Holiday dream toy? Modern-day BB gun is no such thing

Minneapolis Star-Tribune ^ | December 12, 2003 | Rebecca Thoman

[Charles Martel]

In europe they are using such bb guns (after enhancement) for self defense.

Yes, that's true. There is also great interest in the AirSoft full-scale replicas of military firearms such as submachinguns and assault rifles. Some of those replicas even feature realistic fully-automatic fire and can cost thousands of dollars. Like the paintball phenomenon in the U.S., there is an interest in such "action pursuit games" in the U.K., but they use the super-realistic AirSoft gear to sting one another. "Real" airguns in the U.K. (and probably in continental Europe) must be regulated to keep the muzzle velocity/energy below some stipulated level. As you pointed out, "enhancement" is possible, but probably carries a hefty penalty if you're caught with such contraband.

[Think free or die]

Michigan is a schizophrenic state anymore. I grew up in Kalamazoo and Dad still hunts around there and further north. I'm a little surprised you'd find that anti-gun attitude among women scoutmasters, but I guess the media has influenced a lot of people with the scary gun talk over so many years.

[bullseye1911]

If you know Mich. then you know Okomos and Holt.

[bullseye1911]

I'm looking to buy an M-1 Garrand. Does anyone know where I can get a good one for not a whole lot of money?

Become a member of an NRA affiliated gun club and get one from the Dept. of Civilian Marksmanship. It's cheap and easy!

[SouthernFreebird]

Mine's getting a red ryder too.........he's gonna be so happy. The look on his face when he saw it in the store was one of pure awe.

[Charles Martel]

"You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!"

Interestingly, A Christmas Story is based entirely on *one* chapter from Jean Shepherd's book "In God We Trust - All Others Pay Cash". The chapter starts with an adult Shepherd ("Ralphie" is an autobiographical character) eating at some New York lunchcounter when he spots a woman wearing a button that reads: "Disarm the Toy Industry!" Inquiring about it, he is treated to a bitter diatribe about the evils of toy guns - which he tunes out in favor of reminiscing about the Red Ryder BB gun.

Might the writer of the article above have read that chapter and purloined the idea for a column? Perhaps, but there's no way to tell. Stupidity is, after all, timeless.

[Jaxter]

"Does anyone know where I can get a good one for not a whole lot of money?"

The Civilian Markmanship Program.

http://www.odcmp.com

They have them for sale as low as $400 for a rack grade
Springfield.

[hattend]

Dr. Rebecca Thoman is [a busybody] executive director of the St. Paul-based Citizens for a Safer Minnesota Education Fund.

[TLI]

OK, now THAT is a CHRISTMAS PRESENT ! !

[jdege]

Click on the picture, to go to the store that sells them.

[gwsii]

Lots of great examples of how twisted the arguments from the Left can get.

First off, the title of the story employs a classic bait and switch. The title mentions only BB-guns, but many of her assertions about the dangers and improvements apply primarily to pellet guns.

When my son turned eight, old enough to be boldly curious about such things, I bought him a BB gun for the explicit purpose of teaching him gun safety. As he gets older, he will be exposed and trained on progressively more dangerous firearms. Eventually, I expect the U.S. military (up to him) to continue his education.

My reasoning is simple: I would rather my children know how to handle a gun then to be ignorant of this potentially deadly tool.

[Think free or die]

"If you know Mich. then you know Okomos and Holt."

I never spent much time in the Lansing area. While I doubt it's anywhere near as liberal as Ann Arbor (is anything?), I expect it's influenced by the university culture. Apart from my college years, I spent most of my time in the western part of the state and further north during ski season. I sure would love some of that Michigan snow here in SE PA!

[El Gato]

Strange, I was in the WalMart sporting goods section to pick up some Break Free cleaner and lube, and I saw the exact same Red Ryder BB-gun that Ralphie salivated over lo those many years ago. Oh the stock might be plastic now instead of wood, but otherwise it's the same gun, from the same manufacturer. But the grabbers got one thing right, it wasn't a toy then, it's not a toy now, in the way the word is usually used. However, it is a toy in the sense that you can have a lot of fun with it (But the same could be said of an AR-15 or M-2 fully automatic Carbine or a .50 BMG rifle) and that it's for learning valuable lessons that will stay with the child for life, if properly taught by the more or less adults in her life.

As a child, I was underprivileged. No Red Ryder for me, I got the budget model, which served me well for at about 10 years. Mine had no fore-stock and no under barrel shroud loading port and tube, the BBs went directly into the barrel shroud itself.

Mine did have a wooden stock, after the plastic one broke. I fashioned it myself out of a piece of plywood, and painted it white. :) (I was "different" even then :) )

[archy]

PaintBall Gun! Now that's what I need to pop at the stray dogs and BUMS around here.

BBs & pellets are dangerous and bit too much just to drive off a dog - and I don't want to break out my .410 shotgun to get rid of the bums (too much noise)...

True. But if you've got a little room around the old estate, there is a way to get their attention....

[archy]

That's the way we've handled it too. Our sons don't have toy guns (except Super-soakers!), but they both know that when Dad considers them responsible they'll have the opportunity to learn on the real thing. My husband took our 10 year old out for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was a big step for him, and he was proud to bring home his target to show off. Our 8 year old is still too apt to be silly when discussing gun safety, so he'll be waiting a while.

When my kid was growing up, my policy was to let him have toy guns that fired a projectile foam dart or plastic pellet ammo, even water guns and super soakers, anything from which something really came out of the front end when that trigger was pulled- there was a lesson there. I wanted him to know there was a result in front, and that they were not just noisemakers that went *bang.*

It worked great until his grandparents [mom's side, naturally] decided to buy him a set of cowboy cap pistols. Fairly nice ones. Thankfully, he seemed to have picked up the lesson by then, and if he ever pointed one of them at another kid in play, I never caught him at it. He got his first serious rifle, a Number I Mark III Enfield SMLE, when he was 12. He can keep his shots on a six-gallon paint bucket with it at a quarter mile.

-archy-/-

[archy]

The 30-30 is for ME.

Fine so long as you're not lefthanded, in which case the rifle with throw ejected empty brass into your nose, and you're better in the market for oner of the earlier pre-1964 Winchesters that ejects straight up, unhandy with a telescopic sight, but nicely suited for ambidextrous use.

I'm looking to buy an M-1 Garrand.

Swell rifles. The commercial reporos have not yet reached the level of manufacturing expertise and perfection reached by the wartime manufacturers after millions of units. You're probably looking at a cost of between $500 and $1000, depending on condition, collectors' desirability, match accuracy conditioning and other factors, but those from the Civilian Marksmanship Program are indeed a bargain.

Does anyone know where I can get a good one for not a whole lot of money?

Check the CMP sales prices as a guide, and watch for a target shooter upgrading from a service-grade Garand to a match-tuned rifle, or to an M14 or M16 match gun. That'll still be very servicable, to the standards of those issued to most soldiers, and fine for a beginning user or target shooter.

I want it because it's the rifle that won WWII, and it's a dandy weapon to shoot.

***The most perfect battle implement ever devised, *** per no less an authority than General George Patton, though his familiarity was limited with the tools of 1945 and before. It would be interesting to see if he'd have made the same observation after an introduction to the M1A2 Abrams tank, named for a tank battalion officer under Patton's command.

Targets only, of course.

So long as you all are fortunate, and no one decides to harm or kill you for your possessions or beliefs. I certainly hope that remains the case, but I would not bet my life or that of anyone for whom I care on it.

-archy-/-

[Pete'sWife]

Thanks to you all for your helpful replies and advice!

[Lancey Howard]

Back in the early '60s my Dad gave me his old BB gun - - from the '30s. It was great - - a pump rifle that you didn't need to pump 10 times for a strong shot.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

She urges children and parents to swap their toy guns for other nonviolent options.

Ok, motorcycle, mini-bike, computer camp, enrollment in the BSA, REAL shooting lessons at the local range, Martial arts class, etc.

Motorcycle!?! I can't think of anything more violent. Motorcycle riding is riskier than cigarette smoking. You'd be better off giving your child a carton of Marlboros.

[archy]

Motorcycle!?! I can't think of anything more violent.

Particularly the versions with the automatic weapons or antitank rocket launchers fitted.

Some of those off-road ATV riders can be a rough sort, too.