“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Benjamin Franklin. Since those words were first uttered technology and civilization have changed, however, society has not.
Gun Control Threatens Safety During Coronavirus Outbreak
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) rips through America, it spreads fear and uncertainty with it while citizens practice social distancing. Panic buying already hit gun stores. Citizens are also doing all they can to stockpile essentials in the event of prolonged shortages. Well, what happens if the food or, God forbid, the toilet paper run out? Well, people get desperate. There is usually no stopping somebody determined to feed their family or provide them with urgent supplies. In these times, most of us are rounding out our home defense checklist and having conversations with our loved ones about where they are to go should rioting and looting break out. But what if you don’t have a gun?
Cali Gone Crazy
All over the country, people are seeing the futility and downright danger of gun control laws as the coronavirus spreads; the same laws some of these now wanna-be buyers once advocated for. Take California for example, with its 10-day waiting period. It states that after you pay for your gun and undergo the Federal background check process, you must wait another 10 full days before you can take your gun home with you. In a situation where things are changing by the hour, a waiting period puts you at a terrible disadvantage. Furthermore, in an instance when we are trying to limit travel for its potential to spread disease, we are forcing law-abiding gun owners to take a second trip to the gun store and come in contact with yet another set of people.
Worse in New York
As crazy as California is, it can’t hold a candle to my home state of New York. No, we don’t have a 10-day waiting period (yet). However, it is absolutely illegal to loan a long gun to a friend or neighbor unless it is transferred via FFL (AKA, at a gun store). Being that it is already a crime to give a gun to someone who is not legally allowed to possess one, this is redundant and unnecessary.
Sure, we can just take a ride together to the gun store (more travel and exposure) and pay as much as $50 for the paperwork, but there is always the chance that he or she can get a “delay” back from the FBI. This is especially common if the transferee has a common name, or if there’s an overloaded system, which there is. All in all, if there is civil unrest, we wouldn’t have the time to take the trip, let alone the desire to navigate dangerous roadways.
Magazine Restrictions
Let’s go a little further down the rabbit hole in New York. If said gun happens to be semi-automatic and accepts a detachable magazine (like most guns), the homeowner can only fill it to seven rounds. Yes, SEVEN ROUNDS! While some parts of New York got this thrown out, most residents are still bound to that SAFE Act component. Can you imagine a mob of five people kicking in your door? You better make ‘em count!
Furthermore, do you think an angry gang of criminals keep their magazines at seven rounds? Whoever said, “You don’t need an AR-15” never watched the footage of the L.A. riots where shop owners had to protect themselves from literally dozens of assailants seeking to loot and set fire to their establishments, which in many cases doubled as their homes.
Not Just Scary AR-15s
Now, mind you that the preceding information only applies to long guns. There is a special type of stupid that regulates handguns. Let’s start with the loan policy of a handgun in New York. It’s pretty easy: There is none. While you might be reading this and thinking that it only limits friends and neighbors, you are unfortunately wrong. This prohibition even includes husband and wife, even if they live under the same roof! You read that correctly. I am not legally allowed to give my wife—even if she has her own pistol permit—one of my handguns to take to the range. Yep, I still haven’t figured out who they are protecting with that one.
New York enacted these laws to “further the state’s important interest in public safety.” But if you ask me, I think they are creating a public safety hazard. When these “common-sense” gun laws passed, the common sense concept of “criminals don’t care about arbitrary numbers” escaped our so-called leaders. At the end of the day, it’s only the homeowner who will obey and, thus, be at a disadvantage.
If you live in a state like New York, take this downtime to contact your elected officials. Be sure they understand the downfalls of laws like these, especially in times of crisis. If your state is free of nonsense like this, make that call anyway. Be sure your folks understand how gun control laws affect you, the law-abiding citizen, especially in times like these with the coronavirus outbreak. Until then, stay safe my friends — and I don’t mean from germs.
