| WASHINGTON -
October 27 - In the election year following several schoolyard shootings that horrified
the nation, Handgun Control, Inc.’s Voter Education Fund today released its
"Dangerous Dozen" list of 11 candidates for the United States Senate, U.S. House
of Representatives, and state governorships whose election or re-election could make the
difference between common-sense gun laws and laws that make it easy for children and
criminals to get guns. "These are the
candidates who call the NRA before they write their campaign speeches about the Second
Amendment," said Sarah Brady, HCI’s chair. "Their records on assault
weapons, the Brady Bill, child access prevention laws and other common-sense measures to
protect Americans from firearm violence and unintentional shootings demonstrate their
complete indifference to public safety. Fortunately, the outcome of many of these
races may turn on the candidates’ positions on gun control."
For the first time, the "Dangerous Dozen"
includes a non-candidate – Charlton Heston’s and the NRA’s opposition to
Florida ballot initiative Revision 12. Revision 12 proposes to close the dangerous
loophole through which so-called "private collectors" sell -- and criminals
purchase -- weapons at gun shows without waiting periods or background checks, by allowing
Florida counties to impose those requirements on all gun-sellers. Just today, the
NRA began airing misleading radio ads in which they make the preposterous claim that
Revision 12 would "reduce" criminal penalties for illegal gun sales in Florida!
"Moses" and the Eleven Candidates Whose Opposition to Sensible,
Life-Saving Gun Laws Have Earned Them a Place in This Election Year’s: "Dangerous Dozen"
U.S. Senate Candidates
Sen. Al D’Amato (NY)
- In the past twelve years, he has sided with the gun lobby on
18 critical votes;
- In 1987 he voted against surprise inspection of licensed
firearm dealers by ATF agents;
- In 1987 he voted to kill a measure to ban the manufacture,
sale and importation of undetectable plastic guns;
- In 1990 and 1993 he voted against a federal ban on the
manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons;
- In 1993 he voted against the Brady bill;
- In 1993 he voted to preempt state waiting periods on handgun
purchases;
- In 1994 he voted against final passage of a crime bill that
contained a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons and measures tightening the regulation
of federal gun dealers;
- In 1997 he voted to kill an amendment that would have
blocked the transfer of $76 million worth of guns, ammunition, property and cash to a
newly created private Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice;
- In 1998 he voted against an amendment that would have simply
required the sale of a child safety lock with every handgun;
- In 1998 he voted against an amendment that would have held a
gun owner legally responsible if a gun is left unlocked and a child subsequently gains
access to it and shoots and injures someone; and
- In the past he has received an "A" rating from the
NRA and the NRA has spent more than $30,000 on his behalf. This year, the NRA
selected his election opponent, Rep. Charles Schumer, as one of three "Foes Who Have
to Go."
State Senator Fay Boozman (AR)
·
As a State Senator, he received an "A" rating from the NRA;
- On his campaign web site, he proudly proclaims that he is
opposed "to any attempt to limit the rights of gun owners";
- According to the Cook Political Report, he would
"repeal both the Brady Bill and the ban on assault weapons"; and;
- He rejected a personal plea from Suzann Wilson (who lost an
11-year-old daughter in the Jonesboro shooting) to support legislation holding gun owners
responsible for keeping guns out of the hands of children.
Sen. Lauch Faircloth (NC)
- In just six years in the Senate, he has sided with the gun
lobby on more than a dozen critical votes;
- In 1993 he voted against the Brady Bill;
- In 1993 he voted to preempt state waiting periods on handgun
purchases;
- In 1994 he voted against final passage of a crime bill that
contained a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons and measures tightening the regulation
of federal gun dealers;
- In 1997 he voted to kill an amendment that would have
blocked the transfer of $76 million worth of guns, ammunition, property and cash to a
newly created private Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice;
- In 1998 he voted against an amendment that would have simply
required the sale of a child safety lock with every handgun;
- In 1998 he voted against an amendment that would have held a
gun owner legally responsible if a gun is left unlocked and a child subsequently gains
access to it and shoots and injures someone; and
- He has received an "A+" rating from the NRA and
the NRA has spent more than $19,000 on his behalf. This year, the NRA selected
him as one of four national "Friends Who Have to Stay."
Rep. Linda Smith (WA)
- In 1994, she ran a vehemently anti-gun control campaign in
her first race for Congress, vowing to repeal various federal gun laws, including the
federal ban on assault weapons;
- In 1996, she voted to repeal the ban on the manufacture and
importation of semi-automatic assault weapons;
- Last year, she actively opposed Washington State Initiative
676 which would have required safety training for gun owners and the sale of a child
safety lock with every handgun; and
- Recently described by Gun News Digest as "an extremely
strong supporter of the Second Amendment," she has consistently received high ratings
from the NRA.
U.S. House Candidates
Rep. Steve Chabot, OH-1
- Elected in 1994, Chabot was appointed to the House Judiciary
Committee and served on the Speaker’s Task Force on Firearms, which crafted
legislation that called for repeal of the assault weapon ban and the preemption of any
federal gun law that interfered with gun rights;
- In 1994, he was given an "A" rating by the NRA;
- In 1996, he voted to repeal the federal ban on the
manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons; and
- Heavily supported by the NRA in prior elections, the NRA is
reportedly making another large independent expenditure on his behalf in this year’s
race.
Former Rep. Bob Dornan, CA-46
- In the past twelve years, he has sided with the gun lobby on
more than a dozen critical votes;
- In 1986 he voted to permit the interstate sale of handguns;
- In 1990 and 1994 he voted against a federal ban on the
manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons;
- In 1993 he voted against the Brady Bill;
- In 1993 he voted to preempt state waiting periods on handgun
purchases;
- In 1994 he voted against final passage of a crime bill that
contained a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons and measures tightening the regulation
of federal gun dealers; and
- This year, he received an "A" rating from the NRA
and the Gun Owners of America. Gun News Digest describes him as "strongly
pro-gun."
Rep. Bill Redmond, NM-3
- Elected in a 1997 special election to replace Bill
Richardson, the NRA last year spent a total of $28,000 on his campaign. Gun News
Digest describes him as "a solid supporter of the Second Amendment";
- He supports repeal of the federal ban on the manufacture and
importation of semi-automatic assault weapons;
- He has received an "A" rating this year from the
NRA and the Gun Owners of America for his strong opposition to gun laws; and
- This year, the NRA is reportedly making another large
independent expenditure on his behalf.
Rep. Vince Snowbarger, KS-3
- As a state representative, he was a chief co-sponsor of
legislation that would have allowed Kansans to carry concealed handguns;
- Selected by HCI’s Voter Education Fund for the 1996
"Dangerous Dozen" list, he was elected that year by the narrowest of
margins;
- Opposed to the Brady waiting period, he also supported
repeal of the federal ban on assault weapons;
- In the last election, the NRA spent a total of $69,000 on
his behalf and in this election cycle they have contributed $9,900 thus far;
- He received an "A" rating from the NRA; and
- This year, the NRA selected him as one of only four national
"Friends Who Have to Stay."
Gubernatorial Races
State Attorney General Dan Lungren, California
- Last year, despite the recommendations of his own task
force, he opposed state legislation banning the manufacture and sale of
"Saturday night specials";
- Despite the clear language of California’s 1989 ban on
semi-automatic assault weapons, his office continued to register assault weapons after the
March 30, 1992 cutoff date. Subsequent investigation showed that he registered more
than 16,000 such weapons after the deadline and that about two dozens of the weapons
registered after the deadline were later linked to serious crimes. A California
court earlier this year found that Lungren’s registration policy violated the law.
- This year, he opposed legislation, later signed by Governor
Wilson, that imposes security standards on gun manufacturers; and
- For the past two years he has fought in the court against
efforts by city governments to bar the sale of Saturday night specials. His
arguments were rejected recently by a California appellate court.
Rep. Glenn Poshard, Illinois
- In the Illinois Senate, he sponsored a bill to eliminate
criminal background checks on gun buyers;
- In ten years in Congress, he has sided with the gun lobby on
ten critical votes;
- In 1990 and 1994 he voted against a federal ban on the
manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons;
- In 1993 he voted against the Brady Bill;
- In 1993 he voted to preempt state waiting periods on handgun
purchases;
- In 1996, he voted to repeal the federal ban on the
manufacture and importation of semi-automatic assault weapons; and
- In the races for his House seat, his campaign advertisements
proudly proclaimed that "He opposes any form of gun control."
Ellen Sauerbrey, Maryland
- In the Maryland legislature she voted against the state ban
on Saturday night specials;
- In the state legislature, she also led the unsuccessful 1994
floor fight against the state ban on assault pistols. A subsequent study by
the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence showed that the law contributed to a sharp drop in
the use of assault pistols by criminals in Maryland.
- As a candidate for Governor in 1994, she opposed a proposed
package of gun laws that featured a limit on handgun purchases to one-gun-a-month.
The one-gun-a-month bill later became a law and has contributed to a downturn in gun
crimes in Maryland.
- As a defeated candidate for Governor in 1994, the NRA
contributed $25,000 to help her challenge the outcome of the election;
- In her second run for governor, she has once again been
given high rankings by the NRA;
- As a candidate in this year’s election, she has also
been endorsed and supported by the Maryland Rifle and Pistol Association; and;
- The Maryland Licensed Firearm Dealers Association (MLFDA)
describes her as the "savor [sic] of our industry" and boasts that she would put
gun dealers on "easy street."
Other
and finally...
Charlton Heston and his Opposition to Florida’s
Revision 12
- Charlton Heston (a.k.a. "Moses") has been chosen
to lead the NRA’s attack on Revision 12 in Florida. Revision 12, put on the
November ballot by the state’s Constitutional Revision Commission, would simply give
counties in Florida the authority to require background checks and waiting periods on all
gun sales occurring at public gun shows. At the present time, criminals in
Florida can buy guns with "no questions asked" from unlicensed dealers operating
at gun shows. No background check. No waiting period. No paperwork.
- Heston and the NRA insist, wrongly, that Revision 12 would
actually lower criminal penalties against illegal gun sales. Revision 12 does
not lower or change any state or federal penalties; it simply gives counties additional
authority to regulate sales at gun shows. Any penalty imposed by a county would be a
misdemeanor but would not void any state or federal prosecution for other offenses.
Heston, more than anyone else, should
remember the Eighth Commandment: "Thou shall not bear false witness...."
# # #
Handgun Control, Inc., chaired by
Sarah Brady, is the nation’s largest citizens’ gun control lobbying
organization. Based in Washington, DC, HCI works to enact stronger federal, state and
local gun control laws, but does not seek to ban handguns. Founded in 1974, HCI has
more than 400,000 members nationwide and works with local groups around the country to
enact and protect reasonable gun control laws. |
