                          
                       GEnie Outdoors Roundtable
                              Newsletter
                          June, 1995 edition              
                           
                        Edited by John Marshall
                        (J.MARSHALL2 / PALADIN)


TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OBSERVATIONS ON THE NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS by John Marshall        9506A

INDIVIDUAL INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WW II by John Marshall           9506B

BIO: GEORGE MANDRY by George Mandry                             9506C

COMBAT ARMS SURVEY: WILL YOU KILL AS ORDERED? by John Marshall  9506D

THE CLASSIC HANDGUN MAGNUMS by John Marshall                    9506E

NRA NEWS by the NRA staff                                       9506F  

ENCLOSED FILES:

  PARIS_GI.GIF
  KEITH.GIF
  SHARPE.GIF

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9506A  OBSERVATIONS ON THE NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS  by  John Marshall

*NRA *CONVENTION *ANNUAL MEETINGS *PHOENIX

Friday,  May 19th dawned beautifully, as it usually does this time  of 
year in Phoenix.  Today was to be special in other ways, at it was the 
start of the National Rifle Association's annual meetings, an event  I 
hadn't  been part of since the last time it was hosted in  Phoenix  in 
the  early '80s - back when Ronald Reagan was the featured speaker  as 
President of the United States.   Somehow I can't imagine the  current 
resident of the White House doing that today.

I arrived early enough that I managed to get to the Convention  Center 
parking  lot  before the ticket-giver.   She came running  up  without 
change or tickets, so I promised to come back later and pay her, which 
I did.

I had breakfast at the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is  about 
3  blocks  from the convention center.   It is  the  NRA  headquarters 
hotel  for this event.   As I ate, I made a mental game of  trying  to 
spot  NRA  members  as they came to breakfast.   I  looked  for  short 
haircuts, people older than most, white and male.   Perhaps this was a 
stereotype,  because I witnessed young couples, whites, hispanics  and 
blacks.   I spotted Roy Innes, head of the Congress of Racial  Equali-
ty,  who just happens to be a staunch NRA member and champion  of  the 
right to keep and bear arms.

Since I had not registered for the grassroots seminars by mail, I  had 
to pay $10 at the door instead of the $5 I would have had to pay if  I 
had  planned  ahead.   No matter.   The NRA could use the  money.    I 
thought I was a bit early, but pastries, fruit and coffee were already 
there,  and  so  were some of the NRA  leadership.    I  re-introduced 
myself  to  Tanya Metaksa, the NRA-Institute  for  Legislative  action 
chief, and to my delight, she sat next to me at my table.   About this 
time  the  TV cameras swarmed around our table (Tanya gets  a  lot  of 
press), and she chided them that no microphones would be allowed here, 
because  she had agreed to their presence if they would only do  back-
ground  shots, not full-scale recording.   They finally put  away  the 
mikes.  At any rate, you may see me together with Tanya on ABC,  talk-
ing with other members of the group at our table.

I  used the opportunity to ask her about some things that had been  on 
my  mind.    I  ventured the opinion that the  "Assault  Weapons  Ban" 
repeal didn't have a snowball's chance in you know where, with Clinton 
almost certain to veto it, and what her strategy would be in  bringing 
it up in Congress now.   What she said made some sense.   She  replied 
that the repeal vote would give us a headcount of who our friends  are 
in  Congress,  and that we could use that information in  the  polling 
booths.   As for Clinton, she said that if he vetoes the bill when  it 
gets  to his desk, "He will veto his own presidency."   Strong  words, 
but from this bulldog-willed lady, I find them more than believable.

I also asked her if she had any insight on ex-president Bush's  resig-
nation  from the NRA, purportedly over a strongly-worded  fund-raising 
letter  by Wayne LaPierre, Executive VP of the NRA,  which  criticised 
some  Federal agents as "jack-booted thugs."   She looked me right  in 
the eye and said:  "Payback time."  As you probably know, Bush did not 
receive NRA's endorsement in the '92 elections because of his  actions 
in restricting imports of certain types of firearms.  To her mind,  it 
was simply politics - and at its usual worst.

I  asked her also if she had any bets on the Presidential  contest  to 
come,  and  she said she never betted on presidential  elections.   We 
talked  a bit about Bob Dole and Phil Gramm, two pro-gunners  who  are 
seeking  the Republican nomination.   I ventured my opinion that  Dole 
seemed too willing to compromise, and that I had personal knowledge of 
Gramm saying what he believes and then following through - as many  of 
you  know, I lived in Texas for many years, and Phil was  my  senator.  
She  replied that Dole has stood up for us, too - and it was  apparent 
that  she and Dole have a good working relationship.   I  can't  knock 
that, as Dole is Senate majority leader, with a lot of clout.

We  also talked about Henry Hyde, the chairman of the House  judiciary 
committee  - a man who has voted against gun rights in the past.   She 
smiled,  and said that the real power in the Senate is  a  four-letter 
word: N - E - W - T.   I also got the feeling that she and Speaker  of 
the House Newt Gingrich have a good and cordial relationship!

The grassroots workshops were middlingly interesting - nothing  really 
new,  although  several NRA innovations were talked  about,  including 
their fax network (summary faxes free to requesters every Friday), and 
the  NRA's forays into the information superhighway - NRA.ORG  on  the 
Internet, and the NRA bulletin board "Gun Talk" which is available  to 
all NRA members.  

The  Director of the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division was, surprisingly,  a 
fairly young and very attractive woman - Catherine "Cathy" Grant.  She 
had  a  lot of sparkle, and I sensed she is very  enthused  about  her 
work.   For more info on the Grassroots program, you can reach her  at 
703-267-1170. 

Phil  Journey,  a grassroots activist and attorney in Kansas,  gave  a 
good  talk on how to build a successful state association.   Phil  has 
obviously been there and done that.  He discussed how to organize  and 
form  the leadership and committees to get the job done at  the  state 
level.  Good, solid scoop.

Sam Stone, a grassroots volunteer, talked about fundraising  programs, 
and  emphasized the "Friends of the NRA" programs which have  been  so 
successful.

Two  city councilmen, Hayden Heal (Orange, CA) and Paul Payne  (River-
side  CA)  gave hints on how to establish and build  on  relationships 
with local governments.  They emphasized appearance, respect, sinceri-
ty, and having your facts straight.  

Although  there was a Director of Civilian Marksmanship update,  hosed 
by  "Gil" Gilchrest of the NRA Competitions Division and Michael  Rob-
ertson  of  the  DCM, I have to admit I missed it - the  call  of  the 
exhibit  hall became much to strong, and I lit out for the  Convention 
Center  for what was my favorite pastime at my last annual  meeting  - 
walking around and seeing the exhibits.

When  I got to the convention center, I stopped to verify  my  creden-
tials for voting for the 76th board member - bylaws provide for voting 
for  that  person from the floor at the annual meetings; also,  I  re-
ceived  a voting packet for various issues which will  arise  tomorrow 
(as  I write this).  There was a short wait in line while several  NRA 
volunteers  verified  status on their computers.    If  the  computers 
failed, there was a small room full of hard copy lists of members -  I 
suspected certain people in this world would kill to get that list.

I  also  took the time to go over to the Press room,  staffed  by  NRA 
volunteers,  where  members of the media got credentials  which  would 
allow  them on the floor.   I found a friend - the lady who  had  been 
one  of the instructors in my CCW class recently.  I smiled  and  told 
her  I needed a media card - after all, I am the GEnie Outdoors  News-
letter editor!   She gave me a media card, and I was to find it useful 
later, as I'll relate.

Outside  the  exhibit hall, the NRA was selling T-shirts,  tote  bags, 
mugs, hats, jackets, and a million doodads with the NRA logo on  them, 
and  doing a land office business.  The mob within the  souvenir  com-
pound  was  back to back and belly-to-belly, and the  check-out  lines 
were  enormous.   I discovered the short line was the  cash-pay  line, 
and so I maneuvered in there and got checked out pretty quickly -  got 
a  Phoenix NRA Annual Meetings tote bag and an extra-large NRA  coffee 
mug;  it will hold about the right amount of caffein to get  me  kick-
started in the mornings!

The exhibit hall was 3/4 commercial.  Virtually every firearms company 
in  the world was there in force.   Also, every accessory outfit  I've 
ever heard of was there.   Just walking through, I managed to fill  my 
tote  bag  and  two more, provided by Colt, with  stuff  -  brochures, 
magazines,  logo pins, bushing wrenches, pens, - you name it.    Three 
very attractive ladies, one each from Colt, Ruger, and VihtaVuori  Oy, 
autographed  posters  of  themselves with their products  for  me,  in 
endearing terms, festooned with little hearts.   I have such an effect 
on  the ladies!  Well, OK, maybe they did that for anyone  who  asked, 
and I'm not ashamed - I ASKED!

I wore my media credentials, and I found that if I expressed  interest 
in a small- or medium-cost product and explained that I was in a posi-
tion  to tout a good product, my address was taken down by  the  sales 
rep!   I  look forward particularly to reviewing a  handgun  reloading 
video  tape  which  is almost certain to arrive on  my  doorstep  from 
Sierra.   I'll letcha all know if it's any good...  ALMOST got a  free 
tritium  handgun sight installation for my big Colt from an outfit  in 
Albuquerque,  but  they wound up only promising a small  discount.   I 
certainly  won't mention their name HERE.  <G>   Heck, I wasn't  going 
to part with my slide for 30 days anyway.  I might need it, you  never 
know!

Colt had a huge blimp flying around inside the arena - maneuvered by a 
guy on the floor with radio controls.  Very impressive, except when  I 
wanted to walk back to the Colt exhibit, I looked for the balloon,  as 
I remembered it was over the Colt digs earlier.  Didn't realize it was 
moving  around  until I found it hovering over the  Smith  and  Wesson 
exhibit!   Talk about upstaging...

I mentioned that the commercial exhibits were 3/4 of the exhibit hall, 
which  was huge.   The other 1/4 was reserved for collector  exhibits, 
and  collector's groups from around the country had put together  some 
pretty  impressive  displays.   I saw and touched  the  best-condition 
original  Colt  Walker revolver ever seen.   Turns out  it  was  Capt. 
Walker's own handgun!  It's a priceless relic that was returned to the 
good Captain's family after his untimely death in the Mexican-American 
War,  and kept in the family until 1979.   It's probably the prize  of 
prizes in Colt collecting, and there it was, under the watchful eye of 
two very nervous paid guards.  I did ask permission to touch it, and I 
did  so only on the wood grips.   I'd rate its condition as "fine"  by 
NRA  antique  standards.   I have now had a direct and  personal  link 
with a real piece of history.

I was also impressed by two Colt 1911 collections.  One was restricted 
only  to  WW I-era 1911s, and the other spanned both WW I and  WW  II.  
Truly excellent displays and very well done.

There were several Presidential firearms on display, on loan from  the 
National  Firearms  Museum at NRA headquarters.  A  double  rifle  and 
Model 1900 FN .32 caliber pistol that belonged to Teddy Roosevelt were 
there, as well as the shotgun presented to Pres. Eisenhower by  Nikita 
Khrushchev  of the (then) Soviet Union, and Ronald Reagan's  flintlock 
Kentucky rifle replica.

I  could go on about the collector displays, but I'll give  them  more 
attention, perhaps, tomorrow.  I had to run to catch the 20th-birthday 
celebration of the NRA-ILA, held in another large exhibit hall nearby.

Tanya Metaksa was the MC and head cheerleader.  She introduced several 
speakers, including Sheriff Mack of Arizona, who challenged the  Brady 
law and won, having it declared unconstitutional by our State  Federal 
Court  of  Appeals, in that it required an unfunded  action  of  local 
governments by the Federal Government.  He gave a humble talk, accept-
ed an award as NRA Lawman of the year, and mentioned that his own 20th 
wedding anniversary coincided with the NRA-ILA 20th-year anniversary.

A  10-minute  video  was shown which covered NRA's  successes  in  the 
recent  elections.   There was general cheering as  each  victory  was 
cited.  

Tanya Metaksa received a standing ovation on her ascent to the podium, 
and it was clear the members were 100% behind her in her efforts.  The 
unity was apparent.

The media was out in force, and true to form, they concentrated  their 
picture-taking  efforts on those whose manner of dress was a bit  more 
outlandish  - they liked bearded individuals with NRA caps, beer  bel-
lies  and  slogan-festooned wear.   It was obvious that  they  weren't 
going to photograph normal-looking people in conservative dress.   The 
guy across the aisle from me, festooned from head to toe with  slogans 
and pins, was mobbed by the press.  He represented probably 1/10 of 1% 
of the people in attendance in his manner of dress, but guess who  got 
the  attention.   It was obvious what was happening, and  frankly,  it 
teed me off.

Tanya  herself was mobbed following her speech.  I'm sure any  remarks 
she  made  to the press will be excerpted, and you'll  only  hear  the 
words the media wants you to hear.  Guess how that will be slanted.

We  had  cake, punch, and chippy-dippy following the  talks  at  ILA's 
birthday celebration.  Very nice.

From there, I went to a VIP reception honoring Life Members and higher 
contributory  members.  Wayne LaPierre, Neal Knox, and Tanya  Metaksa, 
and Tom Washington all gave rousing talks.   It was very apparent  the 
NRA  leadership  was in unison and dedicated to  doing  an  aggressive 
pro-gun  job  at  every level.   I won a door prize - a  set  of,  you 
guessed it, four NRA stoneware coffee mugs!

It was getting late and my feet were tired.  I got home, picked up  my 
newspaper to see what slant the media would put on the meetings.  Sure 
enough, enough to make my blood boil, they focused on a dissident  ex-
board  member  who thought the present leadership too focused  on  the 
right to keep and bear arms.  The article I read played up  dissention 
in  the ranks, when everything I had heard and saw showed me that  the 
NRA has its act together.   I remarked at the VIP reception that Sarah 
Brady  would  probably  kill to have an organization  this  big,  this 
dedicated,  and this well-organized to do the job.   Sure  enough,  in 
the paper this evening was a half-page ad by Sarah herself, trying  to 
tie  the  NRA to militias and pleading for donations  to  combat  this 
radical, right-wing organization.   I understand the Handgun  Control, 
Inc.  President is here this weekend as well.  Gee, I wonder  why.   I 
gotta  tell you, folks, compared to the awesome clout the NRA is  dis-
playing  this  weekend, HCI comes off as pathetic  and  emotional.   I 
can't imagine an HCI annual meeting that could hold a candle to what I 
have been witnessing today.

Well, I'm tired.   I'll fill you in on the morrow's happenings  tomor-
row!

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Saturday, May 20.  It wasn't my usual weekend attire, but I dressed in 
slacks,  a dress shirt and tie today - the NRA members banquet was  to 
be  this evening, and I knew I wouldn't want to come back to my  place 
to  change  - parking for this event was five dollars, and I  sure  as 
heck didn't want to have to pay it twice!   Besides, too often the NRA 
image  has been stereotyped in other ways, and if I spoke at the  mem-
bers' meeting, I wanted the impression to be cleancut.

Once again, I had breakfast at the Holiday Inn headquarters and  chat-
ted  with many NRA members who were up early.   I had decided  that  I 
wanted to attend the NRA gun collectors' committee meeting at 7:00 AM, 
but when I reached the civic plaza, there was some confusion about the 
meeting.   I  bumped into Doug Wicklund, who happens to be  the  NRA's 
curator  of  collections  at the national firearms  museum.   We  both 
finally  found the meeting room, only to discover that it  was  empty.   
I  got the distinct impression that the gun collecting segment of  the 
association is not well organized.   That impression was reinforced by 
my recollection that the NRA had announced years ago that they  wanted 
to  put together an annual collecting publication.   I still have  the 
one  and only issue.   If this sound like criticism, it is.   I  fully 
understand the focus of the NRA must be on influencing politics or  we 
won't  have any firearms to collect, but as a collector, I'm  somewhat 
disappointed.

At  any  rate, Doug and I went back to the main  display  area,  which 
wouldn't  be open to the public until 10:00.   Since I was with  Doug, 
the guards let me in, and we found the collector committee was in  the 
process  of judging the collector displays.   This was most  enjoyable 
for me, as I got to roam the displays without mobs of people competing 
for  my  observation space.   By the way, I took  the  opportunity  to 
touch THE Walker Colt again (only on the wood, of course)!

The  annual  meeting, the heart and soul of the convention,  began  at 
10:00.  There were nice speeches by several of the NRA leadership, but 
the  real fun didn't begin until Tanya Metaksa and Wayne LaPierre  had 
their says.   Tanya ripped the news media and the Clinton  administra-
tion a new posterior orifice in a very dramatic way.   She had managed 
to assemble, in person, scores of citizens who had been the victims of 
ATF  abuse, who had used guns to defend themselves, and who had  stood 
up  to  the Brady Bill.   In each case, as she asked these  people  to 
stand up and be recognized, she asked "Where is the heart of the NRA?"  

Time after time, as each of these people stood up  to 
be recognized, the nearly 2,000 NRA members in the auditorium rose  to 
their  feet and applauded them for being there.   It was an  emotional 
experience  to  know that these brave people took the  trouble  to  be 
there  as living proof of what NRA has been talking about for  a  long 
time.   Guns in the hands of honest citizens deter crime; the  govern-
ment  has  been overzealous in abusing the right  of  the  law-abiding 
citizenry to keep and bear arms, and it needs to be called to  account 
for it.

Then,  the  moment  most of us had been waiting  for  arrived.   Wayne 
LaPierre  strode up to the podium to thunderous applause, stamping  of 
feet, whistling and shouts of approval.   He didn't disappoint.   With 
no apologies to anyone, he launched right into the current resident of 
the  White  House's recent question "Who do these  people  think  they 
are?"

"Mr.  President,"  Wayne said, "I'll tell you who we are.   We're  the 
people who helped clean out Congress in 1994, and we are going to help 
clean your clock in 1996."

You  couldn't  hear  yourself think for the next few  minutes  as  the 
entire audience stood to its feet and gave Wayne a tumultuous ovation.  
Let there be no doubt - the NRA is big, it's united, it's strong,  and 
it's  in  the Clinton administration's face.   Again,  I  wished  that 
Sarah Brady and her band of bleating rabbits could see this demonstra-
tion of the power and the force of this organization when it gets  its 
dander  up.  Believe me, the NRA has its dander up, and it's going  to 
be  Katie  bar the door through the '96 elections.    No  quarter,  no 
prisoners.

The  rest of the meeting was rather anticlimactic, long and  sometimes 
trying.    Any voting member could offer resolutions from  the  floor, 
and during the time allocated, about 50 did in writing for  considera-
tion.   These were considered one by one.   Some were inane and point-
less.    When one was offered that would have the NRA  commending  the 
police  officer who shot and killed the crazy individual who  recently 
drove  a tank through a California city, I about lost it, and  had  to 
say my piece, which was basically that the man was hung up on a median 
with a busted tread, unarmed and going nowhere further when the office 
opened the hatch and summarily shot the man in the neck, killing  him.  
I'm sure an investigation into this will result, and whether or not it 
was a justifiable police shooting would not be determined by the  NRA, 
but  by a police board of inquiry.   To put ourselves on record  about 
such a thing before the full facts are known was senseless, and I said 
so.

Other resolutions did pass, such as one which reaffirmed our solidari-
ty  with  the police in this country, and a pledge  to  re-cement  our 
relationship  with them.   Another which would have censured a  dissi-
dent member who was getting press far out of proportion to his  impact 
on  the  course of the organization, was defeated,  wisely,  I  think.  
Championing  the Second Amendment yet taking a member to task for  the 
exercise of his First Amendment rights did not make a lot of sense, no 
matter how much 99 and 99/100 of the membership disagreed with him.

All in all, I can tell you that there is absolutely, despite  anything 
you  may have read in the press, NO indication that  the  overwhelming 
majority  of  the NRA have anything but respect and  support  for  its 
leadership.    This was shown time and time again as resolutions  came 
up  for the Institute for Legislative Action to address one  issue  or 
the other.  Each time, the members agreed that the ILA has been  doing 
one heck of a job, and they need to be let alone to continue with what 
they  feel will be in the best interests of gun owners,  choosing  the 
times and methods to address the issues we all know are there.    Full 
confidence  in Tanya Metaksa and Wayne LaPierre was particularly  evi-
dent.

There was also absolutely no evidence of any power struggle within the 
leadership.   None.    Neal Knox, the often-controversial  former  ILA 
head  who  is now in line for the presidency of the  association,  was 
absent from the head table for much of the meeting.   It was  revealed 
that he had been taken to the hospital for a checkup after some worri-
some health signs following the previous long night.   Neal did return 
later  in the afternoon, and was granted time to make a brief  speech, 
in which he reaffirmed that you can't believe all that you read in the 
newspapers  -  the NRA leadership is united and focused on  the  tasks 
ahead.

As the general meeting adjourned, I took a last tour of the commercial 
displays  in  the main area, and then retired to  the  reception  that 
preceded  the  evening's member banquet.   I was delighted to  get  to 
meet,  shake  hands with, and talk briefly with Gen. Joe Foss,  WW  II 
fighter  ace and Congressional Medal of Honor winner.   Joe is also  a 
past president of NRA, and a former governor of South Dakota.  It  was 
a  rare honor.   Joe was wearing his CMH around his neck.    His  wife 
seemed very nice, and obviously is very, very proud of her husband and 
all  he  has stood for.   Later in the evening, Joe  was  presented  a 
statue  honoring his 80th birthday, which coincided with  the  conven-
tion.

The  banquet  was very nice; the colors were presented down  the  main 
aisle, handled by the Scottsdale Police Explorer Scouts, and  followed 
by  a skirling bagpipe band.   The National Anthem was sung,  followed 
by the pledge of allegiance.    The news media was there in force once 
again,  as the main speaker was Texas Senator Phil  Gramm,  Republican 
candidate for President.   Following the invocation and brief talks by 
NRA leaders, Gramm was introduced by Arizona Governor Fife  Symington.  
By the way, Symington held his NRA card aloft to the flashes of strobe 
units  and the whir of video cameras, saying "I'm keeping  mine."   He 
got a standing ovation on that by everyone.

Gramm  entertained  the audience with tales of duck hunting  with  his 
kids and about his 82-year-old momma, who packs a .38 special at home.  
During the recent uproar over the Oklahoma bombing, both Phil and  she 
had  received  anonymous crackpot threats - this  was  evidently  very 
common  across the country.   Phil said she knows how to use  the  re-
volver,  and  had called him with a question.  She  asked  "Phil,  you 
reckon with all this meanness, I ought to get me a bigger pistol?"

Gramm  also said "We haven't had a dedicated, committed hunter in  the 
White  House  since  Theodore Roosevelt.  I tell you,  it's  been  too 
long."  Another standing ovation.

I got a chuckle out of Phil's comment that he owns more shotguns  than 
he  needs,  but not as many as he wants.   Here's a man I  can  under-
stand!

Gramm launched into the "criminal justice" system in a big way,  advo-
cating Arizona-style tent cities, chain gangs, and the elimination  of 
such  perks  as  color TVs and weight-lifting gyms  in  prisons.    He 
wanted to repeal three obscure federal laws that provide that  prison-
ers  have  to be paid union scale if they produce goods which  can  be 
sold  on the market.   He wants prisoners to work 10 hours, 6  days  a 
week,  and if they are illiterate, learn to read and write  in  prison 
school  so  they can learn a trade and be productive on  release.   He 
also  wants  the government to be held accountable by civil  suits  if 
they  release  two-time  losers early and they commit  mayhem  on  the 
citizenry,  remarking that 70% of the crime is committed by 7% of  the 
criminals  -  repeat offenders.   He advocated the death  penalty  for 
murderers,  and quick justice - no more than 6 months from  indictment 
to incarceration or death if one is found guilty, plus streamlining of 
the appellate system.  One comprehensive appeal for death row inmates, 
done soon, and that's it.   

Like  many of us, Phil evidently believes that the answer to crime  is 
jail, not taking guns away from honest citizens.   

Following  Phil's departure (he was invited to appear on TV  by  David 
Brinkley  in  Denver, and had to catch a plane), Wayne  LaPierre  men-
tioned  an  anecdote  about the senior senator from  Texas.   He  said 
following Phil's last election, which he won handily with NRA endorse-
ment,  he had called Wayne to ask if he could come over to  NRA  head-
quarters  for  a  bit.   Wayne said sure, and Phil  spent  four  hours 
there, shaking hands with every single staffer, secretary,  clerk  and 
floor-scrubber  in  the  place, thanking them for their  help  in  his 
election.

Phil's  parting words to the convention were: "I don't forget  who  my 
friends are."   I think he means it.

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

As  I write this, Sunday's NRA activities are varied.  There's a  spe-
cial  session in which the Sporting Shooters Association of  Australia 
is  offering a seminar as part of a hunting educational exchange  pro-
gram with the NRA.  There's also another special session on grassroots 
networking,  one on long-range rifle shooting for police, and  another 
on  Women,  Laws,  Freedom and Guns.   There will also  be  a  special 
Women's reception to wrap up the day.

Me?  After two exhausting days, I'm going to the gun show which  coin-
cides  with the annual meetings, out at the State  Fairgrounds.    You 
know me, Al.  <G>

I hope this brief synopsis of the NRA annual meetings gives you  some-
thing  of the flavor of the event; things you might not read about  in 
the  newspapers.    I  enjoyed it immensely, felt a part  of  it,  and 
reveled in the feeling that I was among friends of like mind.  The NRA 
is solid, it's united, and it's dedicated to preserving your rights as 
delineated  in  the Bill of Rights.   If you own a gun,  are  thinking 
about  owning  a gun, or even if you just  believe that  the  Bill  of 
Rights should be kept inviolate for future generations, you belong  in 
the NRA.  They are working for you, and very hard, I might add.

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9506B  U.S. INDIVIDUAL INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WW II by John Marshall

*WW II  *INFANTRY WEAPONS *COLLECTING *WORLD WAR II

With the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II rapidly approach-
ing,  collector interest in the weapons used by the United States  has 
grown  rapidly.    For that reason, I thought a brief  review  of  the 
weaponry used by our troops in that conflict might be in order.   It's 
not my intent to make this a definitive work, but only to point out 
the  various  weapons  used, some highlights on each,  and  whet  your 
interest  for further study.   Many subcategories for collecting  make 
themselves  apparent in any look at these weapons, and there is  still 
ample  opportunity  to make an impressive collection in any  of  these 
subcategories.    For  example, U.S. combat knives of this  era  could 
make  an  interesting collector field, as could the variations  of  M1 
carbines,  for example.   Most of these weapons are still pretty  easy 
to  obtain, but that won't hold true for long.   Of course, some  fall 
under  the provisions of the Firearms Act of 1934 by virtue  of  being 
capable  of  full-automatic fire, and a collection of these  would  be 
pretty  expensive  and laden with necessary government  paperwork  and 
taxes.    At  any rate, here's an overview of  the  primary  non-crew-
served weapons of our infantry forces during WW II, and I'll  separate 
the  major categories as I proceed.  For a representative  picture  of 
some  of the troops who used these weapons, see PARIS_GI.GIF  in  this 
issue.

EDGED WEAPONS:

M1905  Bayonet.  The standard bayonet for the Springfield M1903  rifle 
was the Model 1905 bayonet, with a 16" blade and wood scales  (grips).  
It  also fit the M1 Garand rifle, and was used on that rifle as  well.  
As the war progressed, the so-called "M1942" bayonet came into  being, 
basically identical to the 1905, but with plastic grips.  Many earlier 
1905  bayonets  were rebuilt, parkerized, and  equipped  with  plastic 
scales to conform to the 1942 pattern.  Early 1905 bayonets were  made 
exclusively  by Springfield Armory and Rock Island Armory, and are  so 
marked,  either "SA" or "RIA" and a date.  The later model 1905  bayo-
nets  will have the maker's name or initials and the  date,  typically 
"1942."   All of these latter types were parkerized.    Scabbards  for 
the  1905 bayonets were originally leather, then  cloth-covered  wood, 
 and  then finally plastic.   Most common, and standard for WW II,  was 
the plastic variety, called the M3 scabbard.

M1  Bayonet.  The 1905 bayonets were soon judged unwieldy  because  of 
their length, and too wasteful of precious steel.  The standard  bayo-
net for the M1903 and M1 rifles soon became the M1 bayonet.   This was 
essentially a shortened 1905 model, with a blade length of about  10".   
Many earlier M1905 bayonets were shortened to 10", and can be  spotted 
because  the  fuller ("blood groove") runs the length  of  the  blade.   
Original-made M1 bayonets have the fuller running only partway up the 
blade;  these were made from 1943 on.   The M1 bayonet and the  short-
ened 1905 bayonets were equipped with a plastic scabbard, the M7.

M1917  bayonet.  Bayonets for the Model of 1917 "Enfield"  rifle  were 
still in use during WW II on that rifle, which was used primarily  for 
stateside  guard duty and training.  These bayonets were made by  both 
Winchester  and  Remington, and will be found so marked.    They  were 
equipped  with the original-style green leather scabbard, or  a  newer 
plastic variety which came into use very late in the war.   Many  1917 
bayonets  were rebuilt and parkerized during the war.  These  bayonets 
also fit the many trench shotguns used during the war.

M1941 Johnson bayonet.  This spike bayonet was an anachronism, harking 
back to bayonets used during the civil war.  It was short and light to 
permit  functioning of the recoiling barrel of the M1941  Johnson  se-
miauto rifle.   It was equipped with a sewn leather scabbard, which is 
now  becoming almost impossible to find.  Some fake Johnson  scabbards 
have come on the market to meet this demand in recent years.

M4  Bayonet-Knife.  This spinoff of the M3 trench knife was  designed 
for  attachment to the late-war M1 carbines, which had a bayonet  lug.  
Few  were issued during the war.  These had leather handles,  and  the 
classic  M3 blade shape, still used today on the M7 bayonets  used  on 
the M16 rifle.   They had muzzle rings and stacked leather washers  as 
a  grip;  early  ones had no plastic spacers near the  blade  and  the 
pommel,  and  later ones did, in an attempt to retard rotting  of  the 
leather.   M4  bayonets were produced by American Cutlery  Co,  (ACC), 
Aerial,  Camillus, Case, Imperial, Kinfolks, Inc. (KI), Pal and  Utica 
during the war.  After the war, the M4 was made by many  manufacturers 
with  black plastic grips; these would not be correct for a WW  II-era 
collection.   The  name  of the maker is usually  on  the  crossguard.  
Standard scabbards were the plastic M8 (no belt hooks), and the  M8A1, 
which had belt hooks.   Recently, there have been some repro M4s  with 
leather handles imported, so beware of fakes.

M1918  Mark  1 Trench Knife.  None of these were produced  during  the 
war, but many left over from the First World War were utilized.   This 
knife had "brass knucks" for a handle, and a blackened blade sharpened 
on both sides.  They were made by Landers, Frary and Clark (LF&C), and 
Au Lion, which was the French manufacturer during the first war.   The 
handle  was  originally blackened, but age has worn this off  on  most 
knives  seen today, showing the underlying brass.  The scabbard was  a 
blackened  metal job with two hooks on the back for clipping over  the 
top and bottom of a pistol or cartridge belt.   Many fakes and  repro-
ductions of this knife are around.

M3  Trench Knife.  This knife was originally issued to those  equipped 
with the M1 carbine, which had no bayonet lug during most of the  war.  
The classic blade is easily recognizable, as many latter U.S. bayonets 
used it.  The guard has a bent-forward portion which was meant for the 
thumb  in a proper combat hold.   It was a very  handy  close-quarters 
fighting  knife.    The original scabbard was leather, and  these  are 
pretty  rare  today in good shape.  Later, the M8 and  M8A1  scabbards 
used  with  the  latter M4 carbine bayonet-knife  were  used.    These 
knives  are getting very expensive now, and the leather scabbard is  a 
real  prize.  Camillus is now making repros of the M3, so be sure  you 
are getting an original for collecting purposes.

V-42  Stiletto  Knife.  The V-42 is among the rarest of  WW  II  edged 
weapons.   They  were issued only to the First Special  Service  Force 
(joint Canadian-U.S. commandos).  The blade was long, sharp and point-
ed, and featured a "thumbprint" thumb-purchase imprint on the base  of 
the blade.  It also had a "skull-crusher" point on the pommel.  It was 
only made by Case.  The scabbard was plain and unmarked.

Mark  2  "Ka-Bar" knife.  This is the classic Navy  and  Marine  Corps 
bowie-style  knife with a leather handle, and it is still made  today.  
These knives were made by Ka-Bar, Camillus, Robeson, and Pal during WW 
II.   After the war, they were also produced by Conetta and Utica  and 
some  other firms.  The Mark 2 can be found stamped either  "U.S.M.C." 
or "U.S.N."  The Marine Corps generally used a leather scabbard, while 
the  Navy was issued a grey plastic scabbard with the knife, but  only 
later in the war.   Leather scabbards could be plain or marked for the 
Marines or the Navy, either "USMC" or "USN."

Marine  Raider  Stiletto.   This knife was a direct  take-off  of  the 
famous  Sykes-Fairbairn English commando fighting knife,  except  that 
the handle was a zinc-aluminum alloy, and the blade was etched with  a 
scroll  enclosing  "USMC."   It was issued only to  the  elite  Marine 
Raiders,  and was made only by Camillus.  The plain  leather  scabbard 
lacked  any  markings.   The etching on the blade tended to  wear  off 
easily,  and  the handle deteriorated easily by  leeching  over  time.  
These  knives  are rare and expensive when found,  and  good-condition 
specimens with an original scabbard are outstanding collector's items.

V-44 "Gung Ho" knife.   This large bowie-style knife was widely issued 
during the war, but the prized ones are serial numbered and have green 
horn  handles.   These were issued to the "Carlson's Raiders"  of  the 
Marine  Corps.   Unnumbered knives with green horn handles  are  more 
common,  and  many  of these were issued to other  Raider  and  Marine 
units.   The Carlson knives were made by Collins and were serial  num-
bered 1 to 1000.   Fakes abound.   Black-plastic handled examples  are 
also  known, and are regularly encountered with other  makers'  names, 
notably Case.  Rare are the green-handled variety, and ultra-rare  are 
the  Carlson  knives.    All of these knives had a  brass  guard  with 
knobs, or finials, at the ends of the guard.

U.S.  Medical  Corpsman's  Knife.   A large bolo-style  knife  with  a 
rounded  end and wood handles, marked "USMC."  The  leather  scabbards 
are marked with dates from 1942 to 1945.   

USMC Intrenching Machete.  A large bolo-style knife with a squared-off 
end.  It had a canvas scabbard with a brown leather tip.

U.S.N.  Mark 1 Machete.  Used by the Navy and Marine Corps,  this  ma-
chete had a light 26" bright blade.  The grips were black plastic, and 
it was issued with a green canvas scabbard.

U.S.N.  Mark 2 Machete.  Similar to the Mark 1, but it had  a  shorter 
22"  blade.  Some blades were bright, some were blackened.   All  were 
marked with the maker's name and the year of production.  Many of  the 
machetes used early in the war had leather scabbards, but canvas  soon 
became  standard due to the leather variety rotting in the jungles  of 
the Pacific.

U.S. 18" Machete.  Large numbers of these were made and issued to both 
Army  and Marine Corps personnel.  They all had blackened 18"  blades, 
and were issued with canvas scabbards equipped with belt hooks.   This 
blade was also commonly issued to Army airborne troops during the war.

HANDGUNS:

M1911  and  M1911A1 .45 Pistols:  These big semiauto  pistols  are  so 
widely known that they need little introduction here.   Many WW I 1911 
pistols  were  used during WW II, even though the latter  M1911A1  was 
standard.   Large numbers of 1911s were rebuilt and parkerized  during 
the  war for issue.   The M1911s had long triggers, no cutouts  behind 
the trigger in the frame, and flat mainspring housings.  The  M1911A1s 
had  the  frame cutouts, shorter triggers, and  an  arched  mainspring 
housing.  The A1 front sights were higher and thicker, and the A1s had 
a longer grip safety tang.   Nearly all A1s were parkerized, but early 
blued examples are found.   1911 manufacturers were Colt,  Springfield 
Armory (the original government armory in Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
not the modern commercial manufacturer), and Remington-UMC.  Some A.J. 
Savage  slides  will  be found on Colt frames.  WW II  makers  of  the 
1911A1 were Colt, Remington-Rand, Ithaca, Union Switch and Signal, and 
just  500  by  Singer Sewing Machine Co.   These  latter  pistols  are 
ultra-rare  and very, very expensive when found in almost  any  condi-
tion.  All used the standard brown leather Model 1916 holster, or  the 
M3 leather shoulder holster.

1917  Revolvers, Cal. .45 ACP.  These big revolvers were made by  both 
Colt  and Smith and Wesson during WW I, and many found their way  into 
service  use  during  WW II.   Most were issued  stateside,  but  some 
actually  saw combat usage.  They utilized a unique "half-moon"  clip 
to  hold 3 cartridges ready to go into the cylinder,  providing  head-
space  for no-ledge chambers and a way to eject the empties  with  the 
ejector  rod and star.   Many of these old revolvers were rebuilt  and 
parkerized  for  use in WW II.  All had plain wood  grips.   They  are 
found  with  leather holsters in both reversed "cavalry  style"  (butt 
forward on the right side), and in normal configuration (butt rearward 
on right side).

Smith & Wesson "Victory Model" Revolvers.   These were simply the  S&W 
medium-frame  revolvers, chambered for .38 special, with  4"  barrels, 
parkerized,  and equipped with a lanyard loop in the butt.  They  were 
most often issued to aviators (with a shoulder holster) and to  state-
side MP/Shore Patrol units (with a hip holster).  Navy, Marine  Corps, 
and Army aviators all used them.   Those with "S" added to the  prefix 
in the serial numbers had an improved hammer block to preclude  firing 
when  dropped.  All had "V" or "VS" - prefixed serial  numbers.   Some 
revolvers  will be found with "SV" serial numbers, the "S" stamped  on 
the opposite side of the lanyard ring on the butt.  These were  simply 
earlier  models  which had been reworked to include the  added  hammer 
block.   These revolvers should not be confused with the OTHER "Victo-
ry  Model" S&W revolver.  This one was chambered for the .38 S&W  car-
tridge,  and had a 5" barrel.  Most of these went to the  British  for 
use  during  the war, as the British used the .38 S&W cartridge  as  a 
standard  number.    Some U.S. Victory Models were  equipped  with  2" 
barrels,  but  these are relatively rare.   Many .38  special  Victory 
Models  were marked "U.S. Navy" on the topstrap or on the  left  side.  
All Victory models had plain wood grips.

Colt Commando Revolver.  This was the old Colt Official Police revolv-
er  with  a  parkerized finish and plain plastic grips,  in  cal.  .38 
special.  Most common markings are a U.S. Ordnance Corps flaming  bomb 
and  "G.H.D."  stamped  on the left side of the frame.   This  was  an 
inspector's  mark - that of Guy H. Drewry.  Many had no martial  mark-
ings  at all.  Most had 4" barrels; some had 2" barrels -  the  latter 
often  referred to as the "Junior Commando."  The same  holsters  used 
for the Smith & Wesson Victory models were used with the Colts.   Most 
were  issued  to Shore Patrol and Military Police units; few  saw  any 
combat usage.

Colt Pocket Model Pistols.  Many Colt Model 1903 semiauto pistols were 
issued during the war in .32 ACP chambering, and many Colt Model  1908 
pistols in .380 ACP were also issued.  These Pocket Models were issued 
mostly  to General Officers.  Usually, when promoted to General  rank, 
the officer concerned had his choice of either caliber.  These  little 
semiautos  were also issued to agents of Army  Intelligence,  Military 
Police, Counterintelligence (CID) and Provost Marshals.  It's reported 
that  some went to doctors and nurses.  The OSS (Office  of  Strategic 
Services, the forerunner of the CIA) also had quite a number for issue 
to operatives and other clandestine types.  

Colt  Detective  Special 2" Revolver.  A parkerized  version  of  this 
standard  civilian "snubby" was issued, reportedly not more  than  200 
examples  found their way into the service for  military  intelligence 
personnel.

High   Standard  HD .22  Pistols.  A 4" High Standard HD  pistol   was  
widely  issued   for   training,  and the  OSS  used  a  good   number  
equipped  with sound  suppressors  for ultra-clandestine work.   After 
the  war,  this model became the High Standard HD Military pistol, and 
many of these  are found  today.    The earlier pistols with  military  
markings  are  the rare ones and are the authentic WW II pieces.

Liberator  Pistol.   This "Woolworth Special" single-shot  pistol  was 
formed of sheet metal, and had a smooth bore.  It was dropped in great 
quantities to civilian resistors in the Philippines and in Europe.  It 
cost a little over a dollar each to produce, and came with in a paraf-
fin-coated  cardboard  box holding the pistol, 10 rounds  of  .45  ACP 
ammo, and a cartoon-style instruction sheet using no words.  The  idea 
was  to  use the pistol to disarm an enemy soldier, and then  use  his 
weapon  from  that  time on.   The Liberator pistols  are  quite  rare 
today,  in spite of the fact that about a million were made.   I  have 
one  and have shot it once (it's too valuable to risk  repeated  shots 
with  it, and it really wasn't designed for robustness).   The  bullet 
keyholes after a few yards, but it will kill very effectively up close 
and personal.

RIFLES:

U.S. Rifle, Model of 1903.  This is the famous "Springfield rifle"  of 
WW I, and it was also used widely during WW II.  A bolt-action, 5-shot 
repeater  in  caliber .30/06, loaded with 5-round clips,  with  a  24" 
barrel.   It  probably  needs no introduction to you.   Made  by  both 
Springfield  Armory  and Rock Island Arsenal, and early in  WW  II  by 
Remington on Rock Island tooling.  

U.S.  Rifle,  Model 1903A1.  A standard '03 Springfield rifle  with  a 
pistol-grip "C-style" stock.

U.S.  Rifle, Model 1903 (Modified).  A 1903 rifle made  by  Remington, 
but utilizing a number of manufacturing shortcuts.  Most noticeable is 
the lack of lightening cuts on the rear sight mounting block.

U.S.  Rifle, Model 1903A3.  An economy-model Springfield '03, made  by 
Remington  and  Smith-Corona.  It used many stamped parts  and  had  a 
bridge-mounted rear sight very similar to the later M1 carbine adjust-
able  sight.   Most  had straight stocks, but some  had  "scant  grip" 
stocks with an abbreviated pistol grip.  Early ones had pins in  place 
of stock bolts.

M1903A4  Sniper model.  This was simply a Model 1903A3 rifle  equipped 
with a Redfield Junior scope mount, a scope, and a curved bolt  handle 
to  clear the scope.  The Weaver 330C scope was the first issued,  and 
it  later became the M73B1 scope.  No front sight was  used,  although 
the  mounting  slots for a front sight remained in  the  barrel.   The 
stock  was  the full-pistol-grip "C" style stock, with a cut  for  the 
lowered bolt handle.

M1 Garand Rifle.  Another arm that needs no introduction, this was the 
rifle  I  learned as the "U.S. Rifle, Caliber  .30  M1,  gas-operated, 
clip-fed  semiautomatic  individual shoulder weapon -  SIR."   General 
George  S.  Patton, Jr. called it the "finest  battle  implement  ever 
devised"  and it helped us win the war, for sure.   The U.S.  was  the 
only major power of the war to mainly equip its troops with a  semiau-
tomatic rifle, and it put great power in the hands of our troops.   It 
had  a capacity of 8 rounds of .30/06 ammo, loaded from the top in  an 
en-bloc clip which was ejected after the last round was fired.

Marine  sniper rifles.   The marines, never ones to do things  conven-
tionally,  fielded a couple of '03 Springfields equipped with  special 
scopes.  One style had the Winchester A5 or later Lyman 5A long target 
scopes,  and the other was equipped with the Unertl 8X scopes and  the 
A1-style  stock.  The first model was used as early as WW I,  and  the 
latter style was used from late '42 or early '43 in the Pacific  Thea-
tre.

M1917  "Enfield" Rifle.  These rifles were holdovers from WW  I,  and 
many  were  refurbished for use during WW II,  including  parkerizing.  
The 1917 had a rear-mounted peep sight, adjustable only for elevation, 
and  a peculiar dogleg bolt handle.  It was loaded with the  standard 
'03 Springfield stripper clip, and was chambered in .30/06.  Its  bolt 
action cocked on closing.   Most of these rifles were issued stateside 
for  training,  but some did find their way into  combat.   Many  were 
lend-leased to the British, where they were marked with an annular red 
strip   to  distinguish  them  from  their  Pattern  14   cousins   in 
caliber  .303 British.  These were made by Winchester, Remington,  and 
Remington's Eddystone, PA plant during WW I, and none were made during 
WW II.

Model  of 1941 Johnson Rifle.  This strange-looking rifle  was  Marine 
Corps  Captain  Melvin M. Johnson Jr.'s answer to the  M1  Garand.   A 
potbellied  recoil-operated .30/06 rifle, it used a  mannlicher-style 
rotary magazine holding 10 rounds which could be loaded from the  side 
with  the bolt open or closed.  The barrel was detachable, which  made 
it  handy for parachutists to pack.   Some Marine Corps special  units 
were  issued  this  weapon.   The spike bayonet for  this  number  has 
already been described.

CARBINES

U.S.  Carbine, Cal. .30, M1.  This little rifle again needs no  intro-
duction.   It was a short, handy carbine firing a  small  straight/ta-
pered  .30 cartridge with a lot less power than the  standard  .30/06.  
The  short-stroke piston action principle was the work of  David  Mar-
shall  Williams, an ex-con.   Millions of this handy little  arm  were 
made  and issued.   Purportedly, the carbine was to take the place  of 
the pistol, but it never supplanted the pistol in the field.   It  was 
issued to company-grade officers and the crews of crew-served  weapons 
such as mortars and machine guns for self-protection.   Early carbines 
had no bayonet lugs, and very late in the war, a bayonet lug was  part 
of its configuration.  Most early M1 carbines were later converted  to 
the bayonet-lug barrel band style.   The first rear sight was a  flip-
flop 2-range item; later sights were fully adjustable for both  eleva-
tion  and windage.  Carbines were made by Winchester, Inland  Division 
of  General  Motors,  Underwood-Elliot-Fisher,  Rock-Ola  Mfg.   Corp. 
(makers  of  juke boxes), Quality Hardware Machinery  Corp.,  National 
Postal  Meter,  Irwin-Pedersen (contract never completed,  but  marked 
receivers exist, remainder of contract taken over my Saginaw  Steering 
Gear  Division  of GM), Standard Products, IBM, and  Saginaw  Steering 
Gear  Div.  of GM.   The little carbine used a standard  15-round  box 
magazine.

U.S. Carbine, Cal. 30, M1A1.  This was the paratrooper version of  the 
M1  carbine, and utilized a side-folding wire stock.  It was  used  in 
every U.S. paratrooper action of WW II, including Normandy and  Opera-
tion Market-Garden.  Only the Inland Division of GM made the M1A1.

U.S.  Carbine, Cal. 30, M2.  This was a selective-fire  carbine,  with 
most  parts interchangeable with the M1 version.  It used  a  30-round 
curved "banana" magazine as standard; this magazine could also be used 
in the M1 carbine.

U.S.  Carbine  Cal. 30, T3.  Procured in limited  numbers  during  the 
latter  part of the war, this was an M1 carbine modified to  mount  an 
infrared  scope and light source for night vision capability.  It  was 
used only to a limited extent in the Pacific Theatre.  Only Winchester 
and Inland made the T3s.

SHOTGUNS:

The  following pump shotguns, all civilian models, were  pressed  into 
service  during the war as combat shotguns.  They were often, but  not 
always  parkerized, and equipped with metal perforated handguards  and 
bayonet mounts.  They were:

   Winchester Model 97
   Winchester Model 12
   Ithaca Model 37
   Stevens Model 520-30
   Stevens Model 620A
   Remington Model 31
   Remington Model 31A
   Savage Model 620

In  addition, many Remington Model 11 and Sportsman and  Savage  Model 
720 semiautomatic shotguns were acquired for the war.  

During the war, the trench guns were officially called "Shotgun,  Riot 
Type,  with  Bayonet  Attachment and Hand Guard."   Most  folks  still 
called them trench guns.  Technically, trench guns had the  handguards 
and bayonet lugs, while riot guns had neither.

SUBMACHINE GUNS

The Thompson Submachine Guns.  The classic .45 ACP "Tommy Gun" in many 
forms  was  used by U.S. troops during the War.  The  early  Colt-made 
Model 1921s and 1928s were used, with full pistol grips fore and  aft.  
Then came the Navy Model 1928, which used a horizontal foregrip.   The 
later  Model  1928A1  was almost identical.  It was  issued  with  and 
without the barrel fins, and with and without the Cutts compensator on 
the  end of the barrel.   Later, the simplified M1 model  came  along, 
which  dispensed with the expensive and unnecessary  Blish  hesitation 
lock  and  the complex and expensive Thompson rear sight.   The  later 
M1A1  model  even got rid of the hammer and firing pin, using  just  a 
rounded  projection in the bolt as a firing pin.  Thompsons were  made 
by  Colt,  Auto-Ordnance, and Savage.   Early  Thompsons  through  the 
Model 1928A1 could use 50- and 100-round drums as well as 20- and  30-
round "stick" magazines.  50-round drums were routinely issued to  the 
military for these weapons.  The later M1 and M1A1 Thompson SMGs could 
use  only the stick magazines.  All military Thompsons were  selective 
fire,  meaning they could be fired either semi- or full-auto.  The  M1 
and  M1A Thompsons had fixed buttstocks, while the earlier models  had 
detachable buttstocks.

M2  Submachine Gun.  Not widely known, the M2 SMG never made  it  into 
production.  It was designed by George Hyde, and looked like an  over-
weight M1 carbine with a 30-round Thompson mag.

M3  Submachine  Gun.   The famous "Grease Gun" of WW II,  this  was  a 
stamped-metal  answer to Britain's Sten Gun, in .45 ACP.  It was  sim-
plicity itself, with a round receiver, a retractable wire stock, and a 
cocking handle on the side.  It fired at an unusually low cyclic rate, 
about  650 round per minute.   Although it was full-auto only,  single 
round could be blipped off with a quick pull and release of the  trig-
ger.

M3A1 Submachine Gun.  This simplified the M3 even further, by  tossing 
the  bolt-retracting  handle on the side and utilizing a hole  in  the 
bolt itself, into which one stuck a finger to retract the bolt!

Model  50  and 55 Reising Submachine guns.  The brainchild  of  Eugene 
Reising, the Model 50 subguns looked like stubby conventional  rifles, 
with  Thompson magazines sticking out of their bellies.  The Model  55 
was  the  same gun with a folding wire buttstock.  Both were  used  by 
Marine Corps units during the war.   The Reising had a terrible  repu-
tation as far as reliability was concerned, and it was never quite the 
gun the Thompson, or even the M3 and M3A1 were.

AUTOMATIC RIFLES:

The Browning Automatic Rifle.   This holdover from the late days of WW 
I was the invention of John Browning.  It was a large automatic rifle, 
heavy,  with  a 20-round magazine, firing the  full-size  .30/06  car-
tridge.   There were two models with minor differences, the M1918  and 
the M1918A2.  The earlier M1918 had a blued finish and a walnut  butt-
stock plus a checkered walnut forestock.  The later M1918A2 was the WW 
II  variation, parkerized, with a plastic buttstock and  plain  walnut 
forestock.  M1918s were made by Winchester, Colt, and Marlin-Rockwell, 
while  the  WW II-made M1918A2 jobs were made by IBM and  New  England 
Small  Arms.   A Korean-war-era M1918A2 was made by Royal  McBee,  but 
this would not be a true WW II weapon.  As a sidenote to history, it's 
well known that the big, heavy BAR was almost always given to the runt 
in the unit, while the big burly guys usually got the M1 carbines.  Go 
figure!

Johnson  Model 1941 Light Machine Gun.  Although sometimes  classified 
as a machine gun, the Johnson was actually a light squad  base-of-fire 
weapon utilizing a left-hand-side-fed magazine that had no feed  lips; 
the lips were integral to the weapon.   It used the same action as the 
recoil-operated M1941 Johnson rifle.  It had a pistol grip and a  long 
barrel with a high front sight, and a straight-line action, making  it 
appear  very  modern, even today.  It fired the standard  .30/06  car-
tridge.   An  interesting  feature of this weapon was  that  it  fired 
semiautomatically from a closed bolt and full-auto from an open  bolt.  
The  barrel,  like its rifle cousin, could be easily removed  and  re-
placed, giving it greater sustained-fire capability.  The Marine Corps 
procured a quantity of these interesting weapons for units such as the 
para-Marines  and  Raiders.  The standard Table  of  Organization  and 
Equipment  for a Marine Division at the time did list 87 Johnson  LMGs 
as  standard,  however.  The Johnson LMG was also issued to  the  Army 
First Special Service Force, which seemed to have a penchant for  non-
standard  weapons  anyway.   The Johnsons were  reliable  weapons  and 
well-liked by those who used them. 

HAND GRENADES:

There  were  many types of hand grenades issued during WW II.   For  a 
collector,  keeping a "live" explosive example is a violation of  law, 
but many inert training examples can be found.  Here's a brief rundown 
on the types used:

Mark  II fragmentation grenade.  This was the famous "pineapple"  gre-
nade which had a segmented cast iron outer surface, designed to  frag-
ment  into lethal bits of metal upon explosion.  It weighed 21  ounces.  
Early  fuzes flashed and smoked when activated, and these  were  later 
replaced  with the improved M204 fuze assembly which  eliminated  this 
problem around 1944.  The Mark II produced, on the average, about 1000 
lethal fragments, while its WW I Mark I predecessor produced about 50.

Mark  III and Mark IIIA1 offensive grenade.  A little-known  and  not-
often-issued concussion grenade, to be used for stun effect in  closed 
rooms.  It did not have the shrapnel effect of the Mark II.

T13 "Beano" grenade.  Another little-known grenade, it was shaped like 
a  baseball,  and was developed for use by the OSS for  sabotage  pur-
poses.  It was armed after 25 feet of flight and exploded upon impact.  
It  was  erratic  in performance and dangerous to the  user.   It  was 
reported that some of these were issued during the Normandy invasion.

M1  frangible  grenade with igniter (incendiary).   This  grenade  was 
essentially a Molotov cocktail-type weapon.  A glass bottle was filled 
with  gasoline  and alcohol, and a tube of chromic anhydride  was  at-
tached.   When  the bottle broke, the alchohol would  react  with  the 
igniter, which would in turn ignite the gasoline.

M15 WP grenade.  This grenade was constructed of a smooth sheet  metal 
cylinder,  and  filled  with white phosphorus.  It  weighed  about  31 
ounces and hused the M6A3 detonating fuze, which had a 4 to 4.8 second 
time delay.  It was painted blue-gray with "WP SMOKE" and single  band 
stenciled  on  the body.  It had a burst radius of 25  yards  and  it 
burned for 50 to 60 seconds.  It was used, officially, for "screening, 
casualty,  and harassing."   WP burns like hell when it gets  on  you, 
and  it  is  impossible to extinguish while burning.   It's  not  nice 
stuff.

M16 and M18 smoke grenades.  These grenades produced non-toxic  smoke, 
and  the  M16  burned for about two minutes.  The M18  gave  off  more 
smoke, but burned for only about a minute.  Many colors of smoke  were 
available for signaling and obscuring troop movements.

AN-M2 smoke grenade.  This was a high-volume red smoke grenade specif-
ically  intended for troop-screening purposes.  A virtually  identical 
grenade, the HC AN-M8, was offered with white smoke only.

M6,  M7  and M7A1 irritant grenades.  These were  tear  gas  grenades, 
producing  CN-DM and later pure CN gas.  These  cylindrical  canisters 
were painted gray with red bands and a marking showing the type of gas 
produced.  They were used to "smoke out" the occupants of buildings.

As  mentioned, many inert or small-charge training grenades were  used 
during the war to train troops.  These are available to collectors  in 
inert,  nonfunctional  form, but they were, of course,  not  actually 
used in combat.

RIFLE GRENADE LAUNCHERS:

M1  Grenade Launcher.  This annular-ringed tube clamped on the  barrel 
of the M1903 Springfield series, and served as a mount for rifle  gre-
nades.  It is quite scarce today, with good examples bringing over 150 
dollars.  The M1 grenade launchers were produced by the  Knapp-Monarch 
Company,  and 332,892 were built, beginning in 1941.  Half of  produc-
tion was for the Army, while the other half was earmarked for  defense 
aid (Lend-Lease, etc.).  This may account for the relative scarcity of 
this item today.

M2  Grenade Launcher.  This launcher was almost identical to  the  M1, 
but was designed to fit the M1917 rifle.  Again, 100,000 of these were 
produced  by  Knapp-Monarch,  but almost all of these  went  to  Great 
Britain  for  use with the M1917 rifles we had sent to them  for  Home 
Guard use.   If the M1 launcher is scarce today, the M2 is practically 
unseen  today  in  the U.S.  Some M2 launchers were  converted  to  M1 
configuration  as the need for the M1 launcher grew more acute  during 
the war.

M7 Grenade Launcher.  This was the first launcher designed to fit  the 
M1 Garand rifle.  Instead of a locking clamp and nut as used on the M1 
and  M2 launchers, the M7 used a clamp which locked over  the  bayonet 
lug  of the rifle when fitted to it.  It had a stud which fitted  into 
the  rifle's  gas cylinder lock screw, holding its valve open  so  the 
rifle's  gas system could be vented.  Otherwise, violent  ejection  of 
the blank-style grenade cartridge shell would result.   A special type 
of  gas cylinder lock screw incorporating this valve was  issued  with 
each  M7 launcher.   In 1944, an improved standard gas  cylinder  lock 
screw  was made for all M1s which closed immediately upon  a  launcher 
being  removed from the rifle.  Once again, the Knapp-Monarch  company 
received  an order for these launchers, and production continued  from 
July  of 1943 through June of 1945 by K-M and a number of other  manu-
facturers.  A total of 795,699 M7 launchers were made by all  manufac-
turers.   The M7 launcher did not permit the rifle to be fired semiau-
tomatically  with  the launcher affixed.   An  improved  version,  the 
M7A1, did permit this, but it was adopted too late to get into produc-
tion  by the end of the war.   Thus, the M7 launcher is the  only  one 
for the M1 which would be proper with a WW II collection.

M8 grenade launcher.   This launcher, outwardly very similar to the M1 
launcher  for the '03 rifles, was designed to fit on the  M1  carbine.  
It was shorter than the M1 variety, and had a smooth, grooved  outward 
appearance instead of prominent annular rings.  It also was affixed to 
the barrel of the weapon with a clamp and setscrew.

RIFLE GRENADES:

M1 and M1A1 grenade adapters:  These were devices which adopted stand-
ard  hand grenades to be launched from a rifle.   The consisted  of  a 
tail tube and fin assembly, with clamps to hold the hand grenade.  One 
of  the clamps, or claws had a metal arming clip into which  the  gre-
nade's safety spoon was fitted and held in place.  Upon firing,  iner-
tia  slipped the clip backwards, arming the grenade.   The  M1  device 
had four "claws" while the M1A1 had three, a solid fin assembly, and a 
cup in which the grenade rested.

M2  and  M2A1 grenade adapters.  These were similar  to  the  adapters 
above, except they were configured to accept cannister-style  chemical 
and  smoke  hand grenades.  The M2A1 was the improved version  with  a 
slotted fin assembly.   In a pinch, either one could be used to launch 
a standard fragmentation grenade, as well.

M17  impact fragmentation rifle grenade.  This number was  a  rounded-
nose cylinder, with a launching tube and fins.  It had an impact fuze.  
Few were made and used because of the danger in handling.

M9 and M9A1 antitank grenades.  Outwardly almost identical to the  M17 
frag  grenade, these projectiles contained a shaped  explosive  charge 
designed  to penetrate enemy armor.  The grenades had an  impact  fuze 
and  a safety pin that had to be removed before firing.  The M9A1  had 
an  improved charge which was capable of penetrating 3 to 4 inches  of 
armor plate.   It had a maximum effective range of about 250 yards.

Here are some other rifle grenade types used during the war:

  M19 white phosphorus smoke grenade
  M22 smoke grenade in four colors - red, green, violet, and yellow.
  M23 smoke streamer grenade - it burned for 12 seconds in the air.      
      it was produced in the same four colors as the M22.
  M20 smoke grenade - produced a denser smoke for 30 seconds on the 
      ground - white smoke only to screen troop movements.
  M17A1 ground signal, white star, parachute.
  M19A1 ground signal, green star, parachute.
  M21A1 ground signal, amber star, parachute.
  M51A1 ground signal, red star, parachute.
  M18A1 Ground signal, white star, parachute, cluster (five stars)

As  with  the case of hand grenades, many inert practice  rounds  were 
also  produced for training.  These were the M11A1 and  M11A2  projec-
tiles.

Although  not strictly speaking a weapon, it should be mentioned  that 
rifle  grenades were usually guided by a special sight affixed to  the 
side of the rifle or carbine.  The original M1 sight is very rare, but 
the later M15 sight was used late in the war, and examples are  easily 
found, some still in their original green wrappers and cases.

A  black rubber "recoil boot" was also used to cushion the  recoil  of 
the '03 rifles with the M1 and M2 launchers.  It was issued with these 
items.   It could also be used on the M1917 and M1 rifles,  but  would 
not fit the carbine.  It had "U.S." and a large ordnance flaming  bomb 
molded  into  its  outward  butt  surface,  with  the  drawing  number 
"B200968"  below the flaming bomb.   It is getting to be hard to  find 
today,  and has a propensity to split.   I know, because I ruined  one 
trying to fit it to a 1903.  Drat.

I  hope this overview of the individual weapons used by the U.S.  sol-
diers,  sailors and Marines in WW II will whet your appetite to  learn 
more  about  them, both individually and as a group.  There  are  many 
collector publications available now on these classic arms, and  armed 
with the knowledge they contain, you can start and complete any number 
of very interesting WW II U.S. military collections.   If you're on  a 
budget,  you can complete a collection of U.S. bayonets of the  period 
fairly  easily  and without bankrupting yourself.   For the  more  ad-
vanced  collector, you could try to collect "all of the above" but  be 
prepared  to  part with a lot of cash and time before you'd  have  one 
that  was  essentially complete.   This little article  has  not  been 
meant as definitive, but only as an overview of the field, and  errors 
of fact and/or omission may have crept in.   If you have a favorite WW 
II  weapon not covered here, I invite you to write about it -  perhaps 
it  could form the basis of an article for the newsletter.  How  about 
that?

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

9506C BIO: GEORGE MANDRY by George Mandry (Our new RTC Coordinator)

*MANDRY *TTR *RTC *BIO

        George "TX REDNECK" Mandry would like you to believe that he
spends his time roaring through the bushes in his Jeep, blasting critters
left and right with the various guns in his collection, swigging whiskey 
from the bottle, and spitting tobacco juice at visiting Yankees.  
Well...sort of...
        
"Redneck" is a lot more than that!

He ranches, he hunts, and he collects guns.  He says his
hobbies consist of "gun collecting, hunting, gun collecting, and hunting." 
He's also a family man, married, with three sons and a daughter whom
he calls "the apple of my eye."  He loves to tinker with machines, and
fabricating with steel.
        
George was with the Navy for four years in the early 1970's. 
He spent his Service time as a Journalist, and was Official Navy
Photographer for the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration in New York.  His
ship, the USS Nashville, was the "Review Ship" from which the
President viewed the "Tall Ships."
        
George has been working for his family business since leaving
the Navy in 1976.  He specializes in expert in water filtration and
purification, and travels all over from the U.S. to Central America in
that capacity.
        
He's a Red-Blooded Texan, which means that he eyes with
suspicion anyone North of Dallas.  He once carried his horse on his
back for ten miles, when it came up lame...he still aches, in wet
weather, where the saddle dug into his side...

Sure.  <G>  Ed.

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

9506D  COMBAT ARMS SURVEY: WILL YOU KILL AS ORDERED? by John Marshall

*SURVEY *ARMED FORCES *SEALS *GUN CONTROL

Rumors have been continually cropping up in the gun-related press
about a survey supposedly given to servicemen, wherein they were asked
if they would fire upon civilians resisting confiscation of arms
banned by the government.  Later, it was specifically stated by the
Department of Defense (DOD) that the survey  was administered by a Navy
Commander as part of his work on a Master's degree.  Information subse-
quently developed revealed that individual as Lt. Commander Ernest G.
Cunningham, an active duty officer.

The following information has since surfaced through sources believed
to be reliable.  I cannot vouch for all of what follows, but I thought
it would  be of interest to gun owners who are concerned with
government infringement  of citizens' Second Amendment and Tenth
Amendment rights.   It's interesting  reading, and I urge you to
digest it thoroughly. 

Some reported history on the survey:

It has been reliably reported that US Navy SEAL platoons, including
SEAL Team Six, Marine combat veterans stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms,
CA, and Marine basic trainees at Camp Pendelton, CA, have been
administered a questionnaire asking, among other things, if they would
"...fire upon US citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of
firearms banned by the US government."
      
      The questionnaire was first administered to operators by the
commanders of SEAL Team Six on September 15, 1993, then subsequently to
the remaining SEAL platoons throughout September and October.  Rumors
began circulating in November that US Army DELTA operators were given
the same or similar questionnaire. 
      
      On January 22, 1994, an individual copied a chilling message off
the Internet from Petty Officer 2nd Class W. Kelly, US Navy Special
Warfare Team Six, to D. Hawkins, Re: Gun Confiscation.  Kelly began by
stating that the questionnaire was "...to find out if we would follow
the orders of commanding officers without question."  Kelly continued;
"If you wish to find out how I answered I said yes I would fire and
kill all persons attempting to resist...we aren't around to be the
good guys."  Remember, Kelly is referring to American civilians.

      In February, 1994, MODERN GUN magazine ran a story on the
elusive questionnaire.

Then, on May 10, 1994, the questionnaire was administered to Marine
Desert Storm veterans at Twenty-Nine Palms, CA.  A Marine smuggled a
copy of the questionnaire out of the testing center and mailed it on
May 15, 1994, with a cover letter, to the editor of THE NEW AMERICAN,
which ran the story in their July 11, 1994, issue.  THE NEW AMERICAN
quotes the Marine's impression that the questionnaire "was just
research for this [Navy] commander's degree."  

The Marine's letter states in part:

 "A Navy Commander came before us and said he was working on his
masters degree and he was writing a paper about giving up our
military's soverenty[sic] to the United Nations Secretary General."
      
   The official DOD story surrounding the questionnaire entitled
"Combat Arms Survey," supports that of the Navy Commander. 
Significantly, the Combat Arms Survey was first given at the time
Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 25 was being prepared.  It has
been widely reported by members of the military that PDD 25 surrenders
control of the U.S. military to the United Nations under certain
circumstances. 

Editorial Note:
      
      The enclosed Combat Arms Survey is a reproduction of
the contents of the questionnaire as forwarded to THE NEW AMERICAN 
magazine. The format has been altered to accomodate the computer-text 
layout.  Errors of re-transcription, if any, are mine.


------------------ BEGINNING OF SURVEY AS REPORTED -------------------
 

                           COMBAT ARMS SURVEY
 
This questionnaire is to gather data concerning the attitudes of combat
trained personnel with regards to nontraditional missions.  All of your
responses are confidential.  Write your answers directly on the 
questionnaire form.  In Part II, place an "X" in the space provided for 
your response.
 
 
Part I.     Demographics
 
1. What service are you in?
 
2. What is your pay grade?  (e.g. E-7, O-7)
 
3. What is your MOS code and description?
 
4. What is your highest level of education in years?
 
5. How many months did you serve in Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield?
 
6. How many months did you serve in Somalia?
 
7. What state or country did you primarily reside in during childhood?
 
Part II.    Attitudes
 
 
      Do you feel that U.S. Combat troops should be used within the United
States for any of the following missions?
 
8. Drug enforcement
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
9. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
10. Security at national events (e.g. Olympic Games, Super Bowl)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
11. Environmental disaster clean-up
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
12. Substitute teachers in public schools
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
13. Community assistance programs (e.g. landscaping, environmental 
clean-up, road repair, animal control)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
14. Federal and state prison guards
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
15. National emergency police force
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
16. Advisors to S.W.A.T. units, the FBI or the Bureau of Alcohol, 
Tobacco, and Firearms (B.A.T.F.)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
17. Border patrol (e.g. prevention of illegal aliens into U.S. territory)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   )
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion

Do you feel that U.S. combat troops under U.S. command should be used 
in other countries for and of the following United Nations missions?
 
18. Drug enforcement
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
19. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
20. Environmental disaster clean-up
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
21. Peace keeping
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
22. Nation building (Reconstruct civil government, develop public school
system, develop or improve public transportation system, etc.)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
23. Humanitarian relief (e.g. food and medical supplies, temporary 
housing, and clothing)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
 
Do you feel that U.S. combat troops should be used in other countries,
under command of non-U.S. officers appointed by the United Nations for 
any of the following  missions?
 
24. Drug enforcement
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
25. Disaster relief (e.g. hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
26. Environmental disaster clean-up
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
27. Peace keeping
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
28. Nation building (Reconstruct civil government, develop public school
system, develop or improve public transportation system, etc.)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
29. Humanitarian relief (e.g. food and medical supplies, temporary 
housing, and clothing)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
30. Police action (e.g. Korea, Vietnam, but serving under non-U.S. 
officers)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
 
      Consider the following statements:
 
31. The U.S. runs a field training exercise.  U.N. combat troops 
should be allowed to serve in U.S. combat units during these exercises 
under U.S. command and control.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
32. The United Nations runs a field training exercise.  U.S. combat 
troops under U.S. command and control should serve in U.N. combat units 
during these exercises.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
33. The United Nations runs a field training exercise.  U.S. combat troops
should serve under U.N. command and control in U.N. during these exercises.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
34. U.S. combat troops should participate in U.N. missions as long as 
the U.S. has full command and control.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
35. U.S. combat troops should participate in U.N. missions under United
Nations command and control.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
36. U.S. combat troops should be commanded by U.N. officers and non-
commissioned (NCOs) at battalion and company levels while performing U.N.
missions.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
37. It would make no difference to me to have U.N. soldiers as members 
of my team. (e.g. fire team, squad, platoon)
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
38. It would make no difference to me to take orders from a U.N. company
commander.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
39. I feel the President of the United States has the authority to pass 
his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief to the U.N. Secretary General.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
40. I feel there is no conflict between my oath of office and serving as a
U.N. soldier.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
41. I feel my unit's combat effectiveness would not be affected by 
performing humanitarian missions for the United Nations.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
42. I feel a designated unit of U.S. combat soldiers should be permanently
assigned to the command and control of the United Nations.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
43. I would be willing to volunteer for assignment to a U.S. combat unit 
undera U.N. commander.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
44. I would like U.N. member countries, including the U.S., to provide 
the U.N. all the soldiers necessary to maintain world peace. 
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
45. I would swear to the following code:
"I am a United Nations fighting person.  I serve in the forces which
maintain world peace and every nation's way of life.  I am prepared to 
give my life in their defense."
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
46. The U.S. government declares a ban on the possession, sale,
transportation, and transfer of all non-sporting firearms.  A thirty 
(30) day amnesty period is permitted for these firearms to be turned 
over the local authorities.  At the end of this period, a number of 
citizen groups refuse to turn over their firearms.  Consider the 
following statement:
 
I would fire upon U.S. citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of
firearms banned by the U.S. government.
      (   )          (   )   (   )        (   )       (   ) 
Strongly disagree  Disagree  Agree  Strongly agree  No opinion
 
---------------------- END OF SURVEY AS REPORTED ---------------------



9506E  THE CLASSIC HANDGUN MAGNUMS by John Marshall

*.357 MAGNUM *.44 MAGNUM *KEITH *SHARPE *SMITH & WESSON *RUGER

MAGNUM.  The word today conjures up images of raw power - the ne  plus 
ultra  of handgunning effectiveness.   It reminds one of Phil  Sharpe, 
Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan, and yes, even Dirty Harry Callahan as played 
by Clint Eastwood, saying "make my day" in the movies.

Today,  there are plenty of magnum handgun cartridges around, but  the 
two most enduring of the lot, the true classics, are the .357 and  .44 
magnums.    Together, these two cartridges probably account  for  more 
revolver  cartridges  and  reloading components sold  than  all  other 
magnum cartridges combined.   In this article, I'd like to comment  on 
the  origins of these two classics, so you'll know how they were  con-
ceived and born.

But  first  things first.   Just exactly what is this  term  "magnum," 
where did it originate, and what does it mean?

The  word  magnum first originated in the wine industry,  and  it  was 
meant  to signify a bottle of wine which was larger than  usual.    In 
other  words, a bottle with more capacity.   When the .357 magnum  was 
introduced, the terminology migrated to this cartridge, which had more 
powder  capacity than its parent, the ever-popular .38 special!   Why?  
It  seems that Doug Wesson of S&W was a connoisseur of champagne,  and 
liked the appellation so much he ordered it used and trademarked it!

But  come with me now as we browse down a historical path.   The  .357 
magnum cartridge was the first of the two classics to come along,  and 
we should look at how it came to be.

The  preliminary work on this cartridge, most gun fanciers agree,  was 
done  by  a man who was a popular gun writer and experimenter  of  the 
1930s.  His name was Phillip B. Sharpe.   His books and articles  were 
prolific,  and  many, even today, are regarded as  "must  read"  basic 
works  for the dedicated gun enthusiast.   His classic "The  Rifle  in 
America"  has resided on my library shelf since my Army days, and  has 
been  thumbed  through in search of data many, many times.   Phil  was 
also  an Army Ordnance Corps officer during WW II (See  SHARPE.GIF  in 
this issue).

It  seems Phil was writing quite enthusiastically about  experimenting 
with  heavy-loaded  .38 specials, which he could  fire  with  relative 
safely  in a Smith and Wesson revolver called the .38/44  Outdoorsman.  
This  was a big revolver, built on the heavy N-frame.  This frame  was 
originally intended for .44 special and .44/40 cartridges, but in this 
case it sported a meaty cylinder chambered for the .38 special,  hence 
the  .38/44  designation.   With all that beef in the cylinder  as  an 
extra  safety  factor,  Phil found he could push the  .38  special  by 
handloading to velocity levels way beyond those that could be had with 
factory ammo.   Phil liked the power of this handgun/cartridge  combi-
nation so well that he urged Smith and Wesson to come up with a  hand-
gun  capable of handling loads at a power level even in excess of  his 
special-loaded .38s.

Smith  and Wesson finally decided that there might indeed be a  market 
for such a revolver, and they contacted the Winchester Repeating  Arms 
company  to see if they'd be interested in developing a powerful  car-
tridge in .357 caliber (the actual bore diameter of the .38 special).

Winchester  obliged  by coming up with a heavy-loaded  .357  cartridge 
that completely blitzed .38 special statistics in power.  As a  safety 
factor,  the  cartridge case was 1/8 of an inch longer  than  the  .38 
special, to prevent it from being loaded in .38 special chambers.   It 
was  initially loaded with a 158-grain bullet at a nominal  1515  feet 
per second.   That was HOT load in anyone's language.

To handle the new cartridge, Smith & Wesson, starting with the  .38/44 
concept,  developed a new N-frame revolver.  It was designed from  the 
start  to be Smith's flagship revolver, the very best  available  from 
that company - special finish, extra goodies, deluxe fitting, and much 
attention  to detail.   It was to retail for - hold onto your  hats  - 
$60!  Remember that we are talking now about the great depression era, 
when a more ordinary handgun from Smith might be priced at about  $45.  
Thus,  this new revolver was priced at a 25% premium.   If you  wanted 
custom features, it would set you back even more.   Standard  features 
included  target-style  sights,  a heavy target-model  barrel  with  a 
ribbed barrel, and an enclosed ejector rod.  The top of the barrel and 
the  frame  were checkered to prevent reflected glare.   It  was  made 
available  with barrel lengths of from 3.5 to 8.75 inches.  Why 8  3/4 
inches?   Simple.    At that time, it gave the  maximum  sight  radius 
allowed under formal handgun competition rules!

There was a choice of no less than seven front sight styles, each with 
a matching rear sight, and with any combination of standard S&W grips, 
with or without a grip adopter to fill in the space behind the trigger 
guard.    This  allowed the heavy-recoiling gun to  be  fired  without 
rapping one's knuckles on the trigger guard. 

Each  revolver  was factory-sighted in at factory for your  choice  of 
ranges at any distance of up to 200 meters!

As an added classy touch, each new owner could receive from the facto-
ry a registration certificate in his own name, listing the features of 
that  particular handgun.  A matching registration number was  stamped 
in the yoke of the revolver.  This number is seen as the  abbreviation 
"Reg." followed by the number.   In effect, these were custom handguns 
built to specifications provided by the buyer.

The very first .357 Magnum was completed on April 8, 1935, with regis-
tration  number  1  and serial number 45,768.  It sported  an  8  3/4" 
barrel, blued finish, and was presented to the director of the FBI, J. 
Edgar Hoover.   Registration number 2 was presented to Phil Sharpe, in 
honor of his contribution to the origin of the revolver.

Smith  and  Wesson figured sales would be slow due  to  the  increased 
price of the revolver.   They were wrong.  The factory could  complete 
only  about 120 revolvers a month, and that was far, far short of  the 
orders  that came pouring in.   By 1938, after finishing roughly  5500 
of these gems, the practice of offering registration plus the stamping 
of  the  matching  number  in  the  yoke  was  discontinued.     These 
early .357 revolvers with matching certificates are extremely valuable 
today.   One of the early purchasers of a registered revolver was a WW 
I veteran Army officer by the name of George S. Patton, Jr.  He bought 
it in Hawaii and carried it throughout WW II.   Its custom ivory grips 
with  the  intertwined "GSP" initials were quickly affixed,  and  soon 
became  identifiable  with the man - "pistol  packin'  Patton."   Gen. 
Patton  also  had  a .45 Colt Peacemaker with similar  grips,  and  he 
carried them alternately, but never together.

For  many  years,  the .357 was chambered only in  the  heavy  N-frame 
revolver  from Smith, and this revolver was in  continuous  production 
from 1935 until 1941, when it was temporarily discontinued due to  the 
war.   The  total  prewar  production was  6642  guns.    It  was  re-
introduced  on  Dec.  15, 1948, with a new series  of  serial  numbers 
beginning  at S-72,000.   This revolver is still in the line today  at 
Smith  and  Wesson, as the Model 27.   Other manufacturers  picked  up 
the .357 cartridge and were soon chambering it.   Colt even offered it 
in their single-action revolvers prior to the war.

Much  game  was successfully shot with the .357,and  early  literature 
heaped much praise on it.  Here is a quote from a book called "Smith & 
Wesson  Handguns" by Roy McHenry and Walter Roper (of  Roper's  Custom 
Grips):  "The Magnum cartridge is the most powerful ever designed  for 
a handgun and will likely remain so for some time.  While it would  be 
possible to develop one of higher velocity or greater energy, the  gun 
that would chamber it and fire it without excessive recoil would be so 
heavy  that no shooter could hold it at arm's length and fire it  with 
any accuracy!"

As mentioned, the commercial loadings for the .357 were rather  stout.  
1515  fps with a 158-grain bullet was considered by many  as  absolute 
maximum, and with recoil that was almost too much for a mere mortal to 
withstand.  Still, modern loading manuals allow for velocities as high 
as  1540 fps with the right powders.   Normal loadings now are in  the 
1350-1450  fps range with the 158-grain bullet, and best  accuracy  is 
often found in this range.   Still, if you wanta push it farther,  you 
can, with care.

It was THE handgun cartridge, this .357 magnum.  It just wasn't possi-
ble to get anything more powerful... until Elmer Keith came along (see 
KEITH.GIF in this issue).

Hardly  a shooter alive has not heard of Elmer Keith, and he was  per-
sonally known to one of our board participants, Rocky Kemp, who is now 
to  busy  flying airplanes in remote Washington State to log  on,  but 
will probably be back with us someday.

Elmer  was  a  true character.  Not a handsome guy, as  his  face  was 
burned in a tragic fire at one time, and leathery as the outdoors gear 
he  loved  so much.  He was a big game guide in  Montana,  among  many 
other things.   He was a noted author of the day, and his books  range 
from the classic "Sixguns by Keith" to his last, "Hell, I Was  There."  
At any rate, Elmer lived, ate, breathed and slept handguns.  I suspect 
he  even snored handguns.   He developed the  "K-style"  semiwadcutter 
bullet form that is still widely popular today, way back in the 1920s.  
He  also  favored heavy .44 special loads that featured  a  .429  cast 
250-grain  slug over 18.5 grains of Hercules 2400 powder.   This  load 
moved  out  at about 1200 fps from a Smith .44  special  Hand  Ejector 
revolver, and it was exceptionally accurate way out there beyond  even 
100 yards.

Elmer  thought  this load, or one even more powerful, would  be  quite 
popular  with outdoorsmen for big game and personal protection in  the 
wilds.   For over 30 years, he cast about to find an ammunition  maker 
who would produce the load.   Problem was, the load was so powerful no 
handgun manufacturer would sanction its use.   So, for three  decades, 
he could interest no one in this load.   However, a dedicated core  of 
his  followers  latched onto that handload, and even had  an  informal 
club called the ".44 Specialists."   They loved the caliber and touted 
it  as being superior to even the vaunted .357 magnum with  the  right 
loads.  All this time, Elmer pushed and badgered whoever would  listen 
that a heavy-loaded .44 was the best there could be.

Finally,  in the summer of 1953, at the National Championship  Matches 
at Camp Perry, Ohio, he bumped into a fellow named C.G. Peterson,  who 
was a Remington field representative.  Peterson was so impressed  with 
what  Keith was telling him, that managed to get Elmer invited to  the 
Remington factory in Ilion, NY to talk with the company's brass.

Elmer  wrote years later that the folks at Remington were  interested, 
but  of  course were worried about what would happen  when  these  hot 
loads  could  be  stuffed into old firearms never  designed  for  such 
pressures.

Elmer told them that they could do exactly what they had already  done 
in  the  case of the .357 magnum - lengthen the case  to  prevent  its 
being used in old .44 special revolvers.   Remington agreed that would 
work, but who would make such a behemoth revolver to handle this load?

Elmer  grinned, and when he left Remington, he proceeded right  on  to 
Springfield,  Massachusetts, to answer Smith & Wesson  president  Carl 
Hellstrom's standing invitation to visit the factory there.   He spent 
most of that visit bending the ears of Smith's executives to  persuade 
them to collaborate with Remington on a new cartridge/gun combination, 
to be dubbed, appropriately enough, the .44 magnum.

Carl  Hellstrom  allowed as how S&W could make the  gun.   Keith  knew 
that,  because  he  had already been shooting heavy loads  in  an  old 
1910-vintage  S&W  "triple lock" .44 special revolver,  but  again  he 
suggested that the new revolver have a longer chamber to accommodate a 
slightly  longer  .44 cartridge to preclude the stout  newcomer  being 
fired in antique revolvers.  

When  Elmer left for his home in Idaho, Hellstrom  called  Remington's 
CEO Bob Coleman and suggested the two companies cooperate in  develop-
ing a gun/cartridge combination such as Elmer had been advocating.  In 
that conversation, the .44 magnum egg was fertilized.

By mid-1954, Remington had done its homework and had provided S&W with 
a prototype cartridge, 1/8 inch longer in case length than the  stand-
ard  .44  special.  It fired a 240-grain semiwadcutter  bullet.    Now 
that  Smith had a cartridge, it built the revolvers.   The first  were 
four specially-heat-treatted .44 Hand Ejector models of 1950.  Two  of 
these were shipped to Remington July 15, 1954 for testing.   For  more 
than  two years following, the two companies worked steadily  to  hone 
and complete the final production designs.

Now it got really interesting.  It seems that Remington allowed a  few 
once-fired  experimental cases to wind up in a metal scrap  yard  near 
Remington's plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut.   As luck would have it, 
these  cases  were found in the spring of 1956 by an  employee  of  an 
upstart Connecticut firm by the name of Sturm, Ruger & Co.!  He turned 
them  over  to his boss.  Now whether William B.  Ruger  was  actually 
sending people to scout Remington's garbage or not, no one knows,  but 
that's  how it happened that Ruger got wind of the coming  .44  magnum 
development.    Bill  Ruger went right to Remington,  and  got  enough 
hedged answers to piece together what was happening between  Remington 
and Smith.   He then managed to badger the Remington execs into giving 
him the exact engineering specifications of the new cartridge, as well 
as  some sample preproduction cartridges.   The details of this as  to 
who  gave  what to whom and precisely when are now a  bit  fuzzy,  but 
that's what went down.

Bill  Ruger was no man to dawdle, and race was on to see who would  be 
the  first to introduce a .44 magnum revolver.   Old Bill  pushed  his 
development team into constant overtime to scale up the .357 Blackhawk 
revolver  so it could handle the powerful new round, and to make  pro-
duction  tooling as soon as humanly possible.  It's rumored  that  the 
Ruger  engineers were working around the clock, 7 days a week  to  get 
the job done for their zealous boss.

The  first Ruger advertisement for the .44 Magnum  Blackhawk  revolver 
was  rushed  to press and came out in August, 1956, and it  was  first 
listed in the Ruger distributor price sheet on September 1, 1956.  The 
first  Ruger gun to be shipped (serial no. 200) went out  the  factory 
door  in  November 1956, and regular production started  in  December.  
New  .44 Magnum Blackhawks began to be delivered to dealers  in  early 
1957.

Meanwhile,  back  at Smith & Wesson, they had already been  there  and 
done  that.  In Springfield, the final design was sealed  in  February 
1955,  after  seven months of research with  Remington's  experimental 
ammunition.   Tooling began right away for the new revolver,  and  ac-
cording  to the Smith factory logs, the first  regular-production  .44 
Magnum revolver (then designated model NT-430 in factory parlance) was 
completed  on  December 29, 1955.  It was shipped right  away  to  Bob 
Coleman  at  Remington.  The second gun was logged out in  January  of 
1956 to Gen. Julian Hatcher of the National Rifle Association's  Tech- 
nical  Division, and on Jan. 27, 1956, the third gun was sent  off  to 
Salmon, Idaho, to Elmer Keith.  

Smith records further show that commercial shipping of the new revolv-
er  began  in January, 1956, with 500 6  1/2-inch-barreled  revolvers, 
just as Ruger's ads began to appear in the American Rifleman.  By  the 
end of 1956, 3,124 S&W .44 mag revolvers had been sold and shipped.

The  arguments  still  rage about who was first with  the  .44  magnum 
revolver.    That depends on where you draw the finish line.   Was  it 
the  first  individual gun built?   Was it the  first  production  gun 
built?  Was it the first gun shipped?  Was it the first gun to be sold 
at  retail?   In some gunshops, Rugers were delivered  before  Smiths.  
In others, the reverse was accurate.

However,  the  facts show that Elmer Keith was the father of  the  .44 
magnum, and Smith & Wesson was the undisputed outfit that  engineered, 
developed, produced, sold and delivered the first .44 magnum revolver.

The  big  Smith revolver became officially known as the  Model  29  in 
1957,  and it and the Ruger revolvers absolutely changed the  face  of 
handgun  shooting and hunting forever.  It was now possible  to  shoot 
game  at over 200 yards.  I proved this to myself years ago on  a  Na-
tional Guard sighting-in day when I bested a man sitting right  beside 
me  who was shooting a .30/30 Model 94 Winchester rifle with my  Ruger 
Super  Blackhawk.    At the 200-yard target, from a bench,  my  groups 
were hitting the bullseye while his were scattered over the target.  I 
couldn't have been more tickled with my Ruger Dragoon's performance.

Today,  the .44 magnum remains the standard of high-intensity  handgun 
cartridges, and has proven its mettle on big game and targets all over 
the  world.   Yes  there are more powerful cartridges  today,  but  in 
standard, big-bore magnum cartridges, in most minds there is only  one 
which stands head and shoulders over all the others - the big .44, the 
magnum.    If you want something else, well that's OK, but my day  has 
been made with the two Smiths I own - a Model 29 6" barrel and a Model 
629 10-inch barrel.  They are keepers.

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

9506F NRA NEWS by the NRA staff

May 26, 1995

URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT!

Little more than two weeks ago, President Bill Clinton spoke on the
need for effective counter-terrorism legislation.  He said:

     "Nothing can justify turning this bill into a political
     football.  We have kept politics completely out of our fight
     against terrorism ... and we must keep it out of this
     legislative effort."

Wrong, wrong and wrong again.

Just today, Clinton clones and other anti-gun politicians in the
U.S. Senate spilled onto the Senate floor with scheme after scheme
aimed at up-ending your constitutional rights.  

Details are sketchy at this time, but here's just a sample of what
surfaced in the U.S. Senate this afternoon alone!

   - An amendment by Senator Ted Kennedy imposes a limit to your
     Second Amendment rights by making it unlawful to purchase more
     than one-gun-a-month -- a scheme that can work only by
     erecting a central registry of gun purchasers run by the
     Federal government.  How can gun rationing impact terrorists?

     Another proposal by Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska boosts
     funds for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.  Why
     should funding to this agency be increased before hearings can
     get at the truth about cases of alleged BATF mismanagement and
     abuse of civil rights.

     More controls on honest gun dealers were proposed by Senator
     Paul Simon.  An end to the Civilian Marksmanship Program was
     launched by Senator Frank Lautenberg.  Even a ban on the
     hunting rounds -- in the guise of a "performance-based" ban on
     ammunition -- was by Senator Bill Bradley of New Jersey.  To
     borrow the President's own words, how do these anti-gun
     Senators "justify turning this bill into a political
     football"?

     And while NRA has voiced serious concerns that the chemicals
     of small plastic tags, when applied to gun powder, create an
     accidental fire hazard, Senator Diane Feinstein is pushing
     forward to require "taggants" be inserted in black and
     smokeless powder.  NRA takes no position on introduction of
     "taggants" into explosives or fertilizer.  But we ask, why is
     this decades-old technology being forced into propellants used
     by the lawful gun-owning community --  without so much as a
     smattering of testing to assure our safety? 

Please call your U.S. Senators today (202-224-3121) and register
your concerns.

Mark your calendar to call next week as more details become
available.  

Urge the Senate to fight terrorism.  Use the president's own words: 
keep "politics completely out of our fight."

Counter-terrorism legislation must accomplish two goals: help
authorities  zero-in on criminal terrorists, and honor the rights
and the safety of law-abiding citizens.  In the unbearably long
list of victims of the atrocity in Oklahoma City, we should never
see named our constitutional rights.  

=+=+=+=+

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
PHOENIX, ARIZONA
MAY 20, 1995
REPORT OF THE FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
MS. MARION P. HAMMER

It is with great pride that I stand before all of you who have
gathered here in the clear exercise of our rights.

We come together today exercising our freedom to assemble and to
associate and to speak freely under the First Amendment -- in order
to protect our Second Amendment Right To Keep and Bear Arms. 
Unlike people of most other nations, our cherished Bill of Rights
guarantees us these freedoms.

But today, those rights are under brutal attack.  For expressing
our strongly-held beliefs we are being vilified.  Cynical
politicians, allied with a partisan media elite, have seized upon
a terrible national tragedy to try to restrict our rights.

Like you, I respect their right to disagree with our beliefs.  That
is the American way.  But, in what can only be described as
hateful, our opponents have crossed the line.

There has been a lot of talk in the media these days about NRA, and
about who we are and what we are.  About what we were and what we
have become.

None of it is amusing and it is down right untrue.

We are not terrorists.  We are not radicals.  We are not
extremists.  We are hardworking, law-abiding, ordinary Americans --
cutting across every age, social, political, employment, racial,
religious, and economic line in America.  We are people from all
walks of life, joined together by a common purpose: to protect the
Freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution.

Many in the national media and anti-gun politicians would like to
silence us.  They don't like it when we speak out about wrong
doing.  They don't like it when we stand up for victims of
government abuse. 

In any other context, these abuses would be soundly condemned.  But
they just don't like guns.  So they use their barrels of newspaper
ink and they crank up their TV satellites and they spill their
mean-spirited rhetoric all over this country.

No true leader, scholar, historian, or civil rights activists has
ever found democracy without conflict and controversy--only
totalitarian regimes enjoy complete agreement and a lack of
criticism.

But this goes beyond conflict or a difference of opinion.  Never
before have I witnessed such a vicious and unrelenting attack
against any organization -- as we are seeing today against the NRA. 
Never before have I seen a U.S. President rail again and again and
again against any organization by name -- against every decent
citizen who is the heart, the soul, and the backbone of what those
three initials stand for.

In their blind-sighted zeal and hatred for guns, they fail to see
that our reverence for the Bill of Rights assures that they
continue to have the right to speak out -- even to say things we
abhor.  That First Amendment Freedom comes from the same Bill of
Rights that guarantees our Right To Keep and Bear Arms.  Those
rights are absolutely inseparable.  Yet, these forces -- that
should embrace our position -- instead are obsessed with silencing
our message.

The slings and arrows of our opponents will not dissuade us from
what we know is right.  Our cause is just, our message is true and
our quest for justice is and will be untiring.

And don't under estimate the American People.  The shrill steady
drumbeat against NRA's fight for Freedom and civil liberties is not
going unnoticed -- and it doesn't wash.  People may have been born
at night, but it wasn't last night.

I'm a Benefactor Life member of NRA.  I became a benefactor member
in the old fashion American way.  A few dollars down and few
dollars every few months, for a lot of years -- because I believe
in the NRA and I appreciate what the NRA has done for America.

The NRA is a tradition in my family.  I am the 3rd generation of
NRA members in my family.  My grandfather was a member, my father
was a member and my 76 year old mother is a Life member.  My 3
children are the 4th generation of Life members and my 2 grandsons
are the 5th generation of Life members.  And in a few days, when my
first granddaughter is scheduled to be born -- you can jolly well
believe she's going to become a Life member.  We are a family
strong in our beliefs and strong in our support for NRA.

My father was killed at Okinawa fighting for Freedom in the service
of our Country, and one of my grandfathers was a law enforcement
officer.  My family knows about the price of Freedom.  My family
knows how tough it is to be in law enforcement.  And I'll tell you
this, my grandfather would be outraged at the abuse of civil
liberties in the name of law enforcement that we're seeing today.

All across America, thousands upon thousands of decent, dedicated,
hardworking law enforcement officers put their lives on the line
day in and day out.  And they wouldn't even think of violating
anyone's civil liberties much less behave in a dishonorable and
violent manner against the people they are sworn to serve.

They know that NRA has always been a strong supporter of law
enforcement and that we continue to honor and support law
enforcement.  In fact, hundreds upon hundreds of law enforcement
officers are members of NRA and they too, know something has gone
wrong within their ranks.  

It only takes one -- and as history has shown, one is too many. 
One bad apple and one cover-up is all it takes to trample our civil
liberties and our guaranteed rights.

I may not be as eloquent as NRA life member and U.S. President John
F. Kennedy.  But here is how President Kennedy felt about each of
our civil liberties when he told us on June 11, 1963:

"This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. 
It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and
that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one
man are threatened."

The NRA is a part of America's heritage, its story is woven into
the fabric and fiber of our nation's history and we will always be
a vital part of our nation's future.

When Freedom and Liberty are threatened, you can count on the NRA,
this nations oldest civil rights organization, to be on the front
line.  We love our country, we love our Freedom, we love our
Constitution, and we won't quit fighting to protect the future for
our children and our grandchildren.

Ladies and Gentlemen...I'm proud to be an American and I'm proud to
be a member of the NRA.

=+=+=+=+

Tanya Metaksa
Executive Director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action
Address to the Annual Meeting of Members
May 20, 1995

Where is the heart of the NRA?

In this bewildering time, when progress flirts with uncertainty,
where is the heart of the NRA?

In this dynamic time, when hate courts fear, where is the heart
of the 3.5 million Americans dedicated to the constitution, to
freedom and the rule of law?

You sensed the vigor of that heart in the summer of 1994, with
the steady pulse of millions of citizens battling a crime of a
bill.   

You sensed it in Election 94, when it kept cadence with millions
of citizens marching to the polls in more than ten thousand
campaigns from city councils to Congress.    

And this year -- 1995 -- where the heartbeat resounds stronger
than ever with victory after victory, you can hear the beat ... 

But the heart of the NRA is not found in legislative wins or
electoral victories -- though we've had so many.   

The heart of the NRA is found in who we are -- honest citizens
committed to the constitution, to the rule of law, to freedom.  

The heart of the NRA is found in what we do -- free assembly,
free and open court challenges, voting rights, the right to
petition the government -- and, yes, free speech.  

Today more than ever, the heart of the NRA is cradled in the
heart of this great democracy.

And I will do more than prove that to you this morning.  I will
show you.  

You knew the Clinton Gun Ban was a bad bill.  Banning guns least
likely to be used in crime.  Banning the sheet metal and springs
of a magazine.  Drawing distinctions where distinctions don't
exist.  Blaming law-abiding citizens and forgetting criminals in
the process.  

Such laws erode the bond of trust between law enforcement and the
law-abiding.  The heart of the NRA beats in someone who knows
that first-hand.  

In Desert Storm, Rick Rogers was a member of the elite Pathfinder
Detachment, Seventeenth Air Cavalry.  Hours before the main air
assault on Iraq, Pathfinders went behind enemy lines, and Rick
was one of the first to touch down on Iraqi soil.  For his
bravery, ninety-eight miles behind enemy lines, the Bronze Star
was pinned on his chest for exceptionally meritorious achievement
in combat operations.

Before he was discharged from the Army and headed home to New
Jersey, Rick called the state police to list the guns he owned.
Authorities told him what guns to get rid of under the Florio gun
ban.  Rick parted with the Colt AR-15 he used to maintain his
marksmanship skills. 

But Ricks willingness to comply with a bad law didn't matter.  

Gun bans breed distrust of law-abiding gun owners, and Rick was
about to be a victim.  

While moving his household goods, a cracked windshield drew the
attention of a patrol unit.  His vehicle was searched, his guns
were found, and Rick Rogers was arrested. 

The Desert Storm hero faced confiscation of his property and 18
months in prison.

The gun ban mentality told this hero, Welcome Home, Go to Jail.  

But you -- the NRA -- beat a steady drum roll of support, saying,
Welcome Home, Hero, -- and Stay Free. 

Where is the heart of the NRA? 

It beats right here with us, beneath the Bronze Star won by Rick
Rogers.  Please welcome Rick and his fiance, Stella. 

In January of this year, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and
NRA formed a partnership.  We were committed not just to rolling
back bad laws like the Clinton Gun Ban. 

We knew we had to reverse decades of anti-gun propaganda with a
new, comprehensive Second Amendment strategy -- and the key
element of that strategy is education.    

Senator Bob Dole is also a partner in the struggle for freedom
through education. 

Senator Dole wrote to us that repealing the Clinton gun ban is
one of his highest legislative priorities.  

When President Bill Clinton promised in his State of the Union
Address not to allow repeal of his 1994 gun and magazine ban, he
was not expecting to find the heart of the NRA in a new Second
Amendment partnership and a new Second Amendment strategy -- but
he found both. 

I'm happy to report to you, our members, that the partnership
remains solid, the strategy remains sound.  

There will be a repeal, and we will give Bill Clinton the chance
to veto his presidency away. 

I said it before, and I say it again: Those were our rights he
stole last year. 

Those are our rights we want back.  And we will take them back.  

In just its first few months of existence, this new partnership
has generated the most comprehensive hearings and sparked the
most profound public debate on guns, crime and freedom in years. 


But the heart of this partnership is neither lobbyists nor
Congressmen. 

The heart of this partnership and this strategy ... is people.  

Dozens of people have testified before Congress as part of this
education strategy.  

One of the first to testify told Congress what happened in
December 1994 when his jewelry store was invaded by armed
assailants. 

It took the victim five revolvers and all his employees to fight
back.  Over 35 shots were exchanged before the two assailants
were down and the police arrived.  Law enforcement would later
say, they were the kind of criminals who had no qualms killing
ANYONE in their way.

But this man, and his employees, survived, because when
everything else failed, one right prevailed.   

Where is the heart of the NRA?
 
It beats in the chest of a man who testified as part of our
education strategy before the United States Congress, the man the
Richmond Times-Dispatch used one word to describe:  hero.   The
heart of the NRA is ... Gary Baker, who is joined by his daughter
Wendy.
  
Seated next to Gary at that hearing was a man from this great
state.  Years ago, he purchased a Colt Sporter.  

Over the years, he has come to appreciate the qualities of his
firearm more and more, as his physical condition deteriorates due
to Multiple Sclerosis. 

In late 1989, a convicted burglar and drug addict stole into his
parents home. 

With THIRTY-FOUR prior arrests, this NINETEEN-year-old was
violating his THIRD adult parole for a KNIFE assault. 

But that day, the burglar didn't find LOOT, he found this man --
and his rifle -- standing guard. 

Thanks to the now-banned pistol grip, this man could hold the
rifle in one hand --  hold the criminal at bay --  while calling
911 with the other.

Where is the heart of the NRA? 

It beats in the chest of this man, from Tucson, Arizona, ... Phil
Murphy.  

The new Congress has given a voice to the majority of law
enforcement officers in this country who BELIEVE in the right to
keep and bear arms as FERVENTLY as all of you -- rank-and-file
officers who see FIRST-HAND the FAILURE of restricting the
law-abiding and not the criminal. 

One officer testified that DEFENSE of the Bill of Rights was one
of his most PROFOUND duties, yet one of the most NEGLECTED.  

Where is the heart of NRA? 

In police units that target CAREER criminals.

The heart beats behind a badge PROUDLY worn by New Mexico police
officer Steve Rodriguez, who is joined by his wife, Angela.

Education on Second Amendment rights would not be complete
without the wide array of legal scholars who -- wholly
independent of NRA -- have embarked upon a studious review of the
history of this precious right. 

In a major article for the Georgetown Law Journal, two
constitutional law scholars delved into the history of
African-Americans and the Second Amendment. 

WHERE is the HEART of the NRA? 

It beats in colleges and universities, where independent scholars
challenge political correctness with SCHOLARSHIP that PROVES: 
Rights ARE rights, arms ARE arms and people ARE people. 

Meet one of the LEADING scholars in the renaissance of the Second
Amendment.

From Rutgers University School of Law.  Professor Robert Cottrol.

When that Second Amendment partnership was forged in January, you
and your NRA took the issue of self-defense on the road to every
possible state -- and some impossible ones.  When Congress heard
the Second Amendment message on Capitol Hill, they would hear it
resonate from back home at the state capitol.  

And resonate it did. 

In state after state, we raised the issue of self-defense through
Right to Carry, legislation that enables the law-abiding to
obtain a permit to carry a firearm for personal protection
outside the home.  

Right to Carry is taking off across the country.  In the last
four months alone, Right to Carry has become the law in Virginia,
Utah and Idaho.

Right to Carry was even signed into law in Bill Clinton's home
state of Arkansas.  You won't veto this one, Bill.   

And you can try to veto the repeal of your senseless ban, 
Mr. President, because, if we have to, we'll be back in 96 -- 
but you won't. 

Right to Carry has passed both houses in Oklahoma. 

It is moving in Ohio, Michigan, Louisiana, North Carolina, South
Carolina and California.  

And recently, we spoke with a governor who advised us that he
will soon sign Right to Carry into law in his state. 

The state? 

The great state of Texas. 

The governor: a loyal, consistently loyal supporter of the Second
Amendment and the right of self-defense, the Governor of Texas,
George W. Bush.  
       ~
The heart of the NRA beat strong and proud in these states and
all  others in just the first few months of 1995.  And the heart
of the NRA made sure that Right to Carry was a right of every
law-abiding citizen -- no matter their economic status in life,
no matter the color of their skin.  

Texas and Virginia heard from a federal law enforcement officer
and anti-terrorist expert who appealed for a Right to Carry
permit system that is administered fairly by a government not
always known for its fairness. 

In poignant testimony, this officer said, quote, "the minority
community is the group that most often suffers the ravages of
violence."  Right to Carry, this man maintained, must guarantee
all  law-abiding citizens equal treatment under the law.

And NRA's Right to Carry does just that.  
Where is the heart of the NRA? 

It beats in the chest of Kenneth Blanchard who joins us today
with his wife, Karen.    

States are passing Right to Carry because they heard the truth
from PEOPLE about how much THEY value life and how FREEDOM
protects THEIR life.  

One woman, a nurse, related a story about a family camping trip. 

At dawn, father and son departed for a little hunting, leaving
the woman alone. 

Soon after she got busy with her chores, a station wagon full of
men, drunk or high on something, barrelled into the camp site. 

They were laughing, cursing, jeering, egging each other on. 

Eight men.  One woman.   

The nurse was petrified ... until she realized that her husband
had given her something for self-protection -- a semiautomatic
pistol -- and she had it in her holster.  

She placed her hand on it.  That's all she did.  She placed her
hand on it, and eight men scrambled for the car doors and
windows. 

As the car screeched off, she could see the last man half-hanging
out of a car window, being pulled in.  

Where is the heart of the NRA? 

It beats in the chest of Mrs. Mikey Vorhees.  

The heart of NRA beats in public housing where GOOD people are
forced to ABANDON their rights at THEIR FRONT DOOR.  Even in the
state of Maine, where the constitution says the right to arms
shall not be questioned, the right has been more than questioned.

It has been denied to people, because they can afford only public
housing.  

NRA helped Mr. and Mrs. John Doe challenge the Portland Housing
Authority's ban on private firearms ownership -- and NRA, and
this family, won.

Where is the heart of the NRA?

In the chests of people who, even with the threat of eviction,
are BRAVE enough to TAKE a stand and say, I AM a citizen. 

I DO have rights.  Meet the REAL John Doe -- Mr. Earl Preston,
and his son, Richard.

The heart of NRA beats in a family in Ohio, where the bread
winner is a successful businessman, civic leader, family man and
part-time police officer.  

When agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided
the home of Louie and Kimberly Katona, they did more than
confiscate all his firearms.  

During the raid, an agent shoved wife Kimberly into a concrete
wall.  

She said she felt something tear, but it was more than the fabric
of her rights. 

She was pregnant, she began bleeding and soon lost what was going
to be their second child.  

In court, BATF charged that Louie Katona falsified forms when he
purchased those firearms. 

The judge not only threw out the case. 

He actually asked BATF, where's the beef?  

The Katona family won't take it sitting down.  They're fighting
back, pressing a civil suit against the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms.  

Where is the heart of the NRA? 

RIGHT where it belongs:  

To CORRECT wrongdoing.

To HELP victims of abuse. 

To MAKE SURE a chain of command REWARDS good conduct for the 99%
who do a GREAT job -- and weeds out the 1 % who TARNISH the
badge.  

The NEED is for RESPONSIBLE, ACCOUNTABLE leadership -- and THAT
is why NRA and a HOST of other organizations, from the ACLU to
the Quakers, are calling for FULL, OPEN hearings by a select
committee of the U.S. Congress. 

Let THOSE hearings prove us wrong -- NOT Dan Rather,... NOT
Connie Chung. 

WE believe -- and the Katona FAMILY believes-- that the NRA is
RIGHT.  

And in THOSE hearings, let BATF answer to Congress for what they
did ... especially to Mrs. Kimberly Katona.  

THERE'S the heart of the NRA, ladies and gentlemen.  

Meet Louie and Kimberly Katona. 

The NRA is the largest citizen crime fighting organization in the
country.

But there is a new crime we must tackle.    

This new crime is so widespread, it is striking decent people in
every city, every suburb, every rural area.   

A crime so brutal, it tears at the fabric of freedom.

A crime so crafty, it creeps up on you in the light of day
without notice.

Some of you have already been victimized by this vicious crime.

This new crime is a crime against the human heart.  

It is the crime of unbridled fear.

Americans are DIVIDED.  

Polls reveal that a majority of Americans -- fifty-two percent --
report fear of government. 

Were these just the so-called angry white conservative males?     

The zany conspiracy theorists we read about in disbelief? 
Hardly.  More liberals than conservatives reported being fearful. 


There is no question that we must fight against criminals and
terrorists, because that is a battle for the safety of our nation
-- and NRA will help fight that fight. 

It is also clear that we must fight for freedom from fear,
because that is a battle to recapture the soul of our nation.  It
is fear that has brought on this era of hatred and scape-goating.

It is fear that draws too many Americans, however few, into the
fold of the alienated.  

It is fear that draws people away from the democratic political
process, saps the strength of our Republic and fools too many of
We the People into thinking We the People are powerless.

NRA is a 124-year-old living, breathing monument dedicated to the
proposition that people ARE powerful. 

We know -- we've proven -- and the families you've met today have
proven -- that people can make a difference. 

If your fear is infringement of your Second Amendment rights, do
what we do.  We do not have gun bans imposed by some monarch. 

We have gun bans imposed by politicians who acted like monarchs. 
If you don't like gun bans, vote in a new House, a new Senate. 

Just like NRA did.

And, while you're at it, in 1996, vote in a new president. 

Just like NRA WILL do!

NRA and America herself are at a crucial position today.  

With more than half the country in fear, NRA members -- all of
you -- are the leaders our communities so desperately need. 

In this TROUBLED time, leaders ... MUST ... emerge.  

Those leaders are the PEOPLE in THIS room.

Democratic principles ... MUST ... predominate.  THOSE principles
are cherished by the PEOPLE in THIS room.

HOW the nation proceeds ... is JUST as important ... as where we
go.

And the PEOPLE in THIS room can lead the WAY.

SO, America. 

Do you REALLY want to secure your rights?  

Do you REALLY want to craft a proud legacy for your children?  

Do you REALLY want to make the winning difference for the
constitution, for the rule of law, for freedom itself?  

Do you REALLY want to take government to task -- and restore it,
full of self-respect and integrity?  

Then do as we have done -- millions of NRA members, day in and
day out, from Election 94 to the present.    

Take government to task -- by taking democracy to heart.  

God bless that democracy.

And god bless you -- the heart  -- of the National Rifle
Association of America. 

=+=+=+=+

                                    May 5, 1995

Dear Member of the NRA Board of Directors:

For many months now, I've kept you informed by periodic letters
like this one of our meteoric progress, not just in defense of our
Second Amendment rights, but our advancement of those rights.   You
have witnessed the positive media coverage we and we alone have
generated by pushing Right to Carry laws across the various states. 
Even TIME magazine tipped its hat to our enactment just this year
of Right to Carry in Virginia, Utah, Idaho and Bill Clintons home
state of Arkansas.  It has passed both houses of the legislatures
in Texas and Oklahoma, and it is moving in Ohio, Michigan, North
Carolina, South Carolina and California.

On the federal side, you have witnessed an unprecedented
partnership between the Speaker of the House and the Senate
Majority Leader on arresting the movement of restrictive gun
control and supporting repeal of the Clinton Gun Ban.  And that
partnership led to a comprehensive education strategy that is well
underway.  You have seen witness after witness tell the positive
story of private firearms ownership to the U.S. Congress, scholars
speaking to the true meaning of the Second Amendment and social
scientists debunking gun control as ineffective.  And you have
witnessed the most monumental educational conference in the
nation's capitol on the right to bear arms -- "The Second
Amendment: Right Under Fire?" -- a symposium featuring prominent
scholars, journalists, public health and criminology professionals,
leading presidential candidates and other leaders of the U.S. House
of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

1995 has been a grand year for our Association, and I continue to
draw inspiration from our membership, you and the entire NRA Board
of Directors, and the ILA staff who, believe me, have worked
tirelessly into long nights and endless weekends to make all these
successes possible.

Then there was April 19th. 

Along with all other Americans, I am as outraged as I am deeply
saddened by the terrorist attack on innocent men, women and
children in Oklahoma City.  As a mother and a grandmother of small
children, it is difficult to find the words to adequately describe
the grief and horror of that event.  I find the actions of the
perpetrators and their accomplices, whoever they may be,
unfathomable and barbaric.

Let's be clear:  NRA advocates freedom, the constitution and the
rule of law.  And NRA advocates the death penalty for criminal
terrorists who harbor  nothing but contempt, not just for freedom,
the constitution and the rule of law, but for innocent human life. 

Within hours of the horror, President Bill Clinton called for a
period of mourning and cautioned against casting blame where blame
clearly did not belong.  On April 22, the Washington Post followed
suit and called on all Americans to resist "any inclination to
indulge in charges of broad-based, diffuse and unspecified
culpability." Although you and I seldom, if ever, agree with Bill
Clinton or the Post editorial board, we can certainly agree on
those points. 

Sadly, our opponents and their allies in the press have shunned
this sound advice.  

In recent days, NRA's political opponents have sought to exploit
this tragedy to advance their political agenda, and the
establishment media has saluted smartly.  The scape-goating and
hate-mongering have been leveled at law-abiding gun owners in
general and the National Rifle Association of America in
particular.   Such irresponsible actions deepen an already shocking
tragedy in which, as Wayne LaPierre pointed out so poignantly on
"Meet the Press" last Sunday, NRA members numbered among victims
and rescuers.   

In this period of yellow journalism, I would like to take this
opportunity to give you my honest, frank appraisal of the issues
that are surfacing by muck-rakers eager to exploit this tragedy,
impugn this Association and halt our progress.  Make no mistake
about it.  That is the bottom line goal of the gun prohibitionists,
their big-city media allies and no doubt the President himself: 
stop the NRA at all costs.  So I ask that you keep this in mind as
you read further and as I set the record straight on a number of
lies, half-truths and innuendoes.

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

First, before we treat the issue of political rhetoric, let's state
the facts. 

The persons who planned and executed the bombing in Oklahoma City
are solely and exclusively responsible for it and should face the
death penalty for their barbarism.  Nothing NRA did or might have
refrained from doing contributed at all to that atrocity.   Weather
reports in Florida don't cause damage; hurricanes cause damage.  It
was evil, and it isn't right or accurate to describe it any other
way.  Scape-goating amounts to making excuses for it.  Making
excuses for it lends an air of justification.  There was no
justification.  It was evil.

In the wake of this tragedy, Americans are united in our grief for
the victims and our insistence on swift, sure justice for the
vicious perpetrators and their accomplices.  We are also united in
saluting federal, state and local law enforcement for their
professionalism in the wake of this horrific criminal act.  There
was no need to conduct a poll to discover these two obvious points,
but someone did.(1)

But the pollster was shocked to find Americans as divided on fear
of government as we are united in grief for the lost and praise for
authorities.  For while Americans were saluting federal (and state
and local) law enforcement for their brilliant performance
following the atrocity, as many as four in ten Americans  reported
that they perceive an "immediate threat" to their civil liberties
from the federal government.  This was no "angry conservative"
voice the pollster heard; by a few percentage points, more liberals
than conservatives feared federal abuse of power.

A more recent poll produced more sobering results.  As many as 52%
-- a majority of Americans  -- reported the fear that the "Federal
Government has become so powerful that it poses a threat to the
rights and freedoms of citizens."(2)

On a vast array of issues, this reflects an ocean of discontent
with federal power.  NRA rhetoric amounts to rain on that ocean.  

It's not just NRA but a majority of Americans who believe we have
the right to be secure in our homes.  Institutionally, BATF must
have its doubts.  This past summer, fifteen to twenty armed men
(IRS and BATF agents) burst into the rural Pennsylvania home of Mr.
and Mrs. Harry Lamplugh.  The family cooperated -- opening safes,
handing over papers -- but cooperation did not cool the intruders'
wrath.  One held a machine gun in their faces.  Another uttered a
racial slur.  One emptied vial after vial of cancer medicine,
crushed it on the bathroom floor and confiscated cancer treatment
records.   Another stomped a pet cat to death.  The Lamplughs are
gun show promoters.  BATF's purpose here seems clear:  reduce or
eliminate lawful commerce in a lawful product through intimidation
and brutish intrusion.  I maintain it is the right role for NRA to
speak forcefully when federal agents rough-up cancer patients, and
if you listen to the Lamplughs tell it, you'd be convinced that
NRA's rhetoric was mild in comparison.     

Remember the Fourth Amendment?  Monique Montgomery doesn't.   All
the St. Louis woman remembers is masked men breaking into her
bedroom at four in the morning.   Yes, they shouted who they were,
but the glaring lights and the timing of the hit were meant to
maximize Monique's disorientation as she woke from a deep sleep.  
She accessed a gun for self-defense, but the intruders -- BATF
agents -- already had their guns drawn and shot her four times,
seriously wounding her.  Our understanding is that she has a case
pending against the agency.  In covering this government assault on
an innocent woman, the St. Louis Dispatch  wondered editorially
whether BATF learned "any lessons in patience" from the debacle in
Waco.  So do the rest of us.

In its ad being criticized as part of the "blame game," the
National Rifle Association called upon the Clinton Administration
to (1) regain control of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms; (2) expose and prosecute those guilty of civil rights
abuses and (3) institute strict policies that honor the Bill of
Rights.  That prescription is indicated by the facts.  It's that
prescription that is opposed by the anti-gunners and the
Administration.  

On April 30 on "Meet the Press," Attorney General Janet Reno
assured the public that if specific cases of abuse were brought to
her attention, she would examine them.  

The fact is, specific cases were brought to the Administrations
attention, however, and no action has been taken. 

In the wake of the tragedy in Waco in April 1993, NRA issued a
nationwide news release calling for fact-finding that is "thorough
and independent."  Our release called for "a full investigation to
proceed immediately in court, in Congress and through the White
House," and we proposed that President Clinton "consider appointing
an independent special prosecutor."

No response.

In January 1994, NRA formed a coalition with the American Civil
Liberties Union and a host of other groups concerned about civil
rights which wrote to the president and referred to numerous cases
of abuse by federal agencies, only two of which dealt with the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF).  This coalition
called for a national commission to study the cases, establish the
truth, find a remedy and administer it.  

No response.

In January 1995, the same group met again and re-issued the call
for action.  Save for a single meeting with a Justice Department
staffer, no action has been taken. 

Let's be clear.  As I stated earlier, there is absolutely no reason
and no justification for the criminal act that claimed innocent
life in Oklahoma City.  We concur with President Clinton that
healing must commence.  We also believe strongly that healing can
commence only when the Administration takes positive action to
examine these many specific abuse cases in the light of day,
establish the truth and, at long last, act on the truth.  

In short, NRA has never failed to speak.  Thus far, Bill Clinton
has always failed to act. 

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

Next, let me discuss a distasteful message that appeared on the
bulletin board system I operated.

A gun prohibitionist organization has tried to make political hay
out of a message transmitted to an electronic bulletin board.  We
denounce both the organization, the individual who posted the
message, the message itself and attempts by others to somehow
impugn NRA and me personally.  This sort of one-in-a-million
message denigrates the customarily high intellectual quality of the
debate carried on in NRA's electronic forums day in and day out.  

Anyone can upload anything to an open and unrestricted bulletin
board system -- just as anyone can mail anything to someones
mailbox at home totally outside the control of the homeowner.   As
a result, it has become all too common for people with a variety of
motives, some good and some bad, to upload files to bulletin board
systems.  The bulletin board in question -- Bullet'N Board, purges
files periodically that are distasteful and inappropriate.  The
file in question was uploaded onto the system, then purged at a
later date.  I would not be surprised to learn that the posting
itself was politically motivated to embarrass me, the NRA and
impugn the good will and good reputation of gun owners and NRA
members who use the system. 

Electronic communications is part of "the new media." From the days
of the fight against the Clinton gun ban, through Election '94 and
into the efforts this year to pass Right to Carry and repeal the
Clinton gun ban, electronic communications has served NRA well as
one of the most effective ways not just to communicate back and
forth with our most active members, but also as a tool to prompt
them to greater legitimate, useful political action.  In fact, our
prowess in this new field has received favorable coverage in the
political press.

But electronic communications is also new territory for Americans
as well.  Unwanted, unsolicited and irresponsible incoming messages
have plagued many in the communications industry, including Prodigy
and America On-line.  NRA has instituted a protocol whereby we will
screen incoming messages prior to them being made available to all
system subscribers. 

Someone "posted" (sent) a vile message.  I did not send it.   The
system automatically received it.  I denounce it, and I have taken
steps to police all systems to ensure to the best of our ability
that no more vile, unsolicited junk mail appears again.

I might add that, on system start-up, when people on the system
learned my gender, some few sent messages that amounted to vile,
sexual advances.  I didn't appreciate those messages either, and no
one in their right mind would suggest that I was responsible for my
own sexual harassment.

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

Next, let's discuss the so-called "citizen militia" movement.  

Since this phenomenon emerged, neither the NRA Institute nor I have 
diverged from NRA policy.  And that policy is clear:

     First, for decades, NRA has followed an explicit policy
     established by the NRA Board of Directors that condemns
     violent individuals and groups, including those advocating the
     violent overthrow of the government of the United States.
     Second, when authorities have reasonable suspicion of criminal
     activity on the part of individuals or groups, they should
     investigate and, if the evidence so indicates, prosecute to
     the fullest extent of the law.

     Third, NRA defends the individual right of law-abiding
     citizens to keep and bear arms for lawful purposes.  The
     militia clause does not weaken or strengthen that individual
     right.

The NRA, of course, has never been involved in the formation or
support of any so-called "citizen militia" unit.  Consistently, it
has been gun control advocates and their "collective right"
rhetoric that has advanced the myth that the individual right to
keep and bear arms is contingent upon participation in a "citizen
militia."(3)  It has been NRA that has battled against this myth. 
According to competent independent scholars, the militia clause of
the Second Amendment merely adds to the reason for the right, which
is a common law right rooted in the fundamental right of self-
defense.

While in Michigan for a speaking engagement, press events and
meetings with NRA members, I met with two representatives of the
so-called "Michigan Militia Corps," a Mr. Olson and a Mr. Adams. 
We met in the lobby lounge of the Lansing hotel (hardly a "secret
meeting" as averred by the press) where I was staying.  The
discussion was at their request.  

My impression confirms various news reports that the
representatives of this so-called "militia" evinced little
confidence in any official beyond the local county sheriff.  I
found that notion a sign of detachment from the processes of
participatory democracy at all levels of government in which NRA
members and other citizens have been so successfully involved.  I
also found it counter to everything NRA and our members have done
across the political spectrum in recent months -- namely,
supporting candidates and advancing legislative initiatives at the
state and federal as well as local levels.

Despite irresponsible remarks by Mr. Adams to the contrary, there
was no discussion pertaining to the election of officers of the NRA
Board of Directors.   Two things were discussed: NRA policy and the
reason for it, and their group and their justification for it.

The representatives appeared intent on convincing me that NRA adopt
a new policy more supportive of their group.  They were
unsuccessful.  I indicated clearly that, while I could not speak
for the board, it was doubtful that NRA would change its position,
and I was certainly not inclined to suggest a change in policy.  At
least three times toward the close of the brief talk, they
expressed that they were "extremely disappointed" at the results of
the discussion.

I came away from that talk more convinced than ever of three basic
points.  First, after listening to their circuitous logic, I agreed
with NRA President Tom Washington that we have nothing to do with
them.  Second, they were emblematic of the ocean of discontent we
have in this country.  Third, NRA's political effort -- committed
to bringing more and more citizens into the process, registering to
vote, getting active, etc. -- is more vital to the future of our
nation than ever before.

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

I hope this frank discussion has been helpful to you.  Let me close
by reminding you of those shocking poll results I discussed at the
beginning of this letter.   There is no question that we must fight
against criminal terrorists, because that is a battle for the
safety of our nation.  It is also clear that we must fight this
fear and bring America back into community, because that is a
battle to regain the soul of our nation.

That demands unity and leadership.  I am confident that the team we
now have, from NRA President Tom Washington down to the newest NRA
member who just signed up today, will provide that unity and that
leadership to a nation looking for a steady course that takes us
toward freedom, the constitution and the rule of law.

Finally on a personal note, let me express my thanks to all of you
who took the time to call and send cards of sympathy at the passing
of my father, John Chamberlain, a few weeks ago.   Your support
during this time has been a great blessing to me and my family.

Yours for the Second Amendment,

Tanya K. Metaksa
Executive Director

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

(1)  USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll, reported April 26, 1995.

(2)  Time/CNN poll, April 27, 1995, by Yankelovich Partners, Inc.

(3)  Sonya:  "Would you help us all understand what the right to
bear arms should mean to a citizen in this country?"
     U.S. Rep. Butler Derrick:  "Well, let's first say that under
the Constitution, the Constitution says that a citizen has a right
to form a militia and to bear arms.  Now there are different
interpretations but my interpretation of that is that they need to
get together like the National Guard or something like that and
form a militia for the defense from outside forces." 
          -- Sonya Live  (CNN)
          March 16, 1993 (during the Waco siege)

=+=+=+=+

Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice-President
Address to the Annual Meeting of Members
May 20, 1995

We ... are being watched.  

The eyes of the nation, the eyes of history, are upon us. 

Our every word is being scrutinized, our every action studied. 

And we should be grateful.  Let me tell you why.

A few weeks ago I decided what I wanted to say here today. 

I wanted to give America a clear definition of our mission at
NRA: 

That at the end of this century we want to leave the Second
Amendment in the same condition as it was at the beginning of
this century.  

But since April 19, that day of terrible, cowardly cruelty in
Oklahoma City, I've realized that job will be harder than I
thought.

As we gather here today, our mission is in jeopardy. 

Because too many Americans are increasingly confused about who we
are.  

I don't know.  You could blame it on tragic events, or on poor
reporting, or on political opportunists, or even on our
adversaries.   

But all of a sudden, N-R-A patriots are being confused with
Grade-A terrorists.  Well ... to those in the national media, I
hope you're listening, because I'm going to put a stop to the
confusion right here and now.

I will not sit idly by while the media, or the President, or
anyone else, tries to disgrace the members of this great
Association by blurring the distinction between heroism, and
terrorism!  

There is a difference between democracy, and anarchy. 

There is a difference between criticism, and insurrection. 

There is a difference between sound reason, and sheer treason.    

There is a difference between acting within the law, and acting
above the law.  

And believe me, there is a difference between 3.5 million united
NRA members, and some scattered band of paranoid hatemongers!

And if someone in this room doesn't know the difference, 
THEN THERE'S THE DOOR!

For 124 years the National Rifle Association of America has been
promoting liberty. 

Not mutiny.

Our fight is for the minds of men.  Never against the lives of
children.

We do not do battle with bullets.  We fight with ballots.

We don't train for revolt in the woods.  We train for safety --
in grade schools and shooting ranges and police departments.  

We don't break laws.

We help make the laws.

We don't sit home and complain about bad government.  We vote for
and elect good government.  

If there is anyone within the sound of my voice who still doesn't
get it ... get it and get it now:  

There is not, nor has there ever been, any room at NRA for anyone
who supports -- or even fantasizes about -- terrorism, sedition,
insurrection, treason, conspiracy or any other unlawful activity.

Period!  End of story!

And you know what? 

If you do support any of that stuff, you'd better not let the
Americans in this room find out about it.  

At the same time, there is no room in America for those who
support a double standard of justice.  And at NRA, we've been
saying so -- for years.  

I'm talking about the double standard that says if someone wants
to profiteer from rap music about killing cops, those rights are
defended.  

But if a shotgun barrel is a quarter-inch below the legal
minimum, they can surround a Ruby Ridge home and shoot a
14-year-old boy in the back and kill a mother holding a baby. 

Then promote the guy in charge of it all.

I'm talking about the double standard that says, if a drugged-up
ex-con speeds through L.A., resists arrest and gets beat up,  he
can sue for a few million bucks and win. 

While the cop in charge gets ruined.

But if a religious cult is suspected of a gun law violation, it
can be assaulted with bullets, tanks and tear gas.  Everyone dies
... and the cop in charge gets promoted.

I'm talking about the double standard that says, it's okay to
call gun owners "gun nuts" and call the NRA "an evil empire of
lying, stupid, rednecks, zealots and extremists."

But if we engage in some impassioned name-calling about abuses by
a few federal police, we are suddenly indicted, tried and found
guilty-by-association with America's most despicable criminals.

Nonetheless, for some of my words, an apology was due. And I
apologized.

I have repeatedly said it, and our actions back it up:  The NRA
is pro-law-enforcement. 

We respect and support our many heroes out there doing their jobs
every day under impossible circumstances.  We're proud of them --
hundreds of thousands are NRA members.

But I have also repeatedly said that if a handful of them behave
like bullies, we're gonna call them bullies. 

If some of them act like thugs ... then that's what we'll call
them.

That's why the NRA and the ACLU and several other civil rights
groups joined together 18 months ago to ask President Clinton to
create a commission to investigate serious abuses by federal law
enforcement agencies, in order to reduce many reported violations
of constitutional and human rights.  

And what do we have to show for our repeated requests?  Nothing. 

No fact-finding action that could settle the issue once and for
all.  

No hearings. 

No investigations. 

No answers.  

Just hypocrisy and arrogance.

While he appealed for "toning down the rhetoric," Mr. Clinton
criticized NRA for our language ...  by using this language!  Let
me quote him from a few days ago, quote:

"We must stand up against these people who say they love their
country but not this government.  Who do these people think they
are?" End quote.

I'll tell you who we are.  We are the people who helped clean out
Congress in 1994, and who are going to help clean your clock in
1996! 

Mr. President, there is nothing un-American about questioning our
leaders.  As citizens, it's our job.  

There is nothing unpatriotic about being skeptical of our
government.  As citizens, it's our job.

In fact, our very system of self-government requires us to
question our officials and candidates with each election cycle. 
The more zeal and passion we bring to the process, the better
government we get.

So why do they so readily attack the NRA?  

I'll tell you why.  They're attacking the messenger, instead of
the message, because most Americans agree with the message!

Most Americans think that government has grown so big it can't
keep its hands out of our pockets or off of our rights.  

In fact, just eight days after the bombing in Oklahoma City, a
52% majority of Americans said they think the federal government
has become so powerful that it poses a threat to the rights and
freedoms of its citizens.  

That's not an NRA poll -- that's a Time/CNN poll April 27, 1995.

That's the message, and Mr. Clinton doesn't get it.

Think about it:  Over half of your countrymen think the federal
government has become so powerful that it poses a threat to the
rights and freedoms of its citizens.  

Surely you've felt that invasion bit by bit, year after year.
More and more you've got to
scoot-your-butt-over-and-make-room-for-a-
bureaucrat-and-his-book-of-rules.  

I know you've felt it.  Especially if you own land, if you own a
small business, if you own a home, if you drive a car, or heaven
forbid, if you want to own a gun.

But it's not just about your gun freedoms.  

It's about plans for a federal multi-agency super-police force
called the "Directorate of Central Law Enforcement" that Bill
Clinton and Janet Reno wanted to put together.

It's about HR97, a bill that would allow Reno to establish a
2,500-member "Rapid Deployment Strike Force" that could be
deployed to enforce federal, state and local anti-gun laws.  

It's about special micro-chips that the government wanted to put
in every phone, fax and computer so it could tap into people's
communications at will. 

It's about saddling the states with unfunded federal mandates,
paperwork, red tape and regulations that deny private property
rights and civil rights.

It's about that California farmer whose tractor was seized and
who faced a year in jail plus a $200,000 fine for allegedly
running over an "endangered" kangaroo rat while plowing his own
land.

It's about federal agencies like HUD threatening to prosecute
citizens for exercising their First Amendment right by opposing
criminal halfway houses in their neighborhoods.

It's about why 300 Marines, on a written test at Twentynine Palms
Combat Center in California, were asked whether they would, quote
"fire upon U.S. citizens who refuse or resist confiscation of
firearms banned by the U.S. government," end quote.

In the end, it's about all these creeping cancers  ... feeding on
all the freedoms we once took for granted. So it'll be tough to
leave this century with the Second Amendment in the same
condition as it was at the beginning of this century.

But with courage and character, we will.

Today, as 95 years ago, there is no room at NRA for any people
that support violence against government. But there is also no
room in America for government that supports violence against the
people, and a double standard of justice.

We will continue our important work of gun safety, hunting and
wildlife conservation, crime prevention, judicial reform and
protecting the cherished Second Amendment.

But we will meet the millennium with our more difficult -- and
perhaps more unpopular -- duty: of living on the leading edge of
defining what patriotism means in modern America ... of making
government put our freedom where its mouth is.

I began today by telling you that, like never before, we are
being watched.  And we will be judged not by what we say, but
what we do. 

So I ask those in the media who observe this Association to do so
closely, with fairness and balance.  But I also ask those who
participate in this Association to be worthy of scrutiny, by
living up to a promise you made ... when you were a kid:    

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 

In spite of the diversity of opinion that comes with 3.5 million
members, we are all still united by that promise.  Don't let the
chaos of current events tarnish the majesty of its meaning:

We don't promise to try when it's convenient, we pledge our
allegiance.

Not to who's powerful or popular, but to the flag of the United
States of America.

And not just to its stars and stripes, but to the republic for
which it stands.  Which isn't one faction, but one nation.   
Not under tyranny, but under God.  Not divided, but indivisible. 

With liberty and with justice, not for a few, but for all.

Let's tell it, teach it, live it, and breathe it.  

To give the kids of this country a running start at another
glorious century of being the envy ... of the world.

God bless you all and thank you.

=+=+=+=+

                                    May 11, 1995

Letters
The Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20071

Dear Sir or Maam:

This regards Joan Biskupic's article (May 10, 1995) which contains
numerous factual errors and suffers from lack of historical
perspective.  

An organized, increasingly well-funded national threat to Second
Amendment rights is only decades old.  NRA did not see a need to
establish a political and legislative arm (the NRA Institute for
Legislative Action) until 1975.  And like advocacy, building
constitutional jurisprudence takes decades.  For the First
Amendment, it has taken the better part of a century.    

As William Van Alstyne pointed out in a recent Duke University Law
Journal article, First Amendment jurisprudence did not begin in
earnest until 1920.  No one would argue that there were no First
Amendment rights in 1919.  In his article, Van Alstyne affirmed
that the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right of the
people and compared NRA's work on Second Amendment issues today to
ACLU's work on the First Amendment in the early 1900s.  The
suggestion that Van Alstyne, Levinson, Cottrol or a host of others
constitute "the few academics" who espouse the individual rights
view of the Second Amendment is simply untrue.  Most legal scholars
who have studied the issue agree: the Second Amendment guarantees
an individual right. 

The Second Amendment case Quilici v. Village of Morton Grove 
conveys both judicial aversion to the right to arms and the
duplicitous nature of our opponents.  NRA filed a writ to encourage
the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.  Customarily two-faced,
Handgun Control, Inc., which says it always challenges NRA to bring
a Second Amendment case, filed a brief encouraging the Supreme
Court not to hear the case.  HCI, which says it does not favor
blanket gun bans, termed the Morton Grove handgun ban "a reasonable
exercise of police power."

Morton Grove was also a Fourteenth Amendment case wherein it was
argued that the Federal Second Amendment applies to the states
through incorporation by the 14th Amendment.  And why not?  When
the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified, its primary sponsor, Senator
Jacob Howard of New York, listed the rights he intended protected
in the states.  The "right to arms" was one of them, as was the
freedom of assembly.  It was a direct reaction to efforts to disarm
newly-freed African-Americans in the post-Civil War South.  The
bail provision guarantees of the Fifth Amendment have not been
incorporated by Supreme Court action.  Care to argue against bail
as a guarantee only "in the mind"?  
How can the Second Amendment be a right "only in the mind" when
courts have struck down gun control laws on Second Amendment
grounds?  The court, In re Brickey  [8 Idaho 587, 70 P. 609
(1902)], struck down a law regulating the carry of pistols as too
restrictive on the Idaho state right to arms as well as the federal
right to arms guarantees.  Likewise, in Nunn v. State [1 Ga. (1
Kelly) 243 (1846)], the court used the Second Amendment to void a
state statute at a time when the state constitution was silent on
the right to keep and bear arms.

On the national scene, no one should be surprised that certain
jurists have an aversion to certain rights.  And no one should sit
back and say, because of that hostility, rights are not rights,
people are not people and arms are not arms.  If we buy into that
illogic, we would have to agree with a Supreme Court which, years
ago, was hostile to the civil rights provisions of the 14th
Amendment and the idea that people of different races should be
treated equally by their government.  From roughly the 1890s until
after the Second World War, the Supreme Court basically refused to
enforce the equal protection provisions of the 14th Amendment and
the voting rights provisions of the 15th -- the color-blind voting
rights provisions of the 15th Amendment!

Thankfully, the people prevailed.  The people rejected that illogic
and moved forward to secure their rights.  Then as now with NRA
members, the people got active -- registering to vote, getting
involved in the political process, speaking out.  

The Second Amendment is a right exercised by half the households in
the United States and advanced through legitimate political
advocacy by millions of Americans.  We believe the people will
prevail on a matter confirmed by a wide array of legal scholars,
that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right and that
self-defense is indeed a civil right.  

Sincerely,


Thomas C. Wyld
Director, PR & Communications
NRA Institute for Legislative Action


P.S.  Please note the attached news release, sent in response to an
HCI anti-Second Amendment TV campaign last year, for a partial
listing of scholars who affirm the individual rights view.

For Immediate Release                   For More Information:
December 8, 1994                        NRA Public Affairs
                                        703-267-3820

     SECOND AMENDMENT ATTACK:  "ALL SPUTTER, NO SCHOLARSHIP"
 
Fairfax, Virginia -- "All sputter and no scholarship."  That was
the reaction of the chief lobbyist of the National Rifle
Association of America to a television advertising campaign mounted
by the gun ban movement.

"Crushed at the polls and abandoned by scholars, the gun ban
movement has resorted to desperation tactics to deceive the
American people," said Mrs. Tanya K.  Metaksa.  "Americans weren't
fooled on November 8, and they won't be fooled today.  The U.S.
Constitution means exactly what it says.

"Overwhelmingly, constitutional scholars and other academics have
affirmed that the Framers of the Bill of Rights intended the Second
Amendment to safeguard an individual right," Mrs. Metaksa said. 
"Even the American Bar Association published in 1965 an award-
winning article titled 'The Lost Amendment' which concluded that
the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right."

Mrs. Metaksa ridiculed the TV commercials:  "Sarah Brady should be
the last one to give advice on our Constitution.  The law which
bears her name has been found unconstitutional by four Federal
courts this year alone.

"If the ABA wants an intellectually honest debate on the meaning of
the Second Amendment, step right up," she said. 

                            -- nra --

MEMO FOR CORRESPONDENTS:  In recent years, a raft of research has
affirmed the individual rights interpretation of the Second
Amendment.  Consider the following independent researchers who are
not NRA spokespersons and should not be attributed as such:

     "For the point to be made with respect to Congress and the
     Second Amendment is that the essential claim advanced by the
     NRA with respect to the Second Amendment is extremely
     strong... the constructive role of the NRA today, like the
     role of the ACLU in the 1920's with respect to the First
     Amendment, ought itself not to be dismissed lightly."
          --William Van Alstyne, Professor of Law, Duke University
          School of Law, "The Second Amendment And The Personal
          Right to Arms," 1994

     "The Second Amendment's language and historical and
     philosophical background demonstrated that it was designed to
     guarantee individuals the possession of certain kinds of arms
     for three purposes (1) crime prevention or what we would today
     describe as self-defense; (2) national defense (3)
     preservation of individual liberty..."
          -- Don Kates,  Handgun Prohibition And The Original
          Meaning of The Second Amendment. 1983

     "In recent years it has been suggested that the Second
     Amendment protects the `collective' right of states to
     maintain militias, while it does not protect the right of `the
     people' to keep and bear arms. If anyone entertained this
     notion in the period during which the Constitution and Bill of
     Rights were debated and ratified, it remains one of the most
     closely guarded secrets of the 18th century, for no known
     writing surviving from the period between 1787 and 1791 states
     such a thesis." 
          -- Stephen P. Halbrook, That Every Man Be Armed 
          (1984).               

     "The argument that today's National Guardsmen, members of a
     select militia, would constitute the only persons entitled to
     keep and bear arms has no historical foundation."
          --Joyce Lee Malcolm,  Professor of History.  Author, To
          Keep and Bear Arms (Harvard University Press 1994)

     "The states'rights reading puts great weight on the word
     `militia', but this word appears only in the Amendment's
     subordinate clause.  The ultimate right to keep and bear arms
     belongs to `the people' not `the states.' As the language of
     the Tenth Amendment shows, these two are of course not identical 
     when the constitution means `states' it says so.  Thus as noted 
     above, `the people' at the core of the Second Amendment are the 
     same `people' at the heart of the Preamble and the First 
     Amendment, namely citizens."
          --Akil Amar, Professor of Law, Yale, The Bill of Rights
          as a Constitution, 100 Yale, (1990)

=+=+=+=+

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                   For further information, 
May 15, 1995                            call:  703-267-3820

                NRA RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT CLINTON

Fairfax, Virginia -- "The same president who counseled against
'reckless' speech should stop speaking recklessly," said Mrs. Tanya
K. Metaksa, Executive Director, NRA Institute for Legislative
Action (NRA-ILA) in response to President Clinton's comments today
at the 14th Annual Peace Officers Memorial.  "The president has
ignored two years of legitimate calls for action to curb civil
rights abuses by Federal agencies by NRA, the ACLU and a host of
groups concerned about civil rights.  Instead of 'reckless'
speaking, the president should engage in responsible listening."

Mrs. Metaksa cited NRA's long history of support of and respect for
law enforcement, including criminal justice reform and victims
rights efforts in eleven states and the U.S. Congress the first
four months of 1995 alone.  In addition, NRA on an annual basis
helps train and qualify thousands of peace officers, awards
scholarships and salutes a top officer in its annual awards.

"In law enforcement agencies across the country, there are
responsible leaders who reward good conduct and arrest misconduct
down through their chains of command," said Mrs. Metaksa.  "We
maintain that's not the case with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
and Firearms.  Victims have a right to be heard, and that includes
victims of federal abuse.  Our goal in calling for full open
hearings by a Congressional Committee will ensure that a chain of
command rewards good conduct for 99% of officers who do a great job
-- and weeds out the 1% who tarnish the badge. 

"When NRA called for a national commission in 1993, where were you,
Mr. President?  When NRA and a host of other organizations wrote
you in 1994, why didn't you answer, Mr. President?  When NRA and
others visited the Justice Department in 1995, why didn't you
listen, Mr. President?"

Mrs. Metaksa dismissed the president's comments on the
effectiveness of his 1994 gun ban as "ludicrous and indefensible. 
The president is masking an abysmal record of failing to prosecute
federal weapons violations -- down a staggering 23% in his first
two years in office.   That's the only way in which his gun ban is
effective: it camouflages lack of performance."

                            -- nra -- 

=+=+=+=+

Tom Washington, NRA President
Address to the Annual Meeting of Members
May 20, 1995

Thank you very much for your very warm welcome to Arizona.

You know, it's hard to believe that, beneath these bright sunny
skies, there are people in America who have been trying their
best to darken the reputation of NRA, and dishonor this
association.  

They want to disgrace the NRA in the eyes of the public.  So
they're doing everything they can to portray the NRA as something
it isn't, and to make everybody forget all the good things we do. 

As long as I'm around, they won't get away with it.

I'm the president of this outfit and I'm proud of it.

I'm proud to be here.  

I'm proud to display the NRA seal on my car.  

I'm proud to show you my NRA membership card.  

When I hear accusations and insinuations against the NRA, I'm
offended.  So while everybody's here, let's set the record
straight about this association once and for all.

The National Rifle Association of America has a long, honorable
history.  

For 124 years, through public service and community goodwill,
we've done as much or more than any other group in history for
this country.

Look at all the NRA has done for America.  When the government
needed our help during World War II, the NRA answered the
country's call like everybody else.    

We wrote and printed hundreds of thousands of training manuals
for our soldiers.  

We provided shooting instructors.  

We rounded up reloaders to supply our men overseas.    

And when the British, under siege by Nazi hordes, asked for help
to fend off an invasion, you know who gave them thousands of
rifles and pistols to defend themselves?       

NRA members.

In fact, after the Japanese surrendered, "Give 'em Hell Harry"
President Truman wrote a letter to formally thank the NRA for its
vast contributions to the war effort.
 
If that's not a worthwhile contribution to American history, you
tell me what is!

Our tradition of public service lives on today.  

In fact, we spend more to teach Americans about gun safety than
the government and the media combined, or anybody else.

As a matter of fact, we train over 15,000 police officers every
year and regularly sponsor police competitive matches.

The hunter safety program we started in 1949 has been adopted all
over the U.S. and Canada.  

So far, twenty million hunters have been trained under that same
basic course.

Almost a million Americans learn gun safety from our instructors
every year. 

And since 1988, our Eddie Eagle program has taught six million
boys and girls how to avoid gun accidents.

Has our hard work paid off? 

Ask the National Safety Council, and they'll tell you fatal gun
accidents are at an all-time low. 

That goes for all age groups all across America.

If that's not a worthwhile contribution to society, you tell me
what is!

We're also helping to protect lawful Americans from criminal
violence, whether they choose to own a firearm or not.

Our "Refuse To Be A Victim" program gives women practical ways to
avoid dangerous situations, and if they can't, how to avoid
becoming a victim.

NRA's "Crimestrike" division fights to enact the justice system
reforms that'll take violent criminals off the streets, put them
behind bars and keep them there.  

If that won't make America safer than gun bans or midnight
basketball, you tell me what will!

If you know me at all, you know I'm deeply hurt that Bill Clinton
may not like us very much. 

So let's talk about other American Presidents ... From Ulysses S.
Grant to Theodore Roosevelt, from John F. Kennedy to Ronald
Reagan, they have all been proud to be NRA members.  

You've all heard how former President Bush resigned last week
over our criticism of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms.  I'm sorry he made that decision before talking to us
first.  Because if he knew the facts, I believe he wouldn't have
resigned.

It's unfortunate that the statement in the well publicized fund
raising letter was misconstrued to apply to all federal law
enforcement, for that we are sorry and apologize.  

Most of you members here probably know about ATF's history of
abuse against law-abiding citizens.  Unfortunately, it seems
President Bush has forgotten -- and most of the media isn't
interested in reminding anybody -- or finding out the truth.

That's why I wrote to the former President, to give him the facts
on just a few of these cases.  And that's why we printed my
letter to President Bush in newspapers across the country -- to
expose these cases to public scrutiny, to demand investigations,
and to let the American people decide for themselves.

Once the truth is out, I believe the American people will agree
with us. 

Because behind all the political posturing, the truth is there
are many victims of tragic abuses out there that need to be
heard.

And believe me, we're going to get those hearings!

Maybe it's because we're just hard-nosed.  Or maybe we've just
been through enough battles to know the lay of the land. 

But you know, we at the NRA have a way of getting to the truth
when nobody else can.  

This Association, like our society, is based on the rule of law.  

And if you operate outside the law -- or if you break the law in
the name of the law -- we're going to expose you, and we're going
to oppose you.

Some people in the media have tried everything they can think of
to associate the NRA with terrorists, hate groups, and
extremists. 

But the fact is, we've had a resolution on the books since 1964
that says if you advocate violence against the government, you
have no place in the NRA.  

And we mean it.
Sometimes I think the NRA-bashing we've heard lately is so
outrageous ... So desperate ... That maybe it just shows what a
powerful player we are. 

If we were truly the villains some people claim, it would go
without saying.  People wouldn't need to be convinced.

But instead, our critics go on and on, trying whatever they can
think of, to disgrace us or disparage us.

After our victories in last fall's elections, and in statehouses
this spring, could it be the anti-gunners want to convince
themselves -- and anyone who'll listen -- that NRA is "on the
ropes" or "on our way out?"

If so, they're wrong.  And if they're trying to hurt us with
their accusations, they've failed.  

For example, you'd think their noisy trumpeting -- about
President Bush's resignation -- would have triggered a flood of
canceled memberships.  

But on the contrary, we've been flooded with positive calls,
eight-to-one, with Americans who are saying, "sign me up!"  And
some even saying that I'll replace George.

Now that's a sign we're an organization that's not "on the
ropes," but on top of mainstream American values.

When I first visited NRA headquarters many years ago, and saw the
gallery of photos of past NRA presidents, I was awed by the men I
saw there. 

Generations of men -- business leaders, military leaders, civic
leaders -- who dedicated their very lives to freedom.

Today, I'm proud and humbled to stand among them. 

And I'm proud to say, on their behalf, in a loud, clear,
unequivocal voice:   

Defending the bill of rights is not "shameful"!

Upholding the constitution is not "extreme"!

And believing in the right to keep and bear arms is neither
"paranoid" nor "dangerous."

It is instead the keystone of American liberty!

Generations of Americans have shed their blood and given their
lives to keep that freedom alive.  

Now, as NRA members, we must defend it, both from those who would
deny it ... And from those who desecrate it with their actions or
words.

Together, we will continue the NRA tradition of public service
and community goodwill ... A course our Association has followed
for 124 years.

In so doing, we will re-affirm the respect and honor our
Association deserves.

More importantly, we'll help ensure a secure future for America's
Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

And that means a secure future for America, including freedom of
the press.

Thank you very much.

=+=+=+=+

April 26, 1995

Despite calls for calm, reasoned debate and the avoidance of
scapegoating, many in the news media are using the tragic events
in Oklahoma to vilify the National Rifle Association and the
reputation of our fine members.  For example, Washington Post
reporter, Guy Gugliotta, wrote today, "The NRA's electronic
bulletin boards regularly feature conversations advocating gun
violence" (Washington Post, 4/26/95).

We believe that such allegations are clear signs that NRA
political opponents are exploiting a tragedy to advance their
political agenda, and that deepens the anguish all of us feel in
the wake of the terrible events in Oklahoma City, a place
thousands of our members call home.

As everyone knows, anyone can upload anything to a private
bulletin board -- totally outside the control of the system
operator -- just as anyone can mail anything to your mailbox at
home -- totally outside the control of the homeowner.  While one
cannot prove it, we wouldn't be surprised if someone posted a
distasteful or inappropriate message with the express intent of
embarrassing the Association and its many members.

Accordingly, we have restructured the procedures by which members
may communicate with each other on the GUN TALK BBS.  

It is important to understand that inflammatory language has been
used as a political tool by our opponents.  That does a
disservice to you and to our Association and does nothing to
further our cause.

Thank you for your continued interest, vigilance and support.

=+=+=+=+

NRA Hosts 2nd Annual NRA National Training Week

By Paul M. Whitworth 

You are invited to take advantage of the most comprehensive
training opportunities offered by NRA in one location.  Whether you
want to learn to shoot, instruct, coach, manage a range or continue
your education, this event will meet your needs.

NRA National Training Week, to be held August 16-27 at NRA
Headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia, provides a variety of training
programs for shooters and trainers at all levels.  Programs are
available to enable shooting sports leaders to fulfill many
training requirements to become an NRA Certified Instructor,
Shooting Coach, or Training Counselor.

NRA's Training Counselor Workshop, August 16-19, will kick off
Training Week.  The Training Counselor Workshop prepares NRA member
Certified Instructors (with two or more years of NRA teaching
experience) to organize, promote, and conduct NRA Instructor
Training Courses  through NRA's philosophy of total participant
involvement.  (All current TCs need to attend a workshop between
July 1992 and December 1995.)

The 17th Annual NRA National Shooting Coaches/Instructors
Conference, August 17-19, formerly the NRA National Shooting
Coaches Conference And Sports Research Symposium, has been renamed
and expanded to meet the demand of both coaches and instructors. 
The conference features professional educators, shooting sports
experts, NRA National Coaching Development Staff and NRA Staff. 
Tentative topics include nutrition, shooting glasses and filters,
time management, history of shooting in America, women and shooting
sports, motivation, disabled shooting programs, discipline specific
presentations, and updates on NRA's instructor, coach, and
competition programs.

NRA National Training Week opportunities include:

*      NRA Shooting Sports Camp Director's Workshop (Aug. 18)-Club
       leaders, committed to conducting a camp in 1996,  learn how to
       select, plan, organize, and direct an NRA Shooting Sports
       Camp.

*      NRA Law Enforcement Training Day (Aug. 18)-Public law
       enforcement officers are invited to attend training and
       information seminars, see and fire some of the latest handguns
       and submachine guns, and tour NRA Heaquarters, NRA's firearm
       collection, the NRA Store and NRA range.  Attendance is free
       of charge.  Advance registration is required.
           
*      Gunsite Training Center Seminar:  The Tactical Use of The
       Shotgun  (Aug. 19)-Citizens will examine choosing a shotgun as
       their home security firearm.  Topics will include:  equipment,
       fundamentals of practical shotgun shooting, ammunition
       selection, and defensive tactics. 
       
*      Advanced Marksmanship Seminars (Aug. 20)-Participants attend
       high power rifle, smallbore rifle, or pistol sessions, and
       explore advanced shooting techniques, mental training,
       nutrition, and other topics to enhance shooter development.

*      NRA Instructor Training Courses (Aug. 20-23)-Experienced
       shooters learn how to organize and teach NRA Basic Firearm
       Training Courses in the discipline of rifle, or, the
       disciplines of pistol, personal protection, and home firearm
       safety.

*      NRA Range Development Conference (Aug. 20-24)-prepares range
       owners, operators and developers in range planning and
       management procedures.  Sessions include, but are not limited
       to:  site selection and master planning; environmental
       assessments, OSHA and EPA regulations, sound and safety
       issues, environmental issues relating to humans and lead,
       management and risk assessment, and preparing for public
       hearings.

*      NRA Shooting Coach Schools (Aug. 24-25)-Aspiring coaches may
       elect to attend a coach school for smallbore rifle, high power
       rifle, or pistol.  Coach candidates learn about the history of
       the sport, shooting events, techniques, shooting positions,
       mental training, hands-on skills for developing competitive
       shooters, and tournament operations.
       
*      NRA Instructor Update (Aug. 26)-Instructors learn the latest
       news of interest, including the new three-hour FIRST Steps
       Program, the revision of the NRAs Personal Protection Course,
       and development of NRAs intermediate level Personal
       Protection Course PP-II.
        
*      ASEP Leader Level Coaching Principles Course (Aug. 26)-Coach
       candidates learn how to communicate effectively and motivate
       athletes; develop a season plan; understand how athletes
       learn; teach sport skills in four steps; develop physical
       training programs and guide athletes toward proper nutrition;
       manage equipment, facilities schedules, logistics, and
       athletes by following accepted methods of risk management.
       
*      NRA Basic Firearm Training Courses (Aug. 26-27)-Attendees
       engage in hands-on learning activities, in either the Basic
       Rifle Shooting Course or Basic Pistol Shooting Course, as they
       develop the attitude, knowledge, and skills needed to pursue
       shooting interests.
       
Virginia Commonwealth University has tentatively approved academic
credit, both undergraduate and graduate, for NRA National Training
Week programs.  College credits may be earned if the National
Training Week participant simultaneously registers for an NRA
National Training Week event and the corresponding university
course.  Academic credit may be applied as an elective to a variety
of degree programs or as a requirement to meet credentialling
standards for teachers and other professionals.  In addition to
university credit, several training opportunities provide
continuing education credits (CEUs) which may be used to assist
many professionals in meeting continuing education requirements
with certain certification plans and documenting the advanced
training received.

A major highlight of NRA National Training Week is NRA Open House
on Saturday, August 19.  The NRA Open House provides visitors a
rare opportunity to meet NRA staff and learn about a variety of NRA
programs; view the Robert E. Petersen Guns and Ammo Magazine
Firearm Collection, and Great American Whitetail Collections; and
tour NRA Headquarters and the NRA indoor multipurpose range.  Free
seminars will be offered, including NRAs Refuse to be a Victim. 
An exhibit hall features firearm and shooting sports corporations
and service organizations that will exhibit their products and be
on hand to answer questions.

The NRA Open House also features The NRA Foundation Benefit
Auction.  Attendees have a unique opportunity to purchase industry
donated firearms and merchandise and Friends of NRA merchandise. 
Proceeds from the auction will support NRA education, research, and
training programs.

Attendance is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. 
Discounts are available for early registration, and for those
participants registering for more than one activity.  Registered
NRA National Training Week participants will also qualify for
special rates and packages for lodging and transportation.  

For complete details, call the NRA Training Department at (703)
267-3890, or leave your name, mailing address and telephone number
in a message to the system operator on the NRA-ILA GUN-TALK BBS or
as electronic mail to jmanown@nra.org.

Volunteers Needed!

Many volunteers are needed to help put on this special event.
Help needed includes:

Air Gun Range
Exhibit Hall Setup/Teardown
Exhibit Hall Control Desk
Hospitality
Office Support
Registration
Security

Your help as a volunteer is needed and will be appreciated.
Please call Grace Lee at 703-267-1485 for details.


=+=+=+=+
                           
                           May 11, 1995

                      NRA RANGE NOW OPEN!

      IT'S OFFICIAL!  The NRA's new state-of-the-art indoor range
is now open. 

      Come and see one of the premier indoor shooting facilities
in the country.  The NRA RANGE is one of the few 50-yard indoor
ranges available to the shooting public.  Five foot wide,
individually ventilated shooting booths are wheelchair accessible
and provide ample room for position pistol and rifle shooting. 
The automatic target retrieval system will place targets at any
distance in one foot increments from three to 150 feet.  The
unique design of the backstop and sound baffling systems affords
the shooter the opportunity to shoot rifle calibers up to and
including .460 Weatherby Magnum!

      The NRA RANGE is open to NRA members and guests for
recreational shooting.  It will be utilized for various NRA
programs including NRA Basic Firearm Training Courses,
competitions, league shooting, junior shooting programs, NRA
Instructor Training Courses, NRA Coach Schools, shooting clinics
and much more.  Additional information will be made available as
these programs and other events are scheduled.

      The NRA RANGE complex includes a classroom and a check-in
office, stocked with targets,  eye and hearing protection ,
cleaning supplies, a selection of the more popular ammunition
calibers, and various training and safety materials.

OPEN SHOOTING HOURS:

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday:             5:00 PM TO 10:00 PM
Saturday:                                   8:30 AM TO 10:00 PM
Sunday:                                     8:30 AM TO  6:00 PM

ALLOWABLE CALIBERS & AMMUNITION:

      .22 rimfire and all pistol calibers including magnums

      All centerfire rifle calibers up to and including .460
      Weatherby Magnum and shotgun slugs   (Sorry, no black powder
      firearms are allowed.)

FEES:

NRA MEMBERS:       $12/hour/person (Maximum of 2 persons per lane)

GUESTS:            $15/hour (Must be accompanied by an NRA member)

All first time users of the NRA RANGE  will be asked to complete
a written range test prior to shooting.
NRA Headquarters is located at 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax,
Va.  From I-66, exit at Route 50 East, toward Fairfax.  Turn left
at the first stoplight, which is Waples Mill Road and go 1/2 mile
north. The blue and white NRA building will be on your right. 
The NRA RANGE is located at the rear of the building in the lower
level parking area.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL  (703) 267-1400

=+=+=+=+
                        
                        NRA CrimeStrike
            11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030
                * May 23, 1995 * 1-800-TOUGH-11 *

Failed Justice System Blamed In Shooting Deaths

     THE survivor of a shooting in the Washington, D.C., police
headquarters that left three law enforcement officers dead last
November blames a "failed criminal justice system that gave an
early release to a violent criminal" for the tragedy.       FBI
Agent John Kuchta spoke to an audience of 8,000 attending a
candlelight ceremony for officers slain in the line of duty held at
the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at Judiciary Square
in Washington on May 13.
     "November 11, 1994, was a bloody scene from an American
tragedy played out daily in communities," Agent Kuchta said in
remarks reported in the Washington Post. "A locked-up criminal with
an extensive criminal history sells a hard-luck story to a judge or
a parole board. The killer is set loose but once again wreaks
havoc," Kuchta said.
     Kuchta spoke out for the first time on the tragedy that saw
FBI Agents Martha D. Martinez, 35, and Michael J. Miller, 41, and
District Police Sgt. Henry J. Daly, 51, murdered as they worked in
a police headquarters office.  Kuchta was shot five times in the
attack.
     Because Sgt. Daly was an NRA member, his wife and family
received a $25,000 NRA Law Enforcement Officer's Death Benefit in
January.  The benefit goes to NRA member-lawmen killed in the
performance of their duties.
     
Experts Urge Prison, Not More Gun Bans

     "THE public suspects gun control laws don't work as a means of
getting weapons out of the hands of the criminal. The public is
right."
     With those words in the May/June issue of The American
Enterprise, one of the nation's leading criminologists and a widely
recognized social commentator, James Q. Wilson, again faulted gun
laws that impact only law-abiding citizens.
     "Most crime weapons are stolen, borrowed, or obtained through
private purchases," the UCLA professor also wrote, saying of gun
laws: "What is worse, any successful efforts to shrink the stock of
legally purchased guns (or ammunition) would reduce the capacity of
law-abiding people to defend themselves."  He called laws disarming
citizens "a morally and politically absurd course of action,"
urging measures that target gun-toting criminals. 
     Another significant figure in the criminal justice debate,
Princeton University's John J. DiIulio Jr., told a Senate
subcommittee in February that the "four Ps" (prisons, private
efforts, public prevention, and policing) should be the focus of
the nation's crime-fighting effort.
     "Most Americans believe that criminals should be punished
swiftly and certainly," DiIulio told the Wall Street Journal in
January. "Among the politically elite," he added, "only gun control
is politically correct; criminal control isn't."
     DiIulio's focus on prison as an effective means to stop
violent criminal offenders is shared by others.  Reader's Digest
criminal justice expert Eugene H. Methvin said some experts see
doubling prison capacity as way to "break the back" of the crime
epidemic that began in an era of reduced imprisonment beginning in
the 1960s.
     NRA-ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa agrees.  "The time
has come to enact real crime control," she said, "After our 30
years of experimentation with 'prevention' versus incarceration,
the verdict is in: incarceration is prevention."

Haircut Rules Trigger Attack On Prison Staff

     FIVE officers at South Carolina's Broad River Correctional
Institution were stabbed, beaten with baseball bats and one scalded
with a hot liquid in an uprising April 18 that reputedly began over
enforcement of a ban on beards and long hair.
     The American Civil Liberties Union may sue prison authorities
in behalf of five accused inmates who claimed the rules violated
their rights, reports USA Today.
     Suits against prison authorities by inmates nationally are out
of control. A refusal of their request for a late-night snack
recently prompted three inmates at the Mini-Cassia Jail in Idaho to
sue for $10.7 million.  They claimed cruel and unusual punishment.
     "Inmates filed 39,065 lawsuits against state prison
authorities nationwide in 1994," said Elizabeth Swasey,
CrimeStrike's Senior Policy Counsel. "That's more than the number
of criminal cases filed by U.S. Attorneys in 1993," she added. 
"These frivolous lawsuits are wasting scarce criminal justice
dollars, and it's imperative that Congress rein in the power of
federal court judges to micro-manage state prisons."   

Where CrimeStrike Stands:
     "NRA CrimeStrike has pressed tough criminal justice reforms in
     11 states and the U.S. Congress in the last four months
     alone."--Elizabeth Swasey

=+=+=+=+

           11250 Waples Mill Road * Fairfax, VA  22030
Vol. 2, No. 23                                            5/26/95
            Phone: 1-800-392-8683 * Fax: 703-267-3918

      UNITY, LEADERSHIP:  HALLMARKS OF NRA ANNUAL MEETINGS

     At last week's Annual Meeting in Phoenix, the media tried its
best to report on a divided NRA membership.  However, what they saw
was tens of thousands of law-abiding NRA members united in their
support of their Second Amendment rights and the NRA.  NRA
Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre drew thunderous applause
when he aptly described NRA's membership as individuals who "don't
break the laws [but] help make the laws."  Affirming NRA's disdain
for individuals who advocate violence against the government, Mr.
LaPierre and NRA President Tom Washington avowed there is no place
within the NRA for anyone who supports this type of criminal
activity.  In response to the recent criticism heaped upon NRA for
our commitment to hearings on recent abuses of power by BATF, NRA-
ILA Executive Director Tanya Metaksa asked the media to let
"congressional hearings prove us wrong, not Dan Rather and Connie
Chung."  In addition to these rousing speeches from NRA Officers,
hundreds of NRA-ILA Volunteers participated in workshops on
legislative activism.  Volunteers not only heard from their fellow
volunteers, but were also greeted by NRA First Vice President
Marion Hammer; Second Vice President Neal Knox; and NRA-ILA
Executive Director Tanya Metaksa.  All three officers spoke about
the importance of continued legislative activism, citing NRA's 1994
electoral victories as a prime example.  Close to 500 individuals
participated in these workshops, and everyone, volunteers and staff
alike, benefitted from the experience!

     COUNTER-TERRORISM UPDATE:  As this fax goes to press, the
Senate is working on its version of counter-terrorism legislation,
and a number of anti-gun amendments will be offered to this bill. 
Among the most egregious amendments are:  a gun rationing scheme;
restrictions on ammunition and FFLs; registration requirements; and
the elimination of the DCM program.  Members:  please contact your
U.S. Senators and encourage them to oppose any amendments to the
counter-terrorism bill which restrict your Second Amendment rights. 
Let them know you support legislation which will get tough on
criminal terrorists, but not at the expense of the rights of law-
abiding gun owners.  Stay tuned for future updates!

     CO-SPONSORSHIP IS CRUCIAL:  With the President and his allies
in the anti-gun media beating the drums to preserve the Clinton gun
ban, it's critical that we attain as much congressional support as
possible for H.R. 1488 -- the Clinton gun and magazine ban repeal
bill.  NRA-ILA will continue to work with congressional leaders to
reschedule a vote on this critical reform measure -- probably some
time this summer.  In the meantime, it is critical that as many
Representatives as possible sign on as co-sponsors to H.R. 1488. 
Members:  please contact your U.S. Representative to ask him to
become a co-sponsor of H.R. 1488.  If your Representative is
already a co-sponsor of this bill, be sure to thank him, and urge
him to lobby his fellow lawmakers to do the same.  If your
legislator has not yet signed on to this effort, politely request
that he do so!

     A LOOK AT THE STATES:  Maine: LD 96, NRA-supported shooting
range protection legislation, passed the legislature, and is
awaiting Gov. King's signature.  

New York:  A 6821-A, a New Jersey-style semi-auto ban that does NOT
grandfather currently-owned firearms, passed the Assembly and now
moves to the Senate for consideration.  Members: please call your
State Senators and urge them to oppose A 6821-A.  

Ohio:  On Wednesday, May 31, the Senate Judiciary Committee will
hold a hearing on SB 68, NRA-supported right to carry legislation. 
Members:  please attend Wednesday's hearing at 10:00 a.m., in the
Senate Building's North Hearing Room in Columbus and contact your
State Senators and urge them to support SB 68. 

Oklahoma:  Great news!  The legislature has passed SB 3, NRA-
supported right to carry legislation, and Gov. Keating has signed
the bill into law!  The new law will go into effect on January 1,
1996.  

Pennsylvania:  The Senate approved HB 110, the Sportsmen's Omnibus
Crime Bill, with NRA-backed amendments to replace the 48-hour
waiting period with an instant check for firearms purchases and to
require Philadelphia to conform to state standards for issuing
carry permits.  The House will vote on final approval around June
5.  Members: please encourage your State Representatives to oppose
further amendments to HB 110 and to approve it as passed by the
Senate. 

Texas:  It's official!  Gov. Bush has signed into law SB 60, the
NRA-supported right to carry bill!  The bill will go into effect on
January 1, 1996.

     SCHUMER LAUNCHES BROADSIDES AGAINST NRA:  Congressman Charles
Schumer (D-NY) is at it again! His latest gambit has taken the form
of H. Con. Res. 69 -- a resolution calling on NRA to "condemn the
inflammatory and defamatory language used by" the Association's
leadership.  H. Con. Res. 69 was apparently introduced in response
to NRA's repeated calls for inquiries into federal law enforcement
abuses.  Unfortunately Mr. Schumer doesn't stop there, as he has
recently lambasted NRA for another fundraiser in which we simply
encouraged our members to participate in the democratic process by
encouraging them to attend their lawmakers' town meetings to oppose
restrictions on their rights.  Since dozens of newspapers from the
L.A. Times to the New York Times have expressed their fear that
Clinton's counter-terrorism proposal could lead to a police state,
when will Chuck start blasting them?

                             =END= 

=+=+=+=+

============================================================
                       NRA  GRASSFIRE!
------------------------------------------------------------
May 1995                                       Vol. 1, No. 5 
        The Newsletter for NRA-ILA Volunteers
============================================================

                NRA CONDEMNS ACTS OF TERRORISM

   Joining with its thousands of members in Oklahoma City,
the NRA condemned the criminal terrorists who were
responsible for the tragic bombing in Oklahoma City and
urged swift and sure punishment, including the death
penalty, for all found responsible.  "The NRA has nothing
but contempt for terrorists or hate groups that attempt to
disguise themselves as patriots," said NRA Executive Vice
President Wayne LaPierre.  LaPierre praised the efforts of
law enforcement in making quick progress in investigating
the case.  "We salute the law enforcement team that has
skillfully and professionally investigated this matter,"
LaPierre said.  "The authorities who play a role in bringing
the terrorists to justice have no stronger ally than the
NRA."

                NRA CLARIFIES ERRONEOUS
                       NEWS REPORTS

   Some recent news reports concerning the terrorist bombing
in Oklahoma City have incorrectly represented the actions of
the NRA in its handling of information surrounding this
incident.  The reports were as erroneous as they were
shocking.  On Sunday afternoon, April 23, CBS News reported
that a cryptic fax containing information about the horrible
atrocity in Oklahoma City was received by a Congressman who
had forwarded it to NRA.  Then, CBS News claimed that NRA
failed to notify authorities in a timely fashion!  

   In this atmosphere of scapegoating and hate-mongering,
truth is often the first casualty.  So, in the interest of
truth, here's what really happened.  Someone or some group
sent that cryptic fax to the office of U.S. Rep. Steve
Stockman (R-TX) on Wednesday, April 19.   That evening, a
staffer with Rep. Stockman called the home of an NRA
Assistant General Counsel with a specific congressional
inquiry:  could anyone shed any light on the identity of the
sender?  The next day, the Congressman's office sent the fax
to the NRA attorney who later responded that no one at NRA
had any knowledge or any clue as to the sender's identity.

   Here's the important point:  during that first Wednesday
night phone call and in subsequent calls, NRA's attorney
asked if the fax had been shared with the authorities.  The
staffer assured NRA repeatedly that he was sure his office
had passed it on to the FBI.   NRA's attorney asked the
staffer if he wouldn't mind if NRA shared the information
with BATF.  The staffer said no, and the NRA attorney called
his counterpart at BATF Friday, April 21, to make sure they
had the mysterious fax.

   This accurate account was given to CBS News, all other
major networks and the Associated Press on April 23.  Some,
like NBC News, dropped it as a non-story.  Others, however,
kept pushing their stories on hate and suspicion.  It was
not until April 24, that the FBI confirmed that they had
received the fax from Congressman Stockman's office!  An FBI
official wrote to the Congressman, saying, "My office
received your facsimile document ... at 11:57 a.m. on April
19 ... thank you for your action and assistance."

   In short, Congressman Stockman's office did the right
thing in a timely fashion.  NRA also did the right thing,
responding to a Congressional inquiry and double-checking
the system by furnishing the fax to BATF.   Both are to be
commended for a job well done -- and too many in the
national press should be criticized for a hatchet-job which
was wholly undeserved. Members are encouraged to call
Congressman Stockman and commend him for his actions -- and
his perseverance in the face of a hostile press.   Please
identify yourself as a grateful NRA member.  Call 202-225-
6565.

        U.S. HOUSE INTRODUCES H.R. 1488 --
          CLINTON GUN BAN REPEAL BILL

   Despite the efforts of Rep. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who are shamelessly using
the tragedy in Oklahoma City to call for more "gun control,"
an omnibus pro-gun reform bill was introduced in the House
of Representatives.  The bill, H.R. 1488, calls for sweeping
pro-gun reforms, including repeal of the Clinton gun ban, a
guarantee of the right of law-abiding citizens to secure a
firearm for self-defense, increasing the penalties for the
criminal misuse of firearms, and a mandate directing U.S.
attorneys to step up their prosecution of criminals using
firearms in the commission of violent crimes.

   In addition to reaffirming law-abiding citizens' right to
self-defense and repealing the Clinton gun ban, H.R. 1488
contains a section which allows for anyone convicted in a
state court of using a firearm during the commission of a
"serious violent felony," which includes murder, rape,
kidnapping, and carjacking, to be charged under federal law
as well.  This amounts to a compounded sentence which will
enable prosecutors to be even tougher on violent criminals. 
NRA does not feel this section will in any way negatively
impact law-abiding gun owners, but rather, it will aid us in
our efforts to get violent criminals off our streets.

   H.R. 1488 marks the first time in nearly a decade when
Congress is seriously considering federal legislation to
strengthen the rights of this nation's gun owners.  Original
co-sponsors of the bill are House Firearms Legislation Task
Force members:  Reps. Bob Barr (R-GA); Ed Bryant (R-TN);
Steve Stockman (R-TX); Helen Chenoweth (R-ID); Roscoe
Bartlett (R-MD) and pro-gun Democratic Reps. Bill Brewster
(D-OK); Billy Tauzin (D-LA); Harold Volkmer (D-MO) and Jim
Chapman (D-TX).  H.R. 1488 will be referred to the House
Judiciary Committee for consideration.

   Although debate on H.R. 1488 was expected to start in
May, that date will be pushed back in order for Congress to
concentrate on anti-terrorism legislation.  In the wake of
the devastating tragedy in Oklahoma City, NRA supports the
decision by the House leadership to postpone the vote to
repeal the Clinton gun ban.  The concerns of Congress should
mirror those of the nation, which are focused on
comprehending how this terrible tragedy occurred and what
might be done to prevent criminal terrorist attacks in the
future.  We'll keep you posted as to future hearing and vote
dates on H.R. 1488.  Enclosed you'll find a double-sided
fact sheet on H.R. 1488.  Please refer to this information
when writing or speaking with your legislators.  Feel free
to make copies and distribute them to your local gun shops,
shooting ranges, and gun clubs.  

                DOLE SCHOOLS SCHUMER

   In a logic-defying attempt to link the tragic bombing in
Oklahoma City with the need to preserve the Clinton gun ban,
Rep. Charles Schumer recently sent a letter to Sen. Majority
Leader Bob Dole (R-KS) asking for the Senator's support for
keeping the Clinton gun ban on the books.  In his response
to Rep. Schumer, Sen. Dole pointed out the faulty assumption
made by Rep. Schumer, noting that there was no "involvement
of so-called assault weapons [in] the senseless bomb attack
in Oklahoma City."  Sen. Dole went on to inform Rep. Schumer
that the best response to the events in Oklahoma City is not
"overheated rhetoric about gun control," but rather, the
need to adopt anti-terrorism legislation which will prevent
a situation similar to the Oklahoma City bombing from
happening in the future.   

                RIGHT TO CARRY REFORM
                ON TRACK IN THE STATES

   As many state legislatures get ready to adjourn for the
summer, here's an update on where we are with right to carry
bills pending in the states.  Bear in mind that legislation
at the state level tends to move rapidly, therefore, the
following information may have changed.  To keep abreast of
the latest developments in your state, call NRA-ILA at 1-
800-392-8683.

In Arkansas, the Governor has signed NRA-supported right to
carry legislation into law.  

In California, the Assembly's version of an NRA-backed right
to carry reform bill died in committee but has been granted
reconsideration.  A scaled-back Senate version of right to
carry reform is being considered in a Senate committee. 
NRA-ILA and state activists are working to make necessary
changes in order to protect your right to self-defense. 

In Colorado, NRA-backed right to carry legislation has
passed the House and the Senate, and been referred to a
conference committee to work out the differences between the
two chambers' bills.  NRA-ILA and state activists are
working with the conferees to ensure the bill benefits all
law-abiding citizens who choose to exercise their
fundamental right to self-protection.  

In Idaho, the Governor has signed an NRA-supported bill
which further reforms the state's right to carry law.

In Illinois, the Senate will vote on right to carry
legislation any day now!  

In Kansas, NRA-backed right to carry legislation passed the
House but was killed in the Senate.  NRA-ILA and state
activists will be back to pass this critical reform next
year!  

In Louisiana, the Senate passed right to carry reform
legislation, which now moves to a House committee for
consideration.  

In Missouri, the Senate passed right to carry legislation,
which included an amendment requiring the issue to be placed
on the ballot for voter approval.  A substitute bill without
the ballot amendment will be offered on the House floor. 
NRA-ILA and state activists are working to ensure that the
House adopts the stronger substitute bill.

In New Mexico, two right to carry bills died for the session
and the legislature has adjourned.  NRA-ILA and state
activists will be back to pass this important reform in
future sessions.  

In North Carolina, the House version of a right to carry
bill has passed out of one House committee and a second
committee is expected to report the bill out soon.  A House
floor vote will follow shortly thereafter.  A Senate
committee has held hearings on the Senate version of right
to carry and is expected to vote on that bill soon.  

In Ohio, a Senate committee held hearings on a right to
carry bill and a committee vote is expected soon.  NRA-ILA
and state activists are working with the sponsor to make
modifications to protect your right to self-defense.

In Oklahoma, NRA-supported right to carry legislation has
passed both the Senate and the House.  The Senate must still
vote to agree to the House amendments.  Due to the
unforeseen tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing, we are
uncertain at this time when action will continue on this
measure.  

In South Carolina, the House is expected to vote on an NRA-
backed right to carry reform bill any day now!  

In Texas, an NRA-supported right to carry bill has passed
the Senate and is currently awaiting consideration on the
House floor.  NRA-ILA has worked with state activists to
make modifications to the bill to best protect the rights of
all law-abiding Texans.  

In Utah, the Governor has signed NRA-supported right to
carry reform legislation into law.  

In Virginia, an NRA-backed right to carry bill has been sent
to the Governor's desk for his signature, which is expected
to take place soon. 

                HCI: STILL ALIVE AND WELL FUNDED

   Sarah Brady and her organization, Handgun Control, Inc.,
launched a major, 21-city extravaganza and massive
nationwide fund-raising campaign.  What are they after? 
Cash from your wealthier neighbors.  They'll use those
dollars to stall the right to carry movement in the states,
pick away at our Second Amendment freedoms and build a
barricade around the '94 gun ban. 

                SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN
                 "GUN FREE SCHOOL ZONES"

   This week, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal
"Gun Free School Zones Act" of 1990 based on a new, more
restricted view of Congress' power under the Commerce Clause
(U.S. Constitution, Art. I, sec. 8, cl. 3).  Since the
1930s, the Court has endorsed Congress passing laws
regarding social, environmental and police power issues,
finding Congress had the power to legislate in these areas
since they (supposedly) effected interstate commerce.

   In U.S. v. Lopez, the Court put the brakes on runaway
federal power by finally holding that something Congress
wanted to regulate -- in this case, guns near schools -- in
fact did not effect interstate commerce and thus was beyond
Congress' reach (note that most states already prohibit
carrying of guns to school for other than lawful purposes.) 
According to Syracuse University law professor William C.
Banks, following U.S. v. Lopez, "a whole body of federal
criminal law [and] federal environmental law... are in
question."  Stay tuned!


                CALIFORNIA COURT ALLOWS GUN
                VICTIMS TO SUE MANUFACTURER

   On April 10, a California state trial court ruled that
the victims of 1993 San Francisco shooting rampage may seek
damages from the manufacturer of the gun which was used in
that shooting.  The case centered around a lawsuit filed by
the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, which sought to hold
Intratec, the Miami-based manufacturer of the TEC-DC9,
liable for the actions of a deranged gunman, Gian Luigi
Ferri, who in 1993, killed eight and wounded six others in a
San Francisco law firm.  Claiming that the marketing of the
TEC-DC9 to the general public constitutes an
"ultrahazardous" activity, and therefore, the victims should
be allowed to seek damages from Intratec, supporters of the
suit show that they hold in equal regard the criminal act
perpetrated by Ferri and the legal act of producing a lawful
consumer product.  While this ruling has only allowed the
case to proceed to a fact-finding stage, it could pave the
way for victims of similar shootings to sue firearms
manufacturers who are in no way responsible for the actions
of criminals.

                UPCOMING GRASSROOTS SEMINARS

   In an effort to ensure a repeat performance of last
year's election successes, NRA-ILA will host a series of
seminars across the country.  These seminars will discuss
how we can elect pro-gun lawmakers to office, discuss
federal, state and local legislative activities, and
election strategies for 1995 and 1996.  These one-day
seminars will give you an opportunity to discuss specific
issues with NRA staff, as well as other NRA members and
grassroots volunteers right in your area.  All seminars
include a working luncheon -- and best of all, are
absolutely free!  Below, you'll find the seminar schedule
for June.  To register, call Lee Maceira in NRA-ILA at 1-
800-392-8683.

Saturday, June 10th            Virginia Beach, VA
Ramada Oceanfront Tower
57th and Oceanfront

Saturday, June 17th            Fairfax, VA
NRA Headquarters
11250 Waples Mill Road

Saturday, June 24th            Richmond, VA
Richmond Marriott Hotel
500 E. Broad Street

Saturday, June 24th            Roanoke, VA
Roanoke Airport Marriott
2801 Hershberger Road N.W.

                REGISTER TO WIN

   1995 primary elections in Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia are right around the
corner!  Don't miss this opportunity to play a key role in
the political process -- register to vote!  Only currently
registered voters are eligible to vote, therefore if you
haven't voted recently, you may no longer be eligible.  To
find out how you can register to vote, call the Grassroots
Division at 1-800-392-8683.  Here are the 1995 primary
election dates:  

Kentucky               Primary Election May 23
New Jersey             Primary Election June 6
Virginia               Primary Election June 13
Mississippi            Primary Election August 8
Louisiana              Primary Election October 21

                NEW MEMBER COUNCILS

   Listed below, you'll find Member Councils which were
affiliated with NRA-ILA in April.  If you live in one of
these cities or counties and would like to get more involved
in the legislative and political processes, contact the
Member Council in your area at the telephone number listed
below.  We will continue to list Member Councils as they are
affiliated.  For information on a Member Council in your
city or county, or for information on starting a Member
Council, call NRA-ILA at 1-800-392-8683.

Member Council of Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County, Florida                     (407) 375-8606
Member Council of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana                         (504) 924-7266
Member Council of Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Penn.                        (412) 566-3622
Member Council of King County
King County, Washington                        (206) 485-4274

                NRA RANGE OPENS ITS DOORS

   The NRA's state-of-the-art, indoor shooting and training
center will be open to all NRA members, their guests and
those participating in NRA programs beginning Saturday, May
6, 1995.  The 50 yard range features 12 shooting points
capable of handling firearms up to and including .460
Weatherby magnum caliber.  The next time you're in Northern
Virginia, please stop by to see your NRA facilities.  For
more information on range rates and hours, please call (703)
267-1400.

NRA Grassfire
NRA-ILA Grassroots Division
Fairfax, VA  22030 

============================================================

FIREARM FACTS & STATS May 1995


Special Edition: Clinton Gun Ban

        The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on
whether to repeal the 1994 Clinton gun ban.  New Members of
Congress may be unfamiliar with the issue, or they may know
only what they have been told by the media. Representatives
present during last year's debate may need to be reminded of
the facts surrounding the issue.  Here are some of the facts
you can provide to your representatives before the vote is
held:

I. Clinton Gun Ban and Crime

* Over 85% of the firearms banned as "assault weapons" by
the 1994 crime bill are rifles, yet rifles of any
description are the category of firearms least often used in
crimes. The following table shows, nationwide and in your
state, the percentage of homicides committed with rifles
(R), compared to knives (K), "other weapons" (OW) [clubs,
etc.] and fists and feet (FF) * Source: FBI Uniform Crime
Reports, Tables 4 and 20 (1993, most recent data):

        R       K      OW      FF
US      3       13     13      5
AL      3       14     22      4
AK      9       20     26      4
AZ      5       14     10      7
AR      7       11     13      5
CA      4       12     12      3
CO      2       16     15      6
CT      2       14     15      4
DE      5       20     10      10
DC      0       8      8       0
FL      2       12     21      5
GA      3       15     13      5
HI      5       28     12      23
ID      10      23     13      10
IL      n/r     n/r    n/r     n/r
IN      4       10     13      5
IA      2       29     20      11
KS      n/r     n/r    n/r     n/r
KY      4       7      20      4
LA      5       7      8       4
ME      0       0      29      0
MD      0       13     10      5
MA      1       27     16      5
MI      5       10     12      4
MN      6       22     13      12
MS      4       15     6       5
MO      5       10     10      4
MT      n/r     n/r    n/r     n/r
NE      4       11     29      14
NV      2       13     8       14
NH      0       35     10      5
NJ      2       22     16      11
NM      5       27     10      12
NY      1       13     11      4
NC      6       14     16      6
ND      0       18     27      9
OH      2       10     10      8
OK      8       14     18      6
OR      5       22     18      7
PA      2       12     10      7
RI      5       18     23      5
SC      5       14     10      6
SD      11      0      22      22
TN      3       13     11      5
TX      4       13     11      4
UT      5       22     10      28
VT      17      8      25      0
VA      3       13     9       5
WA      6       17     19      6
WV      10      10     14      8
WI      3       13     23      11
WY      25      13     6       19
n/r= not reporting

   * Since 1980, the annual number of rifle homicides has
declined 29% (FBI Uniform Crime Reports)

   * Between 1985-1993, there were more than 3,200 homicides
in Washington, D.C., but none were committed with a rifle of
any description. (Metropolitan Police of the District of
Columbia)

   * The California Department of Justice's 1990 survey of
law enforcement agencies in the state found that "assault
weapons play a very small role in assault and homicide
cases." Less than  1% of firearms seized by law enforcement,
and only 3.7% of those firearms actually used to commit
homicides or assaults, were "assault weapons."

   * U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) admitted on the
Senate floor that "assault weapons" are used in a small
percentage of crimes. When challenged by the San Diego
Union-Tribune (Jan. 30, 1994) with the relative non-use of
"assault weapons" in crimes, Feinstein replied "I don't
doubt that at all. . . . Your data is (sic) probably correct
at this point."

   * The anti-gun Washington Post has admitted that "No one
should have any illusions about what was accomplished (by
passage of the crime bill). Assault weapons play a part in
only a small percentage of crime.  The provision is mainly
symbolic." (Editorial, Sept. 15, 1994)

   * The New York Times has reported that since New Jersey
police began keeping statistics, "assault weapons" have been
used in 26/1000ths of 1% of all crimes in the state. In
1991, "assault weapons" were used in only 75 of 46,858
violent crimes in New Jersey. ("Both Sides Say Trenton's Ban
on Assault Rifles Has Little Effect on Crime," June 20,
1993)

   * The New York City Police Department reports that
criminals fire between 2-3 rounds, on average, when they
fire at all, making a firearm's ammunition capacity largely
irrelevant to crime. (NYPD Academy Firearms Discharge
Report)

II. BATF Firearms Traces

   * Gun-ban supporters claim that "assault weapons"
comprise a small percentage of firearms, but are traced by
the BATF to a large percentage of crimes. In fact, BATF does
not trace firearms to crimes. BATF has admitted that "it is
not possible to determine if traced firearms are related to
criminal activity." The Congressional Research Service
reports that "A law enforcement officer may initiate a trace
request for any reason. No crime need be involved. No
screening policy ensures or requires that only guns known or
suspected to have been used in crimes are traced."

III. "Assault Weapons" and the Police

   * Gun-ban supporters claim that police are often killed
with "assault weapons". The Department of Justice's "Law
Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted" reports shows
that officers are 6 times more likely to be killed with
their own firearms, and 3 times more likely to be killed in
automobile accidents, than with "assault weapons."

   * Polls conducted by the National Association of Chiefs
of Police have consistently shown little support for an
"assault weapons" ban among police officers.

IV. Other Facts

   * Semi-automatic firearms have been popular for more than
100 years. Fifteen percent of all firearms in the U.S. are
semi-automatic. 

   * "Assault weapons" use the same ammunition as many other
firearms. Most commonplace deer hunting rifles are far more
powerful than most "assault weapons."

   * Regardless of their appearance, "military" accessories
common to many "assault weapons" play no role in crime, and
provide no advantage to a criminal. There is not a single
study, from any source, which has even attempted to
demonstrate any connection between these accessories and
crime.

   * All semi-automatic firearms function the same,
regardless of their features or appearance. "Assault
weapons" are semi-automatic only. Despite claims to the
contrary by gun-ban supporters, they are not fully-automatic
firearms like those used by the Armed Forces. 

   * Semi-automatic firearms are not, as alleged by gun-ban
supporters, "easy to convert" into machineguns. If they
were, the BATF would not approve them for sale. 

=+=+=+=+
This information is provided as a service of the National Rifle
Association Institute for Legislative Action, Fairfax, VA.

This and other information on the Second Amendment and the NRA is
available at any of the following URL's: http://WWW.NRA.Org, 
gopher://GOPHER.NRA.Org, wais://WAIS.NRA.Org, ftp://FTP.NRA.Org,
mailto:LISTPROC@NRA.Org (Send the word help as the body of a message)

Information may also be obtained by connecting directly to the 
NRA-ILA GUN-TALK Bulletin Board System at (703) 934-2121.

                    The American Rifleman, June 1995

THE ARMED CITIZEN

     Studies indicate that firearms are used over two
million times a year for personal protection, and that the
presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents
crime in many instances.  Shooting usually can be justified
only where crime constitutes an immediate imminent threat to
life limb or in some cases property.  Anyone is free to quote
or reproduce these accounts.  Send clippings to: "The Armed
Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030


Facing a gun, a Jackson County, Alabama, motorcyclist gave a
convicted car thief a ride out of town.  After the bike broke
down, he was forced to continue on foot with his abductor.  When
the kidnapper tried to rob three fishermen of their truck keys,
however, the cyclist was able to shoot the criminal dead.  (The
Times, Gadsden, AL, 3/14/95)
 
A Stockton, California, real estate agent put an end to an
attempted rape, after a man posing as a potential home buyer
attacked her in a model home.  Crumpling to the floor, the
realtor drew a .380 from her purse, forcing the man to flee. 
Pursuing him outside, the woman fired several shots at the man,
missing him as he jumped in his car.  She halted his escape by
shooting out one of his tires and with the help of some nearby
construction workers, held the thug for police.  The would-be
rapist is being investigated in connection with a similar 1993
attack on a female real estate agent.  (The Record, Stockton, CA,
2/18/95)
 
After having a tackle box and some fishing poles stolen just
weeks before Clermont, Florida, resident Denton Tussing's anger
took over when he was awakened by the sound of somebody trying to
start his boat.  Grabbing a rifle and rushing to his dock in his
underwear, Tussing drew a bead on the would-be thief and
demanded, "Hey buddy, step right out of the boat and sit out here
... your ___ is mine." The whimpering suspect immediately
complied and waited for police to come take him away.  (The Daily
Commercial, Leesburg, FL, 2/17/95)
 
Living next door to the store where he works, Lexington, South
Carolina, resident Robert Batchler heard somebody breaking into
the business.  He notified sheriff's deputies, grabbed a shotgun
and went to investigate.  Hearing Batchler, the criminal fled,
firing shots from a .22 he had stolen from the store.  Batchler
was undeterred and returned fire with his shotgun, striking the
suspect.  The burglar was later arrested at a nearby hospital
where he went seeking treatment.  (The Dispatch-News, Lexington,
SC, 2/22/95)
 
Durham, North Carolina, resident Jimmie Rogers initially had some
reservations about bringing a new .380 pistol into the apartment
where he lived with his infant daughter and fiancee.  An incident
two weeks later changed his mind, however, when the young father
scared an intruder out of his home after he encountered the
burglar in a hallway just steps away from his daughter's bedroom.
 "I'm glad I had it," said Rogers.  (The News & Observer,
Raleigh, NC, 2/25/95)
 
Things had turned ugly for Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer Rick
Wallace.  He had found marijuana on a speeder, but was
overpowered by the man before he could cuff him.  Passerby Adolph
Krejsek witnessed the altercation and came to the rescue, using
his own firearm to help the trooper control the suspect.  After
helping subdue the assailant, Krejsek used the injured trooper's
radio to call for help.  (The Review Courier, Alva, OK, 1/8/95)
 
The first time Jackson, Ohio, resident John Holsinger called the
sheriff's of fice he reported a prowler.  When he called
back--eight minutes later--he reported he had shot the man. 
While waiting for deputies to arrive, Holsinger yelled warnings
to the crazed man smashing in windows on his home not to enter. 
Instead the prowler torced his way through the front door.  His
actions left Holsinger, armed with a .22, little choice but to
shoot, injuring the housebreaker.  (The Dispatch, Columbus, OH,
3/9/95)
 
Margaret Wallace of Robertson County, Tennessee, watched in
horror as three ski mask-clad bandits rushed from the shadows and
shot her husband in the back after the grocery store-owning
couple returned home from work one evening.  Wallace cut the
attack short, however, after she drew her own pistol and returned
fire.  The assailants fled with a fourth person waiting in a
getaway car, only to be later captured by police.  (The
Tennessean, Nashville, TN, 3/3/95)
 
Working alone, Madison, Wisconsin, shopkeeper J. Guadalupe
Rodriguez, 73, noticed the two strangers dressed in black casing
his grocery store.  He was prepared when they entered.  When one
of the men drew a revolver from his jacket, Rodriguez pulled his
own pistol from a nearby hiding place and pointed it at the
bandits.  Frightened, the intruders bolted one out the front door
and the other into a back room where he was cornered by Rodriguez
and held for police.  (Journal Times, Madison, WT, 2/19/95)
 
The early morning robbery attempt at a Greenville, North
Carolina, gas station was over almost as quickly as it began.  In
just seconds, the armed man demanded cash from the owner,
snatched a store window from its frame, fired his gun into the
store and climbed through the window.  Store owner Dalton Bailey,
fearing for his life, reacted just as quickly, immediately
returning fire with a .32 cal. revolver.  "I shot at him before
he even hit the floor.  When he hit the floor, he jumped back out
the window.  (Using a gun) is probably what saved our lives,"
said Bailey.  (The Daily Reflector, Greenville, NC, 3/10/95)
 
When two hooded men strolled into a Durham, North Carolina, gas
station demanding cash at gunpoint, attendant J.L. Finch
responded to their command with gunshots.  Firing several rounds,
Finch struck one of the aggressors in the midsection, injuring
him, while the other fled.  The station owner supported his
employee's actions saying the robber "got what he deserved." (The
News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, 3/11/95)

=+=+=+=+
           
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                   Fairfax Headquarters Location
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