Justice Antonin Scalia Remembers When Toting a Rifle in New York was a Non-event

Gun Watch ^ | 1 April, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Back before the big gun blogs existed, back before President Obama was elected, the AP ran a news article that showed how much the culture has been conditioned to fear firearms:

"I grew up at a time when people were not afraid of people with firearms," said Scalia, noting that as a youth in New York City he was part of a rifle team at the military school he attended.

"I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle," he said. "Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?"

I have heard other reports of people carrying long guns openly in New York City in the 1950s, with no police being called, no schools being shut down, no panic, no problems.   Why was this so back then, but not now?

It is not the crime rate.   The crime rate now, after rising precipitously with more and more gun control, has dropped in half as restrictions on concealed carry have been eliminated and the number of private guns has doubled.   Multitudinous reasons have been speculated about for the drop, but the facts make blaming more guns for more crime more and more difficult.  The crime rate now is close to what it was in the 1950s.

A friend who was a competitive shooter at the time informed me the during the 1950s, university pistol team members kept pistols in their dorm rooms.  Even in the 1970's, I did the same, though I suspect that there were rules against it by then.   My housefellow knew about it, and at least tolerated it, if not approved of it.

I would like to learn of other instances of gun ownership that was deemed normal in urban areas during the 1950's.   Let us document those memories before we lose them.


©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

I think the disastrous Gun Free School Zone act was a turning point, where gun ownership was officially demonized.

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2012/12/disastrous-gun-law-sparked-school.html

[edpc]

"I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle," he said. "Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?"

Yes.....and I would want a bayonet, too.

[willywill]

“I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle,” he said. “Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?”

and a person with half a brain can see there was much less crime back then. that’s how you know they want to take our guns away for reasons other than safety.

[Impy]

"I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle," he said. "Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?"

Yes, it wouldn't be pretty.

[Paladin2]

What does Goetz have to say on the matter?

[RightGeek]

I can remember (older) high schools that had rifle ranges in the basement. Also had archery teams - wonder if they do that anymore either.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

NYC was once a gun friendly town.

[Ramius]

I was on my high school rifle team in the 70s. We routinely carried rifles to and from and around the school. We had lockers for them at the school. No big deal.

During hunting season some of the guys typically had rifles or shotguns in their pickup gun racks so they could do some before and after school hunting.

[sickoflibs]

RE :” “I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle,” he said. “Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?”
Yes, it wouldn't be pretty. .”

I don't know when he says that was but I rode the 7th train (Queens/Manhattan) hundreds of times over the decades and I don't recall anything like that.

Air be-be guns were illegal in NYC as far back as I can remember. Handgun licenses issued in NYS were not recognized by the city when I was young.

[WhiskeyX]

“Yes.....and I would want a bayonet, too.”

Yep, I was a barely a teenager when I carried a German military rifle and matching bayonet in its original scabbard across town. They were captured off of a German POW by a relative in Belgium. The State Police waved a friendly hello as they drove by while I walked across town with the rifle on the shoulder and the bayonet and scabbard on the web belt with the canteen. Those were different days.

[bigtoona]

In the late 70’s and early 80’s we shifted to most children being raised by strangers in a day care setting. Notice that in the mid 80’s the school shootings started. If you look back through history, there were no shootings in schools by children. You can go back to the 1700’s and the only school mass murderers were by crazed lunatic adults. The largest was in the 1920’s where a school teacher wired a school with bombs and blew up a bunch of 9 or 10 year olds (largest terrorist incident in the US all the way up to 9/11. ).

Scalia is right, things were not the same back then. What changed?!

[real saxophonist]

When I was 14 in Valdosta GA I could walk all over town with a .22 rifle, nobody batted an eye. Cop would drive by, he just waved.

When was that - 1979 or so. These days, a 14 year old with a .22 will get Swat-Teamed.

Sad for two reasons: A 14 year old will get Swat-Teamed, and the term Swat-Team has become a verb.

[Paladin2]

So has Scalia’s outreach really helped with the Marxist tool Kagan?

[Georgia Girl 2]

When I was in High School in Jax, FL all the guys had gun racks in the backs of their truck cabs and at least one gun and they all parked in the school student parking lot. Nobody thought anything about it.

One day a crazed snapping turtle that had gotten too far from the pond near our house was trying to come through the backyard fence. My Dad and my Uncle walked out in the backyard and opened up with a .44 magnum and a .38 special. Nobody blinked an eye. Nobody called the cops or even came out to see what was happening. This was a regular subdivision. Today SWAT would show up.

[Starstruck]

I don't know when he says that was but I rode the 7th train (Queens/Manhattan) hundreds of times over the decades and I don't recall anything like that.

Scalia is 78. Don't know your age.

[Impy]

This was when he was in rifle club at military school. He was born in ‘36, so early 1950’s I’m guessing.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”This was when he was in rifle club at military school. He was born in ‘36, so early 1950’s I’m guessing.”

Has to be before the 1960s.

[PGR88]

I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle," he said. "Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?

I have a very good friend whose mother was born and raised in Manhattan. She used to wear ladies day gloves and long dresses when out and about and riding the subway - and it was just everyday wear. How elegant she looked. Could you imagine someone doing THAT today in NY City?

[Impy]

>>>>>The largest was in the 1920’s where a school teacher wired a school with bombs and blew up a bunch of 9 or 10 year olds (largest terrorist incident in the US all the way up to 9/11. )>>>>>

Wow, I never heard of that incident.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bath_School_disaster

Damn.

What changed to make kids start shooting? Well unless I’m wrong every kid shooter has been a severe bullying victim. Back in the day a father would teach his son how to throw a punch and tell him to stand up for himself. Nowadays I guess the dad, if there even is a dad, doesn’t do that anymore. Just a guess.

[cpdiii]

In 1966 at Northeast Louisiana State College (Now Universty of Louisiana Monroe) we could have our weapons on campus.

We were not allowed to keep them in our dorm rooms but they were secured in the Dorm Mothers Quarters. If we went shooting or hunting we checked them out from the Dorm Mother. On return we would take them to our rooms and clean them and then check them back in with the Dorm Mother. We had no incidents or missuse of these weapons.

Most of us had been using firearms for years before we went to college. We respected them and did not use them improperly.