Petulant Children

Unless you've been in a cave, if you're even remotely interested in politics you've likely heard the Heller decision from the Supreme Court. To recap, it was a wishy washy ruling that established the 2nd Amendment as an individual right, independent of service in the military, but subject to "reasonable restrictions". Just the hogwash I've come to expect from the Government these days.

The result of that decision, was that Washington D.C.'s total ban on handguns was unconstitutional. In response, D.C's City Council imposed a draconian registration scheme, requiring the presentation of the weapon at a local Police Station for ballistic fingerprinting (which is a joke), and *still* required that all weapons be trigger locked or completely disassembled and stored in a safe. A small provision was made to unlock it if you felt your life was in immediate danger.

Ever tried telling someone who just broke into your house and is advancing on you with a lethal weapon "hang on while I unlock my handgun and load it?". Yeah, right.

Meanwhile, D.C. left provisions in that named pretty much all bottom loading semi-automatic pistols (just like the Glocks, Berettas, Rugers, etc. etc. etc. that Police and citizens in other states carry daily) machine guns. That's right. Your handgun accepts a magazine from the botton - machine gun. Baaaaaanned.

While slightly better than a ban, obviously, this was the City Council's attempt to try and get back at the Court and at their Citizens.

This petulant temper tantrum became even more obvious at all the bleating and hand wringing that's been going on as the House of Representatives passed a bill today bringing D.C's gun laws into the same realm as most of the rest of the free states in the country. As that bill was being passed, D.C's City Council passed another emergency rule easing the rule on semi-automatic handguns and at least allowing unloaded weapons to be stored freely in the home.

There are two issues here though.

1. Why did the Council wait this long to ease those rules? Well, how better to take care of a tantrum than hauling the screaming kid outside of the playground and putting them in the car to think about what they've done? Good on the House for calling D.C. on it's tantrum and threatening to remove the power to throw it.

2. The down side of #1 is that the House has moved so late in the Legislative Session to do so that it is very likely that the Senate will never see the bill. Oh. So, as a slimy gun grabbing Democrat, you can stand up and beat your chest and proclaim your support for gun rights, all the while safe in the knowledge that the bill you just passed will never see the light of day in the Senate. Pardon me if I don't stand up and clap.

Folks, are we done allowing our so called elected representatives to smugly hold the chloroform soaked rag over our faces while they fish the cash out of our pockets and destroy our liberties? Can we wake up and realize that the level of Machiavellian machinations in our political apparatus are nearing a critical point? Can we even get the Bread and Circus dazzled masses to care?

Don't think for a moment that a free market has created the situation in which we find ourselves today. Don't even believe that this country was founded to run on the doublespeak, outright lies, and suppression of dissent we are seeing today.

This is not a Left versus Right wing issue. They're both at fault.