First, Kurt Hofmann.  Kurt gives a good summary history of the issue of gun control in Chicago / Illinois, and details how the communists there would rather prosecute an unlawful set of regulations and rules than follow the constitution.  Their scorched earth policy may backfire, but they have some options, as if an injured criminal hoping to avoid prison.

Second, read David Codrea citing a report by Gary North.

I just spoke to a good entrepreneurial friend. When he read about the ammo shortage he saw a business opportunity. He began researching what is involved in opening and operating ammo manufacturing. He found out that since he is not a felon he just needs a $30 license from the ATF. He contacted that department. He has waited over 2 weeks with no reply. In the meantime he found the manufacturing equipment in China. He contacted them. He heard back through their broker and was informed that just 3 days before, our government made it illegal to export that equipment to US citizens. I’ve not read anything about this in any news source.

I’d like to see this followed up with more reporting.  I don’t like anonymous sources, although I understand the need to prevent divulging names when no permission has been granted.  Read David’s conversation with the ATF at Examiner.

That said, I do know a little something about Gary North.  He is confidant of a large number of very smart people, and knows some wealthy ones as well.  Furthermore, he is an honest man, whether you agree with his analysis or not.  On its face, I trust this to be a truthful report, and thus it is highly disturbing.

Recall what I said about rulemaking?

I work with the federal government on at least a semi-regular basis, and when not, I am doing things that follow federal regulation, even though highly technical (the specific nature of what I do is not the subject and won’t be discussed).

For most people who never work with federal agencies and departments, ignorance is bliss.  But for those who do, they know that the nasty little secret about the federal government has to do with lawmaking by regulation.

Laws are passed by the Senate and Congress.  But after laws pass, thousands of lawyers inside the beltway go to work writing regulations based on those laws, or not, using the law as a pretext for further regulation that Congress didn’t specifically intend.  At times, Congress has even had to pass laws undoing regulations because the regulations don’t meet the intent of the law, and yet the executive branch won’t stop enforcing that regulation (or class of regulations).

Regulation is passed merely by entering them into the federal register, allowing a waiting time for public comments (which are nothing but a chance afforded to the authors of the regulations to ignore them or write sarcastic rebuttals), and then after the waiting period, it takes on the force of law including prosecution, fines and imprisonment for failure to follow them.

This happens every day, all over the nation, and in the DOT, NRC, EPA, DOJ, ATF, DHS, and other departments and agencies that the reader cannot even name and didn’t know existed.  Any law giving the executive branch the authority to further regulate firearms will be an opportunity for abuse, overreach and exploitation.

Take it from someone who has seen it.  Don’t trust the Leviathan.  It is a monster and it has monstrous intentions.

While it’s disturbing, it doesn’t surprise me in the least.  It saddens me to see our nation turning so sharply towards bureaucratic micromanagement, cronyism, political payoffs, and totalitarian control.

God help us all if our federal government doesn’t see that it has far greater things to worry over than whether we import ammunition fabricating equipment from China – things like how much of our national debt is owned by China.