In a matter of days after the Tucson atrocity, we saw all manner of BS gun control arguments raised yet again. A case of simple minds seeking unworkably simplistic answers to complicated issues, and pointedly avoiding the real problems that need to be addressed. The London-based Economist sniffed pompously that in no other civilized country would a private citizen be able to buy a Glock 19. This will come as a shock to my French, Italian, Belgian, and other friends overseas who legally own them. But when does truth ever get in the way of rhetoric? When does the snooty brie-and-chablis crowd miss a chance to bully what they perceive to be blue-collar rednecks who own firearms?
The criminal use of extended magazines – that is, magazines that hold more cartridges than the gun was originally designed for – is exceedingly rare. I remember one case in the 90s with an AK47 clone and an oversize drum magazine. One from the ‘80s in which a cop-killer had an aftermarket 40-round magazine for a rifle designed for 30-round mags. From there, I’d have to go back to the 1930s, when Dillinger and company had a few Colt semiautomatic pistols made up into full-automatic machine pistols with extended mags, by an outlaw gunsmith in Texas. (If I’ve missed any, please point them out here.) By contrast, there are MANY cases where the good guys, cops and armed citizens alike, ran out of ammo and could have greatly benefited from extended magazine technology.
Representative Carolyn McCarthy, who rode into Congress on public sympathy when her husband was murdered and her son wounded by a spree killer, has already introduced a new bill to ban not only extended magazines such as the 33-rounder the Tucson mass murderer used, but ordinary magazines of full capacity. She would limit us again to ten rounds, which did no good in the decade of the Clinton Assault Weapon ban, and will do no good if it passes again. The way it’s worded, however, it will ban many ordinary sporting guns and magazines that have been in law-abiding American families for generations.
I empathize with Representative McCarthy, and I understand her pain. But this is the lady who, when asked if she knew what a barrel shroud was – one of the evil “assault rifle” appurtenances she wanted to ban – replied that she thought it was something to do with the rear end of the gun.
Sorry, but those who would pass legislation controlling law-abiding use of automobiles should, if they’re not drivers themselves, at least know the hood from the trunk. When the lawmaker doesn’t know her butt from her business end about the thing she would ban or even confiscate, it is Nature’s way of telling us that, however well-intentioned and deserving of compassion she may be, she may not be the person to be making those laws.
There is much more to discuss in regard to this issue, and many unintended consequences that can ripple outward from ill-advised, knee-jerk legislation. Right now, the “high capacity magazine ban solution” seems as empty as an unloaded magazine.
I’ll have more to say about it here soon…but what have YOU to say on the matter?
All of the uneducated do-gooders are coming out of the bushes, nooks, and crannies. Our paper had a letter-to-the-editor where this woman wrote that all semi-automatic and automatic weapons should be banned. She then went on to say that extended magazines should also be banned. Hmmm…. Seeing that we are both living in New York State, she would know that magazines greater then 10 rounds are illegal if she did the research. Not only that, she should have known that automatic weapons are controlled by the BATF. To top it off, if semi-automatics were banned, regulating magazines would be moot.
These people that, know not that they know not, are dangerous to the freedoms given by the Constitution without knowing it. It is so sad.
I think the law abiding, gun owning citizens should debate these people from our own point of view. I keep seeing the arguments about how wrong the left is but what about the arguments from OUR side. We need to get people to thinking the way we see things. We need to argue the truth that the Arizona attack, school shootings, random shootings are not the “norm” of gun owners that the media and Washington portray them to be. Just like the rare airline crash that make big news, so does the relatively rare big time crime attack make news. Yet, there are thousands upon thousands of perfectly safe flights that arrive at their destination every day, and untold millions of responsible gun owners who, carry and enjoy their weapons legally and safely everyday. This is the picture that American opinion needs to see and understand.
More gun legistlation is not the answer actually keeping dangerous criminals in jail is. That will never happen because it costs the politicians money to contrust prison space needed and they don’t like to spend money. Lip service is all they can offer and basesless laws on guns. We need to vote the liberals out in record numbers again this time in 2012. Everytime the liberals gain control we are here debating our gun rights while we pay an arm and leg for guns at the gun stores and most popular ammo has increased in cost and hard to find. The Liberals are the best gun salesman and are great for the industry by scarring folks into panic buying which happens every few tears.
Cassandra Says: “deadly laser sights… guide bullets to the target”
Only politicians would know about laser-guided handgun cartridges.