The administration is about to shoot itself in the foot, full auto:
The Obama administration should realize that without at least grudging Jacksonian support, this treaty — or any international treaty for that matter — is DOA in the Senate. So what is an administration to do? Negotiate with the Jacksonians first to get them on board. Then have a couple of people they trust closely involved in the negotiations and pay close attention to their views as negotiations with foreigners proceed.
Count on them to not do that. They don’t want or expect a treaty — they just want the appearance of wanting one to pander to their mushy-minded base. And to many other people, that appearance may be devastating in a year and a half at the polls.
And to many other people, that appearance may be devastating in a year and a half at the polls
Respectfully: this is wishful thinking.
I wonder how this new treaty will differ from ITAR and the US Munitions List.:
Extracted from 121.1
CATEGORY I—FIREARMS, CLOSE ASSAULT WEAPONS AND COMBAT SHOTGUNS
* (a) Nonautomatic and semi-automatic firearms to caliber .50 inclusive (12.7 mm).
* (b) Fully automatic firearms to .50 caliber inclusive (12.7 mm).
* (c) Firearms or other weapons (e.g. insurgency-counterinsurgency, close assault weapons systems) having a special military application regardless of caliber.
* (d) Combat shotguns. This includes any shotgun with a barrel length less than 18 inches.
* (e) Silencers, mufflers, sound and flash suppressors for the articles in (a) through (d) of this category and their specifically designed, modified or adapted components and parts.
(f) Riflescopes manufactured to military specifications (See category XII(c) for controls on night sighting devices.)
* (g) Barrels, cylinders, receivers (frames) or complete breech mechanisms for the articles in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this category.
(h) Components, parts, accessories and attachments for the articles in paragraphs (a) through (g) of this category.
That’s a whole lot of words to say “Anything that is, is a part of, can make, or can be made into something that shoots. Or that looks scary.”
But if you read further in the linked article, you’ll see they exempted BB guns, pellet guns and black powder weapons. I’m confident the new treaty will address this serious oversight. BB guns can be dangerous. You can put somebody’s eye out with one of those things.
I just hope they include dihydrogen monoxide. More lethal in a lot more ways.
Respectfully: this is wishful thinking.
Historic thinking actually. Party in power usually gets slaughtered in the 6th year of a Presidental Term. Put a Gun Control Cherry on top, defending a large number of weak Senate seats and an Economy that may well be headed into the crapper and you have the potential for a shitstorm of epic proportions.
Perhaps you are right. Time will tell.
As for myself, I doubt any force on Earth can break the power of the Media-Political-Academia cartel that runs the show now. The Dear Leader could rape a kitten on live national TV and he’d still poll in the high 40s.
Tend to agree. I don’t think catching him in bed with a live boy, a dead girl, or both would affect matters much.
I sometimes question whether it would drive his poll numbers below 43% if he were to go on live television, butcher a live dog and cook and eat it. while the cameras roll.
Remember when defeating ObamaCare was a “done deal”? Then a few back-door deals get done, and…viola!
Remember when ObamaCare was going to get overturned by the Supremes? One stinkin’ Chief Justice turncoat, and…voila!
Remember when gun control was dead? Then a couple of dumba** nihilist mass shooters take action, and…voila!
This administration has no shame, no boundaries. What would have been a “balloon” in previous administrations is now an Alinsky-style shot across the bow. They identify a goal, lie to get low-information-voters to howl at the gates, downplay their intentions to their enablers in the Old School Media…and pursue their goals mindlessly, without regard to law or Constitutionality.
Why does anyone believe otherwise?