Congress Considers
"Demilitarization" Requirement
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"...[M]illions of law-abiding Americans... could unknowingly become criminals overnight
without having done anything or having ever been informed..." |
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This week, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1438, the Department of Defense
(DoD) annual authorization bill, which contains a provision that is of
grave concern to hunters and sport shooters. Section 1062 of this bill
provides the Secretary of Defense with the authority to require
"demilitarization" of any "significant military equipment" that has ever
been owned by the DoD. This would include all firearms (such as the
venerable M1, M1 Carbine, and Model 1911, as well as all Civilian
Marksmanship Program rifles, even "sporterized" surplus bolt-action
Springfields!), firearm barrels, ammunition, and gun powder.
"Demilitarization" is the term for rendering such items permanently
inoperable, and Sec. 1062 allows for this action to be carried out
either by the owner or a third party, with the owner paying the cost, or
by the DoD. However, if the DoD determines it should perform the
demilitarization, it can also determine that the cost of returning the
demilled item is prohibitive, then simply keep the item, and reimburse
the owner only for the fair market scrap value of the item.
Furthermore, this new authority would require private citizens to
determine for themselves if an item they own is subject to
demilitarization, and face criminal penalties for non-compliance. The
DoD would be under no obligation to notify law-abiding citizens that
items they have lawfully owned for years, and perhaps that their
families have owned for generations, are suddenly subject to forced
demilitarization. This becomes extremely significant when one considers
that U.S. military surplus has been regularly - and legally - bought, sold,
and traded for centuries. Countless Americans own items that could be
subject to Sec. 1062. It is likely millions of law-abiding Americans
would be affected, and could unknowingly become criminals overnight
without having done anything or having ever been informed.
The DoD already has the authority and responsibility to demilitarize any
item it sells as surplus, so there is absolutely no reason to seek new
authority to confiscate and destroy lawfully sold and lawfully owned
items that are now the property of private citizens. Be sure to
contact your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and your U.S.
Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge them to strike Sec. 1062 from
S. 1438, the "National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2002." The 24
members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the 60 members of the
House Armed Services Committee especially need to hear from you. To find
out if any of your lawmakers are on either committee, you can use the
"Write Your Reps" tool at
NRAILA.org, or call the Grassroots
Division at (800) 392-8683.
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