Why am I showing a video of rifles being modified to comply with California gun laws? Because with all the new talk about gun control, California is being looked at as the model for gun laws for the rest of the country. The sheer nonsense and poorly thought-out reasoning of all this is likely coming to a state/city near you, so I wanted to use their example to give you a preview of things to come. California is the home of some of the most Draconian and worthless gun laws in the nation, but it's not surprising that other states, in their haste to "do something," would quickly adapt their model.
There are various accounts in gun control lore about California Senator Diane Feinstein deciding what types of guns to try to ban simply by picking up a gun magazine and circling all the pictures of guns that had "scary" or "evil' features. Adjustable/foldable stocks, pistol grips, flash hiders, forward grips, detachable magazines, and even the infamous "barrel shroud" are all "features" of what she calls an "assault weapon" and all seem to make the gun more "shootier" to her. So she wants to ban these features. Actually, she wants to ban ALL guns. But that pesky U.S. Constitution keeps getting in the way.
“If I could have gotten 51 votes in the Senate of the United States, for an outright ban, picking up every one of them (every gun) Mr. and Mrs. America, turn ‘em all in. I would have done it.” - Diane Feinstein
First off, these laws concerning firearms configuration are "engineered" by people who know nothing about firearms or firearms safety and are simply reacting to the fact that firearms are "scary" looking. This is simply more of the "we gotta do SOMETHING" mentality, even if that something is meaningless or even dangerous.
The fact of the matter is that some of these modifications are just downright dangerous to the operator and those around him/her. Things like certain handgrip modifications that make it easier to drop a rifle or fixed magazine modifications that make it more dangerous to clear certain types of firearms malfunctions all lend themselves to situations where people can get seriously hurt. I'm not sure who the "experts" are that these people obtained when dreaming up these things, but I assure you that they just didn't think them through. But I will discuss some of these modifications in more depth in separate posts.
So in this particular video, which mainly discusses "featureless rifles" and in particular different hand grips. The issue with the handgrip, according to people like Diane Feinstein, is that it allows you to shoot the rifle "from the hip." Really, Diane? Is that your concern here? And I always thought that properly holding the rifle in a secure and safe manner would be a primary concern. I want you to notice in this video how some of these grips just don't allow the operator to securely hold the rifle. Dropping rifles is not what I call a safe practice.
If you don't have time to watch the whole video right now, at the very least, go to 12:55 in this video to listen to what Chris has to say about some of these ridiculous laws, and how they only penalize the law abiding. Criminals and those with evil in their heart who want to shoot up Christmas parties, concerts, churches, or schools will not be following these laws.
Stay tuned for more information and more in-depth articles. And stay involved! Here in Colorado, we have a new legislative session coming up, not to mention the 2018 elections. Now is not the time to go back to sleep.
“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”
Alexander Hamilton, "The Farmer Refuted", February 5, 1775