I've been seeing a lot of confused commentary on the Supreme Court's decision in Garland v. Cargill, which ruled that bump stocks did not violate the National Firearms Act (NFA) provision prohibiting machineguns.((Yes, I'm aware that 1934 National Firearms Act doesn't actually prohibit machineguns. But it has the legal definition of a machinegun (or "machine gun"), and it … [Read more...] about A Brief Bump Stock Explainer
Guns
America’s Rifle
I've been able to shoot an AR-15 a few times, and it was fun every time. I never bought one, in part because I lived in Chicago, which has strict gun laws, but ever since I moved out to the suburbs a few years ago, I've been thinking about getting back into shooting as a hobby, and last fall I started researching what kind of AR-15s were available. My plan was to get a … [Read more...] about America’s Rifle
Jane Notz is Fibbing
Yesterday, Illinois Solicitor General Jane Elinor Notz filed a brief with the Supreme Court, defending the Illinois assault weapons ban. Much of the brief is about law and procedure, which I'm not knowledgeable enough to address. But think I can shed some light on one tiny piece of Notz's brief:The instruments regulated by the Act are best suited for offensive combat: … [Read more...] about Jane Notz is Fibbing
Smarter Gun Control?
A recent Tweet pointed me to an opinion piece that Nicholas Kristof wrote a few months ago for the New York Times on the subject of reducing gun deaths through what he calls a "harm reduction" approach, similar to what we've done with alcohol, tobacco, and cars. It's a few weeks old, but it sparked an urge to respond. For someone who is sort of anti-gun, he takes an interesting … [Read more...] about Smarter Gun Control?
Assault Weapon Ban Theater
Somewhat to my surprise, earlier this year, Illinois passed an assault weapons ban, justified in part as an attempt to end mass-shootings. The ban is already under attack in the courts and dozens of county Sheriffs have claimed they will not enforce it. Lots of people in the RKBA((Right to Keep and Bear Arms)) community think it won't survive court scrutiny, especially in light … [Read more...] about Assault Weapon Ban Theater