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First Monday and Every Monday |
A Good Use for Guns |
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In 1996, Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence (IPGV) purchased four guns at a gun show in Cedar Rapids, Iowa – an AK-47 military-style, semiautomatic assault rifle; a 9mm TEC-DC9 semiautomatic assault pistol, similar to one of the guns used by the Columbine shooters; a .45-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun; and a small, inexpensive .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun, often referred to as a “Saturday Night Special.” The Saturday Night Special was manufactured by Sundance Industries, Inc., a former “Ring of Fire” company in California.
The guns were taken to a gunsmith to have them worked on to make them permanently inoperable. We tell people that they have been “fixed.” We use the guns for educational purposes at talks, forums, press conferences, and the like. We have found them to be very useful in presentations. But recently, I discovered another use for the guns. I was putting up a bulletin board in the office and I needed a hammer to drive in the nail. But I didn’t have a hammer. I tried scissors, but that didn’t work. I tried a stapler, but that didn’t work either. Then I remembered the guns. I first tried the TEC-DC9, but it was “too big.” I then tried the Saturday Night Special. But it was “too small.” I then tried the Glock. And it was “just right.” Holding the gun by its barrel, I drove in the nail with three taps. The bulletin board is now up. It just goes to show you that if a gun is around, it will be used. | ||
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| TEC-DC9 Assault Pistol "Too Big" |
.25-Caliber Handgun Saturday Night Special "Too Small" |
.45-Caliber Glock Pistol "Just Right" | |
