A contrast

In most states in the U.S. if you want to shoot clay pigeons you can go to Wal-Mart or any number of other stores, pick out a gun, fill out a form, wait a few minutes then pay for the gun and walk out with it and as much ammo as you can afford and/or carry. I considered the form and the wait an infringement. What would the courts say if there were to be a law requiring you to fill out a form and get permission from the government before joining a church (another constitutionally protected right)?


Even as oppressive as I consider our current laws it doesn’t compare to the U.K. when you want to go clay pigeon shooting.

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7 thoughts on “A contrast

  1. Even here in “America” it is fairly scary.

    I grew up in Maine, where I grew up, if you had a large land lot (fairly common, and actually mandatory in many towns near the cities to protect against urban sprawl) you can swing by any sporting goods store (or a store like walmart that caters to shooting sports) buy yourself a shotgun several cases of shells, boxes of clays, and a clay thrower, and set up a reasonable little trap field in your backyard. Besides the limits of your bank account you only need to fill out the ATF form and wait the few minuets for the background check. Like most Mainers I leared to shoot in somebody’s backyard.

    Here in Massachusetts you first need to apply for your permit, which you need to submit fingerprints, a fee, and a certificate of safety training (This averages about $300) and wait a month (often more, which is actually illegal, but who are you to call when those committing the crime are your town police? The longest I heard of was over 200 days, I personally know many people who it took over 3 months), now with permit in hand you can go to a shop and buy your shotgun. Now what? The Eastern Half of the city is with little exception zoned “No Discharge of Firearms”, where to go? You’ll need to join a shooting club. My First-year membership and dues were $300 (some clubs are cheaper) and at my club you can only shoot trap when a range master is running the thrower, and they request that you buy shells can birds from the club. So without the cost of the shotgun you just dropped $600 and waited several months just to put your boots on a trap field within 60 miles of Boston. That’s not counting additional range fees, or your safety equipment.

    That’s certainly enough to discourage many from even bothering to see if it might be fun. I was an anti-gun guy until my 20s. The ONLY reason why I started looking into the laws and the issues was because I was anti gun, but I also thought guns were fun and cool. The only reason why I liked guns at all was because it cost me NOTHING to learn to shoot. A buddy asked if I wanted to come to his place and shoot cans and balloons in his backyard. If he hadn’t been so generous I could have supplied $50 in ammo and been square for a very extensive day of shooting.

    It doesn’t take much to equate shooting trap with hobbies like Polo or Yacht racing. And that’s the exact goal of those who implemented our laws. They KNOW it does nothing to stop crime. What they DO know is it DOES very effectively stop people from learning the shooting sports.

    I have never gone hunting in my life. I enjoy fishing, both for sport and for food, and I enjoy the outdoors. But with all the land restrictions and license fees its still a substantial investment to engage in a sport I might not enjoy, so I simply choose not to hunt.

    That’s there game, and why we must fight.

  2. Kris,

    If you are working here then yes. If you are just a visitor then no. But as Weer’d Beard points out, it depends on the state. In Washington State you can buy a guy fairly easily.

  3. I always like to ask people if they filled out the form and did the background check to get their Bible permit.

    After all, we wouldn’t want any nutjobs or criminals to get their hands on one of those. Imagine the destruction and horror if they did!

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