The
      PROponent

                   Peoples Rights Organization
5 E. Long St., Suite 412;   Columbus, OH 43215;   (614) 268-0122

Volume 6          January, 1994          Number 1

Dues are Due!


JANUARY IS DUES MONTH...

     January is the month that all PRO members must pay their dues
for the coming year.  PRO simply doesn't have the kind of resources
needed to allow members to pay throughout the year as many larger
organizations do.  PRO needs every dollar to fight for your Rights
so we do not send out dues statements.  This PROponent is your dues
statement.  Please send $16.00 for your dues for 1994.  We need
your support now more than ever.  Family memberships are now
$24.00.   In a family membership, all persons living at a given
address can be members but only one PROponent is sent to that
address.
     You will notice that the members at the November meeting have
voted to raise dues.  The original proposal was to just raise them
a couple of bucks, but after a big discussion it was decided to
raise them to $16 so that the number would be divisible by four.
     At the present time dues will not be pro-rated.  This policy
was voted to be discontinued because of problems that developed
with regard to our gun shows.  This may be hard to believe for most
PRO members, but there are gun people out there who care more about
a couple of bucks admission than they do about their Right to Keep
and Bear Arms.  We had some people who would come to our gun shows
in the fall and pay a couple of bucks to join PRO for the last
months of the year so that they could then get into our gun shows
for free.
     PRO did not want to stop letting members in for free so we
changed the payment plan.  We dropped pro-rated dues.  We make the
one-time offer to NEW MEMBERS paying after Sept. 30 that they are
considered paid for the following year.  All current and former
members must pay once a year in January.  Those who pay late or
reinstate an old membership must still pay the full sixteen
dollars.
     The question of pro-rating the rest of the year has not been
resolved.  After much discussion at the November meeting the matter
was tabled while members are requested to think of ways to do this
that will be fair to new members and yet discourage cheating by the
few.  The answer is expected to revolve around dividing the year
into quarters.  If you have any ideas please contact one of our
officers.

"BRADY" PASSES....

     We all knew that it would happen someday.  Asking for two
miracles in a row is probably asking for too much ... and it was.
So within 90 days of signing all handgun buyers are now asked to
turn themselves in to local police and wait 7 days for delivery of
their purchase.
     If you don't know what this is called, it was made clear in
the civil rights protests of the 60's.  It is called "prior
restraint."  The concept of prior restraint has a long and sordid
history in our country.  The basic idea is that a Right is
something that can be exercised without question, but by placing
prior conditions on the exercise of that Right the government
deftly turns a Right into a privilege.  A privilege, I might add,
granted and controlled by them.
     Poll taxes and literacy tests are two examples of
pre-conditions used in the past to reduce the right to vote to a
privilege ... a privilege in that case granted largely to whites.
It is one thing to have restrictions on Rights such as not being a
felon to vote or buy a gun, which can result in penalties if
caught. It is quite another to be assumed guilty and have all
citizens required to prove their innocence before they can exercise
a Right.  The courts have struck down prior restraint as
unconstitutional precisely because it turns Rights into government
granted privileges.  But now gun owners are the "new darkies."
This thinking is clearly evidenced in the anti-gun use of phrase
"Saturday night special" which obviously refers to "niggertown
Saturday night" which is a stereotypical expression describing a
time of merrymaking and violence among blacks.
     The use of prior restraint in the right to vote was bad
enough, but it is particularly egregious in the case of the Second
Amendment.  This is because this Right contains the statement right
in it that it shall not be infringed.  Which means it is forbidden
to limit, encroached upon or nibble around the edges of the Right
to Keep and Bear Arms.  Prior restraint is a great big bite out of
that Right.
     Rights by definition are things that can be exercised without
government permission.  Governments traditionally seek control.
Thus, the natural tendency is toward prior restraint because that
turns Rights into privileges which means that the government
exercises more control.
     Back in the 1930's when illegality and unconstitutionality in
government was looked upon with much more disfavor than it is
today, it was widely agreed that the only way "gun control" could
legally be implemented was through the government's power to tax.
This was done with regard to machine guns and seems to have pretty
much stood the test of constitutionality.  The "Brady" bill and
most "modern" federal gun control measures no longer take this
approach.  They all just go flat out for prior restraint if not
outright infringement.
     Everywhere we see those in government acting as if they were
royalty.  Our Kings issue proclamation after proclamation
(executive orders) and all pretend these supersede the Congress and
Constitution and have the force of law.  Congress has taken the
view that its powers exceed those proscribed by the Constitution
and if they pass a law different from those allowed by it, then it
is their laws rather than the Constitution they say that police
must enforce.  Could this be why in 1988 the oath of office for
U.S. Marshals was changed to eliminate all references to supporting
the Constitution of the United States of America?  Congress noted
that it is "certain that the language therein (oath to the
Constitution) having become obsolete."
     Today, the "Brady" bill is just one small part of an
unprecedented assault upon our traditional form of government.  PRO
urges all citizens not to give in to prior restraint.  Do not turn
yourself in to police just to buy a handgun.  Buy them now and
until the issue of prior restraint in the "Brady" bill is decided
in the courts, restrict yourself to using the ones you have or to
private sales ... until those too are unconstitutionally outlawed.

BLOODIED...

     With the recent passage of the Brady bill into law, those that
believe in the Second Amendment have received a bloody nose.  After
seven long years HCI and their cohorts in the FOP union and others
have finally won a victory.  Even though it is a hollow one.
     The Brady law does not require or mandate background checks of
those buying pistols.  It even sunsets after four or five years.
The extra year is up to the discretion of the Attorney General (any
bets?).  The new law also raises the cost of doing business by
raising the cost of a FFL.  There is talk of raising it even
further, to prevent the widespread proliferation of FFLs.  Never
forget that when an FFL holder goes out of business, all his 4473
forms are turned in to the government.  Does all it make sense yet?
     In a recent Rolling Stone issue, Hillary Rodham-Clinton is
quoted as saying "We've got the gun lobby and the NRA on the run."
This same issue said that the White House has established several
new committees, one being the Interdepartmental Work Group on
Violence Prevention.  A sub-group of this is titled Firearms.  Mark
Rosenberg, co-chairman of Firearms, suggested four routes that they
might take.  They are:
1.   Regulate who has guns
2.   Regulate the lethality of guns (caliber, ammunition
restrictions)
3.   Regulate how guns are carried or stored, and
4.   Make guns more difficult to buy.
     The US already has Federal law regulating who has guns.  No
one under 18 may buy any type of firearm, no one under 21 may buy
a pistol, convicted felons cannot own a firearm and those judged
mentally incompetent can own a firearm.  There are over 20,000 such
laws on the books throughout the country.  They are not enforced
and are also the first charge plea-bargained away.
     There is also talk of passing more federal laws prohibiting
teen-agers from owning, carrying and using firearms.  As just
stated, they are already barred from owning firearms.
     In the case of those judged to be mentally incompetent, there
is a large gray area in the shape of doctor-patient confidentially.
Would there be an infringement of that special relationship if
doctors were forced to inform the government of those that are
under mental duress?
     Those that purport wanting to end gun violence in our country
are in a shark-like feeding frenzy after passage of Brady.  They
are voicing farfetched and wondrous solutions to gun violence in
our country.  They want a tax of 1000% on ammunition.  They have
already forced Winchester to stop selling Black Talon cartridges to
the general public. (But it is alright to sell them to police
forces to use against civilians)  They want registration of all
guns and gun owners.  They want all guns turned in to the
government.  They want a device installed into guns and ammo so
that they can be tracked by satellites.  They want to ban the
selling and possession of all semi-automatic firearms.  They want
ammo and gun taxes increased and take the money away from wildlife
conservation and give it to inner-city shooting victims (who are
often drug dealers and addicts themselves!) The list of their
dreams goes on and on.  All of them preposterous and farfetched.
     If HCI and the police unions would encourage the enforcement
of existing laws, stop mollycoddling criminals in prison, cease
plea-bargaining and stop early release programs for convicted
felons such as shock probation and time off for good behavior, and
spend some of the money they use to go after honest gun owners to
get users free of drugs for good, our cities would be much safer.
Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY), said, "We once had zones of peace and
safety in our lives.  Handgun violence has taken them all away from
us.  Thirty years ago, our parks were taken from us.  Twenty years
ago, our streets were taken from us.  Ten years ago our schools.
Five years ago our homes.  Last year our cars. And last night even
our public transportation."
     They were not taken Mr. Schumer, they were given.  In much the
same manner as people were served their Christmas turkey.  We gave
them our parks when we failed in punishing criminals.  We gave them
our streets when good people stood by and did nothing to counteract
lenient sentences.  We gave them our schools when tender
delinquents were kissed on the hand instead of being taught right
from wrong.  We gave them our homes when people said that the
police could protect us.  We gave them our cars when we became
afraid to defend ourselves, and we gave them our trains and
restaurants when we were more fearful of being caught with a
concealed firearm than in staying alive.
     It is time to return to the days of yesteryear.  Crimestrike
is a good start.  We must weed out lenient judges that pander to
the rights of criminals instead of to the rights of citizens.  We
must elect representatives that support our views.  We must write
and call elected officials repeatedly.  Maybe they will finally get
the message.  When we speak loudly enough at the ballot box, and
throw the bums out and force the others to uphold the Constitution,
then we can say that we have won.
     Until that time, we have to do lit drops, letter stuffing and
contribute monies to Citizens Against Crime and the NRA/ILA.  We
can win, but all those that believe in the Second Amendment must
work together to defeat the forces of Brady, Clintons and Schumers.
You can be sure they will be working to defeat us.  Said Rep.
Charles Schumer, "When congress comes back to town, we will first
wrap up two other items. We must ban semi-automatic assault weapons
and we must ban the new cop-killer bullets that have appeared in
recent years.  Then we will turn full force to the new
Schumer-Handgun Control, Inc. agenda."  They finally admit what
they denied for so long, that they are all working together to take
all your guns!

AFTER "BRADY" LETS GO FOR FELON-ONLY INSTANT CHECK...

     After much haggling and anti-gun propaganda in the media the
"Brady" bill is now law.  Needless to say those who are struggling
mightily toward an American dictatorship are crowing.  At the
signing of the bill by President Clinton all the factions of the
other side were there to celebrate.  Sarah Brady as well as James
Brady, the bill's namesake were there to represent all
gun-grabbers.  Former Cleveland congressman Feighan who set a
record for check bouncing in Congress was there presumably as a
delegate sent by criminals, convicted felons and wife-beaters who
are overjoyed at this new job safety law.  And of course FOP
president Dewey Stokes was there, we assume, to represent the
potential leadership of a new American secret gun police.
     Once again gun owners have been sold a bill of goods and as
far as we can tell quite a few are buying.  One of those buying
appears to be the NRA itself.  For example, the "Brady" bill
supposedly provides for a 5 day wait.  This, as you might expect
has been trumpeted throughout the media.  Unfortunately, it has
also seems to have been accepted and repeated by the NRA.  It is
simply not true.  The "Brady" bill requires a 7 day wait.
     Let me prove it.  Say you bought a handgun on Monday at
2:00pm.  By 2:00pm Tuesday one day is up, and by Friday 4 days are
up.  By 2:00pm on Saturday, 5 days are up, but the "Brady" bill
specifies a wait of "5 working days."  Working days are defined as
when state offices are open.  Are state offices open on Saturday?
No, they are not.  Neither are they open on Sunday.  Therefore,
Monday is the next "working day" and is when your "5 day wait" is
up.  Bingo, what you thought was a 5 day wait which was "less time
than it takes to get some dry cleaning" has magically turned into
the original 7 day wait.  This scam which was thought up by
Metzenbaum's staff (I'm sure this is too clever for him to have
originated) has just been blindly repeated by all the media and the
NRA.
     Was the NRA thinking that if they pretended with everyone else
that "Brady" was a 5 day wait, when it was implemented no one would
notice and authorities might actually make it 5 day wait days by
mistake?  Fat Chance!
     And here's another thing.  The "Brady" bill contains a great
deal of high-sounding language about the illegality of creating a
gun owner registry or spiriting the background check data into
government agencies.  But all these "crimes" have no penalty for
the guilty.  While county sheriffs must answer to the voters,
municipal chiefs of police are mostly appointed and don't answer to
the people.  As we have seen time and time again on national
television, they tend to answer to the anti-gun United States
Conference of Mayors more than to the people.  The evidence from
our city streets is that for crimes which bring little or no
punishment, there is found little or no deterrence.  So where was
the amendment putting teeth in these high-sounding proclamations?
Where was the NRA?  And the NRA can ask where we were, because we
were right here taking more votes away from the "Brady" bill in the
House than any other state.
     Lastly, PRO is very much worried about this "instant check"
plan that the NRA lobbying has locked into the "Brady" bill.
Listen to what the anti-gun Los Angeles Times had to say bout it.

     "Imagine carrying around a little plastic card that stores
your history of mental health. Plus your criminal record, if any.
Plus your immigration status.  You could be asked for the card by
authorized persons - say, a store clerk.  He would run it through
a scanner that taps into a national computerized data base. If the
information was not to the computer's liking, the police would show
up."
     "And who proposes such a police-state system? Ironically, it
is the most libertarian among us, the National Rifle Association
and its political allies in the struggle against gun control."
     Sure, an instant check system would be convenient.  Sure, an
instant check system would save the PRO gun shows.  But at what
price?  As PRO, Gun Owners of America and a few other pro-gunners
have pointed out over and over, the question is not whether or not
you have an instant or a 7 day check.  The question is whether your
name and the guns you own are going into government computers.  If
the NRA comes out backing the Malone-LEAA felon-only type check
then they certainly have our support, but what we see built into
the "Brady" bill doesn't look at all like that approach.  What we
see is a massive big brother system that helps the authorities
register you by having gun stores type in your name for free.  At
least with the old manual yellow sheet system they had to pay
clerks to type your name and guns into the database.
     While the anti-gunners measure every word to get the advantage
for their side, the NRA has just blindly allowed the instant check
wording to refer to "firearms purchases."  So while the "Brady"
bill only deals with handguns, the NRA instant check wording
already has the purchasers of ALL firearms lined up to be entered
into computers.  This is nothing but a free gift to the other side.
Quite frankly, we expect more out of our Washington pro-gunners.
     The bottom line here is that the anti-gunners got exactly what
they wanted:  Forcing all handgun buyers to turn themselves into
the police.  All we got was a promise that in 5 years the gun owner
registration process will be automated.
     This does not seem to be much of a win for gun owners and we
wonder which side the NRA is on.  Let us say, however, that PRO
understands better than most pro-gunners the kinds of deals that
need to be made to gain political advantage.  We understand that at
times you need to support things you don't want to block things
that are much, much worse.  We also understand that if these
political expedients are not turned around at the last moment and
are instead continued so as to bring the agenda of the other side
into being, it is called a sell-out.  Now that "Brady" has passed
we want to see the NRA strongly shifting their support to the Law
Enforcement Alliance of America (LEAA) felon-only instant check.
The issue here is not how convenient is a trip to the gun store,
but rather how many NRA members will have their names end up in
government computers.

ONLY TO KILL ...

     I was listening to a recent appearance of PRO's Ron Herman and
Pat Lucas on 610 WTVN Night Talk where they were discussing the
"Brady" bill and someone called in who really got under my skin.
This guy began parroting the media slogans about how we don't need
to worry about cars or chemicals killing more people than guns.
Guns, not cars are the problem he said, because cars, for example
have another purpose: to move you around.  But guns, on the other
hand, have but one purpose and that is to kill.  Unfortunately, the
PRO-gunners did not really answer this point and since I was unable
to put in my two cents worth then, I will do it now.
     You see what the call-in gentleman is saying is that I and all
the rest of you law-abiding gun owners are nothing but murderers.
We own guns only to kill humans.  Wrong.  Wrong.  Totally wrong.
NONE of my firearms were purchased to kill people.  In fact, only
my "sporting purpose" firearms can be said to be "designed only to
kill" but no one seems ready to ban hunting guns (yet!).  And I
would point out that even those are designed to kill animals NOT
humans.
     So what about some of these guns I own?  Do they have a
purpose other than to kill people?  Of course they do.  A skeet
shooting shotgun's purpose is to blow little clay disks out of the
sky, not to blow humans away.  My target pistols are designed to
punch holes in paper at a distance.  Their purpose is not to punch
holes in inner city, socially divergent, financially impaired
humans.
     But let's cut to the nut of the matter; What about military
"assault weapons of war" which everybody knows were "designed only
to kill."  Again, completely wrong.  Weapons of war are NOT
designed to kill.  They are designed only to wound.  In a war it
takes far more resources to care for the wounded than to bury the
dead.  Since (usually) the purpose of engaging in war is to win it,
military firearms are designed to wound, not to kill so that the
maximum number of personnel are removed from the battle.
     OK, kill or wound, what's the difference?  Why would any
honest citizen have a need for such a device?  The reason is
related to the true purpose of every gun an honest citizen
purchases for self-defense.  The purpose and function of every
self-defense firearm is not to take human lives, but rather to save
the lives of the owner and his loved ones.  Studies by
criminologist Gary Kleck of Florida State University have shown
that over two million time each year guns are used to save lives
(in other words stop crime in progress) and the great majority are
never even fired, let alone used to kill a "human."  Using Kleck's
data you can show that a gun in the house is 33 times more likely
to be used to save your life (stop an attack in progress) than to
kill someone even including accidents and suicide.
     Unfortunately, both pro-gunners and anti-gunners alike, have
bought into the macho "I kill people" image.  On the same talk
radio show a businessman called in and said that if someone breaks
into his house he will kill them; If he is attacked getting into
his car, he will kill the attacker.  I doubt very much that he
means this.  When someone is kicking in the door of your house
while your wife and kids are cowering in the back room, you are not
going to be standing there with ice water in your veins thinking
how you will place your shots so the scumbags will be sure to die.
Your only thoughts will be how to get these thugs to stop doing
what they are trying to do.
     If I shout out, "I have a gun!" and they leave, well then my
firearm has performed it's true function: to save my life. (Only an
idiot would shout that they have a gun when they don't)  If the bad
guys break in anyway, and see the gun in my hand and high-tail it.
Once again, my firearm has performed it's designed function of
saving my life.  If they still keep coming forward and I begin to
fire until they break off the attack.  Once again my firearm has
saved lives.  My purpose was never to kill.  The function of my gun
was never to kill.  My purpose was to live and the function of my
gun was to save my life.
     If you think about this it becomes obvious that the more ugly
a defensive firearm the more likely it is to do it's job of saving
your life without killing someone.  For this reason all the
"assault weapon" arguments are exactly upside down (so what else is
new!).  If I am defending myself with an UZI that has a row of
shrunken heads tied to the barrel, it is far more likely to get the
perps to break off an attack without firing a shot than if I have
some "nice" hunting shotgun where the bad guys might think they can
grab the long barrel and take it from me.  The only problem, of
course, is that when you get to court charged with felony
self-defense, the jury will take the shrunken heads to be evidence
that your purpose was murder rather than to frighten bad guys.
     I know it makes for great macho talk to strut around saying
how you are going kill anyone who breaks into your house, but if
you really think about what you are trying to do, every honest
citizen has to admit that his or her purpose and the purpose of his
or her defensive firearm is not death but life.  You are never
shooting to kill, but rather shooting to live.  NONE of my firearms
were purchased to "kill humans" and I deeply resent the insinuation
of any anti-gun or for that matter pro-gun bozo that "the only"
purpose of my guns is murder.

STOP THIS SENSELESS VIOLENT KILLING, PRESIDENT CLINTON ...

     At the signing of the "Brady" bill President Clinton spoke
saying, "Don't let anybody tell you this won't work."  He noted
that, "Americans are finally fed up with violence that cuts down
another citizen with gunfire every 20 seconds."
     Hmmm.  Every 20 seconds, huh?  Since some PRO members are
products of the "modern" school system, we will do this math for
you.  Now since there are 60 seconds in a minute this means 3
persons are gunned down every minute or 180 every hour.  Since
there are 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year, we find 4,320
shot per day or a whopping 1,576,800 persons "cut down" with
gunfire every year!
     This senseless killing has to stop!  The American people have
had enough of "death by guns"!  We demand that President Clinton do
something to stop this killing!   It's been 7 years since the
"Brady" bill was been introduced by ousted check-bouncing
congressman Feighan of Cleveland, which means that more than 11
million persons have died in this country as it has been raked by
gunfire!  How can anyone's heart not go out to these children
gunned down in the prime of life.  How can you not feel something
as you see a mother cradle a babe in her arms as the life ebbs from
it.  How can the extremist NRA be demanding that these 11 million
continue to die!  HOW?
     PRO DEMANDS THAT PRESIDENT CLINTON DO SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THIS
SENSELESS KILLING! ...And being PRO we also know exactly what he
should do.  The 1992 NRA Fact Card shows that the homicide rate for
firearms in 1990 was about 15,420 deaths (which includes both
innocent victims as well as bad guys killed by police and armed
citizens, but hey, to the President a death by a gun is a death by
a gun so let's count them all.)  Now everybody think carefully
about this: We could save 1,561,380 lives each year if only
President Clinton would start telling the truth!  If the President
could just find it in his heart to stop the lying, there would be
1,561,380 persons who would be "here this year to share Christmas."
     COME ON PRESIDENT CLINTON STOP THIS SENSELESS KILLING NOW.
START TELLING THE TRUTH, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, BY THE END OF THE
NEXT CENTURY THERE WILL VIRTUALLY NOBODY LEFT ALIVE IN THIS
COUNTRY.  WE ALL WILL HAVE BEEN "CUT DOWN WITH GUNFIRE."
_____________________________________________________________

     "Congress have (sic) no power to disarm the militia.  Their
swords, and  every other terrible implement of the  soldier, are
the birthright of an American...  The unlimited power of the sword
is not in the hands of either the federal or state government, but,
where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the
people"

Tench Coxe, Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788
_____________________________________________________________

PROJECTILEPHOBIA HAS EASY WIN ...

     It was just another hollowpoint bullet except for a couple of
quirks of man and nature.  The quirk of nature was that because of
its notched design it would peel back into a "star" shape when
fired into a uniform substance like water or (possibly) ballistic
gelatin.  The quirk of man was that because of this shape and a
desire for advertising hype it was named the "Black Talon."
Winchester/Olin should have known better, if for no other reason
than such references to body damage rather than safety or stopping
power make the round useless for home defense.  Can you imagine
yourself in court charged with felony self-defense while the
prosecution quotes newspaper after newspaper or even U.S. senators?
Think of your defense if you had used the similar  PMC/Eldorado
starfire which they themselves advertised as the "deadliest handgun
cartridge ever developed for home or personal defense or hunting."
Slam goes the jail door with you inside. "I find for the plaintiff"
says the judge when the burglar you stopped (or possibly his
estate) sues your wife for whatever property you have left outside
of the things in your jail cell.
     These big companies should have known better, but they didn't,
so the campaign began.  We have the Baltimore Sun with hysterical
articles that describe the Black Talon as if it were a cluster bomb
that somehow fits a 9mm handgun.  They also included a cartoon for
all the "sheeple" who can't or won't read which showed Winchester
driving a truck with the grim reaper taking profits and a load of
bodies ("Street Deaths") to the bank.  We were all treated to
Senator Moynihan (D-NY) screaming on television that the Black
talon rounds have but one purpose and that is to "rip the guts out"
of human beings.  Needless to say, nobody either in the media or
Washington seemed to notice that when a piece of metal is traveling
at 1000 feet per second its shape doesn't make too much difference.
Neither did any manage to explain exactly how a tiny bit of lead
and copper suddenly acquires the stopping power of a mortar round
just by being named the "Black Talon."  But as you are well aware,
when selling a pitch to the rubes, it is symbolism rather than
reason that rules.
     Speaking of Senator Moynihan, there is something that I just
have to say, although it is completely off the subject.  Every time
I see that man spouting his venom on television I am struck by how
much the man appears to be a living 18th century political cartoon.
Have you ever seen those old political cartoons from about the time
of the American Revolution that often depicted royalty as fat,
jowly, puffy-faced, greedy-mouthed, disgusting creeps?  Every time
I see that senator from New York slobbering all over a microphone,
it is as if all he needs are white stockings, a wig and knee pants
and he could step right into one of those cartoons.  Unfortunately
for us, his kind of royalty still have power in this country.
     But it was an easy win for the projectilephobes because in a
surprise move, Winchester withdrew the ammunition from sale to the
general public.  This was just as well since the round was already
useless for self-defense by then.  Senator Moynihan, though is
still ready to go after all hollowpoint rounds or any other device
that might give an honest citizen a small extra edge when
protecting himself or his family from the predators on the streets
for whom the Senator has such great concern for their job safety.
After all, how can the economy recover if one of the fasted growing
segments of the job market is not allowed to expand.  I am, of
course, talking about crime and criminal activity.
     The only good news here was than when Colin Ferguson shot up
the New York commuter train using part of the 100 rounds of Black
Talon ammunition he was carrying, it was already off the market.
The bleating amoral media sheep had to concentrate on other things
like gun owner registration rather than the subway riders having
"guts ripped out" by this round.

AGAIN ...

     It always seems to be the same, doesn't it?  A major gun
control bill is up to a critical point and bang, like clockwork
there is some terrible incident involving not only gunfire, but an
incident that involves the very issues being debated.  When Colin
Ferguson shot up the subway, we have the second incident involving
Black Talon ammunition.  We have the use of that fearsome device,
the high capacity magazine for a 9mm "automatic."   And isn't it
amazing that all this happens just as the Feinstein amendment
banning semi-auto "assault weapons", gathering gun owner names, and
eliminating magazines and clips over 10 rounds is moving toward the
House.  It's just as if some power in the sky (or at least high up)
really doesn't trust the intelligence of our elected officials and
provides an "example" for them to show how important it is to
disarm all honest and law abiding citizens.
     Note that the incident was not an "example" for the "Brady"
bill which had already passed a few days before.  The shooter
bought the Ruger 9mm handgun in California passing a background
check and waiting 15 (not 7) days. He didn't cool off.  If anything
this incident just proved that the harassment of citizens and
stripping them of their Right to Keep and Bear Arms, if only for 7
days, had absolutely no effect on crime.  But you won't hear that
in the press.
     The surprising news here was that the perpetrator was captured
and didn't kill himself.  I would very much like to see some honest
and objective police psychiatrist probe this man for hints of some
post-hypnotically induced violence trigger.  However, since the
incident took place near New York City, I assume the likelihood of
such an investigation untainted by political control is zero.
     It is a widely held belief that a person cannot be
hypnotically induced to commit an act they find morally repugnant.
And in a sense that is true.  But those deep in the psy-biz know
that does not mean a person cannot be programed to commit
atrocities.  You see, the secret is develop a trigger mechanism
where the person doing the act suddenly believes they are doing
something other than what they are doing.  For example, if a given
person is morally opposed to murder, you can't just give the
suggestion that at such and such a time they will kill someone.
They won't do it.  But if you tell them that when triggered they
will suddenly find themselves on some shooting range shooting
silhouettes, they will actually fire believing themselves to be on
a range doing something they find to be acceptable behavior.  The
fact that they are actually not on the range will not be noticed by
the shooter.  Setting up this kind of thing is even easier with a
guy like Colin Ferguson since he was already a hate-filled racist
and had a built-in desire to kill whites, Asians and "uncle toms".
     While the gonzo media screamed about the man gunning down
commuters in a racist hate-filled "devastating rampage", reports
from those at the scene were just the opposite.  They told of a man
who said little or nothing as he fired.  They reported the same
blank glassy-eyed stare so common in these cases.  In short, they
described a man completely out of it, who was clearly in some other
world as he pulled the trigger.
     Another interesting feature was the shooter's use of a Ruger
handgun.  You don't suppose, do you, that this just might have been
some kind of message to old man Ruger to quit showing signs of
giving in to grassroots pressure and fall back into line with
administration anti-gun policy?  If you think that Ruger isn't
under pressure from this event, just wait until all those shooting
victims get hot-shot New York lawyers and begin suing Ruger because
that company made the gun.

UNREPENTANT SINNER ...

     A couple of issues ago this editor made a crack about lawyers
and was cornered at the PRO gun show by PRO lawyer, Scott Mote who
claimed that we said "it was OK to shoot lawyers."  I explained
that I had never said that, but had instead implied that shooting
up a high-priced lawyers office would evoke little public sympathy.
One reason for the remark was that a bunch of lawyers had just held
a press conference saying that it was the popularity of lawyer
jokes that contributed to the senseless office shooting in
California.  I'm sorry, but that just sounded to me like some kind
of "Twinkie" defense.  In spite of Mr. Mote's complaints, I remain
an unrepentant sinner.
     Think about this:  Columbus is the largest city in the state.
It has a bazillion lawyers.  Out of that bazillion, I am sure a
large percentage are gun owners and sportsman.  But out of that
huge crowd exactly TWO, Scott Mote and Dave Buda proved willing to
support and defend the ultimate law of this land, the Constitution.
They were the only ones in our town standing ready to do what was
right, moral and ethical in spite of the financial risks from
political pressure.
     The public often has a problem with our adversarial form of
justice.  The idea is that both sides in a case present their best
arguments and the jury decides where truth lies.  To the public it
appears as if lawyers have no convictions and will stand up and
spin any yarn for a buck.  Just because a lawyer presents only his
side of the case and ignores all the facts helping the other side
does not imply some kind of immorality.  It is our system.  The
trouble begins when they go beyond adversarial duty and begin to
twist the highest rules of justice for political favors.  Many
anti-gun politicians are lawyers.  The decision in the Cleveland
case by the Ohio Supreme Court justices (who are all lawyers) is
another prime example.  No wonder lawyer jokes are so popular.
     I am sure PROponent readers are aware that PRO's pen spares
few professions.  Even my own profession had price-fixing built
right into the code of "ethics" (which has the force of law) until
quite recently.  We blast educators, administrators, journalists
and politicians all the time.  But it is never meant as a blanket
indictment.  It is meant to shine a spotlight on those who have
fallen short of the mark no matter how numerous they have become.
But the spotlight shines both ways.
     The amount of good done for our side by just two dedicated
lawyers has been phenomenal.  We have our lawsuits.  We have advice
keeping us from legal shoals of politics.  We have work with the
state legislature on pre-emption, and we have the connections with
Deborah Pryce that has placed an exceptionally strong pro-gun ally
in Washington for us.  All of this came from just two lawyers who
refused to sell out.  Think of what four could have done ... or ten
... or twenty!
     Both Scott and Dave are very modest about this.  They have
refused to take money from our legal fund when PRO has tried to
show it's appreciation.  They feel they are not special, but rather
are just doing what lawyers are supposed to do.  Of course they are
right, just as I deserve no special accolades for obeying the law
no matter how rare that behavior has become.
     So Scott can defend his colleagues if he wishes, but that in
no way diminishes my respect for him and what he is doing for us.
It will also in no way diminish my criticism for those so-called
men of the law who seek to abolish our American form of government
to find personal, political and financial gain.
     I strongly recommend that the next time you run into Scott
Mote or Dave Buda you shake their hand and thank them from the
bottom of your heart for what they have done for all of us.  And
that having been done, you can ask them if they have heard the one
about how they are now using lawyers instead of rats for lab
experiments*.
     *(There are some things rats just won't do!)

THIS IS IT ...

     The next year is going to be critical for gun owners.  Just
look at TV.  Everywhere the media are portraying violent crime as
epidemic.  As a matter of fact they are trying to portray it as a
real disease.  While violent crime is actually tending to go down,
the mass media and politicians are acting as if it is going through
the roof.  With a shortage of real crimes, television news makes up
the difference by just showing the same violent images over and
over giving the impression that there is a violent episode every
night.  The truth may just be an arraignment or civil law suit
related to the original crime, but nevertheless out comes the
bloody footage to be inflicted upon the public consciousness once
again.  The public is being told there is a groundswell of support
for gun control, but in actual fact "Brady" passed the house with
five less "for" votes than last time.  Why these lies?
      The reason is that the message of the last election was not
lost on gun-grabbing, New World Reich (Order) politicians and
leaders.  They know that the American people are in a mood to clean
house (The House of Representatives) because of their recent
activities pushing our country rapidly toward the ideal expressed
in the Communist Manifesto of 1848.  While these anti-gun
politicians put up a brave front, pretending that trying to destroy
the American Constitution is a political plus, they are more than
smart enough to read the pro-gun handwriting on the wall.  Make no
mistake that they are well aware what the ouster of ALL the
anti-gun governors in the big races this past election means.
     YOU also need to be aware of what it means for us.  They feel
they have just one short year to push through the most extreme
forms of firearm prohibitions and restrictions they can before they
lose the votes to pass them.  That is why this year is the big one.
That is why pro-gunners must write more letters, attend more
demonstrations, and kick more political butt this year, than ever
before.
     Gun owners sat on their collective butts in this state and now
we have to pay the price.  We returned Glenn to the senate where he
was one more vote for "Brady", one more vote for cloture, and a man
ready to continue to the kind of insider wheeling-dealing that has
each and every American shelling out $60 a month to pay off the
savings and loan mess.
     If only you could understand how easy it is to end this
problem if only each of us would be sufficiently dedicated.  You
know, humans are possessed by a strong herd mentality.  They always
want to "fit in" to the crowd.  They want to be liked and accepted.
Because of this, loud-mouths have extraordinary power for change.
Look at "animal rights".  With just five or six kookie leaders and
maybe a few hundred followers, they have the entire country scared
to wear fur ... at least until some other people began to make
noise on the other side.  Do you understand what this proves?  It
proves that if we made enough noise and were sufficiently
dedicated, PRO alone could turn this country around.  And we are
not alone.  There are many organizations like PRO across this great
land.
     As this years elections draw near (and that includes the
primaries) we are not going to let up on you.  We are going to call
a spade a spade.  We need every gun owner to be convinced that this
election is the big one.  I am going to ask every PRO member to dig
into his or her wallet or purse and come up with $10 or $20 dollars
for our PAC.  Don't tell me you can't afford it, because I know you
can.  I know that what you mean is that political activities don't
fit into your list of priorities.  I have talked with pro-gunners
(you know who you are) who complain that they just don't have the
time or money to help out, but have no trouble finding time or
money for big hunting trips (even to Colorado).  If you can afford
to buy a carton of cigarettes or drop a bundle at the local
watering hole on Friday night, you really can afford to help us
out.  Instead of trying to get in that last big hunting trip before
they take all your guns, USE some of that money to see to it that
you kids will still be able to enjoy the great outdoors the same
way that you do.
     We will continue to be on your case as this year progresses.

DEAR PRO...

     I'm sitting here reading the new PROponent and trying to
assess the article regarding statements made by the PRO chairman to
a news conference indicating that his organization is fed-up with
extremist NRA positions.  I am a new PRO member and can only assume
the chairman you refer to is Richard Hale.  If this is the case,
I'm wondering how he got to be chairman.  If this is not the case,
please enlighten me as I'm a member of PRO and I'm certainly not
opposed to NRA viewpoints and take offense at this person speaking
in these terms on my behalf. Thanks.

     Larry C. Burfield
     Reno, Ohio

     ( Editors respond: First of all, Larry, welcome to PRO.  You
have mis-read the "press conference".  It did not describe a real
event but rather refers to "one possible future" just like the
story in the same issue by Mr. Carder.  It most assuredly does NOT
refer to Richard Hale.  Long-time PRO members recognize that the
"statement" was full of gun-grabber "catch phrases" like:
"extremist NRA", "reasonable gun laws", "guns are killing people",
and "good first step."
     The point we tried to make is important enough that we don't
mind making it again (and again!).  PRO's future and the future of
our Right to Keep and Bear Arms depends upon our members being
willing to take part in what we are doing.  If we all sit on our
collective duffs, eventually someone else will be speaking for PRO.
By the way, the way Richard Hale got to be chairman was by being
willing to take a lot of his personal time and use it toward our
cause.
     Years ago in one of the first issues of this newsletter we
pointed out that the gun-grabbers have the money and the media.
All we have is the people, but that is more than enough to win!
Nothing has changed in the years since then.  Long-time PRO members
are also aware of how gun-grabbers work.  Since they don't have the
people on their side, they try to give the appearance that they do
by taking over the leadership of major organizations.  We are all
familiar with the results.
     We see the leadership of the FOP, the PTA, the AARP and so on
all over television and the papers pretending that their
memberships are demanding "gun control".  All indications are that
exactly the opposite is true.  FOP president Dewey Stokes has never
polled his rank and file about gun control and our experience shows
that senior citizens who grew up prior to all the anti-gun
propaganda are often much more pro-gun than younger persons.
     Grassroots organizations like PRO scare the gun-grabbers to
death.  You can be sure that sooner or later they are going to be
thinking of ways to neutralize us.  Our best defense against that
is for each and every member to take an active interest in what we
are doing.
     The editors would like to thank Mr. Burfield for his letter
and point out that this exactly represents the kind of action we
would like to see out of every PRO member.  Question your
leadership, both in PRO and Washington.  Make them explain exactly
what they mean.  Write letters to the editor.  Make phone calls.
Support pro-gun, pro-rights candidates.  Be active.
     Lastly, we want to assure all new members that PRO strongly
supports the NRA.  PRO is an affiliate organization of the NRA-ILA
and all our safety classes our done under the authority of the NRA.
Those members who have been with PRO from the beginning recognize
the "extremist NRA" statement as something of an inside joke, since
our major differences with the NRA have always been that they are
too "middle of the road."  (For example see our push to get the NRA
to endorse "felon only" instant check in this issue.)  PRO has
pushed hard for the "new" no-compromise NRA.
     The editors would like to say that as long as we are getting
new members like Mr. Burfield we won't have to worry about the
future of PRO.  In the coming months we hope that PRO members will
find more than enough ammunition in our newsletter for letters to
the editor, letters to congress and speeches to legislators at
hearings for new gun control laws.  The gun-grabbers are counting
on "we the people" doing nothing.   Let's prove them all wrong.

MORE LETTERS...

DEAR PRO,
     I received my first copy of the PROponent today and am
enclosing $12.00 for membership.  I know that you are primarily
concerned with local issues but wars are fought on many fronts.  I
was certainly pleased with the results of the elections in New York
city, Virginia and New Jersey.  Washington state with its "Three
Strikes" was also positive news in my opinion.
     I dislike being a "one-issue" voter but I do believe that
people, politicians in particular, that are anti-gun are: 1.
Ignorant of facts; 2. Against personal freedom, and 3. Do not
believe that solutions to problems lie with individuals and not
governments.  They tend to dismiss personal responsibility and seek
out societal "causes".
     I am not too quick to defend Weaver or Koresh, but I do
condemn the actions of the BATF and the FBI.  My enemies enemies
are not always my friends, If I may do a bit of paraphrasing.
     You and your members might like to know of a special interest
group (SIG) of MENSA.  It's called RKBA (Right to Keep and Bear
Arms) and Kevin McGehee is coordinator and can be reached by
writing him at: 6435 Orange Avenue, 19 B, Sacramento, California
95823.  The membership is small and we're really not organized, but
we are another group that speaks out on individual matters.
     By the way, I now refer to myself as being "pro-defense"
rather than pro-gun.  I think it has a more positive image, and it
requires people to ask "What do you mean?"  A good opening for a
positive, non-emotional exchange.

Take care,
Roy Landstrom
Cumberland, Ohio

(Editor's Note:  MENSA is an organization of people with very high
IQs.  They take a test to join MENSA.  We are pleased to note the
formation of a MENSA based, PRO-Second Amendment organization.
     Also, PRO likes to think of itself as "pro-rights" meaning
that we defend the entire Constitution and Bill of Rights as well
as being "pro-gun" and "pro-defense" since we believe the Second
Amendment to be the protector of liberty and of all other Rights.
     We would point out that while PRO was founded to fight a
Columbus City gun ban, and we do not have the clout to fight at a
national level, PRO is concerned with all gun issues and state
issues in particular.  Located as we are in the state capital, we
are in a perfect position to "keep an eye on" the State House.
Also, PRO relies on members like you all over this state to be our
"eyes and ears" to keep us informed so we are better able to carry
your fight to the General Assembly.
     Lastly, PRO members must remember that local fights are best
fought with locals.  When the City of Dublin (a Columbus suburb)
was considering a gun ban, the fact that council chambers were
filled with pro-gunners wearing "I live in Dublin and I vote!"
badges as opposed to the anti-gunners who came down from Cleveland,
gave us the clout if not to stop, at least to defuse the ban.)

DEAR PRO,
     I am trying to get as many members as possible that can be
useful to PRO.
     Keep up the good work.

Clarence A. Remy
Columbus, Ohio

(Editor's Note:  Any one that wishes to join PRO is a useful
member.  There is strength in numbers, and politicians realize
that.  The more members we have, the stronger we are.  Dues for
1994 are $16.00 for an individual, and $24.00 for a family
membership.  Dues run from January 1, through December 31.)

DEAR PRO,
     Just thought you would like to know that your four page voter
information bulletin arrived the day after Election Day.
     Thank you for sending the information anyway.

Sincerely,
Miss Patricia Tatum


(Editor's Note:  The election issue of the PROponent was mailed a
little late.  If it had been mailed first class, everyone would
have received it in time.  Mailing fourth class cost $980.00, and
the Post Office can deliver it any time that they want.)

DEAR PRO,
     I would like to thank you and your colleagues for a fine
publication.
     Attached you will find a letter from Representative Deborah
Pryce of Ohio.  Her views on "gun control" are refreshing to say
the least.  All PRO-gun citizens of Ohio should support
Representative Pryce in her efforts in fighting for our 2nd
Amendment rights.
     Thank you again for being a leader in our fight to "Keep and
Bear Arms."

Sincerely,
Stephen C. Yuszka
Columbus, Ohio

P.S.  You are sending me three PROponents.  You should have but one
Yuszka in your files.  I am the only one in the USA!!!

(Editor's Note:  Thank you for your kind words.  The letter Mr.
Yuszka received was very similar to one published recently in the
PROponent.  We have several areas that we get our names for our
mailing lists.  One is membership.  Two is other 2nd Amendment
organizations and three is from our raffles.  If you fill out a
ticket differently from your membership name, you may receive more
than one PROponent or post card. This is particularly true for
those issues sent to all lists like the election issue.  If anyone
regularly gets more than one PROponent we would encourage you to
pass them on to anyone you think might be interested or a good
potential member.)

DEAR PRO,
     I do not remember not renewing, and I was just remarking to a
friend the other day that I hadn't seen a PROponent in months, when
your November issue arrived (a few days after the election of
course).  This prompted a search through the files, I have back
issues from 1990, 1991 and 1992, they make great reading!  I even
found an article about the unfortunate Glen Lewis case, which
friends of mine in Cincinnati had called to your attention.  I sent
this along to a friend, who is researching the case.
     I see your newsletter is still lively reading.  Enclosed is my
check for dues for 1994.  Keep up the good work.

Respectfully,
Mark Ginter
Cincinnati, Ohio

P.S.  Enclosed is an article with a misleading headline.  You may
want to share its contents with your readership.

(Editors:  We do.  Here it is.  Also, all dues are due January 1,
each year.)

"Springdale council passes 24-hour wait for firearms"
By Lara Miller, Staff Reporter, TRI-COUNTY PRESS, Wednesday, Nov.
10, 1993(Cincinnati area)

"Springdale - Springdale City Council passed a resolution
Wednesday, Nov. 3 asking for retailers' cooperation on a 24-hour
waiting period before buying a handgun.
     "It passed unanimously, with all seven council members
present.
     "In September, council members voted to rescind the city's
15-day waiting period on the purchase of firearms.  Under the
former ordinance, police ran a background check on the purchaser
before approving the sale.
     "Springdale Police Chief recommended the ordinance be
rescinded due to the number of man-hours required to run the
checks.  He said only one potential buyer ever was refused.
     "None of the municipalities surrounding Springdale has a
waiting period on the books.
     "Councilwoman Marge Boice suggested the city look into a
24-hour waiting period requiring no background check.  She called
it a 'cooling off period.'
     "Since this is a resolution rather that an ordinance, a gun
dealer cannot be punished for refusing to honor the waiting period.
     "'I believe our business community will abide by our wishes,'
Boice said.
     "Presently, only Swallen's on Princeton Pike sells firearms.
     "Bob Davis, chief operating officer of Swallen's at the
Fairfax, Va. headquarter, said he had not yet been notified of the
resolution and did not wish to comment."

(Ed. As you can see, an honest editor would have called this story
"Unworkable background check ordinance now a just a voluntary 1 day
wait.")
_____________________________________________________________

"The people are the masters of both Congress and the courts, not to
overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert
it."

     Abraham Lincoln
_____________________________________________________________

SUE ...

     Bernard McCummings was a mugger.  In 1984 he was beating up
Jerome Sandusky, with two friends, in a New York subway.  A Transit
officer happened on the scene and McCummings was shot in the back
while trying to flee.  He was paralyzed and spent three years in
prison.
     McCummings sued the Transit police and won a $4.8 million
court judgement.  The court ruled that since he was fleeing the
scene, the officer had no need of using deadly force.
     The victim, Sandusky, is now suing the convicted mugger for
$4.8 million to prevent him from profiting from an illegal act.
His suit falls under the New York state's "Son of Sam" law which
prohibits criminals from profiting from their crimes through any
money derived from the crime.
     We wish Jerome Sandusky a speedy and just suit against his
convicted attacker.

$$$ ...

     Outdoors shooting at three ranges in Ohio has just become
expensive.  The ranges are at Delaware, Deer Creek and Spring
Valley wildlife areas.  The ranges have always been free and open
from can see to can't see.  There has been no supervision or charge
for any of the ranges till now.
     The new annual fee will be $10.00 for those that have current
hunting licenses and $25.00 for non-hunters.  A one-day permit will
cost $3.00.
     Physical changes in the three ranges will be minimal, but
there will be tighter control.  There will be supervision and a
schedule of operation.  There will also be toilets.
     On site supervision will be supplied by the Department of
Wildlife.  Operating schedule will be from Aug. 1-Jan. 31-open
every day except Monday.  Feb. 1-July 31-open every day except
Monday and Tuesdays.  The range will be closed Easter Sunday, July
4, and Dec. 24-25.
     The on-site supervision is a plus due to the heavy usage of
these facilities and to the one-in-every-crowd idiot.  Fortunately,
these types are few and far between.
     A suggestion for the days that they are closed would be to let
hunter education or NRA certified firearm instructors man the
ranges on the days that they are scheduled to close, such as
Mondays and Tuesdays and July 4.

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION ...

     At the recent PRO Christmas party and Awards night, many
people received Certificates of Appreciation from PRO.  These
individuals have gone the extra mile in supporting the causes of
PRO and implementing them into action and deed.
     Those receiving Certificates were:  Anne Berry, Dave Buda,
Kevin Cantos, Larry Cipriani, Grant DeLorean, Chnea Hale, John and
Stephanie Haueisen, Tina and Howard Holtzclaw, Frank Jacoby, Bill
Johnson, Pat Johnson, Virginia Johnson, Kim and Todd Kohler, Pat
Lucas, Greg McGinnis,Scott Metheny, Bob Miller, Scott Mote, Jim
Prior, Jim Ramm, Sue Schafer, Cathy Seiber, Cyrus Printing, Steve
Cannon and Tom Porch.
     Steve Cannon is the evening host on WTVN-610 radio.  He is an
impartial moderator on many subjects, one of which is the gun
issue.  He has had several members of PRO on his show more than
once to expound upon gun issues by themselves or to debate such
luminaries as Dewey Stokes.  PRO thanks Steve and his radio station
for the opportunity to express our side of the Second Amendment
issue.
     Tom Porch is the Outdoors writer for the Columbus Dispatch.
In that capacity, he helps to promote our gun shows and firearm
classes, whether they are Hunter Education classes or NRA classes.
Tom also writes many more articles than are printed by the Dispatch
due to their content on Second Amendment issues.  PRO thanks Tom
for his valued help in our efforts to educate the public and in
advertising our money-making projects.
     Cyrus Printing prints the PROponent and has done a wonderful
job making up for lost time when the editors are late with copy.
Thanks again.
     PRO would like to commend and express it's gratitude to the
above named people for their extra efforts for our cause, as well
as to our general membership for their participation in PRO
activities.

DAVID W. STOCKHAM AWARD ...

     The 1993 recipient of the David W. Stockham Award is John
Lydic, a valuable member of PRO.  John is a certified NRA
Instructor in all disciplines from pistol to blackpowder, from
rifle to shotgun, personal protection with pistol and home firearm
safety.  He is also an Ohio Department of Wildlife volunteer Hunter
Education Instructor.
     John spends many hours away from his wife Joyce, and daughter
Emily in his volunteer capacity as teacher and instructor.
     John is also the Chief Hunter Education Instructor for the
Richland Gun Club in Union County, northwest of Columbus.
     It is through the efforts and sacrifices of John and his
family that education in hunting and firearm safety is being taught
in central Ohio.  To John and his family we give our thanks and our
highest honor, the David W. Stockham Award, named for PRO's first
president, Dave Stockham.
     John embodies the spirit, enthusiasm and dedication of all the
previous recipients of this award towards education and the
preservation of the Second Amendment.
     Congratulations, John.

SENATE LETTER  ...

     Richard Hale, chairman of PRO, received an Ohio Senate
President's Letter of Commendation for his efforts in leading and
guiding PRO throughout the past year.  The letter was signed by the
President of the Ohio Senate and was sponsored by Senator Gene
Watts.  Richard was a leader in our efforts to protect the Second
Amendment in Grove City, Dublin and Delaware.  His guidance was
felt in our voter registration projects, hunter education classes
and in the overall performance of PRO throughout the past year.
Both he and his wife, K, have taken numerous calls at all times of
the day and evening concerning PRO.
     Richard also worked on the campaign of Amy Salerno, candidate
for Columbus city council.  He was one of the few that made every
lit drop for her.  He even brought his daughter, Chnea with him.
     PRO extends it's thanks to Richard for a job well done, and an
apology for all the phone calls and computer messages throughout
the past year.

ELECTIONS ...

     Nominations for officers of PRO for the 1994-95 term of office
will be on January 18, 1994.  The election of officers will be on
February 15, 1994.
     Those positions up for election are Chairman, vice-chairman,
treasurer and secretary.  Sergeant-at-Arms and Membership secretary
are appointed.
     All terms are for one year with the chairman and vice-chairman
being limited to two consecutive terms.  The treasurer is limited
to four and the secretary is limited to five consecutive terms.
     Bill Johnson has served the past four years as treasurer of
PRO.  He inherited a box full of receipts and progressed to ledger
sheets and financial statements.  PRO would like to thank Bill for
a job well done.

BYLAWS ...

     In the next issue of the PROponent, we will be  publishing our
current bylaws as provided by those same bylaws.  However, in this
issue we will just review the changes that have been made to date.
These include the raising of dues, absentee ballots and the
resignation of officers and members.  One slight change to be voted
on at the January meeting is to define the length of time a person
must be a PRO member before they can run for office.
     As was discussed on page one of this newsletter, dues for PRO
were raised to sixteen dollars per year.  Also the policy of
pro-rated dues was dropped.
     Another change was to allow for absentee ballots in voting for
officers.  This was in answer to complaints from some members who
could not attend our meetings due to other commitments.  Those who
wish to nominate candidates must still attend our January meeting
and we still encourage those who wish to vote in the election to
attend the February meeting if at all possible.  The change for
absentee balloting is as follows: "Voting Members may vote by
Absentee Ballot by requesting an Absentee Ballot in writing,
accompanied by a photo copy of their PRO Membership Card.  Request
must be submitted in sufficient time to complete the Ballot and
return it to the PRO office prior to noon of the day of the
Election."
     Also passed was the creation of the new appointed position of
Membership Secretary whose duties are to keep track of PRO's
membership and mailing lists.
     A final loose end was the addition of rules allowing officers
of members to resign their office or withdraw from the
organization.  This had been overlooked in the previous bylaws
which had no mention of resignations.

DISPOSABLE KIDS ...

     At times because the PRO editors tend to go on and on about
what is wrong with our country and its many leaders, we often give
a kind of negative impression.  We do not wish to be constantly
negative, but also we feel it is our duty to "tell it like it is."
     One such piece was in the last issue regarding kids who failed
the proficiency test required for graduation and the proposal to
just give them diplomas anyway.  We deplored that suggestion but we
did not wish to give the impression that kids who fail should be
just pitched on the dung heap of life and forgotten.  About one
quarter of the Columbus senior class of 1994 (the first class
required to pass the test to graduate) have yet to pass all four
parts of the test.
     Superintendent Larry Mixon says, "there are no disposable
children" and intends to try to keep those who fail to pass the
test in school until they do.   While we may feel that there
actually are a few "disposable children" like the ones who will
stab a boy for his jacket, we totally agree with the superintendent
that this does not apply to ordinary school kids.  We applaud Mr.
Mixon's plan.
     If children fail to achieve, it is easy to point a finger at
the child, but in truth the finger of responsibility should be
pointing at the educators and administrators who failed to interest
or prepare the student.  And if it is the system that has failed
the kids, then it owes them to put it right.  It is not how fast
you have learned skills that matters but rather how well.  Mr.
Mixon is a perfect example, having begun his job with incomplete
qualifications but given a chance, through hard work, has elevated
himself to be equal to the task.  Each of his students who find
themselves faltering deserve no less of a chance.
     We knew that Mr. Mixon, whose New Year's resolution for 1993
was to spend more time with his son teaching him to hunt, had to be
the kind of guy who would put some common sense back into
education.

TRUTH IN TRASH ...

     Listen to the national media and what do you hear?  School
kids are living in fear of being gunned down.  "Study" after
"study" show even small town schools infested with gangs and guns
and most important of all: FEAR.
     But if you want the truth don't check the news, just check the
trash blowing through your yard.  Ron Herman gave us a paper he
found blowing across his front yard (which had a large tire print
on it from his truck) that had come out of the November 26, 1993
Weekly Reader.  This is an informative reading supplement for
schoolkids.
     At the top of the page was a silhouette of a revolver which
asked the question: "Do kids feel safe at school?"  All of us
media-watching mush-brains know the answer to that one, right?
Wrong.  Since kids aren't old enough to vote, apparently Weekly
Reader saw no harm in just telling the truth.  In a series of
graphs which they said was based on a U.S. Justice department
survey of 10,000 kids aged 12-19 they presented the following
results:

1. Question: Are you afraid of being attacked in school?
     No 78%    Yes 22%
2. Question: Are you afraid of being attacked going to or from
school?
     No 85%    Yes 15%
3. Question: Are gangs in your school?
     No 79%    Yes 15%   Don't Know 6%

It's not quite what you heard from the media, is it?

_____________________________________________________________
The PROponent is published by:
Peoples Rights Organization;
5 E. Long St., Suite 412;  Columbus, OH 43215;
Tel (614) 268-0122
Fax (614) 275-0092
EMAIL: 73427.1615@compuserve.com
Richard Hale, Chairman;  Ron Herman, Vice Chairman
Dennis Walker, Secretary;  Bill Johnson, Treasurer
Editors:  Dennis Walker and Frank Jacoby
Contributions, either written or financial are gladly accepted.

       Anyone wishing to reprint all or part of an article from the
PROponent may do so.  Please mention the PROponent and the issue
that the article was in, and send a copy of your publication to our
PRO office. (We like to know what your organization is doing too.)
Also, PRO will exchange newsletters with any pro-gun, pro-rights,
pro-hunting, etc. group to further grass-roots communication.  Put
us on your newsletter mailing list and we will put your club on
ours.
     PRO general meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month
at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, W. Broad St. Columbus, Ohio.
_________________________________________________________________