Friday, October 27, 2017

What Happens In Vegas ...

I'm not saying that everything that happens in Vegas is weird.

I'm just saying that it should stay in Vegas.   And it doesn't matter if the politicians involved  are Democrats or Republicans, they all have one single priority: to get their name in the newspapers.

Unfortunately, this tendency toward over-reaction seems endemic to the area; even editorial writers get caught up in the excitement.

CASE IN POINT: Recent article in the Vegas newspaper (edited here for brevity):


Rosen-backed gun control bill goes too far – Las Vegas Review-Journal:
October 21, 2017 - 10:19 pm
It was entirely predictable that Democrats would use the horrific Las Vegas Strip shooting to renew their push for gun control. It was also entirely predictable that they would go too far. In the days after the shooting, it looked like a rare consensus had emerged on gun control. ...
 Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Jacky Rosen, D-Nev, jumped on the opportunity to do just that. She recently bragged in a news release that she is an original co-sponsor on “legislation to ban bump stocks.” The bill would ban bump stocks. It would also ban all semi-automatic rifles. Here’s why. It makes it illegal “to manufacture, possess, or transfer any part or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle.”
There’s a part on every rifle that’s “designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle.” You may have heard of it. It’s called a trigger.
[emphasis added]

Over-reach?

The author [Joecks] of the Review-Journal article declares that Rosen's proposed legislation is too "broad", and would ban all semi-automatic firearms because a "trigger" can be used to increase the rate of fire.  Even if it is activated only by the firearm user's trigger finger without the addition of a 'device'.

The bill cited in the article has the following text:

(a) PROHIBITION.—Section 922 of title 18, United 9 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘It shall be unlawful for any person— ‘‘(1) in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, to manufacture, possess, or transfer any part or combination of parts that is designed and functions to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but does not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun; or ‘‘(2) to manufacture, possess, or transfer any such part or combination of parts that have been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.’’. 
(edited to remove line numbers and other confusing detriti)

Joecks seems to suggest that the bill would result in triggers being outlawed by the bill.

I'm not a professional journalist, like Joecks seems to be, but I can't believe that a bill which specifically mentions "parts or combination of parts" can be so grossly misconstrued to suggest that a trigger is designed to INCREASE the rate of fire.   Not even a Democrat can be so dumb as to think that ....

oh.




Never mind.





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