Reader JP writes:
I don’t particularly care for bump fire stocks. They’re silly, waste expensive ammo, decrease control and accuracy, and have absolutely no practical purpose. That said, their existence and legality cause no harm to me so I refuse to sit while they’re demonized and regulated.
Now the NRA and other pro gun rights groups as well as several manufacturers have come out in favor of regulation (and therefore legislation, as much as they might claim otherwise). They’re signalling to squishy Republicans and blue dog democrats that it’s OK to pursue such, and so now we have a Republican-sponsored bill in the House that’s so poorly worded that I fear for the future of gun rights.
The bill states that any device that increases the rate of fire of a semi auto rifle is illegal to either own or produce. Since words mean things, if you go by this language, it actually wouldn’t affect anything at all. Because rate of fire on a semi auto rifle is mechanically limited by how fast the gun can cycle. Nothing can change it short of changing the gas system or spring weights etc… Certainly no external device could affect it.
However the intent of the law is clear, and if the intent of the law is how it’s applied, it will lead to serious trouble for gun owners. Not only bump stocks, but binary triggers, crank triggers, and even basic lighter competition-style triggers could be outlawed because they’re modifications that let you pull the trigger faster.
Want to take your gun to your favorite gunsmith and have him install a 4.5lb spring to replace your 8lb stock trigger? Illegal. Have him stone the surfaces for a smooth even break? Illegal. And our champions of gun rights have given lawmakers carte blanche to do it.
But really this is just the tip of the iceberg. Already there are videos out there with guys good enough to outrun bump fire stocks. So what happens when the other side points out that since a semi-automatic firearms can fire that fast without any aid, obviously semi-autos are the real problem?
What’s more, they’d be right, and our side won’t have an argument to counter them (aside from the Second Amendment, but since when have they ever cared about that?). And that’s because we’ve already ceded the position that bump stocks are bad.
I’m not one to panic over possible legislation, but I dont see this going anywhere good. There are entirely too many supposed “good guys” in Congress who only vote our way because they rightly fear the political wrath of their constituents and our lobbying groups, and we’re voluntarily giving them permission to leave the reservation and join their buddies on the other side of the isle.
Forgive my pessimism, but I don’t see how this ends in a net win for freedom.
Mosin Nagant M91/30. Like most, I bought them because I didn’t know/couldn’t afford better. Worst shooting mil-surp I’ve ever owned or fired. I sold all but one for double what I paid, and would sell the last one if not for the prices continuing to rise (inexplicably). It has the worst trigger of any mil-surp, none that I’ve ever seen can group better than 6 MOA, and has the least smooth action of probably any fire arm in history.
The thing about Mosin’s is that the quality varies so wildly, due to both manufacturing and the fact that most of them are hella old. Sounds like you got a dud.
If you can pick up a good one they are a blast.
I got an 1927 Izhevsk. The stock is worn in some places but the gun shoots like a dream. I am a speed shooter, I can put a bunch of rounds in a relatively small target quickly. Precision shooting is not my thing. But I can hit about a 1.5 inch group at 100 yards with mine with open sights.
Agreed. Bump stocks are a silly un-accurate novelty item. However, give them an inch…
No means no. No gun law could have prevented this short of total confiscation. Even some on the left have recognised this.
So, banning these is nothing short if feel good cap for the scardy pee pants people.
As with all rights like them or not it doesn’t matter. Rights are not as Facebook like and dislikes are. They simply are and we can’t give away anymore than we already have.
According to Tim from Military Arms Channel NRA will effectively reverse their stance due to member backlash. The hill reports they will oppose all the legislation coming in Congress.
http://thehill.com/regulation/355183-nra-comes-out-against-legislation-banning-bump-stocks?amp
Do they still want the ATF to creatively reinterpret the law and ban them by administrative fiat? That’s just as bad, maybe even worse.
The worst guns I own are the ones .gov knows about.
If the antis weren’t after bump stocks they’d be after 100-round magazines. Just as most (almost all?) Americans see no redeeming quality in bump stocks, a vast majority would see no value in 100-round magazines. To prepare for the next round of arguments from the antis…http://blog.dilbert.com/post/166112920486/the-worst-gun-control-arguments
Ruger LCR-22. Purchased a “his and her” set, mostly for shooting snakes when we go camping.
The build quality was actually pretty good. And it’s a good-looking revolver. But the length of the trigger pull from here to eastern Jerusalem. And really gritty to boot. Inconsistent reset point.
Sold ’em both off within 12 months of purchase.
The NRA done screwed the pooch. The first rule of negotiation is “Never give up anything for free”! You want bump stocks banned? What will you give me for it? National reciprocity? Silencers off the NFA list? Re-open the NFA registry to new machine-guns? Pick one! Compromise is a form of trade, it is not stealing my wallet, and being pissed cause you only got half my money.
Wow. Bad breath distance only. I guess “most people” means Glocktillians who “ride the reset” on a DA revolver instead of stroking it correctly.
I learned to shoot with SA and DA revolvers and use DA for all fast shooting.
When i shoot my striker-fired pistols, i dont “ride the reset”.
I roll through the trigger and let it go for the next shot – Just like i shoot DA revolvers.
I have no “internal lock” Smith but can easily poke six in boiler room at 25 yards at speed with my older, lighter models.
Hell – I can put em all on silhouette at 25 yards with 357 LCR.
Its just a gun, and most are more accurate than the shooter will ever be.
I like seeing what guns people are carrying
Or at least what guns they say they are carrying
Another S and W Shield in 9 mm
This one without a safety
A very popular choice here in TTAG
Regulating firearms based on rate of fire could maybe possibly lead to regulating how fast a civilian firearm can cycle.
I think we know where that leads.
I think Mr. Paddock’ s intent may have been to create an event that will lead to the biggest restrictions on guns since ever.
Don’t think he was pro 2a because he had a sizeable collection. It’s entirely possible this was the result he was looking for. Certainly the brother and girlfriend are not about to give the game away. They are following a very careful protocol if play I g dumb.
This is how the other side pulls off an upset win.
I don’t know if I’m MORE situationally aware, but I definitely wince harder when I catch myself being unaware!
Here’s a Clue. The BATF already Regulates Firearms in this way and has for over 50 Years. But this prevents a “LAW” from being passed which is damned near irrevocable and prevents Liberals from attaching all kinds of Gun Ban stuff to a bill at the last minute, which is what they want the ability to do.
If we can’t protect our house family and property why live on this earth? It sends a clear msg to bad guys if u steal by lawn mower,horse or car u get shot!
You have no duty to retreat in ur own house.
Life, Liberty and Property
Both the Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution provide “due process” protections for “life, liberty and property.”
Once again, people who think the NRA is right on this are missing the entire reason for the 2nd Amendment. They are also missing the fact that the “no one needs” argument is a direct infringement on freedom in general.
It’s pathetic that people who think they support the 2nd Amendment can’t understand how much they undermine it trying to play politics or reacting with fear.
The fact of this divide in the gun-owning population is more serious than the efforts to ban bump fire devices.
The “worst” are probably:
PTR 91
There is nothing wrong with it, it’s well built, reliable, and I like it a lot. Fantastic gun! But it’s a 60’s era battle rifle with all that entails in terms of weight, ergonomics, and accuracy and a charging handle that takes iron will to move. This and the MP5 are like guns of a certain era. . . like a carb’d, lope-y cammed classic muscle car in a new era of high revving DOHC sports cars. They have their charms and I like them a lot.
Springfield SAR 8 (sold ages ago)
Bought it a loooong time ago back when I didn’t know much about guns. Back during the days of the Clinton AWB. Seemed cool. Little did I know of the problems with the alumni received SAR 8’s. Until I tried to sell it about 12 years later. It never gave me problems but I never shot it much at all, which was the main reason it was being sold.
Robinson M96 (sold not that long ago)
Liked the rifle a lot and never had any trouble with it. But Robinson never finished developing the promised belt feed system and only made 500 top feed bren kits for it. On top of the rifle being a low production gun no longer supported. Didn’t feel like I wanted to hang on to it long term as parts become hard to come by in the future.
Though, if this is the “worst” I’ve had I’m not doing to bad.
There have been other guns I’ve sold. Not because they were inherently bad, just that I didn’t shoot them anymore and they were a rescued I could sell and fund new purchases.
Ryan says he won’t allow a bump stock bill on the floor. Leaving it to ATF.
“We” Keymosabi?!? My suggestion was do NOTHING. Like after Sandy Hook. Never willingly give up a damn thing????????????????????
I don’t understand how Bump stocks fit into “being necessary to the security of a free State”.
Masterpiece Arms MPA380-II. It operates flawlessly but is a bear to handle. Let me know if you’d like it and I’ll throw it on GunBroker.
The winner of the bottom of my barrel is a .40 caliber AMT (American Machine & Tool) BackUp DAO. I can’t think of one good thing or part on it, starting with the mag baseplate and going up to the useless trench sight.
Hardly ever runs, light strikes like a Glock nightmare, has every kind of stoppage imaginable.
A distant second is a Taurus PT145 first gen DAO. Oddly, when it runs right it’s a pretty good self-defense gun: 11 rounds of .45 and really good ergos resulting in excellent control. But another light striker, fractured the grip frame three times, and drops mags.
There’s an old Universal M-1 Carbine that needs a really right star alignment to finish a magazine, too.
Next would be the Springfield Trophy Match .45 I got from a customer and was supposedly a Custom Shop gun. It broke so many things and had so many parts flying off it needed a basket underneath. When it tore the link in two in the middle of the holes, it was gone.
My luck with Springers has been bad, and I’m prejudiced. The Missus has a double brace of custom SAs that are pretty good, apart from having broken three .40 cal slides so far in six years ( and Springer’s not sending replacements anymore- the guns are collecting dust).
I had a Smith 625 that was packed with floor sweepings, had a hammer so far off-center it could hardly get past the frame to hit the primer, and dropped its cylinder on the ground three times during USPSA matches before meeting a fate outside of my ken. It wasn’t very accurate either and spit like a first baseman.
Wow, this could go on for a while…
I have been asked by a number of fence-sitters about bump stocks. What I tell them is that I am very thankful that this idiot used one. They are a “range toy” gimmick that, while it is a lot of fun for spending money made him WILDLY less accurate and lowered the body count from what it could have potentially been if he had just calmly shot anything without a bump stock. Some walk away confused, some continue the conversation out of genuine desire for education.
No decision = no binding precedent. Time to revisit the issue.
HAHA thats freaking awesome man. Love Taofledermaus and his random ass shotgun loads.
I still have a first gen Professional Ordnance AR clone. Finicky with ammo. Sometimes great stretches of not jamming. Alot of sudden, jam-o-matic with the same brand. Plus it was the first AR clone to break it’s bolt within 500 rds.
I took my new Model 69 out if the box about 6 months ago and hit the bull’s-eye at 10 yards with my first 4 out of 5 rounds (Magtech 240 Grain JSP). The 5th shot was about 2 in. from the bull’s eye.
It was the first 44 Magnum revolver that I have used. I have a 686-6 in. and a 649 and a bunch of semi-automatics in 9mm otherwise.
Very accurate right out of the box but after about 750 rounds, I cleaned it up and put it away to allow my hand to recover. I’ll take it out for another 500 rounds or so next year.
If you need to shoot something large like a bear or a car, the Model 69 Combat Magnum would be a good choice.
Glock 19 Gen 4 broke before the first round was fired. Mailing it back several times cost more than what I paid for it. Unlike others Glock charged me for everything.
The first two i ever owned. A walther p99 and ruger p93. Sold both quickly. Only thing i could rely on them for was to jam.
When my uncle passed away he left me 2 rifles and 2 revolvers. The rifles are great and i still have them. The revolvers were made by a company called rohm. Never heard of them so i asked around. I was told by every gunsmith i asked to not shoot them. Apparently they were made from cheap metal and were known to blow up. Those are safe queens now.
Would love a side-by-side comparison of this rifle and Q’s “The Fix” rifle. Both of them are ultra-light modern takes on the bolt-action.
OK. So a fairly expensive bullpup that isn’t accurate.
Solid pass.
Pro tip: if burglar dead, burglar no burgly burgly and also no assaulty assaulty you, your wife or kids. And if lawyer good, also no troubly troubly for you. That simple.
Not knowing gunmaking, could it have been designed to vent the combustion gasses down, forward, or a combination of the two?
The idea of a Steyer AUG in a major caliber intrigues me, but the dirt-in-the eyes is a major turn-off…
Somewhere between 10 and 13, I had a air rifle but was given a beautiful brass Benjamin pump Air pistol. I basically started going out to the barn and did a meditation exercise.
Spend a fifteen minutes and often much more sitting and firing BB after BB, using both.
I was corrupted when I was only 11 years old. Go Boy Scouts of America! Our scoutmaster was a major stationed at Wright Patterson Air Force base. Bolt action .22 rifles with single shot adapters. We learned safe gun handling and marksmanship the right way.