“The U.S. House approved Tuesday a 10-year extension of an existing federal law banning guns that can go undetected by metal detectors and X-ray machines,” usatoday.com reports. Upon seeing the news on Twitter, terrorists and criminals immediately stopped any and all plans to bring so-called plastic gun through security checkpoints. “That’s it, we’re through,” said Tanya X. “We’ve cancelled our order for a 3D printer. We’ll either use a proper gun and take out the guards like that Navy shooter or spend the money on education for our children.” So how did House Republicans vote on the measure, a clear violation of the Second Amendment stricture against any and all firearms regulation? Well . . .
The measure passed on an overwhelming bipartisan vote despite reservations from Democrats who would like to expand the scope of the law to address concerns about 3-D printing technology, which can produce solid objects out of digital models – including firearms – and did not exist commercially when the law was first enacted. Without significant opposition, the House did not record members’ votes on the bill.
Tricky Republicans, eh? Now we’ll never know who on the right (politically speaking) threw American gun owners under the bus. Again. Still.
As for those desired “expansions” to the Undetectable Firearms Act, there’s your trouble. Rumor has it Senator Schumer and his civilian disarmament buddies want the law to ban the production of plastic gun parts. Like . . . magazines that can hold more than 10 bullets.
If Senate Dems leave the Act as is—the most likely scenario—a rubber stamp in the Senate and a signature will surely follow. If they don’t, well, someone better read the new law very, very carefully. And make sure it isn’t hustled through like the 1968 Gun Control Act. What say you NRA?
I work in new products, and the answer to this is actually bonehead simple. We coat products with camo finishes because people buy more when you do. We’d actually prefer not to do it because the processing and the royalties are costly. However, it opens up your products to more customers who might not buy them otherwise, so you will continue to see a proliferation of products in camo. Camo has become “fashion” more than function these days, so don’t b e surprised by products that have no earthly need to be camo coated.
Is this just an extension of the same one from the 80’s? If so I’m kinda ok with that. At least I don’t have to fear the ATF smashing down my door because my 10/22’s stock is made of plastic.
Or wood, for chrissakes!
I’m really happy it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but if the TSA installs blind xray machines in enough airports to qualify as ‘common,’ everything is banned. Creative incompetence. Well, its the extension of the $10k toilet seat. (Crapper doubled as a jump seat for a combat aircraft, needed to be safety rated for 10g’s.)
A wood stock is also undetectable in a metal detector, that is the scary part.
Did you read the piece AT ALL? The measure has the potential to ban POLYMER MAGAZINES. DAMN, READ before you post!
As a DuraCoat fan boy I am very happy this article gave such a glowing review.
I hate our government so much.
A pointless law that keeps being passed by idiots. I wish all laws had expiration dates though and had to be voted on every so often. That way there is a chance that bad laws will be revisited over time instead of adding and adding to the instant victimless felon pool.
I actually think every new piece of legislation and every new regulation should come with quantifiable success measures. If it doesn’t achieve the success measures within a specified time frame it gets repealed.
If they can’t produce quantifiable success measures, and can’t define when it will start working, then it was a bad idea to begin with and shouldn’t be a law.
The essential question that should be asked here is this:
“Would these suicides have been prevented in an absence of guns?”
And the answer (because other researchers have asked this question in the 90’s) is “no.”
If people claim to be worried about suicides by gun, ask them if they’re worried about suicide by other means. If they’re not, and they don’t have the numbers of suicides in general or by other specific means at hand, they’re not interested in talking about suicides, they just want another canard on which to ban guns.
The measure passed on an overwhelming bipartisan vote despite reservations from Democrats who would like to expand the scope of the law to address concerns about 3-D printing technology, which can produce solid objects out of digital models – including firearms – and did not exist commercially when the law was first enacted.
So is the law that was passed solely an extension of the prior one, or does it have the additional stuff tacked on? And if not, will the Senate tack those things on? If it can be used to ban magazines of more than ten rounds, why isn’t the NRA harping more about it?
is your reading comprehension that low, try reading what you linked a few more times it answers the question you ask right below the answer…
That’s asking a lot. If people slow down to read, then other people will beat them down here in the race to make comments. Nobody likes to lose.
Yes, but that just mentions about the House bill. Can the Democrats in the Senate change the House bill to include the amendments Schumer wants?
I guess we’ll have to wait until the Senate takes it up, won’t we.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-lucey/steps-in-reconciling-hous_b_402618.html
Not about this bill, but this guy gives a pretty good run down.
“why isn’t the NRA harping more about it?”
Because the NRA is not a 2A advocate as written. They may support limited gun rights, but not the 2A as written. No, large 2A organization supports the 2A as written.
Your statement appears to be a huge mistake, but I think it’s just a Big Lie.
If I understand this correctly NONE of the provisions asked for by Schumer are in this bill. This is the same bill that was renewed in 2004. Anybody else get that?
Can the Senate change the bill?
Typical Republicans
I am in no way surprised by this. I didn’t think Chuck Schumer’s add-ons were going to happen, but neither did I expect that the original law would fail to be renewed.
This is not a big whup. Just return to the status quo ante. Chuck the Schmuck wanted to use this bill to enact some actual restrictions on good old fashion guns. I chalk this up as a finger in the eye of the gun grabbers. I suspect the House leadership will tell Shumer that this the only legislation on guns that will see the light of day this year.
If you’re dandy with the thing as is, you don’t believe in the Second Amendment. So go ahead and admit it.
Yeah, it sucks but as long as they’re just extending the current law unmodified for another five years or whatever I don’t care that much.
The technology still isn’t there yet.
The 2A is being infringed or it is not. It is nice to know you are one of those who doesn’t “care that much” yet.
“First they came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.”
I don’t care about plastic firearms technology that doesn’t exist yet and won’t for god knows how many years.
I don’t agree with the law but I can’t give much of a damn about it being renewed either.
And for the record, I appreciate your zeal and extremism in the defense of liberty but you strike me as a person who doesn’t know how to wisely pick and choose their battles.
“And for the record, I appreciate your zeal and extremism in the defense of liberty but you strike me as a person who doesn’t know how to wisely pick and choose their battles.”
Actually that characterization would better suit Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed infamy, the one man PT Barnum who’s self promotion caused all this mess. None of this would be happening now were it not for his worldwide look-at-me-I-can-haz-plastic-gun tour.
Thanks again Cody.
When the technology gets there, a new law will await its arrival. Wise the eff up.
A good review for a very pretty rifle. I can’t see spending that much on it, though, especially with the concerns that are called out.
There was some other reason why I knew I liked Mr. Noir but I just didn’t know what it was. He just revealed it: IPA’s.
Sweet Floral IPA’s!
Stupid law, but let us think realpolitick. If it is right that is passed by almost unanimous vote, then does anyone thing the NRA would have stopped it?
I propose that the few congressman most likely to be against renewing it, voted for it rather than see Schumer’s monstrosity take shape. Or, from the perspective of their careers, imagine if Schumer’s beast became the debated bill. And the GOP blocked it. Then the headlines would be about how they want undetectable guns and hate children. From a realpolitick situation, better this than to have Schumer’s bill even fail.
Does that make it right? No. But it makes it understandable, and in some sad ways necessary.
You guys are all acting like this is A-Okay that they just extended the existing law with no modifications. But my question is, can the Senate modify the legislation? Because if they can, then this House extension is irrelevant right now I’d think.
Too young for Schoolhouse Rock, I take it.
Bloomingdale’s sells camo fashion for chic women. Bloomingdale’s! Camo chic! This is a sign that the apocalypse is near, just not near enough.
Amazing that in the country of Edison there would be a law that expressly forbids progress and ingenuity.
Well, we’re also the land of making it illegal to pump your own gas (in select special states) so neanderthals can stay employed doing it for you so there’s that.
So which would work best — Duracoat or Cerakote C?
Easton firearms refinishing (a PA company with a website and land line telephone) answered that question for me. I sent a gun to them back when they offered both finishes. You can call them for the particulars. But essentially they go with Cerakote for anything that sees holster wear as it wears better on friction.
D in this case has a rainbow of colors. But both are better than your standard blue or park job. I like the look of the C on the pistol but for a budget minded “better than blue” finish I would go D.
This to me is one of the big problems with our government. These people are perfectly willing to perpetuate laws that demonstrably do nothing. Literally nothing. Never did!
WHY is anyone okay with this!?
Nice update.
a clear violation of the Second Amendment stricture against any and all firearms regulation
Under the current law (which was extended), it’s legal to manufacture plastic guns as long as they contain some metal, even if the metal is removable. So which part of “keep and bear” is being violated?
It infringes on my right to keep and bear a plastic gun.
I’ve no doubt you know a thing or two about airguns but your comment on black powder ballistics, “a black powder 44/40 barely cracks 700 fps” shows a woeful ignorance of the subject. In fact, a black powder 44/40 runs between 900 and 1,000 fps from a revolver and tops 1,200 fps from a rifle. Of course it is doing that with a 200 grain bullet so energies run from 360 to 640 ft.lb. Chronograph testing will show that the Crosman 1377 doesn’t actually achieve 600 fps but if it did with a 7.5 grain pellet the energy would be only 8.3 ft.lb. In fact, the so-called Big Bore High Power air rifles can’t touch the old BP 44/40 carbine.
So if the Senate amends this, would it then have to be reconciled with the House version, then the final version go back to the House for a vote, then to the Senate…? (I am unfamiliar with the rules in all this but I remember things like this from when they passed Obamacare).
The Senate can’t “amend” a House bill. It can pass it’s own version, and then both versions are sent to a joint Conference Committee for reconciliation. If they can’t be reconciled, neither becomes law.
I’m hoping that Schumer totally loads up the Senate version, producing irreconcilable versions. But that isn’t likely.
Tiger stripe camo is all the rage these days.
I’m disgusted, but not surprised. I’m curious to see how damaging the final bill will be.
When are we going to see a game with a revolutionary theme or defense against government tyranny theme?
The suspect then casually strolled away before officers were able to put on all of their fancy toys.
So like, other than stepping on everybody’s rights, what shooting event would that have stopped? By the way that 2 million number is another fabricated LIE by the anti’s .More hogwash,they refuse to go after gangs{cause they are afraid of them}and criminals and violence and they refuse to employ gun owners and experienced gun handlers to help solve gun issue’s Organizations that could help them get chastised,So welcome to the WAR.ANTI’S ARE GOING TO BE BLOCKED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. Keep sprewing your condescending lies,see what happens.
I can hear it now: “I got busted by the creature from the Black Lagoon!” What idiot thinks that a ghillie suit will provide good camouflage in an urban environment? Hel, the same goes for olive drab camo as well. Totally ridiculous. Cops should wear their usual uniform stuff, whatever color that may be, and any kind of chest protector they want, but guys, leave the pseudo warrior ninja stuff back at the station house. You are not impressing Anyone, and you are not adding to your personal protection.
That’s what I was wondering. What the hell do they think they’re blending with?
You all seen the Navy camoflauge uniforms? Grey on blue? Why, oh why!? Who are they trying to hide from on the freaking ship- the XO? The Captain? Their chief or LPO? Whether shore based or ship based they make no damn sense. Some idiot somewhere got the idea you’re not military unless you’re draped in camoflauge.
Navy camo is to cover up the dirt and wear and tear on the uniform, supposedly to save the sailors from excess uniform costs. From Wikipedia “The overall blue color reflects the Navy’s heritage and connection to seaborne operations.[5] The pixelated pattern is also used to hide wear and stains, something unavoidable with the utilities and working khakis used previously.[6] The colors were also chosen to match the most commonly used paint colors aboard ship, extending the lifetime of the uniform on long deployments where uniforms often come into contact with freshly painted surfaces. As of 2012, the uniform is authorized for wear outside of military installations.”
It’s authorized for routine stops, it is NOT a liberty uniform.
I got an oil stain on mine that says that statement is BS. It’s actually a pattern that makes sailors less attractive to marine wives
Wait where are the cops? All I see are soldiers. Yes, soldiers are what they think they are
Well they look like idiots. The camo face mask is added touch for Maximum Tacticool. They want to play soldier but don’t have the guts to sign up or are afraid someone might shoot back. Calling them soldiers is an insult to the real soldiers. They are just wasting our tax money with their Rambo fantasy
I guess it’s time to start up the argument again…
The Second Amendment as written doesn’t outlaw any and all regulation of firearms. It says the individual right to keep and bear arms shall not be *infringed.* And it says that the government is to regulate the militia.
Regulation is not actually synonymous with infringement, despite the Democratic party’s attempt to make it so.
1. The Total count in the United States Of American: Is the overall count of F.F.L.s today is (48,000) on 12/03/2013 A.D. too!
How would the police know, for instance, how to tell a printed plastic sear for a novel firearm design from a printed plastic throttle linkage for a lawnmower? How would they prove it in court?
Don’t they know that Swamp Thing doesn’t need a gun to take down bad guys?
The cobras are just continuations of two gun designs that were driven from commiefornia. I’ve fired the smaller Jimenez guns and found them to be more comfortable. The larger Jiminez gun is a heavy but reliable gun. Everyone needs a super cheap gun that works, that they can give as gifts. DON’T give ANY of these cheap semis to women, give them a comfortable gun that isn’t a heavy brick.
OK so as an OFWG I have all this totally useless information floating in my head….Let me tell you this quick story…
…Back in the 1970’s there was this whole “air piracy” thingie going on…folks looking for money (DB Cooper), fledgling political fanatics (Arafat crowd) etc. So some guy hijacks a plane. The plane somehow is at JFK airport. The FBI get called to help out since air piracy is a federal crime by that time. The NY FBI office calls up their “sniper” at the time. Probably an agent with some mil experience. Its a Sunday. He is home with the family. So he jumps in the car and off he goes. He shows up at the airport. Badda Bing Badda Boom…he shoots the bad guy.
Well it turns out that non other than J Edgar gets on his case because he wasn’t dressed properly. Like an FBI guy should be. He gets a ton of crap from Washington….
I rummaged around the Interweb and actually found the picture that was all over the NYC newspapers of the time….check out his attire and the gun he is using…..man have times changed…the picture is on ebay of all places…
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1972-Piracy-Hijacking-FBI-Sniper-Kennedy-Airport-Press-Photo-/360649565924?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item53f863a6e4
Can you name one other money hijacking besides “D.B. Cooper”?
As for the dress thing (no, not the dress that Jedgar wore for Clyde!) a guy named Joseph Schott wrote a book on Hoover’s FBI called NO LEFT TURNS. The title came from the fact that Hoover wanted the FBI Building that would be named in his honor have no hallways that turned left!
He told a story about a class of new recruits. One day they walked past Hoover, and Hoover turned to his assistants and said, “one of them is a pinhead; get rid of him!”
They were understandably puzzled as to which one Hoover was referring to. In those days, all agents had to wear business hats, so they went and checked the new agents’ hats when they were in a class; the hats were all hung together.
They found that none of the hats was especially smaller than the others, so they just picked an agent at random and fired him. Hoover never complained, so possibly they fired the “right” one. Or not.
He’s only wearing half the ghillie and the camo seems to be working because no seems to have noticed he has another rifle in a case slung across his shoulder and sticking out a foot or so above his head.
Better photo: http://media2.wptv.com//photo/2013/12/02/Screen_shot_2013-12-02_at_11.17.54_AM_20131202113046_640_480.PNG
Maybe he was hunting Palm Beach Turkey outside of town when the SWAT call came in?
A very fair review of the Henry and its inherent design lapses by modern standards.
One minor point is that if you were shooting factory 44-40 ammo and you were getting function problems in loading then out the maker of said ammo. And if they were reloads then the addition of a “factory crimp” die in your reloading process will fix things.. And trust me you want to be reloading if you like the 44-40 round
Black hills do a reliable job with their 44-40 ammo which I shoot in single action colt replica pistols and in a Taylor’s 1873 replica in cowboy action shooting with SASS. Now I shoot real black powder when I shoot the 44-40 guns so proper cleaning is essential. But the fun factor is huge. I started out with a uberti clone of the Henry but traded it for the Winchester 73 for some of the reasons you highlight. As in a normal Sunday match you will shoot 120 rounds you do not want function problems with the 60 you are dispensing in ten round batches from your rifle. The speed and accuracy with which the the best shooters in cowboy action shooting can fire those 10 rounds is amazing. Some of you folk that shoot modern sporting rifles should give CAS a try you will be amazed at how much fun it is just go on line and find a low key monthly match near you and show up with a desire to find out about it and folks will be there to loan you the needed guns and leather. ( if you feel funny about asking bring say 150 rounds of a popular sass round like .46 colt or .38 special( round nose flat point lead only no +p) to give to the person loaning you the guns if they are providing guns and ammo in a size you did not bring. If they loan you guns for what you brought then shoot what you brought and give them the brass)
Serriously they will be happy to bring another potential shooter to the sport.
Shall not be infringed, unless house republicans agree with the NRA that it should. LOL
Very nice piece of writing. I had to laugh to myself, though, on the part about SCOTUS decisions leading to enforcement, recalling President Jackson’s comment when he heard the Supreme Court had rendered a decision he vehemently disagreed with, in Worcester v. Georgia: “John Marshall has made his decision. Now let him enforce it.”
I won’t be happy until I get an M41A pulse rifle.
Pfft, phased plasma rifle in a 40 watt range!
Terminator 1 > Aliens
This is written entirely from the libertarian viewpoint.
And I, as a libertarian, wholeheartedly agree with every word.
I see so many people complaining about it on the grounds of 2nd amendment freedoms, but honestly who really wants a POS plastic gun that is going to break as soon as you shoot it a couple of times? Would you rather the democrats shove “anything that is related to guns that is plastic is banned” or just deal with the fact they have banned something for 10 years that is not feasible for probably the next 20-30 years unless we have a huge leap in high-strength polymers and plastics. I understand it is an infringement either way, but there is almost no way nowadays politicians are going to back track on gun laws in the near future.
I will be concerned about this sort of ban when you can reliably print a durable, 100% reliable semi-automatic handgun/rifle completely out of plastic. If I were a terrorist and I wanted to pass a metal detector, I would use the hardened plastic knife, not the liberator or some crap. I would then use the knife to silently get a real gun from a guard/etc.
I dunno, my Tavor seems pretty damn innovative. Also my Gen4 Glocks are very sweet too, and I am perfectly fine not having a decocker on my striker fired pistols.
And yet there are still plenty of blogs and channels treating this like the end of the civilian ammunition industry. A couple of years from now, when no such collapse occurs, they’ll just file it away and move on to the next claim that doesn’t make sense when you actually look at the evidence. And some people will buy it all again…
There’s enough real gun-control/”gun safety” efforts without ending up on a snipe hunt.
I read the comments and agree with the smart folks who see the DGU as proper when the criminal idiot scum pointed their weapons at him, and he killed them both!
I am pleased and proud to live in this society of good guys who take charge of the space
around us! I, too, wish to buy the good guy a beer, and thank him for being a hero!
Well Matt, As I remove my .45 1911 and my .380 backup (technically a 9mm and actually a .35 cal) from my person I assure you they do! However the .40 offers in my opinion the best balance of power and capacity of the 9mm to .45 spread. If I had to choose a single pistol for actual combat it would likely be a hi cap .40. In my world these days my pistol is something that is oft carried and seldom used. Also, my long experience with the 1911 offers me advantages in terms of speed and accuracy that would take months or years to learn on another platform.
All that aside I’ve always loved the .40S&W and have owned both HK-USP and Glock pistols in that caliber.
Carry on my friend, carry on . . .
Might I add: If anyone in the Ashland KY area recently got a deal on a Springfield XD.40 that was too good to be true it was likely stolen from a friend of mines car a couple of weeks ago. I’ll just about bet he’ll pay whatever you did to get it back.
Right, wrong or indifferently, when carrying concealed, carry concealed.
I don’t know Mr. Noir (if that is his real name) but I dont buy his roll. What is an NRA Commentator anyway? Is he a paid NRA spokes person or not? Too convenient and slick to be amateur.
Amen. This is the hands down winner.
Thank you everyone for all the comments and the robust discussion. I apologize for the small errors and areas that needed further clarification; like the FDA analogy and my use of the phrase “paid his debts to society.” It is an expression that is commonly recognized to mean a person has completed their sentencing obligations and is now free from prison or their financial restitution payments. However some of you took issue with that admittedly incorrect expression. I will try to be more careful in the future. Please understand that I churned this out and submitted it in less than an hour on Thanksgiving morning and would have liked to spend more time on it, but the day’s events precluded me from being more thorough.
If you disagree with my arguments in part or in whole, so be it. This is supposed to be a free society where we are all entitled to our opinions and their expression. I actually learned a thing or two from some of your comments. When I was a boy, my Grandfather looked at me one time and said “Charles, never stop learning. Even after school has passed, never stop growing your mind.” I have taken that to heart and it is my constant consideration as I take on each new endeavor.
My humble opinion is that it’s not a very good product. If we’re just talking ease of transport, fine, it makes the m4 smaller. If all you do is go to the range and to show off something new to your buddies, fine. But tactical reasons? Not good at all.
You carry this thing folded, then a sudden firefight ensues, and you can’t even open fire enough to cover yourself or your team mates to get to cover? No good.
And the worst part? It folds to the LEFT! There are more right handed shooters, so having this folded and slung across your chest means the stock is stuck in between the main body of the M4 and your chest. Try unfolding it in a fight or flight scenario. The Galil, the HK G36, the Sig and even the Kriss weapons all fold to the RIGHT, away from the body, for quick unfolding.
I find this product is a bit narrow minded in it’s design. Like it’s only for lefties, who only take their M4s to the range, and drive a compact car. I know I’m being a bit dramatic, but hopefully you get my point.
Carry, carry everywhere. Better judged by twelve than carried by six.
great story. My 16 yr old son got his first deer this year with the 270 my dad hunted with . he’s been gone a while and we miss him.
As a university of new haven senior and a fellow 2a advocate I still think he deserved what he got. The response was over kill but as some one who was on campus that day and disarmed by the university’s no carry policy he was stupid for thinking u can walk out of a class in the middle of an exam and attempt to walk back into the building with a bushmaster
“best-looking attorney general in the nation” – I take it you don’t have an editor, or a wife, or a daughter. Or maybe you have the “best looking teen girl at the range today”.