Precision Sports Legislative Reform package.

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C-pher

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I got this in an e-mail today from GOAL.

You can read the whole thing here.
http://www.goal.org/target/Home.htm

Precision Sports Legislative Reform package! This package is composed of three bills:

H.1953 "An Act Protecting The Rights Of Target Shooters"
S.1374 "An Act Clarifying The Definition Of Ammunition"
"An Act Relative To Single Action Revolvers"

These bills will correct some of the problems that were created with the passing of Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1998.

For example, H.1953 and the newly created Act Relative to Single Action Revolvers would exempt target pistols and single action revolvers used by competitors in the Commonwealth from the law's testing requirements. S.1374 will change the definition of ammunition by removing the components (brass, wads, hulls, bullets and primers), thus making it easier for lawful gun owners to obtain these supplies via mail order.


I don't know if this should have gone under Laws, but if you want to move them, that's fine.

I just figured that I would put it here so everyone can see it. And get the "nice" e-mails and phone calls out to thier reps.

It would be nice to be able to get some of the target and single action firearms, as well as be able to get good deals on ammo through the mail.
 
I sent an e-mail to both Senator Scott P. Brown and to Representative Elizabeth A. Poirier asking them to support this bill.

If you need to know who to write, you can go here:

http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

Not to sound like a dink, but I would hope that issues like this all of us would do what we can to get this to pass.

Fixed URL -Derek
 
Who votes on it? I need to know who to mail.

I have a district rep congressional, senate in general court, and a rep in general court.
 
If you need a sample letter..

Mr. Christopher Mantia
Address here
North Attleboro, MA 02760-1140


June 22, 2005

The Honorable Elizabeth A. Poirier
MA STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Room 541
State House
Boston, MA 02133



Dear Representative Poirier:

As one of your supporters and a voter, I would like to ask you to support the Precision Sports Legislative Reform Package.

As a firearm owner, and member of the Single Action Shooting Society I feel that this would help the sport in the State of Massachusetts. As you're aware, this would be similar to the California law that would exempt single action revolvers, and target pistols used in competitions.

Please let me know what you plan to do when these come across the table. And I thank you in advance for taking the time to read my letter.


Sincerely,

Christopher Mantia
 
Well, one it's going to exempt target pistols and single action revolvers exempt from the safety testing and therefore exempt from "The AG's List."

So, people that shoot Olympic Style, International Practical Shooting, or single action would be able to get the pistols that they need to compete. So this will be exempting firearms that are manufactured and sold for formal target shooting as well as exempting single action revolvers.


Also, it's going to change the laws and the wording regarding Ammo so you would be albe to order it on-line or from out of state sources. That way we'd be able to get good deals from Ammoman again, and the AG wouldn't be able to go after them.

So basicly this will change the Attorney General's new interpretation of the ammunition laws. They say that the reform package will solve part of this problem by removing casings, bullets and primers from the legal definition of ammunition.


Hell, even if you don't shoot in competition everyone that's a gun owner should support this bill. Even if it's just to be able to get ammo and supplies out of state. But still, to be able to get something exempt from the list is worth it whether you plan to buy them or not.
 
The bill has it stated as this.


SECTION 1. Section 123 of Chapter 140 is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph after clause twenty-first:- “Clause Eighteenth to Twenty-first, inclusive, of said section 123 of Chapter 140, shall not apply to (a) any firearm solely designed and sold specifically for formal target shooting competition or (b) any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under said Chapter 140 on or before October 21, 1998.”
 
Hell, here's the whole bill.



H.1953 "An Act protecting the rights of target shooters."

Filed by: Representative Frank M. Hynes



Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the

authority of the same, as follows:


SECTION 1. Section 123 of Chapter 140 is hereby amended by adding the following paragraph after clause twenty-first:- “Clause Eighteenth to Twenty-first, inclusive, of said section 123 of Chapter 140, shall not apply to (a) any firearm solely designed and sold specifically for formal target shooting competition or (b) any firearm lawfully owned or possessed under a license issued under said Chapter 140 on or before October 21, 1998.”


"AN ACT RELATIVE TO SINGLE ACTION FIREARMS" (No bill number yet assigned.)

Filed by: Representative James Eldridge

Section 1. Section 121 of Chapter 140 is hereby amended by inserting after the word “detectors” the following: -

Notwithstanding any general law, special law or regulation to the contrary, the provisions of Clauses eighteenth through twenty-first of Section 123 of Chapter 140 shall not apply to any single action revolver.

“Single Action Revolver”, any revolver manufactured as a single-action revolver that has at least a 5-cartridge capacity with a barrel length of not less than three inches, and meets any of the following specifications:

(a) Was originally manufactured prior to 1900 and is a curio or relic, as defined in Section 478.11 of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(b) Has an overall length measured parallel to the barrel of at least 7 1/2 inches when the handle, frame or receiver, and barrel are assembled.

(c) Has an overall length measured parallel to the barrel of at least 7 1/2 inches when the handle, frame or receiver, and barrel are assembled and that is currently approved for importation into the United States pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (3) of subsection (d) of Section 925 of Title 18 of the United States Code.


S.1374 "AN ACT CLARIFYING THE DEFINITION OF AMMUNITION"
Filed by: Senator Richard T. Moore

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 121 of Chapter 140 is hereby amended by striking the existing language for the definition of “ammunition” and replacing it as follows:- “Ammunition”, cartridges or propellant powder designed for use in any firearm, rifle or shotgun. The term “ammunition” shall also mean tear gas cartridges, chemical mace or any device or instrument which contains or emits a liquid, gas, powder or any other substance designed to incapacitate.
Click to expand...
 
What firearms are on the market that are solely manufactured for target shooting? The single action revolver is plain enough but a lot of people use 1911's for PPC and action pistol. Just wondering if that would apply.
 
I had the same concern about the wording of the bill. The AG has a track record of refusing to consider firearms as target guns, even when the design details are for competition and they're explicitly marketed that way. Sort of the way that BATF refuses to consider IDPA/IPSC and other practical competitions as legitimate "sporting purposes."

Ken
 
I feel like we're going in circles. :D

This is what GOAL published.

For more than six years, lawful Massachusetts gun owners have been prevented from purchasing new precision firearms that are necessary to compete in internationally and nationally recognized competitions such as Olympic Style, International Practical Shooting or Single Action. Every Massachusetts resident who participates in these competitions is restricted from lawfully purchasing the latest precision firearms. GOAL's Precision Sports Legislative Reform Package will address this problem by exempting firearms that are manufactured and sold for formal target shooting as well as exempting single action revolvers.
Click to expand...


So, I'm guessing that pistols that are built specificaly for these sports are going to be exempt...if this passes.

Most are .22s like the S&W Model 41 or the Walther Olympia, at least for the olympic style. Some are larger caliber.

Maybe if Len comes through here, he can explain better than I. I'm more familiar with olympic style than IPS, so I don't know what those guns are going to be.
 
Don't get wrong. You seem convinced this is a step in the right direction for you guys and I certainly hope it is. However, playing devil's advocate, it seems like it's completely open to interpretation by your AG, and we already know what he's like.

For instance, why is cowboy action acceptable but my chosen form of competition, IDPA, is not? See what I mean? It still seems to me that your AG will get to determine whatever he wants.
 
And I agree. But, being that it might be left open for interpretation it might work back in our favor as well. Maybe letting other competition pistols go into the mix.

I agree, it's pretty vague, at this point I'll take anything I can get if it's stepping in the right direction. You know?

And the ammo thing is a HUGE step in the right direction for us here in MA.

But I don't care, anything laxing the laws, or getting something exempt from the AG list is good to me.

Hell, I just want to be able to get things like Uberti, EMF, US Firearms, Navy Arms and Colts. It's pretty boring when all you can get are Rugers.


And I guess that it bothers me, not saying you, but when people are just like, "I don't care, I don't do those things, so why should I bother?"

But then last year we wouldn't have gotten the six years instead of four for our LTC. Hell, I think that it helped with keeping the AWB from being back...just from everyone writing the officals that vote on these things.

We might not get the License Replacement Regulations changed if we don't do these things.

Pressure from us does make a difference. Then maybe it's just the 35 year old activist in me that thinks that it does... That's part of the reason that I went into what I did in college.
 
Like I said, I certainly hope it is. If it were my State, I would like to have seen a little more language defining what competitions will be "approved". That would seem like it would give the voters a better idea of whether to support it, or not.

Ken's comment about the ATF and IDPA has me confused, though.
 
I'm not a competition shooter, so I can't really answer what sport uses what guns.

IIRC, the AG (I think) has an exemption for "target guns" (whatever those are). I think it was MGL that provided NO exemption for "target guns".
 
TonyD said:
Ken's comment about the ATF and IDPA has me confused, though.
Click to expand...
Back around 1997, ATF did a paper evaluating "large-capacity" (e.g., standard capacity) sem-autos for import purposes. Such imports are limited to firearms "generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes". Because they essentially had their lists of "suitable" firearms firemly in mind before they started the paper, they were forced to conclude that "practical shooting" activities (sepcifically mentioning USPSA, but explicitly refering to all practical disciplines) don't really constitute "sporting purposes", since the firearms involved are "really" military style forearms, not sporting. That's right; because the guns aren't sporting, the activity can't really be sporting, therefore the guns aren't sporting. Besides, even if they were sporting activities, the guns could also be used for other purposes, so it still wouldn't count.

Anybody want to hazard a guess as to whether the Massachusetts AG and courts might, in the absence of some legislatively mandated objective criteria, adopt a similar position?

Ken
 

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