The press conference quickly proved to be a tour-de-force of ignorance, as DeLeon got detail after detail horribly incorrect as he tried to explain the weapon he was holding in his hands.
First, the very short video:
The person who posted the You Tube video alluded to De Leon's foolish statements, but allow me to clarify what you saw and heard there.
First of all, what the hell is a "ghost gun"? This is another one of those made-up terms that the media loves to use - right up there with "assault weapon," and "clean CR." It is supposed to mean it is a firearm that has been constructed by its owner from parts available for purchase, and there is no serial number on any of the parts, making it unaccountable to the all-powerful state. What is ridiculous is that after De Leon introduces the weapon as a "ghost gun," his following description makes it sound like the reason it can fire all its rounds in half a second is precisely because it is a "ghost gun." Believe me, the lack of a serial number etched into the weapon does not make it fire any faster. If that gun he is holding truly could fire 30 rounds in a half second, it would already be illegal under federal law no matter if it had a serial number or not. That's not to say that I agree it would be illegal under federal (or state) law, but that is another debate for another time.
Next, De Leon explains that the "ghost gun" he's holding uses a "30-caliber clip." Um, the gun doesn't use a clip, it uses a magazine. There is a huge difference. Clips are not designated by caliber. The barrel and chamber of the gun is designated by caliber, which is the diameter of the bullet the gun discharges.
Next, De Leon seemingly tries to correct himself about the "30-caliber clip" business, and instead states that the gun he is holding fires a "30-magazine clip." So the gun fires magazines? Thirty of them? From a clip?
Next, De Leon tries to tell us that his "ghost gun" can shoot the 30 rounds from its .30-caliber magazine clip in just a half second. If you do the math, that would mean it fires 3600 rounds a minutes, which is what those multi-barrel gatling-type miniguns fire. Those are the guns that sound like a fart when they fire.
I guess it would have been just too much effort to ask someone for the correct nomenclature, which would have been: 30-round magazine. Hell, there was a uniformed police officer standing right behind De Leon. Perhaps the good senator should have asked the cop. In fact, if you re-watch the video, the look on the cop's face tells you that he is most likely using every bit of strength he has not to burst out laughing or roll his eyes in disgust as De Leon turns his press conference into a fact-challenged clusterfuck. Look again particularly at the cop right after De Leon utters the words, "30-caliber clip." You will see the cop give a long slow blink, and then recover his faculties, knowing full well that the cameras are on him, and not just the senator. He gives one more blink, and then is ready to remain stone-faced when De Leon then utters the words, "30-magazine clip." This is by no means the first anti-self defense, citizen-control law that De Leon has introduced in the hallowed halls of the California Capitol. He has previously called for gun control laws on air rifles/bb guns; he tried last year to outlaw Californians' ability to mail order ammo; he has introduced legislation trying to force Californians to undergo a background check in order to purchase ammo; he has called for laws that would flag ammo sales that exceed 3,000+ rounds in under 5 days. Suffice to say, if De Leon had the power to make gun ownership absolutely illegal in this state, he would do it with. I'm pretty sure he would deny it, but I would be hesitant to believe him.
What makes me really shake my head about De Leon's jackassery at his press conference is that this was not exactly his first rodeo. He has sponsored quite a few anti-self defense bills in which he has attempted to curtail the use and ownership of firearms; therefore, you would think that he would at least study up on that which he wishes to curtail. Nope.
It seems like the more rabidly anti-gun a legislator is, the more ignorant about firearms that legislator remains. Of course, that's the whole reason they remain so clueless. I have found that the more someone is around firearms and comes to understand and become proficient with firearms, the more likely they are not to be so rabidly against firearms. Kevin De Leon is just one of many legislators who suffer from this affliction. I think of this infamous photo:
Pictured above is rabidly anti-gun, anti-self defense California Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat) breaking at least three gun safety rules as she waves around her AK-47 at a press conference where she is trying to convince people why that gun should be banned.
1. She is not practicing muzzle discipline by pointing the muzzle of the weapon in the direction of people at the press conference.
2. She has not cleared the weapon, as can be seen by the magazine still attached and the bolt closed.
3. She has her finger on the trigger, which is a huge no-no, as putting your finger on the trigger should not happen until just before you fire your shot.
And yet, this ignorant and dangerous woman wants to make all kinds of laws and has admitted she wants to take guns away from everyone - "Mr. and Mrs. America, turn 'em all in" - and yet she obviously doesn't know the first thing about them.
Then there is Carolyn McCarthy (Democrat), a 20-year congressional representative from New York who, thankfully, is soon to be retired, and throughout her entire congressional career, was essentially a one-trick pony. Her reason for being in Congress was to ban guns. Her husband was among six people killed on a Long Island commuter train by a deranged, racist Jamaican immigrant named Colin Ferguson. But rather than working toward passing laws that would have addressed the mentally ill or who we let into our country, she went after the tool that Ferguson used for his massacre.
McCarthy is another example of a legislator who learned absolutely nothing about firearms during her multi-decade career. Funny how statists like her like to talk about narrow and close-minded conservatives are, yet here she is, along with others like De Leon and Feinstein staying close-minded themselves. Seven years ago, which would be 14 years into her tenure, McCarthy was interviewed by Tucker Carlson, who asked her about what kind of weapon features would be banned under a bill she was sponsoring, features that included something called a "barrel shroud." When Carlson pressed McCarthy on what she knew about barrel shrouds, she at first tried to evade the question, and then finally came her answer:
That's right, "It's the shoulder thing that goes up," was her answer. For the record, barrel shrouds are actually a safety feature that keeps the shooter from burning his hands on a hot gun barrel. Why McCarthy would want to see people severely burned from firing a gun, I don't know. Perhaps she hates gun owners that much.
Then there is Colorado congressional representative Diana DeGette. In April, 2013, DeGette was participating in some sort of gun forum where she was discussing her role in sponsoring a federal bill that would ban magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. DeGette astonished the audience when she stated her ignorant belief that magazines are disposable. She thought that once you fire the "bullets" from a "magazine clip," the magazine is then thrown away. So, she was under the impression that if "high-capacity" magazines were outlawed, then the ones that are already out there would be emptied and disposed of, and then there would be no more "high-capacity" magazines left out there. Watch:
You might have noticed the agitated chatter of the audience at the end of the video clip as they presumably begin asking each other if they just her say what they think she just said. There are actually plenty of other clips out there of stupid anti-self defense politicians exhibiting their ignorance of firearms, but I only have so much time in a day. Just always keep in mind that it is these ignorant, narrow-minded, hateful people that want to rule your life. God help us.
