A Nurse with a Gun

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Locking Guns

I was looking at a gun today. It was an H&R 939 nine shot .22LR revolver, with a ribbed barrel. It was in great shape. At under $100, the price was right. I was ready to buy. When I turned the grip over to read the serial number, imagine my surprise when I saw...........An integrated lock. Why are gun buyers so surprised when Smith & Wesson builds locking systems into the actions of their firearms? Taurus and H&R have been doing this for some time. I do have to say H&R's lock appears much more substantial than the Taurus and Smith equivalent.

Smith & Wesson and other manufacturers will no doubt continue this practice as long as their legal departments advise them to do so. Even though the S&W locks have failed, Smith & Wesson will continue the locks because their lawyers tell the upper echelons of management the locks protect the company from lawsuits.

That was good enough for me. There are enough older lockless Smiths to go around, and I would not really be interested in the new scandimonium guns anyway.
Then I examined the new Smith & Wesson M&P, in an attempt to get over my adversion to the name usage. It appeared to be a good gun, even if the grips are a little slick. The rep extolling the virtues of modern polymer finally reached the subject of the integrated lock. When my face showed what I thought of the lock, the S&W rep quickly said that law enforcement and military can get the pistol without the lock.
That straw broke the camel's back. When S&W considers policemen and military to be safer with weapons than private citizens, I've had enough. Oh, right......I forgot........This is not about end user safety. It's about deflecting court actions. When Smith & Wesson is forced to defend their integrated lock in court in the presence of widows and orphans, after a gun owner's lifesaving device inadvertently locked up in the moment of truth, perhaps their position will change. Until that time all gun owners and gun buyers will just have to suffer being seen as idiots who will not secure firearms when not in use.

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Both of my Springfield .45s (an "Operator" and Micro Compact *worst gun, Ever*) have integrated locks. Come to think of it, my Remington 870 has one too.... I think it's the way of the gooshy, whoosy, whimpy future.

9:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Xavier...

Look for a Manhurin. French built S&W mod. 19 knockoff (Pinned, dunno if recesed...) that will shoot better and smoother and for longer (excellent steel frame) than any S&W. Oh, and no trigger locks...

(I'm a Model 19 and k-22 shooter...)

-Les

1:09 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've always refused to buy any firearm with integrated locks and always will. Just the chance of one failing at that crital moment of needing it to go bang is enough to prevent me from ever buying one. my integrated safety is between my ears. If you have kids get a lock box.

11:00 AM  

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