SHARE Act of 2017

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Time For Letters And Faxes To Congress

October 4, 2017 by 1 Comment

I wasn’t sure if I should post this to the blog or not. It is a copy of a letter that I wrote yesterday to Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) who is my congressman. McHenry is also the Chief Deputy Majority Whip so he is also part of the Republican leadership in the House.

My friend Rob Morse also wrote his congressman along with Paul Ryan and posted his letter on his SlowFacts blog. His is a little shorter and more to the point.

I am putting a link to my letter in Google Docs as well so that anyone can use it as the basis for their own letter or fax. McHenry has three offices in the district in addition to his one in DC. I faxed each and every one that had a published fax number.

Hon. Patrick McHenry
Member of Congress
By Fax

Dear Rep. McHenry:

I have written to you in the past urging passage of the Hearing Protection Act. It has now been incorporated into HR 3668 – the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act of 2017 – as Title XV of the SHARE Act.

Hearing is one sense that once lost can never be regained. I know as I suffer from both hearing loss and tinnitus. To those who say just use ear plugs or shooting muffs, neither deals adequately with the concussive wave of the exploding gases of the gun shot. I have attached the executive summary from a position paper in favor of suppressors by Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership. As they note, restricting suppressors is an obstacle to hearing safety.

A suppressor on a firearm is like a muffler on a lawn mower. It doesn’t make it silent; it merely reduces the noise level to a safer decibel level. To say as Hillary Clinton did the other day that it would have made the tragedy in Las Vegas even worse is to merely to show ignorance. Police, the average citizen, and “shot spotter” software could all have detected the gunfire by sound as well as its location.

HR 3668 has passed out of all committees and is now on the Union Calendar of the House as number 224. There are reports that Speaker Ryan is now determined to sit on the bill and not let it come up for a vote. As you are a member of House leadership in your role as Chief Deputy Majority Whip, let me make one thing perfectly clear to you and to the rest of the GOP.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

Republicans would not hold a majority of both houses of Congress, Donald Trump would not be President, and there would not be a Republican supermajority of the North Carolina General Assembly if it were not for us in the firearms community. We have been given too many promises over too many years that Republicans are our allies in the fight for gun rights. We have given our votes and we have been continually disappointed. It is always there are more important things to handle and we’ll get to it “next year”. We are treated like Lucy treats Charlie Brown.

No more! While I can’t speak for everyone in the gun rights community, my vote will not be forthcoming unless I see good bills like HR 3668 and Rep. Hudson’s HR 38 brought up for recorded votes and passed in the House.

I attended and spoke at the 2017 Gun Rights Policy Conference held this past weekend in Dallas, Texas. Both the SHARE Act and HR 38 were discussed. A resolution was adopted on Sunday that demanded a recorded vote on both of these bills. Collectively, we have made the decision to stop playing “Charlie Brown” to the GOP’s “Lucy”.

I remain,

Sincerely yours,

John P. Richardson

Attachment: Executive Summary: Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership Position Paper in Favor of Firearm Suppressors to Prevent Hearing Loss

You can get the executive summary of DRGO’s position paper here. I would suggest including it with your fax or letter.

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Can You Still Hear A Suppressed Rifle From 500 Yards Away?

October 3, 2017 by 3 Comments

The answer to the title question is yes.

Rebel Silencers made an ad hoc video on the level of sound suppression on a suppressed rifle. It was done quickly and the production values are not pristine. The microphone picks up wind like nobody’s business. That said, it does a good job of illustrating that a suppressor only lowers the db level and doesn’t eliminate it.

Here was their setup. One guy shot an AR, both unsuppressed and suppressed, from a ridge about 500 yards away from the person listening. The guy listening was a shop machinist who probably didn’t have the world’s best hearing. He stood in the bed of a pickup, closed his eyes, and turned around many times so he didn’t know if was facing or not facing the shooter. He was asked to in the direction of the heard shot. He did it both times with reasonable accuracy.

Is this a perfect test under controlled laboratory conditions? Absolutely not. Does it illustrate that you can both detect the sound and the direction of the suppressed gunfire? Absolutely yes.

Those who have an axe to grind against guns and/or the Hearing Protection Act will say this video proves nothing. I would disagree and say that it shows that the average untrained person can indeed detect suppressed gunfire and that any “shot detectors” would also be able to detect the direction of the gunfire.

You know your member of Congress is under pressure from the anti-gun, anti-suppressor forces to kill the SHARE Act in the wake the mass casualty event in Las Vegas. Now is the time to make your voice heard again and again in favor of passage of these bills.

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GRNC On The Hearing Protection Act

September 25, 2017 by

Grass Roots North Carolina issued an alert this weekend urging people to contact the GOP members of the NC congressional delegation regarding the Hearing Protection Act and the SHARE Act.

I’ve urged readers to do the same in earlier posts. A little extra encouragement to the representatives is always welcome.

Silencers are great for protecting your hearing …


… and reducing noise as a courtesy to those around you,
but silence is never good when it comes to leading your representatives in DC …

In a potential leap forward for Second Amendment principles, the
Hearing Protection Act of 2017,
which would deregulate suppressors, is about to go the House floor for a vote and your representative needs to hear from you.

Encourage
GOP Representatives

Below, see how you can easily email and
phone your GOP United States Representative and tell him or her that
now is
the time to stand up for the Second Amendment. Actually, it’s always the
time to stand up for the Second Amendment, but this bill certainly
gives them the opportunity to go on record as pro-gun. This is where
Second Amendment campaign rhetoric gets put to the test. Use the links,
phone
numbers and the copy/paste text provided below to contact your
representative regarding this matter—if your representative is a
Republican. If
you don’t know who your representative is, CLICK HERE to find out—look for “Find Your Representative” at the upper-right portion of the page and plug in
your zip code.

You are free to phone some of the other representatives on the list as well. It can only help.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
  • EMAIL YOUR GOP REPRESENTATIVE IN WASHINGTON. Below, find links to the representatives’
    respective online contact forms.
  • PHONE YOUR GOP REPRESENTATIVE. Below, find the representatives’ phone numbers. Phone them,
    and use the ‘Phone Message’ text below to make clear your expectations as a North Carolina gun owner.
If you don’t know who your
representative is: CLICK HERE to
find out. Look for “Find Your Representative” at the upper-right portion of the page and plug in your zip code.

CONTACT
INFORMATION

George Holding (R-Raleigh): 919-782-4400, Contact Form
Walter
Jones Jr. (R-Farmville): 800-351-1697, Contact Form

Virginia Foxx (R-Winston- Salem): 828-265-0240, Contact Form
Mark
Walker (R-Greensboro): 336-626-3060, Contact Form

David Rouzer (R-Benson): 910-253-6111 Contact Form
Richard
Hudson (R-Concord): 704-786-1612, Contact Form

Robert Pittenger (R-Charlotte): 704-362-1060 Contact Form
Patrick
McHenry (R-Cherryville): 828-327-6100, Contact Form

Mark Meadows (R-Asheville): 828-693-5660, Contact Form
Ted Budd
(R-Advance): 336-998-1313, Contact Form

DELIVER THIS
MESSAGE

Phone Message:

Hello, I am calling today to express my support for the Hearing
Protection Act of 2017. Passing this bill would be a much needed, great
step forward for Second Amendment principles, and also a great
opportunity for
representatives like [REP NAME] to live up to the GOP’s pro-gun
platform. Please tell the representative that he/she should be
encouraging House
leaders to move this bill to the floor, and I expect him/her to vote YES
on this bill. I will be monitoring the representative’s actions on this
matter through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina. Thank you very
much.

Copy/Paste Email Message:

Suggested Subject
(where applicable): “Vote YES on Hearing Protection of 2017”

Dear Representative,

I am writing to express my full
support for the Hearing Protection Act of 2017. Passing this bill would
be a much needed step forward for Second Amendment principles, and also a
great opportunity for representatives like you to live up to the GOP’s
pro-gun platform. As a constituent, and a gun owner, I expect you to
encourage House leaders to move this bill to the floor, and when it’s up
for a vote, I expect you to vote YES. I will be monitoring your actions
on this matter through alerts from Grass Roots North Carolina.

Respectfully,
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Giffords’ Group Says Moderate Republicans Wavering On The SHARE Act

September 21, 2017 by 2 Comments

I received an email from Robin Lloyd of Americans for Responsible Solutions (sic) today. She lists herself as the Director of Government Affairs which I assume to mean head lobbyist. The email is below and I’ve highlighted sections. As many readers know, this group has had a real hard-on about the Hearing Protection Act since the beginning. The HPA was rolled into HR 3668 – the Sportsmen’s Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act or the “SHARE Act”. The House Committee on Natural Resources reported it out on Monday, September 18th.

John –

I wanted to write with a quick, but promising, update on the gun lobby’s efforts to pass legislation deregulating the sale of firearm silencers.

After last week’s committee hearing and vote, it looked like the vote on final passage before the entire House was going to happen before the end of the month.


But the grassroots pushback is working, and some moderate Republicans in the House are hesitant about voting on this as they consider their own re-election prospects.


Can you imagine what a sea change it would be for the future of the gun debate if the House of Representatives, with an overwhelming Republican majority, was afraid to vote on and pass this bill? It would totally and completely reshape the future of this debate. So we have to keep up the pressure:


Chip in $3 to help Gabby, Mark, and Americans for Responsible Solutions stop legislation that would deregulate the sale of firearm silencers from ever becoming law.

Gosh, John, it wasn’t long ago that the shoe was completely on the other foot — that the gun lobby’s allies used to try and force people who generally opposed commonsense solutions to reduce gun violence to take “tough, pro-gun” votes.


We are winning. The future is ours on this issue. But only if we all continue to make our voices heard.

All my best,

Robin Lloyd

Director of Government Affairs
Americans for Responsible Solutions

We are in a war for our firearm civil rights. We know it and they know it. Propaganda is part and parcel of war and the email above may just be that. Shocking as it may seem, gun prohibitionists have been known to lie and this well could be another of their big lies. They have been lying about suppressors since Day 1 so why should this be any different. Even the Washington Post awarded them 3 or 4 Pinocchios for their claims about suppressors.

It could also be just an effort to rally their base and bring in more dollars. There is nary an email from this group that doesn’t ask for money.

Nonetheless, despite having a history of being lying b@$%@rds, they could actually be correct about some moderate Republicans (aka RINOs) wavering on this bill due to the pro-gun rights elements contained within it. While the bill is on the Union Calendar, that doesn’t say when it is scheduled to be brought to the floor of the House for a vote. Thus, we need to keep calling our representatives and demand that they vote for this bill. If you are represented by a RINO, put it to them hard.

Find your representative here.

We also need to put pressure on the Republican leadership to stand firm and to bring the bill forward.

Contact Speaker Paul Ryan’s office here and urge him to bring the bill forward.

Both sets of links will also give you phone numbers — use them!

One final suggestion:  if you’ve bought a suppressor or filed a Form 1 since 2015, you will get your $200 back. You might hint to the congressional office that you are looking for a place to spend that money or even, cough, cough, donate it.

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The Hearing That Should Have Taken Place This Morning

June 14, 2017 by

The House Committee on Natural Resources’ Federal Lands Subcommittee was supposed to conduct a hearing this morning on the Sportman’s Heritage and Recreational Act aka SHARE Act. However, as most people know, a deranged Bernie Sanders supporter from Belleville, Illinois decided it would be a good idea to shoot at Congressional Republicans practicing for a baseball game. Thus, the hearing was canceled. It is unclear when it will be rescheduled.

Numerous parts of the SHARE Act had been passed in previous sessions of Congress but never made it to the President’s desk for signing. This included measures that would have allocated monies for target ranges, would have protected lead-based fishing tackle from lawsuits based on the Toxic Substances Control Act, and would have expanded fishing and hunting opportunities on Federal lands. There were, however, some major additions to the SHARE Act including rolling the Hearing Protection Act into it, replacing the sporting use test with an all lawful use test for non-NFA imports of firearms and ammunition, and prohibiting the BATFE from reclassifying popular rifle ammunition as armor piercing. Sebastian covers the addition of the Hearing Protection Act here and the hearing memo gives a good thumbnail outline of the details of the SHARE Act.

The lone opposition witness was to be former ATF Special Agent David Chipman who now works for Gabby Giffords’ American for Responsible Solutions. I’m sure his inclusion was aimed primarily at the Hearing Protection Act.

In support of the bill was to be Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsman’s Foundation; Rob Keck, Director of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops and former CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation; and Jason Ouimet, Director of Federal Affairs for the NRA.

The Subcommittee staff prepared an interesting 38-page memo showing the changes in the legal language that would result from the passage of the SHARE Act as it now stands. The changes are color coded which makes for a quick way to see the addition and subtractions to the law. Additions are color-coded in yellow and deletions are in blue.

Passage of the SHARE Act in its entirety would be good for both Gun Culture 1.0 and 2.0. I’m sure the addition of the Hearing Protection Act and the replacement of the sporting use test are red flags for the gun prohibitionists but now is the time for the Republicans to step up and show they are worthy of the past support from the outdoor and shooting communities.

UPDATE: Sebastian wonders whether or not today’s shooting and the hearing cancellation will be the death of the SHARE Act. It’s a valid question but as one of those commenting noted the bill contains too much “red meat” for the hunting and fishing community to just ignore it.