Special to L. Neil Smith's The Libertarian Enterprise

When addressing the assembled mourners in Dallas, Barry Obama said the following^[1]:

It's easier for a teenager to get his hands on a Glock than a computer … or even a book.

First, there's these places called libraries that will let you read books without going through any paperwork at all. Quite a few of these … libraries … will let you check out books and—wait for it—take them home without so much as a simple background check.

Nor do the librarians make you fill out federally-mandated paperwork asking you if you're a convicted felon, fugitve from justice, illegal immigrant, been dishonorably discharged from the military, have been adjudicated as mentally unfit to read, have any domestic violence convictions, or if you've renounced your U.S. citizenship.

And if you want to keep the book, you don't go to a library, but to another place called a bookstore, where you can hand over some of your cash and take the book home with you. No background check, no waiting period, just pay for your book, take it and go. Nor do you have to be at least 21 years old to purchase small, easily-carried books.

Why, they even let you buy or borrow multiple books without additional paperwork. WOW!

Nor do the feds require bookstore owners to get a federal license to sell books across state lines.

Now, what about prices?

Let's see:

A mass-market paperback of the kind that I bought most of my books as ran at ∅2.50 (plus tax) back in the early 1980s. Now they're up to ∅7.99-8.99.

Trade paperbacks in the 6" x 9" format usually run ∅9.99-19.99, depending on how many pages, the publisher, etc.

Hardbacks are pricier—they're usually over ∅20, most likely in the ∅22-27 range (it does pay at times to check the remainder tables!).

How about computers, then?

You can get a used desktop (such as the one I'm typing this article on) for about ∅100-200 (I paid ∅90 to a place that was going out of business).

Used laptops are in the same price range.

And as with books, there's no need to fill out any federally-mandated paperwork, no waiting periods, no required background check, no age requirement. You can get a computer, even a brand-new one, even if you're a convicted felon, messed up between the ears, been dishonorably discharged, etc., etc.

As for the Glock, though, that's a bit different. Brand-new, a Glock will run you about ∅500. Used, they can go for more or less, depending on condition and after-market modifications. A factory-model Glock in decent condition will cost you about ∅300.

On top of that, if you're a convicted felon, don't get caught possessing that Glock by the cops—the feds love to throw people in prison for ten-year stretches for that.

That federally-mandated paperwork and background check I linked to above? That's the sort of thing you have to go through to purchase a firearms from a federally-licensed dealer. In order to sell firearms across state lines and on any sort of commercial basis, the feds require that the dealer get a Federal Firearms License [FFL].

So much for Obama's comment in Dallas.

Here's the really bad part about Obama's comment:

He's got advisors from the Cabinet secretaries and agency directors on down who could have offered up the correct information for his Dallas speech. It's already bad taste to use a memorial service to score political points. On top of that, he used nonsensical comments to score those points? Come one, now.

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FOR FURTHER REFERENCE

1. Ixquick search / DuckDuckGo search / Startpage search / Qwant search / Encrypted Google search

NOTES

1. Originally published at Mike's blog, Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

Mike Blessing has been active in the libertarian movement since 1995 in various media since moving to The Land of Entrapment. Hopefully, he will be moving to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project. If that doesn't work out, he will head for the Tri-State region of the American Northwest, or Alaska, or eastern Siberia, depending on circumstances.