# Deck The Halls With Smith and Wesson **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 30, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327 "2007-11-30T17:12:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/81 "2007-12-01T21:22:28Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] I expected better from you. 10? Poor kid, to be so neglected. šŸ˜‰ I had to take a band saw to the stock so stumpy little 7 year old arms could work it (they coming from rather diminutive stock, you understand), oldest now much prefers the 94/22 and youngest likes the M4, and the 10/22 was a birthday gift so probably not relevant in this thread (but when has that ever stopped me?) [/QUOTE] Wait, unless this is a joke and Iā€™m being wooshed, wouldnā€™t that count as a sawed off shotgun? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/82 "2007-12-01T21:33:07Z")
Whatever you do, make sure Christmas doesnā€™t end up like the last time I heard ā€œsomeone aā€™stirringā€ on Christmas morning: [http://65.69.77.33/files/Christmas.jpg](http://65.69.77.33/files/Christmas.jpg) (From the cover of ā€œLibertyā€, Dec. 26, 1925) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/83 "2007-12-01T22:03:20Z")
I think Jesus would have been a lot better off if he saved up some money to buy a Smith and Wesson. Either that or the turning water into wine stunt would have been much better used by turning some carpenterā€™s nails into a decent .357. Those Romans were absolute pricks and taking down 10 of them plus their horses might convince them to use that cross for a camp fire instead. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/84 "2007-12-01T22:20:04Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Wait, unless this is a joke and Iā€™m being wooshed, wouldnā€™t that count as a sawed off shotgun? [/QUOTE] Well, itā€™s not a shotgun and I didnā€™t cut down the barrel, so no. [pic](http://picasaweb.google.com/wyzardd/July07/photo#5083569454251685058) ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/85 "2007-12-01T22:22:09Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Wait, unless this is a joke and Iā€™m being wooshed, wouldnā€™t that count as a sawed off shotgun? šŸ˜• [/QUOTE] He cut down the rifleā€™s stock, so itā€™s neither sawed off (because that would refer to the barrel), nor a shotgun. And I should type faster and let him speak for himselfā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/86 "2007-12-01T23:24:03Z")
To expand on the topic: The wooden part, the back of the gun, that you put against your shoulder, was too long for a little girl to hold properly. Generally, the rule of thumb is that if you put the butt against the inside of your elbow, your index finger should easily hook the trigger. So he cut an inch or so off, and put the pad back on. Itā€™s like finding the right size frame on a bicycle. ---
**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/87 "2007-12-02T02:42:00Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Yeah, because we know the only thing guns can be used for is killing people. Got it. [/QUOTE] Hey: I just saw a cross and nails on sale down here. I think they said water boards were marked down too. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/88 "2007-12-02T02:50:39Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] This seems like a good place to say that I want a Gyrojet for hannukah. Anybody have a problem with the gift of weapons for the festival of lights? [/QUOTE] If they do have a problem with it, they better go read their history (or at least 1 and 2 Maccabees.) ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/89 "2007-12-02T02:55:51Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] Your skill with verse is at least workmanlike, but your facts are a bit lacking. A Glock is not invisible to x-ray or other screening devices, as the slide, the barrel, the internal action, and many other parts are made of steel. [/QUOTE] Frosty the Snowman, Carried his gun with zeal, The slide, the barrel, the internal action, And other parts made of steel. There must have been some magic, In the Glock he shot at cans, For he said you canā€™t pry the gun, From my snowy, cold white hands. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/90 "2007-12-02T14:59:03Z")
[QUOTE=brownie55] He cut down the rifleā€™s stock, so itā€™s neither sawed off (because that would refer to the barrel), nor a shotgun. And I should type faster and let him speak for himselfā€¦ [/QUOTE] Ahhh, I see. Forgive me-I know next to nothing about guns. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/91 "2007-12-02T15:36:23Z")
I would rather have a Dessert Eagle. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/92 "2007-12-02T16:19:40Z")
[QUOTE=JohnnyEnigma] I would rather have a Dessert Eagle. šŸ˜ƒ [/QUOTE] Well, I have no idea how youā€™d dress out an eagle for dessert, and most of them are on an endangered species list somewhere, so Iā€™d think an dessert eagle would just be mean, man. Thatā€™s mean! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/93 "2007-12-02T18:11:02Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] Your skill with verse is at least workmanlike, but your facts are a bit lacking. A Glock is not invisible to x-ray or other screening devices, as the slide, the barrel, the internal action, and many other parts are made of steel. Stranger [/QUOTE] But you know, that is rather illuminating. The lie about Glocks being invisible to X-rays has persisted and the truth has never caught up. Same with the infamous lie about ā€œKop-Killer bulletsā€. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/94 "2007-12-02T18:17:35Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] Same with the infamous lie about ā€œKop-Killer bulletsā€. :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] What infamous lie? ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/95 "2007-12-02T18:31:47Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] What infamous lie? [/QUOTE] In short, there was a great deal of hysteria surrounding armor-piercing bullets (hardened tip and core, designed specifically to pentrate hardened targets) when they hit the market. Note that the ā€œmarketā€ they were being sold to was law enforcement and military; they were never sold, or intended to be sold, to the general public. Hand-wringing bed-wetters in Congress took up arms and proposed legislation prohibiting the manufacture or sale of ā€œCop Killer Bullets,ā€ the catchy phrase draped on them by anti-gun types. The legislation that had been crafted was so sweeping as to practically ban _any_ bullet more powerful than a .22 Shorty. The NRA, among others, opposed this legislation, and was lambasted by every anti-gun group (and several media sources) for it. The NRA, among others, worked with pro-gun legislators to rewrite the legislation to refer to hardened-core bullets specifically designed to penetrated hardened, armored targets. Basic Ballistics: many typical rifle-caliber hunting rounds( and some of the more powerfull handgun munitions) were, and still are, quite capable of penetrating various levels of body armor, or steel plate even, _without having any special design element introduced, such a hardened tips/cores._ SO the lie(s) are: 1. The NRA supports killing cops; 2. Congress is in the pay of the gun lobby; 3. The gun lobby is manufacturing armor-piercing bullets for sale to the general public. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/96 "2007-12-02T18:33:11Z")
In 1993 Winchester marketed the Black Talon, a hollow-point bullet that caused all manner of controversy. [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_talon) has a good explanation, but the thing that really sent it over the top was [this](http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/1993/09/petersen.html) article from _Mother Jones_, which has few facts and even less truth in it. In any event, the net effect of the article was that Winchester withdrew the Black Talon line, took the Lubalox coating off them, and re-marketed them as Ranger SXT bullets. Gun control advocates took the withdrawal of the product as tacit admission on behalf of Winchester that the bullets were ā€œcop killersā€, even though it is all but impossible for a hollow-point to penetrate body armor. Think about it- it expands, and as it expands it faces increased resistance due to greater surface area. Which lands first: a guy with a parachute or a guy without one? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/97 "2007-12-02T18:35:43Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] No, you can also wound and maim them. [/QUOTE] No. You never fire a weapon at someone intending to wound them. Thatā€™s Lone ranger style BS outta the 1950s. You shoot somebody, you kill them. If you donā€™t, they will more than likely kill you, which is probably why you shot them in the first place. And if you donā€™t, the sorry little cockroach will then sue your ass. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/98 "2007-12-02T18:36:32Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] But you know, that is rather illuminating. The lie about Glocks being invisible to X-rays has persisted and the truth has never caught up. [/QUOTE] I actually \*did \*know that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnnieEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@JohnnieEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnieEnigma)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/99 "2007-12-02T18:56:29Z")
[QUOTE=ExTank] Well, I have no idea how youā€™d dress out an eagle for dessert, and most of them are on an endangered species list somewhere, so Iā€™d think an dessert eagle would just be mean, man. Thatā€™s mean! [/QUOTE] holy crap. I spelled http://www.magnumresearch.com/Desert\_Eagle.asp wrong. my bad. :o edit: how come I canā€™t type desert eagle and add a link to it? am I doing it wrong? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327/100 "2007-12-02T18:58:33Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] What infamous lie? [/QUOTE] As ExTank sez, these were mostly a propganda tool for a anti-gun-nut politician. One company released some special hardened Teflon coated bullets, designed to penetrate the std BPV of the time. These were _bullets only_, not complete rounds. Thus requiring quite a bit of reloading work to use. Criminals donā€™t usually go in for reloading. Yes, a assassin might, but then, why not just use a high powered sniper rifle, which will go through a vest ayway? Next, they could only be sold to a Police Dept, and the order was verified. So, theyā€™d have to be stolen from the Police. _No Cop was ever killed by one,_ either. See how the lies become more powerful than the Truth? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deck-the-halls-with-smith-and-wesson/428327.md?page=6)