Rockrivr1
Member
I received a copy of my monthly GOAL (Gun Owners Action League) newspaper last night and right on the front page there is an alert to all gun owners. The alert basically says that the Massachusetts legislature has received a bill to ban 50 caliber firearms in the state. Here is the story:
On Tuesday, March 15, 2005 a press conference was held by a small group of anti-civil rights officials announcing new legislation that would ban two types of firearms. The intent of the event was to mislead the public about two firearms, the Fabrique Nationale’s Five-seveN and the .50 caliber BMG rifles. The legislation filed following the press event was titled: “An Act Prohibiting the Sale , Transfer or Possession of “Cop Killer†Handguns and High-Powered Rifles†(No bill number available at time of publication.)
The bill language provided to GOAL would do the following:
Exempt .50 BMG cartridges from the definition of “Ammunition†in Chapter 140, Section 121.
List the Herstal Five-Seven pistol as an “Assault Weapon†in Chapter 140, Section 121.
Create the definition for “.50 BMG rifle†in Chapter 140, Section 121 as: “a center fire rifle capable of firing a .50 BMG cartridge that is not an assault weapon or a machine gunâ€.
Create the definition for “.50 BMG cartridge†in Chapter 140, Section 121 as: “a cartridge designed and intended to be fired from a center fire rifle and meets the following criteria: (i)it measures 5.54 inches from the base to the tip of the bullet; (ii) the bullet diameter for the cartridge measures from .510 to, and including, .511 inch; (iii) the case diameter for the cartridge measures from .800 inch to, and including, .804 inch; and (iv) the cartridge case length is 3.91 inches.â€
Would make illegal the sale, transfer or possession of a .50 BMG rifle or .50 BMG cartridge. Penalties for which would range from one year in prison and a $1,000 fine to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Notes about the legislation:
The Herstal Five-seveN is already illegal for sale or possession in Massachusetts under Chapter 140, Section 131M Chapter 140: Section 131M Assault weapon or large capacity feeding device not lawfully possessed on September 13, 1994. This section of applies because the Herstal is only sold with new twenty round magazines.
The ammunition that is available for the Herstal in the United States has been determined NOT to be armor piercing by the BATFE. This agency’s report on the pistol can be found on the web at: http://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearmstech/fabriquen.htm
The same report certifies the pistol as “approved for importation as a sporting firearm.â€
The language provided to GOAL at the time this article was printed states that the bill would ban the POSSESSION of .50 caliber BMG rifles and .50 caliber BMG ammunition, regardless of when it was purchased. This means that if the bill were to pass as drafted, all .50 caliber BMG rifles and ammunition would be confiscated by the state!
It would seem that my Serbu BFG 50 may need a new home if this crap passes. Seeing this state, it will probably go through without to much resistance. :banghead:
Edited to add: The more I think about this the more I get PISSED OFF. DAMN!!!!
On Tuesday, March 15, 2005 a press conference was held by a small group of anti-civil rights officials announcing new legislation that would ban two types of firearms. The intent of the event was to mislead the public about two firearms, the Fabrique Nationale’s Five-seveN and the .50 caliber BMG rifles. The legislation filed following the press event was titled: “An Act Prohibiting the Sale , Transfer or Possession of “Cop Killer†Handguns and High-Powered Rifles†(No bill number available at time of publication.)
The bill language provided to GOAL would do the following:
Exempt .50 BMG cartridges from the definition of “Ammunition†in Chapter 140, Section 121.
List the Herstal Five-Seven pistol as an “Assault Weapon†in Chapter 140, Section 121.
Create the definition for “.50 BMG rifle†in Chapter 140, Section 121 as: “a center fire rifle capable of firing a .50 BMG cartridge that is not an assault weapon or a machine gunâ€.
Create the definition for “.50 BMG cartridge†in Chapter 140, Section 121 as: “a cartridge designed and intended to be fired from a center fire rifle and meets the following criteria: (i)it measures 5.54 inches from the base to the tip of the bullet; (ii) the bullet diameter for the cartridge measures from .510 to, and including, .511 inch; (iii) the case diameter for the cartridge measures from .800 inch to, and including, .804 inch; and (iv) the cartridge case length is 3.91 inches.â€
Would make illegal the sale, transfer or possession of a .50 BMG rifle or .50 BMG cartridge. Penalties for which would range from one year in prison and a $1,000 fine to 15 years in prison and a $15,000 fine.
Notes about the legislation:
The Herstal Five-seveN is already illegal for sale or possession in Massachusetts under Chapter 140, Section 131M Chapter 140: Section 131M Assault weapon or large capacity feeding device not lawfully possessed on September 13, 1994. This section of applies because the Herstal is only sold with new twenty round magazines.
The ammunition that is available for the Herstal in the United States has been determined NOT to be armor piercing by the BATFE. This agency’s report on the pistol can be found on the web at: http://www.atf.gov/firearms/firearmstech/fabriquen.htm
The same report certifies the pistol as “approved for importation as a sporting firearm.â€
The language provided to GOAL at the time this article was printed states that the bill would ban the POSSESSION of .50 caliber BMG rifles and .50 caliber BMG ammunition, regardless of when it was purchased. This means that if the bill were to pass as drafted, all .50 caliber BMG rifles and ammunition would be confiscated by the state!
It would seem that my Serbu BFG 50 may need a new home if this crap passes. Seeing this state, it will probably go through without to much resistance. :banghead:
Edited to add: The more I think about this the more I get PISSED OFF. DAMN!!!!
