Here we are squeaking in just before the end of the month... why? Well, for a number of reasons.

First, we're so close to having a number of parts in the shop, that we've been holding out expecting their delivery. We're within a week or two of our high-end billet complete uppers with our new free-float rail system, lowers, complete rifles; we've got a batch of Benelli M2s in the shop, we've got magazines, small parts kits, barrels, rails, lower receivers and lots more inbound. Looks like they all missed this newsletter, but perhaps April will be out early in order to feature all of these items... next month's newsletter will definitely be filled with products.

Secondly, we spent a good part of this month exploring the options for re-locating ARFCOM. We've spent two years and an immeasurable amount of blood sweat and tears working on a retail location that at this point will never open thanks to NY politics.

For those of you following the case, the suit against New York State has been filed, and AR15.com has been dropped as a plaintiff. Since our goal is to do what's best for the case, we will do whatever the legal team thinks is best and we will continue to support the case in any way possible.

While we will continue to do all we can to attempt to "fix" NY, we will do so from outside of the state where most of us have spent the last 35+ years. We have decided to pack everything and everyone up, hitch the wagons, and head to the Lone Star State; the Dallas, TX area will be our new home in the near future.

While this will not be a simple move, nor is it going to be without it's challenges, we feel that it is a necessary move. We cannot morally continue to support a state that has such disregard for the basic principles this country was founded on, nor do we want to live in an environment where you're constantly fighting the very government that is supposed to be representing you.

Lastly, we've been debating what to do with the shop opening, or what is now more-likely a going away party. All of the ARFCOM HQ properties are going on the market, and we will continue to do business out of the facility until the actual move. We've had regular traffic coming in and purchasing parts and accessories, and we'll continue to do all we can for our fellow New Yorkers.

In the next few days a number of our private firearms will be going up for sale as part of a combination moving-fundraiser / less-to-carry event. While many of these guns will be for sale on the EE (as not legal for sale in NY), other items like ammunition and excess inventory may be sold as part of an in-store sale to be announced later.

In other news and with the new shooting season rapidly approaching, it's time to get started thinking about your involvement. This month we introduce Chris Anderson, Team Vertx 3-Gun National Pro Shooter, and a column he and Jesse Tischauser will be contributing on 3-Gun competition-related material each month.

This month's article talks about getting started for those of you who have not yet jumped into what is the most fun you can have shooting. It is very simple to participate in your first match, and as he describes, you probably don't even need to buy anything to get started.

We will also be following Chris through his season- just look for the BFL on his jersey as he'll be representing ARFCOM. Best of luck to both Chris and Jesse! Don't forget to plan for the AR15.com Rockcastle 3-Gun August 23-25 where you can come shoot or watch and meet some of the biggest names in the shooting sport.

PFC Video

"Task, Condition & Stunted, Part 1 (Distance)"

This months ARFCOM drill is part one of three. We are looking at the harm inflicted by knowing too much in the training environment.

www.PFCtraining.com

Basics to get you in the game

By: Chris Andersen
Team Vertx 3-Gun Nation Pro Shooter

So you’ve seen the YouTube 3-Gun shooting videos or possibly caught an episode of 3-Gun Nation. You love to shoot, it looks like way too much fun and you want to try it. The question now is how to get started?

The short answer is that it is easier than you think! This sport can be a little intimidating at first because of the shear amount of equipment required (especially relative to single-gun disciplines), so here are a few basic steps to start you down the road to your first 3-Gun Competition:

Find a local club.

The sport is growing quickly. In fact it is becoming unusual for a large gun club to not have a regular 3-gun match. If you are a member of a club, ask your club’s competition coordinator. Competition shooting forums like AR15.com’s 3-Gun Nation Forum are full of shooters, match directors, and officials that can steer you in the right direction.

Don’t buy ANYTHING yet!

You will thank me later. If you have a reliable rifle, pistol, and shotgun along with the means to carry additional ammunition along with a safe holster, eye and ear protection, you have about all you need to try your first match.

Nearly everyone falls into the trap of impulse-buying unnecessary items when they get into the shooting sports. Spending a bunch of money on equipment right of the bat may seem like the right move but can be money down the drain. Until you’ve spent some time in matches and at the range practicing, it is very unlikely that you will have any idea what you REALLY need to participate in the sport, not to mention what will work best for you. Experience will steer you in the right direction.

Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from experienced shooters.

I have always loved competition, but one of my favorite things about the shooting sports is the people. Most everyone at literally every level is willing to offer advice and even loan equipment to help a new shooter get started. The sport is full of people who have all been right where you are now and can offer you tons of tips to help avoid pitfalls and maximize your investment in the sport.

Have fun!

Don’t take yourself too seriously at first. 3-Gun is very technical and gear-intensive and there are a lot things that can really change your perspective on your ability to operate your firearms under stress. It is pretty common for a new shooter’s mind to go a bit numb the first time you hear a timer start in competition. So it is very important to relax and have fun. There will be a lot to learn, and that knowledge comes a lot quicker if with less stress in the picture.

Don’t blame me when you are addicted to this sport!

I will warn you up front. There is a reason this sport is growing so quickly. It is huge fun. Odds are if you are the type of personality that is drawn to this sort of thing you are going to get hooked. But don’t worry. There are plenty of folks on Craigs list who will happily take your golf clubs/motorcycle/etc off your hands!

In the coming months I will be doing multiple articles for AR15.com’s newsletter pertaining to gear, setup and training. So stay tuned for tips and specifics to help you get in the game, and start improving. In the mean time, be sure to visit Arfcom’s 3-Gun Nation forum: http://3gn.ar15.com/

It is frequented by many of the sport’s top pros and contains a wealth of information about the sport.

See you on the range!

Rushed law is bad law, even when it’s “for the children.”

By: Charles C. W. Cooke

All things being equal, New York State’s infamous new gun laws will go down in history as a prime example of the folly of hysterical calls to action; and Governor Andrew Cuomo, who led the chase for the measures, will join them in disgrace. After 20 children were killed in Newtown, Conn., last December, progressives saw a golden opportunity to reverse the liberalizing tide of recent firearms law and leverage the national outrage in favor of long-desired gun-control codes. Freed by his reelection, the president declared, in an increasingly tiresome formulation, “Now is the time to do the right thing for our children, our communities, and the country we love.” In Albany, it appears that the governor took him literally.

Legislation cast in the wake of tragedy invariably carries with it the stench of the mob, and when it’s contrived in haste to protect “the children,” this is doubly so. Parliaments and institutions might protect us from the sight of angry, rash, pitchfork-wielding villagers in search of blood, but, however sanitized our politics have become, the impulse of rabble-rousing politicos is the same: Something must be done, it must be done right this second, and all naysayers are on the side of the monster. Wise men understand this, and they act to cool passions. Andrew Cuomo, we have learned in recent months, is not a wise man. His signature now adorns a law that has proven unworkable from start to finish. Next time we are told that we cannot wait for democracy or reflection to soothe passions, we might remember the course that New York has taken.

In Newtown’s aftermath, reacting became synonymous with fixing the problem; expressing support for change was treated as if it were the same thing as preventing tragedy; and those who urged patience or reason were seen as siding with the devil — or, worse, the Second Amendment. These tendencies were widespread, but Cuomo’s rhetoric stood out in particular, ranging as it quickly did into the extreme. So grave was the new threat, Cuomo warned, that New York State should consider “confiscation” of “assault weapons,” or, if that was too drastic, it should enforce “mandatory sales to the state.” There had been, we were told, a “sea change” in America. From now on, everything would be different.

Shouting his way through his State of the State speech on January 9, 2013, the governor outlined his thinking. “Guns impose huge economic costs, as well as [a cost in] lives,” he bellowed. “Fear of gun violence invades neighborhoods, causing disruptions in the normal rhythms of life, work, and school. That threat depresses property values and puts a drag on economic development.” This being so, and legislation being inescapable, there would be time for neither public input nor committee hearings. In a startling move, Cuomo issued a “Message of Necessity,” using a provision in the state’s constitution designed to permit expedited state action in a case of emergency. This gave Cuomo the power to suspend the usual democratic rules and charge forward.

He couldn’t allow public debate, he argued, lest it “cause a rush on the market of people who wanted to buy assault weapons.” He couldn’t allow the usual three-day waiting period between a bill’s being introduced and a vote’s being held, in case legislators asked difficult questions or tried to stall the measure. In a move that would have made Nancy Pelosi proud, Cuomo allotted state lawmakers mere minutes to read the bill before voting on it. Indeed, so aggressive were Cuomo’s tactics that the Albany Times Union, which was supportive of the basic thrust of the legislation, editorialized that he behaved like a man possessed of “a truncated view of the legislative process and a cynical view of representative government.” The governor disagreed: “If there is an issue that fits the definition of necessity,” Cuomo shot back, “I believe it’s gun violence.”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Wayne LaPierre on "Meet The Press": Bloomberg Can't Buy America

NRA CEO and EVP Wayne LaPierre responded to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to spend $12 million on ads in support of gun control measures. Appearing on NBC's "Meet The Press," LaPierre said, "He's going to find out that this is a country of the people, by the people and for the people and he can't spend enough of his [money] to try to impose his will on the American public. They don't want him in their restaurants, they don't him in their homes, they don't want him telling them what food to eat — they sure don't want him telling them what self-defense firearms to own. And he can't buy America."

Wayne LaPierre at CPAC 2013

Wayne LaPierre addresses the crowd at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C. He notes that no other organization in the world has spent more money to keep Americans safe. LaPierre also touches on "universal" background checks: "There are only two reasons for government to create that federal registry of gun owners — to tax them and to take them." Other topics addressed by LaPierre include school security, sequestration and women's self-defense.

Beretta Considers Leaving Maryland as Governor O'Malley Pushes Tougher Gun Laws