Let me get this out-of-the-way: I love Magazines in Digital Content. I inherited the wife’s old Kindle and I am still not sold on E-Books, but magazines make all the sense in the world, specially if you suffer from diminished shelf space syndrome. The only drawback is that SWAT Magazine does not appear to be available for other than Apple crap.
Now to the main feature: Last night I downloaded a copy of a Gun Magazine that is not one of the old traditional Gen 1.0 ones. As soon as i started reading it,, testosterone started to flow out of my kindle and dripped into the Mexican tile floor which suddenly developed hair and an attitude. The Kindle itself bulked up and was showing muscles while demanding me to drop and give it 50 push ups. Scrolling through, I saw version 2.389 of the ultimate AR capable of downing a mule at 1,200 yards and only costs $3,500 and that is without the $12,000 1x red dot hand made by Goth virgins in a remote shop hidden in an abandoned German WWII bunker.
I also learned how to make a bomb-proof shelter in the desert by using a scorpion claw and spit as tools. And you can actually get water from squeezing rocks but only if you are in such a perfect manly shape, you don’t need a pistol but carry two 10lbs kettlebells instead. And of course you ain’t tactical shit unless you have a 12-pack of silencers for different guns/occasions and matching your latest and greatest tactical fashion… and this year Weasel Brown is all the rage. Basically the mag was Ballistic Playboy: nice to look at the centerfolds, but you know damn well you are never going out on a date with what was in the picture, much less score.
We need a regular newsstand magazine for the regular folks. I need a range report about the latest Savage rifle under $400 and not an extensive write-up about a Holland & Holland T-Rex Killer in 1 Bore. I want to see an article about how to properly maintain a Hi-Point to reduce malfunctions as much as possible, because 99% of us cannot afford a custom-made 1911 with a trigger that can be adjusted to 1.5 ffpu (fairy fart pressure units). And instead of wasting 3 pages in how to distinguish between a grizzly bear print from a cougar and a wild pig, a basic treatise on gang tags and graffiti would be more helpful to avoid getting into trouble.
I am just asking the proper application of common sense and targeting your work for the right people. Your new audience is young and old, female and new retirees that made the decision to take care of their own safety and live in mostly urban/suburban areas where knowing how to build a fire with irish moss comes a distant fortieth.
I have more ideas, but if we get one magazine started and aimed at the new 2.0, I’ll call it a victory for all of us.
Colton Noir is relaunching his own blog (not the NRA-sponsored one) soon. Hopefully it’ll be more practical-oriented.
A big component of a “Gun Culture 2.0” magazine/site should also include legal issues and advice. With concealed (and in some cases open) carry exploding across the nation, people need to know the laws, especially with things like reciprocity and whatnot. Though conversely, there needs to be some coverage of the top-tier toys just to draw traffic.
A big component of a “Gun Culture 2.0” magazine/site should also include legal issues and advice.
We would shanghai Andrew Branca for that 😀
I thought that’s what we’re here for.
Print media is aspirational. That’s why there is no “Playboy Special Edition: Average Chicks” or “Penthouse Perfect 6.” Nobody would pay money for that.
I should have titled it E-Magazine for Gun Culture 2.0 😀
The problem is, it’s hard to keep a magazine going with “tested and proven”. Media needs “new and exciting”, they need controversy, they need to keep things moving around.
The regular person doesn’t need “new and exciting” when it comes to buying protection tools- they need “tested and proven”. That’s not the basis for media sales.
The best thing for the new shooter is to avoid the new gun treadmill and just buy a Glock 19. Then, they should take a good, basic class- one that emphasizes safe handling and technique. Then, they should go and practise what they have learned- in a disciplined, ordered, recorded way, by setting goals, keeping a training log, ect. After that, they need to get into some sort of competition- IDPA or bowling pins, ect.
A gun magazine (or e-magazine) for normal people?
Those of us who can’t and won’t spend more on an AR-pattern rifle or competition 1911 from a boutique custom builder than we would on a decent car?
Who are more interested in self-defense from local thugs than hunting rhinos in Africa?
Who don’t give a rip what the Marines, Navy SEALs, or IDF are issuing to their troops and will never be sent anything for
freetrial and evaluation, but still want good, reliable, easy-to-maintain equipment?I might buy that. 🙂
The answer you seek is YouTube and blogs; I see them as the digital age and gun culture 2.0 magazines.
I agree there really isn’t a one stop shop but a few channels and blogs covers all your bases just like prin magazines.
My vision is gone so I can’t read print anything, but back in the day I liked reading about the stuff I would never have and in most cases would never want. I settled on a Star M-45 and started building AK’s, though I still like my Mac 90 after I re-did the thumb hole stock. I guess a Glock and AR 15 would work for girly types that can’t handle recoil. (Snark! :-p)