Category: Guns

Centuries ago, Native Americans once practiced rain dances in the belief that their dances could bring the rain. So many gun control proposals today make about as much sense, only instead of rain dancing, if we just record enough things, we can fight crime. This is the latest out of California:

Some Sacramento gun dealers say a proposed ordinance requiring them to keep track of all the ammunition they sell will hurt business. But police say it’ll help catch criminals. City Council members are set to vote on the ordinance Thursday.

There is no way to trace ammunition or ammunition components back to an individual. All you get is a manufacturer, and sometimes maybe a lot number, or year of manufacturer. That’s about it. Someone needs to explain to me how having the gun shop owner record ammunition sales is going to catch a criminal, given that ammunition recovered at a scene of a crime isn’t going to be matchable to those sales records.  You can match a bullet to a gun, and sometimes a casing to a gun, but you can’t match a bullet to a piece of paper.

This seems like a case of politician rain dancing.  If only we could force some more record keeping, it will magically translate into lower crime, no matter how absurd the idea is.  Do a little dance, and hope for the best.

This article from the Sacremento Bee suggests the FBI might be investigating the Sheriff of that county for issuing carry licenses as patronage.  Read the whole thing.  This kind of circus is the system the Brady’s support as “reasonable”.

For those who think that perhaps those that advocate gun control will get their little victory, and then go away, I offer this:

Gun Control Australia says stronger laws have reduced the number of mass killings in Australia, but is worried the test to obtain a shooting licence is far too easy.

“In all jurisdictions, that is nowhere near as thorough and demanding as should be,” Gun Control Australia president John Crook said.

“Our only experience in analysing Victorian figures is virtually everyone, that is 99.5 per cent of people who take that test, pass it.

“In other words, it completely lacks integrity.

“It’s the simplest test you could imagine of just a few multiple choice answers.”

Mr Crook argued the test should be made into a course of between 20-40 hours over six months.

Put in tests and training, it’ll then be too easy, because people are passing them.  They don’t want any legal ownership, but you can’t get there in one fell swoop.

“If I had a magic wand, if was premier for a day, I would have a total prohibition on guns. Total prohibition, including disarming the police force,” he told the Nine Network.

Yeah.  Go ahead and try that and let me know how it works out for ya.

Requiring people to report stolen guns, or else, seems to be the latest trend in stopping illegal trafficing.   I’ve yet to figure out exactly how this works, other than adding a new way for legal gun ownership to land otherwise law abiding people in jail:

Gun-control advocates and public safety officials say the laws will close a loophole on illegal trafficking. California requires a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases, so authorities can run background checks on applicants. But nothing forbids someone who passes a background check from selling guns to someone who doesn’t, an act known as a “straw purchase.”

If by nothing they mean federal law that makes doing this a felony, then yeah, nothing forbids it.   Do reporters bother to do any research?  Or just say what sounds good, and hope for the best.

Such laws educate the public “and make gun owners a little more accountable,” Simi Valley Police Chief Mike Lewis said.

We’re already accountable enough, thank you.  You don’t think those 20,000 gun laws across the US are all aimed at criminals do you?

“Everybody should know where their gun is,” Heyne said, adding that the law doesn’t target responsible owners. “What we’re after are people who don’t know where their gun is or haven’t checked on it in years. This isn’t a hairbrush. This is a lethal instrument of death.”

Even I don’t do a complete inventory every other day.  Apparently the Pentagon doesn’t either.  Explain to me, oh anti-gun folks, exactly how is this meant to combat straw purchasing, which is already a felony?   I’d really like to know, especially since this crap is being peddled in my state legislature as we speak.

I should note, that as an FFL holder, I’m already required to report any thefts/losses to the ATF.  But one can be expected to know the laws that pertain to having the license.  I don’t expect some poor schmo that keeps a deer rifle in the attic to know much.