Cdn-Firearms Digest Friday, December 5 2008 Volume 12 : Number 741 In this issue: "Industry Percolating Along" The Shooting Wire ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 07:39:42 -0500 From: "mred" Subject: "Industry Percolating Along" The Shooting Wire The Shooting Wire for Friday, December 5 FEATURE Industry Percolating Along Following Wednesday's feature regarding a distributor jacking up prices on AR-style rifles, lots of people had plenty to say about the story. The most common question: why didn't you name the distributor in question? That's an answer not as simple as it might seem. First, the goal of the story was not to pillory any distributor - or to imply that all distributors were bad. It was to demonstrate to our readers the fact prices on firearms were not being jacked- up by manufacturers in an effort to gouge consumers. All too-often, the manufacturers wind up getting a bum rap because they are the easiest to blame. Second, we were asked by other involved parties not to "name names". They wanted to work at correcting the situation through industry channels, not hold yet another public lynching. With near-instantaneous responses possible today, giving the distributor's name would probably have resulted in their being deluged with angry calls, emails and such. Nothing good could have come from that happening, so we honored the request and merely referred to them as the "fourth distributor." And other distributors were concerned (some were downright angry) that we were saying all distributors were operating that way. The story didn't say that, but it took some time on the telephone with angry individuals to get them beyond the normal angry response most of us display when we think we're being attacked. Finally, there will be a written response to the story from industry officials. We are more than glad to offer that opportunity, and will bring it to you in the none-too-distant-future. All that having been said, the demand for high-capacity pistols and AR and military-styled rifles continues unabated. Today, many manufacturers are telling us they have bumped up their capacities to the maximum levels, but there's just no way to pump out guns fast enough. Yesterday, I received a snap-shot taken in the firearms department of a California sporting goods store. I believe it's the most graphic example of how firearms are literally flying off the shelves (or in this case, the walls) of retailers. Image with Caption [If there's any doubt about the demand for high-capacity pistols, this photo should convince you otherwise.] And as the firearms fly from the shelves, warnings continue about a possible assault on ammunition. After all, an empty gun is a pretty lousy substitute for any other type of tool. The newest update from the National Shooting Sports Foundation says fourteen states have bullet serialization legislation pending. The ammo laws call for tracking information that isn't just virtually impossible to do, it would push the cost of ammunition beyond the budgets of most mortals. When you factor in a call for the destruction of all non-serialized ammo should those laws pass, you see how critically important it is that everyone keep up with their state legislators. Even our home state (Alabama) has a serialization bill pending, although our sources in the statehouse in Montgomery say the measure was pure political grandstanding. Whatever the reasoning, there's reason to be concerned when any type of serialization conversation is raised. You can keep current on legislation that can impact all of us by visiting either the NSSF legislative action pages; http://www.nssf.org/legal - - or the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action; http://www.nraila.org/ And finally, the Palm Pistol. I'd never heard of it until yesterday, but it seems a New Jersey company (Constitution Arms) is in the final stages of launching a single-shot pistol that doesn't look much like other guns. It's hard to describe, so I'm going to use a photo from the company's fact sheets. Image with Caption [It's the Palm Pistol, a single-shot, 9mm defensive weapon that is fired by the thumb, not the traditional "trigger finger"] The Palm Pistol has not left or right-hand designation, and is described as being suited for "home defense, concealed carry, or as a backup gun." It has a tactical rail (designed for a LaserLyte Subcompact V2 laser sight), an integral 3-position combination lock, loaded chamber indicator, adjustable trigger pull and a PAIR of grip safeties and triggers According to the fact sheet, the Palm also minimizes the "lateral muzzle drift" induced during a normal trigger squeeze. Further, use of the thumb to fire is said to reduce the likelihood of an accidental discharge due to startling and "body alarm reaction induced during a high stress encounter with an armed opponent." Personally, I like the idea of a firearm that gives people with serious physical challenges an option that can be safely carried and used if necessary. I also like the idea of the integral combination lock. It needn't be "scrambled" when being carried, but would only take a couple of turns on the combination to render it unusable. I spoke briefly with the Palm's inventor, Matt Carmel, last night, and I promise you there are more than a few reasons why he created the firearm. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Carmel's a strong believer in the Second Amendment. More on him in upcoming features, I promise. In the meantime, you can learn more about the Palm at; www.palmpistol.com In addition to having met the ATF classifications of "firearm" the Palm has also another met the Food and Drug Administration standards for a Class I Medical Device. Intriguingly, that categorization could potentially qualify the Palm for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Durable Medical Equipment Coding. Should that happen, the Palm might be the first firearm that is reimbursable by Medicare or private health insurance companies for qualified patients. I can hear the howls already. Like I said, this is an interesting story. We'll keep you posted. - --Jim Shepherd ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V12 #741 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:drg.jordan@sasktel.net List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)