What Everyone Knows

A full-page ad in yesterday's New York Times, sponsored by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Million Mom March, declares, "You know and every law enforcement officer in America knows: the 1994 assault weapons ban saved lives." Leaving aside the assumption that everyone in America agrees with the anti-gun activists, how is possible for anyone to "know" that this law has "saved lives"? Even a panel appointed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, usually a gun control booster, could not find any solid evidence that the ban, or any other restriction on firearms, has done what it was supposed to do.

Comments

[Ayatollah Usoe]

The "everyone knows" argument usually means the exact opposite. By the way, no one is putting these guns "on the street", most of us keep them where they won't rust!

When we teach beginner rifle at ladies' day at the range, we start them with one cartridge, then two, and, when they are ready, a full magazine. Nearly every student, after firing their 10th and last round, look at the gun and ask why its empty. Why only ten shots? This is first time shooters! We tell them to ask their congressmen the same question.

[Jean Bart]

I wish people would stop human characteristics to material objects.

[David Tomlin]

If the flow of human characteristics to material objects is not stopped, humans can be expected to experience severe characteristic shortages within the next two decades.

[7.62]

Speaking of killing machines, I have one of the cheese graters that has the four sides with different grates on each side. That thing flat fucked me up last night. We need an add in the times warning people of these killing machines. An outright ban would be best, but if that is unobtainable at least limiting a grater to three evil features would be a step in the right direction. Or liscensing.

And don't give me any of the crap about it being my fault; it's clearly a killing machine.

7.62

[Xrlq]

It saved my life, for sure. I mean, c'mon, they banned those nasty things in 1994, and I haven't been shot by one since. What more proof do you need?

[Mo]

Xrlg,
My tiger-repelling rock has been working miracles. Do you think it's too late for me to sell it to Sigfried?

[mdw]

No one needs a cheese grater that grates on four sides. One is enough for any legitimate grating need. At the very least, there should be mandatory grater locks to keep this menace out of the hands of children.

[Kevin Carson]

The gun control Nazis also like to claim that umpty-thousand criminals have been prevented from buying guns by the mandatory background check.

But I remember a workplace shooting on the news a few years back that mentioned the guy who went postal had bought his weapon through the classifieds after failing a Brady check. I just about laughed myself into a rupture thinking he was one of the 48,000 or whatever that Clinton was so smug about.

[Kevin Carson]

And on the subject of the Million Mom March, I have this lovely vision of a million burnt-out, twisted wrecks of SUVs, and in each of them an incinerated busybody with several melted soccer balls and a cell phone fused into her charred skeleton.

[Douglas Fletcher]

That's not a cheese grater, it's a mandolin.

[Gil]

I think Will Rogers said:

"It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so."

[Ruthless]

Gil, I think that quote is from Will Roger's John the Baptist, Atemis Ward.

Meanwhile, back where I meant to start:
I don't trust my personal self with a gun, even though I live in the 'hood of Sinincincinnati, and have been tempted by ownership.

Nosir, I want to be a free-rider when just about everyone else packs heat. That would be after we've disarmed the cops and confiscated all gummints' WMD and put them for safekeeping in the hands--rather in the basements--of John and Mary Q. Public.

You may think I jesteth. Nay.
The world would be the peaceful place I truly desire.

[arjay]

My copy of State Laws and Published Ordinances - Firearms (US DOJ - BATF&E) has CA taking up 80 pages, while WY & VT take up 1 and a little more than 1 respectively.

Does anyone have any figures as to the per capita gun death rates in any of the above jurisdictions?

[Sebastian]

I am all for getting these deadly assault weapons off our streets....

... and into my gun safe.

[Ranald H.]

Well, the ban *has* done what it was supposed to do... Prove that the public will tolerate capricious, reckless laws removing freedoms. Now that the ineffectiveness of the ban is clear, it's time to act up at the voting booth.

Unfortunately for Brady and crew, the ad's publication in the NY Times is no boost to the credibility of its arguments. The Grey Bitch ain't what she used to be.

[Mark Borok]

When cheese graters are outlawed, only outlaws will grate cheese.

[Xrlq]

Arjay: I don't have the numbers handy, but I'm not sure it makes sense to compare the number of pages anyway. Texas's concealed carry law spells out in detail who may obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and how. Illinois's concealed carry law is quite simple: it's prohibited, and a felony to boot. Guess which law takes up more space on the law books.

[Brendan Perez]

Got to love the gun control crowd.

The law they so tirelessly campaigned for has saved hundreds if not thousands of lives, it needs to be renewed. But wait! Manufacturers are evading the ban by mere COSMETIC changes, thus putting more "military" weapons on the street.

I love this, the life saving law is evaded by cosmetic changes. Makes me wonder how it could have possibly saved any lives.
Even better is that they are actually admitting that the ban they foisted on us was nothing more than a ban on cosmetic features.

Just imagine how many street racing deaths could be prevented if we prevented racing stripes, dual exhaust, "wings", rims over 17", and neon lights. All of which would be used to define the ambiguous "assault car".

[Mark Fulwiler]

Well, "everyone knows" that the Bradys are idiots.

[Highway]

The cheese-grater ban is just pandering to the special interests! It's protectionism for the Pre-Shredded Cheese industry! They want a government enforced monopoly!

[Jason Ligon]

There is an elephant in the living room.

We all know that the ban is absurd because manufacturers just removed the 'naughty bits' that made their products 'assault weapons'. All it did was determine the design specs for any rifle that would be sold - it determined that they should look like AR-15s.

The other amazing result of the magazine capacity ban was to reduce the size and concealability of effective handguns. The handgun market used to be dominated by largish .45 caliber weapons, but now we have 7 round 9mm pistols that are light and small enough to carry in your pocket. In the old days, the 'pocket piece' was restricted to mouse guns in the very weak .22, .25, and .32 calibers.

So, if I'm understanding Ms. Brady correctly, the world is safer when rifles look like AR-15s and when effective firepower is pocket sized.

I'm not sure I disagree 100%.

[arjay]

Xrlq

I see your point, but I was not referring to specific laws but the total number of laws. I don't think that CA takes 80 pages to say what WY says in one.

eg TX has about 3 3/4 pages of laws, IL about 19 pages of which almost ten are city ordinances 5 for Chicago alone. However that's a bad case because I believe IL & TX have roughly comparable murder rates (neither of which, I suspect, have much to do with gun control or the lack thereof).

Why do they call it "Tourist Season" if we're not allowed to shoot them?:)

[Anonymous]

When cheese graters are outlawed, only police will grate cheese.

[Ayatollah Usoe]

Jason Ligon, first they came for the machine guns, and I did not speak out because I did not have one,
Then they came for the Saturday Night Specials, and I did not speak out since I did not like them,
Then they came for the 20mm guns, and I did not speak out since I don't hunt with them,
Then the came for the assault weapons, and I did not speak out since I like lever guns,
Then they came for the large capacity magazines, and I did not speak out since I like shooting bullseye,
Then them came for the semi-autos...

[Jason Ligon]

Usuoe,

There was a bit of irony in my last post. I hate 'em all, but there is something amusing about Sarah Brady making cocealed handguns more effective while she simultaneously promotes quite a bit of design improvement on the AR-15 by defining it to be the legally preferred semi auto rifle.

[the choir]

preach on!

[Robert Nabors]

Hey Jason.

Don't worry about those pesky little 9mm semi-auto's.

True to the laws of the great State of Alabama, as soon as I can afford, I am obtaining a concealed carry permit - and given that my 6'3" frame can indeed conceal it, obtaining a Casual .454 or maybe a Desert Eagle .50

Who says that effective firepower *has* to come in a small package? 😉

-Robert

[Andrew Lynch]

Ah, the gun-nut forum. Sorry, I thought I had landed on Hit & Run. Between Afghan beauty contests and caliber-comparing fetishism, H&R is quickly becoming the place for packing dudes to hang.

[Anonymous]

Robert,

Let me know how that works out. Two thoughts before you go there:

1) Carrying a 68oz monster will get very old.
2) The defensive applications of a .454 single action revolver are somewhat limited, unless you are dealing with bears.

Plus, I don't know what the waiting list is like for a freedom arms revolver, but it was over a year last time I checked.

[nolan]

if people weren't killing with guns they would be killing with sticks and stones.

But those cheese graters are dangerous and should be outlawed along with apple slicers, one of those realy fucked me up the other day.

[Bielavitz Sarann]

EMAIL: [e-mail]
IP: 62.213.67.122
URL: http://gambling-online.best-gambling.biz
DATE: 01/20/2004 07:42:05
Men are close to one another by nature. They diverge as a result of repeated practice.

[Mike]

Is anyone purveying this site pro patriot act?

Just curious.