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For Illinois Gun Owners And Voters

November 6, 2018 by

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Illinois gun owners and voters are faced with the choice today between Gov. Bruce Rauner (R-IL) and billionaire and Hyatt Hotels’ heir J.B. Pritzker. From what my Prairie State friends tell me, Rauner has been somewhat ineffectual as governor but has vetoed some of the most egregious gun control legislation to come out of the Illinois General Assembly. Pritzker, on the other hand, promises to support the whole litany of gun control from gun bans to state licensing of firearms dealers. The RealClearPolitics poll average on this race gives a clear edge to Pritzker. It will stay that way if gun owners stay home.

Both the Illinois State Rifle Association and Illinois Carry are supporting Rauner who they say has had an open door to them. Expect that door to be nailed shut under Pritzker.

Illinois Carry sent this out yesterday by email. They are correct in asserting that if all FOID card holders voted the 2A that it might be safe in Illinois.

Candidate for Governor
J.B. Pritzker Announces :
“NO safe space for NRA in Illinois!”
J.B. Pritzker vows, “The NRA will have no safe space in Illinois if I am elected governor.”  That means NO safe space for you and me!
Governor Rauner is the absolute only logical choice for gun owners.  He has a FOID card and supports the Second Amendment. The
Governor has provided IllinoisCarry access to his office and staff. He
has sought our opinions on gun legislation.  This last legislative
session, his veto and amendatory veto power was all that stood between
gun owners and the anti-Constitution tyrants in Springfield.  
If
Pritzker is elected – that protection will be gone and all he will need
is a simple majority to pass all the horrible anti-gun bills that gun
owners have been fighting against all these years.
Imagine
how safe the Second Amendment would be here in Illinois if all
2,287,291 FOID card holders went into the voting booth Tuesday and voted
for pro-Second Amendment candidates like Gov. Rauner.
The Second Amendment
Is At Stake On Nov. 6th!
We Urge All Gun Owners To Vote!

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GRNC On Tomorrow’s Election

November 6, 2018 by

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If you have not partaken in the early voting period and are still wondering who is or isn’t the pro-gun candidate in North Carolina, Grass Roots North Carolina and GRNC-PVF have a convenient way to check both their ratings and their recommendations. They also have recommendations on the six Constitutional amendments to the North Carolina Constitution as well as recommendations on the statewide judicial races. The recommendations are from GRNC-Political Victory Fund while the evaluations are from GRNC itself.

This last one is critical. Anita Earls is running as a Democrat against Justice Barbara Jackson (R-NC). She is a far-left SJW who would tip the NC Supreme Court even more to the Left and presumably anti-gun. She was the executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice which should say it all. She is very well funded compared to her competitors. Moreover, don’t be fooled by the R after Chris Anglin’s name. He is a Democrat who only switched to siphon away votes from Justice Jackson.

I anticipate that the Republicans could very well lose their super-majority in the General Assembly meaning that they can’t easily override vetoes by anti-gun Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC). Given the number of anti-gun candidates running as Democrats, the era of pro-gun Democrats in North Carolina seems over and any new gun rights legislation will have a hard time passing and getting signed by the governor.

From GRNC:

VOTE TUESDAY

CANDIDATE EVALUATIONS
&
RECOMMENDATIONS
TOMORROW IS ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, November 6th is Election Day. Polls are open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30
p.m. If you’ve
waited for Election Day to vote, you can review GRNC Candidate Evaluations and your GRNC-PVF Candidate Recommendations at any time. 
Evaluations vs. Recommendations

Candidate Evaluations differ from Recommendations. While  GRNC–PVF recommendations are analytical and therefore subject to interpretation, the evaluations are intended to
provide an objective measure of where candidates stand on Second Amendment issues. For a full explanation of GRNC’s objective star
evaluations, go to: https://www.grnc.org/remember-in-november/grnc-candidate-evaluations-2018
Candidate recommendations,
which are more limited than blanket “endorsements,” are not made in all
races, only in races where a clear pro-gun candidate stands out or where
strategic voting is necessary to keep anti-gun candidates out of
office. 

CANDIDATE EVALUATIONS
You can CLICK HERE to see GRNC Candidate
Evaluations. These are just one more tool voters can use to understand where any given candidate stands on gun rights, and
a copy of these evaluations can come in quite handy in the voting booth.  Print the PDF that is sorted by name and take it with you to vote. Just check this alphabetical list
against the candidates on your ballot, and you’re in business. You may have
also received the Candidate Evaluations in the mail, in GRNC’s “Remember in November” Voter
Guide.
YOUR CANDIDATE
RECOMMENDATIONS

CLICK
HERE to review all of GRNC-PVF’s Candidate Recommendations.
After clicking over to the page, scroll down to find your
recommendations for the US House, important judicial races, the NC
Senate and the NC House. If a district is not listed, GRNC-PVF was
unable to
recommend a candidate in that race. If you don’t know which districts
are yours, see below.

WHAT DISTRICTS AM I IN?

CLICK HERE
to look yourself
up at the State Board of Elections. Among other things, this voter
lookup tool will display the district information pertinent to you.

Still having trouble finding your districts? CLICK HERE to see the GRNC Candidate
Evaluations (open the PDF
sorted by name). Print this, take it with you to vote, and you can check the sheet against the candidates on your ballot.

Election Day is Tuesday, November
6th


This is your last chance to
vote. To find your Election Day voting location, CLICK HERE to look yourself up. Among
other things, this State Board of Elections voter lookup tool will display your Election Day voting location (it will probably
not be the same location as your early voting location(s)). On Election Day, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to
7:30 p.m.

PLEASE VOTE

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Knife Rights Will Appeal NY “Gravity Knife” Case To SCOTUS

November 5, 2018 by

Knife Rights has announced that they will appeal their long-running case against New York over the definition of gravity knives to the Supreme Court. The case centers around common folding knives that have been the target of enforcement by the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney. The victims of this unjust definition have usually been trades people and minorities.

From Knife Rights on their plan to appeal:

Knife Rights’ NYC Gravity Knife Case Appeal Headed To U.S. Supreme Court

Knife
Rights is going forward with an appeal to the Supreme Court of the
United States of the Second Circuit’s decision in favor of New York City
and District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. in our long running civil rights
lawsuit over their persecution of pocket knife owners.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg last week granted us a 60-day extension
until January 13th, 2019, for submission of our petition for a writ of
certiorari asking the Court to hear our appeal.

While our
lawsuit against New York City and DA Vance centers on their abusive
enforcement of New York State’s gravity knife ban against owners of
common pocket knives, the focus changes somewhat as it moves to the
Supreme Court. Keep in mind that the Supreme Court does not generally
agree to hear a case just because any particular decision in a case is
unjust, irrational or just plain terrible, all of which describe this
ruling in spades.

Beyond settling major constitutional issues,
the Court will sometimes choose to resolve differences in the
application of Federal law among different Federal circuit courts when
its decisions are not applied the same throughout the U.S. The Second
Circuit panel’s ruling regarding our constitutional vagueness claim in
this case opens up that possibility with starkly split decisions between
it and other circuits, as well as splits between a number of state
courts. The writ explains why this case is important and worthy of the
Court’s limited time.

A Supreme Court decision to hear the case
could affect the implementation and enforcement of a wide spectrum of
laws to persons throughout the U.S. It is no longer just about these
common folding knives. New York City’s enforcement of the state’s
gravity knife law against common folding knives is now the vehicle to
answer the bigger constitutional question at issue. Only if the Supreme
Court accepts the case do we get to argue the merits of our particular
case as it reflects this bigger issue.

It’s always long odds for
any case to be accepted by the Supreme Court. However, not making the
attempt ensures we lose. And, that would allow very bad precedent to be
set in stone.

Taking a case to Supreme Court is an expensive
proposition, more so for a small organization like Knife Rights. We
still need to raise significant funds for this effort if we don’t want
to hand a victory to New York Governor Cuomo, DA Vance andr New York
City Mayor de Blasio

Please consider a year-end TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation to Knife Rights to support our efforts at the Supreme Court.  Donate at:  www.kniferights.org/donate/foundation

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Has Your Business Been Stopped from Using Google AdWords/AdSense?

October 30, 2018 by 1 Comment

The National Shooting Sports Foundation sent out an email today regarding a class action suit against Google. If you or your business had their AdWords or AdSense account canceled as a result of advertising certain items including firearms, knives, and crossbows, you may qualify as a class action plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in San Jose, California.

Read the full details below. If this pertains to you and your business, by all means investigate it. The othering and stigmatizing of those in the firearms, self-defense, and Second Amendment community by the large social media technology companies needs to stop. Hitting them in the wallet is one of the better ways to get them to back off.

If your company was prevented from using Google AdWords/AdSense you are being invited to join a class action lawsuit that is now pending in federal court in San Jose, California.

To qualify, a person or company must have had its AdWords/AdSense account suspended or terminated by Google LLC between March 2014 and September 2017 based on the fact their websites advertised “any products that (i) were designed to injure an opponent in sport, self-defense or combat such as knives, crossbows and guns or (ii) which comprised any part or component necessary to the function of a gun (iii) or which were intended for attachment to a gun” in violation of Google’s “dangerous products or services policy.”

You do not necessarily have to hold an FFL to become a plaintiff in this lawsuit. Your business does not need to be based in California, it can be located anywhere in the United States.

No attorney fees or costs will be charged to join this federal class action lawsuit. Rather, plaintiff’s counsel will be paid by court order on a contingent basis.

If you are interested in learning more or in participating in the case you should directly contact William McGrane, Esq., who is acting as putative class action counsel in the pending federal class action lawsuit by emailing him at william.mcgrane@mcgranepc.com. Mr. McGrane’s contact information and biography may be viewed at www.mcgranepc.com.

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Interesting Conversation On Holsters

October 30, 2018 by

In the video below, Bill Wilson and Ken Hackathorn have a very interesting conversation on different types of holsters and what to look for when selecting one. They discuss the pro’s and con’s of the various styles and get into a bit of the history of some of them. For example, the Askins Avenger holster that came out from Bianchi was actually designed by holster maker Bruce Nelson and was designed to be worn cross draw.

This is part of the Gun Guys series put out by Wilson Combat.

Note – posting may be a little sporadic this week as I will be doing a bit of traveling.

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The Soylent Green Of Whiskey?

October 26, 2018 by 1 Comment

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My Wall Street Journal today included their “The Future of Everything” magazine. Featured on the cover was “synthetic spirits”. That isn’t something for Halloween but a lab-created whiskey from San Fransciso.

The company is called Endless West and was founded by Mardonn Chua. Originally their intent was to recreate expensive wines. The problem was that they couldn’t market them as wine under Federal law. However, due to a loophole in the regulations, they could create “spirit whiskey” so long as it contained 5% on a proof gallon whiskey.

In the spring the company raised an additional $10 million and hired a small staff of food scientists and analytical chemists, then outfitted its lab with equipment that allows them to intricately sequence the molecular makeup of spirits (the machines are also used in food science and life science research). Though they keep the exact makes and models of these machines under wraps—going so far as to cover up their names with stickers reading “Bonnie” and “Clyde”—Lee let me tour freely throughout the lab. He showed me one machine that he described as “an electronic nose,” which inserts needles into half-filled vials of commercial wines and whiskeys, absorbs the gas trapped above the liquid, then “de-absorbs” the compounds to identify and quantify them.


Endless West can then source these compounds, mixing and matching them to taste (and smell). To satisfy the Tax and Trade Bureau, Glyph contains some traditionally made whiskey. The bureau defines spirit whiskey as “produced by blending neutral spirits and not less than 5% on a proof gallon basis whiskey.” About 5% of Glyph consists of “distilled clean whiskey” that, according to Lee, isn’t noticeably distinguishable in flavor from pure ethanol.

“Distilled clean whiskey” is, in other words, vodka to which they are adding flavoring to make “spirit whiskey”.

Eric Simanek of Texas Christian University has this to say about synthesized whiskey:

But technology—and that ineffable, essential whiskey quality—may still be a limiting factor. “Science knows most of the components of whiskey, and most of the relative concentrations, but not all of them,” says Eric Simanek, the co-author of “Shots of Knowledge: The Science of Whiskey” and the chairman of the chemistry and biochemistry department at Texas Christian University. “It’s very much like a cocktail party. You have a guest list. The folks show up. But the outcome of a party isn’t necessarily predictable. And it may be one guest, whom you’ve discounted, who changes the entire tenor of the assembly. This is the challenge that Endless West has.”

I don’t think Jimmy Russell, Fred Noe, Harlan Wheatley, or Jim Rutledge have anything to fear from Glyph.

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About Those Mail Bombs Sent To Clinton, Obama, CNN, Etc.

October 24, 2018 by 4 Comments

First off, while I heartily disagree with most anything Bill or Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama say, I condemn most forcefully whomever sent them – and others – what appear to be mail bombs. This is not how we do things in a republic.

I’m sure whomever sent those will be found quickly and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

A picture of the bomb sent to former CIA Director John Brennan in care of CNN is shown below:

I’m not a bomb expert but it looks to be a pipe bomb using galvanized pipe to hold the explosive.

Given this and assuming it is a six inch piece of one inch pipe, I’d guesstimate it weighs at the minimum 13.5 ounces. Add in the weight of the explosive, detonator, and packaging and you are at about one pound. The postage was paid for with stamps

Why does this matter?

It matters because of USPS postal regulations which state:

If your mailpiece weighs more than 13 oz and you’re using postage stamps, take it to a Post Office retail counter to mail it. If put in your mailbox for pickup service, the carrier will leave it. If dropped in a blue collection box or lobby location, it will be returned to you.

Moreover, if you look at that picture you will notice that the stamps are not cancelled with a postmark. That might be the failure of the post office or it might indicate that this device never was in the USPS mail system to begin with and was someone dropped off at CNN.

I’m not going to get into conspiracy theories and suggest that the perpetrator was actually engaging in a false flag attack. I’ll leave that to Alex Jones. I prefer to wait until we know just who was behind this. Regardless of who they are, I hope they spend many, many years behind bars.

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Democrat State Party Platforms – Oklahoma To South Carolina

October 22, 2018 by

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My series of Democrat state party platforms on gun control continues with Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. As I have found, some state parties merely adopt the national platform as their own and this continues with this series of states.

Oklahoma

There used to be a tradition of Oklahoma Democrats being strong supporters of the Second Amendment and gun rights. Former Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK) is on the NRA Board of Directors and his father Sen. David Boren (D-OK) served on the NRA Board of Directors before him. That was then and this is now. The Oklahoma Democratic Party has adopted the DNC platform with its full agenda of gun control as their own.

Given the state party doesn’t have anything specific to say about gun control, it is important to look at the candidates for governor and attorney. Drew Edmondson is the current attorney general of Oklahoma. His website makes no mention of “gun violence” or “gun safety”. However, he is on record elsewhere as saying that the age to purchase modern sporting rifles should be raised to 21.

Running to replace him as attorney general is Mark Myles. He is an attorney in private practice in Oklahoma City. He says he “Support gun safety and responsible gun ownership.” He then goes on to say:

Gun Safety


I support the Second Amendment and common sense regulations that are constitutional, reasonable, and in accord with the holdings of appellate courts. Guns must be stored safely and they must be out of the hands of the mentally ill. Mark strongly values the opinion of law enforcement and their role in keeping Oklahomans safe, and supports responsible gun ownership across the country.

Hmm. “Common sense regulations” that are in accord with the holdings of appellate courts? I wonder how many Oklahomans are aware that the 9th Circuit has said you don’t have a right to carry outside the home or that the 4th Circuit has ruled that certain semi-automatic firearms and their magazines are outside the Second Amendment.

Oregon

 Moving from a state where politicians and the Democratic Party are circumspect about their intentions for gun control to a state where it is more explicit, the Democratic Party of Oregon’s 2018 platform and legislative priorities call for gun bans (among other things).

From the platform, Article Six – Health Care, Basic Needs, and Gun Safety:

We support the 2nd Amendment and believe that hunting, sport shooting, and safe, responsible gun ownership
are traditions worth preserving for future generations. We thus support comprehensive background checks for all
gun sales and believe in measures to reduce firearm-related violence, injury, death, and to promote public safety…



We support a ban on the civilian sale and purchase of military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Their legislative priorities go even further:

4. Ban the sale and purchase of military-grade and assault weapons, such as AR-15s, and
equipment used to modify weapons into assault weapons. Limit magazine capacity
to 10 rounds. Raise the minimum age of long gun purchases from 18 to 21. Fund and
implement buy-back programs for those weapons and magazines.


6. Repeal the Dickey Amendment and resume public research into gun violence in the
United States and fund comprehensive research to form evidence-based gun ownership
and use controls.

The Oregon Democrats have a number of caucuses including a Gun Owners Caucus. Reading their mission seems to be a mess of contradictory objectives. While they say they will push for a pro-2A legislative agenda, they then say they will support Democrats in office and those that are nominees. Gov. Kate Brown (D-OR) is a strong proponent of gun control having signed many gun control bills and calling for more. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (D-OR) is likewise a strong proponent of gun control. Those in the Gun Owners Caucus really can’t have it both ways. As it is, they seem to function more as a fig leave for the gun prohibitionists than anything else.



Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party doesn’t have a platform on their website and Ballotpedia says they adopt the DNC platform. Their “issues” page does not address anything dealing with firearms, gun control, or even gun safety (sic).

Thus, let’s look at what Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) says he wants on gun control. Like the party, he doesn’t put gun control items on is campaign website. That said, he is where he stands according to the York Daily Record.

Here’s what Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf has said and done about gun control and the Second Amendment.


Wolf has supported:

  • expanding background checks to cover private sales of long guns, including shotguns and rifles;
  • banning bump stocks — devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire more rapidly, mimicking the speed of automatic weapons;
  • increasing gun restrictions for defendants in domestic violence and protection-from-abuse cases.

Likewise, Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D-PA) who is not up for re-election is a strong proponent of gun control and was strongly backed by Michael Bloomberg. It should be pointed out that many Philadelphia area Republicans are, at best, neutral on gun control as they fear the influx of Bloomberg’s money. Sebastian at Shall Not Be Questioned has reported on this for year.s

Rhode Island


According to Uprise RI, the gun prohibitionists were upset that the earlier versions of the party platform of the Rhode Island Democrats didn’t include gun control. The 2018 version adds this to the platform but the prohibitionists are upset it doesn’t include a “assault weapon” (sic) and magazine ban along with language condemning attempts at national carry reciprocity.

That said, the platform seems to be as bad as most.

REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE


As Democrats, we
respect the Constitution’s Second Amendment and its guaranteed rights for
law
–
abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. At
the same time, we recognize that there is a serious
issue with gun violence in our country, and we support
regulations regarding the safe use of
firearms.
We are proud of the thoughtful work that has been done in our state to
ensure the safety
of our children and our communities
and we support
passage of
other common sense measures
aimed at protecting the public from individuals who have demonstrated their inability to possess
a firearm without putting others around them in danger.
We
believe that we must
provide the public with the tools to be proactive partners with law enforcement to reduce gun violence. To
keep our communities safe, Rhode Island Democrats insist that Congress enact legislation to
require
unlicensed gun sellers at gun shows
and private gun dealers to conduct the same instant
background checks that licensed dealers need to conduct
using the National Criminal Instant
Background Check System
.
Additionally, we support laws that protects our children and our
families and will work to support common sense gun violence prevention measures. Finally,
because we view gun violence as a public health issue, we also call on Congress to pass
legislation allowing the Centers for Disease Control to study this issue.

South Carolina

South Carolina Democrats passed a resolution adopting the DNC platform in its entirety as their own platform. To get a better idea of what the Democrats would do if elected, let’s examine the positions of their candidates for governor and attorney general as those two positions would have the greatest impact on firearms legislation.

James Smith is the Democrat nominee for governor facing Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC). His website has this platform regarding firearms:

Advocating for Common Sense Gun Safety


James believes in a South Carolina that’s stands with our youth and he was proud to stand with them at the March for our Lives rally in Columbia. As Governor, James will sign legislation that:

  • Closes the Charleston loophole
  • Bans bump stocks and trigger cranks
  • Requires universal background checks, including for gun show sales
  • Makes it a crime to threaten use of a weapon on school grounds
  • Restricts retail sales of military-style assault weapons, including AR-15s
  • Introduces individual responsibility measures requiring owners of military-style assault weapons to be responsible for safekeeping and reporting stolen weapons promptly

The Charleston loophole refers to a FFL being allowed to release a firearm to a purchaser after three business days if a delayed response is received during the NICS check.

Constance Anastopoulo is the Democrat nominee to face pro-gun Attorney General Alan Wilson (R-SC). She is the wife of Akim Anastopoulo whose personal injury ambulance chasing ads run daily on South Carolina TV stations. Before becoming a law professor at the Charleston School of Law, she practiced with her husband. She doesn’t have anything on her website dealing with the issues. However, in announcing her intention to run, she said she would work to deny firearms to “domestic abusers”. I know this seems to be a common refrain from the gun control lobby but it would seem to already be covered by the Lautenberg Amendment which makes anyone convicted of a misdemeanor of domestic violence a prohibited person.

Fortunately, neither Smith nor Anastopoulo have much chance of beating the incumbent Republicans.

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The Estate Auction Of Lefty Kreh’s Fishing Tackle, Signed Books, Etc.

October 22, 2018 by 1 Comment

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If you’ve flyfished for any amount of time, whether in fresh or saltwater, you know the name Lefty Kreh. He was an outdoor writer, photographer, instructor, fishing guide, fly designer, and all around ambassador for fishing but especially fly fishing. He passed away in March at the age of 93. I was privileged to meet Lefty at a Federation of Fly Fishers Conclave held in Gatlinburg, TN in the late 1990s as well as at a smattering of fly fishing expos.

Now Lang’s Auctions will be having a two-day online estate auction featuring his rods, reels, signed books, hand-tied flies, and other gear on October 27th and 28th. There are a total of 1,995 lots that will go up at auction at prices starting around $20.

Here is their description of the auction and Lefty:

Bernard Victor Kreh (1925-2018), achieved much over the course of his career, attaining a level of celebrity that is unheard of in the angling world. A true pioneer of salt water fly fishing, he authored the definitive work on the subject, “Fly Fishing in Salt Water”, published in 1974. Known by most as simply “Lefty”, Mr. Kreh held firm in his long-standing belief that the art of fly casting need not be difficult, and worked tirelessly to teach an untold number of students, from beginners to experts, his method of gracefully presenting a fly to wary fish. Making an impression early on while guiding angling author Joe Brooks for Maryland Smallmouth bass, Lefty soon embarked on a lifelong career of teaching anglers through personal demonstrations, television, video and lastly the internet, amid fishing with notables that included several U.S. Presidents, stars of stage and screen, and angling luminaries. In addition to his prowess with a rod in hand, Lefty was also known for his skill at the vise, creating the “Lefty’s Deceiver”, a deadly streamer used in both fresh and saltwater with equal effectiveness, earning the distinction of appearing on a Postal Service Stamp in 1991. An author of several books, outdoor writer for several publications, photographer of fishing locations and anglers for publication and creator of many important fly patterns, his influence on the angling world is undeniable. Respected by his peers, admired by all his students and loved by all that knew him, his ever affable personality was exceeded only by his skill with rod and reel. Lang’s is proud to offer the collection of Bernard “Lefty” Kreh.

Skimming through the auction I see boxes and boxes of flies, specimen flies that were used for photos in his books, books, rods, reels, and even a bunch of Lefty’s trademark up-downer fishing caps. Some of this stuff actually belongs in the American Museum of Fly Fishing. That said, this auction gives you the opportunity to own not only some of Lefty’s gear but sample flies sent to him by some of the great fly designers of all time.

The estate auction can be found here.

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Smith and Wesson 76: America’s Vietnam 9MM SMG

October 19, 2018 by 1 Comment

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Ian McCollum has a Forgotten Weapons video up on a the S&W M-76 9mm submachine gun. The M-76 is a close copy of the Swedish K that was used by Navy SEALs and other special forces in the Vietnam War. They had to go to S&W for a copy of the Swedish K after the Swedish Government refused to sell any more to the US military due to their objection to the Vietnam War.

I have been fortunate enough to have fired one of these submachine guns and I really liked it. Years ago, LuckyGunner ammo put on a blogger shoot in East Tennessee and this was one of the full-auto firearms available to shoot. I found it easy to handle and quite a fun way to waste ammo. If I ever decide to take the full-auto plunge, it is one of the firearms on my semi-affordable buy list.

Ian included this in his description of the M-76:

Early in the Vietnam War, the US Navy acquired a quantity of Swedish M/45B submachine guns (“Swedish K”) for special forces use. By 1966, however, the Swedish government would no longer authorize sales of arms to the United States because of involvement in the Vietnam War. So instead, the US turned to Smith & Wesson to design and produce a copy of the gun. In January of 1967 the first prototypes were presented of the S&W Model 76, which incorporated a number of changes form the Swedish original. The S&W gun had an ambidextrous selector lever allowing either semiauto or full auto fire, and a permanently fitted magazine well for use with a close copy of the Suomi 36 round double stack box magazine. Most interestingly, the inside of the receiver tube is cut with long rifling-like grooves to allow dirt and fouling to accumulate without impacting the gun’s reliability.

Only a relatively small number of 76s were procured by the Navy (under the designation Mk 24 Mod 0), as the availablity of AR15/M16 carbines proved more attractive option than 9mm submachine guns. The company would continue making them until 1974, with a total of 6,000 produced. This particular example is a T prefix serial, which I suspect (but cannot prove) was Navy purchase.

The reputation of the S&W 76 has been unfortunately tarnished by a succession of full auto and semiauto clones, none of which are as well made or as reliable in use as the original S&W production.

The M-76 that Ian is showing in the video is up for auction by Morphy Auctions. Checking the latest auction bid, it would take you at least $4,000 plus the 26% and the $200 tax stamp to take this home. Still when you consider that no new NFA machine guns are coming on to the market that you can buy (thank you, Hughes Amendment), this is a quite reasonable price.