Feinstein’s Charity

Govtrack and Thomas haven’t posted it yet, but the full text of Dianne Feinstein’s proposed Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 is posted here. It appears to be numbered S. 150.

The list of prohibited weapons is pretty much what we saw on Thursday, and the list of weapons she deigns to let us keep begins on page 23. We would be granted the privilege to keep historic “assault” rifles like Garands and M1 carbines so long as they don’t have folding stocks or extended magazines. Beyond that, it’s more or less deer rifles and turkey guns. On her reasoning for this, she had this bit of sage insight:

Military-style assault weapons have but one purpose, and in my view that’s a military purpose, to hold at the hip, possibly, to spray fire to be able to kill large numbers.

How very conciliatory of her to leave a few crumbs on the table for the lowly civilians. The arrogance is astonishing.

What worries me the most is the idea of an “approved list.” California has such a concept in action, and it’s rife with problems. If a manufacturer comes out with a new model, they’ll have to go through an arduous and expensive process to get it approved. This can only stifle innovation and drive prices up.