Any Info on New Anti-Gun Bill in Congress???

[Gundigest]

I herd that there was a bill in congress to make it illegal to buy and sell guns privately and I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it?

[Aught Six]

I herd that there was a bill in congress to make it illegal to buy and sell guns privately and I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it?

I think you're speaking of the so-called "Gun Show Loophole" provision that was added to the Firearms Manufacturers Liability Protection Bill and was later killed along with it. I haven't heard of anything new, but I'll keep my eyes open.

[Gundigest]

I think this is some thing different because my girlfriends dad got a call from the NRA about this bill less than a week ago.

[Aught Six]

I found these on GOA's web site.

H.R. 936: (Miller of California, Pelosi, Lofgren and others): This is the Democratic education bill, i.e. "Leave No Child Behind Act" (See also S. 448). It would:

expand the Instantcheck requirement to transactions at gun shows (section 11001);

make it unlawful for a licensee to transfer a firearm to a non-licensee without a safety lock (section 11101);

expand to semiautomatics the labyrinthine provisions making it effectively impossible to legally teach your kids the safe and responsible use of firearms (section 11201);

outlaw the importation of semiautomatic clips (section 11301);

require a firearms license for any person transferring more than 50 firearms in a year, (including sale of firearms from a personal collection in the definition of sales from a person's trade or business) -- and require licensees to operate from storefront-like "fixed premises" (section 11401);

establish elaborate federal requirements -- set by regulation -- for the storage of firearms by a licensee (section 11401);

make it easier to suspend a firearms license for any violation of any gun regulation, including recordkeeping mistakes (section 11401);

increase the difficulty of petitioning for relief from disabilities (section 11401);

authorize $90,000,000 to enhance the acquisition of records for the Instantcheck system (section 11401);

authorize $53,000,000 for more BATF agents (section 11401);

authorize $10,000,000 a year for local antigun campaigns (section 11401);

authorize $10,000,000 for development of "smart guns" (section 11401);

require ballistics testing, available to police, of all newly manufactured and imported firearms (section 11401);

require a study of "marketing practices of the firearms industry" (section 11501);

prohibit selling firearms by non-licensees over the Internet (section 11502);

impose a one-handgun-a-month limit (section 11503).

And

H.R. 2038 (McCarthy et al.), (See also S. 1431): This bill would:

make permanent and expand the semi-automatic ban and the ban on semi-automatic magazines;

dramatically expand the list of banned semi-automatics;

ban most unlisted semi-automatics if they have large detachable magazines;

ban all semi-automatic rifles and pistols with detachable magazines, if they possess only ONE of a list of additional characteristics (folding stock, threaded barrel, pistol grip, forward grip, barrel shroud);

ban all semi-automatic shotguns, if they possess only ONE of a list of additional characteristics (folding stock, pistol grip, detachable magazine, fixed magazine of over five rounds);

ban a broad range of semi-automatic frames and conversion kits;

ban any military or police semiautomatic rifle or shotgun, if it is "not particularly suitable for sporting purposes" -- with a statutory presumption that the firearm is NOT suitable for sporting purposes;

impose a semi-automatic magazine import ban, irrespective of whether the magazine was manufactured prior to 1994;

modify the semi-automatic grandfather clause to remove grandfather protection for (1) firearms specified in Appendix A, (2) semi-automatics that cannot accept detachable magazines holding more than five rounds, and (3) semi-automatic shotguns that cannot hold over five rounds;

outlaw private sales of grandfathered semi-automatics;

impose a ten year prison sentence for the transfer of an outlawed semi-automatic "with a large capacity ammunition feeding device";

modify the magazine grandfather clause to outlaw the possession of a prohibited semi-automatic magazine by a retired policeman who received the magazine as a gift upon retirement;

remove the government's burden of proof to demonstrate that a semi-automatic magazine is unlawful -- and replace it with a requirement that licensees register all grandfathered semi-automatic magazines or risk five years in prison;

add semi-automatics and semi-automatic magazines to the list of firearms covered by the labyrinthine provisions of 18 U.S.C. 922(x), which make it virtually impossible to legally teach your children the safe and responsible use of firearms.

Nothing about banning all private sales outright, but still scary nonetheless.

[Bob H in NH]

This is what pisses me off about politics, polluting a bill, any bill, with ammendmants that have nothing to do with the bill.

What the heck does gun show loopholes, safety locks etc have to do with improving education in the schools?

If something can't stand on its own merit, or is to controversial to stand alone, then they tack it onto other things. So, now, if you vote against this thing cause of the ammendmants on guns, you can be labelled as against the education reform stuff.

--Bob