Author: Grumpy
Biden to Launch Federal Office for “Gun Violence Prevention” by
Anti-gun Democrat President Joe Biden will reportedly announce this Friday the creation of what Fox News is calling “of the first-ever federal office of gun violence prevention,” ironically on the same day the 2023 Gun Rights Policy Conference opens in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Hill reports that the new White House office will have the formal name “Office of Gun Violence Prevention.” We have yet to see whether it actually prevents so-called “gun violence” or merely pushes more restrictive gun control schemes.
Co-sponsored by the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the 38th annual GRPC will convene at the Marriott Phoenix Airport Hotel, and this year’s theme is “Road to Liberty.”
But Second Amendment activists see Biden wanting to travel down a different road, one headed into a mire of gun bans, so-called “expanded background checks,” licensing and training mandates, and other machinations that would ultimately lead to gutting the Second Amendment and turning the right to keep and bear arms into a government-regulated privilege.
As noted by Politico, “The new office will present an opportunity for the president to point to his action on gun safety at a time when Congress is unlikely to pass additional legislation, potentially increasing enthusiasm among key voting blocs, including young people.”
Translation: It’s a campaign gimmick, as well as an ominous indication of a ramped-up war on gun rights.
Press reports say the effort is being led by White House Staff Secretary Stefanie Feldman, described as “a longtime Biden aide with expertise on firearms issues.” Additionally, the Washington Post reports that gun control proponents, such as Greg Jackson, executive director of the Community Justice Action Fund, and Rob Wilcox, senior director for federal government affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety, will participate.
But will this new Biden administration office actually produce any reduction in violent crime involving firearms? Buried in the Politico report is one possible answer. Recalling last year’s passage and signing of Biden’s “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” which strengthened background checks and “helped states implement red flag laws,” Political noted the bad news from the Gun Violence Archive: “Nevertheless, there have been 504 mass shootings in which four or more people were injured or killed during 2023 alone.”
Just how far anti-gun-rights Democrats want to push their agenda was best illustrated earlier this month when New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a “public health emergency” in Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo County and decreed a 30-day ban on the open or concealed carry of firearms. It took a half-dozen federal lawsuits and criticism from members of her own party, plus the granting of a temporary restraining order by a judge to force the governor to pull back, but only a little bit.
Biden rode into the White House with a political agenda that included major gun restrictions. He has shown no sign of moderation, and many view the creation of this new office as a way to get around Congressional reluctance to adopt new measures.
Fox News is reporting that Congressman Michael Cloud (R-TX) has re-introduced legislation to “prohibit the president and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from declaring public health emergencies to enforce gun control measures.” It appears to be in reaction to Lujan Grisham’s effort.
“That is unacceptable, and it is Congress’ duty to prevent it,” Cloud reportedly said, according to the Fox report. “The Biden administration, Gov. Grisham, and others have exercised extraordinary executive power to push their liberal agenda and expand the power of the government. My bill would push back against any infringement on the Second Amendment and prevent the federal government from gaming the system to implement sweeping gun control regulations.”
Participants will likely discuss all of this during this weekend’s Gun Rights Conference. There will be several leading Second Amendment advocates at the event, which will see panel discussions on significant gun rights issues. The conference typically attracts hundreds of grassroots activists from across the country.
The list of speakers includes SAF President Masad Ayoob, National Review’s John Fund, SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut, Nationally-syndicated radio personalities Tom Gresham and Mark Walters, Ammoland founder and editor Fredy Riehl, plus John Lott, author and founder of the Crime Prevention Research Center, several attorneys who focus on Second Amendment litigation, and Robert Cottrol, author and law professor at George Washington University.
While some might view the timing of Biden’s announcement as likely to throw water on the conference, quite the opposite outcome is likely. Perhaps another gun control announcement by a president who devoted much of his Capitol Hill career to championing every restrictive gun control measure would energize the conference attendees more than anything else.
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
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MP40 Vs PPSH-41
James Purdy & Sons’ latest bolt-action rifle combines classic good looks and world-class craftsmanship with astonishing performance.
Iwill admit from the outset that I have always been a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to hunting rifles – I just don’t think you can beat the look and feel of a classic controlled-feed bolt-action with an oiled walnut stock. In fact, my three all-time favourite rifles have all been pre-64 Model 70 Winchesters in 30-06, .375 H&H and .458 Win. You get the picture.
But when it comes to choosing a hunting rifle, accuracy should be the single most important criterion; the quick and clean dispatch of one’s quarry should be every ethical hunter’s highest priority. Aesthetics should be a secondary consideration, by some margin.
Which is precisely why modern synthetic stocks, made from carbon fibre and other composite materials, have become increasingly popular with hunters in recent years. They are durable, can be more precisely engineered than traditional wooden stocks, they do not expand and contract in the way that wood does, and they are more rigid which means that there is very little movement in the fore-end when a shot is fired.
“When you look at why traditional handcrafted bolt rifles aren’t consistently accurate, it basically comes down to the movement of wood,” explains James Horne, chairman of James Purdey & Sons. “The action moves within the stock on recoil which in turn changes the point of impact from shot to shot. The other problem with wood is how it is affected by temperature and moisture variations – the pressure points in the fore-end change as the atmospheric conditions do, resulting in erratic groups.”
So, in a nutshell, if you want a consistently accurate rifle and efficient and reliable hunting tool, you should avoid wood and opt for a good quality carbon fibre or composite stock.
Not so fast.
I was recently invited by Jonathan Irby from James Purdey & Sons to test their latest bolt-action rifle in .300 Win Mag at various ranges at Bisley and, if the truth be told, I didn’t have particularly high expectations. Of course, I knew that it would be beautiful, well balanced and pleasurable to shoot – and it was – but I assumed that when it came to accuracy it wouldn’t be able to compete with some of the more modern rifles on the market.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Even the two range officials at Bisley who accompanied me raised an eyebrow when this very traditional-looking rifle, without a sound moderator and shooting Hornady Superformance factory ammunition (180gr SSTs), produced a 3″ group at 600 yards in fairly blustery conditions. Earlier, it had printed a ¼” group at 100 yards and a 1½” group at 300. Simply put, that is match-grade accuracy from a London-made hunting rifle – an astonishing achievement in anyone’s book.
So, how did the very clever rifle makers at James Purdey & Sons do it?
There are a number of things that you have to get right to achieve sub-MOA accuracy in a rifle, but the primary difference between this rifle and every other rifle I have ever shot is in the stock itself.
THE PURDEY CHASSIS SYSTEM
Embedded in the rifle’s handmade walnut stock is a CAD-engineered and CNC-machined titanium chassis that runs all the way from the pistol grip through to the front of the fore-end. This very clever bit of engineering negates all of the challenges posed by traditional walnut stocks by providing an exceptionally stable bedding platform into which the action is built.
This major advance has also allowed Purdey to incorporate a true free-floating barrel into the design, allowing consistent barrel harmonics which, as any rifle or barrel maker will tell you, is another key prerequisite to rifle accuracy.
INNOVATION MEETS TRADITION
“We set our sights on creating a bolt-action rifle that overcomes the problems posed by traditional wooden stocks, but still looks and feels like a traditional Purdey rifle,” explains James Horne.
“We decided to start with a clean sheet and to focus on accuracy in isolation,” adds Jonathan Irby. “We found that most high-performance target rifles on the market – such as those made by Accuracy International – have actions that are built into a metal chassis, and they have completely free-floating barrels. The next challenge, of course, was to achieve that within a traditional wooden stock.
“So, we came up with the idea of embedding a metal chassis into the walnut, something that, as far as we know, had never been done before. We knew that if we wanted to maintain the classic lines of a Best London rifle, the chassis would need to be slim; titanium offered the best options as it is stiffer, stronger and lighter than aluminium. We could have used steel but it would have added too much weight.”
From the point of concept to having a chassis that they could test took about nine months. The development of the chassis was done on a CAD system – rather than doing it manually by hand – so they were able to model the chassis very precisely.
Because the Purdey Chassis System is embedded in the stock, it is hidden from view when the rifle is assembled, so, aesthetically, it remains a very traditional-looking product with London blueing on the action and barrel, along with the walnut stock and subtle fine rose and scroll engraving on the trigger guard, magazine floor-plate, bolt handle and receiver.
AN ALL-BRITISH PRODUCT
Historically, Best Quality London rifles were all built around old Mauser actions using German barrels. The new Purdey Bolt-Action Rifle is an all-British product. The double square-bridge M98-style controlled-feed action and barrel (the latter made by Border Barrels in Birmingham) are both precision engineered in the UK and the rifles are made and finished by Purdey craftsmen in their London workshop.
The rifle is delivered complete with swing-off mounts and scope rings and is threaded for a moderator if the customer wishes, complete with an invisible thread protector. The trigger, which is set from the factory at 2½lb, is adjustable and delivers a crisp break with no creep.
The only criticism I had of the rifle I tested (a prototype) was the fullness of the pistol grip – it felt cumbersome and uncomfortable to me and made reaching for the trigger awkward – but I have been assured that this has subsequently been addressed. Apart from that, I really can’t fault this rifle.
Admittedly, the price point (£25,000 + VAT) will put this rifle out of the reach of the vast majority of hunters and deer stalkers, but there is no denying that it is worth every penny. It really does offer the best of both worlds – the classic aesthetics and quality of craftsmanship that is synonymous with one of the world’s most iconic gun and rifle making firms, and exceptional accuracy achieved through truly innovative engineering. What’s not to like about that?
Yes, this really is a genuine game-changer.
AVAILABLE CALIBRES
The Purdey Bolt-Action Rifle is available in short, standard and magnum actions and can be built for all standard and most wildcat chamberings. Purdey has over 200 reamers available to meet the demands of the modern bolt-action rifle market.
The Purdey Bolt-Action Rifle is available now, with prices starting from £25,000 + VAT. The lead time on the standard specification is approximately six months from order.
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Darwin would of approved of this!
