REPORT ON LEGISLATION:-In hearings which dragged on for two days, the Firearms Section of the Treasury's Alcohol & Tobacco Tax Unit met a snowballing storm of protest against their revised regulations governing commerce in pistols and pistol ammo. From all over the nation firearms enthusiasts collected to express their disapproval. The Treasury-revised regulations, a thinly disguised stab at national registration, developed angry condemnation from leaders of over 350 clubs, groups, associations, and journals in the shooting field, representing conservatively over 10,000,000 shooters. Only three men could be found to speak in approval of the regulations! As was pointed out at the hearings, the importance of such rules is not what good administrators will do with them, but what bad men can do with them.
The crushing blow to the Treasury's stand came on Sunday, August 25, when the National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice convened at Camp Perry to discuss these rules. A resolution condemning them was passed, and Army Secretary Milton communicated to Treasury Secretary Anderson the Defense Department's strong opposition to the regulations and their effect. (Civilian fun saves the Army millions of dollars in training.) When GUNS learned of this conference between the two cabinet members, we spoke to the assistant Director of Civilian Marksmanship, Col. Ellis Lea, and were asked to introduce this information at the Treasury hearings. In signing off om phone talk, we said "Well, it looks as if this thing is licked. Next step: repeal the National Firearms Act." And, in agreement, Col. Lea said, "Check!" This view of the Army, on the importance of individual firepower and civilian marksmanship training, is shared by top-level policy-making personnel. The appreciation of automatic weapons' importance is directly recognized by these men. A new national shooting association, the American Automatic Weapons Association, 317 Houseman Bldg., Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been formed to study the problems of sport-shooting and recreational training programs involving lawful use of automatic weapons. Unofficially,during the course of the hearings, this organization obtained the blessing of many top men in the Defense Department and the Marine Corps. With progress in modern legislation this "blessing" may become official.
Meanwhile, firearms enthusiasts must become far more active politically than they have ever been since 1776. The strength of the gun enthusiast is through his shooting club and association memberships. These groups are awake to the immediate need for political action. To help shooters, we are making available reprints of "Why Not Have A PRO-Gun Law?" from the September, 1957, GUNS, ten for a dollar, postpaid. We have mailed out hundreds to legislators, law enforcement, youth group executives all over the country. You should do the same, contacting your elected representatives. This is not an election year-there is plenty of time to learn now how your representatives think, before you go to the polls.
The November 1957 issue of GUNS Magazine is now online. I am once more reminded of the foresight these folks had half a century ago--talking about repealing the NFA, where today, some caution us it's too soon.
And again, I'm pleased to be associated with a magazine that still devotes space each month to the right to keep and bear arms, and more than a little disappointed in some of the ones that do not, especially major ones that used to...