Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
From: [l v c] at [cbnews.cb.att.com] (Larry Cipriani)
Subject: Gun Talk downloads
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 1993 13:06:30 GMT
The following files were downloaded from Bluemoon and/or Gun Talk.
NRA response to Bill Clinton's crime bill
Clinton's Executive Order On Crime and Guns
Knox Report on the Clintonista crime bull
Texas Great American Hunters Tour
J. Baker Response to Wall Street Journal
Ohio Meeting
PA Preemption Reform
Subject: NRA response to Bill Clinton's crime bill
August 11, 1993
NRA: CLINTON AIM ON GUNS, CRIME OFF THE MARK
Washington, D.C. -- The President's aim on violent crime is off-
target, the National Rifle Association of America said today, and
law-abiding citizens, not criminals, are in the sights.
"Criminals don't wait a week to steal guns or buy guns on the
black market," said James Jay Baker, Executive Director of NRA's
Institute for Legislative Action. "Yet the President wants a
'Brady'-style wait -- already law for two-thirds of the U.S.
population -- which has failed to impact violent crime.
"The president also wants to restrict importation of 'bulky'
handguns -- expensive firearms rarely seen by criminals, much
less used by them in crime. First, gun control advocates went
after cheap, small handguns. Next, it was expensive, large
rifles. Now it is expensive, 'bulky' handguns. This bears out
the real intent: to disarm American citizens incrementally for
reasons having nothing to do with violent crime," Baker said.
The chief lobbyist of the 3.2 million member NRA repeated the
association's call for mandatory, point-of-sale background checks
for handgun purchasers, better background investigations for gun
dealer license applicants and overhaul of the nation's criminal
justice system.
"Congress has already moved toward automating the records of
fathers who are delinquent in their child care payments and the
licensing of interstate truckers. Isn't automation and tracking
of convicted felons a priority?
"We can do it by implementing the NRA-backed interstate felon
identification system, but neither a waiting period nor a point-
of-sale check addresses the prevailing source of guns for
criminals -- the black market. Until our resources are dedicated
to effective enforcement of laws already on the books, and
certain punishment for violent criminals, violent crime will
continue unabated."
Baker urged adoption of NRA-backed improvements to the Federal
Firearms License system, including increased cooperation between
federal and local law enforcement and a reasonable fee increase
to cover the cost of a thorough background investigation.
NRA views the President's memorandum to the Treasury Secretary
calling for a reexamination of criteria governing importation of
handguns as another salvo in the continuing move to ban self-
loading arms. Baker explained that these firearms, first
introduced at the turn of the century, are functionally identical
to those lawfully owned today by some 30 million Americans and
are not a crime problem according to the FBI Uniform Crime
Reports and forensic experts at major city police departments.
NRA again called on President Clinton to drop his bid to reduce
prison construction by $500 million. "The surest way for the
Administration to refocus its sights on criminals -- and prevent
and deter violent crime -- is to abandon its apparent preference
for replacing mandatory incarceration with 'community
corrections' and prison-building with prison-cutbacks."
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-719-6406)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Washington, DC 20036
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Subject: Clinton's Executive Order On Crime and Guns
CLINTON'S EXECUTIVE ORDER DEALING WITH CRIME & GUNS ---- August 11, 1993
President Clinton today, 8/11/93, unveiled his anti-crime package as a
"major down payment" on his campaign pledge to put tens of thousands of new
police officers on the street and tighten gun controls.
The President said he would sign an executive order today suspending imports
of foreign-made assault-style handguns. A second executive order seeks to
tighten regulations about who can sell guns.
Clinton also reiterated his support of the gun-control bill named for James
Brady, the former White House press secretary who was wounded in the 1981
assassination attempt on President Reagan.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Knox Report on the Clintonista crime bull
NEAL KNOX REPORT
'Assault Pistol' Imports Banned
By NEAL KNOX
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 11) -- President Bill Clinton today
suspended importation of vaguely described "assault pistols" and
called for passage of the Brady Bill as part of a crime package
that will be introduced next month.
In fact, the crime bill was to have been introduced at this
long-scheduled White House dog and pony show, but there are still
significant disagreements about what the bill will contain -- and
not just the gun provisions. That's a good sign.
The President proclaimed that "This effort against crime
will not be complete if we do not eliminate assault weapons."
But he announced no such effort because of strong opposition from
within the House -- which overwhelmingly rejected such a bill two
years ago.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jack Brooks (D-Texas), who
spoke at today's session, is widely known to oppose legislation
restricting guns which are mechanically identical to common
hunting, target and self-defense guns.
Though no "assault weapons" provisions are in the described
bill, General Reno's rhetoric -- like President Clinton's --
leaves no doubt that the Administration will be pressing for such
legislation on the House floor, regardless of Chairman Brooks'
objections.
"Deadly assault weapons which were developed to wage war
have no place in civilian hands, and we will work to pass a ban
on these weapons," she said.
Treasury Department is to immediately suspend importation of
"foreign-made assault pistols" while preparing proposed
regulations to permanently eliminate such imports as not
"particularly suitable for sporting purposes."
That's the same provision of the 1968 Gun Control Act that
President George Bush used to ban imports of military-style semi-
autos in 1989. The "assault pistols" to be banned from
importation are "generally characterized by their bulky military-
style appearance and large magazine capacity," That's the exact
opposite of the small, cheap, low-powered handguns that GCA '68
was written to ban.
The President is also signing an executive order for
Treasury "to make sure that only legitimate gun dealers" are
licensed. BATF is already going to the limits of the law -- and
beyond -- in actively discouraging licenses. They are imposing
barriers which go much beyond existing law.
This legislative/regulatory effort was announced with the
obligatory backdrop of about 20 uniformed police officers on
risers behind the speakers. The conference was attended by Vice
President Gore, Attorney General Reno, the Judiciary Committee
chairmen, state attorneys general and prosecutors -- all of whom
spoke -- and members of Congress from both parties.
But noticeably missing was Handgun Control Inc. Chair Sarah
Brady, whom we have heard boycotted the meeting because the White
House didn't call for specific legislation to ban so-called
"assault weapons."
Further, Sen. William Cohen (R-Me.), one of the two lonely
Republican members who attended -- the other was Sen. Larry
Pressler (R-S.D.) -- told reporters that his presence only
"indicates that I'm willing to work with the chairman in a bi-
partisan fashion to come up with a bill that we can all support."
That's far from a ringing endorsement.
In the press interviews afterwards, there were indications
that Liberals aren't happy with either the bill's death penalty
or the "habeas corpus" agreement with the National District
Attorneys Association -- which opposed last year's crime bill.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Biden was emphatic (it sounded
like he was still negotiating) that what the crime bill would
contain was the same Conference Committee version of the Brady
Bill which passed the House last year.
It calls for a five Federal working day wait on handgun
purchases, to be followed after 30 to 60 months by a version of a
"point of sale" check on all firearms buyers, to be devised by
Janet Reno's Justice Department.
That Dole-Metzenbaum-Mitchell compromise bill has none of
the safeguards against retention of purchaser information
contained in the Staggers Bill, which the NRA supported in 1991.
Several key supporters of the crime bill have objected to
the all-firearms provision, the lack of a specific time by which
the waiting period would be dropped in favor of an "instant
check," and, particularly, a cute provision exempting law
enforcement officers and agencies from being sued for arbitrarily
and unjustifiably denying a gun to a qualified buyer.
As Crime Subcommittee Chairman Charles Schumer told
reporters, "the Brady Bill is not a done deal."
---
(Retain Neal Knox Associates as your lobbyist and begin receiving
the bi-monthly "Hard Corps Report" by contributing to the
Firearms Coalition, Box 6537, Silver Spring, MD 20906. For
legislative updates call (301) 871-3006 [automated voice] or the
Bullet'N Board [computers] (703) 971-4491.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Texas Great American Hunters Tour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE,
August 12, 1993
SEPTEMBER SLATED FOR TEXAS NRA HUNTERS TOUR
Biggest all-hunting program in
history wraps-up 1993 with five events statewide.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The 1993 NRA Great American Hunters Tour
(GAHT) ends its run of 64 cities and 38 states with five
stops in Texas beginning September 7. The biggest national
all-hunting program ever undertaken by any organization, the
GAHT has informed and entertained over 40,000 hunters since
January.
The events are scheduled for September 7, in Arlington;
September 8, in Austin; San Antonio on September 9;
September 11, in Mt. Pleasant; and in Houston on September
14. Registration begins at 5:00 p.m., with the three-hour
show starting at 6:30 p.m. (A list of locations follows
this release).
Headlining the events are three nationally recognized
hunters and writers: Bill Bynum and Texans Larry Weishuhn
and John Wootters. Joining them will be Don Steinbach and
Billy Higginbotham of the Texas Agricultural Extension
Service. The state-of-the-art shows will focus on tips and
techniques for hunting whitetail deer. Bow and rifle
hunters at every level will get valuable information and
have an opportunity to talk one-on-one with some of the top
whitetail hunters in North America. Texas often ranks as
the number one hunting state in the nation with
approximately one million hunting licenses issued annually.
Of these, some 550,000 are deer hunters.
Topics will range from scents and calls to whitetail
biology, rattling during the rut, hunter safety, ethics and
responsibility. The NRA Great American Whitetail Collection
will be one of the top attractions. The collection has been
cited as the most realistic display of replicas ever
produced. Industry tour sponsors will also be on hand with
the latest in gadgets and gear.
Admission is only $12.00. And to make it a family
event, young hunters 16 and under will be admitted at no
charge. Pre-registration is suggested by calling
1-800-492-HUNT. Everyone who pre-registers will receive a
free NRA Great American Hunters Tour collector pin.
The 1993 NRA Great American Hunters Tour is one of a
series of new programs and services that have made the
National Rifle Association of America the number one hunter
organization in the nation. NRA works on the legislative
level to protect hunters rights and through the Hunter
Services Division to promote the tradition of hunting in
America as well as hunter safety, ethics and responsibility.
Planning for the 1994 tour is currently
underway with 100 cities in 46 states on the schedule.
-nra-
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION,
Contact: Ed Klecka
202-828-6326
TEXAS HUNTER TOUR SITES
September 7: Arlington Convention Center
1200 Stadium Drive East
Arlington, TX
September 8: Travis County Expo Center
3114 W. 11th Street, Suite 110
Austin, TX
September 9: San Antonio Livestock Expo
3201 E. Houston
San Antonio, TX
September 11: Mt. Pleasant High School
Farm to Market 1734
Mt. Pleasant, TX
September 14: AstroArena Complex
8400 Kirby
Houston, TX
# # #
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-719-6406)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Washington, DC 20036
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Subject: J. Baker Response to Wall Street Journal
August 12, 1993
Mr. Robert Bartley
Editorial Page Editor
Wall Street Journal
200 Liberty Street
New York, New York 10281
(f/ 212-416-2658)
Dear Mr. Bartley:
Re: August 11, 1993, Wall Street Journal. To add to Jim Perry's
"novel" ideas, titled in part "What Should Come Next," I suggest
accurate reporting. You can begin with a retraction.
I would never characterize a $2500 Federal Firearms License (FFL)
fee as "reasonable" and never did so to Perry. Just days ago,
NRA lobbied successfully to defeat an amendment in the Senate to
raise the fee to $375. Why? The fee should cover the true cost
of a background check (about $150, according to the Director,
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), rather than be
artificially inflated to reduce the number of dealers. Because
the Gun Control Act of 1968 made handguns the only consumer item
the law-abiding can buy only in their state of residence, a
stated purpose of the Act was to encourage a number of FFLs in
order to keep in-state prices affordable to all law-abiding
persons. None of the NRA-backed FFL reforms -- including
provisions to deter firearms theft (the primary source of felon
arms) and notify local law enforcement when a person applies for
a license -- made Perry's "novel" review.
I never discussed magnetometers with Perry, but many of our
police members have discussed them with me. They're concerned
that their use can prompt less reliance on tried-and-true
physical techniques ("frisks"). An FBI review of police
slayings, first reported nationally in an NRA periodical in March
1991, found that improper procedures, including poorly executed
searches, were prime contributing factors in almost all cases
studied.
Since 1988, NRA has pushed for upgraded, automated criminal
records and a mandatory check of those records for handgun
purchasers. This evidently is a novel idea, since no form of the
obsolete "Brady" bill has ever mandated a check, and it has never
reduced violent crime in states where a Brady-style system is
already law -- covering two-thirds of the U.S. population.
Congress is already moving toward automation of records for
tracking delinquent fathers for child support, and the licensing
of interstate truckers. Why not adopt the NRA's novel idea of
tracking violent felons?
Sportsmen in the 1930s asked for a tax on guns and ammo and later
hiked and extended it to other hunting gear. That novel idea has
sent $2.5 billion to wildlife conservation and hunter safety
training. Taxes designed to discourage firearms ownership would
destroy conservation and threaten the safety of hunters afield.
And, because they steal guns or buy them on the black market,
criminals won't pay the tax. Nor will teenagers. Commercial
dealers are already prohibited by law from selling any handgun to
any teenager anywhere in the USA. Perry, if not Professor Cook
of Duke, should know the law before proposing changes.
Here's a novel idea untried since the relatively crime-free
1950s: swift, sure punishment for violent criminals. While
talking tough on crime, the Clinton Administration cuts some $500
million from prison construction and favors "sentencing
alternatives" to incarceration. This year, 60,000 convicted
criminals, including 1,200 murderers and 7,000 rapists, will be
sentenced and never see prison but the streets. Prison has
become the novel idea and the sentencing alternative.
Sincerely,
James Jay Baker
Executive Director
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Ohio Meeting
GREEN, OHIO
The Green City Council will meet on Tuesday, August 24, 1993 to have a third
reading of Ordinance 93-18, which would prohibit hunting and the discharge of
a firearm within 400 feet of an "occupied structure". There is a good
possibility that a vote will be held following the third reading. PLEASE
ATTEND THE MEETING at 6:30 p.m. at 1900 Steese Road (This is the West
side of the Fire Department complex), and CALL MAYOR JOHN TORAK
AND EVERY MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL TODAY to let them know
that you oppose this or any other gun control measure! The numbers are as
follows:
MAYOR JOHN TORAK 896-6602
Don Sample 896-1111 Roger Gallagher 896-0940
Fred Bates 896-2177 Dave Zakikian 896-4798
Del Haefka 896-1371 Fred Mosser 896-4912
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-719-6406)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Washington, DC 20036
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Subject: PA Preemption Reform
PENNSYLVANIA
Despite an existing preemption law, the Philadelphia City Council recently
passed an assault weapons ban. State House Bill 185, which has already
passed the State Senate, would simply strengthen the definitions in the existing
preemption law and insure the original intent of the General Assembly -- that
only the General Assembly may enact statutes regulating the acquisition,
possession, sale, transfer and transportation of firearms within the
Commonwealth. Pro-gun forces have the necessary votes in the House to pass
this measure, however, House Majority Leader Ivan Itkin, who is also chairman
of the Rules Committee, is refusing to release HB 185 from Committee for a
floor vote. The House will reconvene in mid-September -- it is IMPERATIVE
that you call or write Representative Itkin and let him know the importance of
the House being granted the opportunity to vote on HB 185. Here is how you
can reach him:
CAPITOL ADDRESS
The Honorable Ivan Itkin
House Majority Leader
House Post Office
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120-0028
PHONE (717) 783-5360
FAX (717) 787-9014
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-719-6406)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Washington, DC 20036
--
Larry Cipriani -- [l v cipriani] at [att.com] or attmail!lcipriani