Gov Palin Presented with Henry Rifle

by Ron Devito on Monday, February 22, 2010 06:50 EDT

The following PR Newswire item was posted by Fay at Sarah Palin Information Blog and reprinted with her permission. Expanded coverage follows.

Earlier this week, PR Newswire reported that Governor Palin was presented with a custom rifle at the Republican fundraiser in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Republican Party of Arkansas presented keynote Speaker Sarah Palin with an engraved Henry Repeating Arms Big Boy 44 Magnum rifle last night at their fundraising event at the Verizon Arena in Little Rock. The rifle was personalized with serial number PALIN-001, the brass receiver was inscribed with ‘Presented to Sarah Palin – February 16, 2010 -Republican Party of Arkansas’ and the Republican Party of Arkansas’ logo was carved into the buttstock.

[...]

Palin began her keynote speech in front of a cheering crowd of 5,000 by thanking the Republican Party of Arkansas for the beautiful rifle, noting that she even called her son Track to tell him about it, and stated, “It’s great to be in a state where it’s okay to cling to your guns and religion.”

President Lincoln was presented with a Henry rifle during his presidency. It hangs in The Smithsonian and has become a priceless national treasure.

[...]

Henry Repeating Arms is one of the country’s leading rifle manufacturers. Their legendary name dates back to 1860 when Benjamin Tyler Henry invented and patented the first practical repeating rifle during the Civil War. It became known as the “gun you could load on Sunday and shoot all week long.” Henry rifles went on to play a significant role in the frontier days of the American West and soon became one of the most legendary, respected and sought after rifles in the history of firearms. The company’s primary manufacturing facility is in Bayonne, New Jersey and they have a second facility in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

Henry Repeating Arms

As noted, the Henry Repeating Rifle is still made today, right in Bayonne across the river from the U4P Publisher’s Staten Island home and is an important piece of American history. The Henry was patented in 1860 and is considered the forerunner to today’s assault and battle rifles with its large (for the period) capacity and rapid rate of fire (Henry History, n.d., ¶2). The original Henry fired a .44 caliber rimfire cartridge. The “Big Boy” which Gov. Palin was presented fires standard .44 Magnum ammo and a non-customized version retails for $899.95. The Big Boy is also available in .357 Magnum and .45 Colt, but the .44 Magnum is the most powerful of the three. Today, lever action rifles are mainly used in cowboy action shooting competitions (Big Boy, n.d.).

Alaskan Hunter

Governor Palin has been the Second Amendment’s guardian angel for her entire political career. She has received numerous awards and honors for defending our right to keep and bear arms. In April 2009, Bob Reynolds, President, Templar Consulting, LLC., custom-built an AR-15 with special handguards and white Duracoat paint, dubbed the Alaskan Hunter. Only two were ever built – one was auctioned at an NRA awards dinner, and the other awaits presentation to Governor Palin, who could not accept it at the time, because she was still serving as Governor. The Alaskan Hunter fires .50 Beowulf rounds, which have comparable ballistics to the .45-70 round.

Like the Alaskan Hunter to be presented to Gov. Palin at some point, her Henry is a treasure to be hung on a wall, not a shooter that will be in regular service.

Five Awards

In July 2009, Governor Palin received five awards for supporting and promoting the Second Amendment, including the $5,000 Benefactor add-on to her NRA Life membership.

Sybil Ludington Women’s Freedom Award Nomination

In October 2009, U4P Editor and Publisher Ron Devito nominated Gov. Palin for the NRA’s 2010 Sybil Ludington Women’s Freedom Award. The winner of that award will be announced in March 2010.

Gov Palin’s Shooting Background

Governor Palin is an accomplished moose, caribou, and ptarmigan hunter. She is proficient with high-powered rifles likely up to .375 H & H Magnum and 12-gauge shotguns. She is a disciplined shooter who never flinches, never misses and whose maximum effective range is minimally 300 yards — possibly very much more – up to a mile with today’s .338 Lapua rifles and two miles with .50 BMG. Governor Palin is also very familiar and comfortable with the M-16/M-4 with AimPoint sights. As documented in Going Rogue: An American Life, her baby shower for Piper Palin was held at the Grouse Ridge Shooting Grounds.

References:

Big Boy. (n.d.). Henry Repeating Arms. Retrieved February 22, 2010 from: http://www.henryrepeating.com/h006_bigboy.cfm

Henry History (n.d.) Henry Repeating Arms. Retrieved February 22, 2010 from: http://www.henryrepeating.com/history.cfm

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Editor and Publisher, US for Palin; LAN Infrastructure PM; IFR PPL; fishing, shooting.

  • Louis Lemieux

    By using the word Marxist to qualify Obama and the democrats, you are discrediting almost everything you write. Facts and ideas are what Americans want, not emty partisan slogans, especially a surfeited one.

    • Ron Devito

      Louis,

      Two things: you posted your comment on a story about Gov. Palin receiving a rifle — your comment was intended for the Congressional Democrats story.

      There is more than sufficient documentation — by Obama himself in his own words, as well as the words of his own staff — to indicate Marxist/socialist leanings. It's not merely a partisan slogan Gary is throwing out. Obama is beyond the shadow of a doubt a socialist — in his own words — and backed up by his deeds. Not all Democrats are of course, but many are, and that crew unfortunately are who is running the Democratic Party today.

      • Louis Lemieux

        Sorry for inadvertently posting at the wrong place. For Karl Marx and all Marxists, socialism is viewed as a transitional stage between capitalism and communism which is the goal of Marxism.

        By calling Obama Marxist, you are actually saying he is a Communist, which is something so far from the truth, very few Americans believe.

        When people see this, they have a tendency to discredit what follows.

        • Ron Devito

          Louis,

          No problem. I know that I am saying he is a Communist. And I in fact said that on the streets of Scranton in 2008. So did — not the Republicans — they didn't have the stones to do it — DEMOCRATS for McCain did it. And I campaigned with them. Dems for McCain were not afraid to talk about Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers, and whole host of other unsavory characters Obama is linked to. The GOP wanted none of it.

          I would disagree with your assertion that very few Americans believe Obama is a socialist/Marxist/Communist. First, I would suggest that you read his books. Then read books by his mentor — Bill Ayers, Founder of the domestic terror group, Weather Underground. Do a search on the similarities in writing style. Read Obama's own words on the campaign trail. And analyze what he and his administration are doing. Then…draw your own conclusion. I'm not even telling you to believe Gary or myself. But, I will offer you a challenge to prove either of us wrong. Look at what he's doing with health care? That's not Marxism?

  • Louis Lemieux

    I read Obama's book AUDACITY OF HOPE and Sarah Palin's GOING ROGUE

    It's a fact that the word Marxism is equal to Communism and by using it on Obama you are turning away many moderate Americans from taking seriously what you say or write.

    US Social Security is a facet of Socialism. If I understand you correctly, you would like it to disappear. The perfect political system does not exist and the world evolves, we have to adapt. We certainly do not want to go back to the horse and buggy days.

    • Ron Devito

      I have to run out the door, but I'll address social security later. It does not need to disappear, but does need to be modified. I have my own idea. Later.

      • Ron Devito

        Louis,

        Here's my idea for Social Security — and this is a Devito — not a Sarah, not a Bush: Establish a public/private partnership. The first 6.3% which is what we pay in now and the next 6.3% which is what employers pay in must go into government backed securities — treasures, T-bills, etc. A private company can manage the deduction and make the investment. You then can bolt 401K/403b plans on top of this — the 401k/403b add-on will let you put in up to 20% of your income and you can invest it in whatever you want.

        Right now, Social Security is not a "lockbox" like people are led to believe. Government actually uses some of that money for other purposes.

  • Louis Lemieux

    I, m not an economist, but I have read several times that the government uses our Social Security money about the same way it would be using it from your plan: from the money invested in government backed securities. The problem we have is the surplus money in Social Security is dwindling and the money going out is increasing over the money coming in. Your plan does nothing to address that.

    • Ron Devito

      Louis…good point. The idea behind Social Security though is to provide — based on what you and an employer pay in — a guaranteed income. Not a high rate of return, but a guaranteed income — where the principal is not subject to the vicissitudes of the marketplace. A complete privatization of Social Security — which is done in some countries by the way — notably Argentina — would not fly here. Bush had proposed privatizing a small portion and that idea floated as well as a lead balloon. Of course, Congress has a form of privatized Social Security for themselves; as does the State of Texas, by some quirk, and they do very well with it.

      My solution would still give people choices within the government-backed securities milieu — you could get T-bills, savings bonds, bonds of different maturities, municipal bonds, etc. But, then do you want a LAN project manager designing your social security system? Probably not. I might have to get a couple of bottles of Bass Ale and mull this one over. ;-) Or just do what I built this site for and follow Sarah Palin's lead on the issue (and she has not spoken about Social Security one way or the other at this point).

  • Louis Lemieux

    Right now some of us are contributing to Social Security a lot more than we will ever receive from it, while others will receive more than what they have put in. It is structured to provide for the basic need of every retiree. This is a Socialist measure. Ron, are you for or against it? I'm for it. Ibelieve in Capitalism, but I don't believe in absolute Capitalism.

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