The Zelman Partisans Statement on Proposed Legislation to Ban “Bump-Fire Stocks” and other accessories.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, long a foe of free and armed people, is introducing legislation (PDF) to ban “bump-fire stocks.”

“It shall be unlawful for any person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a trigger crank, a bump-fire device or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun,” the bill states.”

Since The Zelman Partisans do value free and armed people, having an understanding of history when wanna-be tyrants like Feinstein succeeded, we utterly oppose this legislation.

We oppose it for the usual RKBA philosophical reasons. It is yet another infringement on the very right to life, as expressed through self defense.

We oppose it for practical reasons as well.

The rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm is based in physics. Force is applied to the firing pin. That force and the pin’s mass determine its acceleration into the cartridge primer. The primer ignites at a given velocity for that cartridge; that in turn ignites the powder with its own ignition velocity. The bullet is propelled forward; force and mass again.

The force of the detonating powder also works to move the bolt backwards; the old “equal and opposite reaction.” How fast the bolt goes back is determined by its mass and the resistance of the spring behind it. When it has traveled all the way back, the spring applies force and pushes the mass forward once again.

The bolt is slowed as it strips the next round out of the magazine. Finally it moves the round’s mass into the chamber.

In a machine gun, the firing pin would continue forward starting the cycle over again. In a semiautomatic firearm, the pin does not go forward until the trigger (with its own mass and springs) returns to the ready position and is manually operated again. So semiautomatics have an inherently slower rate of fire than machine guns, all else being equal.

The only way to even approach the theoretical maximum rate of fire of most semiautomatics is to have a fast finger.

Old-timers know the trick of pushing your rifle forward with your grip on the stock or barrel shroud as you fire. Recoil pushes the rifle back, and your hand acts as a spring to pull it forward driving the trigger into your finger. The mechanicals have typically cycled already, so the rifle fires again. It’s a fun trick, but wasteful of ammunition, and very inaccurate.

Thus were born “bump-fire” stocks. They merely provide a way to hold the rifle a little steadier while you perform the same silly stunt. They absolutely in no way increase the theoretical rate of fire. They help folks with slower fingers get a little closer to the theoretical.

Should Feinstein’s bill pass, it would necessitate outlawing holding the rifle by the stock like we did in the old days. I suppose possession of an off hand would be a felony.

In fact, this bill is so broadly written that far more than “bump-fire” stocks would be banned. Light-weight after-market bolts can increase the rate of fire, as can different replacement buffer springs. Likewise nicely polished and sensitive trigger groups.

Polishing the parts in the stock trigger group would be illegal.

Basically this Constitution-shredding Senator wants to redefine “machine gun” by how fast you can make something fire, rather than being designed to fire automatically as long as the trigger is depressed. Apparently Jerry Miculek is going to be outlawed.

We understand that other people are reacting in shock and grief to the horrible incident in Las Vegas. But if we are to ban every fun or useful thing that has ever been misused, we will have to eliminate microwave ovens, sandpaper, fire extinguishers, doctors, and senators, among many other things.

The Zelman Partisans opposes this, and any other legislation with similar Bill of Rights violating intent, on the grounds that it is both wrong and stupid. We urge Senator Feinstein — clearly in her dotage — to withdraw it and to retire in ignominy.

We urge anyone with a lick of sense to also oppose it.

Please contact your Senators and House Representative to voice your opposition.

We also note that the National Rifle Association has issued a statement in support of further regulating or banning fun stuff, saying, “devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.” We disagree, and urge principled members of the NRA to consider quitting and joining a real pro-RKBA organization.

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Mandalay Misconceptions

Or outright lies, in some cases.

As yet, very few hard facts about the Las Vegas shooting are available to the public.

The alleged shooter, Some Asshole (whose name I refuse to use) had — per nearly all current reports — a clean record. He could — and did, according to the gun store that sold him three firearms, pass background checks. Per that one store, he passed multiple checks.

There is much speculation that he used one or more fully-automatic weapons. Based on the sounds of fire in a video, I subscribe to that theory. Fox News has an anonymous source that claims the shooter had ARs converted to full auto. Plural. Allegedly in .223 and .308.

Automatic weapons are highly regulated. To legally own one, you must pay a $200 tax above and beyond any sales taxes, undergo a background check, get approval from local law enforcement, and the ATF’s permission.

The shooter’s local PD says they had no contact with him, so he didn’t have Local LE approval, and thus did not lawfully buy a machine gun. The asshole’s brother claims his psycho sibling had no automatic weapons when he helped him move to Nevada a couple of years ago, so the killer would have had to contact Mesquite PD to lawfully obtain one. The shooter is not on the ATF’s list of Federal Firearms Licensees, so he did not lawfully convert semi-autos to full auto.

Nonetheless, at least Dimwitocrat senator claims universal background checks would have prevented this shooting. The shooter passed background checks, and proceeded to violate enough laws to spend most of the rest of his life in Club Fed just on NFA ’34 related charges.

Felonia Von Pantsuit claims the shooting proves why the Hearing Protection Act should not pass. The HPA would remove suppressors from NFA regulation, leaving them treated as mere firearms. Clinton says a suppressor would have prevented victims from hearing the shots and running away. Clinton being Clinton, I assume she’s lying rather than suffering a misconception. .223 — and especially .308 — is quite audible even with a suppressor. Enough Arkancide cases involved shootings so I expect her to know.

As noted above, machine guns — full auto weapons — are heavily regulated, and have been since 1934. Despite brain-dead babbling in the lamestream muddia, the 1994 “assault weapons ban” had nothing to do with NFA machine guns. The sunsetted ’94 law was only a ban on sales to civilians of semi-automatic firearms with arbitrary cosmetic features manufactured or imported after that date. NFA weapons continued to be heavily regulated before, during, and after the so-called AWB.

I’m also seeing Twitter twits tweeting about “high capacity magazines.” However, I note two points:

1) Someone did an audio analysis of shooting video and determined that 280 shots were fired in 31 seconds. I am unaware of any 280 round AR magazines; if you have a source for them, let me know.

2) A former US Army SAW gunner claims that is what he heard in video. Belt-fed, NFA-regulated machine guns are largely immune to hi-cap magazine bans.

But let’s say the asshole used an illegally modified AR-pattern rifle with magazines.

The shooter took his room days before the shooting. He reportedly brought in as many as twenty firearms and ammunition for same. With days to prepare (even assuming he did it in the hotel room), he could have pre-loaded an awful lot of… say, California-legal 10 round magazines. With a mag swap time of seconds, he could have run through said awful lot in the 72 reported minutes from the first 911 call to the cops breaking down his door.

Hi-cap mag limits are bullshit.

I haven’t seen this brought up yet, but let’s nip it before it buds. Seattle imposed a punitive firearms and ammunition tax to reduce “gun violence.” It hasn’t worked, and it wouldn’t have here either. According to asshole’s bro, he was a multi-millionnaire. Reports say he owned a $400,000 home, two automobiles, two airplanes, and routinely gambled away $10,000-$20,000 a day in casinos. He could afford a gun tax.

Licensing didn’t work.

Registration didn’t work.

Background checks didn’t work.

Magazine limits wouldn’t have worked.

Suppressor taxes and registration didn’t apply and wouldn’t have worked.

Taxes wouldn’t have worked.

So what’s left? Complete confiscation? As your parent or grandparents how well that worked when FDR banned private possession of gold in 1934. Ask your local drug dealer how well drug bans work.

You know what else didn’t work? Gun free zones. According to internal security documents and web site guidelines, firearms aren’t allowed in Mandalay facilities. I’m sure the asshole felt real bad about breaking that rule, too.

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