Over/under - Tommorrow

If laser guns were created tomorrow, would they be legal under the second amendment?

They would be, because under existing laws they wouldn’t even be considered firearms.Lasers actually fall under the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The FDA regulates everything from virtually harmless laser pointers all the way to industrial lasers that cut steel.As a general rule of thumb, unless it goes BANG and sends a projectile flying the ATF has no power over it.Going the other way on the scale, up until a few years ago Texas state law had no provision for open carry of a handgun. The solution? Strap on an old cap and ball black powder revolver since it’s not regulated.As for the question of the 2nd Amendment protecting the right to own a laser gun in the future? Probably not. But I also doubt they’d be targeted by legislators until someone used one in a crime. And at first they’d be prohibitively expensive, only rich collectors would own them, then eventually they’d get cheap enough hunting enthusiasts and sportsmen could own them, and finally they’d become plentiful, cheap, and everyday items just like our guns of today. It’s not until they became cheap and plentiful that I think crime with them would be a problem, and at that point it’s too late for a ban. The electronic nature of such a weapon would be interesting though, and making it a “smart” gun would likely be the first goal for legislators.

I’m turning 18 tomorrow and I’m going to the gun store to pick myself up a shotgun. I have a budget of 500$ and plan to only shoot clays and maybe hunt birds. What are your suggestions for a shotgun I should look for?

500 bucks is a pretty solid budget to start off a collection.Really, the first question you need to ask yourself is “Do I want a pump, over under, or used semi-auto”. I wouldn’t trust any semi-auto you find (new) for under 500 bucks. The next question is “can I handle the recoil of a 12 gauge”.If you decide to go with the over-under (or side by side), 500 dollars will be tight. Hanging on until you get a few more dollars might not be a bad idea. The Stoeger uplander can be found for right around this budget, and I enjoyed shooting it.If you decide to go with a pump, you have a few options that I’d recommend.First, the Remington 870. It’s what I shoot, but I’ve had a couple misses with the quality control about three years ago with guns from 2015, no issues since (or before). I shoot a 20 gauge, and while the youth express is small for me now, it’s great to be able to shoot a gun that my girlfriend and grandmother can shoot, yet still shoot as well as a 12 gauge on the skeet range (Technique over pellet count).The Mossberg 500 (in all of its models) is another great gun in your price range. I’ve enjoyed shooting it, and it feels to be a tad lighter than the 870, but that leads to an increase in felt recoil (IMO.)The Stoeger P3000 is another affordable, reliable clay shooting/hunting shotgun. I’ve only shot one a few times, but I experienced no obvious issues with feeding or extracting.

If Taiwan declares reunification with China tomorrow, under one nation, two systems like Hong Kong, will China accept? Assume that the Taiwanese population does not protest or comment. I only want to know what will the Chinese government do.

Of course mainland China would accept. Reunification would be a huge source of pride for the Communist Party, and they’d definitely spin that news as an indication of their national strength and love for its people, while strengthening their claim on islands in disputed open waters. It also removes one excuse for the West to interfere with their affairs in East Asia.They’ve already demonstrated their ability to assert their political dominance over the special administrative regions, and in the case of Hong Kong, a gradual neutering of the legislative and judiciary bodies via disqualifications of candidates running for office and interpreting the city’s mini constitution whenever it suits the Communist Party’s needs. It won’t be a question of whether they takeover the making and interpreting of Taiwanese laws, but a question of how long it’ll take for them to do it.You can bet that upon reunification, Communist Party military forces will immediately be deployed to Taiwan in massive numbers to ensure that rebellions by the people will be snuffed out quickly.They’ll also play the “don’t interfere with my internal affairs” card even more if reunification actually happened, when western countries start publicly objecting to the gradual oppression of the Taiwanese people.But on the flip side, the Communist Party will most likely try to soften up political stances on the island by giving them even more economic benefits, which might very well boost the local economy massively. They’ll keep sweetening the pot until they know that Taiwan can no longer survive without them.

What if the Hashemites took over all of the Middle East tomorrow?

Mass rebellion, we’d have the Middle East finally united under a shared goal and enemy that isn’t Israel.The Hashemites can barely keep a hold on Jordan, they areEven more than Saudi Arabia, the United States has relied on Jordan for generations. The Hashemite Kingdom is perhaps America’s closest Arab ally. But Jordan is in crisis today, even if the Jordanian government will not admit it.With the influx of Syrians, Jordan has now absorbed its third major wave of refugees, putting tremendous strain on the economy. King Abdullah II is far more popular in Washington and London than he is in some corners of his own kingdom. And while Western journalists depict Queen Rania as a romantic and popular figure , she is widely disliked inside Jordan for her profligate spending.All of this has created fertile ground for ISIS to infiltrate Jordan even if it keeps its presence low-key. Should the United States and its Iraqi and Kurdish allies push ISIS out of Iraq and Syria and lead more of its fighters to enter Jordan, then the assault on Mosul and Raqqa might truly be Pyrrhic. The world’s ten most unstable countriesIf the Hashemite king and queen are unpopular within their kingdom, they’ll be hated outside of it.And the Jordanian economy can’t support such a take-over, nor can their military create one.So if it happened, it would end as quickly as it started.

What will happen if tomorrow, the Pahlavi dynasty gets re-established in Iran as a parliamentary monarchy instead of Islamic Republic under the rule of Reza Pahlavi, the crown prince of the former Shah?

They just cannot.Iranians led probably the third truly populist revolution of human history to oust noone but Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. Yes, they ended up replacing the monarchy with even more brutal even if more efficient and less pompous form of government, but they didn't come in millions to overthrow the King because they were on steroids or something. The revolution meant one thing for sure, that the Pahlavi model of monarchy and its over-reliance on narcissistic nationalism was counter-productive.I recently watched a close aide of the Crown Prince on a BBC programme who said that the Prince wasn't interested in ruling or becoming King but rather he wanted to participate as a citizen of Iran, in any constructive dialogue or a movement for change.That statement raised my respect for the man who seems grounded and realistic. I wish him best. If I had the control or power to rewrite history, I would have made Iran a Republic just after the Reza Shah coup or at least a constitutional democracy after the Mosaddeq revolution. Now, however that history has made Iran what it is, a well-wisher can only ask for a lawful and humane form of the current government. Even if you guys could get a constitutional Rahbar, that will be more than enough.