[EMAIL PROTECTED] (William J. Foristal) writes:
HI Sue,
This is an example of the kind of things I think need to be done. They
may seem small and inconsequential by themselves, but can add up to some
effectiveness in cutting down on the numbers and types of guns available
to criminals, or to private citizens who are careless enough to let them
get into criminals' hands.
Bill
On Sun, 05 Apr 1998 20:41:02 -0700 Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
writes:
>Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
>
>U.S. Bans Foreign Guns Permanently
>
>> WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Clinton is making permanent
>> his temporary prohibition on importing military-style
>> rifles that have been modified for sport shooting in
>> order to skirt a 1994 assault weapons ban, a White House
>> official said Sunday.
>>
>> On Monday, Clinton will issue an executive order
>> permanently banning import of 58 modified weapons,
>> according to the official, who spoke Sunday on condition
>> of anonymity. Most of the affected guns are variations
>> of the AK-47 and Uzi semiautomatic weapons, the official
>> said.
>>
>> The president is scheduled to announce his order in a
>> Rose Garden ceremony.
>>
>> Clinton's order comes after a Treasury Department review
>> of 59 weapons, done in consultation with state game and
>> law enforcement agencies, hunting guides and
>> publications and groups devoted to hunting and shooting.
>> The review determined that many of the guns in question
>> do not meet requirements under federal law for import
>> for sporting purposes, mainly because they can be fitted
>> with large capacity magazines.
>>
>> Only one weapon, the .308-caliber Vepr, was considered
>> acceptable for continued import, according to a Treasury
>> official who also spoke Sunday on condition of
>> anonymity. The gun is a variant of the AK-47.
>>
>> Importers will be allowed a 30-day period to appeal the
>> Treasury findings.
>>
>> A report issued last December by the Congressional
>> Research Service said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
>> Firearms interprets sporting purposes so broadly that
>> many of the weapons allowed entry have features not
>> needed for sport use, such as semi-automatic fire, grips
>> for one-handed combat shooting and large-ammunition
>> clips.
>>
>> Under a 1968 federal law, foreign firearms brought into
>> the United States must be for sporting purposes only,
>> such as target shooting, skeet and trap shooting, and
>> hunting. A 1989 law bans shipment of assault weapons
>> into the United States, but does allow entry to such
>> weapons if they are used for sport.
>>
>> Since then, many manufacturers have altered the
>> appearance of their weapons to give them a sporty look
>> that gets them past the ban.
>>
>> Last November, Clinton ordered a 120-day suspension on
>> import permits for about 43 types of military-style
>> rifles and directed Treasury officials to review
>> policies to determine whether there should be further
>> restrictions to block altered assault weapons, which are
>> in high demand.
>>
>> Last year, firearms importers obtained permits to ship
>> in nearly 600,000 altered guns, and applications were
>> pending for an additional 1 million. Some 20,000 of the
>> 600,000 weapons already have entered the country.
>>
>> Clinton's order comes at the urging of Sen. Dianne
>> Feinstein, D-Calif., who asked last year that he move to
>> block an Israeli manufacturer's export of thousands of
>> modified military-style assault weapons for commercial
>> sale.
>>
>> The guns, known as the Uzi American and the Galil
>> Sporter, were modified for sport. The ATF has said the
>> guns remain capable of firing rapid rounds of
>> ammunition, but were approved for import because they
>> were not found to violate the 1994 assault weapons ban.
>
>--
>Two rules in life:
>
>1. Don't tell people everything you know.
>2.
>
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