NRA-ILA FAX Alert
11250 Waples Mill Road,
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: 1-800-392-8683  Fax: 703-267-3918  GROOTS@NRA.org
Listed below are some of the top stories we brought you in the NRA-ILA Fax Alert over the past year.

ATTACKS ON "THE FIRST AMENDMENT": In March, NRA joined a host of diverse groups in opposition to the McCain-Feingold so-called "campaign finance reform" legislation.  Thankfully, the bill never passed in 1997, but it will be  back next year.  NRA's primary concern over any "campaign finance" measure is the impact it will have on our ability to communicate critical  election information to our membership -- specifically by cutting off our ability to mail you your NRA-PVF Political Preference Chart.
BATF CONFIRMS NRA'S POSITION ON BULLET BANS: In April, we reported how a draft study by BATF concluded that no U.S. law enforcement officer "who was wearing a bullet-resistant vest died as a result of any round or ammunition having been fired from a handgun, penetrating that officer's armor."  The study noted further that, "Existing laws are working, no additional legislation regarding such laws is necessary."  Of course, the study was immediately discredited by anti-gun bureaucrats in the Treasury Department.
HOLY MOSES:  One of the biggest stories of the year emerged from NRA's 126th Annual Meeting of Members, where pro-gun stalwart Charlton Heston was eleected as NRA's First Vice President.  Heston went on later in the year to mount a national campaign to educate a new generation on the importance of the Second Amendment, and he delivered a scathing speech at Washington's National Press Club where he informed the media that the Second Amendment is America's "first freedom".
BRADY ACT UNCONSTITUTIONAL:  Your June 27 FAX announced the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down the "background check" provision of the Brady Act on 10th Amendment grounds.  In siding with the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas noted that, along with the Tenth Amendment, "the Second Amendment similarly appears to contain an express limitation on the government's authority", and that the "Federal Government's regulatory scheme .. at least as it pertains to the possession of firearms, runs afoul of that amendment's protections."
WILSON VETOES CALIFORNIA GUN BAN:  Gun owners in California and nationwide rejoiced in September, when Gov. Pete Wilson (R) vetoed legislation that would have banned affordable self-defense handguns and could have led to a ban on all handguns.  In his veto, Wilson noted the bill would "fail to keep guns out of the hands of criminals [and would] deprive law-abiding, legitimate gun users of the needed protection of handguns."
CLINTON PERSUADES INDUSTRY LEADERS: Many gun owners were surprised in October when President Clinton announced an agreement reached between his administration and several members of the firearms industry, who agreed to provide locking devices with the handguns they sell.  President Clinton was joined in the Rose Garden for the announcement by representatives of 15 of the nation's gun manufacturers (and Richard Feldman, who heads the American Shooting Sports Council, a gun industry lobby).
BENDING THE LAW AS FAR AS POSSIBLE: A special October 22 FAX Alert gave NRA members the heads up on the Bigger Clinton Gun Ban.  This alert was a precursor to a Presidential Executive Directive prohibiting the importation of certain foreign made firearms that conform to current law.  Recent alerts over the last few weeks have documented the Clinton-Gore Administration's attemps to solicit input from individuals and groups to determine whether some of these guns meet the import criterion spelled out under the misguided "sporting purposes" test.
71%-29%:  Although the media failed to report on it in any detail , your November 7th FAX Alert highlighted NRA-PVF's electorial victories, including a resounding 71%-29% defeat of I-676 in Washington State.  I-676 was trumped by the anti-gun media as a "gun safety" proposal, but in reality, it called for, among other things: New York City-style licensing, the requirement that anyone who resided in a home where a gun was present to obtain a government-mandated license, and it would have killed the exemption for stalking victims to get a gun immediately for self-defense.  NRA was part of a coalition that worked to defeat I-676, adn we were joined by virtually all of the State's law enforcement groups and a number of U.S. Representatives from Washington's congressional delegation.
RIGHT TO CARRY MOVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION: In addition to H.R. 339, - the national right to carry reciprocity bill -- picking up more co-sponsors (currently 64), 1997 was a productive year for right to carry in the states as well.  Of the 31 states that allow their residents to carry concealed firearms for personal protection, five made critical reforms to their laws this year.  Some of the significant improvements in Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia included expanding areas where permit holders may carry, reducing or capping fees, and extending permit duration.  Additionally, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Utah and Virginia passed legislation which will allow permit holders from other states to carry in their states.  NRA-ILA is still working with these states to iron out details concerning the requirements for permit reciprocity.

For more information: contact the NRA