Elvis and guns...

[possenti]

I remember reading about Elvis meeting with President Nixon in the White House, and he gave him a pair of matching (IIRC) pistols.

What were they? I also recall the SS giving him a hard time for bringing the guns near the president. Was he eventually allowed to present them to him?

If anyone has any details of this meeting, let's hear them. I remember when Elvis died, but I was only about 5 years old. My mom cried.

From this story, I guess it's safe to say Elvis was a pro-gunner?

 

[Steelharp]

Elvis was very much pro-gun. One of his quirks was to go out into Memphis at night occasionally dressed in a Memphis police uniform, and actually make arrests to help out. The department allowed him to do it.

Mikey D...

 

[El Tejon]

I thought E just collected badges??? He had a full uniform too? "Aaahhh, halt, man, I'm the king of rock n roll. Halt or I'll karate chop ya! Huuuhhh!" Did his Sam Browne have rhinestones?

E was a gun nut. IIRC, he bought his first guitar while gun shopping. Buying the guitar instead of a .22 rifle.

Used to work with a woman who went to his last concert before his death (Indy). Used to tell me about it EVERY day I worked with her.

 

[Chipperman]

I seem to remember the pistols being 1911's. (could be wrong though)

 

[mec]

there was a story he carried derringers in his boot and one that he got pissed at his television and executed it. He was a Karate dude and used his name recognition and just a small amount of Karate to break up a street fight at least once. The combatants were so happy to meet him, they quit being mad at each other.

He picked up quite a lot of respect from the World War II generation -even thought they started out thinking Rock and Roll was the invention of Satan. Elvis never flaunted his drug use or other personal pecularities. He got drafted and made it clear that he was just Private Elvis and didn't want any special treatment. He was extremely generous and never a bully.

 

[Rembrandt]

Went to one of his concerts the last year he was alive....amazing to see overweight aging grandma's rushing to the stage, fighting to get one of his famed scarfs...

...seem to remember he enjoyed shooting TV sets, he'd have a ball going into "Best Buy" electronics and shooting at big screens.

 

[Sunray]

"...The department allowed him to do it..." He was also a very big fan of SMG's. Thompson's, I think. He was known to shoot them in his back yard. Apparently, he would get mad at something on the TV and shoot out the tube. It's good being the King.

 

[geegee]

One of the most interesting "Elvis and his Guns" stories I've ever heard is one I got at a Dallas gun show. There was a dealer there who had a few large tables displaying some highly collectible and expensive handguns, many of them in nice glass cases with their accompanying letters of authenticity. One of them was previously owned by Elvis. When I inquired about it, the dealer gave the following account.

It was a revolver (a .38, I believe) that was in a case, and had a handwritten letter from Elvis himself. The story behind it is that Elvis would often send one of his bodyguards or assistants to his bank, if he needed to make a night deposit to unload some cash. Apparently he decided one night that he needed to make such a deposit, but for whatever reason no one was available except for an older housekeeper, a woman who had been with Elvis for a long time.

He asked this housekeeper to make the deposit, but when she hesitated Elvis retrieved the nickel plated (as I remember) revolver, handed it to her and told her to take it for protection. She balked, and when she did, Elvis wrote out a note which said that this woman was employed by Elvis, and was authorized by him to carry the handgun for her own protection. She did his errand, and Elvis gave her the revolver to keep, which she did for years in her own home long after his death. In fact, she kept it mouinted on a wall of her home.

As the years went by, her health suffered until one day, she was sent to a nursing home. Guess what she had mounted on the wall of the nursing home, next to her bed?

Elvis or no Elvis, that piece of memorabilia wasn't allowed by the nursing home in such a public display, so they made her take it down. Finally, either the housekeeper or her family sold it off, as they needed the money. It finally came to be owned by the dealer who told me the whole story. IIRC, he told me he has been offered as much as $30k for the gun (which has the original "permission slip," written by Elvis himself. He's refused all offers, but I'm sure that at some point someone will wave enough dough in front of him to let it go. It was a fascinating story, and seeing that revolver encased like that, with that handwritten note was very impressive.

 

[mondocomputerman]

When I was a kid I remember seeing a little Elvis museum somewhere, and on display was a small revolver. The caption on the display said something about him carrying it for protection.

 

[SoCalGeek]

I was just flicking through the July '04 issue of Guns and Ammo, and there's an article on a major gun auction that took place in November (Pg. 12-13) and it mentions one of the guns sold as "an elaborately engraved S&W .41 Magnum DA revolver presented by Elvis Presley to an associate;"

This along with the other stories in this thread, i think it's a safe bet he had some pro-2A leanings

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Many, many years ago I dated a girl with family ties in the Memphis area. An uncle of hers owned a gun store and he received frequent calls from the 'Memphis Mafia' to 'please come open up at 12 midnight because Mr. Presley wished to do some shopping'.

Seems that these midnight runs were a monthly thing for awhile.

Regards,
Rabbit.

 

[DorGunR]

Many, many years ago I dated a girl with family ties in the Memphis area. An uncle of hers owned a gun store and he received frequent calls from the 'Memphis Mafia' to 'please come open up at 12 midnight because Mr. Presley wished to do some shopping'.

I'll bet dollars to donuts that the gun store owner was Charlie York.

 

[thatguy]

Elvis had a lot of guns and he frequently gave them as gifts. In the Graceland Museum is a display of about 10 or so guns that he owned. As I recall there were two long barrel S&W N frames (probably Model 27s) that were engraved, a 1911 with pearl stocks and engraving, and a couple of other guns. The tack room in the barn behind the house was converted into a shooting range. It was only about a 12-15 foot range but apparently he and the boys would actually shoot out there.

 

[CrudeGT]

Here's the story about Elvis and the gun he gave to NIxon

Elvis even presented President Nixon with a boxed Colt .45 auto commemorative in 1971 (Elvis was miffed that he wasn't allowed to actually carry the pistol into the White House, but it was given to Nixon by his aides and is now in the Nixon Library) and Nixon gave him a badge designating him an official of the Federal Drug Enforcement Bureau (some irony there...plus Elvis and the boys had to leave their guns with security before they were allowed to visit with Tricky Dicky). In Palm Springs Elvis tried to give Vice President Spiro Agnew a .357 mag., but Agnew declined because he said he could not accept gifts (now there's some irony...). Elvis also gave Omar Bradley a handgun as well.

I'll see if I can find any pictures of the gun.

 

[joab]

I used to do some work for the Elvis museum in Orlando. They had a S&W revolver that he had used in one of his Karate demonstrations. Apparently he bent the crane by holding it in his hand by the grip and pushing against the open cylinder with his other hand.
They had the gun a pic of him bending it and a letter and repair invoice from Smith.