If you take away the guns, only criminals will have… fake guns? As a followup to the 328 gun seizure in Queensland, Australia earlier this month, a woman in Campbelltown, NSW has been charged after police and customs found replica guns, electronic shock devices, knuckle dusters, batons, ammunition and tear gas at a Sydney container facility. Firearms and Organised Crime Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent (how’s that fit on a business card?) Wayne Walpole said the seizures “prevented a large number of replica firearms and other dangerous weapons making their way into the community and being used in the commission of crimes.” Gotta watch out for those airsoft guns.
Nathan writes: “19 year old guy. Bought illegal gun. Accidentally shot himself with said illegal gun. Reported false story to police. Got arrested. Awesome.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, Nathan.
How much would you pay for a non-working not-a-real-gun? What if it was a piece of movie history? Han Solo’s DL-44 Blaster (non-firing) from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi is going across the auction block on December 21st. This was one of two blasters used in those movies, with the heavier, live-firing weapon being used for the close-up shots. Based on the German issue Mauser C96 pistol, this piece, measuring 11 in. long, was custom made for the film from resin by casting the original hero prop from the first Star Wars: A New Hope, it therefore exhibits the same serial number as the hero prop, which is thought to no longer exist. The auction house says that to their knowledge “this is the only known example of this type of blaster in private hands.” Bidding starts at $200,000. Photos and full description over at invaluable.com.
Caldwell recently introduced their Brass Trap universal brass catcher, for those who want to keep their brass off the ground and away from the old guy with the broom and pooper scooper, or just want to avoid peppering their neighbor. The catcher has a 21″ high by 17″ wide opening and is deep enough to avoid bouncing the brass back at you. It can sit on the bench or mount to any standard tripod, has a zippered opening at the bottom for easy brass removal, and collapses down to fit into an included storage bag for transport. About $45 from the retailer of your choice.
Arvada City (CO) Councilwoman Rachel Zenzinger was appointed by a 70-member Democratic vacancy committee to fill the seat in the Colorado Senate vacated by the resignation of former Sen. Evie Hudak. Ms. Zenziger, who will be sworn in on Friday, says she hopes to champion educational initiatives when the legislative session reconvenes in January, and also said she supports the gun laws Democrats passed earlier this year. Ms. Zenziger will hold the seat by appointment until this time next year, and will have to stand for reelection next November to hold onto it after that.
Saab of Sweden has announced a $17.5 million contract with an unidentified customer to produce ammunition for the Carl Gustav M3 84mm recoilless rifle. While that’s not earthshattering news, it does give me an excuse for this video.
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Although I am at least happy to see that the Australian police wear high-vis clothing on raids instead of jungle camo or ghillie suits.
Police do wear AusCam went doing raids in rural areas.
“Where there’s smoke, there’s a Saab” – Click and Clack the Tappit Brothers
And that, boys and girls, is why we used to refer to tankers as “crispy critters”.
Yeah, No. That’s a BMP 2. The commie version of a M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The Infantryman inside said IFV are the crispy critters. A (former) tanker such myself wouldn’t be caught anywhere near the ground much less in a death trap tin can like that. True story, once during a 2 week field problem at Ft. Hood I didn’t get off my M1 tank for 4 days straight. I took a little doing but I made it happen.
I managed 350k miles out of my mid 80’s saab 900 with only a water pump replacement. Also enjoyed the heated seats and 40mpg. Great car and no smoke; maybe I’m lucky like that.
Well, regular oil changes help that im sure. My favorite peeve is if someone buys a nice care and does regular maintenance its a great car. Same person buys a cheap car and beats the piss out of it, only changing oil when they can now longer read the level on the dip stick, and its a horrible car….
I’m about to break 100k on my 05 93. No issues so far
It’s not a Saab, but my 94 Toyota Celica is going to break a quarter million miles before I finish this tank of gas. I can’t say I’ve “never done anything but change the oil” but other than stuff you expect to wear out, like motor mounts and belts, the only thing I’ve ever “fixed” because it stopped working was the EGR valve, and that was only a year ago. Oh, and I’m on my third replacement starter (so four total). But I change it myself for a rebuilt one for about $50, and they have variable lifespans. The factory one went 12 years, #1 lasted 5, #2 lasted six months, while #3 is at 3.5 years and counting.
OK, I’m done sharing.
A ’94 Celica? At 250K it’s just getting warmed up. Protip: Get your starters from a chain with a lifetime warranty on rebuilts – $99 once and it’s a free unit and 20 minutes in the parking lot when it fails again. (I gave a Celica to a GF back in the day.)
Oh, and if it’s a 5SFE with a 5M, I’ve got a NIB clutch/pressureplate/throwout sitting on a shelf, yours for $20 and postage. I’ll even throw in a NIB slave cylinder…
Nah, 7AFE with an automatic. This car taught me the difference between a “sports car” and a “sporty car.” My mom saw it when I first bought, lo those many years ago, and she said , “It looks fast” and I responded, “Looks.”
I’ve moved around a bit while I’ve owned it, so the lifetime starter thing would have been a little harder, but I’ll look for that if there is a next time. I’ve replaced one in each city that I’ve lived. Starters are fun on the Celica, because you have to loosen it from the bottom and then take it out from the top.
C’est la vie. Had to offer to help a bro out (and attempt to get it off the shelf)….
AutoZone is in every state nowadays, so, just sayin’… $98.99+tax and you never have to pay again.
Thank you for the tip, though.
40 mpg out of a 900?
I’ve gotta raise the BS flag on that, even with imperial gallons.
99s were 25mpg cars. 900s were just a bigger 99 with a 5sp overdrive, then they got the 16v heads in the mid 1980s. 1985 was 28 hwy with 5sp and no turbo according to the original EPA rating. Low thirties on the highway I could believe if you really babied it.
I think this is in reference to the sixties and early seventies models that were available with two stroke engines, including the sporty looking Sonnet.
The ones that stalled if you took your foot off the gas when going down hills? Ya, probably those.
Ding ding ding! Correct.
Enjoying your daily excuse making and tangent Star Wars tie ins very much lately ha. Gud fer teh lulz.
Excuse making?
Nevermind, I got it.
And thanks.
Ok, nerd moment….it wasn’t the same blaster in Hope?
IIRC, the one from A New Hope was actually lost long long ago in a galaxy far far away. This was a resin casting of a mold of it.
Insert Swedish Chef here
FYI, you have an advertiser who is exploiting a method to automatically redirect IOS users to games on iTunes.
Thanks.
The part about the “assortment of BB gun ammunition” would have given me a chuckle if it wasn’t so sad.
Congratulations, Bruce. You just confiscated that poor woman’s swap meet table. I hope you’re proud of yourself.
I was thinking “Didn’t I pass that table at the flea market last month?”
Where I work I see more airsoft guns used in crimes than real handguns. Not sure why… if the gun control works somewhat on the younger, less-experienced criminals (still not worth it because of the effect on non-criminals) or if they’re just cheaper.
I would not want to be in that APC.
A $45 brass catcher… Makes me glad I’m able to shoot on public land where I make the range rules and don’t have to pick up brass until I’m good and ready, let alone fight other people for it.
Funny, at the public range here, the conversation goes like this.
Me: “Are you collecting your brass?”
Other: “I didn’t know we were supposed to clean up after we shoot.”
Me: “No, I am asking if you keep your brass to reload.”
Other: ” Oh, no I don’t.”
After that 7/10 times they pick up their brass and dump it into my rang bag. Saves my back and knees the stress. 🙂
I don’t reload (and wasn’t collecting for future use at the time), but I’ve actually had the conversation of, “Would you kindly stop bumping your fucking broom into my feet and bench and stool while I’m shooting, you jackass?”
In retrospect, it wasn’t much of a conversation.
Nathan, there are no illegal guns. There are only illegal laws that prohibit people from buying guns.
You are correct SB. It’s illegal for a 19 year old to buy a gun only because of government decree.
While the article does mention that the gun was stolen, that should mean that the crime is “possession of stolen property.” A stolen car does not become an “illegal car” if someone tries to resell it.
Wow, tough room. I just thought it was a funny story. Here, I’ll edit it for him:
“19 year old guy. Bought gun illegally. Accidentally shot himself with said illegally purchased gun. Reported false story to police. Got arrested. Awesome.”
There. Still funny, and correct for the pedants.
Pretty sure an 18 year old can legally purchase a handgun in a private sale…
A fair point.
I bid $.75 on the butt-ugly blaster, and does that brass catcher remind anyone else of the bonnet worn by Lil’ Abners granny in the old comic strip?
In Europe the so called “deco” guns, decorative guns that have officially been disabled (with certificate) have approximately the same prices of the real ones or are even slightly more expensive.
The Goose!
God I love that weapon system. Nothing says “Go Home” like an HE round on airburst. And nothing says “What Building?” like a HEAT round.
I can muster up one guess where that order is headed. ‘Murica.
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