House Democrats Ask Obama to Expand Import Ban

[c&rlover]

From the NRA:

http://www.nraila.org/legislation/fe...n.aspx?s&st&ps

On Wednesday, 82 members of the United States House of Representatives sent President Barack Obama a letter asking him to have the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) expand its ban on the importation of semi-automatic firearms and parts for such firearms (see related story).

As reported by the Washington Times on Thursday, "The letter asks that the administration ban the import of high-capacity weapons (sic), as well the frame or receiver of military-style weapons and the practice of importing the guns in parts and then assembling them in the country, among other items."

While obviously a desperate attempt to cast attention away from the administration's many problems, the request for an expanded firearm importation ban should not be taken lightly. Severe, politically-driven firearm importation restrictions have been imposed several times over the last 25 years without the consent of Congress, and President Obama has said that he intends to impose gun control with or without Congress' consent during the remainder of his time in office.

In this instance, Obama's authority to restrict firearm importation rests in Title 18, Section 925(d)(3) of the U.S. Code, a provision enacted by the Gun Control Act of 1968. Amended by the NRA-supported Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986 to require, rather than merely allow, the administration to approve the importation of firearms, that provision states that "the Attorney General shall authorize a firearm or ammunition to be imported or brought into the United States or any possession thereof if the firearm or ammunition . . . is generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes . . . ."

For the record, the NRA doesn't believe that the importation of firearms should be limited to those that have a relation to sports. The right to arms has always been about having arms for defensive purposes, and in 2008, in District of Columbia, v. Heller, the Supreme Court agreed. The Heller opinion, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, said "the inherent right of self-defense has been central to the Second Amendment right," which includes "the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation."

However, the BATFE doesn't even interpret the law's so-called "sporting purposes" test correctly. On several occasions over the last 25 years, it has deliberately changed its reading of the law, for political reasons, to prohibit the importation of semi-automatic firearms gun control supporters wanted banned.

In 1989, the BATFE (then BATF) concocted the theory that "sporting purposes" did not include practical-skills-based rifle competitions, which are dominated by semi-automatic, detachable-magazine rifles. It admitted that the National Rifle Trophy Matches and NRA National Rifle Championships are sporting, but ignored the fact that semi-automatic, detachable-magazine rifles dominate those events too. Further, it entirely ignored the law's provision for firearms that are "readily adaptable" to a sporting purpose.* It then banned the importation of 43 makes and models of semi-automatic rifles that it had previously approved for importation, including the exceptional Galil, HK-91/93/94 series, Fabrique Nationale FN and FNC, Steyr A.U.G, Valmet and, of course, the Kalashnikov series.

For years, the BATFE used Handgun Factoring Criteria which allow for the importation of handguns that get enough points on the basis of their size, caliber, safety features, sights and other physical attributes. In 1993, however, the agency ignored its own criteria and banned the importation of "assault pistols" that met the criteria, and that BATFE had previously approved.

In 1998, the BATFE expanded its 1989 ban by prohibiting any semi-automatic rifle that could accept a detachable magazine of over 10 rounds capacity, on the grounds that Sen. Feinstein's "assault weapon" ban included a provision prohibiting the importation of newly-made such magazines. The BATFE simply ignored the fact that magazine capacity had nothing to do with whether firearms themselves were defined as "assault weapons" in Feinstein's law.

Get 82 anti-gun members of Congress to sign onto something and you can bet there will be at least one lie or preposterous exaggeration, and this letter is no exception to that rule. The letter asks for a ban on the importation of AK-47-style pistols, claiming that they are the "top weapons of choice for international gun smugglers."* Yet it contradictorily identifies them as a "new breed of pistol" that has been "newly developed." Maybe that's what the letter's authors, Rep, John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) had in mind when they referred to their letter as "a no-brainer."

The letter focuses on Kalashnikov-style firearms because they are so obviously a type of firearm that the Second Amendment protects under the guidelines established by the Supreme Court in the Heller case. In Heller, the Court said that the amendment protects the right to have firearms that are useful for defensive purposes and that are "in common use."* Millions of Kalashnikov-series rifles have been bought in America during the last quarter-century, making them among the most common of our time, and they are obviously among the rifles that are most useful for defensive purposes.

This latest request, however out of step with the prevailing sense of Congress, demonstrates a firearm importation law in severe need of revision, particularly when considered in the light of BATFE's illegitimate, agenda-driven misinterpretations of that law in the past.

[c&rlover]

Here is some additional information, and a link to write your reps.

http://www.nraila.org/legislation/fe...ation-ban.aspx

Contact Your Senators and Representative to Stop Proposed Semi-Auto Firearm Importation Ban

We recently reported that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), sponsor of the federal "assault weapon" and "large" magazine "ban" of 1994-2004, is asking President Barack Obama to direct the BATFE to reinterpret a provision of the Gun Control Act of 1968 to prohibit the importation of various semi-automatic firearms and their parts.

In a letter to Obama, the text of which was included in an article published by the Daily Caller, Feinstein said that, "at a minimum," the BATFE should:

prohibit importation of all semiautomatic rifles that can accept, or be readily converted to accept, a large capacity ammunition magazine of more than 10 rounds . . . . prohibit semiautomatic rifles with fixed magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, prohibit the importation of the frame or receiver of any prohibited rifle . . . . prohibit the practice of importing assault rifles in parts ….prohibit the use of a "thumbhole" stock . . . . and prohibit the importation of assault pistols.

This request is similar to the type of failed legislation Feinstein introduced in Congress last year (which would have imposed the biggest gun ban in American history), only this time she's trying to achieve some of her ends through soliciting the president's use of executive authority over firearm imports.

Joining Feinstein in the fray this week were 80-plus U.S. House members who wrote their own semi-auto firearms import ban proposal letter to President Obama. Initiated by Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the letter urged Obama to compel the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to expand its ban on the importation of semi-automatic firearms.(To see if your Representative signed the letter, please click here and scroll down below the letter to see the list of signatories.)

One might think it doesn't make sense for Feinstein and these House members to agitate for gun control in an election year, especially one in which a number of anti-gun senators and representatives are going to be facing the voters, but they are that obstinately committed to gun control.

Please take action NOW to stop these proposed restrictions on the importation of firearms.Please contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative TODAY, and tell them to OPPOSE a ban the importation of various semi-automatic firearms and their parts.

You can contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative by using the "Write Your Lawmakers" tool at www.NRAILA.org. You may also contact your Senators by phone at (202) 224-3121, and your Representative by phone at (202) 225-3121.

[PocketProtector]

Reworded title: House D ask for more Tyranny

[Pilot321]

We have to make sure that the 2014, and 2016 elections are an absolute bloodbath for the Democrats. If not, say goodbye to the USA.

[c&rlover]

Reworded title: House D ask for more Tyranny

Yep.

We have to make sure that 2014, and 2016 us an absolute bloodbath for the Democrats. If not, say goodbye to the USA.

Definitely. Need to primary out a number of RINO's as well IMO.

I read the letter from the 82 fine representatives, the were two from PA who signed on by my count. Matthew Cartwright and Robert Brady. Glad neither of them are mine, sad both of them are from my state.

[S&WOwner]

Every PAFOA member who voted for Obama should be so very very proud. Such a shame...

[cherokee5425]

We have to make sure that 2014, and 2016 us an absolute bloodbath for the Democrats. If not, say goodbye to the USA.

What we need is a Literal Bloodbath of the Demoncrats and of the RINO's. These people are nothing but Traitors and MUST be dealt with accordingly.
It's time to Wake Up in this Country and quit holding hands with this scum and hoping that they'll see it our way. They Will NEVER see it our way. They want absolute power over us. The ONLY way out of this mess is a Revolution.

[GeneCC]

What we need is a Literal Bloodbath of the Demoncrats and of the RINO's. These people are nothing but Traitors and MUST be dealt with accordingly.
It's time to Wake Up in this Country and quit holding hands with this scum and hoping that they'll see it our way. They Will NEVER see it our way. They want absolute power over us. The ONLY way out of this mess is a Revolution.

Revolution would play right into the hands of the Gun Control Lobby. Look at the recent results of "revolution" overseas.

The Iraqi constitution contains no mention of a right to keep and bear arms. At this time Iraqis own fully automatic AK47s. Most homes have at least one. Lots of handguns too. The Egyptian constitution contains no RKBA. Instead both constitutions contain a bunch of crap about "right to expression" and "common heritage of the people". Sooner or later people there will be disarmed - probably after an Alpha male gets bumped off or some other "crisis".

Most revolutionaries over the last fifty years were dumped after the fact. The Algerian FLN were "liquidated" after the war. The Viet Cong were dumped into Chinese border areas. The Nicaraguan Resistance was given some dental work then dumped into Nicaragua. Mr. Bermudez was shot in the head in Managua, and many other were "absorbed" into the Sandinista controlled military.

Unless you're ready to take on the US Government and its friends you best thing long and hard about armed revolution.

In contrast we can do a lot to the System through the system. Keep our arms for defensive purposes.

[GeneCC]

We have to make sure that the 2014, and 2016 elections are an absolute bloodbath for the Democrats. If not, say goodbye to the USA.

Most politics are local. Expecting the Democrats to get a "blood bath" over freedom or gun rights is unrealistic. The same boobs who want an "import ban" probably have done their polling and know that they can jawbone this nonsense. We don't vote for them and cannot hurt them directly.

We can elect people to Congress who will abuse these folks, who won't "deal" with them. People like Ted Cruz or Rand Paul. No more "go along to get along" with these bedwetters. More, "What's in it for us?".

Where we gun owners come into play is to elect strong defenders and proponents of our rights. So that they take leadership roles in Congress. So that when these bed wetters try to impose their crap we can stop them.

[GeneCC]

prohibit importation of all semiautomatic rifles that can accept, or be readily converted to accept, a large capacity ammunition magazine of more than 10 rounds . . . . prohibit semiautomatic rifles with fixed magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, prohibit the importation of the frame or receiver of any prohibited rifle . . . . prohibit the practice of importing assault rifles in parts ….prohibit the use of a "thumbhole" stock . . . . and prohibit the importation of assault pistols.

Not sure that the Bush Import ban or its derivatives in Congress would allow this sort of thing.

Obama could try it. All he'll accomplish is to annoy gun owners. Domestic manufacturers will pick up the slack.

Ms. Feinstein and her ilk need a petty victory. They're in safe districts. The ones who get hurt are Democrats in gun friendly states.