"Junk guns" or "saturday night specials"
- Thread starter Alex45ACP
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Combat-wombat
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Well, there aren't any federal laws regulating said guns, so I would think not. I don't know, though.
Justin
Moderator Emeritus
Some states will use the melting point of the materials of a firearm as an indicator of what makes a "Saturday Night Special." Generally lower-grade materials will melt at lower temperatures.
More info:
Wikipedia Entry on "Saturday Night Specials"
Also note that the Wikipedia entry does not include the racially bigotted origin of the term.
More info:
Wikipedia Entry on "Saturday Night Specials"
Also note that the Wikipedia entry does not include the racially bigotted origin of the term.
Very good question! To me (a European), a Saturday Night Special is a "Jennings" (sorry for the spelling) or a similar 1980's cheap gun costing around USD 100.
By the way, I have never fired, or even seen, a Jennings. Are they really crap?
By the way, I have never fired, or even seen, a Jennings. Are they really crap?
VARifleman
Member
The antis defination, although they wouldn't admit it, is any gun that is inexpensive enough to be afforded by a poor person to be able to defend themselves with. After all...those poor people don't deserve to be able to protect themselves... 
BlackCat
member
Nick 90 said:
I have seen a few, and fired 2 of them, both in .22LR. The first one seemed to be a better quality pistol than the second one I fired, but I would classify them both as junk. The second one was a jam-o-matic in the biggest sense of the word. We call them a "schoolyard special" around here, but that's not exactly politically correct.
These 2 were $50-80 guns, new.El Tejon
Member
Around the turn of the last century, 1900, a lot of inexpensive Euorpean pistols were around. They were marketed for many different reasons--cycling, "women's guns", kit guns, etc.
They received the moniker "Suicide Specials" as they were allegedly used for suicide as they were very inexpensive and not made for durability. At the same time there was a Southern expression [I use this word for historical purposes not as an insult] "Niggertown Saturday Night" that was used to describe gambling, drinking, disorderly conduct, etc.
The two terms combined to define a inexpensive pistol lacking in "quality", "Saturday Night Special". Dodd and Kennedy railed against these weapons (this term) in the '60s, as they were the "weapon of choice" (sound familiar?) of juveniles (who were blamed for crime) and urban blacks during riots in the '60s.
Prohibiting cheap weapons is not a new idea. Many Southern states did exactly this after the Civil War ended slavery, e.g. people could only carry "Army" pistols which were more expensive than cheap copies. Of course, King Hank II in the 12th century England did this to prevent Jews from bearing arms.
They received the moniker "Suicide Specials" as they were allegedly used for suicide as they were very inexpensive and not made for durability. At the same time there was a Southern expression [I use this word for historical purposes not as an insult] "Niggertown Saturday Night" that was used to describe gambling, drinking, disorderly conduct, etc.
The two terms combined to define a inexpensive pistol lacking in "quality", "Saturday Night Special". Dodd and Kennedy railed against these weapons (this term) in the '60s, as they were the "weapon of choice" (sound familiar?) of juveniles (who were blamed for crime) and urban blacks during riots in the '60s.
Prohibiting cheap weapons is not a new idea. Many Southern states did exactly this after the Civil War ended slavery, e.g. people could only carry "Army" pistols which were more expensive than cheap copies. Of course, King Hank II in the 12th century England did this to prevent Jews from bearing arms.
Waitone
Member
IIRC the same people who gave us "Assault Weapons" earlier gave us "Saturday Night Specials". Same pattern. Create a term, find a flack in the media to use it repeatedly. Over time infuse it with your own definition. Presto chango, you've got a brand spanking demon.
Reality is SNS were inexpensive pistols which would have been popular amongst the poverty class. Another example of statist racism.
Reality is SNS were inexpensive pistols which would have been popular amongst the poverty class. Another example of statist racism.
Thanks for the info. Although I am aware of the racist origins of gun control in the USA, I've never thought about the particularly racist connotations of "Saturday Night Special" bans before, interesting. More ammo to be used against the antis- I'm sure they'll cower in fear of the dreaded "R" word!
Standing Wolf
Member in memoriam
Mostly.
If I'm not mistaken, that Feinstein creature coined the term "junk guns," or at least was the first to popularize it. "Saturday night special" is only part of the original term, which was "niggertown Saturday night special."
It's no accident the leftist extremists feign complete ignorance of the "niggertown" part of the latter term: they'd very much like to pretend they're concerned about "the public good" and "public safety" and "the children," whereas in fact, their only concern is to disarm dark-skinned, unmarried young urban males.
The leftist extremists have tried again and again—often with revolting success—to demonize types of firearms, then ban them. They've succeeded with short-barrelled imports, so-called "assault rifles," and most recently, .50 caliber rifles in the People's Republic of California. Their method, as always, is to divide and conquer.
Flyboy
Member
So add it. I love Wikipedia.
DRZinn
Member
Flyboy beat me to it:
So add it!
DRZinn
Member
There are so many users with so much knowledge that sabotage does not go undetected for long. Previous versions of pages are saved, so even if you don't know anything about, say, the last mayor of São Paulo, you can still recover the info if someone has done something rash. Wikipedia is surprisingly reliable.
beerslurpy
member
Last time I checked saturday night special had a reference to niggertown saturday nights. I hunt around pretty regularly on wikipedia for things to correct or add to. I wrote the saiga 12 writeup and a few other minor things.
Its right at the top of the definition of saturday night special. Just search wikipedia for "niggertown" and its the first hit.
edit: someone edited the JFPO entry. Good stuff.
Its right at the top of the definition of saturday night special. Just search wikipedia for "niggertown" and its the first hit.
edit: someone edited the JFPO entry. Good stuff.
ScottsGT
Member
In SC I think it refrences a 850 degree melt test.
justsurvivingincalifornia
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Junk Guns?
This is a term that is used by the anti-gun media to describe any inexpensive gun they want to ban. The theory is that if gun are more expensive fewer people will own them.
If you use the melting point to define it a lot of plastic guns would fail Glock, USP, VP70Z, XD40 etc.
On the other extrem they tried to ban many excellent self defence guns that would be used by the armed forces or lawenforcement. They called them assualt weapons.
This is a term that is used by the anti-gun media to describe any inexpensive gun they want to ban. The theory is that if gun are more expensive fewer people will own them.
If you use the melting point to define it a lot of plastic guns would fail Glock, USP, VP70Z, XD40 etc.
On the other extrem they tried to ban many excellent self defence guns that would be used by the armed forces or lawenforcement. They called them assualt weapons.
Melting temperatures...
are part of the Hawaii gun laws. They also include a statement to indicate they are talking about the melting temperatures of metals.
"It is unlawful for any person, including a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer, to possess, sell, or deliver any handgun if the frame or receiver "is a die casting of zinc alloy which has a melting temperature of less than 800 degrees Fahrenheit." Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-15(a). This section does not apply to any handgun registered prior to July 1, 1975, or to any antique handgun. Section 134-15(b)."
migoi
are part of the Hawaii gun laws. They also include a statement to indicate they are talking about the melting temperatures of metals.
"It is unlawful for any person, including a licensed manufacturer, licensed importer, or licensed dealer, to possess, sell, or deliver any handgun if the frame or receiver "is a die casting of zinc alloy which has a melting temperature of less than 800 degrees Fahrenheit." Haw. Rev. Stat. § 134-15(a). This section does not apply to any handgun registered prior to July 1, 1975, or to any antique handgun. Section 134-15(b)."
migoi
K-Romulus
Member
Wikipedia seems to have fixed the problem
The term "Saturday night special" is a slightly shortened version of the original term, "niggertown Saturday night special," which dropped from common use around the late 19th century. B. Bruce-Briggs wrote in the Public Interest, "It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the 'Saturday Night Special' is emphasized because it is cheap and being sold to a particular class of people. The name is sufficient evidence—the reference is to 'niggertown Saturday night.'"
The term "Saturday night special" is a slightly shortened version of the original term, "niggertown Saturday night special," which dropped from common use around the late 19th century. B. Bruce-Briggs wrote in the Public Interest, "It is difficult to escape the conclusion that the 'Saturday Night Special' is emphasized because it is cheap and being sold to a particular class of people. The name is sufficient evidence—the reference is to 'niggertown Saturday night.'"
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
I seem to recall that at least some proposed "Saturday Night Special" bans were based on mass or (small) size rather than materials criteria, though most are indeed based on cost to manufacture.
My wife's first handgun was a $70 Phoenix Arms Raven .25 ACP because that was simply all we could afford. If the price floor were set at a $300 handgun, we simply could not have purchased one when we did. (She now owns a Glock 26, FWIW.)
My wife's first handgun was a $70 Phoenix Arms Raven .25 ACP because that was simply all we could afford. If the price floor were set at a $300 handgun, we simply could not have purchased one when we did. (She now owns a Glock 26, FWIW.)
yayarx7
Member
HMMM....
So maybe gun control is racist in its roots, to an extent.
So maybe gun control is racist in its roots, to an extent.
Lobotomy Boy
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If you think about it, much of leftist extremism exemplifies a subtle and unconscious form of racism. It's racism in the form of condescension. Think about affirmative action--to accept it as a valid idea, you have to also accept that minorities are too incompetent to advance on their own merit. Gun control is no different. Take Feinstein, for example. She has a carry permit, so guns are okay for her, and we can assume okay for other upper class, well-educated white women. We need gun control for all those other people, presumably all those ignorant dark-skinned people, since gun crime tends to be most prevelant in communities of color. Basically she's trying to disarm "niggertown," whether or not she's aware of that fact.
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