Gunmakers win ruling in liability suit

The United States Congress is on the verge of passing a
Republican sponsored bill that would eradicate the Fourth Amendment of the
United States Constitution. Article IV of the Bill of Rights states, "The
right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and
effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be
violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by
Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched,
and the persons or things to be seized."

In addition, this bill extends its authority to impede upon the First
Amendment Right of "Freedom of Speech."

The Methamphetamine Anti-Proliferation Act, "To provide for the punishment of
methamphetamine laboratory operators, provide additional resources to combat
methamphetamine production, trafficking, and abuse in the United States, and
for other purposes," has already passed through the Senate and was being
deliberated by the House of Representatives as of press time.

In effect, what the provision does is empower the Federal Government, State
Government and local law enforcement agencies, to enter private property -
homes, businesses, automobiles, etc. for any "criminal searches" without a
warrant and without any legal obligation to inform the private property
owner that a search and seizure was conducted until months later, if at all.
If the bill becomes law, then it would grant the Federal Government power
to obtain "intangible" evidence -- hard-drive data, photographs or copies
made of any documents or family or personal belongings, diaries, etc. -
without ever having to inform the owner that their property was searched.
If physical evidence was taken then the government could wait up to 90
days later, before having to notify the owner that a secret search of
their property ever occurred.

David Kopel, director of research for the Independence Institute, a Colorado
think tank focusing on Constitutional issues, said the bill was aimed
especially at computer hard drives, which could be copied in an owner'
absence and examined without the owner's knowledge.

The Senate's version of the bill (S. 486) was sponsored by Senator John
Ashcroft (R-Missouri). The House Bill (H.R. 2987) was sponsored by U.S.
Representative Chris Cannon (R-Utah).

It's primary initiative is to increase criminal penalties for the sale,
production and distribution of methamphetamines, appropriate funds to crack
down on "meth labs" where the drug is processed, and fund methamphetamine
treatment programs. However, tucked away deep inside the legal jargon of the
bill are two provisions which go far beyond the realm of methamphetamine
anti-proliferation or even the war on drugs. One measure pertains to police
search and seizure, while the other attempts to dictate Internet
communication.

Under present law, a property owner must be notified immediately of any
possession seized in a criminal search, but the "Notice and Clarification"
section of the methamphetamine bill (S. section 301, H.R. section 6) amends
U.S. Code by stating, "Section 3103a of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: `With respect to
any issuance under this section or any other provision of law (including
section 3117 and any rule), any notice required, or that may be required, to
be given may be delayed pursuant to the standards, terms, and conditions set
forth in section 2705, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute.'

A source within the Senate Judiciary committee, speaking on condition of
anonymity, admitted that the language in the search and seizure provision
"slipped by everybody" in the Senate.

"(Hatch and the Justice Department) buried it deep in the bill, and nobody
noticed until the thing had already passed."

"The Secret Searches measure is so outrageous that it would have no chance
of being enacted as a bill on its own, when subjected to public scrutiny and
debate," Kopel asserted. "So instead, the DOJ has nestled the Secret Search
item deep inside a long bill dealing with methamphetamines."

Jeanne Lapatto, spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Committee and its
chairman, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), said she was unaware of the specific
provisions in question, but defended the goals of the bill. "This is a
bipartisan bill," Lapatto said. "During hearings, no one had any problems
with the overall goal of the bill, which is curbing the horrible problem of
methamphetamines."

Another approach the bill takes to "curbing" methamphetamine usage is by
making it a crime to create a hypertext link on the Internet to any site
that "directly or indirectly advertises" drug paraphernalia, or distributes
information about the processing or purchase of drugs (S. section 203, H.R.
section 3). Under the provisions of the act, an Internet service provider,
who is notified by a district attorney or representative of the Drug
Enforcement Agency, that one of their hosted sites is in violation, would be
required to remove the site within 48 hours or face federal criminal
penalties.

On top of that, another provision of the bill would make it punishable by up
to ten years in prison, "To teach or demonstrate. or to distribute by any
means of information pertaining to, in whole or in part, the manufacture of
a controlled substance."

U.S. Representative Bob Barr (R-Georgia), member of the House Judiciary
Committee, is leading the fight against this bill in the House. Barr asserts
that the search and seizure provisions of the bill, "Have nothing to do with
methamphetamines," and he believes that had the search and seizure provision
been introduced as a separate bill, its chances for passage, "Would be very,
very problematic."

"These are not minor changes," Barr added. "These are substantive and
far-reaching changes to the criminal law on search and seizure. It's
unconscionable that someone would try to sneak these provisions into an
unrelated bill."

A spokesperson for the Justice Department, which supports the provisions,
declined to comment directly, but did release a recent letter from Assistant
Attorney General Robert Ruben to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry
Hyde (R-Illinois).

In his letter, Ruben praised the bill for providing, "Important and
necessary tools for deterring the spread of methamphetamine manufacturing
and abuse in our nation."

Speaking on behalf of House sponsor, Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), legislative
director Chris MacKay said the no-notice provision was necessary for,
"Police to perform their job effectively."

According to MacKay, the provision was designed to allow police to search
with minimum risk to their safety and without suspects destroying evidence
before they arrive, adding, "Anything we can do to win the war on drugs is
worth doing."

Tribune Combined Report, using with permission, amongst other sources,
information compiled and written by Justin Torres of CNSNews.com and David
Kopel of the Independence Institute.

Send your comments to wi_militia@yahoo.com

China secretly shipping Cuba arms

     China is shipping arms and explosives to Cuba in a sign of increased military cooperation between Beijing and Havana, The Washington Times has learned.
     At least three arms shipments were traced from China to the Cuban port of Mariel over the past several months. All the arms were aboard vessels belonging to the state-owned China Ocean Shipping Co. (Cosco), according to U.S. intelligence officials.
     Intelligence officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said details of the arms shipments are sketchy but all involved a "known Chinese arms dealer" who arranged the transfers.
     One of the cargoes was described as dual-use explosives and detonation cord. The explosives were said to be "military-grade" material.
     The latest shipment took place in December. That arms delivery coincided with the visit to Cuba in late December by China�s military chief of staff, Gen. Fu Quanyou. Gen. Fu signed a military cooperation agreement with Havana aimed at modernizing Cuba�s outdated Russian weapons.
     The arms shipments to Cuba could lead to the imposition of economic sanctions on China and Cosco, according to U.S. officials.
     A 1996 amendment to the 1962 Foreign Assistance Act requires that economic sanctions be imposed on any nation or company that provides lethal military assistance to a nation designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. Cuba is on the State Department�s list of nine nations designated as supporters of global terrorism.
     Sanctions would disrupt a major portion of the U.S.-Chinese shipping market controlled by Cosco, whose business lines include port terminals and warehousing, insurance, real estate and hotel management.
     Cuba has been increasing its ties to China in recent months. In April, Chinese President Jiang Zemin traveled to Havana and signed agreements worth about $400 million in loans to Havana.
     Other Chinese activities in Cuba include electronic eavesdropping on the United States and Chinese government radio broadcasting, according to U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports. China also recently agreed to modernize Cuba�s telecommunications network.
     A CIA spokesman declined to comment on the arms shipments.
     Spokesmen for Cosco could not be reached for comment.
     Wei Jiafu, Cosco group president and chief executive officer, told reporters and editors of The Washington Times on June 2 that the shipping line has no connection to the Chinese military and is only interested in making money.
     Mr. Wei insisted during the interview that the People�s Liberation Army had no influence on the company�s operations or global business strategy.
     However, the shipper�s only shareholder is the Chinese government.
     Mr. Wei and other Cosco officials were in the United States to meet port officials in Massachusetts, where they had reached an agreement with the Massachusetts Port Authority to begin a weekly shipping service between Shanghai and Boston beginning next year.
     Cosco has been linked in the past by U.S. intelligence agencies to illegal smuggling and international arms trafficking.
     James Mulvenon, a China analyst with the RAND Corp., said that the Chinese Communist Party�s military organ approved establishment of Cosco as an arm of the Chinese navy in 1985.
     Mr. Mulvenon stated earlier this year, in his book "Soldiers of Fortune," that Cosco�s establishment "legitimized the use of navy ships for civilian shipping and thus provided a legal cover for the navy�s smuggling."
     The Chinese navy was linked in 1985 to illegal smuggling in foreign cars, vans, TVs and VCRs out of Hainan island in the South China Sea, he wrote.
     In 1998, U.S. intelligence agencies tracked a Cosco freighter from Shanghai to Karachi, Pakistan, with a load of weapons-related goods, including specialty metals and electronics used in the production of Chinese-designed Baktar Shikha anti-tank missiles.
     The shipment was carried aboard a vessel owned by the company subsidiary Cosco Tianjin.
     The arms transfers by Cosco ships contradict statements to Congress made in 1997 by National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger, who told senators there was no credible evidence linking Cosco to illegal activity, including arms smuggling.
     Edward Timperlake, a former House committee investigator, said a Cosco executive was among a group of Chinese officials who were granted access to the White House and to Mr. Clinton�s weekly radio address in 1995 -- days after Democratic Party fund-raiser Johnny Chung made a large payment to the White House for the president�s re-election campaign.
     The visit was checked by White House National Security Council aide Robert Suettinger, who wrote in a memorandum that giving White House photographs to the group of Chinese officials and Chung, who in 1998 pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions, would not cause "any lasting damage to U.S. foreign policy."
     Mr. Suettinger, who described Chung as a "hustler," also stated in a White House memo: "And to the degree it motivates him to continue contributing to the [Democratic National Committee], who am I to complain," Mr. Suettinger said.
     "Cosco is the merchant marine arm of the PLA Navy," Mr. Timperlake said. "If the Chinese military ever mobilized troops for action against Taiwan, Cosco would be part of the operation."
     Cosco ships would provide arms and logistics support for Chinese military operations, U.S. officials said.
     Al Santoli, a national security aide to Rep. Dana Rorhabacher, said Cosco is well-known for worldwide support of Chinese weapons sales.

Village Within a Base Provides for Realistic Cop Training

By Staff Sgt. Kathleen T. Rhem, USA
American Forces Press Service

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo., Aug. 14, 2000 -- "Role players ready," Rick Werts said into a microphone while keeping his eyes on a bank of monitors in a cramped, dark room. Seconds later, the building exploded with noise. Werts watched the monitors as a squad of military police students wearing helmets and face shields stormed into an innocent-looking suburban home. "Get on the ground! Down, down!" they screamed, quickly apprehending one suspect. They found another hiding behind a trap door upstairs. Within three minutes they announced the building was clear. Twenty minutes after that, the students were back in the classroom listening to a critique of their videotaped performance. "You were stepping on each other all over those mics," David Reed told the group. "We talk about the confusion of battle and the fog of war, let's not add to it with our own radios." Werts then referred them to the video screen and pointed out a serious error. The lead man had thrown in a mock stun grenade and immediately followed it through the doorway. A real M-84 diversionary device flashes a 2.5-million-candlepower light and a 175-decibel bang. "You just blinded yourself," Werts told the errant student while watching the scene in front of him. "Somebody else would have had to go in for you."

Werts and Reed are instructors at the Army Military Police School here. The school provides basic military police training to soldiers and Marines, and advanced police training to members of all services, foreign militaries, and civilian law enforcement agencies throughout the country. Roughly 230 instructors will train a projected 12,900 students this year. The jewel of the school is Brig. Gen. David Stem Village, a facility designed to provide realistic training in a dozen different situations police officers routinely face. Buildings in the village include two single-family homes, a duplex, credit union, post office, shoppette, movie theater, prison and a clinic. Rooms in other buildings are set up to look like a crack house, a nightclub and a home occupied by militia members.

The buildings are set up to look as realistic as possible. The post office has a bank of mail boxes, customer windows and "wanted" posters. The shoppette's shelves are stocked, and residences are completely furnished from cars in the driveways to clothes in the closets and stuffed animals in children's bedrooms. The buildings may look ordinary, but they're not. They all have closed-circuit cameras for instructors to monitor and record all training. The interior walls are made of 3/4-inch-thick plywood instead of drywall to stand up to abuse. From a control room in each building, instructors can introduce sound, change lighting, and, in some cases, reconfigure walls. "We want to simulate what they might experience in the real world," said Lee Chewey, chief of the school's Special Reaction Team Training Committee. Instructors can even videotape the students' approach to a building. Chewey explained police officers need to keep three principles in mind when raiding a building: surprise; speed -- "Before anyone inside has time to react"; and aggressive action "to eliminate any threat against the officers." He said videotaping training is invaluable in showing students their mistakes. "Sometimes they don't even believe they reacted a certain way," Chewey said. "But then we show them the videotape." While training in Stem Village, students use "simunitions," basically paint pellets that sting and leave a hot-pink mark, but are generally harmlesss, he said. Training in the Advanced Law Enforcement Training Division falls into three programs. The Counterdrug Training Program includes eight courses for agencies with drug-enforcement responsibilities. Chewey explained that most of the school's civilian law-enforcement students attend under this program. Federal counterdrug funds pay for the training, which is free to the civilian students, he said. Courses for civilian officers focus heavily on land navigation, use of global positioning systems and patrol techniques. Chewey said military police generally are exposed to these skills in their military training, but many civilian officers have no training in these areas.

Civilian agencies are also allowed to use the facilities here for their own training needs during holiday periods, when the military doesn't schedule classes, he said. Civilian agencies often wait more than a year for a chance to train here. The Anti-terrorism/Force Protection Training Program includes nine courses for DoD personnel who have anti-terrorism responsibilities. The program includes a special reaction team course and training in protective services, evasive driving and hostage negotiations. Special reaction teams are the military's equivalent to SWAT teams. They're used for special situations that require higher skill levels than the usual patrolman has, said Army Col. Joel Himsl, the school's former director of combat developments and now the garrison commander here.

The Protective Service Training Course uses U.S. Secret Service doctrine to teach students to protect high-ranking officials. Students learn the basics of witness and VIP protection, evasive driving, and how to provide moving protection. Protective service officers cringe when they hear the term "bodyguard." They like to think of themselves as much more, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Tom Carr, noncommissioned officer in charge of the school's Protective Service Committee. "Bodyguards are there to react if something happens. We're more proactive," he said. "We want to prevent anything from happening. People joke and call us bullet stoppers, but we work to keep the bullets from being fired at all." The school also has a Rehabilitation Training Instructor Course. It provides drill instructor training to federal, state and local civilian correctional agencies that have military-style boot camp programs for rehabilitating nonviolent youthful offenders. Himsl explained the state-of-the-art facilities and realistic training here are vital to protect the lives of military police officers. "It doesn't matter if we're in Haiti taking care of refugees or in Bosnia keeping the peace," he said. "You don't get a second chance to do things right."

For more information on the U.S. Army Military Police School, visit its Web site at http://www.wood.army.mil/usamps/default.htm. Take a virtual tour of Stem Village by visiting its Web site at http://www.wood.army.mil/usamps/stemvillage.htm.

Congressman Waxman Admits He Doesn't Think

by Angel Shamaya
Founder/Executive Director
KeepAndBearArms.com

May 15, 2001

MSNBC's "investigation" into the .50 caliber rifle and the militia was enlightening. Having been interviewed for the better part of two or three hours, I found the few brief clips in which I was used to be truly fascinating. If you missed the airings of "The .50 Caliber Militia," you can read the transcript online at http://www.msnbc.com/news/568339.asp. All in all, the show was a hatchet job designed to scare the bejesus out of ignorant people, and I'm sure it worked. However, I'm also pleased in that "our message" was broadcast to millions of Americans. What managed to get through, all of which is true:

The federal government is overbearing, and many people are frustrated with their attacks on our rights.
A growing number of people do not trust the governments in our society and are willing, if necessary, to defend our nation against them, from within.
We take Liberty seriously.
If you don't have a gun to protect your children, your children obviously aren't important enough to you to protect them.
No crimes are committed with .50 caliber rifles, and their going after them is clear proof that citizens' fears of government are justified.
MSNBC is still a liar. Among other whoppers they left on the screen of viewers' minds are the false notion that we outspoken gun owners are all Timothy McVeighs waiting to happen and that we are engaged in a war with the federal government.

There were other messages that got through, as well.

The most newsworthy quotes from the demonizing program came from California federal Representative Henry Waxman. His attack on the .50 caliber gun is now legendary. He wants to regulate these non-crime guns like machine guns even though his best research team -- which he needs desperately -- couldn't find but one single crime committed on American soil with a .50 caliber gun, and that crime is said to have been committed by an estranged police officer.

Waxman's quotes from MSNBC's "show":

"If they are militia people who think they're going to defend America from Americans by having these weapons, and using them for that purpose, I don't think they ought to have them."

The key phrase from that statement is "I don't think." We noticed, Henry. Appreciate the honesty.

"If someone is so fearful that, that they're going to start using their weapons to protect their rights, makes me very nervous that these people have these weapons at all!"

Congressman Waxman "doesn't think" we should be willing protect our rights with guns -- the very reason for Article IV of the original Bill of Rights, later ratified and now described as "the second amendment." The sad fact is, there are many sheeple who agree with him, however ignorant and naive he may be. But what these lemmings don't understand is that the gun clause in the Bill of Rights was required in order to get the Bill of Rights ratified -- because it was considered that important. More importantly, they don't understand that there are at least hundreds of thousands and probably millions of citizens who take the gun clause very seriously, indeed. Waxman and other anti-rights public servants like him should be afraid -- very afraid -- of an armed citizenry. Their fear, and caution due to that fear, are the whole point of an armed citizenry.

"When the government fears the People, that is Liberty. When the People fear the Government, that is tyranny." -- THOMAS JEFFERSON

We should count our blessings that dim bulbs like Waxman are "nervous" of the people's arms. What is most amusing, however, is the fact that the MSNBC media whores called the .50 caliber rifle "one of the most dangerous weapons in the world." Meanwhile, the standing army of the federal government owns howitzers, Apache helicopters, nuclear weapons capable of destroying the entire planet, and as many fully automatic .50 caliber rifles as they please, all bought and paid for by you and me. The federal government owns tanks and machine guns like those used against citizens in Waco over an alleged minor tax violation.

Mr. Waxman wishes to strip us of a gun that could never hope to balance the military capabilities between the people and the government. The only questions that should be on MSNBC viewers' minds should be WHY? And for what true purpose? If they want to take away a gun that has never been used in a crime by a citizen, what is the true reason? What do they have in store for us that would make citizens want to attack them with a .50 caliber gun?

Mr. Waxman doesn't want citizens to be able to defend themselves against tyranny. In my opinion and the opinion of many patriotic Americans, that makes him a public enemy and a traitor. The law has a prescription for dealing with traitors.

The anti-rights politicians are encouraged to tread lightly, to step back from their socialist agenda and reconsider carefully their positions -- to proceed with caution. At stake is America's freedom, and all of our lives.

Anyone who believes banning guns is an option is welcome to swing by and get mine. And that includes that sniveling little fool masquerading as a public servant, "Congressman" Henry Waxman.

Barrett Under Attack!!

Fresh on the heels of the California assault rifle law successfully prohibiting the sale of our M82A1 semi-automatic rifle, several U.S. Senators led by the notorious Dianne Feinstein are now beating the war drums on the latest perceived "threat" to national security--.50 caliber rifles. Both MSNBC and Dateline NBC are preparing "documentaries" on the .50 caliber rifles, highlighting their power and availability.

Why these events are taking place is easy to understand. Following their success stories in banning or severely restricting what they have now dubbed "Saturday Night Specials" and "Assault Rifles," these left-wing politicians and media are now attempting to create a "Powerful Weapons" category. Following their familiar pattern, these legislators and media first categorize a type of gun as being particularly dangerous and unnecessary for civilians to possess. They proceed to demonize this "category" so that restrictive legislation can be passed against it. When they succeed, they never look back at the damage they have done to an industry or innocent lives, they just move on looking for another category to restrict. Besides .50 caliber it is possible that other calibers may be affected by the proposed legislation.

Although their claims as to the power of .50 caliber rifles are amusing, their intent is not. Here is some of what they say about our rifles:

Capable of shooting through a steel manhole cover that is 3 � inches thick. (If a manhole cover existed this thick, it would weigh 475 pounds. Has anyone ever seen one of these? Who would lift it?)
Accurate at ranges of 4-miles. (Are they talking about 1. A Cruise missile, 2. A rifle, or 3. Our patented "BS" indicator? ) (Answer: 1 and 3 are accurate at ranges 4 miles and beyond.)
Readily available to "children" 18 years old. (You 18-year olds are old enough to die for your country but those of you diligent enough to save $7,300 for a rifle cannot be trusted enough to own a Barrett.)
While Barrett rifles may be out of the price range of some children, the General Accounting Office found them available on the Internet for $30.00 and reported this to Congress as factual. (If this all weren�t so serious, it would be really funny!!)

Real facts and what you can do:

Rifles in the "powerful" category have been around for 100 years. In that time, the number of civilian fatalities or use in a crime has been zero or a number very close to zero (we are unable to find records of any .50 caliber rifles actually used in crime.)

We�d very much appreciate it if you contacted your senators and congressmen to advise them you are against this continued assault against the gun industry. More emphasis prosecuting criminals and less making criminals out of honest, hard-working people would make our country better and safer for everyone.

Please find the address of your legislator at www.congress.org and voice your opinion.

Senator Feinstein Re-Introduces Measure to Curb Sales of Powerful .50 Caliber Sniper Rifles

Source: Kalifornia Senator Diane Feinstein

(FLI Newswires) Washington, D.C. - March 9, 2001 - U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Kalif.) on Friday introduced legislation to curb the sale of the powerful .50 caliber military sniper rifles in order to make it more difficult for terrorists, doomsday cults and criminals to obtain these deadly weapons.

The .50 caliber rifles, which were used by the U.S. military in the Gulf War to take out Iraq's armored vehicles, can be purchased at thousands of American gun stores, with fewer restrictions than handguns. One of the U.S. military's highest powered sniper rifles, the .50 caliber rifle can tear through a manhole cover, blow holes in a 600 pound safe, pierce an armored car, and take down a helicopter. It is deadly accurate at up to 2,000 yards, or more than a mile away and effective at more than 4 miles.

"Even at one-and-a-half miles, the .50 caliber rifle crashes into a target with more energy than 'Dirty Harry's' famous .44 magnum at point blank range," Senator Feinstein said. "Today, anyone can get a hold of one of these powerful weapons that has fewer restrictions than handguns."

Current law classifies .50-caliber guns as "long guns," subject to the least government regulation for any firearm. Sawed-off shotguns, machine guns, and even handguns are more highly regulated than this military sniper rifle. In fact, many states allow possession of .50 caliber guns by those as young as 14 years old, and there is no regulation on second-hand sales.

"Clearly, placing a few more restrictions on who can get these guns and how easily they are obtained is simply common sense," Senator Feinstein said. "If we are to continue to allow private citizens to own and use guns of this caliber, range, and destructive power, we should at the very least take greater care in making sure that these guns do not fall into the wrong hands."

The legislation, cosponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), would re-classify guns under the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA), which imposes far stricter standards on powerful and destructive weapons. For instance:

Guns classified under the National Firearms Act may only be purchased from a licensed dealer, and not second hand. This will prevent the sale of these guns at gun shows and in other venues that make it difficult for law enforcement to track the weapons.

Purchases of NFA guns must fill out license transfer applications and provide fingerprints to be processed by the FBI in detailed criminal background checks. By reclassifying the .50-caliber rifle, Congress will be making the determination that sellers should be more careful about to whom they give these powerful, military weapons.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) reports that this background check process takes about 60 days, so prospective gun buyers will face some delay. However, legitimate purchasers of this $7,000 gun can certainly wait that long.

Senator Feinstein originally introduced the legislation in late 1999 with former Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey).

"According to the General Accounting Office (GAO), many of these guns wind up in the hands of domestic and international terrorists, drug traffickers, and criminals," Senator Feinstein said. "One dealer even told GAO investigators that it's only a matter of time before someone fires a round on a range that travels so far it hits a bus full of children."

"Recent advances in weapons technology allow this gun to be used by civilians against armored limousines, bunkers, individuals, and even aircraft - in fact, one advertisement for the gun apparently promoted the
weapon as able to "wreck several million dollars worth of jet aircraft with one or two dollars worth of cartridge."

One doomsday cult headquartered in Montana purchased 10 of these guns and stockpiled them in an underground bunker, along with thousands of rounds of ammunition and other guns. At least one .50-caliber gun was recovered by Mexican authorities after a shoot-out with an international drug cartel in
that country. The weapon was originally purchased in Wyoming. According to recent news accounts,another .50-caliber sniper rifle, smuggled out of the United States, was used by the Irish Republican Army to kill a large number of British soldiers.

Military Sniper Weapon Regulation Act of 2001

(Introduced in the Senate)

S 505 IS

107th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 505

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to regulate certain 50 caliber sniper weapons in the same manner as

machine guns and other firearms and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 9, 2001

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. SCHUMER, and Mr. KENNEDY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A Bill

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to regulate certain 50 caliber sniper weapons in the same manner as machine guns and other firearms and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Military Sniper Weapon Regulation Act of 2001'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--

(1) certain firearms originally designed and built for use as long-range 50 caliber military sniper weapons are increasingly sold in the domestic civilian market;

(2) the intended use of these long-range firearms, and an increasing number of models derived directly from them, is the taking of human life and the destruction of materiel, including armored vehicles and such components of the national critical infrastructure as radars and microwave transmission devices;

(3) these firearms are neither designed nor used in any significant number for legitimate sporting or hunting purposes and are clearly distinguishable from rifles intended for sporting and hunting use;

(4) extraordinarily destructive ammunition for these weapons, including armor-piercing and armor-piercing incendiary ammunition, is freely sold in interstate commerce; and

(5) the virtually unrestricted availability of these firearms and ammunition, given the uses intended in their design and manufacture, present a serious and substantial threat to the national security.

SEC. 3. COVERAGE OF 50 CALIBER SNIPER WEAPONS UNDER NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT.

(

a) IN GENERAL- Section 5845(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (defining firearm) is amended by striking `(6) a machine gun; (7) any silencer (as defined in section 921 of title 18, United States Code); and (8) a destructive device.' and inserting `(6) a 50 caliber sniper weapon; (7) a machine gun; (8) any silencer (as defined in section 921 of title 18, United States Code); and (9) a destructive device.'

(b) 50 CALIBER SNIPER WEAPON-

(1) IN GENERAL- Section 5845 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating subsections (d) through (m) as subsections (e) through (n), respectively, and by inserting after subsection (c) the following new subsection:

`(d) 50 CALIBER SNIPER WEAPON- The term `50 caliber sniper weapon' means a rifle capable of firing a center-fire cartridge in 50 caliber, .50 BMG caliber, any other variant of 50 caliber, or any metric equivalent of such calibers.'

(2) MODIFICATION TO DEFINITION OF RIFLE- Subsection (c) of section 5845 of such Code is amended by inserting `or from a bipod or other support' after `shoulder'.

(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 5811(a) of such Code is amended by striking `section 5845(e)' and inserting `section 5845(f)'.

(c) EFFECTIVE DATE- The amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.

Gun makers win ruling in liability suit

Items compiled from Tribune news services
April 27, 2001

ALBANY, NEW YORK -- Handgun manufacturers cannot be held liable for shooting deaths and injuries suffered by seven people because of the supposedly negligent way the weapons were marketed and distributed, the state's highest court has ruled. The 7-0 decision by the Court of Appeals probably dooms what lawyers said was the first verdict to go against gun makers sued over their marketing practices by a shooting victim. The court decided Thursday that the chain linking gun makers with the seven victims is too tenuous to hold the manufacturers responsible. The ruling doesn't bode well for verdicts won in federal court in New York City against handgun manufacturers for failing to use reasonable care in the distribution of their guns. The claims were brought by seven victims of gun violence or their survivors.

Wisconsin repeals gun control

On November 16, 1995, Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson signed a law repealing local gun control ordinances across the state, and allowing firearms to be carried openly in public. The law repeals all but two local gun control regulations. Localities with waiting periods for handgun purchases can keep that regulation until November 30, 1998.

State Attorney General and chief wanker Jim Doyle immediately called a press conference denouncing citizens' inherent and inalienable right of self-defense "extremely dangerous." Thompson responded, "You don't see people roaming the streets, openly waving their guns and creating mayhem ... You don't need to legislate common sense. You can trust people." The few Wisconsin localities with laws prohibiting open carry have never convicted anyone of doing so, he said.

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Scripps Howard article "Wisconsin governor OKs pro-gun measure," reprinted in the NandO Times.