Gun control group wants TrackingPoint rifle sales banned to civilians

The National Gun Victims Action Council on Wednesday called publicly for TrackingPoint to ban sales to civilians, saying that only certain groups would buy the rifles.

The NGVAC contends that hunters and sportsmen would not buy TrackingPoint’s Precision Guided Firearms, capable of firing aimed rounds out to 1,200 yards with ease through use of its innovative technology, since they would eliminate the need for skill.

Likewise, the group does not see a self-defense use for the enhanced firearms. With that in mind, the gun control group only sees one market for civilian sales of these guns.

“NGVAC believes that there are three groups who will buy these rifles — insurrectionists, terrorists and hate groups,” said NGVAC’s CEO Elliot Fineman in a release. “Given the Sniper Rifle’s deadly accuracy, no one is safe — this cannot be allowed.”

TrackingPoint’s PGF allows shooters to accurately hit whatever they want at ranges out to 1,200 yards. The system relies on a computerized scope loaded with features and is hardwired to a rifle. To use it, a shooter locates and tags a target with the software programmed into the scope. With a target tagged, the user must depress the trigger and hold it until the reticle inside the scope realigns with the tag. Once everything aligns properly, the round fires.

Since launching in 2011 and official release in January 2013, TrackingPoint has expanded its facilities, gotten praise for innovation, fired its management, began talks with the military, and released new products, including a more affordable bolt-action rifle and AR-15.

The NGVAC states that in May it contacted TrackingPoint directly, asking the manufacturer to stop marketing and selling its guns to civilians. When it did not get a response from the company, the group, coupled with other pro-gun control groups such as Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence and the Newtown Action Alliance, wrote to the CEOs of Google and Apple.

“We asked that they stop distributing the TrackingPoint application, which enables the rifles’ (sic) precision accuracy, and that they take steps to bar TrackingPoint from using their names in promotional efforts,” said Fineman. To which they have not received a response.

Now the NGVAC is calling for legislation “to effectively banish the threat posed by these weapons.”

TrackingPoint declined comment to Guns.com on the campaign from the gun control group but industry leaders responded, explaining the fallacy in the NGVAC’s plea.

“TrackingPoint’s innovative product has application for long range target shooting competitions and for the hunting market where it could improve the ability of hunters to have successful hunts and to harvest game more humanely by reducing wounding and miss shots,” Larry Keane, National Shooting Sports Foundation senior vice president and general counsel told Guns.com on Wednesday.

Keane explained that the likelihood of the PGF’s misuse was far-fetched, saying, “The system is exceedingly expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars, and beyond the financial means of all but the most well-heeled target shooter and hunters.”

“That a product might be misused by someone is not a reason to ban its lawful use by law abiding citizens. If it were you would ban knifes, cars, rope, baseball bats, and an infinite number of other ordinary useful products,” Keane said.

Source: Guns.com