Hello,
Thanks. I thought there might have been a language barrier someplace (ie, "remember the yanks call semi autos AUTO... auto pistols etc.... auto they call FULY auto, so
all semis are up there including even a revolver!!") Looked to me like there was a misunderstanding about the status of the revolver. Could be I was mistaken. If so, I apologize.
We have legal terms and technical terms. California is a great place to go for scary legal words based on emotion. No such thing as an "assault weapon" -- that was totally made up by the anti-gun lobby to mean whatever definition fit the moment. It's purposefully vague while sounding close enough like "assault rifle" to perhaps be mixed up, and when I see this happen, I strive to clarify. In other words:
Assault weapon: Something that does not actually exist as a defined firearm. A scary-sounding term.
Assault rifle: A rifle with a pistol grip and detachable magazine firing intermediate rounds that may utilize burst fire or fully automatic fire. A real term.
I know you good Aussie folks have semi-autos, and I find it deplorable that your government has done this to you. Didn't you all use the Browning High Power to great effect in the Second World War?
As I said, California law is largely based on fantasy. I belong to Calguns.net because it's a good place, but also to monitor their fight.
I like Indiana, where I live. It's not all that great for some things, but we, the gun owners, are actually rewriting the gun laws a bit every year. We went from a four-year handgun carry permit, for example, to a lifetime carry permit for $125.
Additionally:
We can carry our guns to schools. We have to leave them locked in the car, but we can no longer be prosecuted for having them on the grounds. A school shooting (or two) was stopped by an armed citizen.
We can no longer be fired from our jobs for having firearms locked in our vehicles parked in the lot while working.
"No gun" signs in windows have no force of law. We can ignore them.
No duty to inform police officers during traffic stops or whatever. (I choose to do so only if I'm ever asked to exit the vehicle. Otherwise, leaving guns in holsters seems to be the proper, prudent, safest action.)
There's a bunch more. Here's a link to Indiana Criminal Code:
http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/2010/title35/The first thing that you'll notice is the number of dumb laws that have been "repealed". We, the gun owners of Indiana, have helped greatly here.
We're not the most radical, though. At least one of our states has pending legislation which will prevent enforcement of federal gun laws, and compels local law enforcement to actually
arrest any federal investigator who attempts to enforce federal regulations, including those prohibiting manufacture of machine guns, etc.
This is not without precedent. It's law in that state that federal regulations relating to marijuana will not be enforced, and federal investigators who try
will be arrested. This is law. (I do not use nor endorse marijuana. However, it's been a source of some controversy and I support that state's solution to it. They regulate it through the local governments as they see fit.)
Indiana has made some national news recently about a law protecting business owners from being compelled to serve gay/lesbian couples. In reality, we just passed a law allowing gay/lesbian marriages. Businesses have always been able to deny business to anyone for any reason, but they started getting sued for denying based on sexual orientation. It simply protects a right businesses already have! (I have no problem, as a business, supplying anyone with what I sell. I do like that the law protects me in the case that I should have reason to
not do business with a person.)
But, I digress here, really far in fact. I apologize, and will end now.
Regards,
Josh