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utah-firearms-digest       Monday, June 26 2000       Volume 02 : Number 192




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 09:36:40 -0600
From: "Karl Pearson" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Thought: Democracy vs Liberty

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote."
 --Benjamin Franklin, 1759








- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 12:57:21 -0600
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: US vs Emerson, first day

5:30 p.m. June 13 Neal Knox Report -- "The Court really beat up
on the government" Linda Thomas of Houston ecstatically told me
a few minutes ago.

She was on a cell phone, standing on the steps of Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals in New Orleans. A three-judge panel had just
heard oral argument in the Emerson case, in which Lubbock, Texas,
Federal Judge Sam Cummings struck down part of the 1996 Lautenberg
Amendment prohibiting persons under a restraining order from
possessing firearms.

The government prosecutor said the Second Amendment only applied
to arms issued to militia members, in Dr. Timothy Emerson's case
either the Texas National Guard or Texas State Guard. Judge Harold
R. DeMoss, Jr., a George Bush appointee, told him he was misreading
the 1939 Miller case.

The court held in Miller that there had been no evidence that
Miller's sawed-off shotgun was a militia-type arm. Nothing was
said about the gun having to have been issued.

Judge DeMoss asked the prosecutor if Dr. Emerson's Beretta 92
9mm pistol isn't the type used by armies. Of course, it's the
standard U.S. sidearm.

Judge DeMoss also raised a critical question that addresses the
Tenth Amendment. "I have a 12 gauge and 16 gauge shotgun, and
a .30 caliber deer rifle in my closet at home. Can you tell me
how those affect interstate commerce?"

All Federal gun laws are based on the power of the Congress
to regulate interstate commerce. The present Supreme Court has
struck down several laws in a series of narrow decisions based
on the Tenth Amendment's stipulation that powers not specifically
delegated to Congress "are reserved to the states and the people,
respectively."

Judge Robert M. Parker, appointed by President Carter, and to
the appellate court by President Clinton, told the government:
"I don't want you to lose any sleep over this, but Judge Garwood
(the senior judge) and I between us have enough guns to start a
revolution in most South American countries."

Linda, a gun rights activist who has just finished law school
and is preparing for the bar exam, said the folks on our side
of the aisle "are all smiles."

Unlike most firearms-related court cases, there was no reluctance
to discuss the Second Amendment, and, Linda said, the judges had
done their homework. "It was like sitting in on a Gun Rights
Policy Conference legal seminar."

One thing about it, Timothy Emerson's case is going to have
a full and fair hearing. And so will the Second Amendment.

If the Fifth Circuit concurs with the trial judge that the
Second Amendment protects gun ownership as an individual right
- -- which now seems quite possible -- there would be a conflict
between the circuit courts, almost guaranteeing a Supreme Court
hearing after the next election.

That's just one more reason to make certain that Al Gore isn't
in a position to appoint Supreme Court justices.

- -

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 17:40:13 -0600
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: UnSafe to Learn UnSafe to Worship Not Giving Up!

Dave Hansen informs:

- -----
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 17:05:47 -0600
From: "D. Hansen" <[e-mail]>
Subject: UnSafe to Learn UnSafe to Worship Not Giving Up!

UnSafe to Learn, UnSafe to Worship isn't giving up!

http://www.safeutah.org/notdead.html

We didn't make the June 1 deadline for 70,000
signatures required to put the initiative on the
November 2000 ballot. But our central office did
turn in petitions with over 37,000 signatures. More
petitions were turned in by volunteers to their
county clerks throughout Utah. The verification of
signatures will take time, but we are confident we
met the 10% requirement in many counties,
including Salt Lake, Cache, Tooele, Grand,
Summit, and Rich.

It only takes 5% of voters in each county and
34,000 total signatures to require the legislature to
take up the initiative in the next legislative session.
We need to just be sure we have the sufficient
number of signatures in at least 20 of the 29
counties to have that happen. Since we have
already exceeded the 10% requirement in a
number of counties, we know we are close. So we
will continue to collect signatures and we will need
volunteers to help. We have until November to
collect the additional signatures, but we want to get
it done now, well before the elections in
November.

Ask the candidates running for election in your
district how they intend to vote on guns in schools
and churches in January. And depending on their
response, tell them how you are going to vote in
November.

We can continue to collect signatures for another
year to place the initiative on the next general
election ballot in 2002. All of the signatures already
collected will still be counted. If the Legislature
refuses to pass the initiative, we will continue and
we will win at the ballot box.

Please help to keep this issue moving forward. If
you can volunteer to help the effort, send an email
message to [e-mail]

To all of you who worked so hard - you were
great! The signature drive started out originally
with just a few organizations taking the lead. But
then in the last two months volunteers sprang up
everywhere, and a true grassroots effort really
turned out the signatures. We know how to do it
now - and it's you who make it possible.

- -

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 06:33:27 -0600
From: "larry larsen" <[e-mail]>
Subject: who is david hansen

If anybody knows D Hansen and would like to tell him about the Utah firearms
list, he whats to know.  I get an e mail forwared from Charles Hardy once in
a while from D Hansen.

Larry



- -

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 12:23:48 -0600
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: URGENT -- Hostettler Amendment On House Floor!!

You might want to try the following toll free numbers when calling
Congress.  I just tried the first two and they work.  I haven't tried the
last two yet.

Charles

US Congressional Switchboard Toll-free Numbers (Keep these numbers for
future use)


1-888-449-3511

1-800-241-7109

1-877-778-9001

1-800-648-3516


                    Experience shows that most of these 800 numbers will
work for a while then disappear.   So use them as long as they are
available - but do not be surprised when they are no long valid numbers.

 And it sometimes takes a long time for someone to answer - so be
patient.

On Fri, 23 Jun 2000 08:38:18 -0600 "Jim Dexter" <[e-mail]>
writes:
>
> URGENT -- Hostettler Amendment On House Floor!!
> Date: Thursday, June 22, 2000 7:04 PM by Neal Knox
>
> The Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations Bill is now
> being debated and will continue until at least midnight tonight.
>
> Rep. Hostettler's amendment to prevent the Justice
> Department from suing gun companies to enforce the S&W
> agreement, or to take similar actions, will be voted on either
> late tonight or early tomorrow -- as Neal Knox discusses
> below.
>
> Your Congressman will be there, call him tonight!
>
> June 22 Neal Knox Report -- According to which newspapers
> you read, what is now called "President Clinton's gun-safety
> deal with Smith & Wesson" either suffered a defeat or won a
> victory in last night's votes on Rep. John Hostettler's (R-Ind.)
> amendments to the Housing and Urban Development
> appropriations bill.
>
> Mr. Hostettler is going to take another shot either tonight or
> tomorrow, with an amendment to be offered on the
> Commerce, Justice & State appropriations bill.
>
> There were two votes last night, the first, to prohibit HUD
> from continuing its efforts to get cities and public housing
> authorities to give preferential treatment to Smith & Wesson,
> passed by 218-207.
>
> The second, and more important amendment, which would
> have prohibited HUD from being involved in enforcing the
> S&W agreement, failed 219-206.
>
> The agreement S&W signed, and is now attempting to back
> away from, calls for an extra-legal oversight body to assure
> that all the many provisions in the agreement are enforced.  It
> is to be composed of government agencies and anti-gun
> groups, and most assuredly will cause all sorts of mischief if it
> is ever put into play.
>
> Though the press has talked about the S&W agreement's
> trigger lock and "smart gun" provisions, it also goes into gun
> design, sales and distribution areas that affect all products
> sold by S&W dealers, regardless who made the guns.  The
> oversight body would be in the position of writing law as well
> as regulations, and is unquestionably the most dangerous
> provision of the agreement.
>
> NRA stayed out of last night's fight, reportedly trying to avoid
> making Speaker Dennis Hastert unhappy by legislating on
> appropriations bills -- which is routinely done by both sides of
> the gun debate.
>
> The appropriations bill coming up tonight, which will provide
> funding for the Justice Department, would prohibit DOJ from
> spending any of its money to sue S&W or any other other
> signer for failure to comply with the agreement.
>
> CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN.  Ask him or her to support
> Mr. Hostettler's amendment.  Even Congressmen who aren't
> strong on gun rights should vote to stop the Administration's
> effort to take law-making powers away from the Congress.
>
> Last night, opponents kept claiming Mr. Hostettler was trying
> to destroy S&W.  Tonight's amendment makes it clear that
> the Indiana lawmaker is trying to help S&W and the rest of
> the gun industry -- and NRA members and other consumers.
>
> NRA shouldn't be sitting out this fight -- even if they might
> make the Speaker unhappy.  They should remember that
> he's the one who has been pushing to get the Juvenile
> Justice bill, and its package of gun provisions, out of the
> House-Senate conference committee.
> ---------------
>
> Yesterday, President Clinton again demanded passage of his
> package of gun laws in the Juvenile bill while touting a new
> BATF report on "illegal gun trafficking."   BATF says that from
> 1996 to 1998 about 84,000 guns were "diverted" into illegal
> sales by crooked gun dealers, many through gun shows,
>
> BATF's self-serving study is based on their investigations,
> which too often consist of trying to examine the records of all
> dealers while searching for illegal sales, instead of tracking
> guns misused in crime back to their source.
>
> To begin receiving Neal Knox's bi-monthly newsletter, send a
> contribution of $25 or more to The Firearms Coalition, 7771
> Sudley Rd. No. 44, Manassas, VA 20109. For current news,
> call 1-900-225-3006 (89 cents per minute) or visit
> http://www.NealKnox.com (free).
>
>
> >>From The 2ndAmendmentNews Team
>
> If you received this as a forward and wish to join please send:
> E-Mail to [e-mail] with the following text in the
> message body:    SUBSCRIBE 2nd-Amendment-News
>
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> send a message to the list administrator, send E-mail to
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>
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> please let us know and we'll enroll them on a trial basis.
>
> Also, feel free to forward our alerts.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> LPUtah
> LPUtah -- This message sent via listserver "[e-mail]"
> LPUtah -- All messages are the sole responsibility of the sender.
> LPUtah -- Support: Jim Elwell, email: [e-mail]
> LPUtah
>

==================================================================
Charles C. Hardy
Utah Email Coordinator--Women Against Gun Control
<[e-mail]>

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 11:46:47 -0600
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: GOUtah! Alert #64

If your polling place is a public school, you may prefer
to vote absentee on Monday at your county election clerk's
office so as not to waive your right to self-defense while
exercising your right to vote. Also, Derek Smith has refused
to provide his position on RKBA both to GOUtah! and to me,
whereas Merrill Cook has affirmed his support for RKBA in
both his campaign literature and his response to GOUtah!'s
poll. For me this issue trumps all others in deciding how
to vote.

Scott

Great opening quote from Mencken!
___________________________

GOUtah! Alert #64 - 23 June 2000

TodayÆs Voice of Liberty:

"The fact is that the average man's love of liberty is
nine-tenths imaginary, exactly like his love of sense,
justice and truth. He is not actually happy when free; he
is uncomfortable, a bit alarmed, and intolerably lonely.
Liberty is not a thing for the great masses of men. It
is the exclusive possession of a small and disreputable
minority, like knowledge, courage and honor. It takes a
special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty -
and he is usually an outlaw in democratic societies."

- -- H.L. Mencken, February 12, 1923, Baltimore Evening Sun.

_________________________________

UTAH PRIMARY ELECTION UPON US! VOTE PRO-LIBERTY ON JUNE 27TH!

Please look on your voter registration card for the address
of your precinctÆs polling place, or look it up on the web at:

http://governor.state.ut.us/lt_gover/Elections/elections.html

Please go to your polling place this Tuesday, June 27th,
between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to vote in this very
important election.

While GOUtah! is not explicitly endorsing specific
candidates, we do think there is at least one obvious
ôno-brainerö in this primary election: Governor Mike Leavitt
must be defeated. His Republican opponent in the primary,
Glen Davis, is an ardent supporter of the right to keep and
bear arms, as is DavisÆ running mate, Greg Hawkins. Please
note that the turnout at primary elections is usually light,
so you and your pro-liberty friends, relatives, and neighbors
can actually make a difference by all showing up to vote.

Utah Gun OwnersÆ Alliance (UTGOA), one of our allies in the
fight to protect liberty, has sent out surveys to candidates
who are running in this primary election, in an attempt to
ascertain their views on the right to keep and bear arms.
The candidatesÆ responses (or non-responses, in some cases)
are posted on the UTGOA website at:

http://www.utgoa.org/pages/candsurvey.html


GOOD NEWS REGARDING NACÆS POLICY ON GUN ADVERTISEMENTS IN SALT LAKE NEWSPAPERS!

In our last Alert, we told you that the Newspaper Agency
Corporation (NAC), which handles all advertising business
for the Salt Lake Tribune and The Deseret News, was
considering a permanent ban on all gun advertisements in
both newspapers. This ban would have covered classified ads
and regular retail ads. The proposal was scheduled to be
considered at an NAC management meeting on Wednesday, June
21. We spoke on the telephone with Mr. Ed McCaffrey, the
director of advertising at NAC, on Friday, June 23, to find
out whether the proposed ban had been adopted. He told us
that it had been overwhelmingly rejected. Furthermore, he
informed us that the NAC will revert to its old policy of
allowing gun ads in the ôThriftyö section of the classifieds,
provided that such ads meet the standard requirements set
forth for all advertisements submitted to the ôThriftyö
section. In recent weeks, NAC has not been allowing any gun
ads to be placed in the ôThriftyö section. The change back
to the old policy is scheduled to occur next Wednesday,
June 27, assuming that the necessary reformatting and so
forth can be completed before then. If not, the change will
take place shortly after that, according to Mr. McCaffrey.
Mr. McCaffrey declined to send us a statement in writing,
so we will watch carefully to make sure the new policy is
implemented as outlined by him over the phone. If there is
any deviation from his verbal promises, we will alert you.

Some individuals who contacted the NAC in response to our
previous GOUtah! Alert were reportedly told that there was no
proposal to ban gun ads, and that no such proposal had been
submitted for consideration. However, Mr. McCaffrey reaffirmed
in our phone conversation on Friday that a complete ban on
gun ads was, in fact, one of the three proposals submitted for
consideration by NAC management, just as we reported previously.
The fact that it was rejected can be attributed, we believe,
to the efforts of all you activists out there who bombarded
the NAC with phone calls, faxes, letters, and e-mails. Thanks
for your work! Thanks also to Mr. James Johnston, who first
brought this to our attention.


GUN SALES BANNED IN BRAZIL

According to yesterdayÆs edition of The Washington Post, the
President of Brazil has issued an executive decree which
immediately suspends the issuing of gun permits in that
country for a period of six months. Previously, firearms
could be legally purchased by civilians who obtained a
permit from the government. Since a separate permit had to
be issued for each purchase, the new policy essentially
prohibits future purchases of firearms by civilians,
although currently licensed owners can keep their old guns
for the time being. That might not last for long, however,
because a bill currently being considered by the Brazilian
Congress would simply ban most civilian gun ownership and
would require licensed owners to turn in their weapons.
Exceptions would be granted for members of shooting clubs,
people living in ôrural areasö, and private security guards.

According to The Post, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique
Cardoso acted unilaterally without waiting for the Brazilian
Congress to pass its bill. "Society is demanding from all of
us a quicker response,ö he is quoted as saying. "We could ask,
who among us has not suffered because of violence?" The article
states that the executive order ôalso includes hiring 2,000
new federal agents, providing better training and equipment
for police forces and building new prisons.ö Does any of this
sound familiar?

Brazilian officials estimate that of the approximately 8
million gun owned by civilians in Brazil, 6 million are
owned by criminals who purchased them on the black market
without a permit. Brazilian criminologists interviewed by
The Post expressed the opinion that the PresidentÆs
executive order would not reduce BrazilÆs sky-high crime
rate, because nearly all of the violent crimes committed
with guns in that country are committed by criminals with
unlicensed guns. Only law-abiding people with gun permits
will be affected by the new policy, and, according to one
crime expert, this might actually cause the crime rate to
increase, because criminals will know for sure that their
intended victims are unarmed. No kidding.

BrazilÆs experience is consistent with what has happened and
is happening in other countries (Britain, Canada, Australia,
California, etc.) where licensing and registration are
mandatory. When people ask you why you donÆt support
licensing of gun owners and registration of firearms, you
need merely point out that the ôslippery slopeö is indeed
very slippery. A thing that can be licensed is a thing that
can be banned.
___________________________________________

GOUTAH! GUN RIGHTS INFORMATION OUTLETS

If you wish to receive GOUtah! Alerts via e-mail, you may
subscribe by sending a blank e-mail message to
[e-mail]. To unsubscribe, send a blank
message to [e-mail].

If you have a dedicated fax machine located in Salt Lake
County or Davis County and you wish to receive a fax version
of the GOUtah! Alerts, or if you are already receiving the
Alerts and wish to stop receiving them, you may fax your
request to [phone].

You may also be added to or taken off the GOUtah! Alerts list
by logging onto our website at http://www.slpsa.org/goutah!
or at http://www.home.fiberia.com/goutah, or by submitting
your request via e-mail to [e-mail]. There are no
charges for receiving GOUtah! Alerts.

You may also telephone the GOUtah! Information Hotline at
(801) 296-GUNS for the very latest information on issues
surrounding your gun rights. The call is toll free in the
Salt Lake County/Davis County area, while normal long
distance charges apply for the rest of the state.

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.
_____________________________
This concludes the GOUtah! Political and Legislative Alert
#64 -23 June 2000.

We hope this information will be of assistance to you in
defending your firearms rights. Remember that getting this
information is meaningless unless YOU ACT ON IT TODAY. If
you just read it and dump it in the trash, your gun rights,
and the gun rights of future generations go in the trash
with it. Get involved, get active and get vocal!

Copyright 2000 by GOUtah! All rights reserved.

- -

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 13:00:17 -0600
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: The Lessons of History

Dear Representatives:

I expect your support of my and my fellow Citizens' right to
keep and bear arms, including repeal of all restrictions and
disabilities, if you expect my support in your holding
political office.

Scott Bergeson

- -----
From: Eagle Forum <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2000 8:49 PM
Subject: The Lessons of History

PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY REPORT -- June 2000 (Part 2)

The Lessons of History

The chief reason America has remained a free country is the widespread
private ownership of firearms. Individual ownership of guns made the
American Revolution possible. The principal purpose of the Second
Amendment was to maintain our freedom from government. It is an insult
to our heritage to imply that the Founding Fathers wrote the Second
Amendment just to protect deer hunters.

My good friend, the late Reverend Stephen Dunker, C.M., was a missionary
in China who was imprisoned by the Communists during the early 1950s. I
heard him tell of his experiences many times. When the Communists first
took over the area where he lived, they appeared to be good rulers. They
established law and order and cleaned up the traffic in drugs and pros-
titutes. Then one day the Communist bosses announced, "You can see that
we have established a good society and you have no need for your guns.
Everyone must come in the night and dump all guns in the town square."
The people believed and obeyed. The next day, the reign of terror began,
with public executions and cruel imprisonments. Everyone accused of being
a "landlord" was dragged through the streets and executed; a "landlord"
was anyone who farmed his little plot of ground with two water buffalo
instead of one.

Gun confiscation leads to a loss of freedom, increased crime, and the
government moving to the left. This has already happened in England and
Australia. After Great Britain banned most guns in 1997, making armed
self-defense punishable as murder, violence skyrocketed because criminals
knew that law abiding citizens had been disarmed. Armed crime rose 10%
in 1998. The Sunday Times of London reported on the new black market in
guns: "Up to 3 million illegal guns are in circulation in Britain,
leading to a rise in drive-by shootings and gangland-style execution."
There has been such a heavy increase in the use of knives for violent
attacks that new laws have been passed giving police the power to search
anyone for knives in designated areas.

In 1996 Australia banned 60% of all firearms and required registration
of all guns and the licensing of gun owners. Police confiscated 640,381
firearms, going door to door without search warrants. Two years later,
the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that all crime had risen
and armed robberies were up 44%.

Miguel A. Faria Jr., M.D., described his first-hand experience in Cuba.
Before 1958, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista had all citizens register
their firearms. After the revolution, Raul and Fidel Castro had their
Communist thugs go door to door and, using the registration lists,
confiscate all firearms. As soon as the Cubans were disarmed, that was
the end of their freedom.

Tyrannical governments kill far more people than private criminals. The
Nazis conducted a massive search-and-seizure operation in 1933 to disarm
their political opponents, in 1938 to disarm the Jews, and when they
occupied Europe in 1939-41 they proclaimed the death penalty for anyone
who failed to surrender all guns within 24 hours.

The first line of safety has to be an ability to defend yourself. In
some areas, a woman who is being stalked by her ex-husband must wait
10 days to buy a gun, even if her life has been threatened. Some cities
criminalize carrying guns for self-defense but make exceptions for
people carrying money or jewels. Are money and jewels more important
to protect than people's lives?

History teaches us that registration leads to the confiscation of guns
and that is the goal of many gun control advocates. Pete Shields, founder
of Handgun Control Inc., told The New Yorker: "The first problem is to
slow down the number of handguns being produced and sold in this country.
The second problem is to get handguns registered. The final problem is
to make possession of all handguns and all handgun ammunition -- except
for the military, police, licensed security guards, licensed sporting
clubs, and licensed gun collectors -- totally illegal."

Atlanta public-safety commissioner George Napper told U.S News, "If I
had my druthers, the only people who would have guns would be those who
enforce the law." Like those who "enforced the law" at Waco? or at Ruby
Ridge? or invading a Miami home to grab Elißn Gonzalez?

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states: "A well
regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Polls show that up to 80% of the public believe citizens have a
constitutional right to own guns.

If the First Amendment read "A free press being necessary to the security
of a free state, Congress shall make no law respecting . . . the freedom
of speech, or of the press," nobody would argue that free speech belongs
only to newspapers. Likewise, they should not argue that the right to
keep and bear arms belongs only to government agents.

Chief Justice William Rehnquist, writing for the majority in U.S. v.
Verdugo-Urquidez (1990), stated that the term "the people" has the same
meaning in the First, Second, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Amendments. All
those five amendments in the Bill of Rights use the term "the people"
to guarantee a right for individual citizens, not just some collective
right of the state as a whole. There is no reason to believe that the
Second Amendment uses the term "the people" differently from the other
four amendments.

The claim that "militia" just refers to the National Guard is ridiculous.
The same Congress that passed the Second Amendment also passed the
Militia Act of 1792 which defined militia as "each and every able-bodied
male citizen" from age 18 to 45 (with some exceptions) and stated that
each one shall "provide himself" with a gun, ammunition, and a bayonet.

The currently effective Militia Act substantially keeps the same language
("all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and . . . under 45"), and
further defines militia as: "(1) the organized militia, which consists of
the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and (2) the unorganized militia,
which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the
National Guard or the Naval Militia." (10 U.S.C. 311)

In recent years, a scholarly consensus has emerged across the political
spectrum that the Second Amendment protects an individual right. Between
1980 and 1995, of 39 law review articles, 35 noted the Supreme Court's
prior acknowledgement of the individual right of the Second Amendment
and only four claimed the right is a collective right of the states (and
3 of those 4 were authored or co-authored by persons connected with the
gun-control lobby).


The Founding Fathers on the Right to Own Guns:

James Madison: Americans have "the advantage of being armed" -- unlike
the citizens of other countries where "the governments are afraid to
trust the people with arms."

* Patrick Henry: "The great objective is that every man be armed. . . .
  Everyone who is able may have a gun."

* George Mason: "To disarm the people [is] the best and most effectual
  way to enslave them."

* Samuel Adams: "The Constitution shall never be construed . . . to
  prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens
  from keeping their own arms."

* Alexander Hamilton: "The best we can hope for concerning the people at
  large is that they be properly armed."

* Richard Henry Lee: "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole
  body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially
  when young, how to use them."

For more information: John Lott Jr., More Guns, Less Crime (2nd edition,
2000). Miguel A. Faria Jr., M.D., articles on England and Australia in
the Medical Sentinel, May/June 2000, and letter on Cuba to the editor of
the Wall Street Journal, December 28, 1999. Professor Sanford Levinson,
"The Embarrassing Second Amendment," Yale Law Journal, 1989. Professor
James D. Wright, "Second Thoughts about Gun Control," The Public Interest,
Spring 1988. Stephen P. Halbrook, That Every Man Be Armed, Independent
Institute, 1994, and the Wall Street Journal, June 4, 1999. Daniel D.
Polsby, Firearms and Crime, Independent Institute, 1997. Joyce Lee
Malcolm, lecture at the Independent Institute, September 21, 1999,
http://www.independent.org/ For law review articles, gun court cases,
and the 1982 Senate report, see http://www.2ndlawlib.org/.

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------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 07:22:12 -0600
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: FW: Guns Under the Bed

- -----
Subject: [We the People] Guns Under the Bed
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 08:56:18 -0800
From: Jon Roland <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

The article "Guns Under the Bed" of Sat. June 24, ill serves the credibility
of the writer or your newspaper. It is an obvious disinformation piece.

In a country with a large population one can always find anecdotal evidence of
the tragic misuse of anything, including firearms. The author does ask a good
question, "Which is more likely to happen with guns in homes -- successful
self-defense against law-breakers, or accidental woundings and killings of
children?", but offers a demonstrably false answer. The scholarly research
of Gary Kleck and John Lott make it clear that self-defense is far, far more
likely. The problem is that it is far, far less likely to be reported in the
mainstream press. Such selective reporting is a poor guide to public policy.

But the article also fails, as do many advocates of firearm safety for
children, to examine the real way to avoid such tragedies. It is not to keep
firearms away from children, but to train them in the safe and effective use
of firearms, beginning as soon as they can hold them. We can't keep children
safe by trying to keep them away from something. All that does is make it
forbidden fruit. I was taught to shoot from the age of 5, received a rifle on
my 6th birthday, and a handgun on my 8th. I became an expert in the use of
firearms from that early age. As a result, there was no chance I would ever
misuse one.

- --Jon Roland

================================================================
Constitution Society, 1731 Howe Av #370, Sacramento, CA 95825
916/568-1022, 916/450-7941VM      Date: 06/25/00  Time: 08:56:19
http://www.constitution.org/  mailto:[e-mail]
================================================================

- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 10:30:58 -0600
From: charles hardy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Fw: UTAH : Candidate Endorsement and Update (GOA-PVF)

Everyone--regardless of political affiliattion since Utah has open
primaries and no one but the GOP has any major primaries this year of
which I am aware--please make sure to get to the polls tomorrow (Tuesday)
and--whomever else you may be supporting or opposing either in this
primary or in the general election--vote against Mike "Gun Grabber"
Leavitt in the Republican Primary.  (Yes, this infers that you cast a
vote for Glen Davis in this primary.)

Ideally, spend a few minutes today or tonight contacting, either in
person or by phone, several of your pro-self-defense friends, neighbors,
and family members and encourage them to do likewise.  If any of them are
likely to have difficulty getting to the polls (ie, have young children
who need babysitting, have difficulty driving, etc) offer whatever
assistance you can to help them get to the polls and vote.

==================================================================
Charles C. Hardy
Utah Email Coordinator--Women Against Gun Control
<[e-mail]>

- --------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "WAGC (RKBA- NON Negotiable!)" <[e-mail]>
To: "WAGC Rep/UT/Charles H." <[e-mail]>


- -----Original Message-----
From: [e-mail]
<[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
<[e-mail]>
Date: Friday, June 23, 2000 4:01 PM
Subject: UT: Candidate Endorsement and Update (GOA-PVF)


>Candidate Endorsement/Update
>
>Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund
>8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
>Phone: [phone] / FAX: [phone]
>http://www.gunowners.org
>This alert posted on the web at:
>http://www.gunowners.org/sut1200.htm
>
>June 23, 2000
>
>
>Dear Utah Gun Owner:
>
>Please vote for strong pro-gun candidates Glen Davis for Governor
>and Frank Mylar for Attorney General in the upcoming primary on
>June 27, 2000.
>
>Glen Davis has answered the GOA survey 100%.  Incumbent Mike Leavitt
>has blatantly refused to go on record, although his mountain of
>anti-gun actions speak for themselves.
>
>Glen Davis and Frank Mylar have pledged opposition to the so-called
>"Semi-Auto" ban, the Brady Registration scheme, and
>government-mandated "No-Safety Zones," all aspects of the anti-gun
>Clinton/Brady agenda of which Governor "Gun Control" Leavitt seems
>to be such a strong supporter.
>
>Attorney General candidate Frank Mylar also pledged to stand fast
>and oppose frivolous lawsuits against the gun industry.  Anti-gun
>States' Attorneys are already using such suits as a weapon against
>your rights.  Frank Mylar is strongly opposed to these baseless
>attacks and will fight to protect the honest gun owners and
>businessmen of Utah.
>
>Please vote for Glen Davis and Frank Mylar on Tuesday, June 27, 2000
>in the Republican primary.  Thank you.
>
>Larry Pratt
>Executive Director
>
>
>Not paid for by any candidate or candidate's committee. Authorized
>and paid for by Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund.
>
>**************
>Do not reply directly to this message.
>
>To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to
>http://www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web.
>
>To unsubscribe send a message to [e-mail]
>with the word unsubscribe in the subject line.
>
>Change of e-mail address: unsubscribe the old address and
>subscribe the new using the above instructions.
>
>Problems, questions or comments? The main GOA e-mail address
>[e-mail] is at your disposal. Please do not add that
>address to distribution lists sending more than ten messages per
>week or lists associated with issues other than gun rights.
>
>


- -

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 13:09:13 -0600
From: Scott Bergeson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: "He's a leader and a problem solver"

Thanks for the information. However, both Dr. Sarah Thompson
and I have attempted to ascertain candidate Derek Smith's
position on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. To date he has
refused to provide it. Congressman Merrill Cook scored 100%
on GOUtah!'s questionnaire, so I support him in the Primary.

Scott Bergeson
- ---
Trust no candidate who doesn't trust Citizens with firearms.

- -----
Subject: "He's a leader and a problem solver"
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 13:54:46 EDT
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]

Dear fellow citizen:

I've known Derek Smith professionally for more than ten years.  I've seen
Derek run his businesses and through my dealings with him, I think I have
good insight into his character.  When I think of Derek, the first words that
come to mind are: passion, perseverance and complete integrity.

Derek's success has not come easily or instantly.  Derek has devoted years of
hard work and incredible energy into making his businesses successful.  Now
we have the opportunity to put Derek's passion and perseverance to work for
us.

Derek is a leader.  I've seen him effectively manage and motivate his
employees.  Derek is a problem solver.  Derek has thrived in difficult
circumstances and has never given up.  When he sets his mind to something he
does it.  Derek is a loyal and honest person.  I've seen Derek stand up for
what he believes in and never seen him behave in a way that would make me
question his integrity.  I can look anyone in the eye and tell them without a
moment of hesitation that Derek will never embarrass us as our representative
in Washington.

Utah has the opportunity to send someone to Washington who can make a real
difference.  Derek has the experience and character to represent us well.
Please join me in voting for Derek on Tuesday June 27th.

Sincerely,


Taft Edward Price
Chief Executive Officer
Alta Capital Management

- -

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End of utah-firearms-digest V2 #192
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