"Modern government is not only a lawmaker. Indeed, the most effective executive powers may not derive from statutes at all. The government that President Obama oversees is also a gigantic, well-funded procurement agent. And it can—and should—use that power to change American gun policies."You're right on one point at least. The most effective executive powers do not derive from statutes at all, they derive from the people. Remember that pesky "We the People" part of the Constitution?
"What is striking is that the government buys guns from manufacturers who also sell them to criminals—either knowingly or by willfully overlooking the behavior of the retail outlets that the gun companies use as their distribution system."Really, where is your proof that gun manufacturers sell to criminals? Show me a bill of sale directly from a gun manufacturer to a known criminal. And I don't mean some private business owner that did not fill out or file a 4473 improperly, or one who was wrangled on a minor technicality by the
BATFE.
"If President Obama wants to devise a creative way to limit gun violence, he will use his power as the world's largest consumer to require the cooperation of gun manufacturers. If government cannot legislate the conduct it wants, then it can use market power to buy it." [link]Uh-Oh! You just let the cat out of the bag didn't you? Couldn't you have just said: If we can't get our way via legislation and with the consent of the people. We will just become tyrants and do as we please.
Now a few questions for you ex-Gov
Spitzer and whoever you are Peter Pope. I guess that the
soaring profits by both Smith & Wesson and
Sturm,
Ruger & Co. are not due to government buying up their supplies yet, is that correct?
Hmmm, you mean private citizens are causing those increased profits? I am sure the government could waste more tax payer dollars to prove whatever it wants to prove though, right?
Also does this mean that the government shouldn't buy from itself? Here is a list of
FBI agents who committed violent or criminal acts. So can the government still buy from these companies but not arm the FBI with those weapons?
Don't get me wrong I know that there is just a small percentage of law enforcement officers that are criminals. But just as that is the case the same is true of society in general. The vast majority of people are not criminals, it just takes a few bad apples to give them a bad name. So you are for punishing the many because of the actions of a few?