-Caveat Lector-
------- Forwarded message follows -------
* * * * 2ndAmendmentNews * * * *
MARYLAND GRASSROOTS OPERATION A MODEL FOR THE NATION
By Weldon Clark
"How do you stop a tragedy like the Titanic? By charting the right
course
as your boat leaves the dock, of course. Once an ice berg is off your
bow
there isn't much you can do. You can sound the alarm all you want, but
you
still have a disaster on your hands. The lesson is to plan ahead and
make
easy course corrections that will have best effect."
That's the kind of practical philosophy Jim Purtilo applies to fight gun
control in a project he founded and runs in Maryland. He knows most
major
assaults on our rights started as ideas that were test driven in local or
state legislatures. Once antigunners discover arguments for enacting a
measure locally, they take it on the road.
That means if you can stop gun control locally, you likely can avoid
having
to fight it nationally.
"Anti-gunners' track record on this is clear, so for us it's just simple
economics," says Purtilo. "We should fight them early and stop gun
control
when it's cheaper than an expensive fight later."
Purtilo's record is clear too: He dogs gun control zealots over every inch
of ground they go after. And he wins.
Jim lives in Maryland, one of the gun control incubator states. When
anti-
gun extremists come up with a new idea for gaining control over both
people
and guns, they try it there first. But enacting gun control there is
harder since Purtilo started publishing Tripwire, a gun-rights activist
newsletter. Through his growing news organization, Jim puts the light of
day on antigun activities while they can still be attacked successfully
and
economically.
Purtilo researches the inner workings of government, digs out evidence of
what the anti-gunners are up to, exposes the corruption that seems
always
to surround attacks on our basic rights, and gives a rallying point for the
grassroots efforts yearning to make a difference on behalf of our cause.
In order to understand America's gun control movement, you must
understand
Maryland. And in order to fight gun control in America, you need to learn
what Jim Purtilo's Tripwire is doing for activists on Maryland's front
lines.
FOR MARYLAND GUN OWNERS, NATIONAL LAWS ARE DEJA VU
ALL OVER AGAIN
You surely hear current debate about so-called "gun show loopholes".
But
where did attacks on gun show sales get their start? In Maryland,
where in
the early 90's left wingers test drove their first attempts to regulate who
can sell guns there. They drove through a measure to require
gunowners who
want to sell a handgun at a show to get a "temporary dealer license".
What about lawsuits against gun manufacturers? This is another
Maryland
first, dating back to the early 80's. The so-called "Kelly Decision"
(named after the plaintiff in a suit against manufacturers of so-called
"saturday night specials") set the stage for current Johns Hopkins-
backed
attacks on industry.
Regulating guns as consumer products? Massachusetts plays second
fiddle to
Maryland here too. In 1988 Maryland banned sale of any handgun that
is not
evaluated and approved by a state-appointed political board. (In fact,
this arrangement was accepted by industry at the time in return for
protection against some kinds of lawsuits, overturning case law
established
just a few years before by the Kelly Decision mentioned above.)
In these laws and so many more -- concerning child access to guns,
guns in
schools, confiscation of guns in cases of alleged domestic violence, etc.
-- gun control proponents went to Maryland to get a toe hold on
mandates.
Once their idea is written into law there, then legislators have both cover
and pressure to enact it elsewhere.
These are bad laws, so how did they get on the books in the first place?
Cash, corruption and private backroom deals, the way of life in Maryland.
That was before Purtilo came along.
TRIPWIRE: BECAUSE AN INFORMED VOTER IS FREEDOM'S BEST
FRIEND
Since Purtilo started publication of Tripwire in 1996, legislators get no
free ride to submarine their gun control ideas into law. Jim exposes the
chicanery in time for people to DO something about it.
Legislators who vote for gun control can no longer tell the folks back
home
they are defenders of liberty without Purtilo dropping a ton of direct mail
to gun owners there exposing the real record. But that's just for
starters.
Are you a bureaucrat trying to hide proposed changes to gun regulation
in
an obscure state notice? Expect Purtilo to expose it in time for
gunowners
to rally public opinion opposing it during the comment period. Are you
an
administrator breaking the law to violate basic civil rights of gunowners?
Don't expect to do it without going under the public's microscope. Jim
will make sure people see it ... and sometimes he will litigate it too.
When the City of Takoma Park sought to place a total handgun ban on
the
ballot as an initiative in 1999, it was Purtilo who organized and paid for
the lawsuit to get an injunction stopping it. He won, on constitutional
grounds too! Maryland has no "Morton Grove" because he stopped
them.
When State Police covered up basic information about "ballistic
fingerprint" mandates (one of the latest local measures we'd love not to
have turn into a national fight) Purtilo sued under the state's Public
Information Act. He won access to documents that show just how badly
the
legislature was duped last year when it enacted the law. This is fueling a
growing repeal effort.
That package of gun control went through in 2000 in a fight where the
only
regular information going out to gunowners came from Purtilo's news
operation. In that fight Purtilo dropped 50,000 pieces of direct mail to
gunowners in the state, to warn what was going down and tell them how
to
pressure legislators. His effort succeeded ... until the anti-gun governor
was given emergency help from none other than Bill Clinton. Clinton
gave a
minor concession to make the Smith & Wesson deal just in time to
break the
legislative log jam. When that deal was portrayed as 'industry support for
this type of gun control' a formerly pro-gun senator folded defenses and
broke the filibuster Jim's efforts in the previous election had enabled.
(Constituents are learning of that senator's treachery from Jim now too.)
The state law's bill signing was the only one ever attended by Clinton in
his eight years as President.
If anti-gunners can't pass their bills without the likes of Bill Clinton,
then Jim must be doing something right.
That same package included a mandate for gunowners to take a state
sponsored training class prior to being able to purchase a handgun.
Purtilo is now exposing how the state is getting its mandate without
actually offering the courses. In other words, prospective gunowners will
soon need to show they have taken a class the state won't offer.
Purtilo has sued the state over that too, in action that is still pending.
A HISTORY OF DIGGING DEEP
Purtilo's history of exposing antigun efforts predates his newsletter. A
trained computer scientist and university professor, he knows how to dig
at
a problem until it cracks. Here's an example of what he brought to light
in 1995, when he gained access to unpublicized meetings and
documents of a
state-appointed Commission on Gun Violence, where anti-gunners
thought they
were only sharing information among left wing friends. What emerged is
the
surprising fact that faculty of Johns Hopkins University -- who are paid by
the ultra-liberal Joyce Foundation to ban guns -- intend to ban guns
based
on the same strategy they used to regulate the water heater industry.
Did
you ever wonder why new hot water tanks have thermostats set so low?
It's
all thanks to the same people now working to ban your guns. Here's
how:
Years ago left wing "consumer groups" sought federal limits on
temperature
settings by the water tank industry. The manufacturing lobby stopped
congress from such legislation, so these alleged consumer groups went
local
instead. They got states with compliant legislatures (e.g. Maryland and
Massachusetts) to write *conflicting* standards into state law. This
drove
up the industry's cost of doing business, since they now had to keep
track
of which products went to which states, adjusting them accordingly. A
short
time later, hot water tank manufacturers came back begging for uniform
federal regulation.
That's what Jim exposed: the same people are now using the same
tactics to
regulate guns instead of water heaters. Once again, history foretells the
future. Lacking the leverage to get national measures enacted, anti's are
fighting for conflicting laws on a state by state basis, expecting gun
makers to beg congress to level the playing field with "uniform rules."
Who is funding this strategy besides the Joyce Foundation? The
taxpayers of
Maryland. Anti-gunners in this state government channel more money
into
the *private* Johns Hopkins University than into some state schools,
and in
return get ready access to sham research and bogus studies to "justify"
new
gun control measures. These paid advocates of gun control have been
placed
on state government commissions to ostensibly "study" gun safety
measures,
and the funding they get keeps them sheltered to fly all over the country
to testify in favor of gun control in lawsuits and proposed legislation.
All of which is exposed by Purtilo's research.
THE LIST OF PRO-GUN VICTORIES GROWS
With a way to find out what is going on, the well-intentioned efforts of
gunowners at the grassroots are now combining into a more potent
force. An
organization of volunteers called Direct Action provides manpower to act
on
news reported in Tripwire. When Purtilo reported legislators wanted a
whopping tax on ammunition this year, Direct Action members fanned
out to
area gun shows and ranges to spread the word. In one weekend alone
they put
Purtilo's material in the hands of over 6,000 gunowners, showing them
who
to call and what to say in opposition. For the next two weeks, aids in
the
state capital couldn't put the phone down without it ringing again with a
call from an angry gun owner. By the time Purtilo was done with the bill,
even it's sponsors wouldn't vote for it.
Tripwire has inspired other action too. For the first time in many years,
gunowners in Maryland have a lawful political action committee
dedicated to
protecting our rights, called Marylanders for the Preservation of Firearms
Ownership. Purtilo's writing helps citizens learn how to work the system
to promote our shared goals, and MPFO gives a way for concentrated
resources to affect winnable races, rather than let 'gun money' be spread
too thin in elections and so have little effect.
As Jim says, "If you don't know how the system works, then the best
you can
do is rally a rabble to chant outside the castle walls. If you can learn
what's going on, then you can be at the table instead. That's how we
make
a difference. We need to do more than just work harder ... we need to
work
smarter too."
Maryland gun owners are now stopping gun control proposals in what
was once
thought to be the gun control incubator state. And they're doing it in
great part because Jim Purtilo is helping them work together.
HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO!
Grassroots power is based on numbers. The more gunowners Purtilo
can reach
with his news organization, the more power we have to stop gun control.
Your contribution to Tripwire will help Jim reach out to more likely allies
of our cause and build that power. You can prevent gun control ideas
from
going national by helping Purtilo stop them in Maryland.
You'll know your contribution is important when you learn what's on the
horizon in Maryland: Kathleen Townsend Kennedy, the current
lieutenant
governor, is the heir apparent to the governor's mansion in next year's
election. That's right: A Kennedy, who has never heard of a gun she
didn't want to ban, is likely to take the reins of power except for what
informed gunowners do about it now.
As Jim said in the interview: "An informed voter is freedom's best friend,
and right now in Maryland, freedom needs a lot of friends."
You can subscribe to Tripwire for free by dropping a note to TRIPWIRE,
PO
Box 1071, Beltsville MD 20704. The entire operation is entirely reader
supported. It is non-partisan and run 100% by volunteers, and though no
donation is tax deductible, all contributions go directly to support direct
mail outreach and, lately, litigation.
I recommend you send Tripwire your most generous donation!
You can also request a subscription or sample issues by email sent to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yes, that's right. The web site from which I send Second Amendment
News to
you is yet another resource provided by Jim Purtilo's efforts and your
generous donations to Tripwire. Jim is already setting the foundation to
expand what he does to go national. Let's help him do that! --- Weldon
Clark
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
2ndAmendmentNews is part of the growing network of state and local
groups
fighting for our rights. To subscribe or unsubscribe from
2ndAmendmentNews,
please send your request with correct email address included to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To reach the publishers with your alerts or suggestions for future
articles, please send your mail with correct email address to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please feel free to forward and circulate this newsletter! And check out
these other grassroots projects in the network:
To receive Neal Knox's bi-monthly newsletter, send a contribution of
$25
or more to The Firearms Coalition, Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108.
For
current news and legislative updates contact, call 1-900- 225-3006 (89
cents per minute) or visit http://www.NealKnox.com (free) and go to
"Scripts from the Firearms Coalition Legislative Update Line".
Those in South Carolina who wish to receive specific alerts please e-
mail request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit
http://www.scfirearms.org
Learn "What To Do If The Police Come To Confiscate Your Militia
Weapons" at http://www.SecondAmendment.net
The Georgia Sport Shooting Association wants you! A free shooting
events list is published every two weeks. Sign up at
http://www.gssa.com
Be sure to track the battle for our rights in the front-line state of
Maryland at http://www.direct-action.org
------- End of forwarded message -------
--
Best Wishes
The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the
subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who
have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own
downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the
supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of
any sovereignty. So let's not have any native militia or native police.
German troops alone will bear the sole responsibility for the maintenance
of law and order throughout the occupied Russian territories, and a
system of military strong-points must be evolved to cover the entire
occupied country.
- Adolf Hitler, dinner talk on April 11, 1942,
quoted in Hitler's Table Talk 1941-44: His Private Conversations,
Second Edition (1973), Pg. 425-426.
Translated by Norman Cameron and R. H. Stevens. Introduced and with a new
preface by H. R. Trevor-Roper.
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
