Well, the Big Brother Double Speak site (at http://www.aloha.net/~frizbee ) has stirred up some frenzy among my pro-gun peers. The guy running the site is, oddly enough, anti-gun. Given the idea that the site is about the abuses of government, it seems odd to me that he wouldn't want everyone armed to the teeth to protect themselves from Waco-style abuse, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
In fairness, he is printing all the pro-gun ravings that his views have stirred up. While some of these are more blowing off steam than enlightening, they are interesting to read. And I have to hand it to the guy that he is presenting both sides, even though he obviously thinks all guns should be rounded up and sunk in the deepest sea so only governments can be armed.
Here's my most resent message to him. I should note that he has also said that the pen is mightier than the sword - even when you're facing an angry guy with a gun. So, here's my reply:
Did you know that the majority of states now permit some sort of concealed carry? One (NH I believe) doesn't even require permits or anything for anyone over 18 to carry a concealed weapon of any sort. Now if your idea that more guns equals more crime, it should be really easy to figure out whether your theory is correct or not. Compare states with tough gun control against NH or others that don't (or compare the our country with many gun laws to Switzerland where there are few laws or regulations against gun ownership -- including of assault rifles and machine guns).
I think the notion that because we have gun laws that somehow makes us free is a bit odd for someone running a 1984 page (I'm assuming you are against Big Brother -- is this a false assumption?). Is more regulation good and less bad? Perhaps we should have more regulation of the Net, our press, etc., etc., to be sure criminals don't take them over and make us less safe? I can't understand how more laws are better.
When we had fewer laws in regard to guns in the 1800s, were the people less safe or more safe from crime? Less free or more free?
Your idea that gun owners can't organize and create a revolution or defend a country is quaint. Ever hear of the US's Revolutionary War? Apparently a bunch of low-brow, poorly educated farmers and religious nuts had had enough with taxes and the attempt of their mother country to take away their guns (yes, that is a historic fact - the British were trying to capture all the American city armories). When the gun smoke cleared, we were free. They didn't duke it out on the field with ink pens and red ink. There were real bullets, real wounds, and real blood on both sides. (As a man who makes his living writing, I know that no ink pen will ever be the equal of a gun barrel when it comes to man-to-man face offs.)
More recently, those you would most likely dismiss as ignorant gun owners, peasants, and religious fanatics drove Soviet troops to a standstill in Afghanistan. These guys didn't sit down and write tomes. They dusted off their old 1800-vintage muzzle loaders that were new when their great-granddad was shooting at Kippling (the writer) and the British troops invading their country and put them to good use firing at troops with tanks, helicopters, and the newest of weapons. These guys lost their lives soaking their bodies with gasoline and then jumping into open turrets on tanks and setting themselves on fire; they did things most of us would never do. They did them to keep Big Brother from enslaving them.
If you don't want to own a gun or die to preserve your freedom, that's fine. But you shouldn't belittle those who would - and have - done this over the last few years.
Writers do a good job of warning people - just as your WWW page can do when it comes to government abuse. But it takes men willing to get muddy and shed blood to keep freedom alive as well.
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The National Rifle Association recently released a list of anti-gun individuals and corporations which the Coalition of New Jersey Sportsmen added the toll-free numbers to with the suggestion that the numbers not be used because it would cost the companies money (tongue-in-cheek at its finest).
Hyatt Corporation, Jay Pritzker, Chrm. & CEO, 200 West Madison, Chicago, IL 60606 (312) 750-1234
International hotels 1-800-233-1234
National Parks and Conservation Association, 1776 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 (800) 628-7275
Working Assets, Peter Barnes, Founder, 701 Montgomery Street, San Fransisco, California 94111 (415) 788-0777
Long distance telephone service. 1-800-788-8588 1-800-788-0898
PUBLICATION AND MEDIA OUTLETS: The following publications and media outlets have assisted in the attack on Second Amendment rights. The editorial policies of some of the media sources listed portray firearms in a negative manner in an attempt to generate public support for restrictions on firearms ownership. Others have refused some or all of NRA's advertisements.
Blue Chip Stamps, P.O. Box 831 Pasadena, CA 91102-0831 1-800-372-6380
Gannett News Service, 1-800-368-3553
USA Today, 1-800-872-0001
Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1683 (305) 350-2111 1800-825-6245 1-800-678-2527
McCall's Magazine, 110 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017-5603 (212) 463-1000 1-800-444-2604
GE Corporation is the parent of National Broadcasting Company NBC Television Network, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112 (212) 664-4444 1-800-626-2000 1-800-626-2004 1-800-243-2222
Newsweek, Inc., Newsweek Magazine, 444 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022-6999 (212) 350-4000 1-800-631-1040 1-800-634-6842 1-800-634-6850 1-800-526-2595
The New York Times Corporation, The New York Times, 229 W. 43rd Street New York, NY 10036 (212) 556-1234 1-800-843-3113 1-800-223-7437 1-800-631-2580
Time Magazine, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center New York, NY 10020 (212) 522-1212 1-800-843-8463
Times-Mirror Corporation, The Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053 (213) 237-3000 1-800-528-4637
The Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore MD 21278 (301) 332-6300 1-800-829-8000
The Tribune Company, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 (312) 227-3000 1-800-972-9515
Washington Post, 1150 15th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071 (202) 334-6000 1-800-627-1150
In March 1995 HCI began a "Campaign to Protect Sane Gun Laws," listing these organizations as "Campaign Partners," for having pledged to fight any efforts to repeal the Brady Act and the Clinton "assault weapons" ban:
American Association of Retired Persons 1-800-253-2277
American Jewish Congress 1-800-221-4694
Children's Defense Fund 1-800-233-1200
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 1-800-279-1535
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It's now possible to quickly e-mail your senator or congressman. For the senate, you can address e-mail to: "Senate@Mailbot.com". And for the House, "House@Mailbot.com".
There are some limitations on the system. E-mail must be short and no more than one message per 72 hours. And of course no obscenity (why do you think they just passed that new law?).
That said, if gun owners on the Net would use these services, they could have quite an impact with very little money spent for (e) postage.
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The second week in February, 1996 saw the passage of a new federal telecomunications law here in the US. Civil rights activists asked the federal court to block a new law, part of which banned "indecent speech" on computer networks.
No one was openly in favor of indecent speech (at least, not for the most part). The problem was that no one in Congress had bothered to define what indecent speech was, leaving it up to the law enforcement and bureaucratic officers.
Some of the liberals who had been happy to see the Internet hamstrung by this law (since not a little Whitewater and other anti-establishment news is available on the Net which can't be seen anywhere else in the country which is so proud of a "free" press), got a surprise, too. Rep. Henry J. Hyde had apparently added an amendment to the bill that extended a 123-year-old legal prohibition (the Comstock Act of 1873) which made it illegal to give out abortion information.
Adding a bit of a spin to things, Clinton, upon signing the bill, said he would instruct the Justice Department not to enforce this portion of the law. In other words, we now have laws that the government can decide whether or not to enforce according to whether they feel like it or not. (This should raise a few Constitutional questions, but of course our mainstream press has ignored what should be a major story in this move.)
The next question is just what might become obscene or indecent tomorrow. Already we have Clinton and others whining about how teenagers are getting plans to build bombs from the Internet (never mind that they can get this information from a good encyclopedia at the local library).
What is going to keep congress from deciding that guns and violence is obscene and indecent? Nothing. All we need is a major shoot-out or other tragedy and the vultures in Congress will be quick to railroad a bill through to this end. (And all the "pro gun" Congressmen can vote for the bill and then say they didn't know that the provision was in it - the SOP for congress.)
And we can hear the old speech about how our Constitutional rights are limited, etc., etc., for the "safety" of the general public.
Fortunately a federal judge (at the time of this writing) has issued an injunction that prevents the indecency clause from going into effect. The bad news is that if such a law is passed in regard to "indecent firearms", there's less apt to be a federal judge willing to rule it unconstitutional because many judges are very anti-gun.
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From time to time an owner of an AR-15 (usually a non-Colt clone) will discover that the trigger or hammer pin is "walking" out of the receiver. Usually this is discovered before the pin drops out or the gun malfunctions, but it is disconcerting and a pain to have to shove the pins back in after a bit of shooting.
One solution is to purchase some "anti-walk pins" sold by Delta Arms and others. These have a big head on one end and a "C" clip on the other to keep them in place. Cost is under ten bucks making it a quick fix.
There's another way to fix the problem. It's a little work but cheaper and a bit more elegant. On most guns you can take the "walking" pin out and put it in a drill press. Then use a fine file to put a square corner to the indents that are supposed to catch the spring in the trigger (or hammer). By making those grooves a tad deeper (not much!) and giving them square edges rather than rounded, they will usually catch on the spring that supposed to hold them in place rather than "walking out on you" at the most inconvenient of times.
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The AR-15 is available in a number of variations and - because patent rights have run out - several companies other than Colt now produce parts or even assembled AR-15-style rifles. Among the best of these non-Colt rifles are those produced by SGW/Olympic, Eagle/Armalite, and Bushmaster/Quality Parts. (The slashes are there because these three companies all do business under either name - just to keep things confusing and corporately correct.)
DPMS also offers AR-15 parts and I've found these to be of high quality; I just assembled an AR-15 upper for a pre-ban gun using their parts. I especially like the FN barrels the company offers. These are GI-spec, chrome-lined barrels with a 1-in-7 twist. And these barrels will head space properly with a standard bolt and do NOT need to be reamed out for head spacing - an important consideration if you're building a gun and don't have a .223 finishing reamer handy.
All of these companies produce quality guns and parts. If you can live without a flash hider and telescoping stock, the post-ban guns are good buys right now. That said, if you want a real live "assault weapon" that you can tack anything onto without worrying about turning it into a banned weapon, then now's the time to buy because prices will probably go up. (In theory prices might come down IF the ban is lifted, but I suspect it will be a while and that pre-ban guns will become collectors pieces with their prices staying about where they are now.)
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H&K fans should check out several good spots on the WWW that have info about the Heckler & Koch guns and products.
Try http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~dcp/hobbies/hk/ for actual scans from the H&K manuals.
And http://www.uws.com/heckler_and_koch.html will give you a look at H&K products.
You may also want to contact H&K and ask for their current catalogs, etc. The company will also send you an owner's manual for used guns you've purchased which didn't' come with a manual.
Address: Heckler & Koch, Inc., 21480 Pacific Blvd., Sterling, VA 20166-8903 703-450-1900
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I recently heard of a guy that was going crazy because his reloads worked fine in his M10 (9mm) but not in a new H&K 9mm carbine. The carbine worked fine with new ammunition, but not the reloads. In the latter gun with reloads, he had failures to chamber fully while the former purred along without problem.
The problem was that the H&K chamber was a bit tighter.
That's also why most manufacturers recommend NEW ammunition for their firearms and why military and police users also employ new ammunition when their lives are on the line.
If you must reload, use dies that resize the whole case, not just the upper two thirds of it. These are generally called "full case resizing dies" or some similar tag in a manufacturer's catalog.
Hunting and especially defensive guns are best used with factory-new ammo. Reloads are best for practice.
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Edgar A. Suter, MD, who's the National Chair for Doctors for the Integrity in Policy Research Inc., newsletter, recently had some interesting e-mail that hints at what will be appearing in an upcoming newsletter:
A symposium was held last week at Northwestern University School of Law celebrating the Guns and Violence special issue of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. That issue contains Kleck & Gertz' review of the protective benefits of firearms including their National Self-Defense Survey.
That issue also contains the MacDowall, Loftin, and Wersiema article claiming that progressive reform of Concealed Weapons Law has increased homicide rates (They handpicked the cities that had increased homicide, even though the reforms were statewide and the statewide data showed homicide reductions. They used different time baselines to avoid reaching opposite conclusions. They had to change the Miami time baseline to avoid finding the homicide reduction after the law). Northwestern University Law Professor Dan Polsby published a rebuttal thoroughly discrediting the MacDowall article and he participated in the conference.
Attending the Northwestern conference was Dr. Katherine Kaufer Christoffel, founder of Handgun Epidemic Lowering Program (HELP), whose "research" was decimated by Kates, Murray, Cassem et al. in the Summer 1995 Guns and Violence Symposium issue of the Tennessee Law Review. You may also recall that Dr. Christoffel was soundly trounced (based or pre- and post-debate polls of the audience) a few months ago in a debate with Prof. Polsby at a prestigious Chicago civic organization. (As related to us by our source, initially Dr. Christoffel wouldn't shake Polsby's hand or even look at Polsby after the debate). Dr. Christoffel though not presenting at the Northwestern conference was seen to leave before Prof. Polsby's presentation.
It has also been learned that Dr. Christoffel has been retained as an "expert" for the plaintiffs in a gun accident case involving a Chicago policeman. The defense attorney approached one of our members and told him that she was lucky enough to hear of the Kates et al. article impugning the expertise and objectivity of Dr. Christoffel and used that information to discredit Dr. Christoffel and her "expertise" in deposition cross-examination.
The truth will out!
In that vein, word reached our ears about Dr. Gary Ordog, one of the prolific poster-boy researchers for the anti-self-defense lobby. Another of our members has been very vocal in criticizing the work of Dr. Ordog, particularly his work in the Journal of Trauma. One short article a few years ago had 54 substantive errors. Our member wrote a letter to the editor of the Journal of Trauma exposing those errors, but the editor declined to print that letter or any of the five subsequent letters criticizing other flawed research articles.
Following publication of Ordog's article in a relatively new journal, Academic Emergency Medicine, an anonymous copy of a letter from several of Ordog's colleagues was received by our member. I have been told that letter accused Dr. Ordog of fabricating his research data for that article. Our member has been following the subsequent developments and he tells me that the editor investigated the charges, triggering a review by Drew Medical School and Martin Luther King Hospital in Los Angeles (from where Dr. Ordog suddenly departed). We recently heard that the investigation found Dr. Ordog guilty of fabricating his data for the article. We are awaiting further developments. It appears that the sins of the prohibitionists continue to mount.
Meanwhile we are inquiring of the editor of the Journal of Trauma, Dr. Basil Pruitt (published in the medical literature for his support of gun prohibition), whether there will be any investigation of Ordog's research published in their journal. With all the criticisms of Ordog's research, we wonder if the Journal of Trauma will maintain an impenetrable "wall of silence" in the face of the recent exposure of Ordog.
Stay tuned as more details are forthcoming.
The data contained in the Northwestern and Tennessee Symposia will frame the debate on gun prohibition for years to come. If you want to be effective and informed, get these journals and familiarize yourself with the data. --Edgar A. Suter MD, National Chair, Doctors for Integrity in Policy Research Inc. a non-profit 501c(4) corporation (5201 Norris Canyon Road #140, San Ramon CA 94583).
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(For a more detailed look at the firearms mentioned above, see Duncan Long's books, many of which are available from Paladin Press P. O. Box 1307, Boulder, CO 80306-1307 Phone: 800-392-2400; and/or Delta Press, P.O. Box 1625, 215 S. Washington St.,, El Dorado, AR 71731 800-8524445)
© Copyright 1996 by Duncan Long. All rights reserved.