---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 19:59:21 -0400 From: Weldon Clark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: URGENT -- Hostettler Amendment On House Floor!! URGENT -- Hostettler Amendment On House Floor!! Date: Thursday, June 22, 2000 7:04 PM by Neal Knox The Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations Bill is now being debated and will continue until at least midnight tonight. Rep. Hostettler's amendment to prevent the Justice Department from suing gun companies to enforce the S&W agreement, or to take similar actions, will be voted on either late tonight or early tomorrow -- as Neal Knox discusses below. Your Congressman will be there, call him tonight! June 22 Neal Knox Report -- According to which newspapers you read, what is now called "President Clinton's gun-safety deal with Smith & Wesson" either suffered a defeat or won a victory in last night's votes on Rep. John Hostettler's (R-Ind.) amendments to the Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. Mr. Hostettler is going to take another shot either tonight or tomorrow, with an amendment to be offered on the Commerce, Justice & State appropriations bill. There were two votes last night, the first, to prohibit HUD from continuing its efforts to get cities and public housing authorities to give preferential treatment to Smith & Wesson, passed by 218-207. The second, and more important amendment, which would have prohibited HUD from being involved in enforcing the S&W agreement, failed 219-206. The agreement S&W signed, and is now attempting to back away from, calls for an extra-legal oversight body to assure that all the many provisions in the agreement are enforced. It is to be composed of government agencies and anti-gun groups, and most assuredly will cause all sorts of mischief if it is ever put into play. Though the press has talked about the S&W agreement's trigger lock and "smart gun" provisions, it also goes into gun design, sales and distribution areas that affect all products sold by S&W dealers, regardless who made the guns. The oversight body would be in the position of writing law as well as regulations, and is unquestionably the most dangerous provision of the agreement. NRA stayed out of last night's fight, reportedly trying to avoid making Speaker Dennis Hastert unhappy by legislating on appropriations bills -- which is routinely done by both sides of the gun debate. The appropriations bill coming up tonight, which will provide funding for the Justice Department, would prohibit DOJ from spending any of its money to sue S&W or any other other signer for failure to comply with the agreement. CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN. Ask him or her to support Mr. Hostettler's amendment. Even Congressmen who aren't strong on gun rights should vote to stop the Administration's effort to take law-making powers away from the Congress. Last night, opponents kept claiming Mr. Hostettler was trying to destroy S&W. Tonight's amendment makes it clear that the Indiana lawmaker is trying to help S&W and the rest of the gun industry -- and NRA members and other consumers. NRA shouldn't be sitting out this fight -- even if they might make the Speaker unhappy. They should remember that he's the one who has been pushing to get the Juvenile Justice bill, and its package of gun provisions, out of the House-Senate conference committee. --------------- Yesterday, President Clinton again demanded passage of his package of gun laws in the Juvenile bill while touting a new BATF report on "illegal gun trafficking." BATF says that from 1996 to 1998 about 84,000 guns were "diverted" into illegal sales by crooked gun dealers, many through gun shows, BATF's self-serving study is based on their investigations, which too often consist of trying to examine the records of all dealers while searching for illegal sales, instead of tracking guns misused in crime back to their source. To begin receiving Neal Knox's bi-monthly newsletter, send a contribution of $25 or more to The Firearms Coalition, 7771 Sudley Rd. No. 44, Manassas, VA 20109. For current news, call 1-900-225-3006 (89 cents per minute) or visit: http://www.NealKnox.com (free). ================================================================= Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> *Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day. ================================================================= <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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