By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Earlier in the week, 100 million firearms owners did not go to Washington DC, enter into a secured US Navy facility, sneak a Remington 12 gauge pump shotgun inside, kill one guard and wound another, then go to a building where they knew others would be for the sole purpose of killing them.
Of those 100 million some of them were probably mentally ill by today's standards, and a lot of them, a lot more of them owned firearms considered by today's standards to be "illegal". They probably go around angry about things, family, friends, co-workers and the like, some even about the nut-crushing government we have which is still growing.
Yet a young man in his 30s, unmarried, childless, unattached in any meaningful sense, with a relatively good career in information technology did all that mayhem in Washington, DC which cost the lives of 12 and ruined the lives of many others.
Immediately following the shooting politicos, amateur and otherwise focused on the wrong things: what caused him to "snap", where did he get the weapons he used, etc. Very rarely in paid media did I read anything about how the man was just a treacherous asshole.
We have those in abundance in the United States, many of them with their hands on the media's microphones and some of whose writings appear in dead tree and digital media, whose sole goal in life is to use the US Constitution to wreck the parts they don't like, such as guns.
For all the many moments of belly drops we get from these incidents and the many more to come, nothing is worse than what the dead and the wounded experienced just before they were shot. Nothing could have prepared them for those shootings, save for the one thing our fascists in the media say they want to take away from everyone.
Guns.
So, what do the media focus on? The shooter? Sure, that's an obvious choice, but mostly the first thing proffered as a "solution" is gun control. They focus on everyone else, the 100 million firearms owners who would not, who could not conceive of such an act, but who wish to be both left alone to their own lives, and to be allowed to defend themselves against treacherous assholes like the shooter in Washington, DC.
Pointing out the shooter's pro-Obama pedigree doesn't help, nor does pointing out his penchant for "violent" video games; nor does imposing common sense gun laws. The only deterrent against a treacherous asshole is private individuals with guns who are ready to use them.
Speaking of treacherous assholes, a University of Kansas journalism professor (I know, shut up), for all intents and purposes on Twitter threatened the children of National Rifle association members for their role in the Washington, DC murders, which, in case you haven't been following, had no role in that incident. The University of Kansas supported David Guth's right to say what he did, but later suspended him for saying what he said.
And they say the 1st amendment is not alive and well in the United States.
Lastly, some fun facts about the AR-15.
Rantburg's summary for arms and ammunition:
Pistol Ammo
.45 caliber, 230 grain, From Last Week: +.01 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Munire USA, TulAmmo steel cased, .38 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1000 rounds: LAX Ammunition, reloaded, .37 per round
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 grain, From Last Week: -.01 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Bangit Ammo, Precision One, reloaded, .32 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1000 rounds: LAX Ammunition, reloaded, .27 per round (w/ ammo can)
9mm Parabellum, 115 grain, From Last Week: +.02 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Bangit Ammo, Precision One, reloaded, .30 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 1000 rounds: Fitz Munition Works (all brass), reloaded, .27 per round
.357 Magnum, 158 grain, From Last Week: +.12 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Bud's Gun Shop, CCL Blazer, .50 per round
Cheapest, Bulk, 250 rounds: LAX Ammunition, reloaded w/ ammo can, .40 per round
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Cabelas, Herters FML, .35 per round
Cheapest Bulk 1,000 rounds: Bulk Ammo, TulAmmo, .39 per round
.308 NATO 145 grain, From Last Week: +.13 each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Prvi Partizan steel cased, .73 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Wideners, Prvi Partizan steel cased, .65 per round
7.62x39 AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: -.02 each
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammo Supply Warehouse, Wolf Polyformance, steel core and case, .25 per round
Cheapest, Bulk, 1000 rounds: Ammo Supply Warehouse, Wolf Polyformance, steel core and case, .26 per round
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: +.02 each
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Ammo Fast, Eley Target, 10 per round
Cheapest, Bulk, 1,000 rounds: Bang it Ammo, Federal, Premium Gold Medal Target, .17 per round
Guns for Private Sale
Rifles
.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average price: $990 Last Week Avg: $940
California: Custom AR-15: $1,250
Texas: Colt Sporter Match: $800
New York: Bushmaster Orc Carbine: $1,050
Maryland: Ruger SR556 : $1,100
Florida: Bushmaster AR-15 : $795
.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,320 Last Week Avg: $1,570
California: DPMS: $800
Texas: Smith & Wesson M&P: $800
New York: Core 30 MOE: $1,200
Maryland: DPMS LR-308B: $2,500 (Same Gun)
Florida: Armalite AR-10 LE: $1,300
7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $730 Last Week Avg: $790
California: Saiga: $650 (prolly same gun)
Texas: WASR: $650
New York: Saiga: $750
Maryland: AK-47: $900
Florida: AK-47: $700
7.62x54mm (Dragunov Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,350 Last Week Avg: $1,333
California: Romak PSL: $1,650 (Same Gun)
Texas: Romak PSL: $1,200
New York: None
Maryland: None
Florida: Romak PSL: $1,200
Pistols
.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $660 Last Week Avg: $716
California: Rock Island Armory: $650
Texas: Regent UMA R100 (Turkish) 1911: $450
New York: Kimber 1911: $999
Maryland: Metro Arms: $580 (Same Gun)
Florida: Springfield: $620
9mm Beretta 92FS Semiautomatic Average Price: $507 last Week Avg: $506
California: $550
Texas: $475 (Same Gun)
New York: None
Maryland: $500
Florida: $500
.40 caliber S&W (Glock and other semiautomatic) First Time Listing Avg: $405
California: Glock 23: $500
Texas: Smith & Wesson: $350
New York: Glock 22: $350
Maryland: Smith & Wesson 4006: $450
Florida: Smith & Wesson SD40: $375
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com.