The NSSF tracks and reports monthly gun, ammo, optics, and hunting knife imports from overseas by crunching data from the U.S. International Trade Commission. This data runs a couple of months behind because, well, the government runs a couple of months behind. However, by comparing the most recent figures– those from April 2022– with the… Continue reading Shotgun & Ammo Imports Way Down
Author: Michael Crites
Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18.
During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications.
His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual.
As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY.
He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).
Florida School Cops Now Wearing KelTecs
A somewhat bellicose Florida lawman, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, publicly announced his school resource officers will be more “tactical” in both uniform and equipment this upcoming school year to include carrying Kel-Tec SUB2000 carbines with them. A video released by Ivey’s office shows the folding carbines worn across deputies’ plate carriers in stowed condition.… Continue reading Florida School Cops Now Wearing KelTecs
New from SIG Sauer: P365 X Macro
Sig Sauer on Thursday confirmed persistent internet rumors about a cool new version of the P365 dubbed the X Macro. Now we aren’t talking about just a new color or some minor tweak, but a big change. Like 17+1 capacity change, putting it on par with the Glock 17 but coming in a lot smaller.
Gun sales drop to…new normal
A story in three numbers: 1,848,307 vs. 1,279,300 vs. 1,233,115. That’s the number of NSSF-adjusted FBI NICS background checks that led to likely over-the-counter gun sales at licensed firearm dealers in July 2020, July 2021, and July 2022, respectively. That is a year-over-year decrease for the past three years, dropping 41.3 percent from 2020 to… Continue reading Gun sales drop to…new normal
Faxon Announces 8.6BLK AR-10 Models
Ohio’s Faxon Firearms has announced their new Sentinel line of AR-10s chambered in the new gee-whiz 8.6 Blackout round. The guns will be available in an 8-inch barreled pistol, 12-inch pistol, and 16-inch carbine formats, all with Nitrided 4150 CMV 1:3 twist (not a misprint) barrels. Built on 7075 billet aluminum receivers, they all have… Continue reading Faxon Announces 8.6BLK AR-10 Models
EAA goes Detective, err, we mean PI
Florida’s EAA has hit the sweet spot when it comes to Browning Hi-Power clones in the past couple of years, introducing both classically-styled and more modern takes on the vintage platform that FN walked away from only a half-decade ago. One of the missed opportunities the Belgians never took was shortening the Hi-Power akin to… Continue reading EAA goes Detective, err, we mean PI
CMC & K-USA Bring the World an AK trigger pack
One of the most universally derided things about the AK platform and its spinoffs is that the trigger, by nature of being designed with loose tolerances in mind, is creepy and mushy. Well, CMC Triggers (yes, Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat’s outfit of all people) has been flirting with Kalashnikov USA to produce a drop-in… Continue reading CMC & K-USA Bring the World an AK trigger pack
SiCo Drops the Osprey Lever, Adds a Button
Utah’s SilencerCo has long marketed the Osprey line of handgun and PCC suppressor series (in 9mm and .45ACP variants) with a quick-indexing lever cam system that helps to align the can and keep it from backing off when in use. The thing is the lever kind sucked. Well, they have finally addressed that with the… Continue reading SiCo Drops the Osprey Lever, Adds a Button
More on the Maxim MD9
We brought you a sneak peek at Maxim Defense’s MD9 pistol from Houston back in May and the company has now announced it is shipping, along with some more details about the PCC which stands as Maxim’s first handgun-caliber firearm. As the pistol caliber carbine gives you added stability to hit your mid-range targets more… Continue reading More on the Maxim MD9
S&W Swims with the Gray Shark Spec Kit
A nice new offering from Smith & Wesson is the new 9mm M&P® M2.0 Compact Optics-Ready Spec Series Pistol Kit. Having lots of nice features– optics ready with S&W’s C.O.R.E. system, suppressor-ready with an extended threaded barrel and tall sights, a flat face trigger, and two 23-round extended magazines along with a 15-shot flush-fit mag–… Continue reading S&W Swims with the Gray Shark Spec Kit