Apparently ATF is going after fisherman who use M80 like firecrackers fired from a gun, in order to scare away seals and birds from their fishing lines. I feel safer already!
3 thoughts on “Unregistered Firecrackers”
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The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …
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This runs contrary to the ATF’s claim (and that of the Brady Campaign) that they’re so underfunded, they can’t stop themselves from running guns into Mexico. Or something like that.
ATF should talk to NOAA or NMFS first before they make it harder to buy seal bombs. Most fisherman I know (especially small boat operators) go out of their way to practice low-impact, environmentally friendly fishing, which includes scaring seals, sea lions, etc. when they can instead of shooting them. However, if it gets too hard to scare them and nobody’s around….well, I’ve seen more than one sea lion floating belly up on the drag. Seal bombs are darn useful tools, and if seals could talk they’d no doubt endorse them over 30-30s, which are the option of last resort. I’ve seen seal bombs fired from shotguns work pretty well on polar bears too, which most people would rather frighten away than kill. Hopefully ATF over-zealousness won’t make them unavailable.
The underlying problem is the general schedule (GS) system of promotion and yearly bonuses for civil servants. There is no bonus, and no chance of promotion, for just doing your job perfectly. You have to do your job poorly, so you have time for ‘special projects’ – meaning either a new way to spend money or a new way to restrict activity.