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SureFire Founder John Matthews Responds to Anti-2A Allegations

February 24th, 2019

Over the weekend, social media was ablaze with allegations that SureFire is anti-Second Amendment due to donations made in the past to Democrat political campaigns. Dr John Matthews, Founder and President provided us with this statement.

In all of our work with SureFire over the years, nothing could be further from the truth than claiming they are anti-2A. They not only support the Constitution, but they provide those Americans who defend it day-to-day with some of the finest tools available.

Dear Customers and Concerned Citizens:

It has been brought to our attention that past political donations from the SureFire Political Action Committee (PAC) have been called in to question along with SureFire’s stance on the Second Amendment. Before we get to the facts we’d like to thank you for your support and we sincerely appreciate your loyalty.

It’s a long read but the details should provide a fuller perspective:

Established in 2010 and disbanded in 2014, the purpose of the SureFire PAC was to gain the support and assistance of our state representatives (both Democrat and Republican) so that we had a chance at (1) obtaining congressional funding to develop sighting technology that would improve the warfighter’s ability to aim crew-served weapons, and (2) to be able to reach out to our representatives when we need assistance doing business in California.

During its existence from 2010 to 2014 the SureFire PAC made donations totaling approximately $10,356 to Democrat representatives and $16,610 to Republican representatives.

It should be noted that we were unsuccessful in obtaining congressional funding for the weapon-sight development project mentioned above, and that all of our product development has been self-funded. But if you are a defense business that hopes to get congressional budget earmarked funding and/or program support for defense-related projects, you typically need to get the attention and support of at least one of your state representatives—or all of them if possible—so they can “represent” your interests during the budget appropriations process.

This is how business is done in the defense industry, by most medium-sized defense manufacturers, and by all of the large ones. And, it’s what we needed to do to achieve our mission of ensuring the safety, success and survival of our customers—whether military, law enforcement, or patriot-citizen.

In 2018 one of our employees donated $500 to the DNC Services Corp, a pro-Democrat organization. This was a personal donation, had nothing to do with SureFire, and despite the fact that we, as a company, are not aligned with his political preferences, we recognize his right to think differently and to vote as he pleases.

SureFire (as an organization) is 2A to the core. I myself am an NRA Lifetime Endowment member; our VP of Suppressors and Weapons is a veteran and world-class competitive shooter; our VP of Sales and Marketing is a veteran and competitive shooter; our VP of Military Sales gave 21 years to his country, 18 of them as an Army Special Operations commando; our graphic designers practice dry-firing and handgun drills in the office; our team-building events usually involve shooting; many of our executives and employees are concealed carry permit holders and carry daily. Most of us worry about how to live our 2A lives without running afoul of so-called “assault rifle” laws, reduced-capacity magazine regulations, and all the other restrictions we deal with as firearms owners, and as a manufacturer of firearms and firearms accessories in California.

We also support organizations such as the National Rifle Association, American Suppressor Association, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, among others, and are proud of our long history of sponsoring USPSA, IDPA, 3-Gun and other shooting sports. Come by our office and you’ll see we share the same values as you do when it comes to the freedom to bear arms.

Our focus is on providing the warfighter, first responder, and armed citizen with the tools they need to win the fight, and we promise to keep making products that support the Second Amendment, the American worker, our economy, our military, and freedom in general.

John Matthews
Founder & President

Posted in 2A, Advertiser | 125 Comments »

Good To-Go Sends over 750 Meals to Team Rubicon

February 24th, 2019

Volunteers on the ground will have a delicious, nutritious meal after a hard day’s (or night’s) work.

Good To-Go staff pack ’em up and ship ’em out to Team Rubicon.

[February 21, 2019, Kittery, ME] — For the second consecutive year, rather than offer discounted holiday pricing, Good To-Go’s DoBetter campaign invited customers to join the brand in giving back. By donating one meal for every two purchased on their website, Good To-Go was able to send 768 meal portions to Team Rubicon. Much of the campaign’s success was attributed to customers opting to “DoBetter” and donate their entire order to Team Rubicon’s network of volunteers. The donated meals will allow volunteers working on the ground to refuel with a delicious, healthy meal.

“Good To-Go’s clean ingredients for quick and healthy meals are a great addition to Team Rubicon’s international teams when they deploy,” said Brian Meagher, Strategic Partnerships Officer at Team Rubicon. “Good To-Go stepped up and donated over 750 meal portions to support our response efforts to the ever-growing number of disasters worldwide—ensuring our volunteers don’t have to choose between healthy and quick.”

Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly provide relief to communities in need after a natural disaster. Since their founding in 2010, Team Rubicon has responded to more than 320 disasters around the world. This year alone, Team Rubicon has launched disaster response operations in Newport, RI and King County, WA for winter storm response; Elsinore, CA for flood response; and has continued its Hurricane Michael recovery efforts with operations in Bay County, FL and Albany, GA. Additionally, the organization still has home rebuild operations running in Houston, TX and Collier County, FL in response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

“We were so pumped after last year’s successful DoBetter effort (donating meals to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico), that we couldn’t wait to select another impactful and relevant organization to work with this year,” said Good To-Go co-founder, David Koorits. “Providing Team Rubicon’s first responders with lightweight, calorie-dense, and satisfying nourishment while they’re pushing their limits to serve others is a great way for us to be able to contribute.”

Posted in Press Release | Comments Off on Good To-Go Sends over 750 Meals to Team Rubicon

Brownells Is So Hot Right Now

February 24th, 2019

Lola Strange with the Brownells XBRN16E1 from Instagram.

Posted in Black Rifle, Industry | 5 Comments »

SCUBAPRO Sunday – What to Wear Under Your Wetsuits

February 24th, 2019

Most people wear something under their wetsuit to help with getting your wetsuit on easier. The other reason for wearing something under your wetsuits is that the extra layers can help keep your body warmer. Instead of wearing a thicker wetsuit that will restrict your movement it allows you to wear a thinner suit that will give you more flexibility. You can wear a short sleeve top or bottom to help keep your core warmer. The other thing to think about is the air temperature/ wind on your way to the dive site. If you have to worry about the air temp/ wind when you are traveling to the dive site, a linebacker jacket (the kind football players wear on the sidelines) is good to have as you can take it off before the dive and put it on when you are done. For colder temperatures, adding layers underneath the suit is definitely the way to go. You have several options to choose from. If you already have a thinner wetsuit that you usually use for warmer environments a 1mm rash guard, or any other type of garment that’ll provide you with the added warmth around your chest will help.

When you have to worry about the wind most surf wetsuit or wetsuits that are glossy like surf suits, are designed to stop the wind. That all suit surf suits are not great for diving as most are not made from a material (yes surfing is different then diving) that is designed to be used under water for long periods. Some people go nude under their wetsuits. After wearing a wetsuit for an extended period of time, this can be painful, due to the constant rubbing against their skin it begins to chafe. Normally the neck, armpits, behind the knees, and the crotch are the first to go. You can apply anti-chafing gel/ Vaseline to help with this on long dives. You can also wear a dive skin or bike shorts this will help with getting your suit on and off also.

Whatever you decide to wear keep in mind the water/ air temperature, duration of the dive and what you will be doing. That should put you at a good starting point.

www.scubapro.com

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Maritime | Comments Off on SCUBAPRO Sunday – What to Wear Under Your Wetsuits

Soldiers Train With New Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Protective Equipment

February 24th, 2019

Fort Hood, Texas — In the Army, readiness is the No. 1 priority. Soldiers train vigorously to always be ready to deploy in support of the nation’s defense. While training efforts focus on weapons proficiency and physical readiness, one critical task is sometimes overlooked, but it’s something that can quite possibly save a life.

Soldiers break the seal on their M50 protective masks before re-sealing them at Fort Hood, Texas, Jan. 17, Soldiers gained familiarity with their protective equipment, and learned warrior skills one level tasks.

Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, braved the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear chamber, Jan. 17.

Known as the confidence course, the CBRN chamber allowed the sustainers to test the capabilities of their assigned M50 protective masks, learn CBRN warrior skills tasks.

Sgt. 1st Class Lisa Smith, a 17-year senior CBRN noncommissioned officer with 13th ESC, believes in what the training does for Soldiers, “Soldiers need to be confident in their equipment,” Smith said. “As a CBRN NCO, I have more confidence in the protective masks because we execute live nerve agent chamber missions as a graduation requirement for advanced individual training and the senior leader course.”

After going through 11 weeks of CBRN training during Advanced Individual Training, Pfc. Muirne Cooney made it a priority to do everything she could to bring attention to the unit’s CBRN program.

“I feel like CBRN gets overlooked and that people don’t care, but I want to make them care,” Cooney said.

Having graduated AIT in October 2017, this was Cooney’s first time being able to set-up and train Soldiers, but it’s something she knows is crucial.

Sgt. 1st Class Lisa S. Smith, senior CBRN noncommissioned officer, HHC, 13th ESC, instructs sustainers on how to ensure their M50 masks are properly sealed at Fort Hood, Texas, Jan. 17. Known as the confidence course, the CBRN chamber allowed the Soldiers to test the capabilities of their assigned M50 protective masks and learn CBRN warrior skills level one tasks.

“It’s important for Soldiers to understand the importance of their protective equipment,” Cooney explained. “A lot of Soldiers didn’t want to go in the chamber because they didn’t want to breathe in the gas, but that’s kind of the point. We use protective posture to negate that and provide Soldiers with confidence in their equipment, and that’s what training in the chamber provides.”

Training with the new M50 protective masks was an upgrade from the older version of the mask Soldiers used to don.

“They made the filters more compact in design in comparison to the M40s,” Cooney said. “So they are easier to fire weapons with, because you don’t have to worry about the filter, or lack of filter, getting in the way. I also like the lens because they give you a much wider field of vision.”

Pfc. Muirne Cooney, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist, instructs Soldiers on CBRN warrior skills level one tasks during training. Soldiers from HHC, 13th ESC, braved the CBRN chamber Jan. 17 to test the capabilities of their assigned M50 protective masks.

This training event allowed Cooney to finally execute the training using the skills she learned in CBRN training.

“This was the first chamber that I’ve been a part of in the planning and execution phases, so that was really exciting for me to learn the ins and outs of running a chamber,” Cooney said.

Spc. Matthew Martin, 13th ESC legal specialist, hadn’t been through the chamber since he graduated basic training over two years ago, and found this time was an all-around better experience.

“It didn’t hurt as bad as it did the first time,” Martin said. “I handled it way better than when I was in basic.”

In total, 78 Soldiers were successfully trained, and Cooney hopes this eases the nervousness some feel about the chamber.

“CBRN training isn’t scary, it’s meant to be informative,” Cooney said. “You have a CBRN NCO in every unit and there’s a reason for that.”

By SFC Kelvin Ringold

Posted in CBRNE, Guest Post | 2 Comments »

Visit Tough Hook Hangers at the 2019 IWA Classic in Nuremberg, Germany

February 24th, 2019

BOOTH/STAND 5-219

Posted in IWA | Comments Off on Visit Tough Hook Hangers at the 2019 IWA Classic in Nuremberg, Germany

RE Factor Tactical Radio Holster by Black Point Tactical

February 23rd, 2019

We are excited to announce our new Radio Holster, that is optimize for use with Motorola brand radios.

The RE Factor Tactical Radio Holster by Black Point Tactical is a collaboration designed to offer you a solution that allows you to quickly access your radio as well as keep it safe when not in use.

The holster features a full kydex wrap design with ambidextrous accessibility. In addition, we offer multiple mounting solutions to include: Tec-Loc, MOLLE, Belt Loops and MAP Integration

We also include a bungee pull tab to keep the radio in place during rigorous activities.

Finally we include the ability to access your PTT and Mic port with additional add on items such as a speaker or in-ear communications accessory.

Colors Available: Black, Basket Weave, Coyote, OD, MultiCam

www.refactortactical.com/collections/tactical-accessories/products/radio-holster

Posted in Advertiser, Comms, Load Carrying, Press Release | 6 Comments »

Marine Corps Seeks ideas, information on Organic Precision Fires-Mounted capability

February 23rd, 2019

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. —

Marine Corps Systems Command released a Request for Information it hopes goes beyond traditional defense partners to gain an innovative edge for a potential Organic Precision Fires-Mounted capability.

U.S. Marine Cpl. Hunter Badgett orients his target prior to calling for fire from a Light Armoured Vehicle as part of exercise Joint Assault Signals Company Black, Waiouru Military Camp, New Zealand, Sept. 27, 2018. Marine Corps Systems Command recently released a Request for Information for a potential Organic Precision Fires-Mounted capability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jordan E. Gilbert)

According to the RFI, released on the Federal Business Opportunities website Jan. 31, the OPF-M system must be capable of attacking targets at ranges that exceed weapons systems currently in an organic infantry battalion.

For program officials, this is the first step toward developing a future acquisition strategy that may include a Family of Systems—or even a tiered capability for maneuver units.

“The OPF-M will enhance indirect fire capability within the Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,” said Jeff Nebel, team lead for Program Manager Fires.

The OPF-M is consistent with Marine Corps Operating concepts and the commandant’s priorities to modernize the force with investments in long-range and precision fires. OPF-M enhances the ability of maneuver and provides the LAR community the ability to shape the battlespace with an organic fire support asset.

The program office anticipates development of the OPF-M system to begin in 2020. The initial capability will also consist of several subsystems, including an aerial reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition platform, a vehicle-launched loitering aerial munition, and a digital command and control system.

“Organic Precision Fires has the ability to transform how we fight,” Nebel said. “We are committed to giving our Marines the systems they require to maintain their superiority over any adversary.”

Responses to the RFI must be received by March 1. An industry day is scheduled for March 13-14.

By Barb Hamby, MCSC Office of Public Affairs and Communication | Marine Corps Systems Command

Posted in Guest Post, MARCORSYSCOM | 4 Comments »