The 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the Right of the people to Keep and Bear Arms shall not be infringed."
Right to Bear Arms News 03/07/01
updated 03/07/01 Please note:
It has come to GOA's attention that a number of activists did not receive the 02/09/01 e-mail alert. Since the alert is by all means still timely, it is being re-sent. If you haven't acted yet, for whatever reason, please take a moment to contact Sen. John McCain.
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While a Flurry of New Gun Bills Descends upon Capitol Hill...
A proposed McCain bill requires your attention right now
Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
www.gunowners.org
(Friday, February 9, 2001) -- Now that the 107th Congress is underway, legislators on Capitol Hill are scurrying to get their bills introduced. As one would suspetc, many anti-gun bills have already been introduced, and many of them by the usual suspetcs: Feinstein, Schumer, Boxer, etc.
Gun Owners of America is currently analyzing all bills affetcing gun rights and hopes to have them summarized on our Website by the end of next week. Once the flurry of new bills subsides to a mere trickle, GOA will also report on the bills that gun owners especially need to watch -- as well as the ones that need support.
But one bill deserves your attention right now. Earlier, GOA heard whispers on the Hill about a proposed bill being crafted by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT). Well, those whispers are no longer mere speculation.
Roll Call, one of the newspapers that covers events and legislation on Capitol Hill, announced yesterday that both Senators were working on a gun control "compromise" aimed at putting heat upon the new President, as well as the Republican leadership. (See an excerpt of the story below.)
While it still has yet to be introduced, the McCain-Lieberman bill:
* Would slam the door on private sales at gun shows unless the buyer submits to a registration background check;
* Would force gun owners to purchase "lock up your safety" devices; and
* Even more troubling, would force federal agents to increase efforts at arresting and convicting honest gun owners who, in many cases, may inadvertently violate one of the many federal anti-gun laws which punish mere technicalities, such as gun possession.
A gun owner who travels with a gun through a school zone or who uses one of the family handguns to go target shooting with a 15-year old son (when the son does not have written permission to handle the firearm) could find Projetc Exile sending him or her to prison. And an individual who uses a gun for self-defense in a way that a court subsequently finds to be inappropriate could be sent to prison for a MANDATORY MINIMUM of five years.
ACTION:
1. Please contact Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and ask him to stop selling out gun owners. You can use the SAMPLE LETTER below, along with the following contact information:
Phone -- 202-224-2235
E-mail -- john_mccain@mccain.senate.gov
Fax -- 202-228-2862
McCain has spent the last few years trying to become a "media darling," but in doing so, he has compromised the very freedoms he fought for years ago. McCain's voting record has dipped to a C- in recent years, and gun owners in Oregon and Colorado will remember that he even used TV ads to push gun control referendums in their states right before the November eletcions last year.
2. ALL GUN OWNERS should contact Sen. McCain. After all, he is a former (and perhaps, future) presidential contender. He should care about your opinion, whether you live in Maine, Florida, Washington or Arizona. So EVERYONE, please write your own letter -- or use the sample letter below to help diretc your comments to Sen. McCain.
3. Please circulate this alert.
----- Pre-written message ----- Dear Senator McCain: I was greatly dismayed to see the Roll Call article (2/8/01) which reported on the gun control "compromise" that you and Joe Lieberman are fashioning. I would hope that you would CEASE and DESIST immediately from selling out gun owners' rights. The Second Amendment states that the people have a right to keep and bear arms that "shall not be infringed." What part of "not infringed" don't you understand? All of the proposals you are pushing will chip away at the rights of decent, law-abiding citizens. Should you succeed -- and I will do everything in my power to oppose your efforts -- I want you to know that you will greatly undermine the freedoms that Americans now enjoy. Furthermore, I should inform you that I will never support a candidate who consistently tries to undermine the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Yours for the Second Amendment,--------------------------------------------------------------------
McCain Planning Gun Control Bill
By Mark Preston of Roll Call
McCain Planning Gun Control Bill
Seizing on Congress' failure to reach a bipartisan agreement on gun safety legislation, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) are quietly working TOGETHER to draft an alternative compromise that both parties can support.
The discussions between McCain and Lieberman are still in the infant stages, but the bill is likely to include a reworked version of the controversial gun show loophole, trigger locks and more funds and support for the law enforcement community, aides to both Senators said.
Some of McCain's GOP colleagues believe that the Arizonan's interest in the gun issue and other hot topics, such as HMO reform, is an attempt to undercut President Bush's agenda.
"[McCain] is just trying to set the presidential agenda, and there is a discomfort with that," griped a GOP Senator close to the Republican leadership team....
Staffers for both McCain and Lieberman have been talking about a compromise gun bill since late last year; however, the two Senators were able to discuss the issue in greater depth during their official visit to Munich, Germany, this past weekend.
"This is not done," a source close to McCain cautioned. "But we are working on it."
A spokesman for Lieberman acknowledged that the Connetcicut Democrat is eager to work with the Arizona Republican, whom he "deeply respetcs."
"This would be an opportunity to chart a third way on stopping gun crime by dedicating more resources to enforcing existing gun laws while also fixing some of the loopholes that persist in those laws," Lieberman spokesman Dan Gerstein said....
"With Senator McCain joining Senator Lieberman on this debate, you are all but guaranteed it is going to register on the public's radar screen," said a senior Senate Democratic aide, who noted that the Senate Democratic leaders would likely embrace Lieberman's efforts to pass a gun safety bill.
"McCain is unbelievable," the aide added. "He has got absolutely no fear of antagonizing his leadership."
McCain's decision to tackle this issue is likely to further infuriate his Senate GOP colleagues, who are working hard to implement Bush's legislative priorities.
"There is a lot of frustration," a Republican Senator said. "He has got his own agenda."...
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For more information on Sen. John McCain's anti-gun activities, please see:
www.gunowners.org/cgv.htm (simply go to the Senate votes to view McCain's record)
(shows what the New Hampshire Union Leader had to say about McCain's anti-gun actions in 1999)
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Special: Become a GOA Life Member ($500) and receive one thousand dollars ($1000) in free world-class training! Front Sight Firearms Training Institute offers a two-day defensive handgun course, two-day tactical shotgun course, or a two-day practical rifle course PLUS a one-day submachine gun course where they provide the Uzis and all the ammo! This $1000 value is free for new GOA Life Members. Please see www.gunowners.org/subguns.htm for details.
Note: On Friday, March 09, GOA Executive Diretcor Larry Pratt and Sheriff Richard Mack will attend the subguns course. Both will be speaking that evening after the "rock'n roll." While your Front Site certificate will be good anytime, those taking advantage of the offer are urged to show up that weekend.
************** Do not reply diretcly to this message.
To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web. Change of e-mail address may also be made at that location.
To unsubscribe send a message to gunowners_members@mailmanager.net with the word unsubscribe in the subjetc line.
Problems, questions or comments? The main GOA e-mail address goamail@gunowners.org is at your disposal. Please do not add that address to distribution lists sending more than ten messages per week or lists associated with issues other than gun rights.
updated 03/07/01
From: neal@nealknox.com
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 00:39:10 EST
Subjetc: Blue Dogs Say 'Drop Guns'
To: alerts
February 27 Neal Knox Update -- Sunday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Texas Congressmen Jim Turner, Max Sandlin and Ralph Hall are among the conservative Democrats telling party leaders to "Drop gun control."
There have been similar rumbles across the Hill ever since the eletcion. Last week an Arkansas newspaper asked Rep. Marion Berry why he considered himself a conservative; he immediately started talking about why he and his fellow "Blue Dogs" -- as conservative House Democrats call themselves -- have challenged the Democratic leadership to drop their infatuation with gun laws.
"Gun control shouldn't be a political issue. It's a losing issue, and our leadership needs to understand that," Berry said.
Rep. Turner told the Constitution: "Those of us who believe in the Second Amendment and the right of gun ownership have been pretty outspoken in telling our friends this is an issue they need to leave alone."
These pro-gun Democrats are nervous about renewed efforts to push for new gun laws, and particularly about the still-unseen bill being drafted by powerful senators Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).
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Peter Jennings of ABC News was shocked by the Consumer Product Safety Commission's findings that most "trigger-locks" are easily defeated -- something we gun folks have been trying to tell lawmakers ever since they started trying to mandate them.
J.R. (Jill) Labbe, syndicated columnist and senior editorial writer for the Fort Worth Star Telegram wrote that if Jennings had bothered to go by Armadillo Firearm Security Products while he was roaming around the NRA convention hall in Charlotte last May, he could have watched every available trigger lock being circumvented in a matter of minutes.
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The U.S. Supreme Court -- by refusing to hear the challenge -- has let stand the California law allowing the state's attorney general to add additional guns to the list of banned so-called "assault weapons."
The initial 1989 Roberti-Roos law banned guns by make and model; an amendment allowed guns to be banned on the basis of insignificant features such as presence of a straight pistol grip and bayonet lug or flash hider (as the 1994 Federal law does).
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A Baltimore grand jury that met last fall is reponsible for a elementary through high school student essay contest on the topic: "What is the best way to get rid of guns in Baltimore City?" -------------------
Australian Prime Minister John Howard who rammed through the law confiscating all repeating firearms in 1996 -- everything from AR-15's to Winchester Model 1897 pump shotguns -- is reported to be extremely vulnerable in the upcoming eletcions.
Gunowners have long memories and are working hard for opposition parties. Keep an eye on these eletcions.
Politicians in neighboring New Zealand are certainly watching. After launching a campaign to create a total national gun registry last year, the Labour Party is backing off.
A Labour spokesman said the registry would not increase firearm safety and would affetc only law abiding gun owners.
She needs to tell Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who isn't interested that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled (Haynes, 1968) that criminals have a Fifth Amendment right not to register their illegally possessed guns.
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At last year's NRA meeting the NRA establishment rolled out Country & Western fiddler Louise Mandrell as their 76th Diretcor candidate (voted on by all members attending the annual meeting). Her job was to prevent my winning the seat, and she easily did.
Louise (who I gave a Life Membership on behalf of the association for performing for us in 1995) was at the Charlotte Board Meeting long enough to be pinned and announce how thrilled she was to be a Diretcor. She hasn't attended any subsequent meeting.
I was surprised that in appreciation for her efforts she wasn't nominated by the Nominating Committee. Some of us joked that they were holding her back to again run for 76th Diretcor.
But that's exactly what the NRA power structure intends to do -- to prevent the members at Kansas City from eletcing someone who might ask a few hard questions of management, or break the string of unanimous votes since their "Do Not Vote For" lists knocked the last of our folks off the board.
Past NRA President Marion Hammer has sent out an email asking members of the Board and their friends to cast a write-in vote for Louise so she'll get the 250 votes necessary to qualify her to run.
I ask that you to write in former Diretcor, NRA Foundation Trustee and Finance Committeeman Bob Hodgdon of Shawnee Mission, Kansas -- and encourage him to again serve.
We didn't run a slate of candidates this year in order to focus on getting our two bylaws passed -- which would again put NRA in the hands of its members. Please support both bylaws, but particularly the State Diretcor bylaw, requiring one diretcor eletced every year by and from the membership in each state.
(Those are the bylaws that the NRA hierarchy tells you to vote against -- right on the ballot!)
I had planned to only vote for two candidates (plus the write- in for Bob Hodgdon): Jim Supica, a good guy who finished dead last in 2000, and ad man Brian Johnson, who wasn't renominated because he questioned NRA's advertising and public relations policies.
Now I think I'll also vote for Mike Yacino, who has done an outstanding job running the Massachusetts Gun Owners Action League under the worst possible circumstances. Mike doesn't think all wisdom resides in NRA HQ and is disliked by Marion Hammer almost as much as I am.
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updated 03/07/01 Another bill to oppose..
Bill Proposed to Ban Shooting Near Federal Lands; Buildings
By Sierra Times- Posted: 03.05.01
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 27, 2001
Mr. ANDREWS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
---------------------------------------------------------------------- A BILL
To prohibit the discharge of a firearm within 1000 feet of any Federal land or facility.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PROHIBITION OF THE DISCHARGE OF A FIREARM WITHIN 1000 FEET OF ANY FEDERAL LAND OR FACILITY.
(a) IN GENERAL- Setcion 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
@(z)(1) It shall be unlawful for any person who is within 1000 feet of any building or land owned or leased by the Federal Government to knowingly discharge a firearm.
@(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the otherwise lawful discharge of a firearm--
@(A) by a law enforcement officer;
@(B) by an officer or employee of the Federal Government; or
@(C) at a shooting range established and operated in accordance with State law.'.
(b) PENALTIES- Setcion 924(a) of such title is amended by adding at the end the following:
@(7) Whoever violates setcion 922(z) shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not less than 12 months and not more than 27 months, or both.'.
Right to Bear Arms News 02/21/01
Rep. Hostettler Leading the Charge to Repeal Clinton's Anti-gun Legacy -- Needs your help in getting HUD out of the gun control business
Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
(Wednesday, February 21, 2001) -- Gun Owners of America is working with Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) to strip former President Clinton of his anti-gun legacy.
Hostettler is asking other legislators to join him in signing a letter that will ask the new Department of HUD Secretary Mel Martinez to disassemble the agency's Communities for Safer Guns Coalition -- a syndicate intended to encourage and assist anti-gun lawsuits around the country.
All TOGETHER, more than 30 cities and localities have brought their own suits against the gun makers. The impact -- and intent -- of these HUD-encouraged lawsuits is clear. Dade County Circuit Court Judge Amy Dean told Miami-Dade County attorneys suing the gun industry that if they were to get exactly what they wanted, guns would be "taken off the market entirely." (Reuters, 11/15/99)
Even if the gun makers won every single harassment suit against them (and they have won virtually every single one), the costs of simultaneously defending themselves in multiple cities across the country could put many, if not all, of them out of business.
ACTION: Please ask your Representative to join onto the Hostettler letter. Tell him you don't want your tax dollars continuing to go towards efforts that will tear down the Second Amendment. Urge him to do his part in getting HUD out of the gun control business.
Please use the pre-written letter below to help direct your comments to Capitol Hill. You can call your Representative at 1-877-762-8762 (toll free) or at 202-225-3121. To identify your Representative, as well as to send a message via e-mail, see the Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm on the GOA website.
----- Pre-written letter -----
Dear Representative: Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) will soon be sending a very important letter to Mel Martinez, the new secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I hope that you will join him in asking HUD to pull out of the misnamed Communities for Safer Guns Coalition. This group is assisting cities and localities all over the country to bring lawsuits against the gun makers of America. This is outrageous and is completely out of line with what Americans want. A Zogby poll last year found that 2/3 of the people say it's illegitimate to bring lawsuits against gun manufacturers or to hold them liable for the criminal misuse of guns. Please call the Hostettler office, ask him for a copy of the letter and then tell them you'll sign on. It's time to stop our tax dollars from going towards efforts that will tear down the Second Amendment. Thank you. Sincerely,
*****************
The actual text of the Hostettler letter is at http://www.gunowners.org/hs0101.htm for those interested in reading it.
**************
Special: Become a GOA Life Member ($500) and receive one thousand dollars ($1000) in free world-class training! Front Sight Firearms Training Institute offers a two-day defensive handgun course, two-day tactical shotgun course, or a two-day practical rifle course PLUS a one-day submachine gun course where they provide the Uzis and all the ammo! This $1000 value is free for new GOA Life Members. Please see http://www.gunowners.org/subguns.htm for details.
**************
Do not reply directly to this message.
To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to http://www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web. Change of e-mail address may also be made at that location.
To unsubscribe send a message to gunowners_members@mailmanager.net with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
Problems, questions or comments? The main GOA e-mail address goamail@gunowners.org is at your disposal. Please do not add that address to distribution lists sending more than ten messages per week or lists associated with issues other than gun rights.
updated 01/08/01
IRS Wants To Shut Down Pro-gun Internet Activities
Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
January 8, 2001
The IRS has proposed some dangerous threats to free speech in their IRS Announcement 2000-84 (01/08/01).
In a transparent effort to protect the incumbents in Congress, the Announcement would prohibit a link from the GOA web site to, for example, the Bush and the Gore sites so that you can see for yourself what their positions on firearms are during a campaign. Of course, GOA could do so if we subjected ourselves to the terms of the Speech Police at the Federal Election Commission.
If GOA were to be treated as a political committee by the federal government, all of its members would have to be reported. That is obviously totally unacceptable.
In an effort to deny funds for communications to members and the public, the Announcement would tax any proceeds from books and other products purchased at the GOA web site. If someone wants to further the work of GOA by purchasing things from GOA, why should the government put its greedy hands on that "income?" In other words, the IRS wants a Speech Tax.
The announcement would also limit those with whom GOA could communicate. The IRS would determine who is a member and then say that only members can receive e-mail from GOA.
Please communicate your displeasure with this Announcement by February 13, 2001.
You can send your objections via postal mail to:
Internal Revenue Service
1111 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington DC 20224
Attn: Judith E. Kindell
You can use the address: *TE/GE-Exempt-2@irs.gov to e-mail your objections.
Please circulate this call for action to as many people as you can.
The text of the Ammouncement is on pages 385-387 of the IRS bulletin at http://ftp.fedworld.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb00-42.pdf (401 Kb, Adobe Acrobat required).
If you wish, you can use the suggested language below and post or e-mail it.
Internal Revenue Service
Attn: Judith E. Kindell
1111 Constitution Avenue NW
Washington DC 20224
Re: Announcement 2000-84
Dear Ms. Kindell,
Please do not put these measures into effetc.
The government has no business regulating or taxing speech and the organizations involved in advocacy.
I want to know what candidates say, and I want non-profit organizations to tell me how to find candidate web pages so I can see for myself what candidates are saying.
I do not want to have to "join" an organization to receive e-mail from them.
I don't want the IRS diluting the effectiveness of organizations I support by taxing the proceeds of their product sales. If I choose to support them in that way, I don't want you getting a cut.
U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey had it right: "The idea of turning the tax man into a Net cop would have a chilling effect on free speech on the internet."
Sincerely,
**************
Special! Become a GOA Life Member ($500) and receive one thousand dollars ($1000) in free world-class training! Front Sight Firearms Training Institute offers a two-day defensive handgun course, two-day tactical shotgun course, or a two-day practical rifle course PLUS a one-day submachine gun course where they provide the Uzis and all the ammo. This $1000 value is free for new GOA Life Members. Please see http://www.gunowners.org/subguns.htm for details.
**************
To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to http://www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web. Change of e-mail address may also be made at that location.
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