Looks like they botched another one. Dave Hardy notes: “ATF team wins first place in the competition for the most mucked-up sting operation in LE history.” A lot of folks want to get rid of the ATF. Certainly the FBI would likely be more competent at enforcing the laws on criminals, which would be a good thing. The problem is, the FBI will also be more competent at railroading the otherwise law-abiding on gotcha technical violations. They will also be more competent at petitioning Congress for more gun laws, and anti-gun Presidents would have more leeway to nominate anti-gun crusaders as FBI chief. Gun owners often call for the abolition of ATF, which is short sighted. As long as their are federal gun laws, someone is going to enforce them. Pick your poison.
Author: Sebastian
Alan Gura on the 7 Round Limit
“Clearly Unconstitutional” I am glad to hear such a firm statement. There have been others in the Second Amendment legal community that have broached the topic of round limitations, and while I realize there’s a limit to how far the federal courts are likely willing to go on these topics, if a ten round limit is conceded as constitutional, why not a seven round limit? What qualifies a judge, or legislator, to make such assessments? I know a lot of folks have derided the “common use” language in Heller as being a circular argument when it comes to machine guns and other long-regulated items, but I think that misses the forest for the trees.
If the Court does, in future cases, cement a “common use” test, that takes such questions out of the hands of judges and lawmakers and puts it squarely in the hands of the American people. You have some subjectivity in determining what does or does not constitute “in common use,” but if it’s interpreted correctly, I think in terms of magazines, it would get you to at least twenty round magazines being protected arms, and a more honest assessment ought to protect thirty round magazines as well. In terms of other arms, I likewise think it offers broad protections, without putting things like rocket launchers, MANPADs, or anti-tank missiles on the table, which federal judges, lawmakers, or the American people, are just never going to accept.
I’ve said before, we lost the machine gun argument in the 1930s. That was the time to have a fight over machine guns and it didn’t happen. I agree that for machine guns, common use is a circular argument, since they are not in common use because of the restrictions. I’d like to own a few myself if they eased the restrictions. But I think we’re beyond arguing for legal protections for machine guns, and the goal now needs to be getting serious and broad protections for everything else.
Bill to Defy Federal Gun Control Introduced in Pennsylvania
I’m glad Pennsylvania is joining the list of states poised to defy any new draconian federal gun control. You can see the bill here. I absolutely support this bill moving forward in the event we actually get some horrid law out of Washington, but I would caution until it looks like we’re going to get something out of Washington, it’s probably best if we keep this one on the back burner. The message has been sent, but we need to be prepared to push this to the hilt if something passes in D.C.
Civil Rights Victory in Hawaii
Hawaii gunnies mobilized and defeated a bill early out of the gate. This is particularly impressive in Hawaii, given that many gun owners reside on the Big Island, and a trip to the State Capital involves plane fare. I’m glad to hear this, because Hawaii’s shooting culture felt a lot more to me like Maryland than New Jersey or New York.
Thursday News Dump
It’s Thursday, and everyone is talking about guns, so time to clear the tabs:
Tom Gresham’s Gun Talk delivers 6000+ NRA Life Members.
Radley Balko to Joe Biden: The Cops Are Not Outgunned
The Defensive Line. NFLPA helps to give NFL players proper training in the safe and responsible use of firearms in self-defense.
A takedown of the New York Times’ “Confessions of a Leftist Gun Owner”
Joe takes down the notion that no one wants to take our guns, which is kind of easy when political pundits on the left are publishing articles called “How to Ban Guns.”
California lawmakers consider wide range of new gun controls.
What Feinstein’s failed to tell you. Her bill plausibly bans all semi-automatics because of a bug in the drafting. Or is it a feature?
NYPD chief says handguns are the real problems. So we must ban rifles!
Shall Issue Bill in Illinois
I got language for it last night, but did not have time to read through it in detail and run through what it all would mean. Fortunately, John Richardson has done all the work so I don’t have to. It’s a better bill than I would have expected, and hopefully it’ll pass clean. You can bet there will be an attempt to attach Rahm’s laundry list to it.
Gun Control in New Jersey
They are now up to 43 anti-gun bills. That list is here:
- A3645 – Requires ammunition sales and transfers be conducted as face‑to‑face transactions.
- A3646Â – Establishes a regulatory system to govern the sale and transfer of ammunition.
- A3653Â – Criminalizes purchasing or owning weapon if person has previous conviction of unlawful possession of weapon.
- A3659Â – Revises definition of destructive device to include certain weapons of 50 caliber or greater.
- A3664Â – Reduces lawful maximum capacity of certain ammunition magazines in New Jersey.
- A3666Â – Prohibits mail order, Internet, telephone, and any other anonymous method of ammunition sale or transfer in New Jersey.
- A3667Â – Requires mental health screening by licensed professional to purchase a firearm.
- A3668Â – Prohibits investment by State of pension and annuity funds in companies manufacturing, importing, and selling assault firearms for civilian use.
- A3676 – Requires psychological evaluation and in‑home inspection as prerequisite to purchase firearm.
- A3687Â – Disqualifies person named on federal Terrorist Watchlist from obtaining firearms identification card or permit to purchase handgun.
- A3688Â – Requires mental health evaluation and list of household members with mental illness to purchase firearm.
- A3689Â – Requires security guards who carry weapons to wear certain uniform, including identification card.
- A3690Â – Declares violence a public health crisis, recommends expansion of mental health programs, recommends federal adoption of gun control measures, and establishes “Study Commission on Violence.”
- A3704Â – Requires handgun ammunition to be encoded with serial number.
- A3707Â – Establishes a ballistics identifier program for certain firearms.
- A3717Â – Requires submission of certain mental health records to National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
- A3727Â – Imposes additional five percent tax on sale of firearms and ammunition to fund safety infrastructure improvements in public buildings.
- A3748 – Requires background check for private gun sales.
- A3750 – Establishes regulatory and reporting program for all ammunition sales.
- A3752 – Requires firearms to be unloaded and securely locked or stored within home.
- A3753 – Increases references required for application for handgun permit and firearms identification card from two to five.
- A3754 – Requires firearms seizure when mental health professional determines patient poses threat of harm to self or others.
- A3772 – Requires that firearms purchaser identification cards display picture; mandates that firearms purchaser identification cards be renewed every five years.
- A3773 – Increases firearms purchaser identification card and permit to purchase a handgun fee.
- ACR176 – Memorializes Congress and the President of the United States to enact legislation enforcing stricter firearms control measures.
- AR143 – Expresses support for Attorney General’s gun buyback program.
- AR133Â – Expresses support for creation of task force on gun control led by Vice President Biden.
- S2430Â – Declares violence a public health crisis, recommends expansion of mental health programs, recommends federal adoption of gun control measures, and establishes “Study Commission on Violence.”
- S2456Â – Criminalizes purchase or possession of firearms ammunition by persons convicted of certain crimes.
- S2464Â – Regulates sale and transfer of rifle and shotgun ammunition.
- S2465Â – Prohibits mail order, Internet, telephone, and any other anonymous method of ammunition sale or transfer in New Jersey.
- S2467Â – Prohibits State administered pension fund investment in manufacturers of firearms prohibited in New Jersey.
- S2471Â – Prohibits investment by State of pension and annuity funds in companies manufacturing, importing, and selling assault firearms for civilian use.
- S2474Â – Establishes a regulatory system to govern the sale and transfer of ammunition.
- S2475Â – Reduces maximum capacity of ammunition magazines to 10 rounds.
- S2476 – Requires ammunition sales and transfers be conducted as face‑to‑face transactions.
- S2485Â – Disqualifies person named on federal Terrorist Watchlist from obtaining firearms identification card or permit to purchase handgun.
- S2497Â – Reduces lawful maximum capacity of certain ammunition magazines in New Jersey.
- S2523 – Establishes a regulatory program for rifle and shotgun ammunition sales.
- S2525 – Establishes regulatory and reporting program for all ammunition sales.
- SCR136Â – Urges President and Congress of United States to enact assault weapons ban including prohibition against large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
- SR96Â – Urges President and Congress to reauthorize assault weapons ban.
- SR92Â – Urges Congress to strengthen gun control
Scott Bach has an editorial in The Record talking about how New Jersey doesn’t need any more gun control. Some of the bills that looks like they could move are draconian, such as forcing gun owners to get psychological evaluations, and limiting magazine capacity to 5 rounds.
Oh, Boo Hoo!
Via Megan McArdle, this isn’t gun related, but this kid acts like he’s the first person in the world that ever had to hold down a shitty job to make ends meet. I can remember being 15 or so, and my mom telling me “You’re not just going to sit around the house this summer. You’re going to go get a job,” and I resisted this tremendously, mostly because I have never liked people telling me I had to do X, Y, or Z. But I’m glad my parents made me do that.
My first job was working with my Uncle, involved helping dig up water mains to houses and installing pressure reducers under a water company contract. My cousin and I were helpers, but we helped dig the holes, helped the plumber do the hookup, and then helped refill the holes and tamp the soil back down. It was very difficult work, and we didn’t get paid much. We were cheaper than renting a backhoe, and were less likely to break the water main (though we did once, and that was… interesting).
My next job was not such a screaming violation of child labor laws, since I was 16-18 when I had it and it did not involve grueling manual labor. I worked in the meat packing business 20 hours a week. I stamped expiration dates on sausage packages before they went out to stores. My pay was slightly higher than minimum wage, and I got paid a dollar less an hour than the boss’s son, who did the same job for a while. Compared to my previous work with my Uncle, it was paradise, even though it was still arduous, monotonous work.
And yet somehow I never felt exploited, or felt like “the man” was keeping me down and mistreating me. I liked having the money, and was putting a good bit away for college. Because my mom was sick, she couldn’t work, so it was understood I was going to have to put myself through college, mostly. I worked part-time through most of my college career, though doing engineering work that I was being trained to do. My dad made payments on the loans while I was in school, but after I got out and got a job, I took them over. I lived at home for a while so I could pay down my debts from college a bit, and moved out at 26, thinking at the time it was kind of disgraceful to still be living at home at that age, even though it was just my dad and I (my mom had passed on by that time, and sister moved out).
I’ve had crappy jobs since with sadistic bosses in my professional life. At my last job I went through four CEOs, one of whom, who served the longest, was an absolute nightmare to deal with. But I never considered that I was being subject to that through anything other than my own choice, and I have a hard time understand people who think otherwise. I have absolutely no sympathy for spoiled shits like the kid in this article. None. A few days ago, Scott Adams of Dilbert fame was talking about this very thing. I think our efforts to remove adolescents and young adults from the labor pool is doing a grave disservice to their motivation and character, and this Administration has done nothing but try to make it worse. Any why not? If the spoiled and pampered vote the right way, that’s all that matters isn’t it? I really do increasingly feel like we have two Americas, and those two Americas aren’t anything like each other. They aren’t even on the same planet. This is just more evidence.
Cuomo’s Approval Rating Plummets
According to Jammie Wearing Fools, via Instapundit. I seem to recall the rate of Democratic gun ownership was 17% when polled, which makes you wonder if the 15 point drop is just coincidentally close. Polls now show that even liberal gun owners would defy draconian gun bans:
Breaking down the numbers by political affiliation also provided some interesting insight into the attitudes of Americans. In all, 70 percent of Republicans and 68 percent of self-identified conservatives would refuse to hand over their weapons. More surprisingly, perhaps, were the figures for those on the left: According to the survey, more than half of Democrats and almost 60 percent of self-styled liberals would defy any potential gun ban.
This was a toxic issue for the Democrats just a few months ago, and now they all think it’s a winner. Looking at the polling, it still looks pretty toxic to me.
Britain’s Rape Rate Double That of US
I certainly will not claim the United Kingdom has more than twice the rape rate because American women are allowed to own guns while British women for practical purposes are not, but it does make you wonder, doesn’t it?
I think a woman’s ability to defend herself is part of it, but I also think different cultures tend to drive different kinds of criminality. British subjects, for instance, have never been big murderers, but overall violent crime is higher in the UK than here. I’ve also wondered if that is because, even in criminal subcultures, there’s certain behavior that’s likely to get your ass shot, and is best not engaged in, whereas in the UK there’s more low level violence, because the criminal culture is less willing to murder. I don’t think this has as much to do with the supply of guns, since guns seem to be pretty available to criminals in both countries, so much as differences in the criminal cultures.