Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Jgarrick
Jgarrick's Journal
Jgarrick's Journal
April 16, 2014
Even if modern tactical trainers often overlook them, the revolver is still a force to be reckoned with. The modern revolver is a versatile tool with unparalleled reliability, fool-proof operation and the ability to chamber the most powerful handgun rounds made.
One of the most suggested, though difficult to shoot concealed carry weapon, is the timeless Smith & Wesson J-frame revolver chambered in .38 Special. Most new shooters, after their first shooting session with the pocket six-gun, declare the trigger is junk in double-action and totally unusable. They console themselves by reasoning that it’s a “belly-gun” or “contact pistol” that needn’t hit anything past arm’s length. The issues with this reasoning are innumerable, but suffice it to say that the gun is very capable of making hits on human-sized targets at 100 yards. The guns limitations aren’t mechanical, they’re operator-related.
Shooting a snub-nosed revolver for speed and acceptable combat-accuracy involves delving into a lost, dark-art: shooting a revolver in double-action. The mere thought of having to pull a heavy, mile-long trigger with the reward of a palm-slamming kaboom is enough to send shivers up a rookie’s spine.
Let me be 100 percent frank. Shooting fire-ball, dinosaur-slaying loads through your snub-nosed carry piece is as much fun as a trip to the dentist. Concerning this, I have both good and bad news. The good news is, there are loads designed specifically for snub-nosed revolvers. The bad news is, all the crazy-powerful rounds you’ve been putting through your snub-buddy are effectively identical to reduced loads in terms of terminal ballistics. This is due to the short-barreled nature of those revolvers. The 2-inch barrel, common on many defensive revolvers, simply isn’t enough space for all the round’s powder to detonate internally. All that unburnt powder ignites outside the barrel, resulting in increased muzzle-blast and recoil, with no gain in velocity or power.
(excerpt, remainder of article at link)
A message to all the snub-nose revolver haters: You’re wrong
http://www.guns.com/review/2014/04/15/snub-nosed-revolvers-dont-suck/Even if modern tactical trainers often overlook them, the revolver is still a force to be reckoned with. The modern revolver is a versatile tool with unparalleled reliability, fool-proof operation and the ability to chamber the most powerful handgun rounds made.
One of the most suggested, though difficult to shoot concealed carry weapon, is the timeless Smith & Wesson J-frame revolver chambered in .38 Special. Most new shooters, after their first shooting session with the pocket six-gun, declare the trigger is junk in double-action and totally unusable. They console themselves by reasoning that it’s a “belly-gun” or “contact pistol” that needn’t hit anything past arm’s length. The issues with this reasoning are innumerable, but suffice it to say that the gun is very capable of making hits on human-sized targets at 100 yards. The guns limitations aren’t mechanical, they’re operator-related.
Shooting a snub-nosed revolver for speed and acceptable combat-accuracy involves delving into a lost, dark-art: shooting a revolver in double-action. The mere thought of having to pull a heavy, mile-long trigger with the reward of a palm-slamming kaboom is enough to send shivers up a rookie’s spine.
Let me be 100 percent frank. Shooting fire-ball, dinosaur-slaying loads through your snub-nosed carry piece is as much fun as a trip to the dentist. Concerning this, I have both good and bad news. The good news is, there are loads designed specifically for snub-nosed revolvers. The bad news is, all the crazy-powerful rounds you’ve been putting through your snub-buddy are effectively identical to reduced loads in terms of terminal ballistics. This is due to the short-barreled nature of those revolvers. The 2-inch barrel, common on many defensive revolvers, simply isn’t enough space for all the round’s powder to detonate internally. All that unburnt powder ignites outside the barrel, resulting in increased muzzle-blast and recoil, with no gain in velocity or power.
(excerpt, remainder of article at link)
April 16, 2014
They messed with the wrong pizza guy. A gang of robbers attacked a pizza deliveryman just before 10:30 p.m. Monday as he brought food to a house in the 400 block of Cornwall Avenue, near Erie County Medical Center. In the front hallway of the house, one of the robbers, who wore a mask and had a brown hoodie pulled over his face, hit the deliveryman on the head with a hammer, according to police. The masked man also displayed what appeared to be a gun, police said.
But then, the deliveryman told investigators, he pulled out his own handgun and fired a shot, striking the masked man. The rest of the gang scattered. DeJuan Coleman, 18, of Deerfield Avenue, was under police guard at ECMC in fair condition Tuesday, recuperating from gunshot wounds to the upper right arm and abdomen. He has been charged with first-degree robbery. The pizza deliveryman, whose name is being withheld by Buffalo police for safety reasons, was treated for head cuts and bruises as well as a left hand injury suffered in the robbery attempt. Police said his gun was properly registered.
Police also did not reveal the name of the pizza shop the deliveryman works for. Monday’s incident was the second recent case of employees of city pizza shops rebuffing robbers. On the morning of Oct. 24, Terrance Price, 21, of Urban Street was captured by a group of La Nova Pizzeria employees shortly after he robbed two of their colleagues of the more than $5,700 that they were taking to the bank from the shop at West Ferry and Hampshire streets.
Price, who was then on parole for a Pennsylvania crime, was chased through backyards until he fell on 18th Street, where the workers held him until police came. He pleaded guilty March 27 to first-degree robbery and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for having fired shots at the La Nova workers who were pursuing him. Price faces a possible prison term of up to 25 years when he is sentenced on May 28 by State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia. Price is believed to have had at least one accomplice because the money he took at gunpoint that morning in the La Nova parking lot was never recovered.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
Pizza delivery man is attacked, then shoots would-be robber
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/east-side/pizza-delivery-man-is-attacked-then-shoots-would-be-robber-20140415They messed with the wrong pizza guy. A gang of robbers attacked a pizza deliveryman just before 10:30 p.m. Monday as he brought food to a house in the 400 block of Cornwall Avenue, near Erie County Medical Center. In the front hallway of the house, one of the robbers, who wore a mask and had a brown hoodie pulled over his face, hit the deliveryman on the head with a hammer, according to police. The masked man also displayed what appeared to be a gun, police said.
But then, the deliveryman told investigators, he pulled out his own handgun and fired a shot, striking the masked man. The rest of the gang scattered. DeJuan Coleman, 18, of Deerfield Avenue, was under police guard at ECMC in fair condition Tuesday, recuperating from gunshot wounds to the upper right arm and abdomen. He has been charged with first-degree robbery. The pizza deliveryman, whose name is being withheld by Buffalo police for safety reasons, was treated for head cuts and bruises as well as a left hand injury suffered in the robbery attempt. Police said his gun was properly registered.
Police also did not reveal the name of the pizza shop the deliveryman works for. Monday’s incident was the second recent case of employees of city pizza shops rebuffing robbers. On the morning of Oct. 24, Terrance Price, 21, of Urban Street was captured by a group of La Nova Pizzeria employees shortly after he robbed two of their colleagues of the more than $5,700 that they were taking to the bank from the shop at West Ferry and Hampshire streets.
Price, who was then on parole for a Pennsylvania crime, was chased through backyards until he fell on 18th Street, where the workers held him until police came. He pleaded guilty March 27 to first-degree robbery and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for having fired shots at the La Nova workers who were pursuing him. Price faces a possible prison term of up to 25 years when he is sentenced on May 28 by State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia. Price is believed to have had at least one accomplice because the money he took at gunpoint that morning in the La Nova parking lot was never recovered.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
April 16, 2014
Ares Defense Systems, better known for their modular, piston-driven belt-fed uppers for AR-15 and M16 lower receivers, is about to launch a new rifle that will make a lot of people happy. Called the SCR for Sport Configurable Rifle, this “featureless” AR is perfectly legal in all 50 states. The SCR is not technically an AR. It’s a pistol grip-free rifle that accepts AR-15 upper receivers. This gives users the ability to have all of the benefits of AR uppers, the huge amount of aftermarket support, precision barrels and free-floating handguards all in a package that fits in same box as your gradpa’s hunting rifle.
And we mean all AR-15 upper receivers. This is not a bufferless .22 rifle. The SCR will be manufactured in 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington and 7.62x39mm and is compatible with standar AR-15 uppers. The SCR uses a modified bolt carrier with an extension that drops into a recoil tube inside the stock, similar to some semi-auto shotguns. The bolt carrier is proprietary but the bolt itself is standard. We will know more about the rifle when it is officially unveiled at the NRA Annual Meeting.
“The Ares SCR accepts virtually every AR upper receiver assembly and caliber that is currently practiced on an AR platform, except it must use our proprietary bolt carrier to work with the lower,” explained Ares on their Facebook page. “So this means that a customer can take their 6.5 Grendel, 300 Blackout, .50 Beowulf, etc. and put the bolt into our carrier and they can have this rifle in that caliber and configuration of their upper mated to our lower.”
The design is not entirely new. Announced a few years back as the Herring Modular Sporting Rifle or MSR, Ares Defense unveiled a prototype at the 2009 SHOT Show that never went into production. With several states adding new restrictions on AR-15 rifles, there’s a larger market than ever for a hybrid rifle like this than ever before. That doesn’t mean that the SCR only appeals to restricted markets. The traditional design has a lot going for it as far as hunting and benchrest shooting is concerned. This will give the non-tactical shooters out there an AR-like option, again with all the benefits of the Stoner design as far as the upper is concerned. It will appeal even more to that market once the wood stocks roll around.
(excerpt, remainder of article at link)
It certainly looks better (and propably handles better as well) than those NY-compliant ARs!
How the market reacts to a gun ban, part 2: "Featureless" AR by Ares Defense Systems
http://www.guns.com/2014/04/11/stylish-new-featureless-ar-ares-defense-systems-video/Ares Defense Systems, better known for their modular, piston-driven belt-fed uppers for AR-15 and M16 lower receivers, is about to launch a new rifle that will make a lot of people happy. Called the SCR for Sport Configurable Rifle, this “featureless” AR is perfectly legal in all 50 states. The SCR is not technically an AR. It’s a pistol grip-free rifle that accepts AR-15 upper receivers. This gives users the ability to have all of the benefits of AR uppers, the huge amount of aftermarket support, precision barrels and free-floating handguards all in a package that fits in same box as your gradpa’s hunting rifle.
And we mean all AR-15 upper receivers. This is not a bufferless .22 rifle. The SCR will be manufactured in 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington and 7.62x39mm and is compatible with standar AR-15 uppers. The SCR uses a modified bolt carrier with an extension that drops into a recoil tube inside the stock, similar to some semi-auto shotguns. The bolt carrier is proprietary but the bolt itself is standard. We will know more about the rifle when it is officially unveiled at the NRA Annual Meeting.
“The Ares SCR accepts virtually every AR upper receiver assembly and caliber that is currently practiced on an AR platform, except it must use our proprietary bolt carrier to work with the lower,” explained Ares on their Facebook page. “So this means that a customer can take their 6.5 Grendel, 300 Blackout, .50 Beowulf, etc. and put the bolt into our carrier and they can have this rifle in that caliber and configuration of their upper mated to our lower.”
The design is not entirely new. Announced a few years back as the Herring Modular Sporting Rifle or MSR, Ares Defense unveiled a prototype at the 2009 SHOT Show that never went into production. With several states adding new restrictions on AR-15 rifles, there’s a larger market than ever for a hybrid rifle like this than ever before. That doesn’t mean that the SCR only appeals to restricted markets. The traditional design has a lot going for it as far as hunting and benchrest shooting is concerned. This will give the non-tactical shooters out there an AR-like option, again with all the benefits of the Stoner design as far as the upper is concerned. It will appeal even more to that market once the wood stocks roll around.
(excerpt, remainder of article at link)
It certainly looks better (and propably handles better as well) than those NY-compliant ARs!
April 15, 2014
Granted, the market for this rifle is somewhat limited (California, New York, and Connecticut come to mind), but at least there's now a way for residents of those states to own an Evil Black Rifle with a folding stock, pistol grip, and flash suppressor! Being a pump rather than a semi, it's not an "assault weapon" by definition.
Unless they change the definition. Again.
How the market reacts to a gun ban: the Troy Pump Action Sporting Rifle
http://www.troydefense.com/firearmsaccessories/troy-sporting-rifle/Granted, the market for this rifle is somewhat limited (California, New York, and Connecticut come to mind), but at least there's now a way for residents of those states to own an Evil Black Rifle with a folding stock, pistol grip, and flash suppressor! Being a pump rather than a semi, it's not an "assault weapon" by definition.
Unless they change the definition. Again.
April 15, 2014
ALBANY, N.Y. — Come Tuesday, owners of weapons in New York will be faced with a choice: Register those firearms with the state or potentially face a felony charge. Some gun owners have long threatened to ignore a requirement to register assault weapons under the SAFE Act, a set of strict gun laws approved by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers last year.
With the registration deadline set for Tuesday, they'll soon have their chance.
"We are not asking our members what they are going to do, nor are we advising them what to do," said Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. "When someone asks me, I say it's a personal choice and I don't want to know."
The consequences of ignoring the deadline are severe. If a gun owner is found to have knowingly violated the registration requirement, they could face either a misdemeanor for failing to register or a felony for illegal possession of an assault weapon.
The law allows for either charge, and a spokeswoman for New York state police said last week it will be up to prosecutors to decide which to pursue. A "field guide" distributed by state police last year says the misdemeanor should apply if the assault weapon was purchased before Jan. 15, 2013, and the felony should apply if it was purchased after that date.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
Deadline leaves N.Y. gun owners with a choice
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/13/ny-safe-act-assault-weapons/7671183/ALBANY, N.Y. — Come Tuesday, owners of weapons in New York will be faced with a choice: Register those firearms with the state or potentially face a felony charge. Some gun owners have long threatened to ignore a requirement to register assault weapons under the SAFE Act, a set of strict gun laws approved by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers last year.
With the registration deadline set for Tuesday, they'll soon have their chance.
"We are not asking our members what they are going to do, nor are we advising them what to do," said Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. "When someone asks me, I say it's a personal choice and I don't want to know."
The consequences of ignoring the deadline are severe. If a gun owner is found to have knowingly violated the registration requirement, they could face either a misdemeanor for failing to register or a felony for illegal possession of an assault weapon.
The law allows for either charge, and a spokeswoman for New York state police said last week it will be up to prosecutors to decide which to pursue. A "field guide" distributed by state police last year says the misdemeanor should apply if the assault weapon was purchased before Jan. 15, 2013, and the felony should apply if it was purchased after that date.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
April 13, 2014
New Yorkers have a choice to make by Tuesday about their newly designated ‘assault rifles’ as SAFE Act registration requirements soon kick into effect. Under the protocols of the 2013 New York SAFE Act, effective April 15, those with a regulated firearm must register it with the state to keep it legal. The requirements (pdf) for registration are based on a series of cosmetic traits of the firearm in question. For instance, semi-automatic rifles with a detachable magazine that have one of ten banned features that include a pistol grip, folding stock, threaded barrel or bayonet mount must be registered, modified, or removed from the state by the deadline. The State has a link, from the governor’s homepage no less, to an interactive questionnaire to tell if a gun should be registered.
A lawsuit filed in Federal Court on April 1, Razzano v. Cuomo, is seeking a last minute injunction against the registration deadline. However, if it is unsuccessful after Tuesday, possession of a gun that is considered an unregistered ‘assault weapon’ in New York will be considered a crime. According to New York State Police, failure to register an assault weapon by the deadline is punishable as a misdemeanor “and forfeiture of the weapon.” If it is “deemed to be unintentional,” a 30-day amnesty period will be extended to register it.
The SAFE Act regulates features such as threaded barrels in deciding if a gun is an "Assault Weapon." The SAFE Act regulates features such as threaded barrels in deciding if a gun is an “Assault Weapon.”
This doesn’t sit well with many who would have to enforce the law. “We’re actually creating a category of criminal from of a group of people, a great majority of whom, never would of broken the law,” said Chief Deputy John Balloni with the Onondaga County sheriff’s office. Registration by many is considered the next step before confiscation. “People are pretty much convinced once they get on this registration, the next time they’ll say they’ve got to turn them in,” said Stephen Aldstadt, president of the Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE), one of the leading pro-Second Amendment groups fighting the SAFE Act.
Many New York gun owners are choosing noncompliance with the law. In March, a group of gun owners gathered in Saratoga Springs to burn more than a thousand registration forms, vowing to register nothing. I refuse to comply,” said Jeff Tutuska, a graphic artist from West Seneca. Tutuska says he’s a peaceful person and won’t register the AR-15s he’s owned legally for years. He expects his 11-year-old daughter to inherit them one day, not the government. “It’s none of their damn business,” he said.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
I'd have trouble thinking of a more idiotic set of regulations than the "SAFE" act.
Deadline to register ‘assault weapons’ in New York looming
http://www.guns.com/2014/04/12/deadline-register-assault-weapons-new-york-looming-video/New Yorkers have a choice to make by Tuesday about their newly designated ‘assault rifles’ as SAFE Act registration requirements soon kick into effect. Under the protocols of the 2013 New York SAFE Act, effective April 15, those with a regulated firearm must register it with the state to keep it legal. The requirements (pdf) for registration are based on a series of cosmetic traits of the firearm in question. For instance, semi-automatic rifles with a detachable magazine that have one of ten banned features that include a pistol grip, folding stock, threaded barrel or bayonet mount must be registered, modified, or removed from the state by the deadline. The State has a link, from the governor’s homepage no less, to an interactive questionnaire to tell if a gun should be registered.
A lawsuit filed in Federal Court on April 1, Razzano v. Cuomo, is seeking a last minute injunction against the registration deadline. However, if it is unsuccessful after Tuesday, possession of a gun that is considered an unregistered ‘assault weapon’ in New York will be considered a crime. According to New York State Police, failure to register an assault weapon by the deadline is punishable as a misdemeanor “and forfeiture of the weapon.” If it is “deemed to be unintentional,” a 30-day amnesty period will be extended to register it.
The SAFE Act regulates features such as threaded barrels in deciding if a gun is an "Assault Weapon." The SAFE Act regulates features such as threaded barrels in deciding if a gun is an “Assault Weapon.”
This doesn’t sit well with many who would have to enforce the law. “We’re actually creating a category of criminal from of a group of people, a great majority of whom, never would of broken the law,” said Chief Deputy John Balloni with the Onondaga County sheriff’s office. Registration by many is considered the next step before confiscation. “People are pretty much convinced once they get on this registration, the next time they’ll say they’ve got to turn them in,” said Stephen Aldstadt, president of the Shooters Committee on Political Education (SCOPE), one of the leading pro-Second Amendment groups fighting the SAFE Act.
Many New York gun owners are choosing noncompliance with the law. In March, a group of gun owners gathered in Saratoga Springs to burn more than a thousand registration forms, vowing to register nothing. I refuse to comply,” said Jeff Tutuska, a graphic artist from West Seneca. Tutuska says he’s a peaceful person and won’t register the AR-15s he’s owned legally for years. He expects his 11-year-old daughter to inherit them one day, not the government. “It’s none of their damn business,” he said.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
I'd have trouble thinking of a more idiotic set of regulations than the "SAFE" act.
April 12, 2014
Obama urged to ban imports of military-style guns
Source: WGRZ.com
WASHINGTON – Nearly 100 congressional Democrats are asking President Barack Obama to take executive action to close loopholes in a ban on the importation of military-style firearms. In separate letters sent to the White House over the last week, a dozen Senate Democrats and 82 House Democrats urged the president to use his broad authority under the 1968 Gun Control Act to impose a stricter ban. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York are among the Senate letter's signatories. Fifteen of New York's 27 House members signed the other letter, including Reps. Louise Slaughter of Fairport, Nita Lowey of Harrison and Eliot Engel of the Bronx.
The ban on importing military-style weapons began during the George H.W. Bush administration. Bush took action following the 1989 shooting deaths of five children and the wounding of 30 others at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by gunman Patrick Purdy, who used an imported AK-47 rifle. The ban continued under President Bill Clinton but lapsed under President George W. Bush, according to Engel, who initiated the House letter. Engel said he has lobbied unsuccessfully for the stricter ban for the last decade and urged Obama to take action beginning shortly after the president took office in 2009. "I really am at a loss to know why the administration hasn't implemented it,'' Engel said Thursday. White House spokesman Keith Maley had no comment.
Obama did issue an executive order last August denying requests to re-import surplus military firearms such as M-1s that had been shipped to allies such as South Korea. That order doesn't cover foreign-made firearms. "These military-style firearms are not prohibited under the current import ban, even though they are functionally equivalent to prohibited rifles with a military origin,'' the Senate letter said. The Senate letter also says a 1998 Treasury Department guidance issued during the Clinton administration "allows foreign-made firearms to be imported into the United States without military features, even if the firearms have the capacity to fire multiple time in quick succession without the need to reload and can easily have military features attached.''
Citing research by the Violence Policy Center, the lawmakers say imported military-style firearms were involved in 64 percent of the 2,528 firearms prosecutions in 2011 and 2012 in which the gun type was identified. That's up from 18 percent between 2008 and 2010. The Violence Policy Center data covers the limited number of cases in which details of the weapons was publicly available. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has a comprehensive database that tracks the make of guns used to commit crimes, but Congress has barred the agency from releasing that data to the public. It can be shared only with law enforcement agencies. ATF does not keep data on imports of military-style weapons. But it says imports of rifles, shotguns and handguns almost tripled, from 1.63 million in 2002 to 4.84 million in 2012.
Read more: http://www.wgrz.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/11/obama-urged-to-ban-imports-of-military-style-guns/7589459/
April 12, 2014
WASHINGTON – Nearly 100 congressional Democrats are asking President Barack Obama to take executive action to close loopholes in a ban on the importation of military-style firearms. In separate letters sent to the White House over the last week, a dozen Senate Democrats and 82 House Democrats urged the president to use his broad authority under the 1968 Gun Control Act to impose a stricter ban. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York are among the Senate letter's signatories. Fifteen of New York's 27 House members signed the other letter, including Reps. Louise Slaughter of Fairport, Nita Lowey of Harrison and Eliot Engel of the Bronx.
The ban on importing military-style weapons began during the George H.W. Bush administration. Bush took action following the 1989 shooting deaths of five children and the wounding of 30 others at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by gunman Patrick Purdy, who used an imported AK-47 rifle. The ban continued under President Bill Clinton but lapsed under President George W. Bush, according to Engel, who initiated the House letter. Engel said he has lobbied unsuccessfully for the stricter ban for the last decade and urged Obama to take action beginning shortly after the president took office in 2009. "I really am at a loss to know why the administration hasn't implemented it,'' Engel said Thursday. White House spokesman Keith Maley had no comment.
Obama did issue an executive order last August denying requests to re-import surplus military firearms such as M-1s that had been shipped to allies such as South Korea. That order doesn't cover foreign-made firearms. "These military-style firearms are not prohibited under the current import ban, even though they are functionally equivalent to prohibited rifles with a military origin,'' the Senate letter said. The Senate letter also says a 1998 Treasury Department guidance issued during the Clinton administration "allows foreign-made firearms to be imported into the United States without military features, even if the firearms have the capacity to fire multiple time in quick succession without the need to reload and can easily have military features attached.''
Citing research by the Violence Policy Center, the lawmakers say imported military-style firearms were involved in 64 percent of the 2,528 firearms prosecutions in 2011 and 2012 in which the gun type was identified. That's up from 18 percent between 2008 and 2010. The Violence Policy Center data covers the limited number of cases in which details of the weapons was publicly available. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has a comprehensive database that tracks the make of guns used to commit crimes, but Congress has barred the agency from releasing that data to the public. It can be shared only with law enforcement agencies. ATF does not keep data on imports of military-style weapons. But it says imports of rifles, shotguns and handguns almost tripled, from 1.63 million in 2002 to 4.84 million in 2012.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
Obama urged to ban imports of military-style guns
http://www.wgrz.com/story/news/politics/2014/04/11/obama-urged-to-ban-imports-of-military-style-guns/7589459/WASHINGTON – Nearly 100 congressional Democrats are asking President Barack Obama to take executive action to close loopholes in a ban on the importation of military-style firearms. In separate letters sent to the White House over the last week, a dozen Senate Democrats and 82 House Democrats urged the president to use his broad authority under the 1968 Gun Control Act to impose a stricter ban. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer of New York are among the Senate letter's signatories. Fifteen of New York's 27 House members signed the other letter, including Reps. Louise Slaughter of Fairport, Nita Lowey of Harrison and Eliot Engel of the Bronx.
The ban on importing military-style weapons began during the George H.W. Bush administration. Bush took action following the 1989 shooting deaths of five children and the wounding of 30 others at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by gunman Patrick Purdy, who used an imported AK-47 rifle. The ban continued under President Bill Clinton but lapsed under President George W. Bush, according to Engel, who initiated the House letter. Engel said he has lobbied unsuccessfully for the stricter ban for the last decade and urged Obama to take action beginning shortly after the president took office in 2009. "I really am at a loss to know why the administration hasn't implemented it,'' Engel said Thursday. White House spokesman Keith Maley had no comment.
Obama did issue an executive order last August denying requests to re-import surplus military firearms such as M-1s that had been shipped to allies such as South Korea. That order doesn't cover foreign-made firearms. "These military-style firearms are not prohibited under the current import ban, even though they are functionally equivalent to prohibited rifles with a military origin,'' the Senate letter said. The Senate letter also says a 1998 Treasury Department guidance issued during the Clinton administration "allows foreign-made firearms to be imported into the United States without military features, even if the firearms have the capacity to fire multiple time in quick succession without the need to reload and can easily have military features attached.''
Citing research by the Violence Policy Center, the lawmakers say imported military-style firearms were involved in 64 percent of the 2,528 firearms prosecutions in 2011 and 2012 in which the gun type was identified. That's up from 18 percent between 2008 and 2010. The Violence Policy Center data covers the limited number of cases in which details of the weapons was publicly available. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has a comprehensive database that tracks the make of guns used to commit crimes, but Congress has barred the agency from releasing that data to the public. It can be shared only with law enforcement agencies. ATF does not keep data on imports of military-style weapons. But it says imports of rifles, shotguns and handguns almost tripled, from 1.63 million in 2002 to 4.84 million in 2012.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
April 11, 2014
The FBI released last month’s firearm background check numbers and it was the biggest March in the National Instant Criminal Background Check system’s history, and the third biggest month overall — until it’s adjusted that is.
According to the data, across the country 2,488,842 total background checks were performed in March 2014, which is up by about 200,000 from one year ago and by about 400,000 from February.
Additionally, March 2014 had three of the 10 highest number of checks in a single day, and the first two weeks of the month ranked in the top 10 for highest weeks for gun background checks.
However, if the raw number is adjusted by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Connecticut, Illinois and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases, it actually becomes the second highest March in NICS history, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry’s lobby.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
Second biggest March ever for NICS background checks
http://www.guns.com/2014/04/10/biggest-march-ever-nics-background-checks/The FBI released last month’s firearm background check numbers and it was the biggest March in the National Instant Criminal Background Check system’s history, and the third biggest month overall — until it’s adjusted that is.
According to the data, across the country 2,488,842 total background checks were performed in March 2014, which is up by about 200,000 from one year ago and by about 400,000 from February.
Additionally, March 2014 had three of the 10 highest number of checks in a single day, and the first two weeks of the month ranked in the top 10 for highest weeks for gun background checks.
However, if the raw number is adjusted by subtracting out NICS purpose code permit checks used by several states such as Connecticut, Illinois and Utah for CCW permit application checks as well as checks on active CCW permit databases, it actually becomes the second highest March in NICS history, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry’s lobby.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
April 10, 2014
NEWINGTON — Gun maker SIG Sauer has filed a civil suit against the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claiming the federal agency wrongfully classified a "muzzle brake" SIG Sauer designed to reduce recoil as an item "intended only for use" when making a silencer.
SIG Sauer claims gun silencers are "subject to burdensome legal requirements," and by calling its muzzle brake a part for a silencer, the federal agency is subjecting it to "economic injury."
"If classified as a silencer, no market exists for the subject device given that it will not silence, muffle or diminish the report of a firearm and yet it would still be subject to the burdensome requirements set forth above as if it really is a silencer," SIG Sauer argues through Manchester attorney Mark Rouvalis and Virginia attorney Stephen Halbrook.
ATF Director B. Todd Jones is named as a defendant in SIG Sauer's lawsuit and has 21 days after being served to respond to the civil action, which is dated April 7.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
Good luck to SIG!
SIG Sauer sues ATF for calling its muzzle brake a gun silencer
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20140410/NEWS/404100392NEWINGTON — Gun maker SIG Sauer has filed a civil suit against the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claiming the federal agency wrongfully classified a "muzzle brake" SIG Sauer designed to reduce recoil as an item "intended only for use" when making a silencer.
SIG Sauer claims gun silencers are "subject to burdensome legal requirements," and by calling its muzzle brake a part for a silencer, the federal agency is subjecting it to "economic injury."
"If classified as a silencer, no market exists for the subject device given that it will not silence, muffle or diminish the report of a firearm and yet it would still be subject to the burdensome requirements set forth above as if it really is a silencer," SIG Sauer argues through Manchester attorney Mark Rouvalis and Virginia attorney Stephen Halbrook.
ATF Director B. Todd Jones is named as a defendant in SIG Sauer's lawsuit and has 21 days after being served to respond to the civil action, which is dated April 7.
(Excerpt, remainder of article at link)
Good luck to SIG!
Profile Information
Member since: Sat Mar 22, 2014, 06:58 PMNumber of posts: 521
