You couldn’t talk about your rifle or pistol, or even the ammunition you shoot on your blog? What if you had to get Federal permission or face jail time and fines?
From the NRA/ILA Blog HERE–
Even as news reports have been highlighting the gun control provisions of the Administration’s “Unified Agenda” of regulatory objectives (see accompanying story), the Obama State Department has been quietly moving ahead with a proposal that could censor online speech related to firearms. This latest regulatory assault, published in the June 3 issue of the Federal Register, is as much an affront to the First Amendment as it is to the Second. Your action is urgently needed to ensure that online blogs, videos, and web forums devoted to the technical aspects of firearms and ammunition do not become subject to prior review by State Department bureaucrats before they can be published.
And this from the Washington Examiner HERE–
Commonly used and unregulated internet discussions and videos about guns and ammo could be closed down under rules proposed by the State Department, amounting to a “gag order on firearm-related speech,” the National Rifle Association is warning.
In updating regulations governing international arms sales, State is demanding that anyone who puts technical details about arms and ammo on the web first get the OK from the federal government — or face a fine of up to $1 million and 20 years in jail.
This is yet another attempt, IMHO, to silence those of us who are 2A supporters, and to restrict the flow of information about guns and cartridges. I can’t help but think this is all being brought about by the response to the 3D printing capability that is emerging as new technology and the folks that have built and shot both pistols and rifles based on 3-D prints. It also puts paid to the idea of ‘tracking’ of all guns, as these are effectively ‘ghost’ guns, not registered, accounted for or anything else.
The real question is, who will be the first to go under the ‘gun’ so to speak? The NRA blog? Shooting Illustrated online, American Rifleman online, the gun manufacturers web sites? Michael Bane’s blog?
Who knows… I sure as hell don’t!!!
Since progressives don’t care about the Constitution, I’m sure that they will try and make “talking about firearms” the same as the “unlawful use of a firearm”. I think that even the far left on the Supreme Court wouldn’t uphold that — but you never know.
We are all engaged in hate crimes. If you talk about anything “they” hate, that is a hate crime. Yes, I’m being flippant about something seriously #$%^$ up.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the fact that I get up each day is a hate crime.
Sounds really goofy they think they could do this but it should raise concern that they would even try. SMH
Talk about your massively overreaching prior restraint of First Amendment rights. I can see a court challenge if this goes through happening most ricky-tick.
Looks like some progressive bureaucrats are trying to see how far they can push regulations to punish, neutralize and silence their enemies.
Just more fund-raising hype. It’s much easier to raise money if you can tell people “look at what they are trying to do, help us stop them!!!!!”
As often as we have seen this tactic on every issue including guns, we should all be immune to it by now.
All- Concur. Prof, this one is actually real, in the FedReg
Posted from my iPhone.
Yep. We should all know better by now… BUT THIS TIME IT’S REAL!!!
What they said. Just another attempt to cow & intimidate. I suspect they’re picking on the wrong folks, though.
I disagree that 3D printing is what’s driving the bus here. While it provided the latest “reason” to do silence is, preventing us from talking to each other is the whole point (IMO) of the relentless attempts to shut down gun shows.
Furthermore, if they can keep us from communicating, they can run the table on legislation and candidates. Sandy Hook would’ve been a great victory for anti-rights folks but for our ability to communicate and organize. Remember the provision of McCain-Feingold that would’ve silenced organizations from communicating with their constituents 60 days prior to a general election? This is the same idea writ large.
A commenter from TBFKASIH pointed out the one silver lining (if folks will take this seriously) in all of this. This affects all of us, from the Perazzi crowd to Joe Tacticool, to handloaders and benchrest shooters. There’s no reason to not stand together, unless we’ve cried “wolf” one too many times and nobody sees this as a threat.
That is some scary stuff. I would go to jail like a bazillion times over.
There’s an old joke, where the punch line is “and the horse he rode in on.”
I’ll talk about anything I want to talk about on my blog.
Rev- Agreed!
Fargo- Most of us would… sigh
Paw- Agreed!
Sure, I foresee court challenges if anyone is prosecuted under such a regulation but I also foresee that those cases would never come to a conclusion before the first shots of a new American Revolution would be fired. Just my belief, not condoning or damning a revolution – just figuring that this regulation, if it goes into effect, will be the tinder that ignites the blaze.
Drifter- Good point, this just ‘might’ be the one thing that actually consolidates all the shooting groups!
Interesting thing about the new ITAR revision (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-06-03/pdf/2015-12844.pdf) is this quote:
DATES: The Department of State will accept comments on this proposed rule until August 3, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments within 60 days of the date of publication by one of the following methods:
• Email: [email protected] with the subject line, ‘‘ITAR Amendment—Revisions to Definitions; Data Transmission and Storage.’’
• Internet: At http://www.regulations.gov, search for this notice by using this rule’s
RIN (1400–AD70).
Time to fire up your email and make those comments! Be polite, be firm, and be prepared to hold our elected officials feet to the fire on this.
The “we will accept comments” is just boiler plate. They have no intention of reading any comments. Nor will it matter how many they get that object. As long as congress does not use it’s authority to strip authority from the executive agencies, This shit will keep happening. After all, it’s for our own good. They know what’s best. Why would they listen to a bunch of ignorant hicks who didn’t get degrees from Brown, Yale, or Stanford?
Prof, you forgot Harvard. How could you forget Harvard.
And yes, you’re probably right. Our expensively-educated overlords know better. Isn’t that how the Soviet Union was so efficiently run too?
Even the Israelis tried communism – they were called kibbutzes. Most have either died or transformed to survive, now called moshavs.
I thought they were called Bed and Breakfasts now.
Glenn- I have to agree…
WN- Thanks!
Will it never end?
I use to think The Next Revolution would start at a TSA checkpoint.
Now it may be the doorstep of some blogger.
God! I miss the country I grew up in.
Prof/WN- Sadly, you’re probably correct (again)…
Ed- Not with this administration!
Stretch- Agreed!
+1 Glenn B