Viewpoints

I like the new letter grading system because it gives me the ability to compare firearms across reviews. I can compare an "A" to any other graded review of a similar firearm regardless of what it was reviewed with or when. Makes the reviews much more flexible and useable. Thanks for a great magazine!

In early March, one of the most anti-gun courts in the country ruled in favor of the 2nd Amendment - declaring the Washington, D.C., gun ban unconstitutional, and much, much more.Two big rulings: The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Second Amendment is an individual right and concluded that the District of Columbias ban on guns in the home is unconstitutional.

Over the years, Gun Tests readers have asked us to alter aspects of what we do. On an issue-by-issue basis, there are always questions about mix (the ratio of certain types of guns compared to others), quantity (the number of guns in a certain test or in a certain issue), and matchup (how closely guns resemble each other in physical configuration).

I am a long-time subscriber and appreciate your publication very much. I dont buy a lot of guns, but have a few, including a Cabelas .45 Long Colt after your test. A couple of comments:

Smith & Wesson Corp. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Thompson/Center Arms, Inc., a 40-year-old, privately held, New Hampshire-based designer, manufacturer and marketer of hunting firearms, for $102 million in cash. The transaction was expected to close in January 2007.

I am chagrinned at the "Dont Buy" rating you gave the Para Ordnance CCO CWX745S .45 ACP. I re-read your review on this piece, and your were entirely laudatory, your only reservation being its price, and that on the basis that you had tested a cheaper (operative term) plastic gun that would send the same bullets down range.

Following the decision of Lake County, Ind., Superior Court Judge Robert A. Pete, declaring the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act unconstitutional, firearm manufacturers under suit have filed a motion to certify the courts ruling.

As we reported in "Short Shots" some months back, Smith & Wesson has expanded the Military & Police (M&P) Pistol Series to include compact frames. The first compact in the compact line is a 9mm, the M&P9c.

BATFE Modernization & Reform

Microstamping Defeated; NYC Mayor Sued by Gun Dealer: What Did Hillary Know and When Did She Know It?

The Coming StormU.S. gunowners are right to fear the confiscatory nature of our lawmakers who believe the 2nd Amendment is an anachronism. But the larger fight about any human beings right to defend himself with a firearm is being played on a global stage, and the debate is chilling for anyone who believes gun ownership is a right on par with free speech, free assembly, and free association. …

Re "Big-Bore Revolvers: For Power,Choose Rugers Super Redhawk," April 2006I was glad to see a review of the .454 Alaskan. I live in the mountains of the West, and I would like to see more comments or an article comparing what we call "bear guns" here. I assume most .454 loads are too much for this guns weight, but would like your staffs opinion. Ruger now has their Alaskan out in .44 Magnum. Is this…