Maker of .50-Caliber Rifle Warns Legislators Are 'Nibbling' Away Gun Rights
By Robert B. Bluey
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
June 09, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - The rights of California gun owners came under attack last week when the state Assembly and Los Angeles City Council adopted measures imposing new restrictions on the .50-caliber rifle.

Gun enthusiasts immediately warned that the actions threatened their Second Amendment rights and would accomplish nothing in the way of reducing crime or saving lives.

The Assembly bill classifies .50-caliber rifles as assault weapons. The legislation requires owners of the rifle to register with the state, and it prohibits gun shops from selling them without the permission of the attorney general.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles City Council adopted its own measure Friday that bans the sale of .50-caliber rifles. It is a watered-down version of a bill that banned possession of the guns, according to the California Rifle & Pistol Association.

Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, maker of .50-caliber rifles - which are used by the military, law enforcement and civilians - plans to strike back and boycott sales to California government agencies, said company President Ronnie Barrett.

"This is not about protecting any honest citizen," Barrett said. "This is not about a reduction of crime. This is not about anything. This is about the nibbling process to totally disarm the American people."

While neither legislative body voted to ban possession of the guns, Barrett said that possibility isn't far off. He decried both efforts and said gun-control groups are gradually advancing their agenda at the expense of law-abiding citizens.

After attending a Los Angeles City Council meeting last year, Barrett wrote police Chief William J. Bratton expressing his dismay that a police officer told the council about the dangers posed by the gun.

In a December letter, Barrett wrote that he wouldn't sell or service guns to anyone who opposes constitutional rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Now, he wants other gun manufacturers to do the same.

"Anybody that's anti-Constitution or anti-United States government, I don't do business with them," Barrett said. "I will not be doing any business with any state agency or local agency that tries to disarm the law-abiding citizen."

Assemblyman Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood) proposed the measure last year, but it failed in committee. This year, it barely received the number of votes needed on the Assembly floor. It appears to have enough supporters in the state Senate.

Koretz believes "the public doesn't need the weapon," said Sandra DeBourelando, the assemblyman's senior assistant and consultant to the Select Committee on Gun Violence.

"This is a rifle that is currently treated like a hunting rifle, which means that any 18-year-old with a valid driver's license can get this," she said. "It's less regulated than a handgun. We have no idea who has the gun."

The Violence Policy Center and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence lobbied for the bill. Spokesmen for both organizations did not return calls.

But statements made by the groups drew the ire of gun owners, including John Robertson, secretary and treasurer for the Fifty Caliber Shooters' Association. Robertson said gun-control advocates have distorted the facts, including the use of .50-caliber rifles by Branch Davidians during the Waco, Texas, standoff in 1993.

The Fifty Caliber Shooters' Association has carried out extensive research on the gun, Robertson said, and there is no evidence it has ever been used in the commission of a felony crime.

Most people who own the gun use it for extreme sports or hunting, he said. Some competitions require shooters to hit targets half a mile away, and the .50-caliber rifle is a popular firearm for those purposes.

DeBourelando said just because competitive shooters "like to have fun" with the .50-caliber rifle does not remove the possibility that it could get into the wrong hands.

"We see this as a gun that's going to be used in some kind of a terrorist act," she said. "You can shoot the gun accurately from a mile away, and it has the capacity to shoot from four miles away."

Barrett said it's ridiculous for California to classify the .50-caliber rifle as an assault weapon since most are single-shot, bolt-action guns. He also questioned the technical details cited by gun-control advocates, including the accuracy of the gun at long distances. Special add-on features and bullets are needed to hit distant targets.

Besides, the cost of the gun - anywhere from $2,000 to $9,000, depending on the manufacturer - makes it prohibitive for criminals, Barrett said. Most gun shops don't even stock .50-caliber rifles because of the cost, and he added that his company has at least a two-month-long waiting list.

Even though gun-rights advocates have worked tirelessly to counter what they view as misleading statements, California Rifle and Pistol Association spokesman Chuck Michel said it's a challenge that never ends, as evidenced by last week's votes.

"They have now successfully demonized a gun that was never used in a crime and has none of the features they've always said are so bad," he said. "And that is wonderful news to the gun-ban lobby."