Trenton Democrats desperately want to pass something, anything. They just are not sure what. So far, their approach has been to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Make no mistake, Gov. Phil Murphy loaded them up with plenty of bad ideas, and now, they seem destined to intertwine their political fortunes (or misfortunes) with his.
As previously reported, your NRA testified against a package of gun bills on Wednesday in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. With less than 24-hours-notice, we were back to do the same in the Senate Law & Public Safety Committee on Thursday. The late schedule change was accompanied by late amendments and bill drafts, which in some cases, were being handed out as lawmakers were still shuffling into the room. In addition, two sitting members of the Senate Judiciary Committee were late scratches, with Sen. Joe Cryan and Senate President Nicholas Scutari sitting in to fill the vacancies. Perhaps all of their members do not want to be forced to vote for unworkable and unconstitutional gun control bills? We will never know what the motivation was for the swap-out. Regular committee members were not the only thing scratched for the day. Several bills did not make the cut in the Senate Committee either, including bills to require mandatory storage and a bill to raise the age for long gun purchases from 18 to 20. This does not mean they are dead; far from it. Ultimately, there is a lot to be sorted out. Some bills have passed one chamber but not the other. Some haven’t passed either chamber and yet others have been amended. Remember, for a bill to go to the Governor, it has to pass both chambers in identical form.
At the end of the week, every single Democrat on both panels voted in favor of the gun bills, moving them to the Appropriations Committee before sending them to the floor in both chambers. As Thursday’s hearing was happening, the Supreme Court released its Bruen decision which seemed to inject another layer of uncertainty into the plans of Trenton gun grabbers. New Jersey, of course, was one of six states specifically mentioned in that decision. The decision is going to force the state to make some changes with how it has been issuing (or not issuing) concealed carry permits.
There are Senate and Assembly sessions scheduled for next Thursday and Friday. They are trying to finish up the budget, and these are the days when this package of bills could potentially move before a brief summer recess.
They don’t know what they are doing in Trenton, but we do! We are opposing any and all gun control in the Garden State. New Jersey has some of the toughest gun laws in the country and enough is enough. Please continue your sustained pressure and contact your Assembly member and Senator today!
Last week the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to direct the county attorneys to determine if the county can legally pass additional infringements upon Second Amendment rights, including age discrimination, additional background checks, court orders to suspend Second Amendment rights without due process, and banning arbitrary categories of firearms. The Board approved a similar proposal in 2018, and decided to not take action at that time. The new measure calls for county attorneys to provide an updated legal review of the 2018 report and recommendations on “how to improve the efficacy of existing gun control and safety measures.”
————————————————————————————-Gee does the phrase CYA come to mind for anybody else out there? Grumpy
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are seen in an undated photo. The couple captured headlines with a long crime spree before being shot to death in an ambush in Louisiana.
Bonnie and Clyde, the names are known in every American home. Most picture two star crossed lovers committing crimes in dust bowl era America. Robbing banks, stealing cars and living wild and free. In reality, Bonnie and Clyde were cold-blooded killers running in a gang of cold-blooded killers. Their gang murdered 13 people and died as violently as they lived. Along the way, they collected quite the arsenal, and today, we are going to take a peek behind the curtain to see what armed the Parker-Barrow gang.
We won’t go over every single firearm in their massive arsenal, but we want to cover some of the more interesting weapons wielded by the gang. They had dozens of guns, but it’s clear which guns they were partial to.
Barrow’s BAR, aka the Scattergun
Where does a two-bit chump like Clyde get a Browning Automatic Rifle? Well, he stole one, well actually, he stole three, from the Missouri National guard. The BAR was a magazine-fed, fully automatic rifle that chambered the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. The BAR provided a ton of firepower, and Barrow loved his gun.
He took a hacksaw to the barrel and stock and trimmed the gun considerably. He cut the barrel back as far as he could and left a pistol grip akin to something you’d see on a sawn-off shotgun. The now smaller weapon allowed Bonnie and Clyde to use the weapon in and out of the vehicle. BARs are big guns, and if you’re a motor-borne bandit, something shorter is more maneuverable.
He called it the scattergun. We might call shotguns scatterguns because of how they disperse shot, but Clyde called it the scattergun because when he pulled it, people scattered. The full-auto .30-06 rifle could rip through the vehicles of the day and took any kind of cover away from law enforcement.
The magazine-fed gun easily outgunned officers armed with revolvers and shotguns. In the Bonnie and Clyde death car, they found three BARs and 100 round loaded BAR magazines.
Bonnie and Clyde and The Whippet Guns
Bonnie’s preferred weapon was supposedly a 20 gauge semi-automatic Remington Model 11. Bonnie was the definition of petite, and the light recoiling semi-auto 20 gauge was likely light and handy for her. A second 12 gauge variant of the same gun was also known to be used by the gang.
Clyde trimmed back the barrel and stock to make the classic sawn-off shotgun we all know and love. He called these Whippet guns. They could be hidden under a coat, and ‘whipped’ out when needed. The semi-auto action and some loads of buckshot made them intimidating weapons. The famed photo of Bonnie pointing a gun at Clyde shows the 20 gauge Remington Model 11.
The Model 11 was an American variant of the Browning Auto 5. This recoil operation shotgun was one of the first successful semi-auto shotguns. This pattern weapon was extremely popular, and it’s not a surprise Bonnie and Clyde ended up with the gun.
The Winchester Model 1901 – A Heavy Hitter
My favorite gun found in possession of Bonnie and Clyde was the Winchester Model 1901. The 1901 succeeded the 1887 as Winchester’s lever-action shotgun of choice. This particular model chambered the mighty ten gauge shotgun cartridge. The Winchester 1901s came to be because 1887s couldn’t utilize the more powerful smokeless powder shotshells.
The Model 1901 did not come in 12 gauge because Winchester didn’t want to compete with their own 12 gauge model 1897. The gun came with a massive 32-inch barrel which, if you’ve followed the theme, was trimmed considerably. Interestingly enough, Clyde wasn’t an idiot. Handling a 12 gauge or 20 gauge Remington Model 11 without a stock is doable.
Handling a ten gauge anything without a stock is a lot tougher. They trimmed the barrel but left the stock in place. This made the weapon controllable and offered some thunderous power. The 1901 wasn’t a popular gun, and only 13,500 were produced, and one ended up with Bonnie and Clyde.
The Handguns of Bonnie and Clyde
While we covered three very interesting long guns, it’s worth noting they had a pile of handguns. In fact, the car they died in held seven M1911 pistols. The famed handgun was in use by the Army at the time and represented a very modern handgun for 1930. It offered faster reloads and more rounds than revolvers.
On top of that, they found a Colt M1903 in their vehicle. This little 32 ACP pistol was a popular gun for lower-profile carry. Compared to the 1911, it was much smaller with a lot less recoil. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Bonnie’s handgun. She was 4 foot 11 inches tall and weighed 90 pounds. Her hands were likely small, and the M1903 like sat well in her hand.
We know she used a Colt Detective special. This little gun was found taped to Bonnie’s thigh. It was likely hidden under a dress and rather easy to access. The little 38 Colts were rock solid guns and were reliable to a fault.
Finally, the Bonnie and Clyde gang had a Colt Model 1909 Revolver. This 45 Colt revolver offered a modern double-action design with a flip-out cylinder in the proven 45 Colt cartridge. This six-shooter brought the thunder and was a modern design in a classic cartridge.
An Arsenal
It seems like the gang led by Bonnie and Clyde were more attached to firearms than gangs before them or after them. Sure, some guys had their favorites, but Bonnie and Clyde had a car full of guns and ammo. The fact they heavily modified the weapons os extensively showed some insight and some tactical prowess. Id’ love to be able to pick their brains, but unfortunately, Frank Hamer and his crew removed them. All I can do is examine and assume, and I think my assumptions are fair.
.gif)
