Members, please read this....
I took the time to forward the following (snipped from Richard's posting to
the list) to two Texas senators.
I feel this would be beneficial if each of us here in the states would do
the same (those of you who are not US citizens could pick a couple from the
senators-by-name web site and join in as well, I suppose..)
A contact list of our senators can be found at:
www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm
Just click on their name and this will bring up phone numbers, addresses and
email addresses.
The message content:
Senator (x)
Please review the following comments,
> Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President (Addressing President of the Senate), in
reviewing S. 1438, I came across a provision that would have disastrous
consequences, no matter what its original intentions might have been.
>
> I am talking about section 1062, making it unlawful for individuals to
possess any ``significant military equipment'' ever owned by the Department
of Defense that is not demilitarized and giving the Attorney General the
authority to seize such items. ``Significant military equipment'' can mean a
wide variety of goods; for example, it can include military vehicles,
aircraft, ammunition, firearms and parts. ``Demilitarization'' can mean a
number of things, too, including cutting or destruction.
>
> The Department of Defense already can, and does, demilitarize some
military equipment before surplusing it. I am not advocating a change in
that current authority.
>
> However, section 1062 of S. 1438 goes well beyond this current authority.
By making possession of such equipment illegal, it would create tens of
thousands of lawbreakers overnight, veterans, collectors, sportspeople, even
museums that have been legally purchasing surplus equipment from the
government for decades. Worse, this section provides for the confiscation
and destruction of items that are now private property.
>
> Consider the chaos and injustice that would result from enactment of this
provision. Veterans service organizations across the country who have
acquired military firearms to use for ceremonial purposes, they would be
criminals. Americans who learned to shoot and acquired a firearm through the
government's own Division of Civilian Marksmanship program would find
themselves being served with a warrant by the same government for the same
firearm. Museum displays or airshows featuring military vehicles or crafts
would be threatened. A firearm containing a military surplus replacement
part would now be subject to confiscation and destruction or begin rendered
inoperable. In my own state, a collector of military Jeeps would risk losing
his investment and his collection through no fault of his own.
>
> This provision is breathtaking in its reach and unfairness, capturing
millions of items and their law-abiding owners. This is why an even
less-onerous provision in the last DOD Authorization bill was dropped during
the House-Senate conference on that bill. That same conclusion must be
reached by the conferees on S. 1438; this provision must be dropped in order
to prevent certain harm.
Regards,
(your name here)
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