re gun control

[Stephen Cooke <scooke@uidaho.edu>]

Dear Visionaries,
  If the best defense is a good offense, then the NRA sponsored "gun 
control bill" H.R. 2037 is on the offensive. (see MoveOn.org analysis 
below) Gun control has been separated from the juvenile crime bill in the 
house. Again your cards and letters to your congressional representative 
are encouraged.
Steve Cooke

Idaho's Congressional Delegation is:
ID   R   Craig, Larry         larry_craig@craig.senate.gov
ID   R   Crapo, Mike          http://crapo.senate.gov/webform.html
ID   1   R  Chenoweth, Helen      ask.helen@mail.house.gov
ID   2   R  Simpson, Mike         mike.simpson@mail.house.gov
source:
http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/congress/conemail.txt

Washington delegation
Senate
WA   D   Murray, Patty        senator_murray@murray.senate.gov
*WA   R   Gorton, Slade        http://gorton.senate.gov/webform.htm
Congress
  WA   1   D  Inslee, Jay
                   http://www.house.gov/inslee/
    WA   2   R  Metcalf, Jack
                   http://www.house.gov/metcalf/
    WA   3   D  Baird, Brian
                   http://www.brianbaird.com/
    WA   4   R  Hastings, Doc
                   http://www.house.gov/hastings/
    WA   5   R  Nethercutt, George
                   http://www.house.gov/nethercutt/
    WA   6   D  Dicks, Norman
                   http://www.house.gov/dicks
    WA   7   D  McDermott, Jim
                   http://www.house.gov/mcdermott/
    WA   8   R  Dunn, Jennifer
                   http://www.house.gov/dunn/
    WA   9   D  Smith, Adam
                   http://www.house.gov/adamsmith/


.

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          15 Jun 1999 07:11:45 -0000
From:          "MoveOn.org" 
<announce-gunpet-unsubscribe-54190@list.moveon.org>

After the victory in the Senate, we've been waiting for action from the
House of Representatives.  It's now clear that House leadership hopes to 
jam
through a bill early this week, without committee work or significant floor
debate, that actually undermines the nation's gun laws.  This NRA
ghost-written bill is positioned as real reform, yet it introduces a raft 
of
new loopholes (details below).

After the Littleton tragedy, it's difficult to understand how these
politicians can continue to play political games.  We can't let the NRA
write the nation's gun laws.  Your representative needs to hear from you.

Your call today is CRUCIAL.  Here's what you can do:

*  Call your Representative directly at

    The Honorable Helen Chenoweth
    D.C. Office (202) 225-6611
    Local Office (208) 336-9831

Once you reach your Representative's office, let the staff member know that
you are a constituent (by giving your name and city), and that you expect
the Representative to support the common-sense, gun law loophole-closing
measures adopted by the Senate last month.  Ask your Representative to 
close
the gun show loophole and the 18-21 handgun loophole, once and for all.  If
you reach the office after hours, leave a voicemail message.

Express your own personal concerns and ask for a response from your
Representative.

*  Contact Speaker Hastert.  In his key leadership position, he needs to
   hear from the entire country.  His contact information is:

   The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
   D.C Office   202-225-2976
   Fax          202-225-0697
   Local Office 630-406-1114
   Email:  dhastert@mail.house.gov

Your action today could make the difference.  Representatives have been
under assault by the NRA for the last few weeks.  They need some cover from
moderate constituents.  Votes are expected to be very close.

-Wes Boyd
MoveOn.org
June 14, 1999

                  **** SAMPLE PHONE SCRIPT ****

Here's a sample phone script you could use in your calls to the Senate:

Hello, my name is [your name].  I'm a constituent calling from [city, 
state]
and want [Representative X] to know that I support the common-sense gun
measures approved by the Senate.  Please close the gun-show loophole and 
the
18-21 handgun loophole.  It will save lives.

Could I please have a written response from [Representative X]?"

                      **** BACKGROUND ****

Despite repeated public promises that reasonable gun control measures would
be subject to full and open debate in the House Judiciary Committee, House
Leadership announced last week that the Committee would spend no time on
juvenile justice and gun control-related legislation. Instead, they said, a
package of bills including the Senate-adopted gun control measures will be
presented to the full House for limited amendment or debate and a vote 
early
in the week of June 14.  Leadership also announced that debate of firearms
provisions would be based on H.R. 2037, a new 100+ page bill by Rep. Bill
McCollum unveiled late on June 8.  H.R. 2037 has been widely reported in 
the
press to have been drafted in large measure by the National Rifle
Association.

Not surprisingly, H.R. 2037 actually reopens loopholes in the nation's gun
laws closed last month by the Senate.  Specifically:

**  H.R. 2037 defines gun shows so narrowly that it does not cover many
    events at which hundreds of gun are sold, such as flea markets.  It 
also
    still allows some unlicensed sellers to sell guns without conducting a
    background check.

**  H.R. 2037 weakens law enforcement's ability to conduct a background
    check on a gun purchaser at a gun show by shortening the amount of time
    in which to complete the check.  Currently, law enforcement has 3
    business days to complete a check if the initial check indicates a
    potential prohibition on the sale.  H.R. 2037 changes that to 72 hours. 
    This means that if a background check is requested at noon on a Friday,
    police would have only until noon on Monday, not Wednesday, to complete
    the check.  Many court records and other criminal records are 
accessible
    only during regular business hours and this change will enable
    prohibited purchasers to escape detection.

**  H.R. 2037 eliminates the crime gun tracing requirements contained in 
the
    Senate bill.  The House bill does not require unlicensed gun sellers at
    gun shows to maintain any records of their sales, thereby obstructing
    law enforcement's ability to trace a gun when it is recovered in a
    crime.

**  H.R. 2037 reverses long-standing law that requires gun buyers to
    purchase guns only from dealers in their state of residence.  H.R. 2037
    undermines state firearms laws by allowing federally licensed firearms
    dealers to sell guns at gun shows in all 50 states and to ship guns to
    unlicensed buyers across state lines.

****HR 2037 Gun Show Analysis*****

H.R. 2037 WEAKENS THE SENATE'S GUN SHOW BILL

H.R. 2037 reopens the gun show loophole that the Senate bill would have
closed once and for all.

H.R. 2037 will not cover many events at which hundreds of guns are sold
--such as flea markets.  Instead, H.R. 2037 would apply only to events that
are "sponsored to foster the collecting... or ...use of firearms."

Even for events sponsored with the intent described by H.R. 2037, if the
organizers and sellers arrange to have only 9 'vendors' at the event, there
would be no background checks, no matter how many guns were being sold.

Even at the events that do meet its test, H.R. 2037 does not even clearly
cover all unlicensed gun sellers at those events.  The legislation does not
define covered sellers to include unlicensed gun peddlers who do not have 
to
sign up with the organizer and can walk around anonymously at gun shows 
with
guns and a 'For Sale' sign.  Criminals will flock to these wandering gun
sellers, who do not come within the House bill's cramped definition.

H.R. 2037 guarantees that criminals who would be prevented from getting 
guns
under the Senate Bill will get them under the House bill by weakening
current Brady background checks.

The Brady Law currently allows law enforcement up to 3 business days to
track down records to determine if a person is prohibited from getting a
gun.  Although more than 70% of background checks can now be done within
only a few minutes, some checks take a few days to complete.

H.R. 2037 weakens law enforcement's ability to do instant background checks
at gun shows by shortening the amount of time that law enforcement has to 
do
checks from 3 business days to '72 hours.' This means that a background
check requested at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning of a 3-day weekend would
have to be completed by 8 a.m. on Tuesday, even though State court offices
-- where many criminal records are kept would have been closed for the
entire time.  It would be impossible for law enforcement to track down the
necessary records.

The result is that felons, fugitives, and other prohibited persons who
cannot get guns at gun stores could get guns at gun shows.

H.R. 2037 creates a safe harbor for criminals by eliminating the crime gun
tracing requirements in the Senate bill.

A key aspect of the Senate bill is that it allows guns sold at gun shows to
be traced if they are later used in a crime.  Under H.R. 2037, there will 
be
no way to trace any guns sold by unlicensed sellers at gun shows or any 
used
guns sold by licensed sellers at gun shows.

H.R. 2037 also makes matters even worse by resurrecting the scheme of
'special registrants' form the repudiated Craig Amendment to the Senate
bill.  These 'registrants' would be allowed to run background checks on gun
buyers, but they would NOT be required to keep records of the transfer, or
even to record the serial number of the gun, which will make it impossible
for law enforcement to trace guns sold by the 'registrants' that are later
used in crime.

Buyers who use these 'registrants' will also not required to fill out the
routine paperwork currently filled out by all buyers who buy from licensed
dealers.  This paperwork advises the buyer of the prohibitions of federal
law, and requires the buyer to certify that he is eligible to receive a
firearm.

H.R. 2037 lets private individuals access the sensitive, private 
information
in the NICS.  By creating new category of 'registrants', H.R. 2037 creates 
a
new bureaucracy.  Under H.R. 2037, these 'registrants,' who are neither law
enforcement personnel nor professional firearms dealers, will be able to
access the NICS to run background checks on other private individuals.

H.R. 2037 reverses long-standing law to allow interstate gun transfers.

In a reversal of current law, H.R. 2037 would undermine State laws by
allowing federal gun dealers to directly ship guns to unlicensed buyers
across State lines.

H.R. 2037 creates new immunity from responsibility for gun sellers.

The bill would give gun sellers and 'registrants' at gun shows potentially
sweeping immunity - even dismissing lawsuits that are currently pending.
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