The Wild Wild West Arms Gun Store opened its doors for business Saturday, August 20th.
The Wild Wild West Arms Gun Store, located directly on US Hwy. 27, Lake Hamilton, Florida, opened its doors for business Saturday, August 20th.
Wild Wild West Arms promises to be the premier firearms dealer in east Polk County, serving firearm enthusiasts and sportsmen from as far north as Clermont, south to Sebring.
29350 US Hwy. 27, Lake Hamilton, FL 33838 (863) 488-6508
Wild Wild West Arms has a large inventory of all types of firearms, a wide assortment of ammunition, accepts transfers and sells used firearms on consignment. Concealed carry, firearms training and hunter safety certification qualification classes will be taught on site in a large, comfortable classroom.
The GRAND OPENING will take place Saturday, September 17th.
The doors will open at 9:00 AM
It is going to be a party . . .
Deep discounts on firearms and other merchandise
Remote broadcasting by 2 local, popular radio stations
Smoke’n Oak will be providing fresh, hot, cooked BBQ and more
The February 26th 2022 Winter Haven Gun Show was the worst!
The gun show, put on by USA Gun Shows of Florida and conducted at the Winter Haven Garden Conference Center, February 26th and 27th, was by far the worst. The venue, at least the areas used, was too small. One area used was the hotel’s bar. Yes, the bar.
A vendor actually displayed his goods on the bar, while standing behind it. A bar complete with drink glasses on the shelves. The only thing missing were the liquer bottles. At the other end of the room was the fast food counter and grill. Dining tables were available for those who wished to grab a sandwich and cold drink.
There was totally inadequate vendor space. Two people could hardly walk by one another between tables. The other room being used, which was actually appropriate for the given use, was too small and the AC was not working. Again, there was little aisle space for people to walk.
For the few vendors there were, there was lots of ammunition for sale, but very few guns, new or used.
Regarding parking: That was another issue . . . totally inadequate. Parking was a nightmare. The venue was a hotel with hotel guests and adjacent businesses and property owners were not cooperative.
USA Gun Shows of Florida does not need to return to Winter Haven or Polk County for that matter.
The Washington Free Beacon – Adam Kredo • November 6, 2021
The Biden administration in just the past year alone stockpiled the records of more than 54 million U.S. gun owners and is poised to drastically alter gun regulations to ensure that information on Americans who own firearms ultimately ends up in the federal government’s hands, according to internal Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The ATF in fiscal year 2021 processed 54.7 million out-of-business records, according to an internal ATF document obtained by the Gun Owners of America, a firearms advocacy group, and provided exclusively to the Free Beacon. When a licensed gun store goes out of business, its private records detailing gun transactions become ATF property and are stored at a federal site in West Virginia. This practice allows the federal government to stockpile scores of gun records and has drawn outrage from gun advocacy groups that say the government is using this information to create a national database of gun owners—which has long been prohibited under U.S. law.
The ATF obtained 53.8 million paper records and another 887,000 electronic records, according to the internal document that outlines ATF actions in fiscal year 2021. Gun activists described this figure as worryingly high and said it contributes to fears that the Biden administration is trying to keep track of all Americans who own firearms, in violation of federal statutes. The procurement of these records by the ATF comes as the Biden administration moves to alter current laws to ensure that gun records are stored in perpetuity. Currently, gun shops can destroy their records after 20 years, thereby preventing the ATF from accessing the information in the future.
“As if the addition of over 50 million records to an ATF gun registry wasn’t unconstitutional or illegal enough, the Biden administration’s misuse of ‘out-of-business’ records doesn’t end there,” Aidan Johnston, the Gun Owners of America’s director of federal affairs, told the Free Beacon. “Instead of maintaining the right of [licensed firearm dealers] to destroy Firearm Transaction Records after 20 years, buried within Biden’s proposed regulations is a provision that would mean every single Firearm Transaction Record going forward would eventually be sent to ATF’s registry in West Virginia.”
The ATF’s registry site has long been a battleground between gun advocates and the federal government. Those in favor of more restrictive gun measures want the ATF to digitize this registry and create a federal database of U.S. gun owners, a move opposed by groups such as the Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle Association. The ATF has so many records stored in its West Virginia site that several years ago the floor collapsed, according to the New York Times.
An ATF spokesman declined to comment on internal agency records but told the Free Beacon that the agency’s “National Tracing Center processes millions of out of business records each month.” However, “those out of business records do not constitute an initiation or continuation of any federal gun registry,” the spokesman said.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 mandates that licensed firearm dealers that go out of business provide the ATF with their records. They are then processed into images, though the ATF maintains this database cannot be searched by a purchaser’s name. Physical records, the agency says, are then destroyed.
The record-keeping issue has received new scrutiny as the Biden administration readies to implement several new restrictions on firearms and owners, including a proposed ban on anywhere from 10 to 40 million pistol braces, which are used as stabilizers on popular weapons such as AR-15s. Under these guidelines, gun owners would be ordered to register or destroy these pistol braces.
The ATF’s proposed regulations would also require gun parts to be regulated with background checks, meaning that if an individual assembled a legal homemade gun, he may be forced to submit to up to 16 different background checks.
Gun advocates, including the Gun Owners of America, accuse the Biden administration of abusing the rule-making process to ensure these regulations are put into effect in record time, possibly before the end of the year.
“The Biden administration has forced ATF to undertake the rule-making process in record time—resulting in faulty argumentation and demonstrating that neither ATF nor Biden’s anti-gun appointees know anything about the firearms and accessories they seek to regulate,” said Johnston.
The ATF, through its spokesman, maintained that its rule-making process allows for gun advocates, experts, and others to offer comment on proposed regulations well before they go into effect. “Congress and the Government Accountability Office have an opportunity to review any final rule prior to its effective date,” the spokesman said. “The process is anything but ‘speedy.'”
Always be alert for the occurrence of a squib load and the possibility of a barrel obstruction.
If you do not know what a SQUIB LOAD is and how to recognize it, it is strongly suggested you learn ASAP.
Technically defined, a squib load is an underpowered charge. That underpowered charge could result in a barrel obstruction.
A squib load is most notably recognized by an odd sound. While shooting, should you hear an odd sound, a sound different from the big bang, kaboom or crack, you normally hear or only heard when firing that last volley of shoots, CEASE FIRE immediately, following safe gun handling practices, inspect the gun for a barrel obstruction.
Firing another round, following a squib load, that resulted in a barrel obstruction, could result in the firearm blowing up in your hand and you loosing parts of your hand as a result.
Number 1 . . .
Number 2 . . .
The recalls above are the most recent (June 21, 2021) of two known ones. At the pace manufactures are turning out ammunition, in an attempt to catch up with backorders, quality control has diminished. Always be alert for the occurrence of a squib load and the possibility of a barrel obstruction. It can happen with any ammunition domestic or imported. Be vigilant, be alert, be safe.
Today, June 30, 2021 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill that allows persons holding a valid Florida concealed carry weapons license the right to possess a concealed firearm or other weapon on property owned by a religious institution that shares property with an licensed educational facility.
HB 259 was signed into law by Governor DeSantis today, June 30, 221. The bill takes effect immediately.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law will let concealed carry permit holders to have their guns with them at churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions, as well as property owned, leased, or rented by them.
HB 259, called a “Church Carry” bill by some, took effect immediately upon becoming law.
Going forward, if you’ve got a concealed carry permit and own a gun, you can now take it with you to church. The bill allowing the carry restriction at religious institutions was short, just over a page long.
The new law says that it does not limit the private property rights of churches, synagogues, or other religious institutions to exercise control over their property regarding firearms. The institutions will still be allowed to control whether or not firearms are allowed on their property.
While HB 259 expands Second Amendment rights for gun owners of faith, even supporters say the bill “doesn’t go far enough.”
Pro-gun organization Florida Gun Rights says the law doesn’t go far enough because it doesn’t make Constitutional Carry the law of the land, though the new legislation is “a step in the right direction.”
Constitutional Carry is the right to legally carry a handgun, openly or concealed, regardless of permit or license. 21 states have Constitutional Carry currently, Florida is not one of them, according to Florida Gun Rights.
Yesterday (June 24, 2021), a federal district court judge in the United States District Court Northern District of Florida upheld a Florida law that prevents law-abiding citizens between the ages of 18 and 20 from purchasing a firearm.
The judge explained that “for better or worse,” he was bound by the Eleventh Circuit’s Second Amendment precedent and had to rule the way that he did. But in doing so, he expressed dismay at the unfortunate balance that this decision will create. Under the existing Florida law, 18-20-year-olds can legally acquire a firearm with the assistance of parents or other relatives. This creates a situation where individuals who do not have family members to assist them are unable to exercise their Second Amendment rights at all. The judge highlighted this disparity by asking, “why should the 20-year-old single mother living on her own be unable to obtain a firearm for self-defense when a 20-year-old living with their parents can easily obtain one?”
The judge also questioned the “Second Amendment framework that finds certain persons or activities either protected or entirely unprotected,” and stated that “this Court sees no reason why the Second Amendment, unlike other fundamental rights, should be an all or nothing affair.” Additionally, the judge stated that if the court “were writing on a ‘blankish’ slate … it would subject the Act to a more searching inquiry.”
While this decision is a setback, NRA-ILA remains dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens everywhere. NRA-ILA will examine this decision in the days to come and will decide the best method in which to pursue that goal.
The number of firearm sales checks represents the second-highest May on record, following only the massive firearm-buying surge experienced in May 2020.
Strong gun sales continued in May, with FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System data showing nearly 1.3 million background checks were conducted pursuant to firearms sales last month. Moreover, the FBI conducted a total of 3.2 million firearm-related background checks of all types – including checks for NICS exempt firearm permits that allow holders to purchase firearms without an additional background check for the next five years. The number of firearm sales checks represents the second-highest May on record, following only the massive firearm-buying surge experienced in May 2020.
Since the surge in gun-buying began at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, those in the firearms industry and even the reluctant news media have made two important observations: (1) The increase in gun purchasing included many first-time gun buyers; (2) Those purchasing firearms did not conform to stereotypes about the “typical” American gun owner
In February, firearm industry trade group the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) released data on the firearm sales increase based on a survey of Federal Firearm Licensees (gun dealers). A press release explained “NSSF estimates that 40 percent of those gun sales were for first-time gun buyers, totaling 8.4 million new gun owners in the United States in 2020.” The item went on to note, “Firearm ownership is also increasingly diverse as sales among women accounted for 40 percent of all sales, and purchases by African Americans increased by 56 percent compared to 2019.
In the early months of the pandemic, the legacy press was forced to cover the increase in gun sales and the diversity of those choosing to exercise their Second Amendment rights
In March 2020, the San Francisco Chronicle shared the story of Petaluma, Calif. gun shop owner Gabriel Vaughn, who told the paper “about 90% of his customers in recent days have been first-time gun buyers.” That same week, the New York Times reported that “Some dealers said an unusually high proportion of sales have been to first-time gun buyers.”
On May 29, the New York Times added to the growing understanding of America’s ongoing and diverse gun-buying surge by reporting on new data from a survey conducted by Northeastern University and the Harvard Injury Control Research Center. While the figures reported were not quite the same as those presented by NSSF, the information painted a picture of a growing and diverse group of gun owners.
Summarizing the findings, the Times explained,
about a fifth of all Americans who bought guns last year were first-time gun owners. And the data, which has not been previously released, showed that new owners were less likely than usual to be male and white. Half were women, a fifth were Black and a fifth were Hispanic.
Adding an anecdote, the New York Times noted,
Many gun store workers reported that last year set records for sales and also that they noticed different types of buyers walking in the door. Thomas Harris, a former law enforcement officer who works at the gun counter at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Roanoke, Va., said that around March last year, the customers he would speak with began to include more white-collar workers, such as people from insurance firms and software companies. He said many of the buyers were not conservative and most had never handled a gun.
With even the gun confiscation proponents at New York Times acknowledging the diverse face of gun ownership in America, anti-gun activists and politicians should take note. The ugly prejudices and stereotypes they share and employ to attack the gun community do not comport to reality and their bigoted campaign becomes more transparent all the time.
West Hartford, CT, February 12, 2021 – Colt Holding Company LLC (“Colt”) hereby announces that on February 11, 2021, it executed a definitive agreement to be acquired by CZG Group SE (“CZG” or “the Group”) Colt is the parent company of U.S. firearms manufacturer, Colt’s Manufacturing Company LLC as well as its Canadian subsidiary, Colt Canada Corporation.
Subject to the terms and conditions of the definitive agreement, CZG shall acquire a 100% stake in Colt for upfront cash consideration of $220 million and the issuance of 1,098,620 shares of newly issued CZG common stock. The agreement also provides for potential earnout consideration of up to 1,098,620 shares of newly issued CZG common stock if defined EBITDA thresholds are achieved in years 2021 – 2023.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Lubomír Kovaík, President and Chairman of CZG, said:
“This merger is a strategic step for both companies. The acquisition of Colt, an iconic brand and a benchmark for the military, law enforcement and commercial markets globally, fits perfectly in our strategy to become the leader in the firearms manufacturing industry and a key partner for the armed forces. We are proud to include Colt, which has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the U.S. Army for over 175 years, in our portfolio. We believe in the successful connection of our corporate cultures, the proven track record of the current management team and the complementary nature of the CZ and Colt brands. The combined group will have revenues in excess of USD 500 million and presents a real small arms powerhouse. The experience of CZ and Colt management will further strengthen both brands and ensure CZ and Colt continue to deliver top quality products and solutions to all our customers.”
Dennis Veilleux, President and CEO of Colt, agreed: “We are very pleased with the prospect of such a strategic combination. Having completed a historic turn-around of the operations and financial performance at Colt over the past five years, this important next step with CZG positions the company to take advantage of significant growth opportunities. We are excited to join forces with CZG which will be a powerful combination for both brands and for our customers.”
The acquisition is to be financed from CZG’s existing cash resources, including recent IPO proceeds, and from a contemplated bond issuance by CZG.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval but is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2021.
With this strategic move, CZG will acquire significant production capacity in the United States and Canada and substantially expand its global customer base. Colt is a traditional supplier to global military and law enforcement customers. Among others, Colt is a long-term supplier to the U.S. Army (which relationship dates back over 175 years) and, through its Canadian subsidiary, Colt is a designated exclusive supplier of small arms to the Canadian military.
Record numbers of firearms have been purchased over the past couple of months in Florida and around our nation. Many by people who never thought they would want or need a gun.
Florida Alert!! YOU LOOT — WE SHOOT!
DATE: July 7, 2020 TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends FROM: Marion P. Hammer USF Executive Director NRA Past President
By Marion P. Hammer
Record numbers of firearms have been purchased over the past couple of months in Florida and around our nation. Many of the firearms were – and are – purchased by people who never thought they would want or need a gun. Firearms training classes are full and booked for months ahead. Florida Tax Collectors are reporting huge increases in the number of Concealed Weapon or Firearm License applications being processed locally.
Around the country, professional rioters and violent protesters have been destroying private property.
These acts of violence are soon followed by looters who help themselves to what’s left. These are not acts of civil disobedience; these are planned and orchestrated acts of domestic terrorism.
People around the nation are getting fed up and are buying guns, getting trained and are preparing to protect what they have worked hard to achieve.
We’ve seen people wake up and take responsibility for themselves and their property before.
In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit Miami/Dade County, Florida. The destruction was massive. During the news coverage in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, a warning from residents to looters emerged. Images flashed across TV screens on national TV and the message was clear. Hand scrawled on a piece of building debris: “You Loot – We Shoot!” Spray painted on garage doors: “You Loot – We Shoot!” Painted across the front of damaged homes: “You Loot – We Shoot!”
Hurricane Andrew had damaged and destroyed much of what Dade County residents owned, and they did not intend to lose anything else to looters and roving gangs.
Throughout the television coverage of the plight of hundreds of thousands of residents left homeless by – what at the time was – this nation’s worst hurricane disaster, we saw many people refusing to leave the rubble they once called home. They were armed and standing guard to protect what little they had left. There was even a report from Miami of a police officer on local TV telling residents if they needed security, they’d better get a gun – police couldn’t help them.
Even after the National Guard arrived, residents reported to the media that they still had to protect themselves because when the sun went down, the soldiers disappeared and residents were once again on their own.
During this TV coverage the overwhelming majority of firearms that residents were using for protection were semi-automatic firearms – firearms would be banned as so-called “assault weapons” by gun ban organizers.
Such tragic disasters often make folks open their eyes to the importance of firearms for protection and the outrageous restriction of gun control laws – particularly waiting period laws and gun ban laws. When you need a firearm for protection you can’t wait and you need the firearm best suited to stop gangs of intruders!
Those whose anti-gun philosophy is manufactured in air-conditioned offices or in homes with electronic security systems and iron gates should take heed. When their anti-gun counterparts in Miami, became victims of a disaster, they quickly had a new perspective on the importance of the Second Amendment’s guarantee of the right of the People to keep and bear arms.
Hurricane Andrew is not the only time Floridians have stepped up to protect their families and their homes with firearms following hurricane disasters; it just hasn’t been widely reported in the anti-gun, anti-self-defense media.
Today, the ice cold reality of self-reliance settles in when people observe professional protesters rioting with violence and destruction. That’s why they are buying guns.
Contact In-Gauge of Polk County directly for CLUB membership information and benefits at: ingaugeofpolkcounty@gmail.com
See special ‘Distinguished Life Member‘ offer below for those 65 years of age and older.
If you do not want the monthly magazine, we can sign you up for as little as $10 for a one year NRA membership.
One Year $10 Official NRA Membership
This $10 membership does not include monthly publication
$10.00
One Year Regular Official NRA Membership
1 year official NRA membership. Includes official NRA monthly publication.
1 year official NRA membership. Includes official NRA monthly magazine.
Class date: Sunday, August 15, 2021 1:00 PM
Location: Gander Outdoors, Bartow, Florida
7400 SR 60, East (Rifle Range Road & SR 60)
$45.00
3 Year Official NRA Membership
3 year official NRA membership. Includes official NRA monthly publication.
$100.00
5 year official NRA membership.
5 year official NRA membership. Includes official NRA monthly publication
$150.00
Official NRA Lifetime Distinguished Membership
Must be 65 years of age or older. One time payment
Official NRA Distinguished Lifetime Membership. Includes official NRA monthly publication and all other membership benefits,
$600.00
Official NRA Lifetime Membership
Official NRA Lifetime Membership. Includes official NRA monthly publication and all other membership benefits,
$1,000.00
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There is only one organization that’s sole mission is to protect your 2nd Amendment right.
There is only one organization that’s sole mission is to protect your 2nd Amendment right.
There is only one organization that’s sole mission is to protect your 2nd Amendment right.
Polk County Commissioner John Hall wants to make the county a Second Amendment sanctuary, part of a nationwide movement against proposed restrictive gun laws.
BARTOW – The Polk County Commission will consider becoming a sanctuary county for gun rights under the Second Amendment.
The commission on Tuesday instructed County Attorney Michael Craig to research the relevant law and to present his findings at a future meeting. Craig told The Ledger after the meeting he expects to complete his research and present his findings to the commission at its Jan. 3 or Jan. 17 agenda review meeting.
Commissioner John Hall requested Craig look into a sanctuary measure because he feels Second Amendment rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are threatened by recent efforts for tighter restrictions on gun possession and ownership. Those efforts appear to be gaining momentum recently after well publicized mass shootings in recent years.
“Every time a deranged person picks up a gun and kills people, those of us who are legal gun owners come under attack,” Hall told The Ledger after the meeting. “We should defend the rights of our citizens on all constitutional rights.”
Other commissioners agreed to have Craig research this issue with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Chairman Bill Braswell said he didn’t know whether such a sanctuary measure is necessary but agreed to have the commission look at Craig’s findings. Commissioners Martha Santiago and Rick Wilson agreed.
“I think of this as political theater,” Commissioner George Lindsey said. “This seems to be a solution looking for a problem.”
The Second Amendment sanctuary movement appears to have gained momentum as a backlash against the movement for more restrictive gun laws.
In Virginia, for example, more than 40 local governments passed such measures after control of its legislature passed from Republicans to Democrats last month, according to a Dec. 11 story in USA Today. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has said he would support measures such as universal background checks for gun purchases, limits on the sale of certain types of firearms and a so-called “red flag” law allowing authorities to take guns from persons posing a danger to themselves or others, as determined by a court.
The various sanctuary measures adopted so far vary widely in scope and impact, according to internet research by The Ledger.
Some measures, such as a resolution passed by the Lake County Commission on Nov. 5, go no further than declaring the county a Second Amendment sanctuary and its support for those rights. The Ledger obtained a copy of that resolution.
Other measures go a step further and declare county officials will not cooperate with federal or state law enforcement authorities carrying out gun restrictions they consider unconstitutional.
That’s similar to the stance taken by some local governments over cooperating with federal officials enforcing immigration laws considered too harsh or illegal. That gave rise to the term “sanctuary city” or county.
Most Second Amendment sanctuary measures fall along these lines.
But a few, including some Virginia localities, declare their right to nullify any state or federal gun laws they consider unconstitutional, according to a Dec. 11 article on the news site Slate.com.
Hall told The Ledger he favored a nullification measure if the Legislature or Congress passed a gun law he considered unconstitutional.
He would not advocate nullifying a law found constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, Hall said.
“The Supreme Court will be the ultimate decider of the Constitution,” he said.
Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said he was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and advocates that citizens carry concealed weapons through the state’s licensing process.”
But he said he could not support a local law that instructed him to ignore state and federal gun laws.
“State and federal laws always supersede a county ordinance,” Judd told The Ledger. “What I would do as a law enforcement officer is enforce the laws of the state of Florida and the United States of America.”
Judd said he has reviewed dozens of Second Amendment sanctuary laws across the country and agreed they fall along the three categories outlined above.
Hall distinguished between Second Amendment and immigration sanctuary measures because the latter involved people breaking the law to enter and reside in the U.S., he said.
