New Feinstein Bill Targets Muzzle Energy

Dianne Feinstein and her friends are at it again! The California senator has introduced S.1331, the "Long-Range Sniper Rifle Safety Act of 2007" which would classify .50 BMG caliber rifles as "destructive devices" under the National Firearms Act, requiring registration when purchased or sold.

However, a new "copycat" provision has been added that also prohibits any firearm, regardless of caliber, that develops 12,000 foot-pounds of energy or more. Accordingly, S.1331 will affect many more firearms than those chambered in .50 BMG. Another key difference is that owners are given 7 years to register their rifles instead of the more typical weeks or months seen in other attempts.

Feinstein claims "This legislation doesn't ban any firearms; it would only institute common-sense regulations for the sale of these dangerous sniper rifles." However, as several states already prohibit ownership of Title II firearms (even if legally registered with the BATFE), S1331 will certainly result in the banning of many personal firearms.

The list of co-sponsors for S.1331 reads like a "Who's Who of Gun Control", including Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Carl Levin (D-Mi), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and Frank Lautenberg (D- N.J.)