Jews For The Preservation
of Firearms Ownership, Inc.
P.O. Box 270143
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone (800) 869-1884
Fax (425) 451-3959
Talking Turkey to the "Tubers"
By Aaron Zelman
Media people see all gun owners as being in the same camp, and they talk about “the
gun lobby” as if there were one big, smoothly operating, united force to press for gun
rights. For once, I wish the media were right.
Sad to say, gun owners too often subdivide themselves into special-interest groups. We
really comprise a wide variety: competition target shooters and practical shooters; collectors
of ancient guns, wild west guns, military-style guns and specialty guns; large game
hunters and varmint shooters; duck and goose hunters; home and personal defense gun
owners. All of us have a strong common interest in firearms, but like “birds of a feather”
we split up into our own small interest or hobby groups.
Now consider: what do the following two shooters have in common? The fellow whose passion is spending all day in the desert setting up, calibrating, and firing a .50 caliber rifle at a target 1,000 yards away—versus—the waterfowler who spends an equal amount of time, much of it pre-dawn in the cold and wet, working up a duck spread and aiming to bag some colorful and tasty mallards.
Nothing in common, except they use guns? When a state legislature or Congress is considering new laws to restrict or prohibit .50 caliber firearms, do the shotgun enthusiasts - the “tubers” - understand the impending danger?
“Tubers” need to make common cause with the .50 caliber (and less) club, and fast. Here’s why.
Many if not most legislators and their staffs don’t know enough about firearms. When the gun prohibitionists propose heavy restrictions on .50 caliber firearms, many pro-gun legislators might miss their tricks. If the laws restrict firearms based on the diameter of the barrel, e.g. .50 caliber, then those laws might apply directly to shotguns. After all, the diameter of a 12-gauge shotgun is 50% larger than that of a .50 caliber rifle. What if the law sweeps all such barrel sizes over .50 inches into one category for tighter restrictions?
Consider the potential effects of laws that restrict or prohibit the weight of the projectile, e.g. the shot, the ball, the “slug,” or the bullet. Recall that American soldiers in World War II used the .30 caliber M-1 Garand; in Vietnam they used the .223 caliber M-16. The grain weight of a slug from a 12-gauge is about three times larger than the military .308 caliber round. That fact makes a 12-gauge “bigger” than an infantry rifle.
“Double-ought” buckshot consists of nine .30 caliber pellets. Watch out: the gun prohibitionists might call the 12-gauge shotgun a “non-automatic machine gun.” If a senator proposes a new law against “military-style” .50 caliber firearms, will the pro-rights senators notice that the language of the law may technically include shotguns with large shot or slugs?
It’s interesting to debate about which firearms are best for the various purposes. The handgun is tops for concealable personal defense at close range. The shotgun with heavy buckshot makes a wonderful close-range defensive weapon; it can intimidate a whole gang of attackers and can definitely clear a room. With a slug load, the shotgun can do serious anti-personnel duty at ranges exceeding 100 yards. For defense against snipers or attackers at a distance over 100 yards, the shotgun is not the best tool. The semi-automatic rifle is better in those cases, and the .50 caliber rifle is better still as the required range increases beyond several hundred yards. And let’s not forget: shotguns have military uses, but when was the last time a country, using shotguns instead of rifles, successfully defended against invaders?
Sometimes the “tubers” among us will say, “nobody needs a military-style gun!” That attitude misses the point. The goal of “gun control” schemes is to restrict firearms of every type and for every use and at every range. That’s the message that .50 caliber and semi-auto rifle enthusiasts need to communicate to “tubers.”
Astute shotgun owners understand the individual freedom and self-defense issues, and they actively help fight to preserve our rights. The others, ... well ... they’re just “tubers.” Shotgun and rifle owners must work together to fight restrictions on firearms, whether they involve large or small bore-size shotguns, rifles or handguns. Working together, we gun owners stand a much better chance of protecting the rights of all of us and all Americans.
Help shotgun owners (and others) understand how vitally important it is that we stand together to fight the continuing onslaught of “gun control.” Get the best most feared educational tool available, our film Innocents Betrayed. Join JPFO, visit the website, order the materials, and help us take this fight to the hearts and minds of America. Call (800) 869-1884 to get membership and information, or click on www.jpfo.org to see what is available. Act now - before we all end up begging government for permission to have a gun at all.