The US Congress rarely gets anything right these days, from Obamacare to the current notion that the federal government can continue to print money for its own purposes.
But sometimes, Congress passes a law that can only be explained as the Hand of God at work for America.
The first question that appears online after a non-member of the NRA murders innocents, is where did the shooter get his guns. We suffered through several days of that after it was reported that Patrick Kelly had committed a number of crimes which should have barred him from passing background checks to obtain the gun.
I have argued in this and many other forums that federal firearms policy does not bar anyone from keeping and bearing arms. Only state laws do that. One individual provided my link to a discussion, not about the plain text of the law, but of what federal law enforcement policy is with regard to guns. According to the link, the policy is that guns should be seized from any individual who meets the standard barring a transfer of firearms to them.
My reply was to post the plain text from two relevant passages from federal statutes and ask the individual to show where in the law it said so much as a single word about taking firearms from an individual who already owns a firearm. The law specifically allows all people to own a firearm, because it does not forbid it. Constitutionally, it cannot. Where federal law comes in, is making a person contemplating transferring a firearm to another into a legal problem.
The law was envisaged to be part of the long standing and much abused interstate commerce clause in the Constitution, which not only bars transfers to what federal law calls a prohibited person, but also lays a number of conditions that the prospective owner must meet to receive the firearm.
To repeat: Nowhere in federal law does it address ownership, only transfer, notwithstanding Department of Justice policy.
To this moment that individual who posed that link has not answered my challenge, mostly because he can't.
But sometime between the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and now, Congress passed a law that allows any individual to build and own their own firearm, regardless of their legal standing in the federal firearms transfer system.
The law lays out what an individual must do to stay within law: The firearm, specifically the receiver, must have been built by the individual himself, and it can never be sold. Other restrictions apply to imported firearm kits (AKs, Uzis and others), such as that a certain percentage of the parts in five categories must have been made in the US.
The shooter in California took two receivers that are 80 percent complete, machined out the part of the receiver that takes the fire control group, plus drilled 2 other holes. The individual can then buy parts to make his own AR-15 able to fire.
Should Congress be stampeded into passing laws addressing privately built and owned firearms and add restrictions such as background checks for those buying 80 percent firearms receivers online, forcing owners, as they have done in California, to register their receivers, what do you do if you want to own an AR rifle?
Like everything else, the 80-percent receiver industry isn't the only game in town. One young man back in 2005 designed and built an AR from scratch.There are small problems with the build, mainly having to do with the takedown pins, but nothing that affects the function for the firearm.
What do they do then? 3D printers are getting better and better, and even with putative restrictions on using them to build firearms, what do you do when the data provided shows how to build a working AR?
What happens when internet regulation forbids the downloading of data with regard to receivers?
I will tell you what happens: old men like me with little in their lives to make them happy or keep them busy, but who are still functioning members of society, bid out every single part of the scratch built receiver to machine shops all over the USA, and then give the component parts away in several buyers' forums.
How much work does a Congress have to do to destroy the Hand of God that enabled an individual, anyone at all, to build and use their own rifle?
Loads.
Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:
Pistol ammunition prices were steady. Rifle ammunition prices were mixed.
Prices for used pistols were higher. Prices for used rifles were lower.
New Lows:
None
Pistol Ammunition
.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Foundry35, Silver Bear, FMJ, Steel Casing, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: East Carolina Trading, Own Brand, CRN, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo Mart, Buffalo Cartridge, FMJ, Brass Casing, Reloads .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: FedArm, Own Brand, TPMJ, Brass Casing, Reloads, .17 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (8 Weeks))
9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Sportsman Outdoor Superstore, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .14 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Fedarm, Own brand, RN, Brass Casing, Reloads .13 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (6 Weeks))
.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
.38 Special, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Bang It Ammo, Precision One, JSP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: American Reloading, Own brand, TMJ, Aluminum Casing, Reloads, .22 per round (From Last Week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (4 Weeks))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: AmmoMen, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .20 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (5 Weeks))
.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .32 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .31 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: -.01 Each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, FMJ, Steel Casing, .19 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: True Caliber, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .19 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3Q, 2017))
.30-06 Springfield 145 Grain. From Last Week: -.04 Each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .54 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: United Nations Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Casing, FMJ, .53 per round (From Last week: Unchanged (4 Weeks))
.300 Winchester Magnum 150 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo Liquidator, Winchester, Brass Casing, SP, .84 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Ammo Liquidator, Winchester, Brass Casing, SP, .82 per round (From Last Week: -.02 Each
.338 Lapua Magnum 250 Grain, From Last Week: +.21 Each After Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Red River Reloading, Federal, Brass Casing, JSP, 2.36 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 200 rounds: Wholesale Hunter, Federal, Brass Casing, JSP, 2.36 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2017)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo King, Aguila, RNL, .04 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 5,000 rounds: Outdoor Limited, Aguila, RNL, .04 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2017))
[DAWN] MERE acknowledgement, especially belated, of the existence of a problem will not necessarily move both countries in the direction of addressing the issue. But so dire have Pak-Afghan ties been in recent times that small improvements could augur bigger changes. On a visit to the US, Afghanistan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... was asked about the presence of TTP sanctuaries in his country and his response was one of refreshing candour. Admitting the existence of banned TTP elements on Afghan soil, the Afghan CEO blamed it on ungoverned spaces, so-called insecure areas, and not on any policy decision by the National Unity Government. It remains to be seen if the verbal candour on his part leads to actions against the TTP sanctuary problem in Afghanistan, but it does appear that the recent high-level diplomacy and military engagement between Pakistain and Afghanistan has helped improve the overall mood in the relationship. In particular, army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa’s trip to Kabul seems to have helped the two sides positively reassess the relationship and perhaps create the space necessary for meaningful reciprocal actions. As ever, pragmatic engagement has proved to be more beneficial than rancour and threats.
For Pakistain, the challenge remains twofold: addressing the Pak-Afghan cross-border militancy problem on both sides; and helping restart an Afghan dialogue process that was halted by American indifference and Kabul’s hostility. Patience will necessarily be required, but there is no known or foreseeable alternative to a strategy of gradual trust-building and peaceful engagement. Since both sides have legitimate grievances, an atmosphere where each side can express its priorities and seek compromise and a middle ground can help break the impasse. But courage and boldness will also be required. Gen Bajwa’s direct approach and intensive diplomacy appear to be a good complement to the hard-line approach of the administration of US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... on Afghanistan. If there is an area in which Pakistain should consider tweaking its approach, it is internally on the civil-military front. The outreach to Afghanistan has been almost wholly handled by the military and the civilian government appears to be merely rubber-stamping the security establishment’s preferences in forums such as the National Security Committee. A lopsided civil-military approach may limit the improvements that can be brought to Pak-Afghan ties, especially in civilian-led areas such as trade and people-to-people contacts.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/18/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: TTP
#3
Saffron makes farmers a ton more money than opium which is why I mention it. Yeah, but saffron does not get you high.
Opium production, used in heroin manufacture, increased during the last 8 years in Afghanistan.
Saffron will not satisfy a junkies need for heroin. Cutting back on production will increase demand and price all the more. The demand side of drugs needs to be worked on as well as the supply side.
[DAWN] President Bob Muggsy Mugabe Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case... ’s downfall was caused by the ambitions of his combative wife Grace, whose emergence as his likely successor proved a step too far for Zim-bob-we’s military, analysts say.
Grace Mugabe ‐ 41 years younger than her husband ‐ was once dismissed as a lightweight shopping addict.
But she became increasingly active in public life in recent years, and became the frontrunner to take the top job when Mugabe last week sacked her arch-rival, vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The military ‐ determined to stop Grace, 52, being named as the new vice president -- moved in on Wednesday, taking control of the country and signalling the imminent end of Mugabe’s rule.
"The crisis has been triggered by Grace because she wanted to grab power and to have Mugabe remove a lot of people," Shadrack Gutto, director of the Centre for African Renaissance Studies at the University of South Africa, said.
"She overreached herself. She has done a lot to accelerate the removal of her husband from power. "The military decided that enough is enough."
Grace’s political plans were backed by the so-called G40, a group of young supporters that has earned a reputation for aggression.
The faction, which includes some ministers, has been the primary target of the military officers who announced on state TV in the early hours of Wednesday that they would bring "criminals" close to Mugabe to justice.
"The Zim-bob-wean army feel they have the right to have a president they approve of," Knox Chitiyo, of the Chatham House think-tank, said.
"They had to act now before Grace was appointed as vice president at the ZANU-PF party congress next month. Grace’s team got within weeks of success." Grace, born in South Africa, was one of Mugabe’s secretaries when their affair began in 1987, and they had two children in secret before the president’s wife died in 1992.
The couple then married at a lavish ceremony in 1996 attended by Nelson Mandela, before having a third child.
Grace was awarded a doctorate by the University of Zim-bob-we, where her husband is chancellor, reportedly just three months after enrolling, and in 2014 became the head of the ZANU-PF party’s women’s wing.
She has often been accused of extravagant spending on luxury clothes and international travel, and of involvement in corrupt land deals.
’Gucci Grace’: Dubbed "Gucci Grace" _ "The First Shopper" or even "DisGrace", she showed her political mettle in 2014 with her campaign against then vice president Joice Mujuru, who was a contender to succeed her husband.
Grace launched sustained verbal attacks against Mujuru, accusing her of plotting to topple the president.
Soon afterwards, Mujuru was ousted and later expelled from the ruling ZANU-PF party.
But Grace’s attempt to neutralise Mnangagwa ended very differently -- leaving her and her husband languishing under house arrest in Harare.
Grace Mugabe’s confrontational approach and distant public image have brought her little popular affection in Zim-bob-we.
Despite that, her supporters have sought to popularise nicknames like "Dr Amai (Doctor Mother)" and "queen of queens".
In speeches she had railed against anyone accused of disloyalty to the president, and her short temper hit the headlines in August when she allegedly assaulted a model who was with two of her sons at a South African hotel.
Grace was granted diplomatic immunity and made a swift exit from the country.
She once told a South African television programme that she is no longer concerned about what people think of her.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/18/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#4
His BWife was but she is now safely out of the Country. He is just spent and useless. He looks weak. Rhodesians are not stupid. They know when a woman is running the show. But what is more,
They know when THEY are being replaced.
And they know they do not live in a paradise anyway so what gives?
Rober(t) gives.
Now, when he is not ruling, we may see interesting developments.
Many the same, not good, but some days are better than others.
Seeing as China has a financial seed, see what they happen forth with it as well seeing as they suck everywhere else.
#5
Grace was awarded a doctorate by the University of Zim-bob-we, where her husband is chancellor, reportedly just three months after enrolling, and in 2014 became the head of the ZANU-PF party’s women’s wing.
Even Chelsea had to put in enough time for appearances' sake
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/18/2017 9:01 Comments ||
Top||
#6
"Your Grace is a veddy quick study --
Amin in a dress, but less bloody!"
"Our Lady MacBobby
Was only a hobby --
One found that one's duds got too muddy."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
