Dear readers,
This new issue of our E-zine comes to you following the horrible attack in Las Vegas, NV, USA, which resulted in 58 casualties and over 450 wounded people. It also resulted in an attack on citizens' rights from the anti-gunners, who ask for more gun control laws, just like they always do. Here is a list of the legislation propoased by antigunners, compiled by Tom Servo and published in The Firing Line (copied by permission of the author, whom we sincerely thank):
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Post Las Vegas legislative proposals
Here's a rundown of what we have so far:
HR 3998: the Protect America Act of 2017. What an inspiring name! This is the "terror watchlist" one that denies sales to "known or suspected terrorists." So, if you're on a vague, unconstitutional list with no notification or due process, you can be denied the right to own a gun. This has nothing to do with the Las Vegas shooter.
HR 3999: the "bump stock" bill. This would outlaw "bump fire" stocks, as well as "any part or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but does not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun." That language is vague enough to include any replacement trigger, even one that simply makes a hunting rifle more accurate or a pistol easier to shoot for someone with weak hands. While it might seem to be relevant to the shooting, bump fire can be performed without the silly stock, and the language about triggers is vague enough to snare innocent people in a statutory trap. And that's exactly the idea.
HR 4018: a 3-day waiting period for handguns. Waiting periods have never been proven to do anything, and several states have repealed them. Again, this has absolutely nothing to do with the Las Vegas shooting.
HR 4025: Multiple Firearm Sales Reporting Modernization Act of 2017. Currently, licensed dealers are required to report multiple handgun sales in a 5-day period to a single person. This act would apply that requirement to all firearms. I've seen no indication that the Las Vegas shooter bought multiple guns at once, so this is pretty much more burdensome paperwork for dealers and nothing more.
HR 4052: a ban on transfer or possession of "high capacity" magazines. This one outlaws all magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of centerfire ammunition. Notice it bans possession. That means all magazines currently lawfully owned would have to be turned in or destroyed.
S 1945 is basically the Senate version, charmingly titled the Keep Americans Safe Act.
S 1923: Background Check Completion Act of 2017. This outlaws what Hillary Clinton referred to as the "Charleston loophole." Currently, the FBI has three business days to conduct a background check and determine if a buyer is prohibited from taking possession of a firearm. If they can't provide a result within that period, the buyer is assumed to be legal and the dealer can transfer the gun. This bill would make it so the buyer cannot take possession until the dealer receives a definitive "proceed" result from the FBI, a process that can sometimes take months, and sometimes never happens. This one's easy: simply shut down the NICS system, and nobody gets a gun. Again, this has no connection to the Las Vegas shooting.
HR 3962: Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2017. This one's fairly self-explanatory.
HR 3987: Protecting Americans from Gun Violence Act of 2017. This one stipulates a fee on background checks (which we were promised was never going to happen as a condition of getting the Brady Act passed in the first place), the funds from which will go to funding CDC research into "gun violence." It also requires lost or stolen firearms to be reported to the police within 48 hours. Failure to do so is punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to a year in prison for each firearm.
We should expect Dianne Feinstein's Assault Weapons Ban 2.0: This Time It's Really Gonna Pass and Schumer's Universal Background Check Bill XVII: Back From the Dead any time now as well.
The easiest way to make your voice heard is to sign up on PopVox. From there, you can send feedback on each bill to your specific legislators. Don't assume this stuff is dead because the President said nice things to the NRA on the campaign trail. Don't get complacent because your legislators pinky swear they hunted geese with Uncle Bob back in the day. They're going to be under a great deal of pressure, and they're going to be tempted to do what's politically expedient unless we tell them otherwise.
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Tom is doing a great job at commenting about these bills, none of which would have stopped the Las Vegas shooter from carrying out the attack. Let me just add that what the antigunners seem to miss is the fact that the shooter in Las Vegas met all existing gun control laws and he has passed the FBI background check several times without ringing a bell.
Of course, it remains to be seen what will happen with the regulation of the butt-firing stocks. And the question about the number of shooters involved is still open.
It was indeed great that the Las Vegas Metro Police did such an excellent job they did that night. I had the privilege of talking with an LVMPD officer, while the shooting was evolving, so I know from first hand the level of response that LVMPD mounted on this tragedy. It was really astonishing that they pinpointed the shooter's location in less than 10 minutes after the shooting began. My congratulations to every officer involved.
My condolences, as well as the condolences of everyone here in M1911.ORG, are sent to the victims of this attrocity, and their families. It is a pity that such sick people exist.
On a different subject, our latest issue brings you two new pistol reviews, as well as a tour of Lyman corporation HQ. I hope you will enjoy these, together with the other articles you will find in it.
You may discuss this editorial in this thread in our Forums Site.
Finally, let me wish to all of you a happy Halloween!
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