Activists urge state to outlaw .50-caliber riflesA gun-control group endorsed pending legislation. A maker said a ban would not thwart terrorists.By Adam Fifield
Citing New Jersey's abundance of chemical plants, refineries, and other potential terrorist targets, a gun-control group yesterday called on legislators to outlaw the sale of a powerful .50-caliber rifle.
"We believe this gun is absolutely inappropriate in civilian society," Bryan Miller, executive director of Cease Fire New Jersey, said at a news conference at the Clarion Hotel in Cherry Hill. "It is a weapon of war."
Miller warned that the long-range guns could be used to pierce armor, puncture tanks containing hazardous chemicals, or bring down airplanes.
State Sen. John H. Adler (D., Camden) has introduced a bill that would outlaw the sale of most firearms .50-caliber or greater in the Garden State. The bill would exempt antique rifles and muzzle-loaded guns.
"There is no reason the police and civilians should be subject to possible attack by rifles with armor-piercing bullets or handguns with armor-piercing bullets," Adler said.
He said New Jersey's critical infrastructure made the bill particularly important.
"If you're on the turnpike or the parkway, you can see lots of installments and the Newark airport that are very much at risk," Adler said. "So at least New Jersey should set a lead for the rest of the Northeast and the rest of the country to ban these weapons and protect us from domestic and foreign terrorists."
Ronnie Barrett, owner of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing in Murfreesboro, Tenn., which makes a .50-caliber rifle, said proposals like Adler's would do nothing to stop terrorists and would only deprive law-abiding citizens of firearms.
"It's a lot of smoke screens," Barrett said. "It is about the disarming of the public."
Barrett said other rifles could do as much damage as a .50-caliber weapon and warned that if the rifles were outlawed, other guns could be targeted. "What would you be satisfied with next?" he asked.
In September, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a law banning the sale of .50-caliber rifles in California.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jersey/11730928.htm*FW Note:We MUST stop these rogue civilians from possessing these weapons. How can we make them obey us if they say no and have the ability to back it up?
:eek:
