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Before you get another word into this blog, I MUST lay
out a disclaimer---I AM A LIFETIME MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE
ASSOCIATION. I have been since 1990 when
I paid the first $25 payment on my lifetime installment.
Today I feel I must rant on a topic that has been largely
shoved down the throats of all Americans—possession of guns. Whether it be the “right” to own a
semi-automatic rifle capable of firing 30 or more rounds a minute and has the
potential to empty TWO 100 round clips in less than 3 minutes; or owning a
handgun that might also have the capacity to hold 15, even 20 rounds, Americans
have been manipulated to accept guns as part of everyday life.
Again, in the interest of transparency, I do own several
guns. And if truth be told, I would own
more if circumstances allowed.
Then last month, I see one of the cover stories on my NRA
magazine is about suppressors (December 2015).
Then I read an article in my local Detroit paper (January 31, 2016),
also about suppressors.
So I am extremely curious as to why silencers, aka
suppressors, are suddenly so beneficial.
Since both are so similar, I will use Jeff Johnston’s
article dated December 15, 2015 as my primary reference and identify Lydia
Lohrer’s article dated January 31, 2016 when I refer to her article.
Both articles put up a straw-man argument that in parts
of Europe, silencers are readily available over the counter for the asking and
require no special licensing—paper work—tax—or wait period. Just set your money down, pick a silencer and
in less time than it takes to shoot 30 children in an elementary school—you can
have a silencer to call your own. Those
liberal loving Norwegians sure know how to run small government while looking
out for their citizens’ rights to be armed. BUT WAIT…while it seems t be so easy to get a silencer,
buying a GUN is an entirely different story in most of Europe--
Both the NRA article (5
Reasons to Consider a Suppressor) and the Detroit Free Press article (On
Suppressors, Lend Me Your Ears) note that in Norway, all one has to do in
walk into a gun store and buy silencer—no paper work, no wait period, no bureaucratic
red-tape. But what they do not tell us
is that it is NEARLY impossible to buy a gun in Norway—
The purchase, possession, and use of firearms are tightly controlled
in Norway, whose laws and regulations were made more stringent with
amendments to the Firearms Act in 2009 and the adoption of new Firearms
Regulations in that year. Permission to acquire a firearm must be
obtained from the local police chief and is limited to persons of “sober
habits” who have reasonable grounds for having a weapon. Fully
automatic weapons, some semiautomatic weapons, and firearms disguised as other
objects are banned under the law. Certain types of weapons not covered by
the Firearms Act’s definition of firearms, such as stun guns, are also
generally banned. In addition, the National Police Directorate may issue
regulations prohibiting the acquisition, ownership, or possession of firearms
deemed through their design or operation to be especially dangerous or
inappropriate for use.
There are also legal provisions, among others, on the licensing of
firearms dealers and exporter/importers, the maintenance of a central firearms
register, and the mandatory safe storage of firearms. The police
have the authority to conduct inspections of privately stored firearms,
after notifying the owner.
Nearly 10% of Norway’s populace own firearms, which are used chiefly
for hunting purposes. The gun laws were apparently not extensively
amended in the aftermath of the 2011 massacre in Oslo and on a nearby island in
which seventy-seven people were killed, chiefly through the use of firearms;
however, the country’s Mental Health Act has been revised to include a new
chapter on enhanced security in institutions that accommodate the severely
mentally ill or persons at risk for serious violent behavior.
-----------------
https://www.loc.gov/law/help/firearms-control/norway.php
SO, one does not simply walk into
a gun store, pick out a military assault style weapon—because these weapons are
NOT SOLD in Norway. There is also
something called the CENTRAL REGISTRY of GUNS—and local law enforcement can
INSPECT gun owner homes to assure the weapons are safe and secure.
So while the NRA grasps at straws
to make a PROGRESSIVE and extremely LIBERAL country like NORWAY appear gun
crazy and so much more advanced in their weapons of mass destruction mentality—giving
the appearance that America is backwards and has a draconian view of guns, the
reality is that European Countries RESTRICT access to weapons – have an
extensive background check for those who want a gun – have a CENTRAL REGISTRY
for ALL GUNS -- and has safe guards in
place to prevent those with mental illness and the proclivity to commit violence
from getting guns in the first place.
So let’s all tell the NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION, that if they support
the over the counter purchase of silencers and they believe countries like
NORWAY are doing the right thing---then we MUST sign into law similar GUN LAWS
IMMEDIATELY—then we can get on with the business of selling silencers.
