Below the Radar: The PLEA Act

United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- One way for anti-Second Amendment legislation to sneak past the radar of Second Amendment supporters is for the anti-Second Amendment extremist in office to engage in a form of “microtargeting.” Like the form used in advertising, anti-Second Amendment microtargeting aims at a very small portion of the whole, aiming to get a result without a lot of fighting.

This is what Representative Eliot Engel has done with HR 2670, the PLEA Act. The PLEA Act’s long title is the “Protect Law Enforcement Armor Act,” and Engel is going for a two-fer with this bill.

First, he is trying to reboot the “cop-killer bullet” hysteria for the present era. This was one of the things the Brady Campaign (then known as Handgun Control) used certain police chiefs to scare the public into opposing our Second Amendment rights. What ultimately passed in the 1980s is reflected in 18 USC 921(a)(17), 18 USC 922(a), and 18 USC 922(b). Like any anti-Second Amendment extremist, Engel doesn’t let facts get in the way of attacking our rights.

With this bill, Engel is targeting one specific handgun currently on the market: The Fabrique Nationale Five-seveN. This pistol fires a proprietary round also used by the P90 and has a 20-round magazine in its standard form (10-round magazines are also available). In one sense, it is similar to the Flamethrowers? Really? Act he is also pushing.

The objective in both cases is the separation of the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, or other pro-Second Amendment groups from other gun owners who are not as involved in Second Amendment issues, not to mention the general public. The legislation is pretty pointless – and it’s also designed to go after other firearms as well. Note that he creates a very loose definition of armor-piercing handgun in the text of the legislation, and much of what will determine an “armor-piercing handgun” is left up to regulations determined by the Attorney General.

Now, the Five-seveN did pick up some notoriety after it was misused during the 2009 Fort Hood terrorist attack. That being said, this pistol’s retail price of nearly $1,450 means it’s not exactly the first choice for a criminal. And, not to belabor the point, but the armor-piercing ammo, per existing laws, is already restricted, with laws that are rarely enforced. Keep in mind, felons are prohibited from having any kind of firearm, much less the Five-seveN, and the same prohibitions also apply to ammunition, including the armor-piercing types.

The PLEA Act is another bad-faith piece of legislation that doesn’t address any real problems. Second Amendment supporters can use this as an educational tool for less-involved gun owners, particularly as it applies to the tactics of those who seek to take away our rights.

Of course, it goes without saying that Second Amendment supporters should also be contacting their Representative and Senators, politely urging them to defeat this legislation, and to support the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act instead.

About Harold Hutchison

Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.

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