“It’s 11:59 on Radio Free America; this is Uncle Sam, with music, and the truth until dawn. Right now I’ve got a few words for some of our brothers and sisters in the occupied zone: the decal is against the gun case, the decal is against the gun case.”
The patches were so popular that OC Tactical came out with a decal version! You can now buy 4 packs of The Chair is Against the Wall at OC Tactical.
The Texas Custom Guns TCG-15 carbines have been getting great reviews and it really does appear to be a lot of gun for the money. If you are looking to buy a premium AR-15, this may be your chance. They have made 100 of the TCG-15 available for pre-order.
You can read more about the specs of the TCG-15 here and you can pre-order here.
I have written before about my frustration with the way the current conversation about the 2nd Amendment is muddied by words like “hunting” and “sporting.” We have all received letters from our Representatives that in one way or another attempts to placate us with assurances that they are supporters of our rights to keep and bear arms because, after all, “I’m a hunter myself.” The current discussion about the 2nd Amendment is rife with these sorts of patronizing statements.
Now, as if we haven’t had enough, the President wants you to know that he understands you. “Up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time,” he said. “And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations.”
Never were 30 more out of touch words uttered. I used to believe that statements like these that belie the true meaning and historical significance of the 2nd Amendment and replace it with hunting, which is increasingly less culturally significant, were ignorance. I now believe that it is a purposeful attempt to rewrite the history and context of the 2nd Amendment in the minds of Americans. It is a distraction and a deflection. If you say a lie often enough, it can become a form of the truth.
When a politician makes statements like this, they are patronizing you. They think they can assuage your fears by offering their weak, hollow, and transparent assurances that they are pro-2nd Amendment. The 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting. Don’t buy the lie, don’t stop making your voice hear, don’t compromise, and do not accept these answers from your Representatives.
I don’t do much deal spotting on JTT but this is too good not to share. If you have a Meijer store near you, you might want to head to the tool/flashlight section and look around a bit. My local Meijer store has eGear SplashFlash LED Lights on clearance for $5.99.
The SplashFlash is a small beacon style light that comes in several colors and is about the size of a tube of lip balm. It has a Nichia LED that puts out 25 lumens (ANSI rating) and is powered by a single AAA battery. It has reasonably rugged plastic construction and is sealed with a fairly large o-ring which makes it very water-resistant.
What makes this light useful is its small size, 11 hour runtime (the one that I tested actually put out useful light for longer than 11 hours), and frosted dome over the LED. It is basically like carrying a very small and very useful lantern. It throws a surprising amount of light in all directions. The light comes with a Duracell battery and a small carabiner so it can be hung from just about anything. It is bright enough that it can light up our master bedroom enough that I can read beneath the light and safely navigate the entire room. It is also pretty handy for illuminating the inside of a backpack in the dark or as an ultralight lantern substitute for camping or power outages. You will find a million uses for a light like this.
This certainly isn’t a tactical light and it probably wouldn’t make a great EDC on its own but it is a great addition to your EDC or survival/preparedness stash. I am going to go back to my local Meijer and buy several more.
Look for an upcoming review of several handy sub-$20 lights that every Trigger Jerk can add to their toolbox.
I am a big fan of Crimson Trace (CT) products. They are really the only handgun mounted lasers that I have ever been able to warm up to and recommend. While I do recommend Crimson Trace products heartily, I also acknowledge that they have not been affordable for everyone… until now. The new Defender Series is set to bring Crimson Trace quality to a more affordable price point.
The Defender Series lasers all have MSRP between $129 and $149 and you can expect the retail pricing to be a bit lower. These lasers will be available for a more limited set of handguns and they are not as feature rich as the more expensive CT products.
The biggest feature that you give up with the Defender Series is the lack of CT’s Instinctive Activation. Instead of placing a sensitive button on the grip somewhere that it will be automatically activated when the handgun is gripped, CT went with a large, brightly colored red activation button for the Defender Series. I think Instinctive Activation is the best feature of CT products so users will want to weigh carefully the decision to save money with the Defender Series or just pony up for another CT product.
The Defender Series looks to be a solid value – especially the versions for the small CCW type handguns that derive so many benefits from laser aiming and where the use of the laser won’t preclude the use of a weapon mounted light. Check out the Defender Series on CrimsonTrace.com.
