NRA-ILA FAX ALERT
11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (800) 392-8683 * Fax: (703) 267-3918 * www.nraila.org
Vol. 6, No. 23 6/18/99
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DEFEATS ALL GUN PROVISIONS!
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 147 to 280 to
eliminate all gun provisions from H.R. 1501, its version of
juvenile justice reform. This vote capped two days of heated
debate in the House, where Representatives made it clear they
were responding to the concerns of America's millions of
law-abiding gun owners. The House first voted late Thursday
night to attach an amendment by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) to
H.R. 2122, the firearms section of their juvenile justice
legislation. The Dingell Amendment, approved on a 218-211
bipartisan vote, clarified H.R. 2122 by reducing possible delays
for firearms transfers at gun shows to no more than 24 hours and
clearly defining what constitutes the "sale" of a firearm at a
gun show. The base text of H.R. 2122 already made vast
improvements over the Senate's version of proposed regulations on
gun shows by requiring the immediate destruction of records on
firearm purchasers whose purchases are not denied through the
National Instant Check System (NICS), and permanently prohibiting
a federal gun tax for NICS inquiries. Immediately after passing
the Dingell amendment, the House defeated an amendment by rabidly
anti-gun Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), on a bipartisan 193-235
vote. McCarthy's amendment was similar to the Lautenberg gun
show ban. While supporters of the Dingell amendment used their
time to debate the merits of the proposal, opponents chose to use
their time to attack NRA and law-abiding gun owners with often
illogical, highly charged emotional outbursts. Rep. Patrick
Kennedy's (D-R.I.) irrational ranting and raving, when he accused
supporters of the Dingell amendment of wanting to allow criminals
to purchase firearms, had to take first prize for outrageous
allegations.
The House continued their work on H.R 2122 today, when it
took up a number of additional firearm-related amendments. The
House passed: the Davis "Safe Storage Device" Amendment, that
requires manufacturers to include a "safe storage device" with
every new handgun; the Cunningham Concealed Carry Amendment, that
allows all current and retired law enforcement officers to carry
concealed firearms nationwide; the Hyde-McCollum Juvenile
"Assault Weapons" Amendment, that prohibits the possession by
juveniles of "assault weapons" and magazines capable of holding
more than 10 rounds of ammunition (with several exemptions to
these prohibitions for a number of lawful activities); the Rogan
Amendment, which prohibits a juvenile who commits a serious
violent felony from being able to purchase or own a firearm as an
adult; the Hunter Amendment on Handgun Ownership in D.C., that
would allow law-abiding residents of D.C. to possess a loaded
handgun in their home for personal protection; the Hyde-Lofgren
Magazine Import Ban Amendment, that prohibits the importation of
magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition
previously exempted from the 1994 ban; and the Sessions-Frost
Pawn Redemption Amendment, that requires a NICS check before any
firearm that has been pawned for more than one year is returned
to its owner. The House defeated: the Goode D.C. Gun Ban Repeal
Amendment, that would repeal the District of Columbia's onerous
handgun ban; and the Conyers Substitute Amendment, which sought
to undermine the House's previous bipartisan efforts by replacing
the House gun language with the package of restrictions passed by
the Senate. The Hyde Age Limit amendment, that sought to ban
the purchase or attempted purchase of handguns by persons under
21 from private citizens or at gun shows, was pulled from
consideration. Finally, the House defeated H.R. 2122 on a
147-280 vote, meaning H.R. 1501, passed earlier in the week with
no gun provisions, becomes the complete House juvenile justice
package.
At this time it is unclear what the next step will be for
juvenile justice legislation. However, we urge you to continue
to contact your federal lawmakers and urge them to support the
Second Amendment. Be sure to thank those Representatives who
supported our right to keep and bear arms, and remind those
lawmakers that have not been supportive that you will be paying
close attention to future votes. U.S. Senators can be reached by
calling (202) 224-3121, and Representatives can be reached at
(202) 225-3121.
WHOM DO YOU TRUST --SCHOLARS OR CELEBRITIES?
In last week's FAX Alert (Vol. 6, No. 22), we reported HCI
had taken out an ad in USA Today promoting their anti-gun agenda,
which was clearly an effort to influence Congress to support the
recent assaults on gun shows. This week, a letter with 290
signatures was delivered to Congress in opposition to more gun
control. In contrast to HCI's ad, however, the signatories of
this letter were scholars, not celebrities. Organized by
Professor John Lott of the University of Chicago, economists, law
professors, and criminologists joined together to point out the
fact that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens act as a
deterrent to crime, and to state that the recent proposals by
Bill Clinton and others are ill-advised. We can only hope that,
when it comes to deciding crime and constitutional issues,
Congress will choose to listen to experts, not entertainers.
GORE'S GAFFE
This week, Vice President Al Gore showed that he is either
unaware of federal firearm laws, or he is willing to lie in order
to further his anti-gun agenda. While speaking before the U.S.
Conference of Mayors, Gore stated that anyone between the ages of
18 and 20 "can walk into any gun shop, any pawn shop, any gun
show, anywhere in America and buy a handgun." Of course, federal
law has prohibited the purchase of a handgun from a Federal
Firearms License (FFL) by ANYONE under the age of 21 since 1968.
Whether unaware or intentionally lying, Gore's statement is just
another reason why the Clinton-Gore Administration should not be
trusted with our rights protected by the Second Amendment.
BRITISH FAX "POLL" UNDER SCRUTINY
It seems that U.S. politicians are not the only ones who
have been exploiting the tragedy in Littleton, Colo. On April
21, the day after the horrific event at Columbine High, a British
company called 21st Century Fax Ltd. began sending a survey to
any fax number in America it could find, asking "Would you like
to see more effective gun control laws?" Many of you have
already received this fax, and have brought it to our attention.
For a recipient of this survey to have his vote counted, he would
have to fax his reply to a "900" number that, according to fine
print at the bottom of the message, would cost $2.95 per minute.
A May 5 story in the Washington Post stated that the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) had both received numerous complaints about these
unsolicited messages, spurring an investigation into the
practices of the British company to see if they had violated any
U.S. laws, especially the Telecommunications Protection Act,
which prohibits unsolicited commercial faxes. Gordon Ritchie,
director of 21st Century Fax, claimed his company did nothing
illegal, as he stated FCC rules "only apply to faxes from the
U.S." He said that the survey would eventually be sent to
approximately three million faxes in America. While Ritchie
claims his poll is scientifically sound, American pollsters
disagree, pointing out the fact that it is not a random sample of
respondents. Ritchie admitted to being a supporter of gun
control, although based on the way the poll's only question was
worded, that was relatively apparent. He even went so far as to
say that he would end the poll if it became apparent that the
result would show Americans did not support more gun control.
Thus far, no results have been released.
A LOOK AT THE STATES
DELAWARE: HB 161, which seeks to make it easier for victims of
domestic violence to obtain permits to carry a concealed handgun,
passed the legislature and is awaiting Gov. Thomas Carper's (D)
signature. Contact Governor Carper at (302) 577-3210 and urge him
to sign HB 161.
MASSACHUSETTS: On June 22nd, at the Grafton High School from 4 to
8 p.m., the Committee on Public Safety will hold a regional
hearing to take testimony concerning the many problems associated
with Chapter 180 of the 1998 Massachusetts Gun Control Act.
Please attend this hearing and testify before the committee.
NEW YORK: The Senate passed A.2045, the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety
Program bill. This bill now awaits Governor Pataki's (R)
signature. Contact Governor Pataki at 518-474-8390 and urge him
to sign A.2945. Additionally, members are encouraged to attend a
rally in support of the Second Amendment to be held on Saturday,
June 26, at 11 a.m., on the steps of the Niagara Falls City Hall,
located at 745 Main Street. For more information, please contact
Tom Chandler at 518-861-7058.
OKLAHOMA: SB 601, the NRA-backed package which seeks to make
reforms to the Right To Carry permit system while also
establishing reckless lawsuit preemption, was signed by Gov.
Keating (R) this week.
OREGON: SB 887, which seeks to implement NRA's Eddie Eagle Gun
Safety Program in the curriculum of Oregon's school children in
grades K through 6, is on Gov. John Kitzhaber's (D) desk.
However, gun-control advocates are encouraging the governor to
veto SB 887 simply because it is an NRA program. Contact Gov.
Kitzhaber at 503-378-4582 and urge him to sign SB 887. Tell the
Governor that SB 887 does not advocate firearms training or
usage, but rather, it is solely about teaching children how to be
safe if they come across a firearm in an unsupervised situation.
=+=+=+=+
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle
Association's Institute for Legislative Action -- www.NRAILA.org
Everyone is welcome to come over to my Second Amendment homepage
and message board. Have some fun while learning how to effectively
battle the foes of the Second Amendment. Feel free to speak you mind
on a variety of subjects ranging from firearms, politics, the great
outdoors, to self sufficiency measures.
Joe
<A HREF="http://www.netbabbler.com/goto/index.php3?forumid=12204">
Joe's Second Amendment Message Board</A>
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/nralife/politics">
Joe's Second Amendment Homepage</A>
11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (800) 392-8683 * Fax: (703) 267-3918 * www.nraila.org
Vol. 6, No. 23 6/18/99
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DEFEATS ALL GUN PROVISIONS!
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 147 to 280 to
eliminate all gun provisions from H.R. 1501, its version of
juvenile justice reform. This vote capped two days of heated
debate in the House, where Representatives made it clear they
were responding to the concerns of America's millions of
law-abiding gun owners. The House first voted late Thursday
night to attach an amendment by Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) to
H.R. 2122, the firearms section of their juvenile justice
legislation. The Dingell Amendment, approved on a 218-211
bipartisan vote, clarified H.R. 2122 by reducing possible delays
for firearms transfers at gun shows to no more than 24 hours and
clearly defining what constitutes the "sale" of a firearm at a
gun show. The base text of H.R. 2122 already made vast
improvements over the Senate's version of proposed regulations on
gun shows by requiring the immediate destruction of records on
firearm purchasers whose purchases are not denied through the
National Instant Check System (NICS), and permanently prohibiting
a federal gun tax for NICS inquiries. Immediately after passing
the Dingell amendment, the House defeated an amendment by rabidly
anti-gun Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), on a bipartisan 193-235
vote. McCarthy's amendment was similar to the Lautenberg gun
show ban. While supporters of the Dingell amendment used their
time to debate the merits of the proposal, opponents chose to use
their time to attack NRA and law-abiding gun owners with often
illogical, highly charged emotional outbursts. Rep. Patrick
Kennedy's (D-R.I.) irrational ranting and raving, when he accused
supporters of the Dingell amendment of wanting to allow criminals
to purchase firearms, had to take first prize for outrageous
allegations.
The House continued their work on H.R 2122 today, when it
took up a number of additional firearm-related amendments. The
House passed: the Davis "Safe Storage Device" Amendment, that
requires manufacturers to include a "safe storage device" with
every new handgun; the Cunningham Concealed Carry Amendment, that
allows all current and retired law enforcement officers to carry
concealed firearms nationwide; the Hyde-McCollum Juvenile
"Assault Weapons" Amendment, that prohibits the possession by
juveniles of "assault weapons" and magazines capable of holding
more than 10 rounds of ammunition (with several exemptions to
these prohibitions for a number of lawful activities); the Rogan
Amendment, which prohibits a juvenile who commits a serious
violent felony from being able to purchase or own a firearm as an
adult; the Hunter Amendment on Handgun Ownership in D.C., that
would allow law-abiding residents of D.C. to possess a loaded
handgun in their home for personal protection; the Hyde-Lofgren
Magazine Import Ban Amendment, that prohibits the importation of
magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition
previously exempted from the 1994 ban; and the Sessions-Frost
Pawn Redemption Amendment, that requires a NICS check before any
firearm that has been pawned for more than one year is returned
to its owner. The House defeated: the Goode D.C. Gun Ban Repeal
Amendment, that would repeal the District of Columbia's onerous
handgun ban; and the Conyers Substitute Amendment, which sought
to undermine the House's previous bipartisan efforts by replacing
the House gun language with the package of restrictions passed by
the Senate. The Hyde Age Limit amendment, that sought to ban
the purchase or attempted purchase of handguns by persons under
21 from private citizens or at gun shows, was pulled from
consideration. Finally, the House defeated H.R. 2122 on a
147-280 vote, meaning H.R. 1501, passed earlier in the week with
no gun provisions, becomes the complete House juvenile justice
package.
At this time it is unclear what the next step will be for
juvenile justice legislation. However, we urge you to continue
to contact your federal lawmakers and urge them to support the
Second Amendment. Be sure to thank those Representatives who
supported our right to keep and bear arms, and remind those
lawmakers that have not been supportive that you will be paying
close attention to future votes. U.S. Senators can be reached by
calling (202) 224-3121, and Representatives can be reached at
(202) 225-3121.
WHOM DO YOU TRUST --SCHOLARS OR CELEBRITIES?
In last week's FAX Alert (Vol. 6, No. 22), we reported HCI
had taken out an ad in USA Today promoting their anti-gun agenda,
which was clearly an effort to influence Congress to support the
recent assaults on gun shows. This week, a letter with 290
signatures was delivered to Congress in opposition to more gun
control. In contrast to HCI's ad, however, the signatories of
this letter were scholars, not celebrities. Organized by
Professor John Lott of the University of Chicago, economists, law
professors, and criminologists joined together to point out the
fact that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens act as a
deterrent to crime, and to state that the recent proposals by
Bill Clinton and others are ill-advised. We can only hope that,
when it comes to deciding crime and constitutional issues,
Congress will choose to listen to experts, not entertainers.
GORE'S GAFFE
This week, Vice President Al Gore showed that he is either
unaware of federal firearm laws, or he is willing to lie in order
to further his anti-gun agenda. While speaking before the U.S.
Conference of Mayors, Gore stated that anyone between the ages of
18 and 20 "can walk into any gun shop, any pawn shop, any gun
show, anywhere in America and buy a handgun." Of course, federal
law has prohibited the purchase of a handgun from a Federal
Firearms License (FFL) by ANYONE under the age of 21 since 1968.
Whether unaware or intentionally lying, Gore's statement is just
another reason why the Clinton-Gore Administration should not be
trusted with our rights protected by the Second Amendment.
BRITISH FAX "POLL" UNDER SCRUTINY
It seems that U.S. politicians are not the only ones who
have been exploiting the tragedy in Littleton, Colo. On April
21, the day after the horrific event at Columbine High, a British
company called 21st Century Fax Ltd. began sending a survey to
any fax number in America it could find, asking "Would you like
to see more effective gun control laws?" Many of you have
already received this fax, and have brought it to our attention.
For a recipient of this survey to have his vote counted, he would
have to fax his reply to a "900" number that, according to fine
print at the bottom of the message, would cost $2.95 per minute.
A May 5 story in the Washington Post stated that the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) had both received numerous complaints about these
unsolicited messages, spurring an investigation into the
practices of the British company to see if they had violated any
U.S. laws, especially the Telecommunications Protection Act,
which prohibits unsolicited commercial faxes. Gordon Ritchie,
director of 21st Century Fax, claimed his company did nothing
illegal, as he stated FCC rules "only apply to faxes from the
U.S." He said that the survey would eventually be sent to
approximately three million faxes in America. While Ritchie
claims his poll is scientifically sound, American pollsters
disagree, pointing out the fact that it is not a random sample of
respondents. Ritchie admitted to being a supporter of gun
control, although based on the way the poll's only question was
worded, that was relatively apparent. He even went so far as to
say that he would end the poll if it became apparent that the
result would show Americans did not support more gun control.
Thus far, no results have been released.
A LOOK AT THE STATES
DELAWARE: HB 161, which seeks to make it easier for victims of
domestic violence to obtain permits to carry a concealed handgun,
passed the legislature and is awaiting Gov. Thomas Carper's (D)
signature. Contact Governor Carper at (302) 577-3210 and urge him
to sign HB 161.
MASSACHUSETTS: On June 22nd, at the Grafton High School from 4 to
8 p.m., the Committee on Public Safety will hold a regional
hearing to take testimony concerning the many problems associated
with Chapter 180 of the 1998 Massachusetts Gun Control Act.
Please attend this hearing and testify before the committee.
NEW YORK: The Senate passed A.2045, the Eddie Eagle Gun Safety
Program bill. This bill now awaits Governor Pataki's (R)
signature. Contact Governor Pataki at 518-474-8390 and urge him
to sign A.2945. Additionally, members are encouraged to attend a
rally in support of the Second Amendment to be held on Saturday,
June 26, at 11 a.m., on the steps of the Niagara Falls City Hall,
located at 745 Main Street. For more information, please contact
Tom Chandler at 518-861-7058.
OKLAHOMA: SB 601, the NRA-backed package which seeks to make
reforms to the Right To Carry permit system while also
establishing reckless lawsuit preemption, was signed by Gov.
Keating (R) this week.
OREGON: SB 887, which seeks to implement NRA's Eddie Eagle Gun
Safety Program in the curriculum of Oregon's school children in
grades K through 6, is on Gov. John Kitzhaber's (D) desk.
However, gun-control advocates are encouraging the governor to
veto SB 887 simply because it is an NRA program. Contact Gov.
Kitzhaber at 503-378-4582 and urge him to sign SB 887. Tell the
Governor that SB 887 does not advocate firearms training or
usage, but rather, it is solely about teaching children how to be
safe if they come across a firearm in an unsupervised situation.
=+=+=+=+
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle
Association's Institute for Legislative Action -- www.NRAILA.org
Everyone is welcome to come over to my Second Amendment homepage
and message board. Have some fun while learning how to effectively
battle the foes of the Second Amendment. Feel free to speak you mind
on a variety of subjects ranging from firearms, politics, the great
outdoors, to self sufficiency measures.
Joe
<A HREF="http://www.netbabbler.com/goto/index.php3?forumid=12204">
Joe's Second Amendment Message Board</A>
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/nralife/politics">
Joe's Second Amendment Homepage</A>