D.C. Officials Weigh Keeping Semiautomatic Pistols Illegal

[Reptile]

D.C. Officials Weigh Keeping Semiautomatic Pistols Illegal After Blanket Handgun Ban is Struck Down

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,377203,00.html


"They are falsely claiming that all semiautomatic handguns are banned," Parsons said. She said the NRA will wait until the city sets its new rules to decide how to respond.

 

[icyclefar]

idiots

 

[Another_David]

a prohibition on semiautomatic handguns — those in which a bullet clip is inserted into the gun's grip

Wouldn't it be great if this is how they worded the law.

Didn't the ruling refer to something like allowing arms 'in common use at the time'?

 

[depicts]

Of course this just means that Washington DC cops will be carrying Smith & Wesson Model 10's again.

 

[WayneWong]

I think what is most telling is that the DC officials don't have the guts to man up and do what is necessary to comply with the Law of Land. They cannot accept reality graciously. Like a spoiled, rotten child they are going push the limits on this and bust everybody's b*lls. Nobody's gonna tell them what to do.


So they want to outlaw semi-autos. Smith and Wesson is licking their chops. I love revolvers. I think revolvers are great. Everybody go out and get a .38 or .357 and some speed loaders.

If they ban semi-automatics, S&W should give away speed loaders with every revolver purchase..

 

[gene]

Fools Gold!

 

[Snapshot]

Most people out there buy 9mm or .40cal if they can get a semi. They do that because they can have anywhere from 10 to 16 rounds available to them.

If I couldn't have that many rounds, I'd want the biggest damn round that I could get. Do they REALLY want people walking around with a .500S&W in their backpack/briefcase?

 

[Palladin]

unbelieveable ! the fact they're convincing themselves this is going to stop the 'gun crime wave' that's coming.
give the cops the Model 10's again......til the first real gunfight a cop gets into with a BG with a semi.

 

[Reptile]

Wouldn't it be great if this is how they worded the law.

Didn't the ruling refer to something like allowing arms 'in common use at the time'?

That was what they said. Semi-auto is definitely common use.

 

[Scrivener]

The smart move would be the eight shot 627.

 

[economist]

I wish Scalia would have just said that, consistent with the intent of the second amendment's focus on a militia, government can not prohibit ownership of any individual armaments in common use by the military or the police.

 

[fubar]

Good. Perfect.

Round 2 : " DC vs. Common Usage guy who wants a 1911. "

Let's throw in "Shall Issue "Carry Permits while we're at it.

 

[icyclefar]

The smart move would be the eight shot 627.

Why not a pair?

 

[Jose]

I suspect these idiots are ripe to get their ass kicked in court again.

 

[strangenh]

Most people out there buy 9mm or .40cal if they can get a semi. They do that because they can have anywhere from 10 to 16 rounds available to them.

If I couldn't have that many rounds, I'd want the biggest damn round that I could get. Do they REALLY want people walking around with a .500S&W in their backpack/briefcase?

Friend of mine in the Cook County, IL burbs tells me the first effect of the county's (questionably passed) total ban on >10 round capacity mags (with no grandfathering) was a run on .45ACP pistols. No surprise. And since there's no carry in IL, the run was on mid-to-full size pistols.

 

[drgrant]

The smart move would be the eight shot 627.

No, the best move would be for S+W to give everyone in DC a huge discount on a .500 or .460 magnum. Capacity won't be much of an issue, you'll just have to shoot the BG once, and even if you miss the fireball will set the BG on fire.



-Mike

 

[Joe G]

I suspect these idiots are ripe to get their ass kicked in court again.

Yeah, but at what cost for the lawsuit and how long to work it thru the courts? They're still putting the screws to us owners and making us fight for every inch.

This is yet another validation of my view that the Heller case ruling was a disappointment for gun owners. Yeah, it's an individual right, but subject to reasonable restriction. We'll spend the rest of our lives and a small fortune arguing across the US about what a reasonable restriction is.

 

[Big_Red]

Capacity won't be much of an issue, you'll just have to shoot the BG once, and even if you miss the fireball will set the BG on fire.



-Mike

Oh man...I nearly pissed my pants. This is too funny

 

[vellnueve]

Better yet, H&K needs to reintroduce the SP89 for Washington DC residents.

 

[Jamie]

No, the best move would be for S+W to give everyone in DC a huge discount on a .500 or .460 magnum. Capacity won't be much of an issue, you'll just have to shoot the BG once, and even if you miss the fireball will set the BG on fire.



-Mike

After my range trip today, working up loads for the .460, I can unfortunately attest to this. I forgot to move my front bag rest far enough away from the muzzle and cylinder gap "blast area". Bag rest is sliced and charred, my "wiping towel" actually caught fire, and I believe I vaporized a couple of the styrofoam cartridge holders someone left on the bench as only small traces of them could be found after a quick search. Oops!

 

[In_God_We_Trust]

Most people out there buy 9mm or .40cal if they can get a semi. They do that because they can have anywhere from 10 to 16 rounds available to them.

If I couldn't have that many rounds, I'd want the biggest damn round that I could get. Do they REALLY want people walking around with a .500S&W in their backpack/briefcase?

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=49904&tabselected=over&isFirearm=Y&parent_category_rn=

Once upon a time, the velocity threshold for what was quaintly referred to as a "high powered" rifle was around 2,200 fps. Not surprisingly, that figure pretty much coincided with what the .30-30 was capable of. But if--at around the turn of the century--anyone had even dared fantasize aloud about a large-caliber revolver delivering that sort of exit speed, he would probably have been committed.

Well, welcome to the institution. Smith & Wesson's new .460 S&W Magnum X-frame delivers just that--around 2,300 fps with a 200-grain bullet, to be more specific. It's called the Model 460XVR, and it is, by anyone's reckoning, the state-of-the-art long-range big-game wheelgun. The "XVR," incidentally, is an acronym for Extreme Velocity Revolver. And it's an accurate one. The revolver will also accept .45 Colt and .454 Casull cartridges.

The .460's straight-wall 1.80-inch case employs a Large Rifle primer to deal with the heftier charge. The maximum average pressure of the .460 is 65,000 psi--5,000 psi more than the .500 S&W's pressure limit and equalling several .300 magnum-class rifle cartridges.

Guaranteed to remove the smiles and finger prints from any criminal!

 

[PaulD]

EDIT: I was searching for the pic and was beaten to the punch.

As I said in another thread, S&W needs to come out with a DC version of this:

 

[billmelater]

"a prohibition on semiautomatic handguns — those in which a bullet clip is inserted into the gun's grip"

So, my Model 39 should still be legal in DC, since it won't accept a clip in it's grip.
But on the other hand, if they can change the definition of "machine gun"...

"Current city law defines a "machine gun" to mean "any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot: a) Automatically, more than one shot by a single function of the trigger; b) Semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading."

....all they have to do to make it illegal again is change the definition of the word "clip." I'm still screwed.

 

[mark056]

unbelieveable ! the fact they're convincing themselves this is going to stop the 'gun crime wave' that's coming.
give the cops the Model 10's again......til the first real gunfight a cop gets into with a BG with a semi.

Actually many police would be better served by a revolver, as it is far simpler to operate, and is far more "forgiving" with regard to "casual" maintenance. Most police are not "into" guns and see them just as another tool like a flashlight. You are suggesting somehow that increased cartridge capacity makes for a superior handgun. This appears to be some kind of allusion to the concept of suppressive fire, which does not play an important part in the dynamics of contemporary gunfighting, but is a military concept applied to fire teams and squads facing enemy soldiers.

"Spray and pray" is seen all too frequently as a major dynamic in police gunfights. Today more rounds are expended but hit ratios haven't gotten any better. If a copper finds himself or herself in a firefight where suppressive fire is necessary to prevail, then they are probably "outgunned" anyway if all they have is a handgun no matter what the capacity and need access to a patrol rifle or more likely the support of a SWAT team.

As for the city fathers (and mothers) of DC trying to ban semi-autos: what do you expect? The fight is far from over and the other side will resort to any tactic they can to soften the blow that Heller rendered them. This fight is going to be going on for a long, long time.

Mark L.

 

[LoginName]

As for the city fathers (and mothers) of DC trying to ban semi-autos: what do you expect? The fight is far from over and the other side will resort to any tactic they can to soften the blow that Heller rendered them. This fight is going to be going on for a long, long time.

Mark L.

That's why the court system needs to come down hard on Fenty/DC officials and make an example of them.

There is a long way to go.

Assuming a best case scenario where the Chicago handgun ban is overturned and the SCOTUS rules that the RKBA applies to the states, places like CA, MA (Boston), NJ, etc need to understand that skirting the law will not be tolerated.

 

[Edzo]

"a prohibition on semiautomatic handguns — those in which a bullet clip is inserted into the gun's grip"

So, my Model 39 should still be legal in DC, since it won't accept a clip in it's grip.
But on the other hand, if they can change the definition of "machine gun"...

"Current city law defines a "machine gun" to mean "any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily converted or restored to shoot: a) Automatically, more than one shot by a single function of the trigger; b) Semiautomatically, more than 12 shots without manual reloading."

....all they have to do to make it illegal again is change the definition of the word "clip." I'm still screwed.

I wonder what they'd make of a Taurus 45LC/410 loaded with 000 buckshot. "This assault-revolver is capable of firing five 9mm bullets with one trigger pull!" I assume they'll also explain how it was clearly intended to be a "street sweeper" that could fit in someone's pocket.

 

[vellnueve]

The SP89 would be legal since it doesn't take a magazine in the grip.

 

[EddieCoyle]

So would the Mauser Broomhandle.

 

[M1911]

The thing is, there aren't any gun stores in DC, so DC residents still can't buy a handgun -- not even a revolver.

 

[LoginName]

The thing is, there aren't any gun stores in DC, so DC residents still can't buy a handgun -- not even a revolver.

They could get a C&R license and have a handgun shipped right to their front door.

Granted... there would be severely limited choices, but if the city fathers want to play end-run games, those desiring to purchase a handgun can play the same game.