TA-TA TO THE SECOND AMENDMENT

Unfortunately, life is starting to imitate another bumper sticker.

I’ve always considered the ol’ “when you pry my dead, cold fingers off” attitudes to guns a bit over-alarming. I’m not a big gun guy myself, but have never had any problems with them. Of course, to paraphrase an old Paul Simon [excuse me. One of LRRP's World's fans, CH of MA, points out it's a Joni Mitchell ditty. My apologies) song “you don’t know what you got til it’s gone.”

Every American ought to be concerned about HR 1022, introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy a couple of weeks ago. McCarthy, a Democratic (Wow. There’s a surprise), you may remember, was the wife of one of the people killed by Colin Ferguson during the Long Island Rail Road massacre of 1994. The fact that Ferguson was about 17 wheels short of an 18 wheeler, apparently doesn't make any difference to the anti-gun crowd.

Anyway … McCarthy’s bill is meant to “reauthorize the assault weapons ban, and for other purposes.” It’s an attempt to re-instate the Clinton ban, which expired back in 1994. And I really don't like that "for other purposes" language.

I don’t necessarily have a problem with banning assault rifles (and I don’t give a rat’s ass … you don’t have the right to have a .50 sniper rifle like a Barrett unless you’re in the military), but — and here’s where the bumper sticker starts to get correct — the guns that are considered “bad” under this bill aren’t assault rifles, and include all semi-auto shotguns; all detachable-magazine semis; the most popular competition sporting rifles—including the Colt AR-15, the Springfield M1A and even today’s version of the M1 Garand; any shotgun or semi-automatic rifle having “any characteristic that can function as a grip;” any automatic fixed-magazine pistol exceeding a ten-round capacity; and any parts needed to repair or refurbish guns in circulation that are covered under the ban.

There’s a whole lot more, and all of it disturbing enough to make me finally breakdown and buy a few things I’ve been lusting for ... just in case.

For the entire story of the Democrat’s gun grabbing attempts (and a reason why every conservative in the damn country better vote in the next election): Patriot’s Digest for March 2.