{"id":2820,"date":"2024-12-17T19:28:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T19:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2820"},"modified":"2024-12-17T19:28:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T19:28:00","slug":"christmas-movies-and-their-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2820","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Movies and Their Guns"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Guns occupy an interesting place in Christmas movies. In this holly jolly time of year they serve as an object of longing, reunite families, teach a small town sheriff a violent lesson and feature in a satirical Christmas special.<\/p>\n

Grab a cup of hot cocoa or eggnog and curl up with Rock Island Auction Company\u2019s top 10 Christmas movie guns. They include guns with full auto ferocity, wheel guns in long-time family favorites, a scattergun in newer films, classic World War 2 rifles and\u2026 well, let\u2019s just jump right in.<\/p>\n

10) General Electric M134 Minigun<\/h3>\n

When Santa Claus exclaims \u201cLee Majors!\u201d viewers of \u201cThe Night the Reindeer Died\u201d know the terrorists attacking the North Pole are in trouble. The parka-clad, once-upon-a-time \u201cSix Million Dollar Man\u201d arrives in the nick of time to save Christmas in this Christmas-special-within-a-Christmas movie, \u201cScrooged,\u201d the Bill Murray take on \u201cA Christmas Carol.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is a bit part for the Minigun but it is a fun moment to see Santa and his elves dive into the North Pole Armory for an M60 and some M-16s to fend off the terrorists. Majors\u2019 modern day Gatling gun helps save the day in this situation, but a Minigun couldn\u2019t help Jesse Ventura armed with \u201cOld Painless\u201d in the original \u201cPredator.\u201d<\/p>\n

9) Smith & Wesson Model 60<\/h3>\n

When an elf betrays Santa Claus and pulls a gun on him, it has to be a compact piece that packs some punch, and that\u2019s what Marcus does to Willie in Bad Santa, threatening him with a Smith & Wesson Model 60.<\/p>\n

Portrayed by Tony Cox, Marcus is the put-upon but devious elf sidekick to Billy Bob Thornton\u2019s titular Bad Santa in this profane and laugh-out-loud Christmas crime comedy. Fed up with Willie\u2019s (the bad Santa\u2019s) obscene antics, Marcus intends to kill him but is stopped by the police and gets in a shootout. Willie gets away, trying to deliver a toy to a boy he has befriended, only to be brought down \u2013 but not killed — in a hail of police bullets.<\/p>\n

First made in 1965, the Model 60 is a five-shot stainless steel Model 36 Chief\u2019s Special made on the J-frame. The gun was originally chambered for .38 Special but in the 90s then Smith & Wesson later lengthened the ejector shroud for .357 Magnum.<\/p>\n

8) Springfield M1903<\/h3>\n

World War 2 was still fresh in the public consciousness when the movies \u201cIt\u2019s a Wonderful Life\u201d (1946) and \u201cWhite Christmas\u201d (1954) came out. In the Jimmy Stewart vehicle, a flashback shows Bert the Cop fighting in North Africa, carrying a Springfield M1903 with a bayonet. White Christmas opens during the holidays of 1944 with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye\u2019s soldiers entertaining the troops with smatterings of soldiers holding the Springfield M1903A1 as well as M1 Garands and M1 Carbines. From there, the movie enters into its night club plot of this soldiering song-and-dance men trying to save a Vermont inn owned by their former commanding general.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Rifle Caliber .30 Model of 1903, better known as the Springfield Model 1903, is a five-round bolt action rifle that was first used by U.S. troops in the Philippines and along the Mexican border before they were sent to Europe in World War 1. Despite being replaced by the M1 Garand, the M1903 remained in use by U.S. infantry in World War 2. Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal combined to make about 2 million rifles but were done with production by 1936 and 1920 respectively. During World War 2, the gun was made by Remington and Smith-Corona.<\/p>\n

7) Steyr AUG<\/h3>\n

Karl, one of the \u201cDie Hard<\/a>\u201d bad guys, lands on the naughty list with his Steyr AUG. On Christmas Eve, when the thieves burst into Nokatomi Plaza to steal bearer bonds, things don\u2019t go well thanks to barefoot New York cop John McClane. The Heckler & Koch MP5 could certainly be on this list since McClane took it from one of the thieves, leaving \u201cNow I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho\u201d written on the dead man\u2019s sweatshirt. Unfortunately that dead thief was Karl\u2019s brother, enraging Karl who wants revenge.<\/p>\n

SPOILER ALERT! In the film\u2019s climactic moment, Karl, once thought dead, emerges waving the Steyr AUG, only to be shot by unassuming beat cop and voice of reason, Al Powell.<\/p>\n

The majority of Hans Gruber\u2019s gang are Euro-criminals so a very European weapon like a bullpup AUG is a good choice. Bullpups, like the AUG, are shorter than traditional rifles since the firing action and magazine are located behind the trigger, bringing the barrel back. While sharing barrel lengths of 20 inches, the AUG is 31.1 inches long while an M16 is 39.5 inches long, making it easier to wield inside Natatomi Plaza.<\/p>\n

6) Mossberg 500<\/h3>\n

The inexpensive pump-action Mossberg 500 or one of its variations made its way into several Christmas or Christmas-adjacent films as well as into the armories of several countries. One of the most reliable shotguns made, making it a good gun to use and abuse.<\/p>\n

Abuse it definitely takes, from being used by both sides in a Christmas Eve heist gone wrong in \u201cReindeer Games,\u201d used by bad guys in a Christmas tree lot shootout with undercover cop Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) in \u201cLethal Weapon\u201d to \u201cshooting Santa Claus from the sky in \u201cA Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.\u201d When a Christmas movie needs a shotgun, the Mossberg 500 or one of its variations is the clear choice.<\/p>\n

5) Smith & Wesson Model 10<\/h3>\n

The Smith & Wesson Model 10, produced starting in 1899 and the most produced handgun of the 20th century, made a number of appearances in Christmas movies. \u00a0It has worn several designations since its production started, including the Smith & Wesson .38 Hand Ejector of 1899, the Military & Police and the Victory Model.<\/p>\n

A classic police revolver, Bert the cop carries one in \u201cIt\u2019s a Wonderful Life,\u201d and even fires off a few rounds in the direction of George Bailey. Police officers of the rural Washington town that picks a fight with John Rambo carry the Smith & Wesson in \u201cFirst Blood.\u201d One of the wet burglars carried one when he impersonates a police officer at Kevin\u2019s house in \u201cHome Alone.\u201d Police also carry the Model 10 when arresting Eddie Murphy\u2019s Billy Ray Valentine in \u201cTrading Places\u201d that is set at Christmastime.<\/p>\n

4) M60<\/h3>\n

The police of Christmas-bedecked Hope, Wash., tried to make John Rambo an example, but the former Green Beret was having none of their holiday shenanigans because they drew first blood. Definitely not in the Christmas spirit, Rambo, as a Vietnam veteran, is familiar with the stalwart M60 and uses it to shoot up the Yuletide-festooned downtown in the 1985 action flick \u201cFirst Blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicknamed \u201cthe pig,\u201d the ever-present M60 served as a squad machine gun but was also mounted in gunboats for the brown water navy, helicopters and other vehicles. Soldiers loved it for its reliability but hated it for its bulk and awkward process for changing barrels.<\/p>\n

3) Colt Single Action Army<\/h3>\n

The iconic and ubiquitous Colt Single Action Army seems to have been on the hip of not just every cowboy, desperado, rancher, rancher\u2019s wife, dance hall girl and lawman of the Wild West. It certainly has been on the hip of every actor who played any of those roles on film. The most Christmas-y version is the one carried by arctic explorer Yukon Cornelius in \u201cRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading his pack of mongrels pulling his sleigh, Cornelius is out there looking for silver and gold, all the while trying to avoid the Abominable Snow Monster, or as he refers to the beast, \u201cthe Bumble.\u201d If there\u2019s trouble, he\u2019s ready with \u201cSam Colt and his jury of six.\u201d He befriends Rudolph and Hermey the elf and rescues Rudolph\u2019s friends before arriving at the North Pole with the tamed Bumble. Strapped in case of trouble, Cornelius keeps his gun, nickel-plated with staghorn grips, in his belt during the Christmas special.<\/p>\n

2) Beretta 92FS<\/h3>\n

Thankfully, John McClane carried his Beretta from New York City to Los Angeles so he had it on him when things took a turn for the worst at the Nakatomi Corporation Christmas party in \u201cDie Hard.\u201d Martin Riggs was armed with his Beretta when he made a drug bust at a Christmas tree lot in \u201cLethal Weapon.\u201d \u00a0They also made lesser appearances in \u201cJingle All the Way,\u201d \u201cThe Long Kiss Good Night\u201d and \u201cReindeer Games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since starting production in 1976 and adoption by the U.S. Army in 1985, the Beretta 92FS seemed to pop up in every action movie of the 1980s, including holiday adjacent films like \u201cDie Hard\u201d and \u201cLethal Weapon.\u201d The FS enlarged the hammer pin to prevent the slide from flying off the frame if it cracked, done in response to reported defective slides during U.S. military testing.<\/p>\n

1) Red Ryder BB Gun<\/h3>\n

All of the guns listed previously are supporting players \u2013 some with bigger roles than others, like John McClane\u2019s Beretta, but one gun is truly the star of its Christmas movie, and that is the Red Ryder BB gun, described by Ralphie as \u201cas cool and deadly a piece of weaponry as I had ever laid eyes on.\u201d<\/p>\n

We can count the ways the \u201cOfficial Red Ryder carbine action 200 shot \u00a0range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time\u201d permeates the movie. Ralphie covets one in the window of Higbee\u2019s Department Store and climbs back up the slide to ask Santa for one. He writes an essay about what he wants for Christmas and dreams of \u201cpranging ducks on the wing and getting off spectacular hip shots.\u201d At every turn, he\u2019s told, \u201cyou\u2019ll shoot your eye out kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following numerous adventures and mishaps, by the end of the film, the Old Man \u2013 Ralphie\u2019s father \u2013 gives him one last gift, the Red Ryder BB gun. He heads outside and nearly shoots his eye out, breaking his glasses. After getting cleaned up, putting on his old glasses and the Bumpus hounds ruining the Christmas turkey, the family heads out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. At the end of the day, Ralphie is asleep in his bed, his beloved BB gun cradled in his arms.<\/p>\n

Merry Christmas from Rock Island Auction Company<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s hoping Santa leaves you the longed-for handgun or hunting rifle, a box of ammo or a \u201cBear Dogs\u201d print in your stocking! As we recognize these guns and their holiday-related movies, Rock Island Auction wishes you a merry Christmas and a most prosperous new year as we leap into our second year at our splendid Bedford, Texas venue.<\/p>\n


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Guns occupy an interesting place in Christmas movies. In this holly jolly time of year they serve as an object of longing, reunite families, teach a small town sheriff a violent lesson and feature in a satirical Christmas special. Grab a cup of hot cocoa or eggnog and curl up with Rock Island Auction Company\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}