Stocking Stuffers & Gift Guide for the Gun Nerd — LifeCard, Knives, An M1 Garand & More!

Authors Columns S.H. Blannelberry

Now that I’m a New Yorker, what I really, desperately want for Christmas this year is a Firearms License to Carry Concealed (not merely to Posses on Premises, which is the state’s way of saying “in your own home.” Yes, you need a license to keep a handgun in your home). Since it’s a county sheriff or judge that bestows this “gift,” not the bearded fat man in the red jumpsuit, I’m sorta outta luck.

From what I’m told, becoming a concealed carrier in New York is a nine- to 12-month gauntlet. I have to provide “reasons” why I require a permit, list four references who can attest to my “good moral character,” register all my handguns and receive a full cavity search — sans lubrication — from a nubby-fingered jackboot. Even after all that, there are no guarantees.

While I wait for the Empire State to decide on whether I’m allowed to exercise my right to keep and arms that is guaranteed by the U.S Constitution, I’ve jotted down some items that the jolly fat man can load up in his sleigh and cram down my chimney (or your chimney) this Christmas.

LifeCard .22LR ‘Credit Card’ Pistol

Stocking Stuffers & Gift Guide for the Gun Nerd — LifeCard, Knives, An M1 Garand & More!

The LifeCard is advertised as the “Last gun you’ll leave behind.”

The LifeCard .22LR from Trailblazer Firearms really caught my eye when it was announced over the summer. A single-shot, folding pistol “no bigger than a stack of credit cards,” according to the company website, the LifeCard is the perfect all day, every day carry gun.

That’s what I love about it. While your primary carry gun may change week to week, month to month, depending on any number of factors (weather, clothing, travel destination, etc.), the LifeCard is a mainstay as a backup gun or even a backup to your backup because of its size. It weighs only 7 ounces!

The catch on this is that I haven’t handled it or shot it or even seen it in person. The good news, though, is that Clay has one in for review right now. Look for that write-up to be published in the next week or so. Assuming it gets a thumbs up from the War Chief, then I’m going to pull the trigger on one once I get things squared away with my new Empire State overlords.

Price on this perfect stocking stuffer is $400.

Chris Reeve Small Inkosi Insingo & Zero Tolerance 0460

Stocking Stuffers & Gift Guide for the Gun Nerd — LifeCard, Knives, An M1 Garand & More!

The ZT 0460 on top, the Chris Reeve Inkosi Insingo on the bottom. Forgive all the tape smudge on the ZT 0460.

I have two knife suggestions this year. Both are folders that are perfect for everyday carry. The first is the Chris Reeve Small Inkosi Insingo.  The second is the Zero Tolerance 0460.

The Inkosi is the evolution of the classic Sebenza, the knife that put Chris Reeve on the map nearly 30 years ago. The model I reviewed recently featured a carbon fiber front handle and an Insingo blade (a modified Wharncliffe blade design).

Overbuilt, compact and incredibly light, the Small Inkosi is one of my favorite knives.  Price is around $415.

The Zero Tolerance 0460 is a Persian-influenced knife designed by Russian knifemaker Dimitry Sinkevich.  Like the Inkosi, it has carbon fiber handles and blade steel made from the inimitable S35VN.  Unlike the Inkosi, it’s flipper-operated. A flick of the flipper and the blade flies open!

It too is tough, lightweight and great to carry.  While Zero Tolerance doesn’t have the accolades and reputation that Chris Reeve does just yet, the 0460 is nothing to sneeze at.  Price for this bad mama jama is $180.

You can pick up both the Inkosi and the 0460 at KnifeArt.com.

M1 Garand

Stocking Stuffers & Gift Guide for the Gun Nerd — LifeCard, Knives, An M1 Garand & More!

Found this for $895 on GunsAmerica.

Do you believe in Christmas miracles?  I do! Along those lines, I’m hoping that president Trump comes through on his promise to roll back Obama regs preventing the CMP from repatriating the tens of thousands of M1 Carbines and Garands that are kicking around East Asia.

Back in April, we had heard rumblings from Mark Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, that these rifles would be coming home.

“There are 86,000 or so M1s hopefully coming back to the Army. We hope to see them in the future,” said Johnson.

We confirmed that report with Steve Cooper, CMP North General Manager & Marketing Manager, who told GunsAmerica via email, “We are patiently waiting! Obviously, we would be very happy to receive more rifles!”

I don’t own the “greatest implement of battle ever devised.” And I want one, badly. At this stage in the game I have three options, continue to wait on Trump, purloin one from GunsAmerica owner and founder Paul Helinski (that might get me fired, though, LOL) or buy one on GunsAmerica.

If you hate waiting, that third option isn’t a bad one. I’ve been looking on GunsAmerica and I’ve actually found some pretty good deals. Mind you, they’re not as cheap as they used to be, the value of M1s continues to rise, it seems, but they are out there for reasonable prices. Depending on provenance and condition, I’m seeing some real solid offerings priced between $900 to $2,000.

SnapSafe

Stocking Stuffers & Gift Guide for the Gun Nerd — LifeCard, Knives, An M1 Garand & More!

The “Titan” from SnapSafe, a modular gun safe that you can put together piece by piece.

The SnapSafe is pure genius. It’s a modular steel safe that one assembles or snaps together piece by piece, no professional movers required!

Paul reviewed the “Titan,” which is the smallest base model, back in 2016.  Ever since then I’ve had my eye on it. He said it took him about an hour to put the safe together. And I don’t even think he read the directions.  He loved the idea of having a safe delivered directly to the front door in an inconspicuous box as opposed to it being dropped off by the safe company’s truck which announces to the world, “Hey, this guy has got guns in here!”

Featuring a 3/16-inch thick door and constructed from 9 gauge steel, the safes are fire rated to 2300 degrees for one hour. What that means is that even if a would-be gun thief went medieval on your SnapSafe with a pair of pliers and a blow torch, your guns would be secure.

The Titan can hold up to 12 long guns and retails for $1249.00, including shipping.  For several hundred dollars more you can get the Super Titan ($1648) and double your capacity to 24 long guns.  Then there’s the Super Titan XL ($2,000) and the Super Titan XXL ($2,499) that store 36 and 56 long guns respectively.

I’m not sure I’d want to bog down Santa’s sleigh with the 900-pound Titan XXL. Then again, those reindeer are pretty stout.  Check out the SnapSafe.

American Eagle ‘Extreme Flex’ Jeans

Stocking Stuffers & Gift Guide for the Gun Nerd — LifeCard, Knives, An M1 Garand & More!

Extreme Flex Jeans from American Eagle will make carrying inside the waistband significantly more comfortable.

If you don’t have a pair of American Eagle ‘Extreme Flex’ Jeans then you need to get some — now!  They’ve changed my world.

Unlike traditional jeans that need to be broken in for weeks or months, these stretchy jeans are comfy right outta the box.  Made from 86 percent cotton, 12 percent polyester, and 2 percent elastane, you get extra give in all the right places.

There are several styles and colors to choose from, including straight, loose, skinny, slim, boot among others.  I opted for the straight style in black, 36 W x 32 L (I normally wear a 34 waist). Most importantly, I can report that the crotch space is capacious.  There is no pinching or binding on the boys when you sit or kneel.

For those of you who carry inside the waistband, flex jeans are ideal.  The flex in the waist makes carrying your gun and holster infinitely more comfortable.  As I did, you may still want to order ’em a size or two sizes too big so you have extra room for the rig. But that’ll depend on the magnitude of your paunch.  If you’re a bean pole, you may not need to upsize at all because the flex will be enough.

They retail for $50.  But wait for them to go on sale.  AE usually runs a promotion once a week where you can pick them up for $40 or less.  It’ll be the best $40 you spend this holiday season.  Especially if, like me, you have a propensity to over-indulge in turkey, cookies and booze.

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  • BIGKIELBASSA November 21, 2017, 2:41 pm

    If you do buy a nice expensive gun safe remember to write it off on your taxes as “Used for the storing of tax records or documents”. It’s a one time perfectly legal tax deduction . So toss in your W-2 with your M1 Garand and other fun Guns as well . 😃

  • D-Man November 20, 2017, 3:40 pm

    More over, why would anyone want to move to Kalifornia? Our father’s were able to keep West Berlin supplied, at least the rest of The Union can do, is to Keep Kalifornia stocked with ammo. Run The Blockade!!

    • THE MAN November 21, 2017, 12:25 pm

      HAHA LOL
      YOU ARE HO SO RIGHT ABOUT
      KALIFORNIA
      MY SON MARRIED A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN FROM THERE
      AND MY SON HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET ME AND HIS BEAUTIFUL MOM OF 45 YEARS NOW
      TO MOVE TO CALIFORNIA
      UP TO THE MOUNTAINS AT BIG BEAR
      WHERE THEY HAVE A CABIN
      BECAUSE MY SON AN HIS FAMILY LIVES IN LOS ANGELES
      ARE SHOULD I SAY LOST CITY OF DEMONS
      HAHA LOL
      BECAUSE THE ANGELS HAVE LONG TOOK THE LAST TRAIN OUT OF THERE MANY YEARS AGO
      HAHA LOL
      ITS VERY HARD FOR ME TO GO VISIT
      JUST BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST MY LORD AND SAVIOR
      I JUST DON’T FIT END WITH THE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE MET VISITING IN KALIFORNIA
      SO I CAN’T MOVE THERE
      BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE UP MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT
      WITH ALL THE GUN LAWS IN KALIFORNIA
      WELL HOW DID THOSE GUN LAWS HELP
      ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN SAN BERNARDINO KALIFORNIA
      WHO WAS SLAUGHTER BY A DAMM RADICAL MUSLIM TERRORIST
      AND I CAN GO ON AND ON
      NOW IF A LAW BIDDING CITIZEN
      HAD A CONCEALED CARRY GUN
      AND THESE PEOPLE WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN WORKING IN A GUN FREE ZONE
      WELL I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THINGS WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENTLY
      BECAUSE A GUN FREE ZONE IS A
      MAGNET FOR TERRORIST AND CRIMINALS AND CRAZY PEOPLE
      AND ALL THE LAWS IN THE WORLD
      WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT HELP PEOPLE WHO REALLY WANT TO DO GOOD PEOPLE HARM AND KILL GOOD PEOPLE
      AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP PEOPLE LIKE THAT
      IS A LAW BIDDING CITIZENS WITH A GUN
      IF ANYONE WHO HAS A JUST A VERY VERY LITTLE BIT OF BRAINS
      WILL SEE THAT MOST ALL OF THESE MASS SHOOTING
      FOR THE MOST PART
      ARE BEING DONE IN A GUN FREE ZONE
      YES A GUN FREE ZONE
      UNDERSTAND WHAT I JUST SAID
      PEOPLE WITH A VERY VERY LITTLE BIT OF BRAINS
      HAHA LOL HAHA LOL
      NOW IF YOU ARE AND ILLEGAL IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF AMERICA ARE A RADICAL MUSLIM
      ARE JUST A PLAIN OUT CRIMINAL
      WHO WILL NEVER NEVER OBEY THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD
      THESE TYPES OF THRASH WILL
      ALWAYS FIND A GUN ARE A CAR OR TRUCK ARE ANYTHING ELSE THAT PEOPLE LIKE THIS WILL USE TO DO VERY BAD THING
      WAKE UP AMERICA WAKE UP
      BEFORE IT HAPPENS TO YOU ARE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP
      GOG BLESSED AMERICAN
      AND MY
      PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
      THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
      AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE PRESIDENT
      JUST GET OVER IT
      I AND MANY MANY MANY PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF
      WE HAD TO PUT UP WITH OBAMA AND ALL THE
      UNCONSTITUTIONAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT HE DID
      THAT OBAMA AND HIS CRONIES DID FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION
      WHAT ABOUT FAST AND FURIOUS AND ERIC HOLDER
      AND URANIUM ON BENGHAZI AND I CAN GO ON AND ON
      HAVE A VERY BLESSED DAY

    • THE MAN November 21, 2017, 12:55 pm

      HAHA LOL
      YOU ARE HO SO RIGHT ABOUT
      KALIFORNIA
      MY SON MARRIED A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN FROM THERE
      AND MY SON HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET ME AND HIS BEAUTIFUL MOM OF 45 YEARS NOW
      TO MOVE TO CALIFORNIA
      UP TO THE MOUNTAINS AT BIG BEAR
      WHERE THEY HAVE A CABIN
      BECAUSE MY SON AN HIS FAMILY LIVES IN LOS ANGELES
      ARE SHOULD I SAY LOST CITY OF DEMONS
      HAHA LOL
      BECAUSE THE ANGELS HAVE LONG TOOK THE LAST TRAIN OUT OF THERE MANY YEARS AGO
      HAHA LOL
      ITS VERY HARD FOR ME TO GO VISIT
      JUST BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST MY LORD AND SAVIOR
      I JUST DON\’T FIT END WITH THE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE MET VISITING IN KALIFORNIA
      SO I CAN\’T MOVE THERE
      BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE UP MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT
      WITH ALL THE GUN LAWS IN KALIFORNIA
      WELL HOW DID THOSE GUN LAWS HELP
      ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN SAN BERNARDINO KALIFORNIA
      WHO WAS SLAUGHTER BY A DAMM RADICAL MUSLIM TERRORIST
      AND I CAN GO ON AND ON
      NOW IF A LAW BIDDING CITIZEN
      HAD A CONCEALED CARRY GUN
      AND THESE PEOPLE WOULDN\’T HAVE BEEN WORKING IN A GUN FREE ZONE
      WELL I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THINGS WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENTLY
      BECAUSE A GUN FREE ZONE IS A
      MAGNET FOR TERRORIST AND CRIMINALS AND CRAZY PEOPLE
      AND ALL THE LAWS IN THE WORLD
      WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT HELP PEOPLE WHO REALLY WANT TO DO GOOD PEOPLE HARM AND KILL GOOD PEOPLE
      AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP PEOPLE LIKE THAT
      IS A LAW BIDDING CITIZENS WITH A GUN
      IF ANYONE WHO HAS A JUST A VERY VERY LITTLE BIT OF BRAINS
      WILL SEE THAT MOST ALL OF THESE MASS SHOOTING
      FOR THE MOST PART
      ARE BEING DONE IN A GUN FREE ZONE
      YES A GUN FREE ZONE
      UNDERSTAND WHAT I JUST SAID
      PEOPLE WITH A VERY VERY LITTLE BIT OF BRAINS
      HAHA LOL HAHA LOL
      NOW IF YOU ARE AND ILLEGAL IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF AMERICA ARE A RADICAL MUSLIM
      ARE JUST A PLAIN OUT CRIMINAL
      WHO WILL NEVER NEVER OBEY THE LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD
      THESE TYPES OF THRASH WILL
      ALWAYS FIND A GUN ARE A CAR OR TRUCK ARE ANYTHING ELSE THAT PEOPLE LIKE THIS WILL USE TO DO VERY BAD THING
      WAKE UP AMERICA WAKE UP
      BEFORE IT HAPPENS TO YOU ARE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP
      GOG BLESSED AMERICAN
      AND MY
      PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
      THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
      AND FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON\’T LIKE PRESIDENT
      JUST GET OVER IT
      I AND MANY MANY MANY PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF
      WE HAD TO PUT UP WITH OBAMA AND ALL THE
      UNCONSTITUTIONAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT HE DID
      THAT OBAMA AND HIS CRONIES DID FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION
      WHAT ABOUT FAST AND FURIOUS AND ERIC HOLDER
      AND URANIUM ON BENGHAZI AND I CAN GO ON AND ON
      HAVE A VERY BLESSED DAY

      • THE MAN November 21, 2017, 12:58 pm

        OBAMA WAS THE MOST unconstitutional president in the history of the United States and Eric Holder and Hillary Clinton were all criminals that’s why president Donald Trump has to drain the swamp

        • THE MAN November 21, 2017, 1:00 pm

          For whatever reason unknown to myself my comments are duplicating themselves it’s not me it might be this phone though

  • SARose November 20, 2017, 1:38 pm

    Why would you want a gun that you have to remove from your pocket or purse, unfold to deploy, cock it , then fire one 22lr. That is not a defense pistol. It is a joke. Also, if you get caught with it in New York, you’re going to jail for carrying a joke. The cops will laugh at you while they slam the cell door shut. Why the Hades would you ever want to move to New York? No job can be worth giving up your right to self defense. I won’t even travel through the state ever again.

    • Auggie December 9, 2017, 8:49 am

      That folding pistol is a piece of junk!

  • Sam November 20, 2017, 9:10 am

    It’s sad when prices this high are called deals.

  • Terry November 20, 2017, 8:47 am

    Why would anyone move to New York?

    • THE MAN November 21, 2017, 1:02 pm

      BECAUSE THEY ARE LIBERAL
      AND WANT THE authorities in New York to tell them what to do how to live how to speak how to wipe their butt after they go to the toilet and to tell everyone else in the country how to live what to eat what to say etc etc

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