I Need a M-16

I’m going to take a break on the cigar review this week and come to you with some thoughts I have in light of recent events.  As you are all aware a hate filled Democrat Marxist Muslim connected with ISIS walked into a gay bar in Orlando and shot up the place for 3 hours killing 49 people and wounding more than 50 before taking his own life.  I have seen people on social media telling me I don’t need an “assault rifle”, so I thought I’d express why I need what they call an “assault rifle”.

First, I’d like to send my condolences out to the families & friends that lost loved ones in Orlando.  I’m sorry that this preventable tragedy happened.

Before I get started I need to define a few things.  An “assault rifle” was a term made up by the Clinton’s in the ‘90s to help them push their 1994 ban.  The correct term is “assault weapon” and it has some very distinct features.  First off it must be select fire, which means they are capable of firing more than 1 round per trigger pull.  For most of the people in a free state that means spending many thousands of dollars (thanks to the Gun Control Acts of 1934, 1968 & 1986) to purchase one of these firearms in dwindling supply in the private market.  Here in CA pretty much the only people legally able to have them are police officers.  And the second major feature is they fire an intermediate power cartridge.  The US & NATO use the 5.56×45 round that at the muzzle has about 1,300 foot pounds of energy.  Compare that to your standard deer hunting round, .30-06, which has 2,820 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.  So you see that your standard deer (and previous US military round) has more than double the power of the standard round in the AR-15.  A couple other confusing terms are AR-15 and M-16.  The AR-15 is the civilian version and is only capable of sending 1 bullet down range for each trigger pull.  The M-16 is the military version that is capable of sending more than 1 bullet down range for each trigger pull.  The AR in AR-15 does not stand for “assault rifle” it stands for Armalite Rifle, the name of the original manufacturer of the rifle back in the 1957.  So yes the modern sporting rifle (AR-15) that everyone thinks of as new is approaching it’s 60th birthday.

Every time we have one of these tragedies people yell out for “MOAR LAWZ!” like lines written on a piece of paper are going to stop someone from doing something.  Laws are designed as a framework for punishing those who fail to follow those rules.  People are discouraged from committing these acts because of some fear of their own of immediate or future consequences for their actions.  Look at the guy (I WILL NOT use these guys’ names & perpetuate their infamy) who went onto the UCLA campus to kill the professor over a perceived slight.  I know not all of you live in the People Republic of Commiefornia like I do so you may not realize all of the laws he broke.  By the time he stepped onto campus he had already committed 3 felonies.  Those lines on the paper sure stopped him from killing someone.  That numbnuts in Orlando walked into a gun free zone and started to shoot up the place.  The lines on paper didn’t stop him either.   However, a good guy with a gun did stop him.

Evil has pretty much always been with us and will be with us no matter what weapons are at hand.  Cain didn’t need a firearm to kill Abel.  He just needed hate and a blunt object.  The same is true today.  Why do you think you need to be 18, show ID, and fill out a register to purchase a butter knife in Britain?  Because when they banned handguns the criminals just resorted to a different weapon to commit their evil.

The cat’s out of the bag, and you’re never going to get rid of firearms.  They’ve been with us for over 350 years.  Criminals are always going to find ways to get their hands on them no matter what the law says.  Look at the case of Leland Yee, a once state senator in CA.  He was one of the loudest voices calling out for more laws here in CA, when in 2014 it came to light that he had been smuggling arms in for the Chinese gangs here in CA.  He may have just wanted to drive the price of his weapons up by calling for more laws, but the law didn’t stop him.  He is now serving 5 years in prison for accepting bribes and gun trafficking, a slap on the wrist in my opinion.  In light of that shouldn’t I have the best tool possible to fight against the criminals who would want to take my loved one’s or my life?  If you answer no, who is the heartless one now?

This is a big one, personal responsibility and mental health.  Ok, lets tackle the first one, personal responsibly.  There is the idea these days that one doesn’t have to take reasonability for their actions.  Look at the punk claiming “affluenza” responsible for his getting drunk and killing his friend, or the creep claiming drugs and alcohol made him rape that girl.  Sorry but nope.  You are responsible for your actions, period.  You are also responsible for your family if you see they might be a danger to themselves or others.  “But I don’t want to hurt his feelings” whine the left.  How about the feelings of the 14 killed by the San Bernardino terrorist whose neighbor didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make him feel bad?  Who feels bad now?  The latest terrorist in Orlando had multiple domestic violence run-ins with the law and terrorist accusations supposedly “investigated” by the FBI.  I know King Obama has declared that we “must not inflame the Muslims”, but where is that duty and honor to The Constitution you swore?  You FBI officers seem to be sweeping things under the rug rather than standing with honor against these hate filled enemies of freedom.  Seems like the fear of being labeled politically incorrect allowed this guy to kill 49 people over the weekend.  I know that people with mental health issues have rights, but their rights don’t outweigh mine.  It is sad to hear how someone with a mental illness is out on the street or in in a morgue because his family or friends “want to let them live their lives”.   Families used to recognize issues in their midst and made the people get help.  They should still be doing that.  Also the killing was done by a person, not an inanimate object.  The firearm didn’t decide one day it would go out and kill people.  A person picked it up and used it to kill people.

I have the basic human right to protect my life and the lives of my loved ones.  I also have the right to protect those lives with the best tool possible.  That tool for most people is a firearm.  I’m not talking about some electronic gizmo called a “smart gun” or a rifle with a bullet button or a reduced capacity magazine.  I should be able to choose whatever firearm I want even if it is a military arm.  The founding fathers weren’t stupid; they knew firearm technology would advance.  They had seen it in their own lifetimes.  When they wrote the Second Amendment their intent was that people should be armed with whatever weapon the military has, which today are fully automatic firearms.  Heck they even rented artillery and battle ships from private citizens to kick the redcoat’s behind.  They expected us to be able to resist the military or government if they got too big for their britches.  I would also be able to use these firearms as a deterrent against criminals wanting to harm me.  Criminals don’t do what they do because they’re looking for hard work, they’re looking for the easy way out.  If they think someone might shoot or kill them they’ll usually move on.  Here in Los Angeles county the Sheriff is of the belief (based on his written policy) that I do not deserve the right to protect my life since his normal response to CCW applications is to deny them.  He arrogantly believes that people shouldn’t be allowed to protect their lives away from their homes.  I guess that is why our crime rate is one of the highest in the country, criminals don’t have to fear someone shooting them so they can do what they want.

People are shouting for “sensible gun control laws”.  Ok, I’ll use myself as an example and show what they are calling for since Commiefornia pretty much has all of the laws lefties are shouting for across the country.  If I want to buy a handgun first off I have to check if it is on the “safe list”, the ever shrinking list of handguns that have been deemed safe enough for my use.  Never mind the thousands of other models that are sold every day across the country that aren’t injuring shooters.  Second, I have to either have taken or take my Firearm Safety Certificate test.  Then I can walk into a gun store and pick one of the firearms they have in stock and the paperwork starts.  I present them with my driver’s license, FSC, and a second proof of residency (utility bill or car registration) that has a matching address to my driver’s license.  They take all this, I fill out a 4473 and the state’s version of it that is entered into the system.  My right thumb print is now taken after I fill out the paperwork.  I now get to leave the store with a piece of paper that says I can return in ten 24 hour periods and pick up my handgun.  Oh and I can only purchase 1 new handgun every 30 days.  Purchasing a long gun isn’t a lot easier.  I have to make sure it doesn’t have any evil features on it (otherwise it has to have a bullet button), or is on the banned list by name.  The process at the gun store is about the same except there isn’t any second proof of residency required and I can buy more than 1 every 30 days if I want.  BTW the UCLA shooter passed all of these things because he wasn’t reported as mentally unstable by those around him.  And I’m supposed to give up more of my rights?  Hell no.  I should be able to own any firearm, with any feature, with standard capacity magazines without asking “mother may I?” from an increasingly tyrannical government.

I will not force you to arm and protect yourself, but I will not allow you to dictate to me how I am to protect me and mine.  If I want to have a select fire M-16 and Springfield XDm with a threaded barrel and suppressor, then dammit I should be able to have them.

I’ll leave you with one final thought.  If the Second Amendment only applies to flintlocks, then the First Amendment only applies to parchment & quill, the moveable type press, and the town crier…

Molon Labe