Flash-LAPD SWAT adopts unsafe weapon!!!
Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2003 1:11 pm
Hi all:
Obviously, this is a tongue in cheek topic.
What it refers to, obliquely, is the weapon "that served my country well for many years" (R. DeNiro-in character) the 1911 et seq pistol in .45 ACP. The Beretta 92 is now in military service (and has not been approved in Mass. either as far as I know, neither is the esteemed and venerable Browning "pistol grand puissance' (Hi Power))
His Opinioness J. Gordon Liddy did state flatly on a recent talk show that the "Nine Mike Mike" (Nine millimeter parabellum) was not felt by members of the military to be adequate. The 9mm as most of you know is roughly in the same power range as the .38 special and has been in service with European Armies since 1909 (or so) so it is 'Adequate' in the sense that it 'gets the job done" but it is surely not optimum as a man stopper.
This is discussed in a recent American Rifleman vis a vis the adoption of the ,45 acp in the Phillipine Insurrection as the Military .38 in service was not effective in halting the charges of "bang' hopped up Moros.
More on that later.
I believe the FBI has cycled throught the use of the .45, .38, 9 mm and has settled on none of the above (.40 S&W) as a compromise between the .45 and the .38.
At the present the 90 years in US Military service 1911 (a1 is the most common) is deemed 'unsafe' by our esteemed Massachusetts Attorney General Reilly.
At the same time, a highly customized version of same manufactured by Kimber of Oregon was adopted as the standard sidearm of the LAPD SWAT team, according to a recent article in the American Rifleman.
How did this absurdity take place?
Is the 1911 unsafe? Not to one with a minimum of training and common sense. Is it as safe as, say, a S&W 4506? No, probably not, as the latter has a magazine safety (I hate them) and a very robust safety mechanism (which completely covers the firing pin with a piece of steel when the safety is engaged.)
The "Massachusetts Safe" S&W's are, normally, disturbing as the semi autos have the unlikable magazine safety and "bobbed" hammers which cannot be used to control the weapon. A dangerous situation for those used to the 1911.
This is in use by Smith & Wesson here to qualify the their semi autos as safe since the double action pull exceeds 10lbs as required by Massachussetts regulation. (based on the perception that children cannot pull this weight-since under Mass. law all weapons must be stored in locked safes, boxes, etc., or be 'trigger locked'-thjis is lost on me. An assumption that an adequate law will not be obeyed)
The 1911 is also victim of the fact that it takes about $10,000 to qualify (through testing) any weapon, usually modified from standard, as safe in Mass..
Understand that any handgun is deemed unsafe in Mass. until proven otherwise .
Colt is not really manufacturing 1911's at present, and Kimber, Springfield Armory, Federal Odinance, Rock Island and several other manufacturers of "1911 clones" simply do not care if their weapons are sold in Mass. or not.
Since Smith makes a decent "Mass. SAfe" .45 festooned with all the 'bells and whistles" (costing up to $1700) this is not an impossible situation for .45 afficionados, just really, really Stupid.
j
Obviously, this is a tongue in cheek topic.
What it refers to, obliquely, is the weapon "that served my country well for many years" (R. DeNiro-in character) the 1911 et seq pistol in .45 ACP. The Beretta 92 is now in military service (and has not been approved in Mass. either as far as I know, neither is the esteemed and venerable Browning "pistol grand puissance' (Hi Power))
His Opinioness J. Gordon Liddy did state flatly on a recent talk show that the "Nine Mike Mike" (Nine millimeter parabellum) was not felt by members of the military to be adequate. The 9mm as most of you know is roughly in the same power range as the .38 special and has been in service with European Armies since 1909 (or so) so it is 'Adequate' in the sense that it 'gets the job done" but it is surely not optimum as a man stopper.
This is discussed in a recent American Rifleman vis a vis the adoption of the ,45 acp in the Phillipine Insurrection as the Military .38 in service was not effective in halting the charges of "bang' hopped up Moros.
More on that later.
I believe the FBI has cycled throught the use of the .45, .38, 9 mm and has settled on none of the above (.40 S&W) as a compromise between the .45 and the .38.
At the present the 90 years in US Military service 1911 (a1 is the most common) is deemed 'unsafe' by our esteemed Massachusetts Attorney General Reilly.
At the same time, a highly customized version of same manufactured by Kimber of Oregon was adopted as the standard sidearm of the LAPD SWAT team, according to a recent article in the American Rifleman.
How did this absurdity take place?
Is the 1911 unsafe? Not to one with a minimum of training and common sense. Is it as safe as, say, a S&W 4506? No, probably not, as the latter has a magazine safety (I hate them) and a very robust safety mechanism (which completely covers the firing pin with a piece of steel when the safety is engaged.)
The "Massachusetts Safe" S&W's are, normally, disturbing as the semi autos have the unlikable magazine safety and "bobbed" hammers which cannot be used to control the weapon. A dangerous situation for those used to the 1911.
This is in use by Smith & Wesson here to qualify the their semi autos as safe since the double action pull exceeds 10lbs as required by Massachussetts regulation. (based on the perception that children cannot pull this weight-since under Mass. law all weapons must be stored in locked safes, boxes, etc., or be 'trigger locked'-thjis is lost on me. An assumption that an adequate law will not be obeyed)
The 1911 is also victim of the fact that it takes about $10,000 to qualify (through testing) any weapon, usually modified from standard, as safe in Mass..
Understand that any handgun is deemed unsafe in Mass. until proven otherwise .
Colt is not really manufacturing 1911's at present, and Kimber, Springfield Armory, Federal Odinance, Rock Island and several other manufacturers of "1911 clones" simply do not care if their weapons are sold in Mass. or not.
Since Smith makes a decent "Mass. SAfe" .45 festooned with all the 'bells and whistles" (costing up to $1700) this is not an impossible situation for .45 afficionados, just really, really Stupid.
j