GUNS Magazine March 1958

'GU
EAC... ... MUST" FOR A
IGUN
L EVERY GUN LOVER!
ST
NEW! 1958 - 12th EDITION
Edited bv
I By 1. D. SATTERLEE
... ...
tomorrow's guns too in
article after article by
the world's foremost gun
authorities. Completely
new and uniauelv differ-
ent from any othei gin
book. Giant sized-324
action packed 8%" x 11"
pages. Deluxe Edition.
I Deutsche Waffen and Munitions
TheDWM
CATAL06 OF 1904
A magnificent reproduction
in exact facsimile of
the rare and valuable
original German Weapons
and Ammunition Catalog
of 1904. Big 9" x 12"'
catalog with 64 giant
pages and over 600 rare
1
illustrations. Sure to become
a coliector's item.
Printing limited to 1000
Icopies.
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Legislative Convention Called By Treasury ATTD
N THURSDAY, December 5, 1957, a
0 conference was called of persons selected
to be representative of the gun interests of
America, to discuss with the Alcohol & Tobacco
Tax Division of the Treasury a revised
set of revised regulations. The original revised
regulations contained several requirements
which proved to be generally unpopular
with a large number of dealers, sportsman's
conservation groups, association and
industry leaders, and Congressmen speaking
for their constituents.
The first hearings on the revised regulations
were held in Washington August 27-28.
For some months thereafter no comment
was forthcoming from the Treasury as to
the outcome of the hearings. The initial
session became an almost 100 per cent
blanket indictment of the Firearms Branch
of the ATTD. It is supposed that this had
something to do with the fact that the
December 5 conference was held by telegraphic
invitation, and no public notice
given.
According to one important witness present
at this conference, the intent of the ATTD
seemed to be to present further revisions
of the already-nine-times-revised regulations,
and thus induce an assent by a small group
of gun people. In the words of that observer,
"I think we showed them again that their
regulations were no good." Yet coming to
GUNS shortly after the termination of that
conference was a telegram from the Director
of the Department stating: "Revised Regulations
Still Being Considered."
Significant fact emerging from these conferences
is the confusion among pro-gun
people as to just what the Treasury's intentions
are in this whole matter. A leading
Treasury ATTD enforcement officer in the
field, in whom we have confidence, states his
own views of the Firearms laws as "I'm
here simply to enforce the law. I have no
personal views; I'm only here to carry
out the wishes of Congress. After all, I
didn't enact the damn thing." Another
spokesman for a leading trade association
expresses the understandable view that "We
are willing to accept any reasonable regulations,"
recognizing that public good may
require some degree of regulation for the
gun trade. Other, more rabid and regrettably
misinformed pro-gun men, both publicly and
in print, wax nearly hysterical about the
Treasury's "evil minded attitude" and sob
about "They (Treasury) want to make it
so your boy and mine can never go hunting
with his shotgun, etc., etc!' Actually, the
present Treasury regulations are not unduly
restrictive of shotgun and ammunition sales,
but would hit hard at pistol and revolver
sales. If crime prevention and aiding police
officers is the Treasury's intention with
stricter regulations, then they take an odd
way to go about it, since the majority of
"firearms" seized by police include rifles,
shotguns, and children's BB guns.
Existing proposed regulations as revised
since August, 1957, now include provision
for keeping records on pistols and revolvers
"for a period of not less than fifteen years
from the date the transaction occurs . . ."
This is an odd change for the ATTD, blowing
hot or cold according to their pleasure. For
in support of the former regulation as
proposed, that records be kept perpetually
for the life of the company, the Treasury
Secretary's aide, R. E. Train, wrote to Sena-
tor Homer Capehart of Indiana that this is
"clearly required by the word of the statute,"
that records are to be kept perpetually. ,
Now, if the records are "clearly required"
to be kept for all time according to the
wording of the Act of Congress which the
Treasury ATTD is charged to administer,
by what authority does the Treasury later
declare that the wording of the Act no longer
means "perpetually" but now means 15
years? Why not ten years? Why not just
leave the record requirements as they were
before? The statutory limits already in ex-
istence are adequate, claim most pro-gun
people. Pretensions by the Treasury Fire-
arms Branch to any other interpretation or
creation of new regulations are discrimina-
tory, dealers claim.
The realities are that firearms records give
much comfort to the book-keeping per-
sonalities in government and law enforce-
ment work, but are functionally of little
use in most cases involving criminal uses
of firearms. Guns employed by professional
crooks are not registered to them. Factory
records, although in some cases quite com-
plete, show only the jobber to whom
shipped, nothing more. Elements which make
a conviction in any case, including those
involving firearms, are far more concrete
than the shadowy record of gun shipments
which lead to a blind wall. The concept of
firearms records for crime detection, while
theoretically neat, in practice lacks merit.
Another proof of the Firearms Branch's
lack of adequate technical information
occurred in the Dec. 5th revision. A "revised
revision" stated the name and model and.
serial stampings would not be required "on
antique or obsolete firearms incapable of
firing commercially available fixed ammuni-
tion." The function of this exemption is not
clear, except by using the catch words of
"antique" or "obsolete" (without definitions)
the clause might soothe the more fervid
pro-gun guys. The concept of "incapable of
firing commercially available fixed ammuni-
tion" was pointed out to them as being
pointless, since there is no firearm made,
regardless of vintage or type of ignition
system, for which ammunition is not now
"commercially available!'
For example, the Colt Revolver, Model 1909,