House Votes to Renew All-Plastic Gun Ban

[Brett85]

With the advent of 3-D printers capable of producing plastic weapons, the House voted Tuesday to renew a 25-year-old prohibition against firearms that can evade metal detectors and X-ray machines.

A bipartisan bill extending the Undetectable Firearms Act was passed on a voice vote, a first for gun legislation since last year's massacre at a Connecticut elementary school.

The Senate is expected to act on the legislation when it returns from a two-week Thanksgiving recess next Monday, a day before the current law expires.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/11th-hour-congress-debates-plastic-gun-ban-21077925

[Brian4Liberty]

Thomas Massie on Twitter:


The plastic gun ban (Undetectable Firearms Act) just passed the house on voice vote with 10 reps present. I was the only no vote

[FindLiberty]

Nine outa' ten lawmakers are insane.

[Brett85]

Thomas Massie on Twitter:

So there were only 10 reps in the house when this was brought up to be voted on?

And I thought that a bill can only pass by "voice vote" when no one objects to it or votes against it? That's why I posted this, because I'm somewhat confused to the process that was used to pass this bill and how it was passed.

[Natural Citizen]

So there were only 10 reps in the house when this was brought up to be voted on?



So this says two things. 1...they refuse to provide an official position on science and technology itself and 2... a blatant disregard for the 2nd amendment.

The one absolute way to expose a representatives ideology in today's world is to force him or her to provide an official position on science and technology. None of them want to be in the same room when it comes up.

[tsai3904]

So there were only 10 reps in the house when this was brought up to be voted on?

And I thought that a bill can only pass by "voice vote" when no one objects to it or votes against it? That's why I posted this, because I'm somewhat confused to the process that was used to pass this bill and how it was passed.

All votes in the House are done by voice vote. After the voice vote, a member can request a recorded vote.

[ClydeCoulter]

I don't understand how it can be that only 10 reps can vote on something that affects the whole country. Makes no sense whatsoever, to me.

[Brett85]

All votes in the House are done by voice vote. After the voice vote, a member can request a recorded vote.

So Massie voted against it by saying "no," but just didn't request a recorded vote?

[tsai3904]

So Massie voted against it by saying "no," but just didn't request a recorded vote?

He may or may not have requested a recorded vote because there are some thressholds that must be reached in terms of quorum. However, I think most requests for recorded votes are granted.

[CPUd]

LOL how many they need present for a quorum?

[Brett85]

He may or may not have requested a recorded vote because there are some thressholds that must be reached in terms of quorum. However, I think most requests for recorded votes are granted.

Yeah, I'm not sure. If he didn't ask for a recorded vote, I don't necessarily blame him, because there probably would've only been 3 or 4 votes against this anyway. But it would've been interesting to see how many "no" votes there would've been.

[tsai3904]

LOL how many they need present for a quorum?

It seems like a quorum is just a technicality that is only a problem when someone complains.


What is a quorum?

A quorum in the House of Representatives is when a majority of the Members are present. When there are no vacancies in the membership, a quorum is 218. When one or more seats are vacant, because of deaths or resignations, the quorum is reduced accordingly. Because of Members' other duties, a quorum often is not present on the House floor. But any Member may insist that a quorum must participate in any vote that takes place in the House. If a Member makes a point of order that a quorum is not present, and the Speaker agrees, a series of bells ring on the House side of the Capitol and in the House office buildings to alert Members to come to the Chamber and record their presence.

[ClydeCoulter]

It seems like a quorum is just a technicality that is only a problem when someone complains.

I'm complaining :)

[pcosmar]

That's why I posted this, because I'm somewhat confused to the process that was used to pass this bill and how it was passed.
You are confused?

I'm not..

but then I have been seeing this shit for over 40 years.. :( ( I wasn't watching as a child)

[erowe1]

Notice this important line from the article:

the NRA didn't oppose extending the current law

Notice also that printed guns would decrease the demand for guns manufactured by the gun companies that the NRA depends on so much.

Notice also that the voice vote protects anyone from having to go on record supporting it personally and taking any heat for that.

[erowe1]

Yeah, I'm not sure. If he didn't ask for a recorded vote, I don't necessarily blame him, because there probably would've only been 3 or 4 votes against this anyway. But it would've been interesting to see how many "no" votes there would've been.

Even if there were only 3-4 votes against it, there's a major reason to make them vote, which is to make the people who vote for it have to go public with their vote and stand by it and take the heat.

Boehner didn't want that to happen. None of the Republicans outside of that 3-4 wanted that to happen. The NRA didn't want that to happen. And Sturm Ruger (http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=RGR+Interactive#symbol=RGR;range=5y) didn't want that to happen.

[jmdrake]

Sooo...basically printing a plastic gun is still just as legal as it was last week? Cody WIlson incorporated metal into his gun both so that it would be legal. And 3D printing technology has already been used to get around bans on large magazine capacity. In fact the idea that this technology renders gun bans virtually moot is kind of the point. That said, the metal that makes Cody Wilson's gun "legal" would probably look innocuous and get through security if the gun was disassembled first.

[Tod]

One thing with the printed handgun I've been seeing pictures of is that it DOES look pretty much like what you would think a gun would look like. In the future, I expect that designers will produce configurations that are much less recognizable.

[jmdrake]

One thing with the printed handgun I've been seeing pictures of is that it DOES look pretty much like what you would think a gun would look like. In the future, I expect that designers will produce configurations that are much less recognizable.

Unassembled they don't look very recognizable to me already.

http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com/2013/05/liberator_defense-distributed_1.jpg?w=620

Weapon? Toy? Hot air gun? Hot glue gun?

[Brett85]

Boehner didn't want that to happen. None of the Republicans outside of that 3-4 wanted that to happen. The NRA didn't want that to happen.

I think Massie could've forced a vote on it if he wanted to, so it doesn't seem like he thought it would be necessary to force a vote on it.

[tsai3904]

I think Massie could've forced a vote on it if he wanted to, so it doesn't seem like he thought it would be necessary to force a vote on it.

I think the bigger reason why he didn't request a vote is he would have pissed off a lot of Republicans for making them go on the record. I would think leadership made it clear to everyone to not ask for a vote but I can't think of why the Democrats didn't force the issue by requesting a vote.

[erowe1]

I think Massie could've forced a vote on it if he wanted to, so it doesn't seem like he thought it would be necessary to force a vote on it.

He should have.

It would have cost him though.

[Brett85]

From Tim Huelskamp:

"Yesterday, the House quietly passed by voice vote, with only a handful of Congressman present, a bill to extend the manufacturing ban on guns that could escape metal detector screening. I was not given advance notice of the intent to pass it without a recorded vote, and I would have voted no. When it comes to our Second Amendment rights, Members of Congress should be willing to stand up and be counted. I will continue to monitor this bill to ensure any attempts by anti-Second Amendment forces in the U.S. Senate to add additional gun control restrictions are defeated."

https://www.facebook.com/#!/congressmanhuelskamp