"No-ban" pre-ordering going on now...Agree or not?

8/12/04: Latest act of Brady desperation further indication of AWB's impending demise.

The anti-gun lobbying organization formerly known as Handgun Control Inc. is feigning outrage at firearms manufacturer ArmaLite's pre-order "post-postban" program, which allows customers to order a firearm in a normal "no-ban" configuration now, and have it shipped after the ban expires. In a letter to the BATFE Director, they state...

I am writing to urge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ("ATF") to immediately enforce the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994 ("Assault Weapons Act") against ArmaLite, Inc., which appears to be acting in clear violation of this law.

ArmaLite, Inc. is a manufacturer of assault weapons located in Geneseo, Illinois. It is currently advertising a promotion that violates the federal Assault Weapons Act. This promotion is called "The ArmaLite 'Prepaid-PreBan' Rifle Program" and is described on ArmaLite's website at http://www.armalite.com/library/postpostban.htm (attached as Exhibit 1). Under this program, customers "order PreBan configuration ArmaLites, in both .308 and .223 calibers, for delivery immediately upon expiration of the current law ... ." ArmaLite states that, for each customer who prepays for a banned weapon, ArmaLite "will purchase and stock components for immediate final assembly if the law sunsets."

As you know, the federal Assault Weapons Act makes it unlawful "to manufacture, transfer or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon." 18 U.S.C. section 921(v)(1). ATF has interpreted this provision to prohibit the manufacture of complete assault weapons or the grouping of assault weapon parts together for later assembly of a banned weapon...The response stated by an organization which I agree with is stated below:

In other words, they are angry because ArmaLite is stating they will order and stock the necessary parts to build these firearms, which the Brady Campaign feels is a violation of the AWB, as possessing parts (basically, flash reducers, adjustable stocks, and bayonet lugs) that could be used to build an AW is forbidden. Of course, this is utterly ridiculous, as ArmaLite, being a manufacturer of firearms for law enforcement (which are exempt from the ban) has ALWAYS been in possession of these parts.

This is simply another example of the AWB's death throes, and the desperation for these people to justify the existence of their organization by lodging this complaint is utterly laughable.
...Sept. 13th, 2004 can't come soon enough!

i'll post the entire article, for those who want the information to have an opinion or not...

 

Assault Weapons Ban Hasn't Expired, But Sharks Are Circling for Blood


Why wait until something's legal to order it? One Illinois company
is ready to serve America's extreme psychotics right away.
Have your credit cards ready.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow, there will only be 30 days
until the assault weapons ban expires, and our nation will face a new era of
criminal and terrorist attacks with assault weapons unless President Bush
keeps his campaign promise and gets the law renewed. And some Americans are
simply drooling at the notion of deadlier guns.
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence today sent the following letter
to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives about ArmaLite,
Inc., a company contemptibly catering to those who are desperate for
extraordinary firepower.

The text of the letter follows.

August 12, 2004

Carl J. Truscott, Director
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
U.S. Department of Justice
650 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20226

Dear Director Truscott:

I am writing to urge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives ("ATF") to immediately enforce the Public Safety and Recreational
Firearms Use Protection Act of 1994 ("Assault Weapons Act") against ArmaLite,
Inc., which appears to be acting in clear violation of this law.
ArmaLite, Inc. is a manufacturer of assault weapons located in Geneseo,
Illinois. It is currently advertising a promotion that violates the federal
Assault Weapons Act. This promotion is called "The ArmaLite 'Prepaid-PreBan'
Rifle Program" and is described on ArmaLite's website at
http://www.armalite.com/library/postpostban.htm (attached as Exhibit 1).
Under this program, customers "order PreBan configuration ArmaLites, in both
.308 and .223 calibers, for delivery immediately upon expiration of the
current law ... ." ArmaLite states that, for each customer who prepays for a
banned weapon, ArmaLite "will purchase and stock components for immediate
final assembly if the law sunsets."
As you know, the federal Assault Weapons Act makes it unlawful "to
manufacture, transfer or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon." 18 U.S.C.
section 921(v)(1). ATF has interpreted this provision to prohibit the
manufacture of complete assault weapons or the grouping of assault weapon
parts together for later assembly of a banned weapon. ATF policy states:

Semiautomatic assault weapons in knockdown (disassembled) condition
consisting of a receiver and all parts needed to assemble a complete
semiautomatic assault weapon are subject to regulation if the parts are
segregated or packaged together and held by a person as the parts for the
assembly of a particular firearm.

ATF Frequently Asked Questions (accessible at
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/index.htm). This policy was enforced against
gun manufacturers after passage of the Assault Weapons Act in 1994 to prevent
them from gathering together unassembled assault weapon parts for later
assembly into complete weapons.
ArmaLite's program states that it will presently "purchase and stock" all
of the components necessary to manufacture a banned assault weapon for each
civilian customer who pre-orders a weapon. The parts will apparently be
segregated for use in particular firearms that have been pre-ordered and
reserved by individual civilian customers. ArmaLite is clearly gathering "all
parts needed to assemble a complete semiautomatic assault weapon," for a
specific civilian customer. This collection of the parts necessary to
manufacture a currently banned weapon is plainly prohibited by the Assault
Weapons Act, as stated by ATF in its Frequently Asked Questions. ArmaLite is
prohibited from gathering together and reserving assault weapons parts for
later assembly into assault weapons for civilian customers as long as the Act
is in effect.
Please immediately inform ArmaLite and other gun manufacturers that any
programs which involve the gathering together of the parts necessary to
manufacture a semiautomatic assault weapon are illegal unless that weapon will
be transferred to law enforcement or persons presently authorized to possess
such weapons under the Act. I look forward to your response to my letter and
quick action to enforce the Act and order ArmaLite to immediately cease its
unlawful 'Prepaid-PreBan' Rifle Program.

Sincerely,
Dennis A. Henigan
Director, Legal Action Project

 

funny glynch!...How bout going shooting with me sometime?...

 

We can be taught right from wrong...
We can train ourselves to be prepared for crisis...
We can learn, through practice, discipline and example, to respond bravely to challenge and to act with courage in the face of evil...
When we are well-trained and armed with a moral compass, we carry the confidence to overcome fear and act decisively when there is simply no alternative...

FEAR NO EVIL.

 

What is an "Assault Weapon?"



There is a lot of confusion as to what the official definition of a "Semiautomatic Assault Weapon" (SAW).
Even the authors of the law seem somewhat confused.The short and simple definition of "assault weapon" is basically a semi-automatic firearm with a military appearance...

Semi-automatic means the trigger must be pulled for each shot, after which the firearm extracts the spent shell casing chambers a fresh round, readying the gun for the next shot. This is vastly different from the military assault rifles and machine pistols, which some "assault weapons" are designed to look like.

An assault rifle has a mechanism that allows for fully automatic firing, so that as long as the trigger is squeezed, cartridges will continue to be fired in rapid succession until the supply of ammunition is exhausted. These types of firearms have been heavily regulated since 1934, and are not addressed at all in the legislation banning "assault weapons." This is a very important point, as the average person (and many gun owners too) would have a difficult time distinguishing between side by side photos of a fully automatic assault rifle and a semi-automatic look-alike.

But despite the similar or identical appearances to military firearms, the functionality of "assault weapons" is no different than any other semi-automatic, which have been available for 100 years. And though the label "assault weapons" is relatively new, this type of firearm is not. For example, Colt began making the AR-15 Sporter, a semi-automatic version of the military M16, almost 40 years ago.
The venerable M1 Garand, used by our troops in WWII (and, by the way, is significantly more powerful than more modern "assault weapons"), has been available to civilians for even longer.

The 1994 Ban on "Assault Weapons" makes illegal the manufacture of firearms meeting the bill's definition of "assault weapon".

The bill specifically bans several firearms with particularly sinister and notorious sounding names, such as "Uzi", "Kalashnikov", and "TEC-9", which despite their military-like, futuristic (or, in some cases, hideous) appearance are functionally no different than other semi-automatics. In addition, there is a "features" test for determining if a firearm is an "assault weapon", though oddly enough, it is not based on complex ballistic testing, the power of the cartridge fired, or any other factor that has an effect on lethality.Instead, the ban defines "assault weapons" based on cosmetic and ergonomic design features that do not have any bearing on lethality.



Rifles

Specifically, a rifle is considered an "assault weapon" if it can accept a detachable magazine, and possesses two or more of the following features:

Folding or telescopic stock
Pistol grip protruding conspicuously beneath the stock
Bayonet mount
Flash suppressor or threaded barrel
Grenade launcher
Among this list of "evil features", only one item initially stands out to the layperson as possibly making the firearm significantly more dangerous, and that is the grenade launcher. However, since grenades and the components to make them are already extremely tightly regulated as "destructive devices", grenade launchers are irrelevant. It would be a fair assumption to say that perhaps "grenade launcher" was added to the list simply to provide a certain degree of shock factor.

Other items on the list at least have some practical purpose.

The most amusing of these by far is the bayonet mount, which is the subject of an infinite number of wise-cracks (such as, "the ban has significantly reduced the number of drive-by bayonettings"). All joking aside, while a bayonet could be useful in either millitary combat, or a home defense situation, if anyone has EVER heard of ANY harm being committed by a criminal armed with a bayonet on an "assault weapon", please tell us about it.

A folding or telescopic stock allows the firearm to more easily be transported and stored, and would also be useful in a home defense situation where maneuverability is important. A flash suppressor reduces the visibility of the bright flash of light that is sometimes produced by firing in the dark. This would be very important for someone defending their family against an intruder in the middle of the night, as the flash would tend to temporarily hamper the shooter's vision.

The pistol grip, being perhaps the most "military-like" feature in appearance, in most cases is a necessity of the firearm's design due to the stock being directly in-line with the bore, as opposed to being lower than the bore as is the case with "traditional" rifles. Because the positioning of the stock in the manner does not provide for a place that the shooter can hold on to with the trigger hand, a pistol grip is used.

None of these things have any significant impact on how deadly a particular firearm is, and each is a legitimately purposeful feature.



Pistols

For a pistol to be considered a “SAW,” among other things, it must have the ability to accept a detachable magazine, plus two of the following features:

Magazine that attaches outside of the pistol grip
Threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer*
Shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned
Manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded
Semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm
*Note: "the ability to accept" a silencer does not mean these firearms are so equipped. Silencers have been as heavily regulated as machine guns since the 1934 National Firearms Act.



Features such as the barrel shroud and "semiautomatic veriosn of an automatic firearm" were obviously written to target copies of the TEC-9 and MAC-10 and similar type pistols. Again it seems obvious that the authors of the law were targeting the “aggressive appearance” of firearms, instead of functionality or lethality.



"High Capacity" Magazines

Another major effect of the law is the ban on manufacture of "high capacity ammunition feeding devices," otherwise known as normal or full capacity magazines. "High capacity" is arbitrarily defined as more than 10 rounds. Citizens must either pay exorbitant prices for "pre-ban" normal capacity magazines for their firearms, or use inferior artificially limited magazines. Neither choice is appealing.

 

Why would anyone want to own a “scary” looking gun like that?



There are many answers to that question. It’s kind of like asking a car enthusiast why they would ever want to own a 425 horsepower 1968 Corvette Stingray. There are many reasons, some objective, some emotional. All of them legitimate, at least to the driver.

In many ways, military style rifles are the “sports cars” of the gun world. They are noisy, fast, fun and they are “attention getters.”

So, let’s look at a few reasons that people own military style rifles.

First of all, military rifles are easy to operate. They are ergonomically designed so that people of every shape and size can use them. Military rifles are generally lightweight, so they are easy to carry and hold. They are also designed so that an individual can become proficient with them after a minimal amount of instruction. The military style rifles that can be purchased by the public incorporate these same design features.

By the nature of their original purpose, military rifles are designed to be reliable. They have to be able to function in virtually every type of environment, whether it is snow, rain, mud, or sand. Civilian versions of these weapons feature similar reliability because they are built to the same manufacturing specifications.

Military style rifles are fun to shoot. They don’t have much recoil, so they don’t hurt your shoulder the way some other rifles do. (Shotguns come to mind!) Military style rifles shoot ammunition that is used by many countries. The military rifles of the United States typically use cartridges that have been adopted by all of our NATO allies and are manufactured around the world. The AK family of military style rifles uses cartridges that are manufactured in China or the former Soviet Union. The result of this is that ammunition for military style rifles is readily available, and relatively inexpensive. Therefore you can shoot military style rifles quite a bit without “breaking the bank.”

Another feature for many enthusiasts is the availability of “after market” accessories for military style rifles. From flashlight attachments, to specialized optics, there are a tremendous number of products and gadgets available to customize or improve the operation of a military style rifle.

From a practical standpoint, military rifles are very accurate.This fact makes them useful to certain groups of hunters and competitive shooters alike. Specialized competitions designed for military style rifles are increasing in popularity. These “practical” competitions are timed events that require the shooter to fire at multiple targets at a variety of distances and locations. Full capacity magazines, (also banned by the 1994 act) are a requirement for this type of competition since every re-load costs a couple of seconds.

Let’s not ignore the value of these rifles for personal defense. With the right type of ammunition, military style rifles can be a very effective defensive weapon. Many police agencies have recognized their value and have adopted their use in close quarter tactical operations. In these post 9/11 days, prudent Americans recognize that we are all vulnerable and should be prepared to defend ourselves, our families, our communities, and our country from threats that can strike us anytime and anyplace. A well-trained person, armed with a military style rifle can provide a deterrent and, if necessary, an effective defense. Full capacity magazines, whether for rifles or pistols, are also very important in this role, particularly in a situation where a homeowner finds him/herself facing multiple attackers.

Military style rifles are well designed and very reliable. They are fun and economical to shoot. They can be easily “customized.” They are accurate and they can also provide an effective defense for yourself and your loved ones.

The real question should be: Why wouldn’t you want to own one?

 

Let's talk about the public's safety needs, which I assure you, I am no threat to:...

The Use of "Assault Weapons" in Crime


The 1994 omnibus crime bill has proven to be a dismal failure as it attempted to curb crimes committed with firearms by banning weapons and equipment that have no bearing on crime, according to a 2001 Bureau of Justice Statistics study.

Looking at the broader picture of all gun use in crime, it becomes clear that "assault weapons" are a minor part of the problem. Police gun seizure data from around the nation finds that "assault weapons" account for less than 2% of guns seized by the police; more typically, they account for less than 1%, according to data compiled from 24 major jurisdictions.

At first blush one might say that the lack of crime using assault weapons or high-capacity magazines is due to the ban. Wrong. Before the ban the AK and AR type rifles, two of the most common, were produced in the millions. These weapons were grandfathered in as per the provisions of the bill. Further, standard capacity (30 rounds or more) magazines designed for these weapons were mass-produced and surpluses are in the millions. There is no shortage of these “pre-ban” magazines and in many cases they can be had for little more than their “post-ban” counterparts.





"Assault Weapon" Statistics

What was crime like before the ban? The following summary of police statistical surveys is excerpted from David B. Kopel. (Kopel's paper contains the citations for these surveys and lists a few more studies as well.)

California. In 1990, "assault weapons" comprised thirty-six of the 963 firearms involved in homicide or aggravated assault and analyzed by police crime laboratories, according to a report prepared by the California Department of Justice, and based on data from police firearms laboratories throughout the state. The report concluded that "assault weapons play a very small role in assault and homicide firearm cases." Of the 1,979 guns seized from California narcotics dealers in 1990, fifty-eight were "assault weapons."
Chicago. From 1985 through 1989, only one homicide was perpetrated with a military caliber rifle. Of the 17,144 guns seized by the Chicago police in 1989, 175 were "military style weapons."
Florida. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Uniform Crime Reports for 1989 indicate that rifles of all types accounted for 2.6% of the weapons used in Florida homicides. The Florida Assault Weapons Commission found that "assault weapons" were used in 17 of 7,500 gun crimes for the years 1986-1989.
Los Angeles. Of the more than 4,000 guns seized by police during one year, only about 3% were "assault weapons."
Maryland. In 1989-90, there was only one death involving a "semiautomatic assault rifle" in all twenty-four counties of the State of Maryland.
Massachusetts. Of 161 fatal shootings in Massachusetts in 1988, three involved "semiautomatic assault rifles." From 1985 to 1991, the guns were involved in 0.7% of all shootings.
Miami. The Miami police seized 18,702 firearms from January 1, 1989 to December 31, 1993. Of these, 3.13% were "assault weapons."
New Jersey. According to the Deputy Chief Joseph Constance of the Trenton New Jersey Police Department, in 1989, there was not a single murder involving any rifle, much less a "semiautomatic assault rifle," in the State of New Jersey. No person in New Jersey was killed with an "assault weapon" in 1988. Nevertheless, in 1990 the New Jersey legislature enacted an "assault weapon" ban that included low-power .22 rifles, and even BB guns. Based on the legislature's broad definition of "assault weapons," in 1991, such guns were used in five of 410 murders in New Jersey; in forty-seven of 22,728 armed robberies; and in twenty-three of 23,720 aggravated assaults committed in New Jersey.
New York City. Of 12,138 crime guns seized by New York City police in 1988, eighty were "assault-type" firearms.
New York State. Semiautomatic "assault rifles" were used in twenty of the 2,394 murders in New York State in 1992.
San Diego. Of the 3,000 firearms seized by the San Diego police in 1988-90, nine were "assault weapons" under the California definition.
San Francisco. Only 2.2% of the firearms confiscated in 1988 were military-style semiautomatics.
Virginia. Of the 1,171 weapons analyzed in state forensics laboratories in 1992, 3.3% were "assault weapons."
National statistics. Less than four percent of all homicides in the United States involve any type of rifle. No more than .8% of homicides are perpetrated with rifles using military calibers. (And not all rifles using such calibers are usually considered "assault weapons.") Overall, the number of persons killed with rifles of any type in 1990 was lower than the number in any year in the 1980s.
When the gun control side has it pointed out to them that their sweeping "assault weapons" bans will disarm large numbers of voters, they usually come back with a more limited bill which affects a certain number of scary-looking firearms that they claim are the choice of criminals, which, despite the impression given by Hollywood action movies, is completely untrue.

Actually, police departments nationwide agree that criminals do not prefer these weapons:

Police View: Over 100,000 police officers delivered a message to Congress in 1990 stating that only 2% to 3% of crimes are committed using a so-called "assault weapon."
Congressional Record, 13 September 1990, p. E 2826, citing [Police Advertisement], Roll Call, 3 September 1990. Also, see Howard Schneider, "Gun Owners Take Shot at Schaefer Assault-Weapon Bill," The Washington Post, February 15, 1991
Florida study: In Florida, only 3.5% of the guns recovered by the police were guns that could loosely be defined as "assault weapons."
State of Florida Commission on Assault Weapons, Report, 18 May 1990, pp. 34-41. State of Florida Commission on Assault Weapons, Report, 18 May 1990, pp. 34-41.
California study: The California Department of Justice suppressed an official report showing that "assault weapons" comprised only 3.7% of the guns used in crime. While the report was eventually leaked to the media, it received little press coverage.
David Alan Coia, "Assault rifles said to play small role in violent crime," The Washington Times, 27 June 92.
Virginia task force: A special task force on assault weapons found that only 2.8 percent of the homicides involved "assault-type weapons" during 1992.
Mark Johnson, "Assault-type weapons rarely used," Richmond Times-Dispatch, 4 August 1993.
Knives more deadly: According to the FBI, people have a much greater chance of being killed by a knife or a blunt object than by any kind of rifle, including an "assault rifle." In Chicago, the chance is 67 times greater. That is, a person is 67 times more likely to be stabbed or beaten to death in Chicago than to be murdered by an "assault rifle." FBI, "Crime in the United States," 1994, p. 18. Matt L. Rodriguez, Superintendent of Police for the City of Chicago, 1993 Murder Analysis at 12, 13.