Good News For Those Who Love Freedom
— Congress torpedoes free speech restrictions, National ID card

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

http://www.gunowners.org

(Friday, October 22, 1999) — Gun owners cheered this week when
efforts to squelch free speech were shelved for the year. Senator
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was the mastermind behind the successful
filibuster that killed legislation limiting the political speech of
ordinary Americans.

Supporters of the Senate bill (S. 1593) fell seven votes short of
breaking the McConnell filibuster. While the Senate bill definitely
had its problems, the House version (H.R. 417) would have severely
restricted the ability of groups like GOA to report on incumbents’
voting records during the election season. Killing the bill in the
Senate effectively dooms the egregious House bill.

GOA thanks its members for contacting their Senators in support of
the McConnell filibuster.

Gun Owners Dodge Registration As Congress Tears Up National ID Card

Gun Owners of America made a last-ditch effort recently to preserve
legislation effectively gutting the National ID card. Thankfully,
the hard work paid off, and the National ID system that was supposed
to go on line next year is now dead.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) led the fight on the Hill against the National
ID. “This is a great moment for all Americans,” he said.
“Thousands of Americans should feel great pride in knowing their
calls and letters to Members of Congress succeeded in stopping the
National ID.”

Under the provisions of legislation passed three years ago, no one
would be allowed after October 1, 2000 to purchase a gun, board a
plane, open a bank account, go to a doctor, enter a school or take a
new, private sector job without having a National ID card.

It is quite possible that the ID card could have become a vehicle
for encrypting all kinds of personal information on it, including a
person’s fingerprints, gun owner status, etc. The creation of a
National ID card could have easily facilitated attempts by anti-gun
bureaucrats to register innocent gun owners.

The House of Representatives killed the ill-conceived National ID
plan in the bill that funds the Transportation Department. The
legislation became law on October 9.

Gun Owners To Benefit As Rep. Paul Moves To Rein In Executive Orders

Meanwhile, the House will be holding hearings next week on key
legislation introduced by Rep. Paul. This bill will restrict the
power of presidents to legislate by Executive Order, or by any other
type of presidential proclamation or directive. The bill is H.R.
2655, the Separation of Powers Restoration Act.

It is not too difficult to imagine how an anti-gun President like
Bill Clinton could use these declarations to greatly abuse gun
owners’ rights. Speaking on the topic of Executive Orders, former
Clinton Advisor Paul Begala was quoted in the New York Times on July
5, 1998, as saying, “Stroke of the pen. Law of the Land. Kinda
cool.”

Of course, Executive Orders are not the only kind of presidential
proclamation that can violate gun owners’ rights. In November 1997,
Clinton issued a directive placing a 120-day freeze on the
importation of certain semi-automatic firearms. His administration
later followed with an outright ban, thus keeping 58 firearms from
ever coming into the country again. Paul’s legislation would deny
Presidents the opportunity to ban guns by executive fiat.

Gun owners should ask their Representatives to cosponsor H.R. 2655.
You can call the Capitol at 202-225-3121. Please see the GOA website
for fax and e-mail contact info.

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