From: Lawrence.V.Cipriani@att.com
To: chan@shell.portal.com
Date: Fri, 19 May 95 16:42:44 EST
Subject: PROponent 05/95


The
      PROponent

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

Volume 7              May, 1995                Number 5

[headline]
Brunswaco?

SHOOTOUT IN CLEVELAND SUBURB ...

     Pro-gun communication lines were buzzing.  Militia members
were going nuts, calling it "Waco II".  Media were notably quiet.
Talk was of how some nurse saw a man's guns out in the open and
turned him in to police precipitating a SWAT attack on his home.
PRO decided to find out the truth.
     John M. Lekan, 54 his 9 year old son John Jr., and his invalid
wife, Beverly, 49 who has Multiple Sclerosis, lived in an ordinary
tract house in the Rolling Hills Dr. neighborhood of Brunswick,
Ohio. (some papers called it "Brunswick Hills")  Brunswick is a
suburb of Cleveland just south of Parma which is Southwest of
downtown.  John Lekan was a veteran of the Viet Nam era, but
newspapers said he did NOT serve in Viet Nam. (TV media played up
the Viet Nam vet nutcase aspects)  He did, however, have a long
history of mental problems.
     Dr. Richard McCormick, acting chief of staff of the
Brecksville Veterans Hospital, said that Lekan had been
hospitalized for mental problems in 1960, 1970, and from August 28,
through Oct 7, 1985 and had remained an outpatient until February
1993.  It is not known if any of these stays were by court order or
if they were voluntary.  If any were by court order, Lekan could
not legally possess firearms.  The hospital recommended that he
continue treatment after he left the hospital but did not seek a
court order forcing him to do so as they judged him not to be a
danger to himself or others at that time.  McCormick defended the
decision saying that the severity of mental illness can change
drastically in two years.
     Some neighbors said that John was "quiet and kept to himself"
while others noted odd behavior such as wearing a heavy fur coat in
summer and riding his wife's electric wheelchair around the
streets.  The media asserted that Lekan had "an obsession with
guns" but his collection of just a hunting rifle and shotgun
(possibly one more gun) seems to be just a media view and owning
even one gun is an "obsession".
     AP reported that "Mrs. Lekan said Friday that her husband
became enraged when the health-care workers asked that he keep his
guns out of sight. She said her husband kept three guns in the
house for personal protection."  The nurses, however, reported to
their supervisor that Lekan was "acting out with guns".  We assume
this means he was ranting and waving them around.
     How much of this is true is not clear, however Beverly did
tell her husband that police would probably be with her nurses when
they returned.  She said her husband became angry and began loading
his firearms.  He indicated he was "ready for attack, if
necessary."
     At 3:00 pm Friday March 31, Brunswick police officers Sam
Puzella and Dale Schnell came to the Lekan house to investigate.
Aware of Lekan's mental state, Puzella and Schnell changed into
street clothes and decided against soft body armor so as not to
"trigger" Lekan.   Puzella only had on a thin sweat shirt and had
his revolver in a holster behind his back.
     Lekan refused to open the door and went to a window where he
ranted and rambled making little sense.  At this point comes
mistake number one.  Instead of calling in the man's doctors from
the VA hospital or at least a psychiatric negotiator, they decide
to kick in the door.  He came face to face with Lekan of whom he
said, "He looked distressed, that kind of calm distress we learn to
recognize."
"His eyes looked right at mine. He said, 'Goddamn you!' and then
fired," Puzella recalled.
     The bullet passed through Puzella's chest, cracked a rib and
lodged in his back leaving a large bruise  The bullet was not
removed.  PRO notes that this could not have been a high-powered
hunting rifle.  Both officers retreated and although Schnell had
drawn his gun and aimed it at Lekan he did not fire.  While there
has been considerable speculation as to whether Officer Schnell
could have ended it right there, PRO notes that his actions were
100 percent responsible.  He did not know where the boy and wife
were and any shots in that house would have passed through drywall
like it wasn't there and might have easily killed one of them. "Be
sure of your target and what's beyond!"  This was about the last
responsible act the police were to perform.
     Now it's time for police mistake number two.  At this point,
the situation REALLY called for bringing in professionals to talk
the guy out, but NO!  At 8:30 pm police try a frontal assault on
the house with the wife and boy still inside. Between 8:30 pm and
6:00 am the firemen pumped water into the basement of the house at
over 1000 gallons per minute to force Lekan and the boy out of the
basement.  Brunswick Police Sgt. Joseph McDermott was a member of
the 5 man assault squad and he was struck in the chest by a bullet
fired by Lekan and knocked down.  However it did not penetrate his
vest and he was not hurt. (Note again this was NOT a high-powered
rifle.)  Two other officers, however, were shot in the assault and
the team withdrew.
     An after the fact examination of the front door showed 24
bullet holes in it, all entry holes.  It was also fire damaged over
about 6 or 8 inches at the bottom, possibly from explosives used to
force doors open.  This kind of assault just to subdue a armed
mental patient would be excessive, but with a child and an invalid
wife in the house, it is clearly inexcusable.
     The Cleveland Plain Dealer then reports "After trying to force
Lekan's hand, police decided to try to talk him out."  Duh!  Of
course after two assaults Lekan is definitely NOT calm, stable or
ready to negotiate.  They bring in Lekans mother to talk to him,
but not surprisingly it was to no avail.
     By now Lekan is convinced that police are trying to kill him
and in this he was probably correct.  Surrounded by what Brunswick
police chief said were 300 police including those from
Strongsville, Hinckley Township, Medina, Brunswick Hills, Cleveland
SWAT and the Ohio Highway Patrol, 200 firemen, armored vehicles and
helicopters overhead, Lekan ranted about his Constitutional Rights
(which were doubtless gone at this point) and that he was "born a
free man and would die a free man".  That Lekan was dead meat is
indicated in the statement of Brunswick Detective Sgt. John
Stukbauer, "We're trying to save the lives of the kid and woman."
Obviously the police view was that mental cases with guns are
"cured" by shooting them first and taking them to the hospital
second.
     Jim Plozner, who directs an emergency psychiatric agency that
Brunswick police use, tried to negotiate with Lekan and then
advised the police chief that there was a high probability that
Lekan would kill his son during the incident.
     But instead of trying to bring Lekan to some kind of
resolution, the police step up pressure using Waco-style tactics.
They evacuate the neighborhood for one-half mile.  They cut off all
utilities to the house, including gas, electric, telephone and
water.  They knocked out all street lights and install TV cameras
on the poles.  About the only thing they DIDN'T do was install
speakers and play "These boots were made for walking" or ask "We
had pancakes for breakfast Mrs. Lekan, what did you have?"
     So in view of this, the next morning, April 1, at 6:00 am,
police began shooting tear gas into the house with the boy and wife
still inside with John Lekan.  Throughout the day police batter the
house with an armored vehicle known as "mother" built sort of like
a Brinks truck and possibly with a second truck.  They smash the
garage door, they smash the patio doors, they mash on the side of
the house while demanding Lekan's surrender on a bullhorn.  They
actually pushed the house off its foundation with the trucks.
Police shoot out windows and continue pumping tear gas into the
house. Police reportedly attached concussion grenades to poles and
insert them through the holes in the house and set them off (Note:
wife and kid are still inside!) There has been no response from the
house since 9:30 am.  Finally at 5:00 or 6:00 pm police get Beverly
on the phone who begs to be rescued.  She told them she was
freezing. Note that the weather was very cold and the house was
punched full of holes and heat was off.
     Finally the next day, April 2, at 10:15 am, police again
attack the house with tear gas and move an armored vehicle to the
front (according to media) and pull the hypothermic Beverly out
through the window.  Note, however, that she spent the entire siege
in the master bedroom at the rear of the house.  They begin a room
by room search of the house and by 12:50 pm find John Lekan and his
son dead in a small utility room/half bath (called the "bathroom"
by many reporters).
     Lekan had a gas mask and had run a hose from welding oxygen
tanks into the room.  The Medina county Coroner, Dr. Neil
Grabenstetter said both Lekan and the boy died of "single gunshot
wounds to the head."  Reports said that the boy was killed with a
shotgun blast to the back of the head and reports of the Senior
Lekan's death varied wildly, being described from either a shotgun
or a rifle or a rifle placed in the mouth.  His rifle, shotgun and
ammunition were recovered from the room where they died.
     The aftermath of the incident left the Lekan's home completely
trashed and neighbors totally disgusted with police.  The media
described Lekan's guns shown off by the Sheriff's Dept as "an array
of weapons", but the photo in the paper showed only a smallish
hunting rifle (described by media as .27 caliber), a double
barreled shotgun which looks in the photo to be 16 or 20 gauge
(described by the media as a 10 gauge "high-powered shotgun" and a
possible third gun which appears to be a boys pump action .22 (the
third gun has been variously described in the media as a "handgun"
a "shotgun" or a "rifle").
     One thing is clear here: since this incident is not all over
the national press headlines, it can only mean that there is no
serious "gun control" legislation pending in Congress.  And another
thing is clear: since no one in the media has been screaming about
"semi-automatic assault weapons" or about "automatic gunfire"
coming from the Lekan home, it is certain that NONE of his guns
were semi-autos.  I guess we have to give the press that much
credit for honesty.
     The questions that remain, are being raised by John Lekan's
neighbors and other Brunswick residents.  They are VERY angry with
police handling of the incident.  Police kicked at least 15
families out of their homes and forced scores of others to stay
indoors for 45 hours.  Stacy and Ken Stanecki were reportedly very
upset that police had taken over their house for use as a
"strategic post" and left it thoroughly pigged.  Others were
unhappy that they were unable to get out there pets or kid's
medicine.  Police did manage to fetch a 22 month baby, however.  As
to the rest, police said they simply "didn't have the manpower" to
get the pets out.  What can we say?  300 police and 200 firemen
standing around picking their teeth and they couldn't find the
manpower?
     Residents of the area have scheduled meetings to get some
answers about police policy.  There have been rumors that Lekan and
his boy were killed by police grenades and later police shot the
bodies to cover it up.  Facts supporting these speculations are a
large hole blown through the interior wall into the utility room
where Mr. Lekan and his son were found, two loud gunshots heard
when police were "clearing" the house, and the two hours it took
them to "find" the two bodies in this tiny house.  True or not, it
is certain that continued police assaults on the house was a great
endangerment to the boy and the wife.Furthermore it was completely
ignorant to assume that an unstable personality is going to
logically respond to massive force by thinking that reasonably, he
should give up to save himself the way you or I might. For that
matter, I'm not even sure a SANE person would respond to a massive
police assault by stepping outside to be riddled with police
bullets.  It has been asserted that police snipers were told to
shoot Lekan on sight, but reports from police scanners indicate
that a sniper saying he had Lekan in his sights was denied
permission to shoot.  He was told, "No, not yet."  Nevertheless,
police continued with their misguided policies even after being
warned by a psychiatrist that it was likely Lekan would kill the
boy!
     So in the end we find that the Lekan house had at least 39
bullet holes, all of them entry holes.  This was at least 39
chances the police took with the lives of the 9 year old boy and
his mother.  It is claimed by police that Lekan killed himself and
the boy when they began smashing the house with the armored
vehicle.  Since they tore up the side of the house right where he
and the boy were holed up, and hit it hard enough to knock the
house off it's foundation, it's little wonder Lekan thought his day
of "Waco" had come and decided he had better shoot himself rather
than be burned to death.
     Compare, if you will, this case with the one we reported here
in Columbus where an unstable man was waving a pistol around in the
street.  Here the SWAT officer shot the gun out of his hand, the
man was taken into custody for mental observation and trial.  They
did not just get out the armored vehicle and run him over!  Police
are to take suspects into custody, not play judge and jury.  If
police can't deal with mental patients, then bring in some of the
guys with white coats who can.  This "Waco" mentality is only
causing the public to fear arrest and can only make the next
barricaded gunman that much more convinced that he has to shoot it
out to the end.  We don't need any more of that.
     In one final odd note, reminiscent of the events in Waco where
the BATF raised it's flag in triumph over the charred remains of
the church and it's residents, listeners to police scanners
reported hearing the remarks, "We got the flag, does that mean we
won?"  The Lekan flagpole was observed empty after the siege.  PRO
would only say to the person who made this comment, "No, sir, it
does not mean you won, it means that the Lekan family and America
have lost."

PROBATION...

     An Upper Arlington teenager was recently charged with
negligent homicide in the shooting death of a friend.  Mark
Stafford, 16, was finally sentenced to a year's probation and
counseling for the death of Mike Bain.
     The Columbus Dispatch portrayed the shooting as an accident.
This is wrong.  As all of us should know, there are no accidents
with firearms, just ignorance and stupidity.
     Both boys decided to play with Bain's father's gun, a .22
revolver.  They found the hidden gun and pried off the trigger
guard.  They then went to another part of the house and got the
ammunition for the firearm.  The two boys then proceeded to load
and unload the gun until Stafford shot Bain in the chest.  They
were loading and unloading the gun, and passing it back and forth.
     Stafford later said that "he deliberately pulled the trigger
but that he thought that he had emptied it and didn't realize that
he had left a bullet in it or that it was pointing at his friend."
     There are no accidents with firearms.  Keep the muzzle pointed
in a safe direction.  Keep the firearm unloaded until you are ready
to use it.  Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to
shoot.
     Three more simpler rules are:  STOP!  DON'T TOUCH!  LEAVE THE
AREA!  TELL A RESPONSIBLE ADULT!
     These two young men stole a pistol and the ammunition for it.
They deliberately pried off the trigger lock, and loaded and
un-loaded the firearm until one of them tragically died.  Stafford
did not keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.  He did not
keep the firearm unloaded until ready to use.  And he did not keep
his finger off of the trigger.
     Stafford and Bain broke every rule of firearm safety that one
can think of.  One of them died as a result of stupidity and
ignorance.  Now one family will never see their son grow to
manhood, and another has to live with the fact that their son took
a friends life.
     The NRA has all the material needed to teach children and
young adults about firearm safety.  Call them.  Call PRO.  Take a
class.  Even talk to a police officer about firearm safety.
     Another round in Sarah Brady's ammunition store of "firearm
tragedy and why pistols should be outlawed" could have been
prevented.  Boys and girls need to be taught about firearms and how
to handle them safely.  If they are around others that are "playing
around" with firearms, teach them to leave the area, and then tell
a responsible adult.
     Bain's parents were not responsible gun owners in that they
did not teach their son the proper way of handling firearms.  Mark
and Mike were not responsible gun handlers in anything they did
that day in respect to firearms.  Tragedy was the result of
stupidity and ignorance.

ISLETON, CALIFORNIA...

     Not everyone in California is nuts.  At least from our view
point.  Eugene Byrd, police chief of Isleton, is a strong believer
in an individuals right to carry a concealed firearm.  Isleton has
a population of 800 residents with 133 CCW permits issued, and a
backlog of 1,500 people waiting for one.
     Byrd follows state requirements that applicants be finger
printed, undergo a background check and study gun safety.  County
Sheriff Glen Craig calls Byrd's practices "a mockery of the
system."  But under current California law, he can't do much about
them.
     Gun-control advocates in the California legislature are
considering altering the CCW law to restrict the permit franchise
to an official's home community.  Until then, Byrd is processing as
many applicants as possible.  "I'm going to get as many as I can,"
he says.  "I'm working five nights a week and every weekend."
     Thank you police chief Byrd.  It is almost a certainty that
those that want to restrict our Second Amendment rights feel that
Byrd is a "California nut."

[Editor:  The above article was taken from the February 19, 1995
Columbus Dispatch, which in turn got it from the Governing
Magazine.

FRIENDS OF THE NRA BANQUET ...

by Pam Sheets

The second annual central Ohio friends of NRA banquet was held at
Villa Milano on March 28, 1995.  The evening was a great success!
Attendance was increased by about 30%, and the amount of money
raised for the NRA Foundation was 2 1/2 times greater than last
year!  Many thanks to all of you who attended, worked, donated, and
otherwise supported this event!
     Monies from last years banquet were recently allocated.  Pro
will receive funding for Eddie Eagle materials; Big Walnut 4-H will
receive a grant for firearms instruction and education: becoming an
outdoors woman will receive a grant to purchase firearms and
targets - just to mention a few.  Throughout the state, many
sporting and conservation clubs are receiving grants and several
shooting ranges will be improved also.  These things could not be
accomplished without your generous support!  Thank you.  Thank
You!!!  And mark your calendar for next year, Tuesday march 26,
1996!

BECOMING AN OUTDOORS WOMAN ...

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) division of
wildlife will hold its second "Becoming an Outdoors Woman" weekend
May 5-7 1995 at recreation unlimited.  100 Women will have the
opportunity to get more familiar with various activities such as
basic camping, fishing, archery, introduction to rifle and shotgun,
cooking game, outdoor photography and many others.  There will also
be an opportunity for the participants to complete the Ohio hunter
education course.
     Pam sheets, PRO voter registrar, will be co-teaching with Dave
Wilson who is the hunter education specialist for the state.  In
addition, Pam will be given the opportunity to share information
about PRO, the guns shows (women are admitted free), Eddie Eagle,
Friends of the NRA, home firearms training through PRO, and maybe
she'll even register some voters!

GUN SHOWS...

     Over the last several months, many people at our gun shows in
the central Ohio area have asked when our upcoming shows are.
Well, ask no more.  Following is a list of our shows for the rest
of 1995 and the first three months of 1996.

1995:
June 17-18:  Marion, Ohio - In conjunction with the Steam and Gas
Show.  Bring dad out for a real Father's Day treat!

August 5-6:  Hilliard, Ohio - In conjunction with our outdoor car
and truck show.  Guns plus cars, trucks, 4x4's and RV's.

August 19-20:  Chillicothe, Ohio - Ross County Fair Grounds; Gun
Show and Sporting Clays.

October 7-8:  Hilliard, Ohio.

October 14-15: Chillicothe, Ohio - Ross County Fair Grounds; Gun
Show and Sporting Clays.

November 11-12:  Circleville, Ohio.

November 24, 25 and 26:  Hilliard, Ohio - Our annual Thanksgiving
Show.  Friday times are noon until 6:00pm.

December 16-17:  Springfield, Ohio - One of our two yearly shows in
Springfield.  400 tables.

December 30-31:  Hilliard, Ohio - Our annual New Years Eve show.
One of the best attended every year.

1996:
January 13-14:  Circleville, Ohio.
February 3-4:  Hilliard, Ohio.
February 10-11:  Marion, Ohio.
March 2-3:  Hilliard, Ohio.
March 9-10:  Springfield, Ohio.
March 30-31:  Circleville, Ohio.

BYLAWS OF THE PEOPLE'S RIGHTS ORGANIZATION

Amended January 15, 1991
Amended September 15, 1992
Amended November 16, 1993
Amended February 15, 1994
Amended February 20, 1995
Amended March 21, 1995

ARTICLE  I  NAME

     The name of the corporation shall be the PEOPLE'S RIGHTS
ORGANIZATION, INC.;  herein after known as PRO.


ARTICLE  II  PURPOSE AND POLICY

     A)  To protect and foster those individual rights defined and
set forth in the constitutions of the several states and of the
United States of America.

     B)  To educate the public regarding the importance of the
individual rights set forth above and to inform the public of any
attempts, governmental or otherwise, to limit the nature or
expression of these rights.

     C)  PRO is organized and operated exclusively for charitable
purposes and other non-profit purposes,  and no part of any net
earnings shall enure to the benefit of any private member or
shareholder.

ARTICLE  III  MEMBERSHIP

     A)  Eligibility.  any person who subscribes to the purposes
and policy of PRO shall be eligible for membership.

     B)  Types of membership.

          1)  Voting member.  Residents of the United States of
America, at least eighteen (18) years of age, who join PRO shall be
voting members, after sixty (60) days of joining.

          2)  Associate Members.  All others who join PRO shall be
associate members.

          3)  Family Memberships.  Family memberships shall be for
the immediate family, living in the same household.  Husband, wife,
children and/or parents residing in the same dwelling.

          4)  All past presidents of PRO shall be,  after
successfully completing their elected term or terms of office,
awarded a Lifetime Membership in PRO or PRO-Central

     C)  Dues.  Individual dues shall be sixteen (16) dollars for
a calendar year starting in January and ending in December.

          1)  Family dues shall be 1 1/2 times that for a General
Membership for a calendar year starting in January and ending in
December.

          2)  Dues shall be pro-rated for month that has passed
since the beginning of the calendar year for new members.
Memberships initiated between September 30th. and December 31st.
shall be good for the following year.

     D)  Non-Payment of Dues.  Non-payment  of dues by the
beginning of the third month of the calendar year by a member of
PRO,  Shall cause them to be dropped from the organization.

     E)  Resignation.  Any member,  or officer,  who so wishes, may
send a letter of resignation to PRO informing PRO of the desire to
withdraw from their elected or appointed position, and/or the
organization.  Said resignation becomes effective immediately upon
receipt of said Letter of Resignation.

     F)  All members of PRO shall be provided a copy of the bylaws.

ARTICLE IV  BOARD OF TRUSTEES

     A)  Powers.  The affairs of this organization shall be
entrusted to the Board of Trustees.

     B)  Members.  The Board of trustees shall consist of a:
Chairman,  Vice-Chairman,  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and
Sergeant-at-Arms, Membership Secretary, and Heads of   Committees
as appointed by the Chairman.

          1)  These officers shall perform all duties prescribed by
these Bylaws,  And by the parliamentary authority adopted by PRO.

          2)  The Chairman shall preside at all meetings,  Board or
General,  and is to perform all executive  functions as set forth
in  Ohio Corporate Law.

          3)  The vice-Chairman shall act in the absence of the
Chairman,  and fulfill all said duties of the Chairman.

          4)  The Secretary shall keep minutes of all Board and
General meetings,  and Shall keep all minute books and all
non-financial records of the corporation.

          5)  The Treasurer shall keep all funds of the
corporation, and shall keep proper books of accounts; recording
receipts and expenditures of same, and shall keep all financial
records.

          6)  The Chairman shall appoint a Membership Secretary to
serve in one-year increments.  The Membership Secretary shall keep
all Membership Records of PRO and all Mailing Lists of PRO.  The
Membership Secretary shall also provide upon request labels for any
and all mailings of PRO.

          7)  The Chairman shall appoint a Sergeant-at-Arms, whose
duties shall be to maintain order at all Board and General
Meetings.  Other duties shall consist of verifying membership of
attendees,  and identification of all guests at all meetings.

     C)  Nomination of Officers.  The officers shall be nominated
at the first meeting of the calendar year by a member of PRO that
is in good standing for at least six (6) months.

     D)  Elections.  The election of officers shall take place at
the second meeting of the calendar year, by members of PRO who are
in good standing and are voting members of PRO.

     E)  Balloting.  A majority vote by written ballot of a quorum
of members, and any Absentee Ballots shall elect the nominated
candidates to office. 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.(quorum -see
ARTICLE V,  SECTION D)

     F)  Term of Office.  Elected officers shall take office at the
end of the meeting at which they are elected into office.  Officers
shall hold office for one (1) year,  but not longer than two (2)
consecutive years in the same office, excepting Secretary and
Treasurer.  The Secretary shall not hold office for more than five
(5) consecutive years, and the Treasurer shall not hold office for
more then four (4) consecutive years.

     G)  No member shall hold more than one office at a time.

     H)  Eligibility of Officers.  All officers of PRO, either
elected or appointed, shall have been a Voting Member in good
standing for at least three(3) months.

     I)  Death or Resignation of an Officer.  In the event of the
death or resignation of an officer, a replacement shall be
appointed by the Board of Trustees,  and voted on by the general
membership within thirty (30) days of said death or resignation.

     J)  Removal of an Officer, Board Member or General Member of
PRO.  For the good of PRO, upon presentation of due cause, any
Member of PRO, or any elected Officer, or any seated Board Member
of PRO, may be removed from their Office or from General Membership
by, first, a two-thirds(2/3) majority vote of the Board of
Trustees, and then by a two-thirds(2/3) majority vote of the
General membership at the next scheduled meeting.


ARTICLE  V  MEETINGS.

     A)  Meetings of PRO shall be on the third Tuesday of each
month at eight (8:00) P.M.

          1)  Special meetings.  Special meetings may be called
upon a majority vote of the Board of Trustees;  or by written
request of fifteen (15) members of good standing, with a three (3)
day notice to all other members.

     B)  Board Meetings.  The Chairman shall establish a meeting
schedule for the Board of Trustees.  Board members will be notified
of changes in meeting times prior to the next scheduled meeting.
Members shall be notified of changes in scheduled board meeting
times by an announcement in the PROponent.

          1)  Special Meetings of the Board of Trustees may be
called by the Chairman with notice to all other Board Members.

     C) Meeting may be changed by a majority vote of the Board of
Trustees.

     D)  Quorum.  A quorum for a membership meeting shall consist
of ten members in good standing.  A quorum of the board of trustees
meeting shall consist of six board members, at least two of which
are elected officers.

ARTICLE  VI  COMMITTEES

     A)  Finance Committee.  A Finance committee shall be appointed
by the Chairman;  consisting of the Treasurer and three (3) other
members of the Board of Trustees,promptly after he is elected to
office.

     B)  Standing Committees.  Other such committees shall be
appointed by the Board of Trustees as deemed necessary to carry on
the work of PRO.  The new head of said committee shall be voted
upon within thirty(30) days  by the membership, after formation of
said committee.

     C)  The Chairman shall serve as ex officio of all committees,
except for a nominating committee.

ARTICLE  VII  PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY.

     A)  The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's
Rules of Order (Newly Revised) shall govern PRO in all cases to
which they are applicable,  and in which they are not inconsistent
with these Bylaws and any special rules or orders that PRO may
adopt.

ARTICLE VIII  AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS.

     A)  These Bylaws may be amended by a two -thirds (2/3)
majority vote of a quorum of members, at any meeting,  provided
that the amendment has been submitted in writing at the previous
regular meeting.

ARTICLE IX  SPENDING AUTHORITY.

     A)  Budget.  The Chairman shall establish an annual budget.
The budget requires approval of a three fifths majority vote at a
scheduled membership meeting.

     B)  Chairman.  The Chairman can approve any expenditure
appearing on an approved budget.  The Chairman can approve any
non-budgeted expenditures up to and including one hundred dollars
($100).

     C)  Board of Trustees.  The Board of Trustees can approve
non-budgeted expenditures up to and including five hundred dollars
$500).  Members will be informed of these expenditures at the next
scheduled membership meeting.

     D)  Members.  Non-budgeted expenditures in excess of five
hundred dollars ($500) require a three fifths majority vote at a
scheduled membership meeting.
____________________________________________________________

"No kingdom can be secured otherwise than by arming the people.
The possession of arms is the distinction between a freeman and a
slave.  He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another,
must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms.
But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call
his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he
possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion."

James Burgh, Political Disquisitions: Or, An Enquiry into Public
Errors, Defects, and Abuses, (London, 1774-1775)

____________________________________________________________

DEAR EDITOR:

     YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.

     We are strongly supporting the CCW for the same reasons as
your editor.
     We know it is our right to carry, however, as one Lima police
officer put it to me, when I asked him what he would do If I
strapped on my revolver and walked down Main St.; he said he would
arrest me.  I told him I wasn't breaking any gun laws.  His
response was:  "No, but I could get you for inciting a riot and
disturbing the peace and maybe some other violations."
     It is essential for us to incorporate laws to preserve our
rights from those that want to destroy them.
     We will be contacting our Ohio Senators and Representatives to
urge them to support HB 121 and SB 68.
Best Regards,
Charles Carder,
Director of Public Relations, Tri-State Gun Collectors, Inc.
[Editor:  Tri-State is located in Lima, Ohio and they have very
successful gun shows in that area.  Please call your
representatives and strongly urge them to support SB 68 and HB
121.]

COLUMBUS DISPATCH...

     In a recent editorial by the Columbus Dispatch, the paper
presented an unbiased editorial on the concealed carry issue.  The
piece lambasted both sides for their rhetoric on whether or not a
CCW was needed.
     "Critics say that the bill would recreate the Wild West,
entrusting deadly weapons to hotheads, drunkards and would-be
vigilantes.  Supporters claim it would empower decent citizens, in
self-defense, to reverse the rising tide of violent crime."
     As we know, the "Wild West"  was never that wild, except in
the movies and books.  There were less killings and shootings in
Dodge in it's heyday than in any given year in New York or
Washington, D.C.
     The editorial went on to say that 266,000 permits have been
issued in Florida, and that only 299 have been revoked due to
crime.  Only 18 of those were related to gun crimes.  Some were
revoked because of carrying into bars and airports.  The Dispatch
went on to say that: "Good people obey gun laws; bad people don't.
The question is whether it's good public policy to let the former
arm themselves against the latter."
     Current Ohio law allows a person to carry concealed if they
have a good excuse to do so, such as carrying large amounts of cash
for a business.  But you have to prove this in a court of law if
you are arrested for carrying a concealed firearm.
     Thirteen other states already have similar laws, and Texas,
Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma seem likely to pass such
legislation this year as public fear of crime continues to rise.
     Those on our side point out Luby's Cafeteria, the Long Island
Rail Road shooting, and others, as a place where one person with a
CCW permit could have saved many lives.  Opponents point out an
appalling number of cases where the presence of a pistol turned a
dispute or misunderstanding into a fatal tragedy.
     The editorial asked if armed Americans deter more crimes than
they cause?  Which they conceded was a hotly contested issue,
aggravated by conflicting and unreliable statistics.  The Dispatch
also asked if an Americans right to armed self-defense should be
limited because other people abuse firearms.
     This question can be countered by the argument that those that
abuse firearms should be surely and swiftly punished for any misuse
of a firearm.  Whether it is an accidental discharge of a firearm
or it's use in a criminal manner.
     The editorial concluded: "Enabling millions of Ohioans to
carry deadly weapons is a grave step that the General Assembly
should not lightly countenance.  Lawmakers should consider this
proposal long and carefully on its merits, without heeding the
hyperbole from either extreme of the gun-control debate."
     Of course, the Dispatch failed to reveal the studies done by
Gary Kleck, and his estimates where firearms are used by Americans
to stop crime.  Many of the incidents without a shot being fired by
the armed American.
     The Dispatch is correct when they say that the lawmakers
should examine the issue without the hyperbole of both sides.  They
should also verify all the facts presented by both sides and
discover which side consistently provides the truth and doesn't
twist statistics to fit their agenda.

SHELBY COUNTY...

     On  June 1, 300 people will lose their special Shelby County,
Florida deputy commissions, and their gun permits.  Sheriff A.C.
Gilless said that he's tired of speculation that people receive
their deputy commissions because they are political favorites.
Cybill Shepherd is one of those that will lose their permit for her
.38 revolver.  Orlando basketball star, Anfernee Hardaway,
spokesman for a Sheriff's County Department anti-drug campaign,
will be allowed to keep his commission.
____________________________________________________________

"In the old days, being crazy meant something.  Nowadays,
EVERYBODY'S crazy."

Charles Manson
____________________________________________________________

WHAT'S IN A NAME?...

     Recently, Dick Armey mauled the name of fellow representative
Barney Frank as Barney Fag, the liberal press had a field day.  But
when James Carville called Frank, Barney Fife, the press had
nothing to say.
     Armey's secretary, Edward Gillespie fired a letter off to
Carville saying"  "As you know, Mr. Frank is one of the most able
and effective debaters the House Democrats have.  For you to call
him Barney Fife is an outrage.  Is it possible that your comment
reveals some subconscious, new-Democrat resentment toward an
old-style liberal like Mr. Frank?"
     What it is, is an another example of the liberal press
overlooking the faults of their own and lambasting the foibles of
the conservatives.  We need to get more conservatives into the
media.

VOTE FOR THE BEAST ...

     The outrageous measure H.R. 666 which will give a green light
to federal agencies to search for gun or other items without proper
search warrants was amended at the last minute with a measure
introduced by Harold Volkmer (D-MO) to exempt the BATF and IRS from
the bill.  The amendment passed 228 - 198.
     Where did Ohio representatives stand on this measure to
prevent the "Wacoizing" of America.  I'm sure it will come as no
surprise to central Ohioans that our big three: Kasich (12th),
Pryce (15th) and Hobson (7th) all voted AGAINST the amendment
excluding the BATF and IRS from H.R. 666.  They all also voted for
the Crime Bill last term.  Obviously, once you've sold out, you
stay sold out.
     The amendment vote reported in the April The Gun Owners, also
showed Boehner (8th), Chabot (1st), Hoke (10th), Kaptur (9th),
LaTourette (19th), Oxley (4th), Portman (2nd), Regula (16th), and
Sawyer (14th) also voted AGAINST the Volkmer amendment so as to
allow the BATF to be able to legally kick in doors without warrants
and continue abusing their authority.
     As much as we have enjoyed watching gun-grabbing democrats in
disarray after the last election, these Bill of Rights bashers
should be warned that even if you don't, we still take YOUR oath of
office seriously, and we intend to remember your record and vote
accordingly, regardless of your party.

NRA AND THE BATF...

     In the April, 1995 edition of the American Rifleman, on page
39, the NRA is asking its readers to call their elected
representatives and tell them that its time to abolish the rogue
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.  The Congress should also
take the following steps concerning the BATF: (1) Regain control,
(2) expose and prosecute government agents and officials guilty of
civil rights abuses and (3) institute strict policies and oversight
to ensure that the Bill of Rights is honored, not condemned.
     In the last issue of the PROponent, you were provided the
names, addresses and phone numbers of all the elected officials in
Ohio.  Please call your representatives and urge them to curb the
BATF, or to have it abolished.

LEE FISHER...

     Several months ago, PRO learned of the possible appointment of
EX-attorney general Lee Fisher to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of
Appeals in Cincinnati.  We had articles published in the PROponent
and messages blasted out over the Internet.  These were prepared by
Dave Buda and Dennis Carney.  Thank you.
     Now, there is a still more insidious threat from Fisher.  He
is on a short list for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District
of Columbia, which is considered the most influential court next to
the Supreme Court.  If he is appointed, he will replace Judge
Albert Mikva, who became White House counsel last year.
     Fisher stated:  "I think chance of nomination to the D.C.
circuit is a remote possibility."  A decision is not expected until
June.  Until then, he is focusing his time on working with his old
law firm, Hahn Loeser Parks, where he is a partner.
     The former attorney general, who was widely considered to be
a likely gubernatorial candidate in 1998, recently withdrew his
name from contention for an appointment to the Court in Cincinnati.

HB 4...

     House Bill 4, introduced by first-term Amy Salerno, has passed
the Ohio House.  It now goes to the Senate.
     Some of the main provisions of this bill include:
* Increase penalties for stealing or receiving firearms or
dangerous ordnance from a fourth-degree felony to a third-degree
felony, with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $5,000
fine.
* Increase penalties for improperly furnishing firearms to a minor
from a second-degree misdemeanor to a fourth-degree felony with a
maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $2,5000 fine.
* Prohibit minors from possessing a firearm outside their residence
except for legal hunting and for some self-defense purposes.
* Create the offense of falsification to purchase a firearm, a
fourth-degree felony or a juvenile delinquency offense.
* Create a juvenile delinquency offense for underage purchase of a
firearm or a handgun.
* Require convicted delinquents or felons to consent to searches of
their person, home or vehicle as a condition of release from prison
on parole or shock parole.

BANS INVALID...

     Maine's high court has struck down a 20 year old ban on
firearms in housing projects, saying that the Portland Housing
Authority had no legal authority to regulate the possession of
firearms.
     The ban was written into lease agreements in 1975 in response
to gang activity.  The violence had gotten so bad that the Postal
Service balked at delivering mail in the projects, and firefighters
refused to enter without police protection.
     The suit was backed by the NRA on behalf of an unnamed couple
as unconstitutional and a violation of state law.

CITIZENS INPUT...

     The citizens of Columbus are being asked for their input at a
series of town meetings concerning how to spend $1 million to fight
crime in their neighborhoods.  Ten meetings will be held in various
parts of the city beginning April 25, at Franklin Park.
     Others will be held at: Carriage Place Recreation Center on
April 27; Marion Franklin Rec Center on May 3; Linden Rec Center on
May 4; Champion Golf Course on May 9; Westgate Rec Center on May
11; Cooke Rec Center on May 16; Far East Rec Center on May 18;
Slate Hill Elementary School on May 23 and Thompson Rec Center on
May 25.
     Residents are invited to attend and broken into small groups
where they will discuss the best ways to fight crime in their
community.  The Columbus city council appropriated $1 million for
community policing in the 1995 budget.
     If you are interested in attending one of these sessions, call
Kent Carson at city council at 645-7380.

4 IN 40,000...

     Attorney General Janet Reno held a news conference and bragged
that the Brady Bill had stopped 40,000 handguns from being
purchased in its first year.  Supposedly because those denied were
felons or mental incompetents.  A reporter at this press conference
asked how many had been prosecuted for lying on a government form
or attempting to make an illegal gun purchase.  The answer was
FOUR!
     Either 39,994 were wrongly denied or most were blocked for
minor offenses or the Justice Department is woefully negligent in
removing bad guys from the street.
[Editor:  The above article was taken from the March 29, 1995 Neal
Knox Hard Corp Report.]


WHEN THEY COME FOR YOUR GUNS ...

[Editors: Mr.McKnight gave PRO permission to reprint his story of
how Canada is already using the registration list to confiscate
guns ... even going beyond what the law allows by intimidation.
Furthermore, these antics were under the old gun laws.  Imagine how
much fun they will have once Mr. Rock's new measures pass!  If you
won't fight for your rights now, one day, this could be you.]

A Quiet Friday Evening in the Country!

     I am feeling a bit down today and not very kindly toward Kim
Campbell, Alan Rock, Jean Chretien and all other well-meaning but
naive souls who are in support of the useless, senselessly severe
gun laws and police state tactics that are being rammed down the
throats of responsible citizens who have never committed a crime in
their lives and never will unless pushed a little too far by the
prejudicial, discriminatory democratic (?) process in this great
free (??) land of ours. (How's that for an opening mouthful?)
     Last Friday afternoon (February 10/95) about two minutes after
my daughter, Audra (age 17) arrived home from school (around 4:50
PM) an RCMP [ed. Royal Canadian Mounted Police] officer showed up
at our place with a search warrant, displayed his badge and told
Audra he was there to search (if necessary) and seize my Franchi
shotgun (which they claim became a prohibited weapon effective Jan
1/95 by Order In Council #11 enacted on Nov 29, 1994).
     We had been half expecting them to come for over a month, but
of course didn't know when or if it would really happen.  Audra
immediately phoned me at work and I told her to open the vault and
give the officer the receiver (frame) of the gun which is all I am
required by law to surrender. The officer was not happy with just
the receiver and was even less pleased when Audra on my
instructions over the phone told him that was the only part of the
gun he was entitled to have by law and to please take it and leave.
He told Audra that he was entitled to search for and seize all
parts belonging to that gun (even though no part except the
receiver is either marked with any identification number, or
restricted or registered in any police record.)  (The legal
definition of a firearm is the lower receiver which has the serial
number stamped on it.)
     The officer then proceeded to tell Audra that his search
warrant gave him complete control of all our property, house, barn,
vehicles and everything else; that he had the power and authority
to put Audra out of the house and off the property (in about -10
deg.C temperatures), bring in a search team and tear the house and
anything else that they pleased, to pieces until they found the
other parts to the gun which they suspected were still there on the
property.  At that point, the officer took the phone from Audra,
and asked me if I was going to give him the other parts to the gun;
I told him that he already had all he was entitled to by law, and
to please get off my property. He then said he was proceeding to
call in his backup team to take the house apart and he hung up the
phone.
     I phoned my lawyer, explained what was happening and
specifically asked him if I was required by law to give up any part
of the gun except the receiver, his answer, "No, you are not, but
it sounds like the police officers honestly believe they have the
right to search and find the other parts". [editors: Now where have
we heard this "believe in good faith" pitch before?]
     I said "Then you had better come and mediate this because I'm
not budging a hair beyond what the law requires except on your
advice and I have no intention of letting them tear my house apart
either."  To make a long story short, when my wife, Louise and I
arrived home, there were three RCMP vehicles there but they hadn't
done any serious searching except to order Audra to open up
anything that looked like a gun cabinet.
     My lawyer arrived, talked to the police, talked to their
lawyer on the phone for ten minutes, advised me that even though by
law, I was not required to give up the rest of the gun parts, that
the police and their lawyer believed it was their right to search
for them and seize them and tear down our house as required to
accomplish that. So he recommended that I give them the parts to
avoid further immediate damages on either side.
     Since I had previously decided to follow the lawyer's advice
if he came to mediate, I stalled a bit longer; then went outside
and came back in a few minutes with the parts.  The officers were
relieved. (With a large unfinished house full of all kinds of
construction "junk", a barn full of hay and 300 acres of land under
2' of snow to search through, plus the fact they didn't really know
what they were looking for and had no way of positively identifying
it if they did find it, they could have torn the house to the
ground with very little chance of ever finding what they were
looking for, and they knew it.)
     The real important questions in my mind are:  How much of our
stuff would they have rooted around through believing that it was
their job?  And, in a so-called free country why should any group
of people, majority or otherwise, have the right to enact laws that
allow the police to go to the home of someone who never has, and
never will commit any crime (unless provoked beyond all reason),
lean heavily on a 17 year old daughter who is an extremely
responsible kid and a top notch student, and threaten to tear the
house apart to steal legally acquired and responsibly owned and
used private property.
     Why didn't I just hand over the complete gun up front and
avoid the hassle ?  Because I'm fed up, I'm stubborn, I'm not a
criminal and I refuse to be treated like one, I don't appreciate
being robbed of a valuable top quality collector's item which I
enjoy, and more people have to stand up and point out that what is
currently happening with gun laws here in Canada is wrong and will
not make one bit of difference in the crime rate except to cause it
to increase.
     Taking away every last legally owned gun in Canada will make
no significant difference in the level of public safety.  Current
laws require all handguns in Canada to be registered.  Chretien
says he will greatly improve public safety by banning all handguns.
However, there is one slight unmentioned hitch in his safety plan
- for every person in Canada killed by a legally registered
handgun, over 770 are killed by motor vehicles.  Why then are we so
intent on persecuting the honest people who enjoy owning and target
shooting with their handguns?  The main reasons are ignorance,
prejudice and discrimination against a minority group of law
abiding citizens.
     Anyway, my next step is either to forget the whole affair and
accept the fact that Canada has already become a police state and
can seize any piece of property it wants from any individual at any
time; or, to resist.  I have decided to resist along with a lot of
others.  We need vocal support from all those who might be starting
to think that maybe the police should not have the right to force
their way into an honest person's house and traumatize a 17 year
old girl for no other reason than to steal private property.
     I am trying to see a positive side in all of this. The only
one I can think of so far is that Audra has personally experienced
a small sample of what invariably happens to innocent, responsible
people when any law, (enacted by majority approval or otherwise) is
allowed to override individual human rights for the sake of the
intangible and legally undefinable goal of "public safety".
[Editors: This is why our government south of the borders was never
designed to be a democracy!]
     Audra is not a faint-hearted kid but she was extremely
uncomfortable with the "legal" (?) and intimidating police tactics
she was subjected to before Louise and I arrived home. After the
police had left (they were there for about two hours) Audra said
that she has always felt many times safer home alone with or
without a gun than she did with the police there telling her they
had the right to put her outside in the cold and tear the house
down unless she gave them the rest of my gun parts, when she had
absolutely no idea where I had put them.
     I suppose another positive aspect is that it did create a
little unusual excitement for us on a February Friday evening in
the country; and Audra says that when we do go to court to
challenge the legality of OIC #11, and try to get our gun back, she
definitely wants a chance to testify!

PS - On Sunday one of our neighbors phoned Louise and said that she
didn't want to be nosy but there was talk around the neighborhood
that there had been three police vehicles at our place for quite a
while last Friday evening. She wanted to know if we had had a
burglary and if everything was okay. Louise said "No it was not a
burglary, it was armed robbery and no everything is not okay! We
lost a gun worth over $1000. It's the first robbery we have ever
had at our place; but, by far the most alarming and serious thing
that's wrong is that this time it's the police that are the
robbers".

  Darrell McKnight
  RR#4 Carlisle Road,
  Fredericton, NB
  Canada, E3B4X5             EMAIL: DMM@UNB.CA

END OF THE SEASON GUN SHOW REPORT

By Mike Duve PRO Gun Show Manager

     The March Circleville gun show marks the end of the PRO gun
show season. This has been a very interesting and successful
season. I would like to start by thanking everyone that helped put
on the shows. With special thanks going to Dennis Walker our then
secretary and now vice-chairman.
     Dennis went to every gun show PRO produced this year. He often
checked firearms that were entering the show and secured them with
a plastic tie. This very important and often un-appreciated duty
that Dennis performs helps to keep us all safe. PRO has never had
an accidental discharge of a firearm at any of our shows (and we're
into our 5th year now). Dennis also endured untold hardship.
Working in the coldest temperatures Ohio had to offer this winter
at Hilllard, Marion, and Circleville. Dennis was always at the
entrance where the cold wind blows into the show with the incoming
crowd. As a result Dennis was often sick this winter. So the next
time you enter one of our PRO shows and see good old Dennis tying
the guns, at least say hello and maybe thank you!.
     I would also like to sincerely thank Gary Barns. Gary lives in
Hilliard and has been able to get out of his regular job for an
afternoon and help me set up the tables for every Hilllard show
this past year. Special thanks also to Terry Kelley and Bob
Burkhart. Terry and Bob work nights for Discover and don't make it
to too many of our regular meetings, but they pulled security duty
and the dreaded outdoor gun checking at the Hilliard shows. Falling
into that same outdoor gun checking category is John Lydic and Jim
Prior and Ron Herman. Speaking of Ron Herman, Ron also deserves a
special thanks for seeing to it that our tent was setup for each
gun show. Fortunately for PRO Ron has a van full of tools necessary
for putting up tents, like power drills that will bore thorough
asphalt, sledgehammers, steak drivers etc. It also helps that Ron
has had previous experience with large tents in the US Army. I
would also like to thank all of the rest of the regulars that help
to make the PRO shows successful, including Pat Johnson, Bill
Johnson, Sabrina Kelley, Dan McBride, April McBride, Kevin Mays,
Todd Koehler, Randy Sieber, Kathy Sieber, Terry Wheeler, Alan
Wheeler, Shana Russell, Dave Stockham, Richard Hale, Sheri Herman,
and the infamous "wild Bill" Fowler. Bill owns Columbus Hi-Lo and
is a mechanical genius. He and Dennis Carney are responsible for
our heating system in the Burke arena at the Hilliard shows. Bill
made it possible to hold a gun show in a barn in the middle of the
winter. I shudder to think what that kind of service and expertise
would have cost if we would have had to contract for it with
someone else.
     I need to thank the Lancaster group "PRO Central" also. Mike
Masten, Dana Chilcote, Dan Mayhew, Tony Bussart and all the rest of
the PRO central guys that showed up to make the shows in
Circleville a success. Every member of PRO owes the above mentioned
people a big THANK YOU. For without them and their efforts we would
have no fundraising activity.
     The future of Gun Shows for PRO looks pretty good at this
time, with the Republican sweep of the November elections. A year
ago there was real concern that we might not be able to hold a gun
show with all of the anti-gun legislation that was proposed after
the passage of Brady.
     Our first show next season will be held in Marion at the
Marion County Fairgrounds on Father' s Day weekend. June 17 - 18.
PRO holds a Father' s Day show somewhere every year and this year
we decided on Marion. The show will be held the same weekend as the
very popular Steam and Gas show will be. The PRO gun show will be
inside the Coliseum and The Steam and Gas show will be everywhere
else on the fairgrounds. So bring your Dad out to Marion for a real
fun Father' s Day.
     We are hoping to make enough contacts with the Steam and Gas
collectors from across Ohio that we are able to hold a Steam and
Gas show of our own at our October show in Hilliard. At our August
Show in Hilliard we hope to have a large display of pickup trucks,
4x4's, and RV's thanks to some co-operative advertising with the
'Tradin Times" Publications. Our first show in Circleville is not
scheduled until November. Their are a number of reasons for this.
One is that Kroger is trying to buy the Pickaway County
fairgrounds, where we hold the show in Circleville. That's right,
Kroger wishes to purchase the land which is inside of Circleville
and just across Rt. 22 from the present Kroger store in
Circleville. If that sale goes through then the Fairgrounds will be
demolished and a new one will be built somewhere within 5 miles of
the present one. All of this will take place, if it happens,
sometime this summer. If it does then there will not be any place
to hold a Circleville show in August, as we have traditionally done
in the past. We are exploring the possibility of adding a show for
PRO central in Chillicothe at the Ross County Fairgrounds.
     Our first show in Springfield was a success. We had KISS
Country Radio FM 101.7 broadcasting live at the show on Saturday
from 9:30 to 1:30 and this really brought in the crowd. You could
tell it was our first show there as there were very few women and
children at first, but thanks to the encouragement from the radio
ads telling them they could bring the family for free, this quickly
changed and by Sunday there were strollers and toddlers everywhere.
As a result of this success we are looking into having live
broadcasts at our Hilliard shows. If you have a favorite radio
station that you think would bring in a crowd please let us know.
Our survey at Springfield was not surprising, the radio brought in
the most people, next were newspapers and post cards, and "heard
about it from a friend" was still the answer a whopping 20% of the
time.
     Finally I would like to thank all of you dealers and members
of the public that attended our shows and helped to make them a
success. I hope to see you next year.

VIDEO UPDATE ...

by Mike Duve

     Thanks to PRO member Loren Moss, we were able to shoot the
first video at our March Hilliard show. Loren is a professional
video producer and was already checked out on all of the equipment
at cable access TV- 21. Loren picked up the gear ( and what a pile
of stuff you need to shoot video) then proceeded to walk around the
gun show shooting footage of interesting dealers and displays.
Frank Jacoby and myself have both signed up to begin taking the
classes offered by access T.V. so that we will be able to check out
the equipment in the near future.
     We are hoping that with the move to our new offices we will be
able to set up and shoot episodes of our new TV program there. We
need footage of all kinds of firearms. If you would like us to
video you firing and talking about your collection please call us.
We are in the planning stages now and will soon begin shooting and
editing our programs. We need a little bit of everything, from
flintlocks to full autos. Call Mike Duve at 614 -523- 7767.

EDDIE BAUER BANS FUR ...

     PRO founder Bill Wentzel has a son in Colorado who sent him a
newspaper clipping with a note saying, "Dad, here's an article sure
to raise your blood pressure, better throw out all your Eddie Bauer
stuff.  Eddie Bauer stores, which have a distribution center in
Columbus, are supposed to be sellers of gear for the outdoors
person.
     It started out that way.  The stores were founded by Eddie
Bauer who as Bill Wentzel points out, was an avid fisherman, hunter
and outdoorsman.  He was proud of the fish he caught and the game
he shot and had it mounted and displayed in his stores throughout
the USA.
     But after his death, the new policy seemed like the selling of
outdoor gear was out and the selling of stuff that looked like
outdoor gear was in.  As policy shifted from providing sportsmen
with equipment to one of dressing up people with more bucks than
sense in something that fit the new styles of an "outdoor"
appearance, so has company policy shifted away from support of
outdoor activities and toward the biological baloney spewed by
animal "rights" fanatics opposed to scientific-based conservation
of wildlife.
     Eddie Bauer spokesperson, Karen Peck said that the decision to
ban Eddie Bauer's only fur item, a coyote fur trimmed parka, was
not due to pressure from animal "rights" groups.  Sure.  Back in
1991 the stores had already knuckled under to animal protesters by
no longer selling the parkas with fur from trapped coyotes.  Now
they are banning fur all together.  Coyote fur is a vital part of
a real arctic parka because it resists icing, but now it seems they
are only going to sell clothes that look like parkas for yuppies to
be seen wearing while they lean on their Beemers.  Who cares if
they really keep anybody warm?

____________________________________________________________
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

Michael T. Regan, Chairman;  Dennis Walker, Vice Chairman
Todd Koehler, Secretary;  Ron Herman, 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.

     Unlimited electronic distribution of all or part of this text
file is permitted so long PRO is credited.

     PRO general meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month
8:00pm at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, W. Broad St. Columbus,
Ohio.


"That government of the people, by the people, and for the people,
shall not perish from the earth"
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