 According to USA Today: The surge of criminal background checks required of new gun purchasers has been so unrelenting in recent months that the FBI had been forced to temporarily halt the processing of thousands of appeals from prospective buyers whose firearm purchase attempts have been denied. The NRA posted this about the topic: "As much as the Brady Campaign, Bloomberg’s Everytown, and the Obama administration contend that submitting oneself to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is a fast and simple process that does not significantly burden lawful firearms transferees, the fact is that for many of Americans that simply isn’t true. Each year thousands of Americans are wrongfully denied their Second Amendment rights when NICS incorrectly determines that they are prohibited from firearm ownership. Compounding this grave injustice, this week the FBI made public that they have stopped processing NICS denial appeals. News of this personnel shift comes on the heels of Barack Obama’s much-publicized executive actions on gun control. Included in these actions was an intent to “hire more than 230 additional examiners and other staff to help process [NICS] checks.” When asked about this action in a January 20hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Attorney General Loretta Lynch made clear that this plan would require some Congressional cooperation for funding, noting, “With respect to the 230, we do hope to begin hiring of that with using this fiscal year's appropriation. And then the 2017 request would allow us to maintain that.” Given the circumstances surrounding the public disclosure of the suspension of processing denial appeals, the personnel maneuver has the appearance of being a cynical bargaining chip in the pursuit of more resources. It is important to understand the severe scope of the problem of erroneous denials, and thus the need for a well-functioning denial appeals process. FBI’s own informational materials provide evidence of the system’s potential for mistakes. The agency’s 2014 NICS operations report, for example, explains that a denial merely “indicates the prospective firearms transferee or another individual with a similar name and/or similar descriptive features was matched with either federally prohibiting criteria or state-prohibiting criteria.” In 2014, 90,895 federal NICS checks resulted in a denial. That same year, 4,411 NICS denials were later overturned through the appeals process, or close to 5 percent of total denials that year." This is a major problem as the Constitution guarantees that an individual cannot be deprived of liberty without the due process of law. When the FBI, or any other arm of the state, deprives a citizen of their rights without due process it should be of great concern and the government should correct the error. While there has been a large increase in NICS checks in recent years, suspending the NICS appeals process is not an acceptable means of meeting new demand.
Read More Here One of the most frequent questions we get is, "what is an affordable pistol for carry or home defense?" Since we all have a different definition of affordable, we'll break it down 2 categories: under $400 and under $600. For the purposes of this post we are going to talk about new pistols as used prices vary greatly. Under $400 1.Century Arms Canik TP9 The TP9 is a striker-fired, polymer-framed full size 9mm pistol that is essentially a Turkish-made knock-off of the Walther P99. The TP9SA is the easiest to find version of the pistol. The "SA" stands for single action. After chambering a round the trigger is a single action with a "decocker button" that makes the trigger go dead. As this makes the pistol nonfunctional until the slide is racked, I would not use the decocker. While you might be worried about it being single action, it is essentially the same action as a Smith and Wesson M&P or Springfield XD. The Canik comes in a case with two 18 round magazines, a holster, mag loader and cleaning brush. With a street price of $350 and reliability better than an HK VP9, it might be a good choice for the budget conscious shooter. Check out this video from the Military Arms Channel for a quick reliability test. Before you bash it, watch the test for the VP9 as well.  2. Smith and Wesson M&P Shield The Shield is likely a better choice for concealed carry as it is much smaller than the TP9 while having a street price just under $400. At .95" wide and 19oz., the Shield makes for a thin light carry gun. The Shield comes with 2 magazines, one 7 round flush fit and an extended 8 round magazine that provides additional grip area. The recoil is mild enough not to bother my 5' tall wife, and the trigger at 6lbs is easy enough to shoot while not being too light. The Shield is available with or without a safety. I prefer it without as the level is small and hard to use under stress.  3. Smith and Wesson SD9 The SD9 is a good choice for the most budget minded shooter. This is the gun world's version of a compact car with a manual transmission and without power windows. It accomplishes the most basic needs and nothing more. With a street price of just over $300 it's hard to complain about any shortcomings in this pistol. The SD9 holds 16 rounds and has adequate accuracy and ergonomics. The trigger can be greatly improved with a kit from Apex Tactical. Under $600 1. Glock 19 The Glock 19 is often referred to as the gun to buy if you can only have one pistol to do everything. Recently authorized for use by the Navy Seals and Marine Special Operations Command, the G19 is among the most reliable combat proven handguns in modern times. The Glock 19 is small enough to carry daily and large enough to deal with any situation you might need to handle (short of a bear attack). The Glock 19 holds 15 rounds of ammo and comes with 2 magazines, a mag loader and cleaning brush. With a street price of around $550 it is one of the best values in self defense handguns.  2. Sig P320 The Sig P320 is the first striker fired gun that has been offered by Sig Sauer. It comes in a variety of sizes and you can swap the fame out to different sizes easily as the trigger housing is the serialized part. The best part is that a new frame is under $50. At $500 this is an excellent value for the money. The P320 has a higher than average bore axis which increases felt muzzle flip but nothing that isn't easily handled. The P320 has been shown to have some of the best out of the box accuracy and you can watch a great review here. Closing ThoughtsMost modern firearms from modern manufactures will be reliable and appropriate for self defense. Much like modern cars, you have to test drive a few to decide what you like. Find a friend or range that has some guns you can try, shoot them all and see what naturally works best for you.
Remember, the most important part of your self defense arsenal is not your gun but your mind. Get good training and practice regularly.  Steve Montenegro an Arizona lawmaker has introduced a bill that would give people who get concealed carry permits a tax break.
Rep. Montenegro, introduced House Bill 2494. He says the purpose of the bill is to, "promote public safety by easing the cost of obtaining and maintaining permits to carry concealed weapons." As introduced, the bill would give a tax credit up to $80 for going through the process of getting the permit. Geraldine Hills, the founder of Arizonans for Gun Safety an anti-gun group, expressed her disappointment with the proposal. "It is extremely disappointing to see the Legislature once again pandering to the gun lobby instead of focusing on the critical issues of Arizona. A permit is not required to carry in this state. If you do want to take a class, people can get a Groupon deal for $40 per person. In Arizona more people die from guns than auto crashes," she continued. "Our mental health system is inadequate; 30 percent of crime records are missing from the national background check system. They need to focus on those issues." Read more: http://www.cbs5az.com/story/31007652/state-lawmaker-wants-to-give-tax-credit-for-ccw-permit-holders#ixzz3xorGsv00  The Chicago Tribune reported:
Two men drew handguns as they entered a cellphone store, 2051 E. 95th St., in the Calumet Heights neighborhood around 11 a.m., prompting a worker to take out his own firearm and shoot them, according to an account from employees given to Neil Tadros, who identified himself as the district manager for T-Mobile. The employee shot both of the suspects, but they fled the store, got in a car and drove themselves to the hospital, Tadros said. At the time the suspects brandished weapons, employees acted, “pretty much to protect themselves when guns are drawn at them,” Tadros said. The men, ages 24 and 35, drove themselves to South Shore Hospital and were transferred in serious condition to Stroger Hospital, police said. The 35-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm and groin, and the 24-year-old man was shot in the left arm and abdomen, police said. A regional manager for T-Mobile, said the company allows employees with concealed carry licenses to have weapons at work. We encourage you to support companies like T-Mobile that allow employees to legally carry concealed firearms! It's been just about a year since I started using my Eidolon holster. Let's talk about how it's going. In this Blog post I shared my first impressions of the Eidolon holster and after a year I have learned a lot. Before getting to that, let's talk about the idea behind the holster and what makes it unique.
The AIWB carry is where I think this holster excels. I have tried a number of other holsters for AIWB carry and most were good but they never provided the concealment or comfort that a good inside the waistband holster at the 3-4 o'clock position did. That is until now. I can say with certainty that the Eidolon makes it easy to carry a concealed full size Glock with all day comfort. In fact, the only time I found the holster uncomfortable was when tying my shoes.
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