GOA was really the one to raise the alarm about the Health Care Bill, but Politico reports it’s been fixed regardless. I suppose that’s a positive development, since it looks like Harry Reid managed to buy off Ben Nelson and Lieberman, giving him the 60 needed votes.
Author: Sebastian
Living Constitution and the Right to Arms
Dave Kopel has a new law review coming out on the subject. This is something we’ve talked about here too in regards to the history of the Pennsylvania constitution, where successive constitutional conventions have preserved the right intact.
New York Ad Campaign Against Toy Guns
Or is that real guns that look like toys? I classify this as “giving criminals ideas.” Â I don’t think any of them would have thought about it before, because half the point of carrying a gun if you’re a gansta or punk is to look cool. Pink gets in the way, don’t you think?
UPDATE: A little creative photoshopping.
Snowed In
Not much to do today, short of finishing up a project for work. Snow is deep on the ground and continuing to come down. Once I finish the project for work, I have some work to do on my club’s web site.
Military Curio Firearms Protected through Rider
NRA is reporting some interested progress in the Defense Appropriations Rider:
Section 8019 of the bill reads: “None of the funds available to the Department of Defense may be used to demilitarize or dispose of M-1 Carbines, M-1 Garand rifles, M-14 rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .30 caliber rifles, or M-1911 pistols, or to demilitarize or destroy small arms ammunition or ammunition components that are not otherwise prohibited from commercial sale under Federal law, unless the small arms ammunition or ammunition components are certified by the Secretary of the Army or designee as unserviceable or unsafe for further use.”
NRA-ILA would like to thank U.S. Representative John Murtha (D-PA) for his help in getting the rider restored and expanded.
Murtha might be a bastard on other issues, and a King of Pork, but he’s always been good on the Second Amendment. It’s interesting that it preserves M14s too, since those are select-fire rifles, and are not transferrable to civilians, but I’m wondering if NRA is thinking they can get them released to CMP for conversion into semi-automatic M1A rifles. This would violate ATF’s current “once a machine gun always a machine gun” policy, but that can be dealt with via congressional action.
I’m also wondering if this would allow surplus of military ammunition to civilian shooters. But to be honest, even just releasing military surplus to police agencies would be a big benefit to civilian shooters, since it would help satisfy at least some of the overall demand for military calibers.
Portable Artillery
They call this a rifle, but it’s really a shoulder fired cannon. It takes an NFA stamp to own one. Click on the link to see it in action. It really doesn’t look like it has much recoil.
NJ Paper Questions the Efficacy of Buybacks
The Verona-Cedar Grove Times is questioning whether gun buybacks which offer larger sums of money, like $200, might be encouraging thieves to steal more firearms. I think it’s a reasonable supposition, but I’d be surprised if the effect is that great, considering what other things you can steal that are worth more than 200 dollars, and also require breaking into homes. Plus, a gun on the streets is worth more than the buyback amount.
I don’t think the buybacks do much to control crime, since most of the people giving them up are homeowners who just don’t want them anymore. I’d have little problem if the police only destroyed the junk, and sold the guns that were of curios or otherwise valuable to collectors. They might not be effective at stopping crime, but I don’t see them as particularly problematic constitutionally as long as it’s voluntary. Whether it’s a wise use of money and police resources is another story.
Christmas Cheer from the Brady Campaign
The Brady Campaign notes that if you bring a gun on an Amtrak train, clearly you are going to die. And we’re the ones who are paranoid and hysterical? I mean, in a way I have to give them kudos for a sense of humor, and definitely an A for creativity. But come on. Let’s get real.
Fourth Generation Glock Update
Stephen Halbrook Christmas Special
Thanks to Dave Kopel for pointing this podcast interview out. Have a very merry Second Amendment Christmas. For those of you who are good, maybe you can find a copy of The Founders’ Second Amendment in your Christmas stocking.  For the bad boys and girls, a copy of Saul Cornell’s book, A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America. Ho! Ho! Ho!