Dave Winer certainly knows how to spread misinformation, usually by talking about things he knows almost nothing about. Today, for example, Winer vents about John Ashcroft, but adds that it would be okay “if they were clamping down on sales of automatic weapons at US gun shows.”
What an idiot. I’ve been to a number of gun shows and never seen an automatic weapon sold or bought.
Why?
Because since 1934 it has been illegal to sell automatic weapons without special permission of the U.S. Treasury Department. You can’t just walk into a gun show or shop and buy an automatic weapon. To buy an automatic weapon in the United States you have to undergo an FBI background check, then submit an application complete with fingerprints and photo to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and a signed affidavit from the chief local law enforcement officer in your area that the sale of this weapon is consistent with public safety.
If Dave Winer had ever been to a single gun show he might know that, but why let the facts get in the way of a good argument?