Date: Sat, 5 Oct 1996 11:37:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: NRA Alerts <[a--er--s] at [nra.org]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[r k ba alert] at [mainstream.net]>
Subject: FAXALERT: Gavel Comes Down on 104th Congress

                          NRA-ILA FAX ALERT
             11250 Waples Mill Road   Fairfax, VA  22030
  Vol. 3, No. 43                                            10/4/96
    Phone: 1-800-392-8683    Fax: 703-267-3918      [G--OO--S] at [NRA.org]

               GAVEL COMES DOWN ON 104TH CONGRESS

This week, the 104th Congress wrapped up virtually all of its major
business and adjourned to allow Members to return to their home for
some heavy campaigning.  The waning moments of this historic Congress,
however, closed with a flurry of activity on legislation that impacts
gun owners.  Included in a massive, omnibus spending bill to keep the
government open were measures dealing with domestic violence, gun free
school zones, and the NRA-supported federal law enforcement
commission.  Although the final language was not perfect, the original
language that nearly passed was perfectly awful.  It was so broad that
an individual could lose gun ownership rights permanently -- with no
way to restore those rights -- without having committed ANY violent
act whatsoever.  The final measure was narrowed considerably to
specifically prohibit firearms ownership by those convicted of
offenses that actually involve the use, attempted use or threatened
use of violence.  The measure also ensures due process, and restores
Second Amendment rights should the conviction be overturned, set aside
or pardoned.  As for "gun free school zones," Congress passed language
prohibiting the possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school,
but included numerous lawful exemptions, including residents who live
within the 1,000 foot buffer, licensed carry permit holders, the legal
transportation of firearms and those legally accessing hunting lands
to name just a few.  It is unclear at this point whether the new
language will pass constitutional muster (you may recall the Gun Free
Schools Zone Act of 1990 was struck down as unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court in 1995.)  Finally, the long sought after law
enforcement commission to review and make recommendations to end
abuses by federal agencies was not funded.  The President signed the
bill into law on Monday, September 30th.  Stay tuned!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 104th CONGRESS: Thanks to a crop of new pro-gun
champions like Representatives Bob Barr (R-Ga.), Helen Chenoweth
(R-Idaho), Randy Tate (R-Wash.), Ed Bryant (R-Tenn.), and Todd Tiahrt
(R-Kan.), Congress helped to mend some of the damage Bill Clinton had
inflicted on our Second Amendment during his first two years in
office, and for the most part crippled the anti-gun agenda of Second
Amendment foes like Dianne Feinstein and Charles Schumer.  Here's a
look at some of the victories your hard work made possible during the
104th Congress:

GUN BAN REPEAL PASSED IN HOUSE: On a bi-partisan 239-173 vote, the
House of Representatives passed legislation repealing the 1994 Clinton
gun and magazine ban.  The historic vote marked the first time in more
than a decade that Congress had reaffirmed the rights of gun owners
and the value of the Second Amendment, and represented a promise kept
on the part of dozens of lawmakers who had vowed to support the Second
Amendment if elected during the 1994 campaign.

CIVILIAN MARKSMANSHIP PROGRAM SAVED: DCM survived an anti-gun assault
when Congress passed a defense appropriations bill creating a
nine-member board and a new non-profit corporation to take over the
program.  A last ditch effort led by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D- N.J.)
to scrap the new corporation was shot down by a 71-29 bi-partisan vote
in the Senate, ensuring that the National Matches at Camp Perry would
continue and that surplus government firearms would continue to be
sold to qualified shooters rather than being destroyed.

SPORTSMENS' ACCESS TO REFUGES GUARANTEED: Congress passed legislation
elevating wildlife-dependent recreation, such as hunting and fishing,
to a primary purpose of the National Wildlife Refuge System.  The
legislation ensures that hunters will be treated as a primary, not a
secondary or subsidiary component of the National Wildlife Refuge
System, and will be able to enjoy the benefits derived from the
investments they make through their tax dollars, Federal Duck Stamp
purchases, and entrance fees.

CLINTON GUN-CRUNCHING MACHINE HALTED: Countless perfectly serviceable
firearms, including many M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, Model 1911 Pistols,
and .22 caliber training rifles were spared when Senator Ted Stevens
(R-Alaska) led the fight to pass a Department of Defense
appropriations bill imposing a moratorium on the Clinton
Administration's gun crunching machines.

ANTI-GUN GOVERNMENT RESEARCH DEFUNDED: Congress voted to redirect $2.6
million of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control's
budget from firearms 'research' to traumatic brain injury research,
and specifically barred NCIPC from using any of its funds 'to advocate
or promote gun control.'

FREE SPEECH FOR GUN OWNERS PROTECTED: Congress rejected 'campaign
finance reform' legislation that would have prohibited NRA from
providing our members with information about the positions of
candidates on Second Amendment issues and ban many of NRA's election
efforts on behalf of pro-gun candidates.  The bill would have
prohibited NRA from distributing our Political Preference Charts and
outlawed any effort by NRA to advertise on behalf of pro-gun
candidates.

RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE ASSURED FOR PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS: An
amendment to a public housing bill that would have outlawed self-
defense in public housing units was rejected in the House.  The
discriminatory amendment, offered by current U.S. Senate candidate
Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), would have criminalized any public housing
resident who used a firearm in self-defense, and was voted down by a
veto-proof margin.

ON THE AGENDA FOR THE 105th CONGRESS: Next year, we'll continue our
efforts to repeal the Clinton gun ban, push for national right to
carry reciprocity, secure funding for a federal law enforcement review
commission, and bring attention to U.S. funding for the United
Nations' efforts at international 'gun control.'  And with the Brady
Act's waiting period set to sunset in 1998, we can expect debate on
the subject of waiting periods and instant background checks during
the next session.  Needless to say, these are only a few of the items
on our agenda for the 105th Congress.  We can make our job much easier
by electing a pro-gun majority to Congress this year -- so if you have
not already done so, please get involved with the campaign efforts of
pro-gun candidates in your area!  For more information on what you can
do today, please call NRA-PVF at 1-800-868-3672.
=+=+=+=+
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