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NRA-ILA FAX ALERT
Vol. 7, No. 32
MUCH TO WATCH DURING DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
Democratic Party Leaders hope that their National Convention
starting next Monday in Los Angeles, will help them convince voters to
give the Clinton-Gore Administration a de facto third term by electing Al
Gore in November. And while millions of gun owners will tune in to see if
any new attacks on them are launched during the convention speeches, there
will be much for the pro-Second Amendment community to look for in between
the speeches as well. NRA will be running ads throughout convention week,
featuring NRA President Charlton Heston asking why the national leadership
of the Democratic Party has chosen to abandon law-abiding gun owners and
support an all-out assault on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The ads
will run both on television and in major newspapers. Some in the media are
already attempting to label NRAÆs ad campaign as an attack on all
Democrats, even though NRA has always been a non-partisan organization. In
fact, it is no secret that some of the most vocal supporters of gun owners
in Congress are Democrats, like pro-gun stalwart U.S. Representative John
Dingell (Mich.). Most recently, Dingell has called on the Clinton-Gore
Administration to explain its lack of prosecutions of violent felons who
have been caught violating federal gun laws (see FAX Alert Vol. 7, No.
31). Earlier this year, another pro-gun Democrat, U.S. Representative Max
Sandlin (D-Tex.), publicly criticized the Clinton-Gore gun policy when he
told the Lufkin Daily News, "The administration is absolutely wrong on
this issue. When theyÆre wrong, I refuse to support them." The true intent
of NRAÆs ad campaign is to expose how out of step the national bosses of
the Democratic Party are with many Democrats -- especially those from
rural areas. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre told theI> New
York Times, "For the first time, youÆre seeing a major wedge issue
splitting the national party with its base in places like Michigan, West
Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Arkansas. My
guess is that their (Democratic Party) polls show they are getting
skewered in all those states." U.S. Representative Ken Lucas, who is the
sole Democrat from the Blue Grass State currently serving in the House of
Representatives, told the Dow Jones International News that he would not
vote for Al Gore at next weekÆs convention in LA. Lucas told the News he
disagreed with Gore on a number of issues, including those involving
firearms. "IÆm for Second Amendment rights," he said, "[s]o we just have
some major differences." If you are a pro-gun Democrat who does not agree
with the apparent abandonment by the national leadership of your party,
you can contact the Democratic National Committee at (202) 863-8000 to ask
why the party bosses have targeted our Second Amendment rights for
extinction.
Another ad that will run during next weekÆs Democratic Convention
debuted during the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. The ad,
produced by the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Foundation (HSSHF),
is a moving tribute to the contribution firearms manufacturers have made
to American history, and was created as a response to the reckless
lawsuits filed by anti-gun big city mayors and greedy trial lawyers to
destroy the firearms industry through the courts. The ad features the
American flag being stripped of its Stars and Stripes, until all that
remains is a white flag of surrender. HSSHF President and Chief Executive
Officer Robert T. Delfay commented on the ad, saying it "pulls no punches
in accusing certain elected officials of dismantling our most basic
rights." Delfay went on to say, "But these self-important government
officials are threatening the survival of a legitimate, traditional and
responsible industry. We donÆt think the American people want to
see...any...responsible manufacturer forced out of business just to
further the political ambition of a few big city mayors and their trial
lawyer allies." NRA-ILA has established a link to this ad online in our
"News & Releases" section at www.NRAILA.org.
GORE PICKS LIEBERMAN
This week, Al Gore officially announced that he had chosen U.S. Senator
Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) as his Vice Presidential running-mate. One
thing Lieberman and Gore have in common is a history of supporting
anti-gun legislation. Lieberman voted to ban so-called "assault weapons"
on a number of occasions, voted for the Brady Act, and recently voted for
the Lautenberg Gun Show amendment that would end gun shows as we know them
today. WeÆll be sure to report more on the Gore-Lieberman ticket, as well
as Bush-Cheney, as the race for the White House heats up.
PATAKI SIGNS LAW, ABANDONS NEW YORK GUN OWNERS
Earlier this week, with anti-gun U.S. Representative Carolyn McCarthy
(D-N.Y.) by his side, New York Governor George Pataki (R) signed the
anti-gun legislation that he rammed through the legislature a few weeks
ago. It was the final act in the betrayal of those gun owners who helped
ensure PatakiÆs re-election two years ago. Gun owners can send Governor
Pataki a message by registering to vote and registering their friends and
fellow gun owners, and then going to the polls on November 7 to elect
lawmakers who have the courage to stand up and fight for the Second
Amendment. HereÆs a snapshot of what PatakiÆs law mandates:
<UL>
<LI> a requirement for retail dealers to provide locking devices with all
firearms at the point of sale
<LI> a mandate that all dealers submit a shell casing from every handgun
sold to the state for entry into a currently non-existent data bank
<LI> a mandate that NICS checks be conducted on all sales at gun shows
between private, law-abiding citizens
<LI> an attempt to mirror federal law regulating so-called "assault
weapons"
</UL>
The major departure from federal law regarding the "assault weapons" ban
is that it does not contain the "sunset" provision which will cause the
federal law to expire or force it to be reenacted by September of 2004.
This provision is less severe than the one contained in the original
Pataki proposal, which would have outlawed all semi-automatic rifles and
shotguns and would have required them to be turned in to law enforcement,
destroyed or removed from the state. The law also requires that
individuals be 21 years of age in order to be eligible to receive a
handgun license, which is required for simple possession under New York
State law. It does, however, exempt those under 21 who have been honorably
discharged from the military and will also allow those under 21
accompanied by a licensed instructor to shoot at a range or in a
competition. For the first time, this law allows localities to encroach on
the stateÆs jurisdiction, by allowing them to enact laws more restrictive
than the stateÆs in the areas of locking devices (storage practices),
so-called "assault weapons," and age eligibility for handgun licensees.
Make no mistake, this is probably the most dangerous provision in the
legislation, as it will no doubt encourage anti-gun local politicians to
adopt stricter standards in their counties, cities, towns and villages.
Vigilance in opposing these local anti-gun efforts will be more important
than ever!
LAW ENFORCEMENT STILL SUPPORTS LAW-ABIDING GUN OWNERS
The 13th Annual National Police Survey, conducted by the National
Association of Chiefs of Police, once again confirms what NRA has been
saying for years -- law enforcement supports our Right to Keep and Bear
Arms. The survey, which was sent this year to nearly 25,000 Chiefs of
Police and Sheriffs, asks a number of questions regarding crime and crime
prevention, and each year the results have shown that law enforcement
supports cracking down on violent criminals with firearms, not imposing
more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners. This yearÆs survey showed
that 93% of the respondents feel that "any law-abiding citizen should be
able to purchase a firearm for sport or self-defense."
JAPANÆS FIREARM-RELATED CRIME INCREASING
Japan has been heralded for some time by gun-ban extremists as a utopia
of gun restrictions. However, Japanese criminals are undeterred by the
regulations. According to an article in todayÆs Washington Post, JapanÆs
violent crime rate is rising, and the number of serious crimes committed
by criminals with handguns this year is expected to exceed last yearÆs
record number. JapanÆs murder rate has even surpassed the murder rate in
England and Australia, two countries that are also experiencing dramatic
increases in violent crime and also have strict gun laws. While Japan has
had stringent controls on firearms for centuries -- only the police and
military are permitted to possess handguns -- England and Australia have
only recently passed draconian restrictions on gun owners, including bans
on several classes of firearms.
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