This article disturbs me

S

SerenityNetworks

New member
The article given below disturbs me, but I can't really determine why. It could be because it's one that I believe would have been better off not being written. Perhaps it's because it has the potential to rally ill informed gun control advocates (although I believe 99% of gun control advocates are ill informed, else they would not be gun control advocates). Maybe it's the second to last sentence in the article that flags the author as an extreme control advocate. Or maybe it's a combination of the above. I'm just not sure.

[One might wonder why I published the link if I believe the article should not have been written. It's a good question. The answer is that since it is written the perhaps it should be responded to by level heads and rational arguments from informed persons, such as frequent this forum.]

Anyway, here is the link: gizmodo.com/5927379/

NRA Life Member
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"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge
 
I read it a couple of times, seems pretty fishy, If I were a criminal I'd be convinced the Gov't set it up to catch me, If I were the feds and it weren't my site I'd be all over it, but something about it seems too over the top to be true. Best guess, it's a fraudulent site meant to steal from criminals. How would you trace any of it? Who would you complain to when they took your money? Seems like Nigerian Prince stuff to me and the reporter had too much of an agenda to see through it. Seems like it would be simpler than that to get what you needed.
 
This TOR thing that the "armory" website is based on is definitely not something that normal, law-abiding citizens participate in. It's fairly tame (I guess) until, obviously, the illegally shipped/sold items (drugs, guns, etc.) and the child pornography.

So I don't think this could be used as fodder for anti-gun folks-this is basically like the actual black market that law-breakers in real life use, just over the internet. They've never visited the subject of that because guess what, criminals are going to get guns even if they introduce legislation to stop them.

Plus gizmodo isn't really a kind of political commentator news agency, they're more of a technology/modern culture thing.
 
Good points. If the author had worked with authorities and actually procured an illegal arm then the story would have credibility.

However TOR isn't always "evil". It can be used by folks on areas where web censorship is truly occurring. Yet you are correct, most of the time it is not used for simple anonymity but for illegal purposes.

Andrew

NRA Life Member
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"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge
 
Sounds more like a plant to support the anti gun initiative. Expect to see it quoted by some of Pelosi, Reed, Holder and Obama supporters.
 
Plus gizmodo isn't really a kind of political commentator news agency, they're more of a technology/modern culture thing.
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You're correct about gizmodo not being a political commentator news agency however I can tell you that after reading a bunch of their articles I get the distinct feeling that they are the following:

1. Very liberal
2. Definitely anti-gun OR extreme gun control advocates

Whenever they publish something regarding firearms they do take on a very distinct anti-gun/gun control flavor. This particular article we are discussing is just another piece to drop into the group of articles that scream for more legislation restricting firearms.
 
Good points. If the author had worked with authorities and actually procured an illegal arm then the story would have credibility.

However TOR isn't always "evil". It can be used by folks on areas where web censorship is truly occurring. Yet you are correct, most of the time it is not used for simple anonymity but for illegal purposes.
Click to expand...

Really? Hmm. That's interesting, for sure. I'm not sure if it's worth the ability for people to use the less-than-legal parts, but it's interesting for sure.

And yeah, gizmodo is quite liberal in their views, but thankfully as I said they don't have topics to express it that often.
 
The article reads like a work of fiction.

There is no web address furnished in the article for this illegal Armory that is so illegally willing to sell illegal gun illegally.

So is this author setting up a false premise to further his agenda?
Does Sam Biddle's illegal Armory exist?
 
Some of the comments in this thread dissappoint me.

This TOR 3 Gun thing ... is definitely not something that normal, law-abiding citizens participate in. It's fairly tame (I guess) until, obviously, the illegally shipped/sold items (drugs, guns, etc.) murder sprees and the child pornography armed revolutions.
Click to expand...

However TOR guns aren't always "evil". It They can be used by folks on areas where web censorship tyranny is truly occurring. Yet you are correct, most of the time they are not used for simple anonymity self defense but for illegal purposes.
Click to expand...

It never fails to exasperate me when gun people use the failed reasoning of the anti-gunners against other technologies. I would have thought, of all people, we would be the most immune to that kind of poor logic.

Also, fun fact: Tor was originally a product of the US Naval Research Laboratories and was later funded by the Electronic Freedom Foundation. The Tor Project, which is currently in charge of development of the Tor software, receives funding from the U.S. State Department, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and the National Science Foundation.
 
Just FYI, the cryptic URL of The Armory was provided in the article.

Regolith, you are correct that TOR is a completely separate issue from gun control or weapons trafficking. TOR has been around for a very long time (in internet years). But to the best of my knowledge its primary use these days is for illegal file sharing. It is sad, but it is what it is.

NRA Life Member
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"There are some ideas so preposterous that only an intellectual will believe them." - Malcolm Muggeridge
 
You want a M249 no questions asked for cash? Tepito Market is the place to go. Of course, if everyone is looking at you thinking 'Porque esta gringo esta aqui solito?' you will probably leave with an empty wallet, a few bruises and no gun, IF you are very lucky. Getting it back across the border in your car will be the least risky part of the journey.
In Africa you can get an AK for about $50 in open air markets. How can you be surprised someone from a third world country will mail you a USED 9mm semi-automatic handgun for $3,000? It still has to come through customs. What happens if the box coming through customs marked "plumbing parts" with your home as the destination is discovered? And it probably will be(I ship metal parts internationally daily that have nothing to do with guns and the customs people always mess with anything precision manufactured so they can get duties out of it). The guy in Africa who mailed it of course has almost no risk and already has your untraceable extremely liquid bitcoins.
 
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Same way airsoft guns are shipped into the us from hong kong without the orange flash hider require by federal law and infringing trademarks, customs doesn't check everything.
 
Believe it or not, most of the things slipping through customs come on container ships and such. They don't go through them all. Same all over the world. You fed-ex something there is a good chance the box will be opened . If you want to talk about shipping one out of 10,000 containers on a ship with cargo other than the manifest reads(say a few thousand soviet surplus pistols), and the likelihood that no customs officer will look at it, well you are right, there is a very good chance it won't be opened, scanned, etc.

If it is a PLASTIC part, such as most cheap airsoft guns, then there is a good chance it will pass through customs.
In most third world countries there are export duties also.

Not 100%, but this wouldn't be the best way to purchase a complete firearm without going through NICS.
 
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