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House to Soon Consider Anti-Free Speech Provisions
-- More good news on cosponsorships
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
May 13, 1998
ACTION ITEMS:
1.	Ask your Representative to oppose any "Incumbent
Protection" provision that would squelch your right of free
speech -- or the freedom of speech of any group, like GOA,
that you support.
2.	Urge pro-gun Representatives to cosponsor HR 2721, the
Brady Registration Law repeal.
3.	Call Western Union (1-800-651-1486) to urge presidential
candidate Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO) to dump the Hatch
Horror Bill (S. 10).
"Incumbent Protection" provisions will squelch
your First Amendment rights
     The House could take up another so-called Campaign
Finance Reform bill as early as next week.  The good news is
that H.R. 2183 (introduced by Rep. Asa Hutchinson) is
relatively mild in comparison to other bills dealing with
campaign finance reform.  The bad news?  There will be,
possibly, dozens of amendments offered to the Hutchinson bill,
and, we can expect that many of these would crush the
freedom of speech if passed - all in the name of reforming
elections.
     Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) will undoubtedly introduce
his horrific bill (H.R. 3526) as an amendment.  This bill would
eventually put GOA and other grassroots organizations out of
business, simply for reporting to you the positions of candidates
in election races.  As stated by columnist Robert Levy in The
Washington Times:  "By any rational standard, the [Shays] bill
is an appalling assault on political expression and makes a
mockery of the First Amendment."
Three more Congressmen commit to repealing the
Brady Registration Law
     Last week, three Representatives jumped aboard Rep.
Paul's bill repealing the Brady Registration Law (H.R. 2721).
Representatives Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Ensign (R-NV) and
Joe Skeen (R-NM) all took a stand for freedom by saying "yes"
to the Paul repeal.  Rep. Ralph Hall (D-TX) is the other
cosponsor on the bill.
     What this means is there are still many pro-gun
Representatives that should be on the bill, but are not.  Gun
owners should continue to press these Congressmen to
cosponsor H.R. 2721 (202-225-3121). Fax numbers and e-mail
addresses for individual Reps. are available on the GOA website.
Another Senator dumps Hatch's Horror Bill!
     Cosponsors rarely drop their name from a bill - doing so is
an act of humility (rarely seen in a politician) and indicates that
the cosponsor might have made a mistake.
     Well, you guys have defied the oddsmakers seven times
in a row!  Last week, Senator Rod Grams (R-MN) became the
seventh senator to jump off Sen. Orrin Hatch's Horror Bill (S. 10).
Good work!
     Also, if you have not done so already, you can still send a
Western Union mailgram (1-800-651-1486).  This mailgram
will go to presidential candidate, Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO),
and asks him to pull his name from S. 10.  Mailgrams opposing
S. 10 will also go to each of your senators.
     Sen. Ashcroft has publicly thanked Gun Owners of
America for bringing the problems in S. 10 to his attention.  And
while he has notified Sen. Hatch of his problems with the bill,
he has not yet removed his name as a cosponsor.  The
mailgram asks him to go ahead and take the next step of
jumping off this very anti-gun bill.  (Your phone bill will be
charged for $8.95.)
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