Great marketing strategy, lousy sales pitch:
Local news reports from other gun shops across the country seem to indicate that a run on military-style semi-automatics and ammunition of all types may continue for months as long-time shooters and new gun purchasers stock up in preparation for what many expect to be one of the most divisive, anti-gun federal governments in years.
I wonder if any of the ostentatiously outspoken “civil libertarians” who’ve spent the last few years protesting the NSA’s data mining program will be quite so vociferous should the feds move to create a national gun registry — or, through the backdoor, as part of the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, by requiring gun makers to to keep electronic records of markings from bullets and casings when new guns are test fired, then connecting the data with the gun serial numbers in order to allow law enforcement to trace bullets and casings found at a shooting site to the gun maker and eventually to the buyer.
I wonder what falls into the category of “military-style semi-automatics”? I’m betting the military doesn’t use them, and for good reasons.
See, if you have enough people buying “military-style” weapons, pretty soon you have people thinking about forming militias, and then you have to go and tear-gas them, which makes for bad PR. So best to just nip that trend in the bud right this instant, no?
Well the 2nd Amendment is one of the parts of our living Constitution that will need to be amputated in order for it to live. For its own good of course.
The wound will be cauterized with the white hot breath of Our Lord and Savior, The Obamessiah.
Either that, or a a really hot andiron.
It’s one thing to change or pass a law, but it’s a whole different thing to enforce it.
Remember the first two Clinton administrations (apparently this is going to be the third…)? When the Feds spent so much time demonizing the ‘militia movement’ leading up to Janet Reno’s blaze of glory? I wonder if any of those original militia types are still around in any significant form? Will the Feds try to resurrect their bogeymen? Or will they create some new target of government approved hate?
So, any advice on what kind of shotgun and ammo to get for
home protectionstate-sanctioned sporting activities? I’ve never shot one before, but I do hear that’s the best choice in case ofarmed resistance to those rounding up wrongthinkersfending off intrudersfiring state-sanctioned salutes to Dear Leader.BTW, the UM @ OSU game is cancelled this weekend. Seems that the Michigan football team can’t make it past Toledo. Ba-dump-bum.
keep electronic records of markings from bullets and casings when new guns are test fired, then connecting the data with the gun serial numbers in order to allow law enforcement to trace bullets and casings found at a shooting site to the gun maker and eventually to the buyer.
I wonder how accurate that really is. No two guns make the same marks? No gun makes different marks as it ages/is fired a lot/is (or isn’t) cleaned?
Comment by JohnAnnArbor on 11/21 @ 9:54 am #
If I remember correctly, take your brand new gun, run a wire brush up the barrel and the government’s database means shit.
Or take your brand new gun to the Barrel Exchange and you’ve thrown a shoe into the gears.
My worry is that someone could be falsely accused because of similar marks. They could even be fraudulently accused; imagine an expert saying the marks match when they’re merely close, or a few key “enhancements” to the evidence (or photos thereof) to make the marks match.
Which Clinton “comrade” will be called upon to help the messiah® with this mess? Janet Reno being indisposed.
Sand paper and steel wool will have to be regulated and registered. For the children of course.
For a general utility shotgun I’d recommend a used Remington 870 in 12 gauge. They are cheap and ultra reliable – you can also swap barrels – longish one with removable chokes for sporting purposes and a 16″ cylinder bore for social purposes. Another viable option would be the Mossberg 500. Do not get a pistol grip only – you want a buttstock.
If your home is of the suburban or urban variety I’d recommend NOT using any buckshot for personal defense, stick with birdshot in #4 or #6 size. Do be aware that household distances birdshot can penetrate drywall although this risk is much diminished as compared to buckshot.
Oh, and get some competent instruction (it’s worth more than any single gun) and practice – not just peppering targets but also actions like retrieving the weapon in the dark, loading, clearing jams, firing then making safe, and maneuvering around your home. Have a real plan for dealing with things that go bump in the night, and make sure your whole family knows, understands, and can follow the drill.
Mossberg 500 barrels swap easy too.
If I remember correctly, take your brand new gun, run a wire brush up the barrel and the government’s database means shit.
GAAAA! don’t do anything nearly so drastic.
Go get yourself some 400 to 600 grit non-embeding polishing compound. Then apply this to a cloth patch around a tight fitting bore cleaning jag. Run the jag through the bore and back about 20-40 times – you may need to reload with a fresh cloth/compound after 20 passes. after this run a few patches soaked with cleaning fluid to remove any remaining compound. Now you’ve polished the bore and altered most of the telltale tool marks enough to make ballistic matching very difficult.
But don’t stop there. you also need to polish the chamber(s) the breechface (that’s the place where the rear of the fired cartridge presses against,) the tip of the firing pin (go easy here) and the extractor & ejector if present.
Some of those surfaces are not particularly critical either – rather than polishing (or prior to) you could actually add some minor surface blemishes (aka scratches) to further obfuscate any identity marks.
In six months the “O” admin. will be screaming about the influx of illegal ammunition coming across our southern border.
@13:
Excellent advice ThomasD. #4 buck (aka “urban police load”) is an excellent choice for in the home.
I could also recommend 20ga instead of 12, particularly when smaller-statured people may need to use the weapon. I belive TMJUtah or Pablo posted a colorful Massad Ayoob quote at the Pub regarding the difference between 12ga and 20ga to the effect that the only person who would know the difference is the medical examiner at autopsy.
The markings database would be totally effective in stopping the epidemic of gang-bangers running to Cabelas and buying a $600 S&W M+P pistol and using them for turf wars right out of the box.
What your barrel markings changed? Fire about 500 rounds through it.
B-But Jeff, They’re doing it for the children…Don’t you see, Man!
That eeeeeevil NSA data mining may have helped catch terrorists, you know-the folks that attack out of frustration over our lack of empathy for their condition and feelings; but it didn’t do much for the children…
Come join the Utopia!
Is there an “opt-out” button?
The power to tax being the power to ban, watch for some of the first legislative moves to be a massive increase in federal tax on ammunition.
The value of a thing is what that thing will bring.
Price does NOT equate to value. In 1900, a 1 oz. gold coin was priced at $20 and would buy you a nice suit of clothes (for example). In 2000, 1 oz. of gold was priced around $300 – and would still buy you a nice new suit. THAT’S value.
ThomasD,
Interesting advice. This ties in with a questions I’ve been mulling:
Q: “Who’s the best person to talk to about beating a ballistics expert?”
A: “Another ballistics expert.”
Q: “How much would it cost to ‘flip’ a ballistics expert?”
A: “Given the direction our economy is headed, probably not as much as you’d first think.”
The power to tax being the power to ban, watch for some of the first legislative moves to be a massive increase in federal tax on ammunition.
If that happens, Congress might as well title its legislation “The Organized Crime Full-Employment Act of 2009.” It’ll be “Goodfellas” on a grand scale: hijack a load of ammo, then sell it off the back of a truck for less than the new, taxed price. Hey, it’ll be all profit to the Mafiosi so they won’t give a s***. Furthermore, given that Congress is unable, or unwilling, to control the flow of drugs and illegal aliens across our borders, how in f*** do they think they’ll be able to control the flow of bootleg ammunition from places like China and Russia?
Finally, higher taxes on ammo by our Legislative Super Geniuses will mean good bottom-line news for folks who sell reloading equipment. Y’know what I mean?
Probably a good time to invest in a reloading press and lots of powder and primers.
“Comment by ThomasD on 11/21 @ 10:33 am #
GAAAA! don’t do anything nearly so drastic.”
Don’t have a heart attack.
I was just making fun of the reactionary left’s magical thinking.
“Finally, higher taxes on ammo by our Legislative Super Geniuses …”
Wile E. Coyote magical thinking.
We live in interesting times.
#25 SBP: Do you really want to open yourself up to a charge of trafficking in controlled ammunition paraphernalia? Welcome to our new shinyhopey future.
“My worry is that someone could be falsely accused because of similar marks.”
It’s o.k. to falsely accuse gun owners, because in Dear Leader’s Amerikkka, will be guilty until proven innocent.
What’s the backlog at IBIN? Three years? Five? And its utility? Zilch. Getting the data is one thing. Having it being useful another. And it doesn’t cover the C&R market… say, anything good that started production in 1959? That 50 year mark is slowly creeping up on some interesting firearms…
give your gun dealer a shredder for Xmas. I’m sure he has plenty of responsible, law-abiding uses for it…