To talk "machine guns," that is? (What did you think I was referring to?)
I ask because when some of us criticized people on the "pro gun" side who made public statements dissing machine guns, others in the "moderate" camp counseled us that it's a losing argument--people aren't ready to hear about it--it will scare them. It's dumb to even bring it up.
Never mind that some of us were not bringing it up, but were responding to one of theirs unnecessarily doing so.
So can we talk about machine guns yet? I ask, because the government has just redefined what a machine gun is--any firearm that malfunctions and fires more than one round before jamming.
So how about it--can we talk semiautomatics? Or is it too soon?
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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13 comments:
No. It's still too early.
The early bird gets the worm.
I don't bring it up, but if asked I cheerfully advocate private ownership of machine guns, along with anything else that could be considered a modern equivalent of horse artillery--up to and including armored fighting vehicles and combat aircraft.
"Every terrible implement of the soldier" is our birthright.
Are we all supposed to be afraid now that OUR semi-autos might malf and land us in jail?
ATFU would LOVE that.
The federal government could take Reservist Olofson and ISSUE him an actual machine gun and send him off to war, and no one would blink.
"Alia iacta est" is Latin for "The die is cast." When Julius Caesar led the Roman legions across the Rubicon back into the city, his doom was sealed. No soldiers permitted on Rome's home ground. It made the nobles anxious about rebellions and coups and such.
All power comes from We the People, the consent of the governed. We the People cannot delegate a right we do not possess to the government. If We the People delegate a right to the government, we also reserve that right, since it derives from us and our consent in the first place, it being a natural right to begin with.
Therefore, every arm and weapon in the government's arsenal is the birthright of every man and woman.
Too early to talk about? Is it too late?
If you want to write your Congressperson one more time, here's how to get to their email:
https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
I just did. I suggest that since we could all be "olofsoned," we all adopt olofson as our middle name, as in John "Olofson" Doe.
David,
As I understand it they did not just reclassify all malfunctioning semi-autos as MGs they classified ALL semi-autos as MGs since any semi-auto can be made to fire more than one round with a single trigger pull just by some judicious tampering with the sear. No, it is not something that you want to do for various reasons that have nothing to do with the law.
Congress isn't hearing us. I have a letter from Rep. Eric Cantor, Republican Whip, to whom I wrote last month, mentioning the Olofson travesty and others, BEGGING that ATF be reined in. The response thanks me for my support of the BATFE Reform and Modernization Act (H.R. 4900), which would "establish operational guidelines for BATFE when investigating firearms violations." The bill has been referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and Ways and Means and, I interpret, is stalled there.
Guidelines. For an unconstitutional agency doing unconstitutional things. For decades. Which answers only to its own chief.
I look forward to my next form letter with great eagerness. I emailed again today. I think that'll be it.
defender said: "I look forward to my next form letter with great eagerness. I emailed again today. I think that'll be it."
I think that you give up too easily. If anyone feels that they are not being heard, then speak up louder. If you give up and walk away, I can promise you that you absolutely will NOT be heard.
I believe that it is psychologically important for us to continue to fight in the political arena. It is good training that will have benefits for us whichever way that the fight evolves. It also helps publicly expose the tactics of the gun prohibitionists, and it provides a good rallying point around which we can all focus. Otherwise, the typical response for pro-gunners has been for everyone to sulk off to their home and ignore the problem. Faith and action are the most important when things seem most hopeless. The frustration you feel is a call to take action, and it is not a time to give up.
Just realize that when we look back at the Revolutionary War that set us free, we see only the opportunity that it brought us as if this is how they saw things at that time. We fail to see the reality of what our forefathers when through. They faced hopelessness, fear, hunger, and death. In the time of their greatest despair, they did not give up. They pushed harder and further than before, and that is why we are here. They would expect us to do the same.
I agree with anon6:10, but I want to work smarter, not harder. If snail mail and email is being ignored, what is the best way to get a congresscritter's attention?
I share David's frustration with trying to get the torpid American gunowner off of his keister and into the fight. As David has noted many times, it's easy to say we need a groundswell of support, it takes a vast about of energy to start that swell. I'd really like to work with the NRA on this, but their mismanagement is too much for me to stomach.
I guess I have to keep thinking about this.
I would like to see the NRA be absorbed into the Brady Campaign. That is where they belong, that is who they have helped the most and that is the only damn thing that will cause its membership to quit making excuses for it and put their support into some useful organization.
gaviota said: "If snail mail and email is being ignored, what is the best way to get a congresscritter's attention?"
One way to approach it is to never let them wear us out. Turn the tables on them and keep steady, relentless pressure on them. That is what they are trying to do to us via a flurry of little battles. So, even if the mail is being ignored, keep sending it because eventually they may get sick of hearing from us and cave in and give us what we want.
Also, it doesn't hurt to support alternative candidates who have most of the issues right. As an example, during the Texas primaries there was a Republican candidate, Larry Kilgore, running to take the place of incumbent Republican Senator Cornyn on the November ballet. He advocates peacefully withdrawing Texas from the U.S. Republic. He did not win, but he received 18.5% of the vote. That is almost 20%, and that is almost 4 times the percentages that Ron Paul received in the same Texas primary. Even if you don't fully agree with Kilgore's agenda, realize that if his percentages continue to increase with each election cycle, his Republican opponents will have no choice but to start moving their politics toward his end of the spectrum in order to avoid losing to Kilgore. This is a tactic that allows us to put pressure on politicians in a roundabout way and could prove very useful to us.
Unfortunately this is an issue that is passed down from parent to child. There are many that are bolt action or single shot shooters that feel/say "I don't own a machine gun/semi-auto, so I don't care about this."
I have seen hunters do the same thing, they don't hunt x so a law about z is no big deal to them.
If all gun owners (and hunters) don't stick together they will be in for a suprise one day.
Also, when people talk semi-autos most think rifles and not shotguns (even some semi-auto shotgun owners). This ruling will affect them, they need to be made fully aware about this.
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