Posted on 03/01/2010 6:32:54 PM PST by marktwain
Alaska Firearms Freedom Act Moving Forward HB 186 is in the Finance Committee and needs your support. Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force
Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force
Juneau, AK --(AmmoLand.com)- Currently 33 states that have passed or are considering similar legislation.
HB 186 has just been moved out of the Senate judiciary committee and Now needs to be ”read across the floor” and officially referred to the Senate finance committee, which will hopefully be done tomorrow, we will update you as soon as we get more info.
Multiple states including Montana and Tennessee have passed this legislation. Utah passed it last week and Wyoming and Virginia are on the verge of doing so.
The Firearms Freedom Act has a simple concept. HB 69 states that if a gun was made in Alaska, and then stays in Alaska, the federal government may not regulate it under the Interstate Commerce Clause.
Please contact the finance committee members and urge passage of HB 186 as soon as possible.
Senate Finance Committee Members:
* Chair Email : Senator_Lyman_Hoffman@legis.state.ak.us 907-465-4453 * Vice Chair Email : Senator_Bert_Stedman@legis.state.ak.us 907-465-3873 * Email : Senator_Dennis_Egan@legis.state.ak.us 907-465-4947 * Email : Senator_Johnny_Ellis@legis.state.ak.us 907-465-3704 * Email : Senator_Charlie_Huggins@legis.state.ak.us 907-465-3878 * Email : Senator_Donald_Olson@legis.state.ak.us 907-465-3707 * Email : Senator_Joe_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us 907-465-2327
About: The mission of The Anchorage Second Amendment Task Force is to provide Alaskans with the knowledge of the meaning and true purpose of the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution, with which they may conduct themselves as responsible citizens of our republic. Visit: www.anchorage2atf.com
Don’t get me wrong, I’m big on fire arm freedom - but I don’t quite get this...
Is there some legal definition of “made” that I’m missing or are all these states thinking that gun manufacturing will take place in each state individually?
If this case is upheld, that the federal government cannot regulate guns made and used in and individual state; then there would be considerable incentive for gun manufactures in each state. The big push should be to do away with all federal gun laws.
I’m curious about the scope. As far as I know, sawed-off shotguns were made illegal via the NFA of 1934, which I believe is tied to the Commerce Clause. If I have that right, would Alaska allow sawed-off shotguns? I don’t exactly care about the shotgun, but if this basically invalidates NFA 1934, it’s huge.
possion should be “possession”
Honestly, many fed regs and laws are not enforced here in Alaska anyway; especially concerning guns. Most Alaskans like it that way too. There's a mindset here that what a man does in his own house is his own business and Alaskans see that as a sacred right of sorts.
We live in a rural community, everybody has sidearms or rifles on their person come Spring when bear are out and about; and yet there hasn't been a murder in almost 30 years here, and that guy was drowned in the river. You would be surprised to see how much personal freedom one has in an unorganized community. No taxes, regs, comp planning, ordinances, just bare bones govt of sorts to take care of snow plowing ect. No law enforcement for 200 miles from us, do what you want. Most everybody thinks they run the show and everybody else just tells each other where to stick it. Works out pretty well actually. No crime, no locked doors or keys outta vehicles. Laid back place; don't think I could live anywheres else after experiencing all the freedom I think is just natural here. My 2 cents.
2 points:
1: The definition of what constitutes “made” is rather lax as a Gun manufacture told me, so its not unreasonable in many states that you can have guns “made there”.
2: If we are able to get the 2nd amendment to be applied as i was originally meant to be a broad biased ban on all Federal gun regulation and laws, then the interstate exchange of such guns would be equally exempted.
The main overall point here has nothing to do with guns and everything to do whit undermining the Federal government’s inter-state commercial powers. This is important as such powers are the source of countless federal oversteps from regulating what a farmer can grow and consume on his own land to regulating what-else you can buy and sell, to regulation of economic markets.
In short whether or not a gun manufacturer will actually themselves up in Alaska to make Alaskan guns is kind of beside the point.
“2 points”
Gotcha - thanks.
I wish it well, hopefully some of this spills over into Wisconsin, one of only 2 states not to have any form of Shall Issue... We’ve still got a lot of fighting to get to where these states are.
Lucky dog........Sounds great in Alaska.FREEDOM...
Yes, the ATF has a definition of “made” or “manufacturing” where firearms is concerned. It basically comes down to “doing anything that ‘significantly raises the value’ of a firearm.”
So let’s say you’re a gunsmith. You have a customer that comes to you with a Remington 870 (eg). It has a broken firing pin. Well, with a broken firing pin, that shotgun isn’t worth too much. With the firing pin replaced, which might cost only $15, and the gunsmith might charge $20 to install it. $35 in parts and labor added to a non-functioning shotgun that might have been worth only $50 now makes it worth at least $250.
So is replacing the firing pin “manufacturing?” Yes, according to the BATF, and as a gunsmith, you’d better have a type 07 FFL, plus have paid the excise taxes and the ITAR State Department annual fee of over $2000.
But let’s put the overly expansive BATF definition of “making a firearm” aside and deal with the broader picture.
As far as the BATF is concerned, the receiver of a firearm is the actual controlled part - it has the serial #. The barrel, stock, etc - those aren’t a firearm and anyone can make those parts.
There are some states where there are a number of people making custom receivers (for either rifles or pistols). Montana is a great example - there’s a number of outfits that make custom receivers, as well as whole firearms - entirely within the state.
If you’re a licensed gunsmith in a state like Montana, so the legal theory goes, and you purchase a newly manufactured receiver that was made in Montana, and you hang a barrel, trigger group and stock onto this receiver that are also made in Montana, and then this resulting complete firearm is then sold to someone who is domiciled in Montana, the state legislature of Montana wants to push the issue that there was “interstate commerce” performed in the manufacture, sale and possession of this firearm, therefore the BATF had no power to regulate the manufacture or sale of said firearm.
To test this, of course, will require at least one gunsmith and one customer, both of whom better have a bunch of money to take this clear up to the SCOTUS.
Sorry — fat fingered the previous reply.
The MT legislature wants to push the issue that there was NO interstate commerce in the manufacture and sale of the firearm held completely within MT...
“There’s a mindset here that what a man does in his own house is his own business and Alaskans see that as a sacred right of sorts.
We live in a rural community, everybody has sidearms or rifles on their person come Spring when bear are out and about; and yet there hasn’t been a murder in almost 30 years here, and that guy was drowned in the river. You would be surprised to see how much personal freedom one has in an unorganized community. No taxes, regs, comp planning, ordinances, just bare bones govt of sorts to take care of snow plowing ect. No law enforcement for 200 miles from us, do what you want. Most everybody thinks they run the show and everybody else just tells each other where to stick it. Works out pretty well actually. No crime, no locked doors or keys outta vehicles. Laid back place; don’t think I could live anywheres else after experiencing all the freedom I think is just natural here. My 2 cents.”
Amen, Eska! I can’t imagine life any other way. My motto is “leave me the hell alone” and I’ll be your friend for life. heh heh
FOund an interesting site where they make conversion kits for old SMLE receivers.... here.
SMLE to .50 AE - cool or what.
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