(Friday, March 9, 2001) — Gun control is back! Gun Owners of America has learned that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) could be offering an amendment next week that would make it impossible for you to keep an unlocked firearm in your home or business for self-defense. The Senate will be debating the bankruptcy bill (S. 420), and Feinstein would offer her proposal as an amendment to that bill. As her amendment has not yet been published, GOA will provide you with more details next week.

Hostettler Letter Hits 100 Signatures!

Once again, you guys have earned a well-deserved pat on the back. Your continued calls, faxes and emails have pushed the number of signatories on the Hostettler letter to 100 names.

Hostettler extended the deadline a couple of days to accommodate a flurry of calls from Representatives who also wanted to sign on to the letter addressed to HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. (The letter asks the Secretary to get HUD out of the gun control business — an unfortunate legacy which former President Clinton left the country.) The late additions to the letter are the following: Bob Barr (R-GA), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Joe Scarborough (R-FL), Lamar Smith (R-TX), Mark Souder (R-IN), Floyd Spence (R-SC), Cliff Stearns (R-FL), Zach Wamp (R-TN), and Don Young (R-AK).

The complete list:

Akin (MO)       English (PA)     Manzullo (IL)    Sandlin (TX)          
Baker (LA)      Everett (AL)     McCrery (LA)     Scarborough (R-FL)        
Barr (R-GA)     Flake (AZ)       Miller (CA)      Schaffer (CO)
Bartlett (MD)   Gibbons (NV)     Moran (KS)       Sessions (TX)
Brady (TX)      Goode (VA)       Nethercutt (WA)  Shimkus (IL)
Brown (SC)      Goodlatte (VA)   Ney (OH)         Shows (MS)
Burr (NC)       Green (TX)       Norwood (GA)     Simpson (ID)
Buyer (IN)      Hall (TX)        Ose (CA)         Skeen (NM) 
Callahan (AL)   Hansen (UT)      Otter (ID)       Smith (R-TX) 
Calvert (CA)    Hart (PA)        Oxley (OH)       Souder (R-IN)
Camp (MI)       Hastings (WA)    Paul (TX)        Spence (R-SC) 
Cannon (UT)     Hayes (NC)       Pence (IN)       Stearns (R-FL)
Cantor (VA)     Hayworth (AZ)    Peterson (MN)    Stenholm (TX)
Chambliss (GA)  Hilleary (TN)    Petri (WI)       Strictland (OH)
Coble (NC)      Hoekstra (MI)    Phelps (IL)      Stump (AZ)
Combest (TX)    Hostettler (IN)  Pitts (R-PA)     Taylor (NC)
Cooksey (LA)    Hulshof (MO)     Pombo (CA)       Thornberry (TX)
Cubin (WY)      Hutchinson (AR)  Putnam (FL)      Tiahrt (KS)
Cunningham (CA) Istook (OK)      Rahall (D-WV)    Traficant (OH)
Deal (GA)       Jenkins (TN)     Rehberg (MT)     Vitter (LA) 
DeFazio (OR)    Johnson, S. (TX) Reynolds (NY)    Wamp (R-TN)
DeMint (SC)     Johnson, T. (IL) Riley (AL)       Weldon (PA)
Doolittle (CA)  Largent (OK)     Rohrabacher (CA) Whitfield (KY)
Duncan (TN)     Lewis (KY)       Ryan (WI)        Wicker (MS) 
Ehrlich (MD)    Linder (GA)      Ryun (KS)        Young (R-AK)

News Flash! Sen. Smith and Rep. Hostettler Fighting for Concealed Carry Reciprocity!

Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) and Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) have teamed up to lessen restrictions on concealed carry in the United States. Their bills would allow gun owners who can carry concealed firearms in their home state to also carry in other states when they travel. Rep. Hostettler introduced his bill last week — the bill number is H.R. 950. Sen. Smith is planning to introduce the companion version very soon.

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