Forgetting for a moment that prior to the Tuscon shooting, the term “assault clip” did not exist (and nevermind Helmke and the Brady Bunch don’t know the difference between a clip and a magazine) , the Antis are back to whining as they have for the last 20 years about the number of bullets you “NEED” to carry. As a segue from the Magic police post, lets look at the top five most common law enforcement carry weapons in the U.S. and how many rounds the standard magazine comes with. For those who do not know, when you purchase a semi automatic pistol, it comes from the factory with one or two magazines, considered to be the standard size for that pistol. Larger and smaller capacity magazine are usually available. As different caliber rounds are different dimensions, the standard size can change. All of the below are chambered in .40 S&W which is a fairly common LE round.
Glock Model 22, 15 rounds
Sig Sauer p226 12 rounds
Beretta 92 15 rounds
S&W M&P 15 rounds
Springfield XD 40 16 rounds
All of these sidearms have been tested and approved under various criteria to be the best choice for a Law Enforcement officer to carry for his own protection into potentially life threatening situations. As you can see ALL of them have a standard magazine of over 10 rounds, and most uniformed officers I have seen carry two additional magazines, meaning they carry anywhere from 36 to 48 rounds on their person! Gee Mr Helmke, does that mean that Cops are mass murderers waiting to happen? If the Police through study and testing (and a butt load of trial and error I’ll bet) have determined what is the best self-defence capability for an individual. Would it not make sence that for a Citizen wishing to carry for their own self-defence to simply carry what the cops do? Not if you are a card-carrying member of the Brady Boobs!
So why 10 rounds? why is that the magic number? My 1911 magazine holds 6, most revolvers hold 5-6. Why not 9 or 12? Why didn’t they set out to ban “non-standard” magazine sizes? The Answer is simple. Sad, pathetic, and stupid, but simple.
The salad days of the Gun Control movement have long since passed. In the last 20 years most states have begun to issue CCPs, and have watched as crime has fallen, and the predicted “streets flowing with blood” have not come to pass. No one has “shot the Avon Lady” and law-abiding gun owners have not “shot first” at the slightest provocation. Washington D.C. and Chicago have traded “murder capital” title back and forth of the last three decades, while having the strictest gun laws in the country. There is nowhere in the Country (or the world for that matter) where gun control has been independently proven to reduce gun crime, and independent data shows that disarming the law-abiding has encouraged and embolden criminals. The Supreme Court has found that indeed, people have an individual right to keep and bear arms for their personal defence. Like Hitler in the bunker, the VPC and Brady Campaign are trying to fight a war they already lost.
In this vein, what the Brady center and the VPC are really fighting for is relevance in a world in which they are obsolete. How does this relate to “assault clips”? If they got their wish and the ban passes, manufacturers, retailers and owners would be horribly inconvenienced, and a caused a lot of unnecessary expense. The Brady’s could sit back and point to this as a “victory” and demonstrate that they are still potent and increase contributions. Sadly, like the AWB, even if they pull this stunt off it wont save a single life or prevent a single crime.
So therefore it is no coincidence that Paul Helmke has come up with a magic number of rounds that is just shy of what Manufacturers and Law Enforcement think are appropriate for self-defence. Paul, to quote the great American Philosopher Buzz Lightyear, “You are sad strange little man, and you have my pitty. Farewell!”
2alago 