How One Man Got Rich Selling Machine Guns – Thanks to overregulation, machine guns are rare, expensive and sought-after . . .

Over the past decade, patient investors benefited greatly from one of the longest economic expansions in U.S. history, using stocks, gold and even cryptocurrency as vehicles of profit. A few of them even used machine guns.

Yes, machine guns. Not the readily available, semi-automatic rifles that have figured so tragically in recent mass shootings, igniting a national furor over gun laws. We’re talking about actual machine guns, which are about as far from the local gun store inventory as you can get, and much more difficult to buy. A machine gun typically shoots about 600 to 800 rounds a minute, while the Bushmaster AR-15 will fire about 45 rounds a minute, depending on how fast you pull the trigger. Fully automatic firearms are often depicted in movies, but in real life they’re a rare commodity except to members of the military.

Some of the hoops a buyer must navigate to get one mirror what some proponents of tougher gun laws would like for all firearms. But the red tape has also helped make machine guns the ultimate collector’s item, with some having doubled in value over the past 10 years.

Texas elected official gets misdemeanor, accused of berating a teen girl wearing Trump T-shirt – Why are Moms Demand Action members so violently abusive to children? . . .

Investigators at the Harris County Precinct One Constable’s Office on Wednesday filed a disorderly conduct charge against West University Place Councilwoman Kellye Burke, after accusations that she berated a group of teenage girls over a Trump T-shirt.

The girls said they were in line at Tiny’s Milk and Cookies in West U on Saturday, waiting to buy cookies for younger girls at their nearby church.

“A tall, short-haired blond woman came up to them and screamed, ‘Grab em by the (expletive) girls!'” the father of one of the girls said. He did not want to be identified, fearing retaliation against his daughter.

The girls initially tried to laugh it off, the father said.

“Then, she yells it again!” the father said. “At that point the girls were getting kind of scared, and then the woman starts, you know, going, ‘MAGA! MAGA! MAGA!’ while shaking her fist.”

Pensioner, 78, ‘stabs armed burglar to death’ at home in south east London – And he was arrested for it. This is what happens to subjects in a disarmed society . . .

A pensioner has been arrested after stabbing to death a suspected armed burglar he confronted in his home early today.

The 78-year-old was asleep with his wife in their south Londonhouse when he heard noises and woke to challenge two men in the middle of a suspected break-in.

The homeowner was confronted by one of the intruders who was armed with a screwdriver and forced to retreat into his kitchen.

Police said there was a struggle in the kitchen and the 37-year-old suspected burglar sustained a stab wound to his chest. The man was rushed to hospital but died at 3.37am.

A Stunning Victory Against the NRA in Wisconsin – More predictions of the end of the NRA’s influence . . .

“We beat the NRA!” Judge Rebecca Dallet announced as she claimed her pattern-breaking win in a contentious race for a position on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Dallet trounced conservative Judge Michael Screnock, securing 56 percent of the vote statewide to become the first liberal contender elected to an open seat on the high court since 1995. Dallet will replace one of its most right-wing members, retiring Justice Michael Gableman.

The outcome of the first such high-profile statewide contest of 2018 signaled that the influence of the National Rifle Association is far less of a defining force in swing states such as Wisconsin than was once imagined.

YouTube shooting: Attacker bought pistol in January, police say – Yes, Aghdam was a murderous loon. But according to the professor, anyone choosing to buy a gun after some unspecified age is clearly suspicious . . .

Frank McAndrew, a psychology professor at Knox College in Illinois, said Aghdam’s case appeared to differ in significant ways from recent rampages.

“Nobody died except her, she was using a handgun instead of a high-powered weapon, and she had a specific grievance against this business rather than trying to make a statement to the world,” said McAndrew, an expert on the psychology of mass killers.

“The fact that she was willing to kill herself without having killed a lot of other people first,” he said, “indicates the killing of a lot of people wasn’t her primary goal.”

McAndrew believes Aghdam planned the attack.

“It is a little suspicious,” he said. “You go 39 years without a gun, then you get a gun and go out and do something like this. One has to think she wasn’t buying it for protection.”

Responding to Vox.com’s “America’s unique gun violence problem, explained in 17 maps and charts” – Hard to believe the Voxen would cherry pick and selectively edit data that supports their anti-gun position. I’m shocked…shocked . . .

One thing gun control advocates such as Vox would never mention is that every single time that guns are banned — either all guns or all handguns — homicide/murder rates rise. This is a remarkable fact. One would think that just due to random chance, one or two countries would have a drop in homicides after banning guns.

Vox also has video that differs from the graphs that they have in the text. In particular, they start out with a discussion on mass public shootings using data collected by Jaclyn Schildkraut of the State University of New York-Oswego and H. Jaymi Elsass, a researcher at Texas State University. Unfortunately, in December 2015, when it was pointed out that their list was missing a lot of cases Washington Post “Fact Checker” reporter Michelle Lee wrote Dr. Lott: “[Schilkraut] said they are still adding cases, and that it’s not a complete database.” However, Schilkraut and Elsass had already gone public with their findings about how the U.S. compared to other countries. They did so with full knowledge that they were missing many shootings in foreign countries.  Not only did they miss cases, but Vox also doesn’t put the numbers for different countries on a per capita basis. It is startling that Vox puts other numbers in per capita terms, but not these numbers.

Is most gun crime committed by those who illegally possess guns? – Duh. But let’s penalize all of the law-abiding gun owners . . .

Faso said “The vast majority of crime that is gun related is committed by people who illegally are possessing that firearm.”

People can differ on what constitutes a “vast majority.” What’s more, illegal gun crime is not well researched in the U.S. The latest data is more than a decade old. One analysis of the data showed Faso’s claim is not true in some states while true in others. But experts say most gun crime is likely committed by those who illegally possess guns.

His statement is accurate but needed additional information. We rate it Mostly True.

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47 COMMENTS

  2. You can no longer allow them to keep chipping away at your civil rights. Take a stand with bump stocks because your AR15’s are next.

    Please take action on the bump stock ban- The BATFE cannot publish / add a new ruling without responding to all comments pertaining to that ruling. Everyone should comment to the ATF –

    https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=ATF-2018-0002-0001

    Go to the website and read the proposed rule, they will be able to ban anything in the future that previously was legal without compensation.

    The previously proposed ruling to ban “green tip” ammo had little more than 80,000 comments and the ATF gave up.

    Remember these were sold as legal accessories for years, and formal legal rulings were issued and published on numerous designs by the BATFE that bump stocks were in fact legal accessories and not machine guns.The manufacturers and buyers were given a written declaration that these items were in fact legal and complied with the law and that they did not require any form of serialization or background check – legally they were nothing more than a piece of plastic.

    Now they are going to retroactively declare owners of this plastic a felon and if you refuse to turn in your device they will arrest you, possibly shoot you and imprison you for no less than 10 years per offense after having told you that it was completely lawful to own, possess and sell without any restrictions.

    This decision ” will not ” and “does not” limit itself to just “bump stocks”

    There is nothing to say you can’t make multiple comments on different parts of the proposed rule. You can keep commenting thru June 27th, 20

    • In the People’s Republic of MA, possession of a bump stock can get you life in the Big House.

      Ah, America, where the rule of law prevails.*

      *Not available in all areas.

      • Just mill out your lower and drill a third pinhole. You would only get 10 years for a real machinegun instead of life for a stupid bumpstock. :^)

        • Something both amusing, sad, and frightening??

          I’m reading the Gulag Archipelago by ‎Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (yea, sometimes I just get a bug up my ass for classics.)

          And he goes into great detail about the insane and contradictory laws of the Former Soviet union, and how the populace complacently accepted this as normal.

          …..lot of similarities to our laws here now.

    • I am NOT advocating banning or not banning, but you need to look at few FACTS.

      First they did the same with the Akins. Just not a lot of them on the market at the time. Get over it, there is NOTHING new about the ATF reclassifying anything. Especially if it is in a bit of a gray area, open bolt guns anyone, or exceptions to SBR rules, the SIG brace (come on, be realistic)

      In addition, I’m fairly sure that you can sue the government and will likely win for the cost of the stock. Given the number sold, I think it will turn out to be class action.

      The LAW is not retroactive. They would be if they prosecuted you for owning it BEFORE the passage of the law, so get that strait. You do have a Fifth Amendment violation, but see the above lawsuit.

      Finally, you can shoot one at 800 RPM, reliably until the gun overheats. And you can fire it from a bi-pod, making it VERY effective against crowds at range. And the funny part is NO gun channel on FULL30 will show such a setup. (I know, Tim will not censor such a video, but they were made by existing channels on FULL30 and they are NOT posted there). You know why I think those videos are not up? Because there will be ZERO chance of keeping them if the public ever got a chance to see what they can really do and everyone is scared of a copycat.

      • “I’m fairly sure that you can sue the government and will likely win for the cost of the stock.”

        If the ban is upheld, I’m fairly certain you’re wrong. It is not a taking because bump stocks have always been illegal (if the reclassification is legally correct).

        • If the reclassification is legally correct, there is a case for detrimental reliance on the previous classification; therefore, the reclassification is ex-post-facto and is a taking. ATF pay up! It will require an act of Congress to provide funding (hundreds of millions of dollars).

          The problem here is that to Constitutionally do what they are trying to do takes an act of Congress (change the definition of machine gun and fund the taking) which defeats the whole purpose of what they are trying to do (get around Congress).

          • Do you have a source for detrimental reliance being a thing in a takings context? I’m not saying you’re wrong; I’m saying I’d like to see it.

            I’ve only ever had one case in which a taking has been an issue, so I’m not an expert on takings.

        • “It is not a taking because bump stocks have always been illegal (if the reclassification is legally correct).”

          Ah yes, newspeak at it’s best.
          It was always illegal, even though it was legal before it was declared always illegal.
          But then, this is a government agency, so logic is not required, or even to be expected.
          Take the Arsenal Firearms AF2011-A1 as another example. One pull of the trigger fires two rounds. According to the definition of an automatic firearm, that makes it an automatic firearm. If logic prevailed, that would make this gun illegal to own. However, since this is a government agency (BATFE(ARBG)), logic is not required, not is it to be expected, so the AF2011-A1 is legal.

          • The ATF has no legal authority to change the definition of machinegun one way or the other. If bump stocks meet the definition of machinegun (I don’t see how they could), then the ATF could not make them legal by issuing a determination letter saying they aren’t machineguns. A determination letter would however give people legal cover if charged with violating the NFA.

            If bump stocks don’t meet the definition of a machinegun, then the ATF has no authority to declare them to meet the definition or change the definition so that bump stocks meet the new definition.

            The logic is straight forward and fairly simple.

            But be warned, while the ATF has no authority to change the law, they definitely have the power to ruin your life.

      • Because one person used a Bump stock to commit murder the government is willing to punish everyone. That is not government “of the people , by the people”…that’s tyranny. Kind of like “we had to destroy the village to save it” or ” we had to arrest everyone to protect them”

        Better yet maybe the government should make murder illegal?

        This is some of the Stalinist logic the ATF is using:

        Quote:
        …such devices allow a shooter of a semiautomatic firearm to initiate a continuous firing cycle with a single pull of the trigger. Specifically, these devices convert an otherwise semiautomatic firearm into a machinegun by functioning as a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism that harnesses the recoil energy of the semiautomatic firearm in a manner that allows the trigger to reset and continue firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter. Hence, a semiautomatic firearm to which a bump-stock-type device is attached is able to produce automatic fire with a single pull of the trigger.

        Just go comment, because after June , it won’t matter what your thoughts and opinions on it are.

      • Ian McCollum shot a semi-auto RPK off the bipod with a bumpstock. Also, let us not forget that the bankrupt Women’s Marcher in Vegas failed to get as many kills with his arsenal of bumpstocks and .308s as Gay ISIS Guy did in 2016 with his MCX.

    • MIKE THEY ARE RESTRICTING COMMENTS BY STATING YOU NEED TO CORRECT ERRORS. THE ERROR ON MINE SAYS I HAVE NO COMMENT. “You can’t leave this field blank: BUT FIELD IS NOT BLANK, SORRY CAP LOCK IS STUCK.

      • It’s unfortunate that you are having problems , you can mail or fax comments
        Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the directions for submitting comments.
        Fax: (202) 648-9741.
        Mail: Vivian Chu, Mailstop 6N-518, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programs and Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 99 New York Ave. NE, Washington DC 20226. ATTN: 2017R-22.

  3. I work for a large company with workers in the UK and US. Our instructions from Human Resources on how to deal with “work place violence” are an interesting reflection on the two cultures. In the US, we are told to “Run, hide, fight.” In other words –
    run if you can
    hide if there is nowhere to run
    fight if there is nowhere to hide.
    In the UK, staff are told to “Run, hide, tell.” In other words –
    run if you can
    hide if there is nowhere to run
    tell the police what is going on.

    There is nothing about fighting back.

    • The pensioner story was abbreviated, but he is being charged with murder… Murder for surviving the struggle against two intruders who obviously didn’t care about his life or property. I guess he should have ordered them some pizza, then offered them his throat to slit rather than fighting. He was old and lived a good life, why would he dare to cut short the life of a violent criminal?

      Only criminals seem to have rights in England.

      • There was a story I had read a few years back about an intruder who was shot to death by a homeowner with a shotgun. The media destroyed this mans life and called for him to be charged for killing his ‘victim.’ Nevermind you that the criminal was a habitual offender. I remember reading a quote from someone who was involved in politics or Tv, can’t remember which, but, they said ‘that we need to protect criminals against vigilantes such as this one.’ I’m not shitting you. The person who said that is dead, thank god.

        • That farmer was later convicted and even sued by the goons at taxpayer expense. Yes, the gov paid their legal expenses for being criminals.

        • So goddamn disgusting. I still can’t believe the thought processes of some people, if you can even call them that.

      • The smart victims kill the criminals, roll them in plastic, and haul off the carcass. You need only repaint and maybe chuck some carpet and your problem is solved. The smarter choice would be sell off your assets and haul ass before you become a victim of the stupid government criminal support system.

        • “Yes, I need a dinner reservation for nine.”
          Unfortunately, I don’t have the required gold coins. 🙁

      • And if we don’t fight back and win, it will quickly be that way here in the US.

        This means that all firarms owners and all supporters of the Constitution must vote in every election. This means voting against all Democrats and voting for the opposing candidate that is most likely to win (meaning, unfortunately, RINOs and other spineless Republicans).

        We should also make sure that the RINOs and spineless Republicans hear us loud and clear by making sure we allways keep them informed of our position by contacting them anytime legislation is pending that will affect us and by showing up at their town hall meetings.

        The squeaky wheel gets the most oil.

        • Absolutely.

          And vote in all elections that only have local/state candidates for public office or ballot questions/initiatives.

          Every time there is an election, get informed and go to the polls!

      • In the yUcK women are warned by the police NOT to harm their attackers when being raped; this is a morally bankrupt set of countries.

    • Stand perfectly still and when the jihadi saws your head off, keep a stiff upper lip, old chap.

  4. “Illegal gun crime”? I get what they’re going for, but that’s some bad writing by PolitiFact.

  5. Running before shooting is a easy way to stress load. Hard to find range outside military that lets you do it though.

    Australian Army falling plate is start at 300 metre mound then run to 200, load and shoot 5 by 12 inch steel targets. One magazine and open sights. Done with full battle load.

    • Go to any tactical shooting competition. At my club, we regularly have people do zig-zag sprints across the bay on the clock.

  6. “[Pensioner, 78, ‘stabs armed burglar to death’ at home in south east London – And he was arrested for it. This is what happens to subjects in a disarmed society . . .]

  7. I read the UK plans on registering or confiscating all knives.
    Will screwdrivers be next?!

    DrDKW

    • You cannot carry a knife in the UK that meets any of the following criteria:
      Blade over 2.5 inches
      Fixed blade
      Folding blade that locks
      Folding blade that opens with spring or “gravity” assist

    • Funnily enough I was actually considering stabbing a thieving junky with a screwdriver this morning. I’m not willing to share any details though.

  8. Knife hero of the day?!? Boycott Britain…yeah about that bat-s##t crazy Persian gal. One case doesn’t make a trend. Shooting people is illegal. That crazed DC congressmen shooter had “legal” guns. So what…no NRA members or CCL holders are(usually!)murdering. Oh JUST SAW John Boch on WGN news. The gun ban/threats in Deerfield is BIG news.

  9. “Burke released a statement through her attorney Thursday. It reads:”

    “I have repeatedly apologized for the bad judgment I used and making the statement I did, but I do not believe repeating the words of the President of the United States is a crime. However, I will apologize again on behalf of myself, the President of the United States and all the media outlets who repeated his words both electronically and in print.”

    If that’s your idea of an apology, lady…

    • Well, the child abuser there has demonstraited she can’t behave in polite, or civil society.

      Her social abuses are at least: berating a child in public, abusing the venue’s hospitality, and interrupting everyone else. With that “apology” she’s demonstrated that she’s un-coachable, too.

      Legally at least: abuse of authority, suppression of political.speech, disturbing the peace / disorderly conduct, interfering with commerce, and assault.

      The campaign ads write themselves. First a clip, overlayed with the line: “This out of control person (No, not the kid — the othe r one.) is asking for more authority to whack you into line with what she thinks. And your kids. Anywhere, any time, any way, and any issue, apparently.

      Maybe she’s not the best choice to make laws n direct enforcement.”

      “We’ve seen what she’ll with a little power. Vote ‘Not that one.'”

      Then you note everyone who endorses n supports her — they all think if you are righteous enough, anything is justified. Good to know.

  11. “Frank Goepfert has built a lucrative business dealing in the rarest, deadliest and most valuable of firearms.”

    What moron would engage in an interview with Blimpberg’s rag? Idiot

  12. For those who actually understand the purely philosophically-based idea of ‘Rights’, question as follows: “Which of the two are the greater threat to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness? A criminal in the streets armed with a ‘gun’, or criminals in the seats of government armed only with pens?”
    For any having not yet thought about it quite this way, or perhaps not yet fully understood the essence of the idea associated with the word ‘Rights’, question as follows:
    “If everyone but you suddenly vanished from the whole of the planet, what ‘Rights’ would you then have?”

    • Being someone that has actually thought about this and survived two riots the immediate threat to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is the armed criminals in the streets and long-term threat that resulted from those riots were the criminals with pens.
      Now, if I was alone in this world I would have the right to defend myself against all aggressors, though those aggressors might be lions, tigers and bears. I would have the right to free speech even if it meant talking to myself. I would free to worship how I pleased. I would be free to travel or set down roots whichever fit my needs the best at the time. Beyond that, with no people to impose their will on me, I see no other rights I would need.

  14. …hmmm – no mention of the father (or fathers) standing up for the girls.

    Actions like this that go unchallenged, only embolden the offender.

  15. The government will ban the poor mans “machine Gun”, the bump stock. But the rich man will still have real machine guns to buy, sell, and play with. The Las Vegas shooter was a rich guy. Rich guys will always have their “toys”.

    Gun Control was always racist and still is. Now they have thrown in economic discrimination as well.

    • “Gun Control was always racist and still is. Now they have thrown in economic discrimination as well.”

      Economic discrimination has been around since the beginning of federal gun control. On the federal level, they didn’t add racism until Johnson. Depending on the state, racism was usually explicit in the beginning, whether in the law itself or the debate to enact it.

      Today, most things described as racist are one of three things. The first being non-sense, like micro-aggressions. The second being disparate impact that is the result of a disproportional percentage of minorities being poor and/or criminals. The third being leftist identity politics, which is inherently racist.

      I’m not saying there aren’t real instances of traditional white supremacy, but those only exist at the extreme margins of society.

      • I agree with you that our society is a much better one now when it comes to race relations. But gun control is still very racist. President Bush said it the best “the soft bigotry of low expectation”. That is how its done these days. The white socialist progressives are racist. They complain about white policemen. But don’t believe law abiding blacks should have guns. They want only the police (who they say are racist) to have guns.

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