RECOIL magazine steps on dick

Lots of **** flying around. Here is the response from their editor, Jerry Tsai:


Hey guys, this is Jerry Tsai, Editor of RECOIL. I think I need to jump in here and clarify what I wrote in the MP7A1 article. It looks like I may not have stated my point clearly enough in that line that is quoted up above. Let’s be clear, neither RECOIL nor I are taking the stance on what should or should not be made available on the commercial market although I can see how what was written can be confused as such.

Because we don’t want anything to be taken out of context, let’s complete that quote and read the entire paragraph:

“Like we mentioned before, the MP7A1 is unavailable to civilians and for good reason. We all know that’s technology no civvies should ever get to lay their hands on. This is a purpose-built weapon with no sporting applications to speak of. It is made to put down scumbags, and that’s it. Mike Cabrera of Heckler & Koch Law Enforcement Sales and veteran law enforcement officer with SWAT unit experience points out that this is a gun that you do not want in the wrong, slimy hands. It comes with semi-automatic and full-auto firing modes only. Its overall size places it between a handgun and submachine gun. Its assault rifle capabilities and small size make this a serious weapon that should not be taken lightly.”

Let’ also review why this gun should not be taken lightly. In the article it was stated that the MP7A1 is a slightly larger than handgun sized machine-gun that can be accurately fired and penetrate Soviet style body armor at more than 300 yards. In the wrong hands, that’s a bad day for the good guys.

As readers of RECOIL, we all agree that we love bad-ass hardware, there’s no question about that. I believe that in a perfect world, all of us should have access to every kind of gadget that we desire. Believe me, being a civvie myself, I’d love to be able to get my hands on an MP7A1 of my own regardless of its stated purpose, but unfortunately the reality is that it isn’t available to us. As a fellow enthusiast, I know how frustrating it is to want something only to be denied it.

Its manufacturer has not made the gun available to the general public and when we asked if it would ever come to the commercial market, they replied that it is strictly a military and law enforcement weapon, adding that there are no sporting applications for it. Is it wrong that HK decided against selling a full-auto pocket sized machine gun that can penetrate armor from hundreds of yards away? It’s their decision to make and their decision they have to live with not mine nor anybody else’s.

I accepted their answer for what it was out of respect for those serving in uniform. I believe that we as gun enthusiasts should respect our brothers in law enforcement, agency work and the military and also keep them out of harms way. Like HK, I wouldn’t want to see one of these slip into the wrong hands either. Whether or not you agree with this is fine. I am compelled to explain a point that I was trying to make that may have not been clear.

Thanks for reading,
- JT, Editor, RECOIL[/I]

"Like we mentioned before, the MP7A1 is unavailable to civilians and for good reason. We all know that’s technology no civvies should ever get to lay their hands on. This is a purpose-built weapon with no sporting applications to speak of. It is made to put down scumbags, and that’s it....."

I think this is what has people pissy. This appears to be the editors view, not HK. He's the editor of a gun magazine, not some hippy style rag, so when he talks about guns being "unavailable and for good reason...no civvies should ever lay their hands on...no sporting applications whatsoever" it pisses people off. This gun wasn't designed for any other purpose than a Glock or a 1911, but he sensationalizes it using the same arguments as the Brady Campaign.

When you start telling people they dont rate a firearm because they have no reason to own it.....well that sounds pretty anti-second to me. Most likely this guys just a tool who doesn't know his audience. If that's the case, he needs to go back to "Spin" or "Catfancy" or whatever the he'll he used to write for before he thought he was a gun guy.

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 giving 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


I think Pincus sums it up well