By: Mark Bunner Re: FAXALERT: Campaign Refor NRA-ILA FAX ALERT 11250 Waples Mill Road * Fa

By: Mark Bunner
Re: FAXALERT: Campaign Refor

                        NRA-ILA FAX ALERT
           11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA  22030
            Phone: 1-800-392-8683 * Fax: 703-267-3918
Vol. 3, No. 5                                              2/2/96

          CAMPAIGN REFORM BILL WOULD SILENCE GUN OWNERS

     Your right to actively participate in the political process is
under attack in the U.S. Senate.  S. 1219, a campaign finance reform
bill, would prohibit NRA from providing you with information on
candidates for office, as we currently do with our political
preference charts, forcing you to rely on the candidates themselves
for their positions on Second Amendment issues.  Even more ominous are
provisions that would give the anti-gun media even more power to
influence the electoral process than they have today!  S. 1219 would
ban "independent expenditures" by a "group of individuals" -- groups
like NRA.  That means we would no longer be able to advertise on
behalf of candidates who support our rights -- which often times is
necessary to counter the distortions of the anti-gun media.  Make no
mistake, S. 1219 is a blatant attempt to limit your right to free
speech!  With Congress in recess until February 24, now is a great
time to contact your Senators at their district offices and urge them
to oppose S.1219!

GUN BAN REPEAL STILL PENDING: Efforts to repeal the Clinton gun and
magazine ban continue in the House of Representatives.  Despite a
lengthy delay on repeal legislation, NRA remains confident that a vote
will be taken in the near future.  Contact your Representative at his
district office and urge him to support repeal of the Clinton gun and
magazine ban!

DEFENSE BILL SAVES DCM PROGRAM: President Clinton is expected to sign
a defense appropriations bill that would create a non-profit
corporation, run by a nine-member board appointed by the Secretary of
the Army, to oversee the Civilian Marksmanship Program (DCM).  This
arrangement ensures that the matches at Camp Perry, Ohio will
continue, and it is believed that the formation of a new corporation
to administer DCM will lead to expanded efforts to attract more
shooters to the program.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SO-CALLED "CANNED" HUNT BILL: The anti-hunting
attacks on NRA for our opposition to H.R. 1202, the mislabeled
"canned" hunt bill, continued this week.  Don't buy into the
anti-hunters' lies about this legislation, get the facts from NRA-ILA.
Call 1-800-392-8683 for a fact sheet on how H.R.  1202 will affect you
and your hunting rights!

WYDEN SQUEAKS PAST SMITH IN OREGON RACE: On Tuesday, January 30,
pro-gun candidate Gordon Smith (R) was narrowly defeated by
anti-gunner Ron Wyden (D) in Oregon's special election to fill the
U.S. Senate seat vacated by Bob Packwood.  Wyden was able to slip past
Smith 48% to 47%, with the margin of victory provided by voters in the
state's urban areas, who are traditionally hostile to our firearm
freedoms.  Smith's chances were also hurt by the 5% of voters who cast
their ballots for minor-party candidates.  Unfortunately, some of
those may have been gun owners looking for a "perfect candidate" --
and ignoring Gordon Smith's superb record in the legislature.  If even
half of that "perfectionist vote" had gone to Smith, Ron Wyden would
not be Oregon's next U.S. Senator!  Expect this victory to energize
the anti-gunners for this November's elections! Call NRA-ILA today and
find out how you can help pro-gun candidates win in November!

STUDY ESTIMATES 2.5 MILLION DEFENSIVE FIREARMS USES PER YEAR: Florida
State University professor Gary Kleck's recent study on firearm
ownership indicates that Americans use guns approximately 2.5 million
times a year in self-defense.  According to the 1993 study, the number
of defensive uses of firearms is four times greater than the number of
criminal uses; and in 76% of the defensive uses, the firearm was never
discharged.  The results, which were published in the January 1996
issue of the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, will be
presented this Saturday, February 3, at a national criminologists
convention at Northwestern University.

A LOOK AT THE STATES: Arizona: On Tues., Feb. 6, the Senate Judiciary
Committee will consider SB 1099, NRA-backed right to carry reform
legislation. Members: please call the Senate Judiciary Committee
members at 1-800-352-8404 & urge them to support SB 1099!

Indiana: On Mon., Feb. 5, the Senate Correction & Criminal Code
Committee will hold a hearing on HB 1011, the NRA-backed range
protection bill.  Members: please contact your State Senators & urge
them to support HB 1011. Also, on Thurs., Feb. 1, the Senate voted
down SB 89, a measure which would have mandated how you store your
handguns in your own home.  The measure failed on a 33-17 vote.

Kentucky: The House Judiciary Committee passed HB 40, NRA-backed right
to carry legislation.  The full House was expected to vote on the
measure on Thurs., Feb. 1.  We'll keep you posted!

Missouri: The full Senate will vote on SB 679, the NRA-backed right to
carry bill on Tues., Feb. 6.  Members: please contact your State
Senators & urge them to support SB 679!

West Virginia: The Senate Judiciary Committee passed HB 4077, the
NRA-backed right to carry bill. A vote on the House floor is expected
to take place early next week.  Members: please contact your State
Delegates & urge them to support HB 4077!

GRASSROOTS GEARING UP IN NEBRASKA AND MISSOURI: NRA-ILA is bringing
our FREE Grassroots Seminars to Nebraska and Missouri next week.  Plan
to attend and meet with lawmakers, candidates, NRA leaders, staff, and
your fellow NRA members and volunteers!  Seminars will be held in
Lincoln, Nebraska on February 8 and in St. Louis, Missouri on February
10.  Call NRA-ILA at 1-800-392-8683 for more information or to reserve
your seat today!

=+=+=+=+
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle
Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA.

This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is
available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org,
gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org,
mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message)

Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the
NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.
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