September
16, 2005--Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) has introduced
a new bill to prohibit the sale and manufacture of many semiautomatic
rifles, shotguns and handguns.
Representative McCarthy's bill--HR 1312--would
expand the list of banned cosmetic features beyond those outlined
in the now-sunsetted 1994 ban (see 1994
"Assault Weapons" Ban Sunsets Amid Attacks By Politicians,
Media).
The 1994 ban prohibited the further manufacture
of semiautomatic rifles that possessed more than two of the following
features: a detachable magazine capable of holding more than ten
rounds; a pistol grip; a folding or collapsible stock; a bayonet
lug; or a flash suppressor.
In the case of shotguns, the 1994 ban
prohibited further manufacture of semiautomatic shotguns capable
of holding more than five shells in the tube and any one of the
above rifle features.
Handuns restrictions included magazines
capable of holding more than ten rounds, threaded barrels, barrel
shrouds, and other features.
Representative McCarthy's new bill would
go further than the 1994 ban by prohibiting the manufacture of
firearms with any of the above-mentioned features. Thus,
further manufacture of M1 Garand's, M1A's, Saiga's and other "military
style" firearms would be prohibited.
The bill would also grant the US Attorney
General's office the authority to arbitrarily ban firearms based
on a "sporting purposes" criteria. The bill also states
that "a firearm shall not be determined to be particularly
suitable for sporting purposes solely because the firearm is suitable
for use in a sporting event."
In announcing her bill, McCarthy said,
“Following the General Accounting Office’s Report
indicating that suspected terrorists are purchasing firearms,
the federal ban on assault weapons is needed now more than ever.
It makes no sense that the very people we are fighting in the
War on Terror are allowed to arm themselves with military style
assault weapons right here within our borders.”
She went on to say, “As always,
the American people are on the side of common sense. There is
no lawful reason for an individual to own an AK-47, Tec-9, or
other personal weapon of mass destruction.”
Representative McCarthy was elected to
Congress in 1997 following the shooting of her husband by Colin
Ferguson in what the media dubbed "The Long Island Railroad
Massacre." She has been particularly focused during her tenure
in Congress on anti-gun legislation.
Given the current makeup of the Congress
and the Senate, passage of Representative McCarthy's bill is unlikely.
Since the 2000 presidential election,
when challenger Al Gore lost to President Bush in many states
because of the gun-control issue, Democrats have been wary of
raising the issue of guns. Senator John Kerry made a conscious
effort during his presidential campaign to portray himself as
a gun owner. (See: NRA,
John Kerry Exchange Barbs On Guns). Many leading Democrats
have advised the party to abandon or not mention the issue at
all.
Representative McCarthy's bill should
remind gun owners that the issue of gun control is still alive
in the Democratic Party. Further, gun owners should remember that
it was with the help of "moderate" Republicans that
a bill to end frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers was
defeated in 2004.
As Thomas Jefferson said, "The price
of freedom is eternal vigilance."
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