Microstamping....

This post is liable to send those who have pegged me a conservative into paroxysms of shock.

Governor Schwarzenegger of California, earlier this month, signed into law a bill in his state requiring all semiautomatic weapons to be engraved with microstamping.

What is microstamping you ask? It is microscopic etching of identifying information on various parts of a gun, in particular the hammer, which leaves these marks on the bullet.

Obviously, this allows any bullet fired from a microstamped gun to be traced back to the weapon from which it was fired.

Why is this important? Current statistics say that 40% of all homicides in the US go unsolved every year.

A large portion of those are committed with semi automatic weapons, in particular hand guns.

OK, here's the part where you will all faint.

I have long believed that not only should all weapons be banned, but that even the manufacture of weapons should be banned. The only manufacturers that should be allowed are those licensed to produce weapons for the various military, law enforcement agencies, etc. and other weapons requirements.

What about the 2d amendment you ask? Well, the 2d amendment is perhaps one of the most commonly misread and misinterpreted amendment to the constitution. Second only to the "separation of church and state" (More about that one in another post).

The 2d amendment concerns itself with militias and included in that discusses the right of people to keep and bear arms. Why? Because militias of that period were principally composed of private citizens.

Be that as it may, this won't happen, so back to microstamping.

There is now, currently a bill being crafted in Congress to reflect the California bill. More in favor of it, I could not be.

What is amazing is that the NRA, among others, lobbied with millions against the California bill.

What in the hell are these people thinking? This form of ID'ing does absolutely nothing to infringe on this imaginary 2d amendment right, it simply gives law enforcement a better chance of catching criminals using new guns, falling under the requirement.

I generally abhor single issue politics and this is a prime example. The NRA is simply one of the the most nefarious, destructive influences in this country. Not to mention just about the most powerful lobbying organization in the country.

If, and when, this bill appears, write your congressman/woman in support of it.