rest of this article »

Four-time Olympic medalist Kim Rhode’s cherished shotgun has been stolen. Rhode’s specially fitted, 12 gauge over under MX-12 Perazzi was taken by thieves who broke into her father’s parked truck as she and her mother stopped to do some shopping. The shotgun was hidden under a blanket in the back seat of the truck. Making matters worse, Kim Rhodes must not try to qualify for the 2009 USA Shooting World Cup team in international skeet with a substitute shotgun, instead of using the gun she has had for years and fired over 1,500,000 shells through. Read the rest of this article »

A rather contentious issue in the area of self defense is that of proper bullet weight/velocity – I would guess that this is second only to the “which caliber” or “which gun” question.  On one side is the idea that a lighter weight but faster moving bullet is superior, while others contend that a slower moving but heaver bullet is the better option.  This article addresses my thoughts on the issue: Read the rest of this article »

As reported by KCRA3, a homeowner who feared for the safety of himself and his family used a shotgun to kill an attempted home invader in Sacramento, CA, police said. Read the rest of this article »

Police are still looking for the people who broke into a Wyandotte County home in April and shot and killed a man. Jeffery J. Rogers, 25, was shot to death early on April 9 at a home near 84th Street and Tauromee Avenue. Police said they think the killers came as a group, possibly four or five people. This type of tragic situation is why I have a gun for self defense. Read the rest of this article »

Snowflakes in Hell reported on a criminal attacking a subway passenger with a hammer: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, there were 6 more armed and strong arm robberies in the village of Oak Park, IL, in spite of the handgun ban.  This should come as no surprise, given events in Oak Park: Read the rest of this article »

This video clip includes interviews with a family whose home was invaded by a criminal that shot two occupants, including a 3 year old boy. Read the rest of this article »

All too often basic rights are infringed by legislators at the local, state, or national level. These legislators pass laws that fly in the face of basic rights, preventing citizens from enjoying such rights until a court strikes them down. Since legislative bodies can pass laws with relative ease and virtually no cost to their individual members, it is easy for a situation to arise in which basic rights are severely and repeatedly restricted, with little recourse for the citizens. This problem is especially pronounced when the right being infringed is not popular with the majority of the voters, preventing the political process from correcting the problem during the next elections. To combat this problem, I propose the imposition of liability upon individual legislators who intentionally abuse the legislative process to infringe basic rights: Read the rest of this article »

Say Uncle has a nice article addressing how Obama is exploiting the confusion surrounding so-called “assault weapons” to push his gun control measures: http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2008/09/10/obama-and-guns/

Throughout most of the gun rights struggle, and especially In the wake of D.C. v. Heller, the focus of the right to keep and bear arms has been primarily on firearms.  That certainly makes sense, given the supremacy of guns in the arena of self defense.  However it is worth noting that there are other “arms” besides “firearms”, and the Second Amendment would seem to encompass many of these other arms too. Read the rest of this article »

When gun rights are debated, I see entirely too much emphasis placed on hunting and “sportsmen”, rather than on self defense: Read the rest of this article »

When I mention home invasions as a reason to have a gun, I’m usually thinking of home invasions such as this or this.  However there was a quite unusual home invasion, in which dinner ingredients were the weapon used by the perpetrator: Read the rest of this article »

FrontSight is now offering a free training course that would ordinarily cost $2,000 to any law-abiding, responsible citizens of Chicago and or its suburbs who wish to attend. Read the rest of this article »

The Gun Control Act of 1968, a US Federal law, prohibits convicted felons from possessing firearms.  The problem is that more and more non-violent crimes are now classified as felonies, which means that an ever increasing portion of the population is now prohibited from possessing guns: Read the rest of this article »

As reported, a gun buy back program was being run by Blue Island mayoral candidate Tommy Brown at the Redemption Theater, 12952 S. Western Ave, Blue Island, IL. It was shut down by the police after 30 minutes. Read the rest of this article »

In an approximately 12 hour time frame, 5 people were reportedly shot to death in the city of Chicago, despite the longstanding handgun ban: Read the rest of this article »

Although anti gun rights laws are often associated with Democratic or liberal politicians, the idea of gun rights actually fit in with liberal values. Read the rest of this article »

The village of Oak Park, IL is one of only a few municipalities in the United States which still has a ban on the ownership of handguns for self defense, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling in D.C. v Heller.  In spite of the decades long handgun ban, there are weekly (and sometimes daily) armed robberies in Oak Park, along with the occasional shooting.  Oak Park is also short on cash, but has decided to become embroiled in a lengthy and expensive legal battle to keep the pointless handgun ban, rather than to use common sense.  Since money is limited, Oak Park is cutting police protection to save money, while violent crime against Oak Park residents continues: Read the rest of this article »

I’m curious which aspects of LearnAboutGuns.com that visitors like and dislike.  Please take the quick poll below and/or leave a comment letting me know what you would like to see more of on this website: Read the rest of this article »

I generally prefer polymer framed pistols such the Springfield XD, and those manufactured by Glock. This is my review of the Glock 17, which is one of Glock’s more popular 9MM pistols. Read the rest of this article »

Two suspects, one armed with a shotgun, reportedly kicked in the door of a Blue Mound home around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday and confronted a woman inside, according to police. The woman (Kellie Hoehn) and her husband (Keith Hoehn) managed to fight off the home invaders, disarm them, and shoot them with their own shotgun. One home invader, Dakota Benoit, 21, collapsed in the street and died at the scene, according to police.  The other suspect, John Pierson, 25, allegedly ran away on foot.  The couples children were not harmed. Read the rest of this article »

As reported, the number of concealed carry permit holders in Washington state is up 43% between 2003 and 2007, with more than a quarter million residents now carrying.  Despite the dire warnings issued by the anti gun rights lobby, Washington has not turned into a shooting gallery were people trade gunfire over parking spots:  Read the rest of this article »

The Washington State Patrol says six people are dead and two are wounded after a shooting rampage. Police said the suspect is known for having mental health issues and that he was on a Mount Vernon watch list. Police said they believe the suspect is responsible for all eight shootings. Read the rest of this article »

The village of Oak Park, IL has had a handgun ban for almost as long as this author has been alive. Despite this ban, under which citizens have been prosecuted for defending themselves against criminals, criminals continue to commit armed robberies just about every week.  This last week was no exception: Read the rest of this article »

Below is my review of the Insight XTI Procyon tactical light (which is LED based): Read the rest of this article »

In the wake of my articles discussing the pro gun republican candidate(s) and anti gun democratic candidates, I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that it is not only conservatives who support gun rights.  This author is not a die hard conservative, and neither are these gun owners.  There are people from every part of the country and every political background who support gun rights.

Political opponents of the pro gun rights VP candidate Sarah Palin have begun a smear campaign against her, suggesting that she is not the mother of her recently born child.  Such a smear campaign is unproductive, doesn’t address the important political issues, and is the lowest of the low.: Read the rest of this article »

When debating gun rights, I’ve had people suggest that the NRA is some evil organization whose goal is to profit from the shooting of innocent people.  This is flatly untrue hyperbole.  As discussed below, the NRA and other such pro gun rights groups are made up of millions of law abiding citizens who have come together to defend the constitutional right to own a gun. Read the rest of this article »