Just as I predicted, the headlines are already full of shrill cries for civilian disarmament. Never mind the fact that these were the actions of just one man who was mentally unstable. They aim to disarm the 99.9% of us law-abiding gun owners in the hopes of disarming the remaining 0.01%–the dangerous lunatics. This is something akin to the Hungerford Massacre, where the actions of one sick individual were used as the pretext to disarm an entire nation.
Most of what I’ve read so far is just the expected statist knee-jerk reaction. But there was one well-reasoned response. And, despite the fact that the perpetrator was a “left wing pothead”, this story is being cleverly spun into blaming the Tea Party movement, Rush Limbaugh, and even Sarah Palin.
The latest news headline: Carolyn McCarthy readies gun control bill. McCarthy is definitely in the “never let a crisis go to waste” school of Democrat politics. That article includes copious unattributed opinion, including this:
“Gun control activists cried it was time to reform weapons laws in the United States, almost immediately after a gunman killed six and injured 14 more, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, in Arizona on Saturday. Many said that people with a history of mental instability, like the alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, should not be able to buy a gun — and no one should be able to buy stockpiles of ammunition used by the 22-year-old assailant.”
“Stockpiles”??? At least from the initial news reports, Jared Lone Gunman Loughner was carrying around 75 rounds of pistol ammunition. That is less that the amount I shoot in just one session of target practice. And it isn’t unusual for my family to go through 350 rounds of centerfire ammo and 400 rounds of rimfire ammo in just a day target practice. Do they expect me to drive 30 miles to town each time that I need 100 rounds of ammunition? That is absurd.
Next, no doubt, will be calls for a ban on so-called “high capacity” magazines. (These are called “full capacity” by those that actually understand guns. Anything else is a reduced capacity–neutered–magazine.) Jared Loughner used a Glock 9mm with a 31-round magazine and carried an identical spare as well as a 13 round magazine. But ironically, it was the length of the spare extended magazine that allowed a distaff private citizen to help disarm the gunman, as he was attempting to reload. Kudos to Mrs. Patricia Maisch. She obviously knew about guns. I owe her a couple of free books.
And they’ll decry open carry and concealed laws as “too lax”.
There will be calls for nationwide gun registration. (As if that would stop a lunatic.)
Some may even insist that everyone be subjected to a battery of psychological tests before being allowed to own guns.
And they’ll claim that private party sales of guns (at gun shows) are somehow inherently evil and “under-regulated.” ( Even though Loughner bought his Glock Model 19 at a Federally-licensed Sportsman’s Warehouse store.)
And what about freedom of speech? This, they will imply, is the “root of the problem”. Mark Potok of the leftist Southern Poverty Law Center blamed political campaigns with “vitriolic rhetoric” for the Tucson shootings. And there have already been calls for restrictions on political ads or editorials that include “threatening language or symbols”. This leads me to ask: who will be the judge of what words or symbols are “dangerous” or “vitriolic”? Will it be some faceless commission or tribunal? This would surely create a chilling atmosphere of fear and prior restraint.
We had better be prepared for plenty of statist over-reaction to the Tucson shootings that will restrict our First Amendment and Second Amendment rights. It is a good time to both speak out and stock up. I recommend:
- Complete the private party purchasing of your basic firearms battery. If your state laws allow it, buy guns only from private parties–either at gun shows or from newspaper/internet ads from private sellers. (If you buy through a licensed gun store, then it will leave a paper trail.)
- Buy plenty of full capacity magazines. There is hardly such a thing as “too many.” If there is a magazine ban, then prices will quickly triple or quadruple. So any extras that you buy will be a great investment. (One of the great things about American jurisprudence is the that to prevent challenges to new laws, there is almost always a “grandfather clause” that allows free trade in goods that were manufactured before a ban.)
- Keep a low profile. When you write letters to the editor of your local newspaper about gun issues, do so anonymously. and when you buy any substantial quantities of ammunition, pay cash and don’t leave your name. (Oh, BTW if you live in California, it will soon be too late for that.)
- Pray for America. If this event gets spin-Meistered into America’s Hungerford, then our liberty is in peril.