by Dave Workman | Senior Editor
The gun prohibition lobby is pulling out all the stops in its battle against long-needed gun law reform and its stubborn defense of so-called “gun-free school zones.”
According to the Washington Post, a new “white paper” by a senior official with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has raised eyebrows and blood pressures among anti-gunners.
The story quoted Chelsea Parsons, vice president of guns and crime policy at the Center for American Progress, described by the newspaper as “a liberal think tank.”
“This white paper offers a disturbing series of giveaways to the gun industry that would weaken regulatory oversight of the gun industry without adequate consideration of the impact on public safety,” according to Parsons.
However, writing for The New American, author Bob Adelmann had this observation:
“A careful study of the paper, however, reveals a refreshing view of the new reality extant in Washington and reflected by the resurgence of interest in and support of the Second Amendment.”
The White Paper, authored by ATF Associate Deputy Director Ronald Turk, includes recommendations for reviewing its “sporting purpose” philosophy, and relaxing regulations for silencers (aka “suppressors”).
Here’s what Turk suggested regarding the long-standing “sporting purpose” requirement for imported firearms:
“Reissue a New Sporting Purpose Study: Since the sunset of the Assault Weapons ban in 2004, the use of AR-15s, AK-style, and similar rifles now commonly referred to as ‘modern sporting rifles’ has increased exponentially in sport shooting. These firearm types are now standard for hunting activities. ATF could re-examine its almost 20-year-old study to bring it up to date with the sport shooting landscape of today, which is vastly different than what it was years ago.
“Action shooting sports and organizations such as 3 Gun and the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) have also drastically expanded in recent years,” he explained. “Restriction on imports serves questionable public safety interests, as these rifles are already generally legally available for manufacture and ownership in the United States. Low cost foreign made firearms are also still imported and converted into “non-sporting” configurations. These restrictions have placed many limitations on importers, while at the same time imposing a heavy workload on ATF’s Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division. ATF’s Imports Branch also possesses a list of firearms approved for import but has not made this list public. Lists such as this can be made available to the public so that the importing community does not have to guess as to what the standard for importation is. Many concerns from the firearms industry could be re-examined through the publication of a new Sporting Purpose Study along with an updated Imports Branch Guide.”
The ATF has long been the target of disdain in the firearms community, and among some on Capitol Hill. That criticism reached a boiling point at the height of the Congressional investigation of Operation Fast and Furious, the Obama administration scandal that put some 2,000 guns into the hands of Mexican criminals. That was an operation that was described by one ATF agent during testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform as “a perfect storm of idiocy.”
(See related Hindsight, Page 39, in this issue for more recommendations made in the ATF White Paper.)
