On Sat, 30 Nov 2019 13:31:10 -0800 (PST), "Peter T. Daniels"
Post by Peter T. DanielsPost by Tony CooperOn Sat, 30 Nov 2019 18:13:19 +0100, Athel Cornish-Bowden
Post by Athel Cornish-BowdenThey were walking around with a fire extingusher and a narwhal tusk,
were they? As one does, I suppose: I never go down town without my
narwhal tusk; too dangerous without it.
In most places in the US it is necessary to have a permit to carry a
gun on your person. It can be a "open carry" permit - which means the
weapon is visible - or a "closed carry" permit - if the weapon can not
be visible to others.
A 5-ft narwhal tusk would require an open carry permit.
No, narwhal tusks are not guns (or other firearms).
Wrong again.
The Narwhal Tusk is a famous punt gun made by Ffawkes & Son, Ltd. of
Oswaldtwistle, Lancs. Fawkes & Son, Ltd (estab: 1851) holds three
Royal Warrants of appointment as purveyor of bespoke sporting shotguns
to the British and other European royal families.
The Narwhal Tusk was the first gimbal-mounted shotgun. This feature
allowed the user to rotate the gun instead of rotating the punt to
bring aim on the flock. The gimbal-mount was affixed to the punt atop
a inch-thick coiled spring to allow flex when the gun was fired.
As you no doubt know, the person firing the punt gun does so from a
prone position in the punt to avoid being thrown backwards by the
recoil when firing the 2-gauge shell. Sir Geoffrey Ledger-de Main,
the then Managing Director of Ffawkes & Son when the gun was
developed, named the gun "the Narwhal Tusk" because the barrel, in the
ready position, pointed upwards above the firer resembling the
protruding canine tooth of the narwhal (Monodon monoceros).
In 1912, Joseph Grimm-Tailor brought down 107 duck with one shot from
a Narwhal Tusk in the North Kent marshes thus establishing himself as
a legend in the waterfowling community. Unfortunately, because of the
shock to his ears caused by the blast, he was unable to hear the
congratulatory comments of his peers, and never did regain his
hearing.
The Narwhal Tusk was available in different lengths, and the 5-ft
model was the shortest barrel. It was sold to waterfowlers who didn't
want to carry around the heavier models that went up to 12-ft in
length.
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The above, of course, is sheer nonsense and a total fabrication on my
part. However, anyone who posts to tell me that a narwhal tusk is not
a gun deserves an equally silly response.
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida