Board takes up ban on gun sales (.50 Caliber)

oaklandtribune.com ^ | March 22, 2004 | Tamara Grippi

[B4Ranch]

Board takes up ban on gun sales Law would prohibit selling high-powered rifles in unincorporated areas

By Tamara Grippi, STAFF WRITER

MARTINEZ -- High-powered rifles are the target of a new ordinance that will be introduced by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors at their meeting Tuesday.

The proposed law would prohibit the sale of .50-caliber rifles in unincorporated areas of the county.

Supervisors John Gioia of Richmond and Gayle Uilkema of Lafayette, who are recommend-ing the ordinance, say the ban is intended as a public safety measure.

Telecommunications towers, industrial plants such as oil refineries and railroad cars could all be vulnerable to serious damage from the high-powered rifles, said Uilkema.

"Guns of that magnitude of .50-caliber have the capability of potentially harming or destroy-ing any of those facilities," Uilkema said.

Unincorporated Contra Costa has only two gun dealerships and neither one sells .50-caliber rifles.

The supervisors said they hope the ban on .50-caliber rifle sales could be used as a "model ordinance" and adopted by various Contra Costa cities.

Gioia said nothing is stopping customers from asking gun dealers to order .50-caliber rifles.

"Theoretically, yes," said Chuck Michel of the California Rifle and Pistol Association. "But they haven't."

Michel didn't buy the supervisors' argument that the ban would further homeland security. "A .50-caliber rifle is a pea shooter for a terrorist. The real problem is not the gun, it's the ammunition. If you use explosive ammunition, it doesn't matter what the caliber is."

Such explosive, armor-piercing ammunition is already illegal.

Several gun control organizations, including the San Francisco-based Legal Community Against Violence, are backing the ordinance.

"This is a class of dangerous and deadly weapons specifically designed for military use and urban combat," said Sam Hoover, staff attorney for the Legal Community Against Violence.

Michel disagrees. "The message that legitimate hunters and target shooters get from this is that 'you don't count' and that 'we don't care about your sport,'" he said.

The California Rifle and Pistol Association plans to sue the county if it approves the ban on the basis that it contradicts state law, which has drawn the line at .60-caliber rifles, Michel said.

The California Penal Code prohibits the possession of "destructive devices," which include weapons capable of firing ammunition .60-caliber or larger.

The county supervisors, however, hope Contra Costa will be one of the forces to persuade the state to adopt tougher legislation.

Similar proposals are already in the pipeline.

Legislation proposed by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, would make it unlawful to manufacture, sell or possess a .50-caliber rifle within California without a permit.

That bill was approved by the state Assembly last year but failed to make it past the state Senate's Public Safety Committee. The legislation has been placed before that committee for reconsideration but no hearing has been scheduled.

[Hat-Trick]

Legislation proposed by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, would make it unlawful to manufacture, sell or possess a .50-caliber rifle within California without a permit.

Wanna strike fear in the heart of your elected tyrannists? Just gotta love the .50:

[Inyo-Mono]

Will they ban my .50 flintlock?

[glock rocks]

um...

We are talking about a calibur of weapon that not only isn't currently being sold and isn't being requested.

[pop-aye]

My bad for not being clear....

In the article it mentions that in the local area, the two gun stores don't carry any 50 cal inventory, and that they had not had any requests for it.

I was not speaking in general terms, and am sincerly sorry that my writing was not clearer.

I know 50 cals are on the market... if my resources were greater, there would be one fewer out there...

anyway, thanks for the subtle correction glock!

[longtermmemmory]

good point.

perhaps there should be a requirement that in order to make gun laws your have to be a member of the NRA, used a gun defend yourself or another, or just not a member of the aclu or handguncontrol,inc.

[glock rocks]

no prob.

somewhere, sometime, the gun owners of the people's republic will have to put down a foot...

sure, they can switch calibers (until they're outlawed)

sure, they can go to single shot 223's (until they're outlawed)

sure, they can paint their guns dayglo orange...

that whittling sound y'all hear is at the base of a giant formerly majestic redwood about to collapse on the gun owners of California. God save em.

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Will they ban my .50 flintlock?

All in due time...

[pop-aye]

I will be happy to hand mine over...

bullets first

[Atlas Sneezed]

How about the .50 Beowulf upper...Been reading up on it...looks like fun.

---

Indeed, but although they share a projectile diameter, the 50 Beowolf is a straight-walled cartridge with a blunt projectile, which lods through an AR-15 lower (OAL = .223, single stack to fit), while the 50 BMG is a high-velocity bottle-necked rifle cartridge that shoots a mile.

50 Beowolf 400gr @ 1800 FPS = 2878 FPE @ muzzle
50 BMG 700gr @ 2800 FPS = 12189 FPE

Beeg Deeference! (Though the 50 Beowolf would be nifty slowed down to subsonic and supressed.)

[glock rocks]

[kingu]

Nice piece. I suppose I should someday post my collection... Hmm. Nothing beyond a .60 cal, huh? Guess my .69 cal 1842 is against the law.. Or would be, if there wasn't that helpful antique and curios act.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Yep I realise there is a big difference there, but a 50 cal ban would probably take into account ALL 50 cal or higher...even say a .50 or .54 cal Hawkins Black poweder rifle...The worst thing they could do is to start sticking various calibres onto the destructive device list like anything .75 cal or higher, once a .50 cal gets added then they push for .45, .40 etc...then you end up sitting around with a single shot .22 short as the only thing you can own...

Just my $0.02

[XHogPilot]

um...

The article and reference is about Contra Costa Co., CA. Stay with the program!

Glocks may rock, but the GAU-8 rules!

[Iron-sight Sniper]

"This is a class of dangerous and deadly weapons specifically designed for military use and urban combat,"

urban combat?!?!

.50 is WWWWAAAAYYYY!!!! to big to use in urban combat, unless you want to blow the target into 1,000,000 pieces

[Inyo-Mono]

Since you know about these things, my flintlock has a custom 47" Getz swamped barrel and a Chambers Deluxe lock. Is yours a Harpers model or an early Springfield?

[glock rocks]

Glocks may rock, but the GAU-8 rules!

Yessir!

Didn't (back last year) Ronnie Barrett threaten to pull all support of his weapons from any government agency in California if this type of law was passed in the assembly?

[ezo4]

But you can shoot a guy hiding behind one of those 3" thick man hole covers a mile away down the street.

[XHogPilot]

Didn't Barrett threaten to pull support of his weapons from any government agency in California

I can't recall his exact presentation, but his appearance before the Calif Assembly was pivotal in defeating a .50BMG weapon ban.

[glock rocks]

Well, I know from first hand experience how hard it is to convince those among us who only own a 700 ADL that it is vitally important to hold the line against those we know would take every firearm, England style, if we don't react to every tactic of the grabbers...

It isn't easy to convince hunters even out here in fly-over that their liberty is being eaten away...

[B4Ranch]

"We are talking about a calibur of weapon that not only isn't currently being sold and isn't being requested."

Next month at the Reno Hilton, I am sure there will be .50's on sale, possibly some from "private sellers". April 23-25, 2004

This is one of the biggest shows we have in the valley. There is everything you could want at this show.

The Big Reno Show
(Lou Fascio, Inc.)
Reno Hilton Hotel
Reno, Nv.
Fri. & Sat. 9-6, Sun. 9-4