Gun Control Advocates Reload

Josey1

Gun Control Advocates ReloadBy DAVID WASSON and MICHAEL FECHTER The Tampa Tribune Published: Nov 2, 2001 Coast Guard Petty Office 2nd Class Charlie Hopkins holds a 50 caliber that sharpshooters use to disable boats.TALLAHASSEE - High- powered sniper rifles capable of piercing airline fuel tanks from a mile away can be purchased legally in Florida and elsewhere with no questions asked despite widespread efforts to tighten domestic security. The .50-caliber weapon, prized by U.S. military forces for its accuracy, range and armor-piercing firepower, is one of many potent assault-style rifles sold at gun shows across America. Now, in a revived push to close what they call the ``gun show loophole,'' gun control advocates are pointing to the powerful sniper rifle and wondering why state and federal lawmakers are ignoring such an obvious threat. ``This is a national security issue,'' said Tom Diaz, senior analyst at the Violence Policy Center, a Washington-based gun control advocacy group. ``You have to think about what this gun can do.'' Modified for U.S. military purposes in 1983, the armor- piercing rifle gives light infantry units the ability to wreak havoc on enemy airfields, fuel depots and command bunkers from long distances. Civilian versions of the weapon sell for as little as $2,300 on the Internet and can be purchased at gun shows in most cities without buyers having to produce identification or clear a criminal background check. A 1995 security study by Rand Corp. declared the weapon a threat to U.S. aircraft: ``Sniper fire from a .50-caliber rifle could damage an AWACS' intricate electronics or cause its fuel tanks to explode,'' warned the report, prepared for the Air Force. Yet none of the security-enhancing bills approved this week by Congress or the Florida Legislature includes greater restrictions on the sale of firearms sold at gun shows. IRA Bought Guns At Shows Although several proposals await legislative consideration, they are being actively opposed by the nation's powerful gun lobby. ``We have terrorists who hijacked planes with box cutters and plastic knives and flew them into buildings, and they're worried about gun shows,'' scoffed Marion Hammer, executive director of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida, the state's most active gun rights group. ``That just goes to show they will latch onto anything they think they can fool the public with.'' But evidence is mounting that foreign and domestic terrorist groups alike already know how to sidestep America's patchwork of state and federal gun laws to arm themselves. Last year in Miami, members of the Irish Republican Army were convicted of trying to smuggle into Ireland firearms purchased at gun shows across Florida. In Detroit, a member of Hezbollah, a Middle Eastern terrorist group, was convicted this year of conspiring to smuggle weapons to Lebanon that he bought at gun shows in Michigan. The al-Qaida network of fugitive terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is familiar with the .50-caliber weapon's extreme range and destructive power. One of his supporters legally purchased 25 of the rifles in 1989 in the United States to help combat the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The former al-Qaida member testified in the recent U.S. embassy bombings trial that the rifles gave otherwise lightly armed militia the firepower of a ``small cannon.'' Gun control advocates point to that, and other warnings, in their renewed push to clamp down on firearm sales. The .50-caliber sniper rifle has become Exhibit A. Legislation also is pending in Congress to restrict the civilian sale of the rifle in the same manner as machine guns. They say that in the wrong hands it could be used to target America's airports, propane and petroleum storage facilities, or critical power plants. ``This weapon could easily be turned against us,'' said Arthur Hayhoe, executive director of the Tampa-based Florida Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. ``Anyone, if they've got the money, can buy one of these at a gun show on any given weekend and, if they pick the right city, could do it without showing any identification.'' Hayhoe said he spotted one of the rifles for sale at a gun show last weekend in Jacksonville. Messages left at one of Florida's largest gun show organizers, Suncoast Gun Shows, seeking comment were not returned. Many states have no restrictions on the sale of firearms at gun shows, an increasingly popular way to buy and sell weapons. Some require all transactions follow the same rules as if the firearms were being bought at a licensed retail gun store, which means purchasers must produce valid identification and pass criminal background checks. Others don't. In Florida, the laws vary by county. Some, such as Hillsborough and Pinellas, have passed local ordinances requiring background checks on all transactions. But in Polk and Pasco counties, for example, individuals can rent booths at gun shows and sell weapons from their private collection without any requirements. Previous Efforts MisfiredTwo bills have been introduced for the 2002 legislative session that would make background checks a statewide requirement, but the Florida Legislature has resisted efforts in the past. ``It has become increasingly clear that the way terrorists, both domestic and international, get their guns in this country is through gun shows,'' said state Sen. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Pembroke Pines. During the special legislative session that ended Tuesday she tried unsuccessfully to pass a bill requiring customer background checks at every gun show in the state. She said she will try again when the Legislature meets in January. ``All this would do is require at gun shows what is already required at retail gun shops,'' Wasserman-Schultz said. ``If we're going to try to address the gaps in our domestic defense system in any comprehensive way, this would be a gaping hole.'' But it remains a tough sell in Florida's Republican-dominated Legislature, which is described by the National Rifle Association's chief Tallahassee lobbyist as reliably ``pro-gun.'' The chairman of the state Senate's Select Committee on Domestic Security, Sen. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, said this week, for example, she has no plan to consider tighter gun laws. ``I don't see the relevance,'' Brown-Waite said, adding she believes gun control advocates are ``just looking for a platform and I'm not going to give it to them.'' Reporter David Wasson can be reached at Reporter David Wasson can be reached at dwasson@tampatrib.com dwasson@tampatrib.comor (850) 222-8382; Reporter Michael Fechter can be reached at mfechter@tampatrib.com mfechter@tampatrib.comor (813) 259-7621. http://www.tampatrib.com/MGATNSHIJTC.html

---