L., in our so-far cooperative, democratic, open society (let’s all memorize the phrase), Americans may purchase just about any firearm they wish — and then some.
Note that I said “just about” because efforts by gun-control advocates may (or have) imposed some limits on high-magazine automatic firearms, a move that immediately spurred sales of the AR-15 class of weapons and related munitions.
___
Peterson inquired about the tank on the lawn. “It’s an M1A1, from World War II,” Clancy said, gazing over at it. “My wife gave it to me for Christmas.”
“Geez,” Peterson said, “how much does a tank cost?”
“I don’t know,” Clancy replied with a slight smile. “Do you ask your wife what your Christmas presents cost?”
___
The American landscape is dotted with militia and sporting gun clubs and their ranges, and that includes private Muslim compounds as well as the enclaves of good ol’ Christian boys. In principle, what is legal and allowed for one group must apply equally to all, and that’s what we do. It takes the commission of a crime for the government, any level, to get into the business of a person or organization, gun owner or gun club.
___
Where there are brakes involving the private ownership of firearms, the laws focus on behavior (required registration, training certification, etc.) rather than ownership.
___
Finally, for the Facebook short-form of writing, lol, small home defense to corporate security involves a lot more than the mere possession of a weapon. As we have a reliable police force, outbound emergency communications count a great deal in any incident; as most American violence of interest involves domestic and personal issues (and alcohol), the paths to battery and murder may get far along and out of reach of both a weapon or telephone device; as regards break-ins, the fearful-with-guns often make mistakes involving their perception of intrusion and fatal accidents involving loved ones take place.
Perhaps the underlying threats in a peaceful land are largely psychological — and so are the comforts of owning some hardware.
In Pakistan, you are perhaps out on the edge of a wild frontier, but even so, what are the crimes that would be forestalled by the robed man of the house descending a staircase with a revolver? Would it not be better to call the police and retire to a safe room?
______
It may be a fair test of American democracy and the values of the people that, overall, we are armed to the teeth and haven’t even one mainline domestic issue sufficient to launch even one general internecine low-intensity conflict. Instead, from time to time, organizations on the political fringe arm up, go “off the hook”, commit a crime or several — assassinations, bank robberies, bombings, etc. — bringing on a thorough reaming by the FBI and the invitation to sit in an electric chair or look forward to “three hots and a cot” for life.
_____
▶ Light Engineering In Darra Adam Khel, Pakistan amazig) – YouTube – Posted 8/24/2013.
Watch out Beretta, Remington, and Ruger — Darra Adam Khel‘s been getting practice on knock-offs for years.
______
From Russia with good humor —
▶ Ultimate Glock Torture Test – YouTube – Post4ed 1/13/2012.
______
What ticks Tom Clancy off? – The Washington Post – 10/2/2013.
How Glock Became America’s Favorite Legal Handgun – ABC News – 3/22/2013.
AR-15 – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
# # #