Weekly Roundup 5/13

Arizona Legislature Has Good Ideas

What do you legislate when your state pretty much has a lot of good gun laws? We'll let's take a look!

To strengthen state preemption of local laws, the legislature wants to stop problems before they start with penalties. Florida is a great example of this. Contributor John pointed out (in context of Nevada's issues) "You don't hear about this s--t in Florida." No, you don't. Governments can and will waste taxpayers money, but politicians and bureaucrats are not putting their own butts or pocketbooks on the line. Guns.com has the story. Gov. Ducey signed this bill into law.

The latest idea to stop the encroachment of Michael Bloomberg's money to ban private gun sales, aka the non-offensive universal background check plan is for Arizona to enter into an interstate compact with another state. A bill is in the state House of Representatives now (HR 2524). Such a compact compact would basically be an agreement to maintain "reliably uniform firearm transfer laws." 

In theory, this would be essentially a treaty with another state, regulated at a constitutional level, instead of a mere statute level. In order to 'untie' the knot, Bloomberg would have to find a way to change all compact states' laws to something similar at each 10 year window or fight a court battle to invalidate the compact on the basis that voters' will overrules a legislative compact. Sadly, this bill was vetoed.

The insidious nature of most ballot initiative laws is that the legislature can't override them for a few years. Good if you are regulating the government itself, but bad if it affects a fundamental freedom. Arizona has enough moxy in its legislature to probably get rid of any Bloomberg ballot crap, but 'Zoners would be stuck with that garbage for a few years. 

Unfortunately, this bill doesn't stand much chance of going forward, thanks to the Republican sell-outs and totally corrupted Democratic party. Oh well, a good idea. 

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Malheur Refuge Standoff Supporter Steals Ma Deuce .50 Cal

A supporter of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation that featured Nevadan Ammon Bundy was found with a stolen .50 caliber M2 heavy machine gun. Michael Emry called himself "The Voice of Grant County" and posted online and in social media about the occupation that ended this winter. Federal agents arrested Emry, who apparently stole the firearm from his former employer who was also a gun dealer. One of Emry's defenders posted a ridiculous and juvenile 'article' trying to argue that the weapon wasn't even a machine gun, demonstrating a total lack of knowledge about guns (NFA items in particular) that it's the receiver that makes the gun, not the sum total of its parts.

The federal complaint alleges that the serial number was removed from the weapon; not the action of someone who is going to try to sell or pass off a firearm as his own (assuming the NFA Branch wouldn't catch him). Emry was also apparently involved in buying a suppressor from a gun show (probable NFA violation) and built a bomb, according to this case.

The 'Ma Deuce' was designed 98 years ago by the legendary John Moses Browning and designed to defeat the armor and aircraft of WWI. Today, the M2 is used to defeat light armor and attack fortified fighting positions. The .50BMG cartridge is an ideal anti-materiel rifle cartridge. Based on Emry's views, his past behavior, the nature of the firearm in question, and the events at the wildlife refuge, one could probably safely assume that Emry planned to employ the weapon if an open firefight broke out with federal agents.

Original Story from KUOW