Brown Truck O' Goodness!

The Brown Truck O' Goodness (read UPS) came today. In it was a nice brown 2nd day air package addressed to me, that required an adult signature. And inside was the black steel of a CZ-82. Fully functional, with two twelve round magazines. And I didn't sign it.

For those who don't know, I obtained my FFL C&R License last year. As such I am legally allowed to buy certain firearms online and have them delivered right to my front door. The C&R License came about as a result of the 1968 gun control act. Basically, before 1968 there was not much regulation of firearms dealers. Anyone could open a Sears catalog and buy the firearm of their choosing and have it shipped to them. The 1968 gun control act instituted the licensing scheme we have now.

So to sell firearms you need one type of license, however for collectors (such as myself) they created the Curios and Relics license. This license allows us to purchase firearms off of the Curios and Relics list (in a nutshell firearms over 50 years old), without having to go through another licensed dealer (which would increase the cost of the firearm). As such, we have to submit to a background check and are subject to inspections (not more than once per year) by the ATF.

The great thing about C&R firearms is there are so many of them (and perfectly functional too). One of the things that the Russians and Germans were good at (particularly when they had planned socialist economies - yes the Nazi's were socialists) is producing far more firearms than they could possibly use. The CZ-82 is the Czech version of the Soviet Makarov. It was produced up until shortly after the end of the Cold War.

An important part of having the C&R is it allows you to buy handguns across state lines. Without one you would only be able to buy them within the state that you reside. By being able to buy across state lines you are able to shop around and get the best price. That is free market capitalism (buying and selling communist guns), although it is rather disappointing that you need a license to engage in it.

Another "stick it to the man" point is with a C&R License you are able to bypass certain state laws. For instance, where I live you need a "Pistol Purchase Permit" to buy a handgun. However, for C&R guns since it falls under Federal Law, you don't need one when using your C&R License.

In semi-related news, my wife received her passport as well. It is a lot thicker than mine, although mostly because the jacket is triple thickness to have room for the microchip that is in it. We are wondering though why they didn't send her birth certificate back with the passport. In case you didn't know, when you apply for a passport you have to send in your original (or a certified copy) of your birth certificate. It is a little unnerving not having a clue where your birth certificate has wound up. If it isn't here by the end of the week, we are going to have to raise some Cain.

So there you have it, because of our gloriously efficient government I can have fully functional firearms shipped to my front door and they get the privilege of losing a primary form of identification (that most identity criminals would pay money for)!

UPDATE: The birth certificate came today. At first I thought maybe the application went to one center and the birth certificate went to another (you know, so that you could create more jobs). Nope. Both came from the same place. The passport came Priority Mail, the birth certificate came First Class.