State of Iowa has been holding on to the practice of auctioning off the weapons that the state police had seized. While this practice provides a boost to the budget of certain departments of the state, it is becoming less and less popular with some of the state’s residents, due to the fact that it makes weapons more accessible to people who might abuse them.

In 2012, this has brought $83,000 to the state. Once a weapon is no longer considered evidence it is transferred to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Some of the weapons are then given to police departments in Iowa or in other states, and remain in use by the force, handguns which don’t get distributed to police officers are destroyed, while rifles, and other weapons which could be used for hunting, are auctioned off.

The weapons that can be auctioned off are then transferred to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, who are in charge of auctioning them off. This year, the auction will hold 20 bows and more than 500 rifles. The proceeds from the last year’s auction mostly went to the Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund, which is a part of DNR, while the remainder found its way to the general fund of the state.

However, despite the fact that the auctions are bringing money to the state, some citizens are quite vocal with their complaints about this method of handling seized weapons. They claim that a hunting weapon is just as dangerous in the hands of a criminal as a handgun might be, and that the benefits of this kind of arrangement are heavily outweighed by its faults.

But even though the risk does exist, the auctions are carefully regulated, and the weapons are only being sold to people with proper permits, who wouldn’t have trouble buying weapons elsewhere. So far the weapons sold in this way usually didn’t find their way to the auction again, which is to say, they haven’t been used in criminal activities and seized, at least the DCI are not aware of such weapons.

 More info: http://thegazette.com/2013/04/28/some-guns-used-in-iowa-crimes-sold-back-to-the-public/

Handguns based on the Browning Colt M1911 constructions seem to be everywhere, not surprising considering we’re talking about one of the most famous guns of our time. They come in various types, from simplest mass produced knock offs to exotic models made of titanium. This custom variant is the very pinnacle of high class exotic firearm.

Many factors can affect the price of a pistol, the quality of finish, engraving, materials used in construction… However, a modular metal-polymer frame pistol costing 8,000$? That must be a piece of work, and it is. Hang on to see why is it worth every penny.

Mark Morris really made an effort in designing and making the Black Widow, hit groups at 200 yards do not exceed 8 inches. It has an STI frame and a double stack magazine that can hold up to 24 bullets. It is an excellent “running gun” for Open IPSC category and its design makes it very versatile and useable in a variety of conditions.

Quality construction

Much is required of this gun, and it certainly delivers. Designed as a competition firearm for the open class, Black Widow offers an excellent self-defense and target protection weapon accurate up to 180 yards. This is not a weapon made for an average user, its price tag alone should make that obvious. This is a weapon for a professional, someone who needs an agile and accurate weapon that can be used in tight spaces, like the front seat of a car, as a rapid response to an attack coming from any direction. Another design requirement was the concealed carry capability, and while the weapon is slightly larger than standard it is not cumbersome. The weapon handles beautifully, as per requirements of IPSC shooters.

These requirements have defined and guided the construction of the Black Widow. Barrel length is 5 inches, just like the Classic Colt M1911, flat bullet trajectory at 180 yards has determined the caliber – .38 Super which is popular in the IPSC open. Tight shell of these rounds also allows for the high magazine capacity.

Black Widow was made from highest quality parts. STI frame is long and reaches the front end of the slide (also STI). It also has a Picatinny rail for the flashlight attachment. Slide has deep vertical grooves. It is also just over an inch shorter than standard designed for the 5 inch barrels. Instead of the full length slide, this gun has a two-chamber gas muzzle brake. This, along with the special recoil compensator neatly satisfies the high accuracy and reliability requirements. The barrel was made in the “Storm Lake” factory and is manually fitted into the compensator made from a single piece of steel.

Mark’s custom guns are often referred to as “Functional art”.

Supreme Workmanship

Black widow does not have standard sights, the frame has special mounting for Aim Point M2 sight, modified with an extra battery slot, ensuring greater reliability. The safety at the back of the handle is Ed Brown model, with raised and finely grooved release, allowing the releasing of the safety in just about every grip.

The weapon has a truly excellent finish, matching the high standards of its components. All edges are rounded, making the grip comfortable and preventing incidental cuts. The only marking on this gun is a hand engraved Ying-Yang symbol at the end of the slide, a personal gunsmith mark of Mark Morris.

Despite the price that could place it in the collectibles or artwork section, Black Widow is meant for shooting. It can truly shine in the hands of an expert gunslinger. Hand loaded with Hornady XTP rounds and with muzzle velocity of almost 1300 feet/second this gun offers supreme accuracy, incredible 8 inches hit group at 180 yards drops to 4 inches at 90 yards. Bullet trajectory is never higher than 4 inches above the target line and drop at 180 yards is just 37 inches. It may seem like a lot, but considering the size of the Black Widow, it is an impressive result.

Black Widow is a truly exceptional weapon, whether you’re using it in competitions or as a part of your job. If you have a spare 8,000$, it is a definite recommendation.

Check out Mark’s other works at: http://www.morriscustompistols.com/

In the last half century there was hardly an example of a new pistol caliber that saw extended use. The “needle-like” 5.7×28 is clearly an exception which, although not yet fully combat-proven, saw its way into many commando and law enforcement units, especially with still futuristic FN P90 micro sub-machine gun. It was accordingly expected that the Five-Seven pistol would replace a great number of nine-calibers, but that wasn’t the case.

However, civilian market in the States has grown crazy for the caliber, so the manufacturers are giving their best to launch new guns chambered for the almighty 5.7×28. “Masterpiece Arms” is a company known for making strange looking guns. Despite the pretentious name, the bulk of their products are basically simplified existing designs which often lack refinement. One of those abominations was the weapon which combined the FN FAL stock and pistol grip with the MAC-11 receiver and operation, which was fed by the drum magazine from the Soviet PPSh-41, and featured a 50 cm barrel chambered for 9 mm PARA.

It was hardly believable that such a chimera will find a single buyer, but as the case might be, they are widely sought across the States, but in 5.7×28. On the last year’s “Shot Show”, “Masterpiece Arms” was remembered for its ambitious presentation of the Defender series of semi-auto pistols chambered for 9 mm PARA, .45 ACP and 5.7×28. Frankly speaking it was partially redesigned and simple Ingram MAC-11 compact SMG, which was refitted for semi-auto operation from the closed bolt, and few other mainly visual changes.

Ergonomics’s Labor Lost

What did they have in mind when they zombified the design which had failed to pass service testing? Micro-sub-machine guns MAC-10 and 11 were originally conceived as compact weapons which packed huge firepower, and intended for combat situations where the service pistol would be a poor choice and the assault rifle too bulky and slow. Whoever had the chance to use one of those auto-pistols, they were met by simple and cheap design which results in quite a limited use – the compactness was achieved on the account of poor ergonomics, short effective range and questionable accuracy. From the first day, the Ingram was seen as the weapon of bodyguards, while in the States it was also favored by gangsters of all sorts, whose bloody shootouts showed its deadly potential in urban zones.

No wonder that the civilian semi-auto versions were massively and easily refitted to full-auto mode, and the law enforcement services have seized a vast number of these guns. Truth to be told, the newer Ingram clones have factory-set operating parts which are not interchangeable with full-auto versions, nor they can be automatized like the original ones. Aside from that, Ingram’s look reminds of a hybrid pistol which packs a hail of bullets and is still wanted by those who want to look dangerous.

The Zombie Apocalypse Gun

That sort of clientele was the target pool for “Masterpiece Arms”, which perpetuated the myth on extreme penetration, accuracy and stopping power of 5.7×28 ammunition. The promo videos filmed by the company clearly show that even an experienced test-shooter failed to hit metal gongs at about ten meters, while the effective rate of fire and comfort are worse than with the classic semi-auto pistols. The wide and slanted handle, the center of mass shifted behind the holding hand, massive receiver and rough trigger action are just a few drawbacks that will discourage experienced users and gun enthusiasts. The over-sized Picatinny rail, the muzzle flash suppressor and the scope mounts only add to the overall bulk of the weapon, without improving the performance.

On the other hand, a generation of video-game warriors has come of age, and they see firearms primarily as zombie killing tools. Those armchair Rambos need an adequate weapon. The priority is always given to the caliber, which (as the manufacturer claims) penetrates Kevlar vests, fragments on impact altogether with minimal recoil – ladies and gentlemen, the MPA57 chambered for 5.7×28. Of course, they will hardly be in a situation to defend from an attacker wearing a Kevlar vest, or a life and death situation whatsoever. The greatest number of them will only boast with their guns among the other mall-ninjas.

Courtesy of https://www.masterpiecearms.com/

In the pompous promotion campaign, “Masterpiece Arms” claimed that their product guarantees absolutely operation reliability, unfairly comparing their number of jams with the competition. With that logic, the cheap and rough Hi Point could be advertised as the best pistol there is, but it’s indisputable that its”free bolt” operation has a number of shortages. There were attempts in the past to make weapon based on a SMG which would use the cheapest ammunition like .22 LR, but such guns were a little more effective than airsoft models.

Uncertain Prospects and Early Praises

However, the number of recreational shooters who go in the country and enjoy plinking in the improvised firing ranges can’t be disregarded. The MPA57s high capacity magazine (20 or 30 rounds) gives its user a significant advantage over the standard pistol/revolver or a small bore rifle. In addition to that, the resemblance of well known MAC sub-machine guns featured in every Schwarzenegger film (save from Conan) will make the owner the winner fo the day, although the accuracy of the MPA57 is far cry from other guns used for plinking.

Not small number of overseas gun magazines have rushed with remarks that this new “masterpiece” is a good base for a deadly PDW system for military users. However,despite its advantages, we must remind here that the 5.7×28 still fails to meet the military and law enforcement standards. The low intensity conflicts and war on terror all over the world have made requirements for a different type of weapon and ammunition, which would guarantee stopping the opponent in tracks.

For example, the wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo have shown that the famed lightweight automatic pistol, the Czech Škorpion vz. 61 in .32 ACP was a complete miss for the military use. With that in mind, the modernized Ingram, with its 1.5 kg and 124 mm barrel, would probably feel cumbersome even for a zombie hunter.

********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Verdict

Due to the huge popularity of the 5.7×28 round among a significant portion of gun enthusiasts, the American “Masterpiece Arms” offered their semi-auto version of the (in)famous Ingram MAC-11. The company, despite its name, became known for designs that were simplified and usually cheaper versions of existing models, which were often made from substandard materials and lacked refinement. The gun, bearing designation MPA57 falls between automatic pistols and micro sub-machine guns. It is fed by 20 or 30-round magazines, and according to the manufacturer, the 5.7×28 round penetrates Kevlar vests, fragments on impact and gives the minimal recoil. The weapon weighs 1.5 kg and sports 125 mm barrel. However promising it may look, the MPA57 inherited most of Ingram’s design flaws. Among the others are the horrific ergonomics due to the wide and slanted handle, the center of mass shifted behind the holding hand, massive receiver and rough trigger action. Instead of improving those shortcomings, “Masterpiece Arms” designers added even more unnecessary features to the already bulky handgun: the Picatinny rail, over-sized flash suppressor and scope mounts. These “bad-ass” attachments are sure to turn away any experienced gun lover and potential user. What is more, the weapon is prone to jamming and the factory tests have shown mediocre accuracy and effective rate of fire worse than with classic semi-auto pistols. On the other hand, the MPA57 is sure to get a lot of attention from the generations which grew with video shooters and action films, for whom it was intended in the first place. Due to its high capacity magazine, the gun might be even a good choice for plinking, although its accuracy is not even close to small bore rifles or classic pistols and revolvers.

Star Echeverria weapons manufacturers from Basque are well known among collectors and gun enthusiasts. During the beginning of the 1920, they started producing a gun which can be described as a copy of the famous Colt M1911 A1. Their first model, name P, was an almost identical copy of the Colt, also in .45 ACP. The differences were almost negligible and mostly cosmetic in nature. For instance, Star’s guns didn’t have a beaver-tail tang, but they did have a rest for the little finger at the front of the handle. The grips were also thicker, so that the gun could fit in the hand more comfortably. Adjusting to the demands of the market, Star started producing a similar gun, Model A, which was slightly smaller and in 9 mm caliber. This gun was made for 9 mm Bergmann-Bayard caliber, or 9 mm Largo for quite a while. It was in 1942 that they made the version for 9 mm Parabellum, and it was named Model B. The German Army bought 15.000 of these guns, as they had a serious lack of handguns.

P Model with the auto-fire option

Expert Conversion

While still making models A and B, Star started making Model M, which was somewhat larger, as they were a direct successor to the model P, also in the 9 mm Luger. Just as an example, the handle of the model MB was longer than the handle on model B and was able to hold a clip with nine bullets, instead of eight. Model MB was 40 g heavier than model B and somewhat longer and higher.

The prewar years in Spain have seen a rise of popularity of the so-called automatic guns which had an option of rapid fire. Naturally, the reliability and accuracy of such a weapon were sub par. In 1930, Star introduced a new automatic model AD, where D stands for ‘dispositivo’ meaning that the weapon had a firing selector. The new model AD came in several calibers including 7,63 Mauser, 9 mm Bergmann, 9 mm Browning Long, .380 ACP and even .45 ACP. Clips were made which could hold 32 9 mm bullets or 25 .45 ACP bullets. Naturally, models A and B were quickly shown to be inadequate for automatic fire with such large calibers. That’s when a logical solution of using the stronger and bigger model M presented itself. The new gun was named MD.

M Models were larger, but some of them had great handcrafted details

The gun that we were able to get a hold of was from the MD series, but it came with a slight adaptation. Namely it was missing the firing mode switch, which should be located on the right side, near the top of the handle. This made it only able to shoot in semi-automatic mode, just like a regular model MB. The proof that it wasn’t just a regular MB was found in the groove at the handle and a larger bolt at the right side. Those are the only parts testifying that the gun was able to fire in fully automatic mode. The switch had two positions, when it was lifted up the gun would fire single bullets, and when it was down the gun would fire in bursts.

It would be difficult to guess as to who have made this conversion, but since it was done expertly it might be safe to presume that it was done by the manufacturer Star. The holster even has MB engraved instead of MD, but the B is much larger and more shallow than the letter M, which means that it was made later, covering the D. The gun was made in 1960.

Reliable and Robust

The age of the gun makes it clear why Star decided to do this conversion. By that time, no one was interested in automatic guns, and the company had to adapt to the market. Even the regular MB guns weren’t selling all that well, less than 1800 of these guns were made. Form the collector’s point of view, even MB guns are quite rare, which makes a converted MD a real treasure.

The gun that we got our hands on came in the original box, with a spare clip for 16 bullets and detachable wooden stock, which could also be used as a holster, similarly to Mauser C96. The standard clip holds nine bullets, while there were also clips for MD which could hold 32 9 mm caliber bullets. While this would make a terribly impractical automatic weapon, when used as a semi-automatic, the gun is actually quite good. Thanks to its weight and the way it was made, this is a quite reliable 9 mm Luger gun. Some of its best features include a clearly defined sights, as well as a great trigger system. The only fault that we could find would only appear when the stock was attached, as it would bring the shooter’s eye too close to the sight for accurate aiming.

It is yet to be seen whether concealed carry will see the light of day on campus, as a recent poll found that more South Texas College students are against concealed handguns on campus that support the concept. For the last two sessions, Texas lawmakers have drawn the bills that would allow packing heat on college or university campuses.The two bills pending are Senate Bill 182 and House Bill 972.

The college’s Student Government Association conducted the survey in response to House Bill 972, which has shown that 65 per cent of students oppose having concealed weapons on campus. The survey included 558 of the 30,000 college’s students.

Denisse Carreon, president of college’s student government at the Mid-Valley campus, said that “The general consensus is that students would feel unsafe, and many worry that it would affect their everyday life on campus. Of course, there are those that are for concealed handguns on campus, but they are in the minority.”

Paul Varville, the college’s director of safety and security, reminded that the college was the site of a fatal shooting in 1998, when two people attacked the cashiers as they accepted the tuition money. The gunmen shot and killed an armed security guard after he drew his weapon. The suspects fled to Mexico
and have not been caught.

The college sent a position paper to state lawmakers on the issue, as Varville and officials at the University of Texas-Pan American confirmed that campuses have expressed their stand against concealed carry.“What we said to them was we believe it would not increase safety on campus and it would be more likely to increase violence or collateral harm and could create potential liability and administrative costs for higher education institutions in Texas,” said Varville.

University president Robert Nelsen said that he is also opposed to guns on campus. He is backed by university faculty senate, staff senate and student government, which all passed resolutions this year expressing the same sentiment.

Nelson supported his claim by citing the kidnapping of a student last year. “If somebody had pulled a gun at that point and tried to do it, there would’ve been carnage throughout the whole parking lot,” he said. “I have professional police on my campus. They do carry guns. I don’t need faculty to carry guns.”

On the other hand, the McAllen/Hidalgo County Tea Party Association hosted the Texas school superintendent this week, who filed the “Guardian Plan” – a policy that has allowed some teachers to carry weapons at the rural Harrold school district since 2007.

Superintendent David Thweatt spoke to about 20 people at Church of the King about his district’s Guardian Plan. Commenting the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, which has been enforced since 1990, he said that “In 1990, we basically hung a sign on all of our schools that said: ‘Here are our most precious possessions in the world and they are not going to be protected.”

The small rural district about 180 miles northwest of Dallas adopted the policy in October 2007, which allows teachers approved by the school board to obtain concealed handgun licenses at the district’s expense, as well as extra training and ammunition. While on campus, the select group of teachers must have possession of their guns at all times and must use a certain type of ammunition designed to prevent collateral damage.

“Schools are easy, because basically we have a sign that says: ‘This is a safe place — for you to come and kill,’” he said.

Thweatt added that advantages of the Guardian Plan are numerous as they include backup for security guards, the anonymity of a concealed handgun, protection for all entrances and cost savings. Thweatt said the salary of one security guard for a year is the same amount the district spent on training more than 20 “guardians.”

He said that as America moved from a predominately rural nation to becoming more urbanized, the country is changing views on guns to the effect that the culture became less “do it yourself.”
Images with courtesy of crimeblog.dallasnews.com, www.valleymorningstar.com and www.fitsnews.com.

President Barak Obama’s campaigning for the federal government to adopt stricter gun laws is meeting some resistance from a group of Republican Senators who are trying to do something that might make it much more difficult to introduce a new gun law.

Namely, Republican Senator from Utah, Mike Lee, along with Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul are trying to make it necessary for any bill regarding gun control to have to gather at least 60 votes before it is made into a law. Not only would this make it much more difficult for new gun laws to be created, it might also compromise the latest gun control advocates’ initiative to expand background checks for people who try to purchase a weapon.

Obama commented that not only is this a political stunt, but that the group of Senators are denying the people their right to vote thereby making their opinion count for nothing. Mike Lee, on the other hand, claims that he is just defending the rights given to the people by the Second Amendment, and claiming that gun legislation is sometimes hastily made, which could be avoided in this manner.

Even though a compromise has been reached in the law concerning background checks, a number of Republican Senators are refusing to even debate the question.

Even though surveys seem to claim that 90% of the US population would approve of the expanded background checks, Senator Mike Lee claims that this is not a realistic result, as people seem to not be aware of the fact that more extensive background checks would also necessitate a government kept register of all the legally purchased weapons, which is something that wouldn’t appeal to a great number of people. Lee goes on to say that this filibuster is not an attempt to block the bill from becoming a law, but instead that he is trying to ensure that the bill is accepted only if it gets bipartisan support on account of the fact that the Democrats have 55 seats, which might, in theory be enough for them to introduce legislature even without the support of a single Republican vote. However, even though Lee is adamant in his intentions, he doesn’t have the support of the whole Republican party, with John McCain stating that he doesn’t understand Lee’s filibuster.
Images with courtesy of www.salon.com, news.nationalpost.com and www.washingtonpost.com.

Cody Wilson (our hero) seems really determined to stir up the hornet’s nest that is our country’s firearm legislation. The 25-year-old intends to release blueprints for the first entirely 3D-printable handgun called “the Liberator“ sometime this week.

Forbes was given an exclusive preview of the gun creation process, including 16 pieces of the weapon printed in ABS plastic. The non-printed components are a firing pin and a piece of steel that is inserted into the body of the gun to make it compliant with Undetectable Firearms Act.

While Wilson was willing to follow the letter of the law, other enthusiasts might not. When the files are published, they cannot be unpublished, and anyone will be able to download and print a gun, without the hassle of a background check, without the serial number or the six ounce piece of steel that makes it detectable by security systems.

Representative Steve Israel is wasting no time, and calling for an extension of the plastic firearms ban, including homemade magazines and receivers.

Rep. Israel said: “When I started talking about the issue of plastic firearms months ago, I was told the idea of a plastic gun is science-fiction. Now that this technology appears to be upon us, we need to act now to extend the ban on plastic firearms.”

The Undetectable Firearms Act prohibits manufacturing, importing, selling, possession, shipment, delivery, transfer or reception of firearms that are not detectable by walk-through metal detectors or have major components that do not generate an accurate image by airport X-ray machines.

Defense Distributed was founded last August, with the goal of creating design schematics for a usable plastic gun that could be used by anyone with a functional 3D printer. With the prices dropping and designs improving, that could be almost anyone. They did have problems with this before, the company that leased them their Stratasys uPrint SE seized it back when they learned what the device was meant for.

Wilson is interested in more than guns. Earlier this year, he revealed Defcad an “open search engine for all 3D printable parts.” The purpose of Defcad is to provide unrestricted access to 3D printable firearms.

The final version of the website is not yet done, as it was made as a quick reaction to Makerbot Industries’ decision to censor firearm related files uploaded at Thingiverse.

So there, a first (almost) fully printable (almost) entirely plastic firearm (just add ammo). Gun control regulations will be even more difficult to enforce now, without resorting to active information censorship.
Images with courtesy of www.forbes.com, www.wired.com, q8allinone.com, www.extremetech.com and www.npr.org.

UPDATE: The files were uploaded and they have reached 100,000 downloads already.

As it appears, 55 per cent of Virginians support stricter laws on the sale of firearms, opposed to 36 per cent who want them unchanged.

The result of the new NBC News/Marrist poll is not surprising if we remember that Virginia is one of key swing states — President Obama twice won it by the same margin he won the national popular vote — the percentage is almost identical to the national poll conducted by NBC/WSJ in the April.

The poll was conducted April 28-May 2 of 1,218 adults in Virginia, and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 2.8 percentage points.

These numbers, however, are hiding fascinating political, demographic and geographic differences. Eighty-two percent of Democrats in Virginia want stricter gun laws, compared with 56 percent of independents and just 29 percent of Republicans.

A wide gap still exists between gun owners and non-gun owners, as only 30 per cent of gun owners and 38 percent of those living in households with guns favor stricter gun laws.

There is another divide as well: 68 percent of women in the state want stricter gun laws, versus just 41 percent of men who do.

And finally, lets turn to geography. A staggering 70 per cent of residents of Northern Virginia suburbs, just oustide Washington D.C. support stricter gun laws. That’s compared with the Northern Virginian exurbs (49 percent), the central and western part of the state (49 percent), the Richmond area (49 percent), and the Tidewater region (59 percent).

Italian Job

The town of Brescia lays in the northern, industrially most developed part of Italy, known as Val Trompia. It is the gunmaker’s paradise on Earth, and the home to dozens of big and small companies making hunting, sporting and military firearms. If you make north from the Brescia downtown, the road will take you between the lakes Lago D’ Iseo and Lago di Garda, and you will pass most certainly pass through small towns like Concesio, Sarezzo, Gardone Val Trompia and finally Marcheno. Once in Marcheno, you follow Via Valtrompia Street and turn left into Via Il Giugno Street and right into the weapons factory “Fabrica D’ Armi Rizzini”. For centuries, many a gunsmith has borne the family name Rizzini. They worked in their own workshops or for the legendary, five centuries old “Beretta”.

In 1966, Battista Rizzini founded his company in Marcheno, which he called “Rizzini SRL”, and which has seen years of improvement and modernization by the state of the art CNC machines. Thanks to the outstanding manufacturing quality, as well as affordable price, the Rizzini shotguns quickly became popular among hunters from both sides of the ocean. In the USA, Rizzini rifles were imported by “W.L. Moore & Co” from Scottsdale, Arizona and “New England Arms Company” from Kittery Point, Maryland. Americans were buying all Rizzini models, from the least expensive ones ($1,200) to the most exclusive, richly engraved ones reaching up to $12,500.

Today, “Rizzini” is a family business, which aside from its founder, Mr. Battista is lead by his sons. The factory is expanding and connecting with other companies. Recently, a new factory was opened in Gardone V.T., bearing the name “Rizzini&Tanfoglio”. It was founded by Battista Rizzini and Ivano Tanfoglio. It was the marriage of two technologies: top notch CNC machining – Rizzini, and lots of handcrafting and engraving combined with classic gun designs – Ivano Tanfoglio.

Sporting and Hunting, Shotguns and Rifles

“Rizzini SRL” has a complete firearms array, including sporting and hunting shotguns, but also double rifles. Rizzini makes rifle cases and holsters, sporting and hunting outfits, and quality maintenance kits. Rizzini sporting shotguns are models 440, Vertex, Premier, mod 2000 and mod 790. All the models are made in skeet, sporting, trap and double trap configurations. The gauges are common for the sporting shotguns: 12/70, 12/76, 20/70 and 20/76.

The Model 440 can have the receiver blued, (440 BR) or luxuriously engraved in Rizzini PVD finish, and then it is called 440 EL. PVD finish is Rizzini’s protected trademark process of anti-corrosive surface protection, which gives the metal surface a non-reflecting, silvery matte color. Rizzini models 440 are delivered in 12 or 20 gauge and 68, 71, 75, 78 and 81 cm barrels. The weight varies between 3.25 and 3.7 kg, and the sighting rail is 10 mm wide. “Rizzini” equips its shotguns with modern detachable firing mechanism, so called blitz system. The blitz construction means that the strikers, springs, sears and triggers (one selective or two) are attached to one common plate which closes the receiver from bellow. The advantage of this system is the ease of access and maintenance. After a number of shots fired, the owner simply removes the firing mechanism, inspects it, cleans and lubricates it. With the classic construction, this operation requires the stock to be removed, which after a number of repetitions causes the inevitable loosening.

The models Vertex and Premier come in the same gauges and barrel lengths as the 440. Their barrels are also connected by a monobloc and spars. Every model features Browning B25 lock, with the lower locking plate which fits into an indent on the bottom of the monobloc. It is a widespread solution, simple to manufacture very tough. All these characteristics apply for more expensive S2000 and S790 models. They often feature side plates which, unlike the “Holland & Holland” firing mechanism, are just additional engraving space.

Besides the fixed sighting ribs, of various heights and widths, “Rizzini” equips its sporting shotguns with sliding, detachable sighting ribs. These ribs have the name “Rizzini” engraved, and the height and elevation regulators on the front and back rests. For greater stability, there is an additional rest on the middle of the barrel. The walnut stocks may have fixed or adjustable cheek rest, which is the characteristic of all sporting shotguns. The handguard has a steel spine which increases the ruggedness of this essential part. The handguard can be detached by pressing the front button. All models have a selective and adjustable trigger, which combined with strong ejectors ensures reliable and enduring operation.

Three Lines of Perfection

Based on the sporting models, “Rizzini” makes hunting shotguns as well, divided into three families: basic, classic and luxury. The basic line includes models Omnium and Argo. Models Aurum and Artemis are the classics, while the luxury line covers the S780, S782, S790, S792 and Artemis EL. All Rizzini hunting over-unders can be ordered in 12, 16, 20, 28, 36 gauges and the .410 caliber, with the shell lengths 70, 76 and 89 mm. The hunting models can be equipped with 62, 67 and 71 cm barrels. The manufacturer offers up to eight changeable chokes. They can be internal, short, extended and paradox. They even have models with slightly rifled lower paradox
barrel. Such a barrel excels in solid round boar hunting, but ensures wide shot pattern for fowl which take in the air directly in front of the hunter. In those situations, a narrow choke shot, with a heavy load usually means total destruction of the fowl.

“Rizzini” gives two options for the receivers – steel or light, that is a lightweight alloy. For ladies, boys or simply those who enjoy hunting with small gauges, “Rizzini” offers the models which after the model name have the designation “small action”. These shotguns, predominantly in the 28, 36 gauge or .410 caliber have a minimal weight, slight recoil and weaker shot. In the USA and some Latin American countries there are associations of hunters who hunt exclusively with 28 gauge or less. Those fine ladies
and gentlemen favor honorable hunting, a lot of socializing, lots of trekking and working with hounds.

One of examples of a fine hunting shotgun is the Rizzini Round Body EL, built in English style, with rounded, low receivers covered in fine scroll engraving. The overall
look of expensive and classy weapon is augmented with beautiful grain patterns on the walnut root stock, a result of years of laying on the ground.

“Rizzini” production line envelops inexpensive sporting and hunting models, which are sought by hunters and sportsmen of moderate means, as well as specialized ultralight models, which are by no means cheap, but not overpriced like Purdey, Holland & Holland, Aje, Grul, Arizabalag, Famars… Let’s not forget to mention the Rizzini double rifles as well, which are sometimes referred as express rifles. They have strong, forged receivers, monobloc barrels and Browning B25 locks. Those rifles boast a very low silhouette, the iron sights with a “V” notch and optic fiber bead are easily aligned with the aim point. The Anson-Deley striking mechanism is actuated by one selective, adjustable trigger.

There is a variety of the Rizzini Express with two triggers. This rifle’s handguard has also got a steel spine for increased toughness and durability even in the case of powerful .30R Blasser and 9,3x74R. The rifle aslo comes in 7x65R, 8x57JRS, .308 Win and .444 Marlin. Regardless of the caliber, their forged, Cr-Mo steel barrels are 60 cm long, which makes for the total weight of 3.5 kg. The rifle is fitted with reliable ejectors, not extractors. The Rizzini Express double barrels are designated as model 90, 90L, 92 and 92EL. The extent of engraving, aesthetic details and the quality of the walnut stock depends on the model. The operation is the same for all models.

Every Rizzini double rifle can be upgraded with spare barrels in 20/76 or 28/70 gauge. This is a great option which adds to the versatility of this, not so cheap rifle. You buy a rifle, and also get a great fowling piece. There are few companies that do this on their serial models. Of course, every additional order of two pairs of barrels in pecialized workshops increases the price drastically. In the USA, Rizzini double rifles cost between $5,000 and $6,000.

Summary

For centuries, the family name of Rizzini has inspired respect among the gunsmiths in Val Trompia region of Italy. And not in vain. The crown of the Rizzinis’ success was the opening of family business – high quality shotguns.Thanks to the outstanding manufacturing quality, as well as affordable price, the Rizzini shotguns quickly became popular among hunters from both sides of the ocean. The secret behind “Rizzini SRL” is their manufacturing approach which combines the state of the art technology with handcrafting and artistic engraving.

“Rizzini SRL” has a complete firearms array, including sporting and hunting shotguns, but also double rifles. Rizzini makes rifle cases and holsters, sporting and hunting outfits, and quality maintenance kits. Rizzini sporting shotguns are models 440, Vertex, Premier, mod 2000 and mod 790. All the models are made in skeet, sporting, trap and double trap configurations.

The gauges are common for the sporting shotguns: 12/70, 12/76, 20/70 and 20/76. “Rizzini” equips its guns with modern detachable firing mechanism, so called blitz system. The blitz construction means that the strikers, springs, sears and triggers (one selective or two) are attached to one common plate which closes the receiver from bellow. The advantage of this system is the ease of access and maintenance. After a number of shots fired, the owner simply removes the firing mechanism, inspects it, cleans and lubricates it. With the classic construction, this operation requires the stock to be removed, which after a number of repetitions causes the inevitable loosening.

Based on the sporting models, “Rizzini” makes hunting shotguns as well, divided into three families: basic, classic and luxury. The hunting models can be equipped with 62, 67 and 71 cm barrels. The manufacturer offers up to eight changeable chokes. They can be internal, short, extended and paradox. They even have models with slightly rifled lower paradox barrel. Such a barrel excels in solid round boar hunting, but ensures wide shot pattern for fowl which take in the air directly in front of the hunter. In those situations, a narrow choke shot, with a heavy load usually means total destruction of the fowl.

Let’s not forget to mention the Rizzini double rifles as well, which are sometimes referred as express rifles. They have strong, forged receivers, monobloc barrels and Browning B25 locks. Those rifles boast a very low silhouette, the iron sights with a “V” notch and optic fiber bead are easily aligned with the aim point. Every Rizzini double rifle can be upgraded with spare barrels in 20/76 or 28/70 gauge. This is a great option which adds to the versatility of this, not so cheap rifle. You buy a rifle, and also get a great fowling piece.
Images with courtesy of www.bywellshootingground.co.uk, www.joshuakennon.com, www.guns.com, www.all4shooters.com.

After the massacre in the Newton Elementary school, firearm owners, already anxious that President Obama would tighten up the gun control legislations have gone into shopping overdrive. Large government purchases, and a plan by the DHS to purchase over a billion rounds have added fuel to the fire.

Increased demand for guns and ammunition has cleaned out stores across the country. Concerned gun owners are buying ammo, faster than stores can stock up. There are waiting list as long as two months, and most popular calibers are nigh impossible to find and their prices have soared as much as 70 percent.

Steve Warholic spends nearly all of his work hours at a Nevada ammunition store scouring the Internet trying to secure additional supplies. He is trying to find bullets for the customers at Stockpile Defense and the store’s shooting school that trains 50,000 people in firearms handling every year.

Although Warholic has managed to find new supplies, the store cannot keep up with the demand. There are 50 million rounds of ammunition on order, and he says he will consider himself lucky to get 10.

“The running joke with our distributor is that we tell him, ‘You don’t need to come to work anymore. We’ll take everything on your list,’” said Warholic.
Civilian gun owners are not the only ones affected, law enforcement agencies have also been forced into ammo saving mode. Ammunition shortage has especially struck smaller agencies that don’t have the same level of funding and supplies. A 200-member force in Richmond California, has phased out live ammo training and switched to dry fire exercises, Airsoft pistols and laser guns to simulate live fire exercises, to save both ammunition and money.

“Ammunition has tripled in price over the last decade. We now have to wait a year to eight months for a shipment,” said Capt. Mark Gagan, spokesman for the Richmond Police Department.

This spike in demand is hardly new. Surge in gun and ammo sales has been almost constant since President Obama’s election and the re-election. The economic downturn has also played into personal security fears of increased crime rates.

Considering low supply, gun stores have put in place restrictions, limiting the amount of ammunition any one customer can purchase. This January, Walmart created three boxes per customer daily limit.

Dick’s Sporting Goods in Bee Cave, Texas has a regular morning lines of 10 to 15 people every Wednesday and Friday, when new ammunition shipments come in. “We’re getting in anything that we can and we still sell out,” said Payton, a salesman at Dick’s. “People panic, that’s all.”

Ammunition manufacturers are reporting up to tripe digit increases in sales. Olin Corporation, which owns Winchester, reported that company’s earnings in first quarter were 190 percent higher than they were a year ago. With hundreds of millions of dollars in backorders, they have added hundreds of employees and equipment and increased overtime. Some are even running factories around the clock.

Joseph Rupp, chairman of Olin has said: “Our sales are only limited by the amount we can produce.”

Despite the increased demand, manufacturers are not planning to build new factories or significantly change their production process in a way that would increase expenses. Basically they are waiting for the surge to “blow over”, since the last one lasted only six quarters.

Defense Distributed announced that they had been forced by the U.S. State Department to remove plans for a 3D-printed firearm from its website.

The Twitter account affiliated with this non-profit corporation twitted on Thursday that “#DEFCAD has gone dark at the request of the Department of Defense Trade Controls. Take it up with the Secretary of State”.

Defense Distributed founder Cody Wilson believes that the letter he received from the State Department Thursday could have violated U.S. laws regarding the sale of weapons internationally. He told Forbes Magazine that the letter ordered him to remove blueprints for several 3D-printable weapons.

A State Department spokesperson told ABC News Friday that they do not comment on individual cases of this nature, but confirmed that they had been in contact with Defense Distributed.

“In accordance with the Arms Export Control Act, any person who engages in the U.S. in the business of manufacturing or exporting defense articles, furnishing defense services, or engages in arms brokering covered by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) is required to register with the State Department (via the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls).”

“The U.S. government views the export of defense articles and defense services as an integral part of safeguarding U.S. national security and furthering U.S. foreign policy objectives. The United States is cognizant of the potentially adverse consequences of indiscriminate arms transfers and, therefore, strictly regulates exports of defense items and technologies to protect its national interests and those interests in peace and security of the broader international community,” a State Department spokesperson wrote in an email to ABC News.

Defense Distributed claims that its mission is “defend the civil liberty of popular access to arms” by making information on how to print 3D weapons available internationally.

The first fully 3D-printable gun was tested by the corporation on May 2. According to Forbes Magazine, The gun successfully fired a round.

On the other hand, British 3D printing company Digits2Widgets warns that home 3D printers are not capable of printing a gun like the one tested by Defense Distributed.

The company blogged on Wednesday that “the level of precision detail that they can achieve and the poor engineering quality of their own plastic materials would make it suicidal to attempt to print and fire the gun made from any of these machines.”By Friday, Defense Distributed has not responded to the comment.

Wilson told ABC News that Government leaders “act like passing a law will keep magazines off the street, but we want to show them that magazines will always be on the street.”

A Texas law student who lists anti-statist and libertarian philosophers as his influences, he appeared in a YouTube video in February, firing a gun with a 3D-printed, 30-round magazine. At that time, he told ABC News he was hoping to change the debate over proposed gun control measures that have since died in the Senate.

A highly controversial gun control law that was passed in 2007 is about to take effect, as California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris said on Friday. Generally speaking, it is a requirement that every new semiautomatic handgun contain “micro-stamping” technology that would allow police to trace a weapon from cartridges found at a crime scene.

When  former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill, California was the first state to require micro-stamping, a technology that engraves the gun’s serial number to each cartridge. The legislation, however, specified that the law will be implemented only when technology was available and all private patents had expired.

There were those who opposed the new measure. The gun owner’s group Calguns Foundation tried to impede the law at one point by paying a $555 fee in an attempt to extend a patent held by the inventor. Gun manufacturers said that the technology was expensive and ineffective, and a National Rifle Association lawyer has threatened a lawsuit.

On the other hand, at a Los Angeles news conference held on Friday, Harris announced that micro-stamping had cleared all technological and patenting hurdles and its implementation on newly sold semiautomatics is to take effect immediately. “The patents have been cleared, which means that this very important technology will help us as law enforcement in identifying and locating people who have illegally used firearms,” Harris said.

Introduction of micro-stamping “moves California to the forefront of the nation in combating gun crime,” said the law’s author, former Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, who attended the news conference and is running for city attorney.

Attorney Benjamin Van Houten of San Francisco’s Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence told the press that the announcement should light a beacon for other states, the Obama administration and the gun industry that “this is the future and it’s really critical to helping law enforcement solve gun crimes.”

C.D. Michael, the NRA‘s West Coast regional attorney wasn’t as nearly enthusiastic. “This is not going to help solve crimes,” he said. “It’s easily defeated, easily wears out and can be used to lead police down false alleys” if the serial numbers are altered. To make the matters worse, he said, manufacturers will be loath to add this expensive feature to guns sold in a single state, and will instead keep manufacturing weapons for the other states, where demand already far exceeds supply. He concluded that the final effect would be a ban on new semiautomatic handguns in California, which the NRA will challenge in court.

Van Houten’s response was that every time the state enacts a new gun-safety requirement, the gun lobby makes wild claims about the impact on the California gun market.

The micro-stamping technology was invented in 1990s by Todd Lizotte, an engineer and NRA member,  who has said for more than a year that he no longer claimed patent rights and wanted California to implement micro-stamping.

But Harris’ office said the state had to wait until it was no longer legally possible for Lizotte to renew his patents.

Sauer can be easily called a byword of quality. They have close ties to Swiss companies “Sig”, “Mauser”, “Ruag”, “Zeiss” and “Blaser”. All rifles with the “Sauer” name are top quality firearms, no matter the type. Their hunting carbines, S303 semiautomatic and S202 repeater are some of the best models available anywhere. The only real “flaw” of these weapons is exceptionally high price. Price of $2,500 can be daunting for an average hunter, no matter where they’re from, especially during this economic crisis. This is why the marketing and technical departments of “Sauer” decided to develop a modern, accurate and reliable bolt-action hunting rifle for 1,500 € (just under $2,000). Which, according to their data, is the highest limit a European hunter is willing to part with (I know people in US and UK who are willing to part with more, but let’s not tell them that).

This is how the hunting carbine Sauer 101 was created, keeping all the characteristics that made the company such a highly respected brand.

Match Grade Heat Pressed Barrel

For this rifle, that aims to be a part of mid-range offer, “Sauer” has made the match grade barrel, paying special attention to the muzzle. It provides a tight shot grouping both when hunting and during competition shooting. The rifle can come both with and without iron sights. This model has 60° bolt throw, which allows for quick shots in rapid succession and you won’t have to worry about accidentally catching the scope. The barrel is heat pressed into the receiver, meaning they are fused together, making it very difficult to replace the barrel.

The rifle comes in a variety of calibers, standard: 22-250 Rem., .243 Win, 6.5×55, .270 Win, 7×64, .308 Win, .30-06, 8x57IS, 9.3×62; and magnum: 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag. Standard calibers have a 22 inches long barrel, while magnums require 24.

Perfect Silence

Sharp wide extractor and two round spring ejectors guarantee safe removal of empty casings. Wide side opening on the receiver serves to evacuate hot gunpowder gas in the case of burst primer and casing breach. New Dura Safe safety system lock is completely silent. It has a button and a lever, ensuring the lever cannot be pushed accidentally. The silent operation of the lock allow you to keep the rifle in the safe mode right up to the moment you need to fire it. Top part of the receiver can take Remington 700 long rail scopes, making mounting of optical scope much cheaper. Sauer 101 designers decided to use factory adjusted firing mechanism, with 2 pound trigger with no creep or overtravel.

Reliable Accuracy

The stock was made in accordance with the “Old School – New Rules” slogan. No matter if you’re using cheaper composite or more expensive wooden stock, both have the new Ever Rest bedding. One of the Sauer’s designers has stated that S101 bedding is a completely new method of joining the barrel mechanism and stock. Ever Rest combines ultra-solid stable bedding with maximum isolation of stock from the receiver and the barrel. He claims that not even multi-year use of the rifle with constant weather changes will not disrupt the bedding and that accuracy will remain reliable no matter how much you use it.

The system of match grade barrel, Ever Rest bedding and excellent stock has shown unchanged accuracy even in harshest tests. The accuracy is easily a match for the more expensive Sauer 202. Ergonomic properties of the stock were really taken into consideration. Shooter’s head is ideally positioned in relation to the axis of the optical sight. Shape of the stock, its weight distribution and the pistol grip have reduced the recoil immensely. That the stock is ambidextrous goes almost without saying.

Indestructible Polymer Magazine

Lever is revolver knob, and it’s been done superbly. It does not slip and adds to the smooth feeling of the weapon. No matter if you’re bare handed or wearing thick gloves, bolt handle grip is always secure. Pressing on the button behind the lever allows you to reload the “dura safe” locked rifle.

Although the magazine is separate, it is possible to reload it through the rifle, when the magazine is in the rifle and the bolt is in the rearmost position. The magazine is made of indestructible polymer and holds five standard or four magnum rounds. One round more than similar rifles. Magazine catch is just in front of it, like in other Sauer carbines. When you press that button, the magazine drops safely into your palm. It is a tried and true solution.

Up to (High) Standard

S101 both meets and exceeds the standards set up by the Sauer company, excellent quality rifle with perfect bluing, well designed safety and with smooth lever action and trigger mechanism. CEO of “Sauer” claims that this rifle will set the standards for other hunting carbines. The only downside is its price… while this is an excellent rifle, it is still an exclusive and pricey model, and there are other manufacturers, who can offer comparable quality for significantly lower price.
Images with courtesy of bulletin.accurateshooter.com, www.sauer-101.com, www.bignami.it.

SANDPOINT, ID-May 14, 2013–Newly formed company “Inteliscope,” has announced the launch of the Inteliscope mount for firearm and Apple device app.

Did you ever want a high tech scope that would display all kinds of data? From wind strength and direction, to GPS; with different types of crosshairs, 5x digital zoom, a flashlight and a strobe? That you can use to record and playback videos? You can even use it to shoot at the target around the corner without exposing your head. If the answer is yes folks at Inteliscope might have just the thing.

They are working on a custom firearm mount that fits Picatinny and Weaver tactical rails, and serves as an iPhone or iPod touch slot. Combined with the software portion of the set, this turns displays of those devices into a smart high-tech digital scopes with some really nice features.

All of this definitely sounds nice if you’re both a firearm and tech enthusiast. We will be sure to do a full review as soon as we get our hands on one of them.
Those of you interested, can check out the company website and pre-order the device and the app for $69.99.
Images and data with courtesy of Inteliscope.

The king

The importance of submachine guns in modern warfare is not likely to diminish anytime soon, although almost every assault rifle in the world is followed by its carbine version. Submachine guns are simple and inexpensive weapons, with straightforward manufacturing process, and there are countless different designs, as almost every country has developed at least one domestic model. However, there is one submachine gun which has risen above the others and in the last few decades built an army of users. It is, of course, Heckler und Koch MP5. Despite few shortcomings experts and users alike consider it the best weapon in class and it’s holds a world record in number of armed forces which use it.

Excellent ergonomic solutions, good accuracy and control in full-auto, ideal weight and capability for wide range of tactical attachments made it the favorite weapon for close quarter battle (CQB). On the other hand, the elaborate locking system, with rollers and delayed blowback makes this weapon expensive and demanding for production, as it requires skilled workforce and quality machinery. For that reason, Heckler und Koch company has moved to a simplified model, designated UMP, with a molded polymer frame and delayed blowback operation. The original MP5 model is currently produced only in one factory in Turkey, which can by no means satisfy the demands. While the mother-company is looking for an appropriate replacement for its bestseller, the competition is restless.

An heir or usurper?

A Swiss-German concern SIG Sauer is one of the most revered players among the manufacturers of high class small arms intended for service and civilian use. This time, they came forth with an interesting weapon, with a clear intent to claim the throne which has so far held by the H&K MP5. At the “Enforce Tac” gun exhibition in March this year, the visitors could see a family of promising submachine guns dubbed MPX. These new weapons are introducing some 21st technology in design and manufacturing. Although, at the first glance inspired by the MP5, the new SIG MPX is the first, truly modular automatic platform which uses pistol ammunition. The gas operation with the short stroke piston is relatively new feature, which has just been introduced with assault rifles. The application of this solution definitely increases reliability and resilience, when compared to existing Vorgrimler system of delayed blowback with return rollers. What is more, the self-regulating gas valve provides a safe operating cycle, with either 9 mm Para, .40 S&W or .357 SIG ammunition, with no need for additional adjusting or manual switching.

The best of both worlds

The lower portion of the receiver is made of aluminum alloy and polymer, and the ergonomics are similar to the M-4/M-16 assault rifles family, so the users can easily adapt from one weapon to the other without any special training. The weapon’s modular construction makes changing the caliber, barrel length or attaching integral silencer much easier. The detachable upper portion has tubular construction and it houses the rotating bolt, barrel and the short stroke gas operation with a self-regulating valve. The handguard is made from aluminum alloy and it accommodates a long Picatinny rail.

The MPX has outstanding folding iron sights, but they are only backup solution, because this weapon was intended for fast reflex sights in combination with laser sights and tactical flashlights. For this reason, the handguard can be equipped with Picatinny rails on 3, 6 and 9 o’ clock positions as well as with vertical forward grip. Aside from aluminum rails, the ultra-light carbon fiber ones are also available.

Easy switching between calibers

Changing of the barrel (and the caliber) is simple and fast, with no need for complete disassembly. It only takes releasing the safety lever and the barrel can be pulled out. Even with the caliber change, besides the barrel, it only takes changing the magazine. The self-regulating valve will do the rest. This feature improves the versatility and usefulness of the weapon. From the short-barreled submachine gun which comes handy in cramped spaces and vehicles, to the long silenced barrel, this weapon covers a wide range of tasks. In addition, the users can choose between widely available military 9 mm Para, the heavy round of .40 S&W, which became the most popular police caliber in the States, or the super fast .357 SIG, which offers extended range and penetration.

Regardless of the caliber, the grooves twist rate is the same 1:254 mm. The MPX fires from closed bolt, which significantly increases the accuracy. When the last round is fired, the follower stops the bolt in rear position, so that after reloading there is no need for cocking once again.

Suppressed for civilians?

In the basic configuration, the MPX comes with 165 mm barrel, with the 114 mm one also available (MPX K version). The regulations for the US civilian market propose the minimal barrel length of 407 mm. SIG has bypassed this, a bit absurd regulation by fitting its semi-auto model MPX C-9 with standard 165 mm barrel, and over it a 242 mm long skeletal construction, dubbed the gas brake. Interestingly enough, by fitting a simple tube over this “abomination” you get a surprisingly effective silencer. If the tube is filled with some kind of sound-absorbing material, the civilian SIG MPX becomes a high-class suppressed weapon, comparable with integrally silenced MPX SD which is sold only to government agencies. The civilian version is about to hit markets in the States these days, with the price between $1,800 and $2,100. The stock is collapsible, just like MP5′s, but is is equipped with bigger shoulder rest, which is more comfortable. The manufacturer leaves the option for sideways folding stock, if that is more to buyer’s taste.

The new submachine gun is an attractive, technologically advanced weapon, and based on everything it offers, has a good chances for success. But, it wasn’t the first one to challenge the dominance of the submachine king – the H&K MP5.

A new Pew Research Center poll has shown that almost 75 per cent of Americans believe Congress should pass a  revised Senate bill to expand background checks on gun buyers. Despite their enthusiasm, nearly 60 per cent of the US residents say they doubt that Congress will pass any significant gun laws this year – which was the actual goal of President Obama following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

In April, the Senate turned down a plan proposed by Senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa. (known as bipartisan plan), that would bring two opposing sides to terms, and regulate  firearms sales at gun shows and on the Internet. The measure ground to a halt because of the universal background checks Obama proposed after 20 children and six adults were killed Dec. 14 in Connecticut. The National Rifle Association had opposed the background checks bill as “misguided.”

While 81 per cent of Americans support expanding background checks,  the Senate bill itself only draws support from 57 per cent. According to the Pew poll, Americans who have issue with the Senate bill say it  “includes other restrictions beyond background checks” and opens up a “slippery slope” toward more government control.

The poll also shows that Democrats and independents are more in favor of passing the Senate background checks bill than Republicans. Total of 88 per cent of Democrats and 71 per cent of independents support the Senate bill, against 60 per cent Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has frozen the gun-control measures this year, as advocates try to gain more support. Sen. Manchin told CBS News earlier this month that advocates will need  “make some adjustments” to the bill and find out where the comfort zone is.

The Pew poll of 1, 504 adults was taken May 1-5. The margin of error is +/-2.9 percentage points. On the partisan breakdown on the Senate bill, the margin of error among Republicans is +/- 5.7 points and about 5 points for Democrats and independents.
Graphs with courtesy of people-press.org. Images by norcalblogs.com and cbsnews.com.

While this is not isolated to Connecticut, it is the latest state that has seen a number of weapon manufacturing companies considering relocating their operation in the wake of stricter gun laws being introduced.

A number of companies, including Strum Ruger & CO, PTR industries and Stag Arms, are either considering moving their business to other states, or are already in the process of doing so. This has been prompted by the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings and the new gun control laws, which are making thing difficult for those companies.

It is estimated that this industry accounted for somewhere around 7,400 jobs in the state, when you take into account the manufacturers, suppliers and other people closely connected to the business. In other words, gun industry in Connecticut has had an economic impact amounting to $1.7 billion, which is definitely something that will be felt once it’s gone.

Image by businessinsider.com

It is impossible to predict the exact consequences of this, but the state’s economy is hardly going to improve. The manufacturers themselves are not particularly concerned by this development, as though it might be a pricy inconvenience for them to have to relocate their operations, it is not something that will permanently impact their operation. It seems that it, as things are right now, it might be much more of an inconvenience for them to stay where they are and face not only stricter laws, but customers who are actually threatening to boycott any weapon made in this state.

The owner of Stag Arms, Mark Malkowski, has already mentioned how he has been approached by the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry and asked if he would be interested in moving the operation to Texas. Similar things are happening in Maryland and Colorado with Beretta and Magpul Industries, respectively, who are also finding it hard to deal with new laws in those states. The impact of these relocation is still to be seen.

This Wednesday the Tucson City Council decided to approve two new, somewhat controversial, gun ordinances that are meant to further regulate the gun control regulation on the city wide basis.

As is usually the case when stricter gun laws are imposed on the populace, a number of gun rights activists have raised their voices in protest claiming that their constitutional rights are being violated and demanding the retraction of the new laws. We’ll leave you to judge whether the new laws are in congruence with the constitution of the United States.

Image with courtesy of www.huffingtonpost.com

The first law dictates that any citizen who has had his or her firearm stolen is obliged to report the theft within 48 hours of the moment that they realize that the weapon is missing. Failure to do so in timely fashion will incur a $100 penalty. One of the most serious and founded arguments against this law was vocalized by a member of Arizona Citizens Defense League, Charles Heller, who noted that, according to the state’s constitution, local government shouldn’t be allowed to pass policies to adopt laws that would preempt the laws made by the state. Since there are no similar state ordinances forcing citizens to report a theft within such a short deadline, his argument, and the argument of other gun rights advocates seems to be holding water.

The other ordinance is compromised in a similar manner, as it was modeled after a bill that was rejected on a state wide level, and it prescribes that a police officer is allowed to charge with criminal negligence anyone who is found shooting a gun within the city limits, provided that that person is suspected to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of shooting. This ordinance has another problem, though, encapsulated in the fact that this would allow the police forces to make an arrest without first getting a warrant that would allow them to test the person in question for drugs or alcohol abuse.

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed an infamous law earlier this month, outlawing more than 40 different firearms which are considered assault weapons (including the popular AR-15), prohibiting the sale of magazines carrying more than 10 rounds and requiring prospective buyers to undergo fingerprint licensing.

One of the most prominent voices against the law was the Beretta USA factory in Accokeek, Maryland. The company released a statement in which they put “The resulting law that passed is not acceptable, even with the improvements we were able to obtain. In short, the law that finally passed went from being atrocious to simply being bad.”

With no definite plans for the future announced, representatives of the company said that the current Beretta facility will not be relocated, writes Baltimore Sun. On the other hand, the Sun also reports the company is considering alternate locations for three planned expansion operations.

Image with courtesy of ammoland.com

The decision of Maryland was not the first state that have reached to stricter gun-control measures, to the great discontent of many gun owners and manufacturers. While some of southern and western states are trying to stay away from stricter gun-ownership policies, some states in the East and Northeast seem to follow the Federal policy, moving in opposite directions. Meanwhile, gun makers like Beretta are taking note and considering options.

Some of the most notorious are the laws like New York’s, that prevent gun owners from purchasing magazines that hold more than seven rounds, or Connecticut’s, where any owner of a high-capacity magazine must register with the state.

Truth to be told, Beretta’s intention to move operations isn’t the first. Several arms makers, including PTR and Colt, both being old Connecticutians, threatened to relocate within a year after the state enforced what they considered aggressive gun-control measures.

The problem arises if other gun makers follow the example. States have introduced over 1,500 gun-related bills since January, 2013, according to the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization tasked with creating government openness and transparency. Although that number mixes strengthening and weakening gun-related laws, the agency says that about 50 have become laws this year. There is a page on its website, where visitors can track gun legislation in every state and look up fast facts and other data.

Beretta USA is a subsidiary of a 500-year-old company, which employs more than 330 people and has an average $220 million in U.S. sales annually and another $150 million a year from a military contract to supply its M9 pistol, making it a fairly attractive acquisition for any state’s economy—West Virginia and Virginia are reportedly two early suitors.

Meanwhile in Maryland, Beretta and the National Rifle Association are planning to file a lawsuit against the new gun law, while state representatives that opposed the bill are leading petition drives to put reverse legislation on the ballot for voters to overturn in a referendum.

Beretta COO Jeff Cooper is still uncertain of the company’s future. He expressed his discontent with the state on record with guns.com and explained what it means to evaluate relocating.

“It is a delicate decision. What’s clear at this point is that the state of Maryland is not friendly to this industry,” he said. “This [legislation] comes at a time when Beretta has plans for growth. Our footprint, manufacturing, people and equipment—we have large growth initiatives in place for the next two- to three-year horizon. . . In light of the way the legislation is heading, rewarding Maryland with that type of growth is difficult to digest.”

What do you think—should Beretta stay or should it take those jobs elsewhere?

HAYWARD — An elementary school will has held a toy gun exchange this Saturday, they offered students a book and a chance to win a bicycle for turning in their toy weapons.

Principal of Strobridge Elementary, Charles Hill insists that children playing with toy guns are more prone to not taking real firearms seriously.

He said, “Playing with toys guns, saying ‘I’m going to shoot you,’ desensitizes them, so as they get older, it’s easier for them to use a real gun.”

This Saturday, an event called Strobridge Elementary Safety Day, a Hayward police officer has demonstrated bicycle and gun safety, while the Alameda County Fire Department sent a rig and crew to talk about fire safety.

Each child bringing in a toy firearm was given a ticket for a raffle to win one of four bicycles and a ticket they can exchange for a book.

Hill said a photographer, Horace Gibson, gave him the idea for the toy gun exchange. Gibson takes students’ school pictures and has expressed concern about the series of shootings of young people by police in Oakland.

He said police are rightfully fearful of being shot when they encounter so many armed suspects, and there have been cases nationwide where police mistook a toy gun for a real one.

One gun rights advocate has questioned the idea that playing with toy weapons desensitizes children to real ones.

Yih-Chau Chang, spokesman for Responsible Citizens of California argued that, “Having a group of children playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians is a normal part of growing up.” His group’s goal is to educate the public about the facts behind gun rights.

He praised the intentions of school administration but cautioned that the event doesn’t really educate children about guns or gun safety. He said, “Guns are used in crimes, but they are more often used in defensive ways which prevent violent crime from occurring in the first place.”

Chang also said toys are very difficult to mistake for real weapons.

“Toy manufacturers are forced to paint guns in bright colors, usually orange or yellow, that make it virtually impossible for an officer to mistake it for a real gun,” Chang said.

Principal Hill, though, has noted a recent case where a little boy in Kentucky used a rifle painted in pink and accidentally killed his sister. He said that some toy weapons that he has seen have only a red tip to indicate they are not actual weapons.

Hill said that some of the guns he confiscated, if they’re tucked in the waistband can fool the average person into thinking it is a real gun. “I could easily see one of our sixth-graders wanting to fake out someone at a 7-Eleven by walking in there with a toy gun.” He added that kids would probably think it’s funny, “but it could turn into tragedy.”

Hill expressed hope that the toy gun exchange idea catches on.

“If we want older kids to not think guns are cool, we need to start early,” he said.