An open letter concerning TrackingPoint from an anti-gunner:

On August 20, 2014, the National Gun Victims Action Council issued a press release calling for a ban of “Smart Scope” Military-Style Precision-Guided sniper rifles, manufactured by Texas-based TrackingPoint, from being sold to the public. These weapons, legally sold to civilians, allow even people who have never fired a gun to hit a target the size of a soup can from 1,000 yards away every time—that’s 10 football fields or over half a mile.

Promptly, the pro-gun outlets guns.com, Outdoor Life and Ammoland and Lee Williams of the Herald-Tribune issued pleas for sympathy and “understanding” for this weapon while non-gun extremists remained chillingly silent.

“If we start banning technology like this, what’s next? What scope is next? What firearm is next,” whined poor, victimized TrackingPoint in Williams’ Sept. 2 Herald-Tribune column. “We have to stand together to prevent this kind of erosion of our constitutional rights.”

And stand together they did. We, at NGVAC, received an enormous amount of email from followers of these outlets, explaining how ignorant we are, what a threat to the sanctity and security of our country we represent and how our “gun grabbing” legislation-driven agenda violates “constitutional rights.”

None of the defenders of the “can’t miss” Military-Style Precision-Guided Sniper rifle addressed its dangers to the public’s safety and indeed the safety of our public spaces or the fact that the weapon has no legitimate purpose such as self-defense or hunting by “real” hunters who rely on skill.

So if you’d never heard of Charles Whitman, didn’t know how to shoot a rifle, didn’t know how to use a scope, and didn’t know anything about how effective a bad guy can be with even rudimentary weaponry, and if you thought the second amendment was about hunting, and if you didn’t think much at all about amelioration of active shooter situations, you might write something like this.  But we all know better.

My problem with TrackingPoint has nothing whatsoever to do with how good they supposedly are.  First of all, such gadgetry is too expensive for me.  If I can purchase half a dozen high end rifles and scopes for the money I would pay for TrackingPoint products, I’ll just take the rifles and scopes, thank you very much.

Second, remember what TrackingPoint gave up when they sold out gun owners.

“Developed by military experts and over forty engineers, TrackingPoint precision guided firearms virtually eliminate shooter error,” the ad claims. “Their Tag-Track-Xact system more than doubles the proficiency of a skilled shooter by maximizing accuracy, taking into account a slew of variables such as wind speed, air pressure, and temperature. Such unprecedented accuracy enables shots at distances many shooters have never before attempted – up to 1200 yards.”

What’s not to like?

Well, while the right hand is providing American riflemen (albeit well-heeled ones, if you take a look at some of their prices) a chance to apply for one of their limited supply systems, the left hand is urging the government to adopt its patented technology for the Holy Grail behind the ultimate purpose of so-called “smart guns,” the ability for “authorities” to turn them off. Automatically.

“TrackingPoint patents technique to disable guns near schools and ‘gun free zones,’” Steve Johnson of The Firearm Blog reported on Tuesday.

“The invention uses a GPS or mobile phone towers to determine location, sensors to determine orientation and a mobile/radio network connection to download a list of’ ‘gun free’ locations from a central database,” he explained. “Tracking Point Chairman John] McHale suggests that a ‘Gun Free Zone’ database could be maintained by the BATFE.”

Right.  Just give up control over your weapon to the ATF.  Sounds like a plan to me.  You too can get started for just under $10,000.

Kurt Hofmann:

Ludicrous indeed, but one wonders if a Maryland police chief would have found it so ludicrous for a non-“Only One” to be similarly disarmed. The surprising–and somewhat disappointing–aspect of this is that judging by some gun rights advocates’ Facebook posts, Ikea’s actions were more offensive than other establishments’ “gun free zone” endeavors, by virtue of the fact that they dared disarm an “Only One.”

This correspondent would argue, on the other hand, that Ikea’s willingness to be consistent, and apply its “disarmed victim zone” rules to everyone, even those bedecked in the trappings of government authority, is the one thing they got right. Well, except for the fact that it didn’t last …

Here are a couple of the salient problems.  First of all, folks like Ikea don’t think enough about the moral implications of self defense.  Second, they don’t consider the legal implicatiosn of self defense.  Most people are too busy lapping up the scraps their government feeds them to  ponder things like the Supreme Court ruling in Tennessee Versus Garner.  The Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement officers carry weapons for exactly the same reason as anyone else – for self defense.  They aren’t supposed to use them for any other reason.

So what Ikea is saying by recognizing law enforcement officers and their right to carry is that they have a right to self defense, but the rest of us don’t.  Consider that the next time you think about buying from Ikea.  Another report was filed by Emily Miller.  The D.C. police are getting new patrol rifles.

WASHINGTON – FOX 5 has learned that D.C. police are getting new, modern rifles. It is part of the department changes after the Navy Yard shooting last September.

The first officers who rushed into Navy Yard were First District officers — who only had old rifles too long to get through the doors and narrow cubicles where Aaron Alexis was hiding.

So special operations and other law enforcement agents took over the chase with shorter, modern rifles. But we have now learned that all police officers will be armed with the new rifles.

[ … ]

“If I come in with this rifle, it’s too long so I can’t enter the door without lowering the barrel, so it puts me at a tremendous disadvantage,” said Harris. “With the M4, it’s a much shorter weapon. I can keep the muzzle up, I’m on point and I can clear the room.”

So, D.C. police decided to replace the old guns with brand new rifles straight from the manufacturer. No more hand-me-downs.

According to Colt, the Metropolitan Police Department bought the model LE6920 rifles in February. They are 5.56 caliber and can only fire semi-auto.

Police have started training with them, but have not put it in the field yet.

The new Colt rifle which the Metropolitan Police Department bought is based on the M4.

I don’t buy the notion that a few inches of barrel length made any difference.  My son cleared rooms in Fallujah with his SAW.  The D.C. police are just incompetent.  But I also don’t begrudge them the right to have good patrol rifles, as long as they use them as discretely as I use mine (when I open carry, I don’t carry a long gun, and I wouldn’t buy Colt).  Also, without honoring the right to privacy and safety in our own homes from SWAT invasions, they should have all of their guns taken away from them like the out-of-control children they are.  But I do indeed begrudge them the right to have something that others cannot.  Oh, and a quick note to Emily.  5.56 mm is not 5.56 caliber (caliber is by definition the diameter measurement in inches).

In another article David Codrea notes a two-fisted approach by one manufacturer.

Well, while the right hand is providing American riflemen (albeit well-heeled ones, if you take a look at some of their prices) a chance to apply for one of their limited supply systems, the left hand is urging the government to adopt its patented technology for the Holy Grail behind the ultimate purpose of so-called “smart guns,” the ability for “authorities” to turn them off. Automatically.  “TrackingPoint patents technique to disable guns near schools and ‘gun free zones…’”

They can keep their gadgetry.  I like the idea of learning to use a rifle scope old-school.  On one hand, I’m glad this came up so that we know.  On the other hand, may the makers of Tracking Point live with bed bugs, lice and scabies, and may the fleas of a thousand camels infest their armpits.

Related: Open Letter To COSTCO