To all gun enthusiasts

Dear fellow gun enthusiast
I am writing this appeal to inform every gun enthusiast out of Italy of a major attempt by Italian manufacturers to keep foregin and expecially US made firearms out of the Italian market which has just happened here in Italy.
With “urgent” regulatory decree nr. 79 of 2012 the Italian Government has just reclassified all "military looking" rifles – mainly AR15 family rifles in any caliber and any barrel lengh, but also ak family, sig, fal, m14, mp5.....issued directly for civilian market or ex military, and ex ordinance and full-auto irreversibly converted to semiauto only - from the “hunting firearms” into the “sporting firearms” class.

This measure will:

• Hinder the import expecially of Ar15 style rifles, mainly made in the US, stoppinf them for one year awaiting the Firearms Commission approval, excluded for “hunting” class firearms;
• Prohibit hunting activities with these rifles which have been relegated to “sporting” firearms and will be subjected to the more restrictive handgun regulations with reduced possession rights of this kind of firearms (from unlimited to 6) and ammunition (from 1500 to 200);
• Will pave the way for further restrictions against possession of this class of firearms, which are manufactured for 99% in foreign countries, especially the US.

The worst part of the story is that this new legislation has been adopted with the secret backing of major Italian manufacturers who are represented in National Firearms Commission.
Since adoption of national firearms law 110 of 1975, every model of firearm imported or manufactured in Italy had to be approved by the National Firearms Commission (mainly composed of Government officials and representatives of Italian manufacturers).
The clumsy procedure created a year long process before the model was accepted which hindered manufacturing and import of the weapons with obvious damages to the industry and law abiding citizens.
With law 183/2011 this absurd procedure was momentarily cancelled for all firearms but has now been reinstituted with the secret backing of Italian manufacturers only for “military look alike” rifles and ex military (de-militarized) weapons which, by the way, constitute 99% of US made firearms imported in Italy.
It is obvious that this is a market protection measure travestied as a public safety measure creating once more a distinguished market advantage for Italian manufacturers (who don’t manufacture “military resembling” firearms and are not subjected to this process anymore).
This is only the last of at least 3 attempts to restrict importation and possession of “military looking” rifles since 2010, all of them strongly but subtly backed by manufacturers represented in the National Firearms Commission, mostly by Mr. Davide Pedersoli, CEO of Pedersoli muzzleloading firearms who has been publicly voicing his personal opinions that “you can’t hunt with an Ar15”, and has finally been successful.
Mr. Pedersoli and other main firearms manufacturers, when confronted in public, have tried more than once to fake ignorance on the matter but their malfeasance is not credible as by article 6 of law 110/75 (National firearms law), the Commission must be mandatorily heard before the adoption of any measure regarding weapons and explosives.
There is no way they “couldn’t know” ; the sad truth is that once more they were too eager to exchange Italian citizens gun rights with easier licenses to export their stuff abroad.
But the war is not yet lost as the regulation must voted into law by the Parliament within the next 60 days and Italian shooters are launching a major boycott campaign against those manufacturers who have been subtly backing the measure (PEDERSOLI, BERETTA, TANFOGLIO FIOCCHI) to make them
withdraw their support.
The help of fellow US shooters and manufacturers would be fundamental for our cause since 95% of Italian products are exported in the US market which
is not protected at all.
If you would like to support our freedom cause please do not patronize Beretta – Tanfoglio, Fiocchi and - especially - Pedersoli Firearms with your purchases and make them know your reasons, spreading this appeal on the Internet. We especially ask you to contact Mr. Val Forgett III, CEO of Navy Arms - and the staunchest supporter of the right to keep and bear arms as a basic human right - who is the major importer of Pedersoli firearms in the US, to make him know what his purveyor is doing against the freedom of Italian honest citizens and that you are displeased by that.

Mr. Val Forgett III info@navyarms.com
Pedersoli dealers in the US: http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/distributori-nazione.asp/l_en/idarea_3/idsottoarea_224/distributors-united%20states.html
Beretta Italy : Fax +39.030.8341399 or +39.030.8341.1 or +39.030.8341.1
Beretta USA: info@beretta.com
Beretta USA dealers : http://www.berettausa.com/dealers/default.aspx
Tanfoglio commerciale@tanfoglio.it
Tanfoglio dealers :
EAA Armory eaacorp@eaacorp.com
All others Tanfoglio dealers : http://www.tanfoglio.it/eng/usa-canada.php
Fiocchi USA : sales@fiocchiusa.com
Fiocchi dealers : http://www.fiocchiusa.com/foa/CMS/Industry_Dealers.aspx
Fiocchi Italy : segreteria@fiocchigfl.it
ANPAM (manufacturesr association) anpam@tin.it
Brescia Gunmakers association info@armaiolibresciani.org
Gunshops Association assoarmieri@assoarmieri.it

[Please forgive my errors -- hope the meaning is well understandable anyway]