Guns Should Come With Safety Locks Says “Expert”
What exactly is a child safety lock on a firearm? This is a question we’d like to ask Leslie Sadeghi, who represents the Concerned Citizens for Child Safety, and wrote an op-ed piece for Knoxnews.com. While there is no doubt that firearms should never be treated as guns, we get concerned when anyone suggests adding “safety” features.
This is because there are two possible outcomes:
- A child safety lock makes the firearm more difficult to use in a crisis, such as when a very bad person is breaking into your home
- People like Sadeghi know that adding such a device is difficult or impossible, allowing them to then respond, “well, let’s just get rid of all the guns.”
That said, yes firearms should be under lock and key. Children should be told they are not playthings and should never be touched. But adding extra safety measures sounds unsafe to us.
Firing Back: Gun Dealers vs. Car Dealers
One of the biggest complaints that the anti-firearm crowd has about gun shows is that supposedly guns can be sold without background checks. The argument is that firearms can pass through many hands, and supposedly enter some gray market. The problem with this logic is that if a gun is legally purchased at ANY point it enters the system. If the gun is used in a crime it can still be traced back to that owner. If the owner illegally sells it, such as to a criminal, that last “legal” owner could be traced back to the gun. Thus these so-called straw purchases aren’t really all that common – or certainly not as common as the mainstream media has made out.
The other problem with this complaint is that the anti-firearm zealots, along with the mainstream media expect everyone to act like a licensed dealer. This is a problem because some individuals, including this reporter, can’t really become dealers. It isn’t that I’ve broken any law, but based on where I live I can’t get into the “guns business.” I can still legally buy and sell guns, and have to report everything to the police – at least anything that comes through New York City. For many individuals who only buy and sell a few guns, there is no reason for them to become “gun dealers” either. There is an extensive process to go through, paperwork to maintain, and essentially it becomes your job.
This is the case even if you just want to on the rare occasion set up a table at a local gun show, or even bring in a rifle to sell to another collector. The anti-gun crowd says these purchases are a problem because the guns change hand and could end up in criminals’ hands. Yes, this could happen, but should the bulk of legitimate buyers and sellers be made to suffer?
Now imagine that to buy or sell a used car you had to become a used car dealer? This is essentially what the anti-firearm crowd is asking for when it comes to guns. And actually, it would take everything a step further, this would mean making sure that when you sell a car the person has a license, insurance, isn’t wanted for a crime, etc. So instead of relying on the person to be responsible for all these things, you as the seller of a car would have to do this work. But given the direction this country is headed, it probably won’t be too long.
Rachel Maddow: Guns Shouldn’t be Brought Home
Thank you to our friends at NewsBusters.org for catching a piece we missed. Earlier this week MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow was on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and discussed on how a first date she went shooting. She adds that she regularly used to take the staff of her radio program to a New York City pistol range. So far so good… but then she makes this statement:
“I like making liberals shoot guns – I just don’t think we should be allowed to bring them home.”
Well, I for one agree. I don’t like bringing liberals home either. They tend to argue with me, and bring up stupid points. But Ms. Maddow actually meant guns shouldn’t be brought home. That’s a great example of a stupid point to bring up. Why bother learning to shoot, or rather I should say attempt to learn to shoot if you can’t bring the gun home. Now I’m not saying you’re going to shoot at home, but learning to shoot is beyond pulling the trigger. Any good shooter knows how to strip and clean a firearm, and any good shooter knows you need to take care of your firearm. Think of it this way Rachel, seriously bowlers don’t use the lane’s balls. Serious golfers don’t use the course’s rental clubs. So why should shooters be forced to use the range’s rifles or pistols?
And there is a case to be made for the fact that you could store your firearms at the range. That’s great, unless you have an event to go to, or want to shoot elsewhere. In other words you set up an impossible scenario for serious targeting shooting. Worse Rachel, you make it impossible for hunters and collectors. As a collector I really don’t like the idea of my guns having to be stored somewhere. If I want to go see a collection of firearms I’ll go to a museum.
Gun Research Study Misses Mark
You have to question any study that gets the key facts wrong. KCRA reported how a new study from the University of California found that “a major source of weapons in violent crimes in Northern California” were purchased at gun shows? The report was titled, “Inside Gun Shows What Goes on When Everyone Thinks Nobody’s Watching.” This claims to include undercover video at guns show in 19 states to spot illegal gun sales. Read more
USA Today Editorial Misses Some Facts
While we agree with the argument of a recent USA Today argument that no one should bring guns to a town hall meeting or other political event, we find it disturbing that America’s paper failed to point out that the gun protester in Arizona was actually put up to the stunt by a local shock jock. In fairness, this point has been ignored by most of the mainstream media, and only The Washington Times bothered to address this. The irony is that MSNBC made a big deal out of the AR-15 carrying man – and labeled those who carried guns as racists (despite the fact that the man in question was black) – and now USA Today references the incident without mentioning that it has come out that it was a purposely staged event.
Firing Back: U.K. Proof of How Gun Control Doesn’t Stop Crime
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s I was told how in the United Kingdom the police (The Bobbies) didn’t carry guns, and how crime wasn’t a problem. Over the years the U.K. has served as an example from the anti-firearms crowd on how crime was low, and gun violence was something that never happened. First things first. This was a misconception. The U.K. always had violence. Read more
Gun Crime Up in Canada – Does That Mean Michael Moore Was Wrong?
What is this in the National Post from Canada? It claims that gun crime is up in the big city to our north, and that many of the guns are coming from the United States. Of course the mainstream media has jumped on the latter fact, while essentially ignoring the former fact. Slice it how you want, but gun crime is up and that is a fact. Criminals will get their hands on guns. And for the record, just 70 percent of the guns are even reportedly coming from America – and we have a feeling that number is as reliable as the now debunked 90 percent of guns used south of our border (in fact the final number is close to 17 percent in Mexico). So what’s the story? Deputy Chief Tony Warr had this to say in the article in the National Post?
“Ten or 15 years ago, a shooting was quite an event. Catching someone with a gun was quite an event. It’s not everyday but it’s a common event now. There seems to be more of a proliferation of guns.”
Brady Campaign’s Call to Avoid Guns at Town Hall Meeting Just Baseless
The press office at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence must think all owners of firearms are small-minded or possibly just stupid. The organization issued an “official” statement from Paul Helmke, president of the anti-gun group. In it he stated:
“Let’s be clear: it is dangerous to allow the carrying of loaded handguns to the ‘town hall’ meetings hosting heated discussions about health care and other issues around the country. Except for trained law enforcement, it is unthinkable to allow people with loaded guns near the President of the United States.
“We should decide contentious public issues with ballots, not bullets. The ‘any gun, any where, any time’ mentality of a few must give way to common sense before innocent people get hurt.”
Is he serious? For the record I’ve been to press events to see the President of the United States speak, and I had to jump through hoops to get the credentials. I went through more security than I have at ANY airport anywhere in the world. And rightfully so; there are dangerous people out there who would (and HAVE) threatened our elected officials.
Attention New Jersey Criminals:
It is now illegal to purchase your handguns in bulk from lawful firearms dealers.
That’s the message Governor Jon Corzine is sending to the bad guys in “The Garden State,” He just signed a bill that bans “bulk” handgun sales. Here’s a news flash for you Governor; the criminals could care less. They don’t buy handguns from legitimate dealers consequently the laws is useless.
Well it’s not totally useless. It certainly hurts one element of New Jersey society, that being every law-abiding citizen who may wish to purchase more than ONE handgun in a 30-day period. Jon Corzine believes that any number higher that ONE is “bulk” and it is now illegal in New Jersey to buy more than one handgun during a months time.
Many Illegal Guns Are Stolen, Is This News?
One argument going around and around and around from the mainstream media seems to be that “most illegal guns started out as legally owned guns.” Once one firearm opponent made this statement the MSM jumped on it, and suddenly guns were somehow (magically) purchased legally by a wannabe criminal and handed immediately to a real criminal. But now Washington state’s KNDO is reporting that the police are finding that most illegal guns are… gasp! …stolen! While this is still not good news, it is interesting that this is seldom addressed by the mainstream media, or by anti-gun groups.
