Former Marine speaks out against proposed gun control bill

The US is awash in well-trained warriors fresh from the military as it faces off on gun control issues.

There are 5.1 million post-9/11 vets alone, and they're not all going to take new gun-control laws lightly.

Any service member knows their mission is to kill people. In the end, during conflicts, it's why we're there.

Even in my "soft," non-infantry unit, a cadence we exercised to include a line, "Blood, blood, bright red blood it makes the green grass grow." The warrior ethos is kneaded into the psyche from day one.

That's a bit of context from a former service member who never relied on a series of weapons for immediate survival or survival of my friends. From someone who never developed relationships with the tools of the battlefield; who never slaved to keep a weapon performing endlessly and without question. The maintenance and care required to achieve that security in the harsh gritty environments of Iraq and Afghanistan is profound.

An eight-year Marine veteran named Joshua Boston feels very strongly about California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's plan to require him to register his assault rifle and ban him from selling or buying any more. Joshua would likely have been one of the guys who developed those relationships with his weapons.

The letter follows Joshua's posting to CNN's iReport:

Senator Dianne Feinstein,

I will not register my weapons should this bill be passed, as I do not believe it is the government's right to know what I own. Nor do I think it prudent to tell you what I own so that it may be taken from me by a group of people who enjoy armed protection yet decry me having the same a crime. You ma'am have overstepped a line that is not your domain. I am a Marine Corps Veteran of 8 years, and I will not have some woman who proclaims the evil of an inanimate object, yet carries one, tell me I may not have one.

I am not your subject. I am the man who keeps you free. I am not your servant. I am the person whom you serve. I am not your peasant. I am the flesh and blood of America.
I am the man who fought for my country. I am the man who learned. I am an American. You will not tell me that I must register my semi-automatic AR-15 because of the actions of some evil man.

I will not be disarmed to suit the fear that has been established by the media and your misinformation campaign against the American public.

We, the people, deserve better than you.

Respectfully Submitted,
Joshua Boston
Cpl, United States Marine Corps
2004-2012

Feinstein's bill is pretty comprehensive and can be checked out here on her website with a .pdf copy here. The reference to the Senator carrying a weapon she's trying to keep Josh from owning may be a reference to Feinstein's desire to outlaw handgun ownership while admitting she carries one herself, for protection.

Of the 1,000 weapons listed as exemptions under the bill, not one is a pistol. Following is the legislation's summary:

2013 legislation:

• Bans the sale, transfer, importation, or manufacturing of:
  • 120 specifically-named firearms;
  • Certain other semiautomatic rifles, handguns, shotguns that can accept a detachable magazine and have one or more military characteristics; and
  • Semiautomatic rifles and handguns with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds.
• Strengthens the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and various state bans by:
  • Moving from a 2-characteristic test to a 1-characteristic test;
  • Eliminating the easy-to-remove bayonet mounts and flash suppressors from the characteristics test; and
  • Banning firearms with “thumbhole stocks” and “bullet buttons” to address attempts to “work around” prior bans.
• Bans large-capacity ammunition feeding devices accepting more than 10 rounds. 
• Protects legitimate hunters and the rights of existing gun owners by:
  • Grandfathering weapons legally possessed on the date of enactment;
  • Exempting over 900 specifically-named weapons used for hunting or sporting purposes; and
  • Exempting antique, manually-operated, and permanently disabled weapons.
• Requires grandfathered weapons be registered with National Firearms Act, to include:
  • Background check of owner and any transferee;
  • Type and serial number of the firearm;
  • Positive identification, including photograph and fingerprint;
  • Certification from local law enforcement of identity and that possession would not violate State or local law; and
  • Dedicated funding for ATF to implement registration.

Joshua's letter went up a few days ago and is hitting peak visibility this morning. No word yet from the Senator's office.

The short list of the 120 final named weapons, for those interested, is below and catch-all categories to them may be found here:

Rifles (or copies or duplicates): M1 Carbine, Sturm Ruger Mini-14, AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, AR-10, Thompson 1927, Thompson M1; AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, NHM 90,

NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR; Olympic Arms PCR; AR70, Calico Liberty , Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle or Dragunov SVU, Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, or FNC, Hi-Point20Carbine, HK-91,

HK-93, HK-94, HK-PSG-1, Thompson 1927 Commando, Kel-Tec Sub Rifle; Saiga, SAR-8, SAR-4800, SKS with detachable magazine, SLG 95, SLR 95 or 96, Steyr AU, Tavor, Uzi, Galil and Uzi Sporter, 

Galil Sporter, or Galil Sniper Rifle (Galatz). Pistols (or copies or duplicates): Calico M-110, MAC-10, MAC-11, or MPA3, Olympic Arms OA, TEC-9, TEC-DC9, TEC-22 Scorpion, or AB-10, Uzi. Shotguns (or copies or duplicates): Armscor 30 BG, SPAS 12 or LAW 12, Striker 12, Streetsweeper.

I've included links to a few of the potentials and they're not an entirely unreasonable set of weapons to want off the streets, but that's one of the problems with gun control: It can make so much darn sense.

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