NRA is reporting some interested progress in the Defense Appropriations Rider:
Section 8019 of the bill reads: “None of the funds available to the Department of Defense may be used to demilitarize or dispose of M-1 Carbines, M-1 Garand rifles, M-14 rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .30 caliber rifles, or M-1911 pistols, or to demilitarize or destroy small arms ammunition or ammunition components that are not otherwise prohibited from commercial sale under Federal law, unless the small arms ammunition or ammunition components are certified by the Secretary of the Army or designee as unserviceable or unsafe for further use.”
NRA-ILA would like to thank U.S. Representative John Murtha (D-PA) for his help in getting the rider restored and expanded.
Murtha might be a bastard on other issues, and a King of Pork, but he’s always been good on the Second Amendment. It’s interesting that it preserves M14s too, since those are select-fire rifles, and are not transferrable to civilians, but I’m wondering if NRA is thinking they can get them released to CMP for conversion into semi-automatic M1A rifles. This would violate ATF’s current “once a machine gun always a machine gun” policy, but that can be dealt with via congressional action.
I’m also wondering if this would allow surplus of military ammunition to civilian shooters. But to be honest, even just releasing military surplus to police agencies would be a big benefit to civilian shooters, since it would help satisfy at least some of the overall demand for military calibers.
That’s WONDERFUL news!
Clinton sent a lot of M-14s to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, and one day they may come back home.
Great news. I guess the senate vote was 63-33.
Dec 18th Cloture on the motion to concur in House amendment to Senate amendment to H.R. 3326 invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 63 – 33. Record Vote Number: 381.
Murtha is a prime example of what I keep stressing. If your a gunnie, you have to support your allies, especially the good ones like Murtha.
Your right, he may be the king of pork, and an asshole – but really all politicians are.
If you care about guns, he is as strong an advocate as your gonna find.
Sure, CATO can get upset with him, but like Harry Reid – its vitally important that we have Democrat leaders who understand the 2nd Amendment. We may scream and yell about Health Care – but on the gun issue its not worth losing Reid or Murtha over. It was going to happen one way or another. If Reid wasn’t there, Collins or Snow would vote for it – or Lindsey Graham or someone else. It wouldn’t have mattered. But as you pointed out, without Reid then Dick Durbin is Majority Leader and none of the progress we’ve made on guns would have happened as easily – and we certainly wouldn’t have achieved so much (and ask yourself – why is it we make much bigger strides when Democrats control things than when Republican’s control things – I pressed Bush and his top aides for years on National Park Carry and they were consistent from early on in the 1st Administration that it was an end of 2nd term issue. Not one they would go on a limb for).
Personally, I’d love to see some “Sanitized” M14’s enter the Civilian market. Honestly if the ATF wants to be a bitch about it just cut the receivers in half and sell me the parts kits for 50 dollars. I’ll take care of the rest…
Rex:
As long as we are making a wish list, I’d love to see some standard M14s enter the civilian market.