* Forwarded (from: CIVLIB)
* Originally from Les Lemke (1:356/3) to All.
* Original dated: Mon Apr 06, 04:23
From: "Distribution@Vigo-Examiner.com" 
Organization: The Vigo Examiner
To: Distribution
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 07:06:08 +0000
Subject:  Sarah Brady's Next Target
Reply-to: Distribution@Vigo-Examiner.com Priority: normal
                   Sarah Brady's Next Target
        Note this is confirmed as having come from HCI.
            It details their next line of attack.
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Dear Handgun Control Member,
I have marked this letter to you "confidential" because I am
requesting that you avoid discussing the contents publicly for the
next several weeks.
This is because we are about to initiate action that, if successful,
will weaken the stranglehold that the gun industry, the NRA, and other
gun fanatics have over local and national gun laws.
And I am urgently requesting you to make an extraordinary gift to help
strengthen our cause.
Please let me quickly explain our plans -- and then you will
understand why both your generosity and secrecy are required.
In brief, we believe there is a strong parallel between the gun
industry and the tobacco companies! As you know, citizens at the local
and state level rose up in anger and demanded clean air in restaurants
and offices when Congress failed to take action-
Here at Handgun Control Inc., it is our regrettable conclusion that
this current Congress is not going to take the initiative on gun
safety for America. Legislation is bogged down. The NRA and other gun
industry lobbying groups have multi-million dollar war chests set
aside for this election year. Consequently, it will be extremely
difficult to pass any significant legislation this year.
And so, even though we will not let up on our efforts in congress, our
focus is going to make a dramatic shift.
And we want to keep this shift as quiet as possible while we develop
our plan.
In a few weeks, I will be announcing to the nation:
The Citizens Campaign Against Community Gun Trafficking
Even the title of this campaign will cause shockwaves to run through
the gun industry and the NRA at local and national levels.
We will be taking a page from the anti-smoking victories, where local
ordinances banned smoking in public facilities and eventually forced
state and national legislation to protect Americans' right to a
smoke-free environment.
And we'll remember the victories in the anti-drunk-driving movement,
as well. M.A.D.D. was formed by a small group of mothers whose
children had been killed by drunk drivers -- they gathered supporters
and strength at the grassroots level around the country, and before
long these mothers started to be taken seriously everywhere, even on
capitol Hill. Now, most states have tougher penalties for drunk
drivers and the liquor industry is providing anti-drunk- driving
messages in their advertising.
In much the same way, we're going to attack the gun industry and the
gun pushers at the most basic point --where money is exchanged for
guns.
The Attack point: Local Gun Shows!
Local gun shows make it extremely easy to purchase a gun for private
or criminal use. And that's because most of the guns at the shows are
sold by private individuals, not by dealers; --and, therefore, in most
states they are not covered by laws requiring background checks or
paperwork!
So you can walk into a gun show, strike up a conversation with the guy
hawking the M-l carbine, admire its light kick, repetitive fire, and
ability to accept large magazine clips.
Then you talk to that strange man parading around in his military
fatigues, and later you meet him on the street, give him the necessary
cash and the firearm is yours.
All legal in most states, as long as that fellow is not a licensed gun
dealer!
Loophole: The Second-Hand Market
Right now, federal laws focus primarily on purchases of handguns from
licensed dealers. And the Brady Handgun violence and prevention Act
has stopped many criminals from buying handguns from licensed dealers.
But most states have no laws preventing one individual from selling a
weapon to another, as long as the seller is not a licensed gun dealer.
"The individual purchasing the gun does not have to show
identification, does not have to submit to background checks. And the
person selling the gun does not need to keep a written record of the
transaction or the buyer's address and social Security number. Also,
quite obviously, there is no waiting period. All in all, this is the
most outrageous loophole in our federal gun laws.
And gun shows are where criminals do their shopping --where the
second-hand gun market really thrives.
And so, this is why one of our first goals in The Citizens Campaign
Against Community Gun Trafficking is going to be to close down the gun
shows!
These gun shows are most often held on public property: civic centers,
school gymnasiums, fairgrounds, city and county convention centers.
And these giant weapons bazaars have developed considerable notoriety,
because of such high-profile cases as Oklahoma City bomber Timothy
Mcveigh, who was reported to have bought or sold weapons at guns
shows. -
A recent issue of "Shotgun News" -- the "bible" of the gun pushers --
advertised over 500 gun shows for the last three months of 1997 alone.
And this does not include many of the smaller shows and swap meets.
I believe that now you can see why our Citizens campaign Against
Community Gun Trafficking is going to result in tremendous
controversy.
And I wish that we could keep it secret -- 100% secret -- until we are
ready to launch the campaign.
But, unlike the NRA and the right-wing, gun toting fanatics, we do not
have a multi-million dollar war chest. We depend upon grassroots
support -- from friends like you. And so I wanted to take the
calculated risk and share this plan with you, and hope that you will
step forward and send a significant gift to express your belief that
citizens -- with or without Congress -- can get things done!
In a few weeks, if you're interested, I will forward to you a
'Citizens Action Kit," detailing exactly what can be done in your
local community
We intend to bring pressure upon mayors, city councils, school boards,
churches, and all property owners to ban the use of any facility for
gun shows.
Already, we are working with Dade county, Florida, mounting an all-out
assault on gun shows in that area. I will be reporting to you about
that innovative and successful initiative before long. But, as of now,
we are not quite ready to go public with the results.
But I must quickly bring this letter to a close, after I warn you that
this. is going to be a long, hard-fought campaign.
After all, it took many, many years before the tobacco industry felt
the heat of local citizens demanding a smoke-tree environment,
So we must be patient, firm, determined -- and uncompromising.
Our enemies will incorrectly and misleadingly scream about freedom of
speech and freedom of assembly. But in turn, we will quietly remind
them that America is involved in a gun war -- that is claiming 35,000
lives each year including 9,OOO murdered by handguns.
And we'll remind them that Americans must responsibly report
transactions involving cars, liquor and other products -- why should
gun sales be exempt?
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