From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
NRA-ILA FAX ALERT
Vol. 7, No. 17 4/28/00
FIREARM MANUFACTURERS STRIKE BACK
On Wednesday, seven gun makers and the National Shooting Sports Foundation
(NSSF) -- the organization that represents the firearms industry -- filed
a lawsuit in federal court against HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo, New York
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D), Connecticut Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal (D), and government officials from 14 municipalities. The suit
stems from the defendants' stated intent to give preferential
consideration when awarding contracts to purchase firearms for law
enforcement to those companies that cave in (as did Smith & Wesson
[S&W][see Special FAX Alert 3/20/00]) by agreeing to the egregious
terms of the "code of conduct"established by these bureaucrats. NSSF and
the seven gun makers -- Beretta U.S.A. Corp., Browning Arms, Inc., Colt's
Manufacturing Company, Inc., Glock, Inc., SIG Arms, Inc., Sturm, Ruger
& Company, Inc., and Taurus International Manufacturing, Inc. --
allege that Cuomo and the others are involved in an illegal conspiracy in
restraint of trade and are in violation of the Commerce Clause of the U.S.
Constitution. The plaintiffs are asking the court to permanently enjoin
the defendants, from any action to establish regulations on the design,
manufacture, advertising and distribution of handguns beyond what has been
established by Congress. "The lawsuit arises from a politically-motivated
scheme in which these bureaucrats have sought to bully law enforcement
professionals into buying handguns based not on the quality or safety of
the product, but on capitulation by the manufacturer to a regulatory
agenda concocted by these officials," said NSSF President Robert Delfay.
During a press conference announcing the suit, Delfay also distributed
letters from the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the Law Enforcement
Alliance of America (LEAA) that reject the Clinton-Gore-Cuomo agenda. The
FOP stated, "The top concern of any law enforcement agency handling
purchasing firearms is officer safety, not adherence to a particular
political philosophy." LEAA said, "Law enforcement officers should not be
used as political pawns." And in another setback to the attempt to use the
lucrative law enforcement firearms contracts to bully gun makers into
rolling over like S&W did, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R)
rejected an invitation from Eliot Spitzer to join in what the NSSF suit
calls a conspiracy. In a letter to Spitzer, Gov. Huckabee stated he is "a
strong proponent and defender of Americans'...right to keep and bear
arms," and that he "will not ask [the director of the Arkansas State
Police] to award a lucrative government contract in order to further a
political agenda geared at controlling and ultimately destroying the
firearms industry." Huckabee's rejection of Spitzer's strong-arm tactics
came on the heels of another response to Spitzer from Alabama Attorney
General Bill Pryor, who pointed out that it was the duty of attorneys
general to enforce competitive bid laws -- not flout them. For a copy of
the NSSF suit, go to www.nsssf.org. For Gov. Huckabee's letter, visit
www.NRAILA.org.
SHAME
In response to the NSSF suit, the Clinton-Gore Administration has stated
that, in effect, it will continue with its shameful strategy of
politicizing tragedy. Cuomo stated he will use victims of violent crime as
his initial shield, calling on child survivors of last year's horrific
events at Columbine High, as well as this week's criminal attack outside
the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to appear as opening witnesses. The
shooting at the National Zoo that resulted in the wounding of seven
children once again opened the floodgates for anti-gun rhetoric long
before any real facts about the crime were known. Al Gore took center
stage, continuing to flaunt "gun control" as one of the most prominent
planks in his presidential platform. At two Democratic fund-raising events
on Monday, he announced the shooting to the audience, then claimed that
all new handguns should have trigger-locking devices (even though
virtually all currently do), gun buyers should be licensed and registered,
and went on to demonize NRA, the Republican Party, and Texas Governor
George Bush (R). Gore attacked Gov. Bush for signing a Right To Carry law.
What any of these issues has to do with the tragedy at the Zoo is anyone's
guess, especially considering Washington, D.C., already has the nation's
most restrictive gun laws, which effectively prohibit the right to self
defense. Even the anti-gun Denver Post derided Gore's "brazen and shallow
political opportunism." The Post accurately stated, "Youths who tote guns
into public places aren't likely to be bothered by...whether they need to
have a trigger lock on what likely is an illegally concealed weapon," and
also called Gore's comments "trite sound bites from his campaign
literature." But what can one expect, as Gore has learned from the master
of politicizing tragedy, his current boss. Clinton, this time following
Gore's lead, also exploited the event to renew his call for more "gun
control," as did District Mayor Tony Williams (D) and District Delegate
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D). But Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore (R),
responding to Delegate Norton's allegation that D.C. criminals are somehow
aided by Virginia's laws that focus on criminals rather than law-abiding
gun owners, stated "I think that [the shooting] illustrates the frailty of
her gun control idea.... We still live in a free country...and the idea
that somehow gun control is going to be the answer...demonstrates
foursquare that is not the answer." By the way, it should be noted, that,
under current law, residents of the District are prohibited from
purchasing a handgun anywhere in America, which, we point out to Del.
Norton includes Virginia and Maryland.
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