------------------------------------------------------------ Household Gunowners' Digest Information, Tips, and Support for the Private Gun Owner ------------------------------------------------------------ February 12, 2002 Volume II, #2 ------------------------------------------------------------ Gwen S. Patton, Editor, wendy_lyn@unforgettable.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This is a FREE newsletter! Feel free to pass it along to friends, so long as you pass it along in its entirety. You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter. ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS ISSUE ------------------------------------------------------------ => Words from The Range Bag => Review:Jennings J-22 Pistol & Pocket Grabber Holster by Gwen Patton => Feature: Lightweight Magnum Revolvers - NOT? by Gwen Patton => Political Aims => News from the Home Front => Useful Websites => Submission Guidelines => Subscribe/Unsubscribe information ------------------------------------------------------------ Words from The Range Bag by Gwen Patton ------------------------------------------------------------ In the television sitcom "News Radio", the character "Beth" creates several new words. She faxes these words around to other offices, and "sits back to see how long it takes for them to show up on Melrose Place." It isn't long before one of her words is used by a co-worker. (Cue laughter.) In seriousness, this is how a great many words have made it into common vernacular -- by being coined by someone who has passed them around. They get into common usage, and then "Bingo!" they are part of the language. There's even a term for when a company creates its' own grass-roots responses to an issue by posting emails or forum messages under assumed names in order to generate controversy or media attention -- "astroturfing" -- because the grass roots are fake. Most catchy little phrases or "funny" terms started this way. And in this age of the Internet, this process can happen overnight. Well, we here at HGD are going to try this little experiment ourselves, with our own set of "cute" terms. We're going to extend the "going postal" metaphor with some new terms, and see how long it takes for them to catch on. "Postal Rate": This is how far you can be pushed before you snap and "go postal". "Postage Due": The mental state one is in while going postal. If you are currently on a rampage, you are said to be "postage due". "Stamping" or "Metering": The process of weighing your feelings, convictions, mental state, etc. and determining what your current "postal rate" is. Can be referred to in the past tense. (i.e., "Joe metered himself and found he was close to going postal." or "Brenda was stamped pretty low, and could snap at any moment.") "Bulk Rate": This is an important one. This is the the gun grabber equivalent to astroturfing. Bulk Rating is when the media puts out information that deliberately changes the postage rate of a large group of people, to make them angrier with less provocation. It also implies a cheap advertising gimmick typical of telemarketers and direct mail operations, because it lowers the cost of achieving one's goal. Why these new terms? Because one's "postal rate" is important when gun ownership is involved. We all need to weigh very carefully just how far we can handle, as individuals, the great responsibility of carrying a deadly weapon. When I decided to carry, I discussed the issue with my partner, and made a deal -- if I ever felt that I was unable to safely handle my guns, for fear of hurting myself or others, I would place them under lock and key and put the key in her posession. I would not endanger others by keeping access to my weapons if I was not in a responsible emotional state. We all must do this, if we are truly responsible owners. Recently, some events took place where persons who were prescribed medications for depression owned firearms, and used their guns to kill other people. One such person killed his entire family, and then himself. The hue and cry was terrible, demanding to know why a "mentally ill" person had access to a gun. This man was NOT "mentally ill". He had a mild case of depression, and was under treatment. His wife, who would know him best, was informed of the law and had the opportunity to have his weapon removed by filing a protection order, but did not. She did not feel he was dangerous. His doctor did not feel he was dangerous enough to commit to a hospital. The law does not allow for the removal of the rights of a person who is not a danger to himself or others. That this man went "postage due" and killed people is a tragic and unforseen thing. But it was just that -- unforseen. A freak occurrence. Now we have a problem on our hands. We have a classic case of what I am calling "bulk rating" -- the media is putting out massive quantities of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt in an attempt to lower the public's "postal rate" against any person who has *ever* had *any* emotional or mental problem, no matter how minor. Bills are popping up all over to rip the rights of Americans away from them for the simple "crime" of having once been prescribed an anti-depressant medication, or having been a rape victim, and been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result. People who are no danger to anybody are being robbed fo their rights FOREVER because of paranoia and media hype -- a *marketing ploy* as baldfaced as a Ginsu knife infomercial. HGD does not normally engage in out-and-out political rhetoric. Our submission guidelines specifically ask that 2nd-Amendment soapboxing NOT be part of what our readers send us for consideration. But this is a special case. This is a danger to us all. With drug companies hawing their "magic pills" to all and sundry for every little bobble in our lives, there are untold millions of citizens who have been duped into taking these "wonder drugs", not realizing that they would later be used as an excuse to rob them of their rights, that it would be a trick to label them as "mentally ill" and "dangerous" later on, that a few weeks of feeling down, and a simple prescription would stigmatize them for life as a "menace to society", unfit to own a firearm. This, my friends, cannot be allowed to happen. If you have not made your voices heard before by your government representatives, make it heard now. Do not let this blatant attempt by the gun-grabbers sneak by! Use your postage now for good use...to tell your Congressmen know that you will not stand for this outrage. --- Gwen Patton The Range Bag ------------------------------------------------------------ Review: Jennings/Bryco J-22 Pistol & Pocket Grabber Holster by Gwen Patton ------------------------------------------------------------ This is the weapon I mentioned in the November issue's Words from the Range Bag, a little .22 caliber rimfire automatic that I actually received as a gift from a friend. At the time I wrote the November issue, I said that it wasn't reliable enough to use as a carry weapon, but if it were, I would carry it as a backup with a pocket holster. Well, between that issue and this issue, I have managed to make that little, inexpensive gun reliable enough to carry, at least for backup purposes. The problem I was having with it was as simple as the ammunition I was using in it. I know that this weapon is not what most shooters would consider to be a "quality" gun. In fact, it is probably the gun most commonly associated with the moniker "Saturday Night Special". It is a CHEAP gun. Not everybody out there can afford a SIG Sauer or a Kimber..but everybody should be able to defend themself. It is my intent to help show how my readers can find usability, perhaps even reliability, at the bottom of the barrel. The Jennings (now known as Bryco) J-22 is a very inexpensive gun. The gun typically sells online for between $45 and $60, depending on the finish and the type of grip. It is a single-action rimfire with a 6-round magazine and a barrel of about 2 1/2 inches. The barrel, frame, striker, extractor, and springs are the only steel parts in the weapon. The slide and much of the grip body are made of cast zinc, which accounts for the massive feel of the little gun. The feed ramp is integral to the barrel, and is very short, only about 1/8" long. The barrel does not detach from the frame when the gun is disassembled. The slide simply lifts up and away when the striker is disengaged from the rear of the weapon. The extractor hook extends into the ejector port on the right-hand side of the slide and is held by a pin. The safety is a sliding lever reminiscent of an electrical switch on the left side of the gun, just above the grip, which engages a pawl that prevents both the trigger from moving and rounds from being chambered. I found that the position and design of the safety is a problem, as it tends to get flicked "on" accidentally during shooting, resulting in unexpected trigger pulls where nothing happens. This *can* be gotten used to, but it is annoying. The single most contributory factor to the reliability of this gun is the ammunition. I have found that it is the pickiest weapon I have ever found, with a dietary requirement that puts Morris the Cat to shame. It is finicky beyond belief, choking on EVERY .22 long rifle round I have tried EXCEPT CCI Mini-Mags. All other rounds either fail to feed, jam on extraction, or suffer other forms of malfunction. The most annoying malfunction was noted with CCI Stingers -- the rounds would actually get STUCK in the chamber. The silver color of the Stinger case made them difficult to see against the breech, and attempts to double-chamber were common, not having seen that were was already a round in the pipe. The extractor seemed almost incapable of gripping the edge of a Stinger round, requiring a finger-pinch to grab hold and flick it out. However, all of these problems aside, with CCI Mini-Mags, the gun operates very reliably. I fired several hundred rounds with only two malfunctions, and have had consistent behavior since November that has borne this out. This gun likes Mini-Mags. If I feed it that ammo, it simply does not jam. Anything else, and it clogs like a set of cheap gutters. It was reliable enough that I felt I could carry it as a backup weapon, and started practicing pocket draws to a quick fire during my monthly practice sessions. To this end, I needed a reliable pocket holster. There are many available that will fit a Jennings, but the one I chose was the Pocket Grabber by High Noon Holsters. They don't make one specifically for a Jennings, but the one made for a Kel-Tec P32 fits perfectly. The Pocket Grabber has a unique design. Most pocket holsters are basically a flat rectangle with a smaller flap oversewn on three sides ahaped to fit the weapon, designed to hold the gun upright in the pocket and break up the shape of the weapon so it doesn't "print" through a pocket's fabric. The Pocket Grabber is more like the Yaqui Slide of pocket holsters, being a leather tube with a hook-shaped flap on the gun-butt side. The tube, in which the gunslide is placed, is shaped to fit the weapon's contours, and is covered with a rubberlike material that gently grips the inside of your pocket when you go to pull out the weapon. The hook-shaped flap even has a unique purpose -- if the rubber material on the holster isn't fricative enough to hold it in your pocket while you pull your gun, you can catch the hook on the corner of your pocket and use THAT for purchase to pull the gun from the holster, leaving the holster hanginf from your pocket by the hook. It works ingeniously well, and unlike other pocket holster designs, is ambidextrous. I found that I can draw, safety off, rack, aim, and fire the Jennings in about five seconds using this holster. I hope to better that time with practice. Final word: The Jennings J-22 can be made reliable enough... barely...to be useful. If you have the money to get something better, you would probably be better off with something like a Kel-Tec P32 or an EAA Guardian, but if this is all you can afford, it is better than nothing. And whatever the gun, the Pocket Grabber line of pocket holsters by High Noon Holsters is worth a look! Example of a Jennings J-22 that looks exactly like mine: http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?ItemNum=2320752 CCI Mini-Mag (and other rimfire ammo): http://www.cci-ammunition.com/rimfireframe.html High Noon Holsters: http://www.highnoonholsters.com/Product_Line/product_line.html ---Gwen Patton ------------------------------------------------------------ Feature: Lightweight Magnum Revolvers - NOT? by Gwen Patton ------------------------------------------------------------ One of the latest crazes in concealed weaponry these days is the ultra-light Magnum revolver. It seems like every manufacturer of Magnum revolvers is coming out with their own featherweight contender in this controversial category, with the intent of selling to an ever-increasing concealed-carry market. But are these weapons right for you? My primary carry weapon is a .32 Magnum revolver. It is about the smallest weapon I would recommend for a PRIMARY carry, and only because the .32 H&R Magnum round is very high-powered and has an energy level that puts it on par with a .38 Special. Otherwise, a .32 is a round I would likely choose for a backup weapon, or a weapon of last resort on the "any gun is better than no gun" principle. (However, in keeping with last month's article on "Stopping Power", you should always choose the largest weapon you can ACCURATELY CONTROL, and not worry overmuch about the size of the bullet.) The .32 Magnum round has around twice the energy of a .32 ACP round, and much more recoil. But the revolver I use is made of steel, and is no featherweight. The recoil is barely noticeable with this weapon, and it is easy to keep on target. Unfortunately, the model I own (New England Firearms R73) is no longer made. NEF now only makes long guns, and the revolver I have is extremely hard to find. But Taurus makes a new .32 H&R Magnum 6-shot revolver in Stainless Steel that is quite adequate -- and you can even get speedloaders for it, something I can't do with mine because they don't exist.. (http://www.taurususa.com/m731.html) The featherweight Magnums being made now are in .357, .41, and even .44 Magnum loads, in aluminum and exotic titanium and scandium alloys. The weights of these weapons are sometimes below a pound, even loaded. I have fired a couple of these weapons, and read accounts of the firing of others, and without exception, the description of the recoil involved in these weapons is severe at best and atrocious at worst. A strong man might find them tolerable. A woman with small hands and thin wrists would be hard-pressed to hold one accurately. There are many factors involved in the absorption of recoil. The design of the grip. The axis of the grip with respect to the frame. The porting of the barrel. But most of all, the mass of the weapon itself. The more massive the body of the weapon, the less energy from the departing round will be transmitted to your hand as recoil. More will be used to move the mass of the gun backwards, and it will feel less severe. (The energy is actually the same...but you perceive less of it because more is consumed in the moving of the gun.) With a featherweight weapon, your hand will be KICKED backward fiercely, probably with some pain involved. Special grips can mitigate this somewhat, but the energy from the round has to go *somewhere*, and that somewhere is *into your hand*. The larger the round and lighter the gun, the more severe the recoil and more intense the pain. This makes practice with the weapon an exercise in agony instead of a joy, a chore instead of a pleasure. It also can develop in the shooter a dangerous "flinch" reaction, as you grow to anticipate the pain of the recoil. This will destroy your ability to aim accurately. Since shot placement is crucial to effective stopping power, your gun's usefulness as a self-defense tool has just been neutralized by the "convenience" of being lightweight and the "formidible" high-powered round. There are many of these lightweight weapons on the market in lower-powered rounds such as the .38 Special that do not have the debilitating recoil problem. There are also many automatic pistols that may offer high concealability, low weight, and larger round size. If you find that you truly want the power of a Magnum round, I strongly suggest that you choose a weapon with the more massive steel frame that will afford you some protection against the recoil. If you do go with a lightweight alloy Magnum, the most forgiving design seems to be a combination of ported barrel and the "Ribber" style of grip that "collapses" with recoil. Taurus makes a "Tracker Total Titanium" line of Magnum revolvers that have these incorporated into their designs, with barrel lengths ranging from 2 to 4.5 inches. They don't go to .44 Magnum, stopping at .41 Magnum, but they do have a .44 Special and a .45 Colt model. (http://www.taurususa.com/titanium/titanium1.html) I am not solely set on revolvers as the end-all-be-all of carry weapons. I own two automatic pistols in addition to the .32 Magnum revolver. But revolvers are frequently easier to draw and use in an emergency, and simpler for a beginner to learn on. They are not necessarily the lightest or smallest weapons available, and can even be bulkier at large calibers than autos. As with all firearms issues, you should try many different guns before you settle on any given one for your personal weapon. If your local range will let you rent weapons, try different types, calibers, and styles on successive trips until you find the one that offers the optimum in controlability, comfort, and usability. If you can't control it, it's useless. If you won't practice with it, you won't be able to control it. And if you can't use it, why buy it? For goodness' sake -- don't get a weapon that brings tears to your eyes from the pain in your hand when you fire it! --- Gwen Patton ------------------------------------------------------------ Political Aims ------------------------------------------------------------ BILL IN NH SENATE COULD VICTIMIZE CRIME VICTIMS AGAIN FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday February 7, 2002 THE SECOND AMENDMENT SISTERS (SAS) 900 R.R. 620 S, Suite C101, Box 228, Austin, TX 78734 World Wide Web: http://www.2asisters.org Toll-free 877-271-6216 Yesterday, Evelyn Logan, SAS New Hampshire State Coordinator, testifiedbefore the Senate Judiciary Committee in Concord, New Hampshire. Ms. Logan was testifying against SB 376-FN, which is titled "An Act Requiring A Mental Health Records Check Prior to the Sale or Transfer of a Firearm. Below is the text of her testimony- Speaking in Opposition to this bill "Hello, thank you for letting me speak today.  I'm Evelyn Logan, resident of New Hampshire and State Coordinator for the New Hampshire Chapter of the Second Amendment Sisters. "Self-defense is a basic human right.  Period.  Even a tiny field mouse is born with the instinct and the right to defend itself.  Every living thing has the innate right of self-defense. "Humans use tools . it's one of the few things that set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom.  When faced with a larger, savage predator, a gun is often the best tool to keep us from becoming prey.  For women especially, it is often the ONLY tool that will save us. "In this country, our right to that kind of self-defense is recognized as an absolute basic right, and is protected from interference by government by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, among others, including the Constitution of New Hampshire. "And yet this bill would take that innate right away from anyone who has EVER been involuntarily committed to a mental institution.  Anyone committed against his or her will for observation in a mental health facility would not EVER be able to own a gun for self-protection.  A teenager committed for acting out under the influence of imbalanced hormones would, at the age of 30 and well beyond that age of youthful indiscretion, not be able to own a gun because they had once been committed to a mental institution for treatment.  Anyone temporarily depressed for whatever reason, unable FOREVER to own a gun, because they were committed to a mental health facility for treatment. "Under RSA 135-C:17, mentioned in this bill, anyone who VOLUNTARILY places themselves in a mental facility - for instance, to help them deal with a devastating event such as the illness or death of a loved one -and is kept there longer by a physician, even if released after 24 hours, will NEVER be able to own a gun for self-protection.  In spite of treatment, release, being judged as competent, and sent back into society to live, that person will be prevented by law and by force - because if a law is to be enforced, force may be required against that citizen - from owning that tool that keeps them from being prey. "This bill, being introduced all over the country in some form or other, not only prevents anyone who ever had a bout of depression -- remember, this can be imposed on those who put themselves in for help and treatment -- from owning a gun, it IS being used to deny veterans of the armed forces the right to own guns, and can be used to prevent police officers, firemen, rape survivors anyone who has EVER been treated in a mental health facility from EVER owning a firearm for self-defense, no matter what their current mental state. "I recently heard from a female Vietnam Vet, here in New Hampshire, who got her CCL and began carrying concealed after she was raped in 1996. Since the Federal government has been raiding confidential VA hospital files, this woman can no longer buy a gun, or carry it concealed, because she was diagnosed upon her return from Vietnam with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome:  Never treated, never hospitalized, never medicated, simply diagnosed by some nameless doctor and now CANNOT DEFEND HERSELF because she served her country. "Now we are handed an addendum that states that anyone ever prescribed any of a long list of medications, which includes common diet medications, will NEVER be able to own a gun for self-protection.  Where will this stop? How intrusive, how violating, are these laws going to get?  WHO will be left able to defend themselves - or even us - if this continues? "Those heroes in New York City, the survivors, and the rescuers and searchers who have waded through death and destruction and walked into mental health facilities on their own for treatment for depression and shock, could, under this bill, be prevented from EVER OWNING a gun for self-defense. "This is wrong.  It will definitely be intrusive in many lives it is not even intended to violate, and it is going to be vastly expensive in money and man-hours for this state to carry out.  The expense in terms of human suffering is incalculable. "This bill is simply another side-winding attempt at destroying our natural, absolute right, which is protected by the law from interference by government, to own weapons of self-defense.  I hope you will recognize that and will refuse to allow it to happen, at least in New Hampshire.  Thank you." For additional information contact Maria Heil, National Press Coordinator PRESS ONLY: 877-797-4857  E-mail: press@2asisters.org AN OFFER FROM AN HGD READER "I make a periodic donation to JPFO, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. This year I had an idea that would effectively double my contribution, increase their membership and save the readers of this group some money. I sent them a check for $50 with the agreement that the money was to be used as credit toward memberships from the people in this group.See http://www.jpfo.org "If, after reading thru some of their web pages you decide you would like to become a member drop me a note at JPFOmatch@hotmail.com and I will send your name to the secretary of JPFO to give you a $10 credit towards your $20 year's dues. It's that simple. You do not have to be Jewish to join. I'm not. "This offer will be extended to the first 5 people that drop a request into the email box above. "If you feel that JPFO is something that would be of value to you, I'd be happy to support you. The first mailing from them has a wealth of educational material in it, much of aimed at educating young people about the Bill of Rights. --- Rich in Atlanta ------------------------------------------------------------ News from the Home Front ------------------------------------------------------------ We will have a News from the Home Front next month. ------------------------------------------------------------ Useful Websites ------------------------------------------------------------ GunFacts Version 3.1 is now available! It is available as a free PDF file in two versions, one for reading on your screen, and one optimized for sending to your print shop so you can hand out paper copies. It is probably one of the BEST compilations of gun information I have seen, and I have personally used it as source material during group presentations and given it as a handout. http://home.attbi.com/~guys/guns.html ------------------------------------------------------------ Submission Guidelines ------------------------------------------------------------ Household Gunowners' Digest is intended for the person who owns a firearm for personal protection, or for the protection of their family or loved ones. We are always looking for feature articles that address the needs of the everyday person who owns, or is looking to own, a personal firearm. We are not looking for articles geared towards hunting, law enforcement, or military applications. For complete guidelines, please see http://www.voicenet.com/~ardrhi/hgd-submit.html ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2001 Gwendolyn S. Patton, Jeffersonville, PA. All Rights Reserved. Newsletter may be freely shared between individuals, provided that it is shared in toto. For reprinting of individual articles, please contact the editorial staff. ------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe, send an email to: hgd-home-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To unsubscribe, send an email to: hgd-home-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Or subscribe through our home page at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hgd-home HGD has an open discussion group. All subscribers are welcome to participate. To subscribe, send an email to: hgd-discuss-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Or subscribe through our home page at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hgd-discuss ------------------------------------------------------------ Household Gunowners' Digest is a publication of: Revolution Earth Press 163 N. Whitehall Rd Jeffersonville, PA 19403 610-630-9862 Editor-in-Chief: Gwendolyn S. Patton wendy_lyn@unforgettable.com Assistant Editor: Margaret S. Leber maggie@voicenet.com http://www.revolutionearthpress.com