In an interesting twist on what became the magazine's first major setback, Recoil has been named the #1 new magazine for 2012 by a consumer trend magazine list (in a tie, out of more than 800 new titles). Here's why (according to the writer):
“For the gun enthusiast, this magazine is the answer to a prayer and proudly promotes the Second Amendment without apology..."
(More here, though the uninformed nature of the reporting may gall you.) As you can imagine the top two magazine choices (the tying magazine was Highlights, a publication for young children) is raising a few brows.
For myself, I agree with the choice, and here's why - Recoil is a Gun Culture magazine and despite the Great Recoil Debacle of 2012, it is has always been pro-2A at its core...it's just been sadly schizophrenic as it did so. Disagree? Go back and read - the same issue that had then-editor-Jerry Tsai's now infamous misstatement you had articles about NFA stamps, silencers, automatic weapons and the best ways to get them. That's not anti-Second Amendment. That's some sort of disorganized multiple personality.
We never needed to get rid of Recoil. We needed it to use its powers for good, not evil.
Now, despite what these idiots seem to think and the hypocrisy therein (it's really hard to fathom the level of sanctimonious condescension required to have violent film career celebrities tell us to demand anything), the "Gun Culture" is not a Bad Thing. The Gun Culture is, in fact, a Good Thing (as I'm guessing most of you would agree) In the absence of suitable replacement that's why we need Recoil . In fact, I wish we had two or three more magazines like it.
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Recoil #5 has been out for a few weeks now, as has word of their new choice of editor (a smart move, imho). Even without "Mr. Magazine's" selection people are discussing it. I'm glad they've moved forward, as I believe the initial uproar was in some cases (not all) cases an unnecessary overreaction. (Violent speech and even death threats directed at the staff of the magazine? Come on people, could you play into Feinstein's hands any more directly?)
Now I want to see someone from the magazine address it. It will most likely be the new editor, though in my mind it should have been someone else in the food chain and done long before now - though in fairness I'm guessing the magazine was probably bound to silence and public inactivity by instructions from lawyers far higher up the corporate food chain.
The first article in Issue 5 is The Second Amendment: The Fundamental Right That Ensures Our Way of Life, while a nice touch, doesn't speaks directly to the fallout from Issue #4. Ultimately that's what needs to happen. An anemic if accurate editorial written by ‘Recoil Staff' just isn't going to satisfy everyone.
In the end I remain a wary proponent of Recoil.
Recoil talks to an entire sub-demographic of the Trained and Educated Responsible Armed Citizen in a way that's never been done before. We need that.
Besides, it's typically an engaging and educational read.
