The Pinoy's passion for guns

After the second gun ban for the year, those of us who strongly believe in the right to self-defense can breathe easy again.

With that out of the way, all roads led to the SM Mega Trade Hall last Nov. 12-16 as the Association of Arms and Ammunitions Dealers (AFAD) staged DSAS Part 2 of AFAD.

As expected, the cavernous halls of the Mega Trade Hall could hardly contain the huge crowds that gathered during the fourday trade show. One would think that stretching the exhibit to four days would disperse the crowd more thinly, but I heard that during all the four days, the crowd was thick. I myself could only squeeze it into my schedule on the last day, as it was unthinkable of me to miss the AFAD show entirely this year.

PNP Chief Raul Bacalzo was guest of honor, and he welcomed the idea of responsible gun ownership. This I gathered from the coverage of our STV (Sunshine Television) crew. He was also quizzed on the terrorist alerts and though he acknowledged that their foreign counterparts, particularly the United States shared vital information with them regularly, there was no real cause for alarm, and certainly no cause for all those negative travel advisories from friendly countries.

After attending the AFAD shows several years in a row now, I was still pleasantly surprised at the numbers and how much attention the gun show is getting. The daily throngs numbered in the thousands, and I venture to guess many of them were serious buyers. They were not simply walking around, they were trying out the firearms, feeling the grip, gauging the nuances of each model, asking for discounts, a bit more than the discounts automatically given by all the manufacturers and importers who participated in the show.

I would have wanted to drop by the booths of regular exhibitors like Hahn Manila, Trust Trade and all the others, but with my limited time, I could only drop in on friends like Gina Angangco of Armscor and Jane Roxas of Nashe Enterprises.

I was glad to see all the major players there though, ready to bounce back after two major whammies dealt them this year.

According to Atty. Hector Rodriguez, president of AFAD, the industry was down by as much as 50 percent for the year due to these gun bans.

Jane Roxas of Nashe shared that her fast-selling firearms were still the Walter pistols, the Sig Sauer and the Kimber, though they carry multi brands like Springfield Armory, Para Ordnance, etc. Among the pistols she displayed were the XDM, the new pistol for HK which is the 45C and the P30.

And then there was also the 9 mm Shadow and a small STI Shadow that costs P96,000; the Sig Sauer Mosquito; the 191 Platinum that costs P92,000, and one of their latest, the Ultra Crimson Carry 2010 version, with a laser grip that was very light. This beauty costs P94,000. And for the ladies, the Cobra Shadow that comes in attractive gold, pink and ruby red, at P33,000.

She showed off her sniper rifles from Armalite USA and the MP5 from Pakistan which were awesome-looking, along with some assault rifles and sub-machine guns.

I’ll probably see you Jane in your Makati Cinema Square store one of these days, after I save up.

Gina Angangco of course was there to man the Armscor booths. The effervescent Gina is very knowledgeable about firearms – she’s virtually a walking encyclopedia about firearms, especially the ones they carry, and they carry a lot of brands. They import, of course, the STI, and the famous models are the Grandmaster, the Edge, and their newest lines, the Electra, the Infinity and the STI Spartan.

The Tanfoglio from Italy is also one of the brands they carry.

For the 9mm combat pistol, a double/single action pistol made of polymer, they combined the excellent quality of their Italian parts with the craftsmanship of the Filipino at the Armscor plant where they do the assembly. Because of the cheaper labor, these models actually come out cheaper but just as excellently assembled and chambered.

For 2011 which is the centennial of the very popular 1911 model they carry (they are one of the pioneers of this model here), they designed limited edition commemorative models of the original. The sights, the hammer and trigger are all original 1911. She proudly showed off the gold-plated edition which was a real beauty, a collector’s dream, though they have two or three other versions as well.

Then she showed off the new M4s produced locally by the United Defense Manufacturing Corp. that come in three models — 7.5 inches, 11 in. and 14 in. What is unique about the M4 is that you can actually fire thousands of rounds with it and the gun does not heat up because of the revolutionary gas piston system they use. Even after thousands of rounds, the MP4 does not have to be cleaned either, so a lot less maintenance is needed.

Armscor exports to more than 50 countries now, and they make guns for STI, specifically the Spartan which is sold as an entry level gun in the U.S. This we gathered from Bob Sajot of Armscor. Bob also showed off their conversion kits from Israel wherein your pistol is converted into a carbine platform. It’s like having an assault rifle which can still be used as a pistol.

And finally, they showed off their air guns which, at the entry level, can be had for only P4,590.

Btw, the Battle of the Gun Clubs is coming up soon where gun clubs from all over the country will compete. Next year, the World Shoot will be held in Greece. This is like the Olympics for practical shooting which Eric Graufel of France has won five consecutive times. It is held every three years.

Tonight we bring back romantic memories Nov. 27, that is today, Saturday, is D-day for all Dionne Warwick fans as she stages a one-day concert in Manila at the Araneta Coliseum. If you have been procrastinating, you can still get your tickets at the gates tonight before the show starts at 8 p.m.

The first female artist to win the Best R&B Vocal and Best Pop Vocal in the same year which is 1979, Dionne Warwick has scored over 100 hits in her career. Her team-up with Burt Bacharach and Hal David, of course, were phenomenally successful.

In fact, three of her singles which were Walk on By, Alfie and Don’t Make Me Over grace the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Let’s sing along with this great lady tonight at the Big Dome as she belts out more classics like Do You Know the Way To San Jose, I Say A Little Prayer, That’s What Friends Are for, I Say A Little Prayer, Promises, Promises, This Girl’s in Love With You, A House is Not a Home and many, many more.

These are all familiar hits that strike a chord in every musicloving Pinoy heart.

So see you at the Big Dome tonight.

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

For comments: (E-Mail) [email protected]