The Man Being Punished For October 1

Brian Skoloff/Associated Press)

The only person arrested and charged so far in the October 1, 2017, Mandalay Bay Massacre is Douglas Haig, who was charged with illegal manufacture of ammunition that the murderer bought. 

Haig was charged with this crime because the investigation revealed that the murderer bought this ammo from Haig. As a result, it was discovered that Haig did not have a license to manufacture the ammo for sale. In other words, he is guilty not paying the right bribe to the government to engage in business. Had he applied for and paid to be correctly permitted by the government to make and sell ammo, he wouldn’t be in trouble.

A federal judge recently denied both a change in venue and the right to a jury trial. Haig will be tried by a Nevada jury in the metropolis where the mass shooting happened. He argued that a jury, especially a Nevada jury, would be hopelessly biased against him and he requested a bench trial. The judge would be better able to set aside any bias by being affected, either directly or indirectly to various degrees, by the tragedy.

The judge totally ignoring these requests likely means that the government wants a conviction. Someone wants to claim that they “did something” in regards to the shooting. Someone wants a feather in their cap for jailing someone for something gun related in regards to October 1. In other words, the government is out to fuck Mr. Haig for what some loser psycho did because of absurd licensing laws.

So what is essentially a white-collar crime in the class of “the government didn’t get the proper cut” becomes a substitute trial for a mass murderer who shot himself. This isn’t justice, it’s petty tyranny and a disgusting abuse of the justice system. I don’t believe that the government has any right to license small businesses like this; for them, it’s all about money, power, politics, and attacking gun rights. 1968, which much gun licensing came from, was about trying to get rid of guns in America, not make us a safer place.

I predict Haig will be convicted of the mundane offense of not having the Crown’s permission to make and sell ammo because he had the bad luck to sell to a high-profile, utter douchebag. On the plus side, he will likely win an appeal on the grounds that his request for a bench trial and change of venue unfairly prejudiced the verdict against him. A retrial will be ordered in Arizona, heard by a judge, who will convict him and slap him with a fine. 

Maybe such a decision was deliberate. Perhaps the judge feels that the government is railroading Haig and requiring a license for such a small business is a gross overreach. This way, even though Haig has to go through the process, he has a great case to have it all thrown out. If you are on the jury, remember you have the right to nullify the verdict by voting “not guilty” if you disagree with the law.

One thing is clear; the federal government is out of control and federal firearm licensing is a trap to punish innocent Americans for the mistakes of others.