SITREP: June 1998

By Dan Shea

“Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory” – Master Sun Tzu The Art of War

I sometimes wonder if it is necessary for us to come completely to the edge of losing our freedom, before we will be willing as a people to wake up, and finally recognize the depth of what we stand to lose. Friends in the United Kingdom have been sending out distress signals to me about how they are turning in their firearms- because the government has a little list of who owns what- and is coming to take the nasty guns away from the people. It’s déjà vu all over again. Not so long ago, as some of our readers will have in their memories, American farmers, cityfolk and woodsmen alike loaded all of the excess firearms they could find into containers and sent them to our British brothers. Those brave souls who had weathered the storm at Dunkirk had come home to the realization that they badly needed arms of any type to stop the murderous advance of the Third Reich.

Many of those weapons, given through camaraderie and the spirit of freedom, which were then followed by the sacrifice of American blood as well, are today being tossed into the choppers at the request of a new breed of Neville Chamberlains, eager to compromise. Taking the politically correct way out. Several other quotes come to mind at the moment- “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayana. “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” – Benjamin Franklin.

It is not the intention of this writer to sit in judgment on those whose countries have fallen under the spell of modern Socialism and it’s double-speak. It is a lonely and difficult place to be- as many American citizens in states like New Jersey or California are finding out. Nor do I wish to preach to the choir.

We at the Small Arms Review are students of military firearms. It is simply a matter of time before one begins to realize the connection between a well-armed people, as in the private citizens, and the relative inability of tyrants to take over their countries. There also seems to be a strong fiery spirit that lives in the hearts of people who have their own weaponry- and feel self-reliant as a result.

Our stated objective as a magazine is to provide you, the reader, with the best information that we possibly can, ranging from the study of machine guns to sniper systems, to grenade launchers and shoulder fired rockets to pen guns. We intend to take you inside the weapons and their history, as well as the intimate mechanics of these arms. As the future unfolds, we hope to be able to show you what the newest designs are as well. In the process of so doing, we are going to have some fun as recreational shooters; we thoroughly enjoy shooting military weapons. Belt-feds full of tracer on a Saturday night beat the stuffing out of any T.V. sitcom that I personally have ever seen.

We will provide you with a hopefully coherent analysis of the various incoherent laws regarding firearms that we see being enacted, and commentary on these as well. The pattern of conspiracy to remove firearms from private ownership is a very real thing; it is all around the world. Many well-intentioned people work for this goal, thinking that “Guns” are the problems. These souls are unable to distinguish between the inanimate object, and the intentions of its user. In one person’s hands, a rifle may be the murderous tool of a Coward waiting to shoot someone in the back, in another, the tool of a Hero capturing a company of machine gunners who had been killing his comrades. In yet another person’s hands, it might be the link with a grandfather who fought to save freedom in the world, or perhaps a fascinating piece of machinery that needs to be studied or collected.

I am being too kind to the virulent anti-firearms ownership people, of course. The true purpose behind most of their activities is to disarm the people themselves, so that their political agendas can not be impeded by revolution from the masses. Whenever someone believes that strongly that they are right, and must be in control, I get nervous about them.

Simply put, the Small Arms Review is intended to study small arms. As a byproduct, we will always cover the political scene as well, and we hope that we can be a beacon of free thought shining into the places where the darkness has once again started to settle in. If you live somewhere that the ownership of arms is being heavily restricted for lawful people; take heart. There are many kindred souls out here, and as Master Sun said so very long ago; “When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory”.

If the darkness is setting in, gather your friends and light some torches. Remember, the ballot box can change onerous legislation very quickly- organize and change the laws. Our best wishes are with you.

-Dan