Unicorn Guns
Ever heard the term "unicorn", in reference to a firearm, and been completely confused? Ever seen Gone In 60 Seconds, starring Nicholas Cage? Well to sum it up briefly, a "unicorn" gun is a firearm that is difficult to obtain by standard means (such as ordering from a dealer), prohibitively expensive (for what it is), or otherwise hard to get. For most, there are different unicorns for different people. However, the common complaint you hear (especially in online gun forums) is that when a person is referring to something as a "unicorn", it turns out to be just a generic thing like a Glock, with nothing really special about it.
In an attempt to alleviate the seemingly constant bickering between members of gun forums across the internet, I came up with five unofficially official list of requirements a firearm must exhibit in order to be deemed worthy the title of "Unicorn Gun". These requirements allow for a middle ground to be reached for firearms that most (if not all) people can agree upon as being Unicorns. Of these five requirements, a gun must exhibit at least three in order to be worthy of the title "Unicorn":
What requirements can you think of? What would you change about this system of determination? What other Unicorns are out there that need to be in this album? Can you think of a gun that meets all five requirements?
In an attempt to alleviate the seemingly constant bickering between members of gun forums across the internet, I came up with five unofficially official list of requirements a firearm must exhibit in order to be deemed worthy the title of "Unicorn Gun". These requirements allow for a middle ground to be reached for firearms that most (if not all) people can agree upon as being Unicorns. Of these five requirements, a gun must exhibit at least three in order to be worthy of the title "Unicorn":
- No longer in production / no longer commercially available in the United States / never went into production / prototype [Must have been available in the United States at some point]
- Less than 1,000 made of the specific model, as it came from the factory / Less than 1,000 available in the United States [No "custom" work]
- Cost at least $1,000 USD, current market price
- Unique caliber(s) and/or mode(s) of operation
- Historical, cultural, or political significance [TV, Movies, Books, Banned by name, Used in an assassination, etc.]
What requirements can you think of? What would you change about this system of determination? What other Unicorns are out there that need to be in this album? Can you think of a gun that meets all five requirements?
Unicorn Guns, from others
Since my original Unicorn Guns post on reddit.com, there have been several others in the online firearms community who have taken their quest for Unicorns somewhat seriously. One of those people was Mr. Jerry Miculek, champion speed shooter:
