Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 23:38:04 -0500 (EST) From: NRA Alerts <[a--er--s] at [nra.org]> To: Multiple recipients of list <[r k ba alert] at [mainstream.net]> Subject: FAXALERT: NRA Gains Recognition by United Nations NRA-ILA FAX ALERT 11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone: 1-800-392-8683 * Fax: 703-267-3918 * [G--OO--S] at [NRA.org] Vol. 3, No. 49 11/15/96 NRA GAINS RECOGNITION BY UNITED NATIONS NRA's application for recognition by the United Nations as a non-governmental organization (NGO) was approved this week, giving gun owners a strong voice in the UN's debate over global "gun control." As one of over 2,000 NGOs representing everyone from religious groups to the banking industry, NRA will have access to UN meetings closed to the general public, and we will be able to distribute informational materials to participants in UN activities. What's more, NRA's status as an NGO will allow us to monitor more closely the internal UN debate over firearms issues and report back to our members. As is usually the case, NRA's role as an NGO has been misrepresented in some circles, including the media, which can't seem to grasp why our Association would have any interest in UN efforts to regulate firearms. The fact of the matter is that the role NRA will play within the UN as an NGO will be almost identical to the role our registered lobbyists play everyday on Capitol Hill and in state capitols across the nation - educating and informing lawmakers of the facts behind the debate and working to protect the interests of our members. In the past, some members of the UN community have demonstrated an overt bias against firearms and firearms owners. Now, with the UN's doors open to the world's foremost defender of firearms freedoms, we will get an early warning of anti-gun initiatives that pose a threat to the Second Amendment. After all, if we don't monitor what governments such as Japan and Canada are up to in the UN, we won't be able to do our job -- to inform our members, our friends in Congress and the American people. WASHINGTON POST OR HCI PRESS RELEASE?: It's getting harder and harder to distinguish The Washington Post from the press releases of Handgun Control Inc. This week, the Post ran an editorial claiming NRA and gun owners had suffered a major setback in the 1996 elections, and cited a handful of races where pro-gunners were defeated by anti-gun opponents. In addition to virtually ignoring our success in roughly 82% of the 10,000 races in which we were involved, the editors cited two particular defeats as a sign of our weakening political power - those of U.S. House candidate Vince Snowbarger (R) in Kansas and U.S. Senate candidate Wayne Allard (R) in Colorado. The only problem is that both Mr. Snowbarger and Mr. Allard defeated their anti-gun opponents and will be members of the 105th Congress. In a strange coincidence, HCI made the same mistake in its post- election press release. While we weren't surprised to see HCI's fingerprints on a Post editorial, we were surprised that the Post's editors would run with their claims without first checking the facts. BOXER READYING HER ANTI-GUN AGENDA: Unfortunately, gun owners can expect to hear a lot from anti-gun Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) during the 105th Congress. Boxer, who is up for reelection in 1998, has been targeted for defeat by the GOP, and is anticipating the 98 race to be the "toughest of [her] life." In preparation for what promises to be a nationally-watched race, Sen. Boxer is reportedly developing an extensive legislative agenda for the next Congress, with her ban on so-called "junk guns" taking center stage. LEAVING RENO?: Rumors continue to abound regarding the fate of Attorney General Janet Reno. A story in Thursday's edition (11/14) of The New York Times quotes an unnamed White House source as saying Ms. Reno is "twisting in the wind," and that President Clinton and his staff are unhappy with her leadership of the Department of Justice. For his part, the president has been conspicuously silent on the matter. Gun owners should not get their hopes up for a less anti-gun replacement for Attorney General Reno, as the top candidates for the job are all anti-gun, including the Republican governor of Massachusetts, William Weld. Meanwhile, in other cabinet news, one of the names being mentioned for another top post in the next Clinton Administration is that of former New Jersey governor Jim Florio, who helped push legislation through in his state that served as a model for the Clinton gun ban. ABSENTEE BALLOTS PUT METCALF AND SMITH BACK IN THE HOUSE: Two NRA-PVF endorsed lawmakers from Washington state who were declared losers on election night now look like they will be returning to Capitol Hill after all. Freshmen Representatives Jack Metcalf (R) and Linda Smith (R) have overtaken their opponents on the strength of their showings among the state's absentee voters. Metcalf, who trailed his opponent Kevin Quigley by 2,300 votes on Nov. 5, now leads in that race by 1,500 votes. Smith leads her opponent, Brian Baird, by 1,058 votes. Both Metcalf and Smith earned "A" ratings from NRA-PVF and voted to repeal the Clinton gun ban in March. DORNAN CLINGS TO HOUSE SEAT: Although Election Day was over one week ago, many races around the country are still up in the air at this time. In California's 46th Congressional District, NRA-PVF endorsed candidate Rep. Bob Dornan (R) is still alive despite earlier media reports to the contrary. At last count, Dornan trailed his opponent Loretta Sanchez (D) by only 765 votes, with 1,200 absentee ballots still uncounted. In addition to the absentee ballots, between 1,500 and 3,000 "provisional" ballots - those cast by voters whose names did not appear on registration lists - have not yet been tallied. All absentee ballots should be counted by Nov. 15, while the provisional ballots should be completed by Nov. 22. We'll keep you posted! THE ALMOST FINAL TALLY: While several races remain unresolved, if the current trend holds, Democrats will pick up 8 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, while Republicans will increase their majority in the Senate by two votes. =+=+=+=+ This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA. This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is available at: http://WWW.NRA.Org