How in the world is Newt Gingrich responsible for the 1994 gun ban that Clinton signed?
I believe he was speaker of the house in 1994, or at least minority leader, and voted along with most of the Congress, for the gun ban which then went to Clinton for signing, and became law. I could be wrong, however. I forget now whether Dems or Repubs controlled the House from 92 to 94. I know the repubs controlled both houses 94-96..... I'm 98% that regardless of whether Repubs or Dems actually controlled the Congress when it passed, that Mr. Gingrich himself in fact voted in favor of the gun ban, and I'm pretty sure that when casting said vote, he was his party's leader in the house, either as speaker or minority leader. Point being, had he LED his party to vote against it, it would never have reached clintoon's desk and become law.
OK, Tom Foley was the House Speaker, not Gingrich, and the ban passed the House very narrowly, 216-214....still looking for the verification that Newt was minority leader and voted for the ban....
Here we go:
www.gunowners.org
Oct. 1994
Gun Ban Passes as Part of Crime Bill,
But not without a fight
-- GOA and friends almost hand Clinton a "stunning defeat"
Gun owners came close to winning a stunning upset in August. On August 11, Representatives voted to prevent the crime bill, with its ban on more than 180 semi-automatic firearms, from being debated on the House floor. Newspapers across the country were labeling the August 11 vote a "stunning defeat" for President Clinton. Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY) was saying the crime bill was dead for the year.
But then key Republicans -- 46 in the House and seven in the Senate-- broke ranks to help the Democratic leadership resuscitate the crime bill. Many of these Republicans worked around-the-clock to forge a "compromise" crime bill -- a compromise which still contained billions of dollars in pork, a ban on several types of semi-autos and a ban on magazines over 10 rounds. These Republicans handed President Clinton a major victory, and in the end, succeeded in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Clearly, Clinton nearly staked his entire presidency on passage of the crime bill. He pushed hard to pass the bill, making promises and twisting arms to get the necessary votes. But Gun Owners of America worked feverishly in the weeks leading up to the vote to exert as much counter-pressure as possible on wavering legislators. GOA staff appeared on more than 150 radio talk shows in 49 states, urging listeners to call their legislators in opposition to the crime bill and gun ban.
Moreover, GOA issued alerts to our members by fax, by computer bulletin board and by mail. GOA also conducted phone calls into certain key legislative districts, and made personal contact with Representatives and staff on Capitol Hill.
All these efforts were definitely noticed in Washington, D.C. Pro-gun Rep. Rod Grams (R-MN) said that, "Gun Owners of America was instrumental in mobilizing the grassroots to fight the crime bill. They generated a massive phone and fax campaign into the Congress."
While the grassroots response was appreciated by Grams and other pro-gun legislators, it was a bit overwhelming for many anti-gun legislators:
* Representative Bill Hefner (D-NC) was very outspoken about the heat he was receiving from GOA members. When lobbyists for the Law Enforcement Alliance of America were in his office speaking against the crime bill, Mr. Hefner went into a tirade, complaining very loudly about the pressure GOA was putting on him.
* Anti-gun Rep. Vic Fazio (D-CA) also attacked GOA as a force that was 'intimidating' legislators. During debate on the House floor on August 11, Fazio lauded those legislators who, in his view, were willing to stand up "courageously against the Gun Owners of America" and against the opposition of the NRA.
In the end, the pressure was almost able to counteract the pressure coming from President Clinton. The Associated Press reported on August 9 that while some Representatives were being persuaded to support the crime bill, "others in favor of it were being pulled back by gun control opponents [and] persuaded to vote against it."
Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) is a typical example of someone who came under intense heat. While he voted against gun owners in August, the pressure from gun owners made it a difficult decision for him. Press reports had indicated that Green was being pressured by powerful Democratic legislators -- like Rep. Jack Brooks of Texas -- to vote in favor of the crime bill.
One Texas paper stated Green was "being inundated with calls from gun owners urging him to block the assault weapons ban." As a result, Green was telling supporters of the crime bill -- like Brooks -- that it would be hard for him to support the bill. After all, he said, "the people against the assault rifle ban are so vocal and so strong."
What follows is a brief account of how GOA worked to help generate those calls which were "so vocal and so strong." This account will focus on four of the key legislators which GOA targeted, and will show how people's phone calls and letters DO make a difference. This account will also detail the lying and deception which phone callers received from congressional offices; and will show how when armed with the truth, callers could "smoke out" the untruths being spoken at the other end of the phone.
[.....]
GOA helps drop Republican contributions by 80%
GOA learned this summer that House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was working actively to forge a compromise on the crime bill. None of the compromise talks even considered dropping the gun ban from the bill.
So GOA acted quickly and issued an alert asking people to call Gingrich, as well as Haley Barbour, the head of the Republican National Committee. GOA provided the phone and fax numbers to these offices, urging callers to deliver a simple message: "We don't need this crime bill -- especially not one with a gun ban in it. Moreover, we will not contribute to the Republican Party as long as they continue to support Republicans who vote for gun control."
[....]
It goes on and on....
http://www.gunowners.org/news/nws9410.htm
