Kevin D. Williamson is a Texan transplanted to greater NY city, who writes to great effect for NRO on the shipwreck that is our public finances. To those that know my own background it might ring a tad hollow when I say that his bio has nothing to do with how truly brilliant and insightful I find this particular piece of his.
He starts out rightly criticizing Obama's ATF chief as a devout anti-gun advocate who penalizes the law abiding rather than the law breaking. With so many recent successes for the pro second amendment crowd I might have given a piece about just that a pass as 'inside baseball stuff for gun guys' - not really something that a broader audience should worry about. But this piece is a little different.
Democrats have recently made it clear that they don't need actual 'law' to enact their vision - all they need is the bureaucracy. The EPA can institute CO2 restrictions, the FCC can appoint itself regulator of the internet. And although Kevin doesn't specifically say so, his article seems to raise the forward looking question of whether Democrats will try to use the ATF to impose further restrictions on firearms ownership. (If there is no one to buy it from - then you can't buy it.)
I particularly liked this part about how Andrew Traver (the aforementioned anti-gun advocate - now ATF head) and his department are demonizing gun dealers primarily out of stupidity and laziness:
The truth is that all these lavishly recompensed and richly pensioned cops and lawyers on our public payrolls have neither the will nor the wit to keep up with the most dangerous and dedicated sort of criminals, for the reasons cataloged above. Criminals are a pain in the butt by definition. Gun dealers, on the other hand, largely are law-abiding citizens by definition. (Try getting a dealer’s license if you’ve got a criminal record.) Gun dealers keep lavishly detailed records. They usually operate out of a fixed place of business and keep regular business hours. They will accept and keep an appointment, and most of them are quite keen on cooperating with law-enforcement authorities on all matters related to their business. They pay taxes and have phone numbers in the Yellow Pages. And that is why the Eliot Spitzers and Mayor Joneses of the world are coming down on them: because it is convenient to do so.
How's that huh? Tell me this guy's not cut from my kind of cloth.
Normally I would say that one more attack on the second amendment from the far left would be unlikely given what a political disaster it's always been for them. But with their recent success in thwarting the voter's will - now I'm not so sure. So I think it makes sense to write something like this right now, and to read it. I only think it's a shame that it's being released with three feet of snow on the ground. Because now I have to remember to have 'The Derb' ask him along the next time we go shooting - after the snow thins a bit.
0 comments:
Post a Comment