Articles - Weapons

Lest we all get too caught up in a case of the "gotta-have-its," we elected to take a quick look at the need for change, and how it must be balanced with an agency's budget, real-world threats, and ability to train its officers.

The knife that really caught my eye was the Butch Vallotton-designed Val-Matic. What sets it apart from other knives is its double-action opening.

This is an off-duty or concealed carry pistol, not a uniform duty gun.

For 25 years Al Mar has been a leader in tactical knives. The company's tradition of hard-use folding duty/tactical knives continues as Al Mar broadens its line of clip-it style knives.

Beginning in the mid-1980s, American police agencies switched en masse from the revolver to the semi-automatic pistol. Rationalizations for this change in weaponry were many and are still hotly debated.

Each year the law enforcement specific portion of the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show grows larger. This year's show was no exception.

Today's Taurus is ISO9000 rated for quality-control excellence and has become world renowned for making fine firearms.

The regular patrol force is being tasked with taking immediate action in those fortunately infrequent events where SWAT would have been called in the past. We are finding that not only do patrol officers' tactics need to change, but the equipment patrol brings to the field needs to change as well.

What happened that day in Texas should have served as a wake-up call to law enforcement agencies worldwide. But the Texas Tower incident was treated as an anomaly, a once-in-a-lifetime event that couldn't possibly happen again. And the law enforcement community has chosen to largely ignore this threat.

It’s her left hand, and there’s a gun in it. I quarter her head with my reticle. Then I see her gun hand come up fully in line with the entry team members. She straightens her arm as if taking aim, and I squeeze the trigger.