Flurry Of Bills Introduced
Flurry of Bills Introduced as Congress Nears Recess
— Call 1-800-522-6721 to contact your Congressmen
by Gun Owners of America
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) introduces two more pro-gun bills!
* H.R. 2721, “The Second Amendment Protection Act of 1997,” will repeal the Brady waiting period and the instant “registration” check. Rep. Paul’s bill will also amend the 1968 Gun Control Act of 1968 by deleting the “sporting purposes” test, which allows the Secretary of Treasury to regulate away “non sporting” firearms.
* H.R. 2722 is a national reciprocity bill for the right of concealed carry. This bill does not establish a “National Standard” for carrying concealed firearms — as does the other reciprocity bill (H.R. 339) introduced by Rep. Stearns. Such a notion could, down the line, lead to the federal government’s dictating to the states how they should treat concealed carry for their own citizens. H.R. 2722 simply applies the Constitutional “Full Faith and Credit” section (Article IV) to the carrying of concealed firearms. Also, unlike H.R. 339, this bill DOES NOT require one to have a carry permit to enjoy reciprocity in another state! Rep. Paul’s bill is “Vermont-style friendly” so that a citizen from any state which recognizes the RIGHT of citizens to carry — without permits, fingerprints, taxes, fees, etc. — can travel to another state and enjoy that same right of self-defense.
More Bills in the Hopper: Good and Bad
* H.R. 2734: Override of the Clinton Import Ban. President Clinton has indicated that he plans to issue a Presidential directive that will ban the importation of several types of semi-automatic firearms. In response to this, Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) has introduced H.R. 2734 to require the government to allow the importation of several kinds of firearms, including the types that Clinton is seeking to ban.
* H. Res. 259: Discharge petition for anti-gun “Incumbent Protection Bill.” Rep. Scotty Baesler (D-KY) has introduced a discharge petition to force a vote on so-called campaign finance reform. Rep. Baesler’s bill would, like other similar proposals, regulate GOA’s newsletters and other communications with its members and activists, while expanding the relative political power of the liberal media and other anti-gun forces. H. Res. 259 currently has 187 signatures — 218 signatures are needed to force an immediate vote.
* To read summaries of the new anti-gun bills — there are too many to mention here — visit the GOA Web page at http://www.gunowners.org/anaview.htm and get a complete listing. (This file will be updated by Monday to reflect the new bills.)
Anti-gun bills coming to the floor
* S. 25 and H.R. 493: Votes scheduled in House and Senate on “Incumbent Protection Bills.” GOA has already alerted you to the so-called campaign finance reform bills that have surfaced in Congress (similar to Rep. Baesler’s bill mentioned above). The leadership of each house in Congress has, unfortunately, promised to hold a vote on the issue sometime in March. GOA will keep you abreast of what’s happening as further details become available. Please stay tuned.
* H.R. 2621: Fast Track to gun control? This so-called “fast track” bill would allow the Clinton administration to go forward with legislation to extend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to other Latin American countries in a form which could not be filibustered or amended in Congress. There is certainly a possibility that the Clinton-sponsored bill will contain import-export restrictions on firearms, which Second Amendment advocates will not be able to strip from the legislation.