Democrat Targets .50 Caliber Revolver for Nationwide Ban
By Michael L. Betsch
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
February 17, 2003
(CNSNews.com) - A well-known gun maker recently introduced a powerful new hunting revolver that is said to have no equal in terms of firepower.
But within days of introducing the Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum at an industry-wide trade show in Florida, an anti-gun Democrat promised to seek a nationwide ban on the product.
"It's hard for me to rationalize any particular need or purpose" for the 500 Magnum, said Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.). "I think guns are made to kill people. That's my opinion."
Asked if he would seek a nationwide ban on the 500 Magnum, Davis replied, "Yes, indeed."
Billed as the "most powerful production revolver in the world today," S&W claims its new 500 Magnum cartridge produces nearly three times the muzzle energy of the .44 Magnum round, one of the most powerful sidearm cartridges available.
But Davis said the .50 caliber revolver, which weighs 72.5 ounces and has an overall length 15-inch has no purpose in society except to cause injury and death to humans, dismissing the manufacturer's claim that it is intended for hunting wild game.
He claimed handguns in general are specifically designed kill fellow human beings, whereas rifles and shotguns are typically relegated to hunting animals.
"You don't go out hunting deer with a revolver," Davis said. "Those of us who live in big, urban centers have a different fear and a different take than some people who may live in different environments."
Davis believes the 500 Magnum has a greater potential for becoming a lethal inner-city status symbol than an effective hunting tool, at least in his congressional district. He added that its high power combined with its concealability could make it the "weapon of choice" for urban gangs.
"If you live in a place like Chicago, and you know the amount of violence that is perpetrated by individuals who grow-up with the idea that having, handling and using a gun is a way-of-life in terms of establishing yourself on the streets or as part of the culture, then I'm afraid that many of these individuals will, in fact, acquire this weapon," Davis said.
"And, of course, the thing will be, 'I've got the most powerful piece on the block,'" he said.
Can a revolver be an assault weapon?
While Smith & Wesson's new five-round revolver is billed by the company as "the most powerful production revolver ever made," it's already being reclassified by some gun control advocates.
"If you've got something that masquerades as a handgun, but has the firepower of a major weapon, you're all at risk," said Illinois State House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie. "This is not the Wild West. It hasn't been for a long time."
Currie compared the 500 Magnum to "military-style assault weapons," although she had no information to base her claims on except for a "tip" received from a reporter.
"I'm not a weapons expert, but it sounded like pretty strong firepower to me," Currie said. "The description I heard was that from a significant range you could fell a large bear."
She dismissed the notion that the 500 Magnum is a hunting revolver, but did equate it with mob violence.
"My concern is whether this kind of weaponry -- it is a handgun as I understand it -- in a crowded, urban area downtown street corners in the midst of people who are angry about something and developing the kind of range that means vandalism and mob action - whether this kind of weapon has any place," Currie said.
Like Davis, Currie said she would examine the prospects of making the sidearm illegal in the state.
"I'm going to look at the technology, as I say, and see if there is any way to specifically keep it from operating in the state of Illinois," Flynn said. "We are also working on efforts to ban military-style assault weapons, and, perhaps there is something about this technology that makes it possible to amend that legislation to include firepower like this."
Anti-gun message said to be flawed
Rifles are most commonly used for hunting, but many gun enthusiasts have also used smaller side arms for hunting, according to Gun Owners of America Executive Director Larry Pratt, who corrected the claim by Davis that hunters don't use revolvers to shoot prey.
"He's quite ignorant because there are people who do," Pratt said. "I do know for a fact that people take large caliber handguns with them to go hunting. And, I have no doubt that if you were lucky enough to get close enough, you could take a deer down with a .44 Magnum, which until now, was the biggest gun around."
As far as Davis' contention that any would-be criminal could easily conceal the 500 Magnum, Pratt said, "Yeah, if you have a trench coat or something like that."
Asked if the 500 Magnum's predecessor, the .44 Magnum faced the same criticisms and threats by politicians upon its introduction in 1955, Pratt said the controversy over Smith and Wesson's latest offering appears to be a sign of the times.
"It was all sort of good clean fun when it was introduced, but we're 20 years further along the gun-hating sensitivity training," Pratt said. "We're talking about the frame of mind that opposes concealed carry by private citizens."
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My favorite quote:
Originally posted by Herr Walther:
"You don't go out hunting deer with a revolver," Davis said. "Those of us who live in big, urban centers have a different fear and a different take than some people who may live in different environments."
Uh, gee...that looks awfully like a REVOLVER to me.....
