Articles - Weapons

Do your kids know the difference between cover and concealment, and how to use both? I am not advocating scaring your family, but preparing your family—and when you do, it will prepare you. You can act more confidently knowing your loved ones are prepared as well.

Although it's best known today for its hunting weapons, Ithaca has produced firearms favored by the military and law enforcement for decades. The Ithaca Model 37 shotgun and M1911 handgun are two John Browning designs that have been carried in both World Wars and in numerous police operations.

Despite the industry's attempt to transform shooting sports and self-defense into some kind of video game for the Generation Z folks, there was still plenty of serious hardware for law enforcement at this year's show.

In recent years more and more manufacturers have developed new takes on AR-style rifles, resulting in four major operating systems for the common patrol rifles used by American law enforcement. Let's take a look at the four operating systems and their pros and cons

Soundgear electronic hearing protection is a fully automatic earplug that returns environmental sounds while eliminating loud noise spikes. It is automatic in the sense that there is no user control that adjusts the level of volume in the unit.

Today, rifle optics that once were only seen on SWAT weapons are now commonplace on patrol rifles. A lot has changed in less than 10 years. Which begs the question, What innovations are likely to change law enforcement CQB optics between now and 2021?

Springfield recently introduced yet another version of the XD(m) designed for action pistol competition shooting, and I believe it is equally adaptable to law enforcement purposes. The XD(m)-9 5.25 was designed with the input of champion shooter Rob Leatham and is intended to give competitor shooters everything they need to compete right out of the box.

Leupold builds optics to meet end users' needs. This is the case with the VX-R 1.25-4X20 SPR, a scope built for AR-style rifles.

The weight difference between the Daniel Defense v5 Lightweight and a standard M4 was immediately noticeable, nearly 10 ounces. That's a lot of weight if you have to work an operation for hours. The standard M4 has a short carbine railed forearm compared to the 12-inch mid length of the v5 Lightweight.

The ARK Recurve and Tanto folders are completely black with thin, angle cut grooved G10 grips. They're definitely easy on the eyes, but they're also functional. Both are liner lock folders with G10 scales and black razor sharp AUS8 steel blades.