Matthew Continetti joins the podcast today to talk about OPEC’s move to release more oil just as Joe Biden is “considering” a visit to Saudi Arabia. Gee, we thought Saudi Arabia was beyond the pale! And we talk baby formula, abortion, and guns, so you know nothing controversial will be said. Give a listen.

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  1. jmelvin Member
    jmelvin
    @jmelvin

    I don’t know if you podcasters check any of these comments, but if you do here’s some input on the firearm discussion you were having around the 1 hour mark.  Regarding the sale of firearms to different age groups, Federal law only addresses sales to people from a FFL holder (Federal Firearms License held by legitimate business operators) as Congress recognized that at best their authority was over interstate commerce and thus they could not regulate person to person sales that are incidental within an individual state and not part of a business.  As a result, those age 18 or over commonly buy, own, and carry handguns all over the USA outside of the most restrictive states, since they either receive them as gifts from parents or family or such, or purchase them in private sales.  State laws reflect this in some states with 18 year olds being eligible for concealed handgun licenses / permits, if one is required at all and where a license is not required in some states no additional restriction exists.  The 1960s had the introduction of the first Federal age restriction in law with handguns being limited to being sold via FFL holders to people age 21 and above and perhaps rifles were limited to age 18 at that time.  It is my recollections that the age for the purchase of shotguns was not regulated at the Federal level until some time in the mid 1980s.

    Additionally, the National Firearms Act of 1934 did not ban the sale of machine guns (automatic firearms, or to say those that fire more than one round with the single actuation of the trigger), it simply made them subject to a $200 tax stamp, which is still required today pending straightforward approval for purchase.  New machine guns were available for purchase by the general public until the mid-1980s as well, when the sale of new machine guns to the general public were then prohibited, but the sale and ownership of those already in existence to that point is still legal by Federal law.  Due to the limited supply though, they are prohibitively expensive to buy, so while some folks may have one, it’s typically only those with the funds to feed them or a collector who have them.  Entry prices for the least expensive ones tends to start at a couple thousand dollars.  Realistically, the difference between many semi-auto firearms (those that fire one bullet per pull of the trigger) and machine guns is a few dollars in parts.

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