# Guns magazine...oy!



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

For an example of why gun magazines are not authoritative, I refer everyone to page 58 of _Guns_, August 2008 issue. There you will see a Kel-Tec PLR-16 with a Surefire vertical foregrip attached. Here's my letter to the editor:

_Interesting article on the Kel-Tec PLR-16. Even more interesting photo on page 58 with the Surefire light and vertical foregrip attached. I'm sure you're aware that attaching a vertical foregrip to a pistol makes it a prohibited NFA weapon, and is illegal under federal law if the appropriate tax stamp is not obtained.

Here's a link for you: http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/041006-vert_grip.htm. Not sure if you registered the weapon in the photos as an AOW, but you might consider warning your readers before they follow the example in the photo and unwittingly make themselves into felons eligible for 20 years in federal prison. _

We had a good chuckle about it around the office, but the possibility exists that someone unfamilar with the law will add a foregrip to his "assault pistol" and find himself in deep kimchi.

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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

Mike,
With your distaste for Gun rags, you should have just mailed it to the ATF with a bookmark in it. hehehe

Zhur

PS. Good catch


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## Bishop746 (Apr 4, 2008)

I love picking on gun mags. 

Nothing like browsing through eight pages of advertisments for a particular gun manufacturer and then reading the "unbiased review".

Even after reading the ATF regulation I still dont see what a vertical foregrip would do to change the concealibilty of a firearm or change its function. But this is the ATF.

"Always Think Forfeiture"


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

zhurdan said:


> Mike,
> With your distaste for Gun rags, you should have just mailed it to the ATF with a bookmark in it. hehehe
> 
> Zhur
> ...


I am very sure _Guns_ will be receiving a call from BATFE fairly soon. :mrgreen:


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Bishop746 said:


> I love picking on gun mags.
> 
> Nothing like browsing through eight pages of advertisments for a particular gun manufacturer and then reading the "unbiased review".
> 
> ...


The BATFE reasoning is explained in the letter I linked in my response to _Guns_. I don't agree with it, but the law is the law.


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

Do you really think there is actually anyone who is not familiar with that law? :anim_lol:  :mrgreen: :anim_lol: :smt023  :mrgreen: :smt083

I would be interested to know how they respond though I wouldn't hold my breath that they would publish your letter. They would more likely just bury a retraction/disclaimer somewhere in a subsequent issue.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Wyatt said:


> I would be interested to know how they respond though I wouldn't hold my breath that they would publish your letter. They would more likely just bury a retraction/disclaimer somwhere in a subsequent issue.


I'm sure they won't run my little note. I was just trying to help them out, since we all work in the same industry.

Agreed on the buried disclaimer, which will appear approximately three months from now.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Heh heh, we just had an attorney who handles firearms cases stop by Galco. One of our sales guys showed him the magazine. The lawyer's response:

"Oh my! Well, that may be my next case!"

:mrgreen:


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## bruce333 (Sep 1, 2006)

Wyatt said:


> I would be interested to know how they respond though I wouldn't hold my breath that they would publish your letter. They would more likely just bury a retraction/disclaimer somewhere in a subsequent issue.


I'm betting they say it isn't their photo...still..they should have put a disclaimer on the photo...:buttkick:

The photo is on the _GUNS_ website also.

http://www.gunsmagazine.com/F1.html


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## Wyatt (Jan 29, 2008)

Can you say _*"TACTICAL"?*_


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Wyatt said:


> View attachment 231
> 
> 
> Can you say _*"TACTICAL"?*_


No, but I can say *mall ninja*!


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

speaking of.... where is FiveHourFrenzy lately?

I'd like to see the look on the publishers face the day he gets the call from the ATF. Now THAT would make a good cover for next months magazines hehehe.

Zhur


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## kenn (Dec 13, 2007)

I guess the "young mall ninja" comments got to him.

http://www.handgunforum.net/showthread.php?t=14172


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

Got a reply from the editor. They're running a retraction.


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## Revolver (Aug 26, 2006)

> The World Wide Web: Giving instant respectability to uninformed opinion...


Perhaps you should add gun magazines to that.


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## kev74 (Mar 22, 2008)

Move along folks... Nothing to see here... Its just a barrel weight.... to help with the recoil... 

Man, I should have been a lawyer, or a politician! :smt023


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## Teuthis (Apr 9, 2008)

I would caution everyone to also be extremely wary of any ballistics recommendations one reads in gun magazines; specifically the special handload recipes. Actually almost any recommendation from a gun mag is highly suspect. Mike's revelation of their gaff shown here is typical.


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## Snowman (Jan 2, 2007)

kenn said:


> I guess the "young mall ninja" comments got to him.
> 
> http://www.handgunforum.net/showthread.php?t=14172


I guess so...but we all saw it coming.


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

...damn...

I get a new job, and now I'm missing all the fun.

I just want a pair of those RayBans "Mac" wears on Future Weapons...

Former Navy SEAL Sniper Uber-cool... Besides, I'm slowly adopting his haircut.

JW (Newly "skin-head")


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## bruce333 (Sep 1, 2006)

There was one listed on gunbroker with a VFG:

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=104903213

Looks like someone told him about the grip, it was a 5 day auction, but ended after 1 day.

relisted, with the grip photoshopped out:

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=105009198


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