AWB Expiring

Well, it's about goddamned time. The unholy excrement that is the Clinton-era Assault Weapons Ban is set to expire on Monday. Can I just state for the record what a useless turd this bill was? Anybody who thinks it accomplished anything at all needs to go outside and tell me what color the sky is on their world. The idea that restricting what law abiding people do affects how criminals act has always baffled me. Criminals do not obey the law, it's inherent in the definition of the word.

The ban is yet another policy stance where President Bush has greatly annoyed me. He has stated he will sign the ban if it is reauthorized. He's already shown he has no problem eviscerating the 1st Amendment, let's keep going down the list! Screw that. One of the many reasons why my plan to vote for Bush in the fall bugs the crap out of me. (See also : sailor, drunken, spend like a)

I have no problem with my Senators or my Representative on this particular issue. Republicans from Texas don't vote for gun control, at least not if they want to get reelected. My other problem is how the media reports on this issue. Eugene Volokh does a masterful takedown of Reuters (surprise!) for their incredibly biased coverage of the issue. Commentary on this issue is everywhere, and as usual, most of it is ill-informed. Check this post for more hilarity.

Of course, I realize not everybody shares my position on the 2nd Amendment. I'm well past reasonable on this issue. I figure the document means what it says: my right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. If I want to keep a Patriot missile launcher in my backyard, I should be able to have one. I see no difference in kind between a pistol, a general purpose squad machine gun, or a howitzer. They are all arms. If I can keep weapons stored safely and use them in a responsible fashion, it is no business of anyone's what those weapons are. This puts me well out in the lunatic fringe on this issue, but that's okay. The Cheshire Cat and I feel right at home there.