Category Archives: Poll

POLL: A Law Enforcement “Visit”

We have — finally — a new poll. As I have in the past, I ask that only certian demographics participate.

As I’m sure you know, “Beta Bobby” Francis O’Rourke wants to ban AR-15s and “AK-47s” (how many legal AK-47s are in the US is an interesting question in itself). For the most part, he pretends such a ban is no problem because Of course everyone will be happy to sell their guns ‘back’ to the goverment (whispers, under duress). We won’t have to confiscate anything.

Post-the contribution-in-kind hours-longDim political ad Democrat debate on October 15, he changed his tune a bit.

“There have to be consequences,” the Texas Democrat said Wednesday after MSNBC host Joe Scarborough pressed him on how he would get AR-15s out of the hands of Americans unwilling to give them up. “In that case, I think there would be a visit by law enforcement to recover that firearm and to make sure that it is purchased, bought back, so that it cannot potentially be used against somebody else.”

I’ve been noting for some time that Beta (and Biden, Swalwell et al) seem to assume that someone else will be happy to lay their lives on Constitution-shredding line for him. Not once has Ball-less Bobby suggested that he would participate. I’ve asked; repeatedly.

I’ve also asked Bobby Francis if he has actually talked to any street-level LEOs about their willingness to kick in doors ‘visit’ millions of noncompliant gun owners because they’re well-armed.

-crickets-

So I’ll ask law enforcement officers what they think. (I’ve already polled military personnel.) Non-LE, please refrain from answering the poll.

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BSTD Bump-Fire Ban Compliance Rate [POLL]

The deadline for compliance with the irrational “bump-stock-type device (BSTD)” — bump-fire — ban has passed. So how effective has the imperial fiat been at making the nation safe from inert “machineguns”?

Who the hell knows? No one even knows how many there were; the ATF’s “estimate” (“SA Smedley! Quick; bend over so I can pull a number out.”) was 280,000 to 520,000 BSTDs sold. I’d like to see them give a 95% confidence level for WAG.

But I was interested, so I’ve been collecting turn-in reports. Such as they are. The majority of reports of turn-ins and destruction were merely unsubstantiated, vague claims that “people” are “complying,” without so much as a single example. I don’t count those.

The biggie, of course, was RW Arms who turned in for destruction 60,000 items they still had in stock. I’m not counting those because they hadn’t been sold; they weren’t part of the 280-520K giggle-guess.

After that come the great state of Washington, with a reported 1,000 turned in during their “buy-back”.” The problem with that number is hiding in the details. People were supposed to be paid $150 for each bump-fire stock. But the most detailed report stated that they only paid for 122 of 150 stocks surrendered. I suspect they were paying for commercial products, and some maliciously compliant smartasses (bless ’em) slapped together some bump-fire stocks from hunks of wood or PVC pipe.

So my wild ass guess is that only 81% of the WA turn-ins would count against the ATF “sold” estimate: 810.

Florida, which also banned bump-fire ahead of the federal rule, saw a whopping “handful,”, which I’ll call 5 (for the digits of a hand). Moving right along…

Illinois saw “a few” but a more detailed report clarified that “few” meant “1”.

Massachusetts, again with an earlier state ban: “only a few”. Since “few” doesn’t appear to be defined in statutory law, let’s say that between “handful” and “dozen.” Call it 8.

In North Carolina, the ATF claims “some” were turned over, but declined to give numbers. How many is “some”? I’m feeling generous. It was “steadily […] over the last few weeks.” Steadily = 1 per week. Few = 8. So call it 8 more BSTDs.

Vermont has some hard numbers. They got… 2.

The only other reported numbers were Rhode Island, New Jersey, and the City of Denver: Zero, 0, zip, nada, each. Zero is a number.

So, nationwide, I can only document 834 bump-fire stocks turned in. For some values of “document.”

But one can comply with the Royal Whim by destroying your valuable property. That’s going to be a little tougher to nail down.

I had no news reports specifically describing any destructions, just the aforemention vague “people are doing but we don’t know.” So next I turned to YouTube.

Frankly, a couple of searches there surprised me. I honestly thought I’d find more. As with news reports, it was mostly, “I’m going to,” or “I did, but I’m not showing it.”

The only videos I located which showed the destruction or the finished “product” numbered just…

11.

Of those eleven, we have 1 which went out in a blaze of glory in a Viking funeral (the dildos were a nice touch), 1 destroyed in the shop, 1 more chopped, 3 barbecued to death, 3 lost in a horrible dumpster fire, 1 homemade pistol bump-fire device rendered inert, and 1 lost in a tragic boating accident just before it was turned in.

Scratch the homemade unit (only counting those the ATF estimates “sold,” you know), and we have 10. We’re now up to 845 mass murder tactical death machines safely off the street.

845. Across the nation.

I searched a few firearms forums as well. Not a single turn-in or destruction mentioned. It was mostly, “They’re stupid; I never had one,” “I had one, but it wasn’t as good as I thought, and I got rid of it years ago,” or “They look like fun, but I never bought one.” I rather expected a “few” from my cold, dead hands declarations, but didn’t spot any.

845.

Taking the ATF’s low estimate of 280,000 BSTDs sold, they have achieved a miraculous 0.30% compliance rate.

Using the highball guess: 0.16%.

Trump must be so proud.

Zelman Partisan regulars are fine, upstanding people who obviously do their best to comply with constitutional laws. No doubt any of us who happened to own one of these evil machineguns has done the right thing. So quick poll of those who had them.

[Permission to republish this article is granted so long as it is not edited and the author and The Zelman Partisans are credited.]

Carl is an unpaid TZP volunteer. If you found this post useful, please consider dropping something in his tip jar. He could really use the money, what with truck repairs (too late; I’m selling the truck) and recurring bills. And the rabbits need feed. Truck insurance, lest I be forced to sell it. Click here to donate via PayPal.
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POLL: What to do with Bump Stocks

The deadline approaches: On Tuesday, March 26, 2019, those still holding bump stocks (with a bare few exceptions) will magically become felons as inert chunks of plastic mystically morph into post-’86 machineguns.

Hypothetically speaking (because none of TZP’s regular readers could possibly mean to become malum prohibitum criminals), what will/are you doing with your “bump-stock-type device?

 

Perhaps we’ll be seeing reports of “compliance”, especially the rubber band sort.

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Poll: Would military personnel deploy nuclear weapons?

By now, I hope you are aware of threats by California Democrat Rep. Swalwell to use nuclear weapons to enforce gun control laws (newsletter subscribers will get an early look at a detail column on the subject; others will wait until Tuesday).

He’s trying to walk back the threat as sarcasm (it wasn’t) or hyperbole to demonstrate that the government has gun owners out-gunned.

Nonetheless, he is working on the assumption that military personnel will be willing to — illegally — exercise overwhelming military force, including Weapons of Mass Destruction, against American civilians to enforce gun control laws.

A couple of decades ago, military personnel were surveyed on a similar issue; the infamous Twenty-Nine Palms Combat Arms Survey. The results were very disturbing.

Swalwell has now upped the ante by suggesting that military personnel would go so far as to conduct nuclear weapon strikes against Americans for the sake of gun control.

I would like to limit this poll to current military personnel and veterans. I suggest reviewing the Posse Comitatus Act before taking the poll.

Please share this poll, to reach as many people as possible. If limited to regular TZP readers, I expect I’ll see a strong bias in responses.

The Question: “The U.S. government declares a ban on the possession, sale, transportation, and transfer of all non-sporting firearms (“assault weapons”). A thirty (30) day amnesty period is permitted for these firearms to be turned over to the local authorities. At the end of this period, a number of citizen groups refuse to turn over their firearms. Consider the following statement: I would fire upon U.S. citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of firearms banned by the U.S. government.”

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Poll: What do you expect of Associate Justice Kavanaugh?

Our new Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, has been sworn in after a highly contentious confirmation process. The majority of the media attention — Left, Right, and that which tries to limit bias — was focused on his character, as defined by — admit it — unsubstantiated allegations.* To the extent that his judicial history has been adressed, that has largely been limited to Roe vs. Wade, and to a lesser degree Second Amendment issues. For better or worse, Kavanaugh will be ruling on cases.

Update: PollDaddy keeps duplicating the 2A response for some reason. I’ve even gone back and deleted the one, and it comes back. On another poll, it deleted all my answers; I had to go back and reenter them. I think it’s time for a new poll service.

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Poll: Do you care about bump-fire?

Recently, I’ve put a fair amount of my time into tracking bump-fire bans, new rulemaking and legislation alike. I’ve noticed thatrelatively few people seem to be speaking about the subject, and the majority of those who bring it up at all indicate that bump-fire stocks (and trigger cranks, etc.) aren’t worth bothering with.

Obviously, I disagree with that assessment.

Web site traffic analysis also indicates that bump-fire is a low-interst topic.

What do you think? Am I wasting my time and yours? This a two-parter; two separate, but related, polls.

 

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POLL: What’s your best guess what a “large-capacity ammunition cartridge” might be?

The Richmond, VA school board recently adopted a resolution that calls upon Congress to:

“ban the manufacture, sale, purchase, possession, and use of assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition cartridges, except those needed by the military and law enforcement.”

In all my decades of personal, military, peace officer, and private security officer experience, I have never encountered a “large-capacity ammunition cartridge.” I have no idea what it might be.

I tried to ask the RPS school board, but the only member who would even reply — Jonathan Young was unwillingly or unable to define the term.

I asked Justin Mattingly, the reporter who wrote the story about the resolution adoption, if he could get clarification on that.

-crickets-

What’s your best guess what a “large-capacity ammunition cartridge” might be?

So far, we’ve got:

  • .50 caliber cartridge
  • A shoulder thing that goes up.
  • A ten yard belt?
  • Obviously another definition written by Jeff Sessions DOJ.
  • call BATFE … they know it all [they just think everything is a machinegun -cb]
  • 8″/55 (20.3 cm) Mark 71
  • One holding more than 10 gallons?
  • 155mm artillery round has capcity
  • A high caliber ammunition drum clip?
  • does not exist
  • I vote M829A4 round for the M1 Abrams
  • a “pancho villa” cartridge belt??
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[UPDATE 2] Survey: Support for New Gun Control Laws

Update: For some reason, my questions have disappeared.
Had to reenter all but one question. Seems to be working now.

I’m presenting another survey. Unlike past polls, this one is not directed at the RKBA/Firearms community, although anyone and everyone is welcome to participate.

But I would very much appreciate it if you distributed it far and wide, to the general population. Specifically those who allegedly poll in favor of new “gun” control laws.

START THE SURVEY

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Poll: Electronic Personal Assistants and Smart TVs

It has been noted that telephone surveys are probably a poor way of determining firearms ownership rates as gun owners are hesitant to tell random strangers what valuables they have in their homes, and — in the face of ongoing threats of more restrictive gun ownership laws — even less likely likely to tell the government.

Yet companies are marketing devices like smart televisions and electronic personal assistants that act as 24/7 audiovisual monitoring devices, and people appear to be snapping them up. Facebook is releasing “Portal,” a personal assistant optimized for social media and instantly communicating with family members like big brother.

All the data collected — potentially including imagery of personal possessions in your home, or discussions of such — by these devices is subject to scrutiny by the provider and “authorized” third parties, and to court subpoenas and warrants. As Internet-connected computers, they are also potentially vulnerable to third party hacking.

As a gun owner, would you buy and use one these devices?

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Poll: Carry in California

The Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards are afraid “that people who can legally carry concealed guns in their home states could do the same” in California if Congress passes reciprocal carry legislation. The thought of hordes of law-abiding people swarming the state apparently terrifies them. But that presupposes that law-abiding people who want to routinely carry concealed want to go to California, which I can personally attest isn’t necessarily the case.

If you are a non-Californian with a CCW license do you have any interest in traveling to California with your sidearm?

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