Feinstein's big lie

Many of the arguments for gun control are based purely on emotion, with no basis in fact. And some of the arguments being presented now in the wake of the Newtown shootings are complete and outright lies.

Here's a big one from Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA):

The weapons today are much more powerful and lethal than the weapons were when we did this bill in 1993.

Feinstein's Big Lie hits at about 2:13 in the timeline of this CSPAN video of her news conference of December 21.

Exactly what's more powerful and lethal about guns today than 1993?

The ammunition? Is Feinstein referring to .223 ammo like that used in the AR-15?

Most AR type rifles are chambered for .223 ammunition that has been around since the early 1960s.

Ditto for the AR-15 itself. It's based on a design that's been around since 1950s, and was well perfected prior to Feinstein's 1993 ban.

Ruger's Mini-14 shoots the same .223 round as most AR-15s, and it came to the American sporting market in the early 1970s.

If you want to get into military surplus rifles, or those based on foreign designs, the SKS and the AKs have pedigrees back to the 1940s. Even America's little M-1 Carbine of World War Two had 15 and 30 round magazines. The U.S. government teamed with the NRA in the 1960s to sell thousands of those carbines to the public, some tagged with prices under $20. The carbine sales continued (although at much higher prices) through the Civilian Marksmanship Program until a couple of years ago when stockpiles available domestically were finally exhausted.

And the ammunition shot by any of these rifles is less powerful than the 30.06 caliber popular with hunters and target shooters going back more than a century. Yes, there are ARs chambered for other calibers. Some are chambered for .308, 9mm, and even .22 Long Rifle. But each of these calibers predates Feinstein's 1993 ban. The 9mm round goes dates back to 1901, the .22 Long Rifle to 1887.

There were other disingenuous comments in Feinstein's news conference. The more you listen to people like Feinstein, the more you realize they seek to exploit emotion and falsehoods to push their grasps at more gun control. But it's an old game for them. No one should be surprised by their dishonesty this time.