Congressman wants to censor Internet of 'high capacity' magazine plans

Back in December, we discussed United States Representative Steve Israel's (D-NY) announcement of his intention to renew the ban on "plastic" firearms (which, as National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea points out, do not exist). Israel was apparently prompted to consider this a priority by DefenseDistributed.com's "Wiki Weapons" project.

Israel is also a co-sponsor of Rep. Carolyn "What's a Barrel Shroud?" McCarthy's (D-NY) H.R. 138, to ban 11-round and larger magazines (she has not--so far--redefined "high capacity" to mean seven rounds, rather than 10, as her state has just done, but one should not be surprised if she tries to go down that slippery slope).

Meanwhile, Defense Distributed has successfully printed fully functional 30 round AR-15 magazines (see sidebar video), and have made the file freely available to anyone with Internet access. Rep. Israel is apparently keeping close tabs on the Wiki Weapons project, because within days of their announcement of success in printing the magazine, Israel put out a hysterical press release vowing to ban the Internet publishing of CAD (computer aided design) files for printing the magazines:

Today, Congressman Steve Israel (D-Huntington) called for a renewal of a revamped Undetectable Firearms Act that includes the ban of 3-D printed, plastic high-capacity magazines. The existing ban on plastic guns expires this year and does not clearly cover magazines. This past weekend, Defense Distributed, a group of homemade gun enthusiasts used a 3-D printer to print and test an ammunition magazine for an AR semi-automatic rifle, loading and firing 86 rounds from the 30-round clip.

Israel did get one thing right:

Rep. Israel said, “Background checks and gun regulations will do little good if criminals can print high-capacity magazines at home."

Indeed, and as printable guns become more and more practical and capable, "gun control" in general will become more and more irrelevant, to the shrieking horror of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

So what does Israel intend to do about it?

Law enforcement officials should have the power to stop high-capacity magazines from proliferating with a Google search.

Apparently through censorship. As Defense Distributed responds, "Good %$#*ing luck" with that. Actually, another article claims that he does not intend to ban the files themselves, only the act of printing the magazines (and possessing them)--but does not explain how to reconcile that with his statement about "proliferating with a Google search." Since, however, the supposed point of "high capacity" magazine bans is reducing the death toll in mass shootings, how is that supposed to work? Anyone willing to break the laws against mass murder is presumably not going to shy away from breaking laws against "illegal printing." Israel may eventually figure that out, and realize he will have to ban knowledge, too. Again, good luck with that.

Still, one cannot be too careful. Maybe the Steve Israels in government, in such close agreement with China and Iran--and with CSGV, and with Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY--notice a pattern here?)--about the need for a "government monopoly on force," will eventually manage to implement a "Great Firewall of China"-style crackdown on the Internet (also favored in Iran). Or perhaps the U.N. will finally succeed in gaining control of the 'Net (and the U.N.'s hostility to an armed citizenry is well established).

So even if you do not have a 3-D printer, or any plans to get one in the foreseeable future, download the magazine file (or all of the Wiki Weapon files). Information, like patriotic Americans, wants to be free, and oath-breaking officials like Steve Israel cannot be allowed to interfere with that freedom.