History of the AR-15 — America's most popular rifle design

(Originally posted by Stag Arms)


The AR-15 design was originally invented in the years following World War II as a direct response to the evolving needs of infantry soldiers. The Operations Research Office of the Army had determined that they needed a low recoil firearm which would have a decent capacity to fire small projectiles.

The Winchester Repeating Arms Company, the Springfield Armory, and ArmaLite all developed prototype firearms, with ArmaLite’s offering being the now-famous AR-15 rifle.


Many Different Rounds Available

One of the biggest benefits of owning an AR-15 is that the rifle can quite literally grow with you over the years. With a huge array of conversion kits and components available you can customize the rifle in virtually any way you wish. From .223 Remington and 5.56x45mm rounds (the two ‘standard’ ammunition sizes), to 6.8 SPC rounds, or even .22LR; the AR-15 can fire an incredibly wide variety of rounds. Whether you are a hunter, a target marksman, or interested in home protection, you will be able to find a round that fits your needs.


Full Barrel Customization

There are many different barrel lengths available with the 16 inch government profile being the most popular. There are 14 inch and shorter barrels but they must have a permanently attached muzzle device to bring the length back up to a legal 16 inch minimum. Maneuverability is the key trade-off when a longer-heavier barrel is chosen. Available in lengths up to 24 inches, longer barrels are generally more accurate but also more cumbersome.


Right-Handed & Left-Handed Rifles

While technically Colt Firearms owns the trademark on calling their products “AR 15” rifles, there are a wide variety of manufacturers who produce models colloquially known as AR-15 firearms. However, most of Colt’s products are manufactured for right-handed shooters; this is a real problem for left-handed marksmen and hunters. When left-handed shooters shoot a right hand rifle the empty brass cartridge flies across their face when being ejected from the firearm. These enthusiasts usually look at the models produced by Stag Arms instead, who is known for producing the highest quality left-handed AR-15 rifles.



The Most Popular for a Good Reason

The AR-15 models have proven to be the most popular for several good reasons:

• Wide selection of rifle models

• Easy to customize and convert

• Variety of different accessories

• Wide choice of ammunition calibers
• Good for defense, hunting, plinking, and sport

With such a long list of advantages, and such wide versatility, the AR-15 is an excellent selection if you are looking to purchase a rifle, whatever your purpose may be. And we can order them for you if you're interested just give us a call!

Hawaii: Federal Court Ruling Overturns Certain Firearm Permit Laws

(Originally posted by NRA-ILA)

Last week, a federal judge overturned Hawaii’s current law which bars legal immigrants from applying for a firearm permit. This ruling came after an Australian citizen, who is a permanent resident living in Honolulu, filed for relief from state laws restricting him from obtaining a firearm permit.

The judge ruled that the discriminatory state law prohibiting legal immigrants from applying for a firearm permit violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. Allowing lawful permanent residents, in addition to U.S. citizens, to apply for a firearms license will open the door for law-abiding individuals to exercise the guarantees of the Second Amendment in Hawaii.

This is the latest in a string of court rulings across the country overturning similar laws and is good news for individuals legally and permanently residing in the United States.

Why is a warranty important with a firearm?

(Originally posted by Stag Arms)


A warranty is a specific type of protection plan that is commonly offered either by a product manufacturer or retailer to cover certain unforeseen circumstances that may arise with the product in question.

In the case of a firearm, a warranty can be offered either by the company who made the product or by the retailer you bought it from.

While many people assume that a warranty of any type isn't really important, there are a number of situations where one will most certainly come in handy with regards to your firearm.


Damage

One of the biggest reasons why a warranty is important with a firearm has to do with certain types of damage that may unfortunately occur. Even though many firearms are made using strict quality control standards, there are still situations where one or more parts on the unit may fail through no fault of your own.

For example, in Hawaii there is a lot of salt air and damp weather that will result in rust and damage to stocks.

In the event that the aforementioned type of damage occurs, the financial burden of replacing the firearm with a working model shouldn't fall to the owner, but instead on the manufacturer which is why many companies offer a lifetime warranty which is transferable with the rifle if you sell it to someone.

With various warranty protection plans, the manufacturer will either send you the replacement part if it's something that is easy to replace or pay shipping both ways for the rifle to come back to us to be repaired.


Design Flaws

Another reason why warranty registration is important is because of design flaws. If you spend hundreds of dollars on a firearm that doesn't work properly but still doesn't actually have any broken parts or other damage, you shouldn't have to pay out of pocket to make the necessary adjustments.

The original manufacturer should take care of those issues for you provided that your warranty coverage is still in effect.



Key Takeaway

Because many people use firearms for the purpose of self-defense, warranties are always important to cover damage and other situations that may occur that you can't necessarily predict.

A warranty for a firearm is similar to any other type of product protection; there's a very high chance that you'll never need it at all and that nothing will go wrong with your product. That doesn't mean, however, that one isn't important. Especially when it comes to something as important as a firearm, it's significantly better to have a warranty and not need it than need a warranty and not have it.

Rallying for gun rights in Hawaii

The Second Amendment is getting a lot of attention in the 2014 election. 

First-time Republican candidate Joe Kamaka said before the primary that he expects it to be an important part of his campaign against incumbent Democrat Gil Keith-Agaran for the state Senate seat representing Wailuku and Kahului.

(Photo Courtesy of Maui Feed)

Gun rights advocates have scheduled a rally on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. along Ka'ahumanu Avenue near the old Kahului Shopping Center. A flyer circulated by its sponsors says, "Attention Maui candidates, we are voters in 2014."

(Photo Courtesy of Maui Feed)

According to a July 2014 article in Honolulu magazine, "Despite Hawaii's strict firearm laws, gun culture is not only alive in the islands, but thriving. Firearm registrations have increased by nearly 450 percent over the past 14 years, according to the state attorney general's office. Nearly 23,000 firearm permits were processed by the state last year alone. 'Whenever there is talk about limiting availability, it drives the sale of guns,' said Harvey Gerwig, president and director of the Hawai'i Rifle Association."

(See more here)

Missouri Lowers Concealed Carry Age Limit to 19

Originally seen on CBS

Prospective gun owners in Missouri will be able to apply for conceal-and-carry permits at an earlier age after a bill was passed in both the House and Senate. The bill lowers the age to apply for a conceal-and-carry permit from 21 to 19. It also prohibits cities from banning open carry laws and allows teachers and school administrators acting as school protection officers to carry firearms.
Sen. Will Kraus, R-Jackson County, sponsored the bill. During the Sept. 10 veto session, Kraus said the purpose of the bill was to protect the rights of gun owners who have earned the open-carry privilege. According to Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Jackson County, the open-carry option is detrimental to Kansas City.
“We have a culture where, unfortunately, for whatever reason, people are killing people with guns,” Justus said. “It just sends a message that my city doesn’t want.”
Other concers regarding the bill incuded Missouri’s trend of lowering the age needed to obtain conceal-carry permits. Justus said younger minds haven’t fully developed and don’t have the same decision-making capabilities as young minds. According to Kraus, a young person’s ability to serve their country in combat and vote earns them the right to carry firearms.
The possibility of guns on school campuses also became an issue of concern on the Senate Floor. Justus said she feared the potential risk involved with arming school teachers and administrators.
The bill would require teachers and other administrators to receive training before being allowed on school property with firearms.
“If you do identify school protection officers, they have to go through POST training,” Kraus said. “Once again, this doesn’t mandate schools doing this, it’s an option.”
According to the Department of Public Safety, Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, regulates the licensing of peace officers.
Justus said she was not convinced these provisions addressed the issue at hand.
“More guns cannot possibly help this situation, in my belief,” Justus said.
The bill was originally vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon in July 2014. It passed in the Senate on a straight party-line vote of 23-8, but passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 117-39.
With the House vote, the bill now becomes law.


What do you think about lowering the concealed carry age from 21 to 19? Here in Hawaii, we do not have a concealed carry permit available, but would you want to see one implemented? Would a concealed carry permit lead to an increase in safety in the community?

New BowTech items

Last week we got in a huge shipment of bows and archery accessories from BowTech. Due to popular demand, we are proudly expanding this area in our store. And as Maui's only BowTech dealer, we have all the latest models in stock. Check it out!

Here is a list of bows we currently have in stock:

Carbon Overdrive

Carbon Rose

Carbon Cure

Carbon Knight

Infinite Edge

Each BowTech compound bow comes with its original packaging, a BowTech hat and an owner's manual. We also have BowTech stickers and decals available in the store. If you would rather take your new bow home in a case, we have hard and soft cases available!

In addition, we also have a bow technician in the store who is available to fix all of your bow problems. He comes into the store on Saturdays, and is also available by appointment. Just call the store and we can help!

Change in store hours

TEMPORARY SCHEDULE CHANGE

Starting on Thursday, Sept. 4, we will be closing at 4:30.

Due to Air Riflery practices, we will be closing half an hour earlier than usual, at 4:30 pm instead of 5 pm.

We will also be closed on Saturday, Sept. 6 and 13, which means our in-store bow technician will not be able to see customers on Saturday. If you need to meet with the bow technician, give us a call and you can arrange to make an appointment with him sometime during the week.

Regular store hours will resume Sept. 17.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.

Come out and watch the students compete in air riflery!