Month: February 2009
Gun Show Bill in Virginia is a No Go
Word is that the bill to regulate all sales at gun shows in Virginia has been defeated for a second time in the Virginia Senate. This is useful for everyone, because passage of this bill in Virginia might have given legs to a national effort to do the same.
UPDATE: It occurs to me that I should say “further regulate” because it’s not like there’s any such thing as an unregulated gun sale these days.
Other Sovereignty Bills
There are other states that have been considering telling the feds to back off, much like New Hampshire, which we talked about a few days ago.
There may be others out there too. I think these are healthy for federalism, but for now they are mostly gestures. The problem with doing this for real would be the fact that many states suckle at the federal teat. As long as that’s the case, I don’t see any states actually giving the feds the middle finger.
Smart Gun Help
Eugene Volokh is looking for some input into a law review topic of smart guns and the Second Amendment. Some thoughts:
The electromagnetic pulse problem can be solved with shielding. You basically just need to build a Faraday cage around the sensitive electronic parts. The real problem is such electronics will need to rely on batteries, which either must be replaced or charged. The power distribution system is definitely vulnerable to EMP, and would be out in such an attack. Batteries might be in short supply.
Personalization requirements on smart guns could interfere with lawful self-defense in the instance where the gun is registered and assigned to a family member, and another family member requires its use for self-defense. In New Jersey, for instance, it’s technically unlawful to pass a firearm to your spouse, even in a self-defense situation, if that firearm is lawfully possessed by you. Presumably smart technology would be mandated to enforce laws regarding transferring, loaning or selling firearms.
Electrical motors and actuators, which any smart gun would presumably need to function properly, are not nearly as reliable as the mechanical linkages present in ordinary firearms. Motors and actuators can be made fairly reliable, but firearms need a very high degree of reliability to be useful.
I’m skeptical that smart gun technology will ever be reliable enough for the purpose of defending life. Certainly the problem that smart guns purportedly aim to solve can be more easily and cheaply solved by a quality, quick open handgun safe. Given that, smart guns seem like a solution in search of a problem.
Letter to the Editor Opportunities
Every time a story like this appears in the media, calling for a renewal of the Assault Weapons Ban, we should be ready to hit them with Letters to the Editor. If we’re going to work to sabotage the Brady Campaign’s efforts to create a positive media environment for renewal, this is what we’re going to have to do. Good guidelines are 200 words or less for an LTE. You need to get your follow up in quick, while the editorial is still fresh. Be clear and concise. Pick one line of argument and stick to it, rather than jumping all over the place.
I think every black rifle owner out there should go to at least one NRA high-power, CMP, or practical match this spring, and get yourself classified as a competitive shooter. Some letters should focus on the widespread use of AR-15s and various other military patterned rifles in shooting competition. Identify yourself a competitive shooter who uses one in matches. Talk about the qualities that make them beneficial for sport shooting. All letters should stress we’re not speaking of machine guns, which is the most common misconception. Other letters should focus on their use in self-defense. Talk about the AR/AK benefits for that purpose: their smaller size, the fact that they fire an intermediate powered cartridge, the fact that you can easily mount a flashlight to the rifle. The availability of ammunition because of their widespread use in law enforcement.
The only way we’re going to come out of these next four nightmarish years unscathed is if we all pitch in, and help defeat this bill in the realm of public opinion before it even has a chance to go anywhere in Congress.
VHFA Reintoruced in Congress
The Veterans Hertiage Firearms Act, which authorizes a limited amesty for registering NFA items for veterans who served from 1934 to 1968, has been reintroduced by Congressman Rehberg of Montana.  Baby steps.
Jim Crow for Gun Owners
Dave Workman has an interesting take on Congressman Rush’s bill in Illinois, which requires a written test as a precondition of licensing:
From the late 1890s through the mid-1960s, African-American citizens in the Deep South were systematically and egregiously denied their voting rights through the administration of so-called “literacy tests.”
It took an act of Congress and some Supreme Court rulings to abolish this despicable form of bigotry. But apparently history is lost on Congressman Bobby L. Rush, who represents the 1st District of Illinois.
Astonishingly, this black congressman has introduced a gun control measure that would, among other things, require potential gun owners to first apply for a firearm license and before that license would be issued, they would have to present “a certificate attesting to the completion . . . of a written firearms examination.”
If he were proposing this for voting he’d be banished from town. I guess in Congressman Rush’s world, some rights are more equal than others.
Let it Snow
The snow coming down provides the opportunity for some camera trickery:
I like playing with exposures, and seeing what the effects are. Some exposures in snow can almost look like daylight.
Tonight on Gun Nuts Radio
Caleb and Breda are hosting John Hutchinson, author of The Great New Orleans Gun Grab, on their show at 9PM tonight. I think this should be a very interesting show. So tune in to what listeners often call “the fastest hour on the Internet.”
UN Human Rights Declaration
Ilya Somin has a great citicism of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights over at Volokh. From my point of view, one of it’s major deficiencies is a lack of recognition of a natural right of self-defense, and the legal right to aquire, possess, and train with the means to defend yourself. But I suppose that could end up being “exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.” You know, like these purposes. Can’t have that.