Moral-Flexibility.Net

Today I visited the “other” gun store in town, it happens to be directly across the street from the building where I’ve been installing surveillance cameras for the last week. Having finally tracked down and resolved an issue with one of the cameras that had been killing us for a few days I took a moment to wander across the street to check out the “10%-20% off Glocks!” sale at the gun store that had been actively engaged in going out of business the last time I stopped in.

Nice. A short stroll around, two guys manning the counter and a fellow getting them to give him prices on a stack of old long guns he had (recognized the standard sportered SMLE and the Cooey .22lr right away, the others were similar vintage - the sort of stuff that commands $25-$75 in the consignment rack).

A goodly selection of rifles behind the counter, a half dozen or so pistols visible under glass at the counter (nothing really noteworthy I saw..a few Glocks and some .22 target pistol). What caught my eye right away however was the collection of ammo crates and carriers, some Czech 763×39mm on clips on shelves behind the counter.

“Got any other surplus ammo?” says I, suddenly conscious again that my big-30’s are completely out of ammo (I have 20 rounds of 762×51mm, 20 rounds of .30-06 and 20 rounds of .303 British), and that my economical standby’s are running low (200 rounds of 556×45mm and maybe 400 rounds of 762×39mm), even the handguns are low (200 rounds 9×19mm, 400 rounds .38 spcl).

I left with 100 rounds of 762×51mm, I could have spent more but time was running out, and those 10-22s were looking a little too tempting.

Now all I need is a range trip.

I’ve never really been any sort of firearms elitist (ok, I’m a little anti-Glock, but that’s really just a side effect of the fanboy non-gunny following - truthfully I just find the grips uncomfortable, and pulling the trigger to disassemble it seems counter-intuitive). I like firearms for their function, their history and their asthetics (I do own some fugly firearms however, the sort that only a mother could love).

More than once I’ve come across gun owners who believed that their firearm of choice was the ultimate in shooty goodness, failing to own one of their chosen firearms was not merely an example of personal bad judgement but an affront to right minded firearms owners everywhere.

This has to make you laugh, even if just a little.

I mean a piece of metal comes out one end really, really fast. Forcing that piece of metal to strike a required point time after time is a function of the reliability and consistency of the firearm, and the skill of the shooter. As far as I’m concerned the best firearm is ALWAYS the one that you are sufficiently proficient with, I’m just assuming you’re not developing proficiency with a lemon.

For the record, I own no lemons. Do you?

Yesterday, during the massive snow-dump I decided I would break the Norinco M14 out of the gun cabinet and give it a routine cleaning. This is a perilous exercise while Jilly is awake and moving, as she ALWAYS wants to help Daddy when he cleans guns. I had hoped to give the M14, SMLE and the M1 a going over, but gave up after a semi-complete cleaning of the M14.

Here’s why:

Jilly: Daddy clean guns?
Me: Yes Jilly, this is a rifle. Can you say Rifle?
Jilly: Wy-full. I help you? I fix?
Me: Sure sweetie.
-anxiously looking around for a non-critical part, ah the stock…I was going to repaint that anyway-
Me: You fix the stock for Daddy, ok?
Jilly: Ok, I fix this for you. (grabbing the gas cylinder wrench out of my cleaning kit)
Me: Uh…ok.
-The sound of metal slamming into the Harris bipod echoes through the house for a minute-
Me: Jilly, why don’t you help me over here.
Jilly: OK!
Me: No Jilly, don’t put the trigger group into your mouth.
Me: No Jilly, please don’t eat the grease.
Me: Jilly, please take the op-rod spring out of your mouth.
Me: Jilly, please bring the bolt back here.
-rifle re-assembled in seconds-
Me: You know what, we’re all done. Thanks sweetheart!

You’d have think I’d have learned by now. Firearms get cleaned early in the morning or late at night. Never, never when our little munchkin is running around the house.

Kateys Firearms Facts is a collection of videos about gun control in Canada, the Canadian Firearms Center and self defence.

Naturally I learn about this sort of thing from Random Nuclear Strikes who picked it up from this post at Of Arms and the Law. Why am I always the last to learn of these things from my own country?

Oh sweet zombie jebus…

The Chief Firearms Office is piloting an initiative that involves notifying older firearms owners, in Toronto, who own more than 10 firearms, including a restricted or prohibited firearm(s). These firearms owners will be required to have their firearms inspected by a firearms officer designated by the Chief Firearms Officer. Each owner has been provided a pamphlet from the Canadian Firearms Centre setting out the requirements for safe storage and display. The inspector will also be providing the firearms owners with information, from the Canadian Firearms Centre, on how to arrange for the handling of their firearms in the event of death or incapacity.

Source: Canadian Shooting Sports Association Notice

I’ve long joked that the reason I own precisely ten firearms is that there are specific provisions in our firearms legislation that allow for home inspections for those that own MORE than ten firearms. Now, before people leap to conclussions it’s important to note that these are not random unannounced inspections (for now anyway), and the gun owners will be contacted in advance and a time for the inspection scheduled (which one would think would sorta negate any value to the inspections themselves).

Inspection

102. (1) Subject to section 104, for the purpose of ensuring compliance with this Act and the regulations, an inspector may at any reasonable time enter and inspect any place where the inspector believes on reasonable grounds a business is being carried on or there is a record of a business, any place in which the inspector believes on reasonable grounds there is a gun collection or a record in relation to a gun collection or any place in which the inspector believes on reasonable grounds there is a prohibited firearm or there are more than 10 firearms and may

(a) open any container that the inspector believes on reasonable grounds contains a firearm or other thing in respect of which this Act or the regulations apply;

(b) examine any firearm and examine any other thing that the inspector finds and take samples of it;

(c) conduct any tests or analyses or take any measurements; and

(d) require any person to produce for examination or copying any records, books of account or other documents that the inspector believes on reasonable grounds contain information that is relevant to the enforcement of this Act or the regulations.

Source: Firearms Act of Canada

Safe storage is a problem, the law requires that firearms be stored in a specific manner, it is a real possibility that older gun owners may be unfamiliar with the newer requirements under the changed firearms laws. In a city where the criminals are routinely granted all sorts of leeway due to their “circumstances” I’d hope that elderly firearms owners would be given the same leeway and that this effort would concentrate on education, not confiscation and prosecution.

Hope springs eternal.

Color me shocked, however, that this initiative is originating in Toronto, with absolutely NO pressure from Mayor “hugs not guns” Miller.

Firearms Registration has been a reality in Canada since just before I purchased my first firearm. In this, as so many things, timing is everything. My firearms ARE registered in compliance with Canadian Law, they are stored in compliance with the applicable regulations and I carry the documents I am required to produce on demand if and when a peace officer asks me.

It’s clear the regulations were written by someone who’s never been shooting, but what else is new.

For those unfamiliar with the regulations up here I am required to have, on my person, my firearms licence and registration certificates (pictured right are the “original” drivers licence sized versions, presently they are driver licence sized pieces of heavy paper stock) for any firearms I am transporting to any location (The registration certificates are to stay WITH the firearms when stored at my residence), for restricted weapons (such as any handgun, or “Evil” long guns such as my AR15 or VZ58) I am required to carry a copy of my Authorization to Transport Restricted/Prohibited Weapons (or ATT for short) in addition to the registration certificates.

This is fine and good on paper, but carrying all these documents (particularly as I don’t take ALL my firearms on a range trip) is bothersome, and drastically increases the odds of losing one or all of these documents if real life interupts a range trip. Real life is not a suitable excuse however, so like most Canadian shooters I’ve come up with a system to ensure that I’m in compliance with the law in the most convenient fashion.

Convenient is a subjective term. I keep the original copies of my ATT and registration certificates in my safe (along with other important documentation). I have copies of these in the gun safe and stuffed behind the foam in my hardcases (which I refer to as “hail mary” copies in case “real life” interupts) and finally I have my gun “purse” (pictured above) which resides in my range bag (except for periodic audits to make sure the paperwork is current).

The “purse” contains a copy of my ATT, laminated copies of my firearms registration certificates (the current registration certificates issued by the Canadian Firearms Center are paper, and generally respond as you’d expect to rain, snow and whatnot. Replacements are $25 a pop last I heard). The purse also contains my membership cards, ballistics tables and other range-ish accoutrements.

I’d experimented with a few different versions of the “gun purse” before, first using police notbooks covers to hold the documents, but in the end I ended up using a Canadian Forces Field Message Pad / Cover to organize the documents. It has sufficient space to hold all the documents I need, crib sheets for shooting, range combinations and notes I take while at the range.

This arrangement is far from perfect, and it requires a bit of paper shuffling each and every time I acquire a new boomstick, but as a process it prevents me from being caught short by “da man” (realistically I’ve been asked for these documents twice since I became a gun owner) during a hastily arranged range trip.

It’s been a little while since I played around with our new digital camera, and so here for your enjoyment are some pictures of the VZ58 wearing it’s tan furniture.

I’m still not 100% on the tan furniture, it is a vast improvement over the horrific standard faux-wood stock it came with, and I’d prefer to stay away from black furniture (as I’m seriously considering restoring the Norinco M14 to all-black), but no other colors appeal to me.

I’m thinking that I should just go ahead and order real wood furniture for the rifle and be done with it. There are no attachments I want to add to this rifle, no plans for optics or tacti-cool accessories. It’s my primary anti-zombie rifle, and I think it’s just fine in it’s “bling-less” configuration.

I could be wrong however, any thoughts?

My Norinco M14 is easily one of my favorite rifles. Purchased before they became readily available up here (from Marstar) I paid $500 for mine in used condition. It came with a cloth sling and a standard “Chu” wood stock which was unfit for firewood. I wasted no time acquiring a USGI stock for it, added a bipod and picked up a B-Square QD scope mount for the rifle (pics here)

(Click for larger image)

The B-Square mount was a problem from day one, even with loctite it would loosen off rendering the scope entirely useless. The B-Square mount was replaced with an ARMS18 mount (although mine is the older version with short segments of rail at the front and back). Money from this point was spent on accurizing the rifle rather than the asthetics (for the most part).

The Norinco trigger group was replaced with a USGI TRW trigger group, the “solid” flash suppressor was replaced with a current manufacture NM SA version (as was the rear sight). The Op Rod was replaced with a Rooster33 NM OpRod, the gas system was shimmed and the OpRod guide was locked down. The stock was repainted OD and the sole remaining area for upgrade remains the optics, which is presently a Tasco variable magnification scope that is not holding up to the beating the rifle is delivering.

I’ve been itching to take a crack at the long-guns when it comes to the gun pron, but I’ve found they’re quite the PITA to photograph properly, too long to get much of a variety of shots (muzzle-butt, butt-muzzle…did I miss anything?) and the close-ups are difficult to frame properly.

(Click for larger image)

Ok, whining aside. This is my 1942 Springfield Armories M1. Rebarreled with an appropriately dated Springfield barrel, and wearing all correct vintage Springfield parts (except for the rear sight), furniture I did cheat on and threw the rifle into a new Boyds Walnut stock.

The bayonet is not correct, but I was more interested in acquiring a pointy bit that fit, than spending bucks on one from the same year of manufacture. It shoots straight, and if I could afford to shoot it more often I’d have it out to the range almost every trip (ironic that I have 100 some-odd enblocs for it, but only about 20 rounds of .30-06).