Do firearms have “Karma”
When I first began going into gun stores the only semi-autos were M1 Garand 30-06’s and M1 Carbines. Just picking one up felt right. It was like a sense of pride and goodness was in my hands.
The various M1 Carbine knock-offs had no such magic. They were never held by heroes.
The Ruger Mini hit the scene in 1973. Looked like an M 14 that never grew up. Until later, history jumped right over the M-14. Somewhere back in time I had a Springfield National Match M1-A
My Remington 722 in .257 Roberts was way more accurate. I sold the M1 A without regret.
It seemed like a long time before Colt AR’s were on the gun racks. Most of the ones used in Vietnam, M-16’s were selective fire, Colt held the patent until 1977 and was pretty busy filling military contracts. After the patent expired tons of Colt knock offs came, but none ever felt to me the way the Garand and M1 Carbine felt or even a genuine Colt AR15. Only Colts are Colts. A Colt SAA feels way better than knock offs.
The AR 15 knock offs felt confusing to me. Never used by our troops, Mixed Karma.
Going into the late 1980’s the merchandise in the gun stores changed forever. FN-Fal’s in 308, Uzi’s, Mac10 semi auto pistols and the dragon of all, the 12 gauge “Street Sweeper”. Then the final firearm Karma crash came when the AK-47’s and SKS's were being imported here en mass from former Soviet block countries. The customers in gun stores changed too,,,far less hunters'/sport shooters and more fellows who looked like gang-bangers and bikers.
It got so that gangs in the big cities where armed better than the cops with their model 15 S and W six s guns and pump shotguns, Cops were afraid to go into the projects, for good reasons.
During that period I was spending a lot if time vising a dear friend who was a World War two vet.
He was given the last name “Foster” because he was a product of foster care and an orphanage. Nobody ever knew his real name or date of birth. He was offered several versions about why, but they came from different people at the orphanage, told to him as he got older. The most consistent story is that right at the beginning of the Great Depression, he was just dropped him off at dawn one day and whoever did that drove away.
They figured he was maybe around four years old then but nobody knew for sure. He was quiet, hardly spoke and when asked his name he just mumbled something unrecognizable.
About 14 years later when he volunteered to enlist in WW2, the local Army recruiter could not take him with out a birth certificate. When he came back a year later determined to serve, he was accepted. It was getting closer to the end and he was stationed at an Army Air base in Iceland. Iceland is green, Greenland is icy.
There was so little military housing that many GI’s stayed with local families. He just adored the family he was with, real family, two kids, no orphans. His eyes got misty saying that. On his limited free time he went hunting for Caribou and ocean fishing with his new family. He never wanted to leave them.
One night going to sleep, the daughter who was his age smiled and gestured for him to join her. He did. First time for both. Her parents could tell what happened and the next morning were even more kind and friendly to him. They were sharing their daughters joy. Finally he had a complete family.
One morning he had this irritated feeling “down below” He went to get it checked out by the nurse and he had a critical infection,,,,athletes foot. He was doing a lot of showering at the barracks. He was on a plane home in a few days. In a place as cold, dark and damp as Iceland. athletes foot was a serous issue.
He barely has a chance to say goodbye to his new family. They all cried and hugged him.
He was about 65 when I met him, Our period of friendship was from the mid 1980’s to the early 1990’s when he died of cancer. He had some acreage in a lovely remote canyon miles from the big city. Deer were everywhere and he let me access otherwise locked National Forest, with some strict rules.
He had neighbors around and mostly they got along except for one constant issue. A couple weekends most every month one neighbor had friends and family came up from the city and spent a couple days hammering away with various semiautomatic firearms.
My friend liked firearms, he would shoot now and then at his house but mostly at the local designated shooting area in National Forest.
One day we were talking about all the firearms issue I described above plus the beginning of school shootings and he said: “ Our country is in big trouble.”
So, do firearms have Karma attached to them?
Before the assault rifle ban in 1994, I bought a Colt AR-15 Z. Colt only made 150 of these. Target sights, heavy bullet twist and factory Teflon camo finish with a “Z” on the front of the magazine well.
Other than 12 shots to sight it in, it is NIB. I keep it in my “war chest” untouched for near 40 years with tons of ammo and genuine Colt mags. Next to it is Series 70 .45 ACP Colt Commander, also with tons of ammo and Colt magazines.
Colt is Colt. And firearms do have Karma. These two firearms are one purpose only and sadly AR 15’s are now the rifle of choice for murdering innocent people and school children.
Some Native Americans made two different types of arrow heads. One style for war and one for hunting. Two totally different Karmic journeys.
Plastic stocks no less!
