Bill To Repeal "Sporting Purposes" Clause

Status
Not open for further replies.
Why can I not find this bill at http://thomas.loc.gov/ ?

Couldn't say why you cannot find it; but I selected "Search bill number" and enter "H.R.1703" and it popped right up.

What is the current status? Any co-sponsors? When is it coming up for a vote, and in what committee?

Current status is no co-sponsors. It has been sent to the House Ways and Means committee and the House Judiciary committee. No vote scheduled as it is still in committee. Both NRA and David Hardy have opined that this bill is DOA and will never leave committee, which is too bad because I think with the proper PR effort you could sell this bill to the American public easily enough.

Most Americans already agree that self-defense is a valid reason to own a firearm. Removing the ridiculous sporting purpose clause in completely in keeping with this belief. You just have to frame the issue properly.
 
Bartholomew Roberts:

You wrote something to the effect of "properly framing" the proposal.

Might a "proper frame" for Rep. Paul's bill be it's asttachment to some MUST PASS legislation, as has been recently done with other legislative proposals? I suspect that such is exactly what needs to be done.
 
You wrote something to the effect of "properly framing" the proposal.

When I wrote that, I mainly had in mind the inevitable anti-gun blathering that would be raised against such a bill. If you frame the bill as it allows military-style semi-autos and full-autos in today's environment, you will lose. If you frame the bill as "sporting purposes" denies Americans the right to use arms for self-defense and changing this law will support ownership of firearms for self-defense, then I think you can win.

Might a "proper frame" for Rep. Paul's bill be it's asttachment to some MUST PASS legislation, as has been recently done with other legislative proposals? I suspect that such is exactly what needs to be done.

In my view, sending it to the Ways and Means committee is a good sign. This means that should those committee members agree, this bill can be attached to "must pass" budget legislation.

In my view, if we really apply effort, this bill could be the make or break test of the Internet. The NRA and other organizations will not help us. Our success from here on out will depend on convincing the people on the above listed committees that their reelection depends on our goodwill. If we fail, it is a setback; but no worse than we have faced before. If we succeed, it is phenomenal and life-changing success in the political sense - a lot to gain and little to lose.
 
My US Rep (Rob Portman) was just appointed US Trade Rep and, so, the seat is empty. I'll do my part to fill it with a pro-2A person (like Tom Brinkman) rather than one of the many RINOs currently running for the nomination.
 
Fly in the ointment

There is one problem with this bill as written....

It would also remove the sporting purposes exception for 12 gauge and 20 gauge shotguns from the GCA of 1968's definition of a destructive device.

All .50+ caliber weapons would become Destructive Devices ( including .50 BMG, a .511 caliber round on that sport/curio exceptions list ), and require NFA registration as D.D.s.

This bill requires modification ... maybe removing the caliber definition of D.D.s, and restricting it to explosive shells.
 
kbarrett wrote:

There is one problem with this bill as written....

"It would also remove the sporting purposes exception for 12 gauge and 20 gauge shotguns from the GCA of 1968's definition of a destructive device.

All .50+ caliber weapons would become Destructive Devices ( including .50 BMG, a .511 caliber round on that sport/curio exceptions list ), and require NFA registration as D.D.s.

This bill requires modification ... maybe removing the caliber definition of D.D.s, and restricting it to explosive shells."

A moment ago, I read through 1703 at thomas.loc.gov again. From this reading, I did not delve through the particular sections mentioned at several places in the text, I did not see the results you mention.

If the results you mention would come from enactment of 1703, as the thing stands, then yes, it does need modification. Absent that condition, it seems that this proposal is something that should have the support of gun owners.

By the way, respecting the repeal of Pl 103-159, that is The Brady Law I believe, Brady, I think, didn't bear on the shotgun calibers you mentioned. Also, from whence comes the impact you m,entiknwed on 50 caliber rifles?

As for GCA'68, it strikes me that that legislation is also a prime candidate for repeal, which I've suggested to my elected things before. Given that blue is not my best color, I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen though.

By the bye, mention of GCA'68 brings to mind some of the reasoning behind criticism of the NRA, which I'm a Life Member of. They have conceded things that should have been fought. Enactment of GCA'68 was most certainly one of those things.
 
banning 12 gauges again?

The problem paragraph is 921 (a) (4) (B)

This is where a Destructive Device is defined, and includes the sporting exemption that allows you to buy a 12 gauge, a 20 gauge, or a .50 ( .511 ) BMG rifle without paying the NFA tax.

If you expand this to delete 921a4B and 921a4C entirely, you still tax and register explosive shells, bombs, and rockets, but you end up deregulating artillery pieces firing solid shot ... which was the situation prior to 1968 ( when that law passed, a bunch of Lahti owners had to decide to either pay the tax, or go underground ).
 
letter sent...although it won't do me any good.
Perhaps writing to the other reps and encourage them to take Ms. Berkeley aside and informing her why she is wrong.
 
Just inquired the NRA-ILA about HR-1703.

Now they are no longer saying 'we will not support it'.

They are no 'looking into it'.
 
Does anyone know who is on the Ways And Means committee? I'd like to know where to find this type of information so that I can write my congresscritter if he's on it (or even if he's not).
 
wandm_index_logo.gif

Members of the 109th Congress
 
Bill Thomas of CA is the chairman of the Ways and Means.

Contact his office and tell them to bring this bill up NOW.

:cuss:

I've done it.
 
I may have mentioned it earlier, if so please forgive the repeat however NOWHERE in the relevant statutes is the term "sporting purposes" defined. Neither is "particularly suitable for", nor "readily adaptable to".

What does this mean, a reader might now ask. What this means is exactly the following. That the most significant decisions are left to the SUBJECTIVE JUDGEMENTS OF UNACCOUNTABLE, FACELESS BUREAUCRATS. Possibly I'm just an old fuddy-duddy who enjoys tilting at windmills, or who finds such activity necessary or worthwhile, but I find such situations extremely worrysome.

If you will, color me nuts, but never say that you lacked warning.
 
It's been on the books since 1968.

If you're just now finding out about it, how sad. :(

The NRA tried to repeal it back in the 1980's but the Dems basically controlled what FOPA repealed and didn't due to the House Leadership's hostility to FOPA from the late 1970's onward.
 
Join the War of Ideas

Join the War of Ideas Join the War of Ideas

The only reason anti-gunners are successful is because for decades they have controlled the Media and Education. Fight Back against decades of brainwashing: go to the following sites and download their free pro-gun educational posters and flyers. Print them out and spread them around your area: leave them at coffee shops, libraries, doctor and dental offices, colleges....stick them inside phone booths, on walls, windows, fences, telephone polls...send them in the mail...leave piles at the local shooting range and gun stores...encourage your favorite pro gun organization to go all out using radio, tv, billboards, to spread the pro-gun, pro-freedom message.

http://webs.lanset.com/koba/thearsenal1.htm
http://www.a-human-right.com/introduction.html

"Whoever controls the flow of ideas Wins"
The anti-gun forces use "Lie and Legislate" to promote their scheme against the American people. The Media Lies, when the polls show voters are sufficiently brainwashed, the politicians then Legislate. "Lie and Legislate".
Break the Cycle! Become a pro-gun information guerilla fighter in your area. A few minutes a week can reach hundreds of people.
 
Does anyone have a good link to representative finder by ZIP code or by some other convenient means? I am not even sure who my rep is since I just moved.
 
sumpnz asked:

What's the latest on this?

-------------

So far as I know, Rep. Paul's bill (H.R. 1703) has ZERO sponsors, which means it will go NOWHERE, absent all manner of hell being raised with Congress critters, in general and members of the two committees in particular (House Judiciary and Ways and Means or Finance).

It simply is not a question of right and wrong, a question of fairness, a question of equity or any number of other high sounding titles. It is a questioin of power and influence, and that is simply the way the thing goes.

Get on to House members and stay on them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top