Opinion
Montana – -(AmmoLand.com)- Two days ago, Montana Shooting Sports Association Board member Randy Pinocci recorded Kathleen Williams at a public event saying she would favor treating what she called “high capacity magazines“, really just normal gun mags, the same (legally) as “sawed-off shotguns.” Pinocci had asked Williams if she supports Governor Bullock’s new call for gun control.
Let me examine Williams’ position.
A “sawed-off shotgun” is called in the National Firearms Act (NFA) a “short-barreled shotgun” (SBS). An SBS is defined as one with a barrel less than 18 inches or less than 26 inches in overall length. To legally possess an SBS requires a purchaser to apply to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) for a tax stamp and pay $200 in tax.
For a law-abiding citizen, the process to apply for NFA permission and get approval takes most of a year, because of the backlog of applications.
A magazine is a device that holds ammunition for a firearm, a device often capable of being changed out with a full magazine when the one in the firearm becomes depleted. “High-capacity magazines” are spoken of by gun control advocates as those that may contain more than ten rounds of ammunition. In the gun culture, we might think of a 100-round magazine as “high capacity.” However, we would call the magazines that are usually purchased with firearms as “standard capacity.” It is very common for such standard capacity magazines to hold as many as 30 rounds of ammunition.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is an organization that represents manufacturers of firearms, firearm accessories, and ammunition. The NSSF estimates that there are 132 million magazines in private possession in the U.S. that will hold more than ten rounds of ammunition (See attached graphic.)
In 2017, the BATFE processed 259,163 applications under the NFA.
If the NFA were changed to require those possessing “high-capacity” magazines to treat them as SBS are treated under the federal law, this would multiply the current BATFE workload by 509 times – not double, triple, or quadruple, but 509X. Given the current one-year wait time for NFA applications processing, slogging through this avalanche of paperwork would take the BATFE decades at least, maybe centuries.
The alternative is to use federal law to turn the people who have these 132 million plus magazines into criminals overnight. That would be unwise, to say the least.
And, it would be an absolute fantasy to suppose that the people who possess these 132 million magazines would willingly surrender them to authorities. You’d do as well trying to use federal law to force the public to surrender their cars and ride unicorns.
The final part of Williams’ misguided fantasy is her implied assumption that evildoers would be the first to dispossess themselves of or license their high-capacity magazines, thereby ending their evil deeds. That assumption is so deranged as to call into question the mental health of anyone making it.
So is this really the kind of flawed thinking and leadership we need in Washington? Remember “shall not be infringed” before you cast your vote in November.
About Montana Shooting Sports Association:
Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) is the primary political advocate for Montana gun owners. Visit: www.mtssa.org
She is an implant from kalifornia I think.All her schools was there Berkeley,then Colorado.She moved to Montana in 1995.Hell she might have been from Colorado,but she damn sure wasn’t from Montana.
The woman’s idea makes no sense whatever. That aside, her registration scheme, being that registration leads to confiscation, is otherwise unacceptable. Were I a resident, no way she could get my vote.
Thank you for not mis-identifying them as high capacity magazines. Whatever capacity magazine that the manufacturer ships with the weapon is the “standard” capacity by definition. However, if “normal” catches on, I’m good with that.
Yeah, as long as you only take away just a “little bit” of my freedom and Liberty, then THAT’s ok$
A good reason to vote against the woman, that being my take.
Governor Bullock is in question here more than anybody. He just brings out the rest of the senseless, non common sense people, that have no life or been sheltered from the real life situations of this great nation. Most of them were taught nothing about life situations or how to be self sufficient in their own life. They never had to fend for themselves. And when they hear or see the real world come in to their view, they are shocked and follow the other idiots that makes sense to them. Protect the children, get rid of the guns, open… Read more »
Montana man:
I noticed in your post, use of the term “amp”, in a couple of instances. Might I take it that “amp” is a shortened version of amplify? If not, please clarify. Thanks.
(Caveat: I don’t know if this message will display correctly!)
It’s not “amp” by itself that you are seeing, it’s ampersand-“amp”-semicolon. It’s an HTML thing (the way that text is encoded for web page display). If you see “&” that means ampersand (“&”) — just read it as “and”. Another you’ll see occasionally is ” “, which means “no-breaking space” — just read it as a couple of spaces! If you ever see “&” or ” ” display in text or on a web page, then there is a software bug — you should only be seeing “&” or space(s), respectively.
The ways of HTML are strange. Your message did come through, and lest I forget, thanks.
Bear with me re the following. I see, in many instances the following term or group of letters appear. AMP, not necessarily capitalized. What is the meaning of AMP, either in upper or lower case letters. Might amp stand for amplify?
If this woman holds appointed office, her appointer needs to take corrective action. if she holds elective office, the problem she creates is one for the electorate to address, November comes the mind.
Maybe she should have to register all the cats she must own.
Don’t pick on cats. They are very sensible animals.
HEY! Don’t identify cat people as crazy anti-gun nuts. My wife is a cat lady and she has her guns & ammo ready to Rock & Roll!
I wonder when Kathleen stands out in the wind, if doesn’t sound like a large whistle.
Wake up born in Montana residents. Those who still think Dems. are for the working man and still vote “stupid” will lose your rights. You keep voting for these Dems since they sell you on the idea that “they” will keep hunting lands public… REALLY! You are suckers and fools. Those lands may remain pubic but once DEMS are election proof….they then will ban hunting on any game and since your firearms will be outlawed… I suppose it will not matter. Just remember Australia ….. first Dems took away those nasty pistols… the hunters laughed.. then they took away those… Read more »
Your are 100% correct.
would it be possible for political candidates be required to
take a gun safety course before opening their mouth?
How about a course on the United States Constitution, and on their own state constitution.
Amen to both @hotshottertom and @HLF’s comments! Hear, hear!
I would expect that her stated position, if correctly reported in the above, would suffice to blow a very large hole in the hull of her election vessel.
Someone said that she was a sure vote for “Liawatha”. Post disappeared. Wonder why? At any rate it took me a moment to realize that he was referring to Fauxcahontas. Good one. I’ll use it.
Hell no!
I live in NJ. Please ,do not let Montana become another NJ. Fight these fools with all you have. In NJ you cannot carry, yet the people who pass all these restrictive laws, like the new jackass governor Murphy , have armed state troopers ( with high cap mags and hollow pt. bullets ) protecting them. Fight ,fight, fight .
Who enforces such a “law”?
Who obeys the orders? Who kicks down the door? Who steals our property, kidnaps us if we refuse to surrender it, and murders us if we resist being kidnapped?
Why do so many gunowners “back the blue” that will come to invade our homes, take our stuff and kill us?
And for any cops in the audience – what order would you NOT obey?
To keep your pension?
LEO’s get to keep their pension regardless of their employment situation. Nice try; no cigar.
Any LEO brought up on charges for refusing to obey a direct order whether they agree with it or not, and are convicted of failing to obey will be fired and if under their time to retire they can say bye bye to their pension. SO no cigar to you!
Another ignorant liberal talking about something (guns) she knows absolutely nothing about first-hand. I bet she’s from Missoula.
Williams is familiar with guns. She hunts and shoots too. She comes from a military family. And no, not from Missoula. Just because she has a different opinion from you does not mean she is ignorant.
One thing these ‘candidates’ and/or rights restrictors will never admit to is what their ultimate goal is. Most of us already know that total Citizen disarmament is that goal but they always dress up their tyranny in flowery phrases like ‘it’s for the children’. If they can’t be honest with their intentions up front, why would anyone with a functional brain choose to support them.
They are supported mostly by liberals, who, do NOT have a functioning brain.
Stay alert. Stay armed. Practice. The police will only show up AFTER your dead.
Another effort to limit the citizens from defending themselves while criminals do what they please.
Montana is being taken over like Colorado, Washington and Oregon. The libtards move in and vote in their crazies.
Somebody already said it.
She moved to Montana from where ??
Check out the fringe.
She’s a shoe-in to vote for Liawatha.
Liawatha? Took me a second to realize that you were referring to Fauxcahontas. Good One! Thanks.
She attended UC Berkley (so you know where she’s coming from), served with the Forestry Service, moved to Montana in 1995.
These are the people Montana need to not vote for.Probaly an implant from some communist state or her parents were years ago. You can’t trust a democrat for sure an some,just like a rattlesnake
Don’t throw cat lovers into the mix with this Crazy Hag! Cat lovers own ‘regular’ magazines and the guns that go with them!
Dittos!
Ok, here we have a woman who may or not be from MT wanting to enforce crazy gun restrictions. I will bet she is a transposed Californian, having left that sh**hole of a state. Feces in San Fransisco, people urinating in the streets, sanctuary cities for ILLEGAL aliens. Yeah, no wonder people are leaving in droves. But wait. That means they will try and bring their communist/socialist/democrat beliefs with them into the more affluent states trying to force them to adapt what CA has done. I believe this woman is a perfect example of this latest movement. I do not… Read more »
Mark, you are correct. Progressives** have been moving out of infected populous areas (after they’ve ruined them, San Francisco being a good example). They working (consciously or subconsciously) to spread the progressive disease to other parts of the county. Most of the West Coast is heavily infected — especially in the metro areas (Seattle, Portland, San Fran/Oakland/San Jose, Los Angeles, and San Diego). As those areas suffer from horrible conditions (esp SF) or ultra-high housing prices, folks are moving out and spreading the destructive cause of progressivism. San Fran has had problems, but in the last 5-10 years its Sanctuary… Read more »
This is a serious mental illness that still needs to be addressed, these people should not be making political decisions, with this condition, period! Time to quote various authors on this subject! Hoplophobia Hoplophobia is a political neologism coined by retired American military officer Jeff Cooper as a pejorative to describe an “irrational aversion to weapons.” It is also used to describe the “fear of firearms” or the “fear of armed citizens.” HOPLOPHOBIA. (1966) From the Greek___(weapon) plus __ (terror). An unreasoning, obsessive neurotic fear of weapons as such, usually accompanied by an irrational feeling that weapons possess a will… Read more »
Hey watch it hgnoc2, I identify as a crazy cat lady and I think all laws concerning guns are illegal according to our constitution and the survival rights bestowed upon us by the God which made us. All gun control freaks are your enemy and are planning to have their way with you, and to terminate you if it suits their purpose if you resist. Be organized and ready comes the day.
Ho-hum, another dreamy-eyed, kumbaya-singing airhead. These people are so ignorant and uninformed it could almost be humorous, but isn’t. They’re actually dangerous, seeking elected office. There are enough voters like them to make it happen. Something that cannot stand.
I treat any woman wearing a throw rug with the same disdain I have for tweakers.
Candidate for the US House of Representatives. Be careful what you vote for Montana. Elections have consequences.
Let me guess, democrat on furlough from a mental institution!
132 million magazines holding more than 10 rounds times $200 for a tax stamp equals a lot of money sent to the treasury department for more wasteful spending while doing nothing to prevent or reduce crime. But look at all the money! Hiring all those people to process a 509% increase in background checks will likely outspend the income. But who cares. Big government knows best (wink, wink).
‘Flawed Thinking’ seems to be the norm with some of these odious rodents!
Montana Candidate??……Candidate for what?…..shouldn’t that be clear at the start of the article, or at least somewhere in it?
Good point. My take is she’s candidate for ‘spinster’ of the month. Just lovely, isn’t she?
Good question, though I would think that her stated position would serve to sink any hopes she had for election to any public office.
Nice table cloth, crazy cat lady!
New pokumhauntus with high cheek bones, and old shoulder blanket.