Clinton Appointee Takes
Dangerous Parting Shot
|
"...CPSC should
not get involved with gun design matters, an area for which the CPSC
is not qualified..." |
|
Daisy's new "American Spirit" model |
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Ann Brown, one
of the remaining holdovers from the Clinton Administration, has chosen
to step down from her position, but not before attempting a last-minute
attack on air rifles. Brown, who was vice president of the anti-gun
Consumer Federation of America (CFA) for almost 15 years before Clinton
appointed her head of CPSC, has targeted certain Daisy air rifles for a
potential recall. The suggestion of a recall was apparently prompted
when a Pennsylvania teenager "accidentally" pointed what he thought
was an unloaded air rifle at a friend and pulled the trigger. The
gun was not unloaded, however, and the friend was permanently disabled.
Of course, Brown`s notion that air rifles should be recalled because
certain individuals are recklessly careless when handling them is as
dangerous as it is ludicrous. Furthermore, while Chairman Brown claims
the scope of her proposed recall would target "only" 9 million air rifles,
her "defect" claim is so broad that it could not only affect virtually
every air rifle, but it could also be used in future reckless lawsuits
against firearm manufacturers - exactly what some consider to be the true
goal of Brown`s effort. And the fact that Brown has scheduled the vote
on this matter for next Tuesday, October 30, should not be lost on anyone,
as she is scheduled to step down from her position as Chairman the
following day. Could this be her last-ditch attempt at securing an
anti-gun legacy?
Please be sure to contact the CPSC commissioners as soon as possible,
and urge them to reject the recall of air guns on October 30. Remind
them that Daisy air rifles have been investigated several times over
the past 20 years, and each time the CPSC has found these products
to be nondefective. It is blatantly unfair to tell a company for 20
years their product is nondefective, and then suggest that there
might be a recall of the very guns that the agency has determined to
be nondefective.
Also remind the commissioners that the CPSC should
not get involved with gun design matters, an area for which the CPSC
is not qualified. In addition, any decisions about the design of air
guns could necessarily affect how firearms are designed - an area that
Congress has determined should be completely outside the purview of
the CPSC.
Several NRA members have already contacted CPSC on this issue,
and they have received a rather cleverly worded "dodge" that is a
clear attempt to mislead the general public into believing the
CPSC is not actually considering recalling certain Daisy air
rifles. A generic response from Todd Stevenson, Acting Director
in the Office of the Secretary of CPSC, states, "Thank you for
your comments about air guns or BB guns. The Commission is not
considering a ban or regulations of any kind on air guns, air
rifles or BB guns." Of course, banning the Daisy air rifles or
implementing regulations on their design is not what the CPSC is
currently considering, so Stevenson`s response is "technically"
accurate. However, the CPSC is, indeed, scheduled to vote on the
massive recall of Daisy air rifles next Tuesday, so be sure to
voice your opposition to such a recall.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE CPSC:
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, D.C. 20207-0001
Phone: (301) 504-0990
Fax: (301) 504-0124 & (301) 504-0025
E-mail: info@cpsc.gov
Chairman Ann Brown
Phone: (301) 504-0213
E-mail: abrown@cpsc.gov
Commissioner Mary Sheila Gall
Phone: (301) 504-0530
E-mail: mgall@cpsc.gov
Commissioner Thomas Moore
Phone: (301) 504-0290
E-mail: tmoore@cpsc.gov
Also, if you have already contacted CPSC about this matter, and
you received the misleading response from Mr. Stevenson or any
other CPSC employee, please respond to the individual who sent
the message, as well as to the CPSC Commissioners, and explain
you strongly encourage the CPSC Commissioners to vote against any
recall of certain Daisy air rifles.
Related Stories...
More Info About the Gun-Ban Lobby at Work
"Consumer Alert" Recalls the Consumer Product Safety Commission
|
|
