Posted on 09/29/2001 4:29:48 PM PDT by TERMINATTOR
Gun sale resurgence: Americans saying with wallet, "We feel safer when armed"
Scripps Howard News Service
Keeping up with the changes in the political landscape as America girds for war could give a person whiplash. The old bedrock assumptions about defense and domestic spending, rights to "privacy" and the operation of law enforcement, even opinions on criminal profiling, are changing with lightning speed.
So, too, has there been another, perhaps little-noted shift: our view of guns. I should say the fashionable circle's view of guns. After all, there are some 200 million firearms in the United States, the vast majority of which are legally owned.
Nevertheless, every time there is any kind of an assault with firearms against innocents, we inevitably hear that more gun control is the "answer" because, according to these folks, guns are the root of all crime and mayhem. Usually there's an attempt, often successful, at more gun-control initiatives.
Then came the horror of Sept. 11. What few have ventured to point out is that in this entire calamitous crime, throughout this act of war and terrorism like our country has never seen before, not a single gun was used. So much for seeing guns as the problem, and gun control as the solution.
Americans want to feel safer, and they want to protect their children, which is why this time they are emptying gun stores, fast. Six eastern states, presumably those with populations who feel most vulnerable as a result of the recent attacks and including several, such as New York, that have lead the way in strictly controlling guns, report that gun sales are soaring. And don't you know that more than a few of the purchasers, who would have been aghast at such a thought just a few weeks ago, are sheepishly purchasing them?
No, guns may not exactly protect their carriers against terrorists - then again, they might - but people are voting with their wallets. And they are saying they feel safer with guns than with those who would "protect" them by limiting or ending their ability to get a firearm. We may be witnessing a change from "gun as menace" to "gun as marvel" mentality. Consider the call for sky marshals on airlines, and now the plea from the Airline Pilots Association that pilots be allowed to pack heat during flights. I'm not exactly sure how the pilots would both fend off hijackers with a firearm and fly the plane, but I think the larger point is one of deterrence.
People everywhere, including criminals and even suicidal hijackers, at some level make rational calculations. If the hijackers had thought for a moment that anyone on the plane was at all likely to be armed and ready to use a gun, they almost certainly would not have attempted their deed, simply out of knowledge their plot would fail.
Talk of arming pilots and the extent to which we're putting air marshals on planes may be one reason they will almost certainly not attempt this particular route of terrorism again. They will likely try other avenues to terrorism against which guns may not deter.
But the larger point is that in times of peace and prosperity, society has the luxury of turning down its collectively turned-up nose on those who would protect themselves and their families with firearms. But in time of war, reality and self-preservation surface.
When the smoke clears, we'll notice something else on the new political landscape: that it will be a long, long time before Gun Control Inc. dares to advocate curbs on the Second Amendment again.
I had the same two choices when I was shopping (when I thought Clinton was going to cancel the 2nd amendment and I better hurry up). The problem was that the semi's need care and cleaning due to the moving parts. The salesmen told me if it was going to be in a drawer most of it's life(it was and has been) then just get a revolver rather than a sexy gun. Which I did. It is still unopened (an emotional purchase at the time).
This Yugo was one of two the store had,it initially looked the worse of the two,the stock had a couple of gouges and the action was covered in cosmo and the bore was nasty looking,the other one was fairly clean and had a nice stock.
Then I realized that this one was ALL MATCHING NUMBERS,the other was a parts gun (made up of assorted parts).
After much cleaning and work this one is a real beauty,the bore looks unfired,and I've learned a whole lot about gunsmithing.(Tricks like stoning the cocking cam,locking lugs,carrier surfaces,how to make the bore come clean and honed up to mirror bright,haven't tried the "50 cent bore cleaner" yet but can't wait to try that one.)
Really looking forward to getting my C&R,just the though of buying stuff at dealer cost and having it delivered to my door via UPS is what dreams are made of.
And all for $30.
I now live in Virginia and went through the Concealed Carry classes offered at the local gun range (finger printing, etc., etc.). My concealed carry weapon is a Beretta 84F (9 mm Short or .380; 13 rounds + 1 chambered) done in Nickel with a Walnut handel. VERY pretty! I have a "small-of-the-back" holster.
My major advice is:
1) Go to a gun show or a shop and HANDLE a lot of guns......it has to feel good in YOUR hands and should not be too big OR small for your grip. Also, a womans hands are not the same size as a man's......will there be two of you using it?
2) Wheelie vs. Semiauto- Wheellies ARE more reliable....less moving parts and no worry of jamming at the crucial moment. Semi-autos give more firepower but are more complicated to the newbie.
3) Buy a QUALITY gun. You don't want a jam or a mechanical breakdown at the wrong time!!!!!!!
Remember....your life, your family's lives AND the idiot that came-crawling-through-your-basement-window life depends on it.
Took your advice and just got back from the gun shop. Handled a lot of guns including Beretta, Glock and Kimber. When the salesman handed me the Beretta Model 92 FS Brigadier, I knew my search had ended, the gun was made for my hand, now to find the best price, his price seemed a little steep $679.00. Thanks again
Unfortunately - not true. The Brady beast was pushing her usual anti-gun agenda on 9/12.
. . . .My rifle and I know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst,
nor the smoke we make.
We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit . . . .
IF it happened to push so that the trigger safety was depressed, maybe ... more likely I suspect you're just one of the anti-Glock people with the usual spiel.
Glock 19 plus Fobus holster = Perfection.
I have played with shock-buffs and haven't had a lot of luck - seems the slide won't lock back on the last round if I have a shock-buff on the guide rod. Went to a solid guide-rod, incidentally, because the two-piece sold with the gun kept unscrewing despite a little Lock-tite judiciously applied. Other than that the gun's stock and my, oh, my, does it shoot sweet...
How deadly a couple of nuts with box cutters can be in among group of several hundred unarmed people.
. It has already be proved time after time in over 35 states in the past 15 years that decent law abiding everday CC citizens pose no threat to anyone but that element of society that would prey on the weak and helpless.
THe person that has the number one primary responsibilty for the safety and protection of you, your family and your country is YOU! Buy a firearm and learn how to use and care for it in a reasponsable and safe manner. Their are any number of hunters, shooters, clubs, friends, relatives, and some law-enforcement personel that will be more than happy to supply knowledge and instruction for you.The only thing that will stop an evil person with a weapon is a good person with one.
This was not directed at you chainsaw. Just preaching to the choir.
there are several things you can try,hyd peroxide and vinegar, or straight ammonia but don't leave it in for long.
The .50 cent bore cleaner is
Do-It-Yourself Electrochemical Bore Cleaner
Note it doesn't have to be this fancy,and I can't get the pic to post but basicly it's just a battery holder from radio shack attached to an electrode in your bore and electrolyte. Haven't tried this yet,mine is starting to respond to the peroxide and vinegar scrub but my problem is it is unissued and hasn't even been fired so have been cleaning and lapping with fine polish and it's starting to shine a bit,next step fire lapping. Thats where you rub some fine fine compound (Ive got some pure green chrome from my knife making supplies) on the rounds and then shoot them.
Amazing what you can learn on the net.
By Dann Eichner Originally published in American Gunsmith, Aug. 1998
Building the Unit To construct this unit for your shop or home use, start by getting the parts together. I use the local Radio Shack for my parts. All the part numbers are listed on the drawing.
First, orient the battery holder in the proper direction, with the + (positive) terminal in the lower left-hand corner. The red and black leads with the "snap" terminal are not needed, so cut them off and discard them. Next, mount the bulb socket, but it needs to be modified first. Push in on the center terminal of the socket with a convenient tool (like a pencil eraser) to extend the rivet at the bottom. Cut the rivet off, and remove it and the spring. This leaves a hollow eyelet in the bottom of the socket. This hole in the eyelet must be opened up to accept the 2-56 bolt. But don't drill it out. Using a small tapered drift, carefully expand the hole to fit the 2-56 bolt. The same must be done at the negative terminal where the bulb socket is mounted. Open the eyelet the same way and install the 2-56 bolt (head inside socket) through the socket and the spring ground terminal. Snug it up and cut off even at the nut.
The bulb is just a push-in fit. Squeeze the socket with your fingers to form a tight fit when the bulb is installed. Push it down until the center terminal touches the head of the bolt inside the socket. Open the package of clip leads and take out the red and black ones. Fold them in half and cut them giving you two each red and black leads 20 inches long. Strip the insulation off the ends of one black and one red and solder them to the places marked on drawing. There are two terminals on the socket body. Bend the other one against the bottom of the battery holder, out of the way, as the bolt through the rivet in the socket base replaces it.
Install the batteries making sure of the battery polarity, and short the black and red clips together. If the bulb lights brightly, all is well. If not, check all connections, battery polarity, bulb tightness, and so on until you have full brightness.
Mixing the Cleaning Solution
Mix 25 percent household ammonia, 25 percent white vinegar, and 50 percent distilled water for the bore-cleaning solution. I mix 1 pint of ammonia, 1 pint white vinegar, and 1 quart of distilled water in a polyethylene container. This is enough for many cleanings, and may be safely stored. Don't forget to label the solution properly.
Using the Unit
It is best to remove the barreled action from the stock. I use two cupped wooden blocks and clamp the barreled action to a bench in a well ventilated area of the shop. Clamp the barrel vertical and put a bucket underneath to catch any drippings. Plug the chamber with a rubber plug (a complete set is available from Brownells). [would a cork work just as well? – ed.]
I wrap a piece of rag around the barrel below the muzzle, and also put masking tape around the muzzle leaving a reservoir to catch solution that has bubbled out. A stainless-steel rod (diameter depending on bore size) long enough to protrude about 6 inches from the muzzle is fitted with 0-rings or small sections of rubber windshield-wiper hose. Slide them on the rod to insulate the rod from the inside of the barrel, but not tightly in the bore.
The solution must get all the way down to the chamber. With a large eye dropper (the infant feeding kind works well) fill the barrel with prepared cleaning solution. Now connect the black lead to the rod above the muzzle and the red lead somewhere to the action. The bulb should light dimly and bubbles should start at the muzzle showing reverse plating action has started. If bulb burns full brightness, the rod in the barrel is shorted (touching) inside, and must be repositioned until short is cleared. Keep in mind that the bulb must burn dimly for proper operation.
Replenish the solution in the muzzle as needed to keep the barrel full. As the barrel is cleaned, the bulb will grow dimmer and dimmer until it goes out completely. When this occurs, disconnect the black lead, remove the rod, and wipe off the crud with a wet rag. Then use steel wool to scour off the plated-on lead, copper, and rust. Caution; Use rubber gloves, as lead is poisonous as most gun people know
Reinstall the rod in barrel and reconnect black lead to the rod. Refill to the muzzle with solution if necessary. When bulb is completely out, the barrel is clean. Disconnect black lead, pop out the chamber plug with the rod, dumping the solution into a bucket to be disposed of properly.
If the barrel is exceptionally dirty, remove the solution and brush with bore brush. Refill and start again.
Conclusion
When the barrel is cleaned thoroughly, it's a great time to polish the inside of the bore with accepted methods, and coat with your favorite bore conditioner. It is like starting with a new bore all over again.
The government can't remove rights that are unalienable; the BOR enumerates our rights that are ours, governemnt or not.
prambo
AMEN...
That about sums up my experience with big wheel guns!
Sig P232 380 ACP, loaded with:
CorBon 380 Auto +P 90gr JHP
Glaser Safety Slugs
Easy to carry, simple operation, and less worrisome than the Glock (since you can see by the hammer whether it's in shooting mode or not).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.