The SKS is evil incarnate. As such, the media hysteria continues to whip into a frenzy. Mention SKS and assault weapon ban in the same sentence to get the desired effect. What’s noticeably absent from these scare stories is that the SKS, which does not accept a detachable magazine, is not affected by the assault weapons ban.

I was surprised that this story actually mentioned that:

The SKS — which federal officials say is the leading assault rifle used in crimes — is common, cheap and not covered by the 1994 assault weapons ban.

Of course, if it’s not covered, then it is not an assault weapon. They get that part right but the story gets plenty wrong:

The May sale to the North Carolina college student was legal as far as the seller was concerned. No background check is required when individual owners sell their guns, nor at gun shows where such weapons routinely sell for less than $200. Peck, who later killed himself, even got a receipt.

That is blatantly false. A private individual selling at a gun show isn’t required to do background checks but a dealer is.

Last November, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, now the likely Democratic nominee for president, cosponsored legislation by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., that would make permanent the 1994 assault weapons ban, tighten control of highcapacity magazines and expand coverage to include the SKS and dozens of other rifles, pistols and shotguns (sic). The bill, which has since languished, would ban manufacture and import of those models and require all sales of those already in circulation to go through licensed dealers, complete with background checks.

Making the one-on-one sale to another Peck would be illegal under such a law.

This bill, like the 1934 NFA, would set up special transfer restrictions on certain guns. This would result in increased prices. And it’s cosponsored by that pro-gun candidate John Kerry.

But Kerry is likely to seek renewal of the existing assault weapons ban rather than advocate an expansion as he reaches out to rural voters with guns, campaign aides said last week. That reflects a broader effort by Democrats to come to political grips with the Second Amendment.

Has he changed his mind since it’s an election year and he might need those southern votes after all?

Strategists for his campaign last week were pushing for a promise in the party platform to “protect Americans’ Second Amendment right to own firearms.”

“It’s a statement of respect for their rights under the Constitution. . . . It’s something that John Kerry, as a believer in the Second Amendment and as a hunter, thinks is important,” said Robert Gordon, director of domestic policy for the Kerry campaign.

Well, you can start by not supporting the ridiculous assault weapons ban. What better way to protect our second amendment rights than by, you know, protecting our second amendment rights?

Posted in uncategorized on July 12th, 2004 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |