I’m tired of hearing hoplophobic whiners in their endless prattle about “the gun show loophole.” Just what is this “loophole” they are talking about? It is in fact perfectly legal commerce between private citizens of the same state. This not a “loophole”. Rather, it is merely the exercise of free trade in used household goods between sovereign citizens within their own states. Gun shows are a time-honored tradition–not some sort dodgy maneuvering.
The leftist whiners are again begging congress to apply the Interstate Commerce Clause to restrict intrastate sales. That is just plain extra-jurisdictional and hence absolutely unconstitutional. (Does the phrase “No nexus” [1] mean anything to them?) In light of the U.S. v. Lopez [2] decision [2], there is no way that the Commerce Clause can be contorted to fit their expansive view.
Some of the biggest whiners are the members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns [3], a civilian disarmament cabal that was created by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Most of the members are leftist big city Democrats from eastern states. Ironically, this group has a membership roster with a remarkably high felony conviction rate. According to Conservapedia [3] their roster has included these criminal mayors:
- Former Mayor Gary Becker of Racine, Wisconsin. (He was convicted of attempted child sexual assault and child enticement. With a shopping trip [4] to the juniors’ section of the lingerie department of a local store, Becker threw a monkey wrench into the sentencing phase of his trial. Just as he was on the verge of getting a light or suspended sentence, he instead earned himself a three year prison term.)
- Former Mayor David Delle Donna of Guttenberg, New Jersey (Federal extortion and mail fraud charges [5]. Both he and his wife are now serving four+ year felony sentences.)
- Former Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore, Maryland. (Found guilty of four counts of perjury, two counts of misconduct, three counts of theft, and three counts of fraudulent misappropriations. A “probation before judgment” (PBJ) sweetheart sentencing deal [6] enabled her to keep her $83,000 per year pension.)
- Mayor Jerramiah Healy of Jersey City, New Jersey. (Convicted for obstruction of justice in 2007, but still in the mayor’s seat!)
- Former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit, Michigan. (Two felony obstruction of justice sentences stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair. He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena a friend in that case. He is now back in prison for violation of parole [7], and he still faces trial on additional charges. That trial will most likely begin in mid-2011.)
- Former Mayor Larry Langford, of Birmingham, Alabama. (He was included in a 101-count indictment for conspiracy, bribery, fraud, money laundering, and filing false tax returns in connection with a long-running bribery scheme. Convicted on 60 counts, he is now serving a 15 year sentence [8].)
- Deceased Mayor Frank Melton of Jackson, Mississippi. (At the time of his death was under felony indictment on civil rights charges. He died before a scheduled re-trial [9], following a mistrial.)
- Former Mayor Eddie Perez of Hartford, Connecticut. (Felony bribery, fabricating evidence, conspiracy to fabricate evidence, and first-degree larceny by extortion [10]. Now serving a three year prison sentence.)
- Former Mayor Samuel Rivera, of Passaic, New Jersey. (Corruption, influence peddling, and extortion charges [11]. Sentenced to 21 months in prison.)
- Former Mayor Will Wynn, of Austin, Texas. Convicted of a Class C misdemeanor, for “a choking assault on a man who had crashed a party.”
If the foregoing isn’t enough, Conservapedia [3] also details numerous firearms-related scandals involving members of the mayors’ group, including Bloomberg himself.
It goes without saying that once someone is convicted of a felony, it is crime under Federal law [12] and most state laws [13] to possess a modern cartridge firearm. So perhaps if these do-gooders want to restrict “Illegal Guns”, then they ought to start by disarming themselves.
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