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Topic No. 2
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 23:37:55 -0500 (EST)
From: NRA Alerts 
To: general-rkba-real.nra
Subject: GRASSFIRE: Past is Prelude for Bigger Clinton Gun Ban
Message-ID: 
                        NRA-ILA GRASSFIRE!
                           January 1998
            PAST IS PRELUDE FOR BIGGER CLINTON GUN BAN
President Clinton has officially directed the Secretary of the
Treasury to begin an immediate review to determine whether
modified semi-automatic firearms meet the sporting purposes
import criteria of the 1968 Gun Control Act.  Additionally, this
directive charges the Secretary to suspend all outstanding import
permits for a 120-day period.  This latest action by the
Clinton-Gore Administration confirms what we have said all along
that the Clinton White House and its anti-gun cronies are seeking
an incremental gun ban. During the debate on the original Clinton
gun ban, we noted that the guns targeted by the President were
being banned based solely upon their appearance. This latest
Bigger Clinton Gun Ban confirms that fact, as all the guns on the
latest hit list conform in every way to the legal requirements
set forth in both the Clinton Gun Ban of 1994 and the 1989 import
ban. It makes no sense that guns that can be legally
manufactured, sold, and possessed in the U.S. should be banned
from importation. This latest action was strongly encouraged and
supported by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal.) and Sarah Brady. The
directive currently affects some 600,000 outstanding import
permits. As NRA-ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa aptly noted, 
Every gun ban advocate in America has shamelessly confirmed
everything NRA has ever said about the 1994 ban on semi-automatic
firearms. One strategy we are pursuing to combat the new gun ban
is to attach language to a future fast track trade bill to
prohibit the President from banning the importation of legal
semi-automatic firearms. Therefore, we encourage you to contact
your U.S. lawmakers at 202/224-3121, and urge them to oppose any
fast track bill that does not include this prohibition. Pro-gun
stalwarts Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.)
have already taken steps to this effect. Rep. Barr's bill is H.R.
2734, and Sen. Craig has filed an amendment to this effect with
the Senate Clerk. 
           SUIT ATTACKING CLINTON GUN BAN GETS NEW LIFE
In late November, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed
a portion of Judge Robert Cleland's 1995 decision that rejected a
challenge to the 1994 Clinton gun ban. Along with NRA, a number
of gun manufacturers, dealers, and gun owners filed the suit. As
you may recall, in 1995, the federal government petitioned Judge
Cleland to dismiss the NRA's challenge to the Clinton gun ban,
and Cleland acquiesced, claiming the plaintiffs lacked sufficient
standing. However, according to an AP story on November 22, Judge
Cleland will now hear the reinstated part of the suit that
challenges Congress's authority to enact the ban and contends
that the gun ban violates the plaintiffs' right to equal
protection. In reversing Judge Cleland's earlier decision, the
appeals court ruled that manufacturers and dealers may forge
ahead with the litigation because they've demonstrated that the
gun ban could harm them economically. David Hardy, a lawyer for
the plaintiffs, noted he's examining the court's most recent
actions to determine if a more favorable ruling may be issued by
appealing the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. 
                GUN BAN GROUP ATTACKS EDDIE EAGLE
Critics Say NRA Uses Safety Campaign to Lure Children, blared a
recent New York Times headline of a story detailing a new study
by the gun ban group the Violence Policy Center (VPC) which
criticized NRA's award winning Eddie Eagle gun safety program.
The VPC's latest study would be laughable if it wasn't so
patently false and offensive. For the anti-gun lobby to criticize
NRA, which has spent $100 million over the past eight years on
gun safety, demonstrates that the anti-gunners will stoop to the
lowest of lows to further their gun ban agenda. In its claims,
the VPC preposterously accuses NRA of promoting the program to
boost future gun sales! As anyone familiar with the program
knows, since its inception in 1988, Eddie Eagle's life-saving
message has reached 10 million schoolchildren and has been taught
by more than 500 law enforcement agencies nationwide including
the FBI! Rest assured, NRA will not sit idly by while the VPC
attacks one of our most effective gun safety programs a program
which, incidentally, has received numerous accolades and awards,
and has led to a reduction in the number of accidental gun
fatalities among children. In fact, NRA President Marion Hammer
and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre directed legal
counsel to explore a number of options NRA may have. The
questions the media should be asking are: What have groups like
VPC done? and How much have they spent on firearms safety and
education? We believe the answers to those questions would be far
more telling than the outrageous conclusions of this latest ruse
of a study.  Members are encouraged to write their local
newspapers and spread the word about the effectiveness of NRA's
Eddie Eagle gun safety program and call the opponents of gun
safety on the carpet!
                  EDDIE EAGLE CONTEST FOR KIDS!
And speaking of Eddie Eagle, to commemorate the program's 10th
anniversary, the Association invites all children grades pre-K
through the sixth grade to submit a poster featuring the mascot
and Eddie's message of STOP! Don't Touch. Leave the Area. Tell an
Adult. All entrants will receive a special Eddie Eagle Gun Safety
Kit, and winners will be awarded in each grade level. Winning
entries will be featured at the 1998 NRA Annual Meetings in
Philadelphia, Pa., and will also be on display at NRA
Headquarters. Posters must be originals, made by the entrant, may
be no larger than 24 by 36, and must be mailed by April 1, 1998,
to Eddie Eagle Poster Contest, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax,
VA, 22030-9400. If you have questions, call the Eddie Eagle
Department at (800) 231-0752.
            REGISTER TO VOTE   OR REGISTER YOUR GUNS!
What can you do in literally a matter of minutes, often from your
living room, that will have a huge impact on our fight to protect
our rights? REGISTER TO VOTE! The 1998 primary and general
elections are nearly upon us, and it's critical that gun owners
everywhere register to vote, and then vote in the upcoming
elections. Your vote is your voice, and if you don't take the
first step of registering to vote, you may find yourself
registering your guns!
NRA-ILA has compiled information on all 50 states' voter
registration requirements and deadlines, and we even have voter
registration applications for a number 
of states. For information on voter registration in your state,
or to see if NRA-ILA has applications for your place of
residence, call the Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.
Re-member, if you haven't voted in recent elections or have
moved, you may no longer be registered. And, if you're not
registered, you can't vote. If you are currently registered, you
should work on making sure your family, friends, and fellow gun
owners are registered to vote as well, and ILA can help. Please
call us to find out how we can work together to ensure all of
this nation's gun owners and sportsmen are registered to vote so
we may continue our successes at the ballot box this year.
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