Gun Owners Won’t Accept “Universal Background Checks”

Registration by any other name is still unconstitutional

The focus in Washington is slowly shifting from legislation banning certain semi-auto firearms and standard capacity magazines to proposals for “universal background checks” – just as we had warned it would.  Politicians know that America’s gun owners are beside themselves in opposition to gun and magazine bans.  They’ve watched as fearful shoppers have cleared the nation’s entire supply of AR and AK type rifles in just a couple of weeks, leaving manufacturers and importers 8 to 12 months deep in backorders.  The politicians remember what happened after the ban was passed in 1994 and they know there would be a serious price to pay for supporting bans on these popular tools today.  On the other hand, the politicians seem to assume that a new law requiring background checks on private firearm transfers would have less negative impact on their ability to be elected.  That’s an assumption that could get them in deep trouble.

While gun and magazine bans are overt assaults on the right to arms, and, by comparison, “universal background checks” seem much less onerous, the fact is, inserting government bureaucracy into private transactions is just as unconstitutional, and potentially more dangerous in the long run, than the proposed bans.  The core of the gun rights movement understands this and has already geared up for the fight and for the paybacks in the next election.

Continue reading Don’t Accept the Check →

Deadly “Assault Weapons”… What Are They?

Most importantly, they’re not machineguns.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about “Assault Weapons,” but it seems that many of the people doing the talking don’t know anything at all about guns, and that’s causing confusion.

As an Army-certified Small Arms Repairman and a lifelong firearms owner and enthusiast, I know a little bit about guns and assault rifles, so I’d like to set the record straight about a few things.

First off, the term “Assault Weapon” is a made-up name.  There really is no such thing.  The term was coined by some firearm marketers back in the 1970s to describe military-looking, semi-auto firearms.  Anti-gun extremists recognized it as a catchy and scary term and exploited it for all it was worth.  The term was a play on the valid label “Assault Rifle,” which is a lightweight, selective fire rifle or carbine.  The key there is that term “selective fire,” which means the operator can select either single shot or multi-shot modes of fire.  In other words, a true assault rifle can fire one shot for each trigger pull, or it can fire a burst or string of shots for each trigger pull – machinegun mode.

Continue reading Assault Weapons →

A Challenge to Major Media: Don’t Identify the Next Murdering Deviant.

We’ve seen the cycle repeated over and over again: a twisted individual, couple, or small group engages in a depraved attack on unarmed innocents.  The media are outraged, astounded, shocked – shocked I say…  Quickly they delve into the identity and background of the murderer(s), naming them, showing their pictures, quoting their Facebook pages, talking to their neighbors, families, friends, teachers, and anyone else who can “shed some light” on who the murderer or murderers were and why they might have done such a terrible thing.  The media are so anxious to share this information, to be first in the relentless twenty-four-hour news cycle, that they have often released incorrect information, naming the wrong person or linking to the wrong Facebook account or other information.  They follow the story for weeks, making the vile killer(s) household names and guaranteeing that they will go down in history for their atrocious actions.

A few days, weeks, or months later, some other deranged soul or souls launch a similar attack, like competitors on a video game, trying to “rack up a higher score” with a more repulsive and shocking atrocity – shooting for a higher “body count,” and once again the media play right along, naming the latest criminal, recounting the horror, and delving into the minutia of the deviant’s life.

Suicide experts have long understood that suicides, particularly teen suicides, are directly influenced by the level of media attention they receive.  The less information the media puts out about a suicide, the less likely it is that other troubled people will attempt to end their own lives.  Conversely, the more media attention a suicide receives, the more likely others are to follow suit.

Continue reading Hello Media →

Volunteers available to protect our children

 With the NRA’s call for an armed police officer in every school, a debate has erupted over cost of such a strategy, but there is a much more efficient and inexpensive path to secure schools.  For some reason the teachers’ unions, politicians, and school administrators think that teachers are somehow less responsible, less capable, and less trainable than those who choose a career in law enforcement, and that having anyone with access to a gun in school besides a uniformed police officer would interfere with children’s ability to learn.  Setting aside those confused perceptions for a moment, what about those of us who are not teachers or school administrators?  What about parents, grandparents, and other concerned citizens?

As the loving grandparent of a wonderful 6-year old, a veteran, shooter, and all-around good guy, my answer to school security is the same as Isaiah’s answer to God thousands of years ago; “Here am I; send me!” 

Continue reading Here am I; send me! →

What we must take away from the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre

              Like all Americans, I was devastated by the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  I was shocked and angered as I watched early reports of the atrocity, and then had to shift from the TV to print media because I simply could not emotionally endure the endless loops of anguish and fear being poured from the screen.  I cannot think of the loss or see any of the victims’ pictures without seeing my own precious grandson and imagining the horror of losing him, particularly in such a vile and sadistic act.  Evil visited Newtown that Friday morning, and there was no one there to stop it.  Brave teachers made efforts, but they were no match for an armed murderer. 

Before authorities had even confirmed that multiple children had been killed, opportunistic politicians and hoplophobic media pundits had begun pointing at the weapons the murdering coward used, and calling for new restrictions on firearms.  Those calls have gotten louder and more shrill as the days have passed with politicians from the president on down talking about renewed bans on ugly guns and common magazines.  Talking heads like Piers Morgan and Ed Schultz have vented their rage in almost incoherent rants and assaults on guests who disagree with their radical disarmament demands.  TV coverage has run non-stop since the tragedy began unfolding, showing anguished parents, heartbreaking pictures of happy young faces, and haunting images of the deeply disturbed young man who committed this atrocity.

Continue reading Learning from the Newtown Tragedy →