One person commented on a previous post entitled “BALLS”. The post regarded the recent Orlando shootings (particularly the carnage at the Pulse nightclub.) In his comment, he suggested people carry FISHING WEIGHTS in their pockets to be thrown at gun toting assailants to confuse or disable them while a few “heroes” take the shooter down. Seems like a good idea. They are easily concealable but may be so heavy for their size as to inadvertently drop your trousers while you dance. Questionably effective? Some of my thoughts follow: First, I think background checks on gun purchasers is logical. As is denial for those on “no fly” lists.
California Governor Jerry Brown (Governor “Moonbeam”) just tackled some gun legislation proposals today. Some he signed into law. Some he vetoed.
He vetoed a proposal that long gun (rifle and shotgun) purchases be limited to one per month, the same way handgun purchases are regulated. Useless, but… Whatever?
He VETOED a bill requiring gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm, noting the following, ” I continue to believe that responsible people report the loss or theft of a firearm and irresponsible people do not. It is not likely that this bill would change that.” Governor Brown hits on an important point. He recognizes that responsible people are the ones who obey they law. But he doesn’t follow that logic to its conclusion. Restrictive gun laws only apply to responsible gun owners and will have no effect on the bad guys. This leaves the bad guys armed among a law abiding public less able to defend itself. NOTE: The state with the least restrictive gun laws is Vermont. Vermont has the lowest gun murder rate of any state in the union. .03-1.6 per 100,000 residents (depending upon from where you derive your statistics). The most restrictive states and the District of Columbia have the highest rates. Amanda Wilcox (spokeswoman for the Brady Campaign, whose daughter was murdered) said, “Strong gun laws work…” Sorry. Not according to reality.
He also VETOED a bill increasing the penalties for gun theft. Say what? “Mission control to Governor Moonbeam…” Amanda Wilcox said, “What we are doing in California is a better job of keeping guns out of dangerous hands.” How? By not being aggressive against gun thieves?
What he DID SIGN, among other things, was a bill requiring background checks on the purchase of ammo. This is hyper-restrictive without making any pragmatic sense. Purchase of large quantities of ammo or purchases of ammo by anyone deemed suspicious by the seller should require proof of I.D. In fact anything suspicious should be reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency. I saw no legislation on beefing up penalties for ammo theft.
In sum: If anyone ever throws a fishing sinker at someone else anywhere in the world, there’s a good chance fishermen/fisherwomen in California will be looking at background checks when purchasing their gear.
I would like to see Gov. Brown sign legislation outlawing pain and death in California. Some liberal in Sacramento would proclaim, “It’s working!!!”