This has been building all day, ever since CNN.com plastered it on their front page that the make of the sniper weapon was a Bushmaster.  It finally came to a head for me on the way home.  I was flipping through the news and talk channels on XM and I came across someone talking about Islam.  During the commercial break they did one of those short news roundups, this one being from the Wall Street Journal.  The news reader intoned that Bushmaster was taking a lot of heat and that it was using “loopholes” to sell its guns. 

As soon as I heard that I thought my head was going to come off.  I wouldn’t be suprised if steam was actually coming out of my ears as I cut loose with a stream of obscenity that is probably still floating over Lake Lewisville¹.  This was a couple of hours ago now, so I’m finally calming down a bit (at least to the point where I’m not yelling at the TV and radio anymore).

My first thought was what exactly in the blue hell does the make of the rifle have to do with anything?!  Who gives a flying flip who made the damn thing?!  Some whacko nutbag killed a bunch of people and these idiots are nattering about the make of the rifle!

I swear I’m going to give myself an aneurism if I keep this up.  I usually know better than have anything to do with CNN (or any of the other mainstream news outfits).  These idiots wouldn’t know a Busmaster from a DPMS from a Colt from a Rock River from a Les Baer, etc (you get the point).  Now they’re presuming to tell me (who happens to own 14 guns, including a Bushmaster XM15 E2S) about guns?

That’s pretty rich coming from people who think that shell casings exit a gun’s barrel and who feel the need to explain how the evil scary black gun works (see link). 

But none of this really matters to anyone but the prosecution (which can use the gun against the killers).  The ultimate responsibility for these killings rests with the people who did them.  These idiots don’t ever stop to consider that guns don’t just get up and start shooting people.  It takes a person to make them function and it’s up to the person to be responsible for what happens.  It’s easier for them to blame the instrumentality than the personality.  I suspect they’ll be the same ones crying when the shooters get the death penalty².

Idiots!

Next we’re going to be hearing about “ballistic fingerprinting” and registration and a whole raft of nonsense.  Those of us who own guns are going to be spending the next few months fighting this crap, although there may just be some hope for the future.

Personally, I’m going to support the gun industry any way I can.  I’ll be buying a bunch of ammo on November, 19th and maybe a new gun this weekend.  Politicans should take note that I become a a single issue voter at times like this and I have a long memory and no allegiance to any political party.  Anyone who votes for any anti-freedom victim disarmament measure will never get a vote from me again.

¹ If that sounds familiar, it’s because I borrowed the phrase from a movie (with a slight modification).  You’re welcome to guess which one.

² I’ve been meaning to write about the death penalty.  I’m coming to oppose it, but only because I don’t trust the state to get the facts right when applying it.  I still strongly believe that certain crimes warrant death for the offender.  This a perfect example.

Update:Instapundit has a link to this post by Alphecca.  I like how this guy thinks.  I may have to add him to my links.