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An email from a reader:

I know for sure that the round fired by the Glock 17 (their standard 9mm service pistol) fires the same round as the 9mm Beretta, the M9 (known in the civilian world as the 92... I know quite a bit about guns, and I have NEVER heard of a 9mm round with a "square back". In fact, I've never heard of ANY centerfire cartridge with a squared-off rim. A square rim would screw up how the round would sit in the magazine, and how it would feed into the chamber. The only "square" "cartridges" I've ever heard of came with caseless rounds, and weapons using caseless ammunition is so complex that it has yet to be fielded in any form.

What does The New Republic have to say about these articles? I don't know, but I've left two voicemails for TNR editor Frank Foer -- one late last night, another about 20 minutes ago -- and I haven't heard back.

UPDATE: Several readers suggest that the "square back" line may be an oddly-phrased reference to a distinctive imprint left by the Glock's firing pin.