To: IAHF LIST
Subject: Feinstein Calls for Licensing & Registration of Firearms
From: John Hammell jham@iahf.com
Date: Thu, 08 Jun 2000 16:44:14 -0400
All Webmasters: Please Post.
Everyone: Please forward, and join me in calling Feinstein, as well as your own Senators and Congressman in opposition to this bill.
IAHF List: See Feinstein's article below my comments. This tool of the New Whirrrrrrled Odor and traitor to the Constitution will no doubt be the first in line to get the injectable microchip. http://home.iae.nl/users/lightnet/world/mark.htm
She should visit the website of Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership at http://www.jpfo.org/ because she has not learned anything from history. So should the pro New Whirrrrled Odor Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In every instance where people have succumbed to gun control, mass genocide followed. Look at what happened when Hitler disarmed Germany. Look at what happened when Pol Pot disarmed Cambodia. The list goes on and on.
Join me in calling Feinstein, plus your own Senators and Congressman today to oppose this legislation. The number is 202-224-3841 to reach Feinstein. Email her c/o ben.miller@mail.house.gov 202-225-3121 to reach your own Senators and Congressman. Tell them that although politicians prefer unarmed peasants, you refuse to become their slave!!! A government which ceases to fear its people is a government that will trample on and kill its people. Crime rates soared in Australia when guns were confiscated, because now only criminals there own guns, and they'll never disarm. Want more WACO's? Want to be stripped of your vitamins? Just let the Nazis disarm us.
http://congress.nw.dc.us/cgi-bin/alertpr.pl?dir=rac&alert=26
TIME FOR ACTION ON NATIONAL LICENSING and REGISTRATION OF FIREARMS
Support Senator Feinstein's Legislation
Take Action Now
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On May 9, 2000, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) introduced legislation that would institute a national system of licensing and registration (S. 2525) of firearms and Washington insiders expect the introduction of a parallel House bill in coming weeks. It is essential that we seize this opportunity to reduce crime and prevent violence. The time has come to act on this critical issue.
Legislators can hardly continue to ignore the widespread public demand for stricter gun laws—the Million Mom March, a demonstration on Mother's Day, May 14th, 2000, attracted hundreds of thousands of citizens to Washington, DC to call for commonsense gun control. Licensing and registration has enjoyed particularly strong support. The latest Gallup Poll (April 28-30) showed that three-quarters of Americans (76%) favor registration of handguns and 69% favor federal licensing of gun owners. But victory is only possible if we continue to speak out and demand the gun laws this nation needs so badly.
Legislative Update:
In light of the nationwide epidemic of gun violence, our nation's failure to put in place a national system of licensing and registration is utterly absurd. According to Senator Feinstein, "We register cars and we license drivers. We register pesticides and license exterminators . . . but when it comes to guns and gun owners, no license, no registration, despite the loss of more than 32,000 lives a year from gun violence." On any given day in a America, more than 80 people are killed by gun violence, 12 of them children.
Under the current system, there is little to deter the transfer legally sold guns to criminals and youth. The secondary black market for handguns has thrived on these illegal transferred. Between 36% and 50% of male eleventh-graders believe they could easily get a gun if they wanted one. Registration prevents illegal transfers by making the registered owner responsible for what happens to his or her gun. This legislation is necessary of handguns is necessary to ensure that guns remain in the hands of responsible, law-abiding citizens and to assist law enforcement in tracing guns used in crime.
The licensing of all handgun owners is needed to insure that felons and others prohibited from gun ownership cannot obtain firearms. The legislation also includes measures to insure that licensees have been trained in the use and care of firearms.
Jewish Values and Gun Control:
Jewish tradition emphasizes the sanctity and primary value of human life. The Bible commands us "Thou shalt not murder." The Talmud teaches us that "he who takes one life, it is as though he has destroyed the universe, and he who saves one life, it is as though he has saved the universe." In an increasingly impersonal and alienating society, the dehumanizing of the human being and the carelessness with which human life is taken stand in direct violation of these affirmations of our tradition.
The Union of American Hebrew Congregations takes a stand on a myriad of issues, but the Union has spoken out on gun control with particular passion, insisting that gun regulation is a vital necessity. The UAHC has long recognized the need for legislation "that would limit and control the sale and use of firearms." (UAHC 1975) Union President Rabbi Eric Yoffie stated, "First and foremost, we need to see the control of guns not as a political problem but as a solemn religious obligation."
Action Needed:
The widespread availability of guns in our nation destroys tens of thousands of lives each year. We cannot turn out backs on gun violence. Contact your members of Congress urging them to do what is just—to support the Feinstein/Meehan bill on the licensing and registration of handguns.
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Some Congressional offices also have a public fax number available at your request.
For more information about gun control issues, please contact Legislative Assistant Ben Miller.