ALER2

LETS PUT AN END TO HATE CRIMES, WE ALL BELONG TO ONE RACE-THE HUMAN RACE

SURPLUS, HUNTING,CAMPING,SURVIVAL PRODUCTS

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Subject: Senate Passes Anti-gun Incumbent Protection Bill

From: Gun_Owners_of_America@mailmanager.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Senate Passes Anti-gun Incumbent Protection Bill -- Battle moves to the House Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408 http://www.gunowners.org ACTION: If one or both of your Senators voted for the unconstitutional Incumbent Protection Bill, please forward your displeasure to them by phone, fax or email. (See below for the list of Senators voting for S. 27.) Be sure to thank your Senator if he voted right. Also, please communicate with President George Bush and let him know that S. 27 deserves a veto if it ever gets to his desk. (Tuesday, April 3, 2001) -- Americans should be hopping mad. Senators yesterday voted for a bill that was nothing other than an Incumbent Protection Plan, pure and simple. The anti-gun bill, S. 27, works to silence the voice of outside groups, like GOA, that help educate voters before an election. At the same time, the bill enhances the ability of the politicians in the Republican and Democrat parties to raise and spend money to get their candidates elected. The bill, sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), passed the Senate by a 59-41 vote. Eleven Republicans, other than McCain, broke ranks with their leadership. The anti-gun McCain bill would prohibit groups like GOA from running TV or radio ads that mention a candidate's name in the 60 days prior to an election. [This restriction entered the bill through the Wellstone amendment -- the contents of which GOA reported last week.] In other words, S. 27 prohibits many kinds of free speech two months before an election for everyone but the media, the parties and federal candidates. Moreover, the Senate Incumbent Protection Bill increases the amount of money that the parties can receive during an election cycle, while freezing the dollar amounts given to political action committees (PACs) operated by groups like GOA. For example, contribution limits to state and local party committees will be doubled, and dollar limits to the national party committees will be increased by 25%. But the amount of money which individuals can give to grassroots PACs, such as the one run by Gun Owners of America, will NOT be increased at all under the provisions of S. 27. Get the picture? More money and more freedom for federal candidates and the parties that represent them. But more restrictions for the people who wish to complain about their behavior in office. In a strongly worded letter to Senators, GOA explained that support for this bill would be regarded as nothing other than an effort to restrict the First Amendment to cover their own moral inadequacies. In a letter dated March 29, 2001, GOA Executive Director stated that it is no surprise that: Senator [McCain] who shamed the nation with his membership in the Keating 5 [has led] the effort to silence outside criticism of incumbents.... The problem with the American political system is NOT that too much free speech has educated the American people too thoroughly on dangerous legislation which would impact them. Rather, the problem with the American political system is that politicians who enter $8 million book deals, steal furniture from the government, lie under oath, sell presidential pardons, and date rape federal employees on government property believe they can cover their own indiscretions by taking away the First Amendment rights of others. The Senate bill is an abomination. It now moves to the House, where Republican leaders such as Minority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX) have committed to do everything in their power to torpedo the legislation. GOA is working with House leaders to devise strategies to kill the bill as well. One big question mark, however, remains regarding President George Bush. It is unclear how he would act if the Senate bill were sent to him. Bush opposes some of the aspects in S. 27, but he has said he will sign a bill that "improves the system." CONTACT INFORMATION: 1. You can contact the Senate at 202-224-3121, or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762. To identify your Senators, as well as to send a message via e-mail, see the Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm on the GOA website. 2. You can contact the President by phone at 202-456-1414 or by fax at 202-456-2461; president@whitehouse.gov is the e-mail address. HERE'S THE SENATORS WHO VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE INCUMBENT PROTECTION BILL: Akaka (D-HI) Domenici (R-NM) Lugar (R-IN) Baucus (D-MT) Dorgan (D-ND) McCain (R-AZ) Bayh (D-IN) Durbin (D-IL) Mikulski (D-MD) Biden (D-DE) Edwards (D-NC) Miller (D-GA) Bingaman (D-NM) Feingold (D-WI) Murray (D-WA) Boxer (D-CA) Feinstein (D-CA) Nelson (D-FL) Byrd (D-WV) Fitzgerald (R-IL) Reed (D-RI) Cantwell (D-WA) Graham (D-FL) Reid (D-NV) Carnahan (D-MO) Harkin (D-IA) Rockefeller (D-WV) Carper (D-DE) Inouye (D-HI) Sarbanes (D-MD) Chafee (R-RI) Jeffords (R-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Cleland (D-GA) Johnson (D-SD) Snowe (R-ME) Clinton (D-NY) Kennedy (D-MA) Specter (R-PA) Cochran (R-MS) Kerry (D-MA) Stabenow (D-MI) Collins (R-ME) Kohl (D-WI) Stevens (R-AK) Conrad (D-ND) Landrieu (D-LA) Thompson (R-TN) Corzine (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Torricelli (D-NJ) Daschle (D-SD) Levin (D-MI) Wellstone (D-MN) Dayton (D-MN) Lieberman (D-CT) Wyden (D-OR) Dodd (D-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) TO SENATORS WHO VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE INCUMBENT PROTECTION BILL: Dear Senator: I was disappointed to see that you voted in favor of such an unconstitutional measure as the McCain-Feingold bill. S. 27 is nothing more than an Incumbent Protection Bill which will increase the money (and power) that federal politicians can wield to get themselves elected. At the same time, the Wellstone amendment in the bill works to silence watchdog groups that I depend upon to let me know how my elected officials are behaving. Shame! TO THE PRESIDENT: Dear President Bush: I was disappointed to see that the Senate voted for such an unconstitutional measure as the McCain-Feingold bill. S. 27 is nothing more than an Incumbent Protection Bill which will increase the money (and power) that federal politicians can wield to get themselves elected. At the same time, the Wellstone amendment in the bill works to silence watchdog groups that I depend upon to let me know how my elected officials are behaving. If S. 27 ever gets to your desk, I hope you will not hesitate to veto it, as it squelches the First Amendment rights of all Americans. Thank you. ************** Special! Become a GOA Life Member ($500) and receive one thousand dollars ($1000) in free world-class training! Front Sight Firearms Training Institute offers a two-day defensive handgun course, two-day tactical shotgun course, or a two-day practical rifle course PLUS a one-day submachine gun course where they provide the Uzis and all the ammo! This $1000 value is free for new GOA Life Members. Please see http://www.gunowners.org/subguns.htm for details. ************** Do not reply directly to this message. To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to http://www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web. Change of e-mail address may also be made at that location. To unsubscribe send a message to gunowners_members@mailmanager.net with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Problems, questions or comments? The main GOA e-mail address goamail@gunowners.org is at your disposal. Please do not add that address to distribution lists sending more than ten messages per week or lists associated with issues other than gun rights. children contacts personal tattoos JOBS Junk Mail Inbox Sent Trash -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 1998-2001 USA.NET®, Inc. All Rights Reserved. U.S. Patent # 5,937,161. Users of this site agree to be bound by USA.NET Net@ddress® Subscriber Agreement. USA.NET adheres to a strict Privacy Policy to protect our customers.

Hostettler and Smith Combine Forces to Deliver Pro-gun Victories!

-- Gun activists play key role

Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408 http://www.gunowners.org (Thursday, October 12, 2000)

"Demil" Provision Removed GOA warned you last month about a very dangerous provision in the DoD authorization bill (H.R. 4205). This provision would have allowed the Defense Department to collect and destroy certain privately owned militaria -- including your M1 Carbine, 1903 Springfield, Colt SAA, and more. The House passed the bill yesterday on a 382-31 vote, and GOA is happy to report that the "demil" provision has been stricken. There are three reasons for this: * First, you guys rang the phones off the hook over the last month. Thanks to your involvement, legislators on Capitol Hill quickly learned there was a problem in the DoD bill and worked to satisfy their unhappy constituents. * Second, Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN). * Third, Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH). Both Hostettler and Smith worked tirelessly to make sure this dangerous demilitarization provision was removed from the bill. Gun owners should thank them for their efforts. Clinton Gun Control Scheme Receives A Setback In other good news, Rep. Hostettler succeeded in keeping pro-gun language in the same DoD bill. Hostettler amended this bill in May when he inserted language to bar the Department of Defense from giving Smith & Wesson preferential treatment in government contracts. As one of the conference-committee members, Hostettler was instrumental in keeping this pro-gun provision in the bill. Thus, DoD will be prohibited by law, from rewarding the gun maker for the anti-gun deal that it cut with the Clinton administration in March -- an agreement that imposes all kinds of new gun control upon dealers and gun buyers. Gun owners should thank Rep. Hostettler for his determined efforts to preserve our 2nd Amendment rights. BATF Strikes Again! On August 28, 2000, BATF launched its most recent attack on the Second Amendment. Its proposed regulation (contained at page 52054 et seq. in the Federal Register of August 28, 2000) would require FFLs to conduct an annual gun inventory. While not the obvious threat of other Clinton-Gore proposals, such as national gun registration, this proposed regulation nevertheless represents the most recent installment in efforts by the Clinton-Gore administration to inflict on the Second Amendment a "death by a thousand cuts." It is therefore important that law-abiding gun owners make their voices heard with respect to this most recent unconstitutional, unjustifiable effort by this administration to harass its political opposition. Here are some of the arguments against the regulation: 1. BATF gives no significant justification for inconveniencing law-abiding businesses. It cites "1,271 crime guns" which had been stolen without the theft having been reported. The problem is there is no evidence that the subsequent crimes committed with these guns could have been prevented or the guns more easily traced had the thefts been detected and reported. To the contrary, BATF appears to have been able to locate each shipper and trace each gun with no difficulty. How would a mandatory annual inventory improve this? 2. Contrary to BATF's misrepresentations, the burden on businesses of conducting an annual government-mandated inventory will be far greater than it asserts. Furthermore, the burden will fall on active dealers and inactive ones -- presumably for the purpose of further discouraging law-abiding Americans from holding federal firearms licenses. 3. BATF's ability to impose additional regulatory requirements in connection with the annual inspections are open-ended, and inspections could be required "[a]t any other time the Director of Industry Operations may in writing require" -- even if he decides to require daily inspections. Small to medium size gun dealers could be easily harassed into early retirement, thus having the effect of "drying up the well" as far as the gun supply is concerned. The supply of gun dealers will be greatly reduced, resulting in higher gun prices. Moreover, the BATF will be able to focus its resources to crack down on the few remaining dealers in existence, as government studies will, no doubt, claim these few dealers are resulting in a high rate of sales to criminals. 4. Finally, BATF's efforts to micromanage the exercise of a constitutional right are unconstitutional. Its attempts to harass gun dealers -- and only gun dealers -- can only be viewed as analogous to prohibitively expensive regulatory burdens applied only to newspapers, to civil rights organizations, or to defense attorneys. ACTION: The BATF is receiving comments from concerned Americans until November 27, 2000. Please consider using the above talking points to submit your comments in opposition to the regulations. Or view the regulations at http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/rules/notice902.pdf (with Acrobat Reader) on the internet and formulate your own letter in opposition. There are two ways to submit your comments: Email: nprm@atfhq.atf.treas.gov Mail: Chief, Regulations Division; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; P.O. Box 50221; Washington, DC 20091-0221; ATTN: Notice No. 902 NOTE: Written comments must be signed. E-mail comments must contain your name, mailing address, and e-mail address. They must also reference the notice number (No. 902) and be legible when printed on not more than three pages 8 1/2 x 11 inches in size. They will treat e-mail as originals and will not acknowledge receipt of e-mail. ************** Sheriff Richard Mack is the Director of Public Affairs for Gun Owners of America. Mack took the Brady Law to the Supreme Court where the judges agreed that the Feds could not force a local official to perform a background check. Sheriff Mack now has an electronic newsletter. Please stop by http://www.gunvote2000.com and look it over. ************** Do not reply directly to this message. To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to http://www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web.

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Things can get worse for gun owners next year. Senate Bill 2099, introduced by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), is an elaborate gun owners registration and licensing scheme. Sen. Reed has promised to reintroduce this bill next year and push for its passage. If Bart Stupak is reelected, he will be under immense pressure from his party's leadership to support this monstrosity. Stupak has already caved in to party pressure, and there is no reason to believe he wouldn't do so in the future. If Stupak is allowed to vote against the Second Amendment and still get elected, the ramifications across the country will be tremendous. There are many representatives in more marginal districts who could be persuaded to vote anti-gun. The only reason they don't is that they're afraid of you, the pro-gun voter. Should Stupak win, he will become the poster child for Sarah Brady and Handgun Control. The new message to wavering politicians will be that, "You CAN vote for gun control and get reelected, even if your district is rural." We can't let that happen. Thankfully, there is a choice in this election. That choice is Chuck Yob. Mr. Yob is a solid, pro-gun conservative who will not come to Washington and be turned by the political winds. The difference between the two candidates is clear. Chuck Yob will not support registering gun owners. Bart Stupak has supported measures that will do just that. Chuck Yob believes the Second Amendment protects your individual right to possess firearms. Bart Stupak wants all gun owners to be treated as if they were criminals. In short, Chuck Yob trusts Americans with their firearms. Bart Stupak does not. We need people like Chuck Yob in Washington -- people who will stand up and defend your rights instead of trading them away in backroom deals. However, it will not be easy for Chuck Yob to get elected, and he can't do it without your help. The anti-gunners will pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into this race against Mr. Yob. Unless concerned citizens stand with the Yob campaign, the gun banners will win. There are two things you can do right now to help send a defender of the Constitution to Washington: 1. Vote with your wallet. I realize most of the people receiving this e-mail are outside Yob's district, even outside of Michigan. But this race above all others has crucial ramifications for gun owners across the nation. Please support the Yob campaign with the most generous contribution you can afford. Anti-gun Rep. Stupak will be heavily funded by gun banning extremists, so please send what you can, be it $50, $100 or even the legal maximum of $1,000. You can contribute to the Yob campaign online at: http://www.chuckyob.com/contribute.htm Or, you can mail the Yob campaign at "Yob for Congress," PO Box 1839, Traverse City, MI 49685. 2. Please forward this e-mail to other concerned gun rights supporters. We are in a desperate fight for our freedoms right now, and no freedom is under greater attack than our gun rights. So please become an active member of the Yob for Congress team. Be certain to mention this alert when you contribute so that Chuck knows gun owners and sportsmen across the nation are standing with him. Chuck Yob will fight to defend and restore your gun rights, so please support the campaign in any way you can. Sincerely, Larry Pratt Executive Director Once more, here's the contact information. You can contribute to the Yob campaign online at http://www.chuckyob.com/contribute.htm or via snail mail at "Yob for Congress," PO Box 1839, Traverse City, MI 49685. Please send the most generous contribution you can afford to the Yob for Congress campaign. ************** PAID FOR BY GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA POLITICAL VICTORY FUND. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE COMMITTEE. GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA POLITICAL VICTORY FUND IS A PROJECT OF GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA. ************** Do not reply directly to this message. To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to http://www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web.

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