Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
GEnie Outdoors Roundtable Newsletter 1995 Februar
GEnie Outdoors Roundtable Newsletter
February, 1995 Issue
edited by John Marshall
(J.MARSHALL2/PALADIN)
This issue marks the start of a new system for cataloging articles. Each
article is preceded by a unique number, such as "9502A." The number
refers to the year and month of the article, and its placement within the
newsletter. Thus, "9502A" tells you the article is in the February, 1995
newsletter, and that it's the first article in the series. The table of
contents will refer you to the article number; you can search for it with
many word processing and text reading programs.
Also, each article has a "Keyword" line preceding the text of the article.
Each key word is prefaced by an asterisk. In this newsletter, searching
for the keyword *FLINTLOCK will take you directly to an interesting article
by Jim Funderburg, for example.
I hope you enjoy this issue, and bear with your fearless editor as he packs
baggage to move to Phoenix, Arizona! Take care!
John Marshall
TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
9502A THE COLLECTING OF GUNS John Marshall
9502B FLINTLOCK MUZZLELOADERS Jim Funderburg
9502C FROM THE CZ-75 TO THE EAA WITNESS Mark Freburg
9502D THE RUGER 10/22: 30 YEARS LATER John Marshall
9502E NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION NEWS NRA Staff
*********************************************************************
9502A THE COLLECTING OF GUNS by John Marshall
----------------------
*COLLECTING *GUN SHOWS *GUN BOOKS *GUN VALUES
It has been said that Man is an accumulator. Something in our nature
drives us to acquire things, and as firearms enthusiasts, it is natu-
ral for us to want to put together a collection of guns, limited only
by our imagination, our desire, and wallets, and (sometimes) our
spouses!
Probably no other field of collecting lends itself so well to an
interesting multiplicity of types, sizes, shapes, finishes, makers and
periods. Gunmaking dates back over four hundred years, and since
that time, literally millions upon millions have been made, used, and
collected. In the early period of firearms, Europe, Italy, England
and Spain were the hotbeds of development, but after the discovery of
the New World, some of the greatest advances were in North America.
Because so many periods and types of firearms are available to the
collector, there is at first an initial desire on the part of the
fledgling collector to assemble a collection of "everything interest-
ing." One soon discovers, however, that assembling a collection of
only one type, maker, period or system is an incredibly daunting task,
and unless one specializes in the collection, one simply becomes an
accumulator rather than a collector. An accumulation of "everything
interesting" would fill warehouses. In fact, I know of only one
person who actually did this; a fellow by the name of J.M. Davis,
whose accumulation of firearms over a period of decades is now housed
in a museum in Claremore, Oklahoma. He managed to acquire an amazing
variety of firearms, from matchlocks to the most modern weapons,
choosing to settle many business debts owed to him in firearms, and
picking up everything he could back when guns were plentiful and
cheap. His collection is in a rather large building, but even his
prodigious effort could not assemble specimens of everything!
So, sooner or later, one discovers that to have a comprehensive col-
lection, one must specialize in something. In my own case, as a
former Army officer and student of U.S. military history, my choice
was a natural one - to put together a collection of standard U.S.
martial arms. This has been done laboriously over a period of over
30 years, and I know that my collection will never be complete; re-
straints of budget and availability will surely bring my efforts to a
close, and I will need another lifetime and a small fortune to have a
complete collection.
Yet, gun collecting need not be only for the wealthy with plenty of
time and means; impressive collections can and have been built around
a minor theme involving commonly available and inexpensive firearms of
the modern era. Few of us can afford or put together a complete
collection of all the varieties of Colt Single Actions, for example,
yet it is within the means of most of us to assemble a nice collection
of Ruger firearms, since the Sturm, Ruger company has only been around
since 1949. Even as we speak, certain specimens of Ruger firearms
are escalating in value rapidly, and in the future, heirs of a com-
plete or nearly complete Ruger collection will have an incredibly
valuable assemblage of firearms. Imagine the collector who could
have bought Sam Colt's early efforts and continued to do so over the
span of, say, half a century. A similar opportunity presents itself
now with Rugers.
I know one collector who acquired small derringers at modest prices
for years, combing gun shows wherever he went. Today he has a most
impressive collection of immense variety, but with a strong theme.
A collector here in El Paso has put together the world's largest
collection of M1 carbines and accessories; it has been displayed at
the annual NRA meetings to great acclaim. He is no millionaire, yet
his collection easily fills a small ballroom and is displayed with
great taste and imagination, winning prizes across the country. He
simply started out early, putting his collection together a piece at a
time, and never neglecting an opportunity to acquire another specimen
that filled a hole in his collection. Even he doesn't have every-
thing related to the M1 carbine; a few years ago he acquired a rare
carbine case from me; I only parted with it because I had two of them
which I had picked up in Arizona many years ago. So it is; part of
the thrill of collecting is finding something you don't have that fits
your collection, and after getting it, you press on in the quest for
another item!
Guns can be greater investment opportunities than blue-chip stocks,
yet I know few collectors who are in it for the money. Sure, thou-
sand-dollar profits can be made almost overnight from the sale of
rarities acquired for smaller sums, and there are few collectors that
don't brag about "killings" in a trading or selling deal. To mention
just one example, I wandered into a pawn shop in Phoenix, Arizona
years ago, and found a Browning Hi-Power pistol with unusual markings.
I got it for a reasonable price, and wrote the NRA with a drawing of
the crest on the top of the slide. I was informed it was a rare
Lithuanian contract pistol, made for only a short time before the
Soviet Union overran Lithuania prior to WW II. The NRA expert I
wrote was quite amazed that I had one, and wondered how it ever made
it into this country. A short while later, I sold it at several
hundred percent profit to a collector who wanted to wave it under the
nose of noted Browning Hi-Power collector William Drollinger, and it
resides in his collection today. I can only imagine what HE paid for
it!
While such "deals" present themselves from time to time, as I said,
most collectors aren't in it for the money, but for the romance. It
is said that when you hold an old gun in your hands, you are holding a
piece of history. "If only this gun could talk." is the commonly-
heard phrase. In my collection, there are rifles that were held in
the hands of our soldiers from the time of the Mexican War in 1836 up
to the present day. By holding any of these specimens, you can
imagine the uniforms, the battles, and the men who braved enemy fire
years ago. Holding a .45/70 trapdoor Springfield, I can almost hear
the 7th Cavalry drum and bugle band playing "Garry Owen" as Custer and
his men mounted to engage their enemy at the Little Big Horn. When I
hold an 1861 rifled musket, I think of my own great-grandfather engag-
ing the Confederates on the raid at Saltville, Virginia in the winter
of 1863-64, and of his long march back to Kentucky when he froze his
feet, a rifle similar to this one probably slung from his shoulder,
the weight of the rifle causing him great pain as he put one tortured
foot in front of the other. My great-great-grandfather was probably
issued an 1842 musket when he served on the frontier fighting Indians
during his hitch in Texas from 1849 to 1854; I have one of these long
beauties in my collection, in a condition such as he would have been
issued. In my collection of photos, I have one of my uncle holding
an '03 Springfield during Officer Candidate School during WW II; I
remember a visit of his to my home some years ago before he died, when
he knowingly and carefully opened the action of an '03 in my collec-
tion, and remarked that it really brought back memories for him.
So for me, it's not the money, it's the romance, the history, and
the mental images that my collection inspires in me, and I'm proud to
preserve these pieces of history for future generations. It's said
that we never really own a collection, we are simply the temporary
custodians of one, and this is largely true. Gun collecting is ideal
in that it embraces subjects which combine the qualities of beauty,
fine craftsmanship, historical importance, fascinating interest,
mechanical novelty, and established values.
Novice collectors sometimes despair because the traditional fields
of gun collecting have become very expensive - percussion Colts being
one example. In this field, specimens that were once commonplace have
become exorbitantly pricey, selling for thousands of dollars. I urge
them to remember that just as these Colts were once inexpensive, more
modern guns are today much more reasonable and will appreciate in
value similarly in years to come. It is still possible to assemble,
for example, a nice collection of military 1911 and 1911A1 .45 pis-
tols, with only a few specimens pricing themselves out of the means of
mere mortals. All of these pistols have been made, and there will be
no more, so now is the time to put them in inventory, to be enjoyed
now and sold in your golden years for a very nice profit. A basic
collection of only 8 pistols will cover, for example, those issued to
Army infantry units over the years: A 1911 Colt, a 1911 Springfield,
a 1911 Remington-UMC, a 1911 A.J. Savage-slide, a 1911A1 Colt, a
1911A1 Union Switch and Signal, a 1911A1 Remington-Rand, and a 1911A1
Ithaca. Start adding accessories such as holsters, cleaning kits,
etc., and soon you'll have a collection worthy of prizes in gun show
competition. It's not hard to do now, but in 20 years, the finite
supply of these historic pistols will dry up, and you'll be the envy
of future collectors.
Given the knowledge, how do you build a collection? Easy. Get out
there and start looking! Go to every gun show in your area, and
travel to some that aren't in your area. Browse through pawn shops;
I've already told you of one find I've had in such shops; I've made
others. Frequent your neighborhood gun store; it's amazing what kinds
and varieties of guns "walk in off the street" at such stores. Let
your fellow collecting friends know of your interests. I have a "want
list" filed with many of my friends and acquaintances, so if they
encounter something I want, I can be alerted.
It's axiomatic in the collecting field that condition is the primary
factor, other than demand and authenticity, in determining value.
Always go for the best condition firearm you can afford; you'll never
regret it later when it comes time to sell, if you want to. At the
same time, don't pass up a less pristine specimen if you seldom see an
example of a particular gun. Buy it now, and if you find one in
better condition later, you can trade into it or sell the less-nice
one to help recoup the cost.
How do you determine value? Again, thankfully, there are many
books on the market that will help you. In American antique arms,
Flayderman's Guide is issued in a new version every few years, and
I've seen many guns in my collection escalate fairly rapidly in value
over the years. The Blue Book of Values chronicles the current going
prices of more modern arms. These are but two references that are
commonly available. Simply checking the asking prices for certain
firearms in the Shotgun News, issued three times month, can be helpful
to you. Ultimately, of course, the price of any gun is determined
not by what the owner is asking, but what the buyer is willing to pay,
and what the owner will accept. Asking price and selling price are
two different things, as anyone who has ever seen me operate at a gun
show can tell you. I'm NEVER happy paying "list price" and I will do
everything I can to make a deal more acceptable to me. Of course, I
will sometimes encounter the time-honored phrase "I've got more than
that in it." Sometimes it's true, and sometimes it's a ploy, but I do
expect to be stonewalled every now and then. Often such situations
can be alleviated with a trade - a firearm in which you have little
invested, but which may be worth more to the seller of the firearm you
want. I once obtained a coveted firearm by arranging no less than
four trades at a gun show; each successive trade bringing more and
more eventual value to the owner of the firearm I wanted! My net
outlay was within my budget, and the seller got what he thought was a
fair deal in trade. Of course, cash always talks, and I often make
a stop at an ATM before I go to a gun show, so that I can lay green-
backs on the table to tempt a reluctant seller. The sight of the
cash on the table often beats any other technique in getting a seller
to sell at a price you want. The phrase "What's your rock-bottom
cash price?" often works wonders in bringing the price down to a level
with which you'll feel more comfortable.
My advice to beginning collectors is simple - choose your field of
collecting carefully, and then realize that knowledge is power. You
must know what to look for before you look for it, or you will inevi-
tably get stung. I know, it's happened to me, and it's happened to
every collector: that specimen you bought is spurious, not authentic,
or built from parts. How do you get that knowledge? Well, you can
ask more experienced collectors, but the real answer is to buy books.
Thankfully, the collector market has spawned some really excellent
books that cover almost every firearms collecting field. The rule of
thumb is "buy a book before you buy a gun." Some of the books aren't
cheap, but you'll recoup the cost for every spurious specimen you
avoid because you'll know what you're looking for, and you'll know
values. Small details that escape the unknowledgeable can mean large
differences in value. I once found a Mark 1 Springfield '03 (modi-
fied for the once-secret Pedersen semi-auto device); it was sold to me
by an individual who had no idea what the slot in the side of the
receiver was for, and who didn't know that all of the Pedersen device
modifications to that rifle were intact as originally manufactured. I
knew what the slot was for (ejection port for the Pedersen cartridge),
and I also knew that most of the Mark 1s on the market were re-con-
verted with standard '03 parts so they could be issued as regular
rifles. I got the rifle priced as a standard '03; I was inwardly
grinning as I bought the rifle, and outwardly grinning as I walked
from the show with it in my hands.
My favorite gun show technique is to be religiously present at two
times: early on the first day and late on the last day. In the first
instance, the objective is to nail down guns before the owner has the
opportunity to gauge value by comparable pieces for sale at the show,
and before someone comes along to inform him more accurately (or
sometimes inaccurately) on what he's got. The best deals are made
before the first cup of coffee on opening day. Good deals can also
be made as displayers at a show are closing up shop on the last day;
some are in the mood to sell almost anything at a good price rather
than lug a specimen home again.
Another piece of advice I would give you is that when a specimen
that would fit into your collection turns up and it's authentic, buy
it. Sure, haggle over price, but go home with it, even if it means
foregoing some of life's other little pleasures for a while (how much
does that pack of cigarettes every day add up to over a year?). Why?
Because you may never see another one, and even if you do, you can
compare quality and trade up if necessary. Years ago, I had the
opportunity to buy a Model 1865 trapdoor Springfield in decent shape;
it was the first Allin conversion of a muzzleloader to caliber .58
rimfire. The Second model 1866 and later trapdoors are much more
common, and I knew this was a rarity - BUT I didn't have the cash at
the time and I passed it up, thinking I could afford another one
later. I have never since seen one at a gun show, and specimens I've
seen advertised over the years have escalated in value so much that
it will take more than dipping into my savings account to purchase
one. Of course, if it means taking food from your kids' mouths to
consummate such a deal, it shouldn't be done, but if you have to
stretch a little to add that elusive piece to your collection, do it,
and rest easy that you've made a nice investment and you'll have the
firearm to enjoy as part of your theme.
I'm sometimes asked why I collect guns, and I'm sure every gun
collector has encountered this question. Some will say gun collect-
ing is like a disease or an addiction in that you can't shake it and
you never tire of it, but I think it's as natural now to me as breath-
ing. Why NOT collect guns? Consider:
Mechanical appeal: Few things besides guns have such mechanical
ingenuity in them. The problems of overcoming the problem of repeat
fire alone have given rise to many, many types of actions and systems.
Artistry: Few things besides guns have such beauty - the fine lines
of Kentucky flintlock; the graceful shape of a single-action pistol;
the mating of walnut and blued metal into a meaningful whole in a
military arm, to list but a few examples. Even the modern "assault
rifle" has a beauty of its own in the complex lines and shapes which
reflect its functioning parts.
Romance: What can have more romantic appeal that the vision of two
gentlemen facing each other in a code of honor dispute that would be
invoked by a cased set of dueling pistols? Or the vision of some
shady lady of the last century tucking a derringer like the one in
front of you in her bodice? Or the image of that dogface soldier of
WW II toting that M1 Garand against the Axis in the battles across
Europe?
History: It's said that our nation was formed with firearms and
continues to be shaped with them; the history of our nation is the
history of our nation's wars, from the Revolution to Operation Desert
Storm. You hold history, literally, in your hands with old rifles,
pistols and shotguns of military heritage. When you hold that Colt
Single Action, remember that Wyatt, Virgil, and Doc faced the Cowboys
at the OK Corral with similar guns. I myself am reminded that my
maternal grandfather carried a similar revolver when he rode shotgun
for the Wells Fargo stage between Bisbee and Tombstone, Arizona in the
latter years of the last century.
Why NOT collect guns?
9502B FLINTLOCK MUZZLE-LOADERS by Jim Funderburg
------------------------
*FLINTLOCKS *MUZZLE-LOADING *BLACK POWDER
The majority of contemporary muzzle-loading firearms
are of the percussion caplock style. In the January
Newsletter I offered some maintenance tips on keeping that
percussion front-stuffer smoking. A few additional
comments are offered for the flintlock ignition system.
Historically the flintlock is much more interesting -
at least it is to me! The percussion lock ignition came
into limited use by the second decade of the 1800's. In
1842 the first US military percussion longarm was adopted.
It was replaced by cartridge ignitions shortly after the
Civil War (also called the War of Northern Aggression, or
more simply just "The Warah" in the part of Mississippi I
come from). The flintlock, on the other hand, was the
principal means of firearm ignition for nearly two
centuries - from mid-1600 until supplanted by the
percussion! Flinters even saw duty during the Civil War.
They were still the favorite of the Mountain Men, long
after the percussion lock was otherwise dominate. A comment
attributed to a mid-1840's mountain man was, "if God
wanted guns fired by 'caps", He woulda littered the ground
with caps instead of flint." I, unfortunately, cannot
find a proper attribution for that quote.
The most common error I see made by new flintlock
shooters is to use too much priming powder. Flintlocks -
also called flinchlocks - require holding steady on the
target while the powder in the flashpan ignites the gun.
More priming powder means more flash, and longer lock
time. The priming pan needs to be filled to the BOTTOM of
the flash hole. Black powder (BP) exposed to the air,
unlike BP contained in the barrel, burns rather than
explodes. If the powder in the pan covers the touch hole,
the powder must burn down to that level to ignite the
charge in the barrel. Another consequence of too much
priming powder is it creates a larger - more flinch
inducing - flash, which means more soot, too. Less is
best.
How to position a flint in the jaws of the cock is
another common question. The "hammer" is properly called
a "cock"; however, hammer is universally recognized, too.
I try to shape the flint, and position it in the jaws, to
minimize the distance between flint contact with frizzen
and opening of the pan. Working with an unloaded and
unprimed gun, watch where the sparks are thrown. They
should drop directly into the pan from the area just above
the base of the frizzen. A shower of sparks from high on
the frizzen is useless if they are cool - or "out" - by
the time they reach the priming powder.
Learning to shoot a flintlock requires learning to
ignore the priming powder flash. In teaching others to
shoot centerfire revolvers, I have often used the
technique of loading for them, and putting a few empty
hulls in the cylinder. When the hammer falls on one of
those empties, the shooter reacts to the recoil that
wasn't there, and the diagnosis of flinching is confirmed.
With the flintlock, a similar technique can be used, except
you know the gun isn't loaded. Prime the pan, establish a
sight picture, and pull the trigger. When the smoke
clears, are you still looking at the target? This is a
self-regulated activity. Unlike with the revolver, which
requires someone to trick load the cylinder, this only
requires being honest about what the sights looked like.
This kind of "dry" firing is the most effective technique
I have found to learn to tolerate the distraction of the
flash. Oh, yes, always wear eye protection.
Additionally, I favor wearing a forehead protecting cap
or hat.
As far as I know, none of the newer BP substitute
powders are suitable for flintlocks. I have tried
Pyrodex, and had far too many failed ignitions to
recommend its use. The BP substitutes have flash
suppressants to make them behave like smokeless powder.
Logically, they are harder to ignite with the diminutive
sparks from the flint on frizzen, as compared to the
hotter percussion cap or a robust modern primer.
Certainly only FFFFg black powder can be depended upon for
priming.
Muzzle-loaders, especially flintlocks, are a delight
to try to master. They offer still another avenue for
enjoying our shooting sports.
9502C FROM THE CZ-75 TO THE EAA WITNESS by Mark Freburg
---------------------------------
A Short History and Practical Applications For Today
*WITNESS *CZ-75 *SEMIAUTOMATIC *AUTOLOADERS *PISTOL *CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of the John
Browning-designed Model 1911A1 semi-automatic pistol. Furthermore my
first choice in a fighting cartridge is the .45ACP. I mention that
so that the reader has a clear understanding of my prejudices right
up front. We've all got 'em; you may as well know what mine are.
That said, I don't believe that one pistol or cartridge is
necessarily the best choice for everyone and not everyone will share
my enthusiasm for the M1911. Fair enough. I think there are plenty
of options and I'm going to tell you about one of them, the Witness
series of semi-automatic pistols from European American Armory of
Hialeah, Florida.
The EAA Witness is a clone of the well known CZ-75 pistol
made by the Czechoslovakian firm of Ceska Zbrojovka of Prague and
Uhersky Brod. Some background on the CZ-75 is in order. While some
sources credit the CZ-75 to another company, Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka
of Brno, Ceska Zbrojovka is the current manufacturer. Confusion
exists due to the similarity of the two names even though they are
two separate entities. Additionally the two companies have over the
years actually transferred production of certain pistols from one
company over to the other company.
The CZ-75 is an all-steel, selective single and double-
action, high magazine capacity, autoloading pistol. The double-
action is a bit unusual in that it uses what might be called a "push
bar" instead of the more common draw bar. This is said to
contribute to the usually superior DA trigger pull on these guns.
The CZ is a locked breech pistol and utilizes a form of the Browning
dropping barrel operating system, specifically a "buttonhole," the
kidney-shaped cutout below the barrel that was borrowed from the SIG
P210. Sometimes this is referred to as a cam operated system. If
you examine a Browning Hi-power alongside a CZ-75 the similarity
between the two systems is clear.
Caliber is 9x19mm and the magazine holds fifteen rounds.
One somewhat unusual aspect of the CZ-75 is the fact that the slide
rails ride inside the frame instead of vice versa as on most other
semi-autos including the M1911 and the Browning Hi-power. This
contributes to accuracy, and that argument can easily be defended as
the superbly accurate SIG P210 uses the same slide rail arrangement.
It's actually another feature that the CZ-75 borrowed from the SIG.
The CZ-75 safety is frame-mounted and blocks the sear which
locks the hammer. It thus does not drop the hammer like most other
DA designs. This allows the CZ-75 to be carried in Condition One
(C-1, or "cocked & locked"). Those wishing to carry it in Condition
Two (C-2, hammer down on a loaded chamber) like other traditional DA
pistols must manually lower the hammer on a live round, a bit of a
risky maneuver. The original design for this pistol had a half cock
notch despite some reports to the contrary but it was removed from
the design early on to facilitate ease of production. After reports
of some unintentional discharges in the field the half-cock notch was
reinstated.
The CZ-75 is not an ambidextrous pistol but rather all
controls are on the left hand side for use by right handed operators.
The pistol's magazine intentionally did not drop free upon being
released but the "magazine brake," a piece of folded sheet steel, was
something easily removed by the end user.
For years the CZ-75 had a mystique brought about by some
unrelated circumstances. As a member of the Eastern Bloc under
control of the U.S.S.R., Czechoslovakia's firearms were not
importable to the U.S. and so the CZ-75 was known primarily by
reputation as only a few pistols managed to find their way into this
country. It didn't hurt the CZ's reputation either when no less a
personage than Jeff Cooper himself praised the design of the CZ-75.
Cooper had a great deal of input on the ill-fated Bren Ten pistol and
even a cursory glance at the Bren Ten shows distinct similarities to
the CZ-75. Some have even described the Bren Ten in print a "crude
copy."
Besides high capacity and C-1 capability, one other aspect of
the CZ-75 that has always drawn fans is the ergonomically excellent
shape of the grip frame. I greatly admire the grip on the Browning
Hi-power but I think the CZ-75 is comparable. Some feel it is
superior. No matter, it is very good.
SEND IN THE CLONES
These and other circumstances inevitably led to the cloning
of the CZ-75 much like the M1911A1 has been cloned for years.
Licensed copies were made in Switzerland. Ill-fated attempts to
import them to the U.S as the AT-84 and later AT-88 failed but this
was not due to any real problems with the guns. The AT-84 I handled
several years ago showed excellent quality as is usual with Swiss
pistols. Business problems and importing arrangements seemed to be
at the root of the failure.
Enter Fratella Tanfoglio of Brescia, Italy, a long
established firearms manufacturer. In 1984 they began production of
a CZ-75 clone and these have been steadily imported to the U.S. ever
since. Oddly enough, two companies imported the early Tanfoglio
pistols, FIE and Excam. FIE called their pistol the TZ-75 while the
less common Excam variant was called the TA-90. They were the same
pistol with only the slightest cosmetic differences.
Early Tanfoglio guns differed in one large respect from the
original CZ-75. The safety lever was moved to the slide where it
acted on the firing pin to lock it rearward to prevent unintentional
firing and at the same time dropped the hammer. Other small
differences included an extension on the lower forward edge of the
trigger guard to facilitate the index finger forward hold that was in
vogue during the 1980s. Tanfoglio continued with the CZ-style
magazine brake that prevented the magazine from falling free.
Unfortunately the TZ-75/TA-90 became, with the slide-
mounted, hammer-dropping safety, just another of many high capacity,
double action, 9mm autoloaders. In the 1980s you couldn't have found
a more crowded market and the Tanfoglio offering, though considered
to be a fairly good quality product, just didn't thrive. Tanfoglio
saw the error of their ways and the later TZ-75, known as the Series
88, saw the safety lever moved back to the frame. This was a good
marketing move. Those people who wanted a pistol that could be
carried cocked and locked but who were still interested in a high
capacity pistol once more took a shine to the Tanfoglio product.
THE WITNESS
Just a few years ago FIE & Excam fell by the wayside for
business reasons but the Tanfoglio pistol barely missed a beat.
European American Armory Corporation was organized from the ashes of
FIE and the Tanfoglio pistol was back as the oddly-named EAA
"Witness." In just a few short years the Witness line has thrived
and multiplied.
Witness pistols are available in 9x19 (16+1) and .40S&W
(12+1). An only slightly larger-framed model is available in .38
Super (19+1) & .45ACP (10+1). (Because of the "crime law" passed in
late 1994 the days of the high capacity autoloader are over, at least
temporarily, but as I write this in December, 1994 there are still
many existing new guns around.) Tanfoglio has made .22LR conversions
too and these may become available in the U.S. at a later date. EAA
has also advertised pistols in 9x21, 10mm and .41AE but these have
never been readily available, if available at all in the U.S.
In addition to full-size models there are also sub-compact
models in all calibers. The latest offerings include a "carry-comp"
model, multi-caliber combo kits, and a basic competition model. EAA
now has a custom shop in Florida and models from mild to wild are
available up to and including full house race guns. In fact, the
popularity of the Witness on the competition circuit has likely
accounted for much of its widespread availability. Today the Witness
& other CZ-75 clones like the Springfield P9 have aftermarket parts
available for them in a variety and quantity greater than any other
pistols out there. The sole exception of course is the ubiquitous
M1911. Different from some companies, EAA sells many aftermarket
parts themselves, all made by Tanfoglio.
How does the Witness differ from its CZ-75 parent and from
its older brothers the TZs and TAs? The current Witness has dropped
the extension on the trigger guard since finger forward shooting has
lost its allure for most and the trigger guard itself is now more
rounded. The tang has been extended back and swept up for greater
shooting comfort, imitating what many people have spent big money to
have added to their 1911-pattern pistols, which of course require a
separate part and often expensive machining of the frame to fit said
part. The frame-mounted, sear-blocking safety of the Witness is
standard and a firing pin block has been added to the pistol,
something the CZ-75 never had. New specifically to the Witness is
the addition of forward slide serrations. I should also mention that
the magazines of the Witness drop free as they should on a combat
pistol. No more magazine brake. I read one report on the TZ-75
where the writer claimed the magazine brake was a good idea because
it prevented lost magazines. Give me a break.
It's interesting to note that Tanfoglio has hedged its bets
and continues to make a limited production version of the Witness
pistol in the 1980's slide-mounted safety version which EAA calls the
Witness FAB. Since EAA took over importation of the Tanfoglio line I
have never seen an FAB in the flesh, or perhaps I should say "in the
steel."
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and opening of
former Iron Curtain countries the original CZ-75, still in
production, has been imported in increasing quantities. There is now
an updated model called the CZ-85 which added ambidextrous safety and
slide stop levers, although no ambidextrous magazine release. Still,
the Witness is the largest selling among the CZ-75 or its clones.
HOW GOOD IS IT?
What's the bottom line here? How does the EAA Witness stack
up as against other modern fighting pistols? How does it compare to
the 1911 and the Hi-power, the two guns which all other C-1 pistols
are inevitably compared to? Although it has a DA trigger, I do not
believe the Witness (or the CZ-75) appeal primarily to the those who
want the traditional hammer-dropping DA pistol. Those buyers are
usually going to buy S&Ws, Berettas, SIGs and the like, hammer-
droppers all. The Witness appeals, I think, to the traditional users
of single action pistols.
The Witness pistols have good and bad points but mostly good.
I've examined many Witnesses in all calibers and have owned a .40S&W
version for some time now. Quality of the Tanfoglio pistols has
never been higher. After hundreds of rounds I am pleased with the
reliability as it has been 100% in my pistol. Handgun writer Dick
Metcalf put a 9mm Witness through an endurance test some time ago,
firing 10,000 rounds through his sample pistol over a period of
several months. Much like the indifferent owner might maintain his
own pistol, Metcalf did not clean his Witness until its operation
became sluggish. This took several thousand rounds. Overall I
believe he cleaned the pistol only two or three times in over 10,000
rounds, and minimally at that. That speaks well for the reliability
of the current Witness over the long term.
The Witness pistols will shoot with the best of them, out of
the box. The inside slide rails contribute much to that, as I
mentioned earlier. Based on experience with my own Witness, I'd say
that Tanfoglio reams and finishes their chambers very carefully. My
pistol has never so much as burped with factory ammo but it took a
little fine tuning of the taper crimp to assure that the slightly
oversize lead bullet I load would function correctly. Once I figured
out the amount of crimp my Witness required I was all set, it now
functions perfectly with handloads. So the precise chamber seems to
contribute to accuracy as well. I seem to do a little better
shooting with this gun than with any other full-size autoloader I
own.
Okay, the Witness tends to be accurate and is extremely
reliable. What else? The DA trigger is smooth enough but I really
think the true DA auto buffs will want to buy a pistol with the
familiar (to them) hammer-dropping, slide-mounted safety. I know
that any public service agency will want this feature as well, for
better or for worse. Does that leave the Witness out in the cold?
Yes and no. There won't be lucrative law enforcement contracts but
for the individual inclined to prefer single action autos the Witness
offers a lot. I pretty much ignore the DA capability on my pistol
and only use it in Condition One, just as I do an M1911. There are
in fact aftermarket triggers including ones offered by Tanfoglio
through EAA that will actually convert the Witness trigger to single-
action only. One particular aftermarket trigger replicates the exact
length of pull of a M1911 with a long trigger. Hey, that works for
me.
The current fixed sights are largish but not overly so.
Since the original CZ-75 came out they have always had tall rear
sights and I'm at a loss to explain just why this is. It may have
something to do with the barrel sitting farther below the sighting
plane than is common. The sight picture on the Witness is very good
and duplicates the picture I see with the Novak lo-mounts milled into
the slide of my Colt Government Model exactly. The issue sights are
well-rounded and don't present any sharp edges.
I've already mentioned that the magazine capacity of the
forty is 12+1, but even when we finally see reduced magazines, 10+1
won't be too shabby. I am primarily a .45ACP guy but I feel well-
armed with thirteen, 180 grain, forty caliber Federal Hydra-Shoks at
my disposal.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT?
Drawbacks? Sure. The greatest in my opinion is the
placement of the thumb safety. The M1911 has what I believe to be a
perfectly placed safety lock. It can be manipulated on or off with
ease. The CZ-75 and all her clones with the frame-mounted safety
have the lever slightly too far forward. It doesn't greatly lessen
one's ability to push it down to "off" but it does make it quite
difficult to place it up to "on." In a tense moment after a shooting
incident one needs to place his cocked and unlocked semi-auto pistol
on safe and the Witness is a difficult pistol in that regard. In
fairness the Browning Hi-power as originally equipped had a rather
poor safety set-up also; it was too far back and too short. Genius
that he was, John Browning apparently didn't understand the fact that
safety manipulation was an integral part of the draw and firing
strokes. (I'm not alone in that opinion as Jeff Cooper has said the
same thing.) ** Editor's note: in fairness to Browning, much of the design
of the Hi-Power pistol must be credited to Dieudonne Saive of FN, so
the matter of the safety's design may or may not be a John Browning
"goof." Mark agrees. **
Although aftermarket safeties for the Witness exist
I've not tried them so I don't know how much improvement might be
effected. When FN extended the length of the Hi-power safety it
improved that gun quite a lot, but the Witness safety has the
opposite problem from the BHP with its safety is too far forward and
changing the lever itself would accomplish little. All of the
replacement levers I've seen for the Witness have been quite wide for
competition use and not practical for self-defense duty. I should
add that my judgements on the placement of the safety are clearly a
subjective, as people with different size hands may consider the
safety placement to be fine. My hands are fairly large, yet the
safety is poorly placed for me. Enough said.
Other problems? Yes. Although Tanfoglio has continually
upgraded product quality the occasional rough pistol makes it to the
shipping dock. If one wants a Witness he ought to examine the very
pistol he intends to buy. Trigger pulls seem to vary quite a lot
despite the good original design. A friend bought a 9x19 Witness and
the trigger was so poor he unloaded it immediately. Perhaps not
surprisingly he ended up with a CZ-75. That wouldn't work for me
because of my already-confessed prejudices. I like the .45ACP, have
learned to appreciate the .40S&W but I'm not a 9mm Parabellum fan and
never will be. It's easy to say that every gun maker produces a
lemon now and then but it sure doesn't justify it. The Witness buyer
must check out the pistol he wants to buy carefully before reaching
for his wallet.
One other aspect of Witness pistols that seems to invite
comment is the lack of a separate barrel bushing much like the
Browning Hi-power. Those who appreciate the ability to fit bushings
to both gun and barrel as with 1911 type guns don't like the fact
that you can't adjust the Witness (or BHP) for wear, although a
slightly oversize aftermarket barrel will allow for that. Remember,
aftermarket parts are widely available for the Witness and other
clones.
TAKING THINGS APART
The firing pin block on the Witness works as intended and
doesn't cause problems in disassembly. It can be compared to the
firing pin block on the latest Hi-powers. My understanding is that
the Colt Series 80, the only 1911 pistol with a firing pin block, is
difficult to disassemble and reassemble because of the added parts.
This brings up another important issue.
I'm very comfortable with the original 1911 because it can be
detail stripped without tools. The job is quick and easy and
reassembly is simple as well. This is not by any means the case with
the Witness. It is a truly modern design that is not meant to
require detail stripping for routine maintenance. I personally
prefer to be able to readily detail strip my own guns, and the 1911
gets my first vote based on this ability. On the other hand the
Browning Hi-power and every other popular combat pistol made today
cannot be detail stripped with the ease and quickness of the 1911
either. Is there an upside to this? I think so. The 1911 must be
detail stripped occasionally in order to get at hidden areas for
cleaning and lubrication. The Witness (and BHP and others) can be
fully cleaned and lubricated without disassembly - they just don't
have the same kind of hidden areas. Does that negate the 1911
benefit of ease of disassembly? My head says maybe but my heart says
no. You can judge that for yourself.
PASSING JUDGEMENT
I believe the Witness line of semi-automatic pistols made
today are excellent combat pistols and competitors like them for
action sports as well. They seem to offer something to everyone in
terms of caliber, size and add-on options. Even the hard core
hammer-dropping DA fan is appealed to via the Witness FAB, though
that one doesn't appeal to me personally. I believe the 1911 or Hi-
power fan will really appreciate the Witness, especially if
retrofitted with an SA-only trigger.
Is the Witness a replacement for the 1911? Not for me. The
1911 is a special pistol to me and to legions of others, for any
number of reasons. Frankly, my primary reason for preferring the
1911 is the feeling of intimacy I get from being able to know every
part and every nook and cranny of the pistol, and from the comforting
.45 caliber bullets it launches. While other pistols, including the
Witness, are available in .45ACP, the 1911 was designed as a .45ACP,
and really, the two are synonymous. The 1911, one of the best
fighting pistols ever, was not touched by the recent crime bill
either, and this balances the scales more in its favor as other
pistols give up magazine capacity.
But don't let the foregoing detract you. I really like the
Witness pistol and my own .40S&W, 12+1 version allows me to "hedge my
bets" somewhat, and brings me into the modern age. Whether I want to
be here is another story altogether.
Attached GIF file: The photo (WITNESS.GIF) depicts my box stock EAA
Witness with the OEM rubber stock panels.
9502D THE RUGER 10/22: 30 YEARS LATER by John Marshall
-------------------------------
*RUGER *10/22 *.22 AUTOLOADERS *RIFLES
Sooner or later, almost all shooters who enjoy .22 long rifle fun want
to add an autoloader to their inventory of rifles. The question that
appears most often on the computer services is "Which one is best?"
and the answer invariably comes back: "Get a Ruger 10/22!"
The reasons for this answer, which is almost universal, are many, and
perhaps it's good at this point to examine this fine little rifle from
the standpoint of its history and features.
Interestingly, the 10/22 (By the way, "10/22" is a registered trade-
mark of Sturm Ruger & Co., and with that acknowledgement we'll contin-
ue) began in concept as a companion piece to the old Ruger .44 Magnum
carbine, which is no longer made. Its offspring, the 10/22, has
outlasted it by far. Design of the 10/22 began in early 1963, and
the rifle was introduced in mid-1964 to the public.
In order to maintain the clean lines of its big brother .44, the Ruger
design team wanted to do away with a magazine which projected below
the stock. They also wanted a rifle which would be fast to reload
with extra magazines, so they did not opt for a tubular magazine,
which was conventional "clean lines" wisdom at the time. Instead,
they borrowed a page from the Mannlicher-Schoenauer's design concept,
and adopted a unique rotary magazine holding 10 rounds (the "10" in
10/22). Because of its spiral spring, the magazine could be kept
loaded for extended periods, and because each round was pressed down
in front of the preceding one to load it, there was no hang-up from
the cartridge rims in feeding, a traditional problem with firearms
designed for the .22 long rifle cartridge. Also, the feed lips of
the magazine were solid metal rather than stamped, providing for a
consistent and true feed path to the chamber from the magazine. A
magazine could be popped into place flush with the bottom of the
stock, and removed in a maneuver soon learned, placing the thumb down
into the release lever and the forefinger into the cavity on the
opposite side, pulling straight out.
The magazine design is very interesting. The solid steel portion
through which the magazine is loaded with individual rounds and from
which the cartridges are fed into the chamber is called by the factory
the "magazine throat." This component has the usual retaining lips
and ramp to control the movement of the cartridge, but because it's
solid, it's not likely to get out of sorts and start causing feeding
problems. Most feeding problems in .22 autoloaders can be traced
directly to the magazine, but this one has been proven over the years
to be quite reliable in operation. The development of the throat
design was apparently a big challenge in the beginning because of the
complex shapes involved. Although the mag looks like a little black
box, internally it's cylindrical. The spring-loaded rotor which
functions as a magazine follower mounts on a centrally-located pivot
pin, very much like the Mannlicher-Schoenauer design.
The magazine design has proven to be so good over the years that Ruger
adapted it for use with the 77/22 (R) bolt action rifle. The maga-
zines are interchangeable in .22 LR caliber between the two rifles,
but they are not identical. The 77/22 magazine is flat on the bot-
tom, while the 10/22 mag has a more rounded contour. Because of the
spirally-torsioned coil spring utilized, the magazine can be kept
loaded for extended periods of time with little concern for spring
fatigue causing reduced feeding pressure on the cartridge que-up.
The magazine will carbon up during extended firing, as all .22 mags
will, but a brushing with a toothbrush is about all that's required.
Disassembly of the mag is not recommended, although it can be done
with some patience and a good boilermaker's vocabulary.
The method of attaching the barrel to the receiver was unique at the
time, and has since been carried over into the design of the bolt
action 77/22 (R) rifle. The Ruger design team did away with the
usual threads at the breech end of the barrel. Instead, the barrel
is pulled in tightly against the receiver shoulder by two long screws
which lie beneath the barrel, via a V-block dovetail system.
To save weight and take advantage of Ruger's investment casting exper-
tise, the receiver is made of aluminum, as is the trigger guard frame.
Both of these castings were carefully designed with ruggedness in
mind; thin shapes were avoided, and there is mass where stresses are
concentrated.
The breech mechanism is fairly conventional, based on the tried-and-
true blowback system. The breechblock is of sufficient mass to insure
adequate inertia, and the 10/22 will typically show no case deforma-
tion that sometimes occurs in other rifles because of premature open-
ing of the breech. Further support against early opening is provided
by a hefty internal hammer, powered by a coil spring which is guided
by a strut. The strut is pivoted to the hammer in such a way that it
provides maximum spring force to the hammer at the moment of ignition,
but as the breechblock retracts a little after firing, the pressure of
the hammer against the breechblock is reduced considerably; at this
point the bore pressure is reduced quite a bit and the breechblock
continues back with good inertia. It's well-thought-out engineering.
The trigger guard is integral with the frame of the trigger mechanism,
and this gives the little rifle a more solid appearance, contrasted
to the usual cheezy stamped loop of metal applied on many designs.
The rifle's receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts, and it's
provided from the factory with a dovetail mount for tip-off rings that
can be screwed down on top of the receiver. Factory sights are a
fully-adjustable open rear, and a gold-bead front sight. I'd go
with a scope right away; the open sights are serviceable but not
anyone's choice for pinpoint accuracy.
Originally, the 10/22 was provided with a walnut stock and a metal
buttplate, but in more recent years, these niceties have evolved into
a stained hardwood stock and a plastic buttplate. Finely-finished and
checkered stocks have been made available, as well as a Mannlicher-
style stock that extends to the muzzle, as extra-cost options.
Complaints about the little rifle over the past 30 years have been
few, and to the credit of its designers, it has withstood the test of
time very well, becoming one of the most popular of the .22 autoload-
ers. It's quite reliable, accurate, and easy to maintain.
The main complaint with the rifle has been a rather heavy trigger
pull, but this can be solved with some careful handwork or a custom
trigger, which can be obtained from third parties. Although reli-
ability is excellent, you will occasionally find a chamber mouth with
an inadequate chamfer. This is an easy one to fix; just take a very
fine grit of sandpaper, and twist it up tight against the chamber
mouth with your finger for 50 or so repetitions, giving the chamber
edge a suitably rounded contour.
Accessories abound for the 10/22, and include custom stocks, flash
hiders, heavy barrels, etc., etc. A number of companies, including
Butler and Ram-Line, have made high-capacity mags for the rifle, which
come in capacities from 20 to 50 rounds. Now illegal to manufacture
under the new law which is a crime, millions of these mags are still
in circulation and even now are still in dealer inventory everywhere,
albeit at escalating prices. Some 10/22s have been "tricked up"
with heavy barrels, custom trigger jobs, target stocks and expensive
scopes for special shooting events, and they will print groups with
the finest target rifles. Changing out a barrel is something you can
do yourself with an allen wrench of the appropriate size, and that's
an easy way to gain some accuracy if you substitute a longer, heavy
barrel with match chamber dimensions.
Trigger work is best left to a smith who knows what he's doing, but a
hard Arkansas stone applied to the sear/hammer interface surfaces
carefully so as not to alter the angle of engagement will result in
some improvement. Polishing of the inside top of the receiver and
the top of the bolt will help in smooth functioning, as will polishing
the friction surface of the hammer where it rides under the bolt.
One accessory which I particularly like is an extended magazine re-
lease, which allows you to take out a mag quite a bit more easily;
these are widely available, haven't incurred the distaste of Sarah
Brady, are cheap, and you can install one yourself with no sweat.
With 10-round magazines being the order of the day until the new
"assault rifle" high-capacity mag ban is proved unconstitutional under
the 10th and 2nd Amendments, the ability to switch mags more quickly
is a good thing.
You can't go wrong with a 10/22, and 30 years of wide use have proved
that over and over again. It should be in any gun enthusiast's
inventory as a staple commodity.
9502E NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION NEWS by the NRA staff
-------------------------------
*GUN CONTROL *LEGISLATION *SECOND AMENDMENT *NRA
IGNORE SCARE TACTICS!
NRA Chief Lobbyist says women should make their own decisions about
gun ownership
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "In its battle for the hearts of American women,
the gun ban lobby has forgotten that American women have minds, too.
"As women, we not only have the right and the obligation to make our
own decisions about safety and security -- we have the intelligence
to do so," said Mrs. Tanya K. Metaksa, chief lobbyist of the National
Rifle Association of America on the release of a Violence Policy
Center tract critical of women owning firearms.
Mrs. Metaksa, one of the creators of NRA's "Refuse to be a Victim"
program, took particular issue with the tract's description that
"women who don't buy into the NRA's world view are in fact choosing
to be victims."
"Sheer nonsense," Mrs. Metaksa said. "The message of our program is
`be prepared.' The gun ban crowd's message? `Don't be.' NRA says,
`Make your own decision. You're capable.' The gun banners say,
`We'll make your decisions for you. You're incapable.' Whom would
you trust?"
According to the Dept. of Justice, more than 2,500,000 women were
victims of violent crime -- that's murder, rape, robbery, or
aggravated assault -- in 1992. The NRA finds that unacceptable, and
is working on two fronts to cut crime.
First, the NRA offers an extremely successful self-defense course,
"Refuse to be a Victim," in addition to firearms training. "We do
this because unlike the gun ban crowd, the NRA believes women have
the right -- and the ability -- to make our own decisions about how
to defend ourselves," Mrs. Metaksa said.
Second, the NRA CrimeStrike Division actively lobbies for laws to
stop the revolving door of justice that heightens the risk of
criminal attack: Every day in America, 14 people will be murdered,
48 women raped, and 578 people robbed by convicted criminals on
parole or early release. Unlike the gun ban crowd, NRA CrimeStrike
worked to stop this needless victimization by helping pass the first
"Three Strikes, You're Out" law in Washington state, Truth in
Sentencing and prison construction in Virginia, tougher treatment of
violent juvenile criminals in Arkansas, increased prison construction
in Mississippi, and more funds for prisons in the Federal Crime Bill.
Plus, NRA CrimeStrike blocked the paroles of convicted murderers in
more than a dozen states. If the Violence Policy Center truly cares
about cutting crime, it would have participated in these efforts --
yet their silence in promoting proven crime-cutting measures was
deafening.
While NRA is both empowering women and attacking crime at its source,
the Violence Policy Center is busy attacking NRA. The report claims
that NRA and gun makers have created "four myths" about
self-protection. But the authors of the report promotes five myths
of their own.
First, they note that women are frequently victimized by persons they
know, citing a study showing that the vast majority of rapes involve
persons known to the women rather than strangers, and a study showing
that when women kill -- apparently in self-defense -- they more often
kill persons they know than strangers. The facts refute their own
myth: women can use guns protectively against strangers or
non-strangers. And they do. And, with manufacturers producing guns
designed for women, the domestic homicide rate -- family members
killing family members -- declined sharply throughout the 1980s and
into the 1990s.
Second, they claim that guns don't protect rape victims -- because
many potential rape victims are disarmed by anti-gun laws.
Fortunately, more and more states are moving to allow adult women to
carry handguns for protection -- despite the efforts of the Violence
Policy Center and other gun ban groups to disarm the innocent.
Third, they pretend women haven't used a gun for protection unless
someone is dead. "Preposterous!" said Mrs. Metaksa. "In most
self-defense uses of guns, a shot is not fired - but a crime is still
thwarted, and a life is still saved." The most recent, largest-scale
survey indicates upwards of one million protective uses of firearms
by women each year, mostly involving handguns.
Fourth, they cite victimization surveys to show that guns aren't used
much for protection. But those surveys were not designed to measure
protective value of guns or other items, but to measure
victimization. And about a dozen surveys of protective use of guns
consistently show hundreds of thousands of protective uses of guns,
with the same recent large-scale survey showing nearly 2.5 million
protective uses of guns annually.
Fifth, they pretend that gun availability increases the risk of
suicide -- belittling their own data which show that suicide rates
for women, and gun-related female suicides, peaked in 1971 and 1977
respectively, long before gun manufacturers began marketing to women.
"This Election Day, the American people sent a message: get and keep
government off our backs. But Congressman Schumer and the Violence
Policy Center didn't get that message," said Mrs. Metaksa. "If they
had, they'd realize that the way they've tried to repackage old
disinformation to frighten and disempower women is both astonishing
and pathetic. They accuse NRA of trying to manipulate women's fear,
but the real manipulation women face is by those like Schumer,
Sugarmann and Glick, who push a myth of their own: the idea that
American women aren't smart enough to make informed decisions about
gun ownership."
The Violence Policy Center's report describes the firearms industry's
message as "Try not to treat women like they are stupid." But "that
is advice that Schumer, Glick and Sugarmann would do well to follow,"
Mrs. Metaksa concluded.
-- nra --
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-934-2121)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Fairfax, VA 22030
NEAL KNOX REPORT
The New Congress
By NEAL KNOX
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 2) -- Incoming Chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) today said in a taping of
the "Court TV" cable program: "I don't expect (the Brady and
semi-auto laws) to be touched."
That's wishful thinking by a guy who voted for both those
laws -- and who I once saw come down from his Judiciary Committee
perch to hug and be pecked by Sarah Brady.
But Hyde said that if such legislation is introduced, it
will have a fair hearing and vote.
While I am confident that such bills can be forced out the
House, I'm not sure we can even pass them in the Senate, much
less survive a filibuster, or have them signed into law by Bill
Clinton.
Clinton's first words after the election rout, were that he
would fight any effort to repeal either of the new gun laws.
And again today, he told the National League of Cities: "I
will do all in my power to keep the next Congress from doing
anything that will jeopardize the ('assault weapons')ban."
Fact is, he can do a lot. But so can we.
The new House, despite Mr. Hyde, is going to be much more
receptive to gun owners' concerns. Forty-seven anti-gunners, 22
wafflers and 16 solid pro-gunners were replaced by a whopping 69
NRA-rated "A's," seven "B's" or unknowns, and eight "F's." An
"A-rated" candidate is ahead in the remaining undecided race.
On the basis of how departing House members voted on the
semi-auto ban, which passed 216-214 May 5, if every pledged
newcomer opposes it, and the questionable new Congressmen all
supported it, the same bill would fail about 184-250.
The picture isn't as pretty in the
Senate. Eight Senators
who usually voted with the retired (Praise be!) Howard Metzenbaum
were replaced by seven "A's" and one "C."
Considering how the returning Senators voted on the semi-
auto ban (56-43), the net six vote shift after the election would
make it 50-50 -- allowing Vice President Al Gore to cast the
deciding vote for the ban.
There is little doubt that new Democrat Minority Leader Tom
Daschle (S. Dak.), who was picked today with one more vote than
Sen. Tom Dodd's son, Chris, (Conn.), would mount an unbreakable
filibuster on a stand-alone bill -- though the Democrats might
not be so quick to kill a popular-with-the-public omnibus
revision of the crime bill.
The Republican "Contract With America" promises a vote on a
revised crime bill within 100 days. The changes that incipient
Chairman Hyde outlined today -- "habeas corpus reform,"
exclusionary rule revision, and whacking out funding for social
programs -- would probably bring a Clinton veto whether or not it
had any gun law changes.
So are we going to be locked in stalemated trench warfare
for the next four years? Not necessarily.
There's a lot that can be done, both in the way of educating
the public about the effect of gun laws -- through hearings on
what happened at Waco and in the Randy Weaver case, both of which
were in the name of "gun control" -- and in passing legislation
to repeal, or at least disembowel, the new gun laws.
The chances of doing just that were considerably improved by
today's Senate Republican election of Trent Lott (Miss.) as
Republican Whip. The former whip, Alan Simpson (Wyo.), soon-to-
be-Majority Leader Bob Dole's choice, has a near-perfect record
on gun votes, but, like Dole, he's a negotiator and deal-maker
rather than a confrontationalist.
Mr. Lott, a solid pro-gunner who was House Republican Whip
before coming to the Senate in 1989, is a close ally to Sens.
Larry Craig (Idaho), Phil Gramm (Tex.) and new Speaker Gingrich -
- making a series of coordinated, imaginative legislative
assaults and maneuvers more likely.
NRA is already meeting with these new leaders to plot
strategy. It's going to be interesting -- and a lot more fun
than the battles that we've been fighting.
---
Send SASE for how the old Congress fared.
---
(Help Neal Knox defend the Second Amendment and begin receiving
the bi-monthly "Hard Corps Report" by contributing to the
Firearms Coalition, Box 6537, Silver Spring, MD 20906. For
legislative updates call (301) 871-3006 [automated voice] or the
Bullet'N Board [computers] (703) 971-4491. Email:
NEALKNOX@GENIE.GEIS.COM)
CONGRESSIONAL CHANGES
Politically energized gunowners, angered by passage of two
major new gun laws by the 103rd Congress, achieved a net gain of
at least 35 seats in the House and six in the Senate, virtually
assuring that no new gun laws will pass in the next two years.
With Republicans in control of both Houses, and far
friendlier committee chairmen -- even if anti-gun Conservative
Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) heads the Judiciary Committee -- it may be
possible to at least partially overturn the defeats of the past
year, but it won't be easy (see "Nosecount").
In the most sweeping change in the Senate, Orrin Hatch (R-
Utah) will replace Joe Biden (D-Del.) as chairman of the Senate
Judiciary. Sen. Hatch told Arizona firearms group leaders in
late October that if he became chairman, there'd be no anti-gun
bills coming out of Judiciary "until after the year 2000."
President Bill Clinton, in his first comments on the severe
losses for his party, specifically promised to veto any repeal of
either the Brady Bill or the so-called "assault weapon" ban.
President Clinton and Handgun Control Inc. both denied the
elections were a referendum on "gun control," but 31 of 36
defeated House incumbents had voted for the crime bill. Not one
pro-gun incumbent targeted by HCI was defeated while 41 of 45
NRA-endorsed Democrats were re-elected -- and the losers were
replaced by equally pro-gun Republicans.
A stunned Washington Post reported on Nov. 10 that "Exit
poll data showed that more than third of all voters who cast
ballots Tuesday said they supported the National Rifle
Association -- and two thirds of those voters cast their ballots
for Republican candidates."
The same day The Los Angeles Times quoted Mike Casey of the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: "Those folks have
mastered the art of influencing Federal elections." And retiring
Rep. Bill Hughes told The Richmond Times Dispatch "Their
grassroots effort is the best. They are alive and well."
One of the stranger events of this election were the anti-
gun incumbents who wrapped themselves in the Second Amendment.
One was sued by NRA-ILA for using the trademarked "I'm the NRA"
theme in his re-election ads, though his opponent had NRA's
endorsement.
By contrast, Reps. Karen Shepherd (D-Utah), Jane Harman (D-
Calif.), Mike Kreidler (D-Wash.), Peter Hoagland (D-Neb.),
former HCI lobbyist Eric Fingerhut (D-Ohio) and Arizona Democrats
Karan English and Sam Coppersmith (who ran for DeConcincini's
Senate seat) said they wore NRA's opposition, and Sarah Brady's
support, as "badges of honor." All were defeated except Harman,
who is in a recount.
It's going to take time to adapt to the new landscape on
Capitol Hill, where gunowners can again get investigations into
the growing reports of abuses by BATF and other law enforcement
agencies, including both the Waco and Randy Weaver outrages.
Thanks to NRA-ILA's courageous all-out assault on Speaker
Tom Foley (D-Wash) -- who supported both Brady and the semi-auto
ban after years of claiming he opposed such laws -- he's no
longer in the Congress. Since the Speaker controls the Rules
Committee, which determines what issues and amendments will be
brought to the floor, Foley's retribution could have been
devastating.
Jack Brooks (D-Texas) will no longer be House Judiciary
Chairman -- or even a member of Congress -- because he infuriated
constituents by voting for final passage of the crime bill,
despite its ban on semi-autos. That cost him NRA-ILA's
endorsement, given because of his active opposition to both the
Brady Bill and the semi-auto ban.
(Many Beaumont area NRA members were furious that NRA didn't
endorse Brooks' pro-gun opponent, Steve Stockman. ILA decided to
formally stay out of the race in deference to his usual support
for gun owners and the near-certainty that his replacement as
chairman would be Charles Schumer [D-N.Y.] or, in the unlikely
event of Republican control, Henry Hyde.)
Thankfully, Schumer will only be a minority member of the
Crime Subcommittee. But he and Sen. Bill Bradley are trying to
put together hearings on parts of "Brady II" before the 103rd
Congress adjourns; there is zero chance of it being enacted, even
if it got to the House floor, thanks to a guaranteed filibuster
in the Senate.
Howard Metzenbaum will be gone -- and his unanointed heir
son-in-law won't be there as his replacement.
Metzenbaum's probable successor as the Senate's leading
anti-gunner, Dianne Feinstein, has declared victory in her re-
election, but Michael Huffington hasn't conceded. Huffington
wouldn't vote much better, but wouldn't be Sarah Brady's point
persons. He is looking at voting by illegal immigrants, who
registered to oppose Prop. 187 sanctions against illegals.
Congressional Nosecount
Gun owners made great gains in the Nov. 8 elections, enough
to block more gun laws, but clearly not enough to force an
outright repeal of the new laws on the books.
Eight Senators who usually or always voted with the retiring
Howard Metzenbaum, were replaced by seven "A's" and one "C."
In the 435-member House, 47 anti-gunners, 22 wafflers and 16
solid pro-gunners who retired or ran for higher office (usually
successfully), were replaced by 69 "A's," seven "B's" or
unknowns, and only eight anti-gunners. (One "A" vs. "F" race is
still undecided.)
Based on how the departing House members actually voted on
the May 5 semi-auto ban -- which passed 216-214 -- and the
promised votes of the incoming members, the bill would have
failed 184-250 (if all the questionable votes went for the bill).
However, if the fury of their constituents and the Nov. 8
election failed to affect the votes of returning Senators, the
Feinstein semi-auto ban -- which the Senate approved 56-43 --
would tie 50-50 in the new Senate, so Vice President Gore's vote
would pass it.
That simple nosecount explains why Speaker-to-be Newt
Gingrich and other House members are eagerly talking about
repealing the "assault weapon" ban, but Senators Bob Dole and
Phil Gramm are more cautious.
Pro-Gunners Win Key
State Races, Statehouses
With the new Congress unlikely to enact any new gun
legislation, anti-gun forces will be driven to the states to
pursue their agenda. But the pickings there are going to be
significantly leaner than during the past two years due to the
defeat of dozens of anti-gunners and significant shifts in
leadership.
The final ballot count in California isn't yet complete, but
close observers believe Republicans will take the Assembly --
which would mean saying goodbye to F-rated Speaker Willie Brown,
who would be replaced by A+-rated Jim Brulte.
Republicans -- more likely to oppose gun restrictions than
Democrats -- took control of the Senates of Alaska, Connecticut,
Florida, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon and South Dakota, and will
control the Assemblies in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington
and Wisconsin.
Of equal or greater importance, 20 of 25 NRA-ILA-endorsed
gubernatorial candidates won or retained their mansions -- and
the ability to veto anti-selfdefense legislation.
NRA-backed governors will be sworn in Arizona, Connecticut,
Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New
York, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming. The
outcome of the Alaska governor's race is still teetering.
Texas governor-elect George W. Bush has said he will sign a
concealed carry law even better than the one defeated Gov. Ann
Richards vetoed last year (which was a significant factor in her
defeat).
ILA also endorsed, and helped elect, numerous other
statewide candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general
and secretary of state (including in Florida, where an F-rated
supporter of gun bans lost his bid to run the office which
administers the state's carrying license law).
One of the most significant shifts was Washington State,
which not only dumped six of its nine Congressmen (including
Speaker Foley), 27 Democrats lost state House seats. That will
swap F-rated Speaker Brian Ebersole with A+-rated Clyde Ballard,
and make it possible to repeal much of last year's crime bill.
The same kind of "A+" for "F" leadership change will occur
in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Illinois.
Referendums Defeated
In Milwaukee, Kenosha
The major Wisconsin cities of Milwaukee and Kenosha firmly
rejected handgun ban referenda by margins of 67-33 percent and
75-25 percent.
They join Madison, where anti-gunners lost such a referendum
two years ago.
The Village of Shorewood, however, narrowly approved -- 54
to 46 percent -- a non-binding recommendation to the village
board to enact such a law next year.
In Alaska, voters overwhelmingly approved -- 72 to 28
percent -- a provision clarifying and strengthening the state's
right to bear arms constitutional provision.
Georgia gave even stronger approval -- 81 to 19 percent --
to a "Two Strikes You're Out" constitutional amendment requiring
violent offenders to serve mandatory minimum sentences and life
sentences without parole for a second violent offense.
Oregon voters narrowly approved -- 51 to 49 percent -- a
measure to use bait to attract black bear, or use dogs for
hunting bear or cougar.
Voters in Branch County, Mich., approved a referendum to
allow Sunday hunting.
NRA Draws Bead
On Semi-Auto Ban
The NRA Board of Directors determined at its October meeting
to challenge the so-called "assault weapon ban" in several court
cases on various grounds including the Second Amendment.
The Supreme Court has twice declined to consider NRA-backed
Second Amendment challenges to the Morton Grove handgun ban
(Quillici, 1982) and the 1986 machine gun ban (Farmer, 1988).
Nothing could be clearer than the equivalent provision in
the Connecticut Constitution which says, in its entirety, "Every
citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the
state." Yet a state judge recently held that that provision did
not prohibit the Connecticut law banning so-called "assault
weapons."
The NRA has spent a quarter-million dollars-plus supporting
that case, which is also backed by other gun groups. The legal
team challenging the law includes some of the best talent in the
nation, including perhaps the foremost constitutional attorney in
the state.
Several attorneys with no Constitutional law experience are
attempting to raise funds to bring a Second Amendment challenge;
it would be sheer foolishness to bring anything but the very best
case possible.
Court Questions
School Gun Ban
The rediscovered Tenth Amendment's reservation of
unenumerated powers to the states and the people -- basis of the
NRA-backed challenges to the Brady Law -- was before the Supreme
Court in another gun law challenge on election day.
The case, U.S. v. Lopez, challenges Congress' authority to
prohibit guns within 1,000 feet of schools, part of the 1990
Federal crime bill.
Solicitor General Drew Davis III claimed that the authority
came under the government's Constitutional authority to regulate
interstate commerce, like most other Federal gun laws.
Alfonso Lopez is a San Antonio teenager who claimed to have
taken a handgun to school for use in a "gang war" -- the kind of
distasteful case that the Justice Department likes to use to
expand its powers.
During oral argument, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor demanded
to know why the law -- and "the general ban on assault weapons" -
- didn't violate the Tenth Amendment.
And Chief Justice William Rehnquist asked what Congress
could not do under the broad argument that everything has some
vague connection to interstate commerce.
The Justice Department's answers seemed to satisfy only
Justices Stevens and Breyer, the newest member, whose emotional
words and body language revealed himself to be viscerally anti-
gun.
The Court's decision should be handed down in late winter.
'Sniper Bill' A Hoax
We've received several copies of "H.R. 5904," by Schumer, et
al, which supposedly would make unlawful the possession of
"Sniper Weapons" -- "bolt action rifles greater than .22
caliber."
It's a hoax.
The format of the bill is not the usual House typeface or
style. Besides, Congress never reached that high a number.
The bill is disinformation -- designed to get gun owners
stirred up about something which the anti-gunners are not doing,
so we pay less attention to what they are doing.
"WHERE'S THE AMMO?"
All the Trappings of Hoax
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In response to the media firestorm over a
"manufacturer" and his "ammunition," the National Rifle
Association of America observed the following:
(a) The maker is not a maker -- and may never be;
(b) The round in question has never been seen, much
less evaluated, by competent authority; and
(c) Contrary to USA Today and others, it cannot
lawfully "hit gun stores Monday."
"This has all the trappings of a hoax," said Mrs. Tanya K.
Metaksa, NRA chief lobbyist. "What we have is an outbreak
of mob journalism centering on the dubious claims of a would-be
manufacturer. According to published reports, the "product"
goes to market next week -- but the BATF has not even granted
a license. Neither the technical staff of NRA nor the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) has received a single
cartridge to evaluate.
"Experience dictates that it is unwise to base public policy
solely on the basis of a manufacturer's dubious claims.
According to published accounts, the "manufacturer" is a gun
control advocate. That alone should prompt skepticism.
Reports also indicate that he expects to market the product
in January -- without having a federal license to do so. That
alone should prompt an entirely new line of inquiry:
Who does he work for?
"NRA's position is clear: we helped craft the prohibition
against handgun ammunition designed to penetrate ballistic
resistant vests by developing a sound, technically competent
standard. Only when the proposed product is evaluated can
NRA comment on its conformance with the law and the
prospective manufacturer's credibility."
The following are the prepared remarks of Joe Phillips, Director of
Federal Affairs, NRA-ILA, on the issue of government violence and
the need for a national commission.
- - - - -
January 5, 1995
Remarks by
Joseph Phillips
Director, Federal Affairs
NRA Institute for Legislative Action
at a Press Conference in Washington, D.C.
When the National Rifle Association of America and other
constitutional rights organizations first joined together to urge
that President Clinton establish a national commission to
investigate abuse of power on the part of federal law enforcement
agencies, the date was January 1993.
It is now January 1995.
The need for a national commission on government violence is now two
years too late for too many victims, and President Clinton is still
not listening.
There is often disagreement between NRA and the American Civil
Liberties Union, another leading coalition member, on a host of
issues ranging from the Second Amendment to criminal justice reform.
But on the issue of government violence, there is agreement. Federal
government power is being aimed at honest citizens,
the liberties of those citizens are being abused and the lives of
those citizens are being threatened.
I will give you just two examples of why this commission is too many
years too late.
At four o'clock in the morning of July 13, 1994, dressed in their
Ninja-style outfits, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms stormed into the bedroom of Monique Montgomery, aged 21.
The BATF says it was looking for drugs in the home of the St. Louis
woman, but it found none. The BATF says it was looking for illegal
guns, but it found none. Instead -- after a investigation that was
six weeks in the making -- it found a woman -- alone and deep asleep
-- in her bedroom.
According to press accounts, two agents hit that bedroom with guns
drawn, shields up and high intensity lights glaring. The agents
claimed that they knocked and announced themselves ... before
breaking down the woman's door. Hearing such a commotion and being
startled as anyone would with such a bizarre scene at four in the
morning, Miss Montgomery did what most reasonable Americans would
do. She armed herself with a firearm she lawfully owned for
personal protection.
The agents claim to have, quote, repeatedly identified themselves and
told her to drop her weapon, unquote. But this is the same BATF
which set the time for the raid at four in the morning -- to
maximize the victim's disorientation. So the victim had no choice
but to be disorientated and confused. And, according to the BATF,
the agent, quoting again, didn't have any other choice, unquote, --
but to shoot her.
And shoot her he did. Four times.
Long before Ms. Montgomery was released from the hospital after being
shot in the chest and hip, the agent who shot her was back on the
job.
And now, quoting from a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial, ATF
officials may have perfectly good explanations. But in the wake of
the Branch Davidian raid in Waco, Texas, ... citizens have reason to
ask two more questions: Did the agents handle this raid the right
way? Has the ATF learned any lessons in patience? Unquote.
The BATF must learn a lesson, not just in patience, but in
constitutional rights. Federal law enforcement -- like state and
local law enforcement -- exists to preserve and protect our
liberties as well as our lives. The 3.5 Million members of the
National Rifle Association grow increasingly concerned about the
cavalier attitude of many elements of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms. The signs of abuse of power are unmistakable. It is
time for Americans to read the signs and demand an accounting.
But just as a national commission is too late to help Monique
Montgomery, it is also too late for Louie Katona from Bucyrus,
Ohio.
The Katona family is a poster family for Middle America. Louie's
wife is a devoted mother. Louie himself owns a real estate agency.
He was a part-time police officer and a full-time community
contributor. But he is also a gun collector.
Based on a trumped-up charge that he falsified certain BATF forms,
BATF entered his home. During the raid, his wife, Kimberly, became
understandably agitated and upset. An overzealous agent pushed his
wife against a wall. Within hours, Kimberly, then several months
pregnant, began bleeding. She soon miscarried.
Did BATF apologize to this family? No. Instead, BATF pressed
criminal charges against Katona. This past April, a judge threw the
charges out of court. The Katona family has civil action pending
against ATF.
The reasons for the Constitution are many, but one primary reason is
to limit raw government power that we have seen nearly destroy the
Katona family and nearly kill Monique Montgomery.
It is time to readjust the scales of power in this country. Those
scales must always weigh in favor of the people's rights, not the
government's power. For Monique Montgomery and the Louie Katona
family, the scales of power nearly crushed them out. We must right
that wrong.
For too many Americans, a national commission on government violence
is too many years too late. Let us not keep Americans -- or their
constitutional rights -- waiting any longer. NRA joins ACLU, the
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the
Independence Institute and others in urging President Clinton -- one
more time -- to right the scales of justice.
Thank you.
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-934-2121)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Fairfax, VA 22030
NRA CALLS FOR CLINTON TO INVESTIGATE
ABUSES BY FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT...AGAIN!
The NRA and other Constitutional rights organizations joined
together to urge President Clinton to establish a national
commission to investigate abuse of power on the part of federal
law enforcement agencies -- most notably, the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms. The first time we implored the President
establish this commission was January, 1993 -- and now, two years
later, that call has still gone unheeded. In the interim, dozens
of innocent people were slaughtered in Waco, Texas and Randy
Weaver's unarmed wife was shot and killed in Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
Not only has President Clinton refused to act, his FBI
Director, Louis Freeh, is promoting the man in charge of the Ruby
Ridge raid. According to the Associated Press, Freeh
"acknowledged at a news conference that [his] proposed letter of
censure for [acting] FBI deputy director [Larry] Potts ... would
not prevent him from 'enthusiastically' recommending that Potts
be promoted to permanent deputy director." So much for justice.
Please call the White House comments line at 202/456-1111, and
urge President Clinton to establish a commission to stop these
governmental abuses of civil liberties.
MOYNIHAN STILL BULLISH ON BULLET BAN: Exploiting the furor
surrounding the Black Rhino ammo hoax, Senator Daniel Patrick
Moynihan renewed his call for increased restrictions on
ammunition. In the Washington Post this week, Moynihan laid out
his agenda for 1995 when he called for "an energetic regime of
licensure, taxing and accounting" of ammunition. The Senator
even went so far as to suggest this issue should serve as a
litmus test by calling upon the electorate to vote out of office
any lawmaker who does not support this proposal. Members are
encouraged to contact their Senators and voice their opposition.
A LOOK AT THE STATES: Shorewood, Wisconsin - the Village
Board retreated from a vote on a proposed handgun ban, which
would have required gun owners to render their firearms
inoperable and register them with the police or remove them from
the village entirely! Members in the area may recall that this
measure passed as a non-binding referendum on Election Day, yet
this week, the Board declined to implement the measure, opting
instead to commission a "professional survey" of village
residents to gauge public support for the proposal. This process
will likely take weeks to complete. Newark, California - on
January 10th, the City Planning Commission will consider an
ordinance that would outlaw the sale and repair of firearms in
the home by licensed dealers. The ordinance also blocks the
establishment within the city of any new businesses engaged in
retail gun sales. Area members are urged to attend this meeting,
scheduled for Tuesday, January 10th, at 7:30 p.m., in City
Council Chambers. St. Paul, Minnesota - the City Council will
soon consider an ordinance giving firearm dealers the same zoning
classification as pornographic bookstores. This ordinance would
virtually ban firearm sales in the city by radically restricting
where firearm dealers could lawfully operate their businesses.
As soon as the Council decides to meet, we'll notify our members
in the area via telephone and fax. Stay tuned!
NRA'S ELECTION SUCCESS CONTINUES: NRA-PVF endorsed
candidates won three key special elections for open State Senate
seats last week: Dr. James Crase was elected in Kentucky Senate
District 15, Dave Kleis was elected in Minnesota Senate District
15 and Don Kramer in Minnesota Senate District 47 (Kramer was
endorsed in the primary; he defeated another "A"-rated candidate
in the General Election last week.) Our hats go off to members
in these areas who went to the polls and supported these
candidates -- you made a difference!
WORTH NOTING: NRA-ILA Research & Information staff recently
found there is no truth to the rumor that WAL-MART has been
contributing a portion of its profits to anti-gun groups. And as
for clarification as to why its employees are asking purchasers
of ammunition what type of gun the ammo is for, WAL-MART says
they're trying to ensure that the customer is 18 years old if
purchasing rifle ammunition, and 21 if purchasing rounds for a
handgun.
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-934-2121)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Fairfax, VA 22030
NRA GRASSFIRE!
The Newsletter for NRA-ILA Volunteers
January 1995 Vol. 1 No. 1
NRA GRASSFIRE IS HERE!
The NRA-ILA Grassroots Division is pleased to introduce its
monthly newsletter for NRA-ILA Volunteers -- NRA Grassfire!
The information contained in each issue of NRA Grassfire will
keep you abreast of pending and late-breaking legislative and
political activities happening in Washington, D.C., and across
the country.
NRA Grassfire is your link to NRA-ILA and will allow you to
learn of new studies, fact sheets, grassroots lobbying strategies
or other ILA activities. Materials are available to you without
cost.
We are hopeful that NRA Grassfire's monthly features
highlighting firearms-related activities at the local, state and
federal levels, as well as any new developments in the courts,
will help you defend our liberties and help us promote a
nationwide pro-gun agenda.
FORGING AHEAD WITH A PRO-GUN CONGRESS
The NRA's top priority for the 104th Congress is to turn our
ballot box gains into pro-gun victories, as we work to repeal and
reform both the '94 crime bill & the Brady Act.
Within the first 100 days of the new Congress, the Republican
leadership has vowed to introduce a new crime bill to rectify the
numerous shortcomings of Clinton's crime bill, which includes
both a gun and magazine ban. As for the Brady Act, we'll work
with Congress to speed up the process by which states will be
required to be on-line with an instant check system. For
sportsmen, we'll push to protect hunters from attacks by "animal
rights" extremists, and protect your access to national wildlife
refuges.
And in the "Long Overdue" category, we'll work with our allies
to push for oversight hearings on federal agencies, such as the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) and Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As you know, our tax
dollars fund CDC studies, which on almost every occasion promote
an anti-gun agenda. As for the BATF, in light of the Waco and
Ruby Ridge travesties, hearings would help shed some light on the
abuses of power the BATF has been engaged in, and hopefully give
us a chance to pull in the reins on this rogue agency.
Washington Whispers... Changes on the Hill and in the Clinton
Administration apparently will continue long after the November
8th revolution. In the U.S. Congress, notorious anti-gun Senator
Paul Simon (D-IL) will not seek re-election in 1996, nor will
Senator Hank Brown (R-CO).
They're cleaning out the cabinets in the Clinton
Administration! First on the "hit-list" was gun-ban advocate
Joycelyn Elders who has been discharged as Surgeon General and
may be replaced by former U.S. Representative Roy Rowland (D-GA),
who retired at the close of the 103rd Congress. Over at the
Department of Treasury (which oversees the BATF) Secretary Lloyd
Bentsen announced his retirement. The leading candidate to fill
this vacancy is Robert Rubin, who currently heads Clinton's
National Economic Council. Finally, at the Department of
Agriculture, Clinton nominated former U.S. Representative Dan
Glickman (D-KS) to replace outgoing Secretary Mike Espy. You'll
remember that anti-gun Glickman lost his re-election bid to pro-
gun challenger Todd Tiahrt.
AROUND THE COUNTRY
1995 will be an important year not only on Capitol Hill, but
in state legislatures nationwide as well. With a new wave of
pro-gun legislators taking office from California to Maine, NRA
will be actively working to pass laws to strengthen our freedoms.
Here's what you can expect in the coming year:
* Passing reform legislation to allow law-abiding citizens to
carry firearms for self-defense.
* Passing firearms preemption laws to prevent local governments
from enacting their own "gun control" ordinances. Preemption
laws guarantee statewide uniformity in gun laws and eliminate a
web of local regulations.
* Passing range protection laws to ensure that shooting ranges
will remain open and will be protected from frivolous court
actions and local ordinances aimed at shutting them down.
* Pass instant check systems which will exempt prospective
handgun purchasers from the Brady Act's five-day waiting period.
1995 could be a banner year for gun owners if we work together
to pass laws strengthening our Second Amendment freedoms. And
we're counting on you to lead the charge! For more information
on activities in your state, please call the Grassroots Division
at 1-800-392-8683.
FROM THE BENCH
A federal court in Louisiana has struck down as
unconstitutional the Brady Act's requirement that local law-
enforcement officials conduct background checks on prospective
handgun buyers. Similar decisions have been handed down in
Arizona, Mississippi, Montana and Vermont. However, an opposing
decision has been handed down in Texas. Several of these
decisions are currently under appeal.
In addition to the challenges being filed against the Brady
Act, NRA is preparing a legal challenge to the crime bill.
Although the final strategy has not yet been determined, we will
keep you abreast of any developments.
HCI GOES NEGATIVE NATIONALLY!
Handgun Control, Inc., (HCI) has kicked off a national media
blitz attacking NRA's defense of the Second Amendment. The ads
feature HCI's Sarah Brady with former Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, Warren Burger.
Action Alert! HCI's ads level a series of fallacious charges
against NRA, claiming we deliberately distort the meaning of the
Second Amendment. We need your help to counter these attacks.
If you see these ads or other charges being made in the broadcast
media, please contact the Grassroots Division at 1-800-392-8683.
Let us know what was said, the name of the station airing the
broadcast, the time and date it appeared, and if an official NRA
representative had the opportunity to respond. We're counting on
your help!
GRASSROOTS STAFF ON THE ROAD
In an effort to reach out and meet NRA members, volunteers and
gun owners across the country, NRA-ILA Grassroots staff will be
working in the NRA exhibit booth at the sports shows listed
below. We will have packets of our fact sheets and other
materials available for you, so we hope you'll stop by the booth
and introduce yourself!
January 20-22 Ft. Washington, PA Greater Philadelphia Sport
Show
January 19-22 Eugene, OR International Sportsman's
Exposition
January 25-29 Seattle, WA Seattle Sportsman's Show (1)
International Sportsman's
Exposition (2)
January 27-31 Chicago, IL Chicagoland Sport Fishing Show
January 27-29 Syracuse, NY Northeastern Sport Show
PLENTY OF "AMMO" ON OUR SHELVES
The NRA-ILA Grassroots Division houses a vast selection of
valuable materials on all aspects of the "gun control" debate and
firearms-related issues -- your legislative and political ammo!
This information is a must for all Grassroots Volunteers! For a
sampling of these materials (quantities available free-of-charge)
contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at 1-800-392-8683.
JOIN THE NRA-ILA FAX NETWORK!
To receive weekly legislative and political updates via FAX
machine, call the Grassroots Division and join the NRA-ILA FAX
Network. This service is absolutely free!
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When
the people fear the government, there is tyranny."
-- Thomas Jefferson.
NRA Grassfire
NRA-ILA Grassroots Division
11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (800) 392-8683/Fax: (703) 267-3918
Downloaded from GUN-TALK (703-934-2121)
A service of the
National Rifle Association
Institute for Legislative Action
Fairfax, VA 22030
Copyright(C) 1995 by the Outdoors RoundTable and GEnie. May be
reprinted &/or distributed only with this notice intact. The
Outdoors RoundTable is the official source of camping, hiking,
boating, metal detecting and all other outdoors activities on GEnie.
To sign up on GEnie, just follow these simple steps:
1. Set your communications software for half-duplex (local echo) at 300,
1200, or 2400 baud. Recommended communications parameters 8 data bits, no
parity and 1 stop bit.
2. Dial toll-free in the U.S. at 1-800-638-8369 (or in Canada at
1-800-387-8330). Upon connection, type HHH (Please note: every time you
use GEnie, you need to enter the HHH upon connection)
3. At the U#= prompt, type JOINGENIE and press <Return>
4. At the offer code prompt enter DUC52 to get this special offer.
5. Have a major credit card ready. In the U.S., you may also use your
checking account number. (There is a $2.00 monthly fee for all checking
accounts.) In Canada, VISA and MasterCard only.
For more information, call 1-800-638-9636
