"Saturday Night Specials"

P

Paul Revere

New member
Last night I had dinner with a long time business associate who has made it clear in the past that he thinks something ought to be done about guns. Last night was no exception. But this time he clarified his arguement to so-called, "Saturday Night Specials". BTW, this guy is well read, a former military officer, and is world traveled, so I listen to his arguements carefully.

Now please correct me if I'm wrong here, because I argued that this next claim he made was totally false and nearly impossible. He claims that one of the reasons he feels so strongly about these Saturday Night Specials is due to a "60 Minutes" piece he saw that showed advertisements for these types of cheap handguns available to "anyone" at a bargain basement price of "$18.95 each"!

Now folks, I've been to lots of gun shows, many dealer's showrooms, and have reviewed "Gun Values", "Gun Trader", and many other publications without seeing a single new working firearm available for $18.95. He claims that it is because of these "cheap and available handguns that we have so much crime on our streets today". Confirmation or clarification will be appreciated about such a 60 Minutes piece or this pricing.

I said that the only firearms available through legal channels of commerce that even come close to that figure would be something pried from the bottom of the ocean, encrusted with barnacles, completely non-functional....in other words "junk". And I have yet to find something in this junk category that was in the $18.95 range.

He also has a problem with "assault weapons" but I can understand that arguement better. I think he liked my arguement on this subject. A subject for another post no doubt. But he was totally convinced that he was correct about the info he has regarding Saturday Night Specials. Could he have actually seen a 60 Minutes piece that said and showed such a thing? If so, when?
 
Hey, if anyone can find a gun for $18.95, let me know, too! I want to buy 280,000 of them. Mr. Clinton can then pay me $50.00 each to "get them off the street". Figure even with taxes and fees, I'd stand to make a quite tidy profit. Almost as clever as making a big chunk of change on cattle futures, eh?
 
This sounds like the $30.00 (yes, Thirty dollars) .50 cal rifles that somebody in Congress found "for sale on the Internet"....

I think that there should be a law forcing these people to tell US where we can purchase these weapons ;)
 
Some ignoramouses don't seem to realize that when we're talking about guns, a price of "twenty-nine-ninety-five" means $2995, and "eighteen-ninety-five" means $1895. So clueless they can't comprehend that it's not unusual to spend thousands for a gun.
 
Exactly!

Especially when you begin to talk about the HOT weapons like, UZI, Cobrays, AR's, AK's, STEYR AUG's, and H&K's. My God, are you all following these prices? Screw internet stocks my friends, invest in weaponry! And the profits are TAX-FREE!

A pre-ban AK-47 (folding stock) bought in 1990 for $220 is now worth close to $1000. Similar returns for AR's, H&K's, UZI's, and even the little Mini-14.

And what about those high cap mags my friends? Glock 17 rounders for $70? Ruger 10/22 25 rounders for $50? Factory Ruger Mini-14 30 rounders going for over $100?

And its just really getting started!

My additional argument to my business associate was...why would an illegal arms dealer sell stolen firearms for mere change to drug dealers who pull out a wad of cash the size of a softball? The answer is, THEY DON'T!!!! They get $500 each...or more! No paper work, no background check. What is that worth to a gangbanger with a daily income of $1500?

I like the idea of all you can purchase "Saturday Night Specials" at $18.95, to give them to Commandant Clinton for $50 a piece...that's a 164% return!! Please point me in the direction of this sale!!!!
 
Paul and everyone... FYI... Any profits from gun sales or any other is taxable. The fact that most people do not report the sale of private items does not change the fact that they are supposed to. If an item is held more than a year it is taxed as capital gains, otherwise as ordinary income. It just has not been worth the time and trouble for the IRS to go after these small abuses. Houses and large autos they do. In fact when ever you sell a house now, the title company is required to report the sale to the IRS...
 
Bookie...

So I give the the tax collection Nazis their fair share at let's say 50%, that's still an 82% profit.

Bottom line is...the money used for these programs belongs to all of us taxpayers, as does the surplus, as does the billions sent to communist countries through the IMF. The entire system is a fraud.

Don't get me started on this subject...
 
Hi, guys,

Either young folks or short memories.

At one time, guns like the RG-10 (.22 cal short, cast zinc frame) sold retail for as little as $9.95. They were junk and we gun people called them Saturday Night Specials. The anti-gun people took our term of derision, applied it to all handguns, and used it against us.

They also copied those ads and trot them out every so often to "prove" that guns can be bought by mail as low as $9.95. "For less than a $10 bill you can buy a murder weapon..." screamed one gun control ad. Of course, they don't show the date.

Those guns have not been available since the 1968 law. The modern equivalent, the inexpensive guns by Lorcin, Davis, etc. are the ones now under attack.

The best defense is an offense:

Ask the person who attacks cheap guns if he believes that only the wealthy should be allowed to defend themselves. Charge him with elitism and racism of the worst kind. Ask if he thinks only a rich white woman should be allowed to protect her children. Ask why poor blacks should have to be crime victims because elitist white gun control advocates don't think the poor should be allowed to own guns. Ask why only people who can afford to live in gated communities with armed guards should be safe. Ask why he opposes putting criminals in jail. Ask him why he has no problem with a Federal administration that lies to the people about crime and refuses to prosecute felonies. Ask him if he really believes everything the administration says. If he doesn't, ask why he then believes what they say about gun control. Point out that TV lies, repeatedly and often (exploding trucks, nerve gas in Vietnam, etc.), then ask why anyone would believe anything they say about gun control. Etc.

Most people know that the press and TV lie about their own fields of expertise. They seem to assume that the rest is all true. In fact, they lie about everything and anything as long as a lie will support their agenda.

Jim
 
I'm always intrigued by Congressfolks' political expediency. Back during the 1968 squabbles over the GCA, the Black Caucus in Congress called the idea of a ban on Satnitespls "racist". At one time, so did the NAACP...

Da world be nuts!

Art
 
I have no problem with "SNS" I just dont want to have to rely on a HI POINT for my own protection usess.



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"Supreme authority derives from a mandate from the masses. Not from some farsicle aquatic ceremony."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The Critic formerly known as Kodiac
 
By the by, a high price doesn't always reflect operational viability. I can say the the experience that I had with the RG-10 was that it went "bang" when asked. I've also had experience with a beautiful Weatherby .22 rifle that went "bang" only when it bloody well wanted to.
 
paul revere
you said your friend is prior military?
and he doesn't understand "saturday night special's".!!
 
I have 9mm pistols and a BM AR15 but I wanted a 9mm rifle since I saw the MP5. After researching that option, I found I could not own one without spending over $4000. I'm not in law enforcement so I could never justify that price. I also researched the HK94 as an alternative but the lowest price I saw was $2700. Again a little much for plinking. I know there are AR15s in 9mm format but they are expensive as well. (around $1250) Now I did see a 9mm AR15 in a gun store for less than $700 but I could not buy because of slick Willie's gun laws. This past weekend I saw the Hipoint 9mm carbine in a gun and I vowed to have one soon. I don't like gun owners getting a bad name either but who can afford to pay these prices? If you're not in law enforcement and you want an inexpensive 9mm rifle, you're just SOL.

Just my opinion!
 
Regarding Hi-point: it works. While I have no use for one, I did try it out of curiosity and got into a discussion with several carbine owners. It has good ergonomics, mild recoil and excellent sights. I shot one big hole at 10m the first time. Extra mags are 17.50 for 10-rounders. Take-down is a pain, but it will work if simply hosed with Gunscrubber and barrel is cleaned. Overall, a 9mm that IMO is better (lighter, less kick, aperture sights) than Ruger/Marlin for no-nonsense plinking or (dare I say it isn't too cheap) for defense. Does feed +P hollow points reliably. I am not fond of Hi-point pistols, but their carbine seems to have been done right. By contrast, Ruger was HEAVY and generated surprising recoil -- at about twice the $$.
 
Question: would you rather have some punk fire at you using a SNS (say maybe a Lorcin/Tec/etc) or would you rather have them pack a SIG/Glock/HK/1911/etc?

I'd rather hear, "BANG! BANG! click BANG! click click @#$@%" than the alternative.

Another question: are pistol such as Makarovs and CZ-52/50/70's going to be considered SNS? None of them cost over $200 and a few of them barely over $100. They were, and the Makarov still is, considered first rate military side arms (Russia/China/NKorea).
 
Hey, I have a SNS: a Jennings Model 48. It's actually a decent little plinker. First time I took it to the range I put 200 rounds of cheapass ammo (Blazer) through it with no problems.

For $70, I can't complain. :)

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"America needs additional gun laws like a giraffe needs snow tires."
--Rabbi Mermelstein, JPFO
 
destruco6.... the CZ's and Makarov are all under Section II of the C&R list..... will they be considered SNS's...... Count on it.....
 
Watch Kalifornia on this. CA has banned, what they refer to as, SNS and I'll just about put money on the fact that within a few years, they complain how gang bangers are "outgunning them with high quality firearms in potent calibers."

With the recent revelations about LAPD's Rampart division, we are seeing that the criminals, in this case cops, are going to have access to guns.
 
Destructo,

I challenge you (and all TFLers) to take a copy of SB15 into your local shop and find a gun that doesn't fit the definition.

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"America needs additional gun laws like a giraffe needs snow tires."
--Rabbi Mermelstein, JPFO
 
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