Thursday, August 31, 2006

Boomsticks: The clever plan to disarm California proceeds...

With the passage of the "Microstamping" bill by the California state senate, gun ownership in California moves a microstep closer to death by a thousand cuts. The situation in the Granola State is a fascinating illustration on how civilian disarmament in this country could finally be effected.

If one reads the gun boards, one constantly hears the chest-thumping affirmations of keyboard heroes who are never going to give up their guns. Offering up their visions of how they will resist the UN gun confiscation teams which are apparently going to land in their black helicopters to go door to door looking for guns, they blithely ignore the attack that is already underway. The strategy is threefold:
  1. Make gun ownership a hassle. Require permits to buy, to sell, to carry, to shoot. Make these permits cost money. Make people stand in line. Make them buy heavy safes or clunky locks. Dictate how they may store the weapon, transport the weapon, dispose of the weapon. Charge for all of this. Make it expensive and annoying.
  2. Make gun ownership non-hereditary. Teach kids that guns are bad. Encourage kids to tell authority figures, such as school teachers or policemen, whenever they see anything involving a gun that seems bad or wrong. Make sure that the very presence of the gun itself is bad or wrong.
  3. Make the gun business unprofitable. Require onerous fees, outrageous zoning requirements, inane engineering changes in the name of "safety". Keep the legal pressure on to drain profits, while at the same time restricting advertising to stifle income.
The fruits of this are already apparent in California, where citizens can't own lots of guns that would otherwise be legal, simply because gun manufacturers are unwilling or unable to submit examples of every possible combination of caliber, color, and barrel length to the California DOJ for destructive testing just to get on the approved list. If the latest "microstamping" nonsense passes, expect more manufacturers to just drop California as a market. Californian gun nuts try to reassure each other that gunmakers would never abandon them entirely; that they represent too large a market, that they subsidize gun owners in the rest of the country. To that, all I can say is that Bushmaster, DPMS, and Olyarms gave up on CA a while back, and they seem to be doing okay.

California, seen as a progressive state by the victim disarmament crowd, is their test lab; the thin end of the wedge of laws they'd like to try elsewhere. Thus far it's not working, not spreading to other states the way they'd like it to, but that doesn't mean that gun owners elsewhere in America can stop watching that train wreck on the left coast; it contains lessons needed to stop our rights here from being derailed.

16 comments:

BobG said...

It's interesting how people will rally when there is a blatant move against them, but will let themselves be nibbled to death by their opponents.
Excellent post.

Anonymous said...

and vast numbers of THOSE folks are moving to AZ because THEY can't afford to live in CA anymore- TAX money at work.
Sorry about that it just sneeked out

Anonymous said...

Hmmm....I wonder if gun makers will have the spine to follow Ronnie Barrett's example. If the cost to create microstamping guns is profit-crippling, meaning civilians can't buy guns in California, then no one is able to buy guns in California.

Initially, that won't impact gummint much. Eventually, when they can't buy guns or parts for existing guns they might start figuring it out.

The reasoning behind this action is, even though gummint-owned guns might be exempt from the microstampiing requirement, the potential for lawsuits if a non-stamping gummint gun is lost/stolen/sold would constitute unreasonable exposure for a mfg.

Cali is a real big market, but it's been in the process of getting much, much smaller for quite a while now. I would think a wise gun mfg would start the planning process on how his/her company prospers without the California market.

theirritablearchitect said...

Ahhhnuld has never seen a piece of gun control legislation that he didn't like. You can put money on him signing it, and the blue plebeians on the left coast are far too stupid to know any better.

Todd said...

Damn California and their regulations. Earlier this year I was involved in a fight to defeat a bill designed to "protect animals" under the guise of banning open field coursing. Luckily the bill was written so broadly, the legislators had no choice but to defeat the bill. And yes, it is interesting how government can nibble until they hit a sensitive issue. And in response to the crusty old codger, a lot of ofc'ers are moving to NM and other outlying areas to have the freedom to work their dogs as they see fit.

Anonymous said...

I agree with what Homer said. Also, several years ago I read a very thoughtful article called "Standing Orders". Might've been from JPFO, I don't remember, but I can't find it anymore. The standing orders were to buy guns from licensed dealers as often as possible, even if only Raven .25s and single-shot shotguns; and also sell guns to law-abiding individuals who reside in your state (inasmuch as your state doesn't forbid it) but NEVER sell or trade a gun to a licensed dealer. Also, trade guns back and forth with your friends and aquaintances. Practice as much gun proliferation as is legally possible, so as to counter their "non-proliferation" efforts.

-Tracy

NotClauswitz said...

Can somebody please invade us? Nevada and Utah maybe? Florida? We're drowing in the ineptitude of busybodies.

FHB said...

You've all heard the story about boiling a frog? Drop in in hot water and it'll jump out, but put it in cold water and slowly turn up the heat and the little fucker slowly boils. Sound familiar?

Fairlane64 said...

This is why it is so important to keep abreast of your local state government laws, and keep the email addresses of your state congressmen handy at all times. You've got to be proactive in voicing your opinions of these laws to your elected representatives!
Paying attention to what's happenimg in your local government may seem boring, until the same thing that is happening in Cali happens where you live, then it's not so boring!
My local congressmen are probably tired of hearing from me, but who cares, I pay taxes and vote, so I'm going to tell them how I feel every time I have an opinion! :)

Alpineman, RN said...

Bingo.

We'll happily "compromise" our way into oblivion.

I'm gonna go have a good cry now.

Anonymous said...

Excellent analysis Tam.

All the more reason to love the wheel gun I guess. I wonder if this makes older pistols illegal?

BobG said...

"I wonder if this makes older pistols illegal?"

Either that, or they'll come up with a special license and tax for them, to bring in more money.

NotClauswitz said...

Unfortunately my state assembly person is a tool of Left-Machine politics and a sock-puppet to rubber stamp this kind of crap. Democrats redistricted the State and selected her to run in her safe-district position based on party-loyalty - she has no accountability except to the Party.

T.Stahl said...

They already completed point 1. of your list here in Germany:

- You have to train successfully and continously for one year before you can apply for a gun, so you join a club: variable, roundabout 300EU to join the club, 100EU annual fee.
- Training ammo for one year: variable
- Your shooting association has to back up you application: 20EU processing fee
- Then you can apply for a license: 41EU for a pistol, 56EU for a longgun, 26EU for the entry that you're allowed to buy the matching ammo, 13EU for the stamp when you actually bought the gun, so pistol complete is 79EU, rifle 95EU
- When you apply for a 'yellow' sport shooter's license (any repeating or single-shot longgun, except repeating shotguns, more than single-shot muzzleloaders), the first gun will cost you 95EU, each following 13EU (I guess)
- When you sell a gun: 13EU
- Of course you need a steel locker to lock away your guns: different levels for different types and numbers of guns: from 200EU up

Kevin said...

Here's the abbreviated version of how England did just as you describe.

At least the California House managed to block the damned bill - this year.

NotClauswitz said...

Phew! The house blocked, but Koretz is a tool, he keeps bringing the bill up since he has nothing better to do. What needs exposure is that the only supposedly capable firm set-up to do the microweenie is a buddy of his.