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Inside This Issue
• As Theodore Roosevelt said, peace comes to the “just man armed.” Gun owners need to control their image.
• Just call Workman Mr. .41 Magnum.
• The coming changes from Washington on down to local authorities could put gun owners in a tight spot.
• Looking for just the right round for small game? Try the .218 Bee.
• Obama’s plan to disarm America.
• Brownells is truly where all gun guys long to be.
• There’s plenty of great new shooting and hunting gear.
• The MAK 91 was created as a legal alternative to import restrictions. It fills the bill nicely.
MEXICO CITY, April 16 — President Obama and his Mexican counterpart, Felipe Calderón, outlined a common approach Thursday to combating drug violence, climate change and trade disputes but appeared to part ways over the urgency of reinstating a U.S. ban on assault weapons.
On his first presidential visit to Mexico, Obama praised Calderón for taking on the drug cartels, whose potent arsenals and economic power are threatening the integrity of the Mexican state. Obama announced that he will push the U.S. Senate to ratify an inter-American arms-trafficking treaty.
But Obama indicated that while he favors reinstating the U.S. ban on assault weapons, which Congress allowed to expire five years ago, the move would face too much political opposition to happen soon. He said better enforcing existing laws to prevent arms smuggling would have a more immediate effect on keeping U.S. weapons from Mexican cartels. Read More
A retired Navy captain who now serves as an analyst says arming the civilians who run freight ships through the waters offshore from Somalia would allow them to defend themselves and fix much of the pirate problem.
Crew members from the recently attacked Maersk Alabama returned today to the United States and told reporters, “All we had was knives. They had AK-47s.”
But retired U.S. Navy Capt. Chuck Nash, who also has served as an analyst for Fox News, said the right of the crew members to defend themselves – even with force – needs to be established firmly. Read More
Homeland Security Department officials disregarded warnings from their internal civil liberties watchdogs before releasing a security assessment of “right-wing extremism” that had Secretary Janet Napolitano apologizing to veterans Thursday.
A spokeswoman confirmed that the department's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties raised objections about some of the language in the nine-page report before it was sent to law enforcement officials nationwide.
The office “did object to a part of the document, which was not resolved before the product went out. This was a breakdown of an internal process that we will fix in the future,” said spokeswoman Amy Kudwa.
Homeland Security officials declined to elaborate on or describe in detail the objections of the civil liberty officials, or say whether Ms. Napolitano was made aware of the objections when she was briefed on the general nature of the threat before the report's release on April 7. Read More
“It is a civil rights action brought under the First and Fifth Amendments to the United States Constitution, challenging the policy, practice, and custom of the United States Government that targets for disfavored treatment those individuals and groups that are considered to be ‘rightwing extremists,'” the complaint announced today said.
PALM CITY — Linda Smyth was in her Lake Village home off Mapp Road about 9 a.m. Thursday when she heard gunshots coming from her neighbors’ home.
She went outside and saw Linda Schultz Russo, 47, in the yard. She was calling 911 on her cell phone and bleeding from a neck wound.
“Nothing like this has ever happened here,” Smyth said.
She put a towel on the wound to help stop the blood flow, and made Russo lie down to wait for paramedics. Russo was flown to the trauma center at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where she was said to be in good condition late Thursday.
Smyth said Russo told her Christopher Bruce Reber, 23, broke into her home by firing a shotgun through the back door.
Russo grabbed her .40-caliber pistol and fired back, Smyth said, adding Russo said she thought she injured him. Read More
Many fine reference books on Lugers (or other small arms for that matter) will spend an inordinate amount of time emphasizing type collections, or quintessential models that “are required to round out an admirable collection.”
Certainly there is nothing wrong with collecting by some category (military, commercial, Imperial, Weimar, Nazi, Swiss). This author’s advice on collecting is five simple points which have served me extremely well over my gun-collecting life.
Collect What You Enjoy
Just because you don’t own (or particularly want) a landmark piece like one of the first 9mm Parabellum 1902 models, or you don’t like the quirky looking Swiss Bern pistols, or a police proofed pistol would be just on the periphery of your military combat pistol interests, WHO CARES! It is YOUR collection. Collect what you enjoy, and by all means, enjoy what you collect.
Read, Study, Observe, Absorb
Whatever flavor(s) of the Luger trip your trigger, learn as much as you can about those models, their markings, and the history around that era. Knowledge is power in Luger collecting. The more you know about the Luger models you are pursuing, the more confidence, success and fun you will have in your collecting. Unfortunately, there are many scoundrels out there making and selling fake, redone, bogus guns. Every serious collector out there has been burned at least once. These unfortunate and painfully expensive lessons can be minimized by homework in books like this one.
Model 1900 Luger Sporting Carbine with checkered walnut fore-end and buttstock.
In addition to time in the books (which I liken to my time as a kid looking through the Christmas toy catalogs), spend time looking at the real thing. Look at color, machining marks, wear patterns, typefaces. Look for inconsistent condition from outside to inside as a sign of a likely rework. Look at the grips. Wood does not lie.
Find someone whom you can trust and learn from and absorb as much material as your brain can hold.
Get multiple opinions. The loud masses don’t always outweigh the wise words of one in the know. However, getting a consistent story on whether a piece is right or not is important.
Collect Quality
Admittedly this may contradict some of what was written earlier about collecting what you enjoy, and telling the rest of the world to stick it in their snail drum. However, rarity and original unaltered condition drives Luger values.
Think about this. You have found a model of Luger you’ve been looking for. In fact you found two of them. One is well within your budget. It is an all-matching, 85 percent gun. Nothing wrong with it, no rust, no rash. Just honest wear. Now there is the exact same model.
Same variation. In fact it is within 1,000 serial numbers of the first one. This one is about a 95 percent condition, all matching gun. This one is about $150 more than the top dollar you predetermined to buy. All else being equal, will you be going home with the lesser pistol and an extra $100, or will you be going home with the better condition piece and a withdrawal slip for $150 from the ATM?
Now think about all the other buyers out there that might be shopping for your Luger. Which do you think would be easier to sell? I rest my case.
Watch Out for Fakes
Lugers might be the most faked, redone, and tinkered with group of guns out there. I don’t know too many collectors that have not been taken at least once. I can attest that there is nothing more sickening then having someone later point out an obvious indication of tinkering on what you thought was a 98 percent pistol.
The “magic shops” are getting better and better and bringing life back to well worn pistols. The honest ones will only do work for those that are willing to collect a quality restoration. In fact, some restoration artisans’ work is starting to become collectible in its own right.
However, you deserve to know if something is a restoration before you buy it. A good quality restoration, passed off as original by a dishonest seller might leave you with a good-looking piece, but it is still dishonest.
The next level of fakes includes pieces that have a mark or two added to an otherwise authentic pistol, in order to increase their value. Nazi SS, SA, Kriegsmarine and K marks are classic examples of value-enhancing marks which get faked. If you collect on the rarity fringes where a mark or two makes a big price difference, look closely. These are the dangerous ones in my estimation. These are fakes which still color inside the lines, easily catching many collectors.
However, the most dishonest ones have gone so far as to create new Luger variations out of thin air. I won’t go so far as to say that this book is exhaustive. However, it does cover the vast, vast majority of the variations that are known out there. If you find something that is outside the descriptions in this book, I would recommend caution. There are almost certainly Luger variations that have not come to the surface for documentation. However, your research, fellow collectors and the instincts you’ll develop over time should guide you. If Hitler’s barber’s neighbor’s Luger is out there for an outrageous amount of money, you better be sure before you bet the farm on it.
The advent of the Internet has both changed things quite a bit for collectors, and turned up the heat on this subject. One can now buy a holster from Russia, a lanyard from Australia, and Luger manual from Jamaica.
The bad news is that what you can find up for auction, others can find up for auction. When you win an online auction, congratulations! You’ve just paid more for that item any anyone else on the planet. It is not likely that one of the online gun show sites will lead you to a multi-thousand dollar piece for $300. Not unless everyone else out there (including the seller) has fallen asleep.
Consider the Source
If someone has a reputation for selling fakes, avoid them. If everything on their table is the same color and hue, be suspicious. If they dither on a matter of fact description, assume the worst (i.e., “Well, I’ve been told its been redone, but it looks like it could be good to me.”).
If you see them buying mid-condition pieces, but only selling top-condition pieces, wake up and smell the salt blue. A reputable seller will stand behind a gun to stand up under inspection.
This is a sample chapter from the Standard Catalog of Luger.
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
• The firearms industry is unique among all forms of commerce. And the SHOT Show gives us all a chance to be part of something important.
• Sometime the coolest projects have no real practical use. But they are still fun.
• The flat-top AR offers a plethora of sighting options. From red-dots to lasers to ultra-tough iron sights, a flat-top takes all types of sights.
• Of all the cartridges out there, McMurchy still loves the .308 Winchester.
• The new .30 Remington is designed to make the AR platform a true deer rifle.
• Let’s talk progressively. Sooner or later if you reload you’ll want to step up to a progressive press. When you do, get a good one.
• The NASGW show included the introduction of several new handguns from Charter Arms, Smith & Wesson and others.
• The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers annual show is the place where manufacturers show off new gear before the Big Gig at SHOT.
• With Remington and several other gunmakers now under one umbrella, one writer can see a lot of new guns in a weekend.
The Department of Homeland Security has published a report saying that gun owners are radical extremists
Source: National Association for Gun Rights
The report titled:
Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment compared white supremacists to gun owners, to pro-life activists, and to illegal immigration opponents.
The report even went so far as to claim that military veterans pose an especially large threat to the United States:
“Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.”
The report goes on to say that gun owners are violent criminals:
Many rightwing extremist groups perceive recent gun control legislation as a threat to their right to bear arms and in response have increased weapons and ammunition stockpiling, as well as renewed participation in paramilitary training exercises. Such activity, combined with a heightened level of extremist paranoia, has the potential to facilitate criminal activity and violence.
The report continues:
“Unlike the earlier period, the advent of the Internet and other informationage technologies since the 1990s has given domestic extremists greater access to information related to bomb-making, weapons training, and tactics, as well as targeting of individuals, organizations, and facilities, potentially making extremist individuals and groups more dangerous and the consequences of their violence more severe. New technologies also permit domestic extremists to send and receive encrypted communications and to network with other extremists throughout the country and abroad, making it much more difficult for law enforcement to deter, prevent, or preempt a violent extremist attack.”
In what has become a standard move by the White House, the Obama Administration uses its underlings to advance their radical, anti-freedom agenda while publicly distancing themselves from the report.
“The White House has distanced itself from the analysis. When asked for comment on its contents, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, “The President is focused not on politics but rather taking the steps necessary to protect all Americans from the threat of violence and terrorism regardless of its origins. He also believes those who serve represent the best of this country, and he will continue to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and benefits they have earned.”
“The document on right-wing extremism sent last week by this department´s Office of Intelligence and Analysis is one in an ongoing series of assessments to provide situational awareness to state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies on the phenomenon and trends of violent radicalization in the United States,” Ms. Napolitano said in a statement.
“I was briefed on the general topic, which is one that struck a nerve as someone personally involved in the Timothy McVeigh prosecution,” Ms. Napolitano said.
“Let me be very clear: we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States. We don´t have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence,” Ms. Napolitano said.
The report continued:
“Rightwing extremism,” the report defines in a footnote on Page 2, goes beyond religious and racial hate groups and extends to “those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely.”
“It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration,” said the report, which also listed as suspect gun owners and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Napolitano has also come under fire from veterans groups, after the report singled out returning military veterans as potential domestic terrorists.
American Legion chief David Rehbein on Tuesday blasted the report as “incomplete, and, I fear, politically-biased” and took special aim at its warning that returning veterans having difficulties reintegrating society could be recruited by right-wing groups for possible terrorist attacks.
In a letter to Napolitano, Rehbein underlined the document's mention of Oklahoma City bombing author Timothy McVeigh's US Army background and called it “as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam.”
“The American Legion is well aware and horrified at the pain inflicted during the Oklahoma City bombing, but Timothy McVeigh was only one of more than 42 million veterans who have worn this nation's uniform during wartime,” said Rehbein, who group comprises some 2.6 million members.
Source: National Association for Gun Rights
You can read the full report here: Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.
CCRKBA CONDEMNS ‘THEM V. US’ HOMELAND SECURITY ‘ASSESSMENT’
For Immediate Release: April 15, 2009
BELLEVUE, WA – A volatile “assessment” of so-called “Rightwing Extremism” by the Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is an insult to political conservatives, military veterans and American gun owners, and demands an immediate apology, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
“We recognize that many conservative gun owners will feel threatened by this Obama administration report,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “It appears that DHS under Janet Napolitano is trying to demonize political dissent.”
The chilling nine-page document likens citizens opposed to new firearms restrictions, returning veterans and conservatives to “rightwing extremists” and associates them with white supremacists and violent antigovernment groups. Read More
Source: Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
Yesterday, we talked about Homeland Security's “Rightwing Extremism” report. I was able to give you a link to the document itself because it has been unclassified.
The picture on the right is the cover of their “Intelligence Report: United States Southbound Weapons Smuggling Assessment.” I can't refer you to the document itself because it is marked “OFFICIAL USE ONLY – LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE.”
What I will do is share a few highlights that are germane to recent discussions we've been having.
A “Key Finding”:
Outbound firearms seizures are highly likely to be associated with non-US persons.
Whew! That's a relief. So it's not the fault of American gun owners?
A “Background” assertion:
Open-source reporting alleges as much as 90% of weapons used by Mexican organized crime derive from US sources as a result of lenient American gun laws that subvert strict Mexican anti-gun laws.
Now hold the phone. We've not only shown that's a lie, but that it's a damned lie. Why is an agency of the federal government misrepresenting not only the numbers but also the laws to the law enforcement community? Read More
HOUSTON — John Phillip Hernandez, a 24-year-old unemployed machinist who lived with his parents, walked into a giant sporting goods store here in July 2006, and plunked $2,600 in cash on a glass display counter. A few minutes later, Mr. Hernandez walked out with three military-style rifles.
One of those rifles was recovered seven months later in Acapulco, Mexico, where it had been used by drug cartel gunmen to attack the offices of the Guerrero State attorney general, court documents say. Four police officers and three secretaries were killed.
Although Mr. Hernandez was arrested last year as part of a gun-smuggling ring, most of the 22 others in the ring are still at large. Before their operation was discovered, the smugglers had transported what court documents described as at least 339 high-powered weapons to Mexico over a year and a half, federal agents said. Read More
Editor's Note: This story espouses the much-touted “90 Percent” number of guns allegedly entering Mexico from the U.S. This statistic has been widely refuted; we include this story and an excerpt to its source at the New York Times to demonstrate some media's reckless abandonment of facts in reporting.
Police in Mexico have seized an anti-aircraft machine gun in the state of Sonora, near the US border. They also found ammunition and other heavy weapons. A woman has been arrested.
The seizure took place two days before US President Barack Obama is due to visit his Mexican counterpart, President Felipe Calderón. High on the agenda of the talks between the two will be the bloody drug war currently being waged, mainly with US weapons, by the Mexican drug cartels.
Mr Calderón has made ending the drug war the spearhead of his term in office. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has promised him both financial and material aid to accomplish his goal. It is also in the interests of the US to curb the violence of the drug gangs as it often spills over the border into the United States.
In Summit County, Ohio, home to the city of Dayton, county officials have proposed regulations to prohibit county employees from having access to firearms while on the job. But after criticism that some of the proposals violated Second Amendment rights, “The county no longer will seek to prohibit employees from carrying a legal firearm or handgun in their personal vehicles when they are working˜a move that effectively would have barred workers from having a weapon while commuting to and from work,” the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Said Jason Dodson, chief of staff for County Executive Russ Pry, “It was never our intent to limit that right.”
Originally, a proposed county ban against employees having firearms in county vehicles was extended to include personal vehicles. “County Councilwoman Gloria Rodgers, who raised doubts about the [larger] proposal∑said she appreciated the proposed change but still doesn't see the need for the legislation.”
“We should let people have their constitutional rights,” Rodgers told the Dispatch. She noted that county workers have faced dangerous situations in the past, and should have the ability to protect themselves.
The Front Sight challenge pits everyday gun owners against police and tactical professionals in a friendly, head-to-head competition. This is “Reality TV” for Gun Digest fans.
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.
