Guns of the Week: October 20 – 24, 2014
Early Firearms Laws
This week’s firearms play a role in early firearms laws and regulations. The first is a gun that was originally classified by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms as a “curio or relic,” which often allowed it reprieve from certain Gun Control Act regulations. It has since been reclassified all together as an antique. The second gun was never listed as a “curio or relic” but the Model 1921 was discontinued because it was affected by the National Firearms Act of 1934. For more information on firearms laws and regulations, go to https://www.atf.gov/
Unloading the Myth – The Ultimate “Swagger Stick”
The Cane Gun was patented in 1858 by a Remington mechanic named J.F. Thomas. It was made initially in percussion, but ultimately became a breech-loading gun that used metallic cartridges—like the firearm pictured. This gun, made in 1875, is chambered for .32 rimfire and has gutta percha handles.
The Cane Gun was a single-shot rifle, with a screw off upper section, making the firearm concealable. It was billed as “Just the thing for taxidermists [and]…protection against dogs and highway men.”
This firearm was originally classified by the ATF as a “curio or relic,” meaning that it may have been subject to certain Gun Control Act regulations but not others, but has since been declassified from that restriction to an “antique.”
Unloading the Myth – The Game Getter
William Marble, a man with more than twenty years experience as a trapper and timber cruiser, invented the Marble Arms and Manufacturing Company’s (formerly Marble Safety Axe Company), “Game Getter.” This pistol has a skeleton folding stock with double barrels. The top barrel chambered for .22 rimfire, the bottom barrel can be either a .44-40 centerfire shot or round ball or a 410 gauge.
Marble believed this firearm would be easily carried when trapping. The Model 1908 was manufactured between 1908 and 1914, while the Model 1921 (pictured here) was made from 1921 to 1942. The Model 1921 came in 12-, 15-, and 18-inch barrel lengths. However, after the National Firearms Act of 1934, the 12- and 15-inch models were discontinued for sale in America. A third generation was created in 2009 and is still produced today.
