Beware of the uninformed in the growing gun debate
Posted by: McQ
Allahpundit, at Hot Air, points out Lawrence O'Donnell's attempt to claim that Cho's weapons were automatics and he used illegal "high capacity" magazines:
First he identifies Cho's weapons as automatic, i.e., capable of firing repeatedly so long as the trigger is held down. Wrong: both were semi-automatics, requiring a fresh trigger pull for each shot. Then he repeats the media canard about the purported ban on "high-capacity magazines" that expired when the assault-weapons ban lapsed three years ago. Wrong again: as Bob Owens explains, the AWB merely banned the manufacture of those magazines. Sale, purchase, and ownership of inventory that was already on the market all remained perfectly legal.
Obviously the weapons weren't 'automatic' and it remains a mystery to me why this is such a hard concept for the critics of guns to understand.
It also appears the magazines that Cho had for the Glock 18 were standard 15 round magazines. Were they "high capacity" magazines? Not really. Bob Owens explans that here.
Under this law, any magazine with more than ten rounds was declared a "high capacity" magazine, even though the overwhelming majority of these magazines were actually standard-sized magazines as designed by firearms designers. "High capacity" was and is purely a political designation, not a practical one.
Also note that the possession of the declared "high capacity" magazines (which are, in fact, standard capacity for the weapon), is not illegal.
Owens also goes into a detailed explanation of what the provision in the 1994 "crime bill" actually says concerning magazines and their manufacture.
So when Barack Obama says ...
"(Cho) had a semiautomatic weapon with a clip that allowed him to take 19 shots in a row," Obama said. "I don't know any self-respecting hunter that needs 19 rounds of anything. The only reason you have 19 rounds is potentially to do physical harm to people. You don't shoot 19 rounds at a deer. And if you do, you shouldn't be hunting."
... the answer is "no, he didn't", and "the Second Amendment isn't about hunting and never has been."
The fact that Obama is so ill informed about the weaponry and has apparently invented his own premise on the 2nd Amendment should be worrying. And, of course, being a politician, he would have no problem pushing for legislation which would impose his flawed take on everyone. Politicians live to exploit tragedies like this when it fits their agenda.
The volume of rhetoric is going to rise sharply over the next few weeks. You can rest assured Obama and O'Donnell's won't be the last or worst of the nonsense you're going to read and hear about guns and the 2nd Amendment.
Permalink | Comments ( 5 ) | TrackBacks ( 0 ) | Category: Guns and Gun Rights
QandO
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
