Assault Weapons

I have been getting a lot of questions regarding the legality of my new "assault weapon," or as one of my friends called it, my new "machine gun" (it's a semiautomatic M4-style AR15, therefore NOT a machine gun). Many people don't seem to know that the AWB (Clinton's Assault Weapon Ban) has sunsetted, i.e. is NO LONGER LAW. On the other hand I was talking to a Cochise County sheriff who was trying to convince me that the AWB stood for "Automatic Weapons Ban," and that full-auto Uzi's were now legal without a permit. Don't I wish, but I did my best to set him straight. It is somewhat disturbing that both the voters and the law enforcers don't know what is going on. If you are simply a voter, YOU indirectly make the laws. If you are LE, you owe it to the people you are serving to know what the law is.

I found a couple quite unbiased articles on the AWB, both sides of the argument seem to be well-portrayed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_control_in_the_United_States_(by_state)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_assault_weapons_ban

On Crimes and Punishment

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."

— Thomas Jefferson, quoting Cesare Beccaria in On Crimes and punishment (1764).

Calan's M4

Well, PayPal just lost $1000 for the next few months:

Bushmaster M4A3 5.56/.223. So I guess you could say that because of PayPal's policy, there is yet another "assault rifle" in the hands of a civilian plaguing the streets of Tucson. AND it was purchased at a police supply store.

http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/weapons/bcwa3f14m4iz.asp

PayPal and Firearms

My note to PayPal (1000 characters maximum, I used 1000):

My account has not been very active for a while, but I planned on starting to use it once again. While reading over the user agreement I saw that PayPal basically prohibits using an account for anything firearms related. This is insulting to me and very irresponsible on the part of PayPal.

It does not matter if I close my account or not- I simply CAN'T use it for much of what I would be using it for. I will still purchase firearms and ammunition, PayPal just won't have the money in the meantime.

Up until now I have thought very highly of PayPal. However, the fact that PayPal does not care about my civil rights is beyond disturbing. I will avoid using PayPal whenever I have an alternative. I cannot support a company that takes it upon themselves to restrict my civil rights. Nor can I support a company that decides what's best for me. I am an adult, I can do that on my own.

I will post any reply (or note the lack of a reply) publicly on the Internet. Reply accordingly.

PayPal replied very promptly. I can't tell, but it looks like an automated reply (why have they automated a reply on this topic I wonder?). I was very disappointed in what was said:

Dear [Calan],

Thank you for contacting PayPal.I understand that you are frustrated as to why we at PayPal do not allowthe sale of firearms and any related items.

Christopher, I apologize for the inconvenience, much as we would like toaccommodate your desire to do sales of firearms and related items, incompliance with our policies and Federal laws covering homeland security,you may not use PayPal to sell any firearm manufactured after 1898. Certainrelated items and high-capacity ammunition magazines are also prohibited.

To view more details regarding the Acceptable Use Policy regardingFirearms,Ammunition, Replicas and Militaria please click this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/ua/use/index_frame-outside&ed=firearms

I am grateful that your comments were forwarded to me. Once again, Iapologize for the inconvenience. If you have any further questions, pleasefeel free to contact us again.

Sincerely,
Michael
PayPal Community Support
PayPal, an eBay Company

My reply back to PayPal:

I am not looking to sell firearms, I am looking to use my debit card to purchase a firearm in the near future. I understand that I can withdraw the money from my account and make the purchase using my bank's card, that is not my point. I am upset that PayPal even restricts such purchases. Buying a firearm is not illegal. And even if I were selling a firearm, that is not illegal either.

I am afraid that I simply cannot believe that using my PayPal debit card to purchase a firearm at a police supply store is against federal law concerning homeland security. I also simply cannot believe that it is against federal law for PayPal to allow payment for a private firearms sales. I am more inclined to believe that PayPal is simply claiming that this is the case to shift blame for a policy that cannot be justified. If I am wrong, please let me know where I can find a law that disallows PayPal to permit the use of their service in legal firearms transactions.

Currently awaiting a reply. By the way- in reality, I would not put it past our government to make such a restriction, especially in the name of "National Security." If their reply is in fact correct, I have a lot more to worry about than PayPal's policy.