From the Radio Free Michigan archives ftp://141.209.3.26/pub/patriot If you have any other files you'd like to contribute, e-mail them to bj496@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu. ------------------------------------------------ Dear fellow NOBANners (NOBANanas?): Mostly NOBAN has been gathering gun-rights group support. We need to take our case outside the choir. Here is a first-draft fact sheet you can use to do so. I'm only addressing repeal of the Clinton Gun Ban in this post. I agree with the larger Gingrich-NRA strategy of hearings and education -- assuming they actually carry it through. If not, by golly, *we* can! I want to see the "bullier pulpit" of C-Span used to reach America, but more and more alternatives are gaining popularity. People *know* the network news provides biased and partial coverage. We're breaking the "major" media stranglehold. Samuel Mize - smize@starbase.neosoft.com ================================================================= Wrapped to 65 columns -- paragraphs separated by blank lines -- occasional words IN CAPS for emphasis (also some acronyms) ================================================================= CLINTON GUN BAN REPEAL MOVEMENT -- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q: What is so important about the the Clinton Gun Ban ("Assault Weapon" and large magazine ban)? A: It refuses a commonplace weapon to law-abiding citizens. Previous laws at least tried to target criminals or uncommon weapons. The Clinton Gun Ban denies a popular kind of rifle to every American citizen. It expressed the contempt that the President and the 103rd Congress felt for all of us. The Clinton Gun Ban was nothing but a symbolic victory for the anti-gun lobby. It was the first gun ban passed in decades, and the first ban ever of a commonly-owned firearm. It was intended to be the first of many. Q: Doesn't the Clinton Gun Ban fight crime by controlling "the weapon of choice of drug lords and gang members?" A: Less than one percent of gun crimes involve military-style rifles. Criminals prefer weapons they can easily conceal. Besides, they don't buy guns through legal channels to begin with; gun control laws will never affect their supply. The Clinton Gun Ban is not aimed at criminals. It is aimed at you and me. Millions of Americans own guns and commit no violence. These are the targets of the Clinton gun ban. Seventy percent of violent crime is committed by six percent of the CRIMINAL population. The typical murderer has a history of violence, on average, a record of three arrests totalling eleven counts. To control violent crime we must control these violent criminals, not peaceful Americans. Q: Why do civilians need Assault Weapons anyway? Aren't they military guns with no legitimate sporting purpose? A: This is a lie on several counts. First, the actual military guns are fully automatic -- they keep shooting as long as you hold down the trigger. The guns Clinton banned are semi-auto -- they shoot once and reload themselves. This was called a "self-loader" in 1895, when the "Broomhandle" Mauser pistol was introduced. Clinton doesn't trust you with century-old weapon technology. Second, military-style rifles ARE useful for hunters, target shooters and recreational shooters. They are light, accurate, easy to carry, and easy to maintain. They use a moderate-size bullet that works well for a large range of small and medium-size game. They don't kick too hard. Other items originally designed for military use include the jeep, the computer and the MRE (meals packaged for storage). This "assault food" is used by many campers and sportsmen, and is invaluable in disaster relief. Third, the "military-only" attachments are useful to the hunter and outdoor shooter. They make the gun easier to carry over rough country, easier to shoot accurately, and reduce spooking of game. Only the bayonet lug has no sporting use; hardly a reason to ban the weapon. Fourth, military-style rifles are excellent for defense of a fixed location, like a home or store. They ar compact enough to use in a small space, and provide enough firepower to resist a determined criminal attack (like a jewelry store robbery or a home invasion). Fifth, since these rifles are NOT commonly used in crime, why must you "need" one to own one? After all, you don't "really need" a sports car, a television, jewelry, or dyed clothing. But the biggest lie is that sports and hunting are the only good reasons to own guns. The Second Amendment guarantees your right to defend your community, property, family and self from crime, and (if necessary) from a corrupted government. It is the last check in our Constitution's system of checks and balances. "No man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against the tyrrany in government." -- Thomas Jefferson, June 1776 "The right of citizens to keep and bear arms is just one guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against the tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which historically has proved to be always possible." -- Senator Hubert Humphrey Q: The Second Amendment was written before modern weapons existed. Should it really apply to them? A: The Second Amendment applies to defense of self, family, home, property and community. Military-style rifles are excellent for many of these duties. Q: Doesn't the Second Amendment apply to the militia -- that is, the state-run National Guard? A: "The militia" is a term, like "the electorate," that applies to all who take up a particular duty of citizenship. If you are able-bodied, you are part of the militia, and are duty-bound (although not legally required) to act in the common defense, if necessary. "Who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except for a few public officials." -- George Mason, framer of Virginia's Declaration of Rights, the basis for the U. S. Bill of Rights. Q: What exactly is the pro-repeal program on Capitol Hill? A: There are currently two schools of thought (late January 95). 1) The Republican leadership favors passing a number of bills: a crime bill that is largely prisons and criminal justice reform, and other bills addressing other issues (such as habeas corpus reform and gun control). According to Tanya Metaksa, NRA-ILA, "The Republican leaders stated that the omnibus approach to crime bills died with the 103rd Congress." NRA leaders have endorsed this policy, at least individually. This is intended to force Congress and the President to record their stands on individual issues, and repudiates the "politics as usual" that gave us the huge, pork-laden 1994 Crime (of a) Bill. 2) Gun Owners of America, and some Representatives like Bartlett and Stockman (who have introduced a repeal bill), would prefer to see the repeal attached as an amendment to an omnibus crime bill, or to other legislation that the President will find difficult to veto. This is a better strategy for preventing or overriding a veto on this particular bill, especially in the Senate (where we can pass it, but may not have the votes to override a veto). Whichever strategy winds up in use, we must all stand together to support it against a hostile President and the anti-gun lobby. If you favor one approach or the other, let your representatives know now. Q: What can I do to help? Contact your Representative, your Senators, Republican leaders, and members of the House Judiciary committee from your state. Time is short; call or fax, and follow up with a letter. Call the Capitol Switchboard (202) 225-3121, ask for the office of Representative X or Senator Y. Write to your Senator at The Honorable , U. S. Senate, Washington DC 20510. Write to your Representative at The Honorable , U. S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515 (note the different zip codes). Tell them you support repeal of the Clinton Gun Ban, as the start of a revitalization of our Second Amendment rights to self-defense and community defense. Tell them a Crime Bill should punish criminals, not you. Republican House leaders: Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Republican Whip Tom DeLay, House Republican Conference Chair John Boehner, Crime Subcommittee Chair Bill McCollum. House Judiciary Committee members: California: Elton Gallegly(R), Xavier Becerra(D), Zoe Lofgren(D), Howard L. Berman(D), Carlos J. Moorhead(R), Sonny Bono(R). Colorado: Patricia Schroeder(D). Florida: Charles T. Canady(R), Bill McCollum(R). Georgia: Bob Barr(R). Illinois: Michael Patrick Flanagan(R), Henry J. Hyde(R). Indiana: Steve Buyer(R). Massachussets: Barney Frank(D). Michigan: John Conyers, Jr.(D). New Mexico: Steven H. Schiff(R). New York: Jerrold Nadler(D), Charles E. Schumer(D), Jose E. Serrano(D). North Carolina: Melvin Watt(D), Fred Heineman(R), Howard Coble(R). Ohio: Steve Chabot(R), Martin R. Hoke(R). Pennsylvania: George W. Gekas(R). Rhode Island: Jack Reed(D). South Carolina: Bob Inglis(R). Tennessee: Ed Bryant(R). Texas: Sheila Jackson Lee(D), John Bryant(D), Lamar Smith(R). Virginia: Robert W. Goodlatte(R), Rick Boucher(D), Robert C. Scott(D). Wisconsin: F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.(R). We must fight ignorance, error, and lies. These are the weapons of our enemies, who have won with them before. - Author: Samuel Mize. Provided for use in the Gun Ban repeal movement; quote freely. ------------------------------------------------ (This file was found elsewhere on the Internet and uploaded to the Radio Free Michigan archives by the archive maintainer. All files are ZIP archives for fast download. E-mail bj496@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu)