handgun

Ghost Guns And Gun Control

Once again the world has changed on us, and policy, as usual, remains several steps behind.

One solid move made by the Biden Administration has been the recognition of gun kit manufacture as a loophole in crime weapons laws and its subsequent closure. Companies like Polymer80 have been selling build-it-yourself kits without serial number stamping or tracking; i.e. ghost guns* — and doing so legally. Several thousand Polymer80 kit guns have been identified as crime guns. It’s only recently that the rule to treat kits like these as legal pistols has gone through, and even then there are ways around it — such as the 3D printing of homemade, rather than factory-produced, ghost guns.

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Guns Don’t Kill People. Terrorists Kill People.

EDITORIAL

People are upset that the Senate has tabled a bill to ban AR-15s, even though they were the weapon of choice at Highland Park, Uvalde, and Buffalo.

That doesn’t disappoint me; it doesn’t even surprise me. What does is that so very many people continue to miss the most obvious point of all.

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Gun Violence: First, Identify The Problem

There are some of you out there shouting, “The problem is gun violence! Just get rid of all the guns!” Some others respond, “You can have my guns when you pry them from my cold dead fingers!” (Evidently, they never watched the original “Red Dawn”.)

It’s possible you’re honestly deluded or optimistic beyond belief, in which case nothing I write can possibly get through to you. On the other hand, perhaps you came here expecting an argument in which the loudest voice wins, or a negotiation where everyone meets halfway from the opening positions. Either way, that’s not what this is. The purpose of this article is to break down known statistics for the benefit of the 80% of Americans who want change, so we can make intelligent decisions.

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Toward Effective Firearms Laws

Wars and government atrocities aside, the United States has more spree shootings than any other country each year.

This is a problem that demands discussion between reasonable and intelligent people.  Unfortunately, the political climate in this country is one of extreme and entrenched polarization; moral certitude precludes (more…)

We’re Having The Wrong Argument

This is a picture of a SiG MCX.

It’s a highly efficient modular tactical infantry weapon, designed to be easily modified so as to be the proper gun for any situation.  It’s lightweight, reliable, and deadly.  Oh, and a homicidal maniac used one to kill fifty people in Orlando the other day.

At the moment, the nation is sick and tired of hearing about guns and shootings.  We’ve had enough, and if the problem doesn’t get solved, We The People are about to fire a whole raft of Congressmen and Senators.  And the lawmakers in question know this full well, so they’re making a lot of extra noise about it this time around.

In fact, so very much noise is being made that I think we’ve lost sight of what exactly it is that we’re talking about. (more…)

You’re All Wrong!

NOTE:  This article was written as a response to another, originally published in “The Bollard” on April 5th.  It can be read here.

A guy wrote once that, although debate and compromise are valuable things in the right place, there are some positions that are completely, flatly wrong. These, because they’re just so obviously invalid, are no longer worth discussing, and compromise with them is plain dumb. (more…)

…But Back To Gun Control

My last article was, at least nominally, about gun control.

It started optimistically enough; I began by stating that our country is more heavily armed than some war zones and pointing out the most recent mass shooting event.  Somehow, though, in examining the statistics on gun violence, I concluded that the guns are not the real problem.

If you’re curious about that, feel free to go read that article; it’s a trip.  If, on the other hand, you’re concerned directly with controlling the ownership and possession of firearms, read on here. (more…)