Guns by Mail, part 2

A look at how guns were sold and the types of firearms available by mail before the 1968 GCA.

Guns by Mail

It's been claimed that the gun industry has been offering "uniquely dangerous" firearms only in recent years and that marketing has become increasingly aggressive in an effort to push more guns to more people. One prohibitionist group publically claimed that "Before the 2000s, most gun makers did not market military-style assault weapons to civilians." Let's look at what kind of firearms have been available for the past century and how they were marketed.

The AR-15 was available for civilian sales before being adopted by the U.S. military.

Colt AR-15, early 1960s before being adopted by the U.S. military.

Colt sold the AR-15 to police as well. Rifles and carbines based on the AR-15 remain a police standard. Apparently, when used by cops they magically become “patrol rifles” and are no longer “assault weapons.”

1960s AR-15 ad for law enforcement. No comment on illustrated technique.

Miss America approved of the AR-15. Maria Fletcher (Miss America 1962) demonstrated firing and posed with the then-new Colt Model 602 (AR-15) rifle before its adoption as the M16 series by the U.S. military.

Firearm ads for mail order were not limited to gun magazines. This is page 275 from a 1962 edition of the Sears catalog. In addition to the Mauser bolt action rifles on top, Sears customers could also order the M1 Carbine by mail which would remain in active military service for another decade.

Sears catalog

This wasn't limited to just the M1 Carbine.

This was not limited to "regular" military rifles. How about an anti-tank rifle mailed to your door? Layaway plan available!

Solothurn anti-tank rifle ad

Guns were also in school back then. During this era, public high schools were the largest owners and operators of indoor shooting ranges in the United States.