1/12/2003: Tiny guns threaten Europe

[Undertoad]

Sounds too bizarre to be true - but the Brit National Criminal Intelligence Service is worried about new disguised firearms taking hold. They're calling it an "increasing trend" and are distributing this information to customs officials to put them on the lookout.



This one, I imagine, is accurate to within 6 inches. They also say there are "pens that shoot bullets, cigarette packets containing miniature pistols and mobile phones concealing lethal fire power".

The full story doesn't have many additional details.

At some point, Brits will start moving to the US in order to feel safe.

[Mav]

Wonder if James specially requested that gadget or Q just happened to make it on his own accord

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by Undertoad

At some point, Brits will start moving to the US in order to feel safe.

You'd think so. But we're so nototiously violent and uncivilized here...heck, even civilans have guns.

<b>Don't bother about burglary, police told</b>
By Daniel Foggo

<blockquote>
Police have been ordered not to bother investigating crimes such as burglary, vandalism and assaults unless evidence pointing to the culprits is easily available, The Telegraph can reveal.

Under new guidelines, officers have been informed that only "serious" crimes, such as murder, rape or so-called hate crimes, should be investigated as a matter of course.

In all other cases, unless there is immediate and compelling evidence, such as fingerprints or DNA material, the crime will be listed for no further action.

The new "crime screening" guidelines were quietly introduced in the Metropolitan Police area last month and similar measures are being brought into effect by forces across Britain as pressure grows on senior officers to maintain a tighter control over budgets.

A Met spokesman confirmed that "less serious crimes" would now only be investigated if they were considered to be "solvable using proportionate resources", or were part of a current crackdown on specific offences. He said: "It might mean that people who have had their bikes stolen from outside a shop might not get any investigation into it. It is looking at the high priorities for crime in the community."

The Met's policy document states that when crimes are of a less serious nature and there are no "special factors", such as a particularly vulnerable victim, they will now be logged but not solved.

Oliver Letwin, the shadow home secretary, said last night: "This news will be regarded as the final nail in the coffin of this Government's policy on crime. Instead of zero tolerance it seems we are to be faced with total tolerance."

The Home Office denied that it had originated the new policy. A spokesman said: "Crime screening is a matter for individual forces. We have made the investigation of burglaries a national priority and we are certainly not directing forces to avoid investigating them."
</blockquote>
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...12/nburg12.xml

[wolf]

I want one.

[Griff]

Originally posted by Mav
Wonder if James specially requested that gadget or Q just happened to make it on his own accord

Looks more James West than James Bond...

[russotto]

Originally posted by wolf
I want one.

If it uses a tiny gas cartridge, it's not even under ATF jurisdiction... woo hoo.

[Uryoces]

Hmm. I hadn't thought about another firearm. I don't want anything ultra-smallish like these accidents waiting to happen. My carry gun until about 4 years ago was my CZ-52. That was always a crowd pleaser at the range. 7.62x25/.30 Mauser is Loud!

Opposite end of the scale: My buddy handed me a Desert Eagle and told me to use it at the plate shoot. He was laughing so hard, and I couldn't figure it out. He told me he wanted to see if I would actually use it. Hey, he handed me the stupid thing so I used it!

Then he made me clean it afterwards. Grrr...

[wolf]

Was it the .44 mag or the .50?

I LOVED shooting my boyfriend's Desert Eagle ... someday, perhaps after I'm done paying for the car ... or win the lottery ...

[Uryoces]

I feel so inferior! It was a .357, and it handled great. It actually stovepiped in the middle of the 2nd run. Now if I buy a Desert Eagle, it's going to be .44 Mag at the very least! I'd love a .454 Casul Eagle. The webbing on my hand wouldn't. I don't know if they make .454 Cas Eagles. That would be very cool indeed! It would be very loud and make large [er] holes.

[Hubris Boy]

Originally posted by Uryoces
I'd love a .454 Casul Eagle. The webbing on my hand wouldn't. I don't know if they make .454 Cas Eagles. That would be very cool indeed!

They don't. .50 AE is the best you're gonna do in the "ridiculously huge semiautomatic handgun" category.

My own Desert Eagle is a .44 Magnum, and it's the shit. My buddy John refers to it as "the crew-served weapon." The two enormous springs that are required to return the slide to its forward position do a great job of soaking up unpleasant recoil. And cracking off eight rounds of .44 Magnum in rapid succession is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at any indoor range!

I urge you to acquire one of your own.

What'd you pay and what would I probably pay? What's the average price of rounds? Any special maintenance necessary?

[Hubris Boy]

Originally posted by dave
What'd you pay and what would I probably pay?

I paid a little over $900 for her back in '97. I expect you can still pick one up for around that. Call a few gun shops in your area and ask them to quote you a price. You may find somebody who's had one in inventory for a while and is eager to get rid of it.

What's the average price of rounds?

Here in the Maryland Victim Disarmament Zone, a box of 240 grain semi-jacketed goes for $25 - $30 bucks. YMMV. If I shot more, I'd probably think about handloading. I haven't drunk that much of the Kool-Aid yet, however.

Any special maintenance necessary?

It's a pain in the ass to clean, and temperamental if you don't do a good job. I use Break-Free and Hoppes #9 Solvent to keep mine looking and feeling her best.

It's also a little tricky to strip and reassemble until you get used to it. The first time you sit down and strip it, make sure you have the handy chart that came with the owner's manual. You're gonna be confronted by about a gazillion little pieces. And yes, you need all of them...

...that little bitty spring that was hiding under the extractor and just went flying across the room? Better go find it. Now.


And do NOT, under any circumstances, succumb to the temptation to fire unjacketed ammunition through this beast. You don't know the meaning of "tedium" until you've spent an afternoon trying to clean lead out of the gas vents of a Desert Eagle.

Not that I'm trying to discourage you, of course. It's a ball to own and shoot one! Just understand that, this isn't your typical handgun that strips down into three or four easy to clean and reassemble components. This isn't a gun. It's a device.

[elSicomoro]

Normally, I'm not a fan of guns, but this one just sounds cool as hell.

[Hubris Boy]

The perfect accessory for a Pimpin' Coat, without a doubt!

[elSicomoro]

You know, I was thinking about what kind of gun would go well with pimpin coat earlier...(seriously)

Sperm donor used to have a variety of guns at his place. I remember he used to keep this really bad-ass shotgun under the cushions of the couch. That would work.

Then there is the Uzi, which would give a combination of the modern day and the days of Al Capone.

But I also agree with HB...I particularly like this one.