Presidential Campaign Advisory

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

(Tuesday, February 29, 2000) — Gun Owners of America has received a
large number of inquiries from members about the presidential
primary candidates, particularly in the Republican primary.

Members have heard a great deal about how anti-gun the two
Democratic contenders are from their own mouths. Both former
Senator Bill Bradley and Vice President Al Gore have called for gun
owner licensure and registration. If they got their way, the stage
would be set for the kind of gun confiscation looming in California
and that has occurred already in New York City.

Of the remaining GOP candidates, Sen. John McCain (AZ) and Gov.
George W. Bush (TX) are engaged in an increasingly tight race for
the brass ring.

GOA finds minor differences between McCain and Bush on firearms
issues. If anything, McCain has voted on measures somewhat more
anti-gun than Bush.

Both McCain and Bush support the NRA position of closing off private
sales at gun shows with the instant background check, although
McCain voted for the three day background check if necessary while
Bush only supports a one day delay. In either case, GOA thinks this
an unwise policy.

Additionally, McCain and Bush both support trigger locks
legislation, or as Gun Owners of America more correctly describes it
– Lock Up Your Safety. Both candidates would also raise the age
for which a young person could own certain semi-automatic rifles or
shotguns.

Sen. McCain did support Sen. Bob Smith’s successful effort to gain
Senate passage of a funding shut off of the FBI’s registration of
gun owners who have their backgrounds checked when buying a gun from
a dealer. He also voted against banning guns in school zones, which
GOA more aptly describes as the Criminal Protection Act of 1996.
However, that same day he voted for the misdemeanor gun ban which
has disarmed people for “offenses” as slight as pushing or even
yelling at a family member.

On behalf of the shooting community, Gov. Bush did sign into Texas
law bills that legalized the carry of concealed firearms in Texas
and that made it illegal to bring phony product liability lawsuits
against firearms manufacturers.

GOA does not see either Sen. McCain or Gov. Bush as a champion for
gun rights or leading the charge against gun owners.

McCain, however, has greatly concerned Gun Owners of America because
of his crusade to change the campaign finance laws. His proposal,
the McCain-Feingold bill, would make it illegal for GOA to criticize
an incumbent candidate within sixty days of an election. In the
current situation, that would have been a date in early December
1999. Gov. Bush has little interest in changing the campaign
finance laws.

Alan Keyes, who takes a very staunch pro-gun stand, has so far not
risen above five percent of the vote in the primaries and shows no
likelihood of winning a single delegate.

GOA sees the U.S. House of Representatives as critical to the
defense of the Second Amendment. That is where gun owners have the
best chance, based on past performance, to stop bad legislation and
get proactive legislation started. GOA urges its members to
actively support pro-gun candidates in House races with their time,
money and votes.

Larry Pratt’s weekly talk radio show can be heard at
http://www.gunowners.org/radio.htm on the Internet. You can listen
live at 11:30 AM Eastern Saturdays and call in to the show toll free
at 1-800-773 TALK (8255). The show is archived for 60 days and can
be heard that way 24 hours a day, seven days a week by going to the
same URL.