Customs and Border Patrol Sneaking One By Us

John Longenecker has a good article on what I am calling the "Great Pocket Knife Scandal" over at the Los Angeles Gun Rights Examiner. You can find the article by clicking on Gun Rights Examiners on the side bar to this blog, and going down to John Longenecker and clicking on "Pocket knife ban models gun control formula." A little quote to whet your appetite:

You see, the agencies charged with deciding ultimately decide against the will of the people. Instead of taking No for an answer, they invite comments, but will still not reject the idea as an interference with our liberty. This is soft tyranny. They’re going to get their way instead of our getting our way.

Soft tyranny.

Why it’s a mistake to make guns and pocket knives illegal is because they just telegraphed this exact blueprint to America that our fears are coming true. Soft tyranny is here. In the United States, you can see the second amendment’s function against this kind of tyranny at work; the armed citizen totally discredits many anti-crime policies which don’t work because that is not where crime is fought. Crime is fought the moment it strikes. Crime is caught after it has struck and done its damage. This may speak the language of Justice, but it does not speak the language of safety and sovereignty. Forty-eight states affirm your right to carry a handgun, but the big cities punish it. It wouldn’t do if the big city populace got the idea they didn’t need so much of what the government wants to ‘give’. Gun control obfuscates one’s authority to act; crime grows and dependency on officials grows. Unwelcome. Unconscionable

When I was in my teens, my Dad taught me how to make a knife from an old file. An old saw blade works well too, or if you want to hammer and forge, old lawn mower blades can by put into service. There are, of course, many ways to make a knife, and a serviceable one can be made without a great deal of skill required. My Dad learned as making a knife was his introduction to a high school class in forging. My point is that pretty much anyone with a modest amount of machine tools can make knives. With more tools and a well equipped shop, it's easy to make either guns or knives.

My recollections aside, as hard as it is to fight everything that is coming down the pike at us, we need to write our Senators and Congressmen about this. The administration is testing our resolve, looking for weaknesses. Perhaps it's knives, or eating greasy burgers. Maybe if they don't ban it but tax it, we'll sit by complacently. But the Left wants to control you and your behavior (for your own good of course) and they don't sleep. Ever.