One of the most enjoyable aspects of staying at Trib’s Place during Boomershoot was the lively and intellectually engaging discussions late into the night. At one point, someone made the comment that resistance to a future American military acting under dictatorial orders would be futile. Phil and I had lots of responses to that one, you may be sure, but I wish I’d been able to point to this essay:
The Law of Unintended Consequences decreed that there would be two unexpected results of this Clintonista constitutional misbehavior. The first was the importation and sale within a few months of several millions of semi-auto rifles (principally SKS and AK-variants) into the U.S. This was in anticipation of, and defiance of, the so-called “Assault Weapons Ban.” Indeed, this was more rifles of these types than had been sold in the previous TWENTY YEARS. And it was in a political climate where it was fully expected that the next law would call for the confiscation of such weapons. Why, then, did this massive arming take place? Were we buying these rifles merely to turn them over later? When the Clintonistas realized that we were not buying these rifles to turn them in, but to turn ON THEM if they became even more threatening to our liberties, it gave them considerable pause. I am told the analysts in the bowels of the J. Edgar Hoover building were particularly impressed…the FBI became very much more solicitous of our sensibilities and sought at every turn to avoid a flashpoint. During each little potential Waco– the Republic of Texas, the Montana Freemen, etc– the FBI would seek out local militia leaders and ask their advice, seeking their opinions with what sounded like real concern.
The best answer that I recall to one of these FBI queries came from Bob Wright, commander of the 1st Brigade, New Mexico Militia. When asked if he and his friends would actually go to the scene of a future Waco in another state to assist the potential victims, Bob replied, “Why would I want to do that? There’s plenty of you federal SOBs around here.” This was a perspective the Fibbie had not considered before, and it showed on his face.
As they say, read the whole thing.
h/t David Codrea, the War on Guns.