To spare you reading the government gobbledy-gook, I'll summarize. Under the auspices of our "pro-second amendment" president, and with the urging of AG Gonzales, the BATF, by fiat, has reinterrpreted the Gun Control Act of 1968 to make importation of gun barrels illegal as of September 10, 2005. This primarily affects military type weapons deemed "not having a sporting purpose."
Who cares? We should all care. This is a perfect illustration of the insidious errosion of our Constitutional rights. Without justification, previously legal gun parts will be illegal overnight, futher restricting supplies of firearms to law-abiding citizens. A stealth ban is a ban, nonetheless.
Back door ban...
Sounds like that needs a legal challenge..
What is the effect if someone wants to import a MAK-90 barrel to replace a worn-out barrel on a pre-1990 semi-auto AK?
Guns for the peons are banned in Mexico. Only the government has them legally, and of course the narcotrafficantes have entire arsenals illegally. In other words, only the Patrons, the Caudillos, have armed power.
Sr. Gonzales aspires to be one of the Patrons, and do it here in the United States, once the land of the free and equal.
The idea being to make this country just like the country where his roots and his loyalties lie.
Is it lawful for the BATF to issue an edict like this without new Congressional action? Sounds highly suspect to me.
I don't know what we'd do without the republican majority and 'you know who' to protect us from stuff like this.
Some of those folks in Washington who claim to support the Second Amendment need to take AG Gonzales aside and let him know that he and his boys at the BATFE stepped in it.
President Bush, it's time go go attorney general shopping!
Don't recall the second amendment having that clause attached to it.
He has been elected, why not slip one by the rubes.
Net affect will be neglient.
Not that it makes it OK by any means, just more government gobbledeegook.
I was shocked that this did not get posted earlier, to the point I decided it must have been pulled as being too critical of AG Gonzales!
Bubba Klinton at least pressed his anti-gun rights agenda out in the open, this attack, and the recent ITAR Fee increase, were both done without any consent of, or even fair notice to, our reps in congress.
This "reinterpretation" has NOT gone into effect yet, (60 days after the notice) there is still time to demand that congress BLOCK it's implementation, and demand that the AG return to the traditional interpretation of the past several years.
I strongly suspect that this change was "coincidentally" timed to take effect while congress is still in recess, or immediately after they return, in order to prevent congress having any chance to prevent this feculent change.
There is another way to stop this, DEMAND that congress pass H.R. 1703, a bill which would delete the entire "Sporting Purposes" charade from federal law. No "S.P." requirement means no distinction can be made.
H.R. 1703 would set the sedition minded gun banners agenda back by decades!
Please ask your reps to become cosponsors of H.R. 1703, it really is THE bill we need to truly cripple the "Gun Control" crowd.
While you are at it, I would ask that you also voice support for H.R. 2088 (VHFA Bill) and H.R. 1603 (Fairness In Firearms Testing).
ALL of these bills attempt to do great things for our RKBA!
More details available at thomas.org or http://www.nfaoa.org
They tell me the Republicans are in Washington City but I do not believe . . .
They have ALWAYS been illegal unless they were being imported as a replacement barrel only. Far too many people have been ignoring this and building NEW weapons of out so called "parts kits". They were open and obvious about it -- not discrete at all. If people had more discretion the BATFE would have continued to look the other way.
Why aren't our elected representatives watching these bureaucrats? Why doesn't one of our elected representatives stand up and say "Hold it right there Batfag. You can't do this".
I guess I better not hold my breath.
UPDATE!
New ATFE "Open Letter" extends import deadline.
H.R. 1703 still needs to be passed in order to keep this new AG inspired ban from taking effect!