The following is a guest post that was submitted to You Can Carry. To submit a guest post contact us.

Note from You Can Carry: I prefer to organize my cleaning supplies in a fishing tackle box. This keeps things organized and portable. I had so many cleaning kits and brushes for different calibers that I couldn’t keep everything straight. When I switched it made cleaning much easier and more enjoyable. When I get started I lay a towel down and work on one gun at a time (I usually will clean multiple guns in one sitting). I put on a show as I clean and it can make for a fun evening. 

Looking After Your Handgun

Those of us who carry a concealed weapon do so in the hope that we will never have to use it. Nobody wants to have to face a life or death situation where you are forced to draw your weapon and shoot somebody. However, having a weapon on your person can mean the difference between your life and the life of somebody you care about, or that of a violent criminal.

You might carry because of your job, such as a security guard, or carry because of a personal conviction in the 2nd Amendment, or maybe you simply are a driver and want to lower your courier insurance, or just to ensure the safety of you and your family. Whatever your reason, carrying a weapon that is not reliable because of jams or doesn’t fire when you need it to, can be worse than not carrying a weapon at all. The good news is that if you have purchased a reliable weapon, then you can care for your gun to minimize the risk of failures in the gun. The cause for most weapon malfunctions is simply a lack of maintenance, so making sure the weapon you carry is properly looked after will prevent it from letting you down when you need it the most.

Cleaning

The most important maintenance required to keep a handgun in good working order is cleaning.  Cleaning is essential, not just to prevent a good from malfunctioning, but also to ensure accuracy and to make sure the gun lasts for many years to come. You should ideally clean your gun every time you use it, but this may not always be practical, depending on how often you shoot, but you should make sure you clean it at regular intervals. Even a gun that hasn’t been used will require regular cleaning, as dust will gather in the barrel and working parts, so even if you haven’t fired your gun in a while, giving it a regular clean will make sure it remains in good working order. When you first get a new gun, you should clean it and take it to the range to identify how the gun likes to operate. Some guns prefer to be very clean and “wet” (very oily), while others prefer to run a little more dry. Before you ever carry a gun you should identify how the gun prefers to operate and then maintain the gun in that manner.

It may sound obvious, but it is a point worth reinforcing – never try to clean a loaded gun. Always follow proper firearm safety rules.  The magazine should be removed and the gun should be checked to make sure no ammunition is in the chamber. You should also remove all live ammunition from the room your are cleaning it in so that you have to consciously re-load the gun once you are finished. A mistake here would at best put a small hole in something you don’t want to have a hole (perhaps your tv) and at worst could be deadly.  Once the weapon is unloaded, open the chamber again and clean from the chamber end to the barrel using a cleaning rod. This will prevent the muzzle end from wearing and will prevent you pushing debris into the action and frame.

Use a toothbrush, cut up rags/t-shirts, firearm cleaning brush, or cotton swabs to clean the action and frame and make sure you get into all the hard to reach places where carbon can build up. Gun cleaner or other solvent will help break down any hard to remove residues. If you are cleaning a revolver, make sure you clean the front of the cylinder and breach of the barrel, as powder often builds up in these areas.

A light coating of oil on all metal parts will add protection and prevent corrosion. Again, the amount of oil you leave on the firearm should depend on how your gun functions with the oil on it. You should also clean the outside of the gun, using a lightly oiled rag to remove fingerprints, as these can cause rust. Once the gun is cleaned, don’t forget to check the firing mechanism to ensure everything is properly assembled and working correctly.

Storage

Guns also need to be stored correctly to ensure moisture doesn’t creep in and cause corrosion. Most people store their guns in a lockable steel case or gun safe, which is fine, but placing a few silica packs will help keep moisture at bay. If you are storing a gun for a prolonged period of time without use, coating it in gun grease will prevent rusting, but the gun will need a thorough clean when you remove it for use.

Ammunition needs to be stored carefully too. You should keep all ammunition in a cool, dry and dark place. This matters less if you use your gun regularly and are continually buying ammunition, but if you do go through a lot of ammunition, make sure you always use the oldest stock first because if shells have been in a box for a long period, they may fail. Ammunition has both a shelf life and a service life, and these should be noted. While most small arms ammunition has an infinite shelf life, this is only applicable to ammunition stored correctly. For long-term storage, an ammo box with a good seal will make sure the ammunition is kept cool, dry and dark. If ammunition has been stored for a long time, it’s also worth giving it a clean before use. When storing ammunition in a magazine for extended periods of time it would be wise to reduce the number of rounds by 2 below full capacity to avoid excessive wear on the springs inside the mag.

Following these simple guidelines can help keep your firearms in safe, working condition so you can rely on them for when you need them the most.

Here is an interesting infographic about gun purchases and ammo prices over the last few years and their correlation with gold and gasoline.

 

Via: Ammo.net

I just got a call from my friend who lives in Manhattan saying that parts of lower Manhattan are being evacuated (along with several other areas along the east coast) because of Hurricane Irene. This is the first time ever that New York City has done a mandatory evacuation. Mayor Bloomberg said in a news briefing today (Friday August 26, 2011):

“We’ve never done a mandatory evacuation before now and we wouldn’t be doing it if we didn’t think this storm is going to be serious,” Mayor Bloomberg

Because this is the first time in New York City that this has happened, I highly doubt many of them have sufficient emergency preparedness kits or 72 hour kits. I hope I’m wrong, but I would expect empty stores and people looking for food and water over the weekend and not being able to find what they need. It’s a good chance to take inventory of your bug out bags and take a look at how long it would take for you to be able to evacuate for any number of natural disasters.  How prepared are you for an evacuation?

The following article is a guest post by Max at Strange Weapon of the Week. . . for more strange weapons like this one, be sure to check out the ultimate guide in weird weaponry at http://www.strangeweaponoftheweek.com

Are you wondering what to get your elderly neighbor for her 87th birthday? Fear not because I have found the answer: the Palm Pistol. This isn’t some electronic device that helps keep your calendar items straight. Invented in 2008 by Matt Carmel, the purpose of the palm pistol would be to allow people to fire a defensive firearm who normally would not be able to physically shoot a typical handgun. But here’s the strangest part: It was once considered by the FDA to be a “medical device”.

The palm pistol is essentially a one shot “in case all else fails” firearm that has a .38 special chambered. It was meant to be used for the elderly or those with arthritis as they would not normally be able to handle the recoil of other handguns. It is held cradled in the palm, with the wrist absorbing the maximum amount of shock, and it is fired with the thumb instead of the index finger.

When Matt Carmel first filed the device with the FDA, they approved the device under a “Medical” category with the reasoning of the help-the-elderly-fire-weapons mentality. Pretty soon after, however, the Brady Campaign pressured the FDA to remove that categorization, which they did.

The Palm Pistol has unique features worth diving deeper into. For instance, it has no external moving parts and as a result it can be fired from within a purse or pocket. Thus, making it a super-concealable gun!

It has not been mass-produced as of yet, however the inventor is taking plenty of deposits for
when the final product does come out–which would give the elderly and physically inferior people an easier way to defend and protect themselves.

 

Edited to correct the FDA filing 8/25/11.

I recently received an email about a documentary that is being created.  I don’t know much about it (if anyone knows much about Firecracker Films or this project specifically let me know) other than they are looking for families where guns are a part of their everyday life. This could be those who carry firearms, hunt, participate in competition shooting or just love to go shooting for fun as a family.

Initially, they are looking for people to interview over the phone and then some would lead to follow up calls. Ultimately they are looking to “cast” one or two families for the documentary. The type of families that they are looking for are the dynamic and lovable type (“Osburne type family) with a lot going on. Ideally, the family would include a husband/wife with children in their teens, although that isn’t required.

If any of you are interested you can contact Alice at Firecracker Films directly:

Email: alice@firecrackerfilms.com

Phone: 310 309 3942

Another Press Release from our friend and fellow 2nd Amendment activist Rick Ector . . .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Detroit, MI – Jun 02, 2011 – Rick Ector, owner of Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit, has authored an E-book entitled, “How To Get A Michigan Concealed Pistol License.” Ector is giving it away – FREE of charge – to visitors of his web site.

Ector feels that there is currently a need to freely share information on a couple of little discussed facets on the process of acquiring a Concealed Pistol License in the state of Michigan: how to select a credible Firearms Instructor and how to select a state of Michigan compliant CPL Class.

Ector admits in his new E-Book that he unwittingly took and completed a non-compliant CPL Class several years ago from a con artist. Ector hopes that his new E-Book will spare others the experience of being licensed to carry a concealed pistol without knowing what is expected of them legally.

Ector stated, “There a few unscrupulous folks in our industry who are making our community less safe by not teaching everything that they should to their students. To do so would require them to contract out the services of an attorney to teach the law. My free E-Book will teach and inform the community how to identify and avoid bogus instructors who have no desire to fully inform their students.”

Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school – Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit. Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, UPI, NRAnews, Guns Digest, Tactical-Life, The Truth About Guns, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, The Detroit Examiner, WJLB, WGPR, and the UrbanShooterPodcast.

For more info about the FREE E-Book on the Michigan Concealed Pistol License and the Detroit Michigan CCW Classes that Ector teaches, please contact:

Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit
Web: http://www.detroitccw.com.
Email: info@detroitccw.com
Phone: 313.733.7404

Rick Ector is a gun rights advocate in Detroit, Michigan who is launching a blog encouraging people to Open Carry in Detroit. Here is the press release that he has issued about his blog (May 17, 2011 )–

Rick Ector, a Detroit native and a nationally accredited Firearms Instructor, has launched a blog on the Internet to encourage citizens to openly carry handguns. The blog is entitled “Detroit Open Carry.” According to Ector, the time has arrived for city of Detroit to break ties with the racist roots of gun control. Ector stated, “Gun laws have always been most strict in cities with large numbers of black people. Detroit is no different in that regard.

In 1925, Dr. Ossian Sweet was acquitted of defending his home from a mob of people who were upset with the gall of a black man who dared to integrate a white neighborhood.” Ector, was referring to the Michigan court case which many have credited as being the genesis of the 1927 Michigan Firearms Act. This law created County Gun Boards, required the licensing of handguns, and made acquiring Concealed Pistol Licenses (CPLs) and handguns difficult for most black people.

Also, Ector concedes that there is another reason for pushing open carry in Detroit. He added, “Crime here is out of control and the local police department can’t be everywhere. A citizen wearing a firearm in a holster will serve as a visual deterrent to bad guys looking to rape, rob, and murder.” In general, it is legal in the state of Michigan for a person 18 years of age to display his own registered pistol in a completely visible holster without a special permit, as long as he does not venture into a state designated pistol-free zone.

Rick Ector is a Detroit based grassroots gun rights advocate and a National Rifle Association (NRA) credentialed Firearms and Personal Protection Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Classes training in Detroit for students at his firearms school – Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit. Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, UPI, NRAnews, Gun Digest, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, WDIV News, WXYZ News, WWJ Radio, WJR Radio, The Detroit News, WJLB, WGPR, and the UrbanShooterPodcast.

For more info about Open Carry in Detroit and Detroit Michigan CCW Classes, please contact:

Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit
Web: http://www.detroitccw.com
Email: info@detroitccw.com
Phone: 313.733.7404

Recently I’ve been contemplating a few different opportunities for You Can Carry. As I was thinking about the future, I stopped for a few minutes to think about where we’ve come from. I haven’t had as much time recently to work on things, so it was motivating and exciting to think about where we came from and where we are preparing to go moving forward.

I grew up on the east coast where I can only remember one person I knew that owned any guns. I just didn’t have much experience or exposure since no one around me owned or shot guns (at least not that I knew). I had never shot a handgun growing up and had only shot 22 caliber rifles on a few occasions (mainly scout camp). Several years ago after I moved to Utah where guns were a large part of the culture I met a lot of people who owned, shot, and carried firearms. The more I learned, the more interested I became—specifically in concealed carry. From interested I became committed then passionate. From the beginning I’ve been looking for different ways to promote the cause of concealed carry. Learning, researching, and talking with friends and family led to YouCanCarry.com. From there we began to explore other online resources to help teach people about concealed carry—but because it’s something that many people have little or no information about we’ve had to look at both online outlets as well as offline avenues. From custom wristbands to meetups and get-togethers we’ve explored many different ways to help educate the world. Today we continue to look for ways to educate people and promote the cause of concealed carry. We have begun to look at some real internet marketing. We are looking at building out some very exciting aspects that will give you some really great tools and information resources. It’s been a fun ride and we’ve come a long way since the beginning, but we still have a long way to go. We’re constantly looking for ways to promote and spread information regarding concealed carry so drop us a line and let us know. And we’ll be working on a few things in the coming months and years that we’re really excited about.

Here’s a cool video of an iPad getting shot with a shotgun . . .

Often people who open carry firearms are stopped by law enforcement responding to a MWAG (man with a gun) call.

Should police officers be stopping traffic just to see if people have a drivers license? Should they be stopping every Hispanic to make sure that they are legal? Should they be stopping other police officers to make sure that they aren’t impersonating an officer? It would be ridiculous to attempt to enforce all of these things by randomly stopping people to check credentials and id’s. Here’s a story from a few weeks ago about an officer who felt he needed to double check.