[Rapier]

JL,
This is not intended or directed just to you, but to anyone on a board or this board. If a person wants to comment on history or design they must, I repeat, must, know that history or design.

In the case of the 1911, it was not designed or intended or built to do anything but replace a weak energy, double action, revolver, curently in military service. The cocked and locked carry was specificly created to replace the DA revolver's capability of pull trigger and fire with a loaded cylinder. Nothing else.

The "we can't do that" situation came later from military officers within units that thought the cocked and locked carry was not safe, due to their inexperance with the gun and the design of the gun, in the first place. They then, and many today, simply can not get it through their head that a 1911 has 3 safety features that must be acted upon before it can be fired from the condition 1, locked and cocked position. 1)The thumb safety must be put on the fire position. 2) The grip safety must be depressed. 3) The trigger must be pulled and held. Number 2 and 3 must both be done at the same time. You can not fire a 1911 by tapping the trigger with a pencil, even with the grip safety held down. Nor can you pull and hold the trigger without the grip safety depressed.

I think you have misunderstood what MA has said or intended. Otherwise MA would have forgotten that the military has several layers of police and that regular GIs are not and never have been issued handguns, only those with a handgun TO&E (Army term) are issued handguns. As an example, I was an armoror in the 101st Abn. I had 300 M-16s and 24 1911s. The 1911 were issued to officers, grenadiers, machinegunners, and very few NCOs.
Best,
Ed