Dedicated to Restoring & Maintaining Integrity in Goffstown Government

 


BOB HARRIS
--------------------
Outdoors and Free
Volume 1, Issue 19

The Most Sweeping Gun Ban Ever Introduced in Congress
By BOB HARRIS
Outdoors and Free
Friday, Mar. 16, 2007

With the Democrat majority in control, the next few years are going to be tough and trying times for law-abiding gun owners, whether you are a hunter, target shooter, gun-collector or just a person who keeps a firearm for protection of yourself and family. On February 14, 2007, Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) introduced H.R. 1022, a bill with the stated purpose, "to authorize the assault weapons ban, and for other purposes."

McCarthy’s verbiage warrants explanation. According to the National Rifle Association, what she means by "assault weapons ban" is the Clinton Gun Ban of 1994. Congress allowed that ban to expire in 2004 for multiple reasons, including the fact that federal, state and local law enforcement agency studies showed that guns made illegal by the ban had been used in only a very small percentage of crimes, before and after the ban was imposed.

With the nation’s murder rate at 43% lower than in 1991, and the re-legalized firearms still used in only a small percentage of crime, re-authorizing the Clinton Gun Ban would be objectionable enough. However, McCarthy’s "other purposes" would make matters even worse. H.R. 1022 will ban every gun banned by the Clinton ban, plus millions of more firearms, including:

1. Every gun made to comply with the Clinton ban (the Clinton Ban dictated the kinds of grips, stocks and attachments new guns could have. Manufacturers modified new firearms to the Clinton requirements. H.R. 1022 would ban the modified guns too.

2. Firearms exempted by the Clinton ban - Ruger Mini-14s, 30s and Ranch Rifles; .30 caliber carbines; and fixed magazine, semi-automatic and center-fire rifles that hold more than 10 rounds.


3. All semi-automatic shotguns. E.g., Remington, Winchester, Beretta and Benelli, used for hunting, sport shooting and self-defense. H.R. 1022 would ban them because they have "any characteristic that can function as a grip", and it would also ban their main component, called the "receiver".

4. All detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifles including, for example, the ubiquitous Ruger 10/22 .22 rimfire, because they have "any characteristic that can function as a grip".

5. Target shooting rifles, including the three center-fire rifles most popular for marksmanship competitions: the Colt AR-15, the Springfield M1A and the M1 Garand.

6. Any semi-automatic shotgun or rifle that an Attorney General one day claims isn’t "sporting," even though the constitutions of the U.S. and 44 states, and the laws of all 50 states, recognize the right to use guns for defense.

7. Sixty-five named guns (the Clinton law banned 19 by name); semi-auto fixed magazine pistols of over 10 rounds capacity, and frames, receivers and parts used to repair or refurbish firearms.

H.R. 1022 would also ban the importation of magazines exempted by the Clinton ban and ban the sale of a legally owned "assault weapon" with a magazine of over 10 rounds capacity. It would also begin backdoor registration of firearms by requiring private sales of banned guns, frames, receivers and parts to be conducted through licensed dealers. Finally, whereas the Clinton Gun Ban was imposed for a 10-year trial period, H.R. 1022 would be a permanent ban.

Now is the time to make your stand. Voice your views to save your gun rights and those of your children. It is of dire importance that firearm owners contact their U.S. Representatives and urge him or her to oppose H.R. 1022 now. If this bill gets through, it won’t be the end of further attempts to ban our Second Amendment rights in America. A letter or phone call is effective. However, always remember to be courteous, brief and to the point. The following is contact information for New Hampshire:

       Senator Judd Gregg
       393 Russell Senate Office Building
       Washington, D.C. 20510-2904
       Phone: (202)224-3324
       Fax: (202) 224-4952

       Senator John E. Sununu
       111 Russell Senate Office Building
       Washington, D.C. 20510-2903
       E-Mail: mailbox@sununu.senate.gov
       Phone: (202) 224-2841
       Fax: (202) 228-4131

       Representative Carol Shea-Porter
       1508 Longworth House Office Building
       Washington, D.C. 20515-2901
       Phone: (202) 225-5456
       Fax: (202) 225-5822

       Representative Paul Hodes
       506 Cannon House Office Building
       Washington, D.C. 20515-2902
       Phone: (202) 225-5206
       Fax: (202) 225-2946

 

Bob Harris can be reached via e-mail at: outwriter2@aol.com


Past Columns  >>>
>
Bob Harris 11-10-06:  Take a kid hunting this fall
> Bob Harris 11-17-06:  Become a volunteer ice fishing instructor
> Bob Harris 11-24-06:  The bear facts
> Bob Harris 12-01-06:  Let's all help support the NH Fish & Game department
> Bob Harris 12-08-06:  The ice will be coming.  Be ready, be safe.
> Bob Harris 12-15-06:  December - a beautiful time for pheasant hunting
> Bob Harris 12-22-06:  Marine fisheries law enforcement activities increased in 2006
> Bob Harris 12-29-06:  A successful year for deer hunters
> Bob Harris 01-05-07:  Fox television joins movement to ban trapping
>
Bob Harris 01-12-07:  Come and Enjoy the 31st Toyota Eastern Fishing & Outdoor Exposition
> Bob Harris 01-19-07:  Tell Governor John Lynch you care about Fish and Game funding
> Bob Harris 01-26-07:  Many New Hampshire waters are open for fishing year-round
> Bob Harris 02-02-07:  The joys of wildlife watching and photography
> Bob Harris 02-09-07:  Need to ride snowmobiles responsibly and safely
> Bob Harris 02-16-07:  Snowshoe Hare Hunting Workshop Offered by N.N Fish and Game Department 
> Bob Harris 02-23-07:  Come Enjoy the 5th Annual Fly-Fish New Hampshire Show
> Bob Harris 03-02-07:  A call to action on Fish & Game funding
> Bob Harris 03-09-07:  A backdoor assault on our right-to-carry in New Hampshire

> About Bob Harris

 

 


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