Women Empowering Themselves With Firearms

According to statistics provided by the National Sports Foundation, 2009 saw a 73% increase in the number of firearms sold to women. And these ladies aren’t buying for their boyfriends. There has also been an increase in the number of women enrolled in training classes. Organizations like Women of Caliber, which advertises itself as “the best firearms training for women – by women”, is seeing an increase of estrogen packin’ mama bears who don’t want you getting between them and their cubs. And guys, if you think these are the slim, big breasted vixens from video games, forget it. They are more likely to be the grandma next door.

So exploiters of women, whether you be rapist, thief or physical abuser, your next victim is likely to do a double-tap into your chest rather than comply with your criminal desires.

Mr. President My Gun Policy Proposal

As we learned this week, the President is having talks with both sides of the gun control issue. Somehow my invitation got lost in the mail so I’ll use the pages of FirearmsTruth to present my proposal. [Note: I’m still available if I can get a seat on Air Force Two and room and board at the White House. Vice President Biden needs someone to hang out with him while the President is on vacation. I hear Joe really wants to play Axis & Allies in the War Room].

If firearms safety is something the administration wants to ensure for Americans, I suggest that the Federal Government fund shooting clubs around the country. Instructors, firearms and shooting ranges would be made available to anyone who doesn’t have a felony conviction and is age appropriate. Read more

Rare SS Belt Buckle Prototype

While languishing in a WWI POW camp, Louis Marquis designed a 5.6mm (.22 caliber) belt buckle pistol that James Bond would be proud to wear. The disguised firearm was intended to be a last-ditch weapon that an agent could use to avoid capture. It could be fired by pressing a catch on the buckle or by pulling a string that would trigger the gun when the agent was ordered to raise his hand and surrender.

 In 1938 Marquis obtained a patent for the design. Between wars the design was forgotten until SS leader Himmler became intrigued with the weapon in 1943. In 1944 Marquis began producing prototypes for the Reichsfuhrer. One

version contained a double-barreled 7.65mm shot while a second fired a salvo of four 5.6mm rounds. It isn’t known exactly how many were built but a best guess puts the number at twelve. Thousands of replicas were manufactured in the 1950s and 1960s, so collectors have to beware.

The face-plate design on the buckle is different from SS wartime belt buckles. The eagle clutching a swastika wreath is probably taken from an SS officers cap. It must be

 remembered that the weapon was never massed produced during the war and the eagle was probably attached as an afterthought.

A 5/c serial number is stamped on the gun’s major parts. While the 5.6mm and 7.65mm buckles appear similar to their calibers, each may have been separately machined so there are subtle differences; this coincides with what one would expect from an experimental prototype.

To some, the SS belt-buckle gun may be dismissed as so unimportant a part of WWII history that it doesn’t deserve mention. I disagree. Towards the end of 1943 Himmler must have known that Germany was likely to lose the war. Was the belt-buckle gun meant to be used by the Reichsfuhrer SS and his henchmen to help in their escape from a crumbling Third Reich? The belt buckle gun is an important piece of evidence that as early as 1943 Himmler was ready to betray Hitler. Instead of fighting to the death for Hitler, “my loyal Heinrich” was planning to save himself for a postwar life.

Gun Collecting: The Dreyse 1907 Pistol

The Dreyse M1907 Pistol is a weapon that saw use during both World Wars. It was first used in war by the German and Austrian Empires, and later by Nazi German Volksstrum and Volksgrenadier units. It was also carried by Vatican City units. While never officially exported to the United States, many G.I.s brought them back as war trophies.

The standard Dreyse Pistol fires a 7.65mm Browning cartridge (.32 ACP) with a muzzle velocity of 1,200 ft/s. It has a 7 round detachable single-stack magazine and an effective range of 164 feet. It saw active service between 1907-1945. Read more

ATF’s Wish to Track Rifle Purchases Blocked by Funding Cut

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) wants federally licensed firearm dealers in to report all sales of semi-automatic rifles within five consecutive business days if the rifles are larger than .22 caliber and have detachable magazines. In a public statement, the agency said the new rule would only apply to states that border Mexico but the official notice published in the Federal Register does not mention a limitation to just those states.

Enter U.S. Congressmen Dan Boren of Oklahoma and Denny Rehberg of Montana. They have successfully amended H.R. 1, the Fiscal Year Continuing Appropriations Act for FY2011, to prohibit the use of federal funds for the new and unauthorized program that would trace the sale of two or more rifles.

“The ATF has no legal authority to demand these reports. Congress previously approved these types of reports for the sales of multiple handguns only and has rejected reporting requirements for rifles, or long guns. As recently as last fall, ATF claimed that a reporting requirement for long guns ‘may require a change to the Gun Control Act’, and yet with this new regulation they are trying to circumvent doing just that. That’s because they know there is not enough support in Congress to approve this change to the Gun Control Act,” said Boren.

Boren added, “It’s critical to remember that with or without this program, ATF already has full access to records of every firearm transaction by every licensed dealer when such records are connected to a criminal investigation. Given that fact, this new regulation would create a flood of new reports that will further waste already scarce law enforcement resources, subject law-abiding firearms sellers to yet another reporting requirement, and compromise the privacy of their customers by cataloguing personal information in a database.”

Thanks to brave politicians and the wisdom of the founders, the power of the purse-string is being used to protect gun owner’s right to privacy.

Media Only Tells One Third of the Story

The tragic killing of a federal agent in Mexico last month is being used by the media to advocate new gun control laws. One of the weapons used in the ambush murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata and the wounding of his co-worker was a Romanian made Draco 7-62, legally bought at a Fort Worth gun show. The buyer, Otillo Osorio then allegedly resold the weapon illegally to drug dealers.

What we aren’t hearing from the media is that two other firearms were used in the ambush and have yet been traced. It is possible that these firearms may have come from a source outside the United States.

 Osorio and his brother Ranferi were caught with dozens of guns with the serial numbers filed off, so the other two weapons may have been purchased in the United States but this hasn’t been verified yet. The F.B.I. is good at tracing firearms sold in the U.S. and has excellent techniques that can lift a serial number, even after it appears to have been filed off.

Most of the media hasn’t mentioned that two weapons were used in the crime but haven’t been traced. If one or both are traced to a gun show sale it is almost certain that the media will jump on this to advocate closing down gun shows. But if they can’t be traced, or are traced to another country, it is almost certain we won’t hear about it.

Gun History: Air Cooled Browning .30 Caliber

When the United States entered WWI, the Army needed a heavy machinegun. Browning developed the Model 1917 that was chambered to fire the standard .30-06 cartridge. The M1917 was a water-cooled weapon that was mounted to a heavy tripod.  It proved to be a very effective defensive weapon that could lay down a large amount of sustained firepower. Over 68,000 were produced during the war. 580 air-cooled units were produced for use in airplanes.

A machinegun was also needed for the U.S. tank corp. The water-cooled Browning was too bulky for these early tanks, so the air-cooled M1919 was designed but didn’t see service because of the end of WWI.

In between wars, the U.S. military realized it needed a machinegun that fit somewhere between the light Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and the heavy M1917.  The M1919A4 filled this gap. While the M1917 was a great defensive weapon, it was much too heavy and cumbersome to be used during an attack. The gun itself weighted 41 pounds and the tripod added an additional 52 pounds. And none of this weight included the full water cans and ammunition. Read more

India’s Railways to Procure AK-47s to Battle Maoists

At a time when China has dumped Mao Zedong’s economic model, India’s Railways is procuring 6,000 AK-47 rifles, along with bullet-proof jackets and helmets for security personnel who protect trains and stations from Maoist terrorists. It seems some in India want the country to go through the economic upheaval of the Great Leap Forward and the brutality of the Cultural Revolution.

“We are in the process of acquiring 6,000 fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles from Bulgaria. The payments have been made to Ministry of Home Affairs for the purchase,” a senior Railway Ministry official is quoted as saying. It is hoped the new equipment will boost morale and increase the fire-power of security members.

Even in the 21 Century the Kalashnikov, which first saw service in 1949, is a viable battle platform. It is good to see that a firearm that was used to enforce the evils of communism in the 20^th Century is now being used to combat Mao’s bloody ideology.

Celebrity Frankie Muniz’s Gun Confiscated After Domestic Dispute

The former star of the television show “Malcom in the Middle” and current drummer for You Hang Up Frankie Muniz was involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend last Friday. According to a Phoenix police report, Muniz was arguing with Elycia Turnbow about past relationships. At one point during the fight, Muniz retrieved a firearm and put it to his head. Turnbow called a band member to take the 25-yearold to the hospital.

Turnbow told police she feared Muniz might be suicidal. Muniz claimed the firearm wasn’t loaded but when police came the gun was found in a downstairs closet at his home and it was loaded.

Muniz’s publicist says the actor wasn’t arrested, wasn’t suicidal and that Turnbow wasn’t assaulted. Let’s hope gun control advocates don’t try to use this sad bit of celebrity gossip to advance their draconian sanctions against our 2^nd Amendment Rights.

Swiss Reject Gun Control Referendum

A referendum that would have ended the Swiss tradition of men keeping their military rifles at home, even after completing their mandatory service, was defeated yesterday. Out of 26 cantons, 18 voted against the proposed law which would have ended a tradition that goes back many generations.

The referendum was supported by church and women’s groups. They argued that easy access to firearms caused high suicide rates. Around a quarter of Switzerland’s 1,300 suicides involve a firearm but the number of military weapons used for suicide isn’t clear. Supporters of the failed law claimed 100 to 200 suicides involved army issued firearms last year.

Switzerland has one of the lowest murder by firearm rates in the world even though many a hearth and home have a firearm. In 2009 just 24 murders involved a firearm, which is 0.3 firearms homicide per 100,000. The U.S, rate in 2007 was 4.2 per 100,000.

Perhaps the U.S needs to look to Switzerland for guidance and ensure every home has a military assault rifle with high powered ammo and large capacity magazine, if I may borrow some adjectives from the mainstream media.

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