Date: Sat, 7 Oct 1995 04:03:27 -0400 From: NRA Alerts To: firearms-alert@shell.portal.com Subject: FAXNET: Supreme Court Upholds Maine Decision NRA-ILA FAX NETWORK 11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA 22030 Phone: 1-800-392-8683 * Fax: 703-267-3918 Vol. 2, No. 44 10/6/95 SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS MAINE DECISION Good news! On October 2 -- their first day of action -- the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an April, 1995 decision by the Supreme Court of Maine that overturned a 20-year state ban on guns in public housing projects. The high Court agreed with the Maine Court's decision, asserting that the Portland Housing Authority lacked the authority to regulate the possession of firearms. This is a victory for gun owners and the NRA, who initiated the lawsuit on the grounds that the ban was unconstitutional and a violation of state law. CLINTON'S BULLET BAN GETS A SPONSOR: President Clinton finally found a sponsor for his bullet ban bill, and it's none other than Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) The bill, H.R. 2386, calls for the Secretary of the Treasury to establish regulations to determine whether a projectile that may be used in a handgun is capable of penetrating soft body armor. H.R. 2386 also authorizes the appropriation of money to develop and implement performance measures for so-called armor piercing ammunition, and to issue regulations for performance measures for such ammunition. The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. For a fact sheet on H.R. 2386, call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at 1-800- 392-8683. CONGRESS BACK IN TOWN: Starting Monday, October 9, it's back to business on Capitol Hill. It's time to turn up the heat on our lawmakers and push forward on pro-gun bills pending in both chambers! In the House, it's H.R. 1488 -- legislation to repeal President Clinton's gun and magazine ban. Members: please call your U.S. Representative and urge him to support H.R. 1488! Also, the U.S. Senate may soon vote on appropriations bills that include two pro-gun provisions. The first is the Smith Amendment, which would de-fund the anti-gun Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The Center has been using a substantial portion of its $45 million taxpayer-dollar budget to fund numerous anti-gun studies and lobbying activities. The second measure is the Istook/McIntosh Amendment, which would end the practice of taxpayer-funded lobbying activities by such groups as the American Bar Association and AFL-CIO -- groups which actively support gun control. NRA-ILA, as you know, receives no taxpayer funding at all! Please call your U.S. Senators and urge them to support the Smith Amendment and Istook/McIntosh Amendments! A LOOK AT THE STATES: Arizona: NRA Members are encouraged to attend one of three informal meetings to discuss the introduction of shooting range protection legislation during the 1996 session. These meetings are tentatively scheduled for: Tucson: 7:00 p.m., October 12, at the Doubletree Hotel; Payson: 3:00 p.m., October 15, at the Airport Cafe, and Phoenix: 7:00 p.m., October 18, at the Hampton Inn (S.E. of the airport.) For more information or to verify times & locations, call (602) 848-6002. Results from 10/3 elections: Anti-gun incumbent Mayor Skip Rimsza defeated NRA- endorsed candidate Thelda Williams. NRA-endorsed candidate Peggy Bilsten won in City Council District 3. Many thanks to NRA Members who made it to the polls on Tuesday & supported these candidates! Maryland: This week, the Governor's Commission on Gun Violence voted in favor of proposals to limit handgun purchases to one-a- month and to require that all private transfers of handguns go through licensed dealers. Although the Commission initially voted against requiring firearms owners to be licensed by the state, we expect chairman Vinnie DeMarco to push the issue at next week's meeting. Stay tuned! Ohio: On Tuesday, October 10, the House Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on SB 68 -- right to carry legislation. Members are encouraged to attend this hearing, which is tentatively scheduled for 10:00 a.m. in Room G3 of the Departments Building, located at 65 S. Front Street in Columbus. Also, please contact your State Representatives and urge them to support SB 68. Wisconsin: The State Assembly approved AB 69, NRA-backed firearms preemption legislation, on an overwhelming 71-27 vote. The bill now moves to the full Senate which will likely vote on the bill in November. Members: please contact your State Senators & urge them to support AB 69! Anti-gunners and the anti-gun media will be turning up the heat on lawmakers to get them to vote against the bill - so your calls & involvement in support of the bill are critical! SEATS STILL AVAILABLE FOR NEW YORK BREAKFASTS: Join your fellow NRA-ILA Volunteers, gun owners and the Sportsman's Association for Firearms Education at one of two upcoming legislative breakfasts. Don't miss this opportunity to meet face-to-face with dozens of candidates who want your vote this November! Breakfasts will be held this Sunday, October 8th in Suffolk County, and on Sunday, October 15th in Nassau County. For more information, or to secure your seat, call (516) 475-8125. GRASSROOTS GEARING UP IN OREGON: On Saturday, October 28, NRA-ILA will host a special seminar at the Quality Inn Hotel & Convention Center in Salem, Oregon. This FREE seminar will provide all attendees with key information on how we can elect pro-gun lawmakers to office -- including the special election for the open U.S. Senate seat! Don't miss this opportunity to meet with candidates, lawmakers, NRA staff and fellow NRA members. For more information, call NRA-ILA at 1-800-392-8683. =+=+=+=+ This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA. This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org, gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org, mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message) Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.