A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

I have tried, and I mean REALLY TRIED, to not write this one. But dammitall, someone must step in with correct information. (sigh)

A few reminders to start this one:

"No one is coming to take your guns." http://porkbrainsandmilkgravy.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-great-gun-grab.html

"This is about protecting our kids." http://porkbrainsandmilkgravy.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-problem-is-guns-ii.html

"This is about stopping the killing." http://porkbrainsandmilkgravy.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-problem-is-guns.html

BAN MILITARY GUNS

Having shot down the top three arguments above, some in the gun grab crowd now say they only want to ban civilian ownership of military firearms.

They do not know what they are talking about. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I explain below.

Also, I am using the exact line of reasoning these people use when calling for gun bans. A major difference between me & them is I am using actual facts and reason to back up my points v. empty rhetoric and emotionally laden vitriol. (Well, most of the time anyway.)

In the interest of just hitting the major points, I will skip over a lot of things like swords, rapiers, man-catchers, advances in projectile tech and etc.

NEARLY 1,000 YEARS OF DEATH

Mr. Peabody, fire up The Wayback Machine. We are visiting the 1100s and the most feared weapon ever created by that time, the crossbow.

"Not surprisingly, the highest European authority of the day, the Roman Catholic Church, called for an outright ban on the weapon. And the Vatican wasn’t messing around — violating its decree could lead to excommunication, or worse: damnation of the soul. Strong language, to be sure. In fact, for much of the Middle Ages, the crossbow was considered to be one of the most destabilizing weapons in existence, not unlike today’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons."

So, to ban military weapons, we must ban the crossbow.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/20/fears-crossbow-terror-attacks-germany-weapon-found-jihadists/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/14/police-hunt-55-year-old-man-in-connection-with-crossbow-attack

FORWARD!

Mr. Peabody! Take us forward good sir!

Smoothbore rifles, which are on the current banned list anyway in the US, except for muzzleloaders... Well, even the muzzleloaders must be banned.

Loading a muzzleloader - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CEbBv4U71M . And that is for 1 shot.

"European military doctrine of the time called for the use of smoothbore muskets as the primary martial firearm.  Although less accurate than rifled arms, the smoothbore allowed for faster reloading, since a lead ball slightly smaller than bore diameter could be rammed down the barrel with wadding quite quickly, even as the barrel became fouled from gunpowder residue from previous shots."

For the sake of space, I shall skip over barrel rifling.

According to the "ban military guns" crowd, we must ban muzzleloading blackpowder rifles. The Brown Bess was issued to the British Army. This is but one example of many.

"It was the standard arm of the British soldier during the American Revolution. Unlike modern weapons, the musket was slow to load, inaccurate and frequently unreliable. The Brown Bess fired round lead balls, some the size of a quarter. With such an inaccurate gun, soldiers were often massed tightly together, firing a shower of lead balls at the enemy. "

CARTRIDGE ROUNDS

Mr. Peabody! We require your services to take us into the time of cartridge rounds. A cartridge round is self-contained. The bullet, powder and primer are all in one unit. The first cartridge rounds were developed for civilian use. So, banning ammo as being for "military purposes" is not permitted under these rules of engagement.

But we can point to cartridges and guns made for those rounds specifically made for military use.

The shoulder-breaker and moose hammer .45-70 Government is once again popular among shooters. As the name implies, this round was developed by and for the government. But we cannot ban ammo.

We can ban the rifle for which this ammo was developed. The Trapdoor Springfield as we call it today was built on government orders for government use. This single-shot rifle is designed to use black powder in the cartridge. Using some modern ammo can cause the rifle to explode. Really.

Single shot is slow to load. The rifle must be opened, the spent brass removed and a new round inserted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_A5HUhpZDs

But, this rifle that is more than 100 years old must be banned because it is a military firearm.

I have one. It was probably used to kill Native Americans. Ban it?

Another cartridge we cannot ban is the .30-06. This round was, again, developed by the government for military use. The ammo is on the world's Top 10 list for most popular deer ammo.

The ammo was developed for the Springfield Model 1903 bolt-action rifle. Since this is a military firearm, it can be banned. Never mind the fact that first few years the guns were made in such a way that firing modern ammo in them can cause them to explode. Literally.

It must be banned because it is a military rifle.

Got one of these too, one of the first off the line. I am truly afraid to shoot it because I do not want it exploding in my face.

Lemme point out here legendary Marine Corps sniper Carlos Hathcock used the Winchester Model 70 in .30-06 in Vietnam. This is rifle is also called "a deer rifle" which the military gun ban crowd says they do not want to ban. Functionally, it is no different than the Springfield 1903, except it won't explode with modern ammo.

What is a sniper rifle? Briefly, here. Gonna look at another SERIOUS sniper rifle in a moment.

STILL IN USE

Someone will point out "Hey Baker, these guns are not used by militaries anymore." You certain?

The venerable Mosin-Nagant is STILL IN USE BY MILITARIES AROUND THE WORLD!

What is a Mosin-Nagant? A 30-caliber (think .30-06 deer rifle), 5-round fixed box magazine (think .30-06 deer rifle), bolt action (think .30-06 deer rifle) rifle (think .30-06 deer rifle) that started out in Russia made specifically for the military. Other nations started building them too, all for military use.

All. No Mosin Nagant was ever made, except under government contract for government use.

In what will certainly break the extractor (gun humor) of many in the precision shooting crowd who sneer at the Mosin Nagant, it is the most deadly sniper rifle in history based on the number of kills. The world's top sniper is Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Russian lady, who used the Mosin. At the time, she was what the world called a feminist.

In form, function, fit, performance and even appearance, the difference between the Mosin Nagant and a modern Savage .30-06 deer rifle is strictly cosmetic. If you are one who says military firearms should be banned for civilian use - and I prove above the Mosin is still used by militaries - pick the one to ban.

Yes, I have two Mosins. One made in 1918 and it most certainly was used to shoot Nazis and others. I have one made in China, dropped on the battlefield during the Korean War. It was certainly used to shoot at American and other troops. Did the shooter killl anyone? Dunno.

By the "military gun" reasoning, they must be banned. Pick which one from the above must be banned.

THE TRUTH

The simple truth is people who call for banning military-style weapons do not know what they are talking about. Most cannot tell a Glock 19 from a silhouette single shot target pistol. They certainly do not know what a military firearm is. When pressed they come up with AR 15, AK 47 and a few other firearms with letters in the name. What about the AR7? Ban it? Why? Ban the M77? Why?

Magazine capacity and the ability to shoot rapidly are also brought up. Mag capacity, as I show above, has little to do with a firearm's lethality.

Firing rapidly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLk1v5bSFPw

This was done with a REVOLVER. I've shot full automatic firearms that don't cycle that fast. Full auto means you hold the trigger and it keeps shooting.

HISTORY SPEAKS

"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, January 30, 1787

"What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms."
- Thomas Jefferson, letter to James Madison, December 20, 1787

"To disarm the people...[i]s the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason, referencing advice given to the British Parliament by Pennsylvania governor Sir William Keith, The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adooption of the Federal Constitution, June 14