Something Feral

Digging up the flower-beds.


Friday, November 7, 2008

Yet another problem with reading comprehension

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Straight from the prospective Obama administration's website for the occupation of the White House:
Address Gun Violence in Cities: As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

Utterly predictable, but outrageous nonetheless. I expect the proposed legislation to be similar in form to the recent H.R. 1022 (Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2007), which expands the definition of an "assault weapon" (a pejorative term applied to garner sympathy from the ignorant) to the following:
(30) The term `semiautomatic assault weapon' means any of the following:

(A) The following rifles or copies or duplicates thereof:
(i) AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, Misr, NHM 90, NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR;
(ii) AR-10;
(iii) AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, or Olympic Arms PCR;
(iv) AR70;
(v) Calico Liberty;
(vi) Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle or Dragunov SVU;
(vii) Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, or FNC;
(viii) Hi-Point Carbine;
(ix) HK-91, HK-93, HK-94, or HK-PSG-1;
(x) Kel-Tec Sub Rifle;
(xi) M1 Carbine;
(xii) Saiga;
(xiii) SAR-8, SAR-4800;
(xiv) SKS with detachable magazine;
(xv) SLG 95;
(xvi) SLR 95 or 96;
(xvii) Steyr AUG;
(xviii) Sturm, Ruger Mini-14;
(xix) Tavor;
(xx) Thompson 1927, Thompson M1, or Thompson 1927 Commando; or
(xxi) Uzi, Galil and Uzi Sporter, Galil Sporter, or Galil Sniper Rifle (Galatz).

(B) The following pistols or copies or duplicates thereof:
(i) Calico M-110;
(ii) MAC-10, MAC-11, or MPA3;
(iii) Olympic Arms OA;
(iv) TEC-9, TEC-DC9, TEC-22 Scorpion, or AB-10; or
(v) Uzi.

(C) The following shotguns or copies or duplicates thereof:
(i) Armscor 30 BG;
(ii) SPAS 12 or LAW 12;
(iii) Striker 12; or
(iv) Streetsweeper.

(D) A semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine, and that has--
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a threaded barrel;
(iii) a pistol grip;
(iv) a forward grip; or
(v) a barrel shroud.

(E)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), a semiautomatic rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
(ii) Clause (i) shall not apply to an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.

(F) A semiautomatic pistol that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine, and has--
(i) a second pistol grip;
(ii) a threaded barrel;
(iii) a barrel shroud; or
(iv) the capacity to accept a detachable magazine at a location outside of the pistol grip.

(G) A semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.

(H) A semiautomatic shotgun that has--
(i) a folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) a pistol grip;
(iii) the ability to accept a detachable magazine; or
(iv) a fixed magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds.

(I) A shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

(J) A frame or receiver that is identical to, or based substantially on the frame or receiver of, a firearm described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (I) or (L).

(K) A conversion kit.

(L) A semiautomatic rifle or shotgun originally designed for military or law enforcement use, or a firearm based on the design of such a firearm, that is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, as determined by the Attorney General. In making the determination, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that a firearm procured for use by the United States military or any Federal law enforcement agency is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, and a firearm shall not be determined to be particularly suitable for sporting purposes solely because the firearm is suitable for use in a sporting event.

(b) Related Definitions- Section 921(a) of such title is amended by adding at the end the following:

(36) Barrel Shroud- The term `barrel shroud' means a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel of a firearm so that the shroud protects the user of the firearm from heat generated by the barrel, but does not include a slide that encloses the barrel, and does not include an extension of the stock along the bottom of the barrel which does not encircle or substantially encircle the barrel.

(37) Conversion Kit- The term `conversion kit' means any part or combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a firearm into a semiautomatic assault weapon, and any combination of parts from which a semiautomatic assault weapon can be assembled if the parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.

(38) Detachable Magazine- The term `detachable magazine' means an ammunition feeding device that can readily be inserted into a firearm.

(39) Fixed Magazine- The term `fixed magazine' means an ammunition feeding device contained in, or permanently attached to, a firearm.

(40) Folding or Telescoping Stock- The term `folding or telescoping stock' means a stock that folds, telescopes, or otherwise operates to reduce the length, size, or any other dimension, or otherwise enhances the concealability, of a firearm.

(41) Forward Grip- The term `forward grip' means a grip located forward of the trigger that functions as a pistol grip.

(42) Pistol Grip- The term `pistol grip' means a grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip.

(43) Threaded Barrel- The term `threaded barrel' means a feature or characteristic that is designed in such a manner to allow for the attachment of a firearm as defined in section 5845(a) of the National Firearms Act (26 U.S.C. 5845(a)).

Keep in mind that this was introduced to the House of Representatives by Rep. Carolyn "Barrel-Shroud" McCarthy [D-NY], who is demonstrably and willfully ignorant regarding the content of her own bill and the design and function of, I daresay, all the affected firearms.

Nevermind that "assault weapons" have no placing in the BATFE's "Top Ten" list of models most-frequently used in crimes. In fact, none of the firearms in that list qualify as "high-capacity" under the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.

I think the pertinent question would be, "What exactly are they planning that requires law-abiding citizens to surrender their arms, but largely ignores the cause of the crime that "assault weapons" purportedly encourage?"

I promise that you will not like the answer.

2 comments:

Elusive Wapiti said...

Feral, you got it. The purpose has nothing to do with crime reduction at all. The purpose is to enfeeble any opposition that the People may put up to either violent criminals or g-men (a redundant set of terms, I know).

Also, you made the Voxologisti. Congrats!

Something Feral said...

Thanks! I was excited to see "Something Feral" up on the blogroll, and I don't mind saying so. :)

I was down at one of the ranges we have in town here, browsing the wares, and the clerk said that they had six Springfield XDs come in last week (this was on Saturday), and they were already down to one. I have the feeling that if they do try the round-up, they'll have about as much luck as Canada did with the mandatory registration.