MARCH 2005

Hunters, gun dealers want no part of gun control plans
March 30, 2005
Illinois hunters and gun dealers are trying to shoot down a flurry of gun-control proposals they say rose from fear in the streets of Chicago, far from the downstate prairies and woods where guns are appreciated for sport. [More.]

Illinois legislators seek ban on weapons, ammunition
March 27, 2005
A recently proposed Illinois bill would forbid companies such as Armalite from manufacturing the .50-caliber rifle or .50-caliber ammunition for civilians in Illinois, but they could continue to manufacture for law-enforcement, military and other exempt groups. [More.]

60 Minutes, Terrorists, and Guns:
By John R. Lott, Jr.
March 25, 2005
Ironically within a week of Dan Rather retiring from the CBS Evening News because of the fiasco over the 60 Minutes Memogate scandal, this weekend 60 Minutes was at it again, this time stirring up fears about how terrorists would use 50-caliber rifles to attack Americans. [More.]

Massachusetts to Ban .50 Cals:
March 16, 2005
50-caliber rifles would be included in the Massachusetts firearm ban under legislation filed by state Senator Jarrett T. Barrios, cochairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. Barrios and proponents spin the stellar safety history of the firearm with terrorist propeganda in an attempt to pass the ban. [More.]

Gun Control Does More Harm Massachusetts:
March 15, 2005
Refutting the logic behind Massachusetts latest gun control bill to ban .50 caliber rifles, a recent study clearly shows that from 1994 to 1997, before the passage of Chapter 180, “assault related firearm injuries” decreased 57%. From 1997 to 2003, “assault related” firearm injuries have increased 49%. During that same time, “unknown intent related” firearm injuries have increased 48%. [More.]

Editorial Backfires on Writer:
March 15, 2005
Firearm owners and activists get under the skin of reporter after article supporting fifty caliber bans backfires on the writer who was stunned by the responses. [More.]

Jose Barba of Kelseyville, California Terminates Schwarzenegger Over .50 BMG Ban:
March 10, 2005
Jose Barba (Kelseyville, CA) expresses concern over the lack of common sense in the California Government, stating "perhaps the government should be more concerned with the guns that have been found in terrorist hideouts and the guns that have been used in criminal actions, rather than a gun that is used by a small number of law- abiding gun owners. The government should pay more attention to what is going on around the world than to set propaganda against something that has done nothing to them, and hurts the law-abiding gun owners." [More.]

Hunting Rifle Ban Introduced as "Sniper Rifle" Ban:
March 9, 2005
The NRA outs Jim Moran (D-Va.) as doing the anti-gun lobbies` bidding on one of their latest gun-ban schemes. On February 8, he introduced H.R. 654, which he calls the ".50 Caliber Sniper Rifle Reduction Act." As with other "gun control" bills, the name doesn`t accurately reflect the bill`s fine print. [More.]

Thomas R. Wiknich, Owner of GUNS4US Clarifies California's AB50 For Ridgecrest Residents:
March 9, 2005
The truth is they weren't really "banned". They were added to the California list of assault weapons. The effective date of the law was January 1, 2005. What this means to the layperson is people that own these guns, if owned prior to December 31st, 2004, can keep the guns. But owners must register them with the California Department of Justice as an assault weapon. The owners of these guns must register them by April 30, 2006. Future purchase of these guns in California will generally be limited to Police Departments, and the Military. [More.]

Shameless Propeganda: Freedom States Alliance Preys on 9/11 Fears:
In an attempt to mislead the public and seize the publicty surrounding a recent Government Accountability Report, Brian Miller of the Freedom States Alliance (an anti-.50BMG webgroup) attempts to connect the report on "terrorist watch list suspects" ability to purchase firearms to .50 BMG rifles. Miller states that "the new GAO report should be a four alarm warning to Congress and Homeland Security officials to take urgent action to address the grave threat of terrorists using a .50 caliber sniper rifle in an attack." Besides shamlessly preying on the fears of 9/11 victims and the general public, the statement is because the GAO report states absolutely nothing about .50 caliber rifles. [More.]

VPC continues to spin reality to fit their distorted agenda:
March 6, 2005
Recently, a civilian concealed carry permit holder in Texas responded to the sound of gunfire, drawing his weapon to stop a gunman bent on killing his family and any others (including police officers) in his way. The permit holder stopped the gunman from finishing the job by returning fire, driving him off in the process, but not before the good Samaritan with a pistol gave up his own life in the process of saving others. The Violence Policy Center, the same group bent on banning the .50 caliber in the US for imagined threats to aircraft, the petroleum industry, railroads, law enforcement, and a host of others, couldn't wait to wade in for some quick publicity. Their response further illustrates just how much trouble they have with reality. Kristen Rand, Legislative Director for VPC, claimed that this incident somehow, magically shows that criminals are undeterred by lawfully armed civilians. The VPC then repeated their long-standing demands for (you guessed it) MORE gun control. [More.]

Proposed Illinois Ban on the Fifty Caliber Mystifies Everyone Except a Handful of Illinois Politicians
March 3, 2005
Word of the pending ban on the Fifty Caliber in Illinois is spreading. Now even people who DON'T live in Illinois are wondering what the heck's going on in the Illinois state house. Details in this piece from North Carolina entitled "Gun Ban Du-Jour." [More.]

Gun Ban Du-Jour
March 1, 2005
On February 28th, Freedom States Alliance launched the website http://www.50caliberterror.com to "inform" the public that terrorists can buy .50 caliber "sniper rifles" in the United States easier than a person can buy a handgun. Never-mind the fact that terrorists do not care about the legalities of their actions. Never-mind the fact that study after study demonstrates that gun control does not reduce crime. Freedom States Alliance website demonstrates what the Fifty Caliber Institute is up against in defending the right to bear arms against gun grabbers who will go to any extent to mislead the public through scare tactics to ban another firearm with an impeccable record for not being used in crimes from law abiding citizens. It is clear that the Freedom States Alliance is intent on taking your freedoms, not protecting them. [More.]

Technology Makes Fuel Storage Tanks Impenetrable to .50 Caliber Rifles
March 1, 2005
NASA has awarded HyperComp Engineering, Inc., a leading high performance composite structures engineering firm, an exclusive license to commercialize a new generation of tougher and safer composite pressure vessels whose applications range from automotive hydrogen fuel storage and improved breathing apparatuses for homeland security to gun-fire survivable fuel storage tanks for military vehicles. This technology has demonstrated the ability of a composite pressure vessel to survive the impact of a 50-caliber bullet round at 4,500 psi. [More.]