This week, gun grabbers Senator Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) and Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) unleashed their latest anti-gun initiative. Their bill (bill number not available at press time) would allow the BATF to set regulatory standards governing the design, manufacture, and "safety standards" of newly manufactured guns. Erroneously claiming that, since firearms were specifically exempted from regulation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission by Congress in 1976, there are no minimum standards firearms must meet, Torricelli's and Kennedy's "remedy" is granting vast, new regulatory authority to the BATF.

      It must first be noted, however, that unlike other consumer products, firearms are protected by the U.S. Constitution and 44 state constitutions. Additionally, industry standards for firearms are set by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI), an organization

Torricelli's and Kennedy's "remedy" is granting vast, new regulatory authority to the BATF.

founded in 1926 at the request of the federal government. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer for the American National Standards Institute, and currently publishes more than 700 voluntary and generally-adhered to standards relating to gun and ammunition quality and safety.

      Equally misleading are claims that by turning regulatory authority over to a federal bureaucracy, Americans will somehow be safer. Although troubling, such statements aren't surprising as the same lawmakers seeking to give BATF this new regulatory authority are the same people who advocate gun bans. Despite the rhetoric, though, no government mandate can make people safer. The programs proven to reduce criminal violence and accidents are those that have been championed by the NRA for years -- namely our myriad firearms safety and education programs, like Eddie Eagle, and true crime- fighting initiatives like "Project Exile". Please call your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and encourage them to oppose the misguided Torricelli-Kennedy regulation scheme.

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