What does “Ring of Fire” refer to?
The ‘Ring of Fire’ is a chain of volcanoes scattered around the Pacific Ocean. But the phrase was borrowed by Garen Wintemute (an emergency room physician and Director of the Violence Prevention Research Program) to describe a circle of six manufacturers of inexpensive handguns, all located within a one-hour drive of downtown Los Angeles. Guns made by the Ring of Fire companies are commonly referred to as “Saturday Night Specials,” or “junk guns” by numerous states, counties and cities because these guns fail to meet certain design standards.
