XPost: alt.politics.usa.constitution, alt.politics.guns, alt.california   
   XPost: sac.general   
   From: gp@dont-email.me   
      
   Did you know the Winchester 1903, a .22-caliber rifle that has a   
   10-round tube magazine, is a “semi-automatic assault rifle”? In   
   fact, every semi-automatic rifle is a “semi-automatic assault   
   rifle.” So says Michael Bloomberg, and he is poised to turn his   
   definition into law.   
      
    The gun-banner epithet “assault weapon” has always been a   
   deceit. Unlike other firearm terms—such as “handgun” or “bolt   
   action”—the phrase “assault weapon” has never had a fixed   
   meaning. Instead, the phrase is a euphemism for “as many   
   firearms as we can restrict, based on current political   
   conditions.” Back in 1989, then-Sen. Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz.,   
   introduced an “assault weapons” bill to ban only nine specific   
   models of firearms. But that was what the prohibitionists call   
   “a good first step.” Now, Bloomberg and his allies are pushing   
   an “assault rifle” ballot initiative in Washington state that   
   would apply to every semi-automatic rifle in existence.   
      
   Bloomberg and his spokespeople claim to support the Second   
   Amendment, saying they simply oppose “assault weapons.” But then   
   they try to classify any semi-automatic rifle as an “assault   
   weapon,” regardless of caliber, magazine capacity or anything   
   else.   
      
   Gun-banners in nations such as Australia and Great Britain have   
   already succeeded in outlawing all semi-automatic long guns. In   
   the United States, a big step in that direction is this year’s   
   Washington state ballot measure 1639.   
      
   Bloomberg and his spokespeople claim to support the Second   
   Amendment, saying they simply oppose “assault weapons.” But then   
   they try to classify any semi-automatic rifle as an “assault   
   weapon,” regardless of caliber, magazine capacity or anything   
   else. Under Bloomberg’s proposed Washington law, semi-automatic   
   rifles or handguns of any type would be subjected to onerous new   
   restrictions and taxes, thus discouraging their possession and   
   lawful use.   
      
   One objective of the Bloomberg strategy is stigmatization of gun   
   owners. Maybe you just bought a Benelli R1, or your father gave   
   you his Ruger 10/22, or you cherish your great-grandfather’s   
   Remington 8. You, like all owners of semi-automatic rifles, are   
   being stigmatized as an “assault rifle” owner—the kind of person   
   who owns “weapons of war” that have no place in civil society.   
      
   This spring, Bloomberg organized rallies all over the country to   
   denounce people who own such “assault rifles.” The hatred was   
   palpable. Most of the people at those rallies knew almost   
   nothing about firearms, and Bloomberg’s employees worked hard to   
   make them loathe you because you own a “semi-automatic assault   
   rifle.”   
      
   The Washington state scheme provides context to Bloomberg’s   
   propaganda campaign, which employs boycotts, threats, libel and   
   mob hysteria against anyone having anything to do with what they   
   consider “assault rifles.”   
      
   Perhaps you thought that the hate groups were only talking about   
   AR-15s, Mini-14s or other firearms invented in the past six   
   decades. To the contrary—every semi-automatic rifle ever made,   
   going all the way back to the first Winchester in 1903, is an   
   “assault rifle,” according to Bloomberg. The kind of people who   
   hunt with them, collect them, sell them or make them are evil   
   people who worship guns and don’t care about children’s lives.   
   So say the mobs chanting the Bloomberg slogans. If the   
   Washington proposal passes in November, individuals who wish to   
   acquire a semi-automatic rifle will also have to waive the   
   confidentiality of their medical records. The act of applying to   
   purchase “shall constitute a waiver of confidentiality and   
   written request that the health care authority, mental health   
   institutions, and other health care facilities release, to an   
   inquiring court or law enforcement agency, information relevant   
   to the applicant’s eligibility to purchase.”   
      
   The Bloomberg groups pushing the defamatory initiative call   
   themselves “Safe Schools Safe Communities” and the “Alliance for   
   Gun Responsibility.” That’s like a group that wants to restrict   
   access to books calling itself the “Alliance for Literacy.” The   
   groups are funded by not only Bloomberg, but also by his   
   billionaire allies, including former Microsoft Corp. executive   
   Paul Allen.   
      
   Under the Bloomberg proposal, nobody, of any age, could ever   
   acquire a “semi-automatic assault rifle” (that is, any semi-   
   automatic rifle) without first passing a gun safety course, the   
   content of which would be controlled by the government. So if,   
   for example, you have been a certified hunter-safety instructor   
   for the last 25 years, that still isn’t good enough. You can’t   
   even borrow a semi-automatic rifle without first enrolling in   
   and passing the government-controlled class at least every five   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)