Forum.RttP{making a dependent and vulnerable society: anti-survivalist california bans .50 cal sniper rifle}

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

California bans sniper rifle to gun enthusiasts' dismay

By CAROLYN MARSHALL
THE NEW YORK TIMES

SAN FRANCISCO -- On Jan. 1, California became the first state in the nation to ban the .50-caliber long-range rifle, a firearm that gun-control advocates have portrayed as a military weapon that could easily fall into the hands of terrorists trying to assassinate a foreign leader or shoot down an airplane.

Under the new regulations, signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September, it is illegal in California to manufacture, sell, distribute, import or possess a firearm known as the .50-caliber BMG, a powerful single-shot rifle widely used by law enforcement, the military and more recently, by civilian sport shooters.

Those who already own the rifle, considered an assault weapon under the new law, have until April 30, 2006, to register the firearm for $25 or face a misdemeanor charge with a fine up to $500 for first-time offenders.

Proponents of gun rights say they fear California's ban will prompt other states to follow. Gun enthusiasts are looking for ways to circumvent the law by devising alterations to the rifle. Before the ban, gun owners descended on gun shops throughout the state, rushing to buy the limited supplies of the .50 BMG.

"We all think it's the first step toward banning sniper rifles," said Michael Fournier, owner of the Gun Exchange in San Jose, Calif. "They keep chipping away a little at a time. Eventually they'll try to get them all."

A lawyer for the California Rifle and Pistol Association, a state lobbying group that fought to defeat Assembly Bill 50, which established the ban, said the gun control lobby has for the first time managed "to demonize" a firearm that lawmakers and gun proponents say has never been used to commit a crime in the United States.

The lawyer, Chuck Michel, said the BMG, a 30-pound firearm that costs between $2,000 and $8,000, is typically purchased by collectors, shooting-range enthusiasts and skilled competitors.

"Criminals don't carry around very pricey, very heavy rifles," Michel said. "They want handguns they can conceal."

The .50-caliber BMG rifle was patented in 1987 by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, initially designed as a sniper rifle for use by law enforcement and the U.S. military. It was widely used by troops during the Gulf War.

Manufacturers say the rifle is accurate at up to 2,000 yards -- equivalent in length to 20 football fields stretched end-to-end. The BMG uses 5 1/2-inch-long bullets that have been touted as powerful enough to rip through armor at long range and accurately reach targets more than a mile away. Some manufacturers say it has a range of up to four miles.

"They can pierce the skin of an aircraft," said Daniel Vice, a lawyer with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a supporter of the law. "It could be used to shoot down an airplane. And we certainly don't want to wait until a terrorist buys one before we ban it."

Assemblyman Paul Koretz, a Democrat from West Hollywood and the author of the legislation, concedes that street criminals would likely view the .50 BMG as too much gun for everyday robberies or drive-by shootings. The new law, he said, is designed to restrict use by "terrorists, general nut cases and survivalists," not sport shooters and collectors.

He said government reports suggest that the gun has been used for assassinations overseas and that at least 25 BMGs were bought by Osama bin Laden.

Michel, the lawyer for the gun rights group, said invoking a .50-caliber ban in the name of terrorism was a scare tactic without merit. "The terrorist can get a nuclear dirty bomb or a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher," Michel said. "The .50-caliber is just a pea shooter in comparison."