Zips, Pipes, And Pens: Arsenal Of Improvised Weapons (Paperback)

by J. David Truby (Author) "DESPITE DESERT STORM'S NINTENDO battle scenes shown via U.S. government censors' tightly controlled propaganda telecasts, war is still combat between individuals armed with their own..." (more)
Key Phrases: World War, United States, Deer Gun (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In this book, J. David Truby demonstrates why gun control simply doesn't work. Features rare photos of remarkably ingenious and very deadly improvised weapons made by guerrillas, secret agents, criminals and freedom fighters, all collected from prisons, police departments and Third World countries. For information purposes only.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Paladin Press (January 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873647025
• ISBN-13: 978-0873647021
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,401 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Control
  #8 in	Books > Nonfiction > Current Events > Gun Control
  #41 in	Books > History > Military > Weapons & Warfare > Conventional > Firearms

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, February 26, 2003

By A Customer

This book has a lot of anecdotes and stories, with plenty of photos and commentaries. It makes you think about how useless gun control is. Has a picture of a guy who's pen-gun backfired, talks about prisoners making gunpowder from matchheads and urine, and diagrams of some very cool devices. It's NOT a "how-to" book, but for those who know what they're doing it's definitely got a lot of good(bad?) ideas in it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting, July 13, 2002

By	rickey l. esteves sr "estevesbooks-o_livreiro" (san francisco, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This is a very interesting book on homemade firearms.Many are truly ingenious.It shows a wide variety from Zippo lighters converted to guns to belt buckle guns reminiscent of the show "Wild,Wild,West".It offers many photos as well as some diagrams.It also tells you which ones didn't work as well and the hazardous results of trying to use them.If in a truly desperate situation this book could easily assist you in building a workable firearm from very basic materials.Probably very popular with Guerilla types.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a how-to book, but very eye-opening, February 26, 2006

By	Tobin White - See all my reviews

This book is basically an illustrated argument against the concept of gun-banning legislature being effective in keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals. There are many photos and examples of improvised single shot weapons using the .22 catridge that hardly look like conventional weapons. What they lack in stopping power and accuracy, they make up for with relative ease of construction, accessability of materials, and concealment. Many of these examples were confiscated from inmates in prisons. Which raises the question: if criminals can make guns in federal prisons, then how can gun laws prevent them from doing so when they are free in the streets?
Later in the book, there are examples of more sophisticated weapons, like reproduced AK-47's and the like by local craftsmen in third world areas.
It's interesting (and to some, perhaps unnerving) to see a shotgun made by a 15 year old from simple pipes that is capable of firing a 12 gauge round.
What could have made it better is if it featured cutaway illisrations showing the inside of some of these devices, like where the round is places, where the firing pin is located, and the mechanism that activates it.
Overall, if you are interested in improvised weapons and/or odd devices, then its worth the money. Just be advised that it is not a how-to manual.