Author: Grumpy
— humans without context (@HumansNoContext) September 4, 2023
Franchi USA’s Affinity lineup of semi-automatic shotguns has grown over the years with increasing popularity among waterfowlers, upland hunters and clay target shooters, providing well-built guns, made in Italy and feature a tried-and-true operating system developed by Benelli. Now Franchi offers a premium version of its Affinity-series shotgun to passionate turkey hunters. Watch the video above to see the Affinity 3 Turkey Elite in 20 gauge on the range.
The Franchi Affinity Turkey Elite provides a robust inertia-driven operating system wrapped within an aluminum receiver featuring Cerakote’s Midnight Bronze finish. The gun’s chrome-lined barrel comes with a ventilated rib and also covered in Cerakote’s premium finish to withstand the worst Mother Nature has to offer. Though Franchi has included a long list of creature comforts that really make this latest Affinity series a truly dedicated turkey-hunting gun, its features lend utility to hunting myriad big game animals while also serving as a defensive tool.
Proprietary forcing cones within the barrel work to reduce recoil and improve down-range pattern consistency, which is important when hunting wary, call-shy birds. Franchi USA includes a set of Rhino choke tubes, long and extra long range. Ports in the tube work to redirect expanding gas recoil mitigation, enabling its user to maintain eyes on target. The tube’s extended length gives a boost in ballistic performance and its machined exterior makes for easy changing.
Aiding the performance of the Affinity 3 Turkey Elite setup is a premium set of fiber-optic, rifle-type sights. The rear unit is adjustable for elevation and windage to effectively dial-in shot placement, and the front post is fixed with a hood for glare reduction and protection. In addition, Franchi includes a drilled-and-tapped receiver with a Picatinny rail for mounting optics.
On the range, the Franchi Affinity 3 Turkey Elite proved its ability to consistently print patterns on target, and at distance. The addition of a vertical grip pairs nicely with the gun setup as a dedicated turkey-hunting rig. The use of Gore’s Optifade Subalpine camouflage is a nice addition, too. An enlarged loading port, oversized controls and a cross-bolt safety, we found, are a boon to fully clothed hunters. Our testers noted the gun’s ergonomics as being woods friendly, providing all of the features you need with nothing you don’t.
Specifications
Importer: Franchi USA
Model: Affinity 3 Turkey Elite
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic shotgun
Gauge: 20; 3″ chamber
Barrel: 24″ chrome-lined steel
Receiver: aluminum
Finish: Cerakote Midnight Bronze
Stock: polymer; Optifade Subalpine camouflage finish, black pistol grip
Length: 41″
Weight: 6.8 lbs.
MSRP: $1,279
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Table of contents
A Playful Game Goes Awry
A simple game of “cops and robbers” turned a child’s world upside down at Bagley Elementary School in Alabama last month.
J.B. Belcher, just 6, mimicked a finger gun, and was then thrust into an adult situation, reported Fox News Digital.
A Distress Signal from the School
“He was terrified, rightfully so,” shared Jerrod Belcher, J.B.’s dad, revealing that his son faced an interrogation and was forced to sign a Class III infraction form for using finger guns.
Comparing Imaginary Finger Guns to Real Threats?
Labeling a child’s playful act alongside serious offenses like arson and bomb threats, as a Class III infraction?
The suspension notice claims J.B. committed a “3.22 Threat” infraction, akin to threats involving actual weapons.
Signature of Innocence
A document, bearing J.B.’s hesitant, childlike signature, screams the absurdity of expecting such young ones to grasp these adult concepts.
Belcher’s attorney, M. Reed Martz, underscores that it highlights the ludicrousness of the school’s approach.
Can Play Equal Violence?
Arson, assault, and threats are all severe. But finger guns? Fox News’ Laura Ingraham and many others ponder if they can reasonably share a category.
A Slight Reprieve But Not Enough
J.B.’s back in class with a downgraded Class II Infraction, yet the family demands the district to erase this blip from his record, refusing to let him be labeled violent or dangerous.
“Additionally, the school must remove any label, warning, or other sort of classification of J.B. as a potentially violent or dangerous student,” says the letter drafted by Martz.
Not an Isolated Incident
Sadly, this isn’t the school’s first rodeo. Another 6-year-old faced a Class III infraction last year for a water gun incident.
These youngsters are ensnared in surprisingly harsh, adult situations for mere child’s play.
More Harmful Than a Punch?
The bizarre irony: a finger gun is deemed more dangerous than a physical punch in this school’s eyes. Belcher aptly points out the non-existent injury record from finger guns in history.
“It should be noted that punching or hitting a student would have only been a Class II violation, so in the eyes of these school administrators, a finger gun is more serious than punching a classmate in the nose,” Belcher told FOX News Digital.
“Many noses have been broken by fists, but in the last 600 years since the invention of firearms, not a single person has been so much as bruised by a ‘finger gun,’” he added.
Taking a Stand
Martz and the Belcher family are demanding a rectification, hopeful it won’t reach legal complexities. They’ve given the Board of Education a deadline to acknowledge the situation’s absurdity and act.
Finger Guns Vs. Reality
So here we are, questioning: how did we get to a point where a child’s imaginative play leads to genuine fear, threat labeling, and potential legal action?
The recoil from this scenario sparks a broader debate about our school systems, children’s rights, and how best to safeguard both.
Let’s aim for a future where child’s play isn’t court material.
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