Saturday Night Special

The phrase Saturday night special is a colloquial term used in the United States and Canada for any inexpensive handgun, especially a mousegun/pocket pistol. Saturday night specials have been defined as compact, inexpensive, small-caliber handguns with perceived low-quality; however, there is no official definition of "Saturday night special" under US or Canadian federal law. Some states define "Saturday night specials" or "junk guns" by means of composition or materials strength. Low cost and high availability make these weapons attractive to many buyers despite their shortcomings. In the late-19th century and early-20th century, they were commonly referred to as suicide specials.

The term "Saturday night special" came into wider use with the passing of the Gun Control Act of 1968. The term (and the gun control act itself) have been described as racist in origin because the act banned the importation and manufacture of many inexpensive firearms, most notably a large number of revolvers made by Röhm Gesellschaft, which were typically purchased and owned by low-income blacks. With importation banned, Röhm opened a factory in Miami, Florida, and a number of companies in the United States began production of inexpensive handguns, including Raven Arms, Jennings Firearms, Phoenix Arms, Lorcin Engineering Company, Davis Industries, Arcadia Machine & Tool, and Sundance Industries, which collectively came to be known as the "Ring of Fire companies".

Laws prohibiting or regulating the purchase of inexpensive handguns such as the Saturday night special are controversial in the United States. Saturday night specials are a legislative concern because of their offensive use by criminals and defensive possession by potential victims, particularly in low-income high-crime neighborhoods in large urban areas. The two primary areas of contention relate to the availability of guns and the effect of purchase price upon the demographic of who buys them.

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