Colt from colitis?

Much has been spoken, but little really said, about the specter of loosening up local gun laws with an eye towards developing the shooting range industry here. Guam, which is far more serious about tourism than Saipan is, has, from the looks of it, a pretty active pistol range industry.

Saipan doesn’t have pistol ranges because we’ve got no (civilian) pistols, or at least any legitimate ones. And don’t tell me that some pseudo BB gun or air gun is a pistol. No, by “pistol” I mean a real, live firearm, not some toy.

The Japanese are gaga for guns; they evidently can’t have them in their native land. These folks, then, are the target market for the shooting industry.

One advantage a pistol range would have over a rifle range is the fact that pistol ranges take far less land. Any rifle range under 200 yards or so is pretty much a joke, and a 400 yard range is what a lot of shooters expect. By contrast, a measly 25 yard range will keep pistoleros happy; short guns are, after all, for short ranges. Too, pistols have far less power than rifles–at least in general–so the bullet traps and associated safety equipment are an easier deal for pistols.

If there’s one job I wouldn’t want it would be the task of tending tourists–some of whom, shall we say, seem to be a bit lacking in manual dexterity and spacial orientation–who are brandishing loaded pistols. No way, Jose. If you see a help wanted ad for a pistol range master being run, you can rest assured that I won’t be applying for it.

From short guns to long ones, I’ll confess I’m mystified at the argument that revised laws will put “assault rifles” in the wrong hands.
Where did all this get started? An assault rifle is a fully automatic weapon, and those are so totally illegal that nobody with an iota of sense would be caught within a country mile of one. Federal laws weigh in heavily on this count, and nothing Saipan concocts is going to make genuine assault rifles legal in civilian hands anywhere under the U.S. flag, here included. Again, no way, Jose.

Of course, we do have a lot of people who aren’t competent enough to be entrusted with Toyotas, and the specter of some of those same folks being well armed isn’t a particulary soothing one. Come to think of it, a lot of folks probably aren’t competent enough to be entrusted with children, either, which does suggest that a licensing scheme might be in order, eh?

Personally, I’ve got no opinion at all on the gun law issue here. The only reason I decided to, er, “shoot” off my mouth is that some media accounts on the topic have been provided by know- nothings who don’t know a Colt from colitis, and I thought some cursory analysis was better than none at all.

As for me, my clandestine plans to restore the Last Command Post guns are proceeding nicely, thank you. I will be taking up residence there shortly, and you’re welcome for a visit…just bring some beer, keep your hands up, and make sure you know the password.