Awhile back we showed you Airsoft Extreme’s commercial. It is really cool, less commercial and more movie. There’s a great long cut that we’ve seen but they won’t release it until they hit 27 000 likes. Until then, here’s a teaser.
www.facebook.com/AEXSuperstores
The announcement that Jerry Tsai, former Editor of Recoil Magazine, has stepped down certainly opens the door for them to rebuild their advertising base. But, the question still remains, will the change in leadership bring a strong message to young gun owners that the fundamental reason to own a firearm is personal, home and (in the worst case) National Defense ?
Let’s hope so.
Keep in mind that this week’s conversations, and the many that will be had about Recoil Magazine in the near and (possibly) far future, really revolved not around one man, but around large issues that affect each and every gun owner. The issue is “Why is it okay that we owns firearms?”
At the end of the day, there really should not be any reason that someone claims, short of the intent to harm another human being outside of defensive action, that anyone should consider wrong. There are many types of guns that we, as individuals, may not like. There are many reasons for owning guns that we, as individuals, may not want to list as our own. Fundamentally, I believe that defense is the primary best reason for firearms to exist and to be owned. I firmly believe that a constitutional interpretation of the right to own firearms is based on defense.
The reason I was personally so invested in the discussion this week was not to see one man replaced. It was to ensure that any voice of leadership in this industry at least agrees that our RKBA should not be legally restricted and that there is no absolutely such thing as a reasonable restriction to the rights of responsible, sane and law abiding person to own firearms.
Certainly, we may not always agree on the best choices for defense, the best ways to exercise our rights or even, believe it or not, the best caliber for any given purpose… but, on the issue of Zero Tolerance for Restrictions, we must be united.
I wish Recoil Magazine, and Jerry Tsai, good luck in rebuilding so long as they do so with a stronger sense of the importance of instilling these principles in the young, enthusiastic gun owners that they reaching… and anyone else who is listening.
-Rob Pincus
-I.C.E. Training Company
This gets even better. According to David Reeder of ‘KitUp!’ the statement below by My Galloway (who no one can now reach) is not an official position. In Reeder’s article it sounds as if ‘Recoil’ Editor Jerry Tsai is saying that Galloway did this of his own accord and is off the reservation. Unfortunately, his only source for this denial is Tsai, the epicenter of the controversy. Wonderful. ‘Recoil’ publisher Source Interlink Media doesn’t have a single voice and hasn’t addressed the issues. Regardless of whether this remains their position, they haven’t issued a retraction or clarification. And, they still have intimated that the anti-Second Amendment sentiments weren’t Tsai’s but rather H&K’s. H&K has officially denied this.
To summarize: The “Offical” position is unoffically the unofficial position. Is anyone in charge? What a mess!
Please read ‘Recoil’ magazine publisher Source Interlink Media’s position on Editor Jerry Tsai’s Second Amendment gaffe in issue number 4. For those of you unaware of this internet crap storm please read this first soldiersystems.net/2012/09/10/you-cant-run-from-the-internet-take-2
In light of some of the comments and complaints made about a paragraph in a recent article about the Heckler & Koch MP7A1, Recoil wishes to make the following points clear:
· It is simply not credible for anyone to question Recoil’s support for, and commitment to, the Second Amendment. Recoil is first and foremost a gun lifestyle magazine, aimed at the modern shooting enthusiast.
· The opinions in the paragraph in question accurately reflected those of the manufacturer, and should have been reported as direct quotes. Recoil acknowledges the way the paragraph was written has caused unnecessary confusion.
· Jerry Tsai, a passionate gun enthusiast and the visionary behind Recoil magazine, will remain as editor of Recoil.
We thank you for your support and understanding.
Quite honestly, if you read the article, it was one paragraph that was actually quoted from the manufacturer and we did not state it that way. Recoil has 26,000 likes on face book and the magazine has only been out for three issues and issue number 4 is just hitting the streets. I honestly believe that this will not hurt the magazine. I have not lost anyone as a result of this and do not expect to.
Joe Galloway
Associate Publisher
5.0 Mustang & Super Fords
Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords
Phone 813-675-3493
Fax 813-675-3557
Email joe.galloway@sorc.com
Assistant: Jennifer Conklin 813-675-3507
Now, I have a few words. Initially, I didn’t want to throw Jerry Tsai under the bus. As I understand it, he is a very nice guy and he had the vision and passion to launch ‘Recoil’ in the first place. But, after talking to many in industry I realized that Mr Tsai was way out of his league here. If it hadn’t been this, his inexperience would have manifested itself somewhere else. I have come to the conclusion that if ‘Recoil’ is to survive, there is no way that Mr Tsai can edit or write for it. Unfortunately, publisher Source Interlink Media is so naive about the firearms industry that they don’t get it either. Pretty scary. Even worse, they aren’t getting it after losing multiple advertisers. They don’t believe they have lost readers either. They think that Facebook ‘likes’ equal readers. What they don’t get is that folks have ‘liked’ them on Facebook so that they can more easily follow the lunacy.
But, what is worse than some losing advertisers and readers is their relationship with the very industry that they are supposed to be covering. Rather than manning up and accepting Mr Tsai’s words, they are now blaming the words and associated anti-Second Amendment sentiment on Heckler & Koch. Well done. You’ve now alienated one gun maker and the others are probably rubbing their chins wondering if you’ll make them look bad as well. Who is going to provide samples for those cute little photo layouts? What gun company is going to take them to the range? Who will even talk to them? You can’t have a magazine without content. I supported ‘Recoil’ from the beginning and I would have stayed right behind them had they shown industry that they were willing to learn from this and move forward. Instead, they don’t get it at all. They’ve now taken an adversarial stance toward the firearms and tactical industries. I can’t abide by that.
I have heard various versions of this today so I’ll just paraphrase, “Recoil, you need industry. You’ve shown us we don’t need you.”
Black Powder Red Earth is a great series of graphic novels. They’ve combined a well researched story line with art that reflects the environment, both physically and politically, that the characters find themselves in. Described as, “Special operations contractors, backed by Saudi petrodollars, wage a war of ruthless intrigue and clandestine violence against Iranian proxies and agents in the post-Iraq state, Basran,” it’s believable. And that makes it worth the read.
Black Powder Red Earth V3 is now available through Amazon.
This trailer ought to stir some debate. It’s for a real movie featuring a group of 12-13 year olds who fight out a real war in their neighborhood.
Hyperstealth originally developed The camouflage under contract for the Canadian Department of National Defence, Defence Research and Development Canada Suffield, (DRDC-S) to devise a Canadian Urban Environment Pattern (CUEPAT) based on the unique requirements of Canada’ss three major metropolitan areas, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
Now, CUEPAT – 1 has found its way onto the upcoming TV series, “Primeval New World” filmed near Hyperstealth’s headquarters in Vancouver, BC. It’s a North American spin-off of the hit U.K. television series “Primeval” featuring a Special Forces Canadian Military unit. Naturally, they need something high tech looking, so the producers turned to HyperStealth. As it is a restricted pattern, HyperStealth had to receive permission from the DND for its use. Once the red tape was sorted through, permission was granted and HyperStealth used their relationship with ICE Tactical to produce the uniforms. This also served as a dry run for future production of the upcoming DECEPTEX uniforms.
www.hyperstealth.com/Primeval-New-World
When I was out in LA I stopped by to see some of my industry friends. One of the visits was with Airsoft Extreme or AEX. They are some great folks and are up to a lot more than just airsoft. They showed me this commercial as well as a long cut they’ll be releasing soon. One of the cool things about being in LA is that they have access to video production capabilities that aren’t everywhere. Whether you are an airsoft fan or not, it’s cool to see how much work went into putting together the props for this shoot, just like in a Hollywood production. What’s more, you might be surprised who was involved in this production.
If anything, enjoy it for art’s sake. I do.
Most shooters are familiar with Larry Vickers of Vickers Tactical. In addition to being a retired Army Special Forces soldier and member of our Nation’s most elite Special Operations unit for over 15 years, Larry is an extremely successful tactical trainer, industry consultant, product designer, firearms expert, and gunsmith.
Some readers may not be familiar with Larry’s latest project, Tac TV. Following the success of his previous show Tactical Arms, Tac TV is a 30-minute weekly show on The Sportsman Channel highlighting various weapons, tactics, and products relevant to the tactical professional or enthusiast. Recently, SSD was lucky enough to attend filming of a new episode of Tac TV in Apex, NC. LAV and guest host Clint Lynch were doing a special on the .300 AAC Blackout cartridge. With this round’s explosion in popularity (for good reason), Tac TV puts the .300BLK through it’s paces along side the venerable M4 and AK47. Look for this episode in October or November, just in time to decide on that new .300BLK rifle for Christmas.
Obviously LAV is the host and star of the show, but he is supported by a full production staff and special guest SMEs who come from varied backgrounds within the Special Operations community and tactical industry. On this season you can see decorated Navy SEAL and Centurion Arms founder Monty LeClaire, LAV’s fellow IDPA founders Ken Hackathorn and Bill Wilson, “Super” Dave Harrington, and numerous other experts passing their experience and expertise with viewers around the country.
Tac TV isn’t your usual YouTube firearms show in front of a webcam, it’s a fully staffed and supported television production for network TV. Filmed in HD on the same state-of-the-art equipment as major Hollywood titles, Silent R Productions its tremendous effort and skill into every scene, and it shows on screen. Tac TV makes full use of high-speed cameras, hi-tech audio capturing equipment, and Silent R’s tremendous production expertise to bring the best firearms show on TV.
If you have DISH network check out The Sportsman Channel, but if not, don’t fear. Tac TV recently went live with a fully featured web site allowing you to view all of Tac TV’s televised content as well. In addition to the televised episodes steaming on-demand, the web site offer additional content that is exclusive to the web site and opportunities to win thousands of dollars in prizes to include a custom Larry Vickers-built 1911 pistol. While you’re there, check out the Tac TV web store and Larry’s shooting challenge.
If you’re tired of watching shows about hacks building spray-painted AKs or shows about catty menopausal rich girls with your wife, check out Tac TV. You’ll be getting the best info out there from one of the most qualified experts in the industry. Special thanks to LAV, Eric, Cameron, Matt, and Jordan for having us out to check out the filming, and to Daniel Defense for providing all the ammo and rifles I burned up on the set.
www.tac-tv.com
www.vickerstactical.com
www.silentr.com
Jon Canipe served on Active Duty with the US Army as a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant at 5th SFG(A) and was a Senior Instructor at the JFKSWCS, training SFQC students in planning, unconventional warfare, small unit tactics, CQB, and advanced marksmanship. He is a veteran of multiple combat tours, and still serves in the Army National Guard’s 20th SFG(A) in addition to working as an industry consultant and small arms instructor.
