The Saturday Night Special: A Major Cause of Heartburn
1975
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This pamphlet details crime statistics involving handguns from the 1970s. In 1975, President Gerald Ford escaped two assassination attempts, both made with “Saturday Night Specials.” Many citizens blamed these small, easy-to-conceal handguns for rising crime rates. The D.C. Firearms Control Regulations Act passed soon after. The Supreme Court invalidated the act in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), ruling that gun ownership is an individual right.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. House of Representatives.
National Archives Identifier: 25466012
Full Citation: The Saturday Night Special: A Major Cause of Heartburn; 1975; Administrative Files of the Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary during the 94th Congress; Committee Papers, 1813 - 2011; Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Record Group 233; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/saturday-night-special, April 27, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.