Gun Owners’ End Of The Year Report
(December 1999)

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

It’s tempting, all too often, for people to despair from the bad
news that appears in the media. But gun owners should cheer some of
the positive gains made this year– gains that could not have been
achieved without your help. Here’s what they’re saying about GOA
and its activists:

U.S. Representative Helen Chenoweth-Hage, Idaho:

“GOA is close to standing alone in Washington. They do not
tell their members one thing and do another inside the
beltway. They are tough and they don’t give up.”

U.S. Senator Bob Smith, New Hampshire:

“You and your members are great patriots.”

Roll Call, the newspaper of record on Capitol Hill, 8/12/99:

“Gun Owners of America is considered the most aggressive
pro-gun lobbying organization.”

“Gun Owners [of America] is… much more active. They moved
quickly and we heard from their people,” said one House
leadership source close to the juvenile crime issue.

Thanks For Helping GOA Deliver A “No Compromise” Message To
Congress!

We’ve been through a lot together this year. Remember the media
frenzy that kicked in after the Colorado shooting in April? As the
weeks passed, gun owners were demonized once again for the actions
of a few miscreants. At the national level, the media began relying
upon GOA spokesmen almost exclusively to give the pro-gun response
to the Columbine tragedy. GOA talking heads appeared on dozens of
TV, radio and newspaper outlets.

From CBS’ This Morning to CNN News, and on countless radio shows
around the clock, GOA debated with Handgun Control, Inc. and others
who would try to take away the guns of law-abiding citizens.

GOA Grassroots Helped Gain Victory In The House

At the same time, Gun Owners of America was ginning up its
grassroots machine, generating thousands upon thousands of
postcards, faxes, emails and phone calls into Congressional offices.
For several months, gun owners stood with GOA to lead the charge in
opposition to all of the gun control provisions in the juvenile
crime bill.

GOA activists made it absolutely clear that no compromise would be
acceptable. In alert after alert, GOA pounded away at the crime
bill, exposing the many ways it would rob gun owners of their
Constitutional rights. But the White House was also busy during
this time. The President had selected a list of targets, and was
relentlessly hounding fellow Democrats in support of greater gun
restrictions.

Rep. Baron Hill of Indiana was one of the Democrats on that target
list. He was a freshman, and he had only won with 51% of the vote
in 1998. The White House pressed its case, thinking this
conservative Democrat might buckle under the pressure. Thankfully,
the President was sorely disappointed.

In June, The Washington Times reported what happened, and clearly
showed what grassroots action can do:

Clinton administration operatives went to [Rep. Hill of
Indiana] and told him they had done a survey in his district
that showed an overwhelming majority– 77 percent to 23
percent– supported the gun control legislation. However, Mr.
Hill pointed out to them that… his office had received more
than 1,100 phone calls against gun control and only a “half
dozen or a dozen” in favor. In the end, Mr. Hill joined a
substantial number of Democrats who helped block gun-control
legislation passed by the Senate.

Again, this shows how the grassroots can trump the media and
political pressures inside the Beltway!

GOA Putting Your Money To Good Use On The Front Lines

From its national headquarters in northern Virginia, GOA staff also
focused their lobbying efforts on key Congressional offices. GOA’s
lobbying efforts, combined with a dynamic grassroots campaign,
provided the one-two punch that produced the dramatic results that
were reported in the June 19 issue of The New Haven Register:

Although the Republican House leadership and the NRA urged
support for the final version, they were hampered by
opposition from [GOA] who were unhappy it required gun safety
locks and raised to 21 the legal age for owning a handgun.
“Please vote no on passage of HR 2122,” urged a letter from
Gun Owners of America. And many conservative Republicans did
just that.

Pro-gun Congressional offices heap praise on GOA and its activists.
Following the defeat of the anti-gun crime bill, one Capitol Hill
newspaper, Roll Call, surveyed several Congressional offices. This
article reported that pro-gun offices on the Hill were quite
appreciative of the work done by GOA and its activists.

According to the article, Gun Owners of America was labeled “the
most aggressive pro-gun lobbying organization,” a testimony to the
hard work and dedication of its grassroots. This effort by GOA
members cannot be underestimated. Roll Call reported that some
lobby groups had sold Representatives on the idea that their
constituents would “not care” if they voted for gun control. But
GOA members were instrumental in disabusing Congressmen of that
notion.

After an avalanche of postcards, letters, faxes and emails from GOA
activists, Representatives realized that people “did care,” and
these legislators were “not happy” they had been tricked into
thinking their constituents would not mind, Roll Call reported. As
it stands now, the anti-gun juvenile bill has been buried in a
House-Senate conference committee. Many legislators have reported
that they don’t want to “walk the plank” again, and they are
lobbying the leadership to just let the bill die.

Of course, this was not the only victory that GOA was involved in.
While there were other noteworthy accomplishments at the state and
local level that GOA took part in, clearly the victory over the
juvenile justice bill was the most significant. GOA and its
activists led the fight against this bill; and in all candor, you
guys are the reason that the anti-gun juvenile bill has now become a
“hot potato.”

If You’re Not Yet A GOA Member, Is It Time You Became One?

The ability of GOA to continue putting pressure on politicians
depends on loyal activists like yourself. So if you would like to
keep up on other issues; if you would like to get our special Fact
Sheets which are only provided to GOA members; if you would like to
receive our very informative newsletter and get pre-printed
postcards that enable you to easily lobby your own Congressmen–
even to the point of becoming an “arm chair lobbyist” while watching
TV commercials– then please become a GOA member today! Join GOA
today online at http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoa.htm or call
703-321-8585.

U.S. Representative Ron Paul of Texas says, “Your membership in Gun
Owners makes a difference on Capitol Hill every single day…. I
know that GOA will continue to be the ‘no compromise’ leader in
defending America’s gun rights and personal freedoms.”

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__ I would like to join GOA. Enclosed is $20 to start getting
GOA’s basic membership benefits including monthly legislative
updates, GOA’s newsletter, special alerts, and more.

__ Although not joining today, here’s my contribution of $____ to
help finance GOA’s excellent fax/email alert network. Note:
While GOA sends out its alerts at no charge, a gift of $15 or
more will help cover your alert costs for 2000. This
opportunity to contribute is included only in the End of the
Year Report and will not be a part of 2000 legislative alerts.

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Those unwilling or unable to join online at
http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoa.htm can print the above and mail
or fax to: GOA, 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA
22151, fax: (703)321-8408.