“State-owned arms maker China South Industries Group (CSGC) has released footage of its electromagnetic coil gun,” Interesting Engineering claimed Sunday. “Allegedly capable of firing 3,000 rounds per minute, the prototype represents a major technical leap in portable directed-energy weaponry.”
“Portable”? So, they’re not talking about some rail gun prototype designed to be mounted on a ship or other fixed military platform?
“This weapon debuts just a few years after another Chinese coil gun, the CS/LW21, was unveiled in 2023,” the report elaborates. “Another handheld electromagnetic coil gun, the CS/LW21 was developed by China North Industries Group (Norinco) for riot control and non-lethal use.”
So, it’s “handheld,” and per the report, “Far surpasses the AK-47.” It can serve uses “from crowd control to militarization,” with “adjustable lethality, making it ideal for ‘covert missions’,” meaning “the gun could transition to lethal battlefield roles (e.g., drones, automated turrets, or infantry weapons).”
That’s cool. So, how soon will it be available to “We the People”?
“This bullpup gun uses coins as bullets,” a two-year-old video accompanying the story explains. “It is totally legal because there is no gunpowder, and the output power is limited.”
That would even make it outside the purview of ATF. Clearly, whoever presumed “total” legality did not take into account the Democrat mania for citizen disarmament. And the output power can be increased. Let these things hit the market and watch how fast demands to “Close the rail gun loophole” translate into regulatory oversight and outright bans on civilian ownership. Except for the “Only Ones,” of course.
And what about the Second Amendment? They are arms, after all.
This is where our “gun rights leaders” may have painted us into a corner, by seizing on the criteria of being “in common use at the time” as the standard to determine if a gun ban violates the Second Amendment. It was never intended as a popularity contest.
Since no innovation ever begins “in common use,” a government with the power to do so can ban all new weapon developments from those they would rule, retaining them exclusively for itself. Remember the core purpose of the Second Amendment. To argue the Founders thought sending an outmatched yeomanry to their slaughter would be “necessary to the security of a free State” is insane.
It’s what I warned about when I wrote “Things to Come” back in 2002 for Guns and Ammo:
“It’s been said that a battle isn’t won until a man with a rifle occupies the ground. We must keep in mind that someone probably once said the same thing about spears.”
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.
The whole “historical” argument is dangerous. Imagine a court returning us to slavery, because it was accepted (and in common use) for America’s first 90 years. Incorrectly restricting 2A freedom does have a lot of legal precedent. It should be enough to support that the founders made the 2A so broad and general because an armed citizenry was vital to our nation.
I have been bemoaning “in common use” since the phrase was put to paper and became a defacto defense against 2A infringements. “Dangerous and unusual” (another damning phrase) would be easily applied to these arms.
Events will play out exactly as Mr. Codrea (along with myself and many others) has predicted when these become available to the public. The push to regulate and restrict them will be swift, and likely overly encompassing.
It’s about time we moved on from gunpowder. I will always maintain my supplies of them however I’d also be heavily invested in a new system.
.Gov will just have to try and keep up and we see how poorly they are doing with crypto and AI because of all the infighting and greed.
There was a time this would have been a Boy Scout’s merit badge project.
It’s incredibly sad to see so many of us have turned into scared, mewling, would be law tyrants in just a couple of generations.
“In common use” is a poor yardstick, since many weapon types have been regulated so much that there are relatively few examples.
Gun Jesus has a few videos on rail/coil/electromagnetic guns. https://www.forgottenweapons.com/category/electromagnetic-weapons/ As for “in common use”, that’s the first thing that jumped out at me when reading the Heller decision when it came out in 2007. I’ve been bitching about it ever since. The biggest complaint with Heller, and David may still disagree with me on this, is how Scalia is so often misquoted by lawyers, judges, and authors, concerning machine guns. Scalia only says that ‘if one were to make the hypothetical argument that machine guns (M16s and the like) could be banned, then you de facto concede that the… Read more »
I’ve always been concerned about “in common use”. I always thought it’d come back to bite us. Looks like it will very shortly.
But that’s the problem with a “gun rights movement” or being “pro gun”. That totally misses the point of the 2nd Amendment, and the definition of “arms”.
It’s about time that gunpowder propelled firearms be surpassed by new technology. This particular gun may not be the ticket, but it’s a start.
Shoots coins. So kind of like that toy ‘Star Trek’ disc gun.
I’d like to try one. Hopefully it uses pennies.
Arm up and carry on