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Senators Just Don't Get It
  -- more pressure needed to defeat S. 10
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
February 10, 1998
Senators on Capitol Hill are peddling lots of "snake oil,"
claiming that the problems in Hatch's Horror Bill (S. 10) have
been fixed.  But look at some of the folks who still have
problems with this anti-gun crime bill ...
Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO):
   I was an original cosponsor of the Juvenile Crime bill, S.
   10, up until recently when I withdrew my support.  While I
   support the main intent of the bill, I was not comfortable
   with a firearms provisions that requires forfeiture to the
   federal government of firearms suspected of being used in
   felonies or gun trafficking.  Passage of this provision
   would vastly enlarge federal authority and potentially
   violate the constitution, as well as trigger enormous
   amounts of litigation over weapons seizures.
     (Source: Letter to Gun Owners of America, 10/24/97.)
Larry Pratt, Gun Owners of America:
   Despite some minor changes, S. 10 is still unconstitutional
   and continues to treat unsuspecting gun owners like
   organized crime figures.  The RICO provisions in the bill
   are extremely dangerous as they could be used by Handgun
   Control, Inc. to bring lawsuits against gun dealers and
   manufacturers -- all with the intent of crippling the gun
   industry.
Joe Phillips, National Rifle Association:
   [S. 10] is not a perfect bill.  There were a number of
   things that were supposed to have been fixed in the final
   passage of that bill ... primarily in regard to violations
   under the use of RICO offenses that were not taken out ....
   It [S. 10] is not quite as good as portrayed at final
   passage of that bill.
     (Source: Speech quoted in The New Gun Week, 10/20/97.)
ACTION ITEMS:
  1. Call the GOA Hotline and send a Western Union mailgram
     to your Senators -- and to Presidential contender Sen.
     John Ashcroft -- explaining the problems in S. 10.  Just
     dial 1-800-651-1486 and give your name and address.  Your
     phone bill will be charged for $8.95.
  2. Call the GOA toll-free line at 1-888-886-GUNS to order
     postcard packs to distribute among your pro-gun friends.
     Postcards are $6.00 for the first set of 50, $10.00 for
     100, and $2.50 per 50 postcards thereafter.
  3. Use the GOA Auto-Mailer located at
     http://www.gunowners.org/mailerx.html to send a
     pre-written e-mail message to Sen. Bob Smith  -- another
     Presidential hopeful -- asking him to place a "hold" on
     the bill.
Here's some Facts (in brief) on Hatch's Horror Bill (S. 10)
1.  Suing the Second Amendment out of existence.  Handgun
Control Inc. (HCI) and other anti-gun lawyers are already
bringing liability suits against gun dealers and manufacturers
to "punish" them for selling guns that are later used in
crimes. Under the RICO provisions in S. 10 (section 206),
these anti-gun lawyers would be able to cripple the gun
industry by exacting treble damages for victims of gun
violence.
2. Stiff penalties for non-violent "offenses."  The bill
still applies severe punishments for many offenses that could
be nothing more than innocent behavior:
  a. S. 10 could raise the federal penalties for a father
     who goes shooting with his children.  Under this bill,
     he could now get five years in jail for the ONE TIME
     "offense"  of taking his child pistol shooting without
     the written note of permission that is required by law
     (sec. 207).
  b. While S. 10 no longer applies the RICO provisions to
     record-keeping mistakes, the bill still increases the
     punishment for such offenses, and thus, could now send
     many unsuspecting gun dealers to jail for five years
     (sec. 506).
For more arguments against your Senators' misrepresentations
of S. 10, and other actions you can take, visit
http://www.gunowners.org/s10tb.htm on the GOA website.
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