Looks like this proposal would extend the law for another ten years. Introduced by Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC). Who I’d note carries an A rating from NRA and GOA. There’s no constituency to prevent an extension of the UFA. We’ll see what happens once this hits the Dem controlled Senate.
UPDATE: Note that the bill can be found here. It’s straight up extension for ten years. None of Schumer or Israel’s bullshit. Other blogs are reporting that a UFA expansion bill is up for consideration. Israel’s Bill is still listed as only being introduced. It hasn’t even been referred to a committee.
Just received an alarmist e-mail from “nationalgunrights.org” that Obama was going to use extension of this law to take on amendments banning wooden gun stocks as undetectable. Seems unlikely – but if this does pass, we’ll need to stay vigilant in the Senate to make sure that nothing unsavory is tacked on.
“Introduced by Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC). Who I’d note carries an A rating from NRA and GOA.”
I see Coble widely described as a Rebiblican, and his profile of issues sounds so stereotypical laundry-list as to border on comical:
That is certainly more than enough to explain the GOA endorsement, and, I’m beginning to fear, perhaps the NRA’s, too. But, while all these stereotypes know the rap about gun rights (which, after all, can be learned in about fifteen minutes) I suspect that the RKBA is dead last on many of their personal priority lists, to be sacrificed when necessary to advance what they really care about. Maybe Coble’s bill will be our illustration for this session.
I wouldn’t be too quick to throw him under the bus. By all means, if this gets passed I would be more apt to jump on him. However, there is so much that could happen to this bill in the markup process that there may have been an element of strategy here.
The UFA has had no effect on gun owners since it was originally enacted. Even the current 3d plastic guns are only good for 2 or 3 rounds. There is much more promise in the 3d metallic printing. Let them renew it as is and it makes no damn difference.
The key is keeping it “as is.” I agree with Sebastian that adding in anything else would fall into “expansion” and should be opposed. Anyway, they will use the same arguments against 3D metal printouts when that day rolls around.
And it will still make no difference, the 3d metal prints out. It’s not like it hasn’t been done before, there was just a successful example that fired more than 500 rounds. Now, the brits are mighty worried about 3d printing.
As someone who works in IT I can understand that. At my place of business we just got a 3D printer and I can see where things are going. Restricting information on the basis of it being “dangerous” has never worked and breeds intense resentment for us tech-savvy individuals. This next generation, short as they may be in certain areas, “gets it” when it comes to restricting information and technology. Gun control in most of the world, short of places with brutal regimes in place required to enforce it, will effectively be rendered obsolete. It will scare people, but that’s not a reason for the technology and information not to exist.
I have to admit, I’m getting mighty tired of these Republicans that only match with me on one issue, and then only lip service
Gun owners for the right are like gays to the left: promised the world, given the finger
Strings – I find myself generally in agreement with your frustration.
Strings: “I’m getting mighty tired of these Republicans that only match with me on one issue, and then only lip service. . .”
I don’t know what the answer is, so all I can say is “hold that thought.” I tried the third-party route roughly between 20 and 30 years ago and concluded it was hopeless, so at this point I’m short of a grand plan.
What I would suggest, is saying what you just said, a lot more often. Saying it sort of gives other people the feeling they have permission to say it too, and out of that something may evolve. Maybe we’ll know it when we see it.
To narrow my focus again, I am particularly tired of Republicans like Coble (and organizations like GOA) using our RKBA issue only as a decoy issue, to win our support that will be leveraged into supporting all of their other off-the-wall “stealth” issues, that many of us decidedly do not support.
Just to add a few more comments here.
First, Coble is not running for re-election. He’s in his early 80s and is hanging it up.
Second, the scare campaign against “undetectable plastic guns” is in full swing. Katie Couric on her talk show Katie just did a couple of pieces on 3-D printers. She started with a kid without fingers whose dad printed out a working prostheses on a 3-D printer. Then she said, we need to talk about the “dark side” of 3-D printing. That segment featured Dan Gross of the Brady Bunch and Brad Garrett who consults for ABC News. It was full of hyperbole and scare tactics.
And this is where our side needs to speak up and ask of them, “what will another law actually do? Stop someone who is already determined and in the process to commit a felony from committing it?”
I still oppose this, but if its just a renewal- and not an expansion- I can deal.
“I can deal.”
Never, ever say that in public!