Gun Digest is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. Readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews and practical how-to instructions. Subscriptions are the First Amendment way to stand up for your Second Amendment rights. Click here to begin your subscription to Gun Digest.
Inside This Issue:
• More Detroit residents are carrying pistols…with good reason
• Editor Kevin Michalowski sets things straight in his “Editor's Shot” column.
As a sniper platform the M-14 is designated the M-21 and serves very well.
The M-14 is the shortest-lived “official” standard service rifle in the history of the United States. It survives in military service as the M21 sniper rifle in some reserve units, in the U.S. Navy and in special operations units. The rifle is still the weapon of choice in the U.S. military when a 7.62mm NATO combat rifle is required and thousands of them remain in storage. Despite the fact that the M-14 was officially replaced throughout the US Army by the M-16 in the early 1970s, there are those who still prefer it over the lighter rifle. The M-14 forms the basis for the Marine Corps’ Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) and special operations’ Mark 14, Mod 0 modular rifle.
The history of the M-14 begins in 1945. Ordnance Engineers at the Springfield National Armory had completed development of a new select-fire rifle designated the T20E2. The T20E2 appears to be very similar to an M-1 Garand except for a muzzle brake, a 20-round magazine and a selector switch on the receiver under the rear sight. By late summer of 1945, the new rifle was considered ready for service. The T20E2 was not as reliable as the M-1 and the recoil of the .30-06 cartridge in fully automatic fire made the rifle almost impossible to control. Regardless, the Army ordered 500,000 T20E2 rifles for the invasion of Japan, but the end of the war in August caused the order to be canceled.
The Army was developing a shorter .30 caliber cartridge that would reduce recoil, while maintaining ballistics similar to those of the .30-06. Improvements in smokeless powders accomplished in World War II along with engineering assistance by Winchester resulted in a .308 cartridge that was one third smaller and lighter than the .30-06 but with nearly identical ballistics. The new cartridge would eventually be standardized by the U.S. Army and NATO as the 7.62 x 51 mm cartridge.
A series of trials for a replacement for the M-1 Garand began in August 1952. There were two American rifles, the T44 with a modified Garand gas system and the T47 that used a falling bolt mechanism. The Belgian Fusil Automatique Leger (FAL) and the British EM-2 bullpup rifle were also evaluated. When the tests were completed in December 1952, the FAL proved superior to all other candidates. The British EM-2 and the American T47 were dropped from consideration. Development of the FAL, designated T48, and the T44 rifles continued.
Final testing was conducted in 1956 and included a series of shoot-offs between the T44 and the T48. To this day, the testing is controversial and the fact that the FAL went on to be adopted by the military forces of more than 90 countries, while the T44, type classified as the M-14, was adopted by fewer than 10 nations calls to question the objectivity of the test personnel. On 1 May 1957 the Army announced that the T44 would become the standard U.S. Army rifle and type classified as the M-14.
For long-range work, the M-14 is still the choice of military men who want a reliable and accurate rifle.
Despite being beloved by millions of GIs, the M-1 experienced minor problems throughout its service life and the M-14 seemed to have cured most of those. The M-1’s bulky gas cylinder near the muzzle was reduced in size and moved back 8 inches. The way in which the gas was used to operate the action was also modified. When a cartridge is fired in an M-14, some of the expanding gases that drive the bullet forward are bled away through a port in the barrel like the M-1.
With the M-14, however, the gases expand into a short gas cylinder via a vent in the wall of a hollow gas piston rather than against the front of a solid piston connected to an operating rod. When the piston is filled, it moves to the rear, pulling the gas vent out of alignment with the gas port and shutting off the further gas flow. As the piston travels to the rear it uncovers an orifice in the cylinder bottom that vents the gases trapped in the hollow piston out of the gas cylinder. The M-14’s milder action all but eliminated most parts breakage. The M-14 gas flow can be shut off for launching grenades by rotating a spindle valve on the side of the gas cylinder block.
The M-1’s eight-round en block clip was replaced by a 20-round detachable box magazine. This allowed the soldier to “top up” his magazine via stripper clips or loose rounds at any time. This was impossible with the M-1’s clip. And there was no spring steel clip to bounce out of the breech with a distinctive “ding” that could alert an enemy to the fact that the rifle was empty. Further, when a 20-round magazine was empty, it could quickly be replaced.
The basic M-14 is a select-fire weapon; that is, it can be fired in semiautomatic mode or on full automatic. Soldiers quickly discovered that the M-14 in full automatic was impossible to control and was virtually useless tactically. This was partly because of the M-14’s traditional stock design that directed recoil forces to a point above the shooter’s shoulder, forcing the rifle down at the rear and up and to the right at the muzzle. Even the M-14A1 with its modified stock assembly that helped redirect recoil forces and its muzzle brake/compensator was virtually uncontrollable on full auto and the barrels overheated very quickly. As a squad automatic rifle, the M-14A1 was rendered almost useless by its design and the fact that it was never designed or intended for sustained automatic fire. These ineffective weapons were soon to be replaced by the 7.62x51mm M60 machine gun. Other than the M-14A1, virtually all other infantry M-14s had their selector switch removed. The M-14A1 was never fully satisfactory and production was terminated in January 1963, well before production of standard M-14s ceased.
Although the M-14 was type classified in early 1957, no production rifles were manufactured until July 1959.
The M-14 received its baptism by fire in Vietnam in 1961. U.S. Army advisers to the Republic of Vietnam Forces used the M-14 extensively in combat against the Viet Cong. The rifle was considered too large and heavy for the slightly built Vietnamese soldiers to use effectively, although the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) soldiers were equipped with M-1 rifles weighing even more. Because of availability issues, M-14 distribution was generally limited to Americans.
Questions also arose regarding the M-14’s accuracy. Rumors began to circulate, some regarding the various manufacturers’ ability to build accurate rifles, others regarding the 7.62x51mm cartridge. It was eventually determined that a combination of factors led to the M-14’s accuracy issues and once the causes were determined, they were rectified with relative ease. The M-14 today is considered to be an accurate and reliable rifle and the 7.62x51mm cartridge itself is considered one of the most inherently accurate cartridges ever produced.
At the time that the M-14 was still in early stages of fielding, the Army was investigating ArmaLite’s AR-15 rifle, developed by Eugene Stoner, Jim Sullivan and Robert Fremont. The Army staff, however, wanted no part of the AR-15 and was stalling its development. Proponents of the M-14, having taken years to get the rifle into service, were actually preventing further development of the AR-15 concept.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara eventually demanded a full investigation not only of M-14 versus AR-15 testing but of the M-14’s overall performance in combat. The Army’s inspector general found that several tests had been rigged to show the AR-15 in a poor light, although the AR-15 had outperformed the M-14 in almost every category. In January 1963, Secretary McNamara announced that when that year’s production contracts for the M-14 were fulfilled, production of the rifle would be terminated. At the same time, he announced what was expected to be a one-time buy of 85,000 AR-15 rifles for the Army and 19,000 for the Air Force. The new rifle was type classified as the M-16.
A total of 1,380,346 M-14s was manufactured over approximately four years. Harrington & Richardson built 537,582; Springfield 167,100, Winchester 356,501 and TRW 319,163. The M-14 would remain the “Standard A” rifle until January 1968, but the M-16 was fast replacing the M-14 in Southeast Asia. When the M-14 procurement was canceled, the Marine Corps had been equipped with the M-14 for only a few months and the Army had never been completely reequipped.
The program to develop a National Match M-14 rifle began in 1959 and the first rifles were produced in 1962. In the first two years, 7,200 National Match rifles were manufactured at Springfield. TRW made 4,874 for the 1964 matches and the final 2,094 for the 1965 matches were rebuilt from existing service rifles at Springfield as production of new rifles had ceased. As it turned out, the National Match M-14 rifles made an excellent platform for a sniper rifle. The Army discovered that the National Match M-14 fitted with a range-finding telescopic sight served very well as a sniper weapon. After experimentation and field-testing the new sniper rifle was type classified as the M21.
As of the time of this writing in mid-2009, the M-14 is still playing an active, if limited, role in the U.S. military. As mentioned, it is in use by several special operations units as the Mk 14, Mod 0 and forms the basis for the Marine Corps DMR. The latter rifle is modified in such a way that it is extremely difficult for the rifle to be converted to select fire. Some units have deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq armed with M-14 rifles.
The civilian versions of the M-14 for the most part use commercial receivers with no capability to accept select-fire components and since the original M-14 was rarely used in full automatic, commercial versions might well be considered for purchase if supplies of government-owned M-14s ever become exhausted.
Despite being replaced as the military’s standard Infantry rifle in the early 1970s, the M-14 will continue to “soldier on” for the foreseeable future. There isn’t any other rifle that does anything appreciably better and there is a substantial inventory of M-14 rifles and components for repair parts.
The Gun Digest Book of Classic Combat Handguns is an absolutely unique compilation of articles celebrating the greatest combat pistols of all time, as they originally appeared in the world's greatest firearms annual, Gun Digest, from 1944 to present.
Gun Digest Senior Editor Kevin Michalowski comments: “I particularly like the idea of government-supplied firearms. We should use this as an argument to make CMP rifles more accessible and affordable,” he said.
Should the government supply everyone with healthcare … and a gun?
Three thoughts…
First
If we have a right to health care and they are going to take my money to provide universal health care, then when do I get my gun? Now our government is in the buisness of aquiring funds to secure rights, then lets provide for all rights. The Constitution guarantees my right to a owning a firearm. That is a lot firmer guarantee than some political hack's opinion of what constitutes a right.
Second
The Civil War was fought over an Amendment to the Constitution (the 10th) The Obama birth certificate issue is over a ARTICLE…. Its not unreasonable for people to be concerned. You don't have to agree, but we are tolerant of other American's opinons are we not?
Third
If we don't make our beliefs known now, when all we face is ridicule, wait until our opinions are outlawed and we have to wear little felt stars on our jackets because of our beliefs.
If you think it cannot happen, break out a history book.
To learn more about the Civilian Marksmanship Program, Click Here.
The United States should reinstate a Clinton-era ban on assault weapons to prevent such guns from reaching Mexican drug cartels, former officials from both countries said in a report released Tuesday.
The group, which includes two former U.S. ambassadors to Mexico, also said the U.S. should do more to stop the smuggling of firearms and ammunition into Mexico by stepping up investigations of gun dealers and more strictly regulating gun shows.
The Binational Task Force on the United States-Mexico Border listed the assault weapons ban as a step the U.S. should take immediately to improve security in both countries. The 10-year ban expired in 2004.
“Improving our efforts … will weaken the drug cartels and disrupt their illegal activities, and make it easier ultimately to dismantle and destroy them,” said Robert Bonner, co-chairman of the group and former head of both the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Protection agency.
U.S. and Mexican officials say drug cartels frequently use assault rifles, which are banned in Mexico but easily purchased in the United States. Read more
“It’s a weird feeling,” Jorge Guzman said as he walked through his bullet-riddled home on Lima Drive. “I don’t care who it is or who they think they are, when you’re in that position, it’s totally different.”
The break-in occurred in the early morning hours last Monday. Only Guzman and his uncle were home at the time.
The chilling encounter was captured in a call to 911.
“Please, they’re breaking the windows,” Guzman told a dispatcher.
Guzman, who had barricaded himself in a back bedroom with a handgun, described the scene as it unfolded to dispatchers.
Listen to the 911 call when a homeowner uses a handgun to defend himself against an intruder. Click Here
“I hear somebody in the house. They’re trying to open the door. Hurry! Please hurry,” he said.
The dispatcher continued to reassure Guzman that sheriff’s deputies were on the way. At one point, Guzman was instructed to lay down his weapon.
“Go and put your gun down because if you hear anything, it’s going to be the deputies,” the 911 dispatcher insisted.
Then, moments later, the sound of gunfire was caught on tape.
Guzman told 11 News he fired the shots because the intruder was trying to kick down the door to his bedroom.
“As soon as he put his foot there, that’s when I shot, because he had a big tattoo on his face and when the lady was telling me that’s the sheriff’s department, when he came into that door I said that’s not the sheriff’s department,” Guzman said. Read more
People who “have nothing to hide” are often quite happy to answer any questions and consent to any intrusion a police officer might ask of them. They may even invite officers to “look around” if they want to.
If you ask a good defense attorney how much you should cooperate with police, particularly when they are conducting an investigation in which you could possibly be a suspect, he will tell you “Not at all.” Don’t give them one word more than you must and never give them permission to search your car, look through your home, or examine any of your guns.
David Olofson took the “nothing to hide” approach. When the police confiscated one of his firearms from a friend he had loaned it to, Olofson freely chatted with police about how many guns he had, how many he has built, how he helps people to buy and assemble their own AR-platform rifles, and quite a bit more.
David Olofson’s loquacious ways probably helped to put him in prison for 30 months for illegally transferring an unregistered machine gun – that was actually just a malfunctioning semi-auto – and his case has set a very dangerous precedent which threatens all gun owners.
On the other side of the coin is Albert Kwan. A Seattle Class III firearms dealer and collector, Kwan followed the path of minimal cooperation. When agents asked him about a pair of Makarov barrels they thought he might have bought and asked to examine any Makarovs or Makarov parts he might have, Albert told them he had only purchased one barrel and that they should get a warrant if they wanted to examine it or anything else he owned.
Kwan says he wasn’t trying to hide anything; he just wanted to make sure his rights were respected and his privacy protected. Unfortunately, under-cooperating can be as problematic as over-cooperating.
Albert Kwan’s lack of cooperation “raised red flags” with agents investigating a murder case – the murder of a federal prosecutor. Albert was never a suspect in the murder, but agents thought he might have sold the gun, or at least the barrel, that the murderer used and they wanted to know where that barrel had gone.
When he refused to let agents look at his guns and take his Makarovs, agents’ were peeved and they began trying to force Kwan to tell them what they wanted to hear – something Kwan has consistently maintained that he is unable to do because he says he never had a second barrel. Read more
Police Chief Edward Flynn and District Attorney John Chisholm said allowing concealed-carry weapon permits must be coupled with other changes such as requiring background checks on all gun purchases in Wisconsin. Currently, only federally licensed gun stores have to do such checks in the state.
Allowing concealed-carry permits has long been a top priority for gun-rights advocates. Conversely, gun-control advocates have pushed hard for the background checks to close the so-called gun show loophole.
“If we are going to have substantial, meaningful reform at some point these twin pillars of desire have to be addressed,” Chisholm said. “This is the time to raise this. Let's get it out in the open and cut a deal.”
Appearing before a Common Council Public Safety Committee hearing, Chisholm and Flynn said that, if concealed carry were allowed, there should be a tough permit process and anyone caught carrying a concealed gun without a permit would face a felony.
Under current law, carrying a concealed weapon is a misdemeanor in Wisconsin. Unlike other crimes, it never becomes a felony, no matter how many times a criminal is charged with it.
Wisconsin is one of only two states that do not allow residents to obtain concealed-carry gun permits. The Legislature has passed bills allowing such permits, but Gov. Jim Doyle has vetoed them.
Barrett continues to be an opponent of concealed carry, said his chief of staff, Patrick Curley. The mayor met with Flynn and Chisholm on the issue, but he hasn't been convinced to change his position, Curley said.
“The mayor told them, ‘Today, I am against it but I am telling you keep talking to me about it,' ” he said.
Barrett is pushing a more modest package of gun reforms – to make the second offense of carrying a concealed weapon a felony, require felons to stay 1,000 feet from gun stores, make it a crime not to report a stolen gun and make it a felony for someone to “straw buy” a gun, which means to purchase a gun for a felon.
Barrett still supports requiring background checks on all gun sales in Wisconsin, but the mayor has crafted a package with an eye toward getting something done, Curley said.
“What we don't want to do is to lose the chance to do anything,” Curley said.
Flynn suggested other reforms including doubling the sales tax on certain guns and using the revenue to prevent gun violence. The chief also called for mandatory minimum sentences for certain gun offenses.
“It should not be a crap shoot as to whether or not they face jail time for carrying deadly weapons on the streets of Milwaukee,” the chief said.
Chisholm differed with Flynn on mandatory minimums, saying there is enough exposure for criminals, especially with the option of taking gun cases into federal court.
Adam Allan, owner Badger Guns, which has been under fire by Flynn and Chisholm for its high number of crime-gun sales, also appeared at the hearing. He said he supported the proposed law changes and vowed to look for ways to avoid selling guns that end up being used by criminals. Read more
They wrote legislation that established the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice and Firearms Safety. This non-profit federally chartered corporation was given the responsibility for the supervision, oversight, and control of the U.S. Civilian Marksmanship Program. The law forming this corporation mandates that the mission of the CMP is the “Instruction of the citizens of the United States in marksmanship&.” with the highest priority going to training juniors. The CMP supplies firearms safety and marksmanship training through a nationwide network of affiliated shooting clubs, state shooting associations, and other organizations such as the Boy Scouts and school shooting teams.
The official United States government-sponsored Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is known to only a small fraction of American gun owners, even though it is of incredibly high importance to our country and the future of firearms use in general — for ourselves and our descendants.
My family has a long history with the Civilian Marksmanship Program, going back over 70 years. Indeed, I personally owe a great deal of who and what I am to my participation in various CMP programs since I was a young lad. I still own an M1917 30-06 rifle and a Colt M-1917 45 ACP revolver that my late father purchased in the early 1930s from the CMP's predecessor — the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM).
Did you know that gun clubs affiliated with the CMP can qualify to do the same at even better prices, and get substantial other support from the CMP? Even better, the proceeds of the sale of all these items goes to fund the operation of the CMP and its many programs.
For the last 100 years the Civilian Marksmanship Program has trained millions of American youths and adults to shoot in a safe and proper manner. In addition, the CMP sustains the operation of the U.S. National Rifle and Pistol Matches, supports the marksmanship programs of all the state shooting associations, and has made sure that our country always has a substantial number of our population who know how to shoot well. My own extensive experience in the military bears out the significance and importance of my personal CMP background and training.
The CMP program can trace its roots clear back to 1903, when Congress first passed legislation to establish the formation of the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP). This legislation was passed with the full support of President Theodore Roosevelt and the National Rifle Association (NRA). At the same time it also established the U.S. National Rifle and Pistol Matches, as well as appropriations to transport teams of marksmen from the various branches of the U.S. military to attend the National Matches. The main objective of these laws was to promote better rifle marksmanship in our armed forces.
In 1905 Congress passed further legislation, again with the strong support of President Roosevelt and the NRA, that authorized the sale (at cost) of surplus military rifles, ammunition, and other military equipment to civilian shooting clubs meeting requirements laid down by the NBPRP. This was the beginning of a century-old U.S. government-sponsored national program that continues to this day to supply obsolete military rifles to qualified civilians for the purpose of promoting and developing marksmanship in the civilian population. Right from the beginning, the primary objective has been to build and maintain a reserve of trained marksmen among the civilian population that could be called upon for military service in time of war, either as soldiers or marksmanship instructors.
In the summer of 1916, with Europe already at war, Congress passed the National Defense Act. That law earmarked money specifically to promote civilian marksmanship training and authorized the distribution of appropriate arms and ammunition to organized civilian shooting clubs for the same purpose. In addition, it set aside funding for the operation of military rifle ranges and the transportation of military shooting instructors to assist civilian clubs in marksmanship training and allowed civilian shooters access to most military rifle ranges. In addition, it created the office of the Director of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) to oversee these activities. Finally, it authorized funds to transport civilian teams from across the country to the National Matches to compete with the standard military rifles and pistols of the day. Much to the embarrassment of the military teams, in 1916, in the first of the National Matches open to civilians, both the individual national service rifle and pistol champions were civilians.
The aftermath of World War I found the U.S. military awash with a huge surplus of military rifles and handguns. These included 280,000 Russian M91 7.625x4Rmm Mosin-Nagant rifles originally made by Remington and New England Westinghouse for the Russian government. These had been rendered undeliverable by the Russian revolution so the U.S. government purchased them from their manufacturers, ostensibly for training purposes, but more likely to help the manufacturers out of a financial bind since they were already doing substantial work on other important U.S. government contracts. I cannot find any record that the M91 Mosins were ever actually used for training purposes. However, some of these M91 Mosin rifles were issued to — and carried by — U.S. troops assigned to the international expeditions to Russia to protect Allied interests from the Bolshevik revolution, during and shortly after WWI.
While Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels appears to have lost sight of the fact that gun owners have rights, including the right to use public property, the citizens have not. I wrote about that here.
According to Bob Scales, senior policy analyst for the city’s Office of Policy and Management, in addition to the 1,088 comments submitted via e-mail to the city during a comment period that ended Sunday (Oct. 4), there were also ten telephone calls received by the Customer Service Bureau. Nine of those were against the idea and one supported the proposed ban.
Out of 1,098 comments, including the ten telephone calls, only 44 people supported the gun ban idea.
With results like that, what’s a lame-duck mayor to do?
Well, in the case of Greg Nickels, he hands off responsibility for adopting the ban rule to the director of Parks and Recreation. This is the end result of more than a year of posturing by the mayor, who had wanted to lobby the Legislature in January to erode this state’s long-standing preemption law, essentially allowing cities – or at least Seattle – to adopt their own firearms regulations.
Nickels apparently did not do his homework on that one very well, because if he had, he would have realized that the Legislature passed preemption in 1983 to prevent that kind of thing. Prior to that, the state had kind of a checkerboard of gun regulations, so that something which might be perfectly legal in Yakima would be illegal in Tacoma. Washington’s preemption statute works so well that it has served as a model for similar laws in other states.
(Nickels) apparently thinks he is being clever by having a surrogate sign an order to post city parks off limits to firearms. If that is the case, the chicken has, indeed, come home to roost.” – Alan Gottlieb, Second Amendment Foundation
Upon learning that Nickels would not be signing an executive order banning guns, as he had originally threatened in June 2008, Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation said it was “chicken.” He issued a critical statement about Nickels and the public comment data on Thursday.
The data provided by Scales is revealing, showing once again how out of touch with his own constituents the mayor has become.
Only 8 percent of Seattle residents who commented on the proposed ban support it. Read more
Streamlight, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance flashlights for industrial, fire and rescue, law enforcement professionals and sporting enthusiasts, today issued another warning about purchasing and using inferior quality lithium 123A batteries with its flashlight products or other products. Use of off-brand lithium batteries may present a risk of leakage, fire, explosion or serious personal injury, company officials said.
“Streamlight recommends only the use of U.S. made, high quality lithium batteries with its products, including Streamlight Battery No. CR123A, Panasonic Battery No. CR123A or Duracell Battery No. 123,” said Ray Sharrah, Streamlight’s Chief Operating Officer. “The use of other batteries, or the mixing of used and new or different brand batteries, could result in fire, explosion or burn hazards.”
Sharrah said that a Houston police officer suffered minor injuries on October 4 when a Streamlight flashlight he was using during an investigation reportedly exploded while in use. The flashlight was powered by off-brand Chinese batteries, which were the source of the explosion.
“Streamlight lithium CR123A batteries are manufactured to stringent quality control standards, incorporating safety features which ensure they will not overheat in our high-performance flashlights,” explained Sharrah. “By using quality U.S. made lithium battery brands exclusively, Streamlight product users can be assured that they can operate their flashlight products safely at all times.” He added that users should never misuse, short circuit, improperly store or discard, disassemble or heat any CR123 batteries above 212 F (100 C).
Streamlight includes a warning about using off-brand batteries on applicable product packages and instructions. Information is also available on the company’s website at https://www.streamlight.com/education/lithium.aspx.
Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) are joining Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.) in filing a joint amicus brief before the Supreme Court — repeating an effort they first made last year in the District of Columbia’s gun-rights case.
The lawmakers say they plan to ask justices to apply the Second Amendment more forcibly to states, siding with the National Rifle Association in seeking to overturn the city of Chicago’s handgun registration laws.
The Supreme Court last year already struck down the D.C. gun ban by rullng that the Second Amendment guaranteed a fundamental right to keep and bear arms. The Court last week agreed to hear the Chicago case during its fall term.
“With its landmark decision in D.C. v. Heller, the Supreme Court affirmed an individual’s right to bear arms is a fundamental, Constitutionally-guaranteed liberty,” said Hutchison. Read more
This is the same municipal league who fought hard against the concealed carry law, so naturally I thought the worst. I just assumed they'd found a new strategy for arresting open carriers. (The old strategy wasn't working because sometimes when a misguided LEO arrests someone here a lawsuit against the municipality is filed.)
I called Brian Jeffs, President of Michigan Open Carry, and gave him a heads up thinking that he might want to attend the meeting. He did attend and afterward sent me the following email:
“Boy did you get it wrong. The talk wasn't about how to arrest OCers, just the opposite. It was about how you can't arrest them without facing a law suit.”
Okay, so I got it wrong. Would you believe that was the first time? Actually, this was one instance where I was thrilled to be wrong. Five years ago I was rabidly anti-Open Carry, but I've done a full about face since then and now support it to the max.
Aside from being a basic human right, I believe it's a very important tool in the PR struggle to regain the hearts and minds of the public. There's nothing like a sunny picnic with kids playing on the swings, the smell of burgers on the grill, good talk with friends and family, and a gun strapped to every hip. Read more
The Hall County Superior Court jury deliberated for less than an hour before acquitting Moz of the felony charge, which carried a sentencing range of one to 20 years.
The man Moz shot, 21-year-old Nathan Tony Monson, was released from a hospital just days after sustaining a bullet wound in front of his left ear. He survived the shooting with some hearing loss but no other permanent injuries, according to Brett Willis, the assistant circuit defender who successfully defended Moz.
Willis said his client fired the shot from a legally owned 9 mm handgun on the night of Oct. 1, 2006, after his client’s older brother was severely beaten by an unruly mob of at least six teenagers in front of California Records, a store next to the Kangaroo convenience store on Park Hill Drive.
The beating victim, Juan Moz, was injured by large chunks of asphalt hurled at him by “a group of ne’er-do-wells harassing a couple of guys who were just walking,” Willis said.
The Moz brothers were walking home from a baby shower they attended at the Glen Cove apartments when they were attacked, Willis said.
The prosecution sought to show Juan Moz was confronted after he made advances on a young girl at the apartment complex, but Moz denied that allegation.
While down on the ground, Juan Moz was kicked in the face by a teenage girl who was charged and later prosecuted in juvenile court, Willis said. Read more
Investigators said the homeowner, Mark Brown, returned to his house in the 8500 block of Norton at about 9:30 a.m. when he heard someone inside.
Brown grabbed a shotgun hidden under a bed and found the burglar in a bedroom, police said.
The homeowner fired several shots after the burglar rushed at him from a closet. The burglar was hit three times, according to investigators.
The burglar, whose name was not released, died at the scene.Milton Brandt has lived on Norton for 50 years. He called 911 after the shooting.”I just talked to (Brown) a while ago.
He's upset, sure he is,” Brandt said. “He walked in the door and said all the lights are on.”Brown said he felt lucky that the burglar did not find the shotgun.”
The guy had already ransacked his bedroom and just so happened that God bless him, and he didn't find the shotgun under the bed,” said David Brown, the homeowner's father. Read more
Gun Digest is the source for firearms news, pricing and guns for sale. Readers benefit from in-depth editorial expert advice, show reviews and practical how-to instructions. Subscriptions are the First Amendment way to stand up for your Second Amendment rights. Click here to begin your subscription to Gun Digest.
Inside This Issue:
• Editor Kevin Michalowski asks, “Are you ready for some hunting?” Click here to read his “Editor's Shot” column.
• Towsley on Target: Likeable Lasers
• Rifles: Hesse Arms and Heyn
• Shotguns: Harrington & Richardson
• Handguns: Wesson, Hopkins, Hy
• Performance Handloading: 7mm-08 is a great deer cartridge
• Tactical Gear: Barrett Semi-Auto 50 BMG
• Scholarships Awarded by NRA
• Gunsmithing: Herr Frankenpistole Lives
• The SIG 556 SWAT is the American version of the best damn 5.56×45 service rifle on the planet.
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.