Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich
came out against a proposal that would
expand the state’s so-called “ballistic
fingerprinting†program to rifles and
other long guns, citing concerns about
the cost and effectiveness of the program.
Returning to an issue from last fall’s
campaign, Ehrlich spokesman Henry
Fawell said the governor has “yet to be
convinced†that the handgun database
actually works.
After consulting with Ehrlich,
according to The Washington Post,
Maryland State Police officials testified
at a General Assembly hearing that
the state should evaluate the system
before spending more money to expand
the program.
In Washington, D.C., CCRKBA
announced its opposition to H.R. 776,
a bill to require ballistics testing of all
firearms manufactured and all firearms
in custody of federal agencies. Shorttitled
the Technological Resource to
Assist Criminal Enforcement (TRACE)
Act, the measure has been referred to
the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Point Blank readers could contact the
Committee Chairman, Rep. F. James
Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, and let
the committee know what you think
about this obvious attempt to infringe
the individual Second Amendment
civil right to keep and bear arms. The
committee phone number is (202) 225-
3951. Fax is (202) 225-7682. Postal
address is 2138 Rayburn House Office
Building, Washington, D.C. 20515.
Also in Washington, D.C., CCRKBA
announced its full support of H.R.
1036, a bill to prohibit civil liability actions
from being brought or continued
against manufacturers, distributors,
dealers, or importers of firearms or
ammunition for damages resulting
from the misuse of their products by
others. Introduced by Rep. Cliff Stearns
of Florida, a CCRKBA Gun Rights Defender
of the Month award winner, the
measure would put an end to efforts to
bankrupt the firearms industry through
filing, funding or promoting dozens of
predatory lawsuits. It, too, has been
referred to the House Committee on
the Judiciary.
The U. S. Supreme Court announced
it would not rule as scheduled
on Chicago’s bid to gain access to
federal data on gun purchases and
weapons crimes. It said a lower court
should reconsider the issue in light of
a recent law that prohibits the government
from spending any money to
release such data. The city is suing
firearm manufacturers for the $433 million
it says gun violence has cost the
city. It wants BATF to release its records
on about 200,000 police investigations
of guns used in crimes. Chicago says
it is entitled to the records under the
Freedom of Information Act. The Bush
Administration says the release of
such information could compromise
criminal investigations and individual
privacy.
Shortly after Smith & Wesson
introduced its 500 Magnum handgun
at a firearms industry-wide trade show
in Florida, anti-gun U.S. Rep. Danny
Davis of Illinois said he would seek a
nationwide ban on the product. Billed
as “the most powerful production
revolver in the world today,†S&W
claims its new 500 Magnum cartridge
produces nearly three times the muzzle
energy of the .44 Magnum round. Rep.
Davis said the .50 caliber five-round
revolver, which weighs 72.5 ounces
and has an overall length of 15 inches,
has no purpose in society except to
cause death and injury to humans.
Cash-strapped California lawmakers,
eager to reduce the multi-billion
dollar deficit racked up under Democrat
Gov. Gray Davis, are proposing
to balance the budget on the backs
of Golden State gun owners. Among
the measures promoted by Democrats
like Paul Koretz of West Hollywood is a
10-cent-per-cartridge “fee†on ammunition.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb
said the proposal is outrageous.
“It is an insult,†he stated, “that in a state
where Democrats continually have
passed measures to strip gun owners
of their firearm rights, tax-and-spend
liberal lawmakers like Assemblyman
Koretz now want gun owners to pick
up the tab for their reckless spending
habits.â€
In Missouri, former U.S. Rep.
Harold L. Volkmer is in the forefront
of the push for a state law mandating
the issuance of a permit to carry a
concealed firearm to qualified applicants.
He told a rally at the State
Capitol that Missouri must join the 32
U.S. states that already allow their
citizens to carry concealed weapons.
He said that “more than one-half of the
people of this country can now apply
for and receive a concealed weapon
carry permit. Why, I ask you, whenever
everybody else in those states can
carry a weapon to protect themselves
and their families, their property and
their business and themselves, why
can’t we?†A CCRKBA Distinguished
Advisor, Volkmer holds a CCRKBA Gun
Rights Defender of the Year Award
