History Lesson

I recently ordered a back issue (January 1942) of the American Rifleman magazine from ebay. It was very interesting to take a little tour down history lane and see what was being written in the days after Pearl Harbor and what was of interest in the shooting world.

One thing that caught my eye was the classified ads called “The Arms Chest”, an open market trading post where people may market their wares to fellow sportsmen.

Many rifle, shotgun and other ads greeted my eyes as I ran down the list. It was recommended that purchasers “who wish to examine, before acceptance, guns or equipment purchased through these advertisements should request shipment by COD with examination privileges.

Since I couldn’t help but notice the similarity to buying a gun online these days from someplace like gunbroker, I stopped by the post office and asked about COD orders. Turns out you can still send something to anyone and request a Cash On Delivery payment. They pay the post office and then you get a money order from the post office. They didn’t have anything like examination privileges anymore, once you pay for it, you are done.

The only other difference today is that you can’t send a gun through the mail person to person. With law changes over the years, it does have to go to a licensed dealer.