Now You See It...

**rev214** · November 10th, 2008, 10:58 AM

From Jim Shepherd at The Outdoor Wire:

The secret of magic is misdirection. As the Great and Powerful Oz told Dorothy, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." Of course, the little guy behind the curtain was pulling all the levers that made the great and powerful Oz, well, great and powerful.

Today, however, the topic's not magic, it is misdirection and camouflage.

Over the weekend, a number of our readers sent me a link to the website www.change.gov. That website, in case you don't know, is the website of President-elect Barack Obama.

The particular link I received in multiples was the "Agenda" link - where the President-Elect had laid out his detailed agenda and plans for the new administration.

When I first read the link it laid out, in detail, the agenda the incoming administration had set for the future.

Here's what the link said about the Obama plans in regards to firearms:

"Address Gun Violence in Cities: As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets."

As they say in the hills of Kentucky, "them's fightin' words."

Especially when it comes to three prominently mention items: the Tiahrt Amendment, the "gun show loophole" and the expired "assault weapons ban".

Those are key issues in the ongoing battle to preserve the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms as accepted by the vast majority of gun owners - and the National Rifle Association.

It seems that the assault weapons ban is an issue that simply will not die. It keeps surfacing, despite the fact that law enforcement officials have testified it, did absolutely nothing to reduce crimes. It did, however, create a very active market for "pre-ban" guns and magazines.

Today, suggesting a permanent "assault weapons ban" fails to recognize the once maligned black-rifle's now being ubiquitous in shooting.

From precision long-range shooting competitions to the deer woods, the AR-style rifle is the most adaptable of all available firearms platforms. It truly has become the "All-American rifle".

Banning the AR-platform, for any reason, would deal a significant blow to the already laggard firearms and hunting industries. The AR-style rifle platform is the sole bright spot in the long gun sector. Other types of rifles are languishing, as evidenced by reductions in workforce and manufacturing output.

By comparison, several manufacturers specializing in components for the AR platform are increasing output, not curtailing operations.

While some would say the boom of the AR is largely attributable to gun enthusiast fears that the platform will be outlawed under a liberal government, that's simply not true. Much of the growth can be attributed to the fact American hunters and shooters have accepted - and embraced- the versatility of the platform. Indeed, the firearms industry itself has recognized the increased popularity, and are adding a dizzying assortment of chamberings that allow everything from target to big game hunting.

That growth and acceptance is why our readers and industry leaders were alarmed at the clear pronouncements on the www.change.gov website.

Today, however, there's something even more alarming on that website.

Formerly clear pronouncements on the Obama plans for the future of the United States in everything from domestic security to international relations are gone.

In their place, a rather bland statement says the Obama/Biden administration has "developed innovative approaches to challenge the status quo in Washington and to bring about the kind of change America needs."

Once clearly-enunciated action items have been replaced by a reassurances that the Obama Administration has "a comprehensive and detailed agenda to carry out its policies."

From there, it talks about principal priorities; again only in generalities.

The return to generalities may be in response to the wide distribution the earlier information has gotten in talk radio, internet chat rooms, blogs and other places where the Obama campaign frequently found itself the topic of scorn, derision and a less than lukewarm reception.

It may also be a sign that the new administration realizes that clearly enumerating plans allows opposition to plan their counter-measures accordingly. After all, the expression goes "forewarned is forearmed."

In this instance, I'm afraid, being anything but vigilant in all matters regarding the right to own firearms - of any kind - may be to the detriment of all.

That means not being asleep at the switch in the time leading up to the inauguration on January 20. After January 20 may be too-late.

It may seem paranoid to be worrying - publicly - about something as simple as the changes in a few web pages. But sometimes a little paranoia is a good thing.