American Gun Ownership Highest In 18 Years

[derspiess]

Dusted off an old project and assembled a Spikes Tactical AR lower for my Spikes 5.45x39 upper.  Did it all from memory and of course it took me twice as long as it should have.  Oh well, at least now I have an "all Spikes" rifle.  And somehow I managed to avoid damaging the finish while putting in those goddamned roll pins.

So now I have an extra lower that needs an upper

[CountDeMoney]

So now I have an extra lower that needs an upper

Enough about your testicles, what's up with the receiver?

[derspiess]

[katmai]

Why you shooting dog's spicy

[Ed Anger]

I laughed.

[derspiess]

Finally got my hands on an East German M91/30 Mosin Nagant, or at least I will get my hands on it when UPS delivers it to my door Monday (C&R license FTW).  Been wanting one for ages.  The only thing that differentiates these from standard Soviet M91/30s is a triangle-1 mark, but there's some cool history in them.

Also had a moment of weakness and ordered a third Tokarev pistol, a Yugoslavian M57.  Friggin' steal for $169.  7.62x25 ammo is hard to come by, but I stocked up the last time it was available.  Fun little round.

[Ed Anger]

Spicy needs a track suit.

[CountDeMoney]

I yam lookink for Moose and Sqvirrel.

[sbr]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26222578

Relaxing gun laws results in more being being killed by guns.

Researchers claim a new study provides some of the most compelling evidence yet for tighter gun controls in the US.

The team followed the consequences of the State of Missouri repealing its permit-to-purchase handgun law in 2007.

The law had required purchasers to be vetted by the local sheriff and to receive a licence before buying a gun.

Reporting soon in the Journal of Urban Health, the researchers will say that the repeal resulted in an immediate spike in gun violence and murders.

The study links the abandonment of the background check to an additional 60 or so murders occurring per year in Missouri between 2008 and 2012.

"Coincident exactly with the policy change, there was an immediate upward trajectory to the homicide rates in Missouri," said Prof Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

"That upward trajectory did not happen with homicides that did not involve guns; it did not occur to any neighbouring state; the national trend was doing the opposite – it was trending downward; and it was not specific to one or two localities – it was, for the most part, state-wide," he told BBC News.

The team said it took account of changes that occurred in policing levels and incarceration rates, trends in burglaries, and statistically controlled for other possible confounding factors such as shifts in unemployment and poverty.


What was stark, added Prof Webster, was the rise in the number of handguns that subsequently found their way into the hands of criminals.

The team counted a doubling of handguns shortly after sale being recovered from scenes of crimes or from criminals.

"This study is compelling confirmation that weaknesses in firearm laws lead to deaths from gun violence," said Prof Webster.

The Johns Hopkins researcher was participating in a discussion here at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The theme was "science-based strategies for reducing gun violence".

America currently has more than 300 million firearms in circulation. But the issue of gun control remains a hugely contentious one.

[Jacob]

I think you're arguing from the wrong premise, sbr. I don't believe gun related deaths is a relevant factor to Americans who want less gun control.

[DGuller]

I think you're arguing from the wrong premise, sbr. I don't believe gun related deaths is a relevant factor to Americans who want less gun control.

It may not be, but they're still arguing under the pretext that more guns improves people's safety, in a country like US.  Yeah, it does sound stupid, but when there is a will for something to be true, there is a way to make it true.

[sbr]

I think you're arguing from the wrong premise, sbr. I don't believe gun related deaths is a relevant factor to Americans who want less gun control.

I'm not arguing anything, I am just posting an article I thought was interesting.

[Jacob]

I think you're arguing from the wrong premise, sbr. I don't believe gun related deaths is a relevant factor to Americans who want less gun control.

Right... I misread the opening line of the article as being part of your post. 

[alfred russel]

So, trying to come up with cold weather outdoor activities, I was thinking maybe I'd take advantage of Vermont's non-existent gun laws and take up target shooting.  None of the gun ranges/fish and game clubs here seem to rent out weapons, but they're cheap to join.  So I'd have to buy some kind of gun...

Any suggestions on how to get started with this?  Any thoughts on pistol vs. rifle in terms of recreational enjoyment?  Pistol seems more fun at first glance... I figure a .22 of some sort is the obvious choice since the ammunition is so cheap.

Go to a gun range. For a few bucks you can rent a gun, and a few bucks more you can rent a chance to try out all their guns. It is a way to find out what you like.

Ammo is expensive. A .22 will get you laughed at. Honestly, I'd find another hobby to take up.

[Capetan Mihali]

Go to a gun range. For a few bucks you can rent a gun, and a few bucks more you can rent a chance to try out all their guns. It is a way to find out what you like.

Ammo is expensive. A .22 will get you laughed at. Honestly, I'd find another hobby to take up.

I've been to gun ranges in a few states, rented pistols, and mostly shot .38 revolvers.  I've shot a .45, a .357 magnum, a 9mm, and a .22 rifle (when I was under 21 in Penna. and couldn't rent a pistol) at gun ranges; 10-gauge and 12-gauge shotguns, and some rifles I don't remember, repeatedly at gun clubs; and a Desert Eagle and a .44 magnum out in the woods with my friend's crazy uncle when I was in junior high (almost blew my 90-pound ass on the ground).

The type of gun I'm selecting tends to be the least of my troubles in terms of getting laughed at by people at the gun range.   My demeanor, physical appearance, general ignorance about the finer points of gun use, and blatant citified non-hunting/shooting upbringing marks me out right away (even though my father did become a gun nut in his own right later in life, getting himself a CCW permit (very hard to get in his state) and a Taurus Judge to go along with it, as well as hanging out at a split Italian/Portuguese gun club (despite being Jewish), becoming best buddies with an elderly, absolutely unrepentant Italian fascist who was held in a POW camp in Texas, loved the US version of fascism far more than his own, and came right back with a bride once released.)

The point was to learn, and obviously you have to reveal yourself as a rank amateur to do that.   The ammo on the big guns was pricey.  When I went to the gun range at 19 and could only get a rifle or shotgun, I was amazed at how cheap my .22 ammo was compared to what my friends were spending on big handguns, which made an impression.

There don't seem to be any gun ranges per se in Vermont that I can find; they are mostly clubs that are easy to join, but don't rent out guns.  Same is basically true for New Hampshire, despite its liberal-fascist strict gun laws compared to Vermont.  I wanted to go up from Boston to shoot, but the one place I found that rents won't let you rent a gun unless you come with someone else, and none of my local friends had any interest.  (Obviously, if you want to commit a suicide by firearm and you live in metro Boston, going to a neighboring state's gun range is the sensible economic choice, so I understand their policy.) 

That said, many people would be surprised at how big gun culture is in Western Mass.; I heard a radio ad to the effect of "GUNS GUNS GUNS -- guns for protection, guns for hunting, guns for targets, guns for everyone! -- GUNS GUNS GUNS" advertising a Mass. gun store.  Gun permits are decided by the county sheriff in relation to the reason you want it; home defense permits aren't granted much in Boston without making out a real need, but even in Metro Boston you could easily get a rifle for hunting or a handgun for target shooting if you had a halfway-believable story to tell.  CCW in Mass., I have no idea, probably very restricted.)

Obviously I haven't followed up on this in 4 months, and don't feel a pressing desire to discharge firearms.  But then again, I haven't picked up any other hobbies.