Editorial

On Thursday, June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court rediscovered the Second Amendment. More than five years after six Washington, D.C. residents challenged the city’s 32-year-old ban on all functional firearms in the home, the Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the law is unconstitutional.

On Thursday, June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court rediscovered the Second Amendment. More than five years after six Washington, D.C. residents challenged the city’s 32-year-old ban on all functional firearms in the home, the Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the law is unconstitutional.

As the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.’s ban on handguns, a majority of Americans (59%) say they would oppose a law that banned the sale of handguns, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which conducted the survey April 23-27 among 1,502 Americans. Public attitudes about gun control and a handgun ban are divided along political, gender and racial lines. Nearly three-quarters of Republicans (73%) oppose a ban on handgun sales, a view shared by 59% of independents and just half of Democrats. Democrats differ over a law to ban handgun sales. A majority of the party’s conservatives and moderates (53%) oppose such a ban; among liberal Democrats, 43% are opposed, while half favor a ban on handgun sales.

As the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of Washington, D.C.’s ban on handguns, a majority of Americans (59%) say they would oppose a law that banned the sale of handguns, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which conducted the survey April 23-27 among 1,502 Americans. Public attitudes about gun control and a handgun ban are divided along political, gender and racial lines. Nearly three-quarters of Republicans (73%) oppose a ban on handgun sales, a view shared by 59% of independents and just half of Democrats. Democrats differ over a law to ban handgun sales. A majority of the party’s conservatives and moderates (53%) oppose such a ban; among liberal Democrats, 43% are opposed, while half favor a ban on handgun sales.

Over on GunReports.com, content wizard Scott Freigh reports that an item about Wal-Mart agreeing to adopt a 10-point retailing system pushed by the anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has drawn plenty of irate comment. The basics: Wal-Mart, the largest seller of firearms in the nation, helped draft the so-called Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, a set of policies that will be implemented over time that includes video recording of sales, rigid controls on inventory, checks that gun purchasers are not misrepresenting themselves, and the development of a first-of-its kind computerized crime gun trace log for retailers.

Over on GunReports.com, content wizard Scott Freigh reports that an item about Wal-Mart agreeing to adopt a 10-point retailing system pushed by the anti-gun group Mayors Against Illegal Guns has drawn plenty of irate comment. The basics: Wal-Mart, the largest seller of firearms in the nation, helped draft the so-called Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, a set of policies that will be implemented over time that includes video recording of sales, rigid controls on inventory, checks that gun purchasers are not misrepresenting themselves, and the development of a first-of-its kind computerized crime gun trace log for retailers.

Gun manufacturing volume rose slightly from 2005 to 2006, BATFE records show. The ATF’s latest Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report (AFMER) provides valuable insight into the performance of individual companies and the type of firearms they produce. ATF embargoes the data for one year, so 2006 is the latest data available. Total firearms production in 2006 increased 3.3 percent, following a 4-percent uptick in 2005. Pistol and rifle production increased the most in 2006, while shotguns posted a slight increase, and revolvers a 14-percent decline. In 2006, Remington Arms Co. outpaced other U.S. firearm manufacturers by slightly more than 175,000 firearms to top the Gun Tests list of the Top 5 U.S. Manufacturers. This is the sixth straight year Remington has achieved the number-one ranking, making only long guns. With 603,279 firearms, Remington led Mossberg (425,761), Smith & Wesson (408,095), Sturm, Ruger (403,272), and Savage (122,438) in total manufacturing.

Gun manufacturing volume rose slightly from 2005 to 2006, BATFE records show. The ATF’s latest Annual Firearms Manufacturing and Export Report (AFMER) provides valuable insight into the performance of individual companies and the type of firearms they produce. ATF embargoes the data for one year, so 2006 is the latest data available. Total firearms production in 2006 increased 3.3 percent, following a 4-percent uptick in 2005. Pistol and rifle production increased the most in 2006, while shotguns posted a slight increase, and revolvers a 14-percent decline. In 2006, Remington Arms Co. outpaced other U.S. firearm manufacturers by slightly more than 175,000 firearms to top the Gun Tests list of the Top 5 U.S. Manufacturers. This is the sixth straight year Remington has achieved the number-one ranking, making only long guns. With 603,279 firearms, Remington led Mossberg (425,761), Smith & Wesson (408,095), Sturm, Ruger (403,272), and Savage (122,438) in total manufacturing.

I got an interesting note from Gun Tests reader Bob Snyder on January 5. The header on the mail said, 'Archives are GREAT!' Then Bob went on to write, 'Your new ‘Archives’ are great. Thank you for this wonderful addition. Would it be possible to index the Archives by make and model; to show the table of contents for each issue; or to provide the annual category, product name, and page-by-page indices? This would make the Archives even better—and they are already great.' What Bob stumbled onto is the largest reorganization and improvement of the Gun-Tests.com website we’ve ever done. The entire job is designed to make your online experience faster, broader, and deeper.

I got an interesting note from Gun Tests reader Bob Snyder on January 5. The header on the mail said, 'Archives are GREAT!' Then Bob went on to write, 'Your new ‘Archives’ are great. Thank you for this wonderful addition. Would it be possible to index the Archives by make and model; to show the table of contents for each issue; or to provide the annual category, product name, and page-by-page indices? This would make the Archives even better—and they are already great.' What Bob stumbled onto is the largest reorganization and improvement of the Gun-Tests.com website we’ve ever done. The entire job is designed to make your online experience faster, broader, and deeper.

A very long time ago I wanted a pistol. It was to be my first, and I had enough knowledge to realize it needed to be a .22 handgun. I knew I would need to shoot it a lot to learn all about handgun shooting, and nothing was cheaper to shoot than a .22 LR. Happily I had a friend, Len Ireland, who knew a bit about shooting. On the day I was to buy my first handgun, Len went with me to the firearms-sales shop of Williams Gun Sight Co. in Davison, Michigan. I really wanted a Beretta Minx with 4-inch barrel. It looked neat, and was small enough to be somewhat portable. However, Len suggested I buy a Ruger Standard. I couldn’t imagine why he wanted me to have that big pistol, and said as much. He showed me. At the time, you could try any of Williams’ guns out on their own range, right behind the store, before you bought them. Accordingly, Len and I took both the tiny Beretta and the big 6-inch Ruger out to the range, and proceeded to punch holes in targets.

A very long time ago I wanted a pistol. It was to be my first, and I had enough knowledge to realize it needed to be a .22 handgun. I knew I would need to shoot it a lot to learn all about handgun shooting, and nothing was cheaper to shoot than a .22 LR. Happily I had a friend, Len Ireland, who knew a bit about shooting. On the day I was to buy my first handgun, Len went with me to the firearms-sales shop of Williams Gun Sight Co. in Davison, Michigan. I really wanted a Beretta Minx with 4-inch barrel. It looked neat, and was small enough to be somewhat portable. However, Len suggested I buy a Ruger Standard. I couldn’t imagine why he wanted me to have that big pistol, and said as much. He showed me. At the time, you could try any of Williams’ guns out on their own range, right behind the store, before you bought them. Accordingly, Len and I took both the tiny Beretta and the big 6-inch Ruger out to the range, and proceeded to punch holes in targets.