You know what to expect when an article in the Detroit Free Press starts with:
As an outdoors writer for two newspapers for 35 years, a hunter for more than 50, and an owner of handguns, shotguns and rifles, I'm at loggerheads with some gun owners because I believe the U.S. is in desperate need of new gun control laws.
And we're not disappointed:
Eric Sharp: Aim for gun laws that will work
As a hunter, I have no idea why people buy them. They may think pseudo-assault rifles look sexy or get some kind of perverse Walter Mitty thrill by holding one and pretending they're like the tough guys in television shows and movies.But in wasting time arguing over pseudo-assault rifles, we ignore a more important point: This country makes it easy for every kind of gun to get into the hands of lunatics and criminals and to increase their murderous efficiency.
It's not as important how fast someone shoots as how many times he can shoot. That's why something as simple as limiting magazines for semiautomatic rifles and handguns to six rounds makes a lot more sense than outlawing the guns. I'd bet a lot of people wouldn't be interested in those guns if they couldn't also buy 30-round magazines.
We should also require registration of all gun sales, not just those done by stores. Private individuals can't sell cars without paperwork, so why should they be able to sell guns anonymously? And we should limit sales and purchases by enthusiasts to two a month and make sentences for every crime committed with a gun far more harsh than for, say, selling drugs.
In the world according to Eric, since he doesn't like semi-autos, the US will be a magically better place with mandatory registration of all guns and limiting capacity to six rounds only, and he calls on the feds to do it claiming the Second Amendment is the first gun control law in the US. Yes, he really says that, and likely believes it.
Hilariously enough, immediately after calling for confiscation of all magazines holding over 6 rounds he then claims that
We can't eliminate gun ownership in a nation where there are already an estimated 300 million guns in civilian hands. And there's no reason to stop 99.9% of the people from owning guns, because they will never abuse that right.
But confiscating magazines from all gun owners is a-ok with Eric, even though by his own logic there is no reason to take them from 99.9% of them?
Fudd logic at its finest.
