The Rabbi

There is the law as it is interpreted and applied now. And there is the law as it was originally intended. And there is the law as it ought to be. Seldom are they all the same thing. I think it is undeniable what the law was meant to be. A simple reading in context will tell you that. It is unfortunate how the law stands now. But there is an opportunity to change that. Carrying is a state matter, and it is undecided whether the 2A applies to the states. This might be clarified in the ruling. It might not. Personally I don't see anything good or bad coming out of a decision. The court has been too quiescent to make waves like that. I could be proven wrong though.

So the phrase "the people" actually means "the states"? This is despite the fact that "the people" refers to citizens in every other place the phrase is used in the USC. No, that just won't wash. Historically the reason is clear: there was no standing army so the average citizen had to be ready to answer the call. In order for that to happen they had to be trained to some extent, and firearms ownership was the biggest source of that training. How many soldiers in both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 showed up with their own weapons? How many were issued a weapon? But even if the reason has become irrelevant, the right remains for the citizen.

Off hand if Bob is a convicted felon he will not be able to buy a gun legally. It is possible to get one's rights restored. The process is long and difficult, as it should be. He can attempt to buy one. That might be a crime in and of itself. I dont know. If he gets denied, he can appeal to TBI. The answer is to call TBI and ask them since it is their decision. Black powder, anyone?

My point is that it is the combination. A strict penalty for a rule that is unenforceable will breed widespread disregard. Like the Use Tax in this state. Similarly a light penalty for something easily discovered will breed disregard, like jay walking. But the combination of severe penalty and the likelihood of getting caught will serve as real deterrence.

Almost every state (maybe every state) that introduced CCW has seen its crime rate go down. Now, even in states that didnt the crime rate has gone down, but CCW states have experienced steeper declines. A study I saw not too long ago did maintain there was a correlation between death penalty and lower crime rates.

Um, no, I disagree. Prevention comes from two things: how likely are you to get caught, what are the penalties if you do. People are actually pretty unlikely to get caught with an unlicensed machine gun. But the penalties are very steep so most people decide it isn't worth it. If posession became a misdemeanor with a $50 ticket, I suspect you'd see a bunch more out there. So registration of vehicles enhances the possibility of catching someone stealing a car. Ergo it serves to discourage people from doing that.

The markings on a gun are not easily seen. You have to be up close and examining it. Not like a vehicle. I was stopped last night (out of date tag). The cop could see my car tag from 10 feet away. He certainly couldn't see my pistol from that distance. We already have tracing on guns. If your Glock shows up at a crime scene the police can check records to see when the gun was produced, when it was shipped, which dealer received it, and to whom the dealer sold it. But after that it's anyone's guess. If you reported the gun stolen, it's in the wind. If you report you sold the gun, it's gone. No trail at all. You can eliminate the private sale by requiring all sales to go through a dealer. But you cannot eliminate the stolen gun that way. Which is precisely the point: most guns used in crimes were stolen at some point and registration will do nothing to prevent that.

I resemble that remark. The state of TN has profited from my gun business far more than I have. I just sent them a check for over $900 yesterday. I wish I made that much a month.

The destruction of the party has been advertised many times before. Some of you are old enough to remember Watergate. I recall a NYTimes article the next year or so predicting the failure of the GOP since so many people were switching registration, etc etc. It didnt happen. The party came back under Reagan. The time in exile did them well, gave them a chance to get rid of the dead wood, and re-establish their basic philosophy as Goldwater conservatism (small gov't, lower taxes, robust foreign policy). We need the same thing and maybe a good shellacking in this election will get rid of the dead wood and do the same.

Let's think about things we register. We register to vote to make sure the voter is actually eligible. If you live in NC you can't vote in TN. Registration will verify that. We register cars basically to raise money to pay for the infrastructure that cars use that is hard to apportion. Roads, signs, lights all cost money. It also serves to deter crime, specifically auto theft. Cars have large easily seen markings unique to them so we can determine who the legitimate owner is. We register guns to....I don't know. Merely having one doesnt inflict any cost. The gun isnt eligible; we check the buyer to make sure he is. It doesnt cut down on crime since a gun is easily concealed. I cant think of a good reason to register guns except to exert control over them at some future date. And that's an excellent reason NOT to register them.

No. But like the guy with the full auto AR there is more than meets the eye.

Yes, Mars. Exactly. The worst part is that no matter how much money the Republicans spent, no matter how many new or expanded programs they put in, they consistently get nailed for "not doing enough" by the media and the Democrats. This has been Bush's biggest problem in his tenure. He tries to gain political advantage by sacrificing basic principles and it always backfires. Look at the steel tariffs. Look at the deals for the judges. Look at the prescription benefit for Medicare.

Ah, wrong.

The gun on my hip is a legal firearm. If someone steals it, it is an illegal firearm. What transformed it from legal to illegal? A criminal act. Maybe we should focus on people committing criminal acts instead of on whether a particular item is "legal" or "illegal".

Well, sometimes things are more complicated than at first blush.

I'm hoping he runs. It'll get his mind off trying to run honest gun dealers out of business in other states. Also probably bleed off liberal support for the Democratic nominee.

I'm waiting for the Tupac Edition of the Jiminez with the picture of Tupac etched on the side and the Homeboy sights.

I guess it's a sign of age or something that I have never heard of this person. Even reading the obit didnt ring any bells.

Never having handled a full auto M16 in terms of taking one apart, I cannot see a difference. I also thought the receiver would have to be altered in some way.

I kind of thought that too. Who would tell someone dont do this. Of course he's going to do it. More interesting was the martyrdom accorded him by the powers of JPFO.

An incredible 43%. Not bad for an overweight middle-aged Orthodox Jewish man. I think it was that stupid cat.

If the selector switch will move through 3 positions then that is pretty suggestive. I am not well enough informed to know how that could be accomplished. But it sure looks bad for the defendent. And if anyone has a record of lying, its both the source of the OP and JPFO.

Um, because he specified a .22LR and the P3AT is a .380?

My wife's family came from Germany not so long ago. It sure better have not made them Nazis. I dont know what all this flap about Obama being Muslim is. First off, if he were, so what? But he isn't. It is well established that he isn't. It is just a canard. But there are so many other reasons why this man just shouldnt even be the nominee much less POTUS that we don't have to invent reasons.

Beretta Tomcat or Housecat or Alleycat or whatever their .22 is called. A favorite of the Mossad for "wet" operations. Dr BoomBoom here has one and maybe he'll chime in. Not a lot in that category btw. I would have said the Walther but you specified reliable.