Probably not a hunting license

H.R.5087 was introduced February 26, 2018 but I just now got around to looking at it and discussing it with some people.

It has some “interesting” provisions:

This Act may be cited as the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2018”.

The term ‘semiautomatic assault weapon’ means any of the following, regardless of country of manufacture or caliber of ammunition accepted:

“(A) A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:

“(i) A pistol grip.

“(ii) A forward grip.

“(iii) A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock.

“(iv) A grenade launcher or rocket launcher.

“(v) A barrel shroud.

“(vi) A threaded barrel.

“(B) A semiautomatic rifle that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds, except for an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.

“(C) Any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun.

“(D) A semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:

“(i) A threaded barrel.

“(ii) A second pistol grip.

“(iii) A barrel shroud.

“(iv) The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip.

“(v) A semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm.

“(E) A semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.

“(F) A semiautomatic shotgun that has any one of the following:

“(i) A folding, telescoping, or detachable stock.

“(ii) A pistol grip.

“(iii) A fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 5 rounds.

“(iv) The ability to accept a detachable magazine.

“(v) A forward grip.

“(vi) A grenade launcher or rocket launcher.

“(G) Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

“(H) All of the following rifles, copies, duplicates, variants, or altered facsimiles with the capability of any such weapon thereof:

“(K) All belt-fed semiautomatic firearms, including TNW M2HB and FN M2495.

“(L) Any combination of parts from which a firearm described in subparagraphs (A) through (K) can be assembled.

“(M) The frame or receiver of a rifle or shotgun described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (F), (G), (H), (J), or (K).

“(K) All belt-fed semiautomatic firearms, including TNW M2HB and FN M2495.

“(L) Any combination of parts from which a firearm described in subparagraphs (A) through (K) can be assembled.

“(M) The frame or receiver of a rifle or shotgun described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (F), (G), (H), (J), or (K).

It also defines “high capacity feeding devices” as devices capable of holding, or being easily modified to hold, more than 10 rounds.

“(w) (1) It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

It does provide for grandfathering existing firearms and accessories.

Minor off topic question, does such as thing as a semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine even exist?

Discussions at the range concluded that you didn’t need to squint very hard to read it as something other than the intended “Assault Weapons Ban”. If the courts were to rule the law constitutional then it would also double as a license to hunt politicians.

I could see that being the outcome, but I expect there are other sparks more likely to ignite the tinder before this bill runs it’s course. I’m thinking letting Antifa run wild is likely to “flip the switch” before the enactment of gun bans and the multi-year court delays does the trick.

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21 thoughts on “Probably not a hunting license

    • Oh!

      I just looked them up on the ‘net. My source claimed the Broomhandle had a 10 round internal magazine and could use 20- and 40-round removable magazines. So… it looks like it would be banned too. Any others that might not be banned?

    • The M1 Garand, an M1A with a fixed mag modification, and the SKS would all be quite effective as clip-loaded battle rifles.

      And of course the criminals will have anything they want, including machineguns. As always then, this is only a matter of what the law-abiding will have.

      • Make no mistake though; it is the law-abiding that the authoritarians fear and hate most. Keep that in mind lest we find ourselves compelled to “correct” or “educate” the leftist agitators. (They already know these things).

        • There is a twenty round replacement fixed magazine available for the SKS, in addition to a (sort of) removable version.

        • Here!
          This, right here. I scratched my head forever, not being able to understand how the most simple logic (posited in the comment above)….
          They know whom it is they are actually disarming , and yet they persist. Let that percolate into your consciousness.

  1. Grendel made a .380 auto that had a fixed 10 round magazine – model P-11 I believe it was one of the first modern small, double-action .380’s. Many other early military semi-auto pistols had fixed magazines

  2. If you play fast and loose with the definition of semiautomatic, you could argue a revolver’s cylinder is a “fixed magazine”, too. You have to ignore the bit about using recoil energy to cycle the mechanism though.

    • There does exist a semiautomatic revolver. A coworker wanted one but moved away before getting it.

      • Yes, there have been several self cocking, self indexing revolvers over the years, including gas operated, but none of them really caught on.

      • The definition in the bill for semi-auto excludes revolvers, since it mentions ejecting the case.
        On the other hand, the common definition of semi-auto as “the only action needed to fire again is to pull the trigger” DOES include every double action revolver.

  3. Hopefully this will be shot down in toto, and not used as a starting point for “compromising” to something slightly less obnoxious.

  4. So, I pull the gas tube from AR-15, cut it off, insert the stub upside down. My AR-15 is no longer a semi-automatic rifle. If and when Mr. police officer shows up, I hand him the other half of the gas tube as proof that my gun is not a semi-automatic. In the mean time, I design and install my kit to make my formerly AR-15 into a pump action.

    • A pump action AR-15 has been available for several years. I don’t recall what venue was the impetus for the design, foreign or US political bans.

      • I believe that the first one was designed for either Australia or New Zealand shooters. I’m designing a mechanism that allows the shooter to open the bolt with the slide then releases the bolt carrier so the buffer spring closes the bolt.

        There’s also redesigned bolt lock that locks the bolt when the round is fired and must be released to fire each shot.

        I’ve always said that ignorance is no excuse for a law and the anti-gunners are willfully ignorant of the subject.

        I’m waiting for them to pass a law banning all parts used in an assault weapon. Then we will start arresting politicians, judges, etc. Hint: What is commonly used to retain the firing pin in an AR-15 bolt carrier.

  5. In rough order, there are several early semi-auto pistols with fixed magazines and clip loading. Besides the Mauser C96 the Roth Steyr is the most common.
    There are several California workarounds for ARs including a stripper clip fed magazine and the Kali Key which is a modified charging handle and gas key to convert an AR to straight pull bolt action. The cool feature is that if spring for a second bolt carrier group it’s a tool free change over.
    This bill is still unconstitutional grandstanding and virtue signalling

  6. The thoughts about which guns meet these criteria is troubling. I have no intention of complying with this crap. I’m going to get around it by trampling over it.

  7. CA also bans guns with magazine forward of the trigger, so no Broomhandle Mausers.

    The key is “HAS THE CAPACITY TO ACCEPT” — pretty much all guns have theoretical capacity for accessories.

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