Posted on 02/27/2004 7:54:46 AM PST by Copernicus
Rocky Mountain Gun Owners
EMERGENCY ALERT - S.1805 has Gun Control attached -- KILL IT!
Feb. 26, 2004, 1300 hrs Mountain - As predicted, S.1805, the Lawsuit Liability bill, is being debated on the Senate Floor right now (at the behest of its sponsor, Idaho Senator Larry Craig).
And late last night, Senator Larry Craig (a board member of the NRA) worked with rabid anti-gunner Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) to come up with a "Unanimous Consent Agreement" which allows a large number of gun control amendments to be offered to S.1805.
By pushing this bill to be heard on the floor, and agreeing to hear a large number of gun control amendments (listed below), Senator Craig has opened up Pandora's Box of Gun Control.
That means you MUST call your US Senators immediately, even if you called them yesterday.
Senator Wayne Allard can be reached at (202) 224-5941.
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell can be reached at (202) 224-5852.
Urge both of Colorado's Senators to VOTE AGAINST S.1805, now that it has gun control on it and is likely to contain more.
As this alert is being written, the Senate just passed an amendment (by 70-27, for story on this amendment click here, or here for full text) to require Trigger locks (we do not have the language, but will shortly) and is moving toward more gun control. It's a federal government intrusion on your right to self-defense, and FAR outweighs any good S.1805's original language would do.
And as this is being written, Sen. Teddy Kennedy is offering an amendment to ban "Cop Killer Bullets."
After agreeing to the "Unanimous Consent Agreement", Sen. Larry Craig said "Some of these amendments could pass." This C-Span2 admission is understating it -- some of these gun control amendments WILL pass. In fact, one already has, and others gun control advocates are lining up to join in on the "fun".
NRA Board Member Sen. Larry Craig has agreed to allow a slated list of gun control amendments to S.1805. These include, but are not limited to, the following unspecified gun controls:
Boxer - new Federal rules for Gun locks
Campbell - Cop-Only Nationwide Carry
Kennedy - Cop Killer Bullets
Mikulski - Snipers
McCain-Reed - Gun Show ban
Feinstein - Assault Weapons ban
Frist/Craig - Cop Killer bullets (a toned down, yet still anti-gun rights version of Kennedy's amendment)
And these are only the amendments that have been announced. Others almost certainly will be floated, and maybe passed.
Does this constitute proof that the NRA "struck a deal" to allow gun controls to pass? Of course, they claim they didn't cut any deals.
But ask these questions:
1. Have you received an e-mail from NRA-ILA urging voting against S.1805 IF it gets gun control on it? They KNOW quite well that this bill will have gun control on it, and have known it for weeks. Instead, they play inside baseball and tell gun owners "Trust us -- we have a plan", trusting in their own cleverness to circumvent the anti-gunners amendments. That is the same thing they said on the McCain-Fiengold Campaign Finance Deform bill (which stripped gun owners of their 1st Amendment rights) as well as the first Assault Weapons and High-capacity magazines ban bill, Brady Registration Checks, Lautenberg Gun Ban, etc, etc.
That's a failed strategy, and should be abandoned.
Remember, the definition of insanity is continuing to do what you've always done but expecting different results.
They'll post some things on their website (which is passive), but they won't apply real pressure. That mean's they are, by their silence, agreeing to this "Unanimous Consent Agreement." And their board member, Sen. Larry Craig, openly agreed to that agreement with Sen. Reed.
Craig will vote against most (not all -- in fact, Sen. Craig offered his own "Cop Killer Bullets" amendment in an attempt to appease Teddy Kennedy) of the gun controls, but he's the person who enabled all of these gun control amendments.
2. Why would an NRA board member accept a Unanimous Consent Agreement to allow a huge number of amendments to be debated, all of which strip gun owners of their rights and many of which that board member (and US Senator) knows will pass?
The writer of this alert is a former staff member (not intern) of the U.S. Senate, under Senator Bill Armstrong. I know how the U.S. Senate works, and have been in regular consultation with those who have worked in all aspects of Congress for decades.
One thing is crystal clear: the NRA's mouthpiece, US Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho), has agreed to let these amendments be heard, and he knows some will be attached to the bill.
3. Have you heard the NRA say that they will oppose S.659/S.1805 in the Senate if it gets gun control amendments on it? We haven't, and doubt we will, since their US Senator is the one who enabled those amendments to be attached. Their plan, to let these gun controls ride on the bill and hope they are stripped out in the House, is an incredibly risky gambit, which if lost will result in the largest erosion of our rights in American history.
There's no more time to waste.
Call your US Senators immediately and urge them to vote AGAINST S.1805.
Senator Wayne Allard can be reached at (202) 224-5941.
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell can be reached at (202) 224-5852.
Urge them to vote against S.1805.
It's time to pull the plug on this well-meaning, but gun-control-laden dog.
E-mail: ExDir@RMGO.org
Call Senator Craigs office and learn for yourself what his position is!
The girls said she could find no definition of "armor piercing."
Sounds like a blank check.
Do they know what their director, Senator Craig, is doing to outlaw possession of armor piercing ammunition (his office could not define armor piercing).
Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, in response to the Senator from Massachusetts, his legislation goes at long guns, rifles, and their ammunition. What I did not say, with him coming back into the Chamber, is we do direct the Attorney General to look at, over a period of time, 2 years--no later than that--and report to the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which the Senator serves, a study to see whether what the Senator is proposing in his amendment wipes from the shelves of this country the kind of hunting ammunition we believe it will, and that certainly a good many others do.
I am not insensitive to what the Senator is saying, but I am saying, let's get the facts. We do not want to wipe out half the hunting or two-thirds of the hunting ammunition and the target ammunition in this country. That is legitimate. It is law abiding. Does it get misused? Yes. Does some of it have armor-piercing capability, to some extent? Yes.
Certainly this is what our intent is. In the meantime, let's toughen the law. Let's send the message to the criminal element in our country that armor-piercing ammunition is flat off limits or you pay a phenomenal price for it.
Is it a deterrent? The Senator from Massachusetts would suggest it is not. In most instances, we find good, tough law enforcement, and a reality known by those who would commit crimes with this kind of ammunition in this country, does serve as a deterrent. That is the intent of the amendment. We believe it is a good amendment.
What it looks like Craig did was give us two years to get this pulled and Kennedy out of office. In the meantime, anyone committing a felony with "AP" ammo is going away for life.
"We don't want to wipe out the hunting and sporting ammunition," said Craig. The "sporting purpose" test was used before -- as justification for firearm rights infringements via the 1938 Nazi Weapons Law and later copied nearly verbatim in the U.S. Gun Control Act of 1968.
"Let's send a message that armor piercing ammunition is flat off limits," said Sen. Craig.
The NRA Director went on to support strong enforcement of his proposed ammunition ban, using phrases like "prison for life."
What will it take for you, a personal call from Craig himself that he wants to ban armor piercing ammunition from American civilians?
Did you read the posts above--
Senator Craig's office said "possession" is included.
How do you justify that?
Do I like it? No. I want LESS gun laws, not more bullsh*t like this. Is it a deal killer? No. Should people call their Senators and try to convince them to reconsider this before fianl passage of the Bill... most definately. If the Bill passes with this tacked on, your Reps should be called and tell them to strip it in committee.
Let's just make sure we know exactly WHAT we are getting our buns in an uproar over. H'mkay?
Why don't you list them 1,2, 3 etc., so we can all be on the same page.
Senator Craig's office told me "possession."
Jill told me that "Senator Craig is sponsoring a, (paused while she looked for the paper) a Bill with Senator Frisk that would "regulate the sale and possesion of armor piercing ammunition", she also said that, "I should be aware the Senator is very pro gun and a supporter of the NRA". I said, "Yes, I am aware of his history with the NRA and his position as a Director." We then exchanged pleasantries and said, goodbye to each other.
Now Sir, may I ask why it has taken my constant jerking on your tail to get you to respond to my "accusations" regarding the NRA and Senator Craigs intentions.
I knew this "by phone" at 7:30 am PST, I have not bragged about spending the $1 intentionally. Why didn't you make the same $1 phone call?
You have been pissing and moaning all day about the "yappy little dogs are out there again. They keep getting their news from crappy little web sites that have no idea what's going on."
Well, I got mine from the horses mouth so to speak, where do you get you information from? The horses ass?
My opinion of you has dropped so low today that this will be my last response with you.
Please post a link.
Confirm ---
I was told the same thing {except Frist was not mentioned ).
This is the introduction to Craig's amendment and apparently where his office is reading "possession."
Your link to the amendment does show that "possession" is only when accompanied by a crime.
It would have helped if you had posted a quote earlier.
I like seeing Teddy steamed. Not quite as much as I would enojy seeing him behind bars or doing a "short drop and a sudden stop".
U.S.Code title 18, section 921. DEFINITIONS
Link to U.S. Code definition-- definition
"(B) The term ''armor piercing ammunition'' means -
" (i) a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and which is constructed entirely (excluding the presence of traces of other substances) from one or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or depleted uranium; or
" (ii) a full jacketed projectile larger than .22 caliber designed and intended for use in a handgun and whose jacket has a weight of more than 25 percent of the total weight of the projectile.
" (C) The term ''armor piercing ammunition'' does not include shotgun shot required by Federal or State environmental or game regulations for hunting purposes, a frangible projectile designed for target shooting, a projectile which the Secretary finds is primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes, or any other projectile or projectile core which the Secretary finds is intended to be used for industrial purposes, including a charge used in an oil and gas well perforating device. "
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