Pressure Levels Rising on "Clinton & Wesson"
-- GOA working with Rep. Hostettler to defang S&W agreement
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
"We've had an excellent relationship with Smith & Wesson for 40
years. But the bottom line is this agreement will force dealers to
discontinue the sale of Smith & Wesson handguns, plain and simple."
-- Bill Carter, owner of a hunting and firearms chain and one of
the nation's largest S&W dealers.
(Friday, March 24, 2000) -- The pressure is rising on Smith &
Wesson. Earlier this week, Gun Owners of America called for a
boycott of Smith & Wesson products, citing S&W's gun control
agreement with the White House as dangerous to the Second Amendment
rights of all Americans. The terms of that agreement not only apply
to the company itself, but would also impose gun control
restrictions on private gun buyers and massive red tape on gun
dealers that carry S&W products.
The tension has continued to mount this week. The White House has
tried to pressure other gun manufacturers to join the agreement, but
so far, the other gun giants aren't jumping on board. Browning,
Bryco, Glock, and Taurus all announced this week they would NOT join
the Clinton & Wesson sell-out. No doubt, these gun giants are
taking notice of the tremendous discontent that exists in the gun
community. [Gun owners should thank these companies for standing
firm.]
The number of businesses, dealers and distributors joining the
boycott also continues to grow. For example, RSR Wholesale has
indicated that it will stop doing business with Smith & Wesson.
This would be a devastating blow to S&W, as RSR reportedly accounts
for about 25 percent of Smith & Wesson sales.
Many of you have contacted S&W to express your displeasure and to
notify them you will no longer be buying their products. Their
public answer has been simply that they had no choice. Well, one
could, perhaps, forgive them for being pressured into making a "deal
with the devil" if the deal ONLY affected them. However, their deal
does NOT just affect them; it also drags others into the fiery pit
of gun control hell. (See the Tuesday, May 21 alert, "GOA Announces
Boycott of Clinton & Wesson.")
[In fact, GOA's alert from earlier this week only scratched the
surface. Gun owners are encouraged to go to http://www.nssf.org/Agreement.PDF and read the agreement.]
GOA working Capitol Hill to stop enforcement of this agreement. On
the good news side, GOA has found that pro-gun Rep. John Hostettler
(R-IN) is committed to stopping this sell-out in its tracks.
Hostettler, who already has a bill to end the anti-gun lawsuits
against the gun industry, wants the budget to contain a provision
defunding the Oversight Commission which is established in the
Clinton & Wesson agreement. [The Oversight Commission has the force
of law to make sure the gun control restrictions agreed to by S&W
are being followed by anyone who does business with the company.]
ACTION ITEMS FOR ALL GUN OWNERS: It is very important for activists
to contact House Speaker Denny Hastert (R-IL). If he agrees to
defund the administration's enforcement of the S&W agreement, then
it is very possible that an effectual "repeal" of this sell-out
agreement will become law. Hastert can make or break our efforts.
Thus, gun owners should call Speaker Hastert's office and ask him to
do everything in his power to make sure this "deal with the devil"
can never be enforced by the administration. Ask him to ensure a
"no funding" provision is included in the budget. You can reach
Rep. Hastert's office with the following numbers:
* Capitol Hill switchboard phone: 888-449-3511 (toll-free)
* Hastert's direct dial phone: 202-225-2976
* Hastert's fax: 202-225-0697
OTHER IMPORTANT ACTION ITEMS: There are two important subcommittees
that Rep. Hostettler will be targeting in his efforts to defund the
Clinton & Wesson agreement. They are the Treasury and HUD
appropriation subcommittees.
The best contacts for each committee are Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), who is
the Treasury subcommittee head that supervises funding for the BATF,
and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX) who sits on the HUD
appropriations subcommittee.
ARIZONA GUN OWNERS: Please call Rep. Kolbe's office and ask him to
include language in the Treasury budget providing that no funds will
go towards enforcing the Clinton & Wesson agreement.
* Capitol Hill switchboard phone: 888-449-3511 (toll-free)
* Kolbe's direct dial phone: 202-225-2542
* Kolbe's fax: 202-225-0378
TEXAS GUN OWNERS: Please call House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX).
As the third most powerful Representative in the House and, as one
of the Reps. who sits on the HUD Appropriation subcommittee, DeLay
can be instrumental in getting a "no funds" provision inserted in
the HUD budget. Please ask him to do everything in his power to
ensure that the HUD budget contains no funds for enforcing the
Clinton & Wesson agreement.
* Capitol Hill switchboard phone: 888-449-3511 (toll-free)
* DeLay's direct dial phone: 202-225-5951
* DeLay's fax: 202-225-5241
INTERNET NOTE: A completely false rumor is currently circulating on
the Internet. Supposedly, a talk radio host was in contact with
executives at Smith and Wesson, and was told the manufacturer
contacted GOA to ask for help in defending against the lawsuits.
The rumor goes on to make the ludicrous charge that GOA advised S&W
to cut a deal with the feds! Just for the record, Smith and Wesson
has not contacted GOA. Nor would we ever suggest that anyone cut
deals with Bill Clinton -- compromise and capitulation are losing
strategies. The legal arm of GOA, Gun Owners Foundation, is
prepared to aid to the best of its ability those manufacturers who
stand firm and fight from a no-compromise position.
------------------
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
-- GOA working with Rep. Hostettler to defang S&W agreement
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
"We've had an excellent relationship with Smith & Wesson for 40
years. But the bottom line is this agreement will force dealers to
discontinue the sale of Smith & Wesson handguns, plain and simple."
-- Bill Carter, owner of a hunting and firearms chain and one of
the nation's largest S&W dealers.
(Friday, March 24, 2000) -- The pressure is rising on Smith &
Wesson. Earlier this week, Gun Owners of America called for a
boycott of Smith & Wesson products, citing S&W's gun control
agreement with the White House as dangerous to the Second Amendment
rights of all Americans. The terms of that agreement not only apply
to the company itself, but would also impose gun control
restrictions on private gun buyers and massive red tape on gun
dealers that carry S&W products.
The tension has continued to mount this week. The White House has
tried to pressure other gun manufacturers to join the agreement, but
so far, the other gun giants aren't jumping on board. Browning,
Bryco, Glock, and Taurus all announced this week they would NOT join
the Clinton & Wesson sell-out. No doubt, these gun giants are
taking notice of the tremendous discontent that exists in the gun
community. [Gun owners should thank these companies for standing
firm.]
The number of businesses, dealers and distributors joining the
boycott also continues to grow. For example, RSR Wholesale has
indicated that it will stop doing business with Smith & Wesson.
This would be a devastating blow to S&W, as RSR reportedly accounts
for about 25 percent of Smith & Wesson sales.
Many of you have contacted S&W to express your displeasure and to
notify them you will no longer be buying their products. Their
public answer has been simply that they had no choice. Well, one
could, perhaps, forgive them for being pressured into making a "deal
with the devil" if the deal ONLY affected them. However, their deal
does NOT just affect them; it also drags others into the fiery pit
of gun control hell. (See the Tuesday, May 21 alert, "GOA Announces
Boycott of Clinton & Wesson.")
[In fact, GOA's alert from earlier this week only scratched the
surface. Gun owners are encouraged to go to http://www.nssf.org/Agreement.PDF and read the agreement.]
GOA working Capitol Hill to stop enforcement of this agreement. On
the good news side, GOA has found that pro-gun Rep. John Hostettler
(R-IN) is committed to stopping this sell-out in its tracks.
Hostettler, who already has a bill to end the anti-gun lawsuits
against the gun industry, wants the budget to contain a provision
defunding the Oversight Commission which is established in the
Clinton & Wesson agreement. [The Oversight Commission has the force
of law to make sure the gun control restrictions agreed to by S&W
are being followed by anyone who does business with the company.]
ACTION ITEMS FOR ALL GUN OWNERS: It is very important for activists
to contact House Speaker Denny Hastert (R-IL). If he agrees to
defund the administration's enforcement of the S&W agreement, then
it is very possible that an effectual "repeal" of this sell-out
agreement will become law. Hastert can make or break our efforts.
Thus, gun owners should call Speaker Hastert's office and ask him to
do everything in his power to make sure this "deal with the devil"
can never be enforced by the administration. Ask him to ensure a
"no funding" provision is included in the budget. You can reach
Rep. Hastert's office with the following numbers:
* Capitol Hill switchboard phone: 888-449-3511 (toll-free)
* Hastert's direct dial phone: 202-225-2976
* Hastert's fax: 202-225-0697
OTHER IMPORTANT ACTION ITEMS: There are two important subcommittees
that Rep. Hostettler will be targeting in his efforts to defund the
Clinton & Wesson agreement. They are the Treasury and HUD
appropriation subcommittees.
The best contacts for each committee are Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), who is
the Treasury subcommittee head that supervises funding for the BATF,
and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX) who sits on the HUD
appropriations subcommittee.
ARIZONA GUN OWNERS: Please call Rep. Kolbe's office and ask him to
include language in the Treasury budget providing that no funds will
go towards enforcing the Clinton & Wesson agreement.
* Capitol Hill switchboard phone: 888-449-3511 (toll-free)
* Kolbe's direct dial phone: 202-225-2542
* Kolbe's fax: 202-225-0378
TEXAS GUN OWNERS: Please call House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX).
As the third most powerful Representative in the House and, as one
of the Reps. who sits on the HUD Appropriation subcommittee, DeLay
can be instrumental in getting a "no funds" provision inserted in
the HUD budget. Please ask him to do everything in his power to
ensure that the HUD budget contains no funds for enforcing the
Clinton & Wesson agreement.
* Capitol Hill switchboard phone: 888-449-3511 (toll-free)
* DeLay's direct dial phone: 202-225-5951
* DeLay's fax: 202-225-5241
INTERNET NOTE: A completely false rumor is currently circulating on
the Internet. Supposedly, a talk radio host was in contact with
executives at Smith and Wesson, and was told the manufacturer
contacted GOA to ask for help in defending against the lawsuits.
The rumor goes on to make the ludicrous charge that GOA advised S&W
to cut a deal with the feds! Just for the record, Smith and Wesson
has not contacted GOA. Nor would we ever suggest that anyone cut
deals with Bill Clinton -- compromise and capitulation are losing
strategies. The legal arm of GOA, Gun Owners Foundation, is
prepared to aid to the best of its ability those manufacturers who
stand firm and fight from a no-compromise position.
------------------
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!