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Guns, Firearms & Ammunition

Quentin Que Smith

2007-02-01 13:17:00

: What are the procedures to getting a Carrying Concealed Weapons permit?

ANSWER: Carrying a concealed weapon (CCH, also known as concealed carry) is the privilege or right for private citizens to carry a handgun in public in a concealed manner, either on the person or in close proximity to the person. The current trend towards adopting concealed-carry privileges in states in which it is commonly considered a right has not been without opposition. Currently, 48 U.S. states, including Kansas, allow adults 21 years of age or older to carry concealed weapons provided they have no criminal record and meet training requirements. Recognizing the responsibility associated in concealed-carrying a firearm, Kansas requires concealed carry applicants to participate in eight hours of classroom and qualification training. The classroom topics include: firearm mechanics and terminology; concealed carry legislation and limitations; liability issues; carry methods and safety; home defense; methods for managing and defusing confrontational situations; and practice techniques. During the range portion of the course the applicant will learn and demonstrate safe handling of a firearm, how to safely operate the handgun, and accurate shooting from common self-defense distances. Kansas does require a certain proficiency to receive a passing grade. When it comes to finding an instructor there are many things to consider. All instructors set their own prices for their classes. The prices for CCH classes vary from $95 to $175, depending on each individual instructor. What kind of knowledge and experience each instructor has varies from one instructor to the next. A lot of people that are interested in getting a CCH permit may not know anything about shooting a firearm, so finding an instructor that is going to give a thorough understanding of guns and safety from the ground up is key. After completion of the CCH course with a passing test score of 100 percent and passing the marksmanship requirements, an applicant is required to take to the sheriff an application, course completion certificate received from the instructor after passing all requirements of the class, two photo id's or a passport photo, two certified checks or two money orders, no cash or personal checks, one check for $40 written to the sheriff, the other check will be made out to the Attorney General for $110. Keep in mind, an applicant must go to the sheriff in the county that he or she resides. However, a CCH class may be taken by any certified instructor of choice. Also note the address on the application must be the same as the address on a drivers license or photo id. The sheriff will take the applicant's finger prints, and forward all required documentation to the Attorney General. After receiving the proper documents and performing a background check, the Attorney General will inform the applicant if the application is approved or denied.

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Guns, Firearms & Ammunition

Quentin Que Smith

2006-12-01 15:48:00

What are the procedures to getting a Carrying Concealed Weapons permit?

ANSWER: Carrying a concealed weapon (CCH, also known as concealed carry) is the privilege or right for private citizens to carry a handgun in public in a concealed manner, either on the person or in close proximity to the person. The current trend towards adopting concealed-carry privileges in states in which it is commonly considered a right has not been without opposition. Currently, 48 U.S. states, including Kansas, allow adults 21 years of age or older to carry concealed weapons provided they have no criminal record and meet training requirements. Recognizing the responsibility associated in concealed-carrying a firearm, Kansas requires concealed carry applicants to participate in eight hours of classroom and qualification training. The classroom topics include: firearm mechanics and terminology; concealed carry legislation and limitations; liability issues; carry methods and safety; home defense; methods for managing and defusing confrontational situations; and practice techniques. During the range portion of the course the applicant will learn and demonstrate safe handling of a firearm, how to safely operate the handgun, and accurate shooting from common self-defense distances. Kansas does require a certain proficiency to receive a passing grade. When it comes to finding an instructor there are many things to consider. All instructors set their own prices for their classes. The prices for CCH classes vary from $95 to $175, depending on each individual instructor. What kind of knowledge and experience each instructor has varies from one instructor to the next. A lot of people that are interested in getting a CCH permit may not know anything about shooting a firearm, so finding an instructor that is going to give a thorough understanding of guns and safety from the ground up is key. After completion of the CCH course with a passing test score of 100 percent and passing the marksmanship requirements, an applicant is required to take to the sheriff an application, course completion certificate received from the instructor after passing all requirements of the class, two photo id's or a passport photo, two certified checks or two money orders, no cash or personal checks, one check for $40 written to the sheriff, the other check will be made out to the Attorney General for $120. Keep in mind, an applicant must go to the sheriff in the county that he or she resides. However, a CCH class may be taken by any certified instructor of choice. Also note the address on the application must be the same as the address on a drivers license or photo id. The sheriff will take the applicant's finger prints, and forward all required documentation to the Attorney General. After receiving the proper documents and performing a background check, the Attorney General will inform the applicant if the application is approved or denied.

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Guns, Firearms & Ammunition

Quentin Que Smith

2003-04-01 11:23:00

:  What actually happens when a round is fired from a gun?

ANSWER:  In order to answer your question adequately, we need to talk about each component. Each component has a specific job to perform when the round is fired. Let's say a round is placed in a gun, and the gun fired. Whatever mechanisms are employed inside the gun, the gun's firing pin strikes the round's primer. The primer ignites, sending an intense flame through a hole in the base of the metallic cartridge case. The primer's flame is used to ignite the powder contained inside the cartridge case. The burning powder builds up pressure inside the cartridge case, and the bullet is pushed from the end of the cartridge case into the gun's barrel. After a trip down the gun's barrel, the bullet flies through the air and strikes its target. Now that we have an approximate understanding of what each component does, let's take a more detailed look at each component. This month we will discuss the Primer. There are two styles of primers available today: Centerfire and Rimfire. I will only discuss Centerfire primers. Centerfire primers consist of three separate subcomponents: primer cup, priming compound, and primer anvil. These subcomponents are assembled as purchased, you do not have to assemble the subcomponents yourself. The primer cup is cylindrical, with one end open and the other enclosed. The open end is where the primer anvil is placed, with the priming compound between the two. The primer anvil has an interesting shape, one perhaps best observed (from an already fired primer, for safety) rather than described. The primer anvil's shape is basically a disc with the center raised so it is adjacent to the priming compound. The priming compound is designed to be shock/crush sensitive, and is an explosive mixture. Recently I have seen information stating there is a foil/paper cover between the anvil and priming compound. As I have no intention of taking apart a live primer, I will take this on faith and simply pass along the information. Handle primers with care. The primer is assembled into the metallic cartridge case so the anvil end (the open end) faces the hole in the metallic cartridge case (called the "flash hole"), and the closed end of the primer cup is somewhat beneath the level of the bottom of the metallic cartridge case. This is so that the primer only ignites when the gun's firing pin strikes it, rather than simply by bluntly striking the base of the cartridge. An example of such blunt impact might be dropping the cartridge on a concrete floor, or when the cartridge is slammed into position by a self-loading gun. Handloaders wishing to keep their current complement of fingers and eyes will carefully check their primer levels. When the gun's firing pin strikes the primer cup's closed end, it indents the primer cup. When the primer cup is deformed, it crushes the priming compound between the priming cup and the primer's anvil. This ignites the priming compound, which as we said earlier sends a flame through the flash hole in the metallic cartridge case. Once a primer is fired, it is not reused. Fired primers are a good source of information regarding the pressure of the assembled cartridge. Primers which appear flattened are a good indication of high pressure, and mean you should not increase pressure any further (and possibly even reduce pressure). A knowledgeable, experienced reloader should be consulted for practical advice in this matter. There are four sizes of primer: small pistol, large pistol, small rifle, and large rifle. Primers also come in standard and magnum strength. Be sure to use the correct type of primer as recommended by your reloading data source. Never switch to another strength (or even change manufacturer) of primer when working with anything besides starting loads. Or put another way, if you are going to change primer vendors or switch to a magnum primer, be sure to work the load up again from the starting load. Magnum primers are not necessarily required for "magnum" cartridges. Magnum refers (in this case) to the strength of the flame produced by the primer. Some military loaded ammunition will have primers that are "crimped", meaning the metallic cartridge case has been somewhat reshaped to tightly hold the primer. I believe the crimp is to prevent the primer from backing out under high pressure. Special tools are available for removing crimp in primers. Some primer manufacturers: CCI, Federal, Remington, and Winchester-Western.  Next time we will talk about ‘powder’ and its role in the firing of a round.

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Guns, Firearms & Ammunition

Quentin Que Smith

2003-03-01 11:49:00

:  Our teenage son wants a shotgun.  Before we buy him one we were wanting to get him the rules on gun safety for him to review.  Would you have a list?

ANSWER:   Yes, I have a list, but please remember that nothing here should be seen as legal advice. Everything is disclaimed.  Before buying or even handling a gun, one has to realize that it is something different than any other object in the sense that a gun can cause serious injury or death. Handling a gun makes you responsible for what happens with it at that time. If you own a gun, you are undertaking full responsibility for safety and security at all times. This means that you have to ensure that you or other people using your gun with your consent handle it properly. You have to make sure that nobody can steal or use your firearm without your consent. The actual rules of handling a gun are:Always treat a gun as if it were loaded until you visually check it out. Never point your firearm in any direction you do not intend to shoot. In particular, never point your gun in the direction of other people. Always have your gun pointed in a safe direction. Before handling a firearm, understand how it works. Do not assume that a gun is secure, i.e. some guns have excellent security systems to prevent accidental firing (e.g. when dropped), others don't. Do not put your finger on the trigger unless you are ready to shoot. Keep your firearm unloaded when you are not using it. Never pass your firearm to anybody until you have checked that it is unloaded. If you have to carry your gun loaded, always point it in a safe direction (e.g. the ground). Never carry your gun with the hammer cocked. You should store your firearm and ammunition in separate locked places. Pay particular attention that no child has access to the gun. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it. If you own a gun for home defense, most of these safety rules will be violated. However in some countries, home defense can be important. You will then probably store your gun loaded in a place that you can quickly reach if you feel you are threatened. In this case, be really sure that it is inaccessible to children. Buy then the safest possible gun for this purpose. When choosing a handgun for home defense, revolvers are a good choice as there is no safety mechanism to play with, which might be confusing in a stress situation. This is particularly true if you are not very familiar with handguns or do not practice a lot. Their drawback is a lower capacity. Among semi-autos, Glock are good defense guns due to their safety mechanism, making them easier to operate and more "fault-tolerant" than most other self-loaders.

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Guns, Firearms & Ammunition

Quentin Que Smith

2003-02-01 12:11:00

:  What is the difference between the "F" and "FS" and "D" and "G" type guns?

ANSWER:  For both the 9x-series and 80xx-series (Cougar) guns, the one or two-letter code at the end of the model number refers to the gun's operating system.Guns labeled F or FS (e.g., 92FS or 8040F) are traditional double/single action guns with a decocking safety located at the rear of the slide.  When engaged, the safety lowers the hammer safely after rotating part of the firing pin out of the way to ensure that the gun cannot discharge.  Also, the trigger is disconnected.  The gun remains in this condition (hammer down, firing pin dislocated, trigger disconnected) until the user rotates the safety lever back up to the fire position.  The M9 used by the United States Armed Forces, which in civilian terms is a 92FS, works this way.D-model guns (e.g., 92D or 8040D) are Double Action Only and have no safety lever.  Because they are DAO, Beretta installs a slightly lighter hammer spring in the gun to reduce trigger pull weight.  "D" guns also come with a bobbed hammer.  The Beretta Brigadier carried by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol is a "D" gun (a 96D, to be exact).Guns designated by a "G" suffix (e.g., 92G Elite) work similar to the F and FS guns, except the decocker does not act as a safety.  Instead, it is spring-loaded so that the gun cannot be left with the safety engaged.  In that way, a shooter cannot inadvertently engage the safety while loading the gun, clearing a malfunction, etc.  When pressed down, the decocker rotates the firing pin away while the hammer drops... when released, the decocker levers return to their normal firing position.  Until recently, Beretta sold "G" guns only to government law enforcement and military agencies.