Free Republic

Geraldo Rivera tweeted video of a truck-mounted machine gun in Mogadishu Wednesday as part of his continuing effort to prove AR-15s are machine guns and should be banned. Rivera’s video also shows a machine gun that is being carried by soldier. Neither of the guns are AR-15s, but he tweeted about them to show his support for an “assault weapons” ban. Breitbart News noted that Geraldo told hosts on FOX News’ The Five that “AR” stands for “automatic rifle.”

Can you use a regular CO2 canister to charge a Crossman model 113? The online manual shows an odd CO2 canister with a handle on the end to open it. Supposedly, you twist the canister onto the end of the tube, open the charging handle, and allow the pressure to equalize. Will a standard CO2 canister work on this?

One of the hits at the NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta was the Pyramid Air gun range. It was set up in one of the meeting rooms one level up and not far from the NRA exhibit hall.While I was there, empty spaces on the firing line were filled very quickly.There were 10 stations on line and roughly twice as many air guns available as there were shooting stations.There were young, old, male, female, all sorts of shooters on the line. They seemed to exhibit the same expressions: Intense concentration followed by big grins.A wide variety of air guns were...

Harry Studley's family say a long-term prognosis is unknown as the bullet is resting against a blood vessel and cannot be removed. The mother of a baby shot in the head with an air rifle says her heart "shattered into a million pieces" when she realised what had happened. Two-year-old Harry Studley was taken to hospital for emergency surgery following the shooting last July. His family say they do not know what Harry's long-term prognosis is because the bullet cannot be removed from his head as it rests against a blood vessel. His mother Amy Allen told Sky News: "At...

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources is pushing a prohibition on hunting “big game” with spears, as well as new regulations on the use of air guns to hunt deer.

All Air Rifles are not created equal. If you’re not familiar with air rifles than take a look at what Ted HoldOver has done from his bathroom. Ted uses a .25 caliber air rifle, and it has the power and precision to make a lasting impression. Watch and see what great precision and power the new air rifles have to offer and their impacts on pests all caught in slow motion. You certainly will be impressed, watch it here.

A Florida deputy has been indicted for manslaughter in the shooting death of Jermaine McBean, who was killed while walking home with an unloaded pellet gun he had just bought a pawn shop. Broward County Sheriff Peter Peraza — who was given a bravery award for the shooting by his bosses while it was still under investigation — surrendered early Friday, prosecutors said. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. It's the first time since 1980 that a police officer in Broward County has been indicted for a fatal on-duty shooting. The grand jury began hearing testimony...

One of the most beloved Russian military rifles is now available as a CO2 BB gun. This version of the 19th-century rifle- which was used in several Russian and Soviet wars- will become one of your favorite rifles because it's so crazy realistic- compact- lightweight and easy to handle. When you pick it up- you think you're handling the real steel. How did you ever manage to live without it? Yeah -- it's gonna be THAT much fun! Repeater Bolt-action Uses a 12-gram CO2 cartridge 16rd removable BB magazine Fixed front sight Rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation Polymer...

On Monday, 17 February, a soldier in an unfinished development in Harris County near Houston was confronted by a swat team, an armored vehicle, and accusations of criminal mischief, because he was practicing with an air rifle. KHOU.com reports that an off-duty homeland security agent was looking at one of the unfinished houses (that had been damaged by vandals).  The agent is said to claim that one of the windows was shattered.    The agent then looked out, saw a man with a rifle, and called dispatch.   That became an "active shooter event".  An off-duty Homeland Security agent –...

Well, it’s official, New Jersey has jumped the shark on gun control (if they already hadn’t). According to NJ2AS, the state has banned several types of popular, high end, air rifles. Specifically, any air rifle that is made to be quieter by design. One example of this is the Gamo Whisper line of rifles. These rifles make great pest control rifles for people that own some land, but don’t want to disturb nearby neighbors with the sounds of traditional firearms. From the NJ2AS report, The New Jersey Second Amendment Society recently obtained a copy of the letter from Lieutenant Joseph...

I have a pest control issue concerning rats that live in trees. What sorta air rifle is recommended for this sorta thing? I want something cheap but powerful enough to be able to take down a varmint in one shot... Any suggestions, and no I don't want a convention gunpowder rifle as I already have one of them.

Behold the Girandoni air rifle, a 20 round high capacity tubular magazine and air reservoir which fired at roughly the same velocity as a modern .45 ACP. It can punch straight through a 2x4 at 100 yards. Invented by Tyrollean Bartholomaus Girandoni around 1779, this revolutionary rifle is four feet long and weighs a manly 10 pounds. It's semi-automatic rate of fire and, for the period, its immense firepower reserve made it a fearsome thing to contemplate in battle. No appreciable bang, no smoke and at least 20 rounds before its punch began to diminish.

I'm watching the Olympics and am wondering why the U.S. can't even compete against third world countries in shooting events with air rifles. Are you kidding me? I think the NRA should take a more active role in turning our video game couch potatos into Olympic athletes. They already sponsor hunting sports, so this would not be far from their mission, and in my opinion would be a win-win for them.

Good day, fellow FReepers. I've come to the single best source of information/recommendations online....especially for advice on anything gun-related. Short version: I'm going to purchase an air rifle (aka "pellet gun"). Darned squirrels here have simply gotten out of hand, and it's time to take 'em out. Heaven knows I've tried everything else; little vandals simply don't take a hint. I've done a fair amount of research and, so far, I seem to have settled upon the Benjamin Marauder. Pricey, but reviews of this gun are stellar. Here are my questions, since I've never owned an air rifle: 1. What...

English don’t have much in the way of firearms protection from burglars in the home. But an air rifle can be an exception. Gary Holmes, who was at home with his girlfriend and child, spotted a man prowling around in his home’s garden area. He went upstairs for a better look and saw 20 year old Lewis Patterson break a window in his home with a baseball bat. He hit the window hard enough to break the bat. Then the burglar used a metal bar to complete his entry. When Holmes got downstairs, Patterson was trying to get the homeowner’s...

Girl's Christmas wish disappoints Santa Claus By Joann M. Ringelstetter Middleton (Dane County) It was December 1960 and I was 5 years old. My mother had taken us downtown with her so she could do her weekly grocery shopping. The usual routine consisted of Mom going into the store and us kids sitting in the car picking fights with each other. There were five of us under the age of 9, and it was a very different time than it is now. John F. Kennedy had just defeated Richard M. Nixon to become the youngest person and the first Roman...

TRENTON, N.J. – Even a 10-foot inflatable rat has free speech rights in New Jersey, the state's Supreme Court ruled Thursday.In a case that pitted an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union local against a central Jersey town, the high court ruled unanimously that the rodent is protected speech under the First Amendment.

Celebrated tenor Jerry Hadley was taken off life support Monday, nearly a week after an apparent suicide attempt left him with a severe brain injury. The 55-year-old singer shot himself with an air rifle last Tuesday at his Clinton Corners home, several miles outside Poughkeepsie, according to state police. State troopers found him unconscious on his bedroom floor and he was taken to St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie. Hadley had been on life support since his arrival at the hospital. Family friend and spokeswoman Celia Novo said he was taken off the systems Monday.

BELLFLOWER A man suspected of fatally shooting a boy, 15, while the victim was breaking into a shed behind the man's Bellflower home was arrested on suspicion of murder, sheriff's deputies said. Deputies responded to a burglary call at the home in the 8500 block of Park Street at 6:25 a.m., according to the sheriff's department. Homeowner Jerry Cress, 57, told deputies he confronted two suspects, one of whom had a hammer, Deputy Anthony Moore said. He said that in fear of his life, he opened fire with a pellet gun, Moore said. Shortly afterward, deputies at the Lakewood Station...

When Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark out on their famous journey, he took extraordinary steps to provide for their safety. He provided them with a blank check backed by the United States government to purchase any ship they might figure they needed on the west coast, assuming they felt such a need, and he provided them with the ultimate small arm of the time. It appears as if this ultimate small arm might have been a major factor in the expedition not having been annihilated by Indians. Not that tribes were wiped out with the weapon, nonetheless...