By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
It is hard to convince anyone, even among those who say they are 2nd Amendment supporters, that once a political entity embarks down the road of constricting gun rights the appetite will not be satiated short of gun confiscation itself.
Only two years ago, Washington state residents staggered to the polls to impose universal background checks on the minority of its citizens who are gun owners. The law that passed was so restrictive that even casual exchanges of firearms would be subject to background checks. The law is so bad that county sheriffs in the state have said they will not enforce it.
Now Washington state's attorney general is proposing to ban assault weapons and "high capacity" magazines. The proposed law comes after another of Washington state's customers gunned down three teenagers in Mukilteo last July 30th.
The big problem for those who love Liberty is that as sure as the sun rises, someone will say that a mentally ill individual should never have gotten his hands on a gun. Remember the universal background check, the new law that Washington state stoners passed just two years ago? It was violated by the shooter, who, even if he was adjudged to be mentally ill by a competent court, would have executed the shooting anyway.
All the above ignores the proper role of the state in law. It is not to prevent, yet we continually get proposals for laws that attempt, futilely, to do just that.
And yet, the state of Washington in its profound folly will pass a law that will be as ignored as the universal background check, and a state full of people walking around in a marijuana induced fog will continue to play the old smokers' game of "Wouldn't it be weird if".
All is not lost. In the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school and the draconian gun laws subsequently passed, Mossberg, the shotgun manufacturer left Connecticut and took its jobs to Texas, where a friendlier clime for gun manufacturers exists, to be sure. You should know that at this point, despite widespread resistance to registration the state of Connecticut has yet to move against the 82 percent of AR owners who have refused to register their weapons. Another mighty whiff by a fascist state.
For those of you who disagree with the 2nd Amendment, there's a app for that.
Loads
Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:
Prices for pistol ammunition were steady across the board. Prices for rifle ammunition were mostly steady.
Prices for used pistols were mixed. Prices for used rifles were mixed.
New Lows:
None
Pistol Ammunition
.45 Caliber, 230 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Goose Island Sales, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: FedArm, Own Brand, Brass Casing, Reloads, .23 per round (From Last week: -.01 Each After Unchanged (4 Weeks))
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo Mart, Buffalo Cartridge, FSFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Ammo Mart, Buffalo Cartridge, FSFP, Brass Casing, Reloads, .20 per round (From Last Week: +.02 Each)
9mm Parabellum, 115 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Outdoor Unlimited, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .16 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, MaxxTech, FMJ, Steel Casing, .15 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (7 Weeks))
.357 Magnum, 158 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .23 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 1,000 rounds: Ammunition to Go, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel cased, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2016))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 Each After Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammunition Supply Company, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt!, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .21 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.308 NATO 150 Grain, From Last Week: +.01 After Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Red River Reloading, Tulammo, FMJ, Steel Casing, .36 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: LAX Ammunition, Tulammo, Steel Casing, FMJ, .34 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks))
7.62x39mm AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2Q, 2016)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1,000 rounds: SG Ammo, Wolf WPA, Steel Case, FMJ, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds (10 Box Limit): Ammomen, Federal, RNL, .06 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds (2 Box Limit): Ammunition Supply Company, Remington Thunderbolt, RNL, .06 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks) )
Guns for Private Sale
Rifles
.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $562 Last Week Avg: $542(+) ($616 (2Q, 2015), $476 (48 Weeks))
California (237, 245): Palmetto State Armory: $585 ($650 (1Q, 2015), $400 (2Q, 2016))
Texas (231, 246): Windham: $600 ($700 (1Q, 2015), $350 (2Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (135, 136): Radical Firearms: $500 ($700 (2Q, 2015), $300 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (147, 147): Mixed Build: $625 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $475 (18 Weeks))
Florida (399, 403): Mixed Build: $500 ($650 (2Q, 2015), $380 (1Q, 2015))
.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,010 Last Week Avg: $1,090(-) ($1,359 (2Q, 2015), $820 (49 Weeks))
California (67, 65): DPMS: $850 ($1,700 (4Q, 2014), $850 (3Q, 2015))
Texas (74, 73): Bushmaster Orc: $1,300 ($1,500 (4Q, 2014), $700 (8 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (36, 33): Rock River Arms LAR-8: $1,250 ($1,500 (1Q, 2015), $700 (50 Weeks))
Virginia (51, 46): DPMS: $1,500 ($2,750 (33 Weeks), $800 (44 Weeks))
Florida (80, 79): DPMS: $650 ($1,950 (19 Weeks), $500 (48 Weeks))
7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $625 Last Week Avg: $625(=) ($668 (8 Weeks)), $450 (3Q, 2015))
California (45, 49): Zastava: $800 ($800 (14 Weeks)), $320 (4Q, 2014))
Texas (63, 69): CAI: $550 ($800 (34 Weeks), $350 (3Q, 2014))
Pennsylvania (48, 45): WASR 10: $550 ($750 (1Q, 2015), $375 (1Q, 2015))
Virginia (36, 32): AMD-65: $600 ($700 (14 Weeks), $350 (1Q, 2015))
Florida (93, 89): Maadi AK 47: $629 ($700 (27 Weeks), $300 (4Q, 2014))
30-30 Winchester Lever Action Average Price: $408 Last Week Avg: $414 (-) ($489 (1Q, 2015), $296 (3Q, 2015))
California (7, 8): Marlin: $420 ($600 (25 Weeks), $180 (2Q, 2015))
Texas (19, 22): Marlin: $375 ($550 (1Q, 2015), $300 (1Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (12, 15): Winchester Model 94: $349 ($450 (1Q, 2015), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Virginia (12, 11): Winchester Model 94: $450 ($670 (18 Weeks)), $250 (40 Weeks))
Florida (25, 26): Winchester Model 94: $450 ($500 (1Q, 2015), $250 (2Q, 2015))
Pistols
.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $408 Last Week Avg: $431(-) ($515 (5 Weeks)), $350 (45 Weeks))
California (199, 205): Taurus: $410 ($800 (5 Weeks), $300 (3Q, 2015))
Texas (239, 238): Charles Daly: $430 ($600 (4Q, 2014), $325 (3Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (158, 163): Rock Island Armory: $375 ($550 (2Q, 2015), $300 (2Q, 2015))
Virginia (150, 148): Rock Island Armory: $450 ($575 (32 Weeks)), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Florida (299, 300): Rock Island Armory: $375 ($500 (31 Weeks), $250 (1Q, 2015))
9mm (Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic) Average Price: $259 Last Week Avg: $258 (+) ($358 (28 Weeks), $245 (20 Weeks))
California (286, 280): Smith & Wesson SD9VE: $340 ($500 (28 Weeks), $200 (44 Weeks))
Texas (338, 336): Taurus PT111 G2: $230 ($355 (1Q, 2015), $200 (3Q, 2015))
Pennsylvania (290, 283): Taurus PT111: $225 ($350 (4Q 2014), $200 (3Q, 2015))
Virginia (217, 220): Smith & Wesson SD9VE: $250 ($425 (36 Weeks), $189 (23 Weeks))
Florida (517, 527): Kel-Tec P11: $250 ($400 (25 Weeks), $190 (5 Weeks))
.40 caliber S&W (Glock or other semiautomatic) Average Price: $300 Last Week Avg: $306(-) ($399 (33 Weeks), $262 (13 Weeks))
California (100, 112): Taurus 24/7 Pro: $300 ($560 (35 Weeks)), $250 (4Q, 2014))
Texas (137, 141): Smith & Wesson SW40VE: $300 ($425 (4Q, 2014), $250 (38 Weeks))
Pennsylvania (79, 77): Taurus 740: $200 ($450 (22 Weeks), $200 (2 Weeks))
Virginia (71, 65): Sig Sauer: $400 ($450 (2Q, 2015), $275 (1Q, 2015))
Florida (154, 167): Smith & Wesson SW40VE: $300 ($400 (1Q, 2015), $199 (32 Weeks))
Used Gun of the Week: (Alabama)
Smith & Wesson Model 1917 Chambered in .45 ACP