Hook
05-03-2005, 10:40 AM
PAUL CARRIER
AUGUSTA, MAINE — Gun owners turned out in large numbers Monday to condemn a bill in the Legislature that would make it illegal to own, transfer or manufacture so-called assault weapons, as well as .50-caliber rifles and ammunition. Opponents attacked the bill as unnecessary during a committee hearing, saying there is no evidence that such semiautomatic weapons have been used to commit a crime in Maine in more than 60 years, so there is no need for "gun grabbers" to try to outlaw them now.
Backers of the ban said the weapons are designed to kill a lot of people quickly by spraying them with gunfire, so they threaten both the public and the police. They said the ban is designed to avert acts of mass murder in the future, not to crack down on an existing problem in Maine.
Dozens of the 80 or so people who crammed the hearing room wore stickers opposing gun control, and the 22 people who testified against the bill over the course of several hours far outnumbered the handful of people who spoke for it.
The bill is designed to replace an expired federal ban on the manufacture of assault weapons, but it is more sweeping than the federal ban was.
"I try to get on the side of trying to prevent problems before they occur," Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland, the bill's sponsor, told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. Other supporters noted that such weapons were used during the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado and in several high-profile murders in other states.
The bill's definition of assault weapons includes a long list of specific weapons, such as the AK-47, Uzi, Beretta AR-70, Colt AR-15 and other rifles, as well as various pistols, shotguns and other guns. The definition also includes semi-automatic weapons that meet specific criteria, such as those with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition or those with a detachable magazine and a folding stock.
While supporters of the ban questioned the need for such weapons, opponents said some of the weapons that would be outlawed are used in competitive shooting. Critics also said the Maine Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, without requiring that owners justify their need to own specific types of weapons.
Strimling said the bill faces such stiff opposition that the Legislature probably will not pass it, but that did not prevent him from proposing a series of changes Monday that would water it down. Even those changes were not enough to retain the support of Rep. Patricia Blanchette, D-Bangor, a co-sponsor of the bill who announced during the hearing that she now opposes it.
Blanchette, who co-chairs the committee that is considering the bill, pointedly told Strimling: "You want to put a law into effect for a crime and problem that doesn't exist."
Several other members of the panel also were openly skeptical as they questioned witnesses Monday. The committee plans to take a position on the bill Thursday, and then send its recommendation to the full Legislature.
Strimling's proposed changes would allow gun owners to retain outlawed weapons if they own them before the ban takes effect. The changes also would grandfather any Maine company that makes such weapons for the military or for law enforcement.
Bushmaster Firearms of Windham sent a letter to the committee last week saying the bill "would require Bushmaster to move out of Maine immediately." Richard Dyke, Bushmaster's chairman, said in the letter that the state would then lose the taxes on $60 million in annual sales, the annual payroll of more than $7 million for 91 employees and nearly $34,000 in property taxes.
Strimling said he wants to exempt gun manufacturers who serve the military and the police because he wants to protect Bushmaster. He said it was his intention all along to exempt any legally owned guns that owners acquire before the ban takes effect.
Strimling told the committee that 37 assault weapons were found at crime scenes in Maine from 1995 through 2000, but he said in an interview he does not know if any of them was used in committing a crime.
"We believe passage of this legislation will make the streets of Maine safer for our citizens," said Steven Giorgetti of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, one of about six people who testified in favor of the bill. Giorgetti offered no statistics on the use of such guns in Maine.
Gun owner Barry Sturk of Waterville, who opposed the bill, told the committee such weapons have not been used to commit a crime in Maine since 1937.
The bill "would serve no useful purpose towards the improvement of public safety," said Jeff Weinstein of the Maine Gun Owners Association.
Moreover, the ban "would kill an entire sport," said David Fortier of Stockton Springs, who uses an AR-15 rifle, which would be outlawed, during shooting competitions.
PLEASE VOTE
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/statehouse/050503assault.shtml
Hook
AUGUSTA, MAINE — Gun owners turned out in large numbers Monday to condemn a bill in the Legislature that would make it illegal to own, transfer or manufacture so-called assault weapons, as well as .50-caliber rifles and ammunition. Opponents attacked the bill as unnecessary during a committee hearing, saying there is no evidence that such semiautomatic weapons have been used to commit a crime in Maine in more than 60 years, so there is no need for "gun grabbers" to try to outlaw them now.
Backers of the ban said the weapons are designed to kill a lot of people quickly by spraying them with gunfire, so they threaten both the public and the police. They said the ban is designed to avert acts of mass murder in the future, not to crack down on an existing problem in Maine.
Dozens of the 80 or so people who crammed the hearing room wore stickers opposing gun control, and the 22 people who testified against the bill over the course of several hours far outnumbered the handful of people who spoke for it.
The bill is designed to replace an expired federal ban on the manufacture of assault weapons, but it is more sweeping than the federal ban was.
"I try to get on the side of trying to prevent problems before they occur," Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland, the bill's sponsor, told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. Other supporters noted that such weapons were used during the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado and in several high-profile murders in other states.
The bill's definition of assault weapons includes a long list of specific weapons, such as the AK-47, Uzi, Beretta AR-70, Colt AR-15 and other rifles, as well as various pistols, shotguns and other guns. The definition also includes semi-automatic weapons that meet specific criteria, such as those with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition or those with a detachable magazine and a folding stock.
While supporters of the ban questioned the need for such weapons, opponents said some of the weapons that would be outlawed are used in competitive shooting. Critics also said the Maine Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, without requiring that owners justify their need to own specific types of weapons.
Strimling said the bill faces such stiff opposition that the Legislature probably will not pass it, but that did not prevent him from proposing a series of changes Monday that would water it down. Even those changes were not enough to retain the support of Rep. Patricia Blanchette, D-Bangor, a co-sponsor of the bill who announced during the hearing that she now opposes it.
Blanchette, who co-chairs the committee that is considering the bill, pointedly told Strimling: "You want to put a law into effect for a crime and problem that doesn't exist."
Several other members of the panel also were openly skeptical as they questioned witnesses Monday. The committee plans to take a position on the bill Thursday, and then send its recommendation to the full Legislature.
Strimling's proposed changes would allow gun owners to retain outlawed weapons if they own them before the ban takes effect. The changes also would grandfather any Maine company that makes such weapons for the military or for law enforcement.
Bushmaster Firearms of Windham sent a letter to the committee last week saying the bill "would require Bushmaster to move out of Maine immediately." Richard Dyke, Bushmaster's chairman, said in the letter that the state would then lose the taxes on $60 million in annual sales, the annual payroll of more than $7 million for 91 employees and nearly $34,000 in property taxes.
Strimling said he wants to exempt gun manufacturers who serve the military and the police because he wants to protect Bushmaster. He said it was his intention all along to exempt any legally owned guns that owners acquire before the ban takes effect.
Strimling told the committee that 37 assault weapons were found at crime scenes in Maine from 1995 through 2000, but he said in an interview he does not know if any of them was used in committing a crime.
"We believe passage of this legislation will make the streets of Maine safer for our citizens," said Steven Giorgetti of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association, one of about six people who testified in favor of the bill. Giorgetti offered no statistics on the use of such guns in Maine.
Gun owner Barry Sturk of Waterville, who opposed the bill, told the committee such weapons have not been used to commit a crime in Maine since 1937.
The bill "would serve no useful purpose towards the improvement of public safety," said Jeff Weinstein of the Maine Gun Owners Association.
Moreover, the ban "would kill an entire sport," said David Fortier of Stockton Springs, who uses an AR-15 rifle, which would be outlawed, during shooting competitions.
PLEASE VOTE
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/statehouse/050503assault.shtml
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