Archive for the 'Gun Control' Category

David Codrea:

“We’re going to have to take one step at a time, and the first step is necessarily — given the political realities — going to be very modest. . . . [W]e’ll have to start working again to strengthen that law, and then again to strengthen the next law, and maybe again and again. Right now, though, we’d be satisfied not with half a loaf but with a slice. Our ultimate goal — total control of handguns in the United States — is going to take time. . . . The first problem is to slow down the number of handguns being produced and sold in this country. The second problem is to get handguns registered. The final problem is to make possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition-except for the military, police, licensed security guards, licensed sporting clubs, and licensed gun collectors-totally illegal.  — Richard Harris, A Reporter at Large: Handguns, New Yorker, July 26, 1976, at 53, 58 (quoting Pete Shields, founder of Handgun Control, Inc.)…”

It’s what they want, it’s part of who they are.  This is from a write at Daily Kos, cited by me over four years ago.

The only way we can truly be safe and prevent further gun violence is to ban civilian ownership of all guns. That means everything. No pistols, no revolvers, no semiautomatic or automatic rifles. No bolt action. No breaking actions or falling blocks. Nothing. This is the only thing that we can possibly do to keep our children safe from both mass murder and common street violence.

Unfortunately, right now we can’t. The political will is there, but the institutions are not. Honestly, this is a good thing. If we passed a law tomorrow banning all firearms, we would have massive noncompliance. What we need to do is establish the regulatory and informational institutions first. This is how we do it.  The very first thing we need is national registry. We need to know where the guns are, and who has them.

Which is why we opposed universal background checks.  It’s easy to say, “Come and get my guns when you’re feeling froggy.  I’m waiting.”

It’s another thing entirely to work hard to oppose the incremental changes the progressives want to make.  But incrementalism is their game, a game they’ve played successfully for a very long time.  We need to be better at our game, and adopting incrementalism ourselves would mean supporting removal of suppressors from the NFA items list, even if the NFA is left basically intact.  We would like to dismantle the NFA, but the absence of that doesn’t mean we can’t support incremental changes that make things better.

However, it doesn’t mean we have to support things like national reciprocity if that means we give the FedGov power over permitting, training requirements, or national lists of any kind.  We have to be smart about this.

Fox45:

Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) – The Buckeye Firearms Association has come out against a potential ban of bump stock devices that investigators in Las Vegas say Stephen Paddock used to modify the semi-automatic rifles to fire rapidly into the crowd.

The device fell under scrutiny after videos of the mass shooting started a debate about the rapid gunfire heard.

An association spokesperson said because they don’t change the actual functionality of the gun, they should not be banned.

“With a bump stock or a slide fire you hold your finger still and you move the rifle back and forth to fire it,” said Joe Eaton, region leader for the Buckeye Firearms Association. “So it really is the same thing each press of the trigger results in one bullet being fired, does not change any of the mechanics.”

The announced stance from Buckeye Firearms came one day after the National Rifle Association (NRA) said bump stocks should be “subject to additional regulations,” after lawmakers proposed a ban of the device.

“Since they don’t change the function of the firearm it is still a semi-automatic, one bullet with one press of the trigger, there would be no reason to have them outlawed,” Eaton said.

Semi-automatic weapons are legal to sell and buy.

Eaton said while the bump stock changes the action it takes to fire a bullet, it remains a semi-automatic weapon.

“I guess the only advantage I could see is by moving your finger a bunch of times it could get fatigued after a while, where the bump fire stock would eliminate that fatigue,” Eaton said.

Eaton also said he doesn’t think a bump stock ban wouldprevent a similar attack.

“The fact that this time he chose a semi-automatic rifle and he happened to choose another accessory for it again, unfortunately is just more noise in the talk about what needs to be the talk in why is there this much violence out there,” Eaton said.

Good for Buckeye Firearms Association.  I agree that this introduced more noise, and it’s not noise that we need to coddle by stipulating agreement with it.  The NRA chose poorly.

As I’ve also said, “I cannot be convinced that the shooter who landed all of this crap in our lap would have been less effective if he had aimed and fired in a controlled manner than with the bump fire stock, if in fact such a device was used.”

Reddit/r/firearms has a discussion thread on Hickok45 coming out in defense of the NRA in their apparent statement that bump fire stocks need further regulation.

I’ve seen a precipitous drop in prices for both Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms products since their apparent siding with the gun controllers in Illinois.  Gun owners never forget, and seldom forgive (S&W might be an exception, but even then not for some).

Hickok45 talks about potential haters who won’t like his defense of the NRA, and I’m no hater.  I will continue to check his videos every now and then.  But I’ll remark that it would have been just as easy for him to have stayed silent on the matter and let this blow over.  The redittors don’t like the fact that they came to his defense when Google tried to demonetize and even ban Hickok45 from YouTube, and they feel that he let them down on this one.

NYT:

The National Rifle Association on Thursday endorsed tighter restrictions on devices that allow a rifle to fire bullets as fast as a machine gun — a rare, if small, step for a group that for years has vehemently opposed any new gun controls.

Twelve of the rifles the Las Vegas gunman, Stephen Paddock, had in a high-rise hotel suite when he opened fire on a crowd on Sunday were outfitted with “bump stocks,” devices that allow a semiautomatic rifle to fire hundreds of rounds per minute, which may explain how he was able to shoot so quickly, killing 58 people and wounding hundreds of others. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has ruled that bump stocks do not violate laws that tightly limit ownership of machine guns, and some lawmakers have called for them to be banned.

The bureau should revisit the issue and “immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law,” the N.R.A. said in a statement released Thursday. “The N.R.A. believes that devices designed to allow semiautomatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”

Ignoring the small issues of “shall not be infringed,” the NRA caves on bump fire stocks, as surely as most of the senators and congresscritters will cave, many of whom will have high marks from the NRA.

The NRA is still conflicted as to whether it wants to be a hunter and sportsman organization of a second amendment and gun rights organization.  As I mentioned, I don’t have one, and consider them to be mostly a novelty and range toy.  I would never put one on a personal defense weapon, accuracy and control being too important for such things for me to consider a high rate of fire as more important, especially near or around other people.

That said, I cannot be convinced that the shooter who landed all of this crap in our lap would have been less effective if he had aimed and fired in a controlled manner than with the bump fire stock, if in fact such a device was used.

The point to be taken here is not that of the bump fire stocks (the senate and congress is always looking for ways to further regulate your rights, even if not constitutionally allowed).  Bump fire stocks are merely the latest incarnation of the boogeyman.  Tomorrow it will be something else.  The point is that there is a world of difference between knowing that you’ll lose a fight, and actually going on record stating that you agree with your enemy.

The NRA.  Always squishy, never completely fulfilling their stated purpose, and always disappointing.

Alex Yablon:

On Sunday night on the Las Vegas Strip, a gunman rained bullets on a crowd enjoying a country music concert from his hotel room hundreds of feet above. At least 58 people were killed in the barrage, and an estimated 515 other victims were rushed to local hospitals for treatment, making it the worst mass shooting in American history.

Our good friend Alex wins the idiot-argument of the week award.  To say that a pistol couldn’t have stopped this is effectively the observation that a long gun has a longer range than a handgun.  The missing piece in the argument is that all shootings for which self defense is necessary occur from stand-off distances where a pistol is ineffective.

We all know this is false, and Alex doesn’t believe it either, else he would be arguing for the disarming of police.  I would suggest that even Alex knows that he’s being dishonest.

This is a horrible try, Alex.  Next time don’t mix apples and oranges.

I told you so.

NBC:

Days after a dozen modified rapid-fire guns were found in the Las Vegas gunman’s hotel room, Democrats introduced a bill on Wednesday to ban such changes to weapons — and dared Republicans to ignore it.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said her legislation would bar the sale, manufacture and possession of so-called bump stocks and other devices — all currently legal — that drastically increase a firearm’s rate of fire.

“The only reason to modify a gun like this is to kill as many people as possible in as short of a time as possible,” Feinstein said …

This is being co-sponsored with Bob Casey.  The GOP is unwilling to take that dare.

“I own a lot of guns, and as a hunter and sportsman, I think that’s our right as Americans, but I don’t understand the use of this bump stock,” Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said, adding, “It seems like it’s an obvious area we ought to explore and see if it’s something Congress needs to act on.”

Mr. Cornyn said the continuing legality of the conversion kits was “a legitimate question,” and told reporters he had asked Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the Judiciary Committee chairman, to convene a hearing on that issue and any others that arise out of the Las Vegas investigation.

Other Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida, said they would be open to considering legislation on bump stocks.

You could have seen this coming with Cornyn, who tried to push mandatory mental health checks by government-approved doctors as a prerequisite for gun ownership.  I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised at the presence of Lindsey Graham, Orrin Hatch or Marco Rubio on this list either.

As a long time gun owner, I have never seen fit to purchase a slide-fire stock.  In fact, to break the narrative just a bit, uninterrupted fire from the shooter’s weapons without allowing the gun to cool in between bursts would have caused the barrel to droop and eventually the gas block to explode into pieces.  I see no purpose for his having used such a device to begin with.

But if you want this device, get it now.  Chances are that it will be illegal in the not too distant future.

Statement.

On behalf of MGV, we are deeply saddened for the victims and families affected by last night’s activities and absolutely sickened by the behavior of the individual who committed a sheer act of violence on our community. We realize there will be many sensitivities to firearms and their misuse, and we would like to address a few points as a business that offers firearms experiences in a safe, controlled environment in Las Vegas. We believe, as we always have, that there should absolutely be more stringent control on the types of firearms private individuals can own and the processes they must go through in order to own those firearms. There were many factors contributing to this tragic event, but there is no doubt that the shooter’s ability to inflict so many casualties was heavily due to the types of weapons he had access to. MGV agrees that the NRA, Federal Government and individual states have a responsibility to continue to maximize efforts to keep these firearms out of the hands of the wrong people.

We believe that responsible gun ownership is attainable through the application of common sense, more stringent vetting and background checks, dramatically increased mandatory sentencing for gun offences and increased testing standards for gun owners.

I hope their few moments of fame with the collectivists felt good, because gun owners never forget.  If you want to get a taste of the venom coming their way, visit this reddit link.

I can’t find the original post.  If they have any sense at all, they took it down.  But that may be too little, too late.  The gun community now knows what they’re made of.

Too bad for them.  But it’s best that we know, and the community will act accordingly, I assure you.

Via WRSA:

Some links, and then a brief assessment from me.

Nick Gillespie, bless his heart, is fighting the good fight, with a very good article at Reason arguing that now is the time for less gun control, not more.  I agree.

Paul Ryan, known to us as the communist shill who hates gun rights, has said that the SHARE act is dead for the time being.

Someone named Andrea Ruth, writing at Red State, argues for more involvement of the community witch doctors we know as Psychiatrists.  I suppose she wants mental health “professionals” to approve all gun purchases.  Perhaps she would think differently is a mental health professional had to approve her raising a child, or driving a car.

The White House punts on suppressors, saying essentially there is no love for the SHARE act.

And Trump himself has said “we’ll be talking about gun laws.”  Great.  I wouldn’t be so concerned about that if I thought he held to any doctrine on anything at all.

My brief assessment.  The shooter had an awful lot of guns and magazines, more than he could ever shoot in several days of being in that room.  These were magazines that hold more than 30 rounds.  He spent an awful lot of money on weapons, more than I find feasible in a short amount of time (like months or even several years).  These were pricey weapons, not low-end guns.

Something is very wrong with this picture.  I don’t like it at all, but it’s going to take time to cipher all of this.  Something feels very rotten, and as if on queue, the controllers started spewing forth their gun control bullshit as soon as this happened.

AR-15s, AR-10s, high capacity magazines and slide fire (or bump fire) stocks will be the boogeyman.  I expect a reassessment of slide fire stocks very soon by the ATF, or an executive order challenged by no one, that places them on the NFA list.

I expect the introduction of new gun control bills in Congress, and all it takes is the democrats and a few republicans (along with Trump), and we have a brand new assault weapons ban.  Perhaps this is intended in all of this.

Times are going to get dicey for us.  Hold on to your breeches.  The ride is liable to get rough.

Washington Post:

However, one member of the band went even further, posting a lengthy message on Twitter about his personal response to the attack. After spending the night fearing for his life, Caleb Keeter, the group’s lead guitarist, spoke up about gun control.

“I’ve been a proponent of the 2nd amendment my entire life. Until the events of last night. I cannot express how wrong I was. We actually have members of our crew with [Concealed Handgun Licenses], and legal firearms on the bus,” Keeter wrote. “They were useless.” He continued:

We couldn’t touch them for fear police might think we were part of the massacre and shoot us. A small group (or one man) laid waste to a city with dedicated, fearless police officers desperately trying to help, because of access to an insane amount of fire power.

Enough is enough.

Writing my parents and the love of my life a goodbye last night and a living will because I felt like I wasn’t going to live through the night was enough for me to realize that this is completely and totally out of hand. These rounds were just powerful enough that my crew guys just standing in close proximity of a victim shot by this f—ing coward received shrapnel wounds.

We need gun control RIGHT. NOW. My biggest regret is that I stubbornly didn’t realize it until my brothers on the road and myself were threatened by it. We are unbelievably fortunate to not be among the number of victims killed or seriously wounded by this maniac.

So part of being a proponent of the second amendment for you is believing that a handgun would be of any use against a long range, standoff weapon like a long gun?  And in spite of the fact that the shooter didn’t use handguns, you project the evil of what happened on your own guns that you consider worthless for self defense, disregarding the fact that they would have been quite useful had the shooter decided to engage close quarters battle with you?  And you didn’t ponder the fact that a handgun would have indeed been useful to someone who did engage the shooter in close quarters battle?

I see.  Why don’t you stick with music and leave the thinking to thinking men.