VPC Complains About "Militarization" of the Civilian Arms Market

R

Rachen

New member
http://www.vpc.org/studies/militarization.pdf

The Violence Policy Center complains that guns available for sale to US civilians are similar to those used by soldiers in the military here and around the world.

Well, apparently they are seriously misunderstanding the meaning of the Second Amendment, of how the Founders intend for the armed citizen to be able to own the same type of small arms used by a contemporary soldier.;)

By the way, I am really contemplating getting an FN Five-Seven... I like the fact that it is err...err... designed for military use by elite units.
 
It seems to me that guns available to civilians in the US have always been similar to guns used by various militaries. From smooth bore muskets to Spencer rifles, Henry rifles, sporterized Krags and Springfields, we have a long tradition of civilian ownership of military firearms.
 
I am no expert in firearms history, but haven’t civilians always sort of adopted what might have initially been military style designs for their own use?
 
Since the days of the first spear used by an ancient army, civilians have been owning and using "military" weapons.

And looking at firearms, with perhaps only the exception of the basic Ruger 10-22, almost every firearm out there are either of military origin, designed for military use, or has ties to military designs.

And by the way, the AR-15 platform that the antis are so terrified of, was designed by a civilian (Eugene Stoner) and was first marketed as a sporting long gun.

Oh VPC, you so silly:o
 
The VPC is doing whatever they think might gain back some of their relevancy.
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+1
Twenty years ago the anti-gun organizations were fat with cash. Now they have trouble paying the rent.
 
Mother always said "you can't derive your happiness from someone else's misery".

Mother was wrong!

The VPC and their 'useful idiots' are terrified. That they're losing.

Their whining is music to my ears.:p
 
Not to nitpick but I saw on the tube (so it must be true) that the AR was advertised as a sporting arm after the military wouldn't pick it up.

Did Stoner actually design it for sport as compared to that being a marketing decision?

Interestingly, both Bass Pro and Dick's near me have started carrying ARs which they didn't before. Bass for a bit only carried big handguns, not conducive to CCW but now they do.

Market forces change the mind of corporate. The SD market is the fastest growing part of the gun world.
 
I am not too sure if the AR design was first sent to the military for evaluation, but one thing is certain: The AR immediately went to the sporting market literally as it was coming off of the designer's drawing board.

And from all the pot-bellied-stove-side chats I have with oldtimers in country bars I can reasonably say that Stoner did not originally intend his design to be a military design. Backpackers, hunters and ranchers, though, they immediately realized the rifle's light weight design and semiautomatic capability, and it probably replaced a lot of old lever action Winchesters as a primary farm gun or at least served alongside them.

I have one of these vintage posters showing an AR15 full length rifle sitting on a bench with a couple of spare magazines, binoculars, and a Coleman lantern with the description: "Superb Hunting Partner: Colt's New AR-15 Sporter". I have it on the wall of my machine shop and it looks very nostalgic, cool, and badass all at once. I saw another ad, probably an old Sears Roebuck ad, that shows a rugged old rancher strolling along a beautiful Wyoming prairie during sunset, carrying an AR-15. In that ad, the rifle is also a full length with an A2 style ribbed handguard and is described as a "Ranch Rifle".
 
I doubt very seriously if Mr. Stoner limited his marketing to just one camp,,,
I mean what purpose would that serve for his business,,,
Developing two markets is better than one. ;)

I saw another ad, probably an old Sears Roebuck ad, that shows a rugged old rancher strolling along a beautiful Wyoming prairie during sunset, carrying an AR-15. In that ad, the rifle is also a full length with an A2 style ribbed handguard and is described as a "Ranch Rifle".
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My parents were antique dealers when I was a kid,,,
A Christmas present I received from them was an old advertisement in a frame.

It was a depiction of a Cowboy riding night watch over a cattle herd,,,
The "Ultimate Range Weapon" they were hawking was a Thompson sub-machine gun.

I can't think of a more impractical range weapon than any sub-machine gun,,,
Can you imagine the stampede a short burst from that would cause? :eek:

But hey, it rarely hurts to advertise to a broader audience.

Aarond

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Yes, Wally World by me has Bushmaster and SiG AR pattern rifles now, used to be you might find a Mini-14 with only the 5 round magazine.
I do remember when WalMarts used to stock handguns...
 
Even my little town has the AR's in El' Marto Del Wal....

But I once bought a Mossberg Bullpup from Wally Whirled...
Brent
 
Nice catch Mr. Servo on the $$$'s!

There is little reason to believe that any military technology could be 100% contained from a group (organized or unaffiliated) that earnestly desires to acquire it, be it AR's, M-4's, Claymor's or a nuclear weapon, either by political, co-option, or internal development.

If 'gun guys' didn't keep the political pressure on US state and federal representatives, you'd have the same gun rights today that Brits, Chinese or maybe even North Koreans currently enjoy.
 
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Anyone notice the chart of the "Top 15" gun manufacturers?

Did you notice that they called the Savage 110BA an "Assault Rifle"...

Last I checked, the 110BA was a bolt-action.

Last time I read the definition of "assault rifle", bolt-action rifles did not meet the criteria.

This report was published over a year ago, nothing's happened yet. Much ado about nothing. VPC, Brady, they're all hurting for $$$.
 
jgcoastie

Anyone notice the chart of the "Top 15" gun manufacturers?
Did you notice that they called the Savage 110BA an "Assault Rifle"...
Last I checked, the 110BA was a bolt-action.
Last time I read the definition of "assault rifle", bolt-action rifles did not meet the criteria.
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journalists-guide-to-firearms-identification.jpg
 
"Tactical .22 Assault Rifle"

Page 13 is a total joke. Where do these people get off? The anti gun culture is nothing but art critics.

Black and plastic= bad

Wood and metal = good (...well, acceptable until next year then well try to get rid of those too.)

On the other hand, that sounds like a lot of TFL members!

:p

Except for the parenthesis of course.
 
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