Anti's Trying to Rescue the Semi-Auto Ban from Death Row
South Dakota Gun Owners E-mail Alert
PO Box 3845, Rapid City, SD 57709
(605) 737-5583
LibertyTeeth@sdgo.org
http://www.SDGO.org
An alert from Gun Owners of America - http://www.gunowners.org
(Friday, July 23, 2004) - Thanks to your efforts, the Clinton semi-auto ban is
about to expire.
The ban on magazines and firearms -- passed in 1994 -- represents one of the
most hated pieces of gun control ever enacted. But with less than two months to
go (and Congress being in recess most of that time), the ban is scheduled to
sunset on September 13, 2004.
Anti-gun Senator Dianne Feinstein, however, is not giving up and is pushing hard
to get the semi-auto ban tacked on to some other bill.
So far, you have been instrumental in bolstering the resolve of a few key
Senators, who have managed to thwart Feinstein's every move and, thus, keep the
semi-auto ban from getting to the President's desk. Consider what you have
accomplished in recent months:
* In March, you encouraged Senators to kill a bipartisan bill that had become
loaded down with anti-gun amendments -- riders which included the semi-auto gun
ban. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist could have used parliamentary tactics to
disallow all gun-related
amendments, but he specifically rejected that strategy. The underlying
legislation, which would have helped to protect gun makers from frivolous
lawsuits, fell under the deadweight of the anti-gun riders.
* Most recently in July, your efforts resulted in Senator Frist using the
very parliamentary tactics that he had rejected only a few months earlier. This
time, grassroots pressure convinced him to block the semi-auto ban as an
amendment to the class action bill (S.
2062).
Now, there are less than a dozen legislative days left. And the gun banners are
"pulling out all the stops" to get this bill passed.
The focus of their ire is being directed at Senator Frist, since he was
instrumental in keeping anti-gun amendments from being offered to S. 2062. One
anti-gun website is calling on its readers to "flood Dr. Frist's office with
tens of thousands of e-mails telling him to stop blocking the Assault Weapons
Ban renewal."
They are also calling on fellow gun banners to pound House Speaker Dennis
Hastert's office with calls to renew the ban.
So here's the bottom line: We are winning. The clock is ticking and the
Clinton ban will soon die. But the battle is not over yet! The other side is
playing its ultimate trump card -- the friendly liberal media -- and is reaching
deep into its war chest.
Major newspapers are running anti-gun editorials in favor of renewing the ban.
Former Presidents are lobbying Congress with the same message. Law-enforcement
bureaucrats are issuing sound bites in cities all across the nation.
And Hollywood types such as Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand
have written a letter to the President, urging him to extend the ban for 10 more
years.
There is an all-out effort by the other side right now, and we need to make sure
that we are NOT silent. We need to keep the pressure on.
Like the Phoenix, the gun ban renewal could arise out of the ashes at any time.
After all, both presidential candidates SUPPORT the ban. Both Kerry and Bush
have indicated they want to see the ban renewed.
And even though Majority Leader Tom DeLay has thus far managed to keep this bill
off the floor of the House of Representatives, he is being threatened by a
politically motivated prosecutor in Austin. His tenure remains in question for
the time being, which means that we, gun owners, must remain eternally vigilant!
ACTION: Please urge Rep. Herseth to keep her campaign promise and OPPOSE the
renewal of the semi-auto ban. Remind her that this is an election year and that
strident calls from the Brady Bunch in the liberal media do not decide
elections! Here's what you can do:
1. Call Rep. Herseth at one of the numbers below. You can use the pre-written message below to direct your comments. Then e-mail the message to Rep. Herseth.
Representative Stephanie Herseth
Election Headquarters
(605) 332-1901
Washington Office
Toll Free: (866) 371-8747
Fax: (202) 225-5823
Email: stephanie@hersethforcongress.org
2. Remember also that since all members of the House are up for reelection --
and Congress is due to take a long summer break -- chances are excellent that
you can confront your Rep. in person during the coming weeks. Don't miss an
opportunity to do so.
----- Pre-written letter -----
Dear Representative,
I have noticed an alarming and well-coordinated campaign within the mainstream
media recently regarding the expected sunset of the semi-auto ban. It is
imperative that you not fall victim to the scare tactics -- that instead, you do
the right thing and make certain that the semi-auto ban dies its well-deserved
death.
Anti-gun forces are trotting out law enforcement bureaucrats, former public
officials, Hollywood stars, and anyone else they can find to decry the Bush
administration's "lack of action" in calling for Congress to immediately
reauthorize this odious gun ban.
Truth be told, those gun grabbers are scared -- they know the American people
have thrown out numerous U.S. Representatives in the past for voting to outlaw
these common semi-autos. With a mere handful of legislative days remaining
before the ban sunsets, they
are doing the only thing they can -- working feverishly with their friends in
the liberal media, hoping that press coverage alone will spook you into getting
aboard the gun-ban train.
I urge you to stand fast. On your campaign website you state, “I
oppose...attempts to limit gun owners’ rights through bans on types of firearms
or ammunition.”
The ban should sunset, and no pro-gun Member of
Congress should fear for his or her seat as a result, since media hype does not
translate to defeat at the polls. If the media decided elections, Ronald Reagan
would never have been President.
Hold the line. Better, remind your pro-gun constituents that you are publicly
willing to state that this useless and pernicious law simply needs to go away.
Sincerely and with a watchful eye,
****************************