Clinton to Propose Handgun Licensing Program

[DHH]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton is to propose a handgun licensing program as part of his State of the Union speech on Thursday, a White House official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the proposal was the so-called ``surprise'' feature of the speech, most of which has been publicized in advance.

``Crime in America has dropped for the past seven years -- the longest decline on record, thanks to a national consensus we helped forge on community police, sensible gun control, and effective prevention,'' Clinton said in an excerpt of the State of the Union speech released in advance by the White House.

``But nobody believes America is safe enough. So let's set a higher goal: let's make America the safest big country in the world,'' Clinton said. A White House guest at Thursday's speech will be Tom Mauser, who has become a prominent gun-control advocate since the loss of his son in the Columbine High School shootings last year.

Clinton has previously resisted calls to seek a licensing of handguns, saying he would pursue only what he thought he had a chance of getting through Congress.

Vice President Al Gore and former Sen. Bill BradleyDHH, who are waging a battle for the Democratic nomination to succeed Clinton, have both proposed licensing of gun owners.[/quote]

 

[Dennis Olson]

I'll NEVER register. Neither myself nor my guns. Period.

End of story.

 

[pbash]

This is so dumb of Mr Clinton if he really does it. No one *anywhere* who owns a gun and feels the government would never confiscate them will ignore this. There is too much history that shows registration preceedes confiscation. You can bet the NRA will make hay of this in the coming year. At least I hope so. This could be the thing that lights the fire under a lot of butts out here. Up to now, its just been the odd nobody who pushed registration. Now its the ****ing President. A lot of fence sitters will come firmly over to the pro-gun side. In his haste to establish his legacy, Mr Clinton may have stepped firmly on his d**k.


[This message has been edited by pbash (edited January 27, 2000).]

 

[DC]

Algore's worst enemy is His Billness...I'm LMAO.

No one will comply, he has stolen Al's thunder and cut his knees out and Al will have to backtrack!
This is hilarious!!

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!

 

[Futo Inu]

You guys are missing the point. The law won't ask for anyone to register. It would only require licensing for the sale of new handguns. In 10-20 years, the vast majority of handguns owners will be on file with big brother. The Clintonistas are no dummies. Are YOU happy with JUST the handguns you already own. It's serious. It's real. It must be stopped. Sharpen your pencils and get ready to flood your critters with mail and faxes.

 

[pbash]

I don't think I'm missing the point. I just saw him on tv proposing photo id's for handgun purchasers. Do you honestly believe he means only new purchasers? I dont' think *we* are dumb enough to think so. Give us a bit more credit.

 

[Bud Helms]

I think Futo's got a point, Pbash.

We know they would like to register us, but it might tip the scales against their program. Too obvious. Too easily judged radical by those duck hunters that think this isn't about them.

It's the same way they got most people to think it's okay if it's "for our safety". They started changing the language in the fifties and picked up speed in the sixties and went into afterburner in the seventies. Incrementalism.

People don't even think of the debate in the same terms we do. See how radical Thomas Jefferson is viewed today? It was gradual.

Start registering now, only the dangerous type of weapons, mind you, the ones that have no other purpose except to kill people. "Grandfather" every existing weapon owner and just start from scratch with new purchases. Our sons and daughters will live in the United States of Amerika and never know the difference. Somewhere along the way the "grandfathered" guns will be swept up in the system too. We woke up too late, buddy.

Fifteen, twenty years and the whole Bill of Rights will be a memory. It's already started.

How else can we ever move into the twenty first century and the new world of peace we're building? How can we make Amerika look like the rest of the world if we have all these jackass pistoleros running around carrying concealed and ready to go "postal" at the slightest affront from a UN street cop? It's over.

Now, if you don't wise up to their methods it will be over. They use distraction and they lie and then they back off. But they never back up to where they were. They gain an inch. Then they do it again.

As for, "I dont' think *we* are dumb enough to think so. Give us a bit more credit.", get with it. They form the argument. They choose the language. They anger you to distraction. Then they do it again.

Cool heads will win this one. It'll take years. Decades. Maybe another century.

For me, when I'm dead, I hope I have left behind enough distrust of government that they loath the mention of my name. I've already got a good start ... they hate my kind.

------------------
Sensop

"Get your mind right and the body will follow." - Shino Takazawa, sinsei, hachi dan, Keishinkan do.
Sensop's Corner

[This message has been edited by sensop (edited January 28, 2000).]

 

[pbash]

Gentlemen, I think you are pounding the rubble here. We are not in disagreement about how the anti's are going about their agenda.

My point is that most gunowners *do* have a clue about what's going down. Maybe gun owners have been complacent, but they aren't stupid. If anything, they are distracted by the business of dealing with everyday life.

Clinton has made a major mistake here. Look at what happened in Washington State in '97. They had a referendum that called for the registration of all handguns. It initially was projected to win and a ****load of money was spent to push it but it failed two to one on a popular vote. Why? Because of grassroots activism. Because people wrote the letters and made the calls. Because the supposedly "stupid" sheeple were aroused to make a stand.

Clinton has given us something to rally around and we will. This is far from over and the sooner we get over this defeatist attitude the better off we'll be.

 

[Christina Whittington]

Since when did we have to have a license to buy a rifle or shotgun? I may sound stupid, but I didn't know we had a law concerning that.
I don't think anyone is just going to hand over their weapons to the government. I know I won't.

 

[Danger Dave]

Hey, a new-ish member! I know I might be a little late, but welcome to TFL, Christina!


------------------
Beginner barbarians probably had the idea that every house they broke into would be full of untouched loot and frightened, unarmed victims. It just doesn't work that way, my friend.

I hope these evil men come to understand our peaceful ways soon - My trigger finger is blistering!

 

[Zeebrahed]

Im tired of being on the retreat. On the defensive. We as gunowners are attacked at every turn, every chance. Millions strong and we are losing ground every year and every election. In fact, we are almost lost.

When will that final line be crossed? What is the last infringement that will unite us all? When will make it clear that we will stand for no more?

We either hang together or hang seperatly. Yeah. Check your neck, we are hung.

 

[dZ]

on NPR this AM they said Clinton credited Al Gore with the whole photo id concept

get out the vote in New Hampshire

bury him with votes for anybody else

dZ

 

[cjb]

To whom it may concern,
I lost all of my handguns on a recent fishing trip therefore I can not register them. Hows that grab your......

Calvin
"IM THE NRA"

 

[TheBluesMan]

Someone on this forum said this months ago, but it is still my favorite.

"Yes sir, I had guns, but I sold them all to someone at the last gunshow at the fairgrounds. His name? Yeah, I think he said his name was Osama bin Laden or something like that."


------------------
RKBA!

"The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security"
Ohio Constitution, Article I, Section 4
Concealed Carry is illegal in Ohio.
Ohioans for Concealed Carry Website

 

[dZ]

AJCongress Calls on Senate and House to Pass Clinton's Gun Control Proposals http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/000128/dc_ajcongr_1.html
WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- States license drivers and hunters. They should license gun buyers as well, the American Jewish Congress
said today, as it announced its support for the three gun control proposals which President Clinton featured in his State of the Union address last night.
Besides licensing of gun purchasers, the President also called for stricter enforcement of current gun laws and the development of ``Smart Gun''
technology.

The statement by AJCongress President Jack Rosen is as follows:

``In a nation where gun violence so often dominates the headlines, no report on the State of the Union could fail to confront that pressing problem. President Clinton's speech last night contained
three important proposals directed toward that end. All of them should be promptly approved by Congress.

``The President's call for federal legislation requiring licensing of all handgun purchasers, with photo identification for all handgun buyers once they have passed a background check and completed
a gun-safety course, is welcome news to the American people, who overwhelming support tough gun control legislation.

``If states license drivers and hunters, the President said, why not gun buyers as well?

``He's right.

``The American Jewish Congress, which last fall began a 'STOP THE GUNS: PROTECT OUR KIDS' drive to secure one million signatures demanding that the Congress pass tough gun control
legislation, applauds the President's proposal. We support as well the President's demand for stepped up enforcement of gun laws already on the books -- a proposal consistent with calls by the gun
lobby for firmer enforcement of existing gun laws before new legislation is adopted. Whether the gun lobby will stick to its guns when its bluff is called remains to be seen.

``The President's request of ''responsible leaders in the gun industry`` to develop Smart Gun technology to prevent accidental shootings and the use of stolen weapons is recognition that in the
world of firearms change is coming, and that proposals to control gun violence are not the political will o' the wisp they once were.

``Licensing of gun owners is an important first step toward stemming the tide of gun violence which is sweeping the nation. While the President's proposal is right on target, we continue to believe
that registration of all guns, not merely licensing of owners, is necessary. America needs a data base which will allow law enforcement officials to track weapons used in violent crimes.

``The gun lobby has predictably already rejected the President's licensing proposals. It will undoubtedly utilize its cash and political clout to defeat the proposal, as well as that for Smart Gun
technology. But we believe that what the President has proposed accurately represents that which the vast majority of the American people want.

``Nothing would be a more appropriate legacy for this President and this Congress than an America free of the scourge of the deadly violence now afflicting the nation.''

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American Jewish Congress has long worked on behalf of gun control legislation on both the federal and local levels.

SOURCE: American Jewish Congress

------------------
"walk softly and carry a big stick, one that goes bang in .308 is fine"

 

[dZ]

Friday January 28, 9:47 am Eastern Time http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000128/az_saf_t_h_1.html
Company Press Release

Clinton Calls for More Aggressive Gun Safety Measures in State of the Union Address

Saf-T-Hammer Says Company is Preparing to Meet Expected Demand

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2000--Saf-T-Hammer (OTCBB:SAFH - news), a provider of gun safety locking devices, announced today that in response to President Clinton's
State of the Union address in which he called for ``Common sense gun safety legislation as the very next order of business,'' Saf-T-Hammer president Bob Scott, a former vice-president of
Smith and Wesson, said the company would take steps to prepare for the impending demand.

The company debuted its innovative Saf-T-Trigger device at the national Shot Show earlier this month to rave reviews from the gun industry due to the simplicity and effectiveness of the
Saf-T-Trigger's patented design.

In his address, President Clinton said to a national viewing audience, ``The accidental gun death rate of children under fifteen in the United States is nine times higher than in the other twenty-five
industrialized countries combined.''

``We are thrilled to see gun safety as a topical issue in the nation's consciousness,'' Scott added. ``Our plan all along has been to provide gun owners with an efficient, affordable solution to help
prevent firearm-related tragedies. We believe we can become the overwhelming choice of the safety conscious gun owner.''

Saf-T-Hammer Corporation is a gun safety company that has developed Saf-T-Hammer(TM) and Saf-T-Trigger(TM), innovative patent pending gun safety devices designed to prevent
unauthorized gun use and unintentional firearm accidents.

Saf-T-Hammer(TM) is an external firearm hammerhead that can quickly and easily be removed to render a firearm inoperable. Saf-T-Trigger(TM) is a mechanical trigger block, which is
permanently installed in the trigger guard of a handgun or shotgun. The block is activated quickly and simply with a special key, which raises a post into position behind the trigger, physically
blocking the rearward movement of the trigger. With the Saf-T-Trigger(TM) activated, the firearm cannot be fired.

For more information, visit their Web site at www.saf-t-hammer.com.

------------------
"walk softly and carry a big stick, one that goes bang in .308 is fine"

 

[ernest2]

The Second Ammendment forbides the US Government from INFRINGING on the God Given right to keep and bear arms.

When one must pay yearly registration fees that cost more and more money every
year that we must reregister and when a stiff
fine and jail sentence could apply for untimely reregistration and when photo id and
costly retesting proceedures could apply

What we then have is no longer a right
being infringed but rather a government dispensed privledge that must be purchased
with ever increasing fees until one of modest means can no longer afford to pay the exorbanent fees.

Cars and drivers licenses are not constitutionally protected rights , but rather bought and paid for privledges dispensed or with held at the whim of the government.

Auto registration fees increase almost yearly and so do drivers licenses fees.

However, politicians can not increase auto
registration & drivers license fees to the point that no one could afford to register
or drive because the entire American population would make a big stink about it and not stand for it. Firearms owners
however, being far less numberious that automobile owners, could ,with relative immunity--be priced out of ownership of a
Right which the Second Ammendment Forbids the Government to INFRINGE.

I DO NOT WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT KONFISCATING FIREARMS------INSTEAD--BE WORRIED ABOUT REGISTRATION AND LICENSING FEES
BEING SO COSTLY THAT ONLY THE RICH COULD AFFORD TO KEEP EVEN ONE GUN. You could forget about affording to keep an entire gun collection.

I can forsee being forced to repeat the entire pistol safety course yearly or every 4 years at $175.oo just for the course and a 85.oo fee for your federal handgun license
which still would not allow you to carry beyong the borders of your state.

Then yearly registration fees for each of your guns at 100.oo per gun. How about 500.oo
per gun or 5,000.oo per gun. Any amount is reasonable to anti gun politicians!

Dont get excited; dont write your congress critter; just sit back and do nothing----
and make Comrades Klintonov and Gorechov Happy!

NRA approves of gun contol laws as long as NRA gets some say in their wording.

Thus does NRA preside over the begining of the end of freedom in Americia while keeping the fat pay checks comming.

Makes me ashamed to admit to being a member.

GOA is the only "No Compromise Gun Lobby"
& in MHO , much more deserving of our support.

read about NRA @ www.GOA-Texas.org/NRA.htm

I was totally sickened to see NRA compromising
our SA rights away in true Republican form.

disgusting & thensome.

------------------
In 2000, we must become
politically active
in support of gun rights
or we WILL LOSE the right
& the freedom.

NO FATE BUT WHAT WE MAKE!!!

Every year,over 2 million Americans use firearms
to preserve life,limb & family.Gun Control Democrats
would prefer that they are all disarmed and helpless and die,instead.

ernest2, Conn. CAN opp. "Do What You Can"!
http://thematrix.acmecity.com/digital/237/cansite/can.html