On April 8, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly approved an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) text crafted in two negotiations conferences, four preparatory committees, and two open-ended working groups over a period of more than five years. It will be opened for signature in June of this year and enter into force when 50 countries have signed it. This article will discuss the role of the Defense Small Arms Advisory Council (DSAAC) in that process and offer our perspective on what the ATT may or may not mean….
The Defense Small Arms Advisory Council (DSAAC) was formed as a non-profit organization in 2004 to represent the interests of the defense-related small arms industry…
U.S. Navy security forces personnel fire a Dazzler on the fantail of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) while under way in the…
French soldiers watch U.S. Marines prepare to fire FAMAS F1 rifles at a target during a joint operation exercise with U.S. Sailors and French soldiers…
Harrington & Richardson produced inch-system FN FAL (T48). When I answered the phone, I could sense the frustration in his voice. The caller was a…
After two and a half years, the U.S. Department of Justice culminated a major bribery investigation by arresting 22 individuals in the small arms industry,…
Ramrod Bayonet shown with conventional models. (U.S. Army Rock Island Arsenal Museum) I sat quietly taking notes as the Purchase Description was being reviewed, making sure…
Four-gun turret undergoing testing. (Springfield Armory National Historical Site Archives) By the summer of 1918 he was nearing his 65th birthday and might have been…
It is necessary to clearly differentiate between infantry antitank weapon systems that are rockets, and those that are recoilless guns. Most frequently the majority of…
AAI 5.6x53mm SPIW with 3-shot sliding breech grenade launcher. (Author’s collection) Last August, the Office of the Secretary of the Army announced a 2009 project…
It’s been a wild ride being a part of the U.S. firearms industry over the last forty years. I have worked at more than a few firearms producers, from the largest to the smallest, and from the best to the worst. It has given me a special insight into the business. I’ve seen a lot of great designs evolve and I have been lucky enough to have not only met but spent quality time with all the greats: Chinn, Stoner, Uzi, Knight, Galili, Colby, Marquardt, Kalashnikov, Chiabrandy, Patenaude, Wetzel, Ruger, and Barrett.
