Commenter uncommon_sense penned this under Nick’s post on the ATF’s customer service practices . . .
Aside from the fact that the (National Firearms Act) is unconstitutional, consider the supposed rationale for banning “regulating” these items and the failure of the rationale:
Suppressors — supposedly embolden criminals to attack victims because no one will hear their gunshots. Problem: suppressors still result in VERY LOUD (rather than deafening) gunshots and taking away suppressors has no effect on the noise generated with alternate weapons like knives, swords, clubs, and fire. Additionally, criminals can create improvised suppressors with nothing more than steel wool and a tube made of plastic or metal.
Short barreled rifles and shotguns — supposedly stop criminals from creating and using improvised handguns. Problem: criminals have no trouble whatsoever acquiring actual handguns and use them for almost all crimes where they use a firearm for their weapon. Furthermore, a criminal needs nothing more than a hacksaw and three minutes to saw the barrel off of a long gun to shorten it.
Fully automatic firearms — supposedly limit criminals’ ability to shoot a lot of people in a short amount of time. Problem: criminals have no trouble acquiring semi-automatic firearms and can fire nearly as many shots in the same amount of time as a fully automatic firearm. Alternately, criminals can fire large caliber firearms and kill anywhere from 2 to 10 people with each round of ammunition (depending the age/size of the victims). Of course criminals can simply purchase full-auto firearms on the black market or simply modify any number of semi-automatic firearms to fire full auto.
All of the rationale for the National Firearms Act of 1934 is demonstrably false and ineffective. It really must go away.
Not that uncommon_sense’s arguments aren’t, for the most part, valid and well stated, but given the frequency with which the .gov relinquishes authority or allows itself to be reduced in size or scope, is a reduction or repeal of the National Firearms Act in our future?