From: owner-utah-firearms-digest@lists.xmission.com (utah-firearms-digest) To: utah-firearms-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: utah-firearms-digest V2 #171 Reply-To: utah-firearms-digest Sender: owner-utah-firearms-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-utah-firearms-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk utah-firearms-digest Sunday, December 26 1999 Volume 02 : Number 171 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 18 Dec 99 12:14:00 -0700 From: scott.bergeson@ucs.org (SCOTT BERGESON) Subject: National Forest - KEEP OUT - ----- To: 2nd-Amendment-News@frostbit.com From: "Weldon Clark" Subject: National Forest - KEEP OUT Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 15:48:57 -0500 National Forest - KEEP OUT If you enjoy any outdoor activities in your National Forests your days are numbered. Bill Clinton is going to put a stop to your recreation with a stroke of the pen. What will be affected? Mountain Biking, Horse Back Riding, ATVs, Motorcycles, Hunting, Fishing, etc. How will he do this? By blocking your access by motorized vehicle to some 50 Million Acres of your own land. It's as simple as that. Think this is more "Black Helicopter" conspiracy ranting? Look at your Forest Service WEB site: http://roadless.fs.fed.us When you look at this WEB site use your head and take the time to look past their simple sounding pronouncements of what they say they are up to. Look at the what they're bragging about in the "in the news" section. Note that this has nothing to do with partisan politics or the right/left battles. This act by Bill Clinton completely bypasses the congress and the checks and balances against abuse of power which are the bases of our freedom. In Part One of this plan, there will be a prohibition on "road building" in National Forests. On the surface this seems like a small thing. But when you see them talk about maintaining the safety of existing roads know that they plan to close all "unmaintained" roads. By doing this thing you will no longer have vehicle access to some 380,000 thousand miles of your own roads. In Part Two they finish the job by banning all "off road vehicles" from use in "roadless" areas. Perhaps you consider yourself an environmentalist and support this. But consider; if you allow this to become law by royal decree, to pass unchallenged, the next time a non-environmentalist President gets into office he can use the same precedent to reverse the will of congress like Clinton by Royal Edict. The sword of tyranny cuts both ways. Maybe you're a mountain biker who thinks this just gets dirt bikers, etc. Don't fall for that "get the other guy" trap. Look at what the folks behind this are really after, the complete prohibition of human activity in our national forests. So they play you against the dirt bike folks, or the hunters against the ATV guys - makes no difference; if those of us who use National Forests for legitimate purposes don't hang together and support each other's rights - we shall all hang separately. YOU MUST ACT TO STOP THIS. HERE'S HOW: 1. Please contact the Blue Ribbon Coalition for the very latest information on the biggest land grab in American history: http://sharetrails.org/choice.html 2. Forward this email to everyone you know. 3. You must send a written objection during the comment period or you will lose your legal standing to object after this passes: Here's how you do it. Use this form: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/roadless/Roadless_Public_Comment_Form.htm Write your comments to the USDA Forest Service-CAET, Roadless Areas NOI, PO Box 221090, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84122. Fax them at 801-517-1021 email them at roadless/wo_caet-slc@fs.fed.us 4. Call and write to your representatives: http://congress.nw.dc.us/wnd/ 5. Forward this message. Other nifty links to your governments efforts to keep you out of your land: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/roadless/roadless.html http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/forests991013.html http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/roadless/Roadless_Questions_and_Answers.htm From The 2ndAmendmentNews Team What To Do If The Police Come To Confiscate Your Militia Weapons, see http://www.2ndamendment.net For legislative updates contact http://www.nealknox.com and go to "Scripts from the Firearms Coalition Legislative Update Line" Writing your CONGRESSMAN OR STATE LEGISLATORS can now be accomplished at the speed of light, thanks to WorldNetDaily's new Legislative Action Center: http://congress.nw.dc.us/wnd/ You can call your two Senators at (202) 224-3121 and your Representative at (202) 225-3121 at the Capitol Switchboard. Here is the URL for Congressional Telephone Directory: http://clerkweb.house.gov/106/mbrcmtee/members/teledir/members/cdframe.htm Here are e-mail links to Congress: http://in-search-of.org/ http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ http://www.gunowners.org/mailerx.html The way to protect your own rights is to protect the rights of others. Our right to own and use firearms is under attack. To join please send E-MAil to: listserver@frostbit.com with the following text in the message body: SUBSCRIBE 2nd-Amendment-News To send a message to the list administrator, send E-mail to luz.clark@prodigy.net Feel free to forward our alerts. If you've received this as a forward and wish to subscribe please send a reply to me at luz.clark@prodigy.net or behanna@fast.net Cordially Yours, The 2ndAmendmentNews Team 2ndAmendmentNews is published by volunteer activists who support the full original individual rights intent of the 2nd Amendment and oppose any appeasement on gun rights. The moderators include Chris Behanna, Weldon Clark (an NRA director) and Steve Cicero. If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen. -- Samuel Adams, speech at the Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776. - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 16:36:29 -0700 From: "David Sagers" Subject: Fwd: Another Rosie Travesty That You Just Won't Believe! Return-path: NJGunsRus@aol.com From: NJGunsRus@aol.com Full-name: NJGunsRus Message-ID: <0.4acd2c8b.25898647@aol.com> Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 19:03:19 EST Subject: Another Rosie Travesty That You Just Won't Believe! X-Mailer: AOL for Macintosh sub 54 To: undisclosed-recipients:; Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline About two weeks ago I got a call from a producer of the Latefah show in = NY=20 City. They wanted to do a show on kids and guns. I was told I was the = ideal=20 family being a gun family with an 8 year old son etc. They sent a = cameraman=20 and producer to my home in Minneapolis and followed me around for two = days.=20 They taped interviews with my wife, myself and 8 year old son and = constantly=20 commented on how we were an ideal family. They showed my home security=20 system, safe and other measures I take to protect my son. Teaching = lethal=20 force for a living we obviously have many guns on the premises. Both men had never touched a gun in their lives being from NY City. In = a=20 short period of time I had them shooting and they LOVED it, and one = intends=20 to buy a gun as soon as the paperwork can clear in NY City. They were=20 surprised by the nice nature of the folks at the range and the family=20 atmosphere. The cost for the two days was substantial with almost = $2,000=20 just in airfare. We were told our taping date in NY City and my wife, my 8 year old son, my = 23=20 year old daughter and myself were flown to New York City. The Motel = cost=20 them $250+ per room, limo from the airport to hotel and to studio, back = to=20 hotel and the airport. Another $2,000+ at least plus meal allowance. Another producer visited us in our hotel room and said they loved us as = a=20 safe gun family and shocked us when they said they would have Eddie = Eagle=20 safety literature under every seat in the audience. Things were looking = up. =20 My son was assured he'd meet movie star Latefah and have his picture = taken=20 with her. We were told we'd be on withone someone that had lost a child or had a = child=20 injured with a gun and to expect some emotional responses. That is not = a=20 problem as I have years of radio-TV experience and my own history of = talk=20 shows. I can handle the best. We were taken to the studios (same ones Rikki Lake uses) and taken to = the=20 green room. My 8 year old son would soon sit there for hours with nothing = to=20 do. He was a great kid. At the end of the hall was a thug hiphop group that would appear on the = show.=20 As I went to the restroom they were on cell phones trying to get bail for = a=20 friend who was in jail. The human debris in the room looked like an = episode=20 of Cops was being taped instead of a talk show. Numerous producers stopped by the green room and were excited about my=20 ability to respond to questions and were excited that I spoke in "sound=20 bites." One producer in the hall told other stafferrs, "wait until this = guy=20 gets on. It will get hot out there." Queen Latifah then did an interview with an 8 year old kid who had taken = a=20 pistol to school in New York City where he traded it for two Pokemon = cards. =20 He admitted to being in a gang, no mother or father at home (old story) = and=20 lived with his grandmother who could not control him. His hero was a 15 = year=20 old gang member and he said he was often in trouble for various things. = =20 We went to makeup, got wired with mikes and told to get ready. The = stage=20 director took us to the lower level and had us stand behind a door. We = were=20 told there were only seconds to go before we walked on stage. Suddenly = the=20 stage director vanished and came back and said, "follow me." We were = taken=20 to the audience and seated. I was shocked to see my daughter also seated = in=20 the audience. Queen Latifah came out and looked into the teleprompter which I would = see.=20 She read around our introduction and adlibbed the introduction of a New = York=20 congressman who had been the defense minister for the Black Panthers. A = woman=20 who had a son commit suicide with a gun over a decade before blubbered = into=20 the camera. =20 Then the thug Hiphop group came out and did a filthy violence ridden = song=20 that made me blush in front of my 8 year old. As the show ended the 8 = year=20 old that had taken a gun to school was showered with love and praise = and=20 allowed to meet his thug Hiphop hero's and given CD's and T-shirts = among=20 other things. My kid who had done nothing but act in a responsible = manner=20 around guns and taken his safety training etc., got ingored. Queen = Latefah=20 blew past him, ignored him, and us. We were hustled to the limo like=20 burglars in the night and whisked to the airport. Even some of the = friendly=20 producers were in total shock and stunned. We asked what had happened and we were told the decision to blow us off = the=20 show with the NRA rep they had flown in from national headquarters had = come=20 from the very "top." This show is a Time-Warner situation we will note. My wife lost her cool and laid into them for how the 8 year old taking a = gun=20 to school was a hero and smothered with attention etc., and the kid that = did=20 it right was ignored and insulted and hurt by not meeting a movie star = as=20 promised. The producers had no response. =20 One thing did come out as we waited for the limos to arrive and I suspect = it=20 was not by accident. The Queen Latefah show is a produce of Rosie = O'Donnel=20 who just happened to be in NY City that day for a Christmas party at = Frank's=20 Cafe. Her and Latefah are old "chums" with strong business and possibly=20= "personal" connections. Suddenly the lights came on. It was pretty obvious what happened and = would=20 clearly explain why they blew off the substantial cost to support their=20 ongoing liberal agenda. At least we got about $10K of her money. There is no question in this case that Time-Warner and Rosie O'Donnel=20 strongly supported and strongly backed up the behavior of a 8 year old to = be=20 in a gang and take a gun to school. The kid named Jeremy even said that = part=20 of going up the ranks in a gang was your popularity and notoriety which = the=20 show will greatly enhance. If this is exposed Rosie and Time Warner = will=20 have a hell of a time trying to weasel out of this. In their hand they = had=20 two kids of the SAME age and one took a gun to school and is in a gang, = and=20 the other is a good student and doing everything right. One got the = star=20 treatment, one got blown off and ignored. There isn't a lie big enough. I thought at first it may have been something towards me, but to hustle = the=20 NRA rep out the door as well made it clear it was purely a political = anti-gun=20 agenda that someone at the last possible second acted upon. And the = media=20 wonders why shooters don't trust them and think they are anti-gun. If = anyone=20 wants more info, contact me I even have pictures I took. Darrell E. Mulroy Plus P Technology Inc. Mpls, Minn. - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Dec 99 19:28:00 -0700 From: scott.bergeson@ucs.org (SCOTT BERGESON) Subject: Another Rosie Travesty That You Just Won't Believe! more readable - ----- From: NJGunsRus@aol.com Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1999 19:03:19 EST Subject: Another Rosie Travesty That You Just Won't Believe! About two weeks ago I got a call from a producer of the Latefah show in NY City. They wanted to do a show on kids and guns. I was told I was the ideal family being a gun family with an 8 year old son etc. They sent a cameraman and producer to my home in Minneapolis and followed me around for two days. They taped interviews with my wife, myself and 8 year old son and constantly commented on how we were an ideal family. They showed my home security system, safe and other measures I take to protect my son. Teaching lethal force for a living we obviously have many guns on the premises. Both men had never touched a gun in their lives being from NY City. In a short period of time I had them shooting and they LOVED it, and one intends to buy a gun as soon as the paperwork can clear in NY City. They were surprised by the nice nature of the folks at the range and the family atmosphere. The cost for the two days was substantial with almost $2,000 just in airfare. We were told our taping date in NY City and my wife, my 8 year old son, my 23 year old daughter and myself were flown to New York City. The Motel cost them $250+ per room, limo from the airport to hotel and to studio, back to hotel and the airport. Another $2,000+ at least plus meal allowance. Another producer visited us in our hotel room and said they loved us as a safe gun family and shocked us when they said they would have Eddie Eagle safety literature under every seat in the audience. Things were looking up. My son was assured he'd meet movie star Latefah and have his picture taken with her. We were told we'd be on with someone that had lost a child or had a child injured with a gun and to expect some emotional responses. That is not a problem as I have years of radio-TV experience and my own history of talk shows. I can handle the best. We were taken to the studios (same ones Rikki Lake uses) and taken to the green room. My 8 year old son would soon sit there for hours with nothing to do. He was a great kid. At the end of the hall was a thug hiphop group that would appear on the show. As I went to the restroom they were on cell phones trying to get bail for a friend who was in jail. The human debris in the room looked like an episode of Cops was being taped instead of a talk show. Numerous producers stopped by the green room and were excited about my ability to respond to questions and were excited that I spoke in "sound bites." One producer in the hall told other staffers, "wait until this guy gets on. It will get hot out there." Queen Latifah then did an interview with an 8 year old kid who had taken a pistol to school in New York City where he traded it for two Pokemon cards. He admitted to being in a gang, no mother or father at home (old story) and lived with his grandmother who could not control him. His hero was a 15 year old gang member and he said he was often in trouble for various things. We went to makeup, got wired with mikes and told to get ready. The stage director took us to the lower level and had us stand behind a door. We were told there were only seconds to go before we walked on stage. Suddenly the stage director vanished and came back and said, "follow me." We were taken to the audience and seated. I was shocked to see my daughter also seated in the audience. Queen Latifah came out and looked into the teleprompter which I would see. She read around our introduction and adlibbed the introduction of a New York congressman who had been the defense minister for the Black Panthers. A woman who had a son commit suicide with a gun over a decade before blubbered into the camera. Then the thug Hiphop group came out and did a filthy violence ridden song that made me blush in front of my 8 year old. As the show ended the 8 year old that had taken a gun to school was showered with love and praise and allowed to meet his thug Hiphop heroes and given CDs and T-shirts among other things. My kid who had done nothing but act in a responsible manner around guns and taken his safety training etc., got ignored. Queen Latefah blew past him, ignored him, and us. We were hustled to the limo like burglars in the night and whisked to the airport. Even some of the friendly producers were in total shock and stunned. We asked what had happened and we were told the decision to blow us off the show with the NRA rep they had flown in from national headquarters had come from the very "top." This show is a Time-Warner situation we will note. My wife lost her cool and laid into them for how the 8 year old taking a gun to school was a hero and smothered with attention etc., and the kid that did it right was ignored and insulted and hurt by not meeting a movie star as promised. The producers had no response. One thing did come out as we waited for the limos to arrive and I suspect it was not by accident. The Queen Latefah show is a product of Rosie O'Donnell who just happened to be in NY City that day for a Christmas party at Frank's Cafe. Her and Latefah are old "chums" with strong business and possibly "personal" connections. Suddenly the lights came on. It was pretty obvious what happened and would clearly explain why they blew off the substantial cost to support their ongoing liberal agenda. At least we got about $10K of her money. There is no question in this case that Time-Warner and Rosie O'Donnell strongly supported and strongly backed up the behavior of a 8 year old to be in a gang and take a gun to school. The kid named Jeremy even said that part of going up the ranks in a gang was your popularity and notoriety which the show will greatly enhance. If this is exposed Rosie and Time Warner will have a hell of a time trying to weasel out of this. In their hand they had two kids of the SAME age and one took a gun to school and is in a gang, and the other is a good student and doing everything right. One got the star treatment, one got blown off and ignored. There isn't a lie big enough. I thought at first it may have been something towards me, but to hustle the NRA rep out the door as well made it clear it was purely a political anti-gun agenda that someone at the last possible second acted upon. And the media wonders why shooters don't trust them and think they are anti- gun. If anyone wants more info, contact me I even have pictures I took. Darrell E. Mulroy Plus P Technology Inc. Mpls, Minn. - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Dec 99 21:26:00 -0700 From: scott.bergeson@ucs.org (SCOTT BERGESON) Subject: DN: Gun issues remain vibrant http://www.desnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,145012977,00.html Deseret News, Tuesday, December 21, 1999, 12:00 AM MST Gun issues remain vibrant Deseret News editorial Contrary to some recent reports, the debate over gun issues is alive and well on Utah's Capitol Hill. Although public opinion polls show that a majority of Utahns want the Legislature to ban concealed-carry permit holders from toting guns in public schools and churches, there appears to be little will among Republican lawmakers, who hold the majority of the seats in the House and Senate, to revisit the issue. Gov. Mike Leavitt, who at one point pressed for a special session on gun-control issues, recognizes he doesn't have the votes to pursue his earlier agenda. Yet Leavitt has been seen by some as retreating from gun issues. In reality, he's being impugned for cutting his losses. The challenge now becomes holding the Legislature to three pieces of legislation that would enhance background checks of gun buyers. The bills were endorsed by the Interim Judiciary Committee in August and will be introduced during the 2000 Legislature. Beyond that, lawmakers must be persuaded to spend additional money to enhance services for the mentally ill and to conduct more extensive background checks of gun buyers, as Leavitt has outlined in his proposed budget. Democrats have vowed to revisit the concealed-carry issue during the 2000 session, but it is highly unlikely to go anywhere, despite overwhelming public support for the measure. More than likely, partisan politics will doom any bill sponsored by a Democrat. Meanwhile, a grass-roots effort to place the concealed-carry issue on the 2000 general election ballot is moving forward. Organizers need more than 67,000 signatures to place the issue befor Utah voters. Proponents of the initiative backers are attempting to collect all of the needed signatures by the start of the 2000 legislative session. If they are successful, their efforts should send a powerful message to lawmakers. Public opinion polls conducted by Dan Jones & Associates have repeatedly shown that a majority of Utahns don't want guns in schools and churches, no matter if the owner holds a concealed-carry permit. The gun lobby perceives such legislation as a threat to the Second Amendment, and gun dealers report an increase in sales and concealed- carry permit applications as a result of debate over the issue. People who are legally entitled to own guns should be able to purchase them. These bills would widen the net for people whose access to weapons should be restricted -- people convicted of violent misdemeanors, people who have been civilly committed for mental illness. A third bill would include juvenile criminal records in background checks. The proposed initiative is more controversial, but we have maintained it, too, is needed. Guns do not belong in schools or places of worship. Copyright 1999, Deseret News Publishing Corp. - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1999 11:05:36 -0700 From: charles hardy Subject: FW: USSC Action Alert Don't know if this has been seen here yet. Apologies for any duplication. ================================================================== Charles C. Hardy - --------- Forwarded message ---------- Sorry for the delay. It's still a valid concern - ---------- USSC Action Alert - 12/21/99 Misdemeanor Prohibition on the Purchase or Possession of Firearms On November 17th the Utah Interim Judiciary Committee approved a bill (now called Senate Bill 79)that will impose a three year ban on "purchase, transfer, possession, use...custody or control" of any gun for people convicted of any one of 33 misdemeanors. On the bright side, he committee did drastically reduce the number of misdemeanors from the list originally proposed by Governor Leavitt. Also, these misdemeanors will only impose a ban for three years after the date of conviction. However, it is still completely unacceptable. You need to call the members of the Utah House and Senate Judiciary Committees and tell them that you oppose any bill that makes the conviction of misdemeanors a prohibition to purchasing or possessing firearms. You also need to call your individual state representative and state senator and tell them the same. If you do not know the name of your individual state representative and state senator call your county clerks office to get that information, or you can look it up using links on our web site (www.UtahShootingSports.org) One Senator reported that phone calls to the committee have been running 10 to 1 in favor of more gun control. We need to light up their phones to let them know that the vocal minority of anti-gun zealots does not speak for Utahns. Many of the committee members have been very supportive of gun owners in the past so it is very important to be polite in your communications with them. Many of these committee members boldly voted against Governor Leavitt's call for a special session of the legislature to pass more gun control, so they are not all bad guys. The full text of this bill (SB 79) is available on the Utah Legislature site http://www.le.state.ut.us/~2000/bills/sbillint/SB0079.htm The Utah Shooting Sports Council is strongly opposed to having citizens loose their right to keep and bear arms for the conviction of misdemeanors. We feel that if specific misdemeanor crimes warrant the loss of civil rights then those crimes should be elevated to the level of felonies. Historically the loss of civil rights has been for conviction of felonies, not misdemeanors. If this list of misdemeanors approved as a three year ban, you can be certain that the anti-gun zealots will be back every year to add more offenses to the list, and raise the ban from three years to forever. This bill is a potential threat to every gun owner in the state. The Utah Shooting Sports Council is urging the legislature to do something constructive to reduce gun violence. We are encouraging them to support vigorous enforcement of existing laws to get armed criminals off the streets. Utah is NOT prosecuting convicted felons who try to buy guns. The "Violent Misdemeanor" bill's sponsor has even admitted that he doubts if anyone would be prosecuted under it. Then why pass it at all? The Utah Legislature will be back in session January 17th. It is imperative that they start hearing from gun owners now. Below is a list of the committee members. Please contact all of them. If you call a few every day it won't be to much work. Remember getting mad about gun control accomplishes nothing. You need to take action. Contact these committee members. Tell them that you oppose any bill that restricts gun right based on a misdemeanor. UTAH SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Senator Terry Spencer, Chair 1110 N Kimberly Dr. Layton, Utah 84302 543-4450 tspencer@le.state.ut.us Senator Parley Hellewell 492 S 1000 W Orem, Utah 84058 226-3034 phellewe@le.state.ut.us Senator Lyle Hillyard 175 East First North Logan, Utah 84321 H-753-0043 O-752-2610 lhillyar@le.state.ut.us Senator John Valentine 857 East 970 North Orem, Utah 84057 H-224-1693 jvalenti@le.state.ut.us Senator Mike Dmitrich 566 North Dover Circle Price, Utah 84501 H-637-0426 O-637-2875 mdmitric@le.state.ut.us Senator Pete Suazo 1307 Garnette Street Salt Lake City UT 84116 H 521-3751 O 328-8181 psuazo@le.state.ut.us UTAH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Representative A. Lamont Tyler, Chair 3810 Eastwood Lane Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 H 801-272-1218 O 801-581-6920 (fax) 801-585-9291 lamont.tyler@m.cc.utah.edu Representative Glenn L. Way, Vice Chair 348 South 1480 East Spanish Fork, Utah 84660 H 801-798-2295 gway@le.state.ut.us Representative John Swallow 1260 East Bell View Circle Sandy, Utah 84094 H 801-572-8201 O 801-553-9805 F 801-571-6545 law@silversage.com Representative Katherine Bryson 833 South 300 West Orem, Utah 84058 H 801-226-2061 kbryson@le.state.ut.us Representative Martin Stephens (also Speaker of the House) 3159 North Higley Road Farr West, Utah 84404 H 801-731-5346 O 801-524-2626 F 801-594-8229 mstephen@le.state.ut.us Representative Bill Hickman 214 North Emeraud Dr. St. George, Utah 84770 H 435-673-2671 O 435-674-5200 Representative Chad Bennion 136 East 4800 South Murray, Utah 84107 H 801-281-1607 O 801-264-2678 F 801-288-2144 cbennion@slc.quik.com Representative Greg Curtis P.O. Box 2084 Sandy, Utah 84091 H 801-943-3091 O 801-569-5141 gcurtis@le.state.ut.us Representative Patrice Arent 6281 South Havenbrook Circle Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 H 801-272-1956 O 801-272-1956 F 801-272-4450 parent@le.state.ut.us Representative Neal Hendrickson 3402 West 4100 South West Valley City, Utah 84119 H 801-969-8920 nhendric@le.state.ut.us Representative Gary Cox 4468 Tidwell Street Kearns, Utah 84118-5233 H 801-967-9760 O 801-569-5216 garyc@wjordan.com ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Dec 99 23:13:00 -0700 From: scott.bergeson@ucs.org (SCOTT BERGESON) Subject: FW: USSC Action Alert USSC Action Alert - 12/21/99 Misdemeanor Prohibition on the Purchase or Possession of Firearms On November 17th the Utah Interim Judiciary Committee approved a bill (now called Senate Bill 79) that will impose a three year ban on "purchase, transfer, possession, use... custody or control" of any gun for people convicted of any one of 33 misdemeanors. On the bright side, the committee did drastically reduce the number of misdemeanors from the list originally proposed by Governor Leavitt. Also, these misdemeanors will only impose a ban for three years after the date of conviction. However, it is still completely unacceptable. You need to call the members of the Utah House and Senate Judiciary Committees and tell them that you oppose any bill that makes the conviction of misdemeanors a prohibition to purchasing or possessing firearms. You also need to call your individual state representative and state senator and tell them the same. If you do not know the name of your individual state representative and state senator call your county clerks office to get that information, or you can look it up using links on our web site (www.UtahShootingSports.org) One Senator reported that phone calls to the committee have been running 10 to 1 in favor of more gun control. We need to light up their phones to let them know that the vocal minority of anti-gun zealots does not speak for Utahns. Many of the committee members have been very supportive of gun owners in the past so it is very important to be polite in your communications with them. Many of these committee members boldly voted against Governor Leavitt's call for a special session of the legislature to pass more gun control, so they are not all bad guys. The full text of this bill (SB 79) is available on the Utah Legislature site http://www.le.state.ut.us/~2000/bills/sbillint/SB0079.htm The Utah Shooting Sports Council is strongly opposed to having citizens lose their right to keep and bear arms for the conviction of misdemeanors. We feel that if specific misdemeanor crimes warrant the loss of civil rights then those crimes should be elevated to the level of felonies. Historically the loss of civil rights has been for conviction of felonies, not misdemeanors. If this list of misdemeanors is approved as a three year ban, you can be certain that the anti-gun zealots will be back every year to add more offenses to the list, and raise the ban from three years to forever. This bill is a potential threat to every gun owner in the state. The Utah Shooting Sports Council is urging the legislature to do something constructive to reduce gun violence. We are encouraging them to support vigorous enforcement of existing laws to get armed criminals off the streets. Utah is NOT prosecuting convicted felons who try to buy guns. The "Violent Misdemeanor" bill's sponsor has even admitted that he doubts if anyone would be prosecuted under it. Then why pass it at all? The Utah Legislature will be back in session January 17th. It is imperative that they start hearing from gun owners now. Below is a list of the committee members. Please contact all of them. If you call a few every day it won't be too much work. Remember getting mad about gun control accomplishes nothing. You need to take action. Contact these committee members. Tell them that you oppose any bill that restricts gun rights based on a misdemeanor. UTAH SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Senator Terry Spencer, Chair 1110 N Kimberly Dr. Layton, Utah 84302 543-4450 tspencer@le.state.ut.us Senator Parley Hellewell 492 S 1000 W Orem, Utah 84058 226-3034 phellewe@le.state.ut.us Senator Lyle Hillyard 175 East First North Logan, Utah 84321 H-753-0043 O-752-2610 lhillyar@le.state.ut.us Senator John Valentine 857 East 970 North Orem, Utah 84057 H-224-1693 jvalenti@le.state.ut.us Senator Mike Dmitrich 566 North Dover Circle Price, Utah 84501 H-637-0426 O-637-2875 mdmitric@le.state.ut.us Senator Pete Suazo 1307 Garnette Street Salt Lake City UT 84116 H 521-3751 O 328-8181 psuazo@le.state.ut.us UTAH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Representative A. Lamont Tyler, Chair 3810 Eastwood Lane Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 H 801-272-1218 O 801-581-6920 (fax) 801-585-9291 lamont.tyler@m.cc.utah.edu Representative Glenn L. Way, Vice Chair 348 South 1480 East Spanish Fork, Utah 84660 H 801-798-2295 gway@le.state.ut.us Representative John Swallow 1260 East Bell View Circle Sandy, Utah 84094 H 801-572-8201 O 801-553-9805 F 801-571-6545 law@silversage.com Representative Katherine Bryson 833 South 300 West Orem, Utah 84058 H 801-226-2061 kbryson@le.state.ut.us Representative Martin Stephens (also Speaker of the House) 3159 North Higley Road Farr West, Utah 84404 H 801-731-5346 O 801-524-2626 F 801-594-8229 mstephen@le.state.ut.us Representative Bill Hickman 214 North Emeraud Dr. St. George, Utah 84770 H 435-673-2671 O 435-674-5200 Representative Chad Bennion 136 East 4800 South Murray, Utah 84107 H 801-281-1607 O 801-264-2678 F 801-288-2144 cbennion@slc.quik.com Representative Greg Curtis P.O. Box 2084 Sandy, Utah 84091 H 801-943-3091 O 801-569-5141 gcurtis@le.state.ut.us Representative Patrice Arent 6281 South Havenbrook Circle Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 H 801-272-1956 O 801-272-1956 F 801-272-4450 parent@le.state.ut.us Representative Neal Hendrickson 3402 West 4100 South West Valley City, Utah 84119 H 801-969-8920 nhendric@le.state.ut.us Representative Gary Cox 4468 Tidwell Street Kearns, Utah 84118-5233 H 801-967-9760 O 801-569-5216 garyc@wjordan.com - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Dec 99 16:15:00 -0700 From: scott.bergeson@ucs.org (SCOTT BERGESON) Subject: GOUtah! Alert #38 - 22 December 1999 1/2 GOUtah! Gun Owners of Utah Utah's Uncompromising, Independent Gun Rights Network. No Compromise. No Retreat. No Surrender. Not Now. Not Ever. Visit our website at http://www.slpsa.org/goutah! GOUtah! Alert #38 - 22 December 1999 Today's Voice of Liberty: "We must have government, but we must watch them like a hawk" - -- Millicent Fenwick If you wish to be added to the GOUtah! list, please log onto our website at http://www.slpsa.org/goutah! or send an e-mail to GOUtah3006@aol.com or send a fax to (801) 944-9937 asking to be added to the GOUtah! list. We strongly encourage you to forward, copy and share this information with others, on the condition that you pass along the entire document intact and unmodified, and that GOUtah! is clearly indicated as the original source of the material, unless otherwise noted. GOUtah! and US-DIN! Meet with Utah DPS/BCI Management on CCW Issues and Concerns Representatives of GOUtah! and US-DIN! met for nearly two hours on Friday 17 December 1999 with representatives of Utah Department of Public Safety/BCI Division on issues of concern regarding the Utah CCW program. The meeting was generally cordial, with GOUtah! and US-DIN! presenting a clear and united front in support of the rights and interests of Utah's CCW instructors and permit holders. The lines of communication with this regulatory agency are now open and we will keep you posted as to our ongoing efforts to effectively deal with these issues. White House Prepares To Launch "All-Out Offensive" Against Second Amendment From the NRA-ILA FAX ALERT-Vol. 6, No. 49 12/17/99 The Clinton-Gore Administration is clearly frustrated over its inability this year to advance legislation attacking our right to keep and bear arms. Now it appears that its frustration is being transformed into action above and beyond the well-publicized lawsuit aimed at intimidating the firearms industry (see FAX Alert Vol. 6, No. 48 for details on the Clinton-Gore-HUD lawsuit threat). According to a Dec. 15 Washington Post story, an unnamed but "senior White House official" stated that the Administration will "prepare an all-out offensive on guns in the coming year." The meeting was run by White House Chief of Staff John D. Podesta, and include Domestic Policy Chief Bruce N. Reed, Deputy Treasury Secretary Stuart E. Eizenstat, Deputy Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., Vice Presidential Counsel Charles W. Burson, Presidential Adviser Joel Johnson, and HUD Secretary Andrew M. Cuomo. The White House official stated that Podesta would ask those attending the meeting "to come up with a series of actions to build pressure on the gun industry for an agreement and intensify the pressure on Congress to break the logjam on the gun bill and provide the president with a series of executive actions he can take in the weeks and months to come." While the source would not give details, he did state that the Clinton-Gore plan would include extra spending by the Department of Justice and Department of the Treasury. However, White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart tipped the President's hand somewhat, when he stated in a Dec. 15 press conference that, "We're exploring using...our executive authority invested in the President...." The White House is convinced the public wants more "gun control," even though public opinion polls state otherwise, and Americans seem especially united in their opposition to using the courts to attack lawful businesses such as gun manufacturers. A recent poll by the Tarrance Group, for example, found that 84% of the public feels that people who use firearms illegally should be held responsible, and only 5% feel that manufacturers or retailers should be held responsible for third-party firearm misuse. And in a Dec. 17 editorial, even the Washington Post came out against the Clinton-Gore team's threatened suit. While the Post is in full support of increasing restrictions on law-abiding gun owners, going so far as to support handgun bans, it concedes that Congress, not the courts, is the appropriate venue for making such public policy changes. The editorial refers to the Clinton-Gore-HUD suit as "an abuse of a valuable system, one that could make it less valuable as people come to view the legal system as nothing more than an arm of policymakers." GOUtah! Note: For more complete background information on the Clinton White House anti-gun agenda see: http://www.whitehouse.gov/library/ThisWeek.cgi?type=b&date=0&briefing=2 [ Continued In Next Message... ] - - ------------------------------ End of utah-firearms-digest V2 #171 ***********************************