Editorial

Blue Dog Democrats Reject Gun Control: A coalition of some 30 conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives, blaming their partys failure to win back the House because of the gun-control issue, are urging their party to drop it from the Democratic agenda. The group believes the issue hurt Democratic candidates in many races. As we analyzed what happened and why were not successful in some of these races, that [gun control] just stands out, said U.S. Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR).

House Democratic leadership aides blame the Clinton administrations aggressive stance on gun control for the partys poor showing. We dont want it to be part of the Democratic agenda. We just do...

There is no doubt that widespread voter turnout by American gun owners influenced the outcome of this years elections, most notably in the race for the White House, but in the House of Representatives as well.

Despite Vice President Al Gore reportedly winning the overall popular vote due to his margins in major metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, he ultimately lost because he failed to win the electoral vote in such key swing states as Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and his home state of Tennessee, all targeted by the NRA and the NSSF for major voter registration and turnout drives to reach hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts.

The NRAs effort was s...

The Massachusetts Gun Control Act of 1998 continues to plague Massachusetts gun owners, and it has become particularly oppressive for retail handgun consumers, a Gun Tests reader writes us from the Bay State. Hes very involved in certain aspects of the regulatory process, and his background on how Second Amendment rights continue to be eroded there raised my eyebrows.

Among the many provisions of the Act are a complicated set of handgun testing requirements that apply to handguns sold by Massachusetts firearms dealers.

The first of these requirements is a handgun performance test that requires three samples in new condition to fire 600 rounds each without breakage and with no more t...

The 2000 elections should be only a week or two away, depending on when you actually receive this copy of Gun Tests. Your willingness to get up off the couch and go vote will be important if we expect to have the ability to keep and bear arms into the future. As you might expect, we have some opinions about how you should cast your vote. Since we advise you every month on how you should spend some of your money, allow us a moment to guide you on how to spend your political capital as well:

• Please vote for anybody but Al Gore for president. He will push registration down our throats if he wins, followed shortly by some sort of fee/transfer tax, followed by transfer restrictions, f...

A California jurist and Gun Tests reader recently wrote me a short note that said, Enclosed please find a photocopy of United States Code Title 10, Section 311, which contains the definition of militia. Your readers concerned with Second Amendment issues may find this to be of interest.

It was. Heres what Title 10, Section 311 says:

Sec. 311. Militia: composition and classes
(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of t...

We have discovered why you have so much trouble trying to reach the customer service departments of major computer companies and internet services. They're too busy giving lessons to the customer service departments of firearms manufacturers.

Does this sound familiar? Recorded Voice: Hello, thank you for calling (name of company goes here). This is our new menu. If you know the extension of the person you are calling, press number one. For customer service, press two. If you want a catalog, press three. For parts information, press four. For additional choices, press five. If you would like to hear this menu again, press six.

You press two. Recorded Voice: We're sorry, all our custome...

A group at the University of California, Davis calling itself The Violence Prevention Research Program and headed by an emergency-room physician mildly involved in the shooting sports is zeroing in on cheap autoloaders with a vengeance. Their targets are what they refer to as California's "Ring of Fire Companies": Sundance Industries, AMT, Phoenix Arms, Davis, Lorcin and Jennings/Bryco.

According to the program reports, these companies produce the vast majority of inexpensive handguns that are "disproportionately involved in violence and figure in thousands of firearms crimes a year."

Let's chill out the rhetoric a bit. Inexpensive handguns have been around since handguns were invente...

We have upon us an election year. To ensure your continued ability to buy—and use—firearms, you owe it to yourself and your children to get out and vote. There are some tough contests coming up this year in some parts of the country, and they may come down to your ballot. I don’t know of any shooters who like politicians, but I know of no shooters who aren’t tied very closely to them, like it or not.

Another election, no less important, is also upon us. That is the NRA election. Whether you know it or not, there’s been some serious infighting (again) within the NRA. The current leadership has seen fit to give $200,000 worth of free advertising to their colleagues while using the same “pul...

Gun Tests subscriber, Lance A. Ito recently sent us a copy of a Washington Times editorial that is bound to give Charles Schumer, Josh Sugarman and the rest of the Brady Bunch a fit in their respective snits.

It related the downfall of a shotgun toting 17-year-old, Dervonne Marquise Moore, bent on cashing in at the expense of a Jacksonville, Florida, restaurant. According to the Times, as Mr. Moore allegedly ordered everyone to the floor and tried to force the waitress to open the cash register, 69-year-old Oscar Moore, no relation, pulled out his .22 Magnum revolver and shot him in the mid-section. Before the robber could change his order, a second patron, 81-year-old Robert Guerry, pul...

Until recently, Interarms distributed and serviced all Rossi firearms sold in the United States and Canada. According to some sources, the reason they no longer hold the contract was due to a total management change at Rossi. According to others, it was Rossi's serious debt and need for money. For whatever reason, the contract with Interarms was not renewed.

Around November of 1997, Rossi entered into negotiations and reached an agreement with Taurus of Brazil. Contrary to rumor, Taurus did not buy Rossi. The company continues as a manufacturer and marketer of long guns. What Taurus purchased was an undisclosed, but reportedly large, amount of Rossi's machinery to expand its South America...

Are you doing everything you can to promote firearms safety? Penalty for non-compliance could be your right to bear arms.

Recent incidents where gun-toting youths shot, killed or injured their classmates leave us all shocked and bewildered. Nothing, ever, can justify the taking of innocent life and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

As tragic as these incidents are, random shootings also impact legitimate firearms ownership. It’s not too far a reach to suggest that a public groundswell of anger and grief over these senseless acts could have a negative impact on your second amendment freedoms. Could the revulsion we all feel over these crimes spark the...

Here is a very brief mention of some new guns coming up that we’re sure will be of interest. Watch for ‘em at your dealer and in Gun Tests.

Colt’s will soon be into production with their double-action-only Z40, a semiautomatic pistol design made in close conjunction with CZ of Czechoslovakia. The new Colt Cowboy single-action revolver is also coming along. Colt will also continue to offer the original Single Action Army, but some industry insiders seem to think Colt should stick with just their original SAA and figure out how to make it the old way, for a better price. Colt dropped the DS-II in .38 Special, one of which we tested for this issue. The new .357 Magnum version looks just the...