Federal Legislation That Will Affect Your Gun Rights: Part 2
By Chris Chumita
We may have won some of the battles lately, but we haven’t won the war. The anti-gun organizations will not be content until we are totally unarmed and left defenseless. It is up to us to be aware of their attacks on our gun rights and oppose them every step of the way. The Buckeye Firearms Association’s web site will help keep you current on the local and state issues. Web sites such as Thomas Library of Congress, the NRA-ILA, and Gun Law News are excellent sources to keep track of all the federal legislation.
In this second part of a two part series, you will be provided with a brief synopsis of just some of the anti-gun FEDERAL legislation that is being considered by the House. Part One covered just some of the pending pro-gun FEDERAL legislation.
For the complete synopsis, click on 'Read More...'.
HR 1312: Assault Weapons Ban and Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2005
If you thought that the “1994 Assault Weapons Ban” was bad, then the “Assault Rifle Ban and Law Enforcement Act of 2005” is your worst nightmare. Gun Law News refers to it as “another 1994 Assault Weapons Ban with steroids.” This bill reauthorizes the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, and adds even more restrictions. Some of these additional restrictions include;
We may have been successful in convincing the government not to renew the 1994 Assault Weapon Ban, but now we must stop them from passing this new one. Under the new bill, it seems that the definition of an assault weapon can be stretched to include almost any firearm.
HR 654: .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act
The “.50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act” is another attempt to ban a gun out of fear. It is widely known that there has not been an epidemic of violence involving .50 caliber rifles, but the gun-grabbers want to ban them anyway. According to this bill, what exactly is a .50 caliber sniper rifle? It’s any type of rifle capable of firing a center-fired cartridge in .50 caliber or any of its variants. This includes the widely used hunting cartridge, the .50BMG, and all “metric equivalents.”
The bill will also require all .50 caliber rifles to be registered and dealt with under the National Firearms Act (NFA). That means that it would have the same restrictions as fully automatic weapons. There would also be no real grandfather clause to this bill. Current owners of .50 caliber rifles would have to register them and meet the NFA regulations. The owner could not legally sell or give the firearm to a family as part of an inheritance.
Many gun owners may not take action on this bill, because they do not own a .50 caliber rifle. Failure to act will result in the loss of freedom to own yet another type of firearm, and you know that gun-grabbers will not stop there.
HR 1195: Prevent People On The Terror List From Buying Guns
The “Prevent People On The Terror List From Buying Guns” sounds like a bill that anyone could support. However, the devil is in the details. Under this bill, a person will have their rights stripped away without a trial. Whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty?”
A person on the terror list has not been convicted of anything, and is usually not even notified that they are on the list. Also, the person listed may not even be suspected of being a terrorist. They may only know someone who is being investigated. In some cases, a person’s only “crime” would be having the same or a similar name of a suspected terrorist. Under this bill, an innocent woman could be prevented from purchasing a handgun to protect herself from an abusive ex-boyfriend. Her only “crime” could be having the same name as a suspected terrorist.
Currently, some people on the terror list can be prohibited from flying. There have been cases of mistaken identity. For example, Senator Edward Kennedy had problems boarding airplane on five occasions, because his name was similar to one on the list. On at least one occasion, the airline initially refused to sell him a ticket, because of the terror list. Kennedy was only able to board the planes, because he was recognized by supervisors at the airport. Some of the incidents occurred after the Transportation Security Administration was contacted to clear up the problem. How can an average citizen clear up a case of “mistaken identity” if a Senator could have such a big problem clearing up the issue?
HR 1931: Foreign Felon Gun Prohibition Act
The “Foreign Felon Gun Prohibition Act” also sounds like a gun bill that anyone could support. Once again, the bill could have a negative impact on our gun rights. The bill would ban the possession of a firearm by anyone who was convicted in a FOREIGN court of any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. This bill was a direct result of the ruling in Small vs United States.
One of the main problems with this bill is that the people tried in foreign courts may not have had an impartial jury hear their case. Also, in the United States, a defendant must be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That may not have been the case in a foreign court.
The bill may still apply even if the crime in the foreign country was not a crime in the United States, or if the punishment would have been less if it occurred in the United States.
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