ATF shotgun ban/comment period

[Mustang Armory, LLC]

http://www.greeleygazette.com/press/?p=9223

Okay, I just ran across this via SurvivalBlog.com. I had heard about the "study" some months ago. I did a quick forum search and didn't turn up any past mention. Typical absurdity. It's more of that "under the radar" stuff, if you know what I'm referring to, just like the M1 rifles in Korea and stuff being held up in customs (so I've heard).

 

[Jujen Kai]

And yet, there is (as part of the "mini-bus") documentation that says they are not allowed to pay any BATFE employee to act on it...

http://blog.princelaw.com/2011/11/2...s-including-on-the-importability-of-shotguns/

 

[Mustang Armory, LLC]

Wow, that's very interesting. Thanks for adding that. In any case, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what transpires.

 

[VladdDImpaler]

The study that the blog refers to was started 01/26/2011, they stopped receiving comment submissions 05/01/2011. Congress then restricted what the ATF could use their funds for on 11/29/2011.

Old news.

 

[Dave70968]

And yet, there is (as part of the "mini-bus") documentation that says they are not allowed to pay any BATFE employee to act on it...

http://blog.princelaw.com/2011/11/2...s-including-on-the-importability-of-shotguns/

I believe you may have misread that:

This new bill states, “SEC. 541. None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to deny, or fail to act on, an application for the importation of any model of shotgun if - (1) all other requirements of law with respect to the pro- posed importation are met; and (2) no application for the importation of such model of shotgun, in the same configuration, had been denied by the Attorney General prior to January 1, 2011, on the basis that the shotgun was not particularly suitable for or readily adapt- able to sporting purposes.” [emphasis mine]

It looks like the bill commands the ATF to act.

 

[Jujen Kai]

AH. Good point. I could easily be incorrect. I read it as saying that no funding from this Act may be used to pay salary for anyone dealing with applications ref shotgun importation. As though it were forbidding the money appropriated from being used for that purpose (with the result that ATF would have to pay those parties from other sources).

 

[Mustang Armory, LLC]

The study that the blog refers to was started 01/26/2011, they stopped receiving comment submissions 05/01/2011. Congress then restricted what the ATF could use their funds for on 11/29/2011.

Old news.

Hmm.. Rawles never posts out of date stuff, guess he slipped.

 

[VladdDImpaler]

The study is actually an interesting read and can still be found on the ATF website, though I don't believe they are still excepting comments. The study was to determine what the definition of a sporting shotgun/sporting shotgun accessory is today due to changes in manufacturing and the adaptation of certain tactical accessories for sporting purposes (My understanding is that under the Gun Control Act of 1968, firearms and accessories can only be imported for civy use if they are for sport or collecting, please correct me if I got that wrong). They asked for comments because a portion of the study reads as follows:

The fact that a firearm or feature was initially designed for military or tactical applications, including offensive or defensive combat, may indicate that it is not a sporting firearm. This may be overcome by evidence that the particular shotgun or feature has been so regularly used by sportsmen that it is generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes. Such evidence may include marketing, industry literature and consumer articles, scholarly and historical publications, military publications, the existence of State and local statutes and regulations limiting use of the shotgun or features for sporting purposes, and the overall use and the popularity of such features or designs for sporting purposes according to hunting guides, shooting magazines, State game commissioners, organized competitive hunting and shooting groups, law enforcement agencies or organizations, industry members and trade associations, and interest and information groups.

For once, the ATF recognized during one of their studies that they don't know everything about shooting sports and needed to defer to people who actually are in the loop. (DUH! Ya think boys?)

As always though, the study does come off incredibly biased against the "sportman". They stated that for the purpose of this study, only hunting, skeet, and trap would be considered "sports". The ATF states that 3-gun and similar events were not viewed as a sports for purpose of determining what a sporting shotgun is (convenient) and that another study should be done to determine if it such events are in fact sports (also convenient).