Q & A: Saturday Night Specials

• What are Saturday Night Specials and Junk Guns?
• Are they legal?
• Are domestically manufactured handguns required to meet any quality and safety standards?
• Has Congress ever tried to stem the proliferation of Saturday Night Specials/Junk Guns?
• Is there any pending federal legislation?
• Has Congress ever voted to restrict the domestic manufacture of Junk Guns?
• What is the gun lobby's position on Saturday Night Specials/Junk Guns?
• If we outlaw Saturday Night Specials, aren't we taking away the ability of lower-income people to defend themselves?
• Are Saturday Night Specials/Junk Guns really preferred by criminals?

What are Saturday Night Specials and Junk Guns?

Traditionally, Saturday Night Specials have been defined as non-sporting, low-quality handguns with a barrel length of under three inches (for pistols, overall length of under six inches). "Junk gun" is a more recent term used to describe handguns which lack essential safety features. Both terms refer to a class of inferior handguns produced in quantity by a group of manufacturers located in Southern California and known as the "Ring of Fire" producers. Whatever name attached to them, these handguns are not useful for sport or self-defense because their short barrels make them inaccurate and their low quality of construction make them dangerous and unreliable. They are, however, favored by criminals because of their low cost and easy concealability.

Are they legal?

They cannot legally be imported into this country, nor can the parts to assemble them. However, they can be legally manufactured and sold in most, but not all, states. Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota and South Carolina outlaw some Saturday Night Specials based on the melting point of the materials used to produce them. In 1988, Maryland became the first state in the nation to ban the sale of these weapons based on their overall low quality and concealability. In addition, a number of localities have recently enacted ordinances regulating Saturday Night Specials: Denver, CO, Kent, OH and a host of cities/counties in California including, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Santa Monica, San Jose, Compton, and West Hollywood.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is in the process of enacting regulations that would effectively ban Saturday Night Specials and mandate that all pistols and revolvers sold in Massachusetts meet minimum quality standards designed to protect children from unintentional injury. Massachusetts is the first state in the country to use its consumer protection powers to regulate the sale of firearms. These regulations will have the full force of law.

Are domestically manufactured handguns required to meet any quality and safety standards?

There are currently no quality and safety standards in place for domestically manufactured firearms. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is prohibited by law from imposing safety standards on guns. The gun lobby has repeatedly pressured Congress to exempt domestically manufactured firearms from government regulation, thereby relieving the American gun industry from the safety standards that have applied to imported firearms for nearly 30 years.

At the present time, teddy bears and toy guns are subject to stricter safety regulations than real handguns. In 1995, 21 toy-related deaths were reported in the United States. That very same year, firearms -- which kill by design -- claimed the lives of nearly 40,000 Americans. If any other consumer product took as many lives as guns do, we would see a public outcry so great that the manufacturer would be forced to make the product safer. We must demand the same level of responsibility from gun manufacturers.

Has Congress ever tried to stem the proliferation of Saturday Night Specials/Junk Guns?

Yes. The 1968 Gun Control Act barred the importation of Saturday Night Specials. Pursuant to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) factoring criteria used to determine eligibility for importation, these weapons are clearly defined as handguns with a barrel length of under three inches, regardless of price. While size is the overriding prerequisite for import purposes, a number of other factoring criteria are used in determining a handgun's eligibility for import, including safety features, frame construction, caliber and weight.

Since 1968, handguns which do not meet ATF's factoring criteria have not been imported. A loophole in the law which allowed the importation of the component parts was closed by Congress in 1986. (The handgun used to shoot President Reagan, Press Secretary James Brady, and two law enforcement officers in 1981 was assembled in the United States with parts imported under this loophole.)

Is there any pending federal legislation?

Yes. On January 22, 1997, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY-09) introduced the "American Handgun Standards Act" (S. 70/H.R. 492). This legislation would require that all handguns manufactured in the United States meet the same quality and safety standards currently required of imports. It would prohibit the manufacture and sale of handguns that fail to meet those standards. The bill would apply prospectively only, "grandfathering" junk guns currently in circulation.

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI-14) introduced the "Gun Safety Act" (H.R. 116) on January 7, 1997. Like the Boxer/Schumer bill, the Conyers legislation requires that domestically produced handguns meet the same safety standards as imports. It also mandates some additional safety devices: a child-proof trigger, a magazine safety and a load indicator. On January 21, 1997, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL-04) introduced legislation prohibiting the possession and transfer of non-sporting handguns (H.R. 476).

Has Congress ever voted to restrict the domestic manufacture of Junk Guns?

In 1972, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill to extend the import standards to domestically produced firearms. Among those supporting the bill were Senators Dole (R-KS), Thurmond (R-SC), Byrd (D-WV), Inouye (D-HI), Kennedy (D-MA), Hollings (D-SC), and Hatfield (R-OR). The House of Representatives failed to pass the legislation.

What is the gun lobby's position on Saturday Night Specials/Junk Guns?

Immediately after the Maryland State Legislature passed a measure to outlaw the sale and manufacture of Saturday Night Specials in 1988, the National Rifle Association (NRA) mounted a campaign to repeal that law at the ballot box. Despite spending nearly $7 million, the gun lobby was defeated. The historic Maryland law remains intact, and the defeat marked the first time the NRA was beaten in a state referendum.

The gun lobby still opposes measures regulating the manufacture of Saturday Night Specials. According to the NRA's web site (January 13, 1997), "The Boxer Bill endangers the lives of citizens, threatens the lives of police officers, all but guarantees more fatalities and disarms an entire class of Americans."

If we outlaw Saturday Night Specials, aren't we taking away the ability of lower-income people to defend themselves?

Price is NOT the overriding factor in determining whether a handgun is a Saturday Night Special - inferior quality and concealability are. These weapons are not suited for self-defense or target shooting because they are inaccurate at a distance, lack essential safety features, and are made of unreliable and unsafe materials.

Are Saturday Night Specials/Junk Guns really preferred by criminals?

According to a May 1995 ATF report on gun traces, of the ten guns most frequently traced to crime by ATF in 1994, seven were Saturday Night Specials. Of the top five guns most frequently traced to crime, four were Saturday Night Specials.

February, 1997