Front Sight, Press

Really, there aren’t any, but what guns might survive a Democrat gun control apocalypse led by Obama-Biden. Let’s take a look.

Indulge me in a bit of nightmare-scenario futuring: The anti-gun ticket of Obama-Biden prevails in the fall of 2008 and dissatisfaction with the Republicans sweeps commanding liberal Democrat majorities into both house of Congress. The Second Amendment and your guns are now squarely in the crosshairs. Within the first two months in office, President Obama places an embargo on sales of all new semi-automatic pistols in the major cities by executive order. In the meantime, Vice President Biden is feverishly drafting the Assault Weapons Ban of 2009. This is a far more expansive ban than the Clinton-era law, prohibiting military-style rifles and their ammunition (particularly .223 and 7.62×39mm), magazines holding more than nine rounds (this number specifically targeting the millions of 10-round magazines produced during the Clinton era), semi-automatic pistols with capacities of over 9 rounds, rifles with detachable box magazines holding more than 4 rounds, shotguns with magazines holding more than 4 rounds, pistol grips and thumb-hole stocks on rifles, bayonet lugs and flash suppressors, etc., etc., etc… You get the idea. Let’s also assume, purely for the sake of discussion, that most gun owners are going to try to adapt to the Draconian new law rather than die in a hail of ATF gunfire trying to defend their AK-47. (The new Assault Weapons Ban would, of course, exempt law enforcement and they would still have all the assault rifles and high capacity pistols they wanted.) So, accepting these assumptions as the “givens”, what would be the guns that might still be available to those trying to stay within the law?

Revolvers: Hell, even Dianne Feinstein has a revolver. While often vilified as “Saturday Night Specials”, revolvers have not generally been on the gun controllers radar screens so far. Heller was able to get his revolver registered in Washington D.C., and the D.C. regulations could serve as a prototype for what the new administration would like to impose on the rest of the country. Revolvers have rendered exemplary service for nearly 200 years and will probably continue to do so through even the most Draconian assault weapons ban. Those purchased prior to Form 4473 are even that much better. (Damn, I wish I were joking.)

Semi-Automatic Pistols: Believe it or not, there are quite a few semi-auto pistols with magazine capacity below the 9 or 10 limit that would likely be imposed in a new AWB. The venerable M1911 uses 7 and 8 round magazines, and 10 round magazines are built for it should that be the break point. Many of the Kahr 9mm’s are single stack with a capacity of 7 rounds. Many of the smaller pocket autos like the Kel-Tec P32 use 6 or 7 round magazines. The historic S&W Model 39 uses an 8-round magazine. One 9mm that I like a lot that doesn’t get the attention it probably deserves is the H&K P7 which uses an 8-round magazine.

Shotguns: Singles, doubles, and over-unders have even survived the absurd gun laws in England. Here, there are so many pumps and semi-automatic shotguns that I doubt any sort of ban on them would ever be accepted, although extended magazines might be in jeopardy. So, the Remington 870, the Mossberg 590, and most of the hunting semi-autos should probably be safe, although I noticed that the Brady Campaign has recently launched another disinformation campaign about semi-automatic shotguns claiming that they can “fire three rounds at a time.” My personal favorite in this group is the Remington 870, but I like the Mossberg 590 also.

Lever Action Rifles: The first “real gun” that I ever owned was and is a Winchester Model 1894 in 30-30. Rapid firing for five rounds, and fairly quick to reload, this favorite of the Texas Rangers continues to be one of the most useful and effective rifles ever built. You can hunt with it or put a bad guy down at 150 yards if need be. While it is a truly devastating weapon, I have yet to hear a Model 94 referred to as an “assault rifle.” (This whole thing is about words, not guns.)

Bolt Action Rifles: This group would include the Remington Model 700, Winchester Model 70, Savage Model 110 and the Ruger Model 77. Don’t tell the gun grabbers this, but I’m a hell of a lot more dangerous with a bolt gun and good scope than with any “assault weapon.” Of course, the gun grabbers try to characterize these rifles as “sniper rifles” which they can be, but they remain the mainstay of American big game hunters and precision target shooters, so the sniper thing doesn’t really work because they don’t want to piss off “sportsmen and hunters” who they hope to lure into voting for them. One exception is the .50 caliber bolt guns like the Barrett. I would expect that somehow they will try to work the .50 caliber centerfire rifles into the new AWB.

Anything Prior to Form 4473: Any gun that is “off the paper” is worth its weight in gold. Don’t register it if you can avoid it. They can’t confiscate that which they don’t know to exist. If you live in a jurisdiction that requires the registration of all firearms, you’ll have to make your own choices, and I’m not advising anyone to break the law, but…

Closing Thoughts
Am I scaring you yet? With the choice of Joe Biden and the release of the new Democratic Party platform, the message is clear and unmistakable: the Democrats are launching a full-bore extremist gun control agenda that we will be fighting for years to come. We already knew where Obama was coming from, but the platform statement and the Biden nomination writes it in bold strokes. The lines are clearly drawn; the Democrats’ newfound respect for the right to keep and bear arms was merely a sham, a cynical diversionary tactic. The claims of Obama and Biden to respect the Second Amendment are lies. Lock and load. We may be looking at a long four years.

Another scary thought struck me: most of my favorite firearms can be found in the list enumerated above. Only a few are not found there. The AK is definitely out. The Springfield Armory XD-9 with its 16-round magazine is probably in trouble. Have I been unconsciously selecting guns that would survive a new AWB? Maybe. I’m a political animal, and like my dogs, I sniff the wind. But the reasons I like my 1911, my snubby, my Models 94 and 110 and the 870 pump are not based in politics or nightmares of the future. I like them because the work well for me and meet my needs.

Finally, I’m a survivor. Job One is to insure the survival of my family and myself. Part of that equation is firearms that will defend us from the evil in world. I want to survive legally too, and the question inevitably arises, at what point do overreaching gun laws come in conflict with the requirements of self defense, and in doing so, force us to acts of civil disobedience – ignoring and violating unjust and unconstitutional federal regulations? This is not an easy question to answer, and I’m working on it, but I can’t say I have it completely worked out yet. It’s easy to make proud boasts in the abstract, but when you have worked all your life to build a family, a home, and a career, reasonable people have to weigh the risks. I suppose each person has their own tipping point. In some ways, I hope I don’t ever have to find mine.

There is one way to avoid the nightmare scenario, and that is to work very hard to defeat the gun control extremists, in the Democratic Party and beyond (Paul Helmke is a Republican). If the Obama-Biden ticket does prevail, we have to be willing to fight their legislative agenda until it is crushed.