Author: news

Hey folks, it is February 1st, and I am finally getting caught up. The March issue is off to the printer, work has already begun on the big April SHOT Show review, and I have cancelled the first week of lacrosse practice – and will probably have to cancel this week too. They had 3 perfectly good months to have winter. They didn’t need to mess with the start of lax season. (I coach Middle School girls if you are new to the blog). Our February issue is out, and jam packed as always. Frank Edwards is profiled by…

Washington state’s draconian knife ban bill from last year, SB 5098, has reared its ugly head again, as we told you might happen. The bill failed to get a floor vote before last year’s legislature ended. Now it is back and due to the way Washington’s legislature works, the amendment we worked so hard to insert in the bill to protect knife carriers to a significant extent went away. The original bill that would ban possession of “any knife” on over 6.5 million acres of public land in Washington, including parks and such, absent the House amendment, has again passed the…

Saab Selected by Missile Defense Agency for the SHIELD Program Saab, Inc. was awarded a contract for the Missile Defense Agency Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract. This contract encompasses a broad range of work areas that allows for the rapid delivery of innovative capabilities to the warfighter with increased speed and agility. “Saab’s proven systems integration and layered defense capabilities deliver scalable missile defense solutions that directly support the warfighter,” said Erik Smith, President and CEO of Saab, Inc. “By bringing together advanced sensors, command and control, and rapid integration expertise, we execute at the…

By Michael Mills Posted in #Skills Would you like to make your pistol or rifle skill improvements fun? There are a multitude of drills and targets we can all use on the range for practice, but for me and many people I have instructed over the years, a little bit of fun in the training really makes the process take off. Don’t get me wrong, firearms and training are serious business. But if we can have fun while still being serious, we will retain knowledge and build positive experiences. Check out my video above, and keep reading the…

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. —   In October 2025, the 319th Reconnaissance Wing assigned to Grand Forks Air Force Base was selected to lead the Point Defense Battle Lab, supported by the 184th Wing, Kansas Air National Guard. The Total Force team at the battle lab supports Air Combat Command’s Point Defense Task Force, a larger Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) effort within the Department of the Air Force. The Point Defense Battle Lab will serve as a hub for collaboration, pushing boundaries in C-sUAS capabilities, ensuring the Air Force maintains tactical superiority against evolving threats, and…

FORT BUCHANAN, Puerto Rico —The Army’s home in the Caribbean is supporting the service’s transformation into a leaner, more lethal, and more agile force by modernizing how Soldiers train and generate readiness across the region. Central to this effort is theMobile Marksmanship Training Simulator (MMTS), a deployable capability operated by Fort Buchanan’sTraining Support Center (TSC). The MMTS enhances marksmanship and engagement-skills training while reducing logistical demands and costs, directly supporting the goals of theArmy Transformation Initiative (ATI). “Combined with the full range of capabilities available at the TSC, the MMTS has enabled Fort Buchanan to adapt how we support the…

Staccato has just updated its HD line of 2011 pistols with the compact, integrally-compensated C4X.With the goal of making an extremely versatile 2011 that was equally parts a compact defensive pistol and duty weapon, Staccato has just added the HD C4X to its lineup. Co-developed with an elite law enforcement tactical surveillance unit, the pistol feels just as good on the hip as it does in the hand putting shots down range. I had the chance to shoot one at Staccato’s Vegas range day this year, and to put it simply, this thing shoots flat.The Staccato HD C4X features a…

Thales RapidRanger – a modular integrated mobile weapon system – firing StarStreak On Ukraine’s front lines, a small robot trawls through the dark, laden with supplies. Against long odds, this Uncrewed Ground Vehicle delivers a lifeline to the warfighter who depends on it. Whether platforms can go the distance and deliver the required effect is increasingly defined by the mission systems they’re equipped with – the sensor suites, autonomy modules and C4ISR capabilities that turn a technological edge into an advantage. As Human Autonomy Teams go, this serves as just one discrete example among many. Platforms, of course, predominate. However,…

By Will Dabbs, MD Posted in #History Editor’s Note: In today’s article, Dr. Will Dabbs examines the versatile Heinkel He 111 in World War II. The German medium bomber became one of the most recognizable Luftwaffe aircraft of the war. Originally designed as a civilian airliner, the He 111 evolved into a versatile combat aircraft that participated in every major campaign. Lt. Mikhail Petrovich Devyatayev was a Russian P-39 Airacobra pilot during World War II. The peculiar mid-engine P-39 offered fairly poor high-altitude performance and was subsequently relegated to second-line duties by the US Army Air Corps.…

Introduction The use of kayaks or canoes more broadly for military operations is nearly as old as the craft themselves. Inland and coastal waterways have served as arteries of commerce, migration, and conflict since antiquity. With the introduction of engines, human-powered watercraft largely faded from conventional military use, surviving primarily in sport, recreation, and a narrow but enduring niche: special operations. This article provides a focused overview of the military kayak’s role from the Second World War to the present day. It is not an exhaustive history, but rather a snapshot of how a simple platform when paired with disciplined…