On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 12:40:18 -0500, Russell, Steve wrote: >> A Gun Bill, On the Fast Track: >> At a time of partisanship, which has included crime policy, a surprise bi-partisan bill will be introduced in the Senate on the hot button issue of gun control. Similar legislation passed the House in 2002, and it appears this bill has had its deals already worked out behind the scene. Co-sponsors include the most passionate advocates from both sides, including pro gun Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), a present and former NRA board member; and gun control New York Democrats Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was shot by the Long Island subway killer. >> Also on Board is Orrin Hatch, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sound like a done deal? There wasn> '> t a hint of it, however, until the bill was about to be dropped. In a 1993 gun control law, Congress created the national background check data base. Gun buyers have to wait three days while their ID is checked for felonies, spouse abuse, illegal immigrants, mental illness, and other disqualifying factors; but the data base apparently is out of date and widely invalid. A study had found that 10,000 convicted felons had cleared the check in recent years. >> This bill could provide $1.1 billion to help states improve their data bases for gun background checks, with penalties against states that fail to upgrade their technology. That was the stick that brought Hatch in. This is an authorizing bill, however, and when the appropriations process gets to it, in the present climate, the money will likely be considerably less. Still, we should wonder, what> '> s going on here! Crime policy legislation, although I argue is smoldering under the surface, has been invisible for months. Why this and these strange political bedfellows now? Your theories?
Perhaps a wolf in sheep's clothing. Here's the relevant part of a recent GOA mailing (without the canned letters, etc., to Congress): =======begin GOA email=============== McCarthy & Schumer Duping Pro-gunners Into Supporting Gun Control -- Bill to bar millions more from gun ownership Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408 http://www.gunowners.org ACTION: * * * (Tuesday, September 30, 2003) Remember the so-called "Our Lady of Peace Act" from last year? Well, Our Lady is back, but under a new name. Two notoriously anti-gun legislators have teamed up again to deny millions of additional Americans their right to keep and bear arms. They are Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). What makes this bill so dangerous is the fact that many Congressmen who are perceived to be "pro-gun" are supporting the bill as well. According to CNS News, a current NRA Board member, together with a former board member, appeared at a press conference last week to support the Schumer-McCarthy legislation. Specifically, Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) and Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) lent their visible support on Thursday in favor of the "NICS Improvement Act." NICS, of course, refers to the National Instant Check System -- a key component of the Brady Act which forces honest citizens to prove their innocence to the FBI before they can purchase firearms from gun dealers. The Brady Act, named after anti-gun lobbyists Jim and Sarah Brady, requires gun purchasers' names to be given to the FBI, thus creating the potential that the feds could keep an illegal registry of firearms owners. As of today, this new bill still does not have a number. However, it is expected that it will be almost identical with its earlier incarnation, H.R. 4757, from last year. As such, the bill could require states to turn over vast numbers of records (on potentially all Americans) to the FBI for use in connection with the Instantcheck. These records -- often containing sensitive, personal information -- could include ANY state record relevant to the question of whether a person is prohibited from owning a gun. This starts with a large volume of mental health records, but the FBI could also require that a state forward all of its employment and tax records in order to identify persons who are illegal aliens. It could require that states forward information concerning drug diversion programs and arrests that do not lead to prosecution, in order to determine whether a person is "an unlawful user of... any controlled substance...." GOA opposes adding mental health records because psychiatry is one of the most anti-gun professions of all. Consider the recent study published by the American Psychological Association. In the press release announcing the study, two Berkeley professors likened "right-wing conservatives" like Rush Limbaugh and Ronald Reagan to Hitler and Mussolini. Huh? These shrinks are the people we want to determine who should own a firearm? The Second Amendment should never be in the hands of this profession. Regardless, one must realize that this bill is NOT about keeping bad guys and wackos from getting guns. Bad guys and wackos will ALWAYS be able to get guns, no matter how many restrictions there are. The bill would also help FBI officials to effectively stop millions of additional Americans from purchasing firearms, because they were guilty in the past of committing minor misdemeanors. You might remember the Lautenberg Gun Ban which President Bill Clinton signed in 1996? Because of this ban, people who have committed very minor offenses that include pushing, shoving or, in some cases, even yelling at a family member have discovered that they can no longer own firearms for self-defense. But the anti-gun nuts in Congress are upset because many of the states' criminal records are incomplete. As a result, the FBI does not access all of these records when screening the background of someone who purchases a firearm from a gun dealer. The McCarthy-Schumer bill would change all that and keep millions of decent, peaceful citizens from owning firearms because, in each case, of nothing more than a single, minor offense committed long ago. This bill is all about control. Schumer and McCarthy want to keep pushing their agenda forward, making it impossible for more and more Americans to legally own guns! Already, the Brady Bunch is crowing that passing this bill "would represent the first substantial piece of federal gun legislation since at least 1996" and that such passage would "explode the myth that nothing can be achieved on guns in [a Republican] Congress." They might well get their way since prominent Republicans like Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah are supporting the bill. The Schumer-McCarthy bill is an anti-self-defense piece of legislation that will only make the country safer for criminals while opening the door to invading the privacy of all Americans. * * * ===========end GOA email===============
