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GEnie Outdoors Roundtable 1995 May
GEnie Outdoors Roundtable
Newsletter - May, 1995
Edited by John Marshall (J.Marshall2/Paladin)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9505A - CAST BULLETS CHAPTER TWO: BULLET DESIGN AND FIT by Ken Mollohan
9505B - THOSE SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVERS by John Marshall
9505C - RV RADIOS by Anne B. Watson
9505D - AK-47 WOUNDS: A STUDY DISCREDITED by Edgar Suter and Martin Fackler
9505E - CHECKING OUT USED FIREARMS by John Marshall
9505F - NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION NEWS by the NRA Staff
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9505A CAST BULLETS CHAPTER TWO:
BULLET DESIGN AND FIT by Ken Mollohan
*CAST BULLETS *BULLET CASTING *BULLET SHAPE
Permission is hereby granted to Genie (General Electric Information
Services) for a one-time usage of this copyright protected document in
their outdoors newsletter. All other rights reserved. This document,
or any portion of it, may not be otherwise reproduced by any means
without the written consent of the author, who may be contacted at
(412) 573-1183.
This is NOT a public domain document.
Cast Bullets Chapter Two: Bullet design and fit
Kenneth Mollohan Copyright March 1995
Long ago, almost all cast bullets were spherical. Most early guns
were smoothbore, and some bores were not too smooth at that.
Elongated bullets were wildly inaccurate in them. Not that the round
musket ball ever won any major prizes for accuracy, but without
rifling, longer slugs were even worse. So bullet choice was not a
matter of shape, but of bore diameter, whether you had a musket or a
(not much shorter) handgun. Oh, there were early rifles too. The
rifled bore is actually far older than most gun enthusiasts realize.
Contrary to semi-popular opinion, rifles and the patched round ball
were old hat when the Pilgrims sailed for America, and they weren't
developed for settlers headed for Kaintuk. One theory says that
rifling developed from straight grooves intended to catch black powder
fouling, and occurred because someone did a lousy job of getting the
grooves straight. And "straight rifling" dates back to matchlocks.
Mebby so, but shooters had spiral fletching on heir arrows and
quarrels for quite a while before firearms were developed.... Be that
as it may, such rifles were heavy, clumsy things, and the twist was
measured in feet or yards rather than inches. They improved on musket
accuracy, but the twist rates were still far too slow to stabilize
elongated bullets.
There are old records that show that the advantages of the elongated
bullet were understood even before the 1700's, although they did not
become really popular until the early 1800's. All of a sudden, bullet
choice wasn't just round ball or round shot any more. The darn things
got complicated, and had all kinds of shapes. In England, Whitworth
pioneered fast twists, polygonal bullets and bores. In France,
Captain Minnie' designed the skirted bullet that bears his name, and
revolutionized warfare. and just incidentally, caused the deaths of
multitudes in our civil war, which was mostly fought with tactics that
the rifle made obsolete, and turned many a pleasant field into a
charnel house.
These were the not the only notable names in projectile development,
but they were among the most successful. Suddenly the world was
flooded with elongated bullets of every conceivable size, shape,
material and design. Two piece bullets. Three piece bullets.
Bullets with expanding bases, bullets with expanding noses, bullets
with skirts, expanding skirts, collapsing skirts, skirts in the base,
skirts in the middle, hollow nosed bullets , steel capped bullets,
paper patched bullets, wire wound bullets, explosive tipped bullets,
two diameter bullets, wadcutter bullets, football shaped bullets, boat
tailed bullets, picket bullets, you name it, someone tried it. The
variety continues to confound me every time I see it. Most of these
designs were tried and found wanting, and long ago went to a well
deserved grave in history. They were found wanting because the
designers did not understand the factors that are critical to the
success of lead bullets. Much of our modern understanding of cast
bullets rests almost entirely on the shoulders of Col. E. H.
Harrison, whose NRA sponsored studies of cast bullets did much to turn
their use from a black art into the scientific discipline it is today.
Along with hardness and power level, the shape and fit of a cast
bullet are the most important factors controlling how well it will
shoot, particularly at higher velocities. This is true of both pistol
and rifle bullets, and it's all because of the relative softness of
lead alloys. The softness of ALL cast bullets, and compensating for
that softness, is the key to getting good performance from them. It
affects everything about a cast bullet. Even Linotype, which is the
hardest alloy commonly used, only has a compressive strength of about
18,000 or 20,000 psi. It's amazing that we can get it to hold it's
shape well enough to shoot in a rifle that generates 50,000 CUP, much
less deliver the match grade accuracy that it can with the proper
loads. You would expect it to collapse under the strain, and not
shoot any better than a wad of chewing gum. Sometimes a cast bullet
does collapse if the load is too powerful, or if it's shape and size
isn't just right for the gun that it is fired in. Those last factors
are the subject of this chapter. The short version of the story is
that the better the bullet fits the gun, the more support it receives,
and the more stress it can stand. This entire chapter is just an
elaboration on that one simple statement.
You should take note that while I will present the different features
of cast bullet design in a logical fashion, they were not developed
that way. Much of the following was historically almost simultaneous,
or at least worked out over periods that overlapped a great deal.
Only today do we have the insight to understand why some of these
designs were successful and some were not. I won't leave out all
historical notes, but I will gloss over a great deal: This is not
supposed to be a history lesson. I will discuss bullet designs with
an emphasis on functional differences, but very little of their
development was as organized and systematic as it may seem below.
Imagine a bullet that has a long, tapered spitzer point and a short
body length. It will have a fine ballistic shape, but very little
contact with the bore. A bullet only contacts the bore over the
portion of the body that is full diameter, and that is the only place
it can receive any support. If the amount of such support is low, the
bullet must have internal structural hardness and strength to resist
the forces of acceleration. It will fail when the force of firing
exceeds the combined effect of its own strength plus the bore support.
Before the essentials of good cast bullet design were understood,
Lyman used to offer long, spitzer pointed designs that essentially
duplicated the shape of the military 30-06 ball slugs, like 311414,
311397 & 308329. They are no longer offered, and for good reason. I
don't remember which of these was my first mold as a youngster in the
US Air Force, but I remember the results vividly! I cast those long,
pretty pointed bullets of the finest quality bullet alloy, salvaged by
melting the cores from military range pickups ... After all, if it
was good enough for the bullets Uncle Sam used, it should be good
enough for mine! And I found some good GI axle grease to lube them
with, so metal to metal contact wouldn't rub any lead off and lead my
bore. I didn't have any gas checks, but what the heck! Jacketed
bullets didn't need gas checks, and these probably didn't either!
Everything seemed fine as far as I could tell and to this day, I still
remember the glow of pride I felt at those pretty shiny spitzers
looked loaded in the brass cases.
I had developed a rather stiff but accurate target load with jacketed
bullets that I knew was good for less than MOA, so that's what I
loaded under my first cast bullets, and went to the range to try them
out. The results were simply incredible! As nearly as I can recall,
they grouped about 20 degrees of angle. Not minutes of angle.
DEGREES of angle. Oh, I'd made a lot of mistakes. The metal was
hopelessly soft, the load far too hot, the lube was poor, etc., etc.,
etc. But my first mistake, and the one that pre-doomed me to failure
no matter what the other factors were, was picking a bullet design
that didn't offer a close fit to the bore of the rifle, and one that
got no support from the bore.
Picture in your mind a wax crayon that has been inserted into the end
of a length of one inch water pipe, but still sticks out an inch or
so. Now imagine what happens to that crayon if you smacked it with
ping pong paddle to drive it up inside the pipe. The base of the
crayon might get bumped a bit, but basically the crayon will just get
knocked a short way up the pipe. Now picture a crayon ten feet long
in the pipe. This time when you hit it, you will probably also bend
and kink it up because the inertia of the heavier crayon will resist
the force of the blow. This is a graphic illustration of what
happened to those long, loose fitting bullets in my rifle. They had
slumped and bent even before they got out of the bore! Of course, if
you don't hit it so hard, you can still push the crayon up the pipe
without damaging it. This is why light loads often work with cast
bullets that fail badly with more powerful loads.
Now picture a larger crayon inserted into that water pipe, and make
it so large it fits the inside of the pipe pretty snugly. When you
smack it this time, you may still ding up the base a trifle, but the
rest of it will be unharmed, because the pipe will support it, and
keep it from bending or tipping. Now insert the large crayon all the
way into the pipe so that nothing is sticking out. Now you can pound
away until you are blue in the face without harming it. Even if you
get a dowel rod to let you apply the blows up inside the pipe, all you
will do is push the crayon up the pipe. No matter how hard you hit
it, you won't be able to bend it or smash it much, because of the
support that it gets from the close fit to the pipe. When you finally
get it out of the other end of the pipe, it will still be the same
crayon that went in. Similarly, if your bullet is a good fit to the
bore, the blow from firing will not be able to damage it. When it
comes out, it will still be the same well made ACCURATE bullet that
went in.
Obviously, there are degrees of fit. The ultimate is a solid
cylindrical column that fits every contour of the bore, right down to
filling the scratches in the rifling. Even if it were made of Jelly,
such a column could not be deformed by acceleration, because it is
totally supported by the bore. But such a column would carry no lube,
it would have the worst possible ballistic coefficient, and would be a
trifle difficult to line up so it feeds well from the clip or
magazine. Some sacrifices in fit are necessary for the sake of
practicality.
Among practical cast bullet designs, the closest shape to the solid
column differs only by adding some lube grooves. This is the
wadcutter, the design that has the best fit to, and gets the greatest
support from the bore. It is no accident that the wadcutter is used
for target work. Granted, the wadcutter feature was initially
intended to just make scoring easier, but if it had not been superbly
accurate, it would have been discarded in a heartbeat. But its poor
ballistic coefficient means it tends to drift with air currents, and
this causes it to lose accuracy at longer ranges. Also, the flat nose
tends to plane badly on the pressure of the air at higher velocities,
so it is also inaccurate at higher velocities. It's unsuitability for
long range and high velocities means it is used almost exclusively in
light pistol loads, and more compromise is necessary if you want a
bullet for high velocities.
The next level in compromise is to simply add a more aerodynamic tip
to the basic wadcutter design. This means a round or pointed nose for
the bullet, but not one with a long, gradual taper. After all, it was
the long, tapered nose that caused all the problems with my first cast
loads, and we don't want to go back to that. We want to stay as close
to the full bodied wadcutter concept we can, and still have some
reasonable ballistic and mechanical (feeding from the magazine)
characteristics. Some such designs are old by American standards, and
even older in Europe. In America, the first relatively modern
extension of the round ball was called the Picket bullet. This was
little more than a cone set on a round ball, but it added mass and
improved the ballistic coefficient (BC). They were in their brief
heyday just prior to the Civil War, and are only an historical novelty
today. But they helped point the way to improvements. The next major
design improvement (at least on the American scene) was to extend the
rear of the bullet too. This resulted in so called "sugar loaf"
bullets, because they resembled the small cakes of sugar sold at the
time. Both of these bullet designs were used in muzzle loaders, and
were patched, and had no lubricant grooves. But when reloadable brass
cases became available, it only took the addition of some grooves to
hold lubricant, and the basic shape of an elongated pointed bullet was
ready to move into the era of breech loading cartridge guns. This
lubricated, elongated pointed bullet served well as long as the
propellent was black gunpowder, but it was found wanting when
smokeless gunpowder was developed. More improvements were needed to
protect the base of the bullet from the terrific heat and pressure of
the new propellants. The mainstream of ammunition development went to
a fully jacketed bullet, but bullet casters are a bunch of diehard
traditionalists who wanted to preserve the economy and convenience of
their cast bullets. So they developed a sort of absolute minimum
jacket, in the form of a shallow cup that fits over the base of the
bullet. This was designed by a fellow named John Barlow and was
popularized by the Ideal company, predecessors to the current Lyman
Corporation.
The very best manifestation of such a cast bullet design that is
available today was designed decades ago by a fellow by the name of H.
Guy Loverin, and he didn't do much more than add a gas check to even
older black powder designs like those of C. H. Herrick and others.
The result was a long bullet like Lyman 311467, with lots of lubricant
grooves and a body that is full diameter for almost its entire length.
In the right loads, it is capable of superb accuracy at as high a
velocity as any traditional lubricated cast bullet can give. I have
gotten good accuracy from such bullets at a chronographed 2800 fps in
30-06, and even at 3200 fps in a 222 Remington. It is NOT easy to do,
but it can be done, and the results can be duplicated.
But as good as it is, the Loverin design is not without drawbacks.
The lube grooves over the full length mean that the loaded round has a
lot of exposed lubricant to rub off and make a mess in the pocket of
your hunting shirt. Worse yet, the exposed lube can pick up grit and
sand, and damage the bore when you shoot it. Also, the length of the
full diameter body section often meant that the bullet would jam in
the throat unless it was seated well down inside the case. Unless
your gun was especially throated for it, or unless it had a worn
throat big enough to take them, Loverin bullets sometimes didn't work
so well, despite all their good features. Some more compromise was in
order to get a bullet better suited to ordinary shooting needs.
If you modify a Loverin design by shortening the length of the full
diameter body until it will just fit in the neck and throat of most
rifles, you will have a bullet like Lyman 311465. It is ... and has
... everything you could ask for except weight. But weight is very
important to the performance of all bullets, so that's not the answer
either. If you take that shorter body and add an undersized nose to
provide the weight necessary, you will have the best of both worlds.
The undersized nose has no lube grooves to pick up dirt or make
messes, yet it provides the weight needed. And a full diameter body
that is as long as possible will give as much support as possible
without compromising usefulness, while the undersized nose will feed
into the bore easily.
Wait a minute! Isn't this where we started? A long nose that is
smaller than the bore is what caused all the problem in the first
place! Well, not quite. The very poor design (for cast bullets) of
a very short body and a spitzer tip not only received no support from
the bore walls, it wasn't even CLOSE to the bore walls. The modern
successful cast bullet design has a cylindrical, full diameter body as
long as possible and the long, parallel sided nose is just barely
small enough to insert easily into the throat or bore, and is little
looser than a slip fit. In it's best form, it is a stiff push fit
into the bore. Any deformation from firing is very limited, because
the side of the bullet is only about half a thousandth of an inch from
the wall of the bore at most. Any tilting is caught and stopped
almost before it begins. Of course, the tighter the fit, the more
less chance there is for trouble to occur, and if the fit is tight
enough that the nose is snug enough to offer noticeable resistance
when you try to push it in the muzzle of the gun, the performance
potential is very close to the full Loverin design, with none of the
Loverin drawbacks. Some enthusiasts even go to the trouble of
"bumping" or swaging the nose of such bullets to increase the diameter
to be an even tighter fit. Examples of such fine designs are Lyman
311284, 311331, 311333, 311291 and 311290, but they have been so
successful that they are available in virtually every caliber. But
they are not suited to all guns. The fact that the nose depends on
the rifling to support it means that they will work best in rifles
with wide lands that have the most area in contact with them. Col.
Harrison was the first to point out the effect of total land area as a
factor in the success of these excellent bullets, and subsequent
experience has borne him out in every respect. Rifles like the two
groove Springfield are superb with them. Rifles like Marlin's
microgroove bores will shoot them only at very low velocities or not
at all, because the lands are small in area, and very shallow: They
don't touch the nose, and if they did, they would be too small to
offer proper support.
For many people, the primary purpose of their gun is to hunt with.
They want a bullet that will not only shoot well in powerful loads,
but which will also deliver a stunning blow on game animals. And
since game is seldom shot at great ranges, they are not concerned with
a high ballistic coefficient. So versions with flat points are made
for hunters, such as Lyman 311419, 311316, 311440 & 31141. Hollow
point molds are available too, and the cast bullet hunter is well
provided for.
Others are mostly concerned with target shooting. They couldn't care
less about effectiveness on game, and would turn green at the thought
of subjecting their precision tools to the hazards and rigors of the
game fields. They want a bullet that provides the maximum accuracy
possible. Most want the highest possible ballistic coefficient too,
for minimum wind drift and because they shoot at far distant targets,
where every slight advantage can be critical. While the necessity of
nose support prevents well designed cast bullets from quite equaling
the BC of a long tapering spitzer, bullets like 311332, 311334, 311335
& 311375 sacrifice very little in efficiency to their jacketed
counterparts, and still offer the economy common to all cast bullets.
That same economy permits the extensive practice that marksmen need to
become and remain competitive, so cast bullets are also well suited to
the needs of the target shooter.
So far this discussion has been pretty lopsided in favor of rifle
designs because they operate at higher pressures and velocities than
most pistols, and the bullet design is more critical to good
performance with them. The lower intensity of pistol loads means that
success can be achieved with much less attention to exacting bullet
selection.
This does not mean that shape has nothing to do with success of
handgun bullets! Quite the contrary! Handguns have their own
peculiarities that must be considered and taken into account when
selecting bullet designs. For this discussion, I consider that there
are three basic handgun types (single shots, autoloaders and
revolvers), and the modern single shot is most similar to rifles.
Often chambered for rifle rounds, the same factors that control the
choices for rifles also dominate with the modern single shot.
On the other hand, autoloaders and revolvers typically use bullets of
much lower sectional densities, and at much lower pressure and
velocity. The lower sectional density means less inertial resistance
to the forces of firing, and much less tendency to damage the bullet.
It is seldom that autoloaders or revolvers encounter problems of
tipping or keyholeing unless the bore becomes so badly leaded that the
rifling cannot function properly. But leading is another story...
In autoloaders, the most critical factor in reliable functioning is
the power level developed by the fired round. It must be adequate to
cycle the action briskly, or nothing else makes much difference. But
bullet weight and shape are the next most critical factors in reliable
functioning. Of the two, bullet weight (within reason) is less
important because it can be compensated for somewhat by adjusting the
power of the load. But unless you go to the trouble and expense of
buying a new mold, the bullet shape is pretty much a fixed factor. So
you need to get it right the first time. Most autoloaders are
designed to work with round nosed bullets, and many will not work with
other shapes, at least not without some remedial work by a gunsmith.
The one bullet design most likely to work well in your autoloader is
the round nosed cast bullet. However, the round nose design is
commonly (and properly!) condemned for lack of effectiveness on
animate targets. Oh, it hits with the same mechanical energy as any
other bullet of its weight and speed, but it is not effective in
transferring that energy to soft targets like flesh. So once again,
we are looking at compromises.
The term "Truncated Cone" means a cone that has the pointed tip cut
off flat. This is a pretty good description of one of the best
designs for autoloaders available today. The cone part of the design
is a pretty good approximation of the typical round nose bullet over
the area where the bullet touches the feeding ramp and in most guns,
it feeds very nearly as well as the round nose bullet. But the tip of
it is flat, and offers much more resistance to the material it is
passing through than pointed or round nosed designs. That means it
transfers more energy, which means it is more effective in it's
knockdown abilities. Other designs like the full wadcutter or
hollowpoint are not generally useful. There are few autoloaders that
will feed a full wadcutter, and the hollowpoint is not reliable at
typical handgun velocities unless it is very large and the metal is
very soft. Unfortunately, very soft metal is the wrong choice for
high velocity, so this is not really a very practical approach with
cast bullets. All things considered, the truncated cone is the best
we have to offer in cast bullets for autoloaders.
Revolvers too can use truncated cone bullets, and they are growing in
popularity. But the revolver does not require any particular weight
or shape or power level bullet for reliable functioning, and they have
the potential to be much more versatile. Revolvers will work with
"collar button" bullets (so called because they resemble a button, in
that some are actually wider than they are long) in loads so light
that the hammer makes more noise than the cartridge. Or they will
work with loads so powerful that the rafters shed their dust if they
are fired indoors. But the same bullets are not suitable for both
types of loads. In very light loads, almost any shape that fills the
bore can be made to work. In heavier loads, you begin to approach the
same problems described above for rifles: The bullet will tip and be
inaccurate unless it has a full diameter body and a short nose for
support from the bore. But in revolvers, the picture is complicated
by the long throat of the chamber in the cylinder.
It is simply not practical to design a revolver with a cylinder size
exactly right for every round available. They have to be accommodated
in a few basic cylinder sizes as a matter of marketplace necessity,
and the cylinder is going to be too long for a great many of them,
with the result that the distance from the end of the chamber to the
beginning of the rifling (the Throat) is quite long. Even in those
cases where the tip of the bullet comes right to the end of the
cylinder, the throat cannot be shorter than the length of the exposed
bullet, which is several times longer than the length of rifle
throats. Add to this the mechanical peculiarity that the rifling does
not begin at the end of the throat as it does in rifles and
autoloaders, but only after the cylinder gap and the forcing cone.
You will see that an unavoidable feature of revolvers is the very long
jump before the bullet can be supported by the bore. Unfortunately,
this is the very spot where most revolver rounds develop their maximum
pressure. If the bullet is not well supported here in heavy loads, it
will be damaged and delivered to the bore already starting to keyhole.
Of course, with light target loads that does not matter much. But for
reliable accuracy with heavy loads, the bullet must be made to fit the
throat.
The throat is a long cylindrical section. Bullets to fit it must be
long and cylindrical too. And the most successful and accurate
revolver designs for high power loads will consistently have 60 to 75%
of their length as cylindrical, full diameter body. Noses are
relatively short and stubby, just enough to break up the wadcutter
profile and provide some aerodynamic character. Examples would
include Lyman 358429, 358446, 358443, 358156, 358477, 429244, 429303
and 429421. Most of these are intended for game or defensive loads,
and have the semi-wadcutter noses popularized by Elmer Keith. In
fact, a couple of them were designed by him. But without the long
body, they wouldn't have the accuracy needed for such work.
As noted, revolvers can function with any style of bullet nose, and
bullets for nearly any conceivable use are available right off the
shelf. Heavy bullets, light bullets. Wadcutters, semi- wadcutters,
round nosed, pointed nose, solid nose or hollow point, small hollow
points, large hollowpoints. The list is virtually endless, and
encompasses a design for almost any possible handgun use.
Both autoloaders and revolvers can use bullets with gas checks, or
they can use bullets with bare lead bases. Both types of bullets will
work very well in either type gun if the right loads are used. In
general, cases with limited capacity need fast burning powders to
generate good ballistics. The fast powders are more prone to give
leading problems without a gas check, and many autoloaders need
gaschecked designs if you want reasonable freedom from leading with
full power loads. Revolvers generally have larger cases, with room
for cooler burning powders, and can deliver very good results without
gaschecks. There are plenty of exceptions in both cases, both as to
the case size and need for gas checks, but it is a good rule of thumb:
Gas check designs for autoloaders, gascheck or plain base bullets for
revolvers.
The need for a good fit within the gun in order to support the bullet
during discharge holds true in all guns, but it is most critical in
rifles, with their higher pressures. The old advice used to be to
size a bullet to fit the grooves of your gun, and older literature is
full of instructions on how to slug the bore and determine the actual
groove diameter of your gun. This worked pretty well as long as you
didn't try to develop any really powerful loads. But a bullet that
fits the bore is too small to fit the throat, and that's where the
bullet is first subjected to the pressure. As long as the pressure
was too low to cock or bend the bullet alloy, all was well. But
higher pressures caused loss of accuracy, and bullets so deformed can
be recovered and the cocking of the base can be actually measured.
Dr. Mann did proved this generations ago. Current thought is that
the body of the bullet should be sized to fill or nearly fill the
rifle throat to within 0.0005" or one half of a thousandth of an inch.
And the nose should ride on the top of the rifling lands for further
support, if really powerful loads are your goal. The same is true for
autoloading pistols, except that the noses are too small to fit the
bore, but with their lower power, that extra support is seldom needed.
In revolvers, the bullet should be slightly larger than the cylinder
throat, not only for maximum support, but also to seal the throat
against the passage of gases that can cause leading problems.... But
we'll get to that in another discussion.
So there you have it. Selecting a bullet that fits the gun means it
will receive more support during discharge, and will be able to stand
more powerful loads. Of course, fit alone is not the only thing that
determines how much pressure a bullet can stand. Stronger, harder
alloys mean stronger bullets that are also able to improve the ability
of the bullet to withstand pressures. The two factors compliment one
another. The next installment will deal with such lead alloy
considerations: The how and why of alloy selection, blending,
tempering and use. See you then! Molly
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9505B THOSE SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVERS by John Marshall
*HANDGUNS *REVOLVERS *SINGLE ACTION *COLT
Perhaps no other handgun currently made is more recognizable than the
classic Colt Model 1873 single-action revolver. Adopted as Army
issue in 1873 in caliber .45 Colt, the same gun, with few minor
changes, is still made today, and is as popular as its current
astronomical pricing by Colt will allow.
And copies and spin-offs abound. Italian direct copies of the old
design are immensely popular, and Sturm, Ruger and company has
made a small fortune mimicking the design of the old Colt.
Ruger's newest revolver, the Vaquero, is a dead-ringer for the 1873
design unless you take the trouble to look very closely.
The "cowboy gun" popularized by hundreds of Western movies in the
hands of such silver screen idols as John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Tom
Mix and Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd) is much sought-after today
in this age of gee-whiz, semiautomatic high-capacity pistoldom. That
this anachronism should have such popularity baffles many, but it's
easily explainable. The old "hogleg" has pure romance and a
history that coincides with the taming of the west. If nostalgia
could be distilled into steel and wood, the Colt Peacemaker would be
the result.
The original revolver, the Colt, was discontinued shortly after WW II,
as Colt found it was too expensive to produce on the original
machinery in the light of decreasing demand. When it was finally
taken off the market, the old Colt was an instant collector's item,
and the western movies fueled a resurgence of interest. Sturm,
Ruger brought out their very popular Blackhawk revolvers with
updated lockwork utilizing coiled springs in response to this
interest, and the race was on. Soon knock-offs of the Colt were
appearing everywhere, bearing names such as Great Western,
Virginian, and many others. Colt rethought their decision to jerk
the old revolver from the market, and the second generation of Colts
was introduced with much fanfare; some even sporting adjustable
sights under the name "New Frontier." Tooling methods changed, and
before long, even a third generation of Colt Single Actions began to
flow from the assembly lines. Colt found that hand-fitting the
classic old revolvers was an expensive process, and soon the old
single-actions were available only as a special-order item from
the Colt custom shop, and priced accordingly. That's the only
way you can get a true Colt single action today, and you'd better
be prepared to part with a thousand dollars or more to obtain even
a garden-variety piece from the factory today.
Why does the public still buy such an antiquated design? It's slow
to load, it's not particularly accurate, and the long, heavy
hammer fall disturbs the aim more than any other type of handgun's
hammer does.
The answers lie in several different realms.
First, of course, is romance and nostalgia. In my own case, I see
my own maternal grandfather packing a Colt single-action as he rode
shotgun for the Wells Fargo stage between Bisbee and Tombstone,
Arizona around the turn of the century. I see him with that
hawg-leg on his hip as he strode the streets of Bisbee as a mine
foreman when the union known as the Wobblies (International Workers
of the World) rose up to oppose the Phelps Dodge company in 1917.
Somehow, they didn't mess with my grandfather, and I don't have to
wonder why. He was as good with a gun as with the dynamite
charges he knew how to place deep underground. God may have made
man, but Col. Colt made them equal, and the big Colt Peacemaker was
THE equalizer at that time. My grandfather knew it, and he didn't
leave home without it in those days. To others not having a
familial connection with the old Colt, the direct connection was the
movies and TV. John Wayne, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hoppy,
the Range Rider, the Maverick brothers, Paladin, Hoss, Little Joe,
Adam and Paw on Bonanza all had and used those old guns, and every
kid wanted even a cap pistol that looked like them. As grown-ups,
we still lusted after the single-action revolver.
Secondly, the old guns were RELIABLE. There was precious little to
go wrong except a broken spring flat spring now and then. It was
told that even if the hammer spring should break, a corset stay
could get you by until the services of a gunsmith could be
obtained. Heck, you could even align the cylinder by hand, and as
long as the hammer could fall, that gun would FIRE. The frame was
solid, too, unlike those new-fangled break-open jobs, and it would
take a lot of firing before it would ever stretch.
In the days before the word "ergonomics" was born, people knew that
the old plow-handle grip handled recoil pretty well. The gun
just rolled in your hand, and it soaked up the pounding of
full-house .45 Colt, .44-40, and even (later) .357 magnum
cartridges. And when the gun had recoiled, that big hammer was
right under your thumb, ready to be levered back as you brought the
sights into alignment once more. The speeds achieved with the
single-action for an emergency first shot are still legendary, and
whole cults have been raised up around its "fast draw"
capability. Split-second discharge times require fancy
sound-actuated timers to determine contest winners using this
"antique" design. The practice of "fanning" the hammer with the
trigger pulled back was hard on the guns, but you could get 5 shots
off as fast or faster than with any other gun or technique.
And to some of us, the old thumb-buster was just plain beautiful.
The original Colts sported a case-hardened frame with mottled
colors, and a blued grip frame, barrel and cylinder. The gun just
reeked CLASS. Sure, it could be dolled up, nickel-plated and
engraved (as many were), but to a purist this was just gilding the
lily. To an awful lot of us, that Colt wasn't for shooting, 'cuz
it was just too dang pretty to take out of the box. A shame,
really, because I enjoy shooting guns, but when you have a thousand
dollars or more on the line for that first shot, you think twice
about ruining its "As new in the box" status. I guess one
shouldn't worry too much, because I see beat-up specimens from
the latter part of the 19th century and the early part of this one
("cowboy guns") bringing prices that would make your jaw drop!
So, romance, looks, and functionality have all combined to make the
old single action design (even if not made by Colt) as popular as
ever.
My very first center-fire revolver was a single action. I was down
at a FedMart store in Tempe, Arizona shortly after I got out of the
service, when I saw it in a display case. It was a Ruger Super
Blackhawk (old model) in a white cardboard case. In those
days, Ruger applied a SUPERIOR blue to their top-of-the-line
Super-B, and it sparkled like a jewel. The revolver chanted "buy
me, buy me" until I acquiesced. I had some learning to do, because
I'd never handled a revolver of this design before. How the heck
was it loaded? The instruction leaflet revealed this - you brought
the big hammer to half-cock so the cylinder could rotate freely,
and you opened a "loading gate" on the right side of the frame to
insert cartridges. Empties were ejected by rotating the cylinder
one chamber at a time, and pushing back an ejector rod which moved
through the chamber to poke them out singly. Many's the time I
wished I still had that Ruger dragoon, with its custom Herrett's
grips fitted to my hand, and the white box that to Ruger
collectors is worth more than the gun itself, strangely enough.
My wife threw it out in one of our household moves; I nearly choked
when I learned later how valuable it really was, it having been made
for a very short period of time.
BIG CAUTION, I learned. It was an absolute no-no to leave a loaded
cartridge under the hammer with the hammer eased down fully or at
the "safety notch." Single-action protocol was to leave the hammer
down on an EMPTY chamber, making the six-gun a five-gun. Unlike
more modern designs (the newer Rugers also), the hammer/firing pin
rested right on a primer. A drop or other blow could set it
off. The "safety notch" was fully capable of being broken, and a
strong blow could override it. Soon the rhythm of "load one, skip
one, and load four" became second nature, allowing cocking and
easing down of the hammer after this sequence on an empty chamber
automatically. Old-timers talk of using the empty chamber for
their "mad money" when a few bills could be rolled up and stuffed in
the cavity.
Old Rugers and even modern Colt single-actions demand that they be
considered five-shooters for reasons of safety. The new-model (two
screw) Rugers have a hammer transfer bar which allows six shots
to be carried safely, and some foreign copies have a similar
internal safety mechanism. On the newer Rugers, simply lowering
the loading gate allows the cylinder to be rotated for
loading/unloading safely. Ruger will update older models for free,
and send you the original parts if you ever want to retro-fit for
collecting purposes. Colt continues to make their revolvers the
old way, and they must be handled with all due caution in loading
only five shots, with the hammer down on an empty chamber.
Today, my one and only single-action revolver is a genuine
third-generation Colt, in one of my favorite calibers, .44 special.
Only a very few first-generation Colts were made in this caliber, and
it wasn't a big production item with the later generations, either.
But it's a "just right" caliber for serious social work, and can be
handloaded to meaningful power levels with the modern metallurgy
employed today. The 5 1/2"-inch barreled beauty is in the classic
case-hardened and blued color scheme, with the famous black gutta-
percha grips sporting the Colt logo. It rests in a custom-fitted
case, and I won't shoot it for fear of spoiling its pristine
condition. It's a keeper I'll probably pass on to my grandson some
day, and I hope he'll think of his great-great-grandfather walking the
streets of Bisbee with one very much like it when he takes it out and
handles it some day in the future, just as I do today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
9505C RV RADIOS by Anne B. Watson
*RV *RADIOS *COMMUNICATIONS
Sick of just having a CB in your motor home.? It is OK for
communicating short range, but once you go over the next hill, your
communication ends. When my brother mentioned that I could get started
in Amateur Shortwave Radio without having to learn Morse Code, I
checked into it.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) oversees and controls the
licensing of all personnel who desire to get their license.
I started by purchasing a book called "Now You're Talking" which is
published by the American Radio Relay League. This book is divided
into 2 sections, one a basic textbook and the other the questions and
answers which may be found on the test. Between studying the text
and testing myself I prepared myself for the Novice and Technician
level of tests, which are administered locally by amateur radio
examiners. Another helpful method of trial testing can be found by
downloading an appropriate file from the Radio and Electronics RT here
on Genie. (M345) Novice.zip was one of the programs that I found
helpful. I studied, reviewed and trial tested myself til I felt that
I really knew the subject and then took the tests. Passed both of
them the first time.
About 10 days later my license arrived and I was all set to purchase a
Dual Band 2 meter transceiver. I purchased mine locally so I could
be assured of some local backup help if I needed it.
Remember all the questions you had right after getting your first
computer?
The antenna fits nicely on the storage rack on the roof of my motor
home, a feed line comes down to my radio, which is smaller than a
laptop computer. In my case I got the power straight from my storage
battery which is charged up by a solar panel on the roof. No problems
with interference that way. Your situation may be a little different,
but in any case, it is not adviseable to use a cigarette lighter as
your power source. Go straight to the battery if possible. My rig
is mounted so I can use it conveniently while driving down the road.
Now comes the good stuff. Why a 2 meter instead of a CB? Repeaters
make the difference.
In the southwest corner of the US we have a series of repeaters that
run from Albequerque, NM to Yuma, Arizona. Using this system I
communicated with all sorts of folks, from western Texas to Yuma,
Arizona, got directions and gave direction, found out the weather
conditions and road closures and have had some nice chats with other
folks who are listening in.
Other areas of the country will have their own set of repeaters.
One phase of shortwave , which I have not actually used, but sure
intend to try out is called Autopatching. I will be able to connect
with a repeater, and then dial a local number such as a tow truck, a
friend to tell them why I am going to be late, or even 911 to report
an accident or emergency situation.
The 2 meter band is also the home of Packet Radio, which connects your
computer and your shortwave radio together into a Bulletin Board
system, for sending and receiving messages and files. One of these
days a RV'er will be able to communicate with Genie from the middle of
Death Valley without finding a telephone and paying those long
distance charges.
Oh yes, that Morse code business. Well after hearing the da di da
dits on my rig I got curious about what they might be saying, so I
ordered another program off Genie and am starting to study up.
Someone said that if I study 20 minutes a day for a month I will be
able to send and receive at 5 words per minute. Then I can start
studying for the next level which will allow me to communicate farther
and farther away.
We will see.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9505D AK-47 WOUNDS: A STUDY DISCREDITED by Edgar Suter & Martin Fackler
*WOUNDS *BALLISTICS *AK-47 *ASSAULT RIFLES
**********************************************************************
* Edgar A. Suter, MD Martin L. Fackler, MD
* Doctors for Integrity in Research & Public Policy
**********************************************************************
April 11, 1995
John H. Davis, MD Editor, Journal of Trauma Letters to the Editor
Department of Surgery D-319 Given Bldg. University of Vermont College
of Medicine Burlington, VT 05405
Re: Trask AL, Richards FD, Schwartzbach CC, and Kurtzke RN. "Massive
Orthopedic, Vascular, and Soft Tissue Wounds from Military Type
Assault Weapons: A Case Report." J. Trauma. 1995; 38(3):428-431.
Dear Dr. Davis,
In their report of a single case of wounding by a projectile from the
7.62x39mm cartridge, the cartridge of the AK-47 rifle, Trask et al.
made discredited and dangerous recommendations for wound management.
The authors' opined that "The management of wounds caused by these
weapons is considerably different from the wounds caused by low or
medium velocity missiles... 1. Even though surface wounds appear
minor, the degree of internal tissue necrosis is usually massive. 2.
Management of the bone and vascular tissue differs from that of low
velocity projectile wounds, requiring more extensive debridement... 3.
In contrast to low velocity projectile wounds, a high-velocity wound
to the torso is likely to be fatalI." Massive evidence shows all
these points to be in error.
From the current edition of Emergency War Surgery - NATO Handbook we
learn that "The widespread belief that every wound caused by
'high-velocity' projectiles must be treated with 'radical debridement'
is incorrect and results from failure to recognize the role of other
variables, such as bullet mass and construction, in the
projectile-tissue interaction."[1] Specifically regarding performance
of the AK-47 rifle bullet, the NATO Handbook notes that "The long path
through tissue before marked yaw begins (about 25cm) explains the
clinical significance that many wounds from this weapon resemble much
lower velocity handguns."[1] Additionally, depending upon the bullet
type, bullets fired from the AK-47 attain velocity of 2,200 to 2,350
ft/sec,[1,2] not the 2,800 ft/sec claimed by the authors.
Reports from Vietnam confirmed the often minimal wounds caused by
AK-47 bullets: "Uncomplicated perforating soft-tissue wounds were the
most common bullet wounds of the extremities; They showed small entry
and exit wounds and a clean soft tissue track with little or no
devitalization of tissue. They usually healed if left alone."[3]
In the proceedings of the Tri-Service War Surgery Conferences, in
which those who were treating the war surgery casualties met to report
and discuss their findings, all three of Trask et al.'s conclusions
were shown to be in error.[4] More recent reports from Afghanistan
concur: "Wounds with the greatest tendency to spontaneous healing were
the through and through gunshot wounds. Of note were the number of
patients in this group with gunshot wounds, the bullet passing through
the body, who did not have the massive tissue destruction that one
expects, even when bone had been fragmented."[5]
The most convincing and undeniable available evidence exposing the
exaggerations and misstatements by Trask et al. comes from examining
the mortality rates from incidents in which deranged persons shot
multiple victims (1984-1994). "Assault rifles" were used in four
incidents: 89 persons were shot; 17 died, for a mortality rate of 19%.
Shotguns were used in five incidents: 71 persons were shot; 48 died,
for a mortality rate of 68%. The much lower velocity projectiles
fired by the shotguns produced a mortality rate more than three and
one-half times that produced by the "high -velocity" assault rifle
bullets.[6]
Trask et al.'s assessment of public policy is as mistaken as their
review of wound care. Over two dozen studies on the criminal use of
military-style weapons undercut the authors' "800% increase" claim.
We direct readers to a review of those studies (including a review of
lethality, firepower, and constitutional issues).[7] The authors,
like many before them, inappropriately relied upon gun trace data.
Gun traces are not representative of the criminal prevalence of gun
use any more than the index of a research journal reflects the
prevalence of disease. Journal indices and gun traces reflect a level
of interest in the topic or the gun. For example, in 1989 in Los
Angeles, a hotbed of drug gangs and violent crime, "assault weapons"
represented approximately 3% of guns seized, but 19% of gun traces.[8]
The Congressional Research Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms (BATF) have acknowledged that the gun trace system is
inappropriate for statistical purposes: The [B]ATF tracing system is
an operational system designed to help law enforcement agencies
identify the ownership path of individual firearms. It was not
designed to collect statistics... Two significant limitations should
be considered when tracing data are used for statistical purposes: *
First, the firearms selected for tracing do not constitute a random
sample and cannot be considered representative of the larger universe
of all firearms used by criminals, or of any subset of that universe.
As a result, data from the tracing system may not be appropriate for
drawing inferences such as which makes or models of firearms are used
for illicit purposes; * Second, standardized procedures do not
exist to ensure that officers use consistent definitions or terms in
the reports of circumstances that lead to each trace request. Some
trace requests do not even identify the circumstances that resulted in
the request.[9]
No crime need be involved to initiate a gun trace. For example,
efforts to return stolen guns to rightful owners and guns found
incidental to other investigations are included amongst gun traces.
The statistically unreliable nature of gun traces should be clear.
Additionally, in the period 1986-1992 cited by the authors, increased
media attention and changing definitions of "assault weapon" further
complicate interpretation of gun trace data.
In the worst areas of gang and drug crime, the studies show that
military-style, semiautomatic guns account for generally 0% to 3% of
crime guns and, nationally, represent less than 1% of crime guns, far
less than their proportion amongst American guns. More pointedly, ten
times more Americans die annually from attacks using hands and feet
than die from military-style rifles.[6] We hope that this
information helps put the authors' unusual case report in perspective.
Sincerely,
Edgar A. Suter, MD National Chair, Doctors for Integrity in Research &
Public Policy Member, International Wound Ballistics Association
Col. Martin L. Fackler MD, US Army (retired) President, International
Wound Ballistics Association Former Director, US Army Wound Ballistics
Laboratory Member, Doctors for Integrity in Research & Public Policy
[1] Bowen TE. Emergency War Surgery - NATO Handbook. 2nd. US
Revision. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1988. pp 24,33.
[2] Fackler ML, Malinowski JA, Hoxie SW, and Jason A. "Wounding
Effects of the AK-47 Rifle Used by Patrick Purdy in the Stockton,
California, Schoolyard Shooting of January 17, 1989." Am J Forensic
Medicine and Path. 1990; 11(3): 185-90. [3] King KF. "Orthopedic
Aspects of War Wounds in South Vietnam." J. Bone and Joint Surg. 1969;
51B:112-117. [4] Commander in Chief Pacific (CINCPAC). War
Surgery. in Proceedings of the Commander in Chief Pacific Fifth
Conference on War Surgery, 29 March - 2 April 1971, Tokyo, Japan.
1971: 33. (available from CINCPAC, Attn: Surgeon, FPO San Francisco CA
96610). [5] Coupland RM and Howell PR. An Experience of War
Surgery and Wounds Presenting After 3 Days on the Border of
Afghanistan." Injury. 1988; 19:259-262. [6] Suter EA. Testimony
before the Pennsylvania State Senate Select Committee on the Use of
Full- and Semi-Automatic Firearms in Crime. Pittsburg, PA. August 16,
1994. [7] Suter EA. "'Assault Weapons' Revisited - An Analysis of
the AMA Report." Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia.
May1994; 83: 281-89. [8] Kleck G. Point Blank: Guns and Violence
in America. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. 1991. [9] Bea K. "CRS
Report for Congress - 'Assault Weapons': Military-Style Semiautomatic
Firearms Facts and Issues." Washington DC: Congressional Research
Service, The Library of Congress; May 13, 1992 (Technical Revisions,
June 4, 1992). Appendix B. pp. 65-76.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
9505E - CHECKING OUT USED FIREARMS by John Marshall
*USED GUNS *INSPECTION, GUNS *HANDGUNS *RIFLES
If you've ever been to a gun show, you've seen them, lying there in
bewildering array, beckoning to you. They're used firearms, and some
at prices which are most attractive. If your collecting urge tends
toward military arms, often a used specimen is your ONLY option! Your
main challenge is sorting out the good ones from the not-so-good ones.
Hopefully, by the time you finish this article, you'll be more knowl-
edgeable about accomplishing this task.
First, we'll tackle some generalities, and then we'll look at how to
examine specific types of firearms. Before I begin here, let me warn
you most explicitly. BE SURE THAT GUN IS COMPLETELY UNLOADED before
you begin inspection! A word to the wise should be plenty.
Every firearm has a barrel of some sort, and here is where we'll
begin. It has only been in the last 40 years or so that non-corrosive
ammo has been in widespread use, so if that gun you're looking at is
older than 40, chances are it's been subjected to the use of corro-
sive ammo. That in itself is not necessarily bad, as there are
thousands of firearms out there that went through the corrosive era
with little or no bad effects because they were properly maintained.
A glance down the bore should tell you lots - there is a wide range of
condition. From best to worst - a sparkling, mirror-bright bore, a
slightly "frosty" appearance, pitting, deep pits, and extreme pitting
combined with rust. Will the rifle or pistol shoot? Well, it de-
pends. Some pitted bores will surprise you and shoot quite well,
particularly if the pitting is farther back from the muzzle. When are
the pits too deep? That's not really clear. Deep pits in the middle
of the bore probably won't affect accuracy too much, but if they are
in the leade, where the bullet starts its journey, or at the muzzle,
where it exits, deep pits can cause real problems. Of course, if the
barrel is easily and inexpensively replaceable (such as in the 1911
pistol), it's not much of a factor at all. A frosty bore or even one
with regular pitting throughout may shoot quite well. I once shot a
1917 Enfield with fairly noticeable pitting throughout the bore which
would hold 2" groups all day at 100 yards.
Beyond examining for pitting, it's wise to examine the rifling. Is it
sharp and crisp? If so, it's probably not been subjected to excessive
use. Look for erosion at two specific points. Erosion, remember, is
wear caused by mechanics, as opposed to corrosion, which is caused by
oxidation. The two places are where the rifling begins next to the
chamber, and at the muzzle. The first place determines how well the
bullet begins its lunge down the barrel. If there's a lot of wear
there (usually caused by rapid firing for extended periods of time),
the bullet may start its journey tipped to some degree, and accuracy
will suffer. At the muzzle, look for a sharp terminus to the rifling
at the crown. Excess wear (usually caused by vigorous but careless
cleaning from the muzzle) will allow uneven pressure on the base of
the bullet just as it's sent on its way - perhaps the most critical
moment, right at the juncture of internal and external ballistics.
Get a magnifying glass and look at that muzzle. Excessive wear here
should be cause for rejection, unless again the barrel is easily and
cheaply replaced. A real "pro" at gun shows will take along a bullet
of the proper caliber, and attempt to insert it nose down into the
bore at the muzzle. If it goes more than just a little bit in where
the bullet is at full diameter, the muzzle wear is excessive. This is
particularly something to watch for in firearms that are usually
cleaned only from the muzzle, such as the M1 Garand, the M1894 Win-
chester rifle and their look-alikes.
On any firearm, check the barrel for internal bulges. Sometimes they
are difficult to spot, particularly if they are near the muzzle where
they are usually found. With your eye close to the muzzle, you can't
focus really well on that few inches of the bore closest to your eye,
so try to view the bore from both ends, or check out bore near the
muzzle with a magnifying glass. Look for a circular shadow in the
bore. Such bulges are usually caused by firing the gun with some
obstruction in the bore such as a cleaning patch. This is particu-
larly prevalent in military arms - in spite of warnings, soldiers
often stuff a patch in the muzzle to keep out dirt, and then forget
the patch when it comes time to fire the weapon. If the bulge is
near the muzzle, it will ruin accuracy. If not, let the rarity of the
piece be your guide, and look for other undamaged specimens if the arm
is not that uncommon.
Be aware that many, many firearms have been rechambered over the
years, some to wildcat cartridges. Look for any stamping on the
barrel that shows the arm is not in its original caliber. Years ago I
bought what appeared to be a standard '03A3 rifle, only to get it home
and notice that it had been stamped ".308 Norma Magnum" on the barrel.
I eventually traded it to a buddy who wanted a magnum hunting rifle on
a budget, but the piece was ruined as a collectible. Sometimes the
seller won't be aware that the firearm has been rechambered, so caveat
emptor.
As always, the percentage of original finish on a used firearm will be
a big factor in determining value. Be sure you know what the original
finish is supposed to look like, be it parkerizing, blueing, or other
application. Some military arms were actually painted with a black
baked-on finish; some were rust blued, some were parkerized, and so
forth. Spotting a re-blue can sometimes be hard unless you know what
you're looking for. A dead give-away to a re-blue job is stamping in
the metal which appears worn, with dished edges. Also, look for any
nominally straight line which appears wavy or softened. This is as a
result of polishing prior to a re-blue. Modern blueing is done in a
tank, and the whole part is immersed, giving the part a blue-all-over
configuration. In many old arms, rust blueing was applied, leaving
internals in the white or partially so. Also, in some cases, machin-
ing was accomplished after blueing, leaving a part partially in the
white. If it's blue all over and it's an older gun, beware of a
refinishing job. A classic case would be a single-action Colt that
originally had a case-hardened frame; a completely blued example of an
older first-generation arm COULD be factory original, but most were
multi-hued. Factory documentation would be the only way to determine
the original finish. Similarly, beware of plated arms that did not
leave the factory that way. I've seen scores of nickel-plated Lug-
ers, but with one exception that I know of, none left the factory with
a nickeled finish. If you really have Hermann Goering's personal
nickel-plated Luger on your hands there, you probably couldn't afford
it, anyway!
Spotting later engraving on an older firearm is usually pretty easy.
The engraving will be sharp instead of worn, as an old-timer most
certainly would be unless it was kept in a case for most of its life.
Again, factory documentation will tell. Some old engraving on an old
gun that wasn't done at the factory can be enticing, but unless the
seller produces that factory letter, who knows when or by whom it was
done. I once had a really nice 1873 Winchester from the first year
of production that was engraved, and the engraving was well worn. I
bought it for a good price, but was less than thrilled when my inquiry
came back from the Winchester museum in Cody, Wyoming that the gun
left the factory as a plain blued specimen. It was still worth more
by far than I paid for it (my momma didn't raise fools), but it could
have been worth much, much more if the engraving had been original to
the gun.
Examining the barrels of old muzzleloaders can sometimes be a problem,
but there are ways around it. Before you begin, however, drop a
cleaning rod down the bore and mark the point where the rod exits from
the muzzle. Then remove the rod and lay it alongside the barrel,
with that mark even with the muzzle. If it's apparent the rod
stopped on something before the bottom of the barrel was reached,
beware. You may have an old charge in there waiting for a spark of
some sort to ignite it. I suspect the last shot of the Civil War has
not yet been fired, because there are still old muskets and rifle-
muskets loaded in the heat of battle and never discharged since the
days of that conflict. Just because a black powder charge is old
doesn't mean it won't fire. At any rate, with these new "mini-
flashlights" that abound now, some are of the size that can be dropped
down the bore handle down, illuminating the barrel quite well for most
of its length. Another technique is to stuff a wad of white paper
down the bore, and illuminate the bore with a flashlight held close to
your eye; the white paper at the bottom will reflect enough light to
let you see the rifling (or lack of it). The wad can be removed with
a cleaning rod and "worm" or spiral hook that was designed to remove
old bullets and charges. In some cases, you can remove the base plug
of the rifle by unscrewing it. If that's the case, it's easy to
inspect the bore by holding it up to a light and looking clear through
the barrel.
Now, let's look at some specific types of firearms and how they can be
inspected.
Double-action revolvers:
Check the action to be sure that each chamber in the cylinder indexes
into place positively. With a double-action revolver, cycle it by
pulling the trigger through its double-action arc while restraining
the movement of the cylinder slightly with your fingers. If the hand
does not move the cylinder enough to allow the locking bolt to drop
into one or more of the cylinder notches at the completion of the
trigger stroke, there is a timing problem. This wouldn't be noticed
if you hadn't restrained the cylinder, because centrifugal force would
move the cylinder far enough for the notch to be reached by the lock-
ing bolt. What could happen is that a slow stroke on the trigger
could allow the gun to be discharged with the chamber out of alignment
with the barrel. This condition, when found, is cause for rejection.
Do the same exercise again by restraining the cylinder slightly as
before, but move the cylinder by cocking the hammer single-action
style, for as many strokes as there are chambers in the cylinder.
Most all revolvers will pass this test, because the hand has a longer
amount of movement when the revolver is manually cocked, but if it
does fail, the gun should be rejected. There should be very little
side play, or looseness, in the cylinder when it's locked up (some is
normal) and hardly any fore-and-aft play in the cylinder when it's in
the frame and locked up.
Look for any gap between the frame and the crane (the part that car-
ries the cylinder out on a double-action revolver) when the action is
closed. Any misalignment here is cause for rejection; the revolver
has been mishandled by flipping the cylinder out and in a la Humphrey
Bogart, and the crane has become sprung. It's expensive to repair.
Open the cylinder and press the ejector rod. It should move freely
back for a full stroke. Any binding indicates a bent ejector rod, and
this could cause locking or ejection problems. This is an automatic
cause for rejection. While the ejector star is back, check for the
presence of those two little alignment pins sticking out of the ejec-
tor star cavity and which project into the star itself. If they are
missing, there will be severe alignment problems between the cylinder
and the barrel, and unusual wear on the ratchet notches on the star.
These can be replaced, but that unusual wear may have done other
damage.
There's been a continuing controversy about how much gap should exist
between the face of the cylinder and the rear of the barrel. It's
normal for there to be some gap, as the cylinder would not turn and
become bound as things heat up in firing if there were not sufficient
gap. Look at the gap from the side; there should be a sliver of light
there, but if it's obviously a chasm, the frame may have become warped
through firing of heavy loads over a period of time. How much is too
much is debatable, but if you can see a LOT of daylight there, the
damage has been done and is essentially not correctable without a lot
of time, equipment and expense. On the other hand, if the cylinder
actually scrapes against the back of the barrel, things have been set
up too tightly and the cylinder may not rotate at all after the first
couple of shots.
Examine each chamber of the cylinder. Look for bulges (double or
triple charges by handloading error can cause them), and excessive
erosion where shorter cartridges have been fired in magnum chambers.
This erosion shows up as a dark ring (although lead shavings can
masquerade as erosion here, and all that's required is a good scrub-
bing). If the ring is present, magnum empties can be very hard if not
impossible to eject.
Examine the point at which the firing pin protrudes into the face of
the frame. If there is metal upset here, it could serve to lock up
the cylinder after the first shot; that metal protrusion will dig into
the fired primer and keep things from moving.
Look for excessive pitting and erosion on the topstrap just above the
junction of the cylinder and the barrel. Gas cutting from extensive
firing of full-house loads can severely weaken the top strap in this
area. As a matter of fact, Ruger discontinued making .357 maximum
revolvers because of the severe effect here by this particular car-
tridge. A lot of shooting of full-house loads will do it even with
less intense cartridges than the .357 maximum. Of course, by the
time this happens, you will probably see other problems with the
revolver as well.
Single action revolvers:
Most of the tests applied to the double-action revolver also apply to
the single-action. Many single-actions have a tendency for their
screws to work loose, particularly the screws that attach the grip
frame to the cylinder frame. If this condition is not noticed and the
gun is shot a lot, these screws can become unusable, and their seats
in the frame can get buggered up horribly. The only solution is to
recut the threads to a larger non-standard specification. Check for
a wobbly separation of the two frames. Because a single-action is
normally disassembled by loosening and removing screws, I've seen a
lot of screw heads on this type of revolver that have become gouged so
badly they can't be removed. Look for such evidence of abuse. Check
the ejector rod for free travel through each of the chambers, and for
the loading gate to snap firmly back into place under spring pressure.
Cock the revolver into the "safety notch" and attempt to release the
hammer by moderate trigger pressure. If the hammer falls, the loading
notch and/or the sear tip on the trigger has broken, and the firearm
is unsafe. In modern single-actions such as the 3-screw Ruger, check
for proper action of the transfer bar to assure that the firing pin
will only be hit when the trigger is at full rear travel. The cylin-
der should be checked for bulges and rings in each chamber; the cylin-
der rod is removed to the front after depressing a transverse button
in the lower front of the frame, or by removing a screw there. With
the loading gate open, the cylinder can then be removed to the right
of the frame. If the owner won't let you do this inspection, ask him
or her to remove the cylinder for you so you can look. If you are
refused, move on.
Semiauto pistols:
There are so many varieties and types of self-loading pistols that
it's nearly impossible for me in this short article to cover all the
bases, but here are a few that apply generically.
First, open the action and check for smoothness. Any binding or
unusually-hard opening should signal problems. Most auto pistols
remain open on the last shot. After inspection for live cartridges,
insert an empty magazine and rack the slide or bolt assembly. It
should stay open; there are exceptions where there is no hold-open
device, and you should know enough to recognize if one is normally
present and functional on a pistol you want. On .22 rimfire pistols,
check for any peening of the chamber by the firing pin caused by dry-
firing. Most modern .22 rimfire pistols have some sort of firing pin
stop to prevent the firing pin from projecting too far, but wear can
happen and older pistols may not have this nicety. This peening over
the chamber can impede chambering if it's present and not corrected.
You'd be smart to take along a few dummy cartridges of the caliber
proper for the pistol you want; these should be visibly dummies with
no primers and preferably holes drilled in the side of the case. With
these, you can load a few in the magazine and manually cycle the
pistol to be sure that the feeding and chambering parts of the cycle
operate normally. A dummy cartridge should feed from the magazine
and chamber easily with no hangups, and a dummy cartridge should eject
from the chamber when the slide is pulled back smartly.
Check all safety devices for proper and easy functioning. I once
almost purchased a WW II-era German P.38 pistol until I discovered
that the manual safety in the slide was nearly impossible to press
down. This was obviously a mis-matched part or a gun that made it
through slave labor with a major deficiency. If the safety incorpo-
rates a hammer-lowering device, be sure it functions. If necessary,
take the slide off, work any slide-mounted safety, and try to press
the firing pin forward so it protrudes. With the safety applied, it
should not.
Check for free movement of the firing pin. In some cases, mechanical
binding or rust will allow a pin to stick in the forward position,
setting you up for inadvertent full-auto fire. It should go back and
forth freely; most do it under spring pressure, although there are
some, notably former communist-bloc guns, that have no firing pin
spring.
Some looseness is normal in all auto pistols to allow for free move-
ment of the parts under adverse conditions such as dust and mud.
However, any excessive looseness may indicate a firearm that has just
seen too much heavy use. Shake it. If it rattles, check out why.
Some guns are more prone to this than others; the 1911 pistol design
was purposely made with looser tolerances so it would operate in sever
combat conditions, but a really loose slide-frame fit should tell you
something.
In recoil-operated arms, check the barrel for excessive looseness in
the frame and/or slide. Some is normal, but if it's excessive, it
will be difficult to hit anything at longer ranges with it. In the
1911 design, press down on the rear of the barrel through the ejection
port while the slide is forward. Any slop here will require some
fitting to give you a more accurate pistol; often this is correctable,
fortunately, by a longer link.
Check the functioning of the disconnector on any autoloader as fol-
lows: Dry fire the pistol with the magazine in place for those pis-
tols which have a magazine safety, and without one for those that
don't. Keep the trigger depressed after this "shot" and rack the
slide or the bolt and allow it to go forward again sharply under its
own spring pressure. Do not restrain it the slide or bolt in its
forward movement. If the bolt locks to the rear, release the slide
with the lever designed for that purpose, all the while holding the
trigger to the rear. The hammer, external or internal, should stay
cocked. Release the trigger, and you should hear a slight click.
Press the trigger again and the hammer (internal or external) should
drop. If the hammer goes forward when the slide is closed, and/or
you do not hear that little "click" when the trigger is released, you
may have a defective arm that could go full-auto on you. The discon-
nector is the little part or parts that serves to prevent such an
occurrence from happening. Be sure it works!
Check the magazine for proper fit in the magazine well, and be sure it
clicks into place firmly. It should remove easily, and in many
cases, such as with the 1911 design, it should drop freely when the
magazine release is pressed.
If the pistol is supposed to have a magazine safety, check for its
proper action by removing the magazine and attempting to dry-fire it.
This should be impossible with the magazine removed. Most Smith and
Wesson center-fire autoloaders have this feature, as does the Browning
Hi-Power pistol and its clones.
Lever-action rifles:
Again, a dummy cartridge is a useful thing to have to check for proper
functioning. Since this is a manually-operated rifle, you can give it
a true function test with some dummy rounds. Check for smoothness of
loading, operation, chambering, and ejection. Check any safeties for
functionality, and check the firing pin for any binding. You'd hate
to close the action and have the arm go "bang" because that firing pin
was stuck in the forward position.
Bolt-action rifles:
Go with a few dummy rounds again, and run those rounds through the
action. Check for proper feeding from the magazine into the chamber.
Check for proper extraction and ejection of the rounds. Check the
manual safety. Check for a broken firing pin protruding from the face
of the bolt. Inspect the bolt for uneven wear of the locking lugs on
one side or the other. This is not a really big deal, but can affect
accuracy to some degree. Check the bolt for any cracks in the locking
lugs.
Semiauto rifles:
Cycle some dummy rounds through the action manually. Check for proper
feeding, chambering, and extraction. Check the bolt face for a pro-
truding firing pin. If present, you have a class III firearm. Check
for proper locking up of the magazine, if the arm uses one. Check
folding stocks for proper action and tight lockup. Check the sights
for looseness; some types have a tendency to come unglued with exten-
sive firing. Check for loose parts, especially gas cylinders and
front sight assemblies. Field strip, if possible, and check the gas
chain for corrosion from the effects of corrosive ammo. Be sure
there are no missing parts. Check for proper action and smoothness
of the safety. Check for charring of the stock in the barrel channel;
if present, the arm has been shot long and hard. If so, check espe-
cially for barrel erosion in the leade area. If parts are serial
numbered, be sure they all match the number on the receiver. A mis-
fitted part can cause troubles, and many foreign military semiautos
were carefully handfitted at the factory to assure proper functioning.
Your best assurance of proper fitting is to be sure that all parts
numbers match.
This article is by no means the last word on checking out used fire-
arms, but I hope it's been helpful to you in giving you some general
pointers. If it saves you from making a bad buy, it'll have been
worth it!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9505F NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION NEWS by the NRA Staff
*NRA *MAY, 1995 *NEWS *NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
*****
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ALLIANCE OF AMERICA
The Nation's Largest Coalition of Law Enforcement,
Crime Victims and Concerned Citizens
Dedicated to Making America Safer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Please Contact: Nancy Ross
April 6, 1995 Tel: (202) 638-4858
REP. SCHUMER QUESTIONS HEROISM OF DECORATED VIETNAM VET
IN CRIME SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING
Washington, DC -- A panel of six highly decorated law enforcement
officers from around the country, appeared before the House
Subcommittee on Crime yesterday, offering testimony in favor of
repealing the assault weapons ban. Their testimony provoked fire
from Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who has maintained that the ban
is widely supported by law enforcement. Rep. Schumer spearheaded
the assault weapons ban last year when he was chairman of the
House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime.
Rep. Schumer criticized one witness, a disabled former
Marine who was awarded nine decorations for his service in
Vietnam, for displaying his medals. After the witness left the
room, the congressman tried to discredit the officer by claiming
that a "real hero" would not need such a display to prove his
heroism.
The witness, master Officer Craig Roberts, who has worked
for the past 25 years in the Tulsa, Oklahoma Police Department,
drew the congressman's fire by disputing the effectiveness of the
assault weapons ban in protecting either the police or the
public. Officer Roberts testified that, "It has been my
experience that enacting laws that restrict the ownership or
right to bear firearms does not help the police, nor does it help
keep citizens safe." Refuting the contention that the gun ban
had the backing of law enforcement, Officer Roberts told the
subcommittee members that "rank-and-file officers do not support
this federal attack on the people's right to bear arms--even so-
called assault weapons." Speaking from personal experience, the
former Marine told subcommittee members: "I've faced the muzzle
end of _real_ assault weapons, and I learned the hard way--to
fear the man, not the device."
Officer Roberts, who said he brought his medals along as
"physical evidence" of the truth of his testimony, was stunned by
the congressman's remarks. "I can't believe that anyone would
question my credibility, after my service to my country in
Vietnam, and my service to my city of Tulsa," he said.
The panel of six officers, who ranged in rank from patrolman
to chief, and represented six different areas of the country, was
organized by Law Enforcement Alliance of America (LEAA), the
nation's largest organization of police officers, crime victims
and concerned citizens working to make America safer.
*****
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
April 7, 1995 Bill Powers: (703) 267-3820
NRA HAILS REPEAL OF GUN BAN
BILL WOULD RESPECT RIGHTS OF LAW-ABIDING, AFFIRM CIVIL RIGHT
OF SELF-DEFENSE, AND TOUGHEN PENALTIES FOR ARMED CRIMINALS
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- After two days of dramatic testimony
before the House Subcommittee on Crime and Criminal Justice,
legislation was introduced in Congress today to repeal the
ban on semiautomatic firearms and toughen penalties for
criminals who use guns in crime.
"This is a major turning point in the fight against armed
predators," said Mrs. Tanya K. Metaksa, executive director
of the National Rifle Association's Institute for
Legislative Action. "It's a shame that we had gotten to the
point of restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners
while, during the first two years of the Clinton
Administration, federal prosecutions for gun violations
decreased by 23 percent. This Congress is turning that
around, saying we should go after the armed criminal rather
than law-abiding gunowners who never commit any crime."
The bill, introduced today by Republican Congressman Bob
Barr (GA) and co-sponsored by Democrat Congressman Bill
Brewster (OK), would impose tough penalties on criminals who
use any firearm in the commission of a crime and reaffirms
the civil right of law-abiding citizens to use a firearm to
protect themselves from criminal attack.
"All across America, citizens are demanding from their state
legislatures the right to carry a firearm for personal
protection," Mrs. Metaksa said. "And in state after state,
that fundamental right is being recognized. And just a week
ago, Congress heard the stirring testimony of citizens who
used firearms -- including those like the guns Clinton has
banned -- to save their lives, the lives of their families
and the lives of law enforcement officials. It is fitting
that this legislation includes a self-defense provision."
The bill, expected to be voted on by the House in May, would
repeal the Clinton ban on semiautomatic firearms, strengthen
mandatory penalties for gun crimes and require U.S.
Attorneys to report on federal firearms prosecutions --
prosecutions that have been lacking under the tenure of
President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno.
"Congress is realizing what most Americans already know,"
Mrs. Metaksa said, "that lawful firearms ownership has
nothing to do with violent crime. And that the only way to
curb violence is to target armed criminals, not the law
abiding."
*****
Don't Miss The 1995
Grassroots Seminars at
the NRA Annual Meetings in Phoenix!
If you're planning to attend the 124th NRA Annual Meetings
in Phoenix, Arizona this May, you won't want to miss three
special grassroots seminars. The first session is the annual NRA
Grassroots/Clubs & Associations Seminar, which kicks off Friday
morning, May 19th. This year's discussion topics will include
how to successfully lobby your local government, NRA's full range
of programs for clubs and associations, Friends of NRA,
membership recruiting tips and much more.
Did you know that NRA-ILA is celebrating its 20the
anniversary? Well, on Friday afternoon, we're going to
commemorate this milestone and prepare for the next 20 years at
the NRA-ILA 20th Anniversary Seminar. And finally, on Sunday,
May 21, we're hosting a nationwide Grassroots Networking session,
where you can meet and greet fellow volunteers and members from
your part of the country, as well as official NRA-ILA state and
federal lobbyists, field representatives, and grassroots
staffers. These two sessions are open to the full membership and
absolutely free!
We hope you'll be a part of our 20th anniversary celebration
-- you've earned it! Our successes to date could not have
happened if it wasn't for your hard work and effort!
To register, complete the registration form printed on the
back of this flyer and return it to: Meeting Registrar, NRA-ILA
Grassroots Division, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030,
or call the Grassroots Division directly at 1-800-392-8683.
We'll see you in Phoenix!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NRA Grassroots/Clubs & Associations Workshop
NRA-ILA 20th Anniversary Seminar
NRA Grassroots Networking Seminar
124th NRA Annual Meetings * Phoenix, Arizona
Instructions:
1. Please use only one registration form per person.
2. Please note that separate registration forms are required
for all other annual meeting activities, i.e., hotel
accommodations, the Awards luncheon and Members banquet.
3. For the Grassroots/Clubs & Associations Seminar, enclose
your $5.00 seminar fee. Make your check payable to NRA-ILA.
4. Deadline to register is May 7, 1994.
NAME: ___________________________________________________________
FIRST NAME TO APPEAR ON NAME TAG: _______________________________
I AM REPRESENTING (please identify):
Myself _____________________________________________________
State Association __________________________________________
Affiliated Club ____________________________________________
Member Council _____________________________________________
Other ______________________________________________________
MAILING ADDRESS:
_________________________________________________________________
CITY, STATE, ZIP:
_________________________________________________________________
DAY PHONE:___________________ EVENING PHONE: ____________________
I WILL ATTEND (please check all that apply):
_________ NRA Grassroots/Clubs & Associations Seminar ($5.00*)
Friday, May 19, 8:15 a.m. - Noon
_________ NRA-ILA 20th Anniversary Legislative Seminar (Free)
Friday, May 19th, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
_________ NRA Grassroots Networking Session (Free) Sunday, May
21st, 9:00 a.m. - Noon
* Remember, there is a $5.00 registration fee for the
Grassroots/Clubs & Association Seminar, $10.00 at the door.
[Return this form to Meeting Registrar, NRA-ILA Grassroots
Division, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030,
or fax to (703) 267-3918.]
*****
THE ARMED CITIZEN
Studies indicate that firearms are used over two
million times a year for personal protection, and that the
presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents
crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified
only where crime constitutes an immediate imminent threat to
life limb or in some cases property. Anyone is free to quote
or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed
Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030
He would have preferred another way, but Philadelphia
minister David A. Venable, 73, had to send a violent intruder to
meet his Maker. The robber burst into Venable's kitchen,
attacked him with a knife and burned him with hot grease from a
frying pan. Pretending to retrieve money, Venable reached for
and emptied his five-shot .38, killing the criminal, a repeat
offender. "God was definitely with him," said a family friend of
the Baptist preacher. (The Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, 2/18/94)
Fifty police and a Coast Guard helicopter couldn't find
their man, but a Windsor, Connecticut, homeowner with a 9 mm
pistol halted a day-long crime spree. The hunted fugitive had
knifed and set ablaze an elderly man, then kidnapped and raped
his female companion. But when retired engineer Jack O'Keefe
discovered the criminal hiding in his car, jail was inevitable.
O'Keefe's wife dialed 911 while he held the thug for police.
(The Courant, Hartford, CT, 2/2/95)
The armed robbers failed to tie Phoenix, Arizona, jeweler
Chuy Sosa securely, and it cost one of them his life. Sosa got
loose and grabbed a .38 just as the criminals pointed their guns
at fleeing customers. In the ensuing firefight, Sosa mortally
wounded one of the intruders and forced both of them to flee.
(The Republic, Phoenix, AZ, 1/13/95)
Even the steel bars 81-year-old Bisbee, Arizona, resident
Ben Duree had placed over the mobile home windows did not deter
the intruders who hacked a hole through the wall of his
101-year-old mother's bedroom. After three burglaries since
1984, Duree took the only other step he could; he armed himself
with his .38. When a burglar tried to enter the home, Duree
killed him with a single shot. (Daily Miner, Kingman, AZ,
1/4/95)
The locked bedroom door was little deterrent to the
housebreaker who had already kicked in the back door of a Vernon
Parish, Louisiana, woman's home in the middle of the night. When
the man, armed with a large butcher knife, crashed into the room
where the woman huddled with her 22-month-old child, the woman
mortally wounded the assailant with several shots from her .380
pistol. The woman and her child were not injured. (Daily
Leader, Leesville, LA, 1/29/95)
Iron gates didn't stop a gang of armed home invaders, but a
.357 Mag. proved more effective. At least five burglars, some
armed, rampaged through a Las Vegas, Nevada, woman's upscale
home. When one kicked down the locked door of the bedroom where
she was hiding, she opened fire, wounding him and putting the
bandits to flight. The wounded criminal and his four accomplices
were later arrested. (Review-Journal, Las Vegas, NV, 2/11/95)
Anchorage, Alaska resident Kellie Duff is considered a hero
by her neighbors. Arriving home one evening with her three young
daughters in tow, Duff surprised three teenaged burglars exiting
the front door of her home. They tried to get in their car and
leave, but Duff blocked their escape with her truck. She then
held them at bay with a .30-'06 as her oldest daughter ran to
call police. (Daily News, Anchorage, AK, 1/8/95)
When Thedles Cannon, 71, first heard the crash, he thought a
car had wrecked outside of his Wichita, Kansas, home. Then he
realized an intruder had actually kicked in his front door. As
his wife dialed 911, Cannon made his way downstairs with his .357
Mag. and confronted the burglar. When told to "Freeze," the
intruder instead lunged at Cannon, who shot and seriously wounded
the criminal. (The Eagle, Wichita, KS, 1/11/95)
When a muddy man in camouflage clothes wandered up his
driveway and asked for a ride, Waterboro, Maine, resident Ray
Dion was suspicious, since his house has just been burglarized.
His suspicions were confirmed when he spotted one of his tools in
the break-in artist's pocket. He held the would-be hitchhiker at
gunpoint for state troopers. (Kennebec Journal, Augusta, ME,
1/2/95)
It was deja vu for employees of a Tacoma, Washington, credit
union when a masked bandit armed with a .357 Mag. demanded cash.
The incident was the second robbery attempt of the day. But a
man waiting outside for his wife saw what was going on and
decided to put an end to the crime. He rushed in and opened up
with a 9 mm, felling the robber. (The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA,
2/4/95)
Storming into a Phoenix, Arizona, electronics store with a
sawed-off shotgun, a would-be robber was dealt a strong hand of
"Arizona justice" after the shopkeeper critically wounded the
suspect with a .45. "Shooting robbers makes sense to me. That's
the way we ought to deal with all of them around here," said an
approving nearby business owner. (The Republic, Phoenix, AZ,
2/14/95)
Anthony DeJulius, 61, was working alone in a Bensalem,
Pennsylvania, convenience store when one of two bandits sprayed
him with Mace and attempted to open the cash register. One
wisely fled when DeJulius drew his licensed .38 revolver, but the
other rushed him with a crowbar. The manager opened fire,
hitting the robber in the chest. Both criminals were later
apprehended by police. (The Inquirer, Philadelphia, PA, 2/18/94)
Dentist Steven Reich proved that marksmanship pays when an
armed robber invaded his Brooklyn, New York office. The criminal
fired three shots at Reich at point-blank range but missed.
Unfazed, Reich drilled the bandit with five of five shots. The
unlucky assailant staggered into the street and was beaten by
passengers of a vehicle he hoped to carjack. (The Times, New
York, NY, 2/14/95)
*****
APRIL 7, 1995
THE REPUBLICAN HOUSE LEADERSHIP KEEPS ITS COMMITMENT
TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT AND AMERICA'S GUN OWNERS!
Just prior to adjourning for a congressional recess, H.R. 1488
was introduced. H.R. 1488 calls for sweeping pro-gun reforms,
including repeal of the gun & magazine ban, a guarantee of the
right of law-abiding citizens to secure a firearm for self-defense,
increasing the penalties for the criminal misuse of firearms, and
a mandate directing U.S. attorneys to step up their prosecution of
criminals using firearms in the commission of violent crimes. H.R.
1488 marks the first time in nearly a decade when Congress is
seriously considering federal legislation to strengthen the rights
of this nation's gun owners. Original co-sponsors of the bill are
House Firearms Legislation Task Force members: Reps. Bob Barr (R-
GA); Ed Bryant (R-TN); Steve Stockman (R-TX); Helen Chenoweth (R-
ID); Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), and pro-gun Democratic Reps. Bill
Brewster (D-OK), Billy Tauzin (D-LA), Harold Volkmer (D-MO) and Jim
Chapman (D-TX). H.R. 1488 will be referred to the House Judiciary
Committee for consideration. Action Alert: Please contact your
U.S. Representatives in their district offices and urge them to
support HR 1488!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
BOB BARR
7th District, Georgia
CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515-1007
* NEWS FROM U.S. REPRESENTATIVE BOB BARR *
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE, 11:45 am: CONTACT: CARTER CORNICK
APRIL 7, 1995 202-225-2931
BARR, TASK FORCE INTRODUCE NEW BILL TO REPEAL FIREARMS BAN,
STRENGTHEN FEDERAL FIREARMS LAWS
U.S. Representative Bob Barr (GA-7), Chairman of the
Speaker's Firearms Legislation Task Force today introduced
legislation that will repeal last year's ban on so-called
assault weapons and strengthen federal firearms laws. Barr
and members of the Task Force, including Representatives
Bartlett (MI-6), Chenoweth (ID-l), and Stockman (TX-9), held
a press conference to announce and review the legislation.
"For the last two months, and in two separate hearings
convened by the House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee and
Chairman Bill McCollum, this Task Force has examined federal
firearms legislation in great detail," said Barr. "No one
argues that in the United States today there are too many
crimes being committed by too many criminals with too many
guns. The question is how do you get the guns out of their
hands without trampling law abiding citizens' absolute right
to keep and bear arms, the Second Amendment."
"In a break with the past," continued Barr, "we heard from
all sides on the question of how to effectively keep guns
out of the hands of violent criminals. We know that gun
control is a failure mostly because criminals don't abide by
the law anyway. So we took a fresh look."
Barr said, "Over the last few years the American people have
been force fed the notion that our society will be safer if
we run over the basic right to self defense and explicit
guarantees provided by the Second Amendment. The false
argument gun control advocates make is that society will be
better protected from violent crime if people cannot protect
themselves. It's an unbelievable position that has done more
to erode the individual's sense of security than the other
way around."
The Task Force held hearings on March 31st and April 5th, to
examine current gun laws and the individual right to self
defense. The 1994 firearms ban and proposals for increased
federal penalties for criminals who use firearms were topics
of special interest to the Subcommittee and those who
testified.
"The Firearms Legislation Task Force is leading the effort
to roll back misguided gun control efforts and focus the
debate back where it belongs: on the criminal. The bill we
introduce today restores the self defense rights of
individuals by repealing last year's ban and proposing tough
minimum mandatory penalties for those who commit crimes with
firearms."
============================================================
THE CITIZENS' PROTECTION FROM VIOLENT CRIME ACT OF 1995
_A SUMMARY_
Overview
Everyone agrees violent crime is out of control. Not
only has it increased by more than 500% over the past thirty
years, but it has become shockingly brutal and random in
nature. Fear and frustration is at an all-time high.
Millions of law-abiding Americans, who feel defenseless even
in their own homes, stay locked behind doors and windows
that are often covered with iron bars. Something must
change.
"The Citizens' Protection from Violent Crime Act of
1995" is about changing this situation. Broadly speaking, it
will do so in the following three ways:
1. It strengthens federal law in several ways to
insure that violent criminals who use firearms to threaten
or harm others are severely punished.
2. It requires the Justice Department to establish a
national, armed violent criminal apprehension program
designed to get the most dangerous offenders off the
streets.
3. It restores to citizens the ability to defend
themselves from violent crime by reaffirming their right to
use firearms within their homes for self-defense and by
repealing the current ban on so-called "assault weapons~
which in effect only restricts law-abiding citizens from
obtaining the firearms of their choice for defending
themselves against violent predators.
_A Summary of the Bill's Provisions_
Section 3: Creates a new federal crime for possessing,
brandishing or discharging a firearm while committing a
"serious violent felony or serious drug offense" punishable
in state court. The underlying crimes -- serious violent
felonies and drug offenses -- are specifically defined in
the bill to include only the truly most dangerous offenses
such as murder, rape, armed robbery and trafficking ln large
quantities of narcotics. The prison sentences for using
firearms in these circumstances are 5 years for possession
of the firearm, 10 years for brandishing it, and 15 years
for discharging it. Second convictions carry penalties of 20
years for possession, 20 years for brandishing, and 30 years
for discharging. This section also conforms the current
penalties in the federal law pertaining to the use of
firearms in the commission of certain federal crimes to the
penalties provided by this section.
Finally, the section expresses Congressional intent
that federal law enforcement should not supplant state and
local prosecutions of firearms related crime. This section
is only intended as a supplement to such state and local
efforts.
Section 4: This section establishes new federal
mandatory minimum sentences for serious violent felons who
possess firearms. Current federal law (the "Armed Career
Criminal" statute) contains a 15 year mandatory sentence for
possession of a firearm by someone with 3 prior convictions
for serious crimes. This section would add a 10 year
sentence for someone who has 2 prior convictions and a 5
year sentence for someone with one prior conviction.
Section 5: This section adds serious drug offenses
committed by juveniles to the list of prior crimes relevant
to the 15 year "armed career criminal" law described in
section 5.
Section 6: This section authorizes the federal
government to detain prior to trial a violent felon charged
with possession of a firearm.
Section 7: This section directs the Attorney General to
establish within 6 months after enactment of the bill an
"armed violent criminal apprehension program." Elements of
the program include -- 1) the designation of at least one
federal prosecutor in every U.S. attorney's office to
prosecute federal laws pertaining to armed violent
criminals; 2) a requirement that every U.S. attorney
establish a task force within his or her federal district to
coordinate with State and local law enforcement the
apprehension of armed violent criminals; 3) monthly reports
from U.S. attorneys concerning the number of armed violent
criminals arrested and prosecuted; and 4) semiannual reports
from the Attorney General to the Congress summarizing the
infraction received from the U.S. attorneys. The Attorney
General may waive the requirements affecting U.S. attorneys
in low crime areas.
Section 8: This section reaffirms the right of any
person who is not prohibited by federal law from receiving a
firearm to use a firearm within a home for self-defense
purposes. A person who is denied this right may bring a
civil suit in federal court, seeking both damages,
injunctive relief and attorneys' fees, against the person or
government responsible for denying this right.
Section 9: This section repeals the ban enacted in the
1994 Crime Bill on semiautomatic firearms and large capacity
ammunition feeding devices. It also repeals references to
semiautomatic firearms in federal gun crimes.
*****
April 18, 1995
In response to Member queries regarding NRA's position on
the proposed Canadian gun control laws, below please find
correspondence sent to the Candian Prime Minister on August
5, 1994 from Mrs. Tanya K. Metaksa, Executive Director of
NRA's Institute for Legislative Action.
----------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION
11250 WAPLES MILL ROAD
FAIRFAX, VA 22030-7400
5 August 1994
The Right Honorable Jean Chretien
Prime Minister
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A OA6
Canada
Dear Prime Minister Chretien:
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) has
become aware that Canada's Justice Minister, the Honorable
Allan Rock, is considering legislation that would require
the registration of long guns (rifles and shotguns).
Further, it is speculated that such legislation may be
drafted this fall.
The NRA would appreciate any information concerning
such a legislative initiative. If true, the NRA would urge
extreme caution in advancing such an initiative.
Specifically, American hunters, whether NRA members or not,
have consistently been ardently opposed to the registration
of sporting arms in the United States (U.S.). These same
people are unlikely to view a registration proposal in
Canada any more favorably than one introduced in the U.S. An
overwhelming negative reaction can be anticipated and it
could seriously erode revenue into Canada generated by
visiting U.S. sportsmen and women.
We would appreciate your views and insights on this
issue and would like to assist you in ensuring that
America's hunters feel welcome in Canada without undue
bureaucratic oversight.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Tanya K. Metaksa
Executive Director
ILA
*****
April 13, 1995
DirectTV Considering Carrying NET and NRA-TV
DirectTV is a growing television service which provides customers
with cable-like channel selection via an RCA mini-satelite dish.
DirectTV is considering carrying National Empowerment Television
(NET), home of NRA-TV, as one of its services.
NRA-TV, the National Rifle Association's weekly one-hour television
newsmagazine, is shown every Wednesday at 10 P.M. Eastern time on
National Empowerment Television (NET). NRA-TV features live news
coverage, updates on firearms legislation, live call-in segments,
and interviews with NRA newsmakers like Charlton Heston, Sen. Phil
Gramm (Tex.), Rep. Bill Brewster (Okla.), film director John Milius,
actress Susan Howard, and many more.
Since not all cable companies are willing or able to carry NET,
Members are urged to write to the President of DirectTV, Eddy
Hartenstein, and urge DirectTV to carry NET. Also please indicate
that having NET on the DirectTV service would positively affect
your decision to subscribe to DirectTV.
You may write to Mr. Hartenstein at: DirectTV
2230 East Imperial Hwy
El Segundo, CA 90245
Thank you for your support!
*****
NRA-ILA FAX NETWORK
11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA 22030
Vol. 2, No. 16Phone: 1-800-392-8683 * Fax: 703-267-3918 4/14/95
IT'S TIME TO TALK TO CONGRESS!
Congress is out of session and most lawmakers are back in
their home states. Don't miss this opportunity to encourage your
Representative to support H.R. 1488, the gun ban repeal bill --
attend town meetings, schedule an appointment in the district
office, or call! Encourage your family, friends and fellow firearm
owners to do the same!
HCI: STILL ALIVE AND WELL FUNDED: Sarah Brady and her
organization, Handgun Control, Inc., launched a major, 21-city
extravaganza and a massive nationwide fund-raising campaign. What
are they after? Cash from your wealthier neighbors. They'll use
those dollars to stall the right to carry movement in the states,
pick away at Second Amendment freedoms wherever they can, and build
a barricade around the '94 gun ban. Get ready, folks! The gun ban
repeal battle has begun!
A LOOK AT THE STATES: Florida: Huge Victory for gun owners!
The House Appropriations Committee killed HB 639, a bill aimed at
banning gun shows by gutting the state firearms preemption law and
allowing cities and counties to regulate the sale, purchase or
transfer of firearms on government-owned property. The bill,
sponsored by Rep. Elvin Martinez, was defeated on a 14-18 vote!
Illinois: Next week is the last week the House can act on HB 568,
the NRA-backed state firearms preemption bill. Members: please
call your State Representatives and urge them to support HB 568.
Governor Edgar's threatened veto of this bill and SB 1129, right to
carry legislation, is a major obstacle to passage of these critical
reforms. Therefore it's critical that you call Governor Edgar at
(217) 782-0244 and let him know you strongly support these
measures!
Louisiana: On Tuesday, April 18, the Senate will vote on SB 886,
the Citizen's Right to Carry bill. The sponsor, State Senator and
gubernatorial candidate Mike Foster, is working to add a key
amendment to delete a $25,000 bond requirement and make other key
changes to the bill. Members: please call your State Senators at
342-2040 & urge them to support SB 886 with Sen. Foster's
amendment!
Nevada: On Friday, April 21, the Senate Judiciary's Concealed
Weapons Subcommittee will consider SB 299, right to carry reform
legislation. NRA-ILA and state activists are working to make
modifications to the bill to best protect your right to self-
defense. Members are encouraged to attend Friday's hearing at 8:00
a.m. in Senate Judiciary Hearing Room 224. Also, please call your
State Senators and urge them to support right to carry reform.
SPECIAL NOTE: This hearing has been postponed before, so please
call 1-800-367-5057, ext. 5545, to confirm hearing information!
North Carolina: HB 90, right to carry legislation, was reported out
of House Judiciary I and now moves to the House Finance Committee
for consideration. Work continues on getting the best possible
language in the bill so that it protects your right to self-
defense.
Oklahoma: The House passed SB 3, NRA-backed right to carry
legislation. The bill now moves to the Senate, which must accept
the House amendments before it can be sent to Governor Keating for
his expected signature! Members: please contact your State
Senators and urge them to support the House amendments to SB 3!
Oregon: The House passed HB 2784, the NRA-backed state firearms
preemption bill. HB 2784 has not yet been referred to a Senate
committee -- we'll keep you posted! On Thursday, April 20, the
Senate Judiciary Committee will consider SB 1096, NRA-supported
instant check legislation that replaces the state's 15-day waiting
period. However, amendments may be offered to the bill to retain
the current thumbprint requirement or establish some other
fingerprinting scheme. Please contact Senate Judiciary Committee
members & urge them to support SB 1096 without any of these gutting
amendments.
Texas: SB 60, NRA-backed right to carry legislation, will be
considered by the full House next week. However, amendments may be
offered to the bill which would put its passage at risk, including
a requirement that the issue be placed on the ballot for voter
approval and a tremendous increase in the number of training hours
to qualify for a permit. Members: please call your State
Representatives & urge them to support SB 60 without any gutting
amendments!
COURT ALLOWS GUN CRIME VICTIMS TO SUE MANUFACTURER!
On April 10, a California state trial court ruled that the victims
of a 1993 San Francisco shooting rampage may seek damages from the
manufacturer of the gun. The case centered around a lawsuit filed
by the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, which sought to hold
Intratec, the Miami-based manufacturer of the TEC-DC9, liable for
the actions of deranged gunman, Gian Luigi Ferri, who killed eight
and wounded six others in a San Francisco law firm in July of 1993.
Claiming that the marketing of the TEC-DC9 to the general public
constitutes an "ultrahazardous" activity, and therefore, the
victims should be allowed to seek damages from Intratec, supporters
of the suit show that they hold in equal regard the criminal act
perpetrated by Ferri and the legal act of producing a lawful
consumer product. While this ruling has only allowed the case to
proceed to a fact-finding stage, it could pave the way for victims
of similar shootings to sue firearms manufacturers who are in no
way, shape or form responsible for the actions of criminals. The
anti-gunners have proven again that when it comes to crime, they
prefer to blame anyone but the criminal! We'll keep you posted as
to any new developments.
*****
NRA GRASSFIRE!
The Newsletter for NRA-ILA Volunteers
April 1995 Vol. 1, No. 4
U.S. HOUSE HOLDS HISTORIC HEARINGS
On March 31st, in front of a packed room with NRA members
spilling out into the hallway, the Chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Crime, Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL), gavelled to
order the first of a series of hearings designed to educate the
American public on firearms ownership issues and the Second
Amendment, as part of the Congressional effort to overturn the
'94 gun ban. This hearing centered on the use of firearms for
self-defense. Unlike the past when pro-gun witnesses were
limited to one or two, this hearing featured eight men and women
who told compelling stories of how they used firearms to save
their lives. Their testimony made a mockery of Rep. Charles
Schumer's (D-NY) opening statement where he called self-defense a
"non-issue."
Panelists' testimonies varied widely. A Korean shop owner
told of defending himself during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. A
camper described using his Mini-14 and 30-round magazine to stop
his assailants. A woman explained how she managed to send two
intruders fleeing by merely chambering a round in her Colt AR-15.
The underlying theme of each individual's testimony was the
same -- their firearm was the difference between life and death.
Later in the day, testimony was heard by two of the nation's most
prominent scholars on firearms-related issues, who reiterated the
effectiveness of firearms as a deterrent to crime.
On April 5th, the House Subcommittee held its second hearing,
which featured the testimony of six officers varying in rank from
patrolman to police chief. These officers refuted the often
repeated myth that the police support gun control, and urged
Subcommittee members to repeal the Clinton gun ban. Tulsa police
officer Craig Roberts emphasized that during his tenure as a
policeman, he has never seen an instance where a criminal used an
"assault weapon." Officer Roberts noted that his experience
matched those of hundreds of his fellow men and women in blue who
also have never encountered an "assault weapon"
wielding criminal. Finally, the Sub- committee heard from a
host of Second Amendment scholars who spoke to the fact that the
Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear
arms. Included among the scholars who debunked the myth that the
Second Amendment pertains only to "militias": Profs. Joyce Lee
Malcolm, Daniel Polsby, Robert Cottrol and Nicholas Johnson.
In addition to the long overdue discussion of the Second
Amendment, and lack of support for gun control by police, long-
time and new voices in the gun rights movement surfaced: Reps.
Steve Schiff (R-NM), Bob Barr (R-GA), Fred Heineman (R-NC), Ed
Bryant (R-TN), Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Helen Chenoweth (R-ID),
all spoke eloquently on the right of citizens to defend
themselves. Although not a member of the Committee, Rep.
Chenoweth received permission from the Chairman to participate in
the hearings, where she stated her unequivocal support for the
right to self-defense and the relevance of the Second Amendment
in today's society. Rep. Barr, Chairman of the House Firearms
Legislation Task Force, clearly emerged as a pro-gun champion
unafraid to take on vocal gun grabbers like Reps. Schumer and Mel
Watt (D-NC), when he rebutted Schumer's opening remarks by noting
people who choose to own firearms are not "extremists," but
rather average law-abiding citizens. Perhaps Mr. Schumer would
be well advised to take a piece of advice offered by Congressman
Barr -- "open your eyes!"
SENATOR SHELBY GRILLS BATF
Sparks flew on March 23, when the Senate Appropriations
Treasury, Postal Service & General Government Subcommittee took
on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF). Staunch
pro-gun Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) faced-off with BATF
Director John Magaw, and grilled him on instance after instance
of BATF's abuse of civil rights -- attacking the home of a cancer
patient in Pennsylvania, shooting a half-asleep woman in
Missouri, and shoving a pregnant woman against the wall of her
Ohio home, prompting her miscarriage. Senator Shelby didn't stop
there -- he is now demanding a full accounting from this rogue
agency. Stay tuned!
THEY'RE BAAACK!
While most of the talk in Congress centers around repealing
the Clinton gun ban, at least two members of Congress are pushing
for more "gun control" restrictions. Notorious anti-gunners Rep.
Schumer and Sen. Bill Bradley (D-NJ) have introduced bills (H.R.
1321/S. 631) to expand the regulatory authority of BATF, and
calling for a host of new restrictions on law-abiding gun owners,
including: licensing gun owners and purchasers of ammunition;
registration of firearms and handgun barrels (yes, you read that
correctly!); limiting the number of handguns which can be
lawfully purchased to one per month; allowing the Secretary of
the Treasury to grant FFLs only if he deems that the lawful
demand for handguns in a given area is sufficient; and allowing
inspections of dealers whenever federal bureaucrats deem them to
be "necessary." H.B. 1321 and S. 631 have long way to go before
they're debated in either chamber -- if they get that far! Stay
tuned!
CONGRESS TO RECESS APRIL 7TH
On April 7th, Congress is scheduled to take a brief recess,
and many lawmakers will head home for "town meetings" with their
constituents. It's important that as many firearm owners as
possible attend these meetings to urge their federal legislators
to support efforts to repeal the Clinton gun ban. Action Alert!
Please call your U.S. Representative's office at (202) 225-3121
and find out if he has scheduled any town meetings during this
break. If he has, please attend and encourage your family and
friends to attend as well! Also, please call 1-800-392-8683 and
let NRA-ILA know that these meetings are scheduled -- we'll then
alert our members!
PAYING A PRICE FOR UPHOLDING HIS OATH
Supporting his oath of office to uphold the United States
Constitution, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole has pledged his
support for overturning President Clinton's gun ban this year.
Unfortunately, the media elite have been using their First
Amendment rights to attack Senator Dole for his support of our
Second Amendment rights. We respect Senator Dole's commitment to
freedom, and encourage our members to contact their local papers
to voice their appreciation for Senator Dole standing up to the
media's heat and supporting our Second Amendment rights.
BILLS ON THE MOVE IN THE STATES
Thanks to you, a number of pro-gun measures have been signed
into law in 1995, and still others are pending. Legislation to
allow law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for self-defense has
been signed into law in Arkansas, Idaho and Utah. In Virginia,
the General Assembly has passed right to carry reform
legislation, and Gov. George Allen's office says he will sign the
bill following the inclusion of NRA-supported amendments to
strengthen the bill. Statewide firearms preemption bills, which
set uniform gun laws throughout the state, have been signed by
the governors of Georgia, Utah and Wyoming. (Gov. Zell Miller of
Georgia also signed an instant check bill into law and the
legislature adopted a resolution encouraging public schools to
implement the NRA Eddie Eagle gun safety program.) Also, a range
protection bill was signed into law in Wyoming, and is awaiting
the Governor's signature in Indiana.
A number of other measures supporting the rights of law-
abiding citizens are making their way through the legislative
process: in California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina
and Texas, right to carry bills are at different stages of the
legislative process. Bills calling for state firearms preemption
are moving in Illinois, Kansas, Oregon and Wisconsin, while
legislation which seeks to protect shooting ranges from being
closed due to frivolous lawsuits is pending in Maine, Minnesota,
and Tennessee. NRA has managed to defeat, or is working on
killing, a number of anti-gun bills in various state
legislatures. Due to publication restraints, not all firearms-
related bills for every state can be listed. For additional
information on legislation in your state, please contact 1-800-
392-8683.
Special California Alert: California residents have a chance
to influence the direction of the California Department of Fish
and Game. Boyd Gibbons, Director of the Department of Fish and
Game, has submitted his resignation to Governor Pete Wilson who
will be making a new appointment. Members should contact the
Governor and urge him to appoint a Director who supports
sportsmen and who is aware of their valuable contributions!
NRA CRIMESTRIKE MOUNTS OHIO PAROLE BLOCK
When we learned that the Ohio Parole Board was poised to
consider the parole of convicted murderer Shawn Keffer after he
had served just 15 years of a life sentence for the brutal murder
of a 19-year-old Columbus man, NRA CrimeStrike sprang into
action! Working with the victim's family and Ohio Rep. Michael
R. Fox, NRA CrimeStrike held press conferences and delivered
petitions bearing signatures of 4,670 Ohio citizens opposed to
Keffer's parole. Our efforts paid off! On March 31, Keffer was
denied parole. Stopping parole is vital to our Second Amendment
rights, since criminals on parole commit more crimes for which
law-abiding gun owners are blamed. Rest assured NRA CrimeStrike
will continue to blaze new paths in this arena!
CLAIMS OF BRADY ACT'S SUCCESS DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY
Recent stories in the press boast that in its first year, the
Brady Act prevented tens of thousands of handgun transactions
from taking place. However, what the media aren't reporting is
that under the Brady Act, the Clinton Administration has netted
only four prosecutions! This should come as no surprise,
however, as in the two years that President Clinton has held
office, the prosecution of armed criminals has dropped 23%!
Again, Clinton and his gun-grabbing cronies have proven that
while they may be long on political rhetoric, their commitment to
fighting crime has fallen abysmally short!
MAINE COURT OVERTURNS BAN ON GUNS IN PUBLIC HOUSING
The Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, struck down a 20-year
state ban on guns in public housing projects, asserting that the
Portland Housing Authority lacked the authority to regulate the
possession of firearms. This is a victory for gun owners and the
NRA, who initiated the lawsuit on the grounds that the ban was
unconstitutional and a violation of state law. NRA is exploring
similar challenges in other states.
SECOND AMENDMENT CONFERENCE A GREAT SUCCESS
Constitutional scholars, historians, public policy experts,
media representatives and anti-gun advocates gathered in
Washington, D.C., April 2-4 to discuss and debate the right to
keep and bear arms at the first Second Amendment: Right Under
Fire? conference. Their efforts constituted a "grad course" in
Second Amendment studies for the more than 300 conference
attendees and left no doubt that the Second Amendment has always
safeguarded an individual right, a right the Founding Fathers did
not invent but knew they must protect. The conference was
sponsored by NRA and other organizations which support the
freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
In addition to listening to the experts who sat on nine
different panel discussions, those attending the conference heard
rousing speeches from U.S. Sens. Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Larry
Craig, Orrin Hatch and Trent Lott. Sen. Gramm stressed crime
control over "gun control," reminding conferees of Washington,
D.C.'s high murder rate and its "outright gun ban." The nation's
capital, Sen. Gramm said, "ought to be living proof that gun
control doesn't work." Looking to the future, Sen. Gramm told an
appreciative audience that he "can't wait for the opportunity to
rewrite the Clinton crime bill."
U.S. CONSTITUTION: LEAVE IT ALONE!
For many years, a number of governors and state legislators
have been calling for a Conference of the States to, among other
things, host a convention to re-examine the U.S. Constitution.
Currently, there isn't sufficient support for this constitutional
convention to take place. NRA is, and has been, opposed to the
Conference of the States and its call for a constitutional
convention, and believes that the law of our land does not need
rewriting. We'll keep you posted!
FATAL FIREARMS ACCIDENTS AT ALL-TIME LOW
The latest data (for calendar year 1992) from the National
Center for Health Statistics has arrived, with good news. The
number of fatal firearms accidents for the U.S. for 1992 (1,409)
is the lowest yearly number since records began being kept in
1903. The annual number of these accidents has been declining,
with a few fluctuations, since 1930. Opponents of our right to
keep and bear arms have been comparing guns to cars for some
time, claiming that government regulation has reduced car
accidents since 1968, and therefore "gun control" would similarly
reduce fatal firearms accidents today. However, since 1968, the
number of fatal firearms accidents has dropped 41%, while the
number of fatal motor vehicle accidents has dropped only 25%. In
1992, fatal firearms accidents comprised only 1.6% of all fatal
accidents nationwide. Since 1930, the U.S. population has
doubled
and the number of privately-owned firearms has
quadrupled, yet the annual number of fatal firearms accidents has
dropped 56%. The per capita fatal firearms accident rate has
dropped 85% since the all-time high recorded in 1904.
CDC/UMD "STUDY" OF RIGHT-TO-CARRY LAWS
With several state legislatures on the verge of adopting
right-to-carry legislation in March, the news media suddenly
reported research finding that such laws cause homicide rates to
rise. The reports were based on a press release rushed out by
University of Maryland researchers summarizing a study not
scheduled for publication until this summer. The study -- funded
with taxpayer dollars from the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) -- focused on a few metropolitan
counties in three states which had recently adopted right-to-
carry legislation, two of which (Florida and Oregon) had seen
their homicide rates fall after the law took effect and one
(Mississippi) which recorded an increase slower than the national
murder-rate. These were the same researchers who, using the same
methodology, found a sharp drop following adoption of a handgun
ban in Washington, D.C., even though the ban was followed first
by a slow rise in homicide, then a slow decline, and finally such
a dramatic increase that Washington recorded five of the six
highest homicide rates in the history of American big cities. It
was that study which won them hundreds of thousands of tax
dollars for studies like this.
NRA-ILA HITS THE AIRWAVES
As of March 5, NRA-ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa has
been featured on a weekly radio show called "Gun Talk," which
airs Sunday afternoons from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., on the Talk America
Radio Network. Hosted by outdoor writer Tom Gresham, this call-
in show gives Mrs. Metaksa time on each week's show (between 4:00
- 4:15 p.m.) to speak directly to relevant issues facing gun
owners today. "Gun Talk" has been picked up by some 25 radio
stations nationwide. To find out if a station near you is
carrying the program, call NRA-ILA!
NRA TV IS HERE
Get the Truth About Firearms Issues -- Get NRA-TV! NRA-TV,
the NRA's weekly one-hour TV newsmagazine, is shown every
Wednesday at 10 p.m. E.S.T., on National Empowerment Television
(NET). NRA-TV features live news coverage, updates on
legislation, live call-in segments, and interviews with
newsmakers like Charlton Heston, Sen. Phil Gramm (TX), Rep. Bill
Brewster (OK), film director John Milius, actress Susan Howard,
and more.
If your local cable system doesn't carry NET: (1) Lobby your
local cable company. Call and write, and ask them to add
National Empowerment Television to their channel lineup. (2) If
your cable company says that they don't carry NET live because of
satellite access costs, they can still run NRA-TV on videotape.
To have tapes sent to a local cable, public access, or broadcast
station, please call NRA Public Affairs at (703) 267-3820. (3)
Even if local stations won't air NRA-TV or other NET programs,
you can still watch them by satellite on the Hughes Galaxy-7
satellite, transponder 20-V. Help spread the word -- help your
community get NRA-TV!
*****
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle
Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA.
This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is
available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org,
gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org,
mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message)
Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the
NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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