www.gunowners.org
Jun 1999
Brief Talking Points in opposition to certain gun control amendments
being offered to H.R. 2122
(June 17, 1999)
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
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Mandatory "safety locks" on all guns sold. This provision will
simply lead to the requirement that parents lock up their guns. But
locking up one's safety means that a gun will not be immediately usable
in an emergency and will actually cost lives. The Wall Street Journal
(4/23/99) noted how when Beretta tested a "Saf T Lok," it caused 18 of
27 rounds to "totally malfunction." And when Handgun Control's chief
attorney attempted to demonstrate the same trigger lock at an
HCI-sponsored event, he found, to his embarrassment, that he was unable
to disengage the lock.
- Banning imports of self-defense ammunition clips that
hold more than 10 rounds. These clips gave the Korean merchants in
Los Angeles the ability to fend off rioters in 1992 when the police were
retreating from the riot-torn areas of the city. Make no mistake about the
agenda here. A shotgun can pump more lead in less than five seconds, than a
semi-automatic (with large magazine clip) can put out in a minute. If the
anti-gunners succeed in banning these imports, expect that shotguns will be
next on the list.
- Raising the legal age to 21 for buying a handgun from
a private individual.
This provision will overturn more than 200 years of American
jurisprudence and will create an interesting paradox. A 20-year old
soldier coming home from the army would go to jail if he purchases from
his father the exact type of handgun that he's been trained to use in
the service.
- Banning juvenile possession of certain semiautomatic
rifles. Like the provision before it, this amendment will do nothing
to stop juvenile thugs from using guns. Rather, it will punish law-abiding
kids that go target shooting with their parents, or in some cases, will
punish those brave teenagers that have used their family semi-auto to
kill attackers in the home. Laws should punish violent acts, not just the
mere possession of an object that is protected by the 2nd Amendment.
Please vote "NO" on final passage of H.R. 2122. GOA will rate this vote.