Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
GEnie Outdoors Roundtable Newsletter 1995 June
GEnie Outdoors Roundtable
Newsletter
June, 1995 edition
Edited by John Marshall
(J.MARSHALL2 / PALADIN)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OBSERVATIONS ON THE NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS by John Marshall 9506A
INDIVIDUAL INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WW II by John Marshall 9506B
BIO: GEORGE MANDRY by George Mandry 9506C
COMBAT ARMS SURVEY: WILL YOU KILL AS ORDERED? by John Marshall 9506D
THE CLASSIC HANDGUN MAGNUMS by John Marshall 9506E
NRA NEWS by the NRA staff 9506F
ENCLOSED FILES:
PARIS_GI.GIF
KEITH.GIF
SHARPE.GIF
---------------------------------------------------------------------
9506A OBSERVATIONS ON THE NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS by John Marshall
*NRA *CONVENTION *ANNUAL MEETINGS *PHOENIX
Friday, May 19th dawned beautifully, as it usually does this time of
year in Phoenix. Today was to be special in other ways, at it was the
start of the National Rifle Association's annual meetings, an event I
hadn't been part of since the last time it was hosted in Phoenix in
the early '80s - back when Ronald Reagan was the featured speaker as
President of the United States. Somehow I can't imagine the current
resident of the White House doing that today.
I arrived early enough that I managed to get to the Convention Center
parking lot before the ticket-giver. She came running up without
change or tickets, so I promised to come back later and pay her, which
I did.
I had breakfast at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is about
3 blocks from the convention center. It is the NRA headquarters
hotel for this event. As I ate, I made a mental game of trying to
spot NRA members as they came to breakfast. I looked for short
haircuts, people older than most, white and male. Perhaps this was a
stereotype, because I witnessed young couples, whites, hispanics and
blacks. I spotted Roy Innes, head of the Congress of Racial Equali-
ty, who just happens to be a staunch NRA member and champion of the
right to keep and bear arms.
Since I had not registered for the grassroots seminars by mail, I had
to pay $10 at the door instead of the $5 I would have had to pay if I
had planned ahead. No matter. The NRA could use the money. I
thought I was a bit early, but pastries, fruit and coffee were already
there, and so were some of the NRA leadership. I re-introduced
myself to Tanya Metaksa, the NRA-Institute for Legislative action
chief, and to my delight, she sat next to me at my table. About this
time the TV cameras swarmed around our table (Tanya gets a lot of
press), and she chided them that no microphones would be allowed here,
because she had agreed to their presence if they would only do back-
ground shots, not full-scale recording. They finally put away the
mikes. At any rate, you may see me together with Tanya on ABC, talk-
ing with other members of the group at our table.
I used the opportunity to ask her about some things that had been on
my mind. I ventured the opinion that the "Assault Weapons Ban"
repeal didn't have a snowball's chance in you know where, with Clinton
almost certain to veto it, and what her strategy would be in bringing
it up in Congress now. What she said made some sense. She replied
that the repeal vote would give us a headcount of who our friends are
in Congress, and that we could use that information in the polling
booths. As for Clinton, she said that if he vetoes the bill when it
gets to his desk, "He will veto his own presidency." Strong words,
but from this bulldog-willed lady, I find them more than believable.
I also asked her if she had any insight on ex-president Bush's resig-
nation from the NRA, purportedly over a strongly-worded fund-raising
letter by Wayne LaPierre, Executive VP of the NRA, which criticised
some Federal agents as "jack-booted thugs." She looked me right in
the eye and said: "Payback time." As you probably know, Bush did not
receive NRA's endorsement in the '92 elections because of his actions
in restricting imports of certain types of firearms. To her mind, it
was simply politics - and at its usual worst.
I asked her also if she had any bets on the Presidential contest to
come, and she said she never betted on presidential elections. We
talked a bit about Bob Dole and Phil Gramm, two pro-gunners who are
seeking the Republican nomination. I ventured my opinion that Dole
seemed too willing to compromise, and that I had personal knowledge of
Gramm saying what he believes and then following through - as many of
you know, I lived in Texas for many years, and Phil was my senator.
She replied that Dole has stood up for us, too - and it was apparent
that she and Dole have a good working relationship. I can't knock
that, as Dole is Senate majority leader, with a lot of clout.
We also talked about Henry Hyde, the chairman of the House judiciary
committee - a man who has voted against gun rights in the past. She
smiled, and said that the real power in the Senate is a four-letter
word: N - E - W - T. I also got the feeling that she and Speaker of
the House Newt Gingrich have a good and cordial relationship!
The grassroots workshops were middlingly interesting - nothing really
new, although several NRA innovations were talked about, including
their fax network (summary faxes free to requesters every Friday), and
the NRA's forays into the information superhighway - NRA.ORG on the
Internet, and the NRA bulletin board "Gun Talk" which is available to
all NRA members.
The Director of the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division was, surprisingly, a
fairly young and very attractive woman - Catherine "Cathy" Grant. She
had a lot of sparkle, and I sensed she is very enthused about her
work. For more info on the Grassroots program, you can reach her at
703-267-1170.
Phil Journey, a grassroots activist and attorney in Kansas, gave a
good talk on how to build a successful state association. Phil has
obviously been there and done that. He discussed how to organize and
form the leadership and committees to get the job done at the state
level. Good, solid scoop.
Sam Stone, a grassroots volunteer, talked about fundraising programs,
and emphasized the "Friends of the NRA" programs which have been so
successful.
Two city councilmen, Hayden Heal (Orange, CA) and Paul Payne (River-
side CA) gave hints on how to establish and build on relationships
with local governments. They emphasized appearance, respect, sinceri-
ty, and having your facts straight.
Although there was a Director of Civilian Marksmanship update, hosed
by "Gil" Gilchrest of the NRA Competitions Division and Michael Rob-
ertson of the DCM, I have to admit I missed it - the call of the
exhibit hall became much to strong, and I lit out for the Convention
Center for what was my favorite pastime at my last annual meeting -
walking around and seeing the exhibits.
When I got to the convention center, I stopped to verify my creden-
tials for voting for the 76th board member - bylaws provide for voting
for that person from the floor at the annual meetings; also, I re-
ceived a voting packet for various issues which will arise tomorrow
(as I write this). There was a short wait in line while several NRA
volunteers verified status on their computers. If the computers
failed, there was a small room full of hard copy lists of members - I
suspected certain people in this world would kill to get that list.
I also took the time to go over to the Press room, staffed by NRA
volunteers, where members of the media got credentials which would
allow them on the floor. I found a friend - the lady who had been
one of the instructors in my CCW class recently. I smiled and told
her I needed a media card - after all, I am the GEnie Outdoors News-
letter editor! She gave me a media card, and I was to find it useful
later, as I'll relate.
Outside the exhibit hall, the NRA was selling T-shirts, tote bags,
mugs, hats, jackets, and a million doodads with the NRA logo on them,
and doing a land office business. The mob within the souvenir com-
pound was back to back and belly-to-belly, and the check-out lines
were enormous. I discovered the short line was the cash-pay line,
and so I maneuvered in there and got checked out pretty quickly - got
a Phoenix NRA Annual Meetings tote bag and an extra-large NRA coffee
mug; it will hold about the right amount of caffein to get me kick-
started in the mornings!
The exhibit hall was 3/4 commercial. Virtually every firearms company
in the world was there in force. Also, every accessory outfit I've
ever heard of was there. Just walking through, I managed to fill my
tote bag and two more, provided by Colt, with stuff - brochures,
magazines, logo pins, bushing wrenches, pens, - you name it. Three
very attractive ladies, one each from Colt, Ruger, and VihtaVuori Oy,
autographed posters of themselves with their products for me, in
endearing terms, festooned with little hearts. I have such an effect
on the ladies! Well, OK, maybe they did that for anyone who asked,
and I'm not ashamed - I ASKED!
I wore my media credentials, and I found that if I expressed interest
in a small- or medium-cost product and explained that I was in a posi-
tion to tout a good product, my address was taken down by the sales
rep! I look forward particularly to reviewing a handgun reloading
video tape which is almost certain to arrive on my doorstep from
Sierra. I'll letcha all know if it's any good... ALMOST got a free
tritium handgun sight installation for my big Colt from an outfit in
Albuquerque, but they wound up only promising a small discount. I
certainly won't mention their name HERE. <G> Heck, I wasn't going
to part with my slide for 30 days anyway. I might need it, you never
know!
Colt had a huge blimp flying around inside the arena - maneuvered by a
guy on the floor with radio controls. Very impressive, except when I
wanted to walk back to the Colt exhibit, I looked for the balloon, as
I remembered it was over the Colt digs earlier. Didn't realize it was
moving around until I found it hovering over the Smith and Wesson
exhibit! Talk about upstaging...
I mentioned that the commercial exhibits were 3/4 of the exhibit hall,
which was huge. The other 1/4 was reserved for collector exhibits,
and collector's groups from around the country had put together some
pretty impressive displays. I saw and touched the best-condition
original Colt Walker revolver ever seen. Turns out it was Capt.
Walker's own handgun! It's a priceless relic that was returned to the
good Captain's family after his untimely death in the Mexican-American
War, and kept in the family until 1979. It's probably the prize of
prizes in Colt collecting, and there it was, under the watchful eye of
two very nervous paid guards. I did ask permission to touch it, and I
did so only on the wood grips. I'd rate its condition as "fine" by
NRA antique standards. I have now had a direct and personal link
with a real piece of history.
I was also impressed by two Colt 1911 collections. One was restricted
only to WW I-era 1911s, and the other spanned both WW I and WW II.
Truly excellent displays and very well done.
There were several Presidential firearms on display, on loan from the
National Firearms Museum at NRA headquarters. A double rifle and
Model 1900 FN .32 caliber pistol that belonged to Teddy Roosevelt were
there, as well as the shotgun presented to Pres. Eisenhower by Nikita
Khrushchev of the (then) Soviet Union, and Ronald Reagan's flintlock
Kentucky rifle replica.
I could go on about the collector displays, but I'll give them more
attention, perhaps, tomorrow. I had to run to catch the 20th-birthday
celebration of the NRA-ILA, held in another large exhibit hall nearby.
Tanya Metaksa was the MC and head cheerleader. She introduced several
speakers, including Sheriff Mack of Arizona, who challenged the Brady
law and won, having it declared unconstitutional by our State Federal
Court of Appeals, in that it required an unfunded action of local
governments by the Federal Government. He gave a humble talk, accept-
ed an award as NRA Lawman of the year, and mentioned that his own 20th
wedding anniversary coincided with the NRA-ILA 20th-year anniversary.
A 10-minute video was shown which covered NRA's successes in the
recent elections. There was general cheering as each victory was
cited.
Tanya Metaksa received a standing ovation on her ascent to the podium,
and it was clear the members were 100% behind her in her efforts. The
unity was apparent.
The media was out in force, and true to form, they concentrated their
picture-taking efforts on those whose manner of dress was a bit more
outlandish - they liked bearded individuals with NRA caps, beer bel-
lies and slogan-festooned wear. It was obvious that they weren't
going to photograph normal-looking people in conservative dress. The
guy across the aisle from me, festooned from head to toe with slogans
and pins, was mobbed by the press. He represented probably 1/10 of 1%
of the people in attendance in his manner of dress, but guess who got
the attention. It was obvious what was happening, and frankly, it
teed me off.
Tanya herself was mobbed following her speech. I'm sure any remarks
she made to the press will be excerpted, and you'll only hear the
words the media wants you to hear. Guess how that will be slanted.
We had cake, punch, and chippy-dippy following the talks at ILA's
birthday celebration. Very nice.
From there, I went to a VIP reception honoring Life Members and higher
contributory members. Wayne LaPierre, Neal Knox, and Tanya Metaksa,
and Tom Washington all gave rousing talks. It was very apparent the
NRA leadership was in unison and dedicated to doing an aggressive
pro-gun job at every level. I won a door prize - a set of, you
guessed it, four NRA stoneware coffee mugs!
It was getting late and my feet were tired. I got home, picked up my
newspaper to see what slant the media would put on the meetings. Sure
enough, enough to make my blood boil, they focused on a dissident ex-
board member who thought the present leadership too focused on the
right to keep and bear arms. The article I read played up dissention
in the ranks, when everything I had heard and saw showed me that the
NRA has its act together. I remarked at the VIP reception that Sarah
Brady would probably kill to have an organization this big, this
dedicated, and this well-organized to do the job. Sure enough, in
the paper this evening was a half-page ad by Sarah herself, trying to
tie the NRA to militias and pleading for donations to combat this
radical, right-wing organization. I understand the Handgun Control,
Inc. President is here this weekend as well. Gee, I wonder why. I
gotta tell you, folks, compared to the awesome clout the NRA is dis-
playing this weekend, HCI comes off as pathetic and emotional. I
can't imagine an HCI annual meeting that could hold a candle to what I
have been witnessing today.
Well, I'm tired. I'll fill you in on the morrow's happenings tomor-
row!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, May 20. It wasn't my usual weekend attire, but I dressed in
slacks, a dress shirt and tie today - the NRA members banquet was to
be this evening, and I knew I wouldn't want to come back to my place
to change - parking for this event was five dollars, and I sure as
heck didn't want to have to pay it twice! Besides, too often the NRA
image has been stereotyped in other ways, and if I spoke at the mem-
bers' meeting, I wanted the impression to be cleancut.
Once again, I had breakfast at the Holiday Inn headquarters and chat-
ted with many NRA members who were up early. I had decided that I
wanted to attend the NRA gun collectors' committee meeting at 7:00 AM,
but when I reached the civic plaza, there was some confusion about the
meeting. I bumped into Doug Wicklund, who happens to be the NRA's
curator of collections at the national firearms museum. We both
finally found the meeting room, only to discover that it was empty.
I got the distinct impression that the gun collecting segment of the
association is not well organized. That impression was reinforced by
my recollection that the NRA had announced years ago that they wanted
to put together an annual collecting publication. I still have the
one and only issue. If this sound like criticism, it is. I fully
understand the focus of the NRA must be on influencing politics or we
won't have any firearms to collect, but as a collector, I'm somewhat
disappointed.
At any rate, Doug and I went back to the main display area, which
wouldn't be open to the public until 10:00. Since I was with Doug,
the guards let me in, and we found the collector committee was in the
process of judging the collector displays. This was most enjoyable
for me, as I got to roam the displays without mobs of people competing
for my observation space. By the way, I took the opportunity to
touch THE Walker Colt again (only on the wood, of course)!
The annual meeting, the heart and soul of the convention, began at
10:00. There were nice speeches by several of the NRA leadership, but
the real fun didn't begin until Tanya Metaksa and Wayne LaPierre had
their says. Tanya ripped the news media and the Clinton administra-
tion a new posterior orifice in a very dramatic way. She had managed
to assemble, in person, scores of citizens who had been the victims of
ATF abuse, who had used guns to defend themselves, and who had stood
up to the Brady Bill. In each case, as she asked these people to
stand up and be recognized, she asked "Where is the heart of the NRA?"
Time after time, as each of these people stood up to
be recognized, the nearly 2,000 NRA members in the auditorium rose to
their feet and applauded them for being there. It was an emotional
experience to know that these brave people took the trouble to be
there as living proof of what NRA has been talking about for a long
time. Guns in the hands of honest citizens deter crime; the govern-
ment has been overzealous in abusing the right of the law-abiding
citizenry to keep and bear arms, and it needs to be called to account
for it.
Then, the moment most of us had been waiting for arrived. Wayne
LaPierre strode up to the podium to thunderous applause, stamping of
feet, whistling and shouts of approval. He didn't disappoint. With
no apologies to anyone, he launched right into the current resident of
the White House's recent question "Who do these people think they
are?"
"Mr. President," Wayne said, "I'll tell you who we are. We're the
people who helped clean out Congress in 1994, and we are going to help
clean your clock in 1996."
You couldn't hear yourself think for the next few minutes as the
entire audience stood to its feet and gave Wayne a tumultuous ovation.
Let there be no doubt - the NRA is big, it's united, it's strong, and
it's in the Clinton administration's face. Again, I wished that
Sarah Brady and her band of bleating rabbits could see this demonstra-
tion of the power and the force of this organization when it gets its
dander up. Believe me, the NRA has its dander up, and it's going to
be Katie bar the door through the '96 elections. No quarter, no
prisoners.
The rest of the meeting was rather anticlimactic, long and sometimes
trying. Any voting member could offer resolutions from the floor,
and during the time allocated, about 50 did in writing for considera-
tion. These were considered one by one. Some were inane and point-
less. When one was offered that would have the NRA commending the
police officer who shot and killed the crazy individual who recently
drove a tank through a California city, I about lost it, and had to
say my piece, which was basically that the man was hung up on a median
with a busted tread, unarmed and going nowhere further when the office
opened the hatch and summarily shot the man in the neck, killing him.
I'm sure an investigation into this will result, and whether or not it
was a justifiable police shooting would not be determined by the NRA,
but by a police board of inquiry. To put ourselves on record about
such a thing before the full facts are known was senseless, and I said
so.
Other resolutions did pass, such as one which reaffirmed our solidari-
ty with the police in this country, and a pledge to re-cement our
relationship with them. Another which would have censured a dissi-
dent member who was getting press far out of proportion to his impact
on the course of the organization, was defeated, wisely, I think.
Championing the Second Amendment yet taking a member to task for the
exercise of his First Amendment rights did not make a lot of sense, no
matter how much 99 and 99/100 of the membership disagreed with him.
All in all, I can tell you that there is absolutely, despite anything
you may have read in the press, NO indication that the overwhelming
majority of the NRA have anything but respect and support for its
leadership. This was shown time and time again as resolutions came
up for the Institute for Legislative Action to address one issue or
the other. Each time, the members agreed that the ILA has been doing
one heck of a job, and they need to be let alone to continue with what
they feel will be in the best interests of gun owners, choosing the
times and methods to address the issues we all know are there. Full
confidence in Tanya Metaksa and Wayne LaPierre was particularly evi-
dent.
There was also absolutely no evidence of any power struggle within the
leadership. None. Neal Knox, the often-controversial former ILA
head who is now in line for the presidency of the association, was
absent from the head table for much of the meeting. It was revealed
that he had been taken to the hospital for a checkup after some worri-
some health signs following the previous long night. Neal did return
later in the afternoon, and was granted time to make a brief speech,
in which he reaffirmed that you can't believe all that you read in the
newspapers - the NRA leadership is united and focused on the tasks
ahead.
As the general meeting adjourned, I took a last tour of the commercial
displays in the main area, and then retired to the reception that
preceded the evening's member banquet. I was delighted to get to
meet, shake hands with, and talk briefly with Gen. Joe Foss, WW II
fighter ace and Congressional Medal of Honor winner. Joe is also a
past president of NRA, and a former governor of South Dakota. It was
a rare honor. Joe was wearing his CMH around his neck. His wife
seemed very nice, and obviously is very, very proud of her husband and
all he has stood for. Later in the evening, Joe was presented a
statue honoring his 80th birthday, which coincided with the conven-
tion.
The banquet was very nice; the colors were presented down the main
aisle, handled by the Scottsdale Police Explorer Scouts, and followed
by a skirling bagpipe band. The National Anthem was sung, followed
by the pledge of allegiance. The news media was there in force once
again, as the main speaker was Texas Senator Phil Gramm, Republican
candidate for President. Following the invocation and brief talks by
NRA leaders, Gramm was introduced by Arizona Governor Fife Symington.
By the way, Symington held his NRA card aloft to the flashes of strobe
units and the whir of video cameras, saying "I'm keeping mine." He
got a standing ovation on that by everyone.
Gramm entertained the audience with tales of duck hunting with his
kids and about his 82-year-old momma, who packs a .38 special at home.
During the recent uproar over the Oklahoma bombing, both Phil and she
had received anonymous crackpot threats - this was evidently very
common across the country. Phil said she knows how to use the re-
volver, and had called him with a question. She asked "Phil, you
reckon with all this meanness, I ought to get me a bigger pistol?"
Gramm also said "We haven't had a dedicated, committed hunter in the
White House since Theodore Roosevelt. I tell you, it's been too
long." Another standing ovation.
I got a chuckle out of Phil's comment that he owns more shotguns than
he needs, but not as many as he wants. Here's a man I can under-
stand!
Gramm launched into the "criminal justice" system in a big way, advo-
cating Arizona-style tent cities, chain gangs, and the elimination of
such perks as color TVs and weight-lifting gyms in prisons. He
wanted to repeal three obscure federal laws that provide that prison-
ers have to be paid union scale if they produce goods which can be
sold on the market. He wants prisoners to work 10 hours, 6 days a
week, and if they are illiterate, learn to read and write in prison
school so they can learn a trade and be productive on release. He
also wants the government to be held accountable by civil suits if
they release two-time losers early and they commit mayhem on the
citizenry, remarking that 70% of the crime is committed by 7% of the
criminals - repeat offenders. He advocated the death penalty for
murderers, and quick justice - no more than 6 months from indictment
to incarceration or death if one is found guilty, plus streamlining of
the appellate system. One comprehensive appeal for death row inmates,
done soon, and that's it.
Like many of us, Phil evidently believes that the answer to crime is
jail, not taking guns away from honest citizens.
Following Phil's departure (he was invited to appear on TV by David
Brinkley in Denver, and had to catch a plane), Wayne LaPierre men-
tioned an anecdote about the senior senator from Texas. He said
following Phil's last election, which he won handily with NRA endorse-
ment, he had called Wayne to ask if he could come over to NRA head-
quarters for a bit. Wayne said sure, and Phil spent four hours
there, shaking hands with every single staffer, secretary, clerk and
floor-scrubber in the place, thanking them for their help in his
election.
Phil's parting words to the convention were: "I don't forget who my
friends are." I think he means it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
As I write this, Sunday's NRA activities are varied. There's a spe-
cial session in which the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia
is offering a seminar as part of a hunting educational exchange pro-
gram with the NRA. There's also another special session on grassroots
networking, one on long-range rifle shooting for police, and another
on Women, Laws, Freedom and Guns. There will also be a special
Women's reception to wrap up the day.
Me? After two exhausting days, I'm going to the gun show which coin-
cides with the annual meetings, out at the State Fairgrounds. You
know me, Al. <G>
I hope this brief synopsis of the NRA annual meetings gives you some-
thing of the flavor of the event; things you might not read about in
the newspapers. I enjoyed it immensely, felt a part of it, and
reveled in the feeling that I was among friends of like mind. The NRA
is solid, it's united, and it's dedicated to preserving your rights as
delineated in the Bill of Rights. If you own a gun, are thinking
about owning a gun, or even if you just believe that the Bill of
Rights should be kept inviolate for future generations, you belong in
the NRA. They are working for you, and very hard, I might add.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9506B U.S. INDIVIDUAL INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WW II by John Marshall
*WW II *INFANTRY WEAPONS *COLLECTING *WORLD WAR II
With the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II rapidly approach-
ing, collector interest in the weapons used by the United States has
grown rapidly. For that reason, I thought a brief review of the
weaponry used by our troops in that conflict might be in order. It's
not my intent to make this a definitive work, but only to point out
the various weapons used, some highlights on each, and whet your
interest for further study. Many subcategories for collecting make
themselves apparent in any look at these weapons, and there is still
ample opportunity to make an impressive collection in any of these
subcategories. For example, U.S. combat knives of this era could
make an interesting collector field, as could the variations of M1
carbines, for example. Most of these weapons are still pretty easy
to obtain, but that won't hold true for long. Of course, some fall
under the provisions of the Firearms Act of 1934 by virtue of being
capable of full-automatic fire, and a collection of these would be
pretty expensive and laden with necessary government paperwork and
taxes. At any rate, here's an overview of the primary non-crew-
served weapons of our infantry forces during WW II, and I'll separate
the major categories as I proceed. For a representative picture of
some of the troops who used these weapons, see PARIS_GI.GIF in this
issue.
EDGED WEAPONS:
M1905 Bayonet. The standard bayonet for the Springfield M1903 rifle
was the Model 1905 bayonet, with a 16" blade and wood scales (grips).
It also fit the M1 Garand rifle, and was used on that rifle as well.
As the war progressed, the so-called "M1942" bayonet came into being,
basically identical to the 1905, but with plastic grips. Many earlier
1905 bayonets were rebuilt, parkerized, and equipped with plastic
scales to conform to the 1942 pattern. Early 1905 bayonets were made
exclusively by Springfield Armory and Rock Island Armory, and are so
marked, either "SA" or "RIA" and a date. The later model 1905 bayo-
nets will have the maker's name or initials and the date, typically
"1942." All of these latter types were parkerized. Scabbards for
the 1905 bayonets were originally leather, then cloth-covered wood,
and then finally plastic. Most common, and standard for WW II, was
the plastic variety, called the M3 scabbard.
M1 Bayonet. The 1905 bayonets were soon judged unwieldy because of
their length, and too wasteful of precious steel. The standard bayo-
net for the M1903 and M1 rifles soon became the M1 bayonet. This was
essentially a shortened 1905 model, with a blade length of about 10".
Many earlier M1905 bayonets were shortened to 10", and can be spotted
because the fuller ("blood groove") runs the length of the blade.
Original-made M1 bayonets have the fuller running only partway up the
blade; these were made from 1943 on. The M1 bayonet and the short-
ened 1905 bayonets were equipped with a plastic scabbard, the M7.
M1917 bayonet. Bayonets for the Model of 1917 "Enfield" rifle were
still in use during WW II on that rifle, which was used primarily for
stateside guard duty and training. These bayonets were made by both
Winchester and Remington, and will be found so marked. They were
equipped with the original-style green leather scabbard, or a newer
plastic variety which came into use very late in the war. Many 1917
bayonets were rebuilt and parkerized during the war. These bayonets
also fit the many trench shotguns used during the war.
M1941 Johnson bayonet. This spike bayonet was an anachronism, harking
back to bayonets used during the civil war. It was short and light to
permit functioning of the recoiling barrel of the M1941 Johnson se-
miauto rifle. It was equipped with a sewn leather scabbard, which is
now becoming almost impossible to find. Some fake Johnson scabbards
have come on the market to meet this demand in recent years.
M4 Bayonet-Knife. This spinoff of the M3 trench knife was designed
for attachment to the late-war M1 carbines, which had a bayonet lug.
Few were issued during the war. These had leather handles, and the
classic M3 blade shape, still used today on the M7 bayonets used on
the M16 rifle. They had muzzle rings and stacked leather washers as
a grip; early ones had no plastic spacers near the blade and the
pommel, and later ones did, in an attempt to retard rotting of the
leather. M4 bayonets were produced by American Cutlery Co, (ACC),
Aerial, Camillus, Case, Imperial, Kinfolks, Inc. (KI), Pal and Utica
during the war. After the war, the M4 was made by many manufacturers
with black plastic grips; these would not be correct for a WW II-era
collection. The name of the maker is usually on the crossguard.
Standard scabbards were the plastic M8 (no belt hooks), and the M8A1,
which had belt hooks. Recently, there have been some repro M4s with
leather handles imported, so beware of fakes.
M1918 Mark 1 Trench Knife. None of these were produced during the
war, but many left over from the First World War were utilized. This
knife had "brass knucks" for a handle, and a blackened blade sharpened
on both sides. They were made by Landers, Frary and Clark (LF&C), and
Au Lion, which was the French manufacturer during the first war. The
handle was originally blackened, but age has worn this off on most
knives seen today, showing the underlying brass. The scabbard was a
blackened metal job with two hooks on the back for clipping over the
top and bottom of a pistol or cartridge belt. Many fakes and repro-
ductions of this knife are around.
M3 Trench Knife. This knife was originally issued to those equipped
with the M1 carbine, which had no bayonet lug during most of the war.
The classic blade is easily recognizable, as many latter U.S. bayonets
used it. The guard has a bent-forward portion which was meant for the
thumb in a proper combat hold. It was a very handy close-quarters
fighting knife. The original scabbard was leather, and these are
pretty rare today in good shape. Later, the M8 and M8A1 scabbards
used with the latter M4 carbine bayonet-knife were used. These
knives are getting very expensive now, and the leather scabbard is a
real prize. Camillus is now making repros of the M3, so be sure you
are getting an original for collecting purposes.
V-42 Stiletto Knife. The V-42 is among the rarest of WW II edged
weapons. They were issued only to the First Special Service Force
(joint Canadian-U.S. commandos). The blade was long, sharp and point-
ed, and featured a "thumbprint" thumb-purchase imprint on the base of
the blade. It also had a "skull-crusher" point on the pommel. It was
only made by Case. The scabbard was plain and unmarked.
Mark 2 "Ka-Bar" knife. This is the classic Navy and Marine Corps
bowie-style knife with a leather handle, and it is still made today.
These knives were made by Ka-Bar, Camillus, Robeson, and Pal during WW
II. After the war, they were also produced by Conetta and Utica and
some other firms. The Mark 2 can be found stamped either "U.S.M.C."
or "U.S.N." The Marine Corps generally used a leather scabbard, while
the Navy was issued a grey plastic scabbard with the knife, but only
later in the war. Leather scabbards could be plain or marked for the
Marines or the Navy, either "USMC" or "USN."
Marine Raider Stiletto. This knife was a direct take-off of the
famous Sykes-Fairbairn English commando fighting knife, except that
the handle was a zinc-aluminum alloy, and the blade was etched with a
scroll enclosing "USMC." It was issued only to the elite Marine
Raiders, and was made only by Camillus. The plain leather scabbard
lacked any markings. The etching on the blade tended to wear off
easily, and the handle deteriorated easily by leeching over time.
These knives are rare and expensive when found, and good-condition
specimens with an original scabbard are outstanding collector's items.
V-44 "Gung Ho" knife. This large bowie-style knife was widely issued
during the war, but the prized ones are serial numbered and have green
horn handles. These were issued to the "Carlson's Raiders" of the
Marine Corps. Unnumbered knives with green horn handles are more
common, and many of these were issued to other Raider and Marine
units. The Carlson knives were made by Collins and were serial num-
bered 1 to 1000. Fakes abound. Black-plastic handled examples are
also known, and are regularly encountered with other makers' names,
notably Case. Rare are the green-handled variety, and ultra-rare are
the Carlson knives. All of these knives had a brass guard with
knobs, or finials, at the ends of the guard.
U.S. Medical Corpsman's Knife. A large bolo-style knife with a
rounded end and wood handles, marked "USMC." The leather scabbards
are marked with dates from 1942 to 1945.
USMC Intrenching Machete. A large bolo-style knife with a squared-off
end. It had a canvas scabbard with a brown leather tip.
U.S.N. Mark 1 Machete. Used by the Navy and Marine Corps, this ma-
chete had a light 26" bright blade. The grips were black plastic, and
it was issued with a green canvas scabbard.
U.S.N. Mark 2 Machete. Similar to the Mark 1, but it had a shorter
22" blade. Some blades were bright, some were blackened. All were
marked with the maker's name and the year of production. Many of the
machetes used early in the war had leather scabbards, but canvas soon
became standard due to the leather variety rotting in the jungles of
the Pacific.
U.S. 18" Machete. Large numbers of these were made and issued to both
Army and Marine Corps personnel. They all had blackened 18" blades,
and were issued with canvas scabbards equipped with belt hooks. This
blade was also commonly issued to Army airborne troops during the war.
HANDGUNS:
M1911 and M1911A1 .45 Pistols: These big semiauto pistols are so
widely known that they need little introduction here. Many WW I 1911
pistols were used during WW II, even though the latter M1911A1 was
standard. Large numbers of 1911s were rebuilt and parkerized during
the war for issue. The M1911s had long triggers, no cutouts behind
the trigger in the frame, and flat mainspring housings. The M1911A1s
had the frame cutouts, shorter triggers, and an arched mainspring
housing. The A1 front sights were higher and thicker, and the A1s had
a longer grip safety tang. Nearly all A1s were parkerized, but early
blued examples are found. 1911 manufacturers were Colt, Springfield
Armory (the original government armory in Springfield, Massachusetts,
not the modern commercial manufacturer), and Remington-UMC. Some A.J.
Savage slides will be found on Colt frames. WW II makers of the
1911A1 were Colt, Remington-Rand, Ithaca, Union Switch and Signal, and
just 500 by Singer Sewing Machine Co. These latter pistols are
ultra-rare and very, very expensive when found in almost any condi-
tion. All used the standard brown leather Model 1916 holster, or the
M3 leather shoulder holster.
1917 Revolvers, Cal. .45 ACP. These big revolvers were made by both
Colt and Smith and Wesson during WW I, and many found their way into
service use during WW II. Most were issued stateside, but some
actually saw combat usage. They utilized a unique "half-moon" clip
to hold 3 cartridges ready to go into the cylinder, providing head-
space for no-ledge chambers and a way to eject the empties with the
ejector rod and star. Many of these old revolvers were rebuilt and
parkerized for use in WW II. All had plain wood grips. They are
found with leather holsters in both reversed "cavalry style" (butt
forward on the right side), and in normal configuration (butt rearward
on right side).
Smith & Wesson "Victory Model" Revolvers. These were simply the S&W
medium-frame revolvers, chambered for .38 special, with 4" barrels,
parkerized, and equipped with a lanyard loop in the butt. They were
most often issued to aviators (with a shoulder holster) and to state-
side MP/Shore Patrol units (with a hip holster). Navy, Marine Corps,
and Army aviators all used them. Those with "S" added to the prefix
in the serial numbers had an improved hammer block to preclude firing
when dropped. All had "V" or "VS" - prefixed serial numbers. Some
revolvers will be found with "SV" serial numbers, the "S" stamped on
the opposite side of the lanyard ring on the butt. These were simply
earlier models which had been reworked to include the added hammer
block. These revolvers should not be confused with the OTHER "Victo-
ry Model" S&W revolver. This one was chambered for the .38 S&W car-
tridge, and had a 5" barrel. Most of these went to the British for
use during the war, as the British used the .38 S&W cartridge as a
standard number. Some U.S. Victory Models were equipped with 2"
barrels, but these are relatively rare. Many .38 special Victory
Models were marked "U.S. Navy" on the topstrap or on the left side.
All Victory models had plain wood grips.
Colt Commando Revolver. This was the old Colt Official Police revolv-
er with a parkerized finish and plain plastic grips, in cal. .38
special. Most common markings are a U.S. Ordnance Corps flaming bomb
and "G.H.D." stamped on the left side of the frame. This was an
inspector's mark - that of Guy H. Drewry. Many had no martial mark-
ings at all. Most had 4" barrels; some had 2" barrels - the latter
often referred to as the "Junior Commando." The same holsters used
for the Smith & Wesson Victory models were used with the Colts. Most
were issued to Shore Patrol and Military Police units; few saw any
combat usage.
Colt Pocket Model Pistols. Many Colt Model 1903 semiauto pistols were
issued during the war in .32 ACP chambering, and many Colt Model 1908
pistols in .380 ACP were also issued. These Pocket Models were issued
mostly to General Officers. Usually, when promoted to General rank,
the officer concerned had his choice of either caliber. These little
semiautos were also issued to agents of Army Intelligence, Military
Police, Counterintelligence (CID) and Provost Marshals. It's reported
that some went to doctors and nurses. The OSS (Office of Strategic
Services, the forerunner of the CIA) also had quite a number for issue
to operatives and other clandestine types.
Colt Detective Special 2" Revolver. A parkerized version of this
standard civilian "snubby" was issued, reportedly not more than 200
examples found their way into the service for military intelligence
personnel.
High Standard HD .22 Pistols. A 4" High Standard HD pistol was
widely issued for training, and the OSS used a good number
equipped with sound suppressors for ultra-clandestine work. After
the war, this model became the High Standard HD Military pistol, and
many of these are found today. The earlier pistols with military
markings are the rare ones and are the authentic WW II pieces.
Liberator Pistol. This "Woolworth Special" single-shot pistol was
formed of sheet metal, and had a smooth bore. It was dropped in great
quantities to civilian resistors in the Philippines and in Europe. It
cost a little over a dollar each to produce, and came with in a paraf-
fin-coated cardboard box holding the pistol, 10 rounds of .45 ACP
ammo, and a cartoon-style instruction sheet using no words. The idea
was to use the pistol to disarm an enemy soldier, and then use his
weapon from that time on. The Liberator pistols are quite rare
today, in spite of the fact that about a million were made. I have
one and have shot it once (it's too valuable to risk repeated shots
with it, and it really wasn't designed for robustness). The bullet
keyholes after a few yards, but it will kill very effectively up close
and personal.
RIFLES:
U.S. Rifle, Model of 1903. This is the famous "Springfield rifle" of
WW I, and it was also used widely during WW II. A bolt-action, 5-shot
repeater in caliber .30/06, loaded with 5-round clips, with a 24"
barrel. It probably needs no introduction to you. Made by both
Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal, and early in WW II by
Remington on Rock Island tooling.
U.S. Rifle, Model 1903A1. A standard '03 Springfield rifle with a
pistol-grip "C-style" stock.
U.S. Rifle, Model 1903 (Modified). A 1903 rifle made by Remington,
but utilizing a number of manufacturing shortcuts. Most noticeable is
the lack of lightening cuts on the rear sight mounting block.
U.S. Rifle, Model 1903A3. An economy-model Springfield '03, made by
Remington and Smith-Corona. It used many stamped parts and had a
bridge-mounted rear sight very similar to the later M1 carbine adjust-
able sight. Most had straight stocks, but some had "scant grip"
stocks with an abbreviated pistol grip. Early ones had pins in place
of stock bolts.
M1903A4 Sniper model. This was simply a Model 1903A3 rifle equipped
with a Redfield Junior scope mount, a scope, and a curved bolt handle
to clear the scope. The Weaver 330C scope was the first issued, and
it later became the M73B1 scope. No front sight was used, although
the mounting slots for a front sight remained in the barrel. The
stock was the full-pistol-grip "C" style stock, with a cut for the
lowered bolt handle.
M1 Garand Rifle. Another arm that needs no introduction, this was the
rifle I learned as the "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30 M1, gas-operated,
clip-fed semiautomatic individual shoulder weapon - SIR." General
George S. Patton, Jr. called it the "finest battle implement ever
devised" and it helped us win the war, for sure. The U.S. was the
only major power of the war to mainly equip its troops with a semiau-
tomatic rifle, and it put great power in the hands of our troops. It
had a capacity of 8 rounds of .30/06 ammo, loaded from the top in an
en-bloc clip which was ejected after the last round was fired.
Marine sniper rifles. The marines, never ones to do things conven-
tionally, fielded a couple of '03 Springfields equipped with special
scopes. One style had the Winchester A5 or later Lyman 5A long target
scopes, and the other was equipped with the Unertl 8X scopes and the
A1-style stock. The first model was used as early as WW I, and the
latter style was used from late '42 or early '43 in the Pacific Thea-
tre.
M1917 "Enfield" Rifle. These rifles were holdovers from WW I, and
many were refurbished for use during WW II, including parkerizing.
The 1917 had a rear-mounted peep sight, adjustable only for elevation,
and a peculiar dogleg bolt handle. It was loaded with the standard
'03 Springfield stripper clip, and was chambered in .30/06. Its bolt
action cocked on closing. Most of these rifles were issued stateside
for training, but some did find their way into combat. Many were
lend-leased to the British, where they were marked with an annular red
strip to distinguish them from their Pattern 14 cousins in
caliber .303 British. These were made by Winchester, Remington, and
Remington's Eddystone, PA plant during WW I, and none were made during
WW II.
Model of 1941 Johnson Rifle. This strange-looking rifle was Marine
Corps Captain Melvin M. Johnson Jr.'s answer to the M1 Garand. A
potbellied recoil-operated .30/06 rifle, it used a mannlicher-style
rotary magazine holding 10 rounds which could be loaded from the side
with the bolt open or closed. The barrel was detachable, which made
it handy for parachutists to pack. Some Marine Corps special units
were issued this weapon. The spike bayonet for this number has
already been described.
CARBINES
U.S. Carbine, Cal. .30, M1. This little rifle again needs no intro-
duction. It was a short, handy carbine firing a small straight/ta-
pered .30 cartridge with a lot less power than the standard .30/06.
The short-stroke piston action principle was the work of David Mar-
shall Williams, an ex-con. Millions of this handy little arm were
made and issued. Purportedly, the carbine was to take the place of
the pistol, but it never supplanted the pistol in the field. It was
issued to company-grade officers and the crews of crew-served weapons
such as mortars and machine guns for self-protection. Early carbines
had no bayonet lugs, and very late in the war, a bayonet lug was part
of its configuration. Most early M1 carbines were later converted to
the bayonet-lug barrel band style. The first rear sight was a flip-
flop 2-range item; later sights were fully adjustable for both eleva-
tion and windage. Carbines were made by Winchester, Inland Division
of General Motors, Underwood-Elliot-Fisher, Rock-Ola Mfg. Corp.
(makers of juke boxes), Quality Hardware Machinery Corp., National
Postal Meter, Irwin-Pedersen (contract never completed, but marked
receivers exist, remainder of contract taken over my Saginaw Steering
Gear Division of GM), Standard Products, IBM, and Saginaw Steering
Gear Div. of GM. The little carbine used a standard 15-round box
magazine.
U.S. Carbine, Cal. 30, M1A1. This was the paratrooper version of the
M1 carbine, and utilized a side-folding wire stock. It was used in
every U.S. paratrooper action of WW II, including Normandy and Opera-
tion Market-Garden. Only the Inland Division of GM made the M1A1.
U.S. Carbine, Cal. 30, M2. This was a selective-fire carbine, with
most parts interchangeable with the M1 version. It used a 30-round
curved "banana" magazine as standard; this magazine could also be used
in the M1 carbine.
U.S. Carbine Cal. 30, T3. Procured in limited numbers during the
latter part of the war, this was an M1 carbine modified to mount an
infrared scope and light source for night vision capability. It was
used only to a limited extent in the Pacific Theatre. Only Winchester
and Inland made the T3s.
SHOTGUNS:
The following pump shotguns, all civilian models, were pressed into
service during the war as combat shotguns. They were often, but not
always parkerized, and equipped with metal perforated handguards and
bayonet mounts. They were:
Winchester Model 97
Winchester Model 12
Ithaca Model 37
Stevens Model 520-30
Stevens Model 620A
Remington Model 31
Remington Model 31A
Savage Model 620
In addition, many Remington Model 11 and Sportsman and Savage Model
720 semiautomatic shotguns were acquired for the war.
During the war, the trench guns were officially called "Shotgun, Riot
Type, with Bayonet Attachment and Hand Guard." Most folks still
called them trench guns. Technically, trench guns had the handguards
and bayonet lugs, while riot guns had neither.
SUBMACHINE GUNS
The Thompson Submachine Guns. The classic .45 ACP "Tommy Gun" in many
forms was used by U.S. troops during the War. The early Colt-made
Model 1921s and 1928s were used, with full pistol grips fore and aft.
Then came the Navy Model 1928, which used a horizontal foregrip. The
later Model 1928A1 was almost identical. It was issued with and
without the barrel fins, and with and without the Cutts compensator on
the end of the barrel. Later, the simplified M1 model came along,
which dispensed with the expensive and unnecessary Blish hesitation
lock and the complex and expensive Thompson rear sight. The later
M1A1 model even got rid of the hammer and firing pin, using just a
rounded projection in the bolt as a firing pin. Thompsons were made
by Colt, Auto-Ordnance, and Savage. Early Thompsons through the
Model 1928A1 could use 50- and 100-round drums as well as 20- and 30-
round "stick" magazines. 50-round drums were routinely issued to the
military for these weapons. The later M1 and M1A1 Thompson SMGs could
use only the stick magazines. All military Thompsons were selective
fire, meaning they could be fired either semi- or full-auto. The M1
and M1A Thompsons had fixed buttstocks, while the earlier models had
detachable buttstocks.
M2 Submachine Gun. Not widely known, the M2 SMG never made it into
production. It was designed by George Hyde, and looked like an over-
weight M1 carbine with a 30-round Thompson mag.
M3 Submachine Gun. The famous "Grease Gun" of WW II, this was a
stamped-metal answer to Britain's Sten Gun, in .45 ACP. It was sim-
plicity itself, with a round receiver, a retractable wire stock, and a
cocking handle on the side. It fired at an unusually low cyclic rate,
about 650 round per minute. Although it was full-auto only, single
round could be blipped off with a quick pull and release of the trig-
ger.
M3A1 Submachine Gun. This simplified the M3 even further, by tossing
the bolt-retracting handle on the side and utilizing a hole in the
bolt itself, into which one stuck a finger to retract the bolt!
Model 50 and 55 Reising Submachine guns. The brainchild of Eugene
Reising, the Model 50 subguns looked like stubby conventional rifles,
with Thompson magazines sticking out of their bellies. The Model 55
was the same gun with a folding wire buttstock. Both were used by
Marine Corps units during the war. The Reising had a terrible repu-
tation as far as reliability was concerned, and it was never quite the
gun the Thompson, or even the M3 and M3A1 were.
AUTOMATIC RIFLES:
The Browning Automatic Rifle. This holdover from the late days of WW
I was the invention of John Browning. It was a large automatic rifle,
heavy, with a 20-round magazine, firing the full-size .30/06 car-
tridge. There were two models with minor differences, the M1918 and
the M1918A2. The earlier M1918 had a blued finish and a walnut butt-
stock plus a checkered walnut forestock. The later M1918A2 was the WW
II variation, parkerized, with a plastic buttstock and plain walnut
forestock. M1918s were made by Winchester, Colt, and Marlin-Rockwell,
while the WW II-made M1918A2 jobs were made by IBM and New England
Small Arms. A Korean-war-era M1918A2 was made by Royal McBee, but
this would not be a true WW II weapon. As a sidenote to history, it's
well known that the big, heavy BAR was almost always given to the runt
in the unit, while the big burly guys usually got the M1 carbines. Go
figure!
Johnson Model 1941 Light Machine Gun. Although sometimes classified
as a machine gun, the Johnson was actually a light squad base-of-fire
weapon utilizing a left-hand-side-fed magazine that had no feed lips;
the lips were integral to the weapon. It used the same action as the
recoil-operated M1941 Johnson rifle. It had a pistol grip and a long
barrel with a high front sight, and a straight-line action, making it
appear very modern, even today. It fired the standard .30/06 car-
tridge. An interesting feature of this weapon was that it fired
semiautomatically from a closed bolt and full-auto from an open bolt.
The barrel, like its rifle cousin, could be easily removed and re-
placed, giving it greater sustained-fire capability. The Marine Corps
procured a quantity of these interesting weapons for units such as the
para-Marines and Raiders. The standard Table of Organization and
Equipment for a Marine Division at the time did list 87 Johnson LMGs
as standard, however. The Johnson LMG was also issued to the Army
First Special Service Force, which seemed to have a penchant for non-
standard weapons anyway. The Johnsons were reliable weapons and
well-liked by those who used them.
HAND GRENADES:
There were many types of hand grenades issued during WW II. For a
collector, keeping a "live" explosive example is a violation of law,
but many inert training examples can be found. Here's a brief rundown
on the types used:
Mark II fragmentation grenade. This was the famous "pineapple" gre-
nade which had a segmented cast iron outer surface, designed to frag-
ment into lethal bits of metal upon explosion. It weighed 21 ounces.
Early fuzes flashed and smoked when activated, and these were later
replaced with the improved M204 fuze assembly which eliminated this
problem around 1944. The Mark II produced, on the average, about 1000
lethal fragments, while its WW I Mark I predecessor produced about 50.
Mark III and Mark IIIA1 offensive grenade. A little-known and not-
often-issued concussion grenade, to be used for stun effect in closed
rooms. It did not have the shrapnel effect of the Mark II.
T13 "Beano" grenade. Another little-known grenade, it was shaped like
a baseball, and was developed for use by the OSS for sabotage pur-
poses. It was armed after 25 feet of flight and exploded upon impact.
It was erratic in performance and dangerous to the user. It was
reported that some of these were issued during the Normandy invasion.
M1 frangible grenade with igniter (incendiary). This grenade was
essentially a Molotov cocktail-type weapon. A glass bottle was filled
with gasoline and alcohol, and a tube of chromic anhydride was at-
tached. When the bottle broke, the alchohol would react with the
igniter, which would in turn ignite the gasoline.
M15 WP grenade. This grenade was constructed of a smooth sheet metal
cylinder, and filled with white phosphorus. It weighed about 31
ounces and hused the M6A3 detonating fuze, which had a 4 to 4.8 second
time delay. It was painted blue-gray with "WP SMOKE" and single band
stenciled on the body. It had a burst radius of 25 yards and it
burned for 50 to 60 seconds. It was used, officially, for "screening,
casualty, and harassing." WP burns like hell when it gets on you,
and it is impossible to extinguish while burning. It's not nice
stuff.
M16 and M18 smoke grenades. These grenades produced non-toxic smoke,
and the M16 burned for about two minutes. The M18 gave off more
smoke, but burned for only about a minute. Many colors of smoke were
available for signaling and obscuring troop movements.
AN-M2 smoke grenade. This was a high-volume red smoke grenade specif-
ically intended for troop-screening purposes. A virtually identical
grenade, the HC AN-M8, was offered with white smoke only.
M6, M7 and M7A1 irritant grenades. These were tear gas grenades,
producing CN-DM and later pure CN gas. These cylindrical canisters
were painted gray with red bands and a marking showing the type of gas
produced. They were used to "smoke out" the occupants of buildings.
As mentioned, many inert or small-charge training grenades were used
during the war to train troops. These are available to collectors in
inert, nonfunctional form, but they were, of course, not actually
used in combat.
RIFLE GRENADE LAUNCHERS:
M1 Grenade Launcher. This annular-ringed tube clamped on the barrel
of the M1903 Springfield series, and served as a mount for rifle gre-
nades. It is quite scarce today, with good examples bringing over 150
dollars. The M1 grenade launchers were produced by the Knapp-Monarch
Company, and 332,892 were built, beginning in 1941. Half of produc-
tion was for the Army, while the other half was earmarked for defense
aid (Lend-Lease, etc.). This may account for the relative scarcity of
this item today.
M2 Grenade Launcher. This launcher was almost identical to the M1,
but was designed to fit the M1917 rifle. Again, 100,000 of these were
produced by Knapp-Monarch, but almost all of these went to Great
Britain for use with the M1917 rifles we had sent to them for Home
Guard use. If the M1 launcher is scarce today, the M2 is practically
unseen today in the U.S. Some M2 launchers were converted to M1
configuration as the need for the M1 launcher grew more acute during
the war.
M7 Grenade Launcher. This was the first launcher designed to fit the
M1 Garand rifle. Instead of a locking clamp and nut as used on the M1
and M2 launchers, the M7 used a clamp which locked over the bayonet
lug of the rifle when fitted to it. It had a stud which fitted into
the rifle's gas cylinder lock screw, holding its valve open so the
rifle's gas system could be vented. Otherwise, violent ejection of
the blank-style grenade cartridge shell would result. A special type
of gas cylinder lock screw incorporating this valve was issued with
each M7 launcher. In 1944, an improved standard gas cylinder lock
screw was made for all M1s which closed immediately upon a launcher
being removed from the rifle. Once again, the Knapp-Monarch company
received an order for these launchers, and production continued from
July of 1943 through June of 1945 by K-M and a number of other manu-
facturers. A total of 795,699 M7 launchers were made by all manufac-
turers. The M7 launcher did not permit the rifle to be fired semiau-
tomatically with the launcher affixed. An improved
version, the
M7A1, did permit this, but it was adopted too late to get into produc-
tion by the end of the war. Thus, the M7 launcher is the only one
for the M1 which would be proper with a WW II collection.
M8 grenade launcher. This launcher, outwardly very similar to the M1
launcher for the '03 rifles, was designed to fit on the M1 carbine.
It was shorter than the M1 variety, and had a smooth, grooved outward
appearance instead of prominent annular rings. It also was affixed to
the barrel of the weapon with a clamp and setscrew.
RIFLE GRENADES:
M1 and M1A1 grenade adapters: These were devices which adopted stand-
ard hand grenades to be launched from a rifle. The consisted of a
tail tube and fin assembly, with clamps to hold the hand grenade. One
of the clamps, or claws had a metal arming clip into which the gre-
nade's safety spoon was fitted and held in place. Upon firing, iner-
tia slipped the clip backwards, arming the grenade. The M1 device
had four "claws" while the M1A1 had three, a solid fin assembly, and a
cup in which the grenade rested.
M2 and M2A1 grenade adapters. These were similar to the adapters
above, except they were configured to accept cannister-style chemical
and smoke hand grenades. The M2A1 was the improved version with a
slotted fin assembly. In a pinch, either one could be used to launch
a standard fragmentation grenade, as well.
M17 impact fragmentation rifle grenade. This number was a rounded-
nose cylinder, with a launching tube and fins. It had an impact fuze.
Few were made and used because of the danger in handling.
M9 and M9A1 antitank grenades. Outwardly almost identical to the M17
frag grenade, these projectiles contained a shaped explosive charge
designed to penetrate enemy armor. The grenades had an impact fuze
and a safety pin that had to be removed before firing. The M9A1 had
an improved charge which was capable of penetrating 3 to 4 inches of
armor plate. It had a maximum effective range of about 250 yards.
Here are some other rifle grenade types used during the war:
M19 white phosphorus smoke grenade
M22 smoke grenade in four colors - red, green, violet, and yellow.
M23 smoke streamer grenade - it burned for 12 seconds in the air.
it was produced in the same four colors as the M22.
M20 smoke grenade - produced a denser smoke for 30 seconds on the
ground - white smoke only to screen troop movements.
M17A1 ground signal, white star, parachute.
M19A1 ground signal, green star, parachute.
M21A1 ground signal, amber star, parachute.
M51A1 ground signal, red star, parachute.
M18A1 Ground signal, white star, parachute, cluster (five stars)
As with the case of hand grenades, many inert practice rounds were
also produced for training. These were the M11A1 and M11A2 projec-
tiles.
Although not strictly speaking a weapon, it should be mentioned that
rifle grenades were usually guided by a special sight affixed to the
side of the rifle or carbine. The original M1 sight is very rare, but
the later M15 sight was used late in the war, and examples are easily
found, some still in their original green wrappers and cases.
A black rubber "recoil boot" was also used to cushion the recoil of
the '03 rifles with the M1 and M2 launchers. It was issued with these
items. It could also be used on the M1917 and M1 rifles, but would
not fit the carbine. It had "U.S." and a large ordnance flaming bomb
molded into its outward butt surface, with the drawing number
"B200968" below the flaming bomb. It is getting to be hard to find
today, and has a propensity to split. I know, because I ruined one
trying to fit it to a 1903. Drat.
I hope this overview of the individual weapons used by the U.S. sol-
diers, sailors and Marines in WW II will whet your appetite to learn
more about them, both individually and as a group. There are many
collector publications available now on these classic arms, and armed
with the knowledge they contain, you can start and complete any number
of very interesting WW II U.S. military collections. If you're on a
budget, you can complete a collection of U.S. bayonets of the period
fairly easily and without bankrupting yourself. For the more ad-
vanced collector, you could try to collect "all of the above" but be
prepared to part with a lot of cash and time before you'd have one
that was essentially complete. This little article has not been
meant as definitive, but only as an overview of the field, and errors
of fact and/or omission may have crept in. If you have a favorite WW
II weapon not covered here, I invite you to write about it - perhaps
it could form the basis of an article for the newsletter. How about
that?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9506C BIO: GEORGE MANDRY by George Mandry (Our new RTC Coordinator)
*MANDRY *TTR *RTC *BIO
George "TX REDNECK" Mandry would like you to believe that he
spends his time roaring through the bushes in his Jeep, blasting critters
left and right with the various guns in his collection, swigging whiskey
from the bottle, and spitting tobacco juice at visiting Yankees.
Well...sort of...
"Redneck" is a lot more than that!
He ranches, he hunts, and he collects guns. He says his
hobbies consist of "gun collecting, hunting, gun collecting, and hunting."
He's also a family man, married, with three sons and a daughter whom
he calls "the apple of my eye." He loves to tinker with machines, and
fabricating with steel.
George was with the Navy for four years in the early 1970's.
He spent his Service time as a Journalist, and was Official Navy
Photographer for the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration in New York. His
ship, the USS Nashville, was the "Review Ship" from which the
President viewed the "Tall Ships."
George has been working for his family business since leaving
the Navy in 1976. He specializes in expert in water filtration and
purification, and travels all over from the U.S. to Central America in
that capacity.
He's a Red-Blooded Texan, which means that he eyes with
suspicion anyone North of Dallas. He once carried his horse on his
back for ten miles, when it came up lame...he still aches, in wet
weather, where the saddle dug into his side...
Sure. <G> Ed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
9506D COMBAT ARMS SURVEY: WILL YOU KILL AS ORDERED? by John Marshall
*SURVEY *ARMED FORCES *SEALS *GUN CONTROL
Rumors have been continually cropping up in the gun-related press
about a survey supposedly given to servicemen, wherein they were asked
if they would fire upon civilians resisting confiscation of arms
banned by the government. Later, it was specifically stated by the
Department of Defense (DOD) that the survey was administered by a Navy
Commander as part of his work on a Master's degree. Information subse-
quently developed revealed that individual as Lt. Commander Ernest G.
Cunningham, an active duty officer.
The following information has since surfaced through sources believed
to be reliable. I cannot vouch for all of what follows, but I thought
it would be of interest to gun owners who are concerned with
government infringement of citizens' Second Amendment and Tenth
Amendment rights. It's interesting reading, and I urge you to
digest it thoroughly.
Some reported history on the survey:
It has been reliably reported that US Navy SEAL platoons, including
SEAL Team Six, Marine combat veterans stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms,
CA, and Marine basic trainees at Camp Pendelton, CA, have been
administered a questionnaire asking, among other things, if they would
"...fire upon US citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of
firearms banned by the US government."
The questionnaire was first administered to operators by the
commanders of SEAL Team Six on September 15, 1993, then subsequently to
the remaining SEAL platoons throughout September and October. Rumors
began circulating in November that US Army DELTA operators were given
the same or similar questionnaire.
On January 22, 1994, an individual copied a chilling message off
the Internet from Petty Officer 2nd Class W. Kelly, US Navy Special
Warfare Team Six, to D. Hawkins, Re: Gun Confiscation. Kelly began by
stating that the questionnaire was "...to find out if we would follow
the orders of commanding officers without question." Kelly continued;
"If you wish to find out how I answered I said yes I would fire and
kill all persons attempting to resist...we aren't around to be the
good guys." Remember, Kelly is referring to American civilians.
In February, 1994, MODERN GUN magazine ran a story on the
elusive questionnaire.
Then, on May 10, 1994, the questionnaire was administered to Marine
Desert Storm veterans at Twenty-Nine Palms, CA. A Marine smuggled a
copy of the questionnaire out of the testing center and mailed it on
May 15, 1994, with a cover letter, to the editor of THE NEW AMERICAN,
which ran the story in their July 11, 1994, issue. THE NEW AMERICAN
quotes the Marine's impression that the questionnaire "was just
research for this [Navy] commander's degree."
The Marine's letter states in part:
"A Navy Commander came before us and said he was working on his
masters degree and he was writing a paper about giving up our
military's soverenty[sic] to the United Nations Secretary General."
The official DOD story surrounding the questionnaire entitled
"Combat Arms Survey," supports that of the Navy Commander.
Significantly, the Combat Arms Survey was first given at the time
Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 25 was being prepared. It has
been widely reported by members of the military that PDD 25 surrenders
control of the U.S. military to the United Nations under certain
circumstances.
Editorial Note:
The enclosed Combat Arms Survey is a reproduction of
the contents of the questionnaire as forwarded to THE NEW AMERICAN
magazine. The format has been altered to accomodate the computer-text
layout. Errors of re-transcription, if any, are mine.
------------------ BEGINNING OF SURVEY AS REPORTED -------------------
COMBAT ARMS SURVEY
This questionnaire is to gather data concerning the attitudes of combat
trained personnel with regards to nontraditional missions. All of your
responses are confidential. Write your answers directly on the
questionnaire form. In Part II, place an "X" in the space provided for
your response.
Part I. Demographics
1. What service are you in?
2. What is your pay grade? (e.g. E-7, O-7)
3. What is your MOS code and description?
4. What is your highest level of education in years?
5. How many months did you serve in Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield?
6. How many months did you serve in Somalia?
7. What state or country did you primarily reside in during childhood?
Part II. Attitudes
Do you feel that U.S. Combat troops should be used within the United
States for any of the following missions?
8. Drug enforcement
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
9. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
10. Security at national events (e.g. Olympic Games, Super Bowl)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
11. Environmental disaster clean-up
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
12. Substitute teachers in public schools
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
13. Community assistance programs (e.g. landscaping, environmental
clean-up, road repair, animal control)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
14. Federal and state prison guards
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
15. National emergency police force
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
16. Advisors to S.W.A.T. units, the FBI or the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms (B.A.T.F.)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
17. Border patrol (e.g. prevention of illegal aliens into U.S. territory)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
Do you feel that U.S. combat troops under U.S. command should be used
in other countries for and of the following United Nations missions?
18. Drug enforcement
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
19. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
20. Environmental disaster clean-up
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
21. Peace keeping
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
22. Nation building (Reconstruct civil government, develop public school
system, develop or improve public transportation system, etc.)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
23. Humanitarian relief (e.g. food and medical supplies, temporary
housing, and clothing)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
Do you feel that U.S. combat troops should be used in other countries,
under command of non-U.S. officers appointed by the United Nations for
any of the following missions?
24. Drug enforcement
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
25. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
26. Environmental disaster clean-up
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
27. Peace keeping
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
28. Nation building (Reconstruct civil government, develop public school
system, develop or improve public transportation system, etc.)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
29. Humanitarian relief (e.g. food and medical supplies, temporary
housing, and clothing)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
30. Police action (e.g. Korea, Vietnam, but serving under non-U.S.
officers)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
Consider the following statements:
31. The U.S. runs a field training exercise. U.N. combat troops
should be allowed to serve in U.S. combat units during these exercises
under U.S. command and control.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
32. The United Nations runs a field training exercise. U.S. combat
troops under U.S. command and control should serve in U.N. combat units
during these exercises.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
33. The United Nations runs a field training exercise. U.S. combat troops
should serve under U.N. command and control in U.N. during these exercises.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
34. U.S. combat troops should participate in U.N. missions as long as
the U.S. has full command and control.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
35. U.S. combat troops should participate in U.N. missions under United
Nations command and control.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
36. U.S. combat troops should be commanded by U.N. officers and non-
commissioned (NCOs) at battalion and company levels while performing U.N.
missions.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
37. It would make no difference to me to have U.N. soldiers as members
of my team. (e.g. fire team, squad, platoon)
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
38. It would make no difference to me to take orders from a U.N. company
commander.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
39. I feel the President of the United States has the authority to pass
his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief to the U.N. Secretary General.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
40. I feel there is no conflict between my oath of office and serving as a
U.N. soldier.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
41. I feel my unit's combat effectiveness would not be affected by
performing humanitarian missions for the United Nations.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
42. I feel a designated unit of U.S. combat soldiers should be permanently
assigned to the command and control of the United Nations.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
43. I would be willing to volunteer for assignment to a U.S. combat unit
undera U.N. commander.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
44. I would like U.N. member countries, including the U.S., to provide
the U.N. all the soldiers necessary to maintain world peace.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
45. I would swear to the following code:
"I am a United Nations fighting person. I serve in the forces which
maintain world peace and every nation's way of life. I am prepared to
give my life in their defense."
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
46. The U.S. government declares a ban on the possession, sale,
transportation, and transfer of all non-sporting firearms. A thirty
(30) day amnesty period is permitted for these firearms to be turned
over the local authorities. At the end of this period, a number of
citizen groups refuse to turn over their firearms. Consider the
following statement:
I would fire upon U.S. citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of
firearms banned by the U.S. government.
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
Strongly disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree No opinion
---------------------- END OF SURVEY AS REPORTED ---------------------
9506E THE CLASSIC HANDGUN MAGNUMS by John Marshall
*.357 MAGNUM *.44 MAGNUM *KEITH *SHARPE *SMITH & WESSON *RUGER
MAGNUM. The word today conjures up images of raw power - the ne plus
ultra of handgunning effectiveness. It reminds one of Phil Sharpe,
Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan, and yes, even Dirty Harry Callahan as played
by Clint Eastwood, saying "make my day" in the movies.
Today, there are plenty of magnum handgun cartridges around, but the
two most enduring of the lot, the true classics, are the .357 and .44
magnums. Together, these two cartridges probably account for more
revolver cartridges and reloading components sold than all other
magnum cartridges combined. In this article, I'd like to comment on
the origins of these two classics, so you'll know how they were con-
ceived and born.
But first things first. Just exactly what is this term "magnum,"
where did it originate, and what does it mean?
The word magnum first originated in the wine industry, and it was
meant to signify a bottle of wine which was larger than usual. In
other words, a bottle with more capacity. When the .357 magnum was
introduced, the terminology migrated to this cartridge, which had more
powder capacity than its parent, the ever-popular .38 special! Why?
It seems that Doug Wesson of S&W was a connoisseur of champagne, and
liked the appellation so much he ordered it used and trademarked it!
But come with me now as we browse down a historical path. The .357
magnum cartridge was the first of the two classics to come along, and
we should look at how it came to be.
The preliminary work on this cartridge, most gun fanciers agree, was
done by a man who was a popular gun writer and experimenter of the
1930s. His name was Phillip B. Sharpe. His books and articles were
prolific, and many, even today, are regarded as "must read" basic
works for the dedicated gun enthusiast. His classic "The Rifle in
America" has resided on my library shelf since my Army days, and has
been thumbed through in search of data many, many times. Phil was
also an Army Ordnance Corps officer during WW II (See SHARPE.GIF in
this issue).
It seems Phil was writing quite enthusiastically about experimenting
with heavy-loaded .38 specials, which he could fire with relative
safely in a Smith and Wesson revolver called the .38/44 Outdoorsman.
This was a big revolver, built on the heavy N-frame. This frame was
originally intended for .44 special and .44/40 cartridges, but in this
case it sported a meaty cylinder chambered for the .38 special, hence
the .38/44 designation. With all that beef in the cylinder as an
extra safety factor, Phil found he could push the .38 special by
handloading to velocity levels way beyond those that could be had with
factory ammo. Phil liked the power of this handgun/cartridge combi-
nation so well that he urged Smith and Wesson to come up with a hand-
gun capable of handling loads at a power level even in excess of his
special-loaded .38s.
Smith and Wesson finally decided that there might indeed be a market
for such a revolver, and they contacted the Winchester Repeating Arms
company to see if they'd be interested in developing a powerful car-
tridge in .357 caliber (the actual bore diameter of the .38 special).
Winchester obliged by coming up with a heavy-loaded .357 cartridge
that completely blitzed .38 special statistics in power. As a safety
factor, the cartridge case was 1/8 of an inch longer than the .38
special, to prevent it from being loaded in .38 special chambers. It
was initially loaded with a 158-grain bullet at a nominal 1515 feet
per second. That was HOT load in anyone's language.
To handle the new cartridge, Smith & Wesson, starting with the .38/44
concept, developed a new N-frame revolver. It was designed from the
start to be Smith's flagship revolver, the very best available from
that company - special finish, extra goodies, deluxe fitting, and much
attention to detail. It was to retail for - hold onto your hats -
$60! Remember that we are talking now about the great depression era,
when a more ordinary handgun from Smith might be priced at about $45.
Thus, this new revolver was priced at a 25% premium. If you wanted
custom features, it would set you back even more. Standard features
included target-style sights, a heavy target-model barrel with a
ribbed barrel, and an enclosed ejector rod. The top of the barrel and
the frame were checkered to prevent reflected glare. It was made
available with barrel lengths of from 3.5 to 8.75 inches. Why 8 3/4
inches? Simple. At that time, it gave the maximum sight radius
allowed under formal handgun competition rules!
There was a choice of no less than seven front sight styles, each with
a matching rear sight, and with any combination of standard S&W grips,
with or without a grip adopter to fill in the space behind the trigger
guard. This allowed the heavy-recoiling gun to be fired without
rapping one's knuckles on the trigger guard.
Each revolver was factory-sighted in at factory for your choice of
ranges at any distance of up to 200 meters!
As an added classy touch, each new owner could receive from the facto-
ry a registration certificate in his own name, listing the features of
that particular handgun. A matching registration number was stamped
in the yoke of the revolver. This number is seen as the abbreviation
"Reg." followed by the number. In effect, these were custom handguns
built to specifications provided by the buyer.
The very first .357 Magnum was completed on April 8, 1935, with regis-
tration number 1 and serial number 45,768. It sported an 8 3/4"
barrel, blued finish, and was presented to the director of the FBI, J.
Edgar Hoover. Registration number 2 was presented to Phil Sharpe, in
honor of his contribution to the origin of the revolver.
Smith and Wesson figured sales would be slow due to the increased
price of the revolver. They were wrong. The factory could complete
only about 120 revolvers a month, and that was far, far short of the
orders that came pouring in. By 1938, after finishing roughly 5500
of these gems, the practice of offering registration plus the stamping
of the matching number in the yoke was discontinued. These
early .357 revolvers with matching certificates are extremely valuable
today. One of the early purchasers of a registered revolver was a WW
I veteran Army officer by the name of George S. Patton, Jr. He bought
it in Hawaii and carried it throughout WW II. Its custom ivory grips
with the intertwined "GSP" initials were quickly affixed, and soon
became identifiable with the man - "pistol packin' Patton." Gen.
Patton also had a .45 Colt Peacemaker with similar grips, and he
carried them alternately, but never together.
For many years, the .357 was chambered only in the heavy N-frame
revolver from Smith, and this revolver was in continuous production
from 1935 until 1941, when it was temporarily discontinued due to the
war. The total prewar production was 6642 guns. It was re-
introduced on Dec. 15, 1948, with a new series of serial numbers
beginning at S-72,000. This revolver is still in the line today at
Smith and Wesson, as the Model 27. Other manufacturers picked up
the .357 cartridge and were soon chambering it. Colt even offered it
in their single-action revolvers prior to the war.
Much game was successfully shot with the .357,and early literature
heaped much praise on it. Here is a quote from a book called "Smith &
Wesson Handguns" by Roy McHenry and Walter Roper (of Roper's Custom
Grips): "The Magnum cartridge is the most powerful ever designed for
a handgun and will likely remain so for some time. While it would be
possible to develop one of higher velocity or greater energy, the gun
that would chamber it and fire it without excessive recoil would be so
heavy that no shooter could hold it at arm's length and fire it with
any accuracy!"
As mentioned, the commercial loadings for the .357 were rather stout.
1515 fps with a 158-grain bullet was considered by many as absolute
maximum, and with recoil that was almost too much for a mere mortal to
withstand. Still, modern loading manuals allow for velocities as high
as 1540 fps with the right powders. Normal loadings now are in the
1350-1450 fps range with the 158-grain bullet, and best accuracy is
often found in this range. Still, if you wanta push it farther, you
can, with care.
It was THE handgun cartridge, this .357 magnum. It just wasn't possi-
ble to get anything more powerful... until Elmer Keith came along (see
KEITH.GIF in this issue).
Hardly a shooter alive has not heard of Elmer Keith, and he was per-
sonally known to one of our board participants, Rocky Kemp, who is now
to busy flying airplanes in remote Washington State to log on, but
will probably be back with us someday.
Elmer was a true character. Not a handsome guy, as his face was
burned in a tragic fire at one time, and leathery as the outdoors gear
he loved so much. He was a big game guide in Montana, among many
other things. He was a noted author of the day, and his books range
from the classic "Sixguns by Keith" to his last, "Hell, I Was There."
At any rate, Elmer lived, ate, breathed and slept handguns. I suspect
he even snored handguns. He developed the "K-style" semiwadcutter
bullet form that is still widely popular today, way back in the 1920s.
He also favored heavy .44 special loads that featured a .429 cast
250-grain slug over 18.5 grains of Hercules 2400 powder. This load
moved out at about 1200 fps from a Smith .44 special Hand Ejector
revolver, and it was exceptionally accurate way out there beyond even
100 yards.
Elmer thought this load, or one even more powerful, would be quite
popular with outdoorsmen for big game and personal protection in the
wilds. For over 30 years, he cast about to find an ammunition maker
who would produce the load. Problem was, the load was so powerful no
handgun manufacturer would sanction its use. So, for three decades,
he could interest no one in this load. However, a dedicated core of
his followers latched onto that handload, and even had an informal
club called the ".44 Specialists." They loved the caliber and touted
it as being superior to even the vaunted .357 magnum with the right
loads. All this time, Elmer pushed and badgered whoever would listen
that a heavy-loaded .44 was the best there could be.
Finally, in the summer of 1953, at the National Championship Matches
at Camp Perry, Ohio, he bumped into a fellow named C.G. Peterson, who
was a Remington field representative. Peterson was so impressed with
what Keith was telling him, that managed to get Elmer invited to the
Remington factory in Ilion, NY to talk with the company's brass.
Elmer wrote years later that the folks at Remington were interested,
but of course were worried about what would happen when these hot
loads could be stuffed into old firearms never designed for such
pressures.
Elmer told them that they could do exactly what they had already done
in the case of the .357 magnum - lengthen the case to prevent its
being used in old .44 special revolvers. Remington agreed that would
work, but who would make such a behemoth revolver to handle this load?
Elmer grinned, and when he left Remington, he proceeded right on to
Springfield, Massachusetts, to answer Smith & Wesson president Carl
Hellstrom's standing invitation to visit the factory there. He spent
most of that visit bending the ears of Smith's executives to persuade
them to collaborate with Remington on a new cartridge/gun combination,
to be dubbed, appropriately enough, the .44 magnum.
Carl Hellstrom allowed as how S&W could make the gun. Keith knew
that, because he had already been shooting heavy loads in an old
1910-vintage S&W "triple lock" .44 special revolver, but again he
suggested that the new revolver have a longer chamber to accommodate a
slightly longer .44 cartridge to preclude the stout newcomer being
fired in antique revolvers.
When Elmer left for his home in Idaho, Hellstrom called Remington's
CEO Bob Coleman and suggested the two companies cooperate in develop-
ing a gun/cartridge combination such as Elmer had been advocating. In
that conversation, the .44 magnum egg was fertilized.
By mid-1954, Remington had done its homework and had provided S&W with
a prototype cartridge, 1/8 inch longer in case length than the stand-
ard .44 special. It fired a 240-grain semiwadcutter bullet. Now
that Smith had a cartridge, it built the revolvers. The first were
four specially-heat-treatted .44 Hand Ejector models of 1950. Two of
these were shipped to Remington July 15, 1954 for testing. For more
than two years following, the two companies worked steadily to hone
and complete the final production designs.
Now it got really interesting. It seems that Remington allowed a few
once-fired experimental cases to wind up in a metal scrap yard near
Remington's plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut. As luck would have it,
these cases were found in the spring of 1956 by an employee of an
upstart Connecticut firm by the name of Sturm, Ruger & Co.! He turned
them over to his boss. Now whether William B. Ruger was actually
sending people to scout Remington's garbage or not, no one knows, but
that's how it happened that Ruger got wind of the coming .44 magnum
development. Bill Ruger went right to Remington, and got enough
hedged answers to piece together what was happening between Remington
and Smith. He then managed to badger the Remington execs into giving
him the exact engineering specifications of the new cartridge, as well
as some sample preproduction cartridges. The details of this as to
who gave what to whom and precisely when are now a bit fuzzy, but
that's what went down.
Bill Ruger was no man to dawdle, and race was on to see who would be
the first to introduce a .44 magnum revolver. Old Bill pushed his
development team into constant overtime to scale up the .357 Blackhawk
revolver so it could handle the powerful new round, and to make pro-
duction tooling as soon as humanly possible. It's rumored that the
Ruger engineers were working around the clock, 7 days a week to get
the job done for their zealous boss.
The first Ruger advertisement for the .44 Magnum Blackhawk revolver
was rushed to press and came out in August, 1956, and it was first
listed in the Ruger distributor price sheet on September 1, 1956. The
first Ruger gun to be shipped (serial no. 200) went out the factory
door in November 1956, and regular production started in December.
New .44 Magnum Blackhawks began to be delivered to dealers in early
1957.
Meanwhile, back at Smith & Wesson, they had already been there and
done that. In Springfield, the final design was sealed in February
1955, after seven months of research with Remington's experimental
ammunition. Tooling began right away for the new revolver, and ac-
cording to the Smith factory logs, the first regular-production .44
Magnum revolver (then designated model NT-430 in factory parlance) was
completed on December 29, 1955. It was shipped right away to Bob
Coleman at Remington. The second gun was logged out in January of
1956 to Gen. Julian Hatcher of the National Rifle Association's Tech-
nical Division, and on Jan. 27, 1956, the third gun was sent off to
Salmon, Idaho, to Elmer Keith.
Smith records further show that commercial shipping of the new revolv-
er began in January, 1956, with 500 6 1/2-inch-barreled revolvers,
just as Ruger's ads began to appear in the American Rifleman. By the
end of 1956, 3,124 S&W .44 mag revolvers had been sold and shipped.
The arguments still rage about who was first with the .44 magnum
revolver. That depends on where you draw the finish line. Was it
the first individual gun built? Was it the first production gun
built? Was it the first gun shipped? Was it the first gun to be sold
at retail? In some gunshops, Rugers were delivered before Smiths.
In others, the reverse was accurate.
However, the facts show that Elmer Keith was the father of the .44
magnum, and Smith & Wesson was the undisputed outfit that engineered,
developed, produced, sold and delivered the first .44 magnum revolver.
The big Smith revolver became officially known as the Model 29 in
1957, and it and the Ruger revolvers absolutely changed the face of
handgun shooting and hunting forever. It was now possible to shoot
game at over 200 yards. I proved this to myself years ago on a Na-
tional Guard sighting-in day when I bested a man sitting right beside
me who was shooting a .30/30 Model 94 Winchester rifle with my Ruger
Super Blackhawk. At the 200-yard target, from a bench, my groups
were hitting the bullseye while his were scattered over the target. I
couldn't have been more tickled with my Ruger Dragoon's performance.
Today, the .44 magnum remains the standard of high-intensity handgun
cartridges, and has proven its mettle on big game and targets all over
the world. Yes there are more powerful cartridges today, but in
standard, big-bore magnum cartridges, in most minds there is only one
which stands head and shoulders over all the others - the big .44, the
magnum. If you want something else, well that's OK, but my day has
been made with the two Smiths I own - a Model 29 6" barrel and a Model
629 10-inch barrel. They are keepers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
9506F NRA NEWS by the NRA staff
May 26, 1995
URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT!
Little more than two weeks ago, President Bill Clinton spoke on the
need for effective counter-terrorism legislation. He said:
"Nothing can justify turning this bill into a political
football. We have kept politics completely out of our fight
against terrorism ... and we must keep it out of this
legislative effort."
Wrong, wrong and wrong again.
Just today, Clinton clones and other anti-gun politicians in the
U.S. Senate spilled onto the Senate floor with scheme after scheme
aimed at up-ending your constitutional rights.
Details are sketchy at this time, but here's just a sample of what
surfaced in the U.S. Senate this afternoon alone!
- An amendment by Senator Ted Kennedy imposes a limit to your
Second Amendment rights by making it unlawful to purchase more
than one-gun-a-month -- a scheme that can work only by
erecting a central registry of gun purchasers run by the
Federal government. How can gun rationing impact terrorists?
Another proposal by Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska boosts
funds for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Why
should funding to this agency be increased before hearings can
get at the truth about cases of alleged BATF mismanagement and
abuse of civil rights.
More controls on honest gun dealers were proposed by Senator
Paul Simon. An end to the Civilian Marksmanship Program was
launched by Senator Frank Lautenberg. Even a ban on the
hunting rounds -- in the guise of a "performance-based" ban on
ammunition -- was by Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey. To
borrow the President's own words, how do these anti-gun
Senators "justify turning this bill into a political
football"?
And while NRA has voiced serious concerns that the chemicals
of small plastic tags, when applied to gun powder, create an
accidental fire hazard, Senator Diane Feinstein is pushing
forward to require "taggants" be inserted in black and
smokeless powder. NRA takes no position on introduction of
"taggants" into explosives or fertilizer. But we ask, why is
this decades-old technology being forced into propellants used
by the lawful gun-owning community -- without so much as a
smattering of testing to assure our safety?
Please call your U.S. Senators today (202-224-3121) and register
your concerns.
Mark your calendar to call next week as more details become
available.
Urge the Senate to fight terrorism. Use the president's own words:
keep "politics completely out of our fight."
Counter-terrorism legislation must accomplish two goals: help
authorities zero-in on criminal terrorists, and honor the rights
and the safety of law-abiding citizens. In the unbearably long
list of victims of the atrocity in Oklahoma City, we should never
see named our constitutional rights.
=+=+=+=+
NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
MAY 20, 1995
REPORT OF THE FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
MS. MARION P. HAMMER
It is with great pride that I stand before all of you who have
gathered here in the clear exercise of our rights.
We come together today exercising our freedom to assemble and to
associate and to speak freely under the First Amendment -- in order
to protect our Second Amendment Right To Keep and Bear Arms.
Unlike people of most other nations, our cherished Bill of Rights
guarantees us these freedoms.
But today, those rights are under brutal attack. For expressing
our strongly-held beliefs we are being vilified. Cynical
politicians, allied with a partisan media elite, have seized upon
a terrible national tragedy to try to restrict our rights.
Like you, I respect their right to disagree with our beliefs. That
is the American way. But, in what can only be described as
hateful, our opponents have crossed the line.
There has been a lot of talk in the media these days about NRA, and
about who we are and what we are. About what we were and what we
have become.
None of it is amusing and it is down right untrue.
We are not terrorists. We are not radicals. We are not
extremists. We are hardworking, law-abiding, ordinary Americans --
cutting across every age, social, political, employment, racial,
religious, and economic line in America. We are people from all
walks of life, joined together by a common purpose: to protect the
Freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution.
Many in the national media and anti-gun politicians would like to
silence us. They don't like it when we speak out about wrong
doing. They don't like it when we stand up for victims of
government abuse.
In any other context, these abuses would be soundly condemned. But
they just don't like guns. So they use their barrels of newspaper
ink and they crank up their TV satellites and they spill their
mean-spirited rhetoric all over this country.
No true leader, scholar, historian, or civil rights activists has
ever found democracy without conflict and controversy--only
totalitarian regimes enjoy complete agreement and a lack of
criticism.
But this goes beyond conflict or a difference of opinion. Never
before have I witnessed such a vicious and unrelenting attack
against any organization -- as we are seeing today against the NRA.
Never before have I seen a U.S. President rail again and again and
again against any organization by name -- against every decent
citizen who is the heart, the soul, and the backbone of what those
three initials stand for.
In their blind-sighted zeal and hatred for guns, they fail to see
that our reverence for the Bill of Rights assures that they
continue to have the right to speak out -- even to say things we
abhor. That First Amendment Freedom comes from the same Bill of
Rights that guarantees our Right To Keep and Bear Arms. Those
rights are absolutely inseparable. Yet, these forces -- that
should embrace our position -- instead are obsessed with silencing
our message.
The slings and arrows of our opponents will not dissuade us from
what we know is right. Our cause is just, our message is true and
our quest for justice is and will be untiring.
And don't under estimate the American People. The shrill steady
drumbeat against NRA's fight for Freedom and civil liberties is not
going unnoticed -- and it doesn't wash. People may have been born
at night, but it wasn't last night.
I'm a Benefactor Life member of NRA. I became a benefactor member
in the old fashion American way. A few dollars down and few
dollars every few months, for a lot of years -- because I believe
in the NRA and I appreciate what the NRA has done for America.
The NRA is a tradition in my family. I am the 3rd generation of
NRA members in my family. My grandfather was a member, my father
was a member and my 76 year old mother is a Life member. My 3
children are the 4th generation of Life members and my 2 grandsons
are the 5th generation of Life members. And in a few days, when my
first granddaughter is scheduled to be born -- you can jolly well
believe she's going to become a Life member. We are a family
strong in our beliefs and strong in our support for NRA.
My father was killed at Okinawa fighting for Freedom in the service
of our Country, and one of my grandfathers was a law enforcement
officer. My family knows about the price of Freedom. My family
knows how tough it is to be in law enforcement. And I'll tell you
this, my grandfather would be outraged at the abuse of civil
liberties in the name of law enforcement that we're seeing today.
All across America, thousands upon thousands of decent, dedicated,
hardworking law enforcement officers put their lives on the line
day in and day out. And they wouldn't even think of violating
anyone's civil liberties much less behave in a dishonorable and
violent manner against the people they are sworn to serve.
They know that NRA has always been a strong supporter of law
enforcement and that we continue to honor and support law
enforcement. In fact, hundreds upon hundreds of law enforcement
officers are members of NRA and they too, know something has gone
wrong within their ranks.
It only takes one -- and as history has shown, one is too many.
One bad apple and one cover-up is all it takes to trample our civil
liberties and our guaranteed rights.
I may not be as eloquent as NRA life member and U.S. President John
F. Kennedy. But here is how President Kennedy felt about each of
our civil liberties when he told us on June 11, 1963:
"This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds.
It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and
that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one
man are threatened."
The NRA is a part of America's heritage, its story is woven into
the fabric and fiber of our nation's history and we will always be
a vital part of our nation's future.
When Freedom and Liberty are threatened, you can count on the NRA,
this nations oldest civil rights organization, to be on the front
line. We love our country, we love our Freedom, we love our
Constitution, and we won't quit fighting to protect the future for
our children and our grandchildren.
Ladies and Gentlemen...I'm proud to be an American and I'm proud to
be a member of the NRA.
=+=+=+=+
Tanya Metaksa
Executive Director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action
Address to the Annual Meeting of Members
May 20, 1995
Where is the heart of the NRA?
In this bewildering time, when progress flirts with uncertainty,
where is the heart of the NRA?
In this dynamic time, when hate courts fear, where is the heart
of the 3.5 million Americans dedicated to the constitution, to
freedom and the rule of law?
You sensed the vigor of that heart in the summer of 1994, with
the steady pulse of millions of citizens battling a crime of a
bill.
You sensed it in Election 94, when it kept cadence with millions
of citizens marching to the polls in more than ten thousand
campaigns from city councils to Congress.
And this year -- 1995 -- where the heartbeat resounds stronger
than ever with victory after victory, you can hear the beat ...
But the heart of the NRA is not found in legislative wins or
electoral victories -- though we've had so many.
The heart of the NRA is found in who we are -- honest citizens
committed to the constitution, to the rule of law, to freedom.
The heart of the NRA is found in what we do -- free assembly,
free and open court challenges, voting rights, the right to
petition the government -- and, yes, free speech.
Today more than ever, the heart of the NRA is cradled in the
heart of this great democracy.
And I will do more than prove that to you this morning. I will
show you.
You knew the Clinton Gun Ban was a bad bill. Banning guns least
likely to be used in crime. Banning the sheet metal and springs
of a magazine. Drawing distinctions where distinctions don't
exist. Blaming law-abiding citizens and forgetting criminals in
the process.
Such laws erode the bond of trust between law enforcement and the
law-abiding. The heart of the NRA beats in someone who knows
that first-hand.
In Desert Storm, Rick Rogers was a member of the elite Pathfinder
Detachment, Seventeenth Air Cavalry. Hours before the main air
assault on Iraq, Pathfinders went behind enemy lines, and Rick
was one of the first to touch down on Iraqi soil. For his
bravery, ninety-eight miles behind enemy lines, the Bronze Star
was pinned on his chest for exceptionally meritorious achievement
in combat operations.
Before he was discharged from the Army and headed home to New
Jersey, Rick called the state police to list the guns he owned.
Authorities told him what guns to get rid of under the Florio gun
ban. Rick parted with the Colt AR-15 he used to maintain his
marksmanship skills.
But Ricks willingness to comply with a bad law didn't matter.
Gun bans breed distrust of law-abiding gun owners, and Rick was
about to be a victim.
While moving his household goods, a cracked windshield drew the
attention of a patrol unit. His vehicle was searched, his guns
were found, and Rick Rogers was arrested.
The Desert Storm hero faced confiscation of his property and 18
months in prison.
The gun ban mentality told this hero, Welcome Home, Go to Jail.
But you -- the NRA -- beat a steady drum roll of support, saying,
Welcome Home, Hero, -- and Stay Free.
Where is the heart of the NRA?
It beats right here with us, beneath the Bronze Star won by Rick
Rogers. Please welcome Rick and his fiance, Stella.
In January of this year, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and
NRA formed a partnership. We were committed not just to rolling
back bad laws like the Clinton Gun Ban.
We knew we had to reverse decades of anti-gun propaganda with a
new, comprehensive Second Amendment strategy -- and the key
element of that strategy is education.
Senator Bob Dole is also a partner in the struggle for freedom
through education.
Senator Dole wrote to us that repealing the Clinton gun ban is
one of his highest legislative priorities.
When President Bill Clinton promised in his State of the Union
Address not to allow repeal of his 1994 gun and magazine ban, he
was not expecting to find the heart of the NRA in a new Second
Amendment partnership and a new Second Amendment strategy -- but
he found both.
I'm happy to report to you, our members, that the partnership
remains solid, the strategy remains sound.
There will be a repeal, and we will give Bill Clinton the chance
to veto his presidency away.
I said it before, and I say it again: Those were our rights he
stole last year.
Those are our rights we want back. And we will take them back.
In just its first few months of existence, this new partnership
has generated the most comprehensive hearings and sparked the
most profound public debate on guns, crime and freedom in years.
But the heart of this partnership is neither lobbyists nor
Congressmen.
The heart of this partnership and this strategy ... is people.
Dozens of people have testified before Congress as part of this
education strategy.
One of the first to testify told Congress what happened in
December 1994 when his jewelry store was invaded by armed
assailants.
It took the victim five revolvers and all his employees to fight
back. Over 35 shots were exchanged before the two assailants
were down and the police arrived. Law enforcement would later
say, they were the kind of criminals who had no qualms killing
ANYONE in their way.
But this man, and his employees, survived, because when
everything else failed, one right prevailed.
Where is the heart of the NRA?
It beats in the chest of a man who testified as part of our
education strategy before the United States Congress, the man the
Richmond Times-Dispatch used one word to describe: hero. The
heart of the NRA is ... Gary Baker, who is joined by his daughter
Wendy.
Seated next to Gary at that hearing was a man from this great
state. Years ago, he purchased a Colt Sporter.
Over the years, he has come to appreciate the qualities of his
firearm more and more, as his physical condition deteriorates due
to Multiple Sclerosis.
In late 1989, a convicted burglar and drug addict stole into his
parents home.
With THIRTY-FOUR prior arrests, this NINETEEN-year-old was
violating his THIRD adult parole for a KNIFE assault.
But that day, the burglar didn't find LOOT, he found this man --
and his rifle -- standing guard.
Thanks to the now-banned pistol grip, this man could hold the
rifle in one hand -- hold the criminal at bay -- while calling
911 with the other.
Where is the heart of the NRA?
It beats in the chest of this man, from Tucson, Arizona, ... Phil
Murphy.
The new Congress has given a voice to the majority of law
enforcement officers in this country who BELIEVE in the right to
keep and bear arms as FERVENTLY as all of you -- rank-and-file
officers who see FIRST-HAND the FAILURE of restricting the
law-abiding and not the criminal.
One officer testified that DEFENSE of the Bill of Rights was one
of his most PROFOUND duties, yet one of the most NEGLECTED.
Where is the heart of NRA?
In police units that target CAREER criminals.
The heart beats behind a badge PROUDLY worn by New Mexico police
officer Steve Rodriguez, who is joined by his wife, Angela.
Education on Second Amendment rights would not be complete
without the wide array of legal scholars who -- wholly
independent of NRA -- have embarked upon a studious review of the
history of this precious right.
In a major article for the Georgetown Law Journal, two
constitutional law scholars delved into the history of
African-Americans and the Second Amendment.
WHERE is the HEART of the NRA?
It beats in colleges and universities, where independent scholars
challenge political correctness with SCHOLARSHIP that PROVES:
Rights ARE rights, arms ARE arms and people ARE people.
Meet one of the LEADING scholars in the renaissance of the Second
Amendment.
From Rutgers University School of Law. Professor Robert Cottrol.
When that Second Amendment partnership was forged in January, you
and your NRA took the issue of self-defense on the road to every
possible state -- and some impossible ones. When Congress heard
the Second Amendment message on Capitol Hill, they would hear it
resonate from back home at the state capitol.
And resonate it did.
In state after state, we raised the issue of self-defense through
Right to Carry, legislation that enables the law-abiding to
obtain a permit to carry a firearm for personal protection
outside the home.
Right to Carry is taking off across the country. In the last
four months alone, Right to Carry has become the law in Virginia,
Utah and Idaho.
Right to Carry was even signed into law in Bill Clinton's home
state of Arkansas. You won't veto this one, Bill.
And you can try to veto the repeal of your senseless ban,
Mr. President, because, if we have to, we'll be back in 96 --
but you won't.
Right to Carry has passed both houses in Oklahoma.
It is moving in Ohio, Michigan, Louisiana, North Carolina, South
Carolina and California.
And recently, we spoke with a governor who advised us that he
will soon sign Right to Carry into law in his state.
The state?
The great state of Texas.
The governor: a loyal, consistently loyal supporter of the Second
Amendment and the right of self-defense, the Governor of Texas,
George W. Bush.
~
The heart of the NRA beat strong and proud in these states and
all others in just the first few months of 1995. And the heart
of the NRA made sure that Right to Carry was a right of every
law-abiding citizen -- no matter their economic status in life,
no matter the color of their skin.
Texas and Virginia heard from a federal law enforcement officer
and anti-terrorist expert who appealed for a Right to Carry
permit system that is administered fairly by a government not
always known for its fairness.
In poignant testimony, this officer said, quote, "the minority
community is the group that most often suffers the ravages of
violence." Right to Carry, this man maintained, must guarantee
all law-abiding citizens equal treatment under the law.
And NRA's Right to Carry does just that.
Where is the heart of the NRA?
It beats in the chest of Kenneth Blanchard who joins us today
with his wife, Karen.
States are passing Right to Carry because they heard the truth
from PEOPLE about how much THEY value life and how FREEDOM
protects THEIR life.
One woman, a nurse, related a story about a family camping trip.
At dawn, father and son departed for a little hunting, leaving
the woman alone.
Soon after she got busy with her chores, a station wagon full of
men, drunk or high on something, barrelled into the camp site.
They were laughing, cursing, jeering, egging each other on.
Eight men. One woman.
The nurse was petrified ... until she realized that her husband
had given her something for self-protection -- a semiautomatic
pistol -- and she had it in her holster.
She placed her hand on it. That's all she did. She placed her
hand on it, and eight men scrambled for the car doors and
windows.
As the car screeched off, she could see the last man half-hanging
out of a car window, being pulled in.
Where is the heart of the NRA?
It beats in the chest of Mrs. Mikey Vorhees.
The heart of NRA beats in public housing where GOOD people are
forced to ABANDON their rights at THEIR FRONT DOOR. Even in the
state of Maine, where the constitution says the right to arms
shall not be questioned, the right has been more than questioned.
It has been denied to people, because they can afford only public
housing.
NRA helped Mr. and Mrs. John Doe challenge the Portland Housing
Authority's ban on private firearms ownership -- and NRA, and
this family, won.
Where is the heart of the NRA?
In the chests of people who, even with the threat of eviction,
are BRAVE enough to TAKE a stand and say, I AM a citizen.
I DO have rights. Meet the REAL John Doe -- Mr. Earl Preston,
and his son, Richard.
The heart of NRA beats in a family in Ohio, where the bread
winner is a successful businessman, civic leader, family man and
part-time police officer.
When agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided
the home of Louie and Kimberly Katona, they did more than
confiscate all his firearms.
During the raid, an agent shoved wife Kimberly into a concrete
wall.
She said she felt something tear, but it was more than the fabric
of her rights.
She was pregnant, she began bleeding and soon lost what was going
to be their second child.
In court, BATF charged that Louie Katona falsified forms when he
purchased those firearms.
The judge not only threw out the case.
He actually asked BATF, where's the beef?
The Katona family won't take it sitting down. They're fighting
back, pressing a civil suit against the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms.
Where is the heart of the NRA?
RIGHT where it belongs:
To CORRECT wrongdoing.
To HELP victims of abuse.
To MAKE SURE a chain of command REWARDS good conduct for the 99%
who do a GREAT job -- and weeds out the 1 % who TARNISH the
badge.
The NEED is for RESPONSIBLE, ACCOUNTABLE leadership -- and THAT
is why NRA and a HOST of other organizations, from the ACLU to
the Quakers, are calling for FULL, OPEN hearings by a select
committee of the U.S. Congress.
Let THOSE hearings prove us wrong -- NOT Dan Rather,... NOT
Connie Chung.
WE believe -- and the Katona FAMILY believes-- that the NRA is
RIGHT.
And in THOSE hearings, let BATF answer to Congress for what they
did ... especially to Mrs. Kimberly Katona.
THERE'S the heart of the NRA, ladies and gentlemen.
Meet Louie and Kimberly Katona.
The NRA is the largest citizen crime fighting organization in the
country.
But there is a new crime we must tackle.
This new crime is so widespread, it is striking decent people in
every city, every suburb, every rural area.
A crime so brutal, it tears at the fabric of freedom.
A crime so crafty, it creeps up on you in the light of day
without notice.
Some of you have already been victimized by this vicious crime.
This new crime is a crime against the human heart.
It is the crime of unbridled fear.
Americans are DIVIDED.
Polls reveal that a majority of Americans -- fifty-two percent --
report fear of government.
Were these just the so-called angry white conservative males?
The zany conspiracy theorists we read about in disbelief?
Hardly. More liberals than conservatives reported being fearful.
There is no
question that we must fight against criminals and
terrorists, because that is a battle for the safety of our nation
-- and NRA will help fight that fight.
It is also clear that we must fight for freedom from fear,
because that is a battle to recapture the soul of our nation. It
is fear that has brought on this era of hatred and scape-goating.
It is fear that draws too many Americans, however few, into the
fold of the alienated.
It is fear that draws people away from the democratic political
process, saps the strength of our Republic and fools too many of
We the People into thinking We the People are powerless.
NRA is a 124-year-old living, breathing monument dedicated to the
proposition that people ARE powerful.
We know -- we've proven -- and the families you've met today have
proven -- that people can make a difference.
If your fear is infringement of your Second Amendment rights, do
what we do. We do not have gun bans imposed by some monarch.
We have gun bans imposed by politicians who acted like monarchs.
If you don't like gun bans, vote in a new House, a new Senate.
Just like NRA did.
And, while you're at it, in 1996, vote in a new president.
Just like NRA WILL do!
NRA and America herself are at a crucial position today.
With more than half the country in fear, NRA members -- all of
you -- are the leaders our communities so desperately need.
In this TROUBLED time, leaders ... MUST ... emerge.
Those leaders are the PEOPLE in THIS room.
Democratic principles ... MUST ... predominate. THOSE principles
are cherished by the PEOPLE in THIS room.
HOW the nation proceeds ... is JUST as important ... as where we
go.
And the PEOPLE in THIS room can lead the WAY.
SO, America.
Do you REALLY want to secure your rights?
Do you REALLY want to craft a proud legacy for your children?
Do you REALLY want to make the winning difference for the
constitution, for the rule of law, for freedom itself?
Do you REALLY want to take government to task -- and restore it,
full of self-respect and integrity?
Then do as we have done -- millions of NRA members, day in and
day out, from Election 94 to the present.
Take government to task -- by taking democracy to heart.
God bless that democracy.
And god bless you -- the heart -- of the National Rifle
Association of America.
=+=+=+=+
May 5, 1995
Dear Member of the NRA Board of Directors:
For many months now, I've kept you informed by periodic letters
like this one of our meteoric progress, not just in defense of our
Second Amendment rights, but our advancement of those rights. You
have witnessed the positive media coverage we and we alone have
generated by pushing Right to Carry laws across the various states.
Even TIME magazine tipped its hat to our enactment just this year
of Right to Carry in Virginia, Utah, Idaho and Bill Clintonþs home
state of Arkansas. It has passed both houses of the legislatures
in Texas and Oklahoma, and it is moving in Ohio, Michigan, North
Carolina, South Carolina and California.
On the federal side, you have witnessed an unprecedented
partnership between the Speaker of the House and the Senate
Majority Leader on arresting the movement of restrictive gun
control and supporting repeal of the Clinton Gun Ban. And that
partnership led to a comprehensive education strategy that is well
underway. You have seen witness after witness tell the positive
story of private firearms ownership to the U.S. Congress, scholars
speaking to the true meaning of the Second Amendment and social
scientists debunking gun control as ineffective. And you have
witnessed the most monumental educational conference in the
nation's capitol on the right to bear arms -- "The Second
Amendment: Right Under Fire?" -- a symposium featuring prominent
scholars, journalists, public health and criminology professionals,
leading presidential candidates and other leaders of the U.S. House
of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
1995 has been a grand year for our Association, and I continue to
draw inspiration from our membership, you and the entire NRA Board
of Directors, and the ILA staff who, believe me, have worked
tirelessly into long nights and endless weekends to make all these
successes possible.
Then there was April 19th.
Along with all other Americans, I am as outraged as I am deeply
saddened by the terrorist attack on innocent men, women and
children in Oklahoma City. As a mother and a grandmother of small
children, it is difficult to find the words to adequately describe
the grief and horror of that event. I find the actions of the
perpetrators and their accomplices, whoever they may be,
unfathomable and barbaric.
Let's be clear: NRA advocates freedom, the constitution and the
rule of law. And NRA advocates the death penalty for criminal
terrorists who harbor nothing but contempt, not just for freedom,
the constitution and the rule of law, but for innocent human life.
Within hours of the horror, President Bill Clinton called for a
period of mourning and cautioned against casting blame where blame
clearly did not belong. On April 22, the Washington Post followed
suit and called on all Americans to resist "any inclination to
indulge in charges of broad-based, diffuse and unspecified
culpability." Although you and I seldom, if ever, agree with Bill
Clinton or the Post editorial board, we can certainly agree on
those points.
Sadly, our opponents and their allies in the press have shunned
this sound advice.
In recent days, NRA's political opponents have sought to exploit
this tragedy to advance their political agenda, and the
establishment media has saluted smartly. The scape-goating and
hate-mongering have been leveled at law-abiding gun owners in
general and the National Rifle Association of America in
particular. Such irresponsible actions deepen an already shocking
tragedy in which, as Wayne LaPierre pointed out so poignantly on
"Meet the Press" last Sunday, NRA members numbered among victims
and rescuers.
In this period of yellow journalism, I would like to take this
opportunity to give you my honest, frank appraisal of the issues
that are surfacing by muck-rakers eager to exploit this tragedy,
impugn this Association and halt our progress. Make no mistake
about it. That is the bottom line goal of the gun prohibitionists,
their big-city media allies and no doubt the President himself:
stop the NRA at all costs. So I ask that you keep this in mind as
you read further and as I set the record straight on a number of
lies, half-truths and innuendoes.
------------------------
First, before we treat the issue of political rhetoric, let's state
the facts.
The persons who planned and executed the bombing in Oklahoma City
are solely and exclusively responsible for it and should face the
death penalty for their barbarism. Nothing NRA did or might have
refrained from doing contributed at all to that atrocity. Weather
reports in Florida don't cause damage; hurricanes cause damage. It
was evil, and it isn't right or accurate to describe it any other
way. Scape-goating amounts to making excuses for it. Making
excuses for it lends an air of justification. There was no
justification. It was evil.
In the wake of this tragedy, Americans are united in our grief for
the victims and our insistence on swift, sure justice for the
vicious perpetrators and their accomplices. We are also united in
saluting federal, state and local law enforcement for their
professionalism in the wake of this horrific criminal act. There
was no need to conduct a poll to discover these two obvious points,
but someone did.(1)
But the pollster was shocked to find Americans as divided on fear
of government as we are united in grief for the lost and praise for
authorities. For while Americans were saluting federal (and state
and local) law enforcement for their brilliant performance
following the atrocity, as many as four in ten Americans reported
that they perceive an "immediate threat" to their civil liberties
from the federal government. This was no "angry conservative"
voice the pollster heard; by a few percentage points, more liberals
than conservatives feared federal abuse of power.
A more recent poll produced more sobering results. As many as 52%
-- a majority of Americans -- reported the fear that the "Federal
Government has become so powerful that it poses a threat to the
rights and freedoms of citizens."(2)
On a vast array of issues, this reflects an ocean of discontent
with federal power. NRA rhetoric amounts to rain on that ocean.
It's not just NRA but a majority of Americans who believe we have
the right to be secure in our homes. Institutionally, BATF must
have its doubts. This past summer, fifteen to twenty armed men
(IRS and BATF agents) burst into the rural Pennsylvania home of Mr.
and Mrs. Harry Lamplugh. The family cooperated -- opening safes,
handing over papers -- but cooperation did not cool the intruders'
wrath. One held a machine gun in their faces. Another uttered a
racial slur. One emptied vial after vial of cancer medicine,
crushed it on the bathroom floor and confiscated cancer treatment
records. Another stomped a pet cat to death. The Lamplughs are
gun show promoters. BATF's purpose here seems clear: reduce or
eliminate lawful commerce in a lawful product through intimidation
and brutish intrusion. I maintain it is the right role for NRA to
speak forcefully when federal agents rough-up cancer patients, and
if you listen to the Lamplughs tell it, you'd be convinced that
NRA's rhetoric was mild in comparison.
Remember the Fourth Amendment? Monique Montgomery doesn't. All
the St. Louis woman remembers is masked men breaking into her
bedroom at four in the morning. Yes, they shouted who they were,
but the glaring lights and the timing of the hit were meant to
maximize Monique's disorientation as she woke from a deep sleep.
She accessed a gun for self-defense, but the intruders -- BATF
agents -- already had their guns drawn and shot her four times,
seriously wounding her. Our understanding is that she has a case
pending against the agency. In covering this government assault on
an innocent woman, the St. Louis Dispatch wondered editorially
whether BATF learned "any lessons in patience" from the debacle in
Waco. So do the rest of us.
In its ad being criticized as part of the "blame game," the
National Rifle Association called upon the Clinton Administration
to (1) regain control of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms; (2) expose and prosecute those guilty of civil rights
abuses and (3) institute strict policies that honor the Bill of
Rights. That prescription is indicated by the facts. It's that
prescription that is opposed by the anti-gunners and the
Administration.
On April 30 on "Meet the Press," Attorney General Janet Reno
assured the public that if specific cases of abuse were brought to
her attention, she would examine them.
The fact is, specific cases were brought to the Administrationþs
attention, however, and no action has been taken.
In the wake of the tragedy in Waco in April 1993, NRA issued a
nationwide news release calling for fact-finding that is "thorough
and independent." Our release called for "a full investigation to
proceed immediately in court, in Congress and through the White
House," and we proposed that President Clinton "consider appointing
an independent special prosecutor."
No response.
In January 1994, NRA formed a coalition with the American Civil
Liberties Union and a host of other groups concerned about civil
rights which wrote to the president and referred to numerous cases
of abuse by federal agencies, only two of which dealt with the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF). This coalition
called for a national commission to study the cases, establish the
truth, find a remedy and administer it.
No response.
In January 1995, the same group met again and re-issued the call
for action. Save for a single meeting with a Justice Department
staffer, no action has been taken.
Let's be clear. As I stated earlier, there is absolutely no reason
and no justification for the criminal act that claimed innocent
life in Oklahoma City. We concur with President Clinton that
healing must commence. We also believe strongly that healing can
commence only when the Administration takes positive action to
examine these many specific abuse cases in the light of day,
establish the truth and, at long last, act on the truth.
In short, NRA has never failed to speak. Thus far, Bill Clinton
has always failed to act.
----------------------
Next, let me discuss a distasteful message that appeared on the
bulletin board system I operated.
A gun prohibitionist organization has tried to make political hay
out of a message transmitted to an electronic bulletin board. We
denounce both the organization, the individual who posted the
message, the message itself and attempts by others to somehow
impugn NRA and me personally. This sort of one-in-a-million
message denigrates the customarily high intellectual quality of the
debate carried on in NRA's electronic forums day in and day out.
Anyone can upload anything to an open and unrestricted bulletin
board system -- just as anyone can mail anything to someoneþs
mailbox at home totally outside the control of the homeowner. As
a result, it has become all too common for people with a variety of
motives, some good and some bad, to upload files to bulletin board
systems. The bulletin board in question -- Bullet'N Board, purges
files periodically that are distasteful and inappropriate. The
file in question was uploaded onto the system, then purged at a
later date. I would not be surprised to learn that the posting
itself was politically motivated to embarrass me, the NRA and
impugn the good will and good reputation of gun owners and NRA
members who use the system.
Electronic communications is part of "the new media." From the days
of the fight against the Clinton gun ban, through Election '94 and
into the efforts this year to pass Right to Carry and repeal the
Clinton gun ban, electronic communications has served NRA well as
one of the most effective ways not just to communicate back and
forth with our most active members, but also as a tool to prompt
them to greater legitimate, useful political action. In fact, our
prowess in this new field has received favorable coverage in the
political press.
But electronic communications is also new territory for Americans
as well. Unwanted, unsolicited and irresponsible incoming messages
have plagued many in the communications industry, including Prodigy
and America On-line. NRA has instituted a protocol whereby we will
screen incoming messages prior to them being made available to all
system subscribers.
Someone "posted" (sent) a vile message. I did not send it. The
system automatically received it. I denounce it, and I have taken
steps to police all systems to ensure to the best of our ability
that no more vile, unsolicited junk mail appears again.
I might add that, on system start-up, when people on the system
learned my gender, some few sent messages that amounted to vile,
sexual advances. I didn't appreciate those messages either, and no
one in their right mind would suggest that I was responsible for my
own sexual harassment.
-----------------------
Next, let's discuss the so-called "citizen militia" movement.
Since this phenomenon emerged, neither the NRA Institute nor I have
diverged from NRA policy. And that policy is clear:
First, for decades, NRA has followed an explicit policy
established by the NRA Board of Directors that condemns
violent individuals and groups, including those advocating the
violent overthrow of the government of the United States.
Second, when authorities have reasonable suspicion of criminal
activity on the part of individuals or groups, they should
investigate and, if the evidence so indicates, prosecute to
the fullest extent of the law.
Third, NRA defends the individual right of law-abiding
citizens to keep and bear arms for lawful purposes. The
militia clause does not weaken or strengthen that individual
right.
The NRA, of course, has never been involved in the formation or
support of any so-called "citizen militia" unit. Consistently, it
has been gun control advocates and their "collective right"
rhetoric that has advanced the myth that the individual right to
keep and bear arms is contingent upon participation in a "citizen
militia."(3) It has been NRA that has battled against this myth.
According to competent independent scholars, the militia clause of
the Second Amendment merely adds to the reason for the right, which
is a common law right rooted in the fundamental right of self-
defense.
While in Michigan for a speaking engagement, press events and
meetings with NRA members, I met with two representatives of the
so-called "Michigan Militia Corps," a Mr. Olson and a Mr. Adams.
We met in the lobby lounge of the Lansing hotel (hardly a "secret
meeting" as averred by the press) where I was staying. The
discussion was at their request.
My impression confirms various news reports that the
representatives of this so-called "militia" evinced little
confidence in any official beyond the local county sheriff. I
found that notion a sign of detachment from the processes of
participatory democracy at all levels of government in which NRA
members and other citizens have been so successfully involved. I
also found it counter to everything NRA and our members have done
across the political spectrum in recent months -- namely,
supporting candidates and advancing legislative initiatives at the
state and federal as well as local levels.
Despite irresponsible remarks by Mr. Adams to the contrary, there
was no discussion pertaining to the election of officers of the NRA
Board of Directors. Two things were discussed: NRA policy and the
reason for it, and their group and their justification for it.
The representatives appeared intent on convincing me that NRA adopt
a new policy more supportive of their group. They were
unsuccessful. I indicated clearly that, while I could not speak
for the board, it was doubtful that NRA would change its position,
and I was certainly not inclined to suggest a change in policy. At
least three times toward the close of the brief talk, they
expressed that they were "extremely disappointed" at the results of
the discussion.
I came away from that talk more convinced than ever of three basic
points. First, after listening to their circuitous logic, I agreed
with NRA President Tom Washington that we have nothing to do with
them. Second, they were emblematic of the ocean of discontent we
have in this country. Third, NRA's political effort -- committed
to bringing more and more citizens into the process, registering to
vote, getting active, etc. -- is more vital to the future of our
nation than ever before.
----------------------
I hope this frank discussion has been helpful to you. Let me close
by reminding you of those shocking poll results I discussed at the
beginning of this letter. There is no question that we must fight
against criminal terrorists, because that is a battle for the
safety of our nation. It is also clear that we must fight this
fear and bring America back into community, because that is a
battle to regain the soul of our nation.
That demands unity and leadership. I am confident that the team we
now have, from NRA President Tom Washington down to the newest NRA
member who just signed up today, will provide that unity and that
leadership to a nation looking for a steady course that takes us
toward freedom, the constitution and the rule of law.
Finally on a personal note, let me express my thanks to all of you
who took the time to call and send cards of sympathy at the passing
of my father, John Chamberlain, a few weeks ago. Your support
during this time has been a great blessing to me and my family.
Yours for the Second Amendment,
Tanya K. Metaksa
Executive Director
--------------------------
(1) USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll, reported April 26, 1995.
(2) Time/CNN poll, April 27, 1995, by Yankelovich Partners, Inc.
(3) Sonya: "Would you help us all understand what the right to
bear arms should mean to a citizen in this country?"
U.S. Rep. Butler Derrick: "Well, let's first say that under
the Constitution, the Constitution says that a citizen has a right
to form a militia and to bear arms. Now there are different
interpretations but my interpretation of that is that they need to
get together like the National Guard or something like that and
form a militia for the defense from outside forces."
-- Sonya Live (CNN)
March 16, 1993 (during the Waco siege)
=+=+=+=+
Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice-President
Address to the Annual Meeting of Members
May 20, 1995
We ... are being watched.
The eyes of the nation, the eyes of history, are upon us.
Our every word is being scrutinized, our every action studied.
And we should be grateful. Let me tell you why.
A few weeks ago I decided what I wanted to say here today.
I wanted to give America a clear definition of our mission at
NRA:
That at the end of this century we want to leave the Second
Amendment in the same condition as it was at the beginning of
this century.
But since April 19, that day of terrible, cowardly cruelty in
Oklahoma City, I've realized that job will be harder than I
thought.
As we gather here today, our mission is in jeopardy.
Because too many Americans are increasingly confused about who we
are.
I don't know. You could blame it on tragic events, or on poor
reporting, or on political opportunists, or even on our
adversaries.
But all of a sudden, N-R-A patriots are being confused with
Grade-A terrorists. Well ... to those in the national media, I
hope you're listening, because I'm going to put a stop to the
confusion right here and now.
I will not sit idly by while the media, or the President, or
anyone else, tries to disgrace the members of this great
Association by blurring the distinction between heroism, and
terrorism!
There is a difference between democracy, and anarchy.
There is a difference between criticism, and insurrection.
There is a difference between sound reason, and sheer treason.
There is a difference between acting within the law, and acting
above the law.
And believe me, there is a difference between 3.5 million united
NRA members, and some scattered band of paranoid hatemongers!
And if someone in this room doesn't know the difference,
THEN THERE'S THE DOOR!
For 124 years the National Rifle Association of America has been
promoting liberty.
Not mutiny.
Our fight is for the minds of men. Never against the lives of
children.
We do not do battle with bullets. We fight with ballots.
We don't train for revolt in the woods. We train for safety --
in grade schools and shooting ranges and police departments.
We don't break laws.
We help make the laws.
We don't sit home and complain about bad government. We vote for
and elect good government.
If there is anyone within the sound of my voice who still doesn't
get it ... get it and get it now:
There is not, nor has there ever been, any room at NRA for anyone
who supports -- or even fantasizes about -- terrorism, sedition,
insurrection, treason, conspiracy or any other unlawful activity.
Period! End of story!
And you know what?
If you do support any of that stuff, you'd better not let the
Americans in this room find out about it.
At the same time, there is no room in America for those who
support a double standard of justice. And at NRA, we've been
saying so -- for years.
I'm talking about the double standard that says if someone wants
to profiteer from rap music about killing cops, those rights are
defended.
But if a shotgun barrel is a quarter-inch below the legal
minimum, they can surround a Ruby Ridge home and shoot a
14-year-old boy in the back and kill a mother holding a baby.
Then promote the guy in charge of it all.
I'm talking about the double standard that says, if a drugged-up
ex-con speeds through L.A., resists arrest and gets beat up, he
can sue for a few million bucks and win.
While the cop in charge gets ruined.
But if a religious cult is suspected of a gun law violation, it
can be assaulted with bullets, tanks and tear gas. Everyone dies
... and the cop in charge gets promoted.
I'm talking about the double standard that says, it's okay to
call gun owners "gun nuts" and call the NRA "an evil empire of
lying, stupid, rednecks, zealots and extremists."
But if we engage in some impassioned name-calling about abuses by
a few federal police, we are suddenly indicted, tried and found
guilty-by-association with America's most despicable criminals.
Nonetheless, for some of my words, an apology was due. And I
apologized.
I have repeatedly said it, and our actions back it up: The NRA
is pro-law-enforcement.
We respect and support our many heroes out there doing their jobs
every day under impossible circumstances. We're proud of them --
hundreds of thousands are NRA members.
But I have also repeatedly said that if a handful of them behave
like bullies, we're gonna call them bullies.
If some of them act like thugs ... then that's what we'll call
them.
That's why the NRA and the ACLU and several other civil rights
groups joined together 18 months ago to ask President Clinton to
create a commission to investigate serious abuses by federal law
enforcement agencies, in order to reduce many reported violations
of constitutional and human rights.
And what do we have to show for our repeated requests? Nothing.
No fact-finding action that could settle the issue once and for
all.
No hearings.
No investigations.
No answers.
Just hypocrisy and arrogance.
While he appealed for "toning down the rhetoric," Mr. Clinton
criticized NRA for our language ... by using this language! Let
me quote him from a few days ago, quote:
"We must stand up against these people who say they love their
country but not this government. Who do these people think they
are?" End quote.
I'll tell you who we are. We are the people who helped clean out
Congress in 1994, and who are going to help clean your clock in
1996!
Mr. President, there is nothing un-American about questioning our
leaders. As citizens, it's our job.
There is nothing unpatriotic about being skeptical of our
government. As citizens, it's our job.
In fact, our very system of self-government requires us to
question our officials and candidates with each election cycle.
The more zeal and passion we bring to the process, the better
government we get.
So why do they so readily attack the NRA?
I'll tell you why. They're attacking the messenger, instead of
the message, because most Americans agree with the message!
Most Americans think that government has grown so big it can't
keep its hands out of our pockets or off of our rights.
In fact, just eight days after the bombing in Oklahoma City, a
52% majority of Americans said they think the federal government
has become so powerful that it poses a threat to the rights and
freedoms of its citizens.
That's not an NRA poll -- that's a Time/CNN poll April 27, 1995.
That's the message, and Mr. Clinton doesn't get it.
Think about it: Over half of your countrymen think the federal
government has become so powerful that it poses a threat to the
rights and freedoms of its citizens.
Surely you've felt that invasion bit by bit, year after year.
More and more you've got to
scoot-your-butt-over-and-make-room-for-a-
bureaucrat-and-his-book-of-rules.
I know you've felt it. Especially if you own land, if you own a
small business, if you own a home, if you drive a car, or heaven
forbid, if you want to own a gun.
But it's not just about your gun freedoms.
It's about plans for a federal multi-agency super-police force
called the "Directorate of Central Law Enforcement" that Bill
Clinton and Janet Reno wanted to put together.
It's about HR97, a bill that would allow Reno to establish a
2,500-member "Rapid Deployment Strike Force" that could be
deployed to enforce federal, state and local anti-gun laws.
It's about special micro-chips that the government wanted to put
in every phone, fax and computer so it could tap into people's
communications at will.
It's about saddling the states with unfunded federal mandates,
paperwork, red tape and regulations that deny private property
rights and civil rights.
It's about that California farmer whose tractor was seized and
who faced a year in jail plus a $200,000 fine for allegedly
running over an "endangered" kangaroo rat while plowing his own
land.
It's about federal agencies like HUD threatening to prosecute
citizens for exercising their First Amendment right by opposing
criminal halfway houses in their neighborhoods.
It's about why 300 Marines, on a written test at Twentynine Palms
Combat Center in California, were asked whether they would, quote
"fire upon U.S. citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of
firearms banned by the U.S. government," end quote.
In the end, it's about all these creeping cancers ... feeding on
all the freedoms we once took for granted. So it'll be tough to
leave this century with the Second Amendment in the same
condition as it was at the beginning of this century.
But with courage and character, we will.
Today, as 95 years ago, there is no room at NRA for any people
that support violence against government. But there is also no
room in America for government that supports violence against the
people, and a double standard of justice.
We will continue our important work of gun safety, hunting and
wildlife conservation, crime prevention, judicial reform and
protecting the cherished Second Amendment.
But we will meet the millennium with our more difficult -- and
perhaps more unpopular -- duty: of living on the leading edge of
defining what patriotism means in modern America ... of making
government put our freedom where its mouth is.
I began today by telling you that, like never before, we are
being watched. And we will be judged not by what we say, but
what we do.
So I ask those in the media who observe this Association to do so
closely, with fairness and balance. But I also ask those who
participate in this Association to be worthy of scrutiny, by
living up to a promise you made ... when you were a kid:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
In spite of the diversity of opinion that comes with 3.5 million
members, we are all still united by that promise. Don't let the
chaos of current events tarnish the majesty of its meaning:
We don't promise to try when it's convenient, we pledge our
allegiance.
Not to who's powerful or popular, but to the flag of the United
States of America.
And not just to its stars and stripes, but to the republic for
which it stands. Which isn't one faction, but one nation.
Not under tyranny, but under God. Not divided, but indivisible.
With liberty and with justice, not for a few, but for all.
Let's tell it, teach it, live it, and breathe it.
To give the kids of this country a running start at another
glorious century of being the envy ... of the world.
God bless you all and thank you.
=+=+=+=+
May 11, 1995
Letters
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20071
Dear Sir or Maam:
This regards Joan Biskupic's article (May 10, 1995) which contains
numerous factual errors and suffers from lack of historical
perspective.
An organized, increasingly well-funded national threat to Second
Amendment rights is only decades old. NRA did not see a need to
establish a political and legislative arm (the NRA Institute for
Legislative Action) until 1975. And like advocacy, building
constitutional jurisprudence takes decades. For the First
Amendment, it has taken the better part of a century.
As William Van Alstyne pointed out in a recent Duke University Law
Journal article, First Amendment jurisprudence did not begin in
earnest until 1920. No one would argue that there were no First
Amendment rights in 1919. In his article, Van Alstyne affirmed
that the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right of the
people and compared NRA's work on Second Amendment issues today to
ACLU's work on the First Amendment in the early 1900s. The
suggestion that Van Alstyne, Levinson, Cottrol or a host of others
constitute "the few academics" who espouse the individual rights
view of the Second Amendment is simply untrue. Most legal scholars
who have studied the issue agree: the Second Amendment guarantees
an individual right.
The Second Amendment case Quilici v. Village of Morton Grove
conveys both judicial aversion to the right to arms and the
duplicitous nature of our opponents. NRA filed a writ to encourage
the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. Customarily two-faced,
Handgun Control, Inc., which says it always challenges NRA to bring
a Second Amendment case, filed a brief encouraging the Supreme
Court not to hear the case. HCI, which says it does not favor
blanket gun bans, termed the Morton Grove handgun ban "a reasonable
exercise of police power."
Morton Grove was also a Fourteenth Amendment case wherein it was
argued that the Federal Second Amendment applies to the states
through incorporation by the 14th Amendment. And why not? When
the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified, its primary sponsor, Senator
Jacob Howard of New York, listed the rights he intended protected
in the states. The "right to arms" was one of them, as was the
freedom of assembly. It was a direct reaction to efforts to disarm
newly-freed African-Americans in the post-Civil War South. The
bail provision guarantees of the Fifth Amendment have not been
incorporated by Supreme Court action. Care to argue against bail
as a guarantee only "in the mind"?
How can the Second Amendment be a right "only in the mind" when
courts have struck down gun control laws on Second Amendment
grounds? The court, In re Brickey [8 Idaho 587, 70 P. 609
(1902)], struck down a law regulating the carry of pistols as too
restrictive on the Idaho state right to arms as well as the federal
right to arms guarantees. Likewise, in Nunn v. State [1 Ga. (1
Kelly) 243 (1846)], the court used the Second Amendment to void a
state statute at a time when the state constitution was silent on
the right to keep and bear arms.
On the national scene, no one should be surprised that certain
jurists have an aversion to certain rights. And no one should sit
back and say, because of that hostility, rights are not rights,
people are not people and arms are not arms. If we buy into that
illogic, we would have to agree with a Supreme Court which, years
ago, was hostile to the civil rights provisions of the 14th
Amendment and the idea that people of different races should be
treated equally by their government. From roughly the 1890s until
after the Second World War, the Supreme Court basically refused to
enforce the equal protection provisions of the 14th Amendment and
the voting rights provisions of the 15th -- the color-blind voting
rights provisions of the 15th Amendment!
Thankfully, the people prevailed. The people rejected that illogic
and moved forward to secure their rights. Then as now with NRA
members, the people got active -- registering to vote, getting
involved in the political process, speaking out.
The Second Amendment is a right exercised by half the households in
the United States and advanced through legitimate political
advocacy by millions of Americans. We believe the people will
prevail on a matter confirmed by a wide array of legal scholars,
that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right and that
self-defense is indeed a civil right.
Sincerely,
Thomas C. Wyld
Director, PR & Communications
NRA Institute for Legislative Action
P.S. Please note the attached news release, sent in response to an
HCI anti-Second Amendment TV campaign last year, for a partial
listing of scholars who affirm the individual rights view.
For Immediate Release For More Information:
December 8, 1994 NRA Public Affairs
703-267-3820
SECOND AMENDMENT ATTACK: "ALL SPUTTER, NO SCHOLARSHIP"
Fairfax, Virginia -- "All sputter and no scholarship." That was
the reaction of the chief lobbyist of the National Rifle
Association of America to a television advertising campaign mounted
by the gun ban movement.
"Crushed at the polls and abandoned by scholars, the gun ban
movement has resorted to desperation tactics to deceive the
American people," said Mrs. Tanya K. Metaksa. "Americans weren't
fooled on November 8, and they won't be fooled today. The U.S.
Constitution means exactly what it says.
"Overwhelmingly, constitutional scholars and other academics have
affirmed that the Framers of the Bill of Rights intended the Second
Amendment to safeguard an individual right," Mrs. Metaksa said.
"Even the American Bar Association published in 1965 an award-
winning article titled 'The Lost Amendment' which concluded that
the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right."
Mrs. Metaksa ridiculed the TV commercials: "Sarah Brady should be
the last one to give advice on our Constitution. The law which
bears her name has been found unconstitutional by four Federal
courts this year alone.
"If the ABA wants an intellectually honest debate on the meaning of
the Second Amendment, step right up," she said.
-- nra --
MEMO FOR CORRESPONDENTS: In recent years, a raft of research has
affirmed the individual rights interpretation of the Second
Amendment. Consider the following independent researchers who are
not NRA spokespersons and should not be attributed as such:
"For the point to be made with respect to Congress and the
Second Amendment is that the essential claim advanced by the
NRA with respect to the Second Amendment is extremely
strong... the constructive role of the NRA today, like the
role of the ACLU in the 1920's with respect to the First
Amendment, ought itself not to be dismissed lightly."
--William Van Alstyne, Professor of Law, Duke University
School of Law, "The Second Amendment And The Personal
Right to Arms," 1994
"The Second Amendment's language and historical and
philosophical background demonstrated that it was designed to
guarantee individuals the possession of certain kinds of arms
for three purposes (1) crime prevention or what we would today
describe as self-defense; (2) national defense (3)
preservation of individual liberty..."
-- Don Kates, Handgun Prohibition And The Original
Meaning of The Second Amendment. 1983
"In recent years it has been suggested that the Second
Amendment protects the `collective' right of states to
maintain militias, while it does not protect the right of `the
people' to keep and bear arms. If anyone entertained this
notion in the period during which the Constitution and Bill of
Rights were debated and ratified, it remains one of the most
closely guarded secrets of the 18th century, for no known
writing surviving from the period between 1787 and 1791 states
such a thesis."
-- Stephen P. Halbrook, That Every Man Be Armed
(1984).
"The argument that today's National Guardsmen, members of a
select militia, would constitute the only persons entitled to
keep and bear arms has no historical foundation."
--Joyce Lee Malcolm, Professor of History. Author, To
Keep and Bear Arms (Harvard University Press 1994)
"The states'rights reading puts great weight on the word
`militia', but this word appears only in the Amendment's
subordinate clause. The ultimate right to keep and bear arms
belongs to `the people' not `the states.' As the language of
the Tenth Amendment shows, these two are of course not identical
when the constitution means `states' it says so. Thus as noted
above, `the people' at the core of the Second Amendment are the
same `people' at the heart of the Preamble and the First
Amendment, namely citizens."
--Akil Amar, Professor of Law, Yale, The Bill of Rights
as a Constitution, 100 Yale, (1990)
=+=+=+=+
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For further information,
May 15, 1995 call: 703-267-3820
NRA RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT CLINTON
Fairfax, Virginia -- "The same president who counseled against
'reckless' speech should stop speaking recklessly," said Mrs. Tanya
K. Metaksa, Executive Director, NRA Institute for Legislative
Action (NRA-ILA) in response to President Clinton's comments today
at the 14th Annual Peace Officers Memorial. "The president has
ignored two years of legitimate calls for action to curb civil
rights abuses by Federal agencies by NRA, the ACLU and a host of
groups concerned about civil rights. Instead of 'reckless'
speaking, the president should engage in responsible listening."
Mrs. Metaksa cited NRA's long history of support of and respect for
law enforcement, including criminal justice reform and victims
rights efforts in eleven states and the U.S. Congress the first
four months of 1995 alone. In addition, NRA on an annual basis
helps train and qualify thousands of peace officers, awards
scholarships and salutes a top officer in its annual awards.
"In law enforcement agencies across the country, there are
responsible leaders who reward good conduct and arrest misconduct
down through their chains of command," said Mrs. Metaksa. "We
maintain that's not the case with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms. Victims have a right to be heard, and that includes
victims of federal abuse. Our goal in calling for full open
hearings by a Congressional Committee will ensure that a chain of
command rewards good conduct for 99% of officers who do a great job
-- and weeds out the 1% who tarnish the badge.
"When NRA called for a national commission in 1993, where were you,
Mr. President? When NRA and a host of other organizations wrote
you in 1994, why didn't you answer, Mr. President? When NRA and
others visited the Justice Department in 1995, why didn't you
listen, Mr. President?"
Mrs. Metaksa dismissed the president's comments on the
effectiveness of his 1994 gun ban as "ludicrous and indefensible.
The president is masking an abysmal record of failing to prosecute
federal weapons violations -- down a staggering 23% in his first
two years in office. That's the only way in which his gun ban is
effective: it camouflages lack of performance."
-- nra --
=+=+=+=+
Tom Washington, NRA President
Address to the Annual Meeting of Members
May 20, 1995
Thank you very much for your very warm welcome to Arizona.
You know, it's hard to believe that, beneath these bright sunny
skies, there are people in America who have been trying their
best to darken the reputation of NRA, and dishonor this
association.
They want to disgrace the NRA in the eyes of the public. So
they're doing everything they can to portray the NRA as something
it isn't, and to make everybody forget all the good things we do.
As long as I'm around, they won't get away with it.
I'm the president of this outfit and I'm proud of it.
I'm proud to be here.
I'm proud to display the NRA seal on my car.
I'm proud to show you my NRA membership card.
When I hear accusations and insinuations against the NRA, I'm
offended. So while everybody's here, let's set the record
straight about this association once and for all.
The National Rifle Association of America has a long, honorable
history.
For 124 years, through public service and community goodwill,
we've done as much or more than any other group in history for
this country.
Look at all the NRA has done for America. When the government
needed our help during World War II, the NRA answered the
country's call like everybody else.
We wrote and printed hundreds of thousands of training manuals
for our soldiers.
We provided shooting instructors.
We rounded up reloaders to supply our men overseas.
And when the British, under siege by Nazi hordes, asked for help
to fend off an invasion, you know who gave them thousands of
rifles and pistols to defend themselves?
NRA members.
In fact, after the Japanese surrendered, "Give 'em Hell Harry"
President Truman wrote a letter to formally thank the NRA for its
vast contributions to the war effort.
If that's not a worthwhile contribution to American history, you
tell me what is!
Our tradition of public service lives on today.
In fact, we spend more to teach Americans about gun safety than
the government and the media combined, or anybody else.
As a matter of fact, we train over 15,000 police officers every
year and regularly sponsor police competitive matches.
The hunter safety program we started in 1949 has been adopted all
over the U.S. and Canada.
So far, twenty million hunters have been trained under that same
basic course.
Almost a million Americans learn gun safety from our instructors
every year.
And since 1988, our Eddie Eagle program has taught six million
boys and girls how to avoid gun accidents.
Has our hard work paid off?
Ask the National Safety Council, and they'll tell you fatal gun
accidents are at an all-time low.
That goes for all age groups all across America.
If that's not a worthwhile contribution to society, you tell me
what is!
We're also helping to protect lawful Americans from criminal
violence, whether they choose to own a firearm or not.
Our "Refuse To Be A Victim" program gives women practical ways to
avoid dangerous situations, and if they can't, how to avoid
becoming a victim.
NRA's "Crimestrike" division fights to enact the justice system
reforms that'll take violent criminals off the streets, put them
behind bars and keep them there.
If that won't make America safer than gun bans or midnight
basketball, you tell me what will!
If you know me at all, you know I'm deeply hurt that Bill Clinton
may not like us very much.
So let's talk about other American Presidents ... From Ulysses S.
Grant to Theodore Roosevelt, from John F. Kennedy to Ronald
Reagan, they have all been proud to be NRA members.
You've all heard how former President Bush resigned last week
over our criticism of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms. I'm sorry he made that decision before talking to us
first. Because if he knew the facts, I believe he wouldn't have
resigned.
It's unfortunate that the statement in the well publicized fund
raising letter was misconstrued to apply to all federal law
enforcement, for that we are sorry and apologize.
Most of you members here probably know about ATF's history of
abuse against law-abiding citizens. Unfortunately, it seems
President Bush has forgotten -- and most of the media isn't
interested in reminding anybody -- or finding out the truth.
That's why I wrote to the former President, to give him the facts
on just a few of these cases. And that's why we printed my
letter to President Bush in newspapers across the country -- to
expose these cases to public scrutiny, to demand investigations,
and to let the American people decide for themselves.
Once the truth is out, I believe the American people will agree
with us.
Because behind all the political posturing, the truth is there
are many victims of tragic abuses out there that need to be
heard.
And believe me, we're going to get those hearings!
Maybe it's because we're just hard-nosed. Or maybe we've just
been through enough battles to know the lay of the land.
But you know, we at the NRA have a way of getting to the truth
when nobody else can.
This Association, like our society, is based on the rule of law.
And if you operate outside the law -- or if you break the law in
the name of the law -- we're going to expose you, and we're going
to oppose you.
Some people in the media have tried everything they can think of
to associate the NRA with terrorists, hate groups, and
extremists.
But the fact is, we've had a resolution on the books since 1964
that says if you advocate violence against the government, you
have no place in the NRA.
And we mean it.
Sometimes I think the NRA-bashing we've heard lately is so
outrageous ... So desperate ... That maybe it just shows what a
powerful player we are.
If we were truly the villains some people claim, it would go
without saying. People wouldn't need to be convinced.
But instead, our critics go on and on, trying whatever they can
think of, to disgrace us or disparage us.
After our victories in last fall's elections, and in statehouses
this spring, could it be the anti-gunners want to convince
themselves -- and anyone who'll listen -- that NRA is "on the
ropes" or "on our way out?"
If so, they're wrong. And if they're trying to hurt us with
their accusations, they've failed.
For example, you'd think their noisy trumpeting -- about
President Bush's resignation -- would have triggered a flood of
canceled memberships.
But on the contrary, we've been flooded with positive calls,
eight-to-one, with Americans who are saying, "sign me up!" And
some even saying that I'll replace George.
Now that's a sign we're an organization that's not "on the
ropes," but on top of mainstream American values.
When I first visited NRA headquarters many years ago, and saw the
gallery of photos of past NRA presidents, I was awed by the men I
saw there.
Generations of men -- business leaders, military leaders, civic
leaders -- who dedicated their very lives to freedom.
Today, I'm proud and humbled to stand among them.
And I'm proud to say, on their behalf, in a loud, clear,
unequivocal voice:
Defending the bill of rights is not "shameful"!
Upholding the constitution is not "extreme"!
And believing in the right to keep and bear arms is neither
"paranoid" nor "dangerous."
It is instead the keystone of American liberty!
Generations of Americans have shed their blood and given their
lives to keep that freedom alive.
Now, as NRA members, we must defend it, both from those who would
deny it ... And from those who desecrate it with their actions or
words.
Together, we will continue the NRA tradition of public service
and community goodwill ... A course our Association has followed
for 124 years.
In so doing, we will re-affirm the respect and honor our
Association deserves.
More importantly, we'll help ensure a secure future for America's
Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
And that means a secure future for America, including freedom of
the press.
Thank you very much.
=+=+=+=+
April 26, 1995
Despite calls for calm, reasoned debate and the avoidance of
scapegoating, many in the news media are using the tragic events
in Oklahoma to vilify the National Rifle Association and the
reputation of our fine members. For example, Washington Post
reporter, Guy Gugliotta, wrote today, "The NRA's electronic
bulletin boards regularly feature conversations advocating gun
violence" (Washington Post, 4/26/95).
We believe that such allegations are clear signs that NRA
political opponents are exploiting a tragedy to advance their
political agenda, and that deepens the anguish all of us feel in
the wake of the terrible events in Oklahoma City, a place
thousands of our members call home.
As everyone knows, anyone can upload anything to a private
bulletin board -- totally outside the control of the system
operator -- just as anyone can mail anything to your mailbox at
home -- totally outside the control of the homeowner. While one
cannot prove it, we wouldn't be surprised if someone posted a
distasteful or inappropriate message with the express intent of
embarrassing the Association and its many members.
Accordingly, we have restructured the procedures by which members
may communicate with each other on the GUN TALK BBS.
It is important to understand that inflammatory language has been
used as a political tool by our opponents. That does a
disservice to you and to our Association and does nothing to
further our cause.
Thank you for your continued interest, vigilance and support.
=+=+=+=+
NRA Hosts 2nd Annual NRA National Training Week
By Paul M. Whitworth
You are invited to take advantage of the most comprehensive
training opportunities offered by NRA in one location. Whether you
want to learn to shoot, instruct, coach, manage a range or continue
your education, this event will meet your needs.
NRA National Training Week, to be held August 16-27 at NRA
Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, provides a variety of training
programs for shooters and trainers at all levels. Programs are
available to enable shooting sports leaders to fulfill many
training requirements to become an NRA Certified Instructor,
Shooting Coach, or Training Counselor.
NRA's Training Counselor Workshop, August 16-19, will kick off
Training Week. The Training Counselor Workshop prepares NRA member
Certified Instructors (with two or more years of NRA teaching
experience) to organize, promote, and conduct NRA Instructor
Training Courses through NRA's philosophy of total participant
involvement. (All current TCs need to attend a workshop between
July 1992 and December 1995.)
The 17th Annual NRA National Shooting Coaches/Instructors
Conference, August 17-19, formerly the NRA National Shooting
Coaches Conference And Sports Research Symposium, has been renamed
and expanded to meet the demand of both coaches and instructors.
The conference features professional educators, shooting sports
experts, NRA National Coaching Development Staff and NRA Staff.
Tentative topics include nutrition, shooting glasses and filters,
time management, history of shooting in America, women and shooting
sports, motivation, disabled shooting programs, discipline specific
presentations, and updates on NRA's instructor, coach, and
competition programs.
NRA National Training Week opportunities include:
* NRA Shooting Sports Camp Director's Workshop (Aug. 18)-Club
leaders, committed to conducting a camp in 1996, learn how to
select, plan, organize, and direct an NRA Shooting Sports
Camp.
* NRA Law Enforcement Training Day (Aug. 18)-Public law
enforcement officers are invited to attend training and
information seminars, see and fire some of the latest handguns
and submachine guns, and tour NRA Heaquarters, NRA's firearm
collection, the NRA Store and NRA range. Attendance is free
of charge. Advance registration is required.
* Gunsite Training Center Seminar: The Tactical Use of The
Shotgun (Aug. 19)-Citizens will examine choosing a shotgun as
their home security firearm. Topics will include: equipment,
fundamentals of practical shotgun shooting, ammunition
selection, and defensive tactics.
* Advanced Marksmanship Seminars (Aug. 20)-Participants attend
high power rifle, smallbore rifle, or pistol sessions, and
explore advanced shooting techniques, mental training,
nutrition, and other topics to enhance shooter development.
* NRA Instructor Training Courses (Aug. 20-23)-Experienced
shooters learn how to organize and teach NRA Basic Firearm
Training Courses in the discipline of rifle, or, the
disciplines of pistol, personal protection, and home firearm
safety.
* NRA Range Development Conference (Aug. 20-24)-prepares range
owners, operators and developers in range planning and
management procedures. Sessions include, but are not limited
to: site selection and master planning; environmental
assessments, OSHA and EPA regulations, sound and safety
issues, environmental issues relating to humans and lead,
management and risk assessment, and preparing for public
hearings.
* NRA Shooting Coach Schools (Aug. 24-25)-Aspiring coaches may
elect to attend a coach school for smallbore rifle, high power
rifle, or pistol. Coach candidates learn about the history of
the sport, shooting events, techniques, shooting positions,
mental training, hands-on skills for developing competitive
shooters, and tournament operations.
* NRA Instructor Update (Aug. 26)-Instructors learn the latest
news of interest, including the new three-hour FIRST Steps
Program, the revision of the NRAþs Personal Protection Course,
and development of NRAþs intermediate level Personal
Protection Course PP-II.
* ASEP Leader Level Coaching Principles Course (Aug. 26)-Coach
candidates learn how to communicate effectively and motivate
athletes; develop a season plan; understand how athletes
learn; teach sport skills in four steps; develop physical
training programs and guide athletes toward proper nutrition;
manage equipment, facilities schedules, logistics, and
athletes by following accepted methods of risk management.
* NRA Basic Firearm Training Courses (Aug. 26-27)-Attendees
engage in hands-on learning activities, in either the Basic
Rifle Shooting Course or Basic Pistol Shooting Course, as they
develop the attitude, knowledge, and skills needed to pursue
shooting interests.
Virginia Commonwealth University has tentatively approved academic
credit, both undergraduate and graduate, for NRA National Training
Week programs. College credits may be earned if the National
Training Week participant simultaneously registers for an NRA
National Training Week event and the corresponding university
course. Academic credit may be applied as an elective to a variety
of degree programs or as a requirement to meet credentialling
standards for teachers and other professionals. In addition to
university credit, several training opportunities provide
continuing education credits (CEUs) which may be used to assist
many professionals in meeting continuing education requirements
with certain certification plans and documenting the advanced
training received.
A major highlight of NRA National Training Week is NRA Open House
on Saturday, August 19. The NRA Open House provides visitors a
rare opportunity to meet NRA staff and learn about a variety of NRA
programs; view the Robert E. Petersen Guns and Ammo Magazine
Firearm Collection, and Great American Whitetail Collections; and
tour NRA Headquarters and the NRA indoor multipurpose range. Free
seminars will be offered, including NRAþs Refuse to be a Victim.
An exhibit hall features firearm and shooting sports corporations
and service organizations that will exhibit their products and be
on hand to answer questions.
The NRA Open House also features The NRA Foundation Benefit
Auction. Attendees have a unique opportunity to purchase industry
donated firearms and merchandise and Friends of NRA merchandise.
Proceeds from the auction will support NRA education, research, and
training programs.
Attendance is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.
Discounts are available for early registration, and for those
participants registering for more than one activity. Registered
NRA National Training Week participants will also qualify for
special rates and packages for lodging and transportation.
For complete details, call the NRA Training Department at (703)
267-3890, or leave your name, mailing address and telephone number
in a message to the system operator on the NRA-ILA GUN-TALK BBS or
as electronic mail to jmanown@nra.org.
Volunteers Needed!
Many volunteers are needed to help put on this special event.
Help needed includes:
Air Gun Range
Exhibit Hall Setup/Teardown
Exhibit Hall Control Desk
Hospitality
Office Support
Registration
Security
Your help as a volunteer is needed and will be appreciated.
Please call Grace Lee at 703-267-1485 for details.
=+=+=+=+
May 11, 1995
NRA RANGE NOW OPEN!
IT'S OFFICIAL! The NRA's new state-of-the-art indoor range
is now open.
Come and see one of the premier indoor shooting facilities
in the country. The NRA RANGE is one of the few 50-yard indoor
ranges available to the shooting public. Five foot wide,
individually ventilated shooting booths are wheelchair accessible
and provide ample room for position pistol and rifle shooting.
The automatic target retrieval system will place targets at any
distance in one foot increments from three to 150 feet. The
unique design of the backstop and sound baffling systems affords
the shooter the opportunity to shoot rifle calibers up to and
including .460 Weatherby Magnum!
The NRA RANGE is open to NRA members and guests for
recreational shooting. It will be utilized for various NRA
programs including NRA Basic Firearm Training Courses,
competitions, league shooting, junior shooting programs, NRA
Instructor Training Courses, NRA Coach Schools, shooting clinics
and much more. Additional information will be made available as
these programs and other events are scheduled.
The NRA RANGE complex includes a classroom and a check-in
office, stocked with targets, eye and hearing protection ,
cleaning supplies, a selection of the more popular ammunition
calibers, and various training and safety materials.
OPEN SHOOTING HOURS:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 5:00 PM TO 10:00 PM
Saturday: 8:30 AM TO 10:00 PM
Sunday: 8:30 AM TO 6:00
PM
ALLOWABLE CALIBERS & AMMUNITION:
.22 rimfire and all pistol calibers including magnums
All centerfire rifle calibers up to and including .460
Weatherby Magnum and shotgun slugs (Sorry, no black powder
firearms are allowed.)
FEES:
NRA MEMBERS: $12/hour/person (Maximum of 2 persons per lane)
GUESTS: $15/hour (Must be accompanied by an NRA member)
All first time users of the NRA RANGE will be asked to complete
a written range test prior to shooting.
NRA Headquarters is located at 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax,
Va. From I-66, exit at Route 50 East, toward Fairfax. Turn left
at the first stoplight, which is Waples Mill Road and go 1/2 mile
north. The blue and white NRA building will be on your right.
The NRA RANGE is located at the rear of the building in the lower
level parking area.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL (703) 267-1400
=+=+=+=+
NRA CrimeStrike
11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030
* May 23, 1995 * 1-800-TOUGH-11 *
Failed Justice System Blamed In Shooting Deaths
THE survivor of a shooting in the Washington, D.C., police
headquarters that left three law enforcement officers dead last
November blames a "failed criminal justice system that gave an
early release to a violent criminal" for the tragedy. FBI
Agent John Kuchta spoke to an audience of 8,000 attending a
candlelight ceremony for officers slain in the line of duty held at
the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at Judiciary Square
in Washington on May 13.
"November 11, 1994, was a bloody scene from an American
tragedy played out daily in communities," Agent Kuchta said in
remarks reported in the Washington Post. "A locked-up criminal with
an extensive criminal history sells a hard-luck story to a judge or
a parole board. The killer is set loose but once again wreaks
havoc," Kuchta said.
Kuchta spoke out for the first time on the tragedy that saw
FBI Agents Martha D. Martinez, 35, and Michael J. Miller, 41, and
District Police Sgt. Henry J. Daly, 51, murdered as they worked in
a police headquarters office. Kuchta was shot five times in the
attack.
Because Sgt. Daly was an NRA member, his wife and family
received a $25,000 NRA Law Enforcement Officer's Death Benefit in
January. The benefit goes to NRA member-lawmen killed in the
performance of their duties.
Experts Urge Prison, Not More Gun Bans
"THE public suspects gun control laws don't work as a means of
getting weapons out of the hands of the criminal. The public is
right."
With those words in the May/June issue of The American
Enterprise, one of the nation's leading criminologists and a widely
recognized social commentator, James Q. Wilson, again faulted gun
laws that impact only law-abiding citizens.
"Most crime weapons are stolen, borrowed, or obtained through
private purchases," the UCLA professor also wrote, saying of gun
laws: "What is worse, any successful efforts to shrink the stock of
legally purchased guns (or ammunition) would reduce the capacity of
law-abiding people to defend themselves." He called laws disarming
citizens "a morally and politically absurd course of action,"
urging measures that target gun-toting criminals.
Another significant figure in the criminal justice debate,
Princeton University's John J. DiIulio Jr., told a Senate
subcommittee in February that the "four Ps" (prisons, private
efforts, public prevention, and policing) should be the focus of
the nation's crime-fighting effort.
"Most Americans believe that criminals should be punished
swiftly and certainly," DiIulio told the Wall Street Journal in
January. "Among the politically elite," he added, "only gun control
is politically correct; criminal control isn't."
DiIulio's focus on prison as an effective means to stop
violent criminal offenders is shared by others. Reader's Digest
criminal justice expert Eugene H. Methvin said some experts see
doubling prison capacity as way to "break the back" of the crime
epidemic that began in an era of reduced imprisonment beginning in
the 1960s.
NRA-ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa agrees. "The time
has come to enact real crime control," she said, "After our 30
years of experimentation with 'prevention' versus incarceration,
the verdict is in: incarceration is prevention."
Haircut Rules Trigger Attack On Prison Staff
FIVE officers at South Carolina's Broad River Correctional
Institution were stabbed, beaten with baseball bats and one scalded
with a hot liquid in an uprising April 18 that reputedly began over
enforcement of a ban on beards and long hair.
The American Civil Liberties Union may sue prison authorities
in behalf of five accused inmates who claimed the rules violated
their rights, reports USA Today.
Suits against prison authorities by inmates nationally are out
of control. A refusal of their request for a late-night snack
recently prompted three inmates at the Mini-Cassia Jail in Idaho to
sue for $10.7 million. They claimed cruel and unusual punishment.
"Inmates filed 39,065 lawsuits against state prison
authorities nationwide in 1994," said Elizabeth Swasey,
CrimeStrike's Senior Policy Counsel. "That's more than the number
of criminal cases filed by U.S. Attorneys in 1993," she added.
"These frivolous lawsuits are wasting scarce criminal justice
dollars, and it's imperative that Congress rein in the power of
federal court judges to micro-manage state prisons."
Where CrimeStrike Stands:
"NRA CrimeStrike has pressed tough criminal justice reforms in
11 states and the U.S. Congress in the last four months
alone."--Elizabeth Swasey
=+=+=+=+
11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA 22030
Vol. 2, No. 23 5/26/95
Phone: 1-800-392-8683 * Fax: 703-267-3918
UNITY, LEADERSHIP: HALLMARKS OF NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS
At last week's Annual Meeting in Phoenix, the media tried its
best to report on a divided NRA membership. However, what they saw
was tens of thousands of law-abiding NRA members united in their
support of their Second Amendment rights and the NRA. NRA
Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre drew thunderous applause
when he aptly described NRA's membership as individuals who "don't
break the laws [but] help make the laws." Affirming NRA's disdain
for individuals who advocate violence against the government, Mr.
LaPierre and NRA President Tom Washington avowed there is no place
within the NRA for anyone who supports this type of criminal
activity. In response to the recent criticism heaped upon NRA for
our commitment to hearings on recent abuses of power by BATF, NRA-
ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa asked the media to let
"congressional hearings prove us wrong, not Dan Rather and Connie
Chung." In addition to these rousing speeches from NRA Officers,
hundreds of NRA-ILA Volunteers participated in workshops on
legislative activism. Volunteers not only heard from their fellow
volunteers, but were also greeted by NRA First Vice President
Marion Hammer; Second Vice President Neal Knox; and NRA-ILA
Executive Director Tanya Metaksa. All three officers spoke about
the importance of continued legislative activism, citing NRA's 1994
electoral victories as a prime example. Close to 500 individuals
participated in these workshops, and everyone, volunteers and staff
alike, benefitted from the experience!
COUNTER-TERRORISM UPDATE: As this fax goes to press, the
Senate is working on its version of counter-terrorism legislation,
and a number of anti-gun amendments will be offered to this bill.
Among the most egregious amendments are: a gun rationing scheme;
restrictions on ammunition and FFLs; registration requirements; and
the elimination of the DCM program. Members: please contact your
U.S. Senators and encourage them to oppose any amendments to the
counter-terrorism bill which restrict your Second Amendment rights.
Let them know you support legislation which will get tough on
criminal terrorists, but not at the expense of the rights of law-
abiding gun owners. Stay tuned for future updates!
CO-SPONSORSHIP IS CRUCIAL: With the President and his allies
in the anti-gun media beating the drums to preserve the Clinton gun
ban, it's critical that we attain as much congressional support as
possible for H.R. 1488 -- the Clinton gun and magazine ban repeal
bill. NRA-ILA will continue to work with congressional leaders to
reschedule a vote on this critical reform measure -- probably some
time this summer. In the meantime, it is critical that as many
Representatives as possible sign on as co-sponsors to H.R. 1488.
Members: please contact your U.S. Representative to ask him to
become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1488. If your Representative is
already a co-sponsor of this bill, be sure to thank him, and urge
him to lobby his fellow lawmakers to do the same. If your
legislator has not yet signed on to this effort, politely request
that he do so!
A LOOK AT THE STATES: Maine: LD 96, NRA-supported shooting
range protection legislation, passed the legislature, and is
awaiting Gov. King's signature.
New York: A 6821-A, a New Jersey-style semi-auto ban that does NOT
grandfather currently-owned firearms, passed the Assembly and now
moves to the Senate for consideration. Members: please call your
State Senators and urge them to oppose A 6821-A.
Ohio: On Wednesday, May 31, the Senate Judiciary Committee will
hold a hearing on SB 68, NRA-supported right to carry legislation.
Members: please attend Wednesday's hearing at 10:00 a.m., in the
Senate Building's North Hearing Room in Columbus and contact your
State Senators and urge them to support SB 68.
Oklahoma: Great news! The legislature has passed SB 3, NRA-
supported right to carry legislation, and Gov. Keating has signed
the bill into law! The new law will go into effect on January 1,
1996.
Pennsylvania: The Senate approved HB 110, the Sportsmen's Omnibus
Crime Bill, with NRA-backed amendments to replace the 48-hour
waiting period with an instant check for firearms purchases and to
require Philadelphia to conform to state standards for issuing
carry permits. The House will vote on final approval around June
5. Members: please encourage your State Representatives to oppose
further amendments to HB 110 and to approve it as passed by the
Senate.
Texas: It's official! Gov. Bush has signed into law SB 60, the
NRA-supported right to carry bill! The bill will go into effect on
January 1, 1996.
SCHUMER LAUNCHES BROADSIDES AGAINST NRA: Congressman Charles
Schumer (D-NY) is at it again! His latest gambit has taken the form
of H. Con. Res. 69 -- a resolution calling on NRA to "condemn the
inflammatory and defamatory language used by" the Association's
leadership. H. Con. Res. 69 was apparently introduced in response
to NRA's repeated calls for inquiries into federal law enforcement
abuses. Unfortunately Mr. Schumer doesn't stop there, as he has
recently lambasted NRA for another fundraiser in which we simply
encouraged our members to participate in the democratic process by
encouraging them to attend their lawmakers' town meetings to oppose
restrictions on their rights. Since dozens of newspapers from the
L.A. Times to the New York Times have expressed their fear that
Clinton's counter-terrorism proposal could lead to a police state,
when will Chuck start blasting them?
=END=
=+=+=+=+
============================================================
NRA GRASSFIRE!
------------------------------------------------------------
May 1995 Vol. 1, No. 5
The Newsletter for NRA-ILA Volunteers
============================================================
NRA CONDEMNS ACTS OF TERRORISM
Joining with its thousands of members in Oklahoma City,
the NRA condemned the criminal terrorists who were
responsible for the tragic bombing in Oklahoma City and
urged swift and sure punishment, including the death
penalty, for all found responsible. "The NRA has nothing
but contempt for terrorists or hate groups that attempt to
disguise themselves as patriots," said NRA Executive Vice
President Wayne LaPierre. LaPierre praised the efforts of
law enforcement in making quick progress in investigating
the case. "We salute the law enforcement team that has
skillfully and professionally investigated this matter,"
LaPierre said. "The authorities who play a role in bringing
the terrorists to justice have no stronger ally than the
NRA."
NRA CLARIFIES ERRONEOUS
NEWS REPORTS
Some recent news reports concerning the terrorist bombing
in Oklahoma City have incorrectly represented the actions of
the NRA in its handling of information surrounding this
incident. The reports were as erroneous as they were
shocking. On Sunday afternoon, April 23, CBS News reported
that a cryptic fax containing information about the horrible
atrocity in Oklahoma City was received by a Congressman who
had forwarded it to NRA. Then, CBS News claimed that NRA
failed to notify authorities in a timely fashion!
In this atmosphere of scapegoating and hate-mongering,
truth is often the first casualty. So, in the interest of
truth, here's what really happened. Someone or some group
sent that cryptic fax to the office of U.S. Rep. Steve
Stockman (R-TX) on Wednesday, April 19. That evening, a
staffer with Rep. Stockman called the home of an NRA
Assistant General Counsel with a specific congressional
inquiry: could anyone shed any light on the identity of the
sender? The next day, the Congressman's office sent the fax
to the NRA attorney who later responded that no one at NRA
had any knowledge or any clue as to the sender's identity.
Here's the important point: during that first Wednesday
night phone call and in subsequent calls, NRA's attorney
asked if the fax had been shared with the authorities. The
staffer assured NRA repeatedly that he was sure his office
had passed it on to the FBI. NRA's attorney asked the
staffer if he wouldn't mind if NRA shared the information
with BATF. The staffer said no, and the NRA attorney called
his counterpart at BATF Friday, April 21, to make sure they
had the mysterious fax.
This accurate account was given to CBS News, all other
major networks and the Associated Press on April 23. Some,
like NBC News, dropped it as a non-story. Others, however,
kept pushing their stories on hate and suspicion. It was
not until April 24, that the FBI confirmed that they had
received the fax from Congressman Stockman's office! An FBI
official wrote to the Congressman, saying, "My office
received your facsimile document ... at 11:57 a.m. on April
19 ... thank you for your action and assistance."
In short, Congressman Stockman's office did the right
thing in a timely fashion. NRA also did the right thing,
responding to a Congressional inquiry and double-checking
the system by furnishing the fax to BATF. Both are to be
commended for a job well done -- and too many in the
national press should be criticized for a hatchet-job which
was wholly undeserved. Members are encouraged to call
Congressman Stockman and commend him for his actions -- and
his perseverance in the face of a hostile press. Please
identify yourself as a grateful NRA member. Call 202-225-
6565.
U.S. HOUSE INTRODUCES H.R. 1488 --
CLINTON GUN BAN REPEAL BILL
Despite the efforts of Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who are shamelessly using
the tragedy in Oklahoma City to call for more "gun control,"
an omnibus pro-gun reform bill was introduced in the House
of Representatives. The bill, H.R. 1488, calls for sweeping
pro-gun reforms, including repeal of the Clinton gun 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.
In addition to reaffirming law-abiding citizens' right to
self-defense and repealing the Clinton gun ban, H.R. 1488
contains a section which allows for anyone convicted in a
state court of using a firearm during the commission of a
"serious violent felony," which includes murder, rape,
kidnapping, and carjacking, to be charged under federal law
as well. This amounts to a compounded sentence which will
enable prosecutors to be even tougher on violent criminals.
NRA does not feel this section will in any way negatively
impact law-abiding gun owners, but rather, it will aid us in
our efforts to get violent criminals off our streets.
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.
Although debate on H.R. 1488 was expected to start in
May, that date will be pushed back in order for Congress to
concentrate on anti-terrorism legislation. In the wake of
the devastating tragedy in Oklahoma City, NRA supports the
decision by the House leadership to postpone the vote to
repeal the Clinton gun ban. The concerns of Congress should
mirror those of the nation, which are focused on
comprehending how this terrible tragedy occurred and what
might be done to prevent criminal terrorist attacks in the
future. We'll keep you posted as to future hearing and vote
dates on H.R. 1488. Enclosed you'll find a double-sided
fact sheet on H.R. 1488. Please refer to this information
when writing or speaking with your legislators. Feel free
to make copies and distribute them to your local gun shops,
shooting ranges, and gun clubs.
DOLE SCHOOLS SCHUMER
In a logic-defying attempt to link the tragic bombing in
Oklahoma City with the need to preserve the Clinton gun ban,
Rep. Charles Schumer recently sent a letter to Sen. Majority
Leader Bob Dole (R-KS) asking for the Senator's support for
keeping the Clinton gun ban on the books. In his response
to Rep. Schumer, Sen. Dole pointed out the faulty assumption
made by Rep. Schumer, noting that there was no "involvement
of so-called assault weapons [in] the senseless bomb attack
in Oklahoma City." Sen. Dole went on to inform Rep. Schumer
that the best response to the events in Oklahoma City is not
"overheated rhetoric about gun control," but rather, the
need to adopt anti-terrorism legislation which will prevent
a situation similar to the Oklahoma City bombing from
happening in the future.
RIGHT TO CARRY REFORM
ON TRACK IN THE STATES
As many state legislatures get ready to adjourn for the
summer, here's an update on where we are with right to carry
bills pending in the states. Bear in mind that legislation
at the state level tends to move rapidly, therefore, the
following information may have changed. To keep abreast of
the latest developments in your state, call NRA-ILA at 1-
800-392-8683.
In Arkansas, the Governor has signed NRA-supported right to
carry legislation into law.
In California, the Assembly's version of an NRA-backed right
to carry reform bill died in committee but has been granted
reconsideration. A scaled-back Senate version of right to
carry reform is being considered in a Senate committee.
NRA-ILA and state activists are working to make necessary
changes in order to protect your right to self-defense.
In Colorado, NRA-backed right to carry legislation has
passed the House and the Senate, and been referred to a
conference committee to work out the differences between the
two chambers' bills. NRA-ILA and state activists are
working with the conferees to ensure the bill benefits all
law-abiding citizens who choose to exercise their
fundamental right to self-protection.
In Idaho, the Governor has signed an NRA-supported bill
which further reforms the state's right to carry law.
In Illinois, the Senate will vote on right to carry
legislation any day now!
In Kansas, NRA-backed right to carry legislation passed the
House but was killed in the Senate. NRA-ILA and state
activists will be back to pass this critical reform next
year!
In Louisiana, the Senate passed right to carry reform
legislation, which now moves to a House committee for
consideration.
In Missouri, the Senate passed right to carry legislation,
which included an amendment requiring the issue to be placed
on the ballot for voter approval. A substitute bill without
the ballot amendment will be offered on the House floor.
NRA-ILA and state activists are working to ensure that the
House adopts the stronger substitute bill.
In New Mexico, two right to carry bills died for the session
and the legislature has adjourned. NRA-ILA and state
activists will be back to pass this important reform in
future sessions.
In North Carolina, the House version of a right to carry
bill has passed out of one House committee and a second
committee is expected to report the bill out soon. A House
floor vote will follow shortly thereafter. A Senate
committee has held hearings on the Senate version of right
to carry and is expected to vote on that bill soon.
In Ohio, a Senate committee held hearings on a right to
carry bill and a committee vote is expected soon. NRA-ILA
and state activists are working with the sponsor to make
modifications to protect your right to self-defense.
In Oklahoma, NRA-supported right to carry legislation has
passed both the Senate and the House. The Senate must still
vote to agree to the House amendments. Due to the
unforeseen tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing, we are
uncertain at this time when action will continue on this
measure.
In South Carolina, the House is expected to vote on an NRA-
backed right to carry reform bill any day now!
In Texas, an NRA-supported right to carry bill has passed
the Senate and is currently awaiting consideration on the
House floor. NRA-ILA has worked with state activists to
make modifications to the bill to best protect the rights of
all law-abiding Texans.
In Utah, the Governor has signed NRA-supported right to
carry reform legislation into law.
In Virginia, an NRA-backed right to carry bill has been sent
to the Governor's desk for his signature, which is expected
to take place soon.
HCI: STILL ALIVE AND WELL FUNDED
Sarah Brady and her organization, Handgun Control, Inc.,
launched a major, 21-city extravaganza and 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 our Second Amendment freedoms and build a
barricade around the '94 gun ban.
SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN
"GUN FREE SCHOOL ZONES"
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal
"Gun Free School Zones Act" of 1990 based on a new, more
restricted view of Congress' power under the Commerce Clause
(U.S. Constitution, Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3). Since the
1930s, the Court has endorsed Congress passing laws
regarding social, environmental and police power issues,
finding Congress had the power to legislate in these areas
since they (supposedly) effected interstate commerce.
In U.S. v. Lopez, the Court put the brakes on runaway
federal power by finally holding that something Congress
wanted to regulate -- in this case, guns near schools -- in
fact did not effect interstate commerce and thus was beyond
Congress' reach (note that most states already prohibit
carrying of guns to school for other than lawful purposes.)
According to Syracuse University law professor William C.
Banks, following U.S. v. Lopez, "a whole body of federal
criminal law [and] federal environmental law... are in
question." Stay tuned!
CALIFORNIA COURT ALLOWS GUN
VICTIMS TO SUE MANUFACTURER
On April 10, a California state trial court ruled that
the victims of 1993 San Francisco shooting rampage may seek
damages from the manufacturer of the gun which was used in
that shooting. 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 a deranged gunman, Gian Luigi
Ferri, who in 1993, killed eight and wounded six others in a
San Francisco law firm. 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 responsible for the actions
of criminals.
UPCOMING GRASSROOTS SEMINARS
In an effort to ensure a repeat performance of last
year's election successes, NRA-ILA will host a series of
seminars across the country. These seminars will discuss
how we can elect pro-gun lawmakers to office, discuss
federal, state and local legislative activities, and
election strategies for 1995 and 1996. These one-day
seminars will give you an opportunity to discuss specific
issues with NRA staff, as well as other NRA members and
grassroots volunteers right in your area. All seminars
include a working luncheon -- and best of all, are
absolutely free! Below, you'll find the seminar schedule
for June. To register, call Lee Maceira in NRA-ILA at 1-
800-392-8683.
Saturday, June 10th Virginia Beach, VA
Ramada Oceanfront Tower
57th and Oceanfront
Saturday, June 17th Fairfax, VA
NRA Headquarters
11250 Waples Mill Road
Saturday, June 24th Richmond, VA
Richmond Marriott Hotel
500 E. Broad Street
Saturday, June 24th Roanoke, VA
Roanoke Airport Marriott
2801 Hershberger Road N.W.
REGISTER TO WIN
1995 primary elections in Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia are right around the
corner! Don't miss this opportunity to play a key role in
the political process -- register to vote! Only currently
registered voters are eligible to vote, therefore if you
haven't voted recently, you may no longer be eligible. To
find out how you can register to vote, call the Grassroots
Division at 1-800-392-8683. Here are the 1995 primary
election dates:
Kentucky Primary Election May 23
New Jersey Primary Election June 6
Virginia Primary Election June 13
Mississippi Primary Election August 8
Louisiana Primary Election October 21
NEW MEMBER COUNCILS
Listed below, you'll find Member Councils which were
affiliated with NRA-ILA in April. If you live in one of
these cities or counties and would like to get more involved
in the legislative and political processes, contact the
Member Council in your area at the telephone number listed
below. We will continue to list Member Councils as they are
affiliated. For information on a Member Council in your
city or county, or for information on starting a Member
Council, call NRA-ILA at 1-800-392-8683.
Member Council of Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County, Florida (407) 375-8606
Member Council of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana (504) 924-7266
Member Council of Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Penn. (412) 566-3622
Member Council of King County
King County, Washington (206) 485-4274
NRA RANGE OPENS ITS DOORS
The NRA's state-of-the-art, indoor shooting and training
center will be open to all NRA members, their guests and
those participating in NRA programs beginning Saturday, May
6, 1995. The 50 yard range features 12 shooting points
capable of handling firearms up to and including .460
Weatherby magnum caliber. The next time you're in Northern
Virginia, please stop by to see your NRA facilities. For
more information on range rates and hours, please call (703)
267-1400.
NRA Grassfire
NRA-ILA Grassroots Division
Fairfax, VA 22030
============================================================
FIREARM FACTS & STATS May 1995
Special Edition: Clinton Gun Ban
The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on
whether to repeal the 1994 Clinton gun ban. New Members of
Congress may be unfamiliar with the issue, or they may know
only what they have been told by the media. Representatives
present during last year's debate may need to be reminded of
the facts surrounding the issue. Here are some of the facts
you can provide to your representatives before the vote is
held:
I. Clinton Gun Ban and Crime
* Over 85% of the firearms banned as "assault weapons" by
the 1994 crime bill are rifles, yet rifles of any
description are the category of firearms least often used in
crimes. The following table shows, nationwide and in your
state, the percentage of homicides committed with rifles
(R), compared to knives (K), "other weapons" (OW) [clubs,
etc.] and fists and feet (FF) * Source: FBI Uniform Crime
Reports, Tables 4 and 20 (1993, most recent data):
R K OW FF
US 3 13 13 5
AL 3 14 22 4
AK 9 20 26 4
AZ 5 14 10 7
AR 7 11 13 5
CA 4 12 12 3
CO 2 16 15 6
CT 2 14 15 4
DE 5 20 10 10
DC 0 8 8 0
FL 2 12 21 5
GA 3 15 13 5
HI 5 28 12 23
ID 10 23 13 10
IL n/r n/r n/r n/r
IN 4 10 13 5
IA 2 29 20 11
KS n/r n/r n/r n/r
KY 4 7 20 4
LA 5 7 8 4
ME 0 0 29 0
MD 0 13 10 5
MA 1 27 16 5
MI 5 10 12 4
MN 6 22 13 12
MS 4 15 6 5
MO 5 10 10 4
MT n/r n/r n/r n/r
NE 4 11 29 14
NV 2 13 8 14
NH 0 35 10 5
NJ 2 22 16 11
NM 5 27 10 12
NY 1 13 11 4
NC 6 14 16 6
ND 0 18 27 9
OH 2 10 10 8
OK 8 14 18 6
OR 5 22 18 7
PA 2 12 10 7
RI 5 18 23 5
SC 5 14 10 6
SD 11 0 22 22
TN 3 13 11 5
TX 4 13 11 4
UT 5 22 10 28
VT 17 8 25 0
VA 3 13 9 5
WA 6 17 19 6
WV 10 10 14 8
WI 3 13 23 11
WY 25 13 6 19
n/r= not reporting
* Since 1980, the annual number of rifle homicides has
declined 29% (FBI Uniform Crime Reports)
* Between 1985-1993, there were more than 3,200 homicides
in Washington, D.C., but none were committed with a rifle of
any description. (Metropolitan Police of the District of
Columbia)
* The California Department of Justice's 1990 survey of
law enforcement agencies in the state found that "assault
weapons play a very small role in assault and homicide
cases." Less than 1% of firearms seized by law enforcement,
and only 3.7% of those firearms actually used to commit
homicides or assaults, were "assault weapons."
* U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) admitted on the
Senate floor that "assault weapons" are used in a small
percentage of crimes. When challenged by the San Diego
Union-Tribune (Jan. 30, 1994) with the relative non-use of
"assault weapons" in crimes, Feinstein replied "I don't
doubt that at all. . . . Your data is (sic) probably correct
at this point."
* The anti-gun Washington Post has admitted that "No one
should have any illusions about what was accomplished (by
passage of the crime bill). Assault weapons play a part in
only a small percentage of crime. The provision is mainly
symbolic." (Editorial, Sept. 15, 1994)
* The New York Times has reported that since New Jersey
police began keeping statistics, "assault weapons" have been
used in 26/1000ths of 1% of all crimes in the state. In
1991, "assault weapons" were used in only 75 of 46,858
violent crimes in New Jersey. ("Both Sides Say Trenton's Ban
on Assault Rifles Has Little Effect on Crime," June 20,
1993)
* The New York City Police Department reports that
criminals fire between 2-3 rounds, on average, when they
fire at all, making a firearm's ammunition capacity largely
irrelevant to crime. (NYPD Academy Firearms Discharge
Report)
II. BATF Firearms Traces
* Gun-ban supporters claim that "assault weapons"
comprise a small percentage of firearms, but are traced by
the BATF to a large percentage of crimes. In fact, BATF does
not trace firearms to crimes. BATF has admitted that "it is
not possible to determine if traced firearms are related to
criminal activity." The Congressional Research Service
reports that "A law enforcement officer may initiate a trace
request for any reason. No crime need be involved. No
screening policy ensures or requires that only guns known or
suspected to have been used in crimes are traced."
III. "Assault Weapons" and the Police
* Gun-ban supporters claim that police are often killed
with "assault weapons". The Department of Justice's "Law
Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted" reports shows
that officers are 6 times more likely to be killed with
their own firearms, and 3 times more likely to be killed in
automobile accidents, than with "assault weapons."
* Polls conducted by the National Association of Chiefs
of Police have consistently shown little support for an
"assault weapons" ban among police officers.
IV. Other Facts
* Semi-automatic firearms have been popular for more than
100 years. Fifteen percent of all firearms in the U.S. are
semi-automatic.
* "Assault weapons" use the same ammunition as many other
firearms. Most commonplace deer hunting rifles are far more
powerful than most "assault weapons."
* Regardless of their appearance, "military" accessories
common to many "assault weapons" play no role in crime, and
provide no advantage to a criminal. There is not a single
study, from any source, which has even attempted to
demonstrate any connection between these accessories and
crime.
* All semi-automatic firearms function the same,
regardless of their features or appearance. "Assault
weapons" are semi-automatic only. Despite claims to the
contrary by gun-ban supporters, they are not fully-automatic
firearms like those used by the Armed Forces.
* Semi-automatic firearms are not, as alleged by gun-ban
supporters, "easy to convert" into machineguns. If they
were, the BATF would not approve them for sale.
=+=+=+=+
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.
The American Rifleman, June 1995
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
Facing a gun, a Jackson County, Alabama, motorcyclist gave a
convicted car thief a ride out of town. After the bike broke
down, he was forced to continue on foot with his abductor. When
the kidnapper tried to rob three fishermen of their truck keys,
however, the cyclist was able to shoot the criminal dead. (The
Times, Gadsden, AL, 3/14/95)
A Stockton, California, real estate agent put an end to an
attempted rape, after a man posing as a potential home buyer
attacked her in a model home. Crumpling to the floor, the
realtor drew a .380 from her purse, forcing the man to flee.
Pursuing him outside, the woman fired several shots at the man,
missing him as he jumped in his car. She halted his escape by
shooting out one of his tires and with the help of some nearby
construction workers, held the thug for police. The would-be
rapist is being investigated in connection with a similar 1993
attack on a female real estate agent. (The Record, Stockton, CA,
2/18/95)
After having a tackle box and some fishing poles stolen just
weeks before Clermont, Florida, resident Denton Tussing's anger
took over when he was awakened by the sound of somebody trying to
start his boat. Grabbing a rifle and rushing to his dock in his
underwear, Tussing drew a bead on the would-be thief and
demanded, "Hey buddy, step right out of the boat and sit out here
... your ___ is mine." The whimpering suspect immediately
complied and waited for police to come take him away. (The Daily
Commercial, Leesburg, FL, 2/17/95)
Living next door to the store where he works, Lexington, South
Carolina, resident Robert Batchler heard somebody breaking into
the business. He notified sheriff's deputies, grabbed a shotgun
and went to investigate. Hearing Batchler, the criminal fled,
firing shots from a .22 he had stolen from the store. Batchler
was undeterred and returned fire with his shotgun, striking the
suspect. The burglar was later arrested at a nearby hospital
where he went seeking treatment. (The Dispatch-News, Lexington,
SC, 2/22/95)
Durham, North Carolina, resident Jimmie Rogers initially had some
reservations about bringing a new .380 pistol into the apartment
where he lived with his infant daughter and fiancee. An incident
two weeks later changed his mind, however, when the young father
scared an intruder out of his home after he encountered the
burglar in a hallway just steps away from his daughter's bedroom.
"I'm glad I had it," said Rogers. (The News & Observer,
Raleigh, NC, 2/25/95)
Things had turned ugly for Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer Rick
Wallace. He had found marijuana on a speeder, but was
overpowered by the man before he could cuff him. Passerby Adolph
Krejsek witnessed the altercation and came to the rescue, using
his own firearm to help the trooper control the suspect. After
helping subdue the assailant, Krejsek used the injured trooper's
radio to call for help. (The Review Courier, Alva, OK, 1/8/95)
The first time Jackson, Ohio, resident John Holsinger called the
sheriff's of fice he reported a prowler. When he called
back--eight minutes later--he reported he had shot the man.
While waiting for deputies to arrive, Holsinger yelled warnings
to the crazed man smashing in windows on his home not to enter.
Instead the prowler torced his way through the front door. His
actions left Holsinger, armed with a .22, little choice but to
shoot, injuring the housebreaker. (The Dispatch, Columbus, OH,
3/9/95)
Margaret Wallace of Robertson County, Tennessee, watched in
horror as three ski mask-clad bandits rushed from the shadows and
shot her husband in the back after the grocery store-owning
couple returned home from work one evening. Wallace cut the
attack short, however, after she drew her own pistol and returned
fire. The assailants fled with a fourth person waiting in a
getaway car, only to be later captured by police. (The
Tennessean, Nashville, TN, 3/3/95)
Working alone, Madison, Wisconsin, shopkeeper J. Guadalupe
Rodriguez, 73, noticed the two strangers dressed in black casing
his grocery store. He was prepared when they entered. When one
of the men drew a revolver from his jacket, Rodriguez pulled his
own pistol from a nearby hiding place and pointed it at the
bandits. Frightened, the intruders bolted one out the front door
and the other into a back room where he was cornered by Rodriguez
and held for police. (Journal Times, Madison, WT, 2/19/95)
The early morning robbery attempt at a Greenville, North
Carolina, gas station was over almost as quickly as it began. In
just seconds, the armed man demanded cash from the owner,
snatched a store window from its frame, fired his gun into the
store and climbed through the window. Store owner Dalton Bailey,
fearing for his life, reacted just as quickly, immediately
returning fire with a .32 cal. revolver. "I shot at him before
he even hit the floor. When he hit the floor, he jumped back out
the window. (Using a gun) is probably what saved our lives,"
said Bailey. (The Daily Reflector, Greenville, NC, 3/10/95)
When two hooded men strolled into a Durham, North Carolina, gas
station demanding cash at gunpoint, attendant J.L. Finch
responded to their command with gunshots. Firing several rounds,
Finch struck one of the aggressors in the midsection, injuring
him, while the other fled. The station owner supported his
employee's actions saying the robber "got what he deserved." (The
News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, 3/11/95)
=+=+=+=+
NRA Divisional-Departmental Main Number Listing
Fairfax Headquarters Location
703-267-1000
Toll Free: 1-800-672-3888
Membership 1-800-NRA-3888
Division Department Main Answering position
703-267-XXXX
Competitions 1450
Development 1110
Executive Offices 1050
Field Services - Clubs & Assoc. 1343
Field Services - General 1340
General Counsel 1250
General Operations 1080
Human Resources 1260
Hunter Services 1500
ILA - Crimestrike 1160
ILA - Federal Affairs (202) 651-2560
ILA - General Admin. 1140
ILA - Grassroots 1170
ILA - Public Relations & Communications 1190
ILA - State & Local 1200
ILA/NRA Library 3857
ILA - Research & Info. 1180
Law Enforcement Activities 1640
Public Affairs 3820
Publications 1300
Recreational Shooting, Training and Ranges:
NRA Range 1400
Range Development 1432
Recreational Shooting 1428
Shotgun Sports 1421
Training 1430
Safety & Education 1560
Women's Issues 1413
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright(C) 1995 by the Outdoors RoundTable and GEnie. May be
reprinted &/or distributed only with this notice intact. The
Outdoors RoundTable is the official source of camping, hiking,
boating, metal detecting and all other outdoors activities on GEnie.
To sign up on GEnie, just follow these simple steps:
1. Set your communications software for half-duplex (local echo) at 300,
1200, or 2400 baud. Recommended communications parameters 8 data bits,
no parity and 1 stop bit.
2. Dial toll-free in the U.S. at 1-800-638-8369 (or in Canada at
1-800-387-8330). Upon connection, type HHH (Please note: every time you
use GEnie, you need to enter the HHH upon connection)
3. At the U#= prompt, type JOINGENIE and press <Return>
4. At the offer code prompt enter OT295 to get this special offer.
5. Have a major credit card ready. In the U.S., you may also use your
checking account number. (There is a $2.00 monthly fee for all checking
accounts.) In Canada, VISA and MasterCard only.
For more information, call 1-800-638-9636
