Paul Helmke and Super Dangerous Weapons

ABC News interviewed Mr. Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Disarm America. He had some interesting things to say:

(W)ith the Supreme Court poised to hand down a potentially landmark decision in the case, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence fully expects to lose.

"We've lost the battle on what the Second Amendment means," campaign president Paul Helmke told ABC News. "Seventy-five percent of the public thinks it's an individual right. Why are we arguing a theory anymore? We are concerned about what we can do practically."

As I noted in my comment there, Mr. Helmke once again avoids mention of the fact that he and his ilk were attempting to change the Constitution without recourse to the Amendment process through REDEFINING the meaning of "right of the PEOPLE to keep and bear arms". They failed. Spectacularly. That doesn't mean we think they've given up. And his mouthpiece confirms:

Brady Campaign Attorney Dennis Henigan said there are multiple gun control measures that would not run afoul of a Supreme Court decision striking down the D.C. gun ban.

"Universal background checks don't affect the right of self-defense in the home. Banning a super dangerous class of weapons, like assault weapons, also would not adversely affect the right of self-defense in the home," said Henigan. "Curbing large volume sales doesn't affect self-defense in the home."

Yet the Brady Campaign supported the D.C. ban at least in part because they believe that handguns are a "super dangerous class" of weapons. The Violence Policy Center, of the same ilk, has been trying to get a national handgun ban passed since its inception. They even sell a book on the topic: EVERY HANDGUN IS AIMED AT YOU.

But somehow Mr. Helmke thinks that "assault weapons" - which I doubt he could define - are "super dangerous." Apparently only when they're in the hands of people not on the .gov payroll, since almost every police force in the country (including, most recently, Chicago) is armed or arming with AR-15 or M16/M4 rifles and carbines. You know, those spray-firing bullet hoses designed to be fired from the hip and that are only good for mowing down crowds?

In current news, Utah's Hill Air Force Base has apparently misplaced a crate of M-16 select-fire rifles (read: "machine guns"). Apparently since these are official government firearms, the Salt Lake Tribune notes that they are "small caliber rifles," though they are "worth up to $5,000 each on the street."

"Small caliber rifle" doesn't sound like a "Super Dangerous Weapon," does it?

They're missing twelve of them.

Helmke must be having kittens.