The 2010 pistol shooting championship season kicks off with the U.S. Practical Shooting Association’s (USPSA) Area 6 Pistol Championship and once again Georgia-based firearms maker Glock has been named the overall match sponsor. The Area 6 region includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

This marks the 4th year that Glock, whose pistols are popular with many competing in the Production and Limited-10 divisions, will be the main sponsor of the match.

It runs April 16 through 18 at the South River Gun Club in Covington, Georgia. Around 325 shooter are expected to compete in six divisions.

Read the full release for more details.

Southside precinct officers go undercover to prevent robberies

Savannah cops posing as delivery drivers in hopes of catching criminals in the act. Or at least making them think twice before robbing someone.

Navies have used “Q-ships,” vessels that look like merchant ships but are well-armed with concealed weaponry, to lure enemy submarines into attacking. Then the guns come out and the predator becomes the prey. Though the actual results of Q-ships in action weren’t stellar, the principle is sound and it’s a solid tactic in deterring attack.

The same thing can be said for defense of cops working to deceive would-be pizza delivery robbers. They’ll no doubt make robbers take the time to be sure of their target, which can help legit targets get out of the danger zone before things go bad. And maybe the cops will even nab a robber or two. That’s great, for what it’s worth.

But overall, the results are likely to be minor. Worth the effort, but not a solution.

On June 11, the top law enforcement officials of nearly half the states signed a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, expressing their opposition to reinstatement of the federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.

“We share the Obama Administration’s commitment to reducing illegal drugs and violent crime within the United States. We also share your deep concern about drug cartel violence in Mexico. However, we do not believe that restricting law-abiding Americans’ access to certain semi-automatic firearms will resolve any of these problems,” the letter said.

The letter notes congressional opposition to bringing back the ban, and calls for increasing enforcement of existing laws.

We encourage NRA members to let these state officials know we appreciate them standing up to the incessant clamor for gun control that is currently coming from anti-gun groups and their media allies.

The 23 state Attorneys General, in alphabetical order, by state, are:

Arkansas – The Honorable Dustin McDaniel
Alabama – The Honorable Troy King
Colorado – The Honorable John W. Suthers
Florida – The Honorable Bill McCollum
Georgia – The Honorable Thurbert E. Baker
Idaho – The Honorable Lawrence G. Wasden
Kansas – The Honorable Steve Six
Kentucky – The Honorable Jack Conway
Louisiana – The Honorable James D. Caldwell
Michigan – The Honorable Mike Cox
Missouri – The Honorable Chris Koster
Montana – The Honorable Steve Bullock
Oklahoma – The Honorable W.A. Edmonson
Nebraska – The Honorable Jon Bruning
Nevada – The Honorable Catherine Cortez Masto
New Hampshire – The Honorable Kelly A. Ayotte
North Dakota – The Honorable Wayne Stenehjem
South Carolina – The Honorable Henry McMaster
South Dakota – The Honorable Lawrence Long
Texas – The Honorable Greg Abbott
Utah – The Honorable Mark L. Shurtleff
Wisconsin – The Honorable J.B. Van Hollen
Wyoming – The Honorable Bruce A. Salzburg

The entire letter (PDF) is available HERE.

Some people built houses near the range and are surprised that ranges are noisy (note: if sound suppressors weren’t so heavily regulated, this wouldn’t be a problem). So, they try to shut it down. They lose. They do the logical thing and vandalize and destroy property.

Message left by vandals for Creekside Firing Range near Atlanta

“U Will Loose”

What I find amusing is that if a bunch of us were to go and create fake/photoshopped images of vandalism and protesters, we’d make them look a lot more intelligent than they really are. It’s probably hard to effectively imitate this sort of thing.

Apparently the home of the range owner was spray-painted as well.

Background and many more photos at AR15.com.

They always told us that if college students were allowed to carry handguns, there would be “blood in the streets”.

And, they were right!

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they’re thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment.

Via Uncle, who adds:

But, remember, college students are just too irresponsible to be trusted with guns on campus.

The question no one wants to ask is “But how did the cops tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys if everyone has guns?” because that’s always a big hand-wringer for opponents of legal carry on campus (and, to be honest, everywhere else).

So how did the cops tell the difference? Luckily, it wasn’t a problem. The cops didn’t get there until much later. (That’s what passes for “luckily” in some circles these days.)

So just what have the cops done about all this?

Police said they are close to making the arrest of the second suspect.

Thank God for that. Any day now they’ll have him in custody.

SMYRNA, GEORGIA — With the 2009 fiscal year in the books, handgun manufacturer GLOCK, Inc. has announced a 36% increase in pistol sales over 2008 sales. Coming off of five consecutive years of sustained growth, the company that focuses exclusively on semi-automatic handguns for Commercial, Law Enforcement and Federal/Military sales is preparing for another strong year in FY 2010.

What recession?

Georgia:

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle on Monday shot down plans one lawmaker has to expand the places gun owners in Georgia may legally carry concealed weapons.

Cagle, speaking with reporters at his Capitol office, said he had “no appetite” to revisit the concealed carry law. Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg) has been considering a bill that would expand the places where guns would be allowed. The current law bans weapons at places the public gathers, a description that includes churches and college campuses.

Seabaugh’s state study committee has been considering a proposal to drop the ban on some of those locations.

Two gun-related bills have been filed so far in Georgia this year. One would end the state’s requirement that concealed weapons be kept in a holster and the other would require all handgun ammunition be individually coded for identification.

One of these bills is sponsored by a Republican. One of them is sponsored by a Democrat. Guess which is which.

I was unaware of Georgia’s requirement that concealed pistols be carried in a holster. How many other states have a similar requirement?

Since Bloomberg became mayor in 2002, every gun homicide in the city has been committed with an illegal gun, police say.

But it’s too difficult to go after and get the ones with illegal guns. Much easier to control those who follow the law.

I don’t know many specifics about this particular case, but the charge is basically that the shop’s practices allow straw purchases.

Well, either the shop complies with the law or it doesn’t. Should be simple enough to determine.

And, as Caleb points out, what a “straw purchase” is gets constantly misrepresented.