colorful handguns which appear like toys

M

mept

New member
Is it just myself or do others find it somewhat irresponsible for gun manufactures to market products such as bright blue or red or whatever toy-like colored weapons? I was thinking of picking up a KelTec but the idea of companies making real guns which appear similar to how toy guns are now required to look is just frustrating. It has not been an all that uncommon for police to assume ignorant children with authentic looking guns pointed at them to be mistaken for real guns. Children also would be even more likely to assume a bright red gun is a toy if found in some irresponsible gun owners home. I'm a member of MCRGO which promotes responsible gun ownership, which I believe is the majority of us by far. However, it seems a small but visible group of gun owners/ companies present us as an irresponsible and large segment of society.
Enough ranting, good nite.
 
I have to agree with 6. I can't imagine these are hot sellers. Adults buy guns, children don't. I don't know of any adult who wants to be seen at the gun range with a blue or red gun. Aesthetics are important for most gun owners, and colors would make guns look cheaply made. I also don't think many gun owners want to confront a BG with what the BG might brush off as a joke.

BTW, I've never even heard of colored guns, except for Bushmaster AR-15s, which have been known to have slightly purplish stocks from time to time.
 
Check out Taurus' titanium line [playing devil's advocate]. They've got some that are annodized blue and gold. Personally, I find them garish, but they might appeal to some gansta types, after all they aren't know for thier 'taste', many are 'kids' themselves (at least according to HCI), and they are known for leaving guns lying around. I think mept hit the nail on the head when he mentioned 'irresponsible gun owners', but I also think he has a point in that colored guns (should there be a NAACG? ;)) would be attractive to children with potentially tragic results. OTOH, stupid people with stupid kids - well maybe ya just gotta let natural selection work, the downside is that 'guns' will be blamed in any event (sux).
M2
 
I've gotta side with mept on this one. A few years ago the toy industry came under attack for making toy guns that were too realistic. There was a very real risk of mistaken shootings of children who were pointing toys at adults. So the toy industry responded by making toy guns in bright colors that could not be mistaken for blued or stainless steel. Now we have Kel-Tec and EAA selling polymer-framed guns in the same bright colors that the toy industry uses. It's stupid, irresponsible, and totally unnecessary. As a result now a police officer when confronted by a hot pink handgun must assume that it is a real gun and react accordingly. Who benefits? Not the child, not the police officer, not even the manufacturer since they don't sell many of the things. It was an asinine marketing idea.
 
The solution, Sod, is not to buy any! Nothing will affect a business more than lack of sales. Vote with your buck, just like with S&W. You might also contact Kel-Tec and EAA and ask them why they're working so hard to get sued.

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"Those who would sacrifice liberty in the name of security, deserve neither liberty nor security."

"If you're going to shoot, shoot! Don't talk."
Tuco, from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
 
Most of the brightly-colored guns are very high-buck O/U shotguns (I remember seeing one with a paint-splatter pattern), competition AR variants, and 1911-style raceguns.
All of those cost about $1500.
So, I really doubt the owner is gonna leave it under the couch in the TV-room or propped against the wall somewhere.
I don't see this causing too many problems.

But, personally I think guns are supposed to be black, silver and wood; so I'd never buy one.

Plus, there are probably only a few thousand of these gaudy-guns out there, versus the 200,000,000 other regular guns.
-Kframe
 
I've got to agree with you guys. We need to support any company that has the best interests of the 2nd ammendment in mind. Just say no to brightly colored guns (and the companies that make them)...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by TBeck:
...Now we have Kel-Tec and EAA selling polymer-framed guns in the same bright colors that the toy industry uses. It's stupid, irresponsible, and totally unnecessary.[/quote]

Er, now we are back to "who needs a scary/automatic/un-PC/black/pink/etc. gun" argument.

Personally, I would like to own gray or even a pastel frame Kel-tec P11 and P32 as those would look better (and be less visible) with stainless/chrome slides. Practices of silly urban wannabe gangsta's shouldn't dictate what is available or not available to the rest of us, IMHO.

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Oleg "peacemonger" Volk

http://dd-b.net/RKBA
 
I sort of like the annodized blue and gold guns from Taurus (not that I ever see myself buying one unless I was going to mount it on a wall someplace and just have it out on display) and I don't think that anyone could mistake those guns for being toys because of the metal construction. I think the bigger problem are the ones produced by Kel-Tec & EAA -- the bright colors do make them look like a toy gun and I think that we should let those companies know (with letters and lack of dollars) how we feel about it. mept, I'm with you on this.
FUD
TFL-flame.gif
 
In a related vein, I was looking for a .22 revolver for my boys to use earlier this year and the two contenders came down to the all-aluminum S&W kit gun (317? not sure) and an old-ish NIB 63 (stainless steel) kit gun. I generally preferred the aluminum version, but the DA trigger was very heavy. The salesman, a pretty knowledgeable guy, said that the factory had set up the trigger on these aluminum .22s heavier than usual because they just plain looked and felt like a toy. He was right about that -- the thing weighs 9 ozs or so, and has a dull grey anodized finish that doesn't look any different from a pot-metal toy...

I'm not saying that everything should be scarey-Ninja-tactical black or butt-ugly (like all my SIGs) :-) but discretion is probably the better part of valor. Why look for trouble?
 
Irresponisble and stupid. I would, of course, far prefer that the gun makers restrict THEMSELVES to making guns that look like guns...but all it is gonna take is ONE of these candy-colored guns 'causing' a tragedy and we'll be in for yet another round of cosmetic legislation...whether we like it or not.

Asinine.

Mike




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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JNewell:
In a related vein, I was looking for a .22 revolver for my boys to use earlier this year and the two contenders came down to the all-aluminum S&W kit gun (317? not sure) and an old-ish NIB 63 (stainless steel) kit gun. I generally preferred the aluminum version, but the DA trigger was very heavy. The salesman, a pretty knowledgeable guy, said that the factory had set up the trigger on these aluminum .22s heavier than usual because they just plain looked and felt like a toy. He was right about that -- the thing weighs 9 ozs or so, and has a dull grey anodized finish that doesn't look any different from a pot-metal toy...
[/quote]

Which is why my mother can't use one of those...she can't pull the trigger without much strain. Lovely design element.

As for people misusing the funny-looking guns...again, the enemy will find an excuse one way or another.

And now sm-th funny on the topic: http://dd-b.net/RKBA/looks.html
 
Roger that, the 317 wasn't in the running because even I found the DA trigger very awkward. For a kid? -- forget it. Now, of course, there are other reasons to say forget it... :-(

But I take your point...maybe if it _were_ pink??? :-)
 
I have to agree with mept that the manufacture of a hangun in garish colors like those used to distinguish toy guns today from real firearms is irresponsible. I was agast when I saw these types of handgun colors on the EAA website about a year ago. -BUT-, EAA appears may have received some negative feedback on this subject because their website now says that where their polymer frame handguns are are concerned,
* Production colors are Black, Grey, Smoke Grey, and OD Green. No other colors available *

I don't know what "OD Green" is, but I believe that the other colors listed would not confuse a toy gun from a real firearm...Dan in GA
 
The heavy trigger pull on the 317 was to guarantee ignition of the 22 LR. Supposedly, the 22 LR can be finicky and with the aluminum cylinder there wasn't enough resistance to the hammer hit such that the primer material ring would get enough energy to pop.

Also, since the gun was touted as a selfdefense gun, they had to be sure of ignition. Some 22 LRs were said to be worse than others and SW didn't want to have to recommend a brand as Seecamp did for the 32 ACP.

Thus, the heavy pull. Now the 317 LS and Kit gun were supposed to have a light pull and the full hammer spur to facility easy of firing both in double action and for SA firing.

I grant you that the pull in these guns are heavy also. Some folks have supposedly changed out springs and settle on a load that works.

I find the 317 a convenient pocket pistol when out the boonies. I load a couple of snake shot and then 6 quality hollow points.
Don't want to have to use a slug on a snake.

As far as the color issue. Companies should use common sense. I have a really neat bright blue and orange Beretta 92 cap gun.

I once had a jet black realistic 92 water gun. My kid and I use to chase each other with it. Now that would be problematic
today.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Glenn E. Meyer:
The heavy trigger pull on the 317 was to guarantee ignition of the 22 LR * * * I find the 317 a convenient pocket pistol when out the boonies.[/quote]

Sounds fair, I guess? I'm a little surprised that aluminum should be harder to get a reliable strike against than steel, but only in the sense that I wouldn't have thought of it rather than in the sense that I don't believe it. (Aren't you glad I'm not the engineer designing your weapons??? :-) )

On the convenience issue, absolutely agree. I'm a big fan of the 342/642s. In this case, for range use, a heavier revolver with a normal DA trigger seemed a better choice than a lighter revolver with a very heavy DA trigger.

I once bought some of the reduced-strength Wolff kits for some Colts. Had ignition problems, and put the factory springs back in.
 
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