San Diego Rifle and Revolver Association Opposes Handgun Ban on California Assembly Floor
SAN DIEGO, April 28 -- The following statement was released today by the San Diego Rifle and Revolver Association:
Assemblyman Paul Koretz, the West Hollywood Democrat who successfully pushed an unconstitutional ban on civilian owned single-shot, bolt-action .50 caliber rifles last year, has introduced AB 352, a measure that amounts to a de-facto ban on semiautomatic handguns. The bill slid through the liberal dominated public safety and appropriations committees, and is presently on the floor of the Assembly.
Mr. Koretz maintains that new microstamping technology enables gun
manufacturers to etch microscopic characters that identify the make, model and serial number of the pistol on the internal working parts of the gun, and which can be transferred by imprinting on each cartridge case fired. He claims that this will aid police in determining the perpetrator of a gun crime from expended casings found at the scene. This sounds almost plausible until you consider the vast majority of guns used by criminals are stolen, and the huge number of semiautomatic pistols purchased before the proposed law's January 1, 2007 effective date. One wonders how many firings the microscopic characters would survive before being eroded. This bill is an exercise in futility as an effective crime-fighting tool.
But AB 352's true intent is not really public safety. By expanding the
definition of an unsafe handgun to include any semiautomatic pistol not
designed and equipped with this microscopic array of identity markings, this bill as worded effectively becomes a ban on new handguns. This wonder technology is unproven, and even if it were possible to execute, the manufacturing costs would be prohibitive, thus driving manufacturers out of the California market.
What will happen to law enforcement guns? Ronnie Barrett, Owner and CEO of Barrett Firearms, the primary manufacturer of .50 caliber rifles for
civilian, military and police use, watched legislative hearings where Los
Angeles Police Department officers promoted the deceptive propaganda that .50 caliber rifles were extraordinarily susceptible to terrorist use. After the ban became law, Mr. Barrett stated that his company "cannot legally sell any of its products to lawbreakers. Therefore, since California's passing of AB 50, the state is not in compliance with the U.S. Constitution's 2nd and 14th Amendments, and we will not sell nor service any of our products to any government agency of the state of California."
The San Diego Rifle and Revolver Association urges all freedom loving
citizens to call their state legislators and the governor -- NOW.
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