Browning (firearms)

thumb|...Its general exterior beauty is unprecedented... thumb|It looks like a toy, but in a couple of minutes you can shoot twenty archdukes with it, never mind whether they're thin or fat. thumb|Browning Hi-Power 9mm handgun Browning is a common name for various firearms designed by John Moses Browning, primarily automatic pistols. Quotes 1900 NEW! 7-round self-loading recoil-acting pistol BROWNING. ...The appearance of the Browning pistol caused the same revolution in the use of this type of weapon that was once caused by the appearance of mitrailleuses and rapid-fire guns in the artillery world... The strength of the design and the quality of the material of the Browning fully correspond to the strength of its fire, and its general exterior beauty is unprecedented... The named pistol is ideal of such a weapon in the literal sense of the word. From Russian gun price list, early 1900's (about FN M1900 pistol). 1907 The Emperor, on the 4th day of February, has deigned to issue the following orders: 1) To permit officers to have in formation and generally when performing official duties, when it is established to have sidearms, revolvers and automatic pistols of the following patterns: 3-line [7.62 mm] 1895 model revolvers, Browning pistols, caliber 9 mm, and Borchardt-Luger pistols (Parabellum), also of 9 mm caliber, so that cartridges for practical shooting of officers will henceforth be delivered only for 3-line 1895 revolvers. 2) To permit officers to have with them outside formation revolvers and pistols of the above-mentioned patterns and, in addition, Browning pistols of the 1st and 2nd models of 7.62 and 6.35 mm caliber. Order of the Head Artillery Directorate of Russian Empire Army No. 74 of February 7, 1907. Некоторые сведения о законодательном обеспечении оборота оружия в некоторых странах Мира 1921 Well, it goes jolly quickly, Mrs Müller, terribly quickly. I'd buy a Browning for a job like that. It looks like a toy, but in a couple of minutes you can shoot twenty archdukes with it, never mind whether they're thin or fat. Jaroslav Hašek, The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the World War, translated by Cecil Parrott 1932 For a man of society, even for a civilian, a small Browning was as obligatory and as useless an accessory to his toilet as a tie or a cane. Leonid Sobolev, Major Repairs 1933 Whenever I hear of culture, I reach for my Browning! From the play Schlageter by Hanns Johst, (Act 1, Scene 1) 1956 Browning, Browning. With that, there was no need to be strong. It was always inappropriately awkward. And long live Browning. Browning, Browning.Avec ça, pas besoin d'être fort. C'est l'maladroit qu'a toujours tortEt vive Browning. Edith Piaf's Browning 1959 Nesterenko scratched his eyebrow thoughtfully and gave a grunt of annoyance: “Well, it can’t be helped, I’ll have to give away a very valuable thing. Now we’re bound ourselves in friendship, you’d better take this little toy as a present. It may come in useful. Nagulnov has been shot at, and you’d better look out, too, or things may go badly ” He pulled a dully gleaming No. 2 Browning pistol out of his pocket and placed it on Davidov’s palm. “This little object will probably come in handier in defence than a set of mechanic’s tools.” Davidov squeezed Nesterenko’s hand hard and his voice was thick with emotion as he muttered: “Thanks for such comradely, how shall I put it... Yes, for taking such a friendly interest, and that’s a fact! My real thanks to you!” “Keep it,” Nesterenko replied humorously. “But mind you don’t lose it. Old soldiers get absent-minded as the years go by, you know ” “I shan’t lose it as long as I live, and if I do. I’ll lose my head with it,” Davidov assured him putting the pistol away in the back pocket of his trousers. Нестеренко раздумчиво почесал бровь и сердито крякнул: - Ничего с тобой не поделаешь, придется лишаться дорогой вещицы... Раз уже заковали с тобой дружбу, прими в подарок вот эту игрушку, пригодится в нужде. Нагульнов получил предупреждение, берегись и ты, а то можешь получить кое-что похуже... Из кармана куртки он достал матово блеснувший браунинг второго номера, вложил его в ладонь Давыдова. - Эта мелкая штука в обороне, пожалуй, надежнее слесарного инструмента. Давыдов крепко стиснул руку Нестеренко, растроганно и несвязно забормотал: - Спасибо тебе за товарищескую, как бы это сказать... ну, факт, что за дружескую заботу! Большое спасибо! - Носи на здоровье, - пошутил Нестеренко. - Только, смотри, не потеряй! А то ведь старые вояки с годами становятся рассеянными... - Пока жив - не потеряю, а если уж потеряю, то вместе с головой, - заверил Давыдов, пряча пистолет в задний карман брюк. Mikhail Sholokhov, Virgin Soil Upturned, Book 2 1996 ...having entered the school with 4 handguns and 743 rounds of ammunition, Thomas Hamilton fired 105 rounds with a 9 mm Browning self-loading pistol over a space of about 3-4 minutes before committing suicide with one shot from a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver....Thomas Hamilton had with him two 9 mm Browning self-loading (or semi-automatic) pistols and two .357 Smith & Wesson revolvers....As regards the pistols, Thomas Hamilton had used one of them in order to fire all of his shots at his victims.... The examination of the scene showed that Thomas Hamilton had fired 105 rounds of 9 mm ammunition by means of pistol A. He had with him 25 extended box-type magazines, each of which was capable of holding 20 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and suitable for use with either pistol. (The standard magazine for such pistols was capable of holding 13 cartridges.)...I have no doubt that if Thomas Hamilton had chosen to do so he could have killed every person in the gym....Thomas Hamilton then re-entered the gym where he shot again. He then released the pistol and drew a revolver. He placed the muzzle of the revolver in his mouth, pointing upwards and pulled the trigger. His death followed quickly. Mrs Mayor and 15 children lay dead in the gym and one further child was close to death. They had sustained a total of 58 gun shot wounds. 26 of these wounds were of such a nature that individually they would have proved fatal. The Public Inquiry into the Shootings at Dunblane Primary School on 13 March 1996 Cullen Douglas W September 30, 1996 December 2, 2018 0 10 133862 7 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/276631/3386.pdf 2000 ...in just a few months, a petition drive throughout their nation collected 705,000 signatures urging that handguns, already tightly restricted, be outlawed entirely. The Snowdrop campaign was named for the tiny, fragile flower that is the only bloom in season in Scotland during March.It faced opposition, certainly, with some members of Parliament arguing in part that a ban would prevent Britons from participating in shooting competitions. But less than 18 months later, the government prohibited the possession of all handguns in Britain. The law is one of the strictest gun-control measures in the world....Each was but 5 years old that Wednesday morning when Thomas Hamilton, 43, walked into their school. The former Scout leader bore grudges in abundance, and he felt most slighted by townspeople he thought had hampered his efforts to run local boys clubs.In the gymnasium he found 29 pupils. In mere minutes, with two Browning semiautomatic pistols for which he held legal licenses, he fired 105 rounds. Only one child was not hit. Ultimately, 12 lived. Hamilton committed suicide. The Mothers' Mission Susan Levine The Washington Post May 13, 2000 December 2, 2018 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/05/13/the-mothers-mission/69274d1c-b19e-48d6-97ef-57ff3c0f8c0e/ 2004 “He’s an artist,” she said calmly. “I’ve dealt with the type before, and recently. Like the bad guy said, never give an artist a Browning; they’re some of the most dangerous folks you can meet. The Festival fringe—shit! Artists almost always want an audience, the spectacle of destruction.” Charles Stross, Iron Sunrise (2004), Chapter 2, “Out of the Frying Pan” (p. 47) 2007 [Michael and Fiona are in their car being chased by cops.]Michael: Do you have guns in the trunk, Fi?!Fiona: A few semi-automatics, yeah. I got a deal, Michael. This guy was selling Browning 9mms for 200 bucks a piece.Michael: You have unregistered weapons in a stolen car, Fi! Burn Notice (TV series), episode Broken Rules Mike: What’s happening, Buffer?Buffer: They’re still looking for a tube, sir.Mike: [Looks thoughtful.] Tell X she’s got a pistol. Use it.Buffer: You want him to shoot her?Mike: Tell X to break down her Browning, remove the 9-millimetre barrel, use it as a tube. Over.Buffer: Got it. Sea Patrol, episode Welcome Aboard (series premier) 2010 Jim Moriarty: [Enters through a side door] I gave you my number. I thought you might call. Is that a British Army Browning L9A1 in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?Sherlock: [Draws the gun, points it at Moriarty] Both. Sherlock (TV series), episode The Great Game, August 8, 2010. 2013 ...43-year-old Thomas Hamilton entered the Dunblane Primary School in Scotland at 9:35 a.m. on March 13, 1996, using Browning pistols and Smith & Wesson revolvers to kill 15 children and their teacher....w:Parliament responded with sweeping new bans....The national outcry after the Dunblane shooting in 1996, however, sparked a far more sweeping ban. In the 1997 Firearms Act, private citizens were virtually barred from owning most types of handguns. After shooting tragedies, Britain went after guns The Washington Post Anthony Faiola February 1, 2013 December 2, 2018 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/after-shooting-tragedies-britain-went-after-guns/2013/01/31/b94d20c0-6a15-11e2-9a0b-db931670f35d_story.html 2016 Snowdrops are in bloom this weekend as Dunblane shakes off its winter chill and looks ahead to spring.But in this Scottish town, the carpet of while petals marks not just a new season but also the anniversary of a school shooting that led to an immediate change in gun laws.Twenty years ago this Sunday, a local gun owner walked into the town’s elementary school and fatally shot 16 first-graders and their teacher before killing himself.Pictures of anguished parents running through the streets for news of their children deepened public outrage, and a crusade to tighten controls — led by townspeople and victims’ families — won widespread support.The "Snowdrop Campaign," which took its name from the only spring flower in bloom at the time of the massacre, resulted in a ban on all private hand-guns....The Dunblane shooter, unemployed 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton, was the legal owner of all four handguns used in the attack: two Browning pistols and two Smith & Wesson revolvers.However, the police firearms-licensing office was unaware that complaints had been made about Hamilton's behavior towards young boys at after-school clubs that he ran.The Snowdrop Campaign successfully argued for deeper background checks of firearm certificate applicants. NBC News Dunblane's Snowdrops: How a School Shooting Changed British Gun Laws March 13, 2016 December 2, 2018 Alastair Jamieson https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dunblane-s-snowdrops-how-school-shooting-changed-british-gun-laws-n535671 Just after 9.30am on 13 March, 1996, a local former Scout leader, Thomas Hamilton, drove into Dunblane Primary’s car park, got out of his van, and tried to block the phone lines of the school by cutting cables on a telegraph pole.He entered the north-west side of the school, which gave access to the gym and the main hall, carrying four handguns – two Browning pistols and two Smith & Wesson .357 Magnums. He had 743 rounds of ammunition, enough to wipe out the entire school. Dressed in black, with holsters strapped to his body and wearing two body pouches, his ears were protected by specialist muffs familiar to anyone who frequents gun clubs.When Hamilton went back inside the gym, he dropped the gun he was using and selected the Smith & Wesson. He put the barrel in his mouth and fired. He was blown off his feet, and landed surrounded by a pool of blood.Hamilton had used his Browning pistol 105 times; 17 people were dead, 32 sustained gunshot wounds, all under just four minutes. The 106th bullet was for himself....The political fall-out was substantial. John Major’s government reacted quickly by promising a nationwide gun amnesty, with orders to Lord Cullen to set up a judicial inquiry and “report as soon as practicable”.Dunblane’s grieving parents could have retreated from the front line, and no one would have blamed them for doing so. But there was no retreat, only defiance and a determination to ban private gun ownership, and ensure no other parent would witness the slaughter of innocents....The Firearms (Amendment) Act was passed in 1997, with another stronger version passed later the same year. Dunblane massacre: Remembering the school shooting 20 years later James Cusick March 10, 2016 December 2, 2018 The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dunblane-massacre-remembering-the-school-shooting-20-years-later-a6923756.html Timeline of shooting: Wednesday 13 March, 19968:15am: Thomas Hamilton leaves home in Stirling, five miles from Dunblane Primary School.9:30am: He parks his van at the school and cuts telephone wires.9:35am to 9:40am: Entering the school, armed with four handguns and 743 rounds, he fires into the Assembly Hall and girls’ toilet.In the gym, where 28 five and six-year-olds, are waiting for their PE lesson to start, he opens fire with a 9mm Browning self-loading pistol. Gwen Mayor, teacher of the Primary 1 class, dies instantly.Two other teachers are seriously injured but make their way into a store room, with several children.Hamilton fires 29 shots, killing one child and injuring others. At one point he stands over a group of cowering children and fires 16 shots at point-blank range.After leaving the gym and firing into a classroom, Hamilton – who fired a total of 105 shots in around three minutes – re-enters the scene of slaughter where he drops his pistol and takes out a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, puts it into his mouth and kills himself. Dunblane headteacher breaks 20-year silence to describe horror of massacre Daily Mirror Andy Lines March 5, 2016 December 2, 2018 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dunblane-headteacher-breaks-20-year-7498664 2018 The Hi Power was in many ways the Glock of its day. Easy to disassemble and with a large magazine capacity, the Hi Power was a leap ahead from contemporary gun designs when it was first introduced in 1935. The Hi Power used many features in Browning’s other famous pistol, the 1911A1 but showed considerable refinement, including such features as a twin-row, double-stack magazine that accommodated 13 rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition. That was up to twice as much ammo as other semiautomatic pistols and is where the pistol gets the name "Hi Power".The Hi Power was eventually outclassed by other handguns in its class such as the Glock 17, Sig Sauer P226, and Smith & Wesson M&P, that offered modern features at a lower price point. Unusually, the Hi Power was never updated with modern features such as an accessory rail, night sights, and the use of polymers. John Browning’s last pistol stayed true to form until the very end. Kyle Mizokami February 7, 2018 December 7, 2018 Popular Mechanics The Legendary Browning 'Hi Power' Pistol Ends Production https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a16720630/browning-hi-power-production-ends/ External links Category:Weapons