It’s interesting, but is it a phenomenon

One of my very first encounters with samizdata.net occurred in the comments section of an entry that derided sporting shooters for their poor defence of pistol shooting. I can’t find the article and my memory begins to fade but I think the general theme was that sporting pistol shooters were arguing the wrong case when pistols were banned. They should have been arguing for the retention of their fundamental rights to have these guns for self defence not simply for punching holes in paper targets at impossible distances.

I argued for the sporting shot whose sole interest in retaining use of their pistols was for sporting purposes. They did not have them for self defence purposes and it would have been dishonest for them to argue on that basis. I believe David Carr conceded that there was meat to my argument.

I have cast my mind back to this incident because of the current threat to another branch of shooting in England (yes, it seems to be the topic of this blog at present) and I have been reflecting upon my journey of discovery that I began as a disaffected shooter with my original and now erased (though I have a copy) web site.

From one search engine to another, from one article to another, from one web site to another eventually leading me to the Libertarian Alliance, Dr. Sean Gabb and subsequently to samizdata.net (still some of my fondest sources of well written material of topical political interest).

This lead me to flirt with libertarianism, the entrance examination for which I would be sure to fail for any number of reasons.

The world of libertarianism is filled with justifiable lament for the state of the gun control laws in this country and many well thought out articles and missives exist deriding the continual infringement of the state on the civilian and the utter failure of the state to reign in gun crime even with some of the most restrictive firearms legislation on the Earth. It makes depressing reading.

And yet most of this material seems to be after the fact, by its very definition too late to have any affect on anything but subsequent stages of infringement. I find it odd.

Where is the libertarian blogging on the subject of the new threat? Where is the incisive commentary from the other freedom loving blogs?

Once again I see a couple of branches of the shooting sports on fire with discussion and worry about further loss and with one or two exceptions the blogosphere in England is like a dusty town in the old west complete with tumbleweed.

I am sure that after the fact, when criminal activity with replica firearms (bb guns etc) continues, the freedom loving blogosphere will be first to respond to articles in the Guardian and the Times with “but you can’t buy those in England anymore” and “it just goes to show that only the law abiding abide by the law”. That will be then (as it has always been) but what about now?

Silence. Quiet.