Shooting at the Pentagon - Gun Control Looks Pretty Good Right Now

Then there was the recent shooting where a deranged man shot some schoolkids at a school just miles from the Columbine massacre.
Good thing the deranged man had a bolt action so that he was tackled by a school teacher as he was chambering a round. I dread the carnage had he used an assault rifle.

here in Virginia, the state asembly just figured out a solution to all this random handun violence. They just passed a law allowing concealed weapons to be worn in bars. I am not kidding. It is awaiting the Governor's signature, but since our new governor is a Republican, it's going to become law.

The new law will require the wearer of the weapon to refrain from drinking any alcohol. It would be funny if it were not so sad. The gun rights forces use the fear aroused by the existence of too many guns as a motivating factor to, guess what, pass out more guns....

Looks like they removed the gun from the shooter's cold dead hands.

Well, whether or not he acquired his pistol legally or not is still open. We do know, however, that he was from CA--you know, the state that recently had the highest score on the Brady Bunch's rankings for firearms regulation.

Chris W: MN's carry law not only allows carry in bars, it sets forth moderate (.04, IIRC) limits for BAC. IOW, one can drink. It simply hasn't been a problem.

How does being from CA have anything to do with his access to a gun in the DC area?

The assumption that he acquired this firearm in his home state is more probable than any assumption that he acquired it elsewhere. Certainly, it is more probable than Chris W's speculation that this incident had something to do with the current legislative activity in VA.

"Certainly, it is more probable than Chris W's speculation that this incident had something to do with the current legislative activity in VA."

No such speculation was sent from my keyboard. I made it quite clear that our General Assembly just sent the legislation to the Governor as a RESPONSE to gun violence events such as the Pentagon shooting. The timing is such that the Pentagon shooting can obviously not be blamed on the new legislation which has yet to be signed into law.

My point is that total deregulation of handguns does nothing to keep guns out of the hands of nut cases such as the Pentagon shooter. Argue that one out if you wish.
As to gun access, maybe he got his gun in California, maybe he got his gun in Virginia, which is notorious as the source of many of the street guns in NYC and DC due to a strong culture of gun rights especially in gun SHOWS- where you can buy whatever is for sale without any background check whatsover, no kidding.

This brings up an interesting detail that the media doesn't seem to be focusing on: where did Bedell obtain his firearm? I'm very curious.

Also, was he living in the DC area or visiting? If he was visiting, did he drive or take a plane? If he took a plane, did he declare the large amount of firearms that were found in his car?

These details will better determine which aspect of documentation and licensing for a gun went wrong.

you can get lots of guns in Virginia John. It's a not so secret secret. There is a limit of one a month at gun shops, but if you go to a gun show instead, you can get whatever you want. It's a good thing he did not buy a used AK, or the 2 policemen would have been dead instead of able to return fire.

"...It's a good thing he did not buy a used AK, or the 2 policemen would have been dead instead of able to return fire."

Where on earth are you getting this kind of information? Do you really think that, at the nominal 5-foot distance the confrontation started, a 7.62x39 FMJ / JHP round is more lethal than a 9mmP round?

Really, Chris, your imagination is going off on you again. Take some deep breaths in a paper bag.

and I ask a follow up question, should americans be able to buy an AK at a gun show, no questions asked?

you are not very good at answering questions, Jim.

"at the nominal 5-foot distance the confrontation started, a 7.62x39 FMJ / JHP round is more lethal than a 9mmP round? "

It's great, your knowledge of hardware, a knowledge that I do not share. Bt I think it's not so much about hardware knowledge, a knowledge that among gun fans tends to be used in counter intuitive arguments, such as: military assault rifles are relatively harmless and need to be legally sold outside the military.

You are correct, I did neglect to answer that question, Chris W. I apologize.

1. Since the 'AK-47' one can buy at a gunshow is a semiautomatic rifle and there is no good way to make it fully automatic, then yes, one should be able to buy one at a gun show.

2. Military assault rifles--long guns capable a shooting a intermediate- or lower-power rifle cartridge, of a shorter (carbine) length, and capable of select and/or fully-automatic fire--are considered a machine gun by the 1934 Firearms Act, and are strictly regulated.

To buy such a firearm, one has to undergo a stringent background examination by the ATFE. If one passes, then they essentially give up such civil liberties as habeas corpus and pay a $200.00 tax as well. In sum, one cannot buy an assault rifle at a gunshow.

The 'AK-47' one can buy at a gun show does make a suitable home defense rifle under some circumstances or a go-to gun for other self defense use. It can even be a suitable hunting firearm--the ballistics of the 7.62x39 round are very similar to the .30-30, the cartridge for which the venerable Winchester 94 'deer rifle' is frequently chambered.

The primary characteristic of these 'AK-47' semiautomatic rifles one can buy at gunshows is that they share a cosmetic appearance to the military weapon; thus they inspire irrational fear in the eyes of unknowing people--that is all.