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San Francisco Police Call Norinco SKS a “Cannon of a Rifle”

Robert Farago - comments No comments

Anti-gun reportage is nothing new for left-coasters. Nor is anti-gun hysteria. The most recently outbreak: a proposed ban against open carry. This in a state where openly carried weapons must be carried unloaded, and hardly anyone does so. And nothing bad has happened as a result. Thankfully, that measure proved a damp squib. But the ignorance and animus generating the gun grabbers’ fear and paranoia continues to infect the local media. “Cops uncovered a ‘cannon’ of a rifle while making a pot bust in the Bayview district earlier this month.” How does sfexaminer.com know that this was no ordinary rifle? ‘Cause “the police said.” Besides, look! Look at all those big ass bullets! You can hardly get your hand around them. I mean, those cannons are illegal, right? According to the triumphant cops, who also removed a small bag of “weed” from the world, very . . .

The driver was pulled out of the car. The driver handed the cops a small bag of weed, presumably hoping they wouldn’t search his car, police said.

The cops searched the car and found an SKS carbine rifle, “which is very illegal.” The suspect also had a warrant for his arrest out of Merced County, police said.

He was booked at Bayview Station.

“Gotta believe a life [lives] was saved getting this cannon off the streets,” police said.

That’s right: you gotta believe. Otherwise, what? You’d have to confront the fact that the wast majority of gun crimes are committed with handguns?

0 thoughts on “San Francisco Police Call Norinco SKS a “Cannon of a Rifle””

  1. Well, 7.62×39 is bigger than that assault rifle, evil killing cartridge of the m16, the 5.56.

    Good thing those evil Ruski AK47, spray and pray, fire from the hip machines aren’t chambered with those evil cannon rounds of the SKS.

    Sporting rifles such as were intended by the second amendment for killing deer and such are usually of the low calibers like 30-06 and 30-30, thank God. We don’t need anymore cop killing calibers in this country! What’s next, hollow points that let you kill 30 innocent bystanders for every trigger pull?

    It’s about time we got some common sense legislation in this country to curb this violence!

    Reply
    • You got me. My first reaction was that you were just another low-IQ, feral, uneducated, liberty hating, self-loathing, whining, self-absorbed, hoplophobic, control freak liberal. I didn’t catch the sarcasm until my second read.

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      • Jesus dude. You aren’t a rifle guy then. The SKS (canon) fires the same round as the AK,

        And the “little” cartridges the 30-06 is roughly 2x the power of the 7.62×39 that the AK/SKS shoot and 3x the power of the 223/5.56 that the M16 fires.

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  2. Good thing those evil Ruski AK47, spray and pray, fire from the hip machines aren’t chambered with those evil cannon rounds of the SKS.

    lulz

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    • I don’t know why it would be. It doesn’t have a detachable magazine so I don’t think it falls under their “assault weapon” laws but I’m not an expert on CA gun laws either….

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      • San Francisco gun laws state that unless a weapon has a barrel short enough for the police officer in duty to deep-throat, the barrel length is illegal and must be fitted with a threaded dildo device to render it suitable for personal carry under the Barney Frank / Arnhole Scwarzenfooger ‘Educational Toy” exception/

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      • Nobody in California law enforcement is an expert on California firearms laws, either. They usually just make it up as they go along until somebody’s lawyer makes them stop…briefly.

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      • You are correct that the SKS does not have a detachable magazine or pistol grip as configured from the factory. However, in less than 2 minutes, using no tools, simply the tip of a bullet, you can pop out the trigger assembly, remove the internal box magazine, snap the trigger assembly back in and there are “gooseneck” 30 round and 20 round magazines made for the SKS that pop in place. The video of how to do it is on “Youtube”, and it is incredibly simple. Also, Tapco, and Archangel make different types of stocks that the existing working mechanism easily fits into, conveting it into either something that looks more like a traditional hunting rifle, or a tactical type assault rifle.

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    • Perhaps the rifle was being carried loaded. I know this is illegal in Pennsylvania. Prohibited in California as well? Or maybe in California if you have your rifle and the bullets for it within 1000 yards of each other then that’s illegal?

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      • Try saying “rounds” or “cartridges” next time! “Bullets” are the things that go out the barrel. Cases are the things left behind and ejected from the action. A cartridge is the bullet, propellant and case together as a unit. Don’t you think “bullets” sounds a bit tacky? If we lived in the day when muzzle-loading firearms were the norm, “bullets” might sound OK. The leftist media always refers to cartridges as “bullets”

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    • No. The SKS is not considered an “assault rifle” because it does not have a removable magazine. The rifle has to be torn down to remove the magazine. It also lacks other defined features but there are aftermarket stocks which can be retrofitted to it that would make it so. Most SKSs have a bayonet (not just a lug) integral to the rifle and most of the Yugos come with a grenade launcher. That still doesn’t make it an illegal firearm in California and shows the ignorance of those who are supposed to know these things. If those who enforce the laws do not know the laws then how are we supposed to obey the laws?

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      • No matter what any individual STATE law may seem to say, “ASSAULT RIFLE” must be capable of firing AUTOMATICALLY, that is, multiple shots with ONE pull of the trigger. That is what makes it better for assaulting any structure/group/army. Remember, the idiots have tried to make ALL guns illegal so they make things up to scare fellow idiots. How can you determine if someone is communist/democrat/socialist/ Obamaian? They are afraid of EVERYTHING! Especially guns. They really want their Mommy’s teat so they don’t have to THINK! Without government welfare we wouldn’t have this problem. When the churches WERE the welfare source, people knew that they had to obey the ‘rules’ if they wanted to get any help. People who COULD work, either worked or starved. Then the government took over and the laws started changing to provide more voters.

        IN TEXAS, before 1996, the Constitution did NOT allow anyone who was receiving any form of welfare to VOTE! Nor, anyone under 21 years old. The Federal Rules allowed 18 YO’s to vote in FEDERAL ELECTIONS. Previously, in Texas, only those who had surrendered their property for taxes could vote in any election where SPENDING was being voted on. If you did NOT provide the public funding you could NOT tell them how to spend it.

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  3. It’s illegal to carry anything loaded (w/o the impossible to get CCW) in California, unless you’re in your house, place of employment, or camping.

    AFAIK, we don’t have any restrictions on rifles, but there is a list of handguns you can’t buy.

    And I’ve never seen anyone carrying an unloaded weapon openly. Ever. Such a retarded law.

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  4. Not 100% sure but I seem to remember the SKS being made illegal by name in the CA Assault weapons ban, even though it didn’t meet the Criteria. Again, I’m not sure about that.

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    • The SKS is perfetly legal to buy and own in California. Two exceptions are any SKS with a true Grenade Launcher attached, (Yugo M59/66) and any SKS with a detachable magazine (Chinese SKS “D” or “M” models). Also if you change the stock non-detachable magazine out for a Tapco or other style detachable magazine it will then fall under the catagory above and be illegal.

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      • Thank you. I’ve been searching everywhere for this statement. Short, simple, and most importantly, CORRECT.

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        • Problem is,since asking 2 cops will get you 7 different answers,you’ll still probably go to jail until someone who reads English can interpret the law for them and get you released.

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  5. The SKS in it’s original config is equipped with grenade launcher (22mm?) that looks somewhat like a muzzle brake. It’s CA legal (and MA legal, too) if the launcher was removed and an actual muzzle brake is attached.

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    • Only the Yugo SKS (currently still available at about $300-400) has the built on grenade launcher. The Russian and Chinese SKS’s have the muzzle brake.

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  6. SKS’s were sold in huge quantities in California in the early to mid-1990s, for prices as low as $110 for the less-handy rifle versions. It’s a shame that most of these cheap SKS’s were unbelievably shitty Norincos, prone to slam-fires and chain-fires or just firing when you activated/deactivated the safety. (Some Norincos are perfectly serviceable, like their 1911s.)

    Then in 1997, the state Attorney General decided that all Samozaryadnyj Karabin sistemy Simonovas were illegal. The NRA pushed through a partial legislative fix in 1998, exempting the original fixed-magazine SKS’s but still banning any which had been configured to accept detachable magazines.

    Since that debacle, SKS rifles and carbines are both completely legal in California, as long as they are still equipped with the original 10-round fixed magazines. New ones cannot be sold there unless any grenade laucher attachment is cut off, but most wholesalers are willing to do this to access the California market.

    As an aside, how many Californians have been killed or injured by rifle grenades fired from SKS rifles?

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    • You are correct on all counts except for the slamfire issue. This is simply a result of gun owning Americans not knowing how to deal with Communist storage procedures. Communist countries store their rifles for long term storage by dipping them in a product called Cosmoline, a thick petroleum based goo that coats all internal and external surfaces. This goo tends to build up in small hard to reach areas. It is applied as a heated bath, and flows EVERYWHERE. Newly imported rifles were not cleaned of Cosmoline, and American Gun owners knew to clear the bore, and wipe the outside of their new prizes down. Then they would proceed out to the range and go shooting. The problem is, that the SKS uses a free floating firing pin, and if the firing pin channel is full of goop, the pin cannot rattle back and forth. If the pin is stuck in the forward position, then it will slam fire. This is not a fault of the design. It is a fault of the owner.

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    • “It’s a shame that most of these cheap SKS’s were unbelievably shitty Norincos, prone to slam-fires and chain-fires or just firing when you activated/deactivated the safety.”

      I’ve literally sold hundreds of Norinco built SKS as well as AK variants by the thousands. All weapons manufactured by Norinco were imported in retail boxes with no excessive grease [cosmoline?] ever applied.

      My experience includes a range session outside of San Diego sponsered by Norinco and have shot many variants they made that never entered the US for retail sale with some to be sold to law enforcement only [NFA]. The Chinese Norinco Rep spoke perfect English and knew every aspect of firearm safety and operation. I posed no question involving operation or design that was not answered promptly and professionally.

      Norinco lost interest in the US market soon after Bush 41 imposed the ban on importation of ‘evil black rifles’ after the Stockton CA School Yard Massacre.

      I was not impressed by their 1911 variant BTW and I might add that through the years I’m VERY distrustful of a lot of US made 1911s as well!

      I know of no Norinco produced firearm intended for US sale that ever had any of the problems described and in fact their 84-s rifles are some of the most accurate AK variants ever produced. I still have one.

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  7. Never had any slam fire issues with my Norinco or Rommy AK. Just dont use soft primer US ammo and you wont have that issue either. If you are concerned a replacement firing pin with spring can be had for a small sum just google it.

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  8. No, SKS’s are not illegal in California. In fact, I bought a Yugo SKS at Big 5 in the Bay Area just last year. As other posters have mentioned, as long as the original fixed magazine is used and a flash suppressor/muzzle brake is welded on (to prevent the grenade launcher from working), it’s perfectly legal. Mine even still had the bayonet attached!

    I didn’t have any issues with slamfires, but I use Wolf ammo. My firing pin did get gummed up (after >1000 rounds), but it’s not all that difficult to take the bolt apart for cleaning (you do need a pin punch, though).

    My guess would be that the rifle was either in the back seat, or was loaded and in the trunk. CA requires that guns being transported be unloaded AND in a locked container (and the glovebox doesn’t count, although I doubt that was a factor here).

    Yet another reason to leave that shithole of a state.

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  9. One problem with California is that the State allows Counties, Cities, and municipalities to have their own gun laws, which makes every local cop their own little ATF. Pass an Amendment to the Constitution that preempts all of them and set up a rational system for “Shall Issue” CCW with reciprocity with all other States and watch violent crime plummet (as happened in FL). Felons and minors will still not be legally carrying, but the police will suddenly by backed up by the local populace and won’t need to be high-speed low-drag Ninja warriors to just do their job. Kicking out the Federal Drug War from the State/sealing the border/OperationWetback2011 would help a lot, too. Oh well, maybe after the State goes BK, gets some fiscal religion, and the Restoration is firmly in place.

    I won’t go back to Kali how it is.

    cheers.

    Reply
  10. Technically, Californica has a pre-emption law forbidding local communities from making their own gun laws. The SAF and NRA have used that law a couple of times against San Fran to stop handgun bans. On the other hand, hoplophobic cops do what they want anyway. Your choice is submit to false arrest, or kill cops. Bad juju any way you look at it.

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  11. I find it useful to point out to hoplophobes that the ballistic “power” of the round used by the “AK-47 bullet-hose” is inferior to Grandpa’s 30-30 deer rifle.

    That usually shuts ’em up — for a minute, anyway…

    DD

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  12. Maybe the reporter compared the round with their weenie. I’m sure that that round really looked like a cannon shell then………………………….

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  13. Listen to what Prince 50 says.
    He knows more about the SKS than all of you kalifornians combined.
    Great teacher on all things SKS related. Trust me on this.

    Reply
  14. Once again the news reporter goes for ratings instead of facts. If you really want a “cannon of a rifle” try a CETME/G3 or a Mosin Nagant.

    The officer did report that a cloud of pot smoke escaped the car as the perp rolled down the window. Did the cop accidentally inhaled and the pot altered his judgment and perspective?

    Once again the anti-gunners make themselves look like the laughing stock of the world

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  15. Oh Jack Rabbit1, your gift for subtlety goes right over most heads! I got me a new unfired SKS last month, damn that cosmoline, will need 50 cleans to get rid of it. Not being an expert, it took me 5 hours to put it back together (Russian military standard – 2 minutes or less). I stopped trying and it went together without a hitch, and I still don’t know how I did it. I’ve ordered a new firing pin from murraysguns.
    The 7.62 x 39 has similar power to the 30-30, but better ballistics downrange as it’s shaped like bullet, not the end of a finger.
    Here in New Zealand we are restricted to 5 round magazines only for centrefire (unless you pay to have a different category license and buy a much heavier/thicker walled safe). That’s OK, I can only afford occasional shoot ’em ups.

    Last week I got a Norinco JW-25A, a copy of the Mauser KKW training rifle, in .22 calibre. Sweet rifle, a lot like my CZ 452, but a lot cooler and more “military” looking (and less the half the price). Will have fun in the range this year! Oh yes, you Yanks will have to smuggle these over the border if anyone in Canada has any left – I think they’re all sold out.

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  16. heaven help them if they ever encounter someone with one of the FG42 reproductions. Would they charge them with illegally transporting a battleship?

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  17. Country folks in California need to stay away from the cities and big towns if they value their firearms. The politicians’ henchmen, aka the police, do what their masters tell them. Even truer now than in 2011.

    Reply

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