Gun Blogs - What Are They Good For

...absolutely nuthin' (say it again!)

Ok... Horrible lyrics pun aside, it's getting harder and harder to navigate the virtual snowstorm of gun blog madness and come away from the day with anything useful.

It used to be the handful of gun blogs I keep on regular bookmarks were a responsive source for what's new and what's going on in the firearms universe; trends, studies, reports, reviews and product releases. Unless you knew a particular writer to be sponsored by a company which was known to produce crap or wonky gear, you could trust him (or her). They were usually folks who had Been There and Done That and not only knew a particular make and model of Smith and Wesson but could recall, at will, the last time they had a beer with the gun's designer...

Then, every January, you could rely on them to guide us unwashed heathens vicariously past the smoke-tinged gamblers ambling toward the Venetian's palatial gaming hall and into the warm bosom of the SHOT Show. For the most part, they were well-known writers who'd traded print for digital circulation - experts in their chosen fields and normally well-regarded, to boot.

Today, there are as many gun bloggers as there are stars in the sky (or models on Kimber's 1911 catalog). Some of the old names have made the trip to the Game Grid to slug it out with the rest of the Programs, and a handful of new faces have emerged from this new race to establish "New Media" dominance.

The upside to this relatively recent swell in New Media writers, correspondents, and personalities - exposure. More people reporting on the Gun Universe, bringing our issues closer to the mainstream, is a good thing, right?

Depends.

this new bevy of belligerent bloggers seems hell-bent on tearing down every new gun, every bit of new gear, worshipping the right idols while denigrating the bad, and generally screaming at the top of their lungs that not only are they the New Media but that they are the New Authority.

...and it looks like the established gun media as well as firearms industry pros are taking notice.

There are a few absolutes in the gun world, a few key terms we should all be on board with, and a handful of rules - not only in safety but decorum - these folks are going to have to pick up on lest they simply turn into a digital version of the same white noise that pollutes the halls of local gun shows.

Chief among them being this - and it applies equally to me:

I may have some expert knowledge about guns, possess solid skills in their operation and can teach others how to do the same, but I will always remain a student of history, technology, technique, and mindset.




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