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The 104th Congress is now in session with the Republicans
firmly in control.  I strongly recommend that you contact 
them to remind them who put them in office and why we did. 
Urge the Republicans in Congress and also your state 
legislators to restore our recently stolen firearms rights.  

Demand a repeal of the unconstitutional "Crime Bill", 
semi-auto bans, magazine bans and waiting periods.  None 
of these have any significant affect on crime.  Criminals 
can make guns in prison and according to the Federal Justice 
Department they can get illegal guns minutes after getting 
out of prison. [1]  It would be nice if we could magically 
prevent criminals from getting guns, but these prohibitionist 
laws can't, won't and don't.  They are only successful in
placing unnecessary and potentially life-threatening 
obstacles in the way of the law-abiding who have a right to 
access to the means of safe and effective self-defense.
Semi-auto rifles were vital in civilian hands for defending 
life and property in Florida following hurricane Hugo.  
Anti-gunners (hoping to become gunowners) were surprised to 
learn during the L.A. riots that California now has a 15-day 
waiting period on all long guns, not just pistols.  

Suggest that if crime is really so bad now, then firearm 
carry permits (CCWs) should be made available on an 
objective basis.  22 states, many changed in recent 
years, now allow any competent adult with no criminal or 
mental history to obtain a permit to carry a concealed 
firearm.  Many require training classes that range from 
lectures to the same requirements as police officers.  
Many permit holders go beyond these basics and take
serious defensive pistolcraft courses, some far beyond
the training most cops get.  In no states with liberalized
carry permits has the murder rate significantly increased.  
In fact in Florida, the murder rate fell from 20% above 
the national average to 10% below when carry permits were 
made non-discretionary in 1987. [2]

I hope you will make use of the information you get from
the Internet to protect your rights by educating your 
friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, media persons
and politicians.  The freedom you save will be your own 
(and your grandchildren's).

Jeff Chan
chan@shell.portal.com
__

References:
1. Wright, Rossi, Daly, "Under the Gun," Aldine de Gruyter, 
   Hawthorn, NY, (914) 747-0110
   [A summary of Wright's original NIJ research can be found
   in my ftp directory under research/wright/nij-summary.]
2. Clayton Cramer & David Kopel "'Shall Issue': The New Wave of 
   Concealed Weapon Permit Laws," 1994, Independence Institute,
   Golden, Colorado, (303) 279-6536