|
|
July 23, 2009 by
You can forget about getting a Browning Buckmark tattoo or a 3-foot wide pickup widow decal of the famous deerhead logo.
The Newshound has found the ultimate abode for the unapologetic gun nut and devotee of all things Browning.
It’s John Moses Browning’s 6,912-square-foot, 8-bedroom mansion in Ogden, Utah. How’s that for a statement?
Built in 1900, most of the house is original, including a hardwood banister stretching from the entry all the way to the third-floor attic, beveled windows, hardwood floors and fireplaces throughout.
Widely considered a genius and inarguably the most famous gun maker in the history of the universe, perhaps Browning’s most enduring legacy is the short recoil design behind the 1911 handgun, which remains the pre-eminent operating system in today’s semi-auto handguns, nearly a century after it was first introduced.
Not a handgun fan? OK, then there’s his other creations, like the Winchester Model 1886 lever action rifle, Model 1887 lever action repeating shotgun, Model 1897 pump action shotgun and Models 1894 and 1895 lever action repeating rifles.
For good measure throw in the Colt Model 1895 “Peacemaker” machine gun and Model 1817 .30 cal. water-cooled machine gun.
The “ultimate gun-lover’s dream house” is located at 505 27th St. in historic Ogden. While much of the interior is original, your wife will be pleased to know the kitchen has been update since 1900.
Asking price is $374,900.
The downside? It’s BYOB (Bring Your Own Browning)!
[ Read Full Post ] July 22, 2009 by The confirmation hearing for Sam D. Hamilton, the Obama Administration’s nominee for Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is scheduled to take place Wednesday, July 22, beginning at 10:00 a.m. EST, before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Hamilton, a career senior biologist and current Southeastern Regional Director, is a 30-year veteran of the FWS. As Regional Director since 1997, he has been responsible for the oversight and management of more than 350 federally listed threatened and endangered species and 128 national wildlife refuges.
Since his nomination was announced in June, the choice was met with a positive reaction by many prominent hunting and conservation organizations.
“Sam is an excellent choice to be the new Director of FWS,” said William Horn, director of federal affairs for the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, a national sportsmen’s advocacy group. “He’s been great to work with over the years and brings much common sense to an agency with huge responsibility over the future of our natural resources.”
Prior to becoming regional director, Hamilton served as assistant regional director of the ecological services in Atlanta and the Service’s Texas state administrator in Austin.
Hamilton’s nomination also received high marks from the leadership of Duck’s Unlimited, one of the nation’s largest and most influential conservation organizations.
“Sam Hamilton is the consummate professional. He has accomplished great things for wildlife in his many years of work with the Fish and Wildlife Service,” said Dr. Alan Wentz, Sr. Group Manager for Conservation, Communications and Marketing for DU. “Sam has worked with Ducks Unlimited on many projects and programs over the year and we are lucky that he is willing to move into this important position.”
The live or archived Webcast of the July 22 hearing will be viewable here.
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Home
[ Read Full Post ]July 16, 2009 by
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal put his signature on a law last week that creates an annual 3-day reprieve from state sales tax on hunting gear in The Bayou State beginning this fall.
It’s a law we’d love to see other states pass—and it sends a strong message that the state both acknowledges and appreciates the contribution made to its economy by the hunter and outdoor enthusiast.
With the waiving of the 4 percent sales tax, sportsmen will save around $20 on a purchase of $500.
On its way to Gov Jindal, the Louisiana Senate voted 34-0 to establish the annual “Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday” the first weekend in September. The annual tax break weekend will affect all sales between Friday and Sunday.
As defined by Senate Bill 52, the tax break only applies to consumer purchases and defines hunting supplies as “any tangible personal property for the use of hunting.”
The list includes such things as archery supplies, off-road vehicles and vessels such as ATVs, airboats and pirogues, accessories, animal feed, apparel, shoes, bags, float tubes, binoculars, tools, rangefinders, treestands, blinds, chairs, and holsters.
[ Read Full Post ] July 13, 2009 by
If Mark Twain were still with us, he might contend that the rumors of the firearms industry’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Selected Wall Street investment analysts announced downgrades to some firearms manufacturer’s stocks last week, based on the premise that the unprecedented spike in the sales of certain guns and ammunition since the November General Election is nearing the end of its historic run.
“THE OBAMA GUN RUN IS SLOWING,” shouted the lead line in Barron's Senior Editor Bill Alpert’s feature, “Shooting a Hole in the Outlook for Gun Stocks.”
“When the Democrats swept into Washington in November, gun fanciers scrambled for 15-round pistols and tactical rifles equipped with grenade launchers, flash suppressors and bayonets—in fear the new administration would reinstate a ban on the sale of such weapons,” Alpert wrote.
Grenade launchers, flash suppressors and bayonets?
Based on the arrogant and sarcastic tone of the article, one wonders whether the author’s contention that the increase in firearms sales and related jump in concealed-carry permit applications may be waning is based more on wishful thinking than facts and accurate data.
Ironically, the same day Barron’s announced what appeared to be the death knell to the present booming firearms market, gunmaker Smith & Wesson announced a 20 percent increase in sales for the company’s fiscal 2009 ending on May 31. The Springfield, Mass. manufacturer reported a net profit of $7.4 million, or 14 cents per share, more than doubling earnings from the same quarter last year and beating analyst estimates.
(In the interest of full disclosure, the writer is an investor and has owned Smith & Wesson stock for nearly 10 years.)
And last week, data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) indicated a 15.4 percent leap in background checks on the sale of firearms in May when compared to the same month a year ago. Background checks totaled 1,023,102 in May 2009, up from 886,183 reported in May 2008.
The May increase came on the heels of a 30.3 percent increase in April, a 29.2 percent gain in March and rises of 23 percent in February, 28 percent in January, 24 percent in December and 42 percent in November—when a record 1,529,635 background checks were performed.
Granted, the May 2009 NICS numbers fall somewhat short when compared to those from preceding months. But it’s hardly a cause for alarm for anyone but those naysayers who contend the current high interest in firearms ownership for personal protection is fabricated and lacks legitimacy.
[ Read Full Post ]July 9, 2009 by
As a direct result of the resurgent interest in 1930s bank robber John Dillinger with the July 1 release of the blockbuster movie “Public Enemies,” a pair of firearms inextricably linked to the Depression-era bad guy will be auctioned in coming days.
First, the Remington .41 cal. rimfire double derringer found hidden in Dillinger’s sock at the time of his January 1934 arrest in Tucson, Ariz. will be auctioned by Dallas-based Heritage Galleries on July 25. The historic gun is expected to fetch between $35,000 and $45,000, according to the auction company’s Web site.
In addition, a .38 Colt Army Special carried by Capt. Timothy O'Neil of the East Chicago Police Department on the day Dillinger was shot and killed outside the Biograph Theater will be offered for auction on July 22—a date that coincidentally marks the 75th anniversary of the gangster’s demise.
Press material from the auctioneer notes that the derringer “bears serial #L97255 and retains most of the original blue on screws, hammer, and trigger; the balance with the original blue-gray matte finish mixing with gray patina. Perfect grips, mint bore, mechanically fine.”
The tip of the barrel release lever is broken, something that is not uncommon with the model, according to gunsmiths and collectors of the vintage gun.
Manufactured by Remington Arms, the unique firearm marked the first of the derringer genre, with each barrel able to fire individually by means of a pivoting firing pin operating on a ratchet. About 150,000 of the guns were manufactured between about 1866 until around 1935.
Frankly speaking, the .41 rimfire cartridge of the era was considered anything but a powerhouse caliber, to be sure. It was sometimes said that a bullet fired from the pocket pistol would bounce off gun leather and fall harmlessly to the ground.
At the same time, some infamous gunfighters of the 1920s and 30s admitted they would rather take a slug from a .45 than from a .41 rimfire. They reasoned that a .45 cal. bullet would probably pass through a man and offer a treatable wound, while a .41 would probably remain imbedded, potentially festering and lead to deadly infection. (Remember, these were pre-penicillin days.)
During coordinated raids taking place from January 22 to January 25, 1934, Pima County (AZ) Sheriff’s deputies arrested Dillinger (using the alias Frank Sullivan) along with gang members Henry Pierpoint, Russel Clark and Charles Makley, and Dillinger’s “moll,” Billie Frechette.
In July 1934 Dillinger was extradited to Indiana where he faced murder charges. While incarcerated awaiting trial, he famously broke out of jail armed with a pistol carved out of wood.
Five weeks after his escape, on July 22, 1934, he was killed “in a hail of gunfire” while leaving the Chicago theater by FBI agents and other authorities, including Capt. O'Neil. Though some law enforcement historians question whether bullets fired from O’Neil’s .38 Colt actually hit “Public Enemy Number One” on that sultry July evening, the gun is expected to bring as much as $12,000 at this month’s auction.
[ Read Full Post ] July 7, 2009 by
A trio of eastern Idaho houndsman pursuing black bears got more than they bargained for last week after their hounds unexpectedly surrounded a female grizzly with cubs.
According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the protective grizzly sow knocked one man down, bit him on the right arm and “tossed him around.”
The incident occurred near Bishop Mountain near Harriman State Park.
“They released their hounds on a scent, and the dogs soon surrounded what the men thought was a black bear. When the men arrived they quickly realized they had a grizzly,” stated a news release from IDFG.
Keith Klingler, 38, was subsequently treated for non-life threatening lacerations at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg and later released.
The game agency reported that after the bear knocked Keith Klingler to the ground, his brother Eric struggled to retrieve the pistol he carried in his backpack. With the bear on top of his brother, Eric was able to fire one shot from his .44 Magnum from five to eight feet away.
At the sound of the shot, the bear ceased its attack and ran off.
It was unknown whether the shot hit its mark.
Authorities with the state wildlife agency, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service continued to search the area for the bruin.
“We don’t know whether the bear was hit, if we have a wounded bear, a dead bear or an unharmed bear,” said John Hanson, Idaho Fish and Game regional conservation officer from St. Anthony.
[ Read Full Post ]July 2, 2009 by
In undoubtedly one of their more unusual missions, members of the U.S. Coast Guard patrolling Lake Erie’s Fairport Harbor in northern Ohio rescued an 84-year-old man who accidentally drove his riding lawnmower off a landing and into the Grand River last week.
After sinking in several feet of water, the man was apparently too weak or too distressed to pull himself to safety.
The good-samaritan vessel, Megabite, piloted by Lake Erie fishing charter captain Don Woodruff, notified the Coast Guard via marine band radio of an elderly man standing beside a partially submerged lawn tractor.
Rushing to the scene, Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Richard Cheney and Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Mark Torres disembarked their 25-foot small response boat (RB-S) and successfully pulled the man safely on to the pier.
“He was a little shaken up,” said Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Adam Lutz. “Apparently, his foot slipped off the clutch when he was cutting the grass.”
The Coast Guard encourages boaters to invest in a VHF-FM radio as their primary means of distress alerting on the water. Communication via VHF-FM radio provides superior alerting capabilities over cellular phones.
Oh yeah, an anchor for that lawnmower might be a smart investment as well.
[ Read Full Post ]
|
|
