more stuff from The 2ndAmendmentNews Team
(snip)
The following is by former NRA director:
David M. Gross September 21, 1999
8323 W. Franklin Ave.
St. Louis Park, MN 55426-1914
612-545-1091 phone
612-546-5314 fax
david.gross@frostbit.com
david.gross@pclink.com
There was a strong rumor going around the Sept. 17-19
GRPC in St. Louis, this weekend. The long-maintained
separation between NRA and the firearms industry is about
to be dissolved by the hiring of NRA's public relations and
lobbying firm, Mercury Group, by the new governmental
affairs unit of the National Shooting Sports Foundation
(NSSF) -- which includes most of the major arms
manufacturers and distributors. I am concerned about this for
reasons of substance and appearance.
An ABC Television crew videotaped much of the
conference and interviewed many of the speakers and
audience. ABC Television is supposedly preparing an hour-
long "special" on NRA that will *reveal* the long-claimed (by
gun-grabbers) and long-denied (by NRA) linkage between
NRA and the gun makers. Why the creation of such a linkage
would be undertaken, now, is difficult to understand, if not
totally beyond comprehension.
Industry representatives at the conference either
avoided questions about the new relationship or pleaded
ignorance. However, several, including Lt. Gen. James
Chambers, USAF (ret.), Executive Director of SAAMI,
mentioned in their speeches that they were in the process of
hiring or retaining a "Washington" lobbying firm for greatly
expanded representation on Capitol Hill. General Chambers
stated, unequivocally, that the Industry would not behave like
Big Tobacco and settle and compromise; rather, Industry was
going to fight. That great news is certainly greatly tempered
by the fact that they may be creating additional problems that
will detract from the effort. For almost 5 years before this,
SAAMI had been represented by James J. Baker, former and
current Executive Director of NRA-ILA. Another "linkage?"
Surely, Jim Baker understands the problem presented here.
Mercury Group, which has described itself as a "wholly
owned subsidiary" of Ackerman & McQueen, NRA's
advertising and public relations firm for 20 years, was formed
about three years ago from the same key people who had
been representing NRA under the Ack-Mac banner. Rumors,
at the time, were that Ack-Mac was either required, or chose,
to spin off the NRA account (as part of "spin control?") when
they began handling public relations for the Dallas Cowboys
and set up a large operation near the team's home stadium in
Irving.
Tony Makris, President of the subsidiary, has long
served as the political consultant for actor Charlton Heston,
brought him to NRA as a spokesman, then engineered
Heston's election to the NRA Board of Directors and -- two
days later -- as first Vice President of NRA, and then to
President. The effort to "mainstream" NRA (Many say "sell it
down the river;" you decide; you've seen what has
happened.) came out of Mercury Group. If NSSF fights the
way NRA is fighting under Makris' direction, our problems will
be only just beginning. Even the pro-gun Republicans have
complained about NRA's "going soft."
For NSSF to hire NRA's public relations firm is
incredibly stupid. Both gun makers and consumers will lose
politically by being overtly joined at the hip with each other.
You see, while industry opposes most gun laws, as
does NRA, they're not always the same laws. If a gun bill will
benefit industry's bottom line, even if it reduces its customers'
freedom, industry supports it. This happened in 1968 and
later with GCA '68. The law of unintended consequences
(short-sightedness) strikes, again, causing damage to both
Industry and to gun owners' freedoms.
In 1968, the leading gun manufacturers came out in
support of the Dodd Bill, the Gun Control Act of 1968, while
gun owners, even much more than NRA, and despite
protestations to the contrary (*words*, not actions) were
doing their best to protect the Second Amendment. The gun
industry thought it would benefit by eliminating much foreign
competition and by "cleaning up their distribution chain" by
the law's prohibition on interstate sales to private citizens.
In the middle 1970's the big handgun manufacturers
developed a "Saturday Night Special" bill, and Colt Firearms
convinced the Ford White House to support it in the belief that it would
reduce competition from their smaller competitors. That bill
was changed slightly and reintroduced by Rep. John
Conyers.
In the late 1980's, when the "assault rifle" was first
being condemned, gun maker Bill Ruger, often hailed as "a
great defender of the Second Amendment," tried to convince
Congress to limit magazines to 15 rounds. That just
happened to be the maximum capacity of the Ruger pistols,
and less than the 17 and 19-round capacity of the foreign-
made Glock, which was so popular with police. Until Bill
Ruger's efforts, even Sen. Metzenbaum hadn't thought of
such a limit and had proposed to limit magazine capacity to
20 rounds.
Clearly dual representation by Mercury Group is a huge
conflict of interest. When a gun bill is about to become law,
and gun rights are in conflict with commercial interests, how
can Mercury Group serve both clients? Or will one get sold
down the river? The gun makers, and particularly dealers
who belong to NSSF, hate gun shows. What would Mercury
Group do with a gun show bill that dealers and distributors
love and NRA members hate?
The NRA Board of Directors will be meeting this
weekend at the Key Bridge Marriot in Rosslyn, VA (703)524-
6400. Hopefully, those directors will convince their P.R. firm
that they must CHOOSE whether they want to represent the
gun industry, or continue to represent the NRA. They must
not be allowed to represent both.
Should you get to talk to any directors you know, point
out that it is not only politically stupid, but also a huge conflict
of interest: *your* interests,
*your* rights, *your* freedom.
****************************
The 2ndAmendmentNews Team
The way to protect your own rights is to protect the rights of
others. Our right to own and use firearms is under attack.
This list was created in a hurry due to the emergency
presented by anti-gun politicians and the media dancing in
the blood of those who died in the Colorado massacre.
We receive e-mail addresses from various sources that
represent the recipients as receptive to our timely, low-to-
moderate volume gun-rights-related alerts (generally no more
than weekly, never more than daily, depending on legislative
and other circumstances). Occasionally recipients turn out to
be not interested, and we remove them immediately with our
sincere apology for any inconvenience. If you wish to be
removed send an e mail to 2ndamendmentnews-
owner@onelist.com and include "unsubscribe".
If you know anyone who would appreciate these alerts,
please let us know and we'll enroll them on a trial basis.
Also, feel free to forward our alerts.
If you've received this as a forward and wish to subscribe
please send a reply to me at luz.clark@prodigy.net or
behanna@fast.net
Cordially Yours,
The 2ndAmendmentNews Team
2ndAmendmentNews is published by volunteer activists who
support the full original individual rights intent of the 2nd
Amendment and oppose any appeasement on gun rights.
The moderators include Chris Behanna, Weldon Clark (an
NRA director) and Steve Cicero.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude
better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from
us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down
and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set
lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our
countrymen. -- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia
State House, August 1, 1776.
------------------
will you stand with me in DC on 10-2-99?
http://www.myplanet.net/jeffhead/LibMarch
(snip)
The following is by former NRA director:
David M. Gross September 21, 1999
8323 W. Franklin Ave.
St. Louis Park, MN 55426-1914
612-545-1091 phone
612-546-5314 fax
david.gross@frostbit.com
david.gross@pclink.com
There was a strong rumor going around the Sept. 17-19
GRPC in St. Louis, this weekend. The long-maintained
separation between NRA and the firearms industry is about
to be dissolved by the hiring of NRA's public relations and
lobbying firm, Mercury Group, by the new governmental
affairs unit of the National Shooting Sports Foundation
(NSSF) -- which includes most of the major arms
manufacturers and distributors. I am concerned about this for
reasons of substance and appearance.
An ABC Television crew videotaped much of the
conference and interviewed many of the speakers and
audience. ABC Television is supposedly preparing an hour-
long "special" on NRA that will *reveal* the long-claimed (by
gun-grabbers) and long-denied (by NRA) linkage between
NRA and the gun makers. Why the creation of such a linkage
would be undertaken, now, is difficult to understand, if not
totally beyond comprehension.
Industry representatives at the conference either
avoided questions about the new relationship or pleaded
ignorance. However, several, including Lt. Gen. James
Chambers, USAF (ret.), Executive Director of SAAMI,
mentioned in their speeches that they were in the process of
hiring or retaining a "Washington" lobbying firm for greatly
expanded representation on Capitol Hill. General Chambers
stated, unequivocally, that the Industry would not behave like
Big Tobacco and settle and compromise; rather, Industry was
going to fight. That great news is certainly greatly tempered
by the fact that they may be creating additional problems that
will detract from the effort. For almost 5 years before this,
SAAMI had been represented by James J. Baker, former and
current Executive Director of NRA-ILA. Another "linkage?"
Surely, Jim Baker understands the problem presented here.
Mercury Group, which has described itself as a "wholly
owned subsidiary" of Ackerman & McQueen, NRA's
advertising and public relations firm for 20 years, was formed
about three years ago from the same key people who had
been representing NRA under the Ack-Mac banner. Rumors,
at the time, were that Ack-Mac was either required, or chose,
to spin off the NRA account (as part of "spin control?") when
they began handling public relations for the Dallas Cowboys
and set up a large operation near the team's home stadium in
Irving.
Tony Makris, President of the subsidiary, has long
served as the political consultant for actor Charlton Heston,
brought him to NRA as a spokesman, then engineered
Heston's election to the NRA Board of Directors and -- two
days later -- as first Vice President of NRA, and then to
President. The effort to "mainstream" NRA (Many say "sell it
down the river;" you decide; you've seen what has
happened.) came out of Mercury Group. If NSSF fights the
way NRA is fighting under Makris' direction, our problems will
be only just beginning. Even the pro-gun Republicans have
complained about NRA's "going soft."
For NSSF to hire NRA's public relations firm is
incredibly stupid. Both gun makers and consumers will lose
politically by being overtly joined at the hip with each other.
You see, while industry opposes most gun laws, as
does NRA, they're not always the same laws. If a gun bill will
benefit industry's bottom line, even if it reduces its customers'
freedom, industry supports it. This happened in 1968 and
later with GCA '68. The law of unintended consequences
(short-sightedness) strikes, again, causing damage to both
Industry and to gun owners' freedoms.
In 1968, the leading gun manufacturers came out in
support of the Dodd Bill, the Gun Control Act of 1968, while
gun owners, even much more than NRA, and despite
protestations to the contrary (*words*, not actions) were
doing their best to protect the Second Amendment. The gun
industry thought it would benefit by eliminating much foreign
competition and by "cleaning up their distribution chain" by
the law's prohibition on interstate sales to private citizens.
In the middle 1970's the big handgun manufacturers
developed a "Saturday Night Special" bill, and Colt Firearms
convinced the Ford White House to support it in the belief that it would
reduce competition from their smaller competitors. That bill
was changed slightly and reintroduced by Rep. John
Conyers.
In the late 1980's, when the "assault rifle" was first
being condemned, gun maker Bill Ruger, often hailed as "a
great defender of the Second Amendment," tried to convince
Congress to limit magazines to 15 rounds. That just
happened to be the maximum capacity of the Ruger pistols,
and less than the 17 and 19-round capacity of the foreign-
made Glock, which was so popular with police. Until Bill
Ruger's efforts, even Sen. Metzenbaum hadn't thought of
such a limit and had proposed to limit magazine capacity to
20 rounds.
Clearly dual representation by Mercury Group is a huge
conflict of interest. When a gun bill is about to become law,
and gun rights are in conflict with commercial interests, how
can Mercury Group serve both clients? Or will one get sold
down the river? The gun makers, and particularly dealers
who belong to NSSF, hate gun shows. What would Mercury
Group do with a gun show bill that dealers and distributors
love and NRA members hate?
The NRA Board of Directors will be meeting this
weekend at the Key Bridge Marriot in Rosslyn, VA (703)524-
6400. Hopefully, those directors will convince their P.R. firm
that they must CHOOSE whether they want to represent the
gun industry, or continue to represent the NRA. They must
not be allowed to represent both.
Should you get to talk to any directors you know, point
out that it is not only politically stupid, but also a huge conflict
of interest: *your* interests,
*your* rights, *your* freedom.
****************************
The 2ndAmendmentNews Team
The way to protect your own rights is to protect the rights of
others. Our right to own and use firearms is under attack.
This list was created in a hurry due to the emergency
presented by anti-gun politicians and the media dancing in
the blood of those who died in the Colorado massacre.
We receive e-mail addresses from various sources that
represent the recipients as receptive to our timely, low-to-
moderate volume gun-rights-related alerts (generally no more
than weekly, never more than daily, depending on legislative
and other circumstances). Occasionally recipients turn out to
be not interested, and we remove them immediately with our
sincere apology for any inconvenience. If you wish to be
removed send an e mail to 2ndamendmentnews-
owner@onelist.com and include "unsubscribe".
If you know anyone who would appreciate these alerts,
please let us know and we'll enroll them on a trial basis.
Also, feel free to forward our alerts.
If you've received this as a forward and wish to subscribe
please send a reply to me at luz.clark@prodigy.net or
behanna@fast.net
Cordially Yours,
The 2ndAmendmentNews Team
2ndAmendmentNews is published by volunteer activists who
support the full original individual rights intent of the 2nd
Amendment and oppose any appeasement on gun rights.
The moderators include Chris Behanna, Weldon Clark (an
NRA director) and Steve Cicero.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude
better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from
us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down
and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set
lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our
countrymen. -- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia
State House, August 1, 1776.
------------------
will you stand with me in DC on 10-2-99?
http://www.myplanet.net/jeffhead/LibMarch