JPFO Alerts
Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Inc.
P.O. Box 270143
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone (800) 869-1884
Fax (425) 451-3959
December 12, 2005
War Against Gun Owners
It all began with a video -- who knew where it would lead?
In January of 2005, JPFO made available the shocking film _BATFE FAILS THE TEST_ (http:// www.jpfo.org/batfevideo.htm). In this video – which the government _never_ wanted you to see -- "experts" from the BATFE are shown attempting to prove that a perfectly legal semi-automatic rifle is a "machine gun," thus ensuring enormous fines and/or prison time for its owner, John Glover. They would have succeeded, too, but for the efforts of _real_ firearms expert Len Savage, who easily demonstrated that the firearm was merely malfunctioning.
DYNAMITE
When we saw the raw film, we _knew_ were looking at dynamite. Even so, we couldn't have predicted the juggernaut we set loose.
That videotape not only exonerated Glover, but sparked a series of events that culminated in a memo issued by the Congressional Research Service (http://www.jpfo.org/ATFguntests.pdf) publically acknowledging what gun-rights activists have suspected for some time: the BATFE has had _NO_ standardized procedures for determining what, exactly, qualifies a firearm as a machine-gun.
(Think about that for a moment. NO standardized tests and NO documented procedures means that any conclusions reached about a particular firearm are by definition subjective to the tester. We've documented, for example, instances in which a firearm is considered "readily convertible to full-auto" after _eight hours_ of complicated machine-shop work! A reasonable person would not consider that to be "readily convertible", yet the BATFE tester did.)
The video also spurred the introduction of HR 1603, the "Fairness in Firearms Testing Act", which would require the BATFE to videotape ALL firearms tests.
THINGS GET HOT FOR BATFE
The Department of Justice tried in vain to suppress the publication of the CRS memo. Why? _Because subjective "evidence" can be challenged in court!_ Imagine the political backlash that would result if thousands of firearms convictions were challenged in court ... and possibly overturned! Now imagine this chaos taking place under an allegedly pro-gun _Republican_ administration.
It certainly wouldn't help matters if it became widely known that HR 1603 is stalled in the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, a committee chaired by none other than _Republican_ Representative James Sensenbrenner. The Republican Party might never recover from such a scandal.
Through the Department of Justice and the BATFE, the current administration is desperately trying to stuff the firearms genie back into the bottle. WE CANNOT PERMIT THIS TO HAPPEN!
A CALL TO ARMS
We're gearing up for a battle of _epic_ proportions, and we need more warriors on our side. The BATFE is on the run and YOU can take a simple step to make sure they keep retreating!
Without continued pressure by constituents, both HR 1603 and the revelations in the CRS memo will be easily, quietly buried. So we're asking that you continue to widely circulate the CRS memo among friends, family, firearms enthusiasts, and civil rights advocates. When you do, ask them the following questions:
• If the Constitution confers no power on Congress to regulate private use and possession of alcohol, tobacco, firearms or explosives, then which Right(s) does the BATFE seem to violate just by existing?
• Considering the Second Amendment, what power should the BATFE have to regulate or prohibit ownership or possession of firearms?
• If the BATFE can arrest (without a warrant) a person for failing to have paperwork for firearms, which Right would that seem to violate?We're also asking criminal law attorneys to contact us. As awareness of this scandal grows, more and more victims of the BATFE's arbitrary and capricious policies will step forth, and we'll need a referral list for them to contact. John Glover was exonerated, but there are still hundreds (if not thousands) of others who could be.
For once, the "little guys" have a real shot at making an earth-shattering impact on federal firearms policies. Join JPFO in battling this rogue agency, and give the BATFE the boot!
- The Liberty Crew
PS For more information on how you can help our "Boot the BATFE" campaign, please visit http://www.jpfo.org/bootbatfe.htm