Contra Costa redies ban on .50 caliber rifles

Contra Costa Times ^ | August 9, 2003 | Peter Felsenfeld

[Socratease]

County studies, readies rifle bill By Peter Felsenfeld CONTRA COSTA TIMES

All it would take is a willing mind and a powerful explosive to turn Contra Costa's hulking oil refineries into giant chemical bombs.

In an age of terrorism and readily available weapons, neither prospect can be completely discounted.

So Contra Costa supervisors are scheduled Tuesday to take aim at a readily available gun they say presents just such a threat. The board is expected to ask county attorneys to draft an ordinance that would ban the sale of .50-caliber BMG rifles in unincorporated areas.

The measure would be based on similar legislation approved in Los Angeles this summer. Supervisors say they want Contra Costa cities to follow with similar laws.

Such steps are necessary because any person could purchase the weapon, set up on a hillside and cause some major damage to a refinery, said Supervisor John Gioia of Richmond. The gun is often fired as it rests on stand.

"These are not the kind of things that are used by street gangs, because they're so big and obvious," he said. "They're more likely to be used by bad people who are intent on causing serious harm."

Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, introduced legislation this year to curb the manufacture and sale of .50-caliber rifles statewide. His bill, AB50, stalled in the Senate Public Safety Committee last month.

The weapons generally weigh between 30 and 50 pounds, and can be bought legally in stores or online for about $5,000, said Dan Lilja, owner of Lilja Precision Rifle Barrels, which manufactures barrels for the guns.

The world's most skilled marksman can hit targets with the rifle up to 1,980 yards away, according to the Fifty Caliber Club Web site.

Supervisor Gayle Uilkema of Lafayette said the guns could fire exploding bullets through 8 inches of steel, and certainly through containers transporting hazardous materials.

"There is no way we can completely shut off access to the refineries," she said. "The gun has the capability to destroy refinery equipment."

The ordinance would probably set off a firestorm of opposition from gun advocates. Chuck Michel, spokesman for the California Rifle and Pistol Association, called Uilkema's statement "utter crap."

"There's absolutely no way it can pierce 8 inches of steel."

He said the supervisors were stoking fears of terrorism to push an anti-gun agenda and mask the rifle's legitimate sporting uses.

"These rifles are legal for a reason: they're primarily used for hunting and target shooting events," he said. "If a terrorist really wanted to destroy a refinery, he could get his hands on a rocket-propelled grenade on the black market."

[archy]

Feh...who needs .50 cal?...gimme one of these...hehehe...

L/39 Norsupyssy! Okay!

[archy]

ban the sale of .50-caliber BMG rifles in unincorporated areas.

So people will have to go to an incorporated area and spend the $2000 it will cost to buy one?

The relatively puny little M8C .50 caliber semiauto is the least of their worries....

[Lazamataz]

L/39 Norsupyssy

Who you callin' a pyssy?!??

[archy]

I'm seeing potato gun here...

I should certainly hope not!

[Frank_2001]

Yes, I'm sure this law will stop Al Qaeda in its tracks!/sarcasm off

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

A .50 cal? Is that a Varmint gun?

[Jeff Gordon]

Does this mean I will have to go over to an Santa Clara County gun dealer to get one of these?

[archy]

A .50 cal? Is that a Varmint gun?

Depends on what all you consider to be a varmint.

-archy-/-

[Socratease]

The county board of supervisors voted today to draft an ordinance to ban the sale of .50 caliber bolt-action rifles which have never been used in a single crime in this country in 85 years. To bolster their arguments for the urgency of this proposal, the board showed a military video of a semi-auto rifle which is banned in this state firing explosive ammunition which is also banned. When this was pointed out to them, the board protested that they were not using scare tactics, but that a new law was needed to keep criminals, who would have illegally obtained the ammo, from otherwise using it in rifles which they presumably would refrain from purchasing out of respect for the law. You can always tell a politician is hiding his agenda when he argues out of both sides of his mouth.

Another compelling argument for the ordinance was that it was needed to keep terrorists from firing from a mile away on the county's refineries and tank cars. This point was the cause for much personal reflection as I drove back to work along Marina Vista in Martinez, beneath the half-dozen overhead pipelines and a stone's-throw from lines of tank cars. Maybe next year the Sups will ban stones.

In these days of tight budgets, when California's counties are crying that the state isn't sending them enough revenue, couldn't the board have found a more realistic threat to save us from and on which to spend our money? Like, maybe, bathtubs, which kill over 100 each year?

[zoen]

how else would you own one???? Your comment doesnt make much since....your a gun graber...dam you

[Bluntpoint]

Re-read my post. Turn off your sarcasm nanny.

[Bonaparte]

That's right, punish everybody because somebody just might fire on a refinery. And, of course, no terrorist is going to bring in a .50 cal from outside the county, right?

[meadsjn]

Sounds like the local Democrats are afraid of being recalled.