Viewpoints

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GUN COMPANIES WELCOME. The legislature in Oklahoma has passed an invitation for gun makers to open manufacturing facilities in what The Daily Oklahoman calls this gun friendly state. An editorial describes the joint resolution from the Senate this way: The resolution notes that firearm manufacturers have plants in places that are hostile to gun ownership. Why not move here? Lawmakers have asked the Commerce Department to develop incentives to attract weapons makers. Murray State College, the resolution says...

New York Times Reporting?
Re Two .338 Winchester Magnums Vs. Remingtons .338 Ultra Mag, March 2004:

Your .338 article reminded me of something I might find in the New York Times on the tenth page: Well hidden from the casual reader, yet possibly of some interest to a certain cadre of subscribers. The evaluation of the Ruger and the Winchester were good. I noticed a certain rough spot in a .25-06 Model 70 I purchased a couple years ago, in the same spot you mentioned as the bolt was pushed closed.

I wonder, though, if you had wanted a better looking firearm, why didnt you just purchase one with the walnut stock and bluing, as it would have compared favorably with the R...

Still, I occasionally enter Gun Tests work in contests, mainly to get what I call a fresh read on the execution of the material. Having other professionals backstop our work can show me holes in what we do, and perhaps show me how to make the magazine better.

In March, I attended the Texas Outdoor Writers Association (TOWA) annual meeting in the friendly southwest Texas town of Uva...

Cookie Vs. Back Pocket
Re Is Pocket Carry Safe? Getting A Hold on Pocket Holsters, March 2004.

Thats Grahams Back Pocket at $40, not the Cookie at $35. I have one for My Walther TPH and its outstanding.

-E. Tobiassen
Haverhill, MA

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Grahams Cookies
Re Is Pocket Carry Safe? Getting A Hold on Pocket Holsters, March 2004:

Thanks very much for the article. It is generating lots of interest at this end. The holster you reference is actually called the Back Pocket. The Cookie is a front pocket holster similar to the Rosen holster in the article.

I am a one-man shop, and I tend to work some pretty long hours. I do not have a...

Yet, despite the rhetoric, there is not a single academic study showing that these bans have reduced violent crime. Even research funded by the Justice Department under the Clinton administration concluded merely that the bans impact on gun violence has been uncertain.

The 1994 federal assault-weapons ban applied to semi-automatics that fire one bullet per pull of the trigger. Rebuilding semi-...

Praise for the .17 HMR
Re Anschutz, Ruger, Marlin & Savage: .17 HMRs Meet Head-to-Head, April 2003:

I have especially enjoyed your testing of .17 HMR long guns. I have a Ruger 77/17 with a 3x9 Bushnell scope that will print consistent 1/2 inch or smaller five-shot groups at 50 yards and was surprised to see there was no drop at 100 yards. I recently went with a friend to his lease to help him with their constantly growing hog problem. I took the .17 along to see if it would perform on something bigger than jackrabbits and coyotes. I took a 60- to 70-pound boar at about 105 yards with a Remington .17 round, about an inch high from being right between the eyes. He kicked two...

Ohio Licensing Begins April 9
Ohio Gov. Bob Taft has signed legislation giving law-abiding and mentally competent Ohioans the right to carry concealed handguns.

The law will take effect April 9. Work already has started on the application forms and other material that county sheriffs will need to process applications and issue licenses.

Still, it could be as long as 60 days after the bill takes effect before Ohioans can start applying for licenses. When licenses do become available, sheriffs should brace themselves for a flurry of applications, if recent experience in Michigan is any guide.

Michigan revised its concealed-carry law in 2001, and the state received 62,902...

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...