Posted on 05/28/2005 6:22:28 PM PDT by Flavius
A .50-caliber rifle can shoot down an airplane while it's taking off or landing, bust a hole in half-inch steel and set an oil refinery on fire, according to Andy Pelosi, executive director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence.
And an 18-year-old can buy one in New York state.
"There's no place in civilian society for this gun. This gun is a weapon of war," Pelosi said. Advertisement
Pelosi was in Syracuse Thursday as part of a statewide push to ban the .50-caliber rifle, which uses a bullet that's six inches long and can hit a target from more than a mile away, Pelosi said.
The Assembly passed legislation Tuesday that would ban the gun. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate, but it is still in committee. California has banned the .50-caliber from civilian use.
Other states should follow California's example, said Bryan Miller of the Freedom States Alliance, a national coalition of state gun-violence groups.
"Society has a duty and a responsibility to decide what is acceptable and what is not," he said, standing behind one of the guns, which are more than 4 feet long.
The National Rifle Association and Ronnie Barrett, the gun's inventor, said those who want the ban are just pushing to take all guns away from civilians.
"This has nothing to do with terrorists. It has nothing to do with crime," he said. "It's about disarming the American public."
Barrett, president of Barrett Firearms, said the .50-caliber rifle is no more dangerous than any other rifle. And the claim that the .50-caliber can fire farther is true, but even the best marksmen would have trouble hitting a target from more than a mile away, he said.
But Pelosi offered a brochure Barrett's company used in the past to market the .50-caliber to the military. It boasts that the gun can hit a jet airplane or a helicopter in just the right spot, "making it capable of destroying multi-million dollar aircraft with a single hit delivered to a vital area."
The brochure goes on to boast that the gun's cost-effectiveness cannot be overemphasized because all it takes is one round of ammunition to bring a plane down.
Barrett did not dispute the claims, but said his company no longer uses that brochure. It's tacked on the wall of the company bathroom with other memorabilia, he said. From Our Advertiser
He said he didn't invent the gun for military use or for hunting.
"I designed it for me to shoot and play with," Barrett said. "I'm a shootist."
Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington, D-Medford, sponsored the bill that passed the Assembly this week. She said Barrett's comments are proof that there is no need for civilians to have the gun, which retails for around $7,000.
"I'm quite delighted it did pass, because this is not a hunting rifle and it should never be used for a hunting rifle. It is such a dangerous weapon," Eddington said. "You don't need a weapon like this."
She said the legislation, if approved by the Senate and governor, is a preventative step that would make New York safer.
"Why wait for a tragedy to happen?" she said. "Let's do something to prevent a tragedy from occurring. No one needs to have a .50-caliber weapon."
To read the Assembly bill, go to http:// assembly.state.ny.us/leg/ and type in A4471. To read the Senate version, go to http:// www.senate.state.ny.us/ senatehomepage.nsf/home?openform and click on "bills and laws," then type in S2590, then on the next screen click on "text."
Must be a LONG action.
The only problem with that is there isn't an abundance of elephants in NY state.
No, but the population of politians seems to grow out of
control.
Hint, sterilizing them won't work.
First of all, the Second Amendment isn't need-based. Typical that a lefty would try and cast our rights in that fashion -- as though they were an 'entitlement'.
Second of all, the more I hear from people like this Peolis, the more convinced I am that the American citizens DO need these weapons.
Pelousi said this is a weapon of war and therefore had 'no'
place in civilian society?
Since the 2nd amendment is about owning military weapons...
'militia' weapons..Pelousi just confessed this is 'precisely'
the kind of weapon our society does need...
imo
I think the exit wound would be the whole other side of the animal!
Don't get me wrong, I want a Desert Eagle more than just about anything. I want to crack the engine block of the next 18 wheeler that pisses me off!
Was that a TC Hawken Kit ?!?!??! It has the older long tang that will accept a "tang peep" ?!?!?!??!?
I had one of those stolen from a truck long ago and have looked for a replacement of that "long tang" version ever since.
I have an older jager flintlock that is a favorite for now. I bought the TC Encore Muzzle Loader that uses the 209 Primers. Really good rig but I'd like a 54 caliber for Elk. Brown doesn't make a 54 caliber TC barrel for that does he ??
As to this law the NRA membership and leadership reminds me of what the good "Rev Martin Niemoeller" said.......
http://www.geocities.com/~freewillie/SPEAK-PROTEST.html
OH WELL guess I just have to settle for a 300 Weatherby Mag. Damn!!!
Why all the focus on guns? Who needs them! I sure don't! Nope, I don't have any at all. So, if anyone asks I just have gun safes. They are all empty. Really!
Pelosi's ancestors probably tried to ban the 45-70.
The original weapon of mass destruction! How did mankind ever survive?
Yep! Bought it from JC Penny by mail order while we were in Germany about 1975 or 76. I assembled it at Ft Hood, darned near ruined the marriage when I heated the barrel over the kitchen stove to brown it. If memory is correct it did cost me a dinner out, as the house was pretty rank that evening.
I rust blued mine the old fashioned way........buried it for a while .
Mom was hotter than the stove eh......true love will survive , ya'll are proof. Happy 33 ya'll !
Stay safe ....
Ever see an old long tang TC Hawken in .54 caliber . Give me a shout if ya will.
If you can.
...or from leather ones -- even with instructions written on the heel...
No, but we do have an overabundance of RINOs.
"...or from leather ones -- even with instructions written on the heel..."
Have not heard it put so politely.
Yeah, here too. Good one.
(sniff)
***cough***
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