A rush to judgment with ill-conceived and hasty “solutions” seems to be a common response to any crisis. It is what Lenore Skenazy called yesterday Post-Traumatic Stupidity Syndrome.
President Obama will unveil his proposals for gun control (which he calls gun safety) while surrounded by a gaggle of little kids today. In that light, I think it is instructive to think about some other rushes to judgment coming out of Washington.
TSA.
Patriot Act.
TARP Program.
Stimulus Act.
Need I say more?
Jeff Quinn of Gunblast.com is one of my staples for seeing what is going on at the SHOT Show. This year is no different. On the first day of SHOT, he interviews representatives from Tactical Solutions, Savage, Barrett, and Para-USA among others.
That suppressed Barrett in .50 BMG is sure to have the state-run media aka the mainstream media sputtering with false outrage.
Michael Bane is covering the 2013 SHOT Show for the Outdoor Channel along with his friend Ed Head of Gunsite Academy. Among the firearms they discussed were the Sig Sauer MPX, the new Ruger Guide Rifle in .375 RM, the Rock Island 1911 in .22 TCM, and the Smith and Wesson M&P 10 which is an AR in .308. They did notice a trend of a lot of red dots being made for handguns along the ammo shortage.
When you look over the list of hunting and outdoor groups that met with Vice-President Joe Biden last week, you have to ask yourself why one group and not another? Why was a group such as the Bull Moose Sportsman’s Alliance Action Fund invited and not a group like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation or the National Wild Turkey Federation? While the latter two groups are nationally known, I’d wager most have never even heard of the Bull Moose Sportsman’s Alliance Action Fund.
I wonder if their invitation had anything to do with their co-founder and co-director Gaspar Perricone penning an op-ed that supported universal background checks, magazine restrictions, and an enhanced national database of the mentally ill.
Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals has always
been the law. Enforcing that law more effectively must become our
priority. We should start by making sure that all records of dangerous
individuals are entered into a national database, and we should
immediately end the background check loophole.
Perricone says that he opposes a reinstatement of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban “as written”. However, he goes on to say this.
But that does not mean we’re opposed to keeping dangerous weapons and
high capacity magazines out of dangerous hands. We will defend the
rights of sportsmen to own firearms for hunting, as well as our ability
to protect our families in our homes. But we believe that we can protect
our outdoor heritage and ensure our citizens’ safety at the same time.
Divide and conquer is at the key of Chicago-style politics and so it is with the assault on the Second Amendment. The Obama Administration obviously believes it can turn enough hunters against pro-rights groups by promising to leave their sporting guns alone. That is why a group you’ve never heard of gets invited to the White House to meet with Joe Biden.
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy introduced HR 138 – the Large Capacity Feeding Device Act – as expected on January 3rd. It is a word-for-word repeat of her HR 308 introduced in the 112th Congress. It is a straight up magazine ban of all magazines with a greater than 10 round capacity or the ability to be converted or adapted to that size. Unlike the Clinton-era assault weapon (sic) ban, this bill will not allow you to transfer a pre-ban magazine. Of course, all governmental agencies and current or retired law enforcement officers are exempted from it.
The text of the bill is below:
HR 138 IH
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 138
To prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2013
Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York (for herself and Ms. DEGETTE) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act’.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON TRANSFER OR POSSESSION OF LARGE CAPACITY AMMUNITION FEEDING DEVICES.
(a) Definition- Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after paragraph (29) the following:
`(30) The term `large capacity ammunition feeding device’–
`(A) means a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or
similar device that has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored
or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition; but
`(B) does not include an attached tubular device
designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber
rimfire ammunition.’.(b) Prohibitions- Section 922 of such title is amended by inserting after subsection (u) the following:
`(v)(1)(A)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), it shall
be unlawful for a person to transfer or possess a large capacity
ammunition feeding device.`(ii) Clause (i) shall not apply to the possession of a
large capacity ammunition feeding device otherwise lawfully possessed
within the United States on or before the date of the enactment of this
subsection.`(B) It shall be unlawful for any person to import or bring into the United States a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
`(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to–
`(A) a manufacture for, transfer to, or possession by
the United States or a department or agency of the United States or a
State or a department, agency, or political subdivision of a State, or a
transfer to or possession by a law enforcement officer employed by such
an entity for purposes of law enforcement (whether on or off duty);
`(B) a transfer to a licensee under title I of the
Atomic Energy Act of 1954 for purposes of establishing and maintaining
an on-site physical protection system and security organization required
by Federal law, or possession by an employee or contractor of such a
licensee on-site for such purposes or off-site for purposes of
licensee-authorized training or transportation of nuclear materials;
`(C) the possession, by an individual who is retired
from service with a law enforcement agency and is not otherwise
prohibited from receiving ammunition, of a large capacity ammunition
feeding device transferred to the individual by the agency upon that
retirement; or
`(D) a manufacture, transfer, or possession of a large
capacity ammunition feeding device by a licensed manufacturer or
licensed importer for the purposes of testing or experimentation
authorized by the Attorney General.’.(c) Penalties- Section 924(a) of such title is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(8) Whoever knowingly violates section 922(v) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.’.
(d) Identification Markings- Section 923(i) of such title
is amended by adding at the end the following: `A large capacity
ammunition feeding device manufactured after the date of the enactment
of this sentence shall be identified by a serial number that clearly
shows that the device was manufactured after such date of enactment, and
such other identification as the Attorney General may by regulation
prescribe.’.
This bill has 39 co-sponsors as of today and I’m sure more anti-gun representatives will be flocking to sign on after Obama’s unveiling of his proposals tomorrow. The co-sponsors, all Democrats, include:
Rep Brady, Robert A. [PA-1]
Rep Capuano, Michael E. [MA-7]
Rep Castor, Kathy [FL-14]
Rep Cicilline, David N. [RI-1]
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-13]
Rep Courtney, Joe [CT-2]
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7]
Rep DeGette, Diana [CO-1]
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3]
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-21]
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5]
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-18]
Rep Frankel, Lois [FL-22]
Rep Fudge, Marcia L. [OH-11]
Rep Higgins, Brian [NY-26]
Rep Himes, James A. [CT-4]
Rep Huffman, Jared [CA-2]
Rep Israel, Steve [NY-3]
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9]
Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1]
Rep Levin, Sander M. [MI-9]
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-12]
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-6]
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4]
Rep Miller, George [CA-11]
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4]
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8]
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC]
Rep Perlmutter, Ed [CO-7]
Rep Quigley, Mike [IL-5]
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9]
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-28]
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-30]
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-25]
Rep Speier, Jackie [CA-14]
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6]
Rep Tsongas, Niki [MA-3]
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8]
Rep Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3]
When Obama unveils his gun control package tomorrow, he will be surrounded by children.
From the C-Span transcript of Press Secretary Jay Carney’s press briefing:
I CAN TELL YOU THAT TOMORROW THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT WILL HOLD AN EVENT TO UNVEIL A PANEL TO PRODUCE GUN VIOLENCE AND PREVENT FUTURE TRAGEDIES LIKE THE ONE HERE IN NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT.
THEY WILL BE JOINED BY CHILDREN AROUND THE COUNTRY EXPRESSING THEIR CONCERNS ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE AND SCHOOL SAFETY, ALONG WITH THEIR PARENTS.
C-Span has a typo when they say the “panel to produce gun violence” which I find rather ironic given the efficacy of all of the proposals we’ll hear tomorrow in stopping further mass shootings. In other words, none.
As to parading little kids in front of the television camera, it is appalling and disgusting and the sort of propaganda usually only seen in totalitarian countries.
Kurt has more on this propaganda display.
Yesterday was the first day that the House of Representatives was back in session since January 4th. Four more gun control bills were introduced to go with the nine other bills that were already introduced on the 3rd of January.
I have listed the bills below in order of their introduction along with their sponsor and the bills working title.
HR 226 – Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Co-sponsor: Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit against tax
for surrendering to authorities certain assault weapons.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 227– Theodore Deutch (D-FL)
Co-sponsors:
Gerald Connolly (D-VA)
Mike Quigley (D-IL)
To establish a gun buyback grant program.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 236 – James Langevin (D-RI)
Co-sponsors:
Matthew Cartwright (D-PA)
David Cicilline (D-RI)
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Bobby Rush (D-IL)
Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
To ensure greater accountability by licensed firearms dealers.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 238 – Grace Meng (D-NY)
To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to restrict the
ability of a person whose Federal license to import, manufacture, or
deal in firearms has been revoked, whose application to renew such a
license has been denied, or who has received a license revocation or
renewal denial notice, to transfer business inventory firearms, and for
other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
The Government Printing Office has not received the text for any of these bills. The last bill listed – HR 238 – would seem to be identical to HR 93 introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI).
Michael Bane gives an overview of the 2013 SHOT Show Media Day for the Outdoor Channel in the video below. I love the ending shot of the smile on a guy’s face after shooting an AR-15 with a bumpfire stock (corrected).
As I find more reports from Media Day I will be posting them today.
Jeff Quinn of GunBlast.com shows some of the new stuff that was available for test at the 2013 SHOT Show Media Day. He shows some cool stuff on what looks to be a frigid and windy day in the desert.
For more pictures of some of the new stuff, go here.
North at The Gun Blog Black List has an illustration of what is OK and what isn’t OK when it comes to magazine clips of high capacity. I think I should be compliant given what I see in my desk drawer though I do have a secret stash of some of those magazine clips of high capacity. You just never know when you’ll need them.
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