The National Shooting Sports Foundation declared victory in defeating a group of Attorneys General who challenged to Trump administration’s relaxing of ITAR export rules. While that’s well and good for the firearm’s industry, they did it by throwing gun owners and hobbyists under the bus.
The NSSF protected their commercial exports by sacrificing the more “controversial” electronic files for 3D-printing and CNC-milling of firearms and parts, damaging home gunsmiths to protect their commercial export interests.
People need to remember that the NSSF is not a pro-gun rights organization. It is a firearms industry group. While we may, on occasion, share a specific goal, they are not a friend to gun owners. They will throw you under the bus if it is expedient to do so. They will side with us on any regulation would reduce their sales, such as one-gun-a-month laws, but do not otherwise count on them to have your back.
This is hardly the first time they’ve shown a willingness to do this. The NSSF backed NICS and an expansion of it. They did this to protect the industry’s image. If a firearm gets sold to a prohibited person, they can point at a NICS system failure. It costs the industry nothing, but it costs gun buyers and taxpayers millions of dollars every year. If keeping guns out of unvetted hands was their real goal, their retailers would never have hand me that GLOCK without knowing so much as knowing my name.
While the NSSF opposes universal background checks, to my knowledge they have never supported opening NICS to private sellers (preferably through a BIDS system with no records), except through FFLs charging a typical $25 (or more). They won’t call for universal background checks, but if it happens, they’ll make sure they get their cut.
To repeat what’s already been said here ad nauseum…
Repeal NICS entirely. It’s unconstitutional on the very fact that the process, by default, assumes up front that you are guilty, and requires you to prove you’re innocent before allowing you to proceed with exercising your Natural right as explicitly protected by the Second Amendment.
The right should propose background checks for voting and see the left explode. Then they should just proclaim it common sense.
“The right should propose background checks for voting and see the left explode.”
Already happening, see any of the “Common-Sense Voter ID” laws that the Leftists proclaim as “Racist!”.
They claim they are racist because (according to them) Blacks don’t have government-issued picture ID, and don’t know where to go to get one.
And yet, not *once* have I ever heard a Black claiming their civil rights were being violated because they couldn’t board a commercial airliner…
The left (correctly) protested the “no fly list” until they figured it would work well for gun control. Then they wholly supported it as a good idea. Some how the right thought it was a good idea until they realized the left was going to club them about with gun control using it.
I’m not worried at all.
Neither ITAR nor the world’s governments have the power to stop the signal. 3D printing files aren’t going anywhere. The internet has given the entire world the ability to share and communicate freely, even in places like China where the government attempts to block it.
The fact you’re starting to see 3D manufactured pressure parts appear means that it’s only going to get better and better. The FGC9 uses a barrel that’s made using a crude form of 3D printed EDM effectively. As things get more sophisiticated I expect this to become more refined and designs to include rifle caliber designs as well.
I downloaded them a year ago when they were more easily available. I don’t have a 3D printer and don’t ever plan on using the files or distributing them…I just got them for the principle of it all.
Same here, not much use to me, I don’t have any experience with 3D printing but I know my way around a mill and engine lathe. I would much rather have blue prints and CNC tool paths. I went to college 25 years ago for a CAD/CAM degree (and was student teacher in the machine shop) but had to drop out due to family and financial issues. I would need to dig up one of my old books to figure out speeds and feeds, it was just too long ago.
Just like Rugars sell out for he ban on Semi auto rifles except theirs! Smith and Wesson etc. these firearms companies are not our friend; they just want your money and be able to take it regardless of how bad it hurts Joe Blow!
You are right Bill Ruger threw us under the bus, but he is dead and his son is running it now. His son in not an anti.
Previous owners of S&W did the same and they paid dearly. Different owners now
Code is Free Speech. But this entire debate demonstrates how in fact we really don’t have the First Amendment anymore.
Since the government is going to allow this information to travel outside the country but private companies are deleting it from internet websites. Then you don’t have the First Amendment. This is just some silly game that Libertarians Liberals and the Left like to play with the First Amendment.
It’s okay to block a military recruiting center. But it’s not okay to block an abortion clinic.
It all depends on Whose Ox is gored.
It’s okay if a gun Channel on YouTube loses its entire history of the work that they’ve done. Because it was taken down by a private company. That’s not a violation free speech. But if the government takes down the Channel all of a sudden that’s a free speech violation???
The internet companies Google, Facebook, YouTube, etc etc, claim they are deleting gun channels and information about firearms because they cannot operate in other countries, with this information being accessible by the citizens of those countries. They are doing the bidding of governments. Foreign governments.
So the entire argument that they make that a private company can take away your speech it’s a violation of the First Amendment. According to their Twisted perverted way of thinking.
But when the state government of Alabama bands the sex toy business and bands sex information to Alabama citizens that certainly does get the Three L’s exercised.
If parents don’t want their children exposed the gay propaganda in schools they just have to take it. From the government correct???
It all depends on Whose Ox is gored.
Have you thought about moving to an Ox Free Zone?
Have your thought about REALLY supporting the 1st amendment???
We can’t have a true 1st amendment, because of the children we aren’t having.
Just head over to your local Oxsmith.
Off topic but:
My ammo consumption is down lately (busy with lots of calls on my time) and I was already fairly well stocked, as a result I haven’t been paying attention to prices and availability the last couple months, but I did check this morning and it seems like availability is way down and prices are starting to climb.
Anyone know what’s going on? Is the coronavirus hoarding spilling over to ammunition too?
Yep. Gotta wrap up something in all that hoarded toilet paper.
Yes. There’s been a few news articles about runs on ammo, parts, etc.
Beans, Bullets and Bandaids.
And Buttwipe. Do not forget Buttwipe, especially if you have a wife.
tell her to rub it between her boobs.
look what it did to her tuchess.
Unfortunately I suspect the run will continue through the election. Might be good to just buy what you think you’ll need up until then at current prices.
Is there any POINT to this piece?
Oxen, mostly.
Just look at the name. It says it all.
They believe shooting is primarily a sport.
We believe it is our God given right, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, which apply to individuals.
Should have listed the major members so we could contact them and protest.