By Dan Shea
The time is now, the place is here, and there will never be a better time or place than here and now.
All intrepid readers of SAR, dwellers of the land of Raffica, should be aware that we have some movement in the bushes. Ladies and Gentlemen, Lock and Load. I mean, we have MOVEMENT!
The movement is… 1934 GROUP, Inc. This is a new not-for-profit corporation that was expressly started for the purpose of legally going after the CLEO signature requirement on Forms 1, 4, and 5. There were so many people pledging funds or to be plaintiffs in the challenge, that lawyers Stephen Halbrook and Jim Jeffries responded to the call, as did Kel Whelan and many others. Halbrook and Jeffries are not part of the corporation, they are being retained by it.
These esteemed attorneys have devised a simple series of events designed to challenge the requirement for a signature on the Forms- a requirement that is being abused by many localities to prevent law abiding American citizens from owning NFA firearms. ATF says “No CLEO signature, no transfer”. The 1934 Group, Inc, says, “Where does the requirement for a signature come from? It’s unconstitutional on many levels, and being misused as a gun ban implement. It has to go!”
SAR doesn’t balk at a little rabble rousing from time to time, and this is one issue where we won’t back off. My own opinion is that ATF would be wise to quickly supply relief from this situation- if you can’t get a signature because the locals just plain refuse to sign, then there ought to be another way to satisfy the requirements. Whether they will or not is another matter, and the grounds that 1934 GROUP Inc, has been discussing are pretty sound. I am impressed.
I am living up to my personal $500 pledge to this not-for-profit group. As of January 24, 1999, there was another $12,400 pledged to the fund. They need to raise about $40,000 to do the job. Any amount of donation will help- figure the ammo bill on one afternoon’s shooting, and pledge that. (I would LOVE to see Kent Lomont’s ammo bill!) There is talk of a raffle- maybe someone will donate a real unique prize. If you live in a locality where you can’t get a signature, then this immediately affects you. However, if you are a Form 4 purchaser- this could affect you anywhere in the United States! All it takes is a change of Police Chief and you won’t be able to get your sign-offs! If you are a dealer, then consider how your customer base might expand.
But, all in all, consider that this is being abused in many areas of the country, and we need to right this wrong. SAR is not affiliated with this organization, but we are a cheerleader. You can get more information directly from 1934 GROUP Inc, and count on the fact that SAR will be there reporting on this!
It’s not tax deductible, but that makes no difference to me. I want to see this fixed. Who else is willing to step up to the plate?
1934 GROUP
A Not-For-Profit Corporation incorporated to research and implement legal and practical developments related to NFA laws and items.
Chairman: Kel Whelan Treasurer: TBA
Donations in personal or company check, or money order (please make a notation on ‘memo’ field of your check if you prefer to stay anonymous to the CL3 community) can be sent to:
1934 Group, 12701 NE 9th PL Suite #D312
Bellevue, WA 98005
| This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V2N6 (March 1999) |
