Let’s imagine for a moment that I was the first kid on the block to score one of the new CorreiaTech Combat Wombats in 7.62 SchutzenBoomen, and I wanted to let you all know about this wonder of engineering and how it performed.  Of course, I would run to the local merchant of death, purchase several boxes of ammunition, then haul all that and my chronometer out to the range, and spend a day making smoke into noise while taking measurements.  I would then come home, disassemble this gun, this pinnacle of modern metallurgical and polymeric science, take oodles of pictures, and document what I observe and learn.

Then, being the good little gunblogger that I am, I would post all these pictures, data, and observations so that other gun enthusiasts can make informed decisions on what they purchase and shoot.  Heck, I may provide that one key piece of data that convinces somebody, either in the United States or abroad, to make their first gun purchase a CorreiaTech, not some piece of dreck from RingoCo (Corporate motto:  Oh, RingoCo, no!)

To me, it’s a hobby and an interesting diversion. To someone else, it might be how they make their living or reach out to customers.

To the Obama Administration, it’s about to become a crime.

You see, through the magic of federal regulation and executive orders, the United States Department of State has proposed changes to the International Trade in Arms Regulations (ITAR) so that the posting of information and data about small arms in such a way that people in other parts of the world can read it becomes illegal, because we are exporting data about weapons without proper licensure.

Read for yourself:

As part of the President’s Export Control Reform (ECR) initiative, the Department of State proposes to amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to update the definitions of ‘‘defense article,’’ ‘‘defense services,’’ ‘‘technical data,’’ ‘‘public domain,’’ ‘‘export,’’ and ‘‘reexport or retransfer’’ in order to clarify the scope of activities and information that are covered within these definitions and harmonize the definitions with the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), to the extent appropriate. Additionally, the Department proposes to create definitions of ‘‘required,’’ ‘‘technical data that arises during, or results from, fundamental research,’’ ‘‘release,’’ ‘‘retransfer,’’ and ‘‘activities that are not exports, reexports, or retransfers’’ in order to clarify and support the interpretation of the revised definitions that are proposed in this rulemaking. The Department proposes to create new sections detailing the scope of licenses, unauthorized releases of information, and the ‘‘release’’ of secured information, and revises the sections on ‘‘exports’’ of ‘‘technical data’’ to U.S. persons abroad. Finally, the Department proposes to address the electronic transmission and storage of unclassified ‘‘technical data’’ via foreign communications infrastructure. This rulemaking proposes that the electronic transmission of unclassified ‘‘technical data’’ abroad is not an ‘‘export,’’ provided that the data is sufficiently secured to prevent access by foreign persons. Additionally, this proposed rule would allow for the electronic storage of unclassified ‘‘technical data’’ abroad, provided that the data is secured to prevent access by parties unauthorized to access such data. The revisions contained in this proposed rule are part of the Department of State’s retrospective plan under Executive Order 13563 first submitted on August 17, 2011.

It goes on in detail, and I suggest you read it all.  Basically, gun blogs, publications, enthusiasts, forum members, manufacturers, and just plain goofballs like me would need a mother-may-I from the federal government before putting data such as muzzle velocity, materials, terminal ballistics, disassembly, cleaning, fixing, upgrading,  accurizing, assembling from parts kits, or just plain whittling your own gun out of a block of aluminum up on an open website.

If you think this is, well, troubling, then we have a lot in common.   The government has no business telling us what we can and cannot say.  It really has no business telling us to whom we are and are not allowed to convey knowledge.

By the way, if you’re a geek and have been around a while, this will sound very familiar.  You’ll also know how futile it is to try to burn the books and regulate who can have them when everybody’s got the electronic copy.

So, I’m asking all of you to reach out to our friends at Foggy Bottom and tell them, respectfully and professionally, to go pound sand up their ass.  Here is the contact information for leaving a comment on the proposed new regulations, which may be done until August 3, 2015:

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit comments within 60 days of the date of publication by one of the following methods: •

Email: DDTCPublicComments@state.gov with the subject line, ‘‘ITAR Amendment—Revisions to Definitions; Data Transmission and Storage.’’

• Internet: At www.regulations.gov, search for this notice by using this rule’s RIN (1400–AD70).

I also suggest you contact your senators and representatives in Congress and let them know that you’d appreciate it if they’d drag the person or persons responsible for this in front of C-SPAN and get them to explain the pressing government

I want you all to imagine what would happen if we couldn’t post reviews of guns without a license from the crown, or manufacturers had to get permission from Barack Obama and John Kerry before they could tell us what their ammunition or guns can do.  Imagine what would happen when it became illegal for forum members to post their favorite formula for reloading without risking fines and possibly jail.

Now imagine what will happen when everyone within the sound of my voice not only leaves a helpful comment at the above addresses, but gets a few of their friends and family to do the same and spread the word.

We are The People, and the Obama administration is threatening our 1st and 2nd Amendment-guaranteed rights.  It is time for us to tell them no, and to make them understand that we will not go away quietly.

In the meantime, you’re going to be seeing some weapons data posted to this site, every day, until they either drop this effort or roll a 20 in the “Summon Lawsuit” spell attempt by trying to make me stop.  Please join me in drowning the gun grabbing bluntskulls at State out and showing how impotent they really are.