Not That There Is Anything Wrong With A .380

Rumors have abounded on the Internet about the new Glock that will be officially released at the 2014 SHOT Show. Glock itself had teaser ads out in November about a smaller Glock pistol officially named the G42.

Just before Christmas, a post on BoomerShooter.com had two pictures of either a catalog page or an ad showing the G42 as being a single stack .380 ACP pistol. As Steve at the Firearm Blog said, they looked legit.

I guess they looked legit because they probably are legit if the video below released by Glock Inc USA is to be believed. I can’t see Glock releasing misleading info on a new pistol on their official YouTube page.  The video features Chris Reese, Warranty Tech Supervisor, of Glock, Inc. North America describing the new G42.

There are a lot of single stack 6+1 .380 ACP pistols out there now ranging from the Ruger LCP to the Sig P238 and everything in between. I’m sure the Glock is a decent pistol and will have good sales but the market has moved on to the pocket or micro-nines.

It could be that Glock is going to release a single stack nine as both the G41 and G43 are supposed to be released as well. They could be using the rumor mill about the G42 as a red herring to make the introduction of a pocket 9mm more newsworthy. I don’t know and I’m guessing the only people who do know either work for Glock or have signed a really tight non-disclosure agreement.

UPDATE: SayUncle has a video up of the Glock 41 which is a long-slide .45 ACP pistol.  You can see it here.

Glock Steps Up In Challenge To California’s Handgun Roster

Glock, Inc. filed a amicus brief last Friday the case challenging California’s handgun roster. The case, Pena et al v. Lindley, was originally filed in 2009 in US District Court for the Eastern District of California. Glock’s amicus brief was filed in support of the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment.

It is rare to see an individual firearms company take a stance such as this. These briefs are usually filed on behalf of a group like the National Shooting Sports Foundation. That said, it makes good business sense for Glock to support this case as none of their Gen4 pistols can be sold in California as they don’t have magazine disconnects and aren’t microstamp-ready.

The brief was written by attorney Erik Jaffe and Chapman University School of Law Professor John C. Eastman. Both Jaffe and Eastman served as law clerks for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. They argue that given the ubiquity of the Glock pistol throughout the United States that it meets the Heller decision’s common use test. Because of this, banning the sale of the Glock in California runs afoul of the Second Amendment.

They start their argument by attacking the requirements for a magazine disconnect and for microstamping technology. The brief states that a magazine disconnect is a disadvantage in that a chambered round cannot be fired without a magazine in place.

GLOCK pistols can be fired if the magazine is lost or
damaged, and a round in the chamber can be fired if necessary while the user is in the
process of changing magazines. A pistol with a magazine disconnect mechanism would
not be capable of firing under those circumstances. For those reasons and others, the
overwhelming majority of law enforcement agencies require pistols that do not have a
magazine disconnect mechanism. In addition to GLOCK pistols, the majority of semiautomatic
pistols sold today do not include a magazine disconnect mechanism because of
its significant disadvantages. Accordingly, the pistols that are in “common use” by “law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes,” Heller, 554 U.S. at 625, 627, generally do not
include a magazine disconnect mechanism.

They attack microstamping as “novel and essentially theoretical” technology which does nothing to enhance the firearm’s safety which is the purported purpose of the handgun roster. It is meant to possibly help law enforcement. The absence of a magazine disconnect and microstamping does not make a pistol either unsafe or more dangerous.

Jaffe and Eastman argue that:

California has in essence reversed the Supreme Court’s “common use” test and
prohibited the sale and possession of those pistols that are commonly used by “lawabiding
citizens for lawful purposes,” Heller, 554 U.S. at 625, 627, and allowed only the
sale of those pistols that are not in common use and, in fact, are not even commercially
available. The absence of a magazine disconnect mechanism and microstamping technology in the Gen4 GLOCK pistols does not render them the type of “dangerous and
unusual weapons” that the government may prohibit, id. at 627, because they are
functionally identical to the earlier grandfathered versions of the GLOCK pistols that also
lack those features.

They attack California’s claim that the burden caused by the handgun roster is minimal. Consumers are not able to buy newer – and presumably safer – handguns while at the same time older handguns on the roster are exempted from the mag disconnect and microstamping requairements. As they note, this serves to weaken California’s argument that there is public safety interest in these requirements.

That
the government continues to allow sales of numerous handguns lacking these features,
and completely exempts law enforcement from regulations designed to exclude the sale
of allegedly “unsafe handguns,” shows at best an equivocal interest in the supposed
benefits from those technologies, not the type of substantial government interest that
would justify restricting an enumerated right.

They continue by saying:

In fact, the largest actual effect from the expanding list of novel technological
requirements for new models of guns is to prevent California consumers from being able
to obtain the new models of handguns, such as GLOCK’s Gen4 pistols, that incorporate
the latest improvements. It makes absolutely no sense to force consumers to purchase
older model handguns that lack the same features that the government is relying on to
prohibit the sale of newer model handguns. Justifying such a scheme in the name of
consumer safety or crime fighting is nonsensical, or simply disingenuous… Indeed, the very absurdity of the
scheme suggests that the actual objective of the challenged roster requirements is not
safety, but to create increasingly more problematic and expensive hurdles to the sale of
handguns in order to make the process more difficult and thereby deter the sale and
purchase of new handguns in California
, an objective that cannot be squared with the Second Amendment.

They conclude that the burden is substantial and that California has a “minimal government interest inconsistently pursued” in maintaining the restrictions imposed by the handgun roster.

I’m glad to see Glock stepping up in this fight. The California handgun roster is a joke. Any roster such as the one in California that makes a distinction between a pistol based upon whether it is all stainless or all blue and then bans a two-tone version of the same pistol  has just proved this.

The amicus brief can be found here.

Wrong Convenience Store

While I’m not a big Glock fanboy – I only have a Glock 22 Gen 2 police trade-in – they sure do make entertaining ads. The latest features a strung out guy attempting to wrong a convenience store. Unfortunately for him, the lady behind the counter has a Glock.

Oh, Those Evil Gun Companies And The Evil NRA

The Violence Policy Center has their panties in a wad over a donation that Glock, Inc. is making to organizations within the National Rifle Association. Frankly, I think they are jealous that the Joyce Foundation doesn’t give them this much money with which to put out more spurious reports.

I agree with Miguel that the VPC will have even more PsH’s when Ruger presents the final installment of their $1 million  $1.2 million dollar challenge check to Wayne LaPierre at the NRA Annual Meeting.

From Glock’s press release in part:

Smyrna, GA – GLOCK, Inc. will donate a total of $115,000 to four separate organizations within the National Rifle Association (NRA) during the 2012 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits held in St. Louis, MO, Apr. 12 – 15. GLOCK, Inc. Vice Presidents Gary Fletcher, Chad Mathis and Josh Dorsey, alongside spokesman R. Lee Ermey, will make presentations to each group inside the GLOCK, Inc. exhibition booth (#2031) on Friday, April 13, 2012 at 10:00AM.

“There are millions of NRA members and thousands of certified NRA firearms instructors who continue to protect our Second Amendment rights and help to promote firearms safety,” said GLOCK Vice President, Gary Fletcher. “It’s important for us at GLOCK, Inc. to recognize that commitment by supporting the NRA and its affiliate organizations.”

The full release can be read here.

Glock Is First Gold Level Sponsor Of SAF

Glock, Inc. has stepped up and become the first Gold Level Sponsor in the Second Amendment Foundation’s corporate sponsorship program. Unlike the Joyce Foundation who continues to throw their money away on the gun prohibitionists, Glock’s money is going to an organization that is actually winning. Of course VPC (and others) will be quick to call this “blood money” but I think Alan Gottlieb will be equally as quick to just laugh in their face over that claim.

From the SAF news release:

GLOCK FIRST GOLD LEVEL SPONSOR IN NEW SAF CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

For Immediate Release: 2/24/2012

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today announced that Glock, Inc. has joined the SAF’s new corporate sponsorship program at the Gold level. Glock’s continuing support of the Second Amendment Foundation and of SAF’s on-going litigation efforts in defense of firearms civil rights is rapidly becoming legendary.

SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb made the announcement, noting that Glock remains the largest corporate contributor to the Foundation – largely in recognition of the important legal efforts SAF has mounted and will continue to pursue.

“The generosity and dedication of management and ownership at Glock continue to impress me, and I want to thank them and all the Glock employees who make our partnership with Glock possible,” said Gottlieb.

“SAF’s victory in McDonald v. Chicago opened up many legal opportunities for us to move forward against a wide variety of unreasonable and often unconstitutional limits on firearms rights,” he continued, “and we must continue to expand our legal challenges with all possible speed. The substantial support of our corporate sponsors significantly broadens our ability to respond quickly and effectively to legal opportunity.”

“Glock’s latest support comes at an important time,” Gottlieb added. “Most of our members and supporters make contributions in the $10 to $25 range, and Glock’s significant additional support as a sponsor makes a major difference in our efforts to win back firearms freedoms one lawsuit at a time.”

Gottlieb urged SAF supporters and all Americans who are concerned about firearms freedoms to support Glock and other companies that support their Second Amendment rights.

“There are times in the history of any movement, and in the lives of every person, when it is important to stand up and be counted,” Gottlieb said. “Glock has, more than once, stepped up to the plate when it really does count, and we will be eternally grateful for their generosity and their unwavering dedication to the Second Amendment.”

Gun Industry Bankrolling The Marines

The Violence Policy Center has this meme that gun rights movement only exists to build sales for the firearms industry. In return, the firearms industry fully funds it. This is, of course, nonsense and they know it.

In their fevered imaginations, any donation made by any firearms company is for the sole purpose of co-opting the recipient and building firearm sales. To think that they would make the contribution out of a sense of patriotism, altruism, or a belief in constitutional rights is unfathomable to their little minds.

Thus, I imagine the headline above is how VPC would respond to this donation made by Glock, Inc.

Smyrna, GA – GLOCK, Inc. will donate a total of $75,000 to two separate organizations during the 2011 Modern Day Marine held in MCB, Quantico, VA, Sep. 27 – 29. GLOCK, Inc., Vice President, Josh Dorsey will present $50,000 to the Young Marines and $25,000 to the Marine Corps League during a presentation held at the Iwo Jima Memorial, Quantico on Wednesday, Sept. 28th, at 2:00PM.

“GLOCK is proud to contribute to organizations such as the Young Marines and the Marine Corps League, which play such a vital role in providing aid to the families of America’s fallen heroes as well as develop the characteristics of our nation’s future leaders,” said GLOCK Vice President, and former Marine, Josh Dorsey. “GLOCK has a long-standing tradition of supporting those that put themselves in harm’s way to protect the freedoms we currently enjoy.”

The organizations who will be receiving the donations include:

Young Marines: This will be the sixth consecutive year that GLOCK, Inc. has made this contribution to the Young Marines totaling $300,000. The Young Marines is a nonprofit youth organization whose mission is to positively impact America’s future by providing programs for youth that promote their mental, moral and physical health through teamwork, self-discipline and a drug-free lifestyle. The program strives to instill core values of “Honor, Courage and Commitment” adopted by each member of the Marine Corps. Scheduled to accept the donation on behalf of the Young Marines will be Lt. Col. Mike Kessler USMC (Ret), National Executive Director of the Young Marines of the Marine Corps League.

Marine Corps League: This is the second year that GLOCK, Inc. has made a contribution to this organization. The Marine Corps League is comprised of retired Marines dedicated to promoting the ideals of American freedom and democracy, voluntarily aiding and rendering assistance to all Marines and former Marines and to the families of fallen Marines as well as perpetuating the history of the United States Marine Corps. The group is active in supporting injured Marines, youth programs, Veterans benefits issues and the National Marine Corps Museum. Scheduled to accept the donation on behalf of the Marine Corps League will be the National Commandant and former Major League Umpire Vic Voltaggio, Executive Director Michael A. Blum, and Past Junior Commandant James A. Laskey.

Good for Glock that they will make this large donation to both of these worthy organizations.

H/T The Outdoor Wire

I Wonder What The VPC Will Tweet About This

The Violence Policy Center has this thing about donations from firearms manufacturers to pro-rights organizations such as the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation. They call it “blood money” as if donating to protect an enumerated civil right is somehow on par with child molestation.

In the release below, the Second Amendment Foundation announces a “significant donation” from Glock. I’m sure it will set off the narrow minds that run VPC and we can expect a snide or nasty Tweet about it sometime later today.

BELLEVUE, WA – The Second Amendment Foundation today announced that Glock, Inc. has donated and pledged significant financial support to SAF’s on-going litigation efforts in defense of firearms civil rights.

SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb made the announcement, noting that Glock has now become the largest corporate contributor to the foundation, in recognition of the important legal efforts SAF has mounted and will continue to pursue.

“I want to publicly and personally thank the management and ownership at Glock,” Gottlieb said, “and all Glock employees who have made this possible. Specifically, I want to thank Glock Vice President Josh Dorsey and General Counsel Carlos Guevara for their involvement and for making this happen.

“SAF’s victory in McDonald v. Chicago has made all of this litigation against onerous state laws and municipal ordinances possible,” he continued, “and it is imperative that we continue and expand our legal challenges with the greatest possible speed.

“Glock’s generous support comes at a critical time,” Gottlieb added. “Most of our members and supporters make contributions in the $10 to $25 range, and Glock will be providing significant additional support in our efforts to win back firearms freedoms one lawsuit at a time.”

Gottlieb urged SAF supporters and all Americans who are concerned about their firearms freedoms to support Glock and other companies that support their Second Amendment rights.

“There are times in the history of any movement, and in the lives of every person, when it is important to stand up and be counted,” Gottlieb said. “Glock has stepped up to the plate when it really does count, and we will be eternally grateful for their generosity and their unwavering dedication to the Second Amendment.”

The Swiss Join Team Glock

Back in mid-March, I reported a story that the Swiss Army was considering switching their service pistol from Sig Sauer to Glock. According to the news release from Glock, they have made the decision to switch to Glock 17’s and Glock 26’s. Both of these will be the Gen4 versions.


Swiss Army Selects Glock As New Service Pistol

Smyrna, GA – Today, GLOCK Ges.m.b.H. located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, announced that the Swiss Army has chosen GLOCK as the new service pistol for the Swiss Army Special Forces. The evaluation process was conducted by three independent elements of the Swiss Army: The Army Reconnaissance 10 (AAD 10: Armee AufklÄrungsdetachement), a specialized unit of the Swiss Army (Special Forces) and the Swiss Military Security Agency (MilSich) tested the capabilities and efficiencies of the GLOCK pistol in the field of operations, while the technical evaluation was handled by the national evaluation and procurement agency “armasuisse”.

The GLOCK Pistol models ultimately selected were the GLOCK 17 Gen4 and GLOCK 26 Gen4 9×19 semi automatic pistols, as well as the Blue GLOCK Training pistol, the GLOCK 17T Gen4 and GLOCK 26T Gen4 which will have the ability to fire both FX and ATK Force on Force marking ammunition.

The Swiss Army began their search for a new duty pistol in 2009, in hopes of finding a firearm that would provide greater soldier superiority and survivability in battle, lighter carry weight, simplicity of use under stress and uncomplicated maintenance. GLOCK pistols excelled during field testing as the Army found them superior in ease of handling which provided evaluators superior capability to score hits during target acquisition drills.

Initially, several suppliers were invited to provide pistols and accessories. With this decision, initial orders in 2012 will go to supply the Swiss Special Forces units, provided the Swiss Parliament has approved the proposed budget.

“GLOCK is very proud to have been competitively chosen by the Swiss Army over all other competition,” said GLOCK Vice President Josh Dorsey. “GLOCK was chosen for this project due to the reliability and durability that have made GLOCK pistols famous. GLOCK’s focus remains on providing safe, simple and fast pistols to those that go in harm’s way. Our firearms are designed for these individuals to succeed and survive in any situation.”

The first round of GLOCK pistols will be issued to replace the existing SIG 220 and SIG Pro pistols being de-commissioned.