Obama Administration Opposes CMP Handgun Sales

Obama Administration Opposes CMP Handgun Sales
Obama Administration Opposes CMP Handgun Sales
NRA - Institute for Legislative Action
NRA – Institute for Legislative Action

Fairfax, VA -(Ammoland.com)- The House of Representatives has approved Congressman Mike D. Rogers’ amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which—if accepted in the Senate—could make it possible for Americans who meet stringent requirements to purchase a military surplus handgun from the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

As NRA High Power and CMP Service Rifle competitors know, the CMP is authorized under federal law to sell surplus rifles and ammunition to U.S. citizens of age, who belong to shooting clubs affiliated with the program, after passing a background check, and satisfying all federal and state laws. Representative Rogers’ amendment would simply extend the authorization to include other firearms.  For example, allowing the Army to provide the program with 100,000 M1911 .45 caliber pistols. This would benefit the Army, the CMP and taxpayers alike.

Of course, there’s a hitch, because if there’s one thing that gun control supporters dislike more than semi-automatic rifles like the M-1s the CMP sells, its handguns!

On Monday, the Huffington Post approvingly reported that the Obama administration opposes Representative Rogers’ amendment, claiming that the CMP would sell the .45s over the “Internet” or by “mail-order,” without background checks. But the Obama administration isn’t telling the truth. Federal law requires the CMP to conduct background checks and to comply with federal and state laws governing firearm sales.

The administration is apparently also claiming that .45s sold by the CMP would be “untraceable.” But this, too, is false. All military firearms have serial numbers, and the CMP keeps records on every firearm it sells.

Finally, Team Obama also says that if Congress wanted the CMP to sell handguns, it should have said so in 1996, when it established the program in its current configuration. But this is Obama’s most frivolous objection of all. As he knows, but doesn’t care, Article I of the Constitution vests all legislative powers in the hands of Congress and Congress alone. That means if Congress now wants the CMP to be able to sell handguns, like it did decades ago, when the program was known as the DCM, Congress has the power to say so.

One final irony is that if any handgun would pass muster with the White House and like minded anti-gunners, seemingly the M1911 would be it. After all, it was issued with a single-stack, seven-round magazine, a capacity even New York was willing to tolerate with the original version of the execrable SAFE Act. This just demonstrates what we’ve said all along, which is that despite their insistence to the contrary, these folks just don’t like guns or the fact that guns are commercially available under any circumstances.

Like Congress, we too have power. The grassroots power to call or email our U.S. senators, to ask them to support the inclusion of the Rogers amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act. The power to experience the satisfaction of owning a piece of history, when those .45s become available. The power to encourage the Army to transfer the handguns according to Congress’s intent.

And the power, on Election Day 2016, to make sure the next president is someone with whom endless arguments related to gun ownership and the limits the Constitution places upon presidential power will not be necessary.

About the NRA-ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

For more information, please visit: www.nra.org. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at NRA on Facebook and Twitter @NRA.

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Greg

Is anyone really surprised? I’m not!

roger

of course it does. that s o b opposes anything that is remotely American !

james

Interesting that consumers could purchase firearms by mail order, even from a Sears Catalog in the day.
Criminal acts put a stop to this under the guise of safety and restricting the availability of firearms.

Fast forward to today and criminals and those who will become a criminal after they are convicted of their crimes have easy access to firearms no matter what laws are passed.

Fishunter

This only illustrates further that Obama and Liberal Progressives do not need logic or common sense to make a decision.

Betty

you said a mouth full and so true

Eric

Imagine a firearm owning citizen that does not need government protection. The Obama administration does not want a self reliant citizen especially devoid of paying taxes and redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the poor.

Eddie

Wrong as usual, YOU need the protection of the government as you are not equipped with your “arsenal” of stopping motorcycle terrorists, drug cartels, more than one or two assailants. And don’t drink the Kool-Aid about the poor taking your middle class money (if you are in fact middle-class) , you need to look at people like the Koch brothers, Romney, and the other people that shipping jobs overseas, and getting their upper class taxes reduced. Your sights are on the wrong target with the wrong information. Finally, when President Obama (show the respect your Mom taught you) initiatives ONE… Read more »