Continuing the theme of the Left Coast struggle for gun rights, it seems our friends at KTVU decided to head on over to the Crossroads Gun show at the Cow Palace in Daly City recently. Apparently they came to the conclusion there was a lot of mischief going on in the great cow hall. They found a guy with a backpack trying to sell a gun to anyone who would listen. Given that all gun sales in California are supposed to be handled through an FFL – even private party transactions – yes, he would be breaking the law if he’d unloaded his gun. But just in the nick of time . . .
a polite FFL dealer explained the error of his ways to the young man possibly saving him a trip to the hoosegow. To that end all private party sales are done through an FFL with a background check. The only upside to a private purchase is you may purchase more then one hand gun at a time or more in 30 days.
Beyond that, none of the KTVU crew really saw any shady goings on at the gun show. In fact the managers of the Crossroads gun show said that doing something illegal there probably isn’t the smartest thing in the world. Many of the FFL dealers are retired LEO’s. Show management is also walking the floor looking for anything that might be illegal. The last thing the show organizers want is to be accused of being a hotbed for illegal activity.
The worst thing the news crew could dig up was a few dealers selling parts kits for AR or AK mags. These are essentially complete magazines in pieces. They’re designed to repair either 10- or 30-round magazines. If you assemble all the parts, you actually get a working magazine, and while the parts aren’t illegal, assembling a 30 round magazine in California is.
Of course there are plenty of folks with 30-round magazines who acquired them pre-ban. My take on the situation is it’s a don’t ask, don’t tell situation. If you have private land you are shooting on, then 30-round mags are normal. Just don’t take them with a bullet button-equipped gun to a range, or competition. Then again there are plenty of nice folks who are willing to lend you their 30 round mags during competitions so either way you should be fine.
So why did the news crew come to the conclusion that there were illegal activities regarding firearm sales in California, despite stringent gun laws? Got me. In fact, no crimes were committed in front of them and they couldn’t pinpoint any wrongdoing in the parking lot or anywhere else.
I’m not saying there isn’t a black market for firearms within California. We know there is, just like anywhere else in the nation. The reporter’s opening argument is correct, but from that point there’s no there there. Lacking any real proof (or a story, for that matter), the reporter somehow forgot to attach his name to the Pulitzer prize candidate piece of “journalism.”
It’s not difficult to figure out gun laws aren’t working. Just like in DC or Chicago, we are faced with illegal use of guns and the violence that accompanies it. We also understand that criminals don’t care about laws and will get guns (or knives, or whatever) through the black market. So really, what we should be asking is how are we going to stop the illegal sale of firearms to criminals? That, my friends, is a difficult task to say the least.