Our friend John Feinblatt has just published an editorial on CNN’s website stating that Trump’s decision to exempt gun shops from the advisory list of businesses that should be shut down during the COVID-19 crisis is “both shameful and nonsensical.” I happen to agree. Feinblatt, who heads the Everytown organization (that’s the premier gun-grabbing group in the entire world, in case you didn’t know) goes on to list the threats from guns in the current situation, noting in particular that domestic violence and gun accidents involving children will probably increase since everyone is now stuck at home.
I suspect that if the virus continues to mount, that Feinblatt’s concerns may well be borne out. This is particularly the case as the virus spreads from big cities into rural zones because when you get out into the small towns, everyone has a gun. And usually more than one.
What I find most concerning about Schmuck-o’s decision to exempt gun shops from the advisory list is the fact that the official Department of Homeland Security’s announcement defines people who work in gun shops as ‘critical infrastructure workers,’ right up there with workers who respond to emergencies like natural disasters, accidents, and anything having to do with the firemen or the cops. Indeed, the exemption for guns covers the entire gun industry supply chain from manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors – even shootings ranges need to remain open during this critical time.
I must admit, by the way, that I am somewhat more sanguine than Feinblatt about all these so-called ‘first time’ gun wannabees rushing into gun stores. I recall a similar, somewhat briefer surge in my gun shop after 9-11; I also recall that when it was clear that Bin Laden was not going to be leading an invading army down the streets of Philadelphia (none other than Newt Gingrich claimed that such a plan was in the works) that many of the guns that people scoffed up to defend themselves against further attacks were returned, most of them never having been removed from the original factory case.
I also have to raise a slight demur with our friend John Feinblatt who reminds us that by granting a commercial privilege to the gun industry, the Schmuck-o Administration is elevating the 2nd Amendment into a “super right above all other rights.” Oh, don’t worry. Mike the Gun Guy™ isn’t about to all of a sudden voice a new-found devotion for gun ‘rights.’
To the contrary, there’s no such thing as a free-standing, gun ‘right.’ The 2nd Amendment isn’t a ‘right’ of any kind. It’s an addition to a legal document that was written in Philadelphia and then ratified by nine states and became legal on June 21st, 1788. The so-called gun ‘rights’ embodied in that document were defined by two federal laws, the National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Gun Control Act of 1968. These laws define the kinds of guns that Americans can own (NFA34) and the kinds of people who can own guns (GCA68). I don’t see anything either law which defines anyone connected to the gun industry as being workers in some kind of ‘critical infrastructure’ at all.
Which is why, when all is said and done, the pronouncement which lists gun-shop sales clerks as being on a par with hospital workers, cops, firemen and other first responders is a load of pure, unadulterated crap. Does it give the gun industry a brief boost in revenues after three and a half years of near-total collapse? Sure. On March 11th, Smith & Wesson stock hit its lowest point in the last five years – a couple of pennies over 6 bucks a share. Now it’s rebounded way up to 7 bucks and change. Big, friggin’ deal.
Kudos to John Feinblatt for making an argument about guns based both on reliable data and good, common sense, even though all Schmuck-o is really doing is rewarding the gun industry for what he hopes will be another 30 million in donations for his 2020 campaign
Apr 08, 2020 @ 13:03:23
The “Premier Gun grabbing group in the Entire World” Everytown, thinks that buying a gun being able to defend yourself during a National crisis is “Both Shameful and Nonsensical”…Unsurprisingly, Mike the “Guns for me, but NOT for thee” guy agrees with them!!
And now that we’ve heard the opinions of those “Shmucks”…..What do ACTUAL experts of Armed Self Defense have to say?
U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENTUNFAZED BY GUN, AMMO SALES SPIKE… Over Covid-19 Fears
“Cops in L.A. tell us, if people knew how many criminals are out there armed, they would not be worried about this current surge… Las Vegas Metro PD sources tell us they have no problem with people buying guns, as long as they’re legal. They also hope new gun owners have had or will commit to proper training.
Cops in Miami echo that…”
https://amp-tmz-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.tmz.com/2020/04/04/cops-not-worried-gun-sales-spike-coronavirus-fears-pandemic/?amp_js_v=a3&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D#aoh=15861978348908&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tmz.com%2F2020%2F04%2F04%2Fcops-not-worried-gun-sales-spike-coronavirus-fears-pandemic%2F
Apr 08, 2020 @ 14:20:39
When you amend the Constitution, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution, to wit, it adds to the intent of the document. So as far as what are enumerated rights, I’ll leave it there. The 1A was also an amendment and limits the kind of laws that can be passed to proscribe speech, limit religious freedom, or make churches think they are above the law. My wife has a set of books at home from when she taught rhetoric. These books describe the evolution of First Amendment thinking during the 20th Century.
What the GCA of ’68 and the NFA of 34 do is circumscribe any ideas about the RKBA being absolutely unfettered. As Scalia said, the 2A doesn’t give the public the right to own any kind of arms for any reasons and carry anything you want around anyplace you want. So the definition of what constitutes a “right” and the limits on that “right” have to be worked out by passing laws and making sure they pass the judicial laugh test. The Heller case overturned a really egregious law but in case anyone has been watching since 2008, very few other gun laws have been deemed unconstitutional. A good review of gun control history can be found in Adam Winkler’s book “Gunfight”. Hint–strong gun controls have been part of the Republic since its foundation.
Meanwhile, the Left pushes gun laws as far as they can and the right pushes abortion restrictions as far as they can. I’ll retire to Bedlam.
I already had my two cents about people going out and buying guns during COVID. If you didn’t already have one and know how to use it, its a little spotty to do it now. But there is an alternative point here: if states shut down gun stores and that state has a law requiring universal background checks or ammo checks, one can sue to see if a judge will call that an unconstitutional infringement. Stay tuned.
I’ll hold my opinion on Feinblatt’s hypothesis that this will lead to more deaths and suicides until the numbers start to come in. Feinblatt has a vested interest in painting a worst case scenerio. Others want to paint a “no, never mind” scenerio. I’ll wait and see. As Mike says, a lot of rural places already have guns. If one is going to load up and turn out one’s own lights or that of one’s darling spouse that one is now stuck with 24/7, I suspect it will be from those firearms that were already in law-abiding hands, so to speak. For one thing, anyone with a domestic violence conviction already has a hard time passing the 4473 quiz.
Stay safe and sane out there. If you have guns and are crawling the walls out there, find a safe storage location which, by the way, is one reason to keep gun shops open as some states such as Colorado advertise safe out of the home gun storage during a personal crisis. We will get through this and not by shooting our way through it.