SITREP: V13N9

By Dan Shea

I would like to welcome new readers to Small Arms Review. This issue is being handed out at the NDIA Small Arms Symposium in Dallas, and Eurosatory Paris, among other shows. Thus, a bit more focus on military type issues. Last month was Knob Creek, with more focus on civilian use and collecting of small arms.

It’s important for you to understand what we do – what our calling is and what you can expect from us. Small Arms Review magazine was founded to cover the interests of various readers, generally identified into five different groups: Military & LE, Museum & Collectors, Enthusiasts, Industry Professionals, and Shooters. There is a crossover of interests between these groups. Generally, if you ask a Marine, you’ll find a sporting shooter; ask an enthusiast, you will find a budding designer. Each issue, we try and cover the interests of each of our groups so that there is at least one item of interest for you in each issue. The truth is that no single group can support a magazine like this, and we need to cover a diverse community with shared interests in order to bring you the best every month.

To date, we have knocked out an issue every 30 days non-stop since September 1997. That is one hell of a record! We’ve covered thousands of subjects, and provided service to countless manufacturers and readers. In other words, our team is pretty pleased with our track record. That’s because we have done a good job.

We spend a lot of time listening to our readers, and we have to balance the desire of some to have a magazine that is entirely devoted to their personal interest, with the reality of what it takes to bring a professional journal to life. There are other magazines that focus solely on handgun shooting, or gun rights, or accurate shooting. What we can assure you is that when we talk about a handgun, it is military and intriguing in design, when we talk about gun rights, we steer you straight with sensible information and realistic expectations with analysis by experienced pro-Constitution oriented writers who won’t give you simple wishful thinking; and if we are after accurate shooting, we’ll make it relevant for you as a shooter.

In other words, we know we can’t be all things to all people, but we can be what we are; the Small Arms Review, generally considered the most authoritative firearms magazine in the world. We work with sister publications around the world, in many languages, to share our experience and data and to receive theirs in return. We want to foster a Renaissance in the small arms community, and to mentor many new writers, designers, and users. These are noble ambitions, but they are, in fact, our driving forces. On that note…

Since the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Small Arms Review is the only magazine that has consistently been there with the troops. We’ve been on the front lines all along, and in the barracks and ships all over. The members of the company that publish SAR have been responsible for sending over 100,000 copies of this magazine to the troops at no charge to them. Many of our readers have donated postage money- it costs $12 to send a box of 31 assorted magazines to any APO or FPO address. And we have certainly stayed true to supporting the troops that are out there staying true to Freedom. It’s just a little way of saying “Thank You” and letting them know that when they come home, there is an active firearms community, a Brother and Sisterhood of shooters who understand the martial sports and why we need them. Here in the US, we get to see the effect of this almost every day – troops coming home that are joining in the great American tradition of plinking, or competing, or collecting, but all exercising the Right to Keep and Bear Arms as it was intended. They paid for that Right among others, and we at SAR intend to keep educating them of the depth and breadth of that Right.

-Dan