Seen at the 2017 NRA Annual Meeting - F&D Defense Folding AR

One of the new products getting a lot of buzz at last weekend's NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits was F&D Defense's XAR Folding AR.  The prototype is an AR-10 but it will soon be available in an AR-15.

Regarding the question of retaining zero, Eric of  IraqVeteran8888 You Tube channel tried it out ahead of the show and that doesn't appear to be a problem.

According to F&D Defense's promotional information:

F&D Defense’s previous innovation of the 4-bolt lock up system is the prime reason the XAR technology is even possible. By removing the limitations of a barrel nut and adding the XAR folding innovation, F&D Defense has created the most compact, fastest deployed AR rifle in the industry, without sacrificing the reliability, durability, and accuracy demanded and expected. Faster deployment, faster takedown, no loose parts.”

F&D Defense will release the XAR Invicta in the summer of 2017. For more information on F&D Defense, the XAR technology, or the F&D Invicta, visit FDDefense.com.

Hat tip to Matthew Moss at taskandpurpose.com

Delegate Todd Gilbert Receives the NRA Defender of Freedom Award

On Friday, April 28, Delegate Todd Gilbert was presented the 2017 NRA Defender of Freedom Award at the NRA Annual Meeting's and Exhibits.  Delegate Gilbert has been a tireless defender of our firearm freedom in the Virginia House of Delegates.. He has sponsored numerous bills to restore our freedoms and has worked to defeat bills that infringe on those freedoms.  This year, he was the House sponsor of legislation that would have allowed victims of domestic violence to carry a concealed handgun for 45 days after a protective order was issued. The bill also provided that if the person issued the protective order applies for a concealed handgun permit during such 45-day period, such person will be authorized to carry a concealed handgun for an additional 45 days and be given a copy of the certified application, which would serve as a de facto concealed handgun permit.   Governor McAuliffe vetoed the legislation.  He spoke with NRATV while he was at the Annual Meeting.

CNN Reporter Learns About NRA and America's Support of Gun Rights

I think most of the firearms community would agree that introducing new people to firearms will go a long way to protect our rights.  NSSF has in the past hosted media days in the hope of having the media more informed on a subject they may have to cover.  So, it was refreshing to read an article this morning where a CNN reporter openly admitted she did not understand America's fascination with firearms and decided to take the opportunity of the NRA Annual Meeting taking place right across from her employer, to learn more.

The reporter, Moni Basu is a native of India who became a U.S. citizen about 10 years ago.  She begins by talking about how she was raised in "ahimsa, the tenet of nonviolence toward all living things"  and how the county overthrew British rule by "Gandian-style civil disobedience, not a revolutionary war."

Basu said when she returns to India her friends and family want to know about America's "love affair" with guns.  Her report is an honest look at people attending the NRA Annual Meeting with no pre-conceived opinions interjected.  For instance:

Self-protection, I discover, is a huge reason many Americans own firearms.

Take Chloe Morris. She was born in Atlanta to Filipino parents; on this day, she's brought her mother along to hear Trump, the first sitting President to speak at an NRA convention since Ronald Reagan.

Morris is 35, petite and soft-spoken, but she's fierce about her opinions on guns.

"I'm 5 feet tall and 100 pounds," she tells me. "I cannot wait for a cop to come save me when I am threatened with rape or death."

Morris was once opposed to guns. "Extremely opposed," she says.

She earned a master's degree in criminal justice from Georgia State University. "I know the law," she says. "For me guns were not the answer."

But a few years ago, a dear friend was assaulted in her own home in an upscale Atlanta subdivision. The incident struck fear in Morris. She would never let herself become a victim.

She took shooting classes and became a Glock instructor. "I teach for free. I want women to be safe.

"I own 10 guns. I have a 14-year-old son. I started teaching him to shoot when he was 5. I'm a lifetime member of the NRA."

She pauses, and her next sentence surprises me.

"I don't think I can even kill another person -- except when my life is in danger."

She also relates the discussion of freedom many people mentioned to the experience of India where the people were disarmed by the British to keep them from rebelling against colonial rule.  She ends the article with:

I leave the convention trying to reconcile what I've gathered on this day with the philosophy of nonviolence with which I was raised. I am not certain that vast cultural differences can be bridged in a few hours, but I am glad I got a glimpse into the world of guns. I have much to consider.

It's a long article but an honest look at some of the folks attending the NRA Annual Meetings, and a good read.