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FedEx Won't Ship DIY Gunsmithing Machine
An anonymous reader writes Last fall, Defense Distributed — the company created by Cody Wilson of 3D-printed gun fame — announced a DIY gunsmithing machine called the Ghost Gunner. Now, FedEx is refusing to ship the device, saying there are laws or regulations that would prohibit them from shipment. A FedEx spokesperson said, "This device is capable of manufacturing firearms, and potentially by private individuals. We are uncertain at this time whether this device is a regulated commodity by local, state or federal governments. As such, to ensure we comply with the applicable law and regulations, FedEx declined to ship this device until we know more about how it will be regulated." Wilson argues, "They’re acting like this is legal when in fact it’s the expression of a political preference. The artifact that they’re shipping is a CNC mill. There’s nothing about it that is specifically related to firearms except the hocus pocus of the marketing."
Huh? Being Christian has pretty much nothing to do with it. If you are registered with the state to be the overseeing signatory on a marriage certificate and you refuse to do so for some non-governmental reason, and the state supports gay marriage, you're out of luck. You can definitely refuse to perform a ceremony for them (or anyone else), as wedding ceremonies are not a state function but a religious function. And if you make remarks indicating that you are refusing strictly because of their sexual orientation, you'll likely be in a lot of trouble. However, you can probably even refuse to officiate the signing of the certificate under religious grounds due to their sexual practices, if they've been having sex outside of marriage. You can easily refuse to do the ceremony, as gay marriage and *traditional* biblical marriage are similar, but not identical things (the OT Bible states one man and one woman, no matter how you translate it, even if significant portions of the OT population failed to meet the requirements on polygamy rules or cleanliness rules, among other things).
So no -- homosexuality / christianity don't factor in here at all.
What DOES factor in is that he's billing this item as something to make gun parts, and FedEx doesn't ship things intended primarily for the manufacture of weapons. If the advertizing said "CNC machine perfect for milling small parts such as metal straws, rifled barrels, triggers for mechanical devices and other small metal parts that need to withstand explosive force", FedEx probably wouldn't bat an eye shipping it. But that's not what he put on the shipping invoice.
Kind of the same as the situation often found with Christian priests/pastors and gay marriage. It all depends on how you advertize.
Goodness knows why this has been modded up as insightful. There is no analogy between guns and flowers, and FedEx are not concerned with the identity of the recipient, so adding in the false conflation of "gay man" and "gun loving" is your invention. I fully applaud FedEx's stance - the one thing the USA does not need any more of is guns. Besides, Cody Wilson is a grade-A twat.