Wednesday Morning – Take Aim

Entering into a leap-year February.  All of you Feb. 29 birthday people get to celebrate on the real day this year.  It might be February already, but I'm still finding Christmas tree tinsel (icicles for you youngsters) in stray spots on the floor.  How do they get there and where have they been?  It's an annual chase for me.

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Still another amazing technological advance has been disclosed.  It's not fire-ems related, so I'm talking about it here instead of a regular posting.  The Sandia Laboratories have been overseeing development of a special round of ammunition that has a self-guiding feature that will direct the bullet right to the target.

Sandia Labs photo

The object was to enhance the ability of a .50-caliber sniper rifle to hit a target from a mile or more away.  And it looks like they just about have the prototype ready now.  Part of the challenge facing a long-range sniper is the environmental obstructions, namely air movements (winds) and air density that alter the course of a bullet.  From a 1+ mile range, these tiny alterations can cause the bullet to miss the target by a significant amount.  A recent report from Wired emagazine tells,

Each self-guided bullet is around 4 inches in length. At the tip is an optical sensor, that can detect a laser beam being shone on a far-off target. Actuators inside the bullet get intel from the bullet’s sensor, and then "steer tiny fins that guide the bullet to the target." The bullet can self-correct its navigational path 30 times a second, all while flying more than twice the speed of sound.

The innovation involved some major changes to typical bullet design, which involves grooves inside the barrel to make the bullet spin and therefore fly in a straight line. Researchers had to eliminate that spinning to allow the bullets to twist and turn towards their target. Instead, they used those tiny fins — similar to those on a dart — to keep the bullet aloft while allowing it a full range of motion to navigate through the air.

Sandia Labs photo

Even with an ace marksman, researchers found that a typical unguided bullet — operating in real world conditions that might include crosswinds or changes in air density — would miss a target that was a half-mile away by nine meters. A guided bullet, however, could get within eight inches of that same target.

Sandia says that with commercially available gunpowder, the bullet will travel at speeds of 2,400 feet per second. But with customized gunpowder, it could hit military speeds. A Sandia field test demonstrated that the bullet's internal electronics and battery can survive the rigors of flying from rifle barrel to target. Presumably, they would not survive striking the target.

Part of this new development is to have the laser beam generated from the sniper's own scope, presumably to allow him more freedom of movement.  Simply amazing.

Let's do some amazing equipment checking now.  We're close enough that we don't need laser guidance to find our apparatus.  The Bunn-O-Matic now, that's different.  I'll track it down and get another pot going.  See you back in the day room.

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Pair of Notorious Guns Auctioned Off Saturday

TWO GUNS LEFT BEHIND BY BONNIE & CLYDE when a police raid on their Joplin, Missouri apartment caused them to flee, were sold at a Kansas City auction house Saturday for $210,000.

On Friday Firegeezer REPORTED HERE on the upcoming auction and we included some brief history on the two firearms, one a Thompson submachine gun and the other a 12-gauge Winchester shotgun.  The machine gun is the only "Tommy" gun that the Barrow gang is known to have carried.

Mayo Auction photo

The guns were seized by the raiding policemen on April 13, 1933, and kept as spoils by one of them who later gave them to the great-grandfather of the people who sold them this week.  This marked the first time they had ever been sold since they were stolen and kept by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

Both items were sold fairly quickly and the same bidder won both guns, paying $130,000 for the Thompson and $80,000 for the Winchester.  The successful telephone bidder was not identified publicly other than as "an East Coast gun collector."

This brief video shows the guns on display at the auction room just prior to the sale:

For more information on the guns' histories, refer to the Firegeezer story HERE.

In an article on the sale after its conclusion, the Joplin Globe wrote:

The weapons are believed to be among those seized after a raid April 13, 1933, at the outlaws’ apartment hideout near 34th Street and Oak Ridge Drive in Joplin.

Five lawmen in two cars, armed only with handguns, descended on the apartment, and a bloody gunfight ensued. Two of the lawmen — Newton County Constable John Wesley Harryman and Joplin police Detective Harry McGinnis — were killed. Clyde Barrow, Buck Barrow and fellow gang member W.D. "Deacon" Jones were injured.

After the raid, police confiscated guns, a camera and personal items from the apartment, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. The film in the camera, which was developed by The Joplin Globe at the time, was of special interest. The images on the film, which include some with the guns, were the first to identify the outlaws. Historians say the publication of those images in newspapers across the country spelled the beginning of the end for the duo.

Read the entire article HERE.

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Cultural Artifacts on the Auction Block

SERIOUS GUN COLLECTORS (AND FANS) ARE streaming into Kansas City today so that they can attend the Mayo Auction & Realty Co.'s major firearm auction on Saturday.  More than 100 firearms on consignment will be sold beginning at 10 am.

The star offerings in this show are two guns owned by the infamous Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow, the Depression-Era criminals who traveled the mid-west holding up banks and killing nine police officers along with dozens of innocent civilians.

The weapons coming on the block are a Thompson sub-machine gun treasured and used by Bonnie Parker that was the only "Tommy" gun that the gang ever owned.  The other is a 12-gauge Winchester shotgun model 1897.

all photos via Mayo Auctions

The guns were left behind in a Joplin, Missouri, hotel room when police raided the gang.  They escaped by a hair, but left behind a weapons cache and a camera.  One of the raiding officers took the Tommy gun and the 12-gauge along with the camera for souvenirs.  When the film in the camera was developed, the photos were of the couple in various "crime guy and moll" poses that have since become iconic.

According to Mayo Auctions, the sellers' great-grandfather, M. L. Lairmore who was in law enforcement at the time, was given the two guns by another peace officer who had seized the weapons after a raid on the pair in Joplin, Missouri in April of 1933.

The guns have been in the family of Mark Lairmore and his sisters, the sellers, from Springfield, MO., ever since the unknown Depression-era police officer gave them to their great-grandfather.  For the past 35 years they have been on loan to the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department's museum where they have been on display.  The family has now decided to sell the weapons and consigned them to this auction to be held on January 21.

Mayo's WEBSITE HERE has a series of close-up photos of the weapons for inspection purposes and more information about them.  They will also be accepting bids via internet if you want to get the shift to pitch in and try for one.

Update:  Results of the auction sale have been posted HERE.

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Some People Call it the "Wrist-Breaker"

THERE IS A NEW "GUN GUY" IN TOWN and his name is Heizer.  More accurately known as Heizer Defense LLC, this new gunsmith is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and has made a splash in gun circles by announcing the upcoming release of their first model, an ultra-slim pocket pistol that is only .665-inches wide and fires .45 calibre bullets.

The over-under barrels are ported (as you can see in the illustration below) to help alleviate some of the recoil and the shell casings are quickly ejected by using the thumb-slide release on the body.  There are two more rounds stored in the grip that can be used for reloading.  I don't think a rapid reload is critical though, because after the first shot the enemy will be beating feet away from that thunderous flash that just came out of your fingers.

Heizer says on their one-page website, http://www.heizerfirearms.com/ , that the frame is made of titanium and the firing pin is hammerless.  So far, it's all just plans and promises because nobody has actually seen one yet.  GunReports.com tells us:

Heizer Defense LLC, a new firearms company located in St. Louis, Missouri, will produce pistols incorporating space-age high-tensile alloys, USA manufacturing, and the most current design capabilities.

One partner is Raymond B. Kohout, an entrepreneur with over 32 years in the firearms industry including former ownership of one of the largest retail firearms store in the St. Louis metro area. He also designed and manufactured nylon rifle cases and military nylon holsters.

Another partner is Charles K Heizer, founder of one of the leading Aerospace manufacturing companies in the USA. Other members of the Heizer team bring critical knowledge and experience in mechanical engineering, design and machining of components for the commercial, military and aerospace industries.

Heizer has announced that the prototype will be introduced next month at the NASGW show in Reno, Nevada, and just prior to that they will reveal the rest of their website that we linked to above.  Between now and then you'll have to rely on expert speculation in some leading firearms publications such as these:

• Downrange.tv
• Guns.com

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For Your Televiewing Enjoyment

THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL, A CABLE/SATELLITE TV station provides a wide variety of unique programming that seems to be popular in firehouses during the evenings.  One of their older shows that is no longer being produced, but still seen in reruns occasionally, How They Make It never gets old.  Cash Cab and Dirty Jobs seem to be popular with firefighters and EMT’s, too.  And I sure can’t leave out Mythbusters.  That one seems perfect for a quick look between calls.

Discovery has a brand new series starting up in less than two weeks that I think will also become popular around the fire and rescue stations.  The program is titled Sons of Guns and focuses on what is probably the country’s most unique gunsmith, Red Jacket Firearms located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  The promo posted by Discovery describes the show:

“If you can dream it, we can build it” is the motto at Red Jacket, the nation’s most unique weapons business. Owner Will Hayden and his eclectic crew of Baton Rouge, Louisiana gunsmiths and historians rise to the challenge daily on Discovery Channel’s world premiere series SONS OF GUNS, creating one-of-a-kind custom weapons. The show fires off on Wednesdays at 9PM ET/PT, starting January 26.

As a straight shooter and an avid historian, Will is a trusted expert to handle the requests of Red Jacket’s major clients – law enforcement, military and collectors. From guns to knives to swords to cannons, Will sells, trades, buys, builds and customizes them all. While weapons manufacturers are making attachable silencers for AK-47′s, Will takes it a step further — creating internal silencers that help police departments be even more stealth in threatening situations. If someone needs to restore a WWII flamethrower to make it operational, Will can do that too. And when the sheriff’s department needs to turn two guns – a shotgun and a rifle – into one, they call Will.

This shop apparently builds one-off  weapons and does some recreating of historic weapons.  The word “unique” fits their business well.  This 4-minute video takes you on a tour of their shop and you’ll find it interesting, even if you’re not very interested in firearms:

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Keep in mind that the open period for sending in your nominations for the Best Fire and EMS Blogs of the Year contest.  Remember, these are your nominations from which the 14 finalists will be chosen to compete for the title.  So make sure you get in before next Wednesday and nominate your favorites.   You can only submit one a day, so if you have 3 or 4 favorites to offer, start now so you’ll have time to send all of them in.  CLICK HERE for the contest rules and the links to the nominating forms.

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All right, it’s time to get this equipment checked out now.  While you get started, I’m going to get some more coffee going.   See you back in the day room later.

FIRE STRUCK THE PATRIOT MANIA military surplus, apparel and gun shop Sunday morning in Jacksonville, Florida.  An alarm company notified Jacksonville 9-1-1 around 1 am that a monitored alarm was transmitted from the year-old business, so they dutifully sent a police unit to check it out.  When the officers arrived they found a well-established fire in progress and had the fire department dispatched.

WJXT-TV

The 3,000+ sq. ft. metal building was mostly gutted and left an inventory loss of “several hundred thousand” dollars.  The Patriot Mania sold guns and ammunition along with flags, apparel, hunting supplies, knives and related merchandise.  The fire burned through the ammunition stash setting off a lot of “explosions” that usually accompany this type of blaze.  Nobody was hurt and the JFD had the fire knocked down in about 30 minutes.

The owner says that they have been open for 13 months and were just getting a good customer base established.  He is already planning to rebuild and get the business back in operation as soon as possible.

First Coast News has more HERE.
Patriot Mania WEBSITE.

A SPECTACULAR FIRE IN A TOLEDO, OHIO, GUN STORE Monday afternoon shutdown the Airport Highway and threatend the Ohio Highway Patrol station next door.  The fire started around 2:20 pm in Cleland’s Outdoor World, a popular gun shop and shooting range in the suburb of Monclova Township.  Cleland’s also sold reloading supplies and had a cache of black powder stored in a protected room.

Toledo Blade

When the FD arrived, the building was well involved already and moments later the fire came through the roof.  The Toledo Blade reports:

Kevin Bernhard, chief of the Monclova Fire Department, said the department took aggressive defensive action to prevent flames from igniting stores of gunpowder and ammunition in the front of the building.”We certain didn’t want the flame to get to the powder,” Chief Bernhard said.

The fire apparently began in the center of the three-building complex that houses the showroom and shooting range, he said. Some flames entered the powder storeroom by an open door but did not set off the black powder and other ammunition stores, Chief Bernhard said. The storeroom is protected by a firewall, he said.Chad Cleland, one of the store owners, said about 10 employees and several customers were inside, but all had left safely by the time fire crews arrived, he said.

The fire itself was spectacular to watch, one witness said, calling it “Fourth of July all over again” with ammunition exploding and flames leaping into the trees adjacent to the gun shop.

In addition to two mutual-aid companies, Monclova was assisted by an Air National Guard crash truck that is armored, allowing it to drive into the flying ammunition and apply water and foam directly on the blaze.

The business was a total loss, but the dollar amount wasn’t estimated by this morning.  Neither has the cause been determined yet.

WUPW-TV filed this video report from the scene that includes some fire footage:

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MONDAY MORNING THE U.S . SUPREME COURT handed down a widely-watched decision on the rights of Americans to “keep and bear arms” under the Second Amendment of the Constitution.  The Wall Street Journal summarizes:

The Supreme Court ruled for the first time that gun possession is fundamental to American freedom, giving federal judges power to strike down state and local weapons laws for infringing on Second Amendment rights.

The court in 2008 voided a District of Columbia handgun ban, and Monday’s ruling extended that to the rest of the country. Because Washington is federal territory and not part of a state, the legal basis for imposing federal constitutional limits on gun laws adopted by states had been unclear.  Monday’s ruling elevates the Second Amendment right to bear arms to the status of a fundamental right that states can’t abridge.

“It is clear that the Framers and ratifiers of the Fourteenth Amendment counted the right to keep and bear arms among those fundamental rights necessary to our system of ordered liberty,” wrote Justice Alito in his majority opinion.

A VICE PRESIDENT OF FIREARMS MANUFACTURER Smith & Wesson, and a former Secret Service deputy director were among 22 people rounded up and arrested yesterday following Federal indictments charging them with engaging in schemes to bribe foreign officials.  Amaro Goncalves, vice president of sales at Smith & Wesson, and R. Patrick Caldwell, chief executive officer of Protective Products Of America Inc. and a former deputy director of the Secret Service, were among those who were charged.  Twenty-one of the accused were picked up at a national firearms convention in Las Vegas and the other was arrested in Miami.

Bloomberg News reports:

About 150 FBI agents searched locations in Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Virginia in the case, the Justice Department said. The U.K.’S City of London Police executed search warrants in connection with investigations in England.

The defendants engaged in a scheme to pay bribes to the minister of defense of a country in Africa, according to the indictments. In fact, the plan was part of an undercover operation, with no actual involvement of any government official or the country, the Justice Department said.

The defendants allegedly agreed to pay a 20 percent “commission” to a sales agent who they believed represented the African official, to win part of a $15 million deal to outfit the country’s presidential guard, the government said. The “sales agent” was an undercover FBI agent, prosecutors said.

The investigation has been underway for 2-½ yrs. and is continuing.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation issued the following statement Tuesday:

Through media reports today, we became aware of the Justice Department enforcement actions which were taken yesterday and which made reference to an employee of our company.  We have no information beyond what has been reported and are prepared to cooperate fully with law enforcement in their investigation into this matter.

Courthouse News Service has more details of the case along with individual identifications of all 22 defendants HERE.

IN FAYETTE COUNTY, THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE have charged a man with accidentally firing a 2-lb. cannonball through the wall of a neighbor’s home. 

William Edward Maser, 54, fired the cannon in his yard Wednesday evening.  It is a replica of a type of cannon used during the French and Indian war that Maser demonstrates at battle re-enactment programs.  When he fired the 80-pounder cannon Wednesday though, the 2-lb. lead ball struck a rock in the field causing it to ricochet and sent it into the neighboring house, going through a window, then an interior wall and landing in a clothes closet.

The police are classifying it as an accident, but they still charged Maser with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and disorderly conflict.  And they impounded his cannon to be held as evidence.

WPXI-TV Ch. 11 Pittsburgh has some video of the cannon and the damages: