Posted on 09/08/2001 7:00:18 AM PDT by kimber
> CONGRESS BACK-
> SENATE ACTION LIKELY NEXT WEEK
>
> With both chambers of Congress now back in full swing, the pro-gun
> community needs to continue expressing its concerns to federal
> lawmakers, particularly those in the U.S. Senate, about threats to
> our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The Senate will soon take up the
> Commerce-Justice- State (CJS) Appropriations Bill, which could be
> brought to the floor for consideration as soon as this coming
> Monday. While the bill in its current form contains no anti-gun
> provisions, it is very likely that anti-gun extremists will attempt
> to attach anti-gun amendments during the floor debate. U.S. Senator
> Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will likely offer an amendment that would seek
> to give the FBI authority to use the National Instant Check System
> (NICS) to retain the records of law-abiding gun purchasers for at
> least 90 days-a policy the lame-duck Clinton/Reno Department of
> Justice (DOJ) had attempted to make permanent with a last-minute
> regulation. A similar effort failed miserably in the U.S. House in
> July, when an overwhelming, bi-partisan majority rejected similar
> legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.). Also, U.S.
> Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) is expected to offer a gun-lock mandate
> amendment. Be sure to contact your U.S. Senators as soon as
> possible, and urge them to vote to table any anti-gun amendments that
> are proposed for the CJS Appropriations Bill, especially any offered
> by Schumer or Kohl. You can reach your U.S. Senators by calling
> (202) 224-3121, or by using the "Write Your Reps" tool at
> www.NRAILA.org.
>
> In addition, today`s Washington Times reports that proponents
> of the McCain-Feingold/Shays-Meehan campaign finance "reform" effort
> (S. 27 and H.R. 2356, respectively) are desperately trying to bolster
> support for their cause. Although the House has already considered
> campaign finance "reform" this year, and rejected the proposal,
> backers of the Shays-Meehan package are trying to force the House to
> consider the bill again through the use of a discharge petition. If
> 218 U.S. Representatives sign this petition, House Speaker J. Dennis
> Hastert (R-Ill.) would be forced to allow this bill to be brought up
> for consideration for the second time this year.
>
> These "reform" bills, you will recall, seek to severely
> restrict NRA`s ability to provide timely information-including
> information on lawmakers` positions on firearm-related issues-to
> America`s law-abiding gun owners. While you have probably already
> urged your U.S. Representative to oppose the McCain-Feingold/Shays-
> Meehan campaign finance "reform" efforts, please do so again. Remind
> your Representative that the House already considered this proposal
> in July, it was rejected, and Congress should move on to issues that
> are of greater concern to the American people. You can contact your
> U.S. Representatives at (202) 225-3121, or you can use the "Write
> Your Reps" tool at www.NRAILA.org.
>
> JUNK SCIENCE RECEIVES
> HIGH PRAISE FROM GUN BAN LOBBY
>
> It should come as no surprise that the gun-ban lobby formerly known
> as HCI uses tragically flawed "research" to promote its gun-ban
> agenda, its alliance with anti-gun "public health" activists recently
> reached new lows. Last week, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy
> and Research announced the release of a "study" that has been touted
> by anti-gun extremists as justification for imposing draconian
> restrictions on law-abiding gun owners, such as licensing and
> registration schemes. Michael D. Barnes, president of the gun-ban
> lobby, announced, "This study confirms what we`ve been saying all
> along: gun laws work." Barnes`s statement, however, couldn`t
> possibly be farther from the truth. In fact, the high praise from
> Barnes and his gun-ban cohorts actually confirms what NRA has been
> saying all along: the gun-ban movement regularly relies on "research"
> that is flawed, misleading, and is anchored in an extremist anti-gun
> bias.
>
> This latest "research" from Hopkins, a study of licensing and
> registration laws, uses tracing data from the Bureau of Alcohol,
> Tobacco & Firearms (BATF) in an attempt to support its conclusion
> that licensing and registration schemes are effective methods for
> keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals. However, BATF
> tracing data have been proven to be worthless for such research. In
> 1992, the bipartisan Congressional Research Service informed Congress
> that the BATF tracing system is "designed to help law enforcement
> agencies identify the ownership path of individual firearms. It was
> not designed to collect statistics.... Firearms selected for
> tracing do not constitute a random sample and cannot be considered
> representative of the larger universe of all firearms used by
> criminals, or of any subset of that universe. As a result, data from
> the tracing system may not be appropriate for drawing
> inferences...." BATF even acknowledges that it "does not always know
> if a firearm being traced has been used in a crime." In other words,
> the foundation of the "research" produced by Hopkins and praised by
> Barnes (and paid for through the Centers for Disease Control and
> Prevention with your tax dollars) is completely worthless. Of
> course, what more could we expect from Barnes, who earlier this year
> fabricated a Supreme Court quote and grossly exaggerated the number
> of firearm-related fatalities involving children when testifying
> before Congress? To express your outrage over the CDC`s grotesque
> and illegal abuse of taxpayer funds, please contact President Bush`s
> Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) at:
>
> The Honorable Tommy Thompson
> U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
> 200 Independence Ave., S.W.
> Washington, DC 20201
> Phone: (877) 696-6775 (toll-free)
> e-mail: hhsmail@os.dhhs.gov
>
> PRO-GUN COMMUNITY TO
> LOSE TWO STALWARTS AFTER 2002
>
> The 2002 elections continue to grow in importance for American gun
> owners. The defection from the Republican Party by U.S. Senator Jim
> Jeffords (Ind.-Vt.) earlier this year threw control of the U.S.
> Senate and its key committees to the Democrats, including the many
> anti-gun extremists in their Senate ranks. Now, two staunchly pro-
> gun Senators have announced they will not seek re-election in 2002.
> Senators Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) and Phil Gramm (R-Tex.) have decided to
> step down after the completion of their current terms, leaving a
> distinct void that will need to be filled. This means the pro-gun
> community cannot afford to rest on its laurels from last year`s
> Election Day successes, so please be sure to pay close attention to
> future FAX Alerts for suggestions as to what you can do to ensure
> success in 2002, and always make sure your voter registration and
> those of your pro-gun family and friends are current!
>
> A LOOK AT THE STATES
>
> NEW MEXICO: In response to concerns raised by certified instructors
> and individual NRA and NMSSA members during the comment period and
> public hearing on proposed Right to Carry rules, the New Mexico
> Department of Public Safety has reportedly scaled back some of the
> more onerous training requirements for carry licenses. Rules for
> implementation of the new law should be finalized and available on
> the department`s website (www.dps.nm.us) by September 13.
> Applications for licenses are currently available at that website.
>
> NEW YORK: The Southern Tier Gun Owners and S.C.O.P.E are sponsoring
> a Second Amendment Rally and Picnic featuring NRA`s Eddie Eagle. The
> picnic will be from 12 Noon, to 4 p.m. on September 15, in War
> Veterans Park, Olean, New York.
>
> OHIO: The House Civil & Commercial Subcommittee will hold proponent
> and opponent testimony on HB 274, NRA-backed Right to Carry
> legislation, next Wednesday, September 12, at 2:30 p.m. in room 313
> of the Statehouse. Please plan to attend and show your support.
>
> WASHINGTON: NRA-ILA has scheduled a FREE Grassroots Election
> Workshop in Lynnwood for Tuesday, September 25, from 7:00 p.m. to
> 8:30 p.m., at the Embassy Suites on 44th Ave. West. NRA members who
> are interested in attending should contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots
> Division at (800) 392-8683 for details and to reserve your spot.
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