Date: Thu, 25 Aug 1994 01:08:44 -0700 From: "Christopher W. Knox" To: cknox@crl.com Subject: FCO 8-24-94 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ======================================================================== Online Report to the F I R E A R M S C O A L I T I O N Box 6537, Silver Spring, MD 20916 ======================================================================== August 24, 1994 Release 1.19 ======================================================================== In this issue: * Crime Bill Passes House, Stalls In Senate * House Crime Bill Box Scores ======================================================================== A note from Chris This bulletin is overdue. By now you know what happened in the House. I've appended a copy of the box scores I grabbed off the Net. I'm reasonably sure of the data, but I can't say it's one hundred percent. There is one last fight in this battle -- the Senate. Republicans have been careful to debate everything except the gun ban. I heard one Republican leader say that they've lost on the gun ban. Yet their actions look remarkably like a filibuster. Amazing things can happen in a roomful of lawyers. But I'm not complaining. I'm sorry to say that my own Representative, Jon Kyl of Arizona turned tail at the last minute and voted for the bill. Kyl is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Dennis DeConcini. What is particularly revolting is that he convinced a number of gun rights activists to work on his campaign. Few will be there now. I hope to see Scott Grainger, the Libertarian candidate put a dent in Kyl's vote tally. The best we are likely to do by backing the Libertarian is to throw the election to Sam Coppersmith. That's unfortunate, because Sam is solidly against us. But he can't be any worse than DeConcini. And there's something to be said for having enemies. At least you know where they stand. I've heard rumblings that NRA may continue to back Kyl. If that is the case, I hope to have a hand in stopping it. ### NRA President Tom Washington appeared on NBC's oddball magazine show "TV Nation" Tuesday night. I have to confess, he looked the part. ### The Bulletin this week consists of Neal Knox's legislative hotline scripts. I've cleaned them up and reproduced them in order. ### "You can fight a porcupine and win, but if other folks get a look at you they may think it's a bad idea to mess with porcupines." -- Neal Knox ### The foregoing opinions are mine. Share them if you wish. Chris Knox ======================================================================== 12:30 a.m. Aug. 19 update -- There is, and has been all week, total confusion over the crime bill. Thursday morning's Washington Times said the Administration had taken five steps forward and 11 back. They figured the White House had won five black caucus votes while losing the 11 Republicans who voted for the rule to bring the crime bill to a vote. It's not that simple. I'm told pro-gun Democrats lost one vote to the President, but gained two. Thursday night House and Senate Democrats met with the President and came out talking about a vote Saturday. But that will happen only if they can line up a majority on the basis of the latest compromise, supposedly a billion dollar reduction in social programs, minor tinkering with the gun provisions, and restoring a provision requiring sexual offenders to be registered and reported to the communities where they live. NRA and its supporters aren't interested. Neither are Republicans, who want a much bigger cut in the social programs. Unless the President gives up much more, the vote could be delayed beyond the weekend. And a lot of Congressmen are getting antsy about continuously rescheduling and delaying campaign functions. They're wanting to get home to protect their seats. If Clinton does squeeze the crime bill through the House -- which he must do to preserve his Presidency -- he's facing major problems in the Senate. Wednesday Sen. Orrin Hatch said that unless the social programs are severely cut, Republicans will raise a point of order that the bill violates spending limits. Beating that maneuver will require 60 votes. Right now, Clinton doesn't have them. And every hour, Charlton Heston's devastating NRA-sponsored ads -- filmed last Saturday and blanketing Washington and selected Congressional districts -- are convincing more people that this so- called crime bill is a crime. ======================================================================== Aug. 19 update -- The House-Senate conference committee on the crime bill will reconvene tonight. If they can reach an agreement - -- and it smells like they have -- the Rules Committee will come up with another voting rule tomorrow morning and the House will vote on both the rule, and if it is approved, the crime bill, starting at 12:30 tomorrow. Before adjourning this afternoon the House granted unanimous consent to stack the conference by adding three new members, all anti-gunners: Republican Mike Castle of Delaware, Democrats Patsy Schroeder and Barney Frank. That could not have happened without the connivance of would-be Republican leader Newt Gingrich. The proposed changes to the gun section are minor. The number of listed guns and the 10-shot magazines are still the same. BATF would have to bring a list of any additional guns to ban to Congress each year, and it would have to be approved by both Houses. That assures a gun law fight every year. The anti-gunners must have the votes to pass a new rule or they wouldn't have scheduled the conference. My information is that almost 50 pro-gun Democrats are holding firm, the problem is the black caucus and about two dozen squishy Republicans now intend to support the rule. If the rule is approved, the crime bill is likely to pass by a wide margin. The bill would then go to the Senate. What happens there depends entirely on what the negotiated bill contains and how many House Republicans vote for it. We are behind the Eight Ball, but that's where we've been ever since gun bans passed both the House and Senate. The fat lady still ain't sung, but I hear her warming up. ======================================================================== Noon Aug. 20 update -- House and Senate negotiators on the crime bill met until almost dawn this morning, and started again at 11 a.m.. If they can reach an agreement -- and they haven't yet -- the House-Senate Conference will have to agree, then the Rules Committee will come up with another voting rule and the House will vote either late today or Wednesday, or so the leadership says. Congressmen Bill Brewster of Oklahoma and Duncan Hunter of California intend to introduce a bill today that includes only the crime bill provisions which everyone -- or almost everyone -- supports. It provides for more cops, more prisons and more punishment. There's no gun ban and no midnight basketball. The lead editorial in this morning's Washington Times reprinted a lengthy letter from Congressman Brewster to President Clinton, blasting him and his Administration for arrogance. Congressman Brewster is a Democrat, a member of the NRA Board, and was an early supporter, campaigner and fundraiser for the President. You can bet that Clinton won't go hunting with Brewster again. Before adjourning yesterday afternoon the House granted unanimous consent to stack the House-Senate crime conference by adding three new members, all anti-gunners: Republican Mike Castle of Delaware, Democrats Patsy Schroeder and Barney Frank. The agreed-upon changes to the gun section are minor. The number of listed guns and the 10-shot magazines are still the same. BATF would have to bring a list of any additional guns to ban to Congress each year, and it would have to be approved by both Houses. That assures a gun law fight every year. The anti-gunners thought they had the votes to pass a new rule or they would not have scheduled the conference. My information is that almost 50 pro-gun Democrats are holding firm, the problem is the black caucus and about two dozen squishy Republicans now intend to support the rule. However, that block of Republicans wants more changes than the Administration has been willing to accept. There's now a 50-50 chance that the House vote will be put off until the middle of the week, and if it passes, the bill will still have to go to the Senate. But Congress is getting antsy to go home. How much longer the leadership can keep them here is anyone's guess. Last night, it looked like the Republican leadership was caving in, and I thought I heard the fat lady tuning up to sing. But not yet, my friends. ======================================================================== 2:00 a.m. Sunday Aug. 21 update -- House-Senate conferees are still working, and are expecting to get a new crime bill finished and filed by noon. The House is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. There will be a vote on a motion to recommit the bill with instructions -- which would be to support the Brewster-Duncan no- fluff, just-tough bill which has gathered a large number of co- sponsors. It is critical that you and your friends call your Congressman today, Sunday. Urge them to do two things: 1) sign on as a co- sponsor to the Brewster Back To Basics crime bill. 2) Vote for the motion to recommit the President's crime bill with instructions to replace it with the Brewster bill. Those will be the key action that NRA will base its grades on this year. The outcome is very much in doubt. That's why the Democrat leadership didn't force a vote tonight. We got a report a few minutes ago, that there may be an effort to modify the magazine section of the President's bill, but I have no details on what changes it would make, or if the conferees and White House are willing to accept it. The leadership wouldn't consider such a thing if they weren't having difficulty lining up and holding votes. About 1 a.m., while driving back from NRA Headquarters, I heard Rep. Vic Fazio blasting the NRA for phoning and buttonholing Congressmen, and pushing Brewster-Duncan. He was correct in blaming NRA's all-out lobbying effort for blocking the President's bill, but he was lying when he said "NRA has the field all to themselves." Not only are Handgun Control Inc. lobbyists on the Hill and on the phone, but their No. 1 lobbyist is President Bill Clinton. He was making calls until nearly midnight that I know of -- to both Democrats and Republicans. ======================================================================== 8 P.M. Aug. 21 update -- Forty-six so-called "moderate Republicans" let Bill Clinton off the canvas, giving him a comeback victory on the crime bill. The crime bill, including a freeze on military semi-autos, passed the House by 235-195 this afternoon. It still must pass the Senate, which may take it up tomorrow. I don't know if it can be successfully filibustered, but I suspect both Sen. Larry Craig and Phil Gramm to have a "lengthy explanation" of why it's a bad bill. The press is cheering that it was a huge loss to NRA. Maybe so, but their unexpected victory over Clinton 10 days ago was an equally huge win. That victory reestablishes NRA as a major player - -- and assures that it won't again be regarded as a doormat. The House-passed bill includes a ban on future manufacture or importation of 19 named guns but I am told the generic description has been dropped. Instead it provides for BATF to each year bring to Congress a fresh list of guns to be banned as "assault weapons," which assures an annual fight over gun laws. So far as I know, the only change to the magazine ban was to eliminate the classification of parts for over-10-shot magazines as if they were prohibited magazines. There was a report that the Administration proposed an additional change in the magazine section, but I do not yet know what it was or if it was included in the final bill. The other changes by the conference include a specific requirement that the burden of proof on ownership of grandfathered guns or magazines would be on the government. An NRA-backed effort by Reps. Bill Brewster and Duncan Hunter to substitute a "Back To Basics" crime bill failed by 232-197. It had been stripped of social welfare spending and the gun ban. President Clinton immediately held a press conference to boast of his bipartisan victory. He said that is the way Congress is supposed to work. That was pure hypocrisy. Clinton didn't talk to Republicans until he had to. After he was stunned by the 225-210 defeat of the rule 10 days ago, he first tried to talk only with the 10 members of the Black Caucus When that didn't work, he talked to the 19 Republicans who voted against the gun ban and for the crime bill, but against the rule. Only when that wasn't enough did he meet with Republicans, including New Gingrich. Pro-gun Democrats hung tough. Clinton blasted them and refused to talk with them. The exception was NRA Director John Dingell, a leader in the pro-gun movement for nearly three decades. But Mr. Dingell voted for the rule last week, and steadily supported the President this week and today. This afternoon, he sent his resignation from the NRA Board to President Tom Washington. ======================================================================== Box Scores on the Crime Bill Y = Voted for passage N = Voted against passage X = Not voting AL Democrat Bevill N Browder Y Cramer Y Hilliard N Republican Bachus N Callahan X Everett N AK Republican Young N AZ Democrat Coppersmith Y English Y Pastor Y Republican Kolbe Y Kyl Y Stump N AR Democrat Lambert Y Thornton Y Republican Dickey N Hutchinson N CA Democrat Becerra Y Beilenson Y Berman Y Brown Y Condit Y Dellums N Dixon Y Dooley Y Edwards Y Eshoo Y Farr Y Fazio Y Filner Y Hamburg Y Harman Y Lantos Y Lehman Y Martinez Y Matsui Y Miller Y Mineta Y Pelosi Y Roybal-Allard Y Schenk Y Stark Y Torres Y Tucker X Waters N Waxman Y Woolsey Y Republican Baker N Calvert N Cox N Cunningham N Doolittle N Dornan N Dreier N Gallegly Y Herger N Horn Y Huffington Y Hunter N Kim N Lewis N McCandless N McKeon N Moorhead N Packard N Pombo N Rohrabacher N Royce N Thomas N CO Democrat Schroeder Y Skaggs Y Republican Allard N Hefley N McInnis N Schaefer N CT Democrat DeLauro Y Gejdenson Y Kennelly Y Republican Franks Y Johnson Y Shays Y DE Republican Castle Y FL Democrat Bacchus Y Brown Y Deutsch Y Gibbons Y Hastings Y Hutto N Johnston Y Meek Y Peterson N Thurman N Republican Bilirakis N Canady Y Diaz-Balart Y Fowler N Goss N Lewis N McCollum N Mica N Miller N Ros-Lehtinen Y Shaw Y Stearns N Young N GA Democrat Bishop Y Darden Y Deal N Johnson Y Lewis N McKinney Y Rowland X. Republican Collins N Gingrich N Kingston N Linder N HI Democrat Abercrombie Y Mink Y ID Democrat LaRocco N Republican Crapo N IL Democrat Collins Y Costello Y Durbin Y Evans Y Gutierrez Y Lipinski Y Poshard Y Reynolds Y Rostenkowski Y Rush Y Sangmeister Y Yates Y Republican Crane N Ewing N Fawell N Hastert N Hyde N Manzullo N Michel N Porter Y IN Democrat Hamilton Y Jacobs Y Long Y McCloskey Y Roemer Y Sharp Y Visclosky Y Republican Burton N Buyer N Myers N IA Democrat Smith Y Republican Grandy Y Leach Y Lightfoot N Nussle N KS Democrat Glickman Y Slattery Y Republican Meyers Y Roberts N KY Democrat Baesler Y Barlow N Mazzoli Y Republican Bunning N Lewis N Rogers N LA Democrat Fields N Hayes N Jefferson Y Tauzin N Republican Baker N Livingston N McCrery N ME Democrat Andrews Y Republican Snowe Y MD Democrat Cardin Y Hoyer Y Mfume Y Wynn Y Republican Bartlett N Bentley N Gilchrest Y Morella Y MA Democrat Frank Y Kennedy Y Markey Y Meehan Y Moakley Y Neal Y Olver Y Studds Y Republican Blute Y Torkildsen Y MI Democrat Barcia N Bonior Y Carr Y Collins Y Conyers N Dingell Y Ford Y Kildee Y Levin Y Stupak N Republican Camp N Ehlers N Hoekstra N Knollenberg N Smith N Upton Y MN Democrat Minge Y Oberstar N Penny N Peterson N Sabo N Vento Y Republican Grams N Ramstad Y MS Democrat Montgomery N Parker N Taylor N Thompson Y Whitten Y MO Democrat Clay N Danner N Gephardt Y Skelton N Volkmer N Wheat Y Republican Emerson N Hancock N Talent Y MT Democrat Williams N NE Democrat Hoagland Y Republican Barrett N Bereuter N NV Democrat Bilbray Y Republican Vucanovich N NH Democrat Swett Y Republican Zeliff N NJ Democrat Andrews Y Hughes Y Klein Y Menendez Y Pallone Y Payne N Torricelli Y Republican Franks Y Gallo N Roukema Y Saxton Y Smith Y Zimmer Y NM Democrat Richardson Y Republican Schiff N Skeen N NY Democrat Ackerman Y Engel Y Flake Y Hinchey Y Hochbrueckner Y LaFalce Y Lowey Y Maloney Y Manton Y McNulty Y Nadler N Owens Y Rangel N Schumer Y Serrano Y Slaughter Y Towns Y Velazquez Y Republican Boehlert Y Fish N Gilman N Houghton Y King Y Lazio Y Levy Y McHugh N Molinari Y Paxon N Quinn Y Solomon N Walsh Y NC Democrat Clayton Y Hefner Y Lancaster Y Neal Y Price Y Rose Y Valentine X Watt N Republican Ballenger N Coble N McMillan N Taylor N ND Democrat Pomeroy Y OH Democrat Applegate Y Brown Y Fingerhut Y Hall Y Kaptur Y Mann Y Sawyer Y Stokes N Strickland N Traficant Y Republican Boehner N Gillmor N Hobson Y Hoke N Kasich Y Oxley N Portman N Pryce Y Regula N OK Democrat Brewster N McCurdy Y Synar N Republican Inhofe N Istook N Lucas N OR Democrat DeFazio N Furse Y Kopetski N Wyden Y Republican Smith N PA Democrat Blackwell Y Borski Y Coyne Y Foglietta Y Holden Y Kanjorski N Klink N Margolies-Mezvinsky Y McHale Y Murphy N Murtha N Republican Clinger N Gekas N Goodling N Greenwood Y McDade N Ridge Y Santorum N Shuster N Walker N Weldon Y RI Democrat Reed Y Republican Machtley Y SC Democrat Clyburn Y Derrick Y Spratt Y Republican Inglis N Ravenel N Spence N SD Democrat Johnson Y TN Democrat Clement Y Cooper N Ford Y Gordon Y Lloyd Y Tanner N Republican Duncan N Quillen N Sundquist N TX Democrat Andrews Y Brooks Y Bryant Y Chapman Y Coleman Y de la Garza N Edwards Y Frost Y Geren N Gonzalez Y Green Y Hall N Johnson, E Y Laughlin N Ortiz N Pickle Y Sarpalius N Stenholm N Tejeda N Washington X Wilson N Republican Archer N Armey N Barton N Bonilla N Combest N DeLay N Fields N Johnson, S N Smith N UT Democrat Orton N Shepherd Y Republican Hansen N VT Socialist Sanders Y VA Democrat Boucher N Byrne Y Moran Y Payne N Pickett N Scott N Sisisky N Republican Bateman N Bliley N Goodlatte N Wolf N WA Democrat Cantwell Y Dicks Y Foley Y Inslee Y Kreidler Y McDermott Y Swift Y Unsoeld N Republican Dunn N WV Democrat Mollohan N Rahall N Wise N WI Democrat Barca Y Barrett Y Kleczka Y Obey Y Republican Gunderson N Klug Y Petri N Roth N Sensenbrenner N WY Republican Thomas N ======================================================================== Copyright 1994 by Neal Knox Associates P.O. Box 6537 Rockville, MD 20916. Reproduction and distribution of this bulletin by any means is encouraged so long as this statement is retained. ======================================================================== PGP Users Remove the asterisks to use this key. Yes I know I should be using 2.6. I've been busy. Something's got to give. *-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.3 mQCPAi1tPEUAAAEEALs5MUajMVKA9QQkiibPXDLzUOzXvgIkTY5/pU4iczGolC/T JjBcUuzFXXVSAeJkoJTJNbI/OKVGJrAeoqNdCpHkKXaWg6J3dCxZikkHHSoO2tRW GeVsJHT9+q5KozqqVGxisIoyQvF6MmfGalJY7jnfwacxi2SY3Q5t55+a10qVABEB AAG0J0NocmlzdG9waGVyIFdhcnJlbiBLbm94IDxja25veEBjcmwuY29tPg== =rsvv *-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- We recommend encryption of sensitive data such as credit card numbers. ======================================================================== Dear Neal, I use the information you provide to protect my gun rights. Enclosed is my contribution so that you can continue your work: $500 [ ] $250 [ ] $50 [ ] $25 [ ] Other:____ [ ] Bill my MasterCard [ ] Visa [ ] Quarterly [ ]; Monthly [ ]; Once [ ] Card No. ______________________ Expiration Date _____ Mr. [ ] Mrs.[ ]______________________________ Signature ______________________ Ms. [ ] Address __________________________________________ Phone _______________ City _____________________________________________ State ____ Zip_______ Email Address ______________________ Print and mail, or send via Email to nealknox@genie.geis.com Firearms Coalition Box 6537 Silver Spring, MD 20916 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.3 iQCVAgUBLlvvGA5t55+a10qVAQGqGgP+K+t5jYGBuhKpOuwCYNO6ZhD2aARk5mLI TuI7cPAL1rflM5pOvWleWEZjYJqJGvdiYRtbR2yXUckd2Ufh0vodpwvlDVCKGKv8 tKC3OibQfVaVw3fx6E9V0mVB4kg94P9OSWfpNF0RR15wVgROxAA7B/qDglAti39f TtUURkkJs6o= =CWnC -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- "If you want to have a large population and to provide it with arms so as to establish a great empire, you will have made your population such that you cannot handle it as you please." -- Machiavelli _The Discourses_ To receive the Online Firearms Coalition Bulletin send mail to cknox@crl.com with "subscribe" as the subject. More info and PGP key available via finger.