Viewpoints

FIREARMS EXPERT CONVICTED. An antique weapons expert was convicted in December for his role in conspiring to inflate the prices of two historic pistols that he and another man sold to a wealthy collector, prosecutors said.

Michael Zomber, of Franklin, Tenn., was found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Goldman. He faces up to five years in prison under sentencing guidelines.

Zomber and Richard Ellis, a respected expert on Colt pistols, deceived a Pennyslvania collector, James Murphy, into thinking that he was in a bidding war for two pistols once owned by Texas Rangers Capt. Samuel H. Walker, prosecutors said. The guns, a pair...

Kel-Tec Sub2000 Lessons
Re December 2003, Guns and Gear of the Year:

I had filed my experience with the Kel-Tec Sub2000 in the lessons learned file and tried to forget about it, but then you went and proclaimed it a gun of the year! I wonder whether your experience is not representative of this gun, or mine was. While anybody who has high standards and buys a cheap plastic gun should expect to be disappointed, I thought I knew what to expect from your review.

My experience with the Sub2000 was dramatically different than yours. With the exception of the trigger, it appeared to have been made well. The main action was as tight as you mentioned, and all of the parts see...

GOOD ECONOMIC NEWS ON THE WAY?
Three different news bits supplied by the National Shooting Sports Foundation points to 2004 being a strong year for firearms activity. To wit:

• When the Justice Department audited National Instant Check System purchases during an 80-day period last year to ascertain how many potential firearm purchases were made by women, it found that roughly 12 percent of gun buyers are women. Translated into unit sales, that means females purchased about 1 million of the estimated 8 million long guns and handguns expected to be sold in 2003.That number comes directly from the question about the gender of the buyer on the BATF Form 4473.

• To...

DASCHLE PROTECTS GUN RIGHTS? You know that Democratic politicians have learned that gun-rights advocacy can save their jobs when Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) moves to protect gun manufacturers and dealers from legal liability when crimes are committed without their knowledge.

The vast majority of gun owners, manufacturers and sellers are honest and law-abiding, Daschle said of his support for the bill. It is wrong-and a misuse of the civil justice system-to try to punish honest, law-abiding people for illegal acts committed by others without their knowledge or involvement.

Daschle submitted an amendment to a current gun-liability law that would clarif...

Kimber Failures to Feed
Re: Nov. 2003, Firing Line:

I read Bruce Petries letter regarding his Kimber Eclipse Pro II and feel that recounting my experience with my Kimber Tactical Pro II might help.

The gun seemed to be the perfect combination of size, power, and features on a carry gun. As is my practice with all guns intended for personal protection, I bought the gun, cleaned and lubricated it, and headed for the range with lots of ammo. I will not carry any gun until I have fired a minimum of 500 rounds through it. I was using a Kimber factory seven-round magazine and six Wilson Combat mags. I had previously used Wilsons in all of my 1911s with great results. I was u...

Mini-14 Accuracy
Re October 2003, Firing Line:

I was reading Firing Line and saw where someone was asking if the aftermarket sleeves would improve the accuracy of a Mini-14. Here is my low-tech, cheap method to see if those sleeves will work on your gun. I took a 2-by-4 and cut a chunk one inch long. Then I bored a hole the size of the barrel through it. Then I bored two holes through it to put two bolts (3/8 inch by 2 1/2 inch) to clamp it. Then I split the block of wood in half and clamped it onto the end of the barrel of my Mini. Results were astounding. Most groups were cut in half. My gun started pushing toward MOA. The whole cost was 50 cents for the bolts. Consider...

In Missouri, the legislature has voted to override Gov. Bob Holdens veto of state legislation that would allow concealed carry in the Show Me State.

In mid-September, the Republican-controlled Missouri House and Senate representatives voted on consecutive days to override Holdens veto, with one vote coming from State Senator Jon Dolan, who returned from active duty with the U.S. Army in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in time to help his GOP colleagues. The legislature also has joined 30 other states in enacting protection from lawsuits for companies whose products are misused without their knowledge in criminal acts, another law the Governor vetoed earlier.

Despite panicked claims that innoce...

LAST CHANCE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS. Activists from around the country will converge on Houston for the 18th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference September 26 through 28 at the George Bush International Airport Marriot Hotel. Grassroots activists compare notes on the gun rights movement in their local communities and learn about the future of the national movement to secure our freedoms. Alan Gottlieb, founder and executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation urged activists to: be there to celebrate the major victories weve had in extending the right to carry. The people of Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, and Minnesota are safer now that their fundamental right to self-de...

Looking at Laser Sights
Re September 2003, Looking at Laser Sights: Whats Right for the Self-Defense Shooter:

I found your comments to reflect my experience with the Crimson Trace laser on my Taurus 85 .38 Special. However, what you did not say anything about was accuracy of the weapon with and without the laser. I found my Taurus to be very inaccurate with just the iron sights. About as accurate as throwing a baseball, I always said. This is due to the nonadjustable sights and the short length of the sight radius. No slight to Taurus, the gun is designed for lightweight carry and close-proximity defense, not target shooting. After adding the Crimson Trace laser, my accur...

I turn over my column this month to John R. Lott Jr., a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of the recently released The Bias Against Guns. -Todd Woodard

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June 26, 2003 - The June 14 deadline for Iraqi citizens to turn in banned weapons worked about as poorly as any gun buy-back program in the United States. After the two-week program ended, a guard at one of the designated places to turn in guns said, We have had plenty of reporters, but no weapons come in.

American soldiers are laying down their lives to protect Iraqi citizens, and the last thing that we want to do is put them in harms way. On Tuesday, six British soldie...

Testing the .45-70
Re August 2003 Trapdoor Springfields, Whats Your Best .45-70 Choice?:

Congratulations on another great issue, thats about 176 in a row, or thereabouts. You are absolutely right about not wanting to test the service charge of the original .45-70. Those things create about 22 foot-pounds of free recoil; they really grab your attention. I have an original, cut to a carbine for movie work. It is an absolute joy to shoot with a 300-grain cast roundnose pushed with 50 grains of Pyrodex.

-Bruce Krohn
Los Lunas, NM

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Colt SSA 1st Generation
Re July 2003 45 Single Action Colts and Clones, USFAs Rodeo is our C...

.380 Versus .38 Special
Re: June 2003 Firing Line:

I read with interest the two letters taking Gun Tests to task for daring to say the .38 Special was more powerful than the .380. The .380 (either the Colt Mustang or the AMT Backup) is certainly more concealable than the .38 special, but the round is simply a weaker load. My Colt Detective averages 955 fps with Cor-Bon 158-grain lead bullets. That is only 45 fps slower than the advertised velocity on the box, and is probably due to the 2-inch barrel. The measure of energy is 320 foot-pounds using Hatchers formula. (The no-longer-produced 115-grain Cor-Bons screamed out at 1207 fps for 372 foot-pounds of energy, but I pref...