Huffington Post link provided by George Jefferson with this in the subject line: "Once again Huffpo chooses not to tell the whole truth...just like Fox?"
I'm sure he'll humor us with an explanation, first about what the "whole truth" is and second, how anyone can possibly be compared to Fox News in the mendacious, trickster department.
According to a white paper prepared for Congress
by the Army opposing the amendment, the measure would allow the
unregulated distribution of up to 100,000 Colt .45s, more formally known
as .45-caliber semiautomatic M1911 handguns.
The
provision, added by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), changes parts of federal
rules that were meant to boost rifle skills in the country under a
program dating back to Teddy Roosevelt. Under existing law, which was
updated in 1996, the Department of Defense makes surplus military rifles
available to the public through something known as the Civilian
Marksmanship Program, which has a regional headquarters in Rogers'
state.
Rogers' amendment
would change language in the law that specifies certain rifles allowed
in the program to include the much broader category of "firearms."
Although the marksmanship program
aims to educate youth about safety and shooting, according to the
military's white paper, "There is a significant risk of approximately
100K semi-automatic handguns that are virtually untraceable, being
released into commerce."
That's because although the amendment
specifies that the weapons cannot be sold to people who are barred by
law from having guns, the CMP sells guns over the Internet, and has no
mechanism to verify who is making purchases. By law, the CMP "can sell
... only to members of CMP affiliated clubs who are also U.S. citizens,
over 18 years of age and who are legally eligible to purchase a
firearm," according to eligibility requirements posted on its website. On top of that, although the CMP is allowed by law to sell guns across state lines, it is not covered by the Gun Control Act, and is not required to keep records tracking purchasers.
The
Army noted in its opposition that the Department of Justice has tracked
an average of nearly 1,800 Colt .45s being used in crimes every year
over the last decade, including a significant but unspecified number of
those guns that were originally military surplus.
Rogers' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A
spokesman for Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), the top Democrat on the House
Armed Services Committee, said his boss agreed with the Army and would
try to strip the amendment.
"This provision, which the Army has
said it does not want or need, could potentially put nearly 100,000
untraceable .45-caliber military-grade handguns on our streets," the
spokesman, Michael Amato, said in an email. "This provision is an
unnecessary risk."
