Today the Senate rejected gun control, and in a big way. Several gun control proposals failed today, including amendments that would have banned standard capacity magazines, increased background checks, taken guns away from Veterans, and banned virtually every semi-automatic firearm.
Here are some of the highlights.
Lautenberg-Blumenthal Magazine Capacity Amendment
Failed with 46 voting for and 54 voting against. This would have banned those high capacity assault magazine clip thingies.
Burr Veteran Amendment
Failed with 56 voting for and 44 voting against. This is one that wasn’t talked about much, and honestly got a lot closer to passing than I thought it would, which should tell you all you need to know about the current state of affairs in Washington.
Feinstein Ban Everything Amendment
Failed with 40 voting for and 60 voting against. This amendment had zero chance of passing from its inception, but I’m glad it came to a vote. Now the traitors who voted for it can have the vote used against them in 2014.
Manchin-Toomey Background Check Amendment
Failed with 54 voting for and 46 voting against. This was the amendment that I thought had the best chance of making it out of the Senate to be quickly killed by the House, but it failed to make it even that far. Thankfully.
Following the vote, the NRA released the following statement.
NRA Statement
Today, the misguided Manchin-Toomey-Schumer proposal failed in the U.S. Senate. This amendment would have criminalized certain private transfers of firearms between honest citizens, requiring lifelong friends, neighbors and some family members to get federal government permission to exercise a fundamental right or face prosecution. As we have noted previously, expanding background checks, at gun shows or elsewhere, will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools.
The NRA will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats who are committed to protecting our children in schools, prosecuting violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law, and fixing our broken mental health system. We are grateful for the hard work and leadership of those Senators who chose to pursue meaningful solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.
In any shooting incident, there is a high probability there will be witnesses in the vicinity. If you are forced to draw your weapon and fire, it’s almost 100% assured that there will be legal challenges after the event, even if you were justified in your shooting.
These same witnesses will become involved whether they like it or not and what they remember about the altercation, and most importantly what was said, can significantly alter the odds for or against you.
At a bare minimum there will be a police investigation. Witnesses will be interviewed. Statements will be taken. Assumptions will be made by the police about YOU and your actions.
What you say during an altercation may make all the difference between being free on bail, while things are sorted out, or spending weeks or months in a prison cell.
Make sure people realize that you are being attacked and harassed. Yell things like, “Stay away!”, “Leave me alone!”, or “Don’t touch me!” to alert onlookers that you are not the perpetrator.
In many cases, simply calling out these types of statements will cause an attacker to lose their nerve and back down. This is doubly true if they know others are listening.
One incredibly important mistake to avoid is the commonly perpetuated myth that identifying yourself as a police officer will cause an attacker to back down.
Do NOT do this under any circumstances, George Harris explains why impersonating a law enforcement officer is a terrible idea in his article “Ammunition, Mobile Home Defense, Dogs and Neighbors” on USConcealedCarry.com:
“Inferring that you are a police officer in any circumstance, if you are not really a police officer, is illegal and not recommended in any jurisdiction that I am aware of. Hypothetically, if you ended up in court because of an altercation involving a firearm, impersonating a police officer may very well tip the scale out of your favor in the outcome.
“That being said, I do recommend verbalizing when attacked in a manner that could help your situation either during the attack or later during witness accounts in the courtroom. By yelling to the top of your voice, “Please stop,” and adding, “You are hurting me,” or “Leave me alone,” infers that you are the victim to any observers, even if you successfully overcome your adversary. Read the rest of George’s legal advice about dealing with a concealed carry incident here.)
In essence, don’t be afraid to call out for help and let potential witnesses know what is going on. Doing so will solidify your both your position and story. There is also always a chance that someone nearby knows the person trying to attack you, and may be able to exert enough influence over them to end the conflict, without any shots being fired.
All Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs), who are registered as a manufacturer or who have exported firearms in the past year, must file the “Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report Under 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, Firearms, – ATF Form 5300.11″ by April 1, 2013. While you should have received a copy of the report from the ATF, if you didn’t, you can find a copy here - ATF Form 5300.11 – Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Exportation Report. For those who are unaware, you can file this report electronically by emailing it to AFMER2@atf.gov. You will receive a confirmation email of their receipt of the form within several days. If you mail or fax your report, or if you emailed your report but did not receive a receipt confirmation email, you can contact FESD Program Analyst Tom DiDomenico at (304) 616-4590 to verify that ATF received your report.
If you have questions about filling out the 5300.11, most of your questions are likely answered on the ATF’s website, Form 5300.11 Questions. And yes, even if you did not manufacture a single firearm, you must submit the form.
By Joshua Prince, Esq. of the Firearms Industry Consulting Group, a division of Prince Law Offices, P.C. devoted to the protection of the Second Amendment at the federal level across the United States and now, internationally – Nothing in the above article should be construed as legal advice on any state’s laws.
I have been debating for a long time now if I would ever need to start carrying a knife or knives with my EDC. It was a fear of mine to carry a knife. Not because I may have to use it, but because I saw myself getting into a knife fight. I thought about it. I mean, I really thought about it. Pretty much everything I have seen which uses a knife is against someone else that uses a knife. I told myself, why would I every use a knife when I carry a gun. If I am beyond two arms reach, I will do “Shooting in Motion” from Combat Focus Shooting. Now when I am within one arms reach that might change the tactic I use.
I was too worried about getting in a knife fight with a knife fighter or with someone who trains a lot with knives. The likelihood of that happening is very low, but still possible. Now that problem is out of the way, I asked myself, why do I need to carry a knife? The more I talked with my brother Ian Strimbeck from Down Range Firearms Training and my distant uncle Alessandro Padovani from Safer Faster Defense, they made me realize how important it is for threats within one arms reach. It gives me an option if I have to defend myself with deadly force and cannot reach my firearm. Also, Alessandro has a training DVD called Safer Faster Knife Defense that can be found in the I.C.E. Training Store. I highly recommend this DVD.
I have been carrying a Sypderco Endura and Delica with a wave now for a few months. Ian showed me some fundamentals on reverse edge grip. With Alessandro’s DVD, I learned even more about knives and the employment of his methodology. Here’s the thing, the more I carry my knives, the more I realize I need more training with them. I tell people all the time, just because you buy a gun it does not mean you can use it efficiently.
After I had this revaluation, I finally bought the Syderco trainer copies of my knives . I was fortunate to find the Delica trainer with the wave, but could not with the Endura. As you can see from the different photos I have posted, I made wave in the Edura trainer. It only took about five minutes with a Dremel Tool. Alessandro told me it was pretty simple. So I knocked it out.
You will see me continuing my education with edged weapons to become more well rounded with attacks within one arms reach. Also plan to add the knife work I am comfortable with teaching in Close Quarters Defensive Concepts.
It has certainly been a while since my last post. Unfortunately I have not been able to get my hands on any new gear to review, so this will be something of a rant with renewed vigor, with regards to the newly signed New York law that has limited magazines to seven rounds, among other points. Let me repeat that. Gun owners who possess magazines with a capacity of ten rounds (which is already a restriction) are now limited to magazines with a seven round capacity. Additionally, people who already own ten round magazines are given a year to sell them out of state, lest they face misdemeanor criminal charges. Don’t you feel safer?
A criminal with deadly intent and a firearm now has to limit him/herself to only seven casualties. That is, unless he wishes to carry two magazines. In which case, right off the bat he now increases his total to fourteen. Now I’ve never been considered a math whiz by any standard, but last time I checked in with “Mathematics Weekly”, fourteen was more than ten. I have a strong feeling it still is.
I have to assume that my audience (I also have to assume that I have one) is a literate bunch that can think for themselves and apply their own brand of logic and reasoning, so I won’t delve into why this law doesn’t make any sense. There are several reasons and they have all been heavily discussed. At this point, what I take issue with is what I can only assume to be spite. I have come to the conclusion that lawmakers are not stupid people. New York’s politicians are not stupid people. They are however, spiteful, in my opinion. The only thing that this new law is accomplishing is a new way to make NY’s gun owners’ already heavily restricted and unreasonably expensive hobby, just a little bit more impossible. In other words, since the hoops we as responsible, law abiding gun owners have had to jump through have already been made smaller, they have now decided to cover them in gasoline and light them on fire.
Law makers have come to the realization that they cannot at this point ban all guns. They probably realize that this isn’t something that is going to happen in the near future, either. But what they can do, and what they have just done again, is to make it much more difficult for us as New Yorkers to exercise our Second Amendment rights. Anyone who has read my previous post regarding New York and guns will already know my feelings on our inability to obtain a legal carry permit, among other injustices. I can only hope my future plans lead me out of New York and somewhere in the United States of America.
Thanks for reading, guys. And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to either leave them below or send me an email. Be well!
The long history of firearms demonstrates a willingness to attempt new ideas in the manufacture of these weapons. The resulting antique firearms often look strange to modern eyes, but some innovative ideas went into their design.
Oldest Firearm
The oldest existing firearm in the world dates to the late 13th century and was cast in bronze. This gun was found in China where gunpowder was in use a full 700 years before the western world would discover it.
The First Handheld
The first handheld firearms did not have triggers. They function more like cannons than guns with loading done from the front and firing it by applying a fuse to the rear of the weapon.
The First Trigger
The matchlock mechanism was an improvement, however slight, over the fuse method of the first handheld firearms. After loading the weapon, and priming it with a bit of powder, the soldier would pull the trigger and an S-shaped piece of metal would move forward and touch a lit fuse to the priming powder.
The Palm Pistol
A lot of early firearms were for personal protection and intentionally made small and easier to conceal. There was a circular gun known as a palm pistol that could be carried in the palm of a person’s hand. The small barrel would protrude from between the fingers and firing it was mainly a matter of clenching the fist.
The Ring Pistol
Another easily concealed weapon was the ring pistol. Primarily made for women, it is a close personal defense weapon worn on the finger.
The Harmonica Gun
This weapon is the result of an attempt to increase the number of rounds contained in a cylinder. The name derives from the rectangular shape of the cylinder which features multiple holes like a harmonica when viewed from the back side. It was impractical in its shape and after firing a round, the owner must manually move the cylinder over to load the next cartridge.
The Key Gun
In the 17th century a firearm combining a key and gun became popular. It was a big iron key with a short barrel underneath the key mechanism. A few of them will shoot the person holding it if not used properly.
Double Barreled Pistol
Double barreled pistols were also part of the 19th century innovations with firearms. These have two barrels side by side and feature two separate cocking mechanisms to allow firing one barrel at a time.
The Two Millimeter Bullet
The manufacture of smaller weapons for concealing necessarily led to making smaller cartridges for their use. The smallest of these was two millimeters. The average size of a BB is 4.5 millimeters.
Square Bullets
The first attempt at a machine gun during the antique era led to a weapon that could fire up to nine rounds a minute. The device could fire square bullets by switching the bullet chambers. The developer felt that square bullets would be more painful.
About the Author
Aileen Lopez is a writer and the Director of Content for the Morgan Law Firm. Please visit the Morgan Law Firm Blog for additional content.
Frequently, I am asked whether, as an 07 manufacturer, the Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) needs to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) of the State Department under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), which is implemented through the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR). While very few 07 FFLs register under ITAR, they are generally required to do so and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) recently discussed this issue on page 3 in its November 2012 Newsletter.
22 C.F.R. Section 122.1 states, “Any person who engages in the United States in the business of either manufacturingorexporting defense articles or furnishing defense services is required to register with the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.” (emphasis added) The only possible exception for a manufacture, unless the item is not a defense article, is for “Persons who engage only in the fabrication of articles for experimental or scientific purpose, including research and development.” As for what constitutes a defense article, it is those items which are designated by the President and listed in the US Munitions List, pursuant to 22 C.F.R. Section 120.2. Currently, although there is a push to reform the list and remove general firearms from ITAR and move them over to the Bureau of Industry and Security under the Department of Commerce, any firearm, with the exception of a non-combat shotgun with a barrel length over 18″, are defense articles, pursuant to 22 C.F.R. Section 121.1.
The penalties for violating ITAR are severe. 22 C.F.R. Section 127.1(b)(3) declares, “It shall be unlawful:…(3) To engage in the United States in the business of either manufacturing or exporting defense articles or furnishing defense services without complying with the registration requirements.” 22 C.F.R. Section 127.3 states “Any person who willfully:…(a) Violates any provision of §38 or §39 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778 and 2779) or any rule or regulation issued under either §38 or §39 of the Act, or any undertaking specifically required by part 124 of this subchapter;…shall upon conviction be subject to a fine or imprisonment, or both, as prescribed by 22 U.S.C. 2778(c).”
22 U.S.C. 2778(c) declares, “Any person who willfully violates any provision of this section, section 2779 of this title, a treaty referred to in subsection (j)(1)(C)(i), or any rule or regulation issued under this section or section 2779 of this title, including any rule or regulation issued to implement or enforce a treaty referred to in subsection (j)(1)(C)(i) or an implementing arrangement pursuant to such treaty, or who willfully, in a registration or license application or required report, makes any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, shall upon conviction be fined for each violation not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.”
If that weren’t bad enough, ITAR also allows for civil penalties, pursuant to 22 C.F.R. Section 127.10. “The Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs is authorized to impose a civil penalty in an amount not to exceed that authorized by 22 U.S.C. 2778, 2779a, and 2780 for each violation of 22 U.S.C. 2778, 2779a, and 2780, or any regulation, order, license, or written approval issued thereunder. This civil penalty may be either in addition to, or in lieu of, any other liability or penalty which may be imposed.”
Accordingly, the BATFE’s November 2012 newsletter informs all manufacturers that they must register under ITAR, unless you are exempted by the DDTC.
If you are an 07 manufacturer and haven’t registered, you should immediately contact competent counsel on how to handle registration, as there are provisions relating to Voluntary Disclosures. Many 07s are reluctant or unwilling to register, as they mistakenly believe that since they haven’t been contacted or hassled by the ATF or DDTC in the past, they don’t need to register. This is all starting to change, as several 07s have now received correspondences from the DDTC acknowledging their lack of registration and requesting an explanation. This is NOT a situation you want to find yourself or your company in, especially with the potential consequences!
By Joshua Prince, Esq. of the Firearms Industry Consulting Group, a division of Prince Law Offices, P.C. devoted to the protection of the Second Amendment at the federal level across the United States and now, internationally – Nothing in the above article should be construed as legal advice on any state’s laws.
Too often shooters talk about how comfortable a firearm is. More often than not, they are just going of how it feels in their hand. Also, they do not have a much experience with shooting, regardless if they have been shooting all of their life. From what I’ve seen with dealing with handguns, if you go take a training course or spend a day at the range, there is no longer a comfort issue. In the context of defensive shooting, how comfortable the gun feels in your hand becomes less of an issue. Getting training, then practicing what you have learned with your firearm makes you comfortable with you firearm. Here is a video talking about an issue I hear all of the time, extend grips on magazines.
Back on Halloween, Adrian Canton posted a great article on the legendary weapons of the 007 franchise. I’ll not steal his thunder, especially since his article inspired this one by getting me thinking about other famous firearms in cinema and TV history. Go read the whole thing. It’s well-done and very interesting.
And while you’re here, make a note to check out the incredible Internet Firearms Database. If you like film and firearms half as much as I do, you’ll be able to waste days in there just surfing for your favorite weapons and characters. Much of the information in this article was either sourced or fact-checked by those fine folks. Give ‘em a look, why don’t you?
Firearms have always held a special place in American culture; though for a long time, firearms were so common as to be merely a tool in the mind of the average American. It put food on the table, defended the family from predators, and served as a deterrent to bad men with bad intentions. But as grocery stores, cities, and police forces grew more common in the post-WWII era, the need to own and become an expert with a firearm began to vanish for the average American. Heroes doing amazing things with guns became the realm of Hollywood, with the Golden Age gun writers like Elmer Keith, Ed McGivern, Jeff Cooper, and Bill Jordan carrying the banner of “real” firearm culture. And though those great men birthed an amazing legacy that continues today, the images on film and screen still drive the popular conscience about firearms.
The average American might not know a nickel’s worth of difference between a .38 and a 9mm. But they will surely recognize Dirty Harry’s iconic revolver, or that staple of action films, the Beretta 92. Broadly speaking, any firearm to an Average Joe is a “gun” – a menacing, fire-breathing, implement of death carried by good guys and bad guys alike. And with the rise of “realistic” first-person shooter video games (think Call of Duty or Battlefield), a new generation of American kids are becoming at once highly-familiar and uneducated about firearms. They talk about “.45s”, or “shotties”, or Glocks…and every time, we feel like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, growling at the kids to get off our lawn. It’s truly incredible how popular culture has both managed to take the mystery out of the firearm, and still leave so many unaware of the joys of shooting and firearm ownership.
But this isn’t a rant about how kids are dumb and disrespectful, or how movies are ruining the image of an American symbol of freedom, or any of that. This is about celebrating some of the most iconic firearms on film and screen, and remembering how awesome it was to experience them the first time through the medium of the movies and TV.
Smith & Wesson Model 29 – Dirty Harry
The first, and probably most mythical, of these entries is “Dirty” Harry Callahan’s gorgeous Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolver with the 6” barrel, chambered in .44 magnum. Having fired that round myself, I’m in no position to disagree with his notion that it was at one time the most powerful handgun in the world. Obviously, there are bigger and heavier handgun loads these days, but the Model 29 remains for many the defining “big boy” gun of all time.
Custom 1911 – Wanted
Angelina Jolie’s character in Wanted, Fox, carried a beautiful custom 1911 for much of the film. The base model was a Safari Arms Matchmaster .45, with ivory grips and intricate engraving added for cosmetic appeal. While the weapon itself is a thing of beauty (much like the owner), it sadly doesn’t grant the shooter the ability to curve bullets in flight. There were many excellent standard and custom firearms used in the film, but this one wins by taking the “barbecue gun” to a whole new level.
Colt Police Positive – Death Wish
Like the man himself, Paul Kersey’s .32 Colt Police Positive revolver was both practical and just a little flashy. While future bad guys in the Death Wish series would meet their maker at the hands of much larger weapons (a rocket launcher!), the iconic little nickel-plated revolver remains one of the neatest handguns in film history. However, regardless of what he’s carrying, everyone can agree that Charles Bronson’s character is the most dangerous architect in history.
IMI Desert Eagle Mk. 1 – Snatch.
Bullet Tooth Tony’s everyday-carry piece is quite a load. While he claims it’s a “Desert Eagle point-five-oh”, the Mark 1 wasn’t available in the .50AE cartridge. Nevertheless, it’s a beastly-looking piece, and the .357/.44 offerings of the Mark 1 are no pussycat rounds. For many, Snatch. was their first glimpse of the legendary IMI handgun, and who better to wield it than Vinnie Jones’ psycho Tony? Let’s just try to forget that every kid in America now calls it a “Deagle”, shall we?
Ruger KP90 – Desperado
While many red-blooded males perhaps remember Desperado mostly for introducing them to the lovely Salma Hayek, a great number of guys likely think first of El Mariachi’s guitar case arsenal. There were a large number of incredibly-cool firearms on display in the movie, including the Wildey Magnum, Beretta 93R, and the Sentinel Arms Stryker 12 shotgun. But my choice from this film’s offerings is the lightly-customized, matching Ruger KP90s that El Mariachi carries up his sleeves like a hidden Ace. Sixteen .45 rounds is certainly one heckuva trump.
M60 – Rambo films
Quick, how many characters were killed in the first Rambo film? One. That’s amazing, considering that the enduring image from the series is Sly Stallone toting an M60 machine gun and a long belt of 7.62 ammunition. Granted, future film installments up the kill count slightly, but it was a shock to my childhood memories to discover that only one guy died in First Blood. Anyhow, John Rambo is an iconic character, and his most famous weapon is the M60, so it makes the cut. And unlike several of the firearms on this list, the M60 is probably one of the few weapons an average person could specifically name.
Colt AR-15/M203 – Scarface
You knew a list of great movie guns couldn’t pass without mentioning Tony Montana’s “Little Friend”. Like Scarface, this AR-15 was loud, angry, and deadly. Modified with an M203 grenade launcher (okay, it was a very, very fake one, but work with me here) and an apparently-bottomless supply of ammunition, the Little Friend is easily one of the most recognizable firearms in cinema history.
Stoeger Coach Gun – Army of Darkness
Ash’s double-barreled shotgun is immortalized by one simple declaration: “THIS is my BOOMSTICK!” It’s quite the firearm that could distract from Ash’s other “enhancement” – a chainsaw arm. Several of the stop-motion animated undead met their demise at the end of two short barrels of justice. No word on how many simply ran in fear of the mighty coach gun. (Side note: Army of Darkness is easily the best of the Evil Dead trilogy. No question about it.)
Glock 21 – Justified
A foolish man makes Raylan draw down. Over the course of three excellent seasons, Deputy U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens has racked up quite the body count, several of them with Gaston Glock’s G21 in .45 Auto. Raylan also carries the 9mm “Baby Glock” G26, but more often than not, when a suspect forces Raylan to pull it’s the G21 we see dispensing frontier justice to the bad guys.
Walther PPK – 007 Franchise
The legendary Walther PPK has long been 007’s carry weapon of choice, but as Adrian already covered the weapons of Bond in excellent detail, I’ll not go into it further. It just felt right to give it an acknowledgement in this list of other famous firearms.
As we can see, the American fascination with firearms has permeated nearly every part of our culture. Though they are but fairly uncomplicated machines, they represent so much more – safety, sustenance, fun, and individual responsibility. This list is by no means definitive, but it’s a great start. And of course, it goes without saying that each of the movies or shows referenced is an excellent bit of entertainment. I cannot recommend enough checking them all out and enjoying some good old fashioned gun play.
Too often when I ask someone how their gun works, most often I get a blank look. I have the methodology, ideally you should know how you handgun should work. This especially goes for if you life may depend on it one day. This goes for everyone. Military, Law Enforcement and just everyday concerned citizens. There are a few firearm course that will teach you how to take apart and clean you own gun. Then after that, will teach you how to shoot it. Dynamic Training Strategies is offering course with that methodology in mind. It is called Handgun Fundamentals Click the link here to watch a video about the course.
