"...Troubled masculinity and its fetishism of violence..."

[Dowding]

I received an alumni magazine from Durham University. It made for interesting reading.

It details some research funded by a new charity - Information on Firearms, Education and Research - which looked into the growing market in replica handguns. The government is said to be considering banning replica handguns.

They looked at:

• the direct marketing of replica weapons in Britain via specialist gun fairs, shops and other outlets
• consultations with the public about the appearance of the weapons and how far replicas can be distinguished from the real thing
• the arrangements that exist between replica-makers and the established firearms industry

" The appalling tragedy at Dunblane Primary School, and the banning of private handguns in the 1997 Firearms Act has focused attention on the use of weapons in crime, but the effect of the ban is still largely unresearched.

The 1997 Act took some 162,000 privately owned guns out of circulation, but the number of shotgun licences actually increased by 1% in 1998, and imports of airguns, gas guns and pistols from abroad almost doubled between 1997 and 1999. At the same time we have seen the emergence of a new market in replica weapons."

The researchers found up to 250 gun traders advertising in specialist magazines and offering a huge range of air weapons, including detailed look-alikes of actual guns, many with well-known firearm makers' names such as Beretta, Kalashnikov and Makarov.

"Similar new markets have been observed in North America... Province of Ontario led the way in September by taking steps to ban anyone under 18 from buying 'fake guns that look authentic'".

The study questioned:

• What exactly are the increasingly detailed imitations produced for?
• Are they genuinely involved in sport?
• How does the emerging market relate to widespread evidence of "troubled masculinity and its fetishism of violence."

During the study, police, retail and bank staff and students were questioned. They asked them to look at examples of real and replica weapons and say which was which, and to discuss the issues surrounding their use.

The responses included:

• the near impossibility of identifying a replica gun as a replica on sight alone
• astonishment at the scale of the imitation market
• regrets that the 1997 Act did not cover such weapons
• speculation that some young people might acquire such weapons as a search for respect
• extreme concern of the dangers to people in banks, shops, offices, the police and the security services, and the public in general that the unregulated replica gun market represents.

In summing up, one of the researcher adds: "A particular concern was that the increased use of replicas in crime might lead to more calls for arming the police in Britain."

"Home Office Minister Charles Clarke... said the Government wanted to outlaw imitation guns, but had to conider carefully what the definition would be."

Looks like replicas might be on the way out...



[This message has been edited by Dowding (edited 04-25-2001).]

[Yoj]

Well - given the choice, I'd rather be held up by a replica than by something that can actually throw a chunk of lead at me at a couple thousand feet per second.

So, have they considered the possibility of mandatory firearms for all citizens?  Nobody's going to try a rip-off with a replica if everyone else is packing - problem solved  

- Yoj

[GRUNHERZ]

Hey Ive got an idea for the stupid brits who think this garbage up, why dont you just go all the way and ban people. Yep ban people, aka Homo Sapiens. New university reserch conclusivley shows that these Homo Sapiens are involved in 100% of all criminal activity in the UK, including but not limited to murder, drug trafficing, mugging, bank robbery, car theft,  and the ever infamous selling of British goods marked in lbs rather than kg. Therefore banning the Homo Sapien in England would reduce to zero any and all chances of crime ever occuring in that nation again. To further reduce any possible future cofusion, the manufacture and/or sale of "replica" Humans shall also be banned.  

[MrSiD]

Well, the consumption of beef _has_ risen in the UK lately.. ;-)

[Gadfly]

I think I'll go buy some guns....

[Animal]

Replica guns.
That reminds me of that great movie, Snatch

Hey, that movie was also made in britain  

------------------
Nethawk: Does your squad openly shoot down chutes?
Fatty: At times, but only if they want to.
Nethawk: Theyre scum
Fatty: cc they are scum

Fatty: as am I

Fat DRUNK Bastards

[funked]

What do you guys think of the Ciener .22 conversion kit for the Glock 17?

[Staga]

I heard it needs some honing before it works like it should be.
Buy one and send it to a gunsmith for modifications.

[CavemanJ]

 

extreme concern of the dangers to people in banks, shops, offices, the police and the security services, and the public in general that the unregulated replica gun market represents.

Thanks Dowding, I was in dire need of a good laugh this morning  

The only danger involved is crime rising because people can't tell a replica from the real thing (and I admit it can be damned hard sometimes).

Make the replica manufactures plug the barrels with neon pink plugs, that solves that  

Yeah staga, they're easy to covert.  Buy a new slide, a new chasis, a new barrel, and all the internal workings.  I've seen and owned a few replicas and anyone dumb enough to try and convert it into a working firearm deserves everything they get when fire the first round.

[Dowding]

Grunherz, to call academic research stupid is...er... stupid.  

It was done to investigate the sociology behind guns, and specifically, how people react to replica guns. How is that stupid? There's very little research in this area.

Also, this report was done by an esteemed criminologist, not some student type.

Animal - Snatch isn't like real-life Britain. Anymore than Jerry Springer is like real-life America. Or maybe it is in your part of the trailer park, eh?  

But I do think that bit from the film is very funny - it's the first thing I though of when I read this article.  

 

The only danger involved is crime rising because people can't tell a replica from the real thing (and I admit it can be damned hard sometimes).

CavemanJ - that's exactly the point they are making!! They look so realistic that the average person cannot tell the difference - hence the potential for their use to increase.

You idea is a good one. Why not making them bright pink? Why would the gun nuts object to this?

Personally, I reckon personal ownership of firearms should be banned - but there should be strictly regulated gun clubs.

And replicas should be banned from sale to those under 18, like in Ontario.

[funked]

Cave:

No I'm talking about a kit to convert a 9mm x 19 Glock 17 (real weapon) to fire .22 LR.
 http://www.22lrconversions.com/glock.htm

I have read some good reviews of these kits but I am looking to talk to somebody who has used one, and thought this thread might attract such a person.    

[This message has been edited by funked (edited 04-26-2001).]

[Staga]

Funked our local "Guns'n'Ammo" tested it earlier; I'll try to find that issue and post you some pics and what it needed to work properly.

Edit: Scanned some pics.
Our "Caliber"-magazine tested Glock 17/22 .22LR Conversion Unit and they need to send it to a gunsmith to be modified. I'm not sure about some technical terms so use your imagination and brains  .

Because breech is quite light it didn't push some of ammunition deep enough to chamber (They need to polish that chamber later).
Also some of ammo(Winchester,CCI,Lapua,Aquila,RWS etc.) were duds because firing pin is light and it didn't hit to the primer hard enough(gunsmith changed the spring to stiffer one) .
Ejectors nail needed some machining to work properly because if ammunitions were coated with wax it couldn't pull them out of chamber.
With ammunition with more power the breech went back and forth so fast that the new cartridge couldn't follow it thus jamming the breech/slide.
Their conclusion was it could be wise to buy a real .22cal pistol.
Pics one, two and three.

[This message has been edited by Staga (edited 04-26-2001).]

[Staga]

Heh Cave my friend owns part of a shooting gallery, some big Magnums, small pistols you can hide under your hand, shotguns and rifles. Co-owner of that place owns also two 20mm Lahti AT-rifles, One is de-activated and other is ready to blast holes to steel-plates. They both have collectors licence so they have some very interested weapons sometimes  
No need for replicas here  

[texace]

Pthhhh, it's almost the same as those lighters that look like real guns. Had some kid I know busted for having it in school. Major uproar as you can tell.

 

[funked]

Hmmmm very interesting Staga.  The other review I read was quite positive, but I am not so sure now.  Thanks for your help.  I was looking for an excuse to get a Browning Buck Mark anyways.  

Although I just found out that Beretta makes such a kit for the 92 series.  I'd hope a factory-supplied kit would work OK.