The Gun at the Reagan Library

After posting the latest Million Moon Update, I took the family on a trip about an hour north of us to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. I've always had a fondness for the man, despite some profound differences. He was, after all, a remarkable individual. He was also a master at making you like the persona he presented, and I'm not immune. Plus, I really wanted to tour the Air Force One exhibit (Wow!), and also spend a moment of reflective silence at the president's resting place. It is a facility worthy of a special trip. Sitting on a mountaintop, the view alone is worth the drive--spectacular doesn't cover it. In addition to the exhibits already mentioned, you can tour a replica of the Oval Office as it appeared during the Reagan years, see a piece of the Berlin Wall, and wander through the various halls displaying periods and achievments of the president's life. Which brings me to why I'm sharing this. I stopped at a glass case containing several historic American firearms. There was one of unique appearance that caught my eye, something I hadn't seen before, with this description on its placard:

Springfield Armory in Massachusetts produced over 4,000 M1855 pistol-carbines, a dual-purpose firearm. With the stock removed, troops could fire from horseback. When dismounted, the horse soldier could attach the stock to fight on foot with greater accuracy. Despite such versatility, the firearm was not popular.

I've done some searching around and haven't found a good photo to share, but here's why it caught my attention: Short-barreled rifles and shotguns are strictly controlled, and the rationale in the infamous Miller decision centered around the defendant not being able to demonstrate a military application for a short-barreled shotgun. My friend and colleague Brian Puckett wrote a quite authoritative analysis on this as a supplement for the Silveira case. I'm not a lawyer or a firearms expert, nor do I play one on TV. I don't know if the existence of the M1855 makes a damned bit of difference as far as legal technicalities go, and I suspect it probably doesn't. But I just thought it was interesting, and figured someone might be able to offer some further insights. If you have something to add, feel free to leave a comment.