(Thursday, March 21) — GOA is working with Representative Steve Stockman (R-TX) to get the text of H.R. 464 as the bill to be considered during tomorrow’s vote on repealing the gun ban. As mentioned in last night’s alert, H.R. 464 repeals the ENTIRE gun ban and would also delete ALL the gun control provisions from the 1994 crime bill which BATF is using to put thousands of gun dealers out of business.

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

* Call the Rules Committee (ph: 202-225-9191; Chairman Solomon’s ph: 202-225-5614; fax: 202-225-6234) and ask them to incorporate Stockman’s FULL repeal measure into the gun ban repeal bill. (Stockman has already asked them for an opportunity to offer this amendment.) If they say they don’t want any amendments, then tell them it’s hypocritical to incorporate Section 7 of H.R. 1488 (1) into the repeal bill, but not to allow a truly good provision to be incorporated. The Rules Committee will be meeting at 4:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

P.S. Calls to Armey (Leadership offc: 202-225-4000; fax: 226-8100) or Gingrich (Leadership office: 202-225-0600; fax: 202-225-7733) relaying the same message may also be helpful. If they say you should call your own Congressman, then tell them that this is YOUR government and since they — as leaders in this government — influence YOUR Congressman, they need to hear (and hopefully respond) to your views.

1. Sources on Capitol Hill have informed GOA that Sec. 7 of H.R. 1488 will probably be incorporated into the gun ban repeal bill. GOA opposed this provision when it was first put in H.R. 1488 last year, and as a result, GOA was able to secure a 5 year sunset. The “armed criminal apprehension program” would serve as an impetus to prosecute even technical paperwork gun violations by creating a federal task force which would make regular reports to the Dept. of Justice on the number of gun offenders — paperwork offenders included.