“The law will take effect in early January…A task force is reviewing its potential impact and will make recommendations this fall.
“Corzine and gun-control advocates argue that roughly a quarter of what they call ‘crime guns’ recovered in New Jersey come from within the state. It’s not clear how many of those came from the type of multiple purchases that Corzine wants to stop … Critics say the law would impinge on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens in New Jersey, which already has some of the most strict gun laws in the nation.”
Said Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, “Trying to reduce gun crime by rationing guns to law-abiding citizens is as absurd as trying to reduce drunk driving by rationing cars to non-drinkers.”
President Obama's call for the Senate to ratify a hemispheric small-firearms treaty dominated his last visit to Mexico, but in the four months since, both the treaty pledge and the drug violence that prompted it have dropped off the radar – a victim of Congress' full schedule and gun politics.
That means on Sunday Mr. Obama will go with an empty hand to Mexico, which blames the U.S. for many of the weapons used by drug cartels that have violently thwarted a crackdown by Mexican authorities.
And even though Mr. Obama and his administration have accepted that blame, prospects are dim for passage of the treaty, which calls on countries to license gun manufacturers and try to control illicit trafficking in firearms, ammunition and explosives.
The chief U.S. negotiator for the 1997 treaty, known by its Spanish acronym of CIFTA, says it was written specifically to avoid forcing the U.S. to change its laws, and says it does not give any other country a say over what is legal or illegal in the U.S. – and that gun-rights groups were even involved in writing parts of the treaty.
But the National Rifle Association now claims CIFTA could hurt hunters and says U.S. Second Amendment interests should not be controlled by an international treaty. Key senators such as Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat whose gun-rights credentials may be crucial to his winning re-election next year, was cool to Mr. Obama's call for ratification in April, and a spokesman said nothing has changed since. Read more
For Thweatt and his board, the decision was pure mathematics.
The school, which sits in the middle of a prairie, was too far from law enforcement for police to come in time to fend off would-be attackers. The students and staff would be safer if on-site, trained staff members were equipped to handle a crisis at a moment’s notice, they decided.
Thweatt had already installed a $100,000 state-of-the-art security system in the school. Now, arming certain unnamed school staff members by allowing them to strap a firearm under their clothing was the final flourish.
In the year since that historic decision, a gun was never brandished or fired at the school. There were no problems, Thweatt said.
However, one week after school began, police busted a methamphetamine lab set up in an abandoned house that sat 50 feet from the school property.
A deputy had peered inside and “saw something in the walls and windows and called for backup,” Thweatt said. “They made it to the abandoned house in 15 minutes. We had figured it would take 18 to 20 minutes in a typical situation.”
Had that been an armed intruder at his school, response time would have been too slow.
“We’re the first responders. We have to be,” Thweatt said. “We don’t have 5 minutes. We don’t have 10 minutes. We would have had 20 minutes of hell” if attackers had targeted the school.
Harrold students, who grew up on ranches and in the middle of the North Texas gun culture, were unperturbed by the school district’s new gun policy. Read more
Old Barn Auction held a summer firearms sale June 26-27 in Findlay, Ohio. Several hundred people attended the show with half the bids coming in by phone. Along with the surge in gun sales as a result of the presidential election, organizers suggested that people are more comfortable investing in collectible antiques than they are investing in the turbulent financial industry. Total sales for the auction came to $628,177.50. Old Barn's next auction will be held in late October.
Highlights of the sale included:
Henry U.S. Purchased Rifle – SN#3686 This gun is U. S. Inspected, 1 of 1200 issued to the 1st District of Columbia Cavalry in 1864, it has matching numbers on the barrel, frame, buttstock, butt plate and even the screws in the butt plate – the rifle was shipped and received by the D.C. cavalry in March 1864, some time in 1864 the gun was lost, or captured by the confederates and issued to one of their soldiers who engraved his name S.R. Heckman, and the date 1864 on the side of the receiver S.R. Heckman, during the Civil War served in 3 Confederate Units, Co. E. 136th Infantry Co. D. 146th Infantry and Co. D. Virginia Reserves Infantry. He was born 1821 and died 1903, buried Mt. Cavalry Cemetery Tremont City, Virginia, included is a book The Historic Henry Rifle by Wiley Sword with much information on Henrys – the rifle is in very good to fine condition $34000
Flintlock Indian Trade Fowling Gun with Dragon Side Plate, converted to percussion, 36 5/8” barrel, lock marked with setting Fox within a circle “Hollis” marked behind hammer, brass hardware 1/2” upper tang broken off – a rare gun $3000
Plus: Henry Rifle, 44 Rimfire, 24” barrel, Brass frame is a dark mustard color SN#9112, barrel is dark gray and smooth with lettering clear, stock has a few minor dents & dings, but nothing major, sling is from the period, overall the gun is very good and appears all original $24000
Browning “Olympian” Grade Bolt Action Rifle – 243 caliber, SN#987188 Beautiful extra fine checkering with floral carving outline, mountain lion engraved on floor plate, Leupold 2 x 7 Vari-Xscope – excellent $4500
Alderfer
Alderfer Auction held a firearms sale on July 20 in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Strong turnout and sales culminated in solid gun prices. Highlights of the sale:
Smith & Wesson 27 double action revolver. Cal. 357 Mag. 8 1/4″ bbl. SN S210495. Blued finish with checkered walnut grips. Excellent. $632.50
Smith & Wesson 629-1 double action revolver. Cal. 44 Mag. 8 1/2″ bbl. SN AFB7694. Stainless steel finish with checkered walnut grips. Excellent. $687.50
Smith & Wesson 60 double action revolver. Cal. 38. 2″ bbl. SN AYP7044. Stainless steel finish with custom ivory-style grips, firearm is highly engraved. In factory box with manual and factory grips. Excellent. $990.00
Colt Single Action Army single action revolver. Cal. 32 WCF. 4 1/2″ bbl. SN 334809. Reblued finish on metal with bone style grips. Very good. (C&R) $1,045.00
Colt Woodsman Match Target Model semi-automatic pistol. Cal. 22. 6 5/8″ bbl. SN MT9932. Blued finish with walnut target grips. Target Sights. Very Good. $1,243.00
Wildey semi-automatic pistol. Cal. 45 Win Mag. 8 1/2″ bbl. SN 45-1526. Stainless steel finish with checkered walnut grips, adjustable rear sight, adjustable gas regulator. In factory box with manual and 2 magazines. Excellent. $1,356.00
Browning Superposed over/under double barrel shotgun. 12 ga. 26″ bbls. SN 8553. Blued finish with steel receiver, checkered walnut stock and forend, double triggers, auto ejectors and rubber butt plate. Very good. $880.00
AH Fox Sterlingworth side by side double barrel shotgun. 12 ga. 30″ bbls. SN 73236. Blued finish, case colored receiver, checkered walnut stock and forend. Very good. (C&R) $1,210.00
Semper & Krieghoff drilling. 16 ga./7.8mm. 26″ bbls. SN 12333. Reblued finish with case colored receiver, checkered walnut stock and forend with raised cheek piece has minor handling marks, plastic butt plate. Stock has had a large piece broken off which has been repaired. Good. (C&R) $990.00
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Now Gun Digest is proud to introduce the Six-Decade Digital Collection — a 3-DVD set containing all 65 years, 1944 through 2009 — in fully-searchable PDF format. The 3-DVD set contains a digital menu, allowing you to navigate by year to the edition you want to open. And each issue contains a linked Table of Contents and bookmarks that allow you to browse easily to articles or the vast reference sections of the book.
Featured on these three DVDs is firearms content from all 65 annual editions of Gun Digest –– from the rare 1944 1st edition to the 2009 edition. From the great gunwriters of the past such as Elmer Keith and Jack O’Connor to today’s leading authorities.
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Nearly all of these editions are out of print and are very rare and difficult to find. For the first time ever they are available through this exclusive DVD set.
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Shideler: This groundbreaking DVD set is our response to the thousands of Gun Digest readers who have requested back copies and reprints over the years.
Gun Digest Editor Dan Shideler
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In these days when so much gun-related writing is no more than thinly-veiled advertising for this or that new product, Gun Digest was, and is, a truly independent voice, a resource that shooters have trusted for more than six decades.
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Gun Digest 2010 brings together into one easy-to-use resource the details found in many manufacturers' catalogs, product reviews from the top gun writers and authoritative articles from leading industry experts. This is what has made it “the world's greatest gun book” for 65 years strong.
PORT RICHMOND – August 9, 2009 (WPVI) — A pizza shop owner in Philadelphia fought back when a man tried to rob him at gunpoint.
The attempted robbery happened inside Tony's Place pizza shop on the 2900 block of Frankford Avenue in the city's Port Richmond section.
Police say an armed gunman walked into the pizza shop at 11:45 Saturday night demanding money, but the owner pulled out his own gun and shot the robber in the back.
All the Democrats in attendance voted for Sotomayor, while nine Republicans joined their ranks.
The Republican Senators who voted for Sotomayor were: Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Christopher Bond of Missouri, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, Mel Martinez of Florida, George Voinovich of Ohio and Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe of Maine.
Many Democrat Senators campaigned on a pro-Second Amendment platform, yet voted to confirm a nominee who does not believe you have a fundamental right to self defense or an individual right to possess a firearm.
Placing the prerogatives of President Obama over their constitutional “Advice and Consent” duty, many so-called pro-gun Senators reneged on their promises to voters that they would support the individual right to keep and bear arms.
The common refrain heard in the Senate before the vote was: “The President deserves his pick.”
Of course, Senator Barrack Obama did not hold that view in 2006, when he opposed President Bush’s pick of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Then-Senator Obama said:
There are some who believe that the President, having won the election, should have the complete authority to appoint his nominee, and the Senate should only examine whether or not the Justice is intellectually capable and an all-around nice guy. That once you get beyond intellect and personal character, there should be no further question whether the judge should be confirmed.
I disagree with this view. I believe firmly that the Constitution calls for the Senate to advise and consent. I believe that it calls for meaningful advice and consent that includes an examination of a judge's philosophy, ideology, and record.
Thankfully, we are seeing more and more Senators stand up to Obama’s radical agenda. You will remember that GOA encouraged you to lobby other gun groups so that gun owners across the country could speak with a unified voice in opposition to Judge Sotomayor. Read more
Bond, R-Mo., decried the effects of partisanship “infecting” the political system and said that nothing had emerged in Senate hearings that cast doubt on her capacity to serve on the high court.
If Republicans want conservative justices, he said, then they need to work harder to win presidential elections.
Here is a text of Bond’s remarks delivered before Sotomayor’s confirmation:
“Mr. President, I rise today to speak on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States.
“Few positions carry more honor, or solemn duty, than becoming a Justice of the highest court of the greatest democracy.
“Few duties carry more honor, or solemn responsibility, than giving advice and consent on who should become a Justice on the highest court of the greatest democracy.
“The walls of that Supreme Court form the vessel that holds the great protections of our liberty.
“Those black robes give life to the Constitution’s freedoms and the flourishing of our ideas and beliefs.” Read more
Sotomayor’s nomination was opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA). In a July 23, 2009 letter to senate leaders, Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President, and Chris Cox, Vice President and Executive Director of the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action, noted that,
“From the outset, the National Rifle Association respected the confirmation process and hoped for mainstream answers to bedrock questions. Unfortunately, Judge Sotomayor's judicial record and testimony during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings clearly demonstrate a hostile view of the Second Amendment and the fundamental right of self-defense guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.”
That hostility was found in various judicial rulings. For example,
“Judge Sotomayor was a member of the panel in the case of United States v. Sanchez-Villar, where (in a summary opinion) the Second Circuit dismissed a Second Amendment challenge to New York State's pistol licensing law. That panel, in a terse footnote, cited a previous Second Circuit case to claim, ‘the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right.’”
LaPierre and Cox’s letter concluded, “We believe any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self defense should not serve on any court, much less the highest court in the land. Given the importance of this issue, the vote on Judge Sotomayor's confirmation will be considered in NRA's future candidate evaluations.”
Team S&W Shooter Julie Golowski using a 9mm M&P at the 2006 Production Nationals
I am an avid USPSA shooter. I was turned off by the technology race and began shooting and ended up spending alot of money building Limited pistols!
In recent years, such mundane matters as putting my daughter through college and graduate school, needing a new car and – groan! – buying a house, have put a severe crimp in my “fun funds.” Because of this I began looking for a less expensive means of pursuing my favorite sport. Enter Production Division … USPSA created Production Division for those persons who wanted to compete with basically factory, stock (read, “inexpensive”) pistols.
Besides restricting magazine capacity to 10 rounds, there are strict limitations as to what modifications can be made to the pistol (e.g.: internal polishing and detailing of parts, changing the sights,etc.) and the rules mandated that only pistols using DA/SA, DAO or Safe Action type triggers were permitted. Unlike Open, Limited and Limited Ten divisions, Production did away with the Major/Minor power factor (P.F.) controversy for ammunition by specifying that only Minor P.F. was needed to compete.
This had the result of making the readily available, and inexpensive, 9mm Parabellum cartridge the overwhelming choice among Production shooters. Over the past few years I have used several different pistols in Production division and, while all have proven suitable for the sport, most lacked that “something” that I considered necessary for competition.
Last year I obtained a 9mm Smith & Wesson M&P pistol which, until recently, spent most of its time as my “night stand” gun. The M&P is Smith’s newest addition to their extensive line of semi-auto pistols and is possibly the best one they have produced so far.
Since its introduction, the M&P has been examined extensively in gun magazines and I don’t feel it is necessary to repeat the technical nitty-gritty here. Suffice it to say that the M&P is a polymer framed pistol that uses integral steel rails to strengthen the frame and provide rigidity that improves accuracy and functional reliability. It features a double-action-only (DAO) type trigger, multiple internal safety devices, accepts high-capacity magazines and features an ergonomically-shaped grip with interchangeable inserts (S&W calls them “palm swells”) that allow the shooter to fit the pistol to their particular hand size.
Interchangeable “palm swells” are offered for the M&P to custom fit to your hand.
It is available in 9mm Para, 357 SIG, 40 S&W and 45 ACP, in both standard and compact versions. I found my M&P a very shootable pistol and, as these things tend to happen, began ruminating upon the idea of using it in competition. With this in mind, I approached my good friend, fellow action pistol shooter, and part time gunsmith, Lin Webb. Lin has built several competition pistols for me and when I asked him if he could work his magic on the M&P he responded rather guardedly “Well…I haven’t done a trigger job on one of them before and, as far as I know, neither has anyone else. I guess someone has to be the first? Leave it with me.”
I did. After some time had passed, Lin called and told me “I think I’ve figured out how to smooth out the trigger and get the let-off a bit lighter.” The following month, a rather cryptic e-mail arrived from my erstwhile ‘smithin forming me that “….I believe it will work. I’m almost done.”
A few weeks later a follow-up message arrived “Yup, it works. I’ve taken first place Production with it in two matches so far. You’re not going to believe the trigger!”
Smoothing Out the M&P Trigger
Needless to say, my anxiety level was steadily rising and I could not wait to get my hands on my M&P. I asked Lin if he would tell the readers in his own words how he accomplished this. No one has ever been able to accuse him of being the taciturn type, so he elaborated thus:
The HiViz front sight has the fiber optic rod encased in high-impact polymer to protect it from damage. Its brightness greatly enhances fast target acquisition and accuracy.
1 Make sure the pistol is unloaded and remove any and all ammo from the same area as the pistol you are working on. 1.1 Make dad-gum sure the gun is unloaded, with no ammo in the same area you are working in.
2 The M&P, like any other semi-auto on the market today, has’ way too much take-up and overtravel as it comes from the factory. Remove the slide, and pull the trigger to the rear and note where the trigger bar engages the sear. If your pistol has the magazine safety, you must hold the mag safety lever up to see this function, so you may as well insert an empty magazine so you’ll only need two hands instead of three.
If your gun does not have the mag safety lever, you must pull the sear deactivation lever back up in order to see the trigger bar move in its normal operating position. Just be sure to return the deactivation lever to the ‘down’ position before reassembly.
3 Once you’ve got it in your head where and how the trigger bar contacts the sear, proceed to remove the sear housing block. Use the correct size pin punch or roll pin punch and remove the pin from the frame. Be sure to support the frame from the bottom so the pin can clear the frame as it is driven out.
The pin can be removed from either direction. Then lift the sear housing out of the frame. You can use the same punch you used to remove the pin to pry the sear housing block out of the frame. When you get the sear housing about half-way up, pull the trigger to the rear to take tension off the trigger bar. Continue to lift upon the sear housing, and then it will slide right off the rear of the trigger bar. On older model M&Ps, the ejector will practically fall off the side of the sear housing. This is OK, but on newer models, it will be staked on pretty tightly, so don’t bother to remove it.
4 Locate the sear pin, and push it out. It will come out easily and from either direction. Be sure to keep the sear housing in the upright position as you remove the pin, and then remove the sear itself. Again, be sure to keep the housing upright so the sear spring and plunger stay in place because if they fall out, they are a pain to get back in. Use a small piece of leather or wood to clamp the sear in a small vise. Make sure the contact point with the trigger bar is facing up. Using a small fine cut mill file, start cutting the rounded portion of the sear where the trigger bar makes contact. Cut SLOWLY at a 45-degree angle, and remove about 20 percent of this contact point. Finish with a fine cut stone to polish the surface, and then finish by slightly rounding the edges for a smooth “compound” type finish. Then polish the trigger bar where it contacts the sear to a fine mirror-like finish. Remember to go slowly, and don’t remove any metal from the trigger bar, just polish only. You might want to put the gun back together at this point to test it out to see where you are.
Just this little bit of work will greatly improve the pull.
5 For a further reduced trigger pull weight, remove the sear again and look at the rear of the sear. You’ll see a hump where the sear engages the striker and pulls it to the rear during trigger pull. Polish the rear of the sear with a polishing wheel, and also the top flat portion of the sear where the tang of the striker rides across during re-set. Be sure to keep the two surfaces at right angles to each other. In other words, don’t round off this edge. Keep it at 90 degrees to eachother. Polishing with an aggressive jeweler’s polishing compound works quite well.
You can also use a Dremel polishing wheel to speed this process, but go slowly. This will remove metal faster than you think.You can remove the striker now and polish the tang of the striker where it makes contact with the sear. Polish only here, DO NOT remove any metal. To remove the striker, push down on the striker sleeve, just like brand “G” and push the end cap off, while holding your thumb over the striker to keep it from flying into the next room, and remove the striker.
6 To remove the “crunchiness” from the trigger pull, now is the time to do this while the striker is removed. Wrap the slide in several wraps of cloth or use a large piece of leather, and clamp it in a vise with just the rear sight area clear of the vise jaws. Loosen the set screw in the rear sight.
Using a brass drift punch, tap the rear sight out from left to right. Don’t be afraid to whack it, as some rear sights are tough to remove. Nylon punches give too much, and steel punches will mar the sight. Use a brass punch with nice square edges. If yours is not, straighten it up with a file first. When the sight is almost out, look for the firing pin safety block spring cap and spring underneath the rear sight. Hold your finger over this cap as you continue to tap the sight out.
Hold onto to the cap to keep it from flying into the next county. Remember, the striker must be OUT of the gun to be able to do this. Remove the firing pin safety block from the frame.
7 Using a 3/32” pin punch, place the firing pin safety block on the end of the punch. Hold the firing pin block at a 45-degree angle to a 3M polishing wheel and polish the head of the safety block but do not remove any metal from these two areas of the trigger bar. Clean the hole where the firing pin block goes and lube it with a good quality gun lube. Put the firing pin block back in, along with the small spring.
Start the rear sight into the dovetail from right to left. Place the spring cap on top of the spring and press it into place. While holding it there, tap the rear sight back over this assembly to hold it in place. Don’t let go until the rear sight has almost covered the cap or it will fly out. NOTE: This procedure is very tricky, but go slow and you can do it. Some rear sights are easier to get out and back in than others on the same model gun, so don’t be afraid to whack the hell out of it with a brass punch to get it to move. Brass marks can be easily removed with 0000 steel wool.
8 There is one last thing you can do for the ultimate M&P trigger job. Obtain a Glock trigger return spring and replace the stock M&P trigger spring with this spring. Be sure to place the open end of the spring on the trigger bar in the UP position. The end that goes on the trigger pin must be slightly enlarged to fit over the M&P trigger pin, but it can be done.
Use a pin punch of the proper size as a guide to align the pin hole and spring as you tap the trigger pin back in. If you have done everything as I have described it, you will have a much improved trigger pull over the stock configuration. If you shoot a lot of USPSA or IDPA matches, your scores will definitely improve. There are several M&P trigger jobs described on the Internet now, and they are very much like I have described it here, however, you must have some familiarity with the M&P to perform these modifications correctly.
It isn’t as easy as some would have you believe. I have found out that the 45-caliber M&P differs slightly from the 9mm, 40S&W, and the 357 SIG calibers. The firing pin is different, the angles on the trigger and sear are different, and pretty much everything as far as a trigger job goes is different, so take your time on the 45s. Again, go slow, and don’t remove too much. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, then you will be way ahead of the game to send your gun out to some of the shops that advertise M&P trigger jobs on the Internet.
Since working on Paul’s pistol, I’ve done about two dozen M&P trigger jobs without any failure, and no safety parts violations, but they were T&E guns and they were not returned to the general shooting public. Most all of these guns broke the trigger pull gauge at around 3 pounds, and were smooth as silk.
If you feel like it, and have the confidence, give it a try. You might want to purchase a spare sear, safety block, and trigger bar from Smith & Wesson just in case you mess something up. That way you can put stock parts back in and get the gun back up and shooting again.
Getting the Pistol Back
As I make no pretense whatsoever to being technically minded, I will have to take what Lin said at face value. But I can tell you this: once I finally retrieved my M&P from Mr. Webb’s clutches, and got a chance to try it, I was most impressed. The trigger take-up was so light and smooth as to be almost unnoticeable; the let-off was a crisp 2.5 pounds while reset distance was less than a half-inch. During rapid fire drills it almost felt as if I was shooting a single-action pistol.
In fact, after getting my M&P back, the only changes I made to it were to install a HiViz fiber optic front sight and use a marker pen to blacken out the white dots on the rear sight. Aside from the trigger return spring and front sight replacement it remains a 100-percent stock pistol and thus abides by USPSA rules to the letter!
Being the M&P has fixed sights I experimented with various brands of factory and handloaded ammo and eventually settled on Cor-Bon’s 9mm 147-grain Performance Match ammunition for serious competition shooting. I have used this ammo in several pistols over the years and it has proven to be the most accurate 9mm load I have ever shot.
My handload consists of a Berry’s 147-grain plated bullet over 3.6 grains of TiteGroup. Both provide 100-percent functioning, shoot close enough to point out to 25 yards to keep me happy, produce low levels of recoil and make Minor P.F. with a bit to spare.
I also experimented with a number of holsters and mag pouches and settled on a Comp-Tac Belt Holster and Belt feed magazine pouches. The former holds the M&P at just the right height and angle for a fast acquisition and smooth draw while the latter rig holds four spare magazines in a staggered row allowing a fast, secure grip on each to ensure fast and smooth reloads. Unfortunately, I did not have an opportunity to practice very much with my M&P before the next match but, despite the trepidation I felt at competing with a pistol I had little experience with, I finished 2nd Place overall in Limited Division and 1st Place in B Class.
And while I like to think that my personal skill had a little something to do with it, a good measure of the credit must go to Lin’s excellent trigger job and the accuracy, reliability and ergonomics that were built into the M&P at the factory. The M&P has served as my regular Production pistol for several months now and my positive opinion of it continues to grow. As Humphrey Bogart said at the end of his classic film Casablanca,“….I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
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
• If you love to pull triggers, Bryce Towsley writes, you’ll want to give this game a try with the right guns and accessories. It's called 3-gun shooting, and it's hot.
Like America's first soldiers at the Battle of Brooklyn, Michael Littlejohn is fighting for his right to bear arms.
The Revolutionary War buff charges the Bloomberg administration with tyranny for trying to seize his handmade flintlock rifle – a dead ringer for the weapon once used against the redcoats.
“This is the last legal gun that you can have without registration in New York,” Littlejohn said. “And yet Mayor Bloomberg is driven crazy by my flintlock gun – the one that won the American Revolution.”
Littlejohn fired the first shot when he hired a Tennessee blacksmith to recreate the vintage rifle. It arrived at his Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, apartment in June – followed quickly by city cops.
Police claim it's illegal for Littlejohn to keep the flintlock without a gun license.
Littlejohn, 50, cites the earliest American patriots as his inspiration while refusing to surrender his firearm or apply for a license.
The social worker is also clinging to a little-known exemption in the city's strict gun laws.
The loophole allows license-free ownership of “antique firearms” – defined as rifles that require the bullet and gunpowder to be loaded separately.
Littlejohn's rifle appears to fit the bill. Read more
A federal appeals court in San Francisco set aside its ruling Wednesday – the only one of its kind in the nation – that allowed private citizens to claim a constitutional right to bear arms in challenging state and local gun laws.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new hearing on a challenge by gun show promoters to a ban on firearms at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The plaintiffs say the ban, which county supervisors enacted in 1999, violates free speech and the constitutional right to possess guns.
A three-judge panel of the court ruled in April that the Second Amendment is binding on state and local governments and allows individuals to challenge a county ordinance as a violation of the right to guns.
“The right to bear arms is deeply rooted in the history and tradition of the republic,” Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain said in the 3-0 ruling.
But the court also said the Alameda County law was a valid public safety measure.
The gun show promoters prepared to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. But Wednesday, the full appeals court said a majority of its judges had called for a new hearing before an 11-judge panel, nullifying the April ruling.
Plaintiffs' lawyer Don Kilmer said the hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 21 in San Francisco.
Last year, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own guns and struck down a ban on handgun possession in the federal enclave of Washington, D.C. That ruling did not say whether the amendment also applied to the states.
The Ninth Circuit ruling conflicted with decisions by federal appeals courts in New York and Chicago that concluded the Second Amendment applies only to the federal government.
Bruce Piatt shooting his shotgun during the Midwest Three-Gun Championships.
Three-gun shooting, as the name implies, features the use of handguns, rifles and shotguns. It can encompass long-range precision shooting or ultra close, “hose ‘em down” situations and everything in between, sometimes all in one stage. This sport moves fast and draws on every shooting skill you possess. The shooting is “practical” style, which means it simulates combat or self-defense. You will have a “scenario” at each stage that will have you shooting one or more of the guns in a specific sequence. Each stage is different and every match is different. This is not like skeet or bull’s-eye shooting, when you know what the target will be every time; in fact it is quite the opposite. Each time you step up to a stage it is likely that you will encounter a shooting challenge that is different from any in your past. It’s up to the shooter to figure out a strategy and hope it’s one that wins.
There are several classes and a couple of sets of rules. That leads to plenty of options for firearms, but new shooters usually start with the most popular class, Tactical Optics. This is the class that is most likely to fit with the firearms you already own. In this class the shooter is allowed one optic and it is almost universally on the rifle. The handgun and shotgun will not have optical sights.
Remember, even if you don’t have everything you need to start, if you pool with your buddies you might find that you do. You can shoot together on the same squad and share firearms. So if you have a rifle, somebody else has a handgun and another a shotgun, you can all shoot. This gets you started, but be warned, three-gun is addictive and you will find yourself buying more guns once you try it. How can that possibly be a bad thing?
Guns That Will Get You in the Game
Rifles Three-gun, or multi-gun as it’s called in some circles, is the domain of the AR-15 type rifles, but most any rifle meets the rules. At my first match I saw a party of three sharing the same SKS rifle and loading with 10-round stripper clips. They didn’t win, but they sure were having fun! The next time I ran into the guy who owned the SKS he had a top-of-the-line competition AR and an addiction to three-gun that had him grinning ear to ear.
Bottom line, if you have an AR-15 type rifle and a couple of 30-round magazines (and who doesn’t?) you can start shooting without a lot of limitations. Even if you do not, most any other type of semi-auto “tactical” rifle will get you in the game and allow you to get your feet wet.
Nathan Towsley with Bryce Towsley's DPMS competition rifle.
When you decide to build or buy a competition rifle, there are a few things that will trick out the rifle in your favor. The .223 Rem./5.56 chambering is king. A muzzle brake is very important if you are going to be competitive. You can shoot well without one, but if you are going to run with the big dogs, sooner or later you will need a muzzle brake. These help manage recoil and reduce muzzle flip for fast, repeat shooting.
The barrel length should be somewhere around 18 to 20 inches. Barrel weight is subject to personal preference, but most prefer a slightly heavy contour to put a little weight out in front and to handle the heat of multiple shots better. A 1:9 twist will work, but a 1:8 twist rate will allow you to use heavier bullets if you have some long-range reactive steel targets. A good trigger is very important.
I like a standard A2-style fixed stock, but a lot of shooters use a collapsible stock because it offers so many options on length of pull to fit different shooting positions. Use a rifle style gas tube to allow the use of a long forend. This allows you to reach out on the rifle for better control. Most shooters seem to prefer a round forend as the rail type forends will make the shooter’s hands sore by the end of the day.
Thirty-round magazines are the standard. But you will probably want at least one extended capacity magazine. There are several on the market. I have a DPMS 45-round that I use a lot. Under IDPA, and perhaps others, you must have a “stick” style magazine; drums are not allowed in the tactical class.
The best optic is a low power. The idea is that the low end magnification allows shooting at the very close targets, while the upper end magnification is enough for the long-range shots. The key here is versatility and durability. Don’t scrimp on the optics as they take a beating and only the toughest survive.
You will probably want an ambidextrous safety, also a tactical bolt catch. This is important because the shooter is often required to clear a rifle and lock the bolt back to make it safe while on the clock. This bolt catch has a big pad to push to lock the action open and keep the “fumble factor” to a minimum. If you fail to lock the bolt back, it’s an automatic disqualification in most matches. A tactical, extended charging handle helps with the reloads.
My choice for rifles is DPMS and they have a provision on line to customize your rifle to any configuration you wish. (800) 578-3767 www.dpmsinc.com.
Shotguns If you already have a semi-auto shotgun you are ready to compete. You probably will want to add an extended magazine. But, that’s easy to do and inexpensive. The 12-gauge is the most popular. Often there are reactive steel targets and it provides enough power to slap them down.
Some rules require a short barrel, so you will probably replace your bird gun barrel (or entire shotgun) with something more “tactical” down the line. The most common configuration is a semi-auto with a 20-inch to 22- inch barrel and an extended magazine that holds eight shots, for a total of a nine-shot capacity, the maximum allowed in tactical class. Eventually you will want to add extra touches like an oversize safety button and larger carrier release. Most shooters like some sort of sights for the slug stages. The key to success in many matches is being able to reload the shotgun fast, so a sidesaddle ammo carrier is almost a must.
This game is tough on a shotgun and only the strong survive. A lot of guns that have good reputations in the hunting fields can’t stand up to the thousands of shots and rough handling. One can, Benelli. That’s why I picked an M-2 for my new competition gun. www.benelliusa.com (301) 283-6981.
Handguns You can shoot with any semi-auto centerfire handgun and get started. I shot my first match with the same gun I use in USPSA, a Kimber 1911 Team Match. But, this is a game designed for high-capacity handguns and I found out quickly the disadvantage of a 10-round magazine. Plus the recoil of the .45 ACP slowed me down.
Bryce M. Towsley's STI handgun in .40 S&W. Holster by Hillsman Holster Company.
I switched to a Glock 34 competition gun in 9mm. This is a high-capacity handgun with low recoil and is a good way to get started. Of course, it’s just temporary until my custom STI switch-barrel in .40 S&W and 9mm is completed. The reason for two calibers? Three-gun is still the frontier in terms of who regulates and who makes the rules, which I like. Too many rules are what spoiled a lot of other shooting sports. So, in many matches there is no power factor to consider and the 9mm is a good choice. The low recoil and high capacity make it a very competitive handgun. But, at some matches the various ruling bodies have a power factor requirement and the 9mm is too wimpy to qualify. So, in that situation I shoot a .40 S&W.
Which gun is best? It’s hard to say. A lot of shooters seem to favor the .40 S&W because it’s legal in all matches. If you shoot the 9mm in the matches with a power factor you lose nothing if you center your hits. But, if you have marginal hits they will score lower than with a more powerful gun. So if you shoot well, you give up nothing.
Any high-capacity handgun will work fine. The most common handgun in the top shooters I have talked with is the STI, a high-quality, 1911 style high-capacity handgun. They are known for accuracy and reliability. (512) 819-0656 www.stiguns.com.
Other Stuff You Need You will need a way to carry spare ammo, so belt pouches for the handgun and rifle magazines are important somewhere down the road. Don’t let the lack of them keep you from your first match, just stick the mags in your pockets if you have to. Here are a few suggestions based on what I have been using and what’s working for me.
Obviously you will need a holster for your handgun. Off the shelf I have had good luck with the Blackhawk Serpa holster for my GLOCK. 1-800-694-5263 www.blackhawk.com.
But, a custom gun needs a custom holster and I had my left-hand holster for the STI handgun and the mag pouches made by Hillsman Holster Company. The craftsmanship and quality is excellent. They worked with me to determine what would work best with my body type and shooting style and then designed the holster accordingly. 713-560-2454 www.hillsmanholster.com.
It is necessary to carry a few extra rifle magazines during the competition in a way that allows them to be accessed quickly, but still keeps them secured while running and moving. I use a couple of AR-15/M16 Kydex magazine pouches from Brownells. 800-741-0015 www.brownells.com.
For the shotgun you will need plenty of extra ammo available. Tacstar (800-423-9704 www.tacstar.com) has an inexpensive sidesaddle that will hold six rounds, which is just a start. I have shot in some stages where I used close to 50 rounds. A shell belt will work, but most shooters like the belt mounted speed loaders, which Brownells has. Also look at arm bands, bandoliers and any other creative way to hold shotshells. I have been using some of that stuff from Mark Otto, available at www.triangleshootingsports.com or www.shootersconnection.com.
Ammo? When I am shooting factory ammo I use Federal for one-stop shopping as they have ammo for all three guns. www.federalpremium.com.
Transporting the guns and ammo is also an issue. The Blackhawk 44-inch weapons case will hold the rifle and short-barreled shotgun as well as the pistol in the side pocket. The new Three-Gun Competition case from Brownells is a bit longer and easily accepts a 24-inch barreled shotgun. It also has backpacking straps to help carry the load. Put the ammo in a range bag to carry in your hand and you are good to go.
A much easier way is to use a cart. Mine is from Rugged Gear and is designed to hold three long guns, but I have modified it to hold four. It also will carry all my ammo and other gear, including a few water bottles. It’s easy to push, even with a full load. Best of all, they are not all that expensive. 1-800-784-4331 www.ruggedgear.com.
The best endorsement is what my buddy Bruce Piatt, one of the top shooters in the world said about this game, “Three times the guns – three times the fun!” GDTM
The amendment to a Defense Department bill received a majority of votes, 58-39, however it failed to gain the necessary 60 votes needed to override a threatened filibuster by arch anti-gunner Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY).
There is ample evidence to suggest that this vote was orchestrated by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Thune merely to give Republicans and vulnerable Dems a “pro-gun vote” going into August recess and the upcoming election.
In short, everyone knew that this amendment would fail. It was only brought forward as a pre-election stunt to buy a handful of Senator street-cred with gun voters.
Laudable though Thune’s goal of national concealed carry may be, however, understand that the entire exercise was nothing but a sham in which (surprise, surprise) the amendment failed by a vote of 58 – 39. So before gun rights supporters contact the 58 ever-so-brave US Senators (including 20 Democrats) to thank them for supporting the measure, all should understand that its failure was preordained by Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and quite probably sanctioned by the NRA.
(Side note: Sixty votes – for “cloture” – were required for passage rather than the usual 51 due to a threatened filibuster by perennially anti-gun Sen. Charles Schumer. In the gentile land of the US Senate, threats routinely substitute for real action.
In reality, Reid is vulnerable in his 2010 re-election bid and, consequently, threw the NRA a very small bone.
And what does the NRA get? The appearance of accomplishing something – if not actual passage of the amendment, at least a recorded vote which purports to show who’s “fer ya” and “agin ya.” More action means more NRA members and more money.
Unfortunately, however, the vote shows nothing of the sort and, indeed, undermines your ability to assess which senators are actually pro-gun. The exercise is common, and here’s how it works: Chamber leadership (read that “Democrat”) gives a pass to members in conservative (or vulnerable) districts to vote for a measure which the leadership intends to kill – all the while keeping enough votes against, by Democrats in secure districts, to ensure defeat. They know, after all, that the NRA won’t waste money going after Chuck Schumer, Diane Feinstein or Frank Lautenberg.
So the result is a vote in which anti-gun Democrats such like Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) get to posture as gun rights supporters. Read more
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.
