Priorities
Once again, I skipped the SHOT Show this year and for good reason. I had to testify against some gun control bills under consideration in Washington state, and they are stinkers.
One measure would slap an excise tax on the sale of firearms and ammunition in the state, which many in the firearms community believe is unconstitutional. Another would require obtaining a permit from the police before being allowed to purchase a firearm, a proposition which relegates the right to keep and bear arms to the level of a government-regulated privilege. Also in that mix is a limit on gun purchases to one per month.
The argument against such nonsense is simple: “We’re not talking about guns; we’re talking about rights.” The “I don’t understand” facial expression is one you can identify from a hundred yards away.
Outside of the hearing room, I actually encountered a couple of American Handgunner and GUNS Magazine readers (they’re everywhere, y’know!) who were not happy about the onslaught of gun control they had just witnessed.
It is important for anyone who considers himself/herself a grassroots activist to stay on top of legislation happening in your state capitol right now.
During one of these hearings — about having to get a purchase permit from police — there were repeated statements supporting the notion gun owners should need to be licensed because people need licenses to drive or catch fish. Apparently, these people skipped high school civics, so instead of offering my intended remarks, I reminded the room that driving and fishing are privileges, while keeping and bearing arms are constitutionally-protected rights.
At another hearing, one gun control advocate let it slip that she supports adding a state excise tax on ammunition is a way to make gun ownership and shooting more expensive, which might discourage people from buying more ammunition. “Guns do not work without ammunition,” she said.
This is a revealing comment, perhaps tipping the next strategy of gun banners: Tax gun ownership to the hilt, making it prohibitively expensive for people on limited income.
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