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September 26, 2012, 09:49 PM | #1 |
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Rifle in JFK's Oval Office?
I happened to be researching Theodore Roosevelt and his proclivity for the Second Amendment when I came across this photo of a rifle hung on the Oval Office Wall of JFK. Might anyone know the origin of it (make, model brief history of the gun...)? Just curios as I know the Kennedy's were/are notorious antis (perhaps the quintessential definition thereof).
While not a 'Kennedy family' fan so to speak, I do appreciate his Naval Service to our nation as well as his fallen brother Joe who perished in the air war of WWII. Thanks in advance for any info.
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September 26, 2012, 10:29 PM | #2 |
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Just a guess, the first thing that came to mind is a military single shot breach loader .45 from the late 1800s.
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September 26, 2012, 11:06 PM | #3 | |
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Quote:
http://cache.reelz.com/assets/conten...rod-design.pdf
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September 27, 2012, 12:03 AM | #4 |
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Hello, everyone. I zoomed up the magnification..From the shape of action & lever..I believe it is a Spencer carbine. Christopher Spencer gave a live firing demenstration with president Lincoln..and Lincoln fired a few shots himself. Could this be a tribute to that long ago shooting outing?
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September 27, 2012, 12:24 AM | #5 | |
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Quote:
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September 27, 2012, 02:00 AM | #6 |
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I believe that JFK was a NRA member
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September 27, 2012, 05:03 AM | #7 |
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Actually,JFK was an NRA Life member,he supported the Director of Civilian Marksmanship program,and was known to give rifles such as Weatherbys as diplomatic gifts.
I'm not a Kennedy fan,but I'll give credit where it is due. Its truly sad that the revisionist historians and agenda driven politicians have corrupted this part of JFK into something he was not. When JFK was in office,YMCA's,public schools,etc had indoor smallbore ranges, the rifles such as Reminton 513T's,and ammo were provided by uncle Sam,and that was when,similar to CMP,you could get an M-1 Carbine for about$20,I think a Garand was what,$60?. As a 12 year old kid without a dad around,I had access to a 50 ft indoor range,rifles,ammo,a coach,and the NRA smallbore program.JFK was president.This was in Aurora,Ill.Culturally,responsible shooting sports were quite mainstream. Last edited by HiBC; September 27, 2012 at 05:13 AM. |
September 27, 2012, 06:04 AM | #8 |
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we had a rifle range in the basement of the high school. I know they were Remington rifles but I don't remember the model number. I doubt the kids in school there now even know that now
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September 27, 2012, 07:12 AM | #9 |
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Thanks for the feedback (I've learned some stuff already!).
-Cheers
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September 27, 2012, 07:18 AM | #10 |
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Yes, my recollection is that JFK was definitely not anti-gun. I don't know what Robert's views were. Teddy, of course, was a notorious anti-gun person, but that attitude may have developed due to losing two brothers to assassination.
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September 27, 2012, 08:09 AM | #11 |
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"Culturally,responsible shooting sports were quite mainstream."
And yet you still grew up and hang out in back room internet firearms chat forums... Where did you ever go wrong??? I suspect the thing on the wall under the rifle is actually a plaque detailing what the gun is, and from whom it was presented.
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September 27, 2012, 08:20 AM | #12 | |
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In regards to the rifle, without zooming in or whatnot on the picture, that "thing" under it looks like it's holding it up, to me.... it's a shelf.
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September 27, 2012, 08:36 AM | #13 |
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Oh, yeah, those were the good old days. My father's take home pay was about $75 a week for six days work, plus evenings. No school in my home town had a range, either.
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September 27, 2012, 10:09 AM | #14 |
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Supposedly when it was built my high school in Pennsylvania had a rifle range in the basement, but I never bothered to confim it when I was there.
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September 27, 2012, 10:11 AM | #15 |
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My school had an active (though mis-managed) rifle team into the mid-90s at least. I've often wondered what happened to those rifles.
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September 27, 2012, 10:34 AM | #16 |
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My high school had a rifle team,,,
Moore High School (Moore, OK) was one of the first schools in Oklahoma (1967-68) to have a sunken football field.
The west berm (end zone) had a gap in the seating,,, That's where our rifle team practiced. You (I) had to supply your own single-shot or bolt action rifle and ammo,,, The retired Colonel who ran the Junior ROTC program coached us. As far as I know none of our team grew up to be a mass murderer. Aarond .
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September 27, 2012, 10:51 AM | #17 |
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topic drift
sorry to add to the topic drift, but the comments of schools having shooting programs brought back memories. as a student in a small, west texas, farm community, we did not have a shooting program. but you could count on most all the pickup trucks in the school lot, having a shotgun/rifle rack in the rear window, with a shotgun at least, and many with a rifle as well, displayed.
it was common, was not considered a risk to the safety of the students, and I never heard that one was ever stolen......this was 1964-1969.....my have times changed |
September 27, 2012, 11:10 AM | #18 | |
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September 27, 2012, 11:21 AM | #19 |
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I might contact the library. I would like to know the significance of this firearm if any. I am guessing it was a gift..but to who, when, and from whom?
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September 27, 2012, 11:32 AM | #20 |
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JFK was apparently a big fan of the AR. His Secret Service detail was occasionally armed with them, and he kept one on his boat.
Since most U.S. Presidents, prior to Jimmy Carter, were not anti-gun if not actually pro-gun, Colt made fancy engraved guns for presentation to them. The one for JFK was not ready yet at the time of his assassination, so the gun was never presented. I'm sure Carter, Clinton, and Obama all avoided the horror of being presented with an engraved, gold inlaid commemorative from the Colt custom shop. The anti-gun legacy of the Kennedy family did not start with JFK, but probably with his death. |
September 27, 2012, 12:54 PM | #21 |
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I visited the JFK Library WEB site and could not find any information, but did find another photo. The photo is very similar, but in color and allows you to enlarge it.
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-View...unYyotpyw.aspx
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September 27, 2012, 01:10 PM | #22 |
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Well, it's definitely not a shelf holding that rifle up, as there's an airgap of about an inch, or more, between the dark rectangle underneath the rifle and the butt.
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September 27, 2012, 01:38 PM | #23 |
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This is the best I can do as far as enlarging with some detail.
The rectangle looks like a display placard,,, Aarond .
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September 27, 2012, 01:49 PM | #24 |
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Macy's in Brooklyn, NY used to sell war surplus rifles. Springfields and Enfields and Mausers real cheap. Now it's a yuppy clothes store and guns in NYC - nah.
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September 27, 2012, 02:22 PM | #25 |
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Boy that certainly looks like a Spencer carbine...
Regarding Macy's... My former Father in Law was in his Army uniform home on leave and went into NYC. He bought a shotgun at Macy's. They didn't have bags or boxes for it, so he simply walked to the subway, took it to Grand Central, and caught the commuterline to White Plains. He said the only person who even looked at him funny was the LIRR conductor who wanted to know if it was loaded or not. That would have been sometime in the early 1950s.
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