—– Original Message —–
From: Gun Owners of America
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 12:38 PM
Subject: On Winning The Semi-auto Repeal Battle

We Won!!!

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Pinch yourself. This is not a dream.

A fresh breath of freedom has swept across the land.

The hated ban on semi-automatic firearms and magazines has now
expired; and it was, in large part, thanks to your efforts.

In fact, you played a TREMENDOUS role in making sure this onerous law
faded into the sunset.

Remember, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has been trying to attach
this gun ban to a must-pass bill all year long.

She succeeded in doing this in March, when she tacked her ban onto
the gun makers’ protection act, by getting 52 votes in favor of her
amendment.

At that time, Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) had refused to use
parliamentary techniques to keep the gun ban from being offered to
the bill. He said it couldn’t be done.

Of course, GOA knew that wasn’t true. So we posted the specific
details on GOA’s website [ http://www.gunowners.org/a030204a.htm ],
documenting how Majority Leader Frist can bring up a bill for a vote,
while using parliamentary roadblocks that keep antagonistic
amendments from being offered.

Then, we asked you to contact Senator Frist’s office — to make sure
he not only read the document, but was prepared to use all the
weapons in his arsenal to stop Senator Feinstein.

He listened to you. When Senator Feinstein threatened to attach her
gun ban to a legal reform bill, Senator Frist blocked her amendment.

Democrats were furious. They protested the “undemocratic” spirit of
Senator Frist. They were very upset they couldn’t offer the gun ban
as an amendment.

But Senator Frist stood firm, as he was being encouraged by thousands
upon thousands of e-mails and phone calls coming from GOA members.

Listen to what an outraged Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) had to say
about Senator Frist’s actions:

“I know we have the class action reform bill on the floor of the
Senate, but that bill apparently is going nowhere at this moment. My
understanding is the majority leader [Frist] has ‘filled the tree,’
which is a fancy way of saying he is blocking everything. He puts a
bill down, blocks everything, and creates a little gate in the
majority leader’s office saying: Show me your amendment. If I like
it, you can offer it; if I don’t, you can’t. That is where we are.
Because of that action, I assume very little is going to happen at
the moment.” [Source: Congressional Record, July 7, 2004, p. S 7726.]

Because of you, Senator Frist had now learned how to “block
everything” — a strategy that was the turning point in a long and
protracted battle. Grassroots lobbying won the day in the Senate.

You guys also made the difference the House, as your e-mails and
phone calls continually applied the heat to Representatives in the
Congress. Because of you, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) was
able to say “we don’t have the votes to pass” the semi-auto ban.

They didn’t have the votes because you were holding your
Congressmen’s feet to the fire. Thousands upon thousands of letters,
e-mails, postcards and phone calls.

Thanks to you, the gun banners have been blocked at every turn.

Thanks to you, firearms and magazines that were once banned are now
legal.

And thanks to you, GOA will continue to be here in Washington, D.C.,
fighting for your right to keep and bear arms.

Thank you!