2007
2007 wasn't a good year for the gun control crowd. The New York Post reported that gun license holders in NYC include financier Donald Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr., Queens district attorney Richard A. Brown, Westchester County district attorney, Janet DiFiore, music executive Tommy Mottola, chief executive of Marvel Comics, Isaac Perlmutter, radio show host Don Imus, lawyer Barry Slotnick, lawyer Raoul Felder; publisher Robert Forbes, the cab-driving political activist Fernando Mateo, former new York Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (recently indicted for fraud), actor Robert De Niro, actor Harvey Keitel, film producer Martin Bregman, cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler. All of these individuals have retained their gun licenses under Bloomberg's "tough on guns" administration. (Hey, it ain't what you know...)
MAIG had an awkward year: mayor Jerramiah Healy was convicted for obstruction of justice, while mayor Sheila Dixon was busy misappropriating gift cards intended for the poor and using them for personal purchases and Larry Langford was investigated by the SEC on corruption charges.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, John C. Sigler replaced Sandra Froman as president of the NRA. Canadian fast draw prodigy Nicole Franks entered eight completions in the year, suffering only one loss, to Peggy Franks (Yep, her mom).
The Savage Arms 93R17 BTVS was awarded the "Best New Rifle" in the "Best of the Best" presentation by Shooting Times, Sporting Gun and Shooting Gazette magazines and civilian variants of the HK416 and HK417 were announced, named MR223 and MR308. Kimber got a boost when a new pistol designed by the LAPD Special Investigation Section was added to their line of M1911-pattern pistols.
The Norwegian Army began using the HK416, and the US Army ran the M4 through the "dust test;" the results were less than impressive.
An era ended when U.S. Repeating Arms closed the New Haven, Connecticut plant where Winchester rifles and shotguns had been produced for 140 years. Along with the closing of the plant, the Model 94 rifle (the descendant of the original Winchester rifle), Model 70 rifle and Model 1300 shotgun would be discontinued.
Contents |
January
- January 1 — California legislation requiring magazine disconnects on all new handgun designs sold in the state comes into effect.
February
American gun grabber Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) took another kick at the ban can and came up goose eggs.
March
- March 9 — The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals court ruling, Parker v. District of Columbia, reminded American gun grabbers that the Second Amendment protected an "individual right" to keep a gun and ruled the Washington, D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional.
April
- April 16 — Virginia Tech: the deadliest spree killing in modern American history. Seung-Hui Cho, kills 32 and injures 23 before committing suicide; all in a "gun free zone."
May
Feinwerkbau implemented some minor changes into the History #2 revolver design, the most obvious of which is the adjustable front sight. Also, as of this month, there are more than 500 IBIS systems installed in more than 35 countries worldwide.
June
- June 7 — London, Ontario, Canada: Acting Insp. Kelly Johnson murders former police Supt. David Lucio with her duty weapon before turning it on herself, after being told the previous day that Lucio was leaving her to reconcile to his wife.[1]
- Gun Owners' Resource comes online.
July
- Oops: after the House Appropriations Committee rebuffed attempts to repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, the Senate Appropriations Committee slammed the door even tighter on MAIG's ambitions.
- The US Army announced a limited competition between the M4 Carbine, FN SCAR, HK416, and the previously-shelved HK XM8. Ten examples of each of the four competitors were involved.
August
- August 14 — Mentally ill animator Paul Boyd was executed in the middle of a busy street by Vancouver police officer Lee Chipperfield, who shot Boyd in the head as he crawled on his hands and knees after having already suffered multiple gunshot wounds from Chipperfield.
- August 21 — The first incarnation of the GOROLE comes online with its first page: the Remington 870.
September
- September 9 — The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's CBC Sunday Report featured interview segments with PPCLI sniper Rob Furlong.
- September 20 — Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership began banging heads with the Anti-Defamation League by producing the pamphlet "Why Does the ADL Support Nazi-Based Laws?" Fan... poop... everywhere...
October
- The American gun rights group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus held a week long "empty holster" protest which was participated in by students nationwide.
November
- November 14 — Texan Joe Horn becomes more famous that he ever wanted to be after shooting two burglars.
December
- December 4 — Afghanistan adopts the M16 for its standard infantry rifle.
The year in pictures
Feb. 12: a Latvian army soldier near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq.
Feb. 16: rooftop security in Baghdad.
March 5: Edged Mallet 2007 at Naval Base Manda Bay, Kenya.
March 20: Marines and Moroccans at exercise African Lion 07.
May 15: monthly range training at Camp Korean Village, Iraq.
June 18: amphibious assault rehearsal in support of Talisman Saber 2007.
June 25: exercise Talisman Sabre.
Sept. 24: urban warfare training at Camp Atterbury, Ind.
Links
- ↑ Jordan Michael Smith, "Crimes and misconceptions." Western Standard, July 30, 2007