Feb. 1956 GUNS Now Online

A youth spent in New York City, where even admiration for a gun struck terror in the hearts of one’s elders, kept me from gun appreciation for some time. In fact, it wasn’t until I was in the service that I made close contact with firearms. And out of the welter of guns they threw at us, my fondest association was with the Colt.45 Automatic Pistol. It’s a tricky little devil, but has always paralleled, for me, the kind of punch I admire in the ring—short, well-aimed, and devastating.--Jeff Chandler

When was the last time you heard a movie star speak admiringly of his favorite gun? Yet that's the way things were when this was written.


The February, 1956 issue of GUNS Magazine is now posted for free download.

Back to Mr. Chandler's testament on page 8, for a moment: Writing half a century ago, he confirms something for us that helps to understand the present. As far back as his youth--and he was born in Brooklyn in 1918, New York City has been hostile to gun ownership (the Sullivan Laws were passed in 1911). No wonder things are the way they are there, and a disarmament attitude permeates the culture. It's their tradition.

Another Hollywood giant and avid gunman is featured, the King of the Cowboys and a personal favorite, the great Roy Rogers. Here's a picture of Roy horrifying today's enuretics by mixing kids with ...GASP...guns!!! Someone call Child Protective Services!


Round things out with a feature on the authenticity of "The Last Hunt" (one of the almost non-existent Westerns that shows people reloading), starring Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger (that's him on the cover sighting in a buffalo).

But it's not all Hollywood. There's a well-reasoned argument for hunting helping deer populations, and another advocating shotguns for the military. There's a "Workshop" article on "Fitting a New Rifle Barrel." Read why the over/under was considered "The Glamour Girl of the Shotgun World." And there's much more, including the ads, which really let you know what a different world it was back in 1956.

And, like I said, it's free. Enjoy.

Tags: gun

Weapons & Tactics Falls for Old Hoaxes

An e-friend subscribes to the Weapons & Tactics newsletter. He was very concerned about the two main features in their latest issue:



Gas pump needles and spunk ball. These stories are BS--old internet chain letter hoaxes that have been out there for years. See:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/gaspump.asp
and
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/spunkbal.asp

Both stories just smelled wrong. And it literally took me less than one minute to debunk them. Yet W&T has an editor-in-chief, an assistant editor, a copy editor and contributing editors.

I did some looking around on the Internet and came up with this:

http://combatcarry.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=3439

Among the comments:

Yes I have heard of the publication and until today I was ready to share it with just about anyone that wanted the straight skinny on what ever subject the publication was discussing. Then came Volume 10 Number 2 Feb. 2006, which had a article about “Watch out for needles when pumping gas.” Well for some reason I decided to check this out for myself and found that this is apparently a hoax that has been around the internet since 2000. I found out that on June 20th, 2000 the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Department issued a press release declaring it a hoax and stating that the author, Capt. Abraham Sands was not at the Department.

I have written the publisher and directed that my name be taken off their mailing list immediately and that no further publications were desired, even if I had remaining months on my subscription.

I am both a Texas Certified CHL Instructor & NRA Instructor so I can’t afford to be relying on sharing publications that print this type of garbage with my current & former students.

In their defense, W&T probably got these stories from people they trusted. Still, that's no excuse for this. They're not only charging their readers for wrong information, they're charging them for free information. I'm sorry, but this just smacks of taking their readers for granted.

It may turn out this is a one-time goof, and that their newsletter is a valuable and authoritative publication. If you're a subscriber or a potential one, you'll need to decide for yourself whether or not this is a showstopper for you.

My friend tells me he called them and they are aware they goofed. If that was my newsletter, I'd be issuing a profound public apology, offering refunds for that issue, and telling my customers what safeguards I've established to keep such an abuse of their trust from ever happening again.

I've emailed the editor twice in the past two days before posting this and haven't received a reply. Note that what I've posted has been extensively edited from my initial reaction, which included a lot of scathing criticism. I decided that wouldn't be productive.

This is a real object lesson for those of us who have fallen for chain letter hoaxes in the past, and forwarded them to our friends. Passing on bogus material calls our credibility into question. We have a tough enough time reaching outside the choir without giving our opponents a convenient way to dismiss us outright.

Here's a good rule of thumb to apply before forwarding an incredible story: Is a link to a credible source included? If not, until you can find something that verifies authenticity, take a pass on passing it on--having enough junk mail to wade through isn't really a problem, is it?

If Weapons & Tactics wishes to respond, I'll post it.