Zumbo and Evil Black Rifles
Despite their menacing appearance — and in some cases, because of it — black rifles are now the guns of choice for many hunters, target shooters and would-be home defenders. Owners praise their accuracy, ease of use and versatility, as well as their potential to be customized with an array of gadgets. While the gun industry’s overall sales have plateaued and its profits have faded over the last decade, black rifles are selling briskly, says Eric Wold, an analyst in New York for Merriman Curhan Ford.
Moreover, manufacturers say, for every dollar spent on black rifles, gun buyers spend at least another customizing the guns from an arsenal of accessories. All of this has combined to make black rifles a lone bright spot for long-suffering American gunsmiths.
Yet Mr. Zumbo is not alone in finding the popularity of black rifles and the trade in them to be disquieting.
Gun-control advocates say black rifles are simply assault weapons under a different name — and just as dangerous as they were when Congress instituted a ban on some of them in 1994. The ban did not eliminate black rifles; manufacturers were able to make minor changes to comply with the law and kept selling them. (The ban expired in 2004.)
Surprisingly balanced article for the otherwise hysterically anti-gun NYT. And we gunny types like to call them evil black rifles, even if they’re pink.
Update: Pay particular attention to the graphic on tricked out rifles. It correctly notes that the collapsible stock is for comfort and adjustment and not for spray firing your bullet hose from the hip.
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:15 pm
I thought Zumbo was supposed to write a piece for one of the gun rags on his experience with the AR-15. I’ve heard nothing of it, have you?
June 3rd, 2007 at 1:13 pm
They got the flash suppressor blurb partly wrong.
One has to wonder why they left out “barrel shroud”, you know, as a public service to Carolyn McCarthy and her district.
June 3rd, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Imagine my surprise when I saw that with the morning coffee…I still have some problems with the article, more later…
June 8th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
[…] noticed since the NYT ran their piece on black rifles, that I’m getting quite a few google hits for the term. Be careful though as black rifle […]
June 8th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
I would be more impressed if the NYT permitted the listing of black rifles in its Classified section.