Carbines and More... Detroit July 1967

[imarangemaster]

We had the riots several times in Chicago, as well. The worst was 1968 in Chicago, when MLK Jr. was killed. I was a sophomore in High School, and had a 45 minute CTA transit bus ride home (it was a private Catholic school). Shortly after they announced it, the city erupted, and they sent us all home, requiring us to go in large groups. We went through some black neighborhoods, and had stuff thrown at the bus. We were pretty scared.

The next day I saw National Guard troops and armored cars, and even one tank, driving down the streets of Chicago. The main weapons I noticed were M1 carbine and Garands, all with bayonets fixed. I knew the carbines well because my cousin was a US Postal Inspector, and had one for a "trunk gun" that he had let me shoot several times from the time I was 12 or 13.

Something broke inside of me that day. I was 16, and I never had the innocence of being a kid after that.

[frankderrico]

I looked through the pics in the link Painter provided. Picture 26046 shows Police with lever action rifles. My question is, would they have been stamped in the stocks like other police weapons?

Best Regards.....Frank

[imarangemaster]

Double posted?

[browningautorifle]

Picture 26046 shows Police with lever action rifles.

In some cases these firearms were requisitioned...at the time. Anything held in store would be marked, I'm quite certain. I've seen Mod '94 Winchesters used by police here that were marked, also Mod '70s, FNs...

[imarangemaster]

As a kid growing up in Chicago, we had neighbors that were cops. One down the block carried a personal 1894 Winchester 30-30 in his trunk. It was his deer hunting rifle. My cousin the Postal Inspector carried an NRA/DCM M1 Carbine.

[painter777]

After things settled down he found in a trash dumpster boxes of M1 carbine mags that had been thrown away. Later he found out a National Guard Unit had been stationed near there in a school and believed they had discarded them.

The 'He' above refers to my Father when he was allowed in to the area after things started settling down to check on his Dozers,Excavators.. etc.

He said that dumpster looked as though the assorted magazines had been dumped in like from a loader bucket. He had said there were other things like smoke smelling National Guard helmets, full and empty K ration boxes, small canvas bivy tents..etc All kinds of odds and ends but most smelled from burned debris that had also been dumped in.

I've read reports that the National Guard confiscated guns and ammo from local stores that sold them.

Here is part of a statement from Richard Crabb, the owner of The Busy Bee Hardware. Below it a link to the story.

"Busy Bee sold Thompson machine guns — the same weapons Eastern Market store owners armed themselves with. When the Crabbs arrived at the store, a group of national guardsmen emptied out all their guns and confiscated the ammunition.
They did return the inventory after things settled, but not all of it."

Story Link: Looting, fires and fright: Shop owners remember 1967

My Father said there were numerous types of magazines, but that he sifted through and grabbed the Carbine mags as they were the only ones of use to him. I'm sure over the years he sold/swapped and traded most of them away. Are the ones I have that were with his Carbines any of these? I can't say for sure. Were these from local shops or discarded by the Nat Guard..... Can't answer that either. But according to him there was a lot of good gear there that had been buried over with debris.

Charlie-Painter777

[tenOC]

There was a small zoo on either Boblo or Belle Isle, as I remember? The giant slide was memorable too. Oh, and the pleasure boaters mooning the Boblo ferry...

We had the riots several times in Chicago, as well. The worst was 1968 in Chicago, when MLK Jr. was killed. I was a sophomore in High School, and had a 45 minute CTA transit bus ride home (it was a private Catholic school). Shortly after they announced it, the city erupted, and they sent us all home, requiring us to go in large groups. We went through some black neighborhoods, and had stuff thrown at the bus. We were pretty scared.

While living in Detroit in the early 1980s we would ride down to the RenCen are for festivals, parades and such. More than once coming back at night, rocks and bricks would hit the windows of the bus windows. It felt like Escape From New York.They were all thick plastic for a reason. Don't remember many stories of the riots from relatives who still live there for some reason.

[DaveHH]

I had already been drafted and gone to VN, got out and went back to work when MLK was shot. I have a close friend that was in sheet metal and he made a fortune repairing riot damage in both LA and Detroit. He'd be back there for 6 months at a whack, making $5+ an hour.
I'll say this: people were getting knocked off on a regular basis, Both Kennedys. King, and then the Black Panthers, Zodiac killer and Son of Sam. I kept a loaded .380 in my van at all times, and I wasn't easily frightened. Nobody was happy with what was going on.

[painter777]

More than once coming back at night, rocks and bricks would hit the windows

That's still happening in the area, just a few weeks ago 5 teens charged with murder:
Teens charged with murder in highway rock incident

people were getting knocked off on a regular basis, Both Kennedys. King, and then the Black Panthers, Zodiac killer and Son of Sam.

All kinds of great role models back in the day. No different than todays 'Entertainers' mocking violence in their.... I'll reluctantly call music.

[butlersrangers]

The Henry Ford Museum - Greenfield Village (in Dearborn, Michigan) use to have a "Muzzle-Loaders Festival". This event went on for over 35 years, (probably 1950's to late 1980's) and featured competitive live firing of round ball rifles, C.W. rifled-muskets and carbines, and demonstration firing of Mike Yeck's, privately owned, .45-70 cal. Gatling Gun.

The Weekend Event was held on a large depressed activities field. The backstop was the Village's railway embankment that ran across the north edge of the field. (They did stop the Steam Train during relays)! The bullet drop area was open fields between the Village and Michigan Avenue. Development stopped this popular, crowd pleasing, live shooting event.

The Saturday shooting was individual matches that accommodated Buckskinners and CW. shooters. The Sunday shooting was a North-South Skirmish Association C.W. Match. The whole show was great public relations for primitive shooting sports.

During some of the Revolutionary War Bi-Centennial years, G.F.V. also held an "18th Century Colonial Muster". This started in 1974 and carried in to the 1980's. It featured extensive camps of American, British and Loyalist re-enactment units, limited live firing displays of muskets, flint-lock rifles, and M.L. Cannon. There was also a mock battle on the activities field.

Municipalities and Historical Museums & Sites use to actively support and request quality historic military displays and demonstrations. Schools use to invite knowledgeable uniformed historians with historic arms into the classroom. I guess a lot has changed!

I had the pleasure of participating in C.W. Skirmishing for seven years and Revolutionary War re-enacting, mock battles, camp displays, and 'fire-lock' matches for nine years.