FEBRUARY 2005

Gun Owners Oppose Connecticuts' Proposed Rifle Ban: Legislator Wants .50-Caliber Weapons Banned
February 28, 2005
"This is the Harley-Davidson of rifles," said Martha Rendeiro, 50, a mother of three from Wilton, CT who has shot the rifle several times at ranges in Connecticut, Vermont and Kentucky. "This is a semi-automatic and it is exotic, just the same way for people who have private planes." Joyce Lee Malcolm, a professor of history at Bentley College and a senior advisor to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Securities Study Program, stated that the Laws banning assault weapons are not necessarily effective. "I think the legislation is not going to achieve any real purpose." [More.]

Reckless Lawsuit Bill Needs Support:
February 27, 2005
Recently, Senators Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced S. 397, "The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act", in the U.S. Senate, joining Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.), who introduced companion legislation--H.R. 800--in the U.S. House. This critical legislation protects law-abiding firearm manufacturers from reckless, predatory lawsuits. [More. (Story by the National Rifles Association.)]

Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence Uses Fear Mongering Tactics:
February 25, 2005
In a February 25, 2005 press release entitled "Rep. Elaine Nekritz and Rep. Beth Coulson Introduce the "Anti-Terrorism and Aviation Protection Act" to Prevent .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle "Terror," the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence demonstrates that they will do anything to support the bill by proclaiming exaggerated neverbefore committed acts of terrorism that they claim could be accomplished with a .50 Caliber rifle. The press release is clearly designed to elicit an irrational and emotional reaction from it's readers, as opposed to a logical risk/benefit analysis, which would conclude contrary since gun control laws have repeatedly been proven ineffective by pro gun control groups.

Ban Of .50-Cal. Rifles Sought In Illinois
February 25, 2005
Anti-gun lawmakers are seeking a ban on .50-caliber "sniper rifles," saying they're favored by terrorists and can shoot down aircraft from a range of more than 2,000 yards -- though they don't appear to be tied to any crimes here in the last decade, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis shows.There isn't a single person in the United States that I know of who has been killed by one of these firearms," said Todd Vandermyde, an NRA lobbyist in Springfield. [More.]

CNN Vigorously Promotes An Anti-Gun Agenda
Editorial By John Burtt, President of the Fifty Caliber Institute
February 24, 2005
The program aired by CNN at the specific time it aired and the subject matter it covered was not by accident. They knew the bill was going to be debated and they knew what tactics were going to be used to "Amend" the bill. Their purpose was to air their program at the right time to help put their 'spin' on how this bill would be perceived by the American public to promote their gun control agenda. This is just one more example of how they promote gun control at any cost. [More.]

CNN Report on .50-Caliber Firearms Seen As Encouraging Terrorists
February 23, 2005
A Second Amendment group is criticizing CNN for airing a report that explains how .50-caliber rifles might be misused by terrorists. The Feb. 17 CNN report also provided a 'road map' on how to obtain one of the firearms, said the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. "The CNN report comes awfully close to being an attempt by a news organization to encourage an incident, just so CNN can later say 'We warned you,'" said Joe Waldron, CCRKBA's executive director. CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said Griffin's CNN report was "yet another media attempt to demonize a particular firearm." [More.]

Marine Proves Violence Policy Center Theory Wrong And Receives Bronze Star Medal of Valor In Return.
February 21, 2005
The Violence Policy Center has repeatedly claimed that .50 caliber rifles can be used to blow-up fuel storage tanks. But this was recently proved wrong in Iraq, where Marine Staff Sgt. Steve Reichert and his spotter crawled on top of a oil storage tank and proved to be the deciding factor in their mission. During this particular mission atop the oil tank, Reichert settled himself in a very exposed position. "I didn't really think about it at the time," said Reichert. "But when we heard the (.50-caliber) rounds impacting the oil tank, we took what little cover there was." From atop the fuel storage tank, he was able to make a remarkable shot that enabled hm to prevent an amush of other marines. But important here, the fuel tank where Sgt. Steve Reichert and his spotter were perched did not explode as the Violence Policy Center repeatedly and falsely proclaims would happen. [More]

Commentary Excerpt from "Gun Owners Have Rights, Too" By Mike Roberts, Record-Journal correspondent
February 21, 2005
We thrust firearms into the hands of our brave young men and women in our armed forces and send them to foreign lands and tell them that they must use these same firearms that are banned in our country, to kill the "bad guys." No, they can't own and use them here, but if the politicians say so, they can use them in foreign lands to "protect" our country. Isn't it ironic that when they return to U.S. soil and if they wanted to practice with such a firearm in civilian life it would be "illegal"? After all those that want these anti-gun laws tell us that only bad things happen with firearms, and it must be true because our legislators tell us so. They tell us that we will all be safe if firearms are outlawed. And because they are our legislators, they wouldn't lie to us — would they? [More.]

Senator Feinstein Attacks the 50 Caliber Rifle- "Again:"
February 20, 2005
Senator Diane Feinstein (CA) continues her unabated attack on law abiding owners of the fifty caliber target rifle by promising to add an amendment onto the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act which is being debated in the US House of Representatives now. Senator Feinstein said she's going to focus on restricting the sale of .50-caliber rifles, saying the weapon's ability to be "accurate for miles" and "then go through concrete walls" poses a serious and undeniable threat to America's homeland security should a terrorist get hold of one. [More.]

Brady Center Cites False And Misleading Propeganda To Support .50 Caliber Ban:
February 18, 2005
The Brady Center issued a fear mongering press release which falsly stated that a .50 caliber rifle is capable of penetrating "a nuclear reactor from half a mile away." This statement was made despite the contrary findings in the Expert Commission on Fifty Caliber Rifles Report, in which experts from multiple fields, including terrorism, found such statements to be false exaggerations of the actual capabilities of .50 BMG rifles. In addition, the Brady Center press release also attempts to misleads the readers by declaring that .50 caliber rifles are illegal in California, where .50 BMG rifles are regulated heavily, but not completely prohibited. (Click here for info California's regulation of .50 BMG Rifles.)

Looney Connecticut Lawmaker Proposes Ban on .50 Caliber Rifles.
February 15, 2005
Lawmakers are debating whether to prohibit the sale of .50-caliber rifles to private citizens. Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney said he proposed the bill in the interest of protecting homeland security. The bill would not let people, firms, businesses or organizations sell or deliver the weapons. It would also require people to obtain permits to possess a .50-caliber weapon. Martha Rendeiro, a mother from Wilton, owns one. She called the proposed bill "the worst kind of feel-good legislation." [More.]

.50 Caliber Rifles Called "A Threat:"
February 13, 2005
The Violence Policy Center's Tom Diaz is at it again! Now the VPC is promoting a ban on .50 Caliber Rifles in Virginia. "They are so accurate, so powerful and so deadly that they should only be used in a military setting," Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., said this week on Capitol Hill, where he and other lawmakers introduced legislation to restrict sales of the gun made by several companies, including two from Utah. [More (Fee Based Archive-Requires User to Search; Salt Lake Tribune Article ID: 108450AF253D5245)]

Freshman Delegate Al Eisenberg Pulls .50 Caliber Ban
February 10, 2005
Lawmakers in Richmond reached a new milestone as bills from the General Assembly crossed over for consideration in the Senate. Hanging in the balance for Arlington delegates was a bill addressing .50 caliber rifles. Eisenberg, however, pulled several bills from his agenda for review, including a comprehensive ban on so called "assault weapons" that included the .50-caliber rifle. [More.]

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy To Ban Gun She Can't Even Lift And Diaz Admits .50 Caliber Rifle Safety Record:
February 9, 2005
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y. demonstrated FCI's contention that .50 caliber rifles are too heavy for general criminal use. McCarthy, joined Reps. James Moran, D-Va., Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to introduce the "50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act.". But in a public act of embarassment, she was surprised when she couldn't lift the gun sitting on a table at a press conference and asked if it was stuck in place. After several police officers told her the 34-pound ArmaLite AR-50 .50 caliber rifle wasn't attached, she let go. "There is no rifle or firearm manufactured in the United States or in any other country that enjoys a safety record comparable to that of the .50 BMG," said John Burt, President of FCI. Even Violence Policy Center spokesperson, Tom Diaz (who has been supporting the .50 caliber bans nationwide) admited that "no american has been wounded or killed with a .50 caliber rifle in the United States. [More.]

Patrick Kennedy Says Resistence to Gun Ban Is "Insanity:"
February 9, 2005
U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy implied Tuesday that congressional colleagues who do not share his support for a failed gun ban being reintroduced in the House are mentally ill. The Rhode Island Democrat also accused lawmakers who oppose the anti-gun legislation of not caring about police safety. The younger Kennedy made the comments at a Capitol Hill press conference to promote the reintroduction of the "50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act." The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), would ban the manufacture of such rifles and severely limit the sale or transfer of existing .50 BMG rifles except for those owned by the military or civilian law enforcement agencies.[More. Mirror.]

Chicago Mayor and Gary's Mayor Want To Ban .50 Caliber Firearms.
February 6, 2005
Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley and Gary's Mayor Scott King share common bonds as politicians, as friends, and as people who do not believe in the Second Amendment. Despite the fact that the firearms industry is regulated by federal, state, and local laws, Illinois mayors come out against .50 Caliber firearms. Both mayors believe serious regulations are lacking in the gun industry. "People shouldn't sell .50-caliber guns ... they should not be selling those," Daley said. "They belong to the military." [More.]