03/96 Go On The Offensive: Push Repeal

Time to go on the Offensive!
— Stockman geared up to push discharge petition on repeal bill

by Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
(703)321-8585, fax: 321-8408

(Tuesday, March 12) — You will remember that last Fall, GOA alerted you to the fact that Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) had set the wheels in motion for discharging his — and Rep. Bartlett’s — bill to repeal the semi-auto ban. Now that the Republican leadership has failed to schedule any action on the gun ban repeal, Rep. Stockman is ready to force a vote on his bill (HR 464).

The Bartlett/Stockman bill (HR 464) is THE BEST gun repeal bill in the Congress (see the chart below). Gun owners should realize, however, that there was another discharge petition that has been introduced. Rep. Bob Barr recently introduced a petition to discharge H.R. 125, but this bill is inferior to the Bartlett/Stockman bill. Here’s a brief analysis of how the two bills compare to each other:

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How the Repeal Bills Stack Up HR 464 HR 125

Repeals every trace of the semi-auto ban Yes No (1)
Repeals every trace of the ban on large Yes No (2)
magazines
Repeals all the anti-gun provisions from the
Clinton 1994 crime bill, especially those which Yes No (3)
have been used to force thousands of gun dealers
out of business

1 HR 125 retains the politically charged definition of
"semiautomatic assault weapon," ostensibly for applying stepped
up mandatory minimums, but also keeping it available for some
future regulation or executive order applying special sanctions
to owners of these types of weapons. If the sponsors of HR 125
want to step up mandatory minimum sentences, they should do this
across-the-board, rather than single out semi-automatic firearms.
2 HR 125 retains criminal penalties for violations of the
subsection (w) ban on large magazines -- a ban which HR 125
purports to repeal. This could create serious problems with
respect to any question of retroactivity.
3 The 1994 crime bill stated that gun dealers can not operate
a business unless "the requirements of State and local law
applicable to the business have been met." This means that the
BATF now has arbitrary authority to use zoning laws to shut down
gun dealers. And in fact, tens of thousands of dealers have been
forced out of business since passage of the crime bill. HR 464
would remedy this injustice; HR 125 would not.
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How the discharge works: Rep. Stockman’s discharge petition will discharge H.Res. 210 — the rule which will govern debate on the semi-auto repeal bill (H.R. 464). H.Res. 210 is a closed rule, which means that when H.R. 464 is brought up for a vote, Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY) will not be able to tack on any anti-gun amendments on the floor. Two hundred and eighteen Congressmen must sign the discharge petition to force a vote on the bill.

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

* Call your Representative and ask him to support the Stockman discharge petition for H.R. 464. Tell him that THIS discharge petition is the one that gun owners will rate as a pro-gun vote. Contact him at 1-800-962-3524, 1-800-872-8513, or 202-225-3121.

Note: Make sure you’ve registered your opposition to the government terror bill. The vote could come on Wednesday. (Western Union mailgrams can still be sent; call 1-800-651-1486.)

Distribute this alert over the weekend at gun shows, gun clubs, and anywhere else you can!