I recently had a conversation with an FFL holder regarding my theory that the United States was devolving to Italy or some other, southern European country.
In very broad brush-strokes, there will be two, parallel economies. The official, on-the-books economy that will resemble an ICU patient and the unofficial economy that will be surprisingly robust....or would be if there was any way to measure it.
One of the hallmarks of the unofficial economy is that businesses (meaning people with something "on the side" to survive) will exercise the right to not do business with anybody they don't trust.
That is where the FFL holder piped up, "That is one thing the US Feds got 100% right. I can refuse any customer for any reason or no reason and their lawyer can't do a thing about it."
He then went on to tell me about some jewel-encrusted woman who drove from a posh, Detroit suburb to BF Michigan to purchase a firearm from him. While pulling out her ID, a 'Medical Marijuana' card fell out.
"We are done here" he announced. "You have to leave."
She went nuts. He dialed 9-1-1 yada, yada, yada.
Did she suppose that by driving 90 miles outside of Detroit the Federal rules would change?
Strawman
I was at the guncounter of a large, sporting goods chain. A thin, young woman with a great deal of nervous energy came in.
She announced that she intended to purchase a handgun.
As the salesperson offered various weapons, the young woman called on her cellphone to consult with her boyfriend.
Clearly, purchasing firearms was not something she had much experience with. And, as nervous people are likely to do, she started motor-mouthing.
"My boyfriend is out in the car" she said.
I asked "Why doesn't he come in?"
"He broke his foot at work and is on crutches" she said.
Then the boyfriend morphed to husband.
Then the "boyfriend/husband" refused a Hi-Point because it wasn't good enough.
Can you say "STRAWMAN"? I knew you could.
Nothing in the store's inventory met the soon-to-be felon's requirements and she soon left the store.
I still do not know if the kid behind the counter would have processed the 4473 or not.
Chauvin/Floyd
One of the recent witnesses in the Chauvin trial was a doctor from the Emergency Room where George Floyd's corpse landed.
The doctor testified that he contested the Medical Examiner's findings as George Floyd did not exhibit any symptoms of heart failure.
One thing that was beaten into me in my 17 years as a supervisor was to always ask the next, logical question.
So, what are the signs of a cardiac arrest? If you will look them up you will find that most of them are self-reported. That is, once a person is dead or unconscious it is almost impossible to look at the body and deduce that the cause was related to heart function because they are not alive to tell you "...an elephant is sitting on my chest..."
But...assuming the ER doctor had that ability...what did they do to address what they, under sworn testamony, described as the gross negligence of the Hennenpin County Medical Examiner?
Surely their professional ethics demand that they follow-up on evidence of gross negligence of other doctors?
Did they file a motion to pull the Medical Examiner's license to practice medicine?
Did they demand a second medical exam of George Floyd?
I think "Not!"
So we have two alternatives:
- The Emergency Room doctor failed in their professional obligation to rat-out bad doctors.
- The Emergency Room doctor was talking shit and perjured himself.
Either alternative makes the Emergency Room doctor a less-than-compelling witness.
After nearly 20 years as a sole proprietor FFL in Kalifornia, I hung up my spurs and went to work for another outfit--Huntington's in Oroville, CA--as in Fred Huntington, founder of RCBS.
ReplyDeleteOne fine day, a forty-ish looking couple (although it's sometimes hard to tell with meth heads) came in the store. They picked out a handgun and came to the counter to do the paper work. She was the stated buyer. She was also all smiles and having a grand time of it. Likely high as a kite. Her boyfriend(?) was trying to play mister kool and prompt her on the QT. Yeeeah. Strawman.
She worked her way down the form 4473, and when she got to the question which asks "Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?", she happily checked the "Yes" box.
Insert sound of phonograph needle screeching across an LP.
The look on her boyfriend's face was priceless.
the video of floyd stating he "ate too many drugs" before the arrest should have ended the trial, where it never should have been in the first place.
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