Freedom Under Fire

Watch This Video from CNN.

Long story short, David Olofson lent his twenty-year old AR-15, a semi-automatic rifle, to another man, who fired roughly 800 rounds (apparently without cleaning it) when the weapon malfunctioned, causing the weapon to fire a three-round burst before jamming. The guns owner's house was raided by the ATF (who didn't find any illegal weapons) and he was convicted of transferring an illegal machine gun.

Okay, this makes zero sense to me. The ATF acknowledges that the weapon malfunctioned, no illegal weapons were discovered in the guys house, he's an Army Reservist, husband, and father, with no criminal record to speak of, yet the government won't say why they chose to go after him.

What's even more disturbing is the precedent this ruling sets. The type of malfunction that happened, called a slam-fire, is not uncommon. It can happen a number of ways; the hammer or firing pin can fail to lock back after firing, the trigger sear can fail to re-engage, or the firing pin can simply stick in the extended position. It happens on all kinds of weapons, not just AR-15s, which by the way are notoriously unreliable if not kept absolutely clean. Some older semi-auto shotguns will slam-fire regularly. M1911-style pistols can slam-fire if they're not properly maintained. My friend has even had it happen several times on an old M1 Garand, a WWII-era rifle. Basically, what this means now is anyone who has a firearm malfunction and slam-fire can be tried and easily convicted of a major felony, thereby losing many of their basic freedoms (can't vote, can't serve in the armed forces or work for the government in any capacity, can't own guns, etc.)

Even the radically anti-gun CNN finds this disturbing. (Yes, Bill Tucker is pro-second amendment, but the CNN high-ups wouldn't let the story run if they didn't agree. Trust me on this; I've spent five years in journalism, I know how the system works.) I don't know why the government chose to pursue this ridiculous case, but I feel that it is gross misuse of power and a sham of justice, and that the presiding judge on this case should be disbarred and the victim's record should be immediately expunged.

UPDATE:

A federal judge just sentenced David Olofson to 30 months in jail. 30 months! All because his gun malfunctioned?!?!?! WTF? This is sick and wrong, people. Sick and wrong. Something needs to be done. That judge should immediately be disbarred, and Mr. Olofson should be pardoned and have his record expunged immediately if not sooner!