Posted on 10/21/2002 1:31:35 PM PDT by CHICAGOFARMER
12500 N.E. Tenth Place * Bellevue, WA 98005 * www.ccrkba.org
NEWS RELEASE
AS ANTI-GUN DEMOCRATS EXPLOIT BELTWAY SNIPER CASE, GUN OWNERS PREPARE TO VOTE
For Immediate Release Contact: Alan Gottlieb (425) 454-4911
BELLEVUE, WA -- The nation's gun owners are "going ballistic" as the Nov. 5 elections loom, and they are focusing their attention on anti-gun Democrats, whose fingerprints are all over new proposals to further restrict gun rights in the wake of the notorious Beltway Sniper murder spree.
"For months, Democrats have pretended to be the friends of America's 80 million gun owners, avoiding gun control as a campaign issue and trying to convince them that the party is not after their rights, or their hunting rifles," said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. "Yet, no sooner had the Beltway Sniper started his rampage than have leading Democrats dropped the pretense and gone right back to their philosophical, anti-gun habits, exploiting the killings to further their cause."
High on the list of new gun control schemes is so-called "ballistic fingerprinting," a campaign being championed by anti-gun extremist Sen. Charles Schumer, and Schumer's "Our Lady of Peace" bill that purports to close alleged "loopholes" in existing gun laws.
"Chuck Schumer sees loopholes in any law that allows honest citizens to actually own a firearm," Gottlieb stated. "In Schumer's world, the Second Amendment is a loophole, and he sees no reason why American citizens might want firearms for self-defense and to protect their families."
As for the "ballistic fingerprinting" proposal - a misnomer because the ballistic signature of a firearm created by tool markings in the steel can be changed intentionally, or through repeated use - Gottlieb called it a "gun control Trojan Horse" as currently pandered by its most ardent advocates.
"The Citizens Committee, like other gun rights organizations and the Bush Administration, is not opposed to studying the potential effectiveness of ballistic imaging technology," Gottlieb stated. "But anti-gun Democrats are pushing this plan, not to solve crime, but essentially to create a de facto national gun registry, which could later be used to confiscate many types of firearms commonly used for personal protection and home security.
"I think you will see a big upswing of gun owners casting ballots because they realize Democrats have not been intellectually honest about their gun control agenda," Gottlieb continued. "They will remember this as they go to the polls Nov. 5."
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.
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I must say I'm a little confused by some of the NRA-ILA's views.
My impression was that Jim Ryan was moderately (but definitely) anti-gun--not as bad as King George, but still not good; he merits a B+.
Jim Durkin does not receive an endorsement even though my understanding is that he's reasonably pro-gun (certainly much better than Durbin).
Joe Birkett receives an A despite his efforts to prosecute someone for carrying an unloaded firearm in a backpack, in a manner which is entirely permissible under state law.
Am I misunderstanding anything?
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