Posted on 03/04/2009 8:57:26 AM PST by holymoly
Attendees at the Big Piney Sportsman Club’s gun show this weekend at the Mountain View Family Youth Center shared their thoughts about a revamped gun bill submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives in January.
U.S. Representative Bobby Rush, a Democrat from Illinois, first submitted a version of the gun bill (H.R. 2666) in 2007. The bill went to House’s Committee on the Judiciary and was referred to the Subcommittee on Crimes, Terrorism and Homeland Security. The bill never made it back to the House of Representatives floor.
Rush has submitted a new version of the bill (H.R. 45) entitled “Blair Holt’s Firearm Record of Sale Act of 2009.” According to the text of the proposed gun legislation, the bill would increase federal government control over firearms through the establishment of “a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms, and for other purposes.”
Roger Bowles of Ava believes misconceptions about gun enthusiasts have led to such legislation.
“I think people have the wrong perception of gun shows and dealers,” said Bowles. “Hunting is a part of our heritage.”
Brenda Ford of West Plains shared an example of how one person’s experience with a gun show had changed their perception of gun ownership. Ford had accompanied Keith Gray of Keith’s Guns in West Plains to a gun show at a Kansas City mall, where she met a woman who owned a Christian bookstore in the mall.
The woman explained how gang members had basically taken over the mall and caused several stores to close.
“She said, ‘I told my husband when I heard this gun show was coming in here that I had had it, and I couldn’t deal with this anymore. But you know what? This gun show was the best thing that ever happened to this mall. When you gun show people came in, the gang bangers left,’” explained Ford.
The woman recognized that having law-abiding gun owners present had frightened away the criminal element.
Other attendees are concerned about more federal gun regulations.
“I think the gun business is being regulated to death. I think they should let people stick to the Second Amendment,” said gun dealer Donnie Kight of Pomona.
“Pretty soon the people aren’t going to put up with this,” said Burton Krueger of Salem, Ark.
“We’ve got enough gun control laws. They just need to take care of the ones they’ve got,” added Mike Roth of Mansfield.
“They’ve got us trapped in a corner already. What more do they want? I mean you’ve got to fill out papers. It’s federal. You’ve got to call it in. What else can you do except walk it up to their office and say, ‘This is what I’m selling, and this guy wants to buy.’ Give us a break,” said John Babb of Mountain View.
“Actually, what they want is to take our guns completely away from us, and they are doing (it) one piece at a time,” inserted Bob Roach, president of Big Piney Sportsmen Club and chief of police at Summersville.
Murray Anderson of Anderson Services in Mountain View stated those presenting legislation are placing the burden on law-abiding citizens rather than the ones who are committing the crimes. He urged citizens to contact their representatives and senators in Congress.
“I’ve been keeping track of this, and it’s scary,” said Anderson. “You’ve got people who are law-abiding that don’t want to be on any list, because they can foresee some government agency knocking on their door and saying, ‘Hey, you’re on a list with guns, we want to see your guns.’
“People need to stand up and call their Congress people. Let them know point blank that this isn’t going to help America, but it’s going to hurt America, not only on a crime aspect, but also on the amount of jobs,” added Anderson. “On the economic side, you don’t think Uncle Sam gets his percentage when a gun is sold. He gets more than he gets with anything else. He also gets excise taxes on ammunition.”
Some believe legislators should concentrate their efforts in other directions.
“I think we need laws to catch the criminals,” said Stan Conway of Winona. “Spend your money trying to prosecute criminals, and the rest of it will take care of itself.”
“They don’t go after the criminals. They are the ones that need to be punished in all this stuff. You get somebody captured, and they only do a fraction of the jail time, if they get anything at all,” said Roach.
“They need to concentrate more on education, job services and law enforcement,” said Mike Evans of West Plains.
Besides the Blair legislation, reports are circulating, based on statements from the U.S. Attorney General, that the “Assault Weapons Ban,” which expired in 2004, might be reinstated.
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08), who is working with other Congressional supporters of Second Amendment Rights against a national registry of American gun owners, issued a statement in response to such reports.
“In my mind, this issue was settled in 2004 when the ban expired. Congress spends too much time regulating the lawful activities of law-abiding gun owners and too little time strengthening penalties against the individuals who commit gun crimes,” Emerson said. “In southern Missouri, we have responsible gun owners and sportsmen who absolutely own firearms that would fall under this ban if it were reinstated today. Whether it is for hunting, marksmanship, or personal protection, law-abiding citizens have many legal uses for guns that were covered under the previous Assault Weapons Ban. The federal government’s efforts to outlaw these guns amount to an attempt to weaken the Second Amendment.”
No formal legislation to reinstate the “Assault Weapons Ban” has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives at this time.
“This is surely an effort I will oppose if I am given the opportunity,” Emerson added.
Actually, the new "assault weapons" ban, H.R. 1022, is much, much worse than the old "assault weapons" ban.
I.E. Along with the long list of specific firearms (rifles, handguns and shotguns) banned, it would also ban:
"(L) A semiautomatic rifle or shotgun originally designed for military or law enforcement use, or a firearm based on the design of such a firearm, that is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, as determined by the Attorney General. In making the determination, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that a firearm procured for use by the United States military or any Federal law enforcement agency is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, and 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.'.
Imagine Eric Holder with that kind of power.
The woman recognized that having law-abiding gun owners present had frightened away the criminal element.
Priceless...what a genius...did they think the thugs would try to hassle someone that might have a concealed carry license?????
“Former” Black Panther Bobby Rush and his cohorts in melanometricity want to disarm most of America, particularly the white population..
In this month’s issue of GUN WEEK newspaper (Mar 16, 2009), there is an article on an attempt by the State Department to ban the import and export of all rifles and ammo in “military caliber, including BOLT ACTION RIFLES and hunting ammo.
They also reported on the Obama administration’s attempt to define SNIPER RIFLES based on barrel weight, diameter and rifling twist.
It is coming!
...so, this means things like baretta 9mm clones, the PS90, a good portion of revolvers, and I’m sure some rifles...
I’ve always associated the 1st amendment with the 2nd amendment. Without one, you don’t have the other. If the 2nd amendment is repealed we are totally screwed. All hell will break lose.
I won't criticize anyone who "sees the light".
Prior to this, she probably believed the incessant barrage of propaganda and misinformation regarding the so-called "gun show loophole", and thought gang-bangers would be lining up to buy firearms at the gun show.
***“Former” Black Panther Bobby Rush and his cohorts in melanometricity want to disarm most of America, particularly the white population..***
Remember when California had fair gun laws back in 1968? Then armed Black Panthers took over the state laegislature in Sacremento for a “sit in protest”.
From that day forward California gun laws have gotten worse and worse.
Now, they want the whole US to fall under such laws proposed by former “Black Panthers”.
NO!
There’s a video called “Criminals for Gun Control” available on the net, YouTube, etc. Worth watching.
“I won’t criticize anyone who “sees the light”. Prior to this, she probably believed the incessant barrage of propaganda and misinformation regarding the so-called “gun show loophole”, and thought gang-bangers would be lining up to buy firearms at the gun show.”
sorry...if you can’t connect the dots here, you are just plain stupid...msm propaganda notwithstanding...
Agreed... of course, if “we the people” use the 2nd Amendment “Break Glass in Case of Emergency”... the federals who won’t side with us will suffer GREAT casualties.
A completely unconstitutional law. The firearms that the 2A is most concerned with protecting are no the sporting type, but of the military type that armed citizens may possess to deter both crime and government overreach.
“melanometricity”
Nice word. You find it somewhere, or make it up yourself?
The best I’ve been able to do is to describe myself as suffering from “Melanin Deficit Disorder”.
Yeah, I thought it was the best description of the malady..
Of course the Black Panthers and affiliated goons were not disarmed!
"Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts," Romney said, at a bill signing ceremony with legislators, sportsmen's groups and gun safety advocates.
"These guns are not made for recreation or self-defense. They are instruments of destruction with the sole purpose of hunting down and killing people."
Governor Mitt Romney 2002
Fortunately that is from the last Congress. It has not been resubmitted for this Congress.
Of course it would only take a cut and past, to submit the same legislation any time that the time to do it becomes "ripe". I think O and Holder were hoping the violence in Mexico would help ripen the time. Apparently it hasn't..yet.
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