“IMMEDIATE ACTION ALL GUNS READERS,” an alert in the May issue of GUNS Magazine begins:
A bill, HR 613, introduced by Congressman Anfuso, New York, in the Congress, would require everyone who owns a pistol to register it with the Director of the F.B.I. Every pistol would be registered separately, as to caliber, maker, serial number, number of cartridges held, and from whom the gun was obtained, plus "Such other information as the director may by regulation prescribe."
What could be the reason behind such an effort?
A purpose of the bill (Sec. 2, ff2) is "In the event of a future war involving the United States, information as to the number, location, and types of pistols in the U.S. would be indispensable to the prosecution of such a war."
“Yes, indeed,” the editors observe, “but to whom?”
Did I mention this was from the May 1961 issue?
Regular readers of this column know that every month, GUNS, the magazine I write the "Rights Watch" column for, posts the corresponding monthly issue from 50 years ago as a free download on its website, giving us a fascinating window into a past some of us are old enough to remember.
As evidenced by this issue’s “Know Your Lawmakers” section, subversion of the fundamental right to keep and bear arms is hardly new. Nor is ignorance on the part of those who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, as the weasel-worded responses from various politicians of that time reveal.
In Rep. Anfuso’s case, it does not take much independent looking around to discover:
Anfuso was a Sicilian-born New York lawyer, part of the Democratic Party machine which had close ties to Frank Costello and other mobsters in the Luciano network.
Register guns because wise guys like this demand it? Fuggedaboutit…
Click here to read and enjoy the May 1961 issue of GUNS Magazine, including the classic period ads at classic period prices. And if you missed earlier issues, this same link will allow you to download back to January of that year.
Also see:
- GUNS Magazine April 1961 issue now online.
- National Gun Rights Examiner GUNS Magazine archive
- GUNS Magazine website
Disclosure: Guns Magazine pays me for my columns. They do not pay me for discussing my columns there in articles that appear on Examiner.com, nor request it in any way. I do this to promote my work to a wider readership and because I believe regular readers will find it of interest.
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