From: Lee Bellinger Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 Subject: Stealth Assault on Your Gun Rights: Alarming new battlefront...
Reluctant to Grab Guns Overtly, Governments Aim for Ammunition
Guns and ammo are private property, emblems of practical self-reliance, and a touchstone of our Constitution. That's why whether the issue of someone being "good on gun rights" is such an important litmus test of whether or not they truly respect individual rights and limited government.
Put another way, gun rights are a freedom-defining issue, and the American political elite knows it. That's why a frontal federal assault on taking away Americans' gun rights hasn't happened yet. Too many people own guns to make outright confiscation politically feasible. Which is why the enemies of gun rights have trained their sights on a devious end run: restricting access to ammunition.
This backdoor assault on the Second Amendment comes from all levels of government – local, state, and federal.
Feds Shoot for Gun Dealers and Ammo Makers
In January, after U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot in Arizona by a deranged lunatic (who is in the process of being punished), the Obama administration exploited the tragedy to renew efforts to undermine your gun rights. Some ongoing proposals include:
- Banning high-capacity ammunition clips;
- Restricting certain shotguns from being imported to the U.S.;
- Requiring dealers to report multiple sales to the same person of certain kinds of rifles;
- "Fingerprint" fired bullet casings and/or force ammunition companies to place serial numbers on each shell casing manufactured.
Even the EPA tried to step in. Last year, EPA considered a petition to ban lead ammunition under the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976. Fortunately, they soon realized that controlling and regulating ammunition is outside of their jurisdiction. But their regulatory attempt is revealing.
Control ammo, control guns. Back in 2009, the Department of Defense changed its policy about selling spent casings from military rounds. It decided casings could only be purchased from the military if they were "mutilated."
Giving Up U.S. Sovereignty. Another "under the radar" scheme the Obama administration is considering is entering into a United Nations arms trade treaty. If the U.S. enters into this kind of treaty, the U.N. could:
- Impose international gun-control laws on Americans and trump U.S. law;
- Regulate the manufacture, possession, and sales of firearms and ammo on U.S. soil – possibly superseding the Second Amendment;
- Force U.S. gun owners to submit to an international gun registry;
- Push other severe and appalling restrictions onto Americans living on U.S. soil.
States Pull Trigger on Ammo Sellers and Buyers
Early this year, California, the birthplace of many laws that often go national, almost implemented a controversial ammo law that would have:
- Banned mail order and Internet ammo sales;
- Required a thumbprint and valid registration with all ammo purchases;
- Forced retailers to store and file your personal information for five years and make it available to law enforcement.
With just a few days before the official start of the new law a California judge overruled the ammo law because it was unconstitutional.
Local Officials Brandish Threats of Taxes on Bullets
In the city of Baltimore, mayoral candidate Otis Rolley plans to impose a $1 per bullet tax if he wins this year's election. In an informal poll by WBAL-TV 11, over 96% of the respondents registered opposition to the bullet tax scheme.
Gun and ammo ownership is a property-rights and Second Amendment issue. But there are credible studies which show liberalized gun laws reduce, not increase crime. Criminals happen to be the biggest fans of gun-control laws, because it means they are less likely to encounter a person capable of defending themselves.
On the other hand, "an armed society is a polite society," as author Robert Heinlein once wrote.
- When the Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004, Senator Diane Feinstein tried to claim the ban was effective in lowering gun violence. However, even the federal gun-grabbers at the ATF admitted they could not vouch for the argument that the ban was responsible for a lower level of violent crimes.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied the effectiveness of firearms laws to prevent violence: "The Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of any of the firearms laws or combinations of laws reviewed on violent outcomes."
- An FBI study released last year showed gun sales were up in 2009, while at the same time violent crimes of all types declined by 5.3 per cent.
Gun Sales Have Been Brisk in Recent Years; Expect Prices to Rise Substantially in the Future
The cost of guns and ammo will most likely increase due to government meddling, a devaluing dollar, and the rising cost of the hard assets needed to produce and manufacture guns and ammunition.
At the moment, many proposed gun-control laws have been defeated or pushed off. You can bet it won't be long before new gun-rights invasions take place again. Purchasing a gun or adding to your collection now would be a good idea. If stricter gun-control laws are enacted, costs could increase substantially and availability will diminish.
Ammo Reload Kits: Fun, Profit, and Pure Necessity
Many hand loaders mention they can save quite a bit of money per round and their return on investment accelerates as they become more proficient at reloading. The savings realized also increases with larger size calibers. Experienced reloaders also mention other important benefits:
- It's a hobby they enjoy;
- They can often shoot a better quality round for less than the low-end round bought in a store;
- They are able to customize and better control how their ammunition functions and its accuracy;
- It gives them "quiet time" in their exclusive "man-cave-safety-reloading-room";
- Producing their own ammo with their bare hands gives them a strong sense of pride;
- Reloading gives them independence and acts as a buffer from ammo control laws or schemes that may pop up in the future.
Ammo reload kits are easily bought online or at your local trusted gun shop, and one can be found to fit almost any budget.
A new basic kit can run less than a few hundred dollars. Buying a quality used kit can save money and include optional equipment at a bargain. Find a kit that matches the caliber you shoot. Many kits also allow you to modify or increase the variety of calibers you can reload by purchasing add-on equipment: 9mm, .45, .222, rimmed, shot gun shells... you name it.
At bare minimum, the reload kit should include everything you need to hand load your ammo. However, the kit probably won't contain casings, rounds, primers, or gun powder. These need to be purchased separately. Experienced hand loaders to pick up free spent casings at shooting ranges and others even pour their own bullets.
If ammo continues to increase in price, one could possibly make a little side money selling them or trading them in emergencies. In fact, if you don't want to become a reloader yourself, it's not a bad idea to get to know a reliable gun owner who does it.
Yours in Self-Reliance, Lee Bellinger, Publisher of Independent Living and Money, Metals, and Mining
| P.S. – | Consider joining the email list of a pro-gun organization that takes a "no compromise" stance on Second Amendment rights – National Association for Gun Rights. NAGR is an alternative to the establishment National Rifle Association which has a disturbing track record of endorsing incumbents who have favored gun control and which has been the architect of harmful compromise in key legislative and legal battles over gun rights. |
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