barnbwt
member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2011
- Messages
- 7,340
It would appear this effort will be folded into a larger legislative work (no HR number at this time) which modifies a host of sporting issues law (fish/game regulations), and most importantly seeks to redefine the nature of "sporting purposes" as it applies to our various federal laws & regulations.
https://naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/discussion_draft_--_share_act.pdf
Sportsmans Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act (feds can't seem to wipe their noses without making a back-ronymn for it)
As much as I dislike long omnibus bills because the Devil is in the details, I can understand how a rather small/simple issue like the reclassification of silencers as Title I (normal) firearms would rather be packaged with a bunch of other gun issue stuff. I'm not sure I care for the 'sportsman' window dressing that is the focus of the rest of the bill, but mostly because I've become accustomed to it being a smokescreen for the theft of our rights (as opposed to a smokescreen for reclaiming them for all reasons in addition to sport). The more I consider it, though, this may be a smart move; silencers need to be deregulated, and "sporting purposes" needs to be reigned in just as badly, but both are obscure (if still very significant if you consider the number of people effected) and simple enough to be line items in a broader effort. Maybe if the effort is a bit larger, it will attract the attention from public officials it deserves, yet still be manageable enough to actually pass (the HPA is currently no. 2 most viewed on congress.gov; we've done about as much as we can without pitchforks to get the word out and notify our reps)
It is impossible to understate the potential impact of the "sporting purpose" reclassification that is described in the bill. Practically every federal gun restriction that doesn't involve paying taxes or licensing is governed by an administration's interpretation of "sporting purpose." It has been abused over the years to arbitrarily ban certain 12ga shotguns on the basis of their bore being over 1/2" diameter (that's right, any 12ga can be banned at the drop of a hat), to arbitrarily restrict imports that are functionally or entirely identical to other foreign or domestic models, to ban factory original barrels for common rifles built from milsurp parts kits, and to ban affordable foreign surplus ammunition based upon broad views of armor-piercing classifications.
By changing "sporting purpose" to mean "lawful purpose" we can get, in one fell swoop;
-Readily imported silencers (in conjunction with silencer reclassification)
-No more banned imports, apart from specific circumstances (Daewoo, Valmet, but probably not Kalashnikov Proper or Norinco). Entirely possible we'd see SVT40's and Dragunov's, provided they aren't new production from sanctioned entities
-Freely importable ammo, no longer contingent on jacket or core materials (7.62x25, 5.45x39, 9mm +P will all flood the nation once more)
-Parts kits will gain about 1/3-1/2 their value, since barrels will no longer be needlessly destroyed upon importation (kits themselves will likely drop in price, too, since importers won't need to pay for the destruction either). Replacement barrels for rare/historical weapons in America will become available for the first time in decades.
-922r will be mooted entirely, in all likelihood
-State and local governments will find it very hard to argue their case, as far as justifying bans on "assault weapons" and "assault features" when the federal interpretation is they are no different than Fudd-friendly equivalents (doesn't help mag-bans, though)
-ATF will no longer be able to designate shotguns or rifles with large bores as Destructive Devices purely upon whim any longer (my guess is additional requirements, like explosives, will need to be met), so all the 12ga autos banned under Clinton will be normalized. Anti-material rifles and autocannon more powerful than 50BMG will become viable, and most likely, non-explosive ammunition for many military cannon will become importable
https://naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/discussion_draft_--_share_act.pdf
Sportsmans Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act (feds can't seem to wipe their noses without making a back-ronymn for it)
As much as I dislike long omnibus bills because the Devil is in the details, I can understand how a rather small/simple issue like the reclassification of silencers as Title I (normal) firearms would rather be packaged with a bunch of other gun issue stuff. I'm not sure I care for the 'sportsman' window dressing that is the focus of the rest of the bill, but mostly because I've become accustomed to it being a smokescreen for the theft of our rights (as opposed to a smokescreen for reclaiming them for all reasons in addition to sport). The more I consider it, though, this may be a smart move; silencers need to be deregulated, and "sporting purposes" needs to be reigned in just as badly, but both are obscure (if still very significant if you consider the number of people effected) and simple enough to be line items in a broader effort. Maybe if the effort is a bit larger, it will attract the attention from public officials it deserves, yet still be manageable enough to actually pass (the HPA is currently no. 2 most viewed on congress.gov; we've done about as much as we can without pitchforks to get the word out and notify our reps)
It is impossible to understate the potential impact of the "sporting purpose" reclassification that is described in the bill. Practically every federal gun restriction that doesn't involve paying taxes or licensing is governed by an administration's interpretation of "sporting purpose." It has been abused over the years to arbitrarily ban certain 12ga shotguns on the basis of their bore being over 1/2" diameter (that's right, any 12ga can be banned at the drop of a hat), to arbitrarily restrict imports that are functionally or entirely identical to other foreign or domestic models, to ban factory original barrels for common rifles built from milsurp parts kits, and to ban affordable foreign surplus ammunition based upon broad views of armor-piercing classifications.
By changing "sporting purpose" to mean "lawful purpose" we can get, in one fell swoop;
-Readily imported silencers (in conjunction with silencer reclassification)
-No more banned imports, apart from specific circumstances (Daewoo, Valmet, but probably not Kalashnikov Proper or Norinco). Entirely possible we'd see SVT40's and Dragunov's, provided they aren't new production from sanctioned entities
-Freely importable ammo, no longer contingent on jacket or core materials (7.62x25, 5.45x39, 9mm +P will all flood the nation once more)
-Parts kits will gain about 1/3-1/2 their value, since barrels will no longer be needlessly destroyed upon importation (kits themselves will likely drop in price, too, since importers won't need to pay for the destruction either). Replacement barrels for rare/historical weapons in America will become available for the first time in decades.
-922r will be mooted entirely, in all likelihood
-State and local governments will find it very hard to argue their case, as far as justifying bans on "assault weapons" and "assault features" when the federal interpretation is they are no different than Fudd-friendly equivalents (doesn't help mag-bans, though)
-ATF will no longer be able to designate shotguns or rifles with large bores as Destructive Devices purely upon whim any longer (my guess is additional requirements, like explosives, will need to be met), so all the 12ga autos banned under Clinton will be normalized. Anti-material rifles and autocannon more powerful than 50BMG will become viable, and most likely, non-explosive ammunition for many military cannon will become importable
