September 13, 2004
NRA-ILA SPECIAL Grassroots Alert 09/13/04

Today, the Clinton gun ban expired. The ban's enactment in 1994 was political chest-thumping and deceit at its worst. Now that the ban is over, as was the case for decades prior to and during the life of the ban, criminals still will not legally be able to possess these firearms. Law-abiding citizens, however, will once again be free to purchase semi-automatic firearms, regardless of their cosmetic features, for target shooting, shooting competitions, hunting, collecting, and most importantly, self-defense.

This misguided law, which had no effect on the actions of criminals, but penalized law-abiding citizens, was built on a campaign of lies. It was ended through a campaign of education, facts, and grassroots activism. The sunset of this ban was only made possible through the tireless efforts of millions of NRA members and tens of millions of American gun owners over the past 10 years.

Beginning in the 1994 elections, the first congressional elections after the enactment of the ban, right through the 2002 elections, gun owners made tremendous gains at the ballot box, which made this legislative accomplishment not only a possibility, but, a reality. Despite the gun banners flimsy reliance on "polls" to justify their position, in the only polls that mattered over the past 10 years--elections--the American people spoke, and repudiated the anti-gunners' position. As NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox said, "NRA members and gun owners showed that it is possible to turn grassroots political activism into legislative reality, and they should be commended for a decade's worth of hard work and tireless dedication. Now is a time to take pause, reflect, and briefly celebrate this monumental accomplishment. But the celebration will be short lived as we have much work left in front of us."

If, over the past five election cycles, we failed to add to our pro-gun majorities in Congress, the ban, no doubt, would have been extended and even expanded. Today's demise of the Clinton gun ban should serve as a stark reminder that the 2004 elections will determine the next chapter that is written on the Second Amendment, and it is critical we sustain our momentum right through Election Day--Tuesday, November 2. Keep an eye out for Friday's Grassroots Alert that will provide you with all the tools and information you will need to ensure victory for our rights on Election Day 2004.

Make no mistake, our fight to protect and preserve the Second Amendment is far from over. At every opportunity, the Schumers, Clintons, Feinsteins, and Kerrys of the world will diligently work, this year and beyond, to pass another, more restrictive gun ban. We can also promise you that dozens of state legislatures will pick up the gun ban mantle and try and pass state level gun bans as well. We must remain vigilant on this front. This battle has been won, but it is only a temporary victory. The war will rage on!

We know we can count on your continued activism as we work to accomplish our mutual goals, and we thank you for your support over the past 10 years in rightly relegating this misguided ban to the legislative graveyard!

September 10, 2004
Los Angeles Times

by John R. Lott

With the federal assault weapons ban sunsetting on Monday at midnight, the gun-control movement has a lot to fear, but not what most people think. Despite claims that letting the 10-year-old ban on some semiautomatic weapons expire will result in a surge in gun crimes and police killings, the fact is that letting the law expire will probably just show the uselessness of gun-control regulations. A year from now it will be obvious to everyone that all the horror stories about the ban — a cornerstone of the gun-control movement — were wrong.

Life without the ban is being painted as a frightening state of affairs. Sarah Brady, one of the nation's leading gun-control advocates, warns that "our streets are going to be filled with AK-47s and Uzis."

Ratcheting up the fear factor to an entirely new level, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) claims the ban is one of "the most effective measures against terrorism that we have."

Yet, despite the rhetoric, there is not a single published academic study showing that the ban has reduced any type of violent crime. Even research funded by the Justice Department under the Clinton administration concluded only that the ban's effect on gun violence "has been uncertain." When those same authors released their updated report in August looking at crime data up through 2000 — the first six full years of the law — they stated, "We cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation's recent drop in gun violence."

The reason for these findings is simple: There is nothing unique about the guns that are banned under the law. Though the phrase "assault weapon" conjures up images of the rapid-fire machine guns used by the military, in fact the weapons covered by the ban function the same as any semiautomatic hunting rifle; they fire the exact same bullets with the exact same rapidity and produce the exact same damage as hunting rifles.

The firing mechanisms in semiautomatic and machine guns are completely different. The entire firing mechanism of a semiautomatic gun has to be gutted and replaced to turn it into a machine gun. This law had nothing to do with machine guns.

In recent weeks, at least one gun-control group has begun to change its tune. A spokesperson for the Violence Policy Center said, "If the existing assault weapons ban expires, I personally do not believe it will make one whit of difference one way or another in terms of our objective, which is reducing death and injury and getting a particularly lethal class of firearms off the streets. So if it doesn't pass, it doesn't pass." The center argues that the law involved only "minor changes in appearance."

Why the sudden conversion? Probably because the group knows its credibility is on the line.

A year from now, when it becomes obvious to everyone that all the hype about a resurgence of "assault weapons" was wrong, gun-control advocates want to be able to claim that they never thought the law really mattered.

Too bad they didn't admit this a decade ago.

John R. Lott Jr., a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, is the author of "More Guns, Less Crime" (University of Chicago, 2000).

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If you want to have your questions answered about what happens when the Semi-automatic Assault Weapons Ban ends tonight go here.

Related Story:
Caught: Gun Ban Lobby Attempts Rhetorical Revisionism

In a September 13, 2004 Associated Press story on a newly released Justice Department report, the Associated Press reported the nation's crime rate last year held steady at the lowest levels since the government began surveying crime victims in 1973.

According to the study, the 2003 violent crime rate - assault, sexual assault and armed robbery - stood at 22.6 victims for every 1,000 people age 12 and older. That amounts to about one violent crime victim for every 44 U.S. residents.

The Associated Press notes that by comparison, there were 23 violent crime victims per 1,000 people in 2002. In 1993, the violent crime rate was 50 per 1,000 people, or about one in every 20 people.

The story also notes that experts say the fact that crime rates have leveled off confounds earlier studies that attributed it to such things as a more mature, less violent drug trade or police tactics that focus on high-crime areas.

James Lynch, professor at American University's Department of Justice, Law and Society, told the AP the reason that crime is down so broadly is difficult to pinpoint.

Is it really that tough to figure out? Maybe a two year-old (!) report from the NRA-ILA can help:

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

September 8, 2004
Associated Press (click here for complete story)

WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association mocks John Kerry's attempts to portray himself as friendly to hunting and other gun sports, putting the Democrat in its sights with a $400,000-a-week television ad buy in several presidential battleground states.

"There's a 20-year record he's trying to run away from," said NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre, who announced the ad buy in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.

To view the advertisements, visit the NRA Political Victory Fund website.

On Thursday, September 9, NBC24 (WNWO Toledo) republished a list of Lucas County
CHL-holders on its website. The list had previously been published by the
Toledo City Paper.

In a statement published with the list of 650 names, the television station openly admits to violating the will of the Ohio General Assembly:

"...the law says those permits are not public record. Only the media and law
enforcement agencies have access to the list.

NBC 24 feels that our viewers should have the same rights that journalists have.
So we've collected the names for you."

To view an awkward on-air report on the subject, click here.

As noted in the television report, the news station is offering a webpoll on its homepage (lower left) asking viewers if they should be able to find out who has an Ohio permit to carry a concealed weapon. Up to now, 88% of NBC24 viewers say no! When similar numbers came in to a poll conducted by a Ft. Wayne newspaper several onths ago, the editors reversed course. Yet NBC24 appears poised to forge ahead.

UPDATE! NBC24 removed the online poll from its website within hours after this story was posted.

Ohioans For Concealed Carry has learned that NBC24 is sending requests for the list of licensees to Sheriffs across Northwest Ohio. But some sheriffs may be prepared to deny the request. Two sources tell OFCC that NBC24 has not identified in their request that the information would be in the "public interest", as required by state law.

Developing...

The following story, authored by Larry S. Moore, was published Friday, September 10, 2004 in the Greene County Dailies (Xenia Gazette, Fairborn Daily Herald, Beavercreek News). Republished with permission of the author.

POWELL, OH - Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell was the keynote speaker for the Ohioans For Concealed Carry 'Party In The Park' over the Labor Day Weekend. Blackwell addressed the crowd on several key points including the clear distinctions between the President Bush and Senator Kerry.

Blackwell praised the Ohioans For Concealed Carry for their activism and involvement in the political process. He noted, "What is so important about the concealed carry movement is that men and women of conviction not only helped to direct history they helped to direct public policy that has an impact on our daily lives. It is an imperfect law. There are still major improvements we can make. It comes down to electing the people who will make the improvements in the law."

Blackwell, addressing the Presidential campaign, said, "There are two world views in this presidential election. On one side are those who believe that a creator has endowed our human rights upon us. There is a flow of our rights from God and those are lent to the government to build a society. The opposing view believes that the rights are given to government and the government can grant or take away rights. One side believes the individual is at the center of democracy while the other side believes the government is at the center. The founders understood that to have individual liberty we must have limited government. That understanding has been turned on its head over the last hundred years. President Bush believes in individual freedom versus Senator Kerry that believes in the power of government. President Bush understands that the role of government in our lives should be limited. Senator Kerry has a twenty-year record that supports the expansion of government in our lives. John Kerry is the number one liberal in the United States Senate."

Blackwell explained the importance of being engaged in the political process and of each vote, "In 1976 Gerald Ford was running against Jimmy Carter. Carter beat Ford by less than 12,000 votes in Ohio. Ford lost Hawaii by less than 2,000 votes. If Ford had turned 6,000 votes in Ohio and 1,000 votes in Hawaii he would have won the Presidency. At that time Ohio had over 13,000 precincts. Ford lost to Carter by less than one vote per precinct in Ohio. Every vote counts."

When pressed by the crowd Blackwell addressed the 2006 Ohio Governor’s race, “Ronald Reagan ran in a crowded field for the Presidential nomination. He came out strong, with superior ideas, and demonstrated the leadership style Republicans wanted in their standard bearer. I will be in the mix for Governor in 2006 and I am going to win it. The race will be decided by the rank and file conservative Republicans not by the elite."

The largely conservative crowd gave Blackwell a thundering applause for his opposition to the Ohio sales tax increase and the prospect of his gubernatorial candidacy.

September 9, 2004 - The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) today called on ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and correspondent Bill Redeker to admit the network distorted fact during a report on the end of the so-called "assault weapons" ban that aired Wednesday evening, Sept. 8.

During that segment, video footage from the North Hollywood bank robbery shootout in March 1997 showed the robbers firing full-automatic weapons, suggesting that this type of firearm will be legal when the ban expires at midnight Sept. 13. These guns had been illegally modified, yet ABC News left the impression that such rifles will be available to the general public.

"Such firearms were illegal prior to the ban, and will be illegal after it sunsets, and ABC knows it," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb. "ABC's research on this story was either incredibly poor or deliberately distorted. There is no other explanation. It's the same distorted reporting we saw in 1994, prior to the ban, in which the press faked footage in an attempt to portray ammunition from these guns as explosively lethal.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.