Libertarian VP Candidate Video; Rifles are "Weapons of Mass Destruction"

Gun Watch ^ | 7 August, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

On August 3rd, 2016, the Libertarian candidate for vice president, William Weld, was interviewed on REVOLT TV. 

REVOLT TV Chief Political Correspondent Amrit Singh asked candidate Weld about legislation and his views on guns.  A short video clip of the relevant section has been posted on Youtube by occupy the media.  The gun segment starts right away in the clip.

William Weld:

"The five shot rifle, that is a standard military rifle, the problem is if you attach a clip to it that holds more shells and if you remove the pin so that it becomes an automatic weapon, and those are independent criminal offences.  That is when they  become, essentially, a weapon of mass destruction.  The problem with handguns probably is even worse than the problem of the AR15."

 Amrit Singh:

"What can you do to help control this flow of guns, if anything?"

William Weld:

 "You shouldn't have anybody who is on the terrorist watch list buy any gun at all."

Link to video

William Weld was United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1981 to 1986. He was governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. He should know that the ban on "high capacity magazines" is independent of them being inserted into a rifle; it only applies to magazines made after 1994, and applies to magazines with a capacity of over 10 rounds, not 5.  There is a five round limit for shotguns.  He was governor when these limitations were put in place.

Weld also opined extensively on the recent police shooting of Philando Castile in Minnesota.  He was certain that the police officer had committed a criminal offense and that the officer would be going to jail.  He misquotes what Philando Castile's girlfriend said on video; then he claims that it was Philando Castile who said it.

Weld: Having said "I have a license to carry, you do not mind if I reach for it, do you?"

As an attorney, he seems to have little care for the rule of law, due process, and the idea of "innocent until proven guilty".

The officers involved are under investigation, and are unable to give their side of the story yet.  At the minimum, it would be prudent to say that we should wait until the investigation is concluded before making innocent or guilty judgements.

Libertarians have traditionally been the party with the strongest support for Second Amendment rights, and upholding the rule of law as defined by the Constitution.

These statements seem unlikely to resonate with the Libertarian base.  

 ©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Sounds like fun but I think I’ll stick with those rockets powered by baking soda and vinegar.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

One time a friend of mine tried to warm up beans with a pressure cooker. I do NOT advise it. Dangerous. And big mess on the ceiling.

[Gaffer]

Pressure cookers have relief valves built in.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

‘Actually, a semi-auto shotgun is good enough.’

I should hope so for home defense! But I did read about a fully automatic shotgun used by the military. Loaded with a drum if I remember correctly.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Only thing, I thought that shotguns violate the Geneva Convention. So maybe mercenaries? Dunno.

[normbal]

Libertarians. Not only wrong for America, just wrong.

“The Libertarian Party... helping to elect democrats since 1972.”

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I saw the mess. The cap blew off like a bullet.

And the Boston Marathon Bombers used a pressure cooker too.

[But I was trying to keep it ‘light’.]

[Gaffer]

I have an 8-9 shot semi from Mossberg. Frankly, I can’t see how an automatic version would be any good especially when recovering the aim from the first shot.

[Gaffer]

Don’t doubt that but it shouldn’t have happened with your friends beans.

[Arrian]

The French Revolutionary mantra: liberte’, egalite’, fraternite’; spawned Libertarianism. As such, it is a relatively modernist fad, in contrast to Principled Conservatism; which grew from the Greece of Antiquity from the likes of Aristotle, Pericles, Solon, Plato; among many others.
Does anyone seriously believe that a lack of freedom is the root cause of the very severe malaise that afflicts us as a nation?

[progunner]

Powders used back in mining days definetly yes. But in a gun, todays modern powders only burn at an incredibly fast rate. It takes an awful lot of continuous “push” for a projectile to be sent out of a long barrel. Theory is this. The heavier the projectile and the longer the barrel, the more push is required for it to make it to the muzzle. All powders burn at different rates for this reason.

[progunner]

Damn,,,, I forgot about that part. I stand corrected.

[ctdonath2]

“There are rifles that can work like machine guns if a pin is pulled.”

Uh, no.

The only legal ones that (or similar trivial modification) might work for result in an uncontrolled complete mag dump: pull trigger, keeps firing until empty - extremely stupid dangerous.

Any guns which sanely handle what you claim are illegal.

And what the idiot in the lead post claims amounts to converting an M1903 bolt action rifle with fixed magazine, to a detachable magazine M16 (invented half a century later) machine gun, by merely pulling a pin. That’s stupid. The conversion is absurd; seriously, it’s easier to convert a VW Bug to a machine gun.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Yeah, but maybe we’re thinking ‘home defense’ while the leftists are worried about ‘drive-by’ shootings. One quick burst and they floor it.

Funny thing though. Gasoline is a much deadlier weapon than guns and wickedly versitile. Especially when a household chemical is added, and that knowledge is out there. The public could google it, not that I’ll make it easier for anyone.

And one guy turned his truck into a ‘ramming tank’. He tore up an entire town before they could stop him.

But let’s take guns away from law-abiding people.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I agree on all points.

There are a lot of things that could be converted into deadly weapons or delivery systems. Fear of law abiding people owning guns is irrational and might indicate clinical paranoia.

[thorvaldr]

“What the heck is going on with the Libertarian Party?”

From the two commies that they are running for pres and VP, I think it’s pretty obvious that at the national level the libertarian party are just communists.

[Red in Blue PA]

I thought Libertarians were supposed to be pro-freedom and not Statists?

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Mass destruction? What a dope.

[fortheDeclaration]

What a joke the LP has become!

[Sasparilla]

...what the idiot in the lead post claims amounts to converting an M1903 bolt action rifle with fixed magazine, to a detachable magazine M16... machine gun, by removing a pin....

That’s what it sounded like.