O.K., Ebay, We Got It: You Hate Guns

So Ebay has just published new rules about what can and cannot be sold on their site:

They said they would no longer allow the listing of any firearm parts required in the firing of a gun. This will include bullet tips (their words), brass, shells (hulls), barrels, slides, cylinders, magazines, trigger assemblies, etc.

This change is apparently in response to the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech University. I suppose on some level it makes sense. After all, everybody knows that depraved mad-men buy all their reloading supplies on Ebay.

First off, this affects me personally, because there seemed to be an endless supply of suckers on Ebay willing to pay me 20 cents apiece for 28 gauge shotgun hulls I picked up for free at the local range. Now I'll have to go back to collecting aluminum cans for spending money I can hide from the wife.

Seriously, we all know those in power over at Ebay despise guns, but what good is it to exclude for sale legal products that don't require hazardous materials handling? Do they really think they can somehow prevent people from shooting their guns by restricting the sale of empty shotgun hulls?

And where does this stop? Is Ebay anti-hunting, too? Can I expect my Paypal account to be frozen if I try to sell some duck decoys on line? I notice there's lots of archery gear there. Is that next? After all, I imagine some kook with a compound bow could do some serious harm at the shopping mall were he so inclined.

What about all the other stuff sold on Ebay that could be turned into a weapon? Are they going to ban baseball bats the next time an enraged parent pummels his son's little-league coach with a Louisville Slugger because Junior didn't get enough playing time?

On a serious level I find this action by Ebay to be extremely counterproductive, because it just reinforces in every NRA member's mind that "those slime-balls on the left want to take away our guns." I've already noticed it at the many gun nut sites I frequent, and at least one is circulating a petition aimed at convincing Ebay to reverse the policy. This is another example of why most gun owners don't trust those of us on the left.

Which is unfortunate, because I've been arguing for years that, of those who own guns, hunters in particular really ought to be our natural allies. Both hunters and lefties want to protect the commons, lefties for its own sake and hunters so they will continue to have game to shoot. But every time the Sierra Club announces a hunter outreach program or Audubon Magazine publishes an ode to hunters some morons like Ebay come along and rip out the seedling alliance that has been sown. Good going, Ebay. Now I'm going to trip over to Gunbroker and see if anybody wants to buy some of these 28 gauge hulls I've got stored in my garage.