European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 13, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 Jim Fain the stars and stripes saturday september 13,1983 gun lobby wants you to be Able to buy an Uzi relax. Freedom lovers spoilsport in con Gress May in in Yin in curb your ability to blow away Jour neighbor Bill Sotir National Rifle association is on guard. In Mil haltli1 to its last million Bucki 10 protect your right in Bear machine guns. Yes Jou read right. The highest current priority of inc 3 million member Jun lobby is to and the . Of legislation linings Ilc of machine guns. Gison Era s track record at buying and Selling Congro Susfolk. You should be Able to Arm Jour grandchildren with Auto Matic weapons for c . The limitation on Commerce in mass destruction got into Law pretty much by Accident. When inc Era began a drive task Spring again restrictions and re Cord keeping on handgun and Rifle sales it upset police officers Many of Lium were Era members. They descended on the Cap Ivil by the hundreds bul were no match for the Era. Which had Given si.4 million to candidates in 1983-84 and proven its clout by Knock ing Oil members who failed its gun lust lest. A Bill diluting the 1968 gun Law s weak controls passed easily bul Congress threw the cops a Bone Wilh an amendment keeping a ban on interstate handgun sales. In the confusion someone also wedged into the Law a ban on Sale of newly manufactured machine guns in Cal feel limiting the number in private hands to the 27,000 already in inventory. Horrors of course. When Era spotted this Camel nose under its tent it girded for Battle. Police and private organizations seeking to limit weaponry will be no match for its clout. The Era Many of whose partisans oppose every other aspect of the Bill of rights hangs its hat on the second amendment which Sayi a Well regulated militia being necessary to the Security of a free stale the right of the people to keep and Bear arms shall nol be that sounds As if it was intended to keep the National guard in business nol he dope pushers who waste each other with pistols and Otis bul never mind. Registering and licensing the Sale of guns to private citizens is clearly constitutional and would pro vide adequate Protection so Long As we made sure that machine guns artillery pieces and nuclear missile were off limits. Since we murder 10,000 of our people each Yea with handguns a total of four were killed in England in 1983we have plenty of Home grown terrorism to combat. Limiting handguns would be inc surest Way tout the toll but dial s not going to happen while most politicians including president Reagan arc hostage to the weapons lobby. In it Vort tm.5 to cute. Dead Tetter Fatoot ofe tatar Post a Floe Anthony Lewis . Must make detestation of apartheid Clear is at the Point of passing sanctions that would Send a Clear Ameri can message to South Africa bul now a problem has Arisen. It threatens to cast Shadow Over the whole purpose of the Enterprise. The threat is what lawyers Call Federal Preemption. That is. Courts might read the new Federal Law to pre empt the Field and Rule out All slate and local efforts against Apan acid. Those efforts have had a significant Impact. Mure than 30 cities now have ordinances restricting purchases of goo Sand services from companies that do business in South Africa. New York City for example asks bidders to sign a statement that they do no sell to the South african military or police if a company refuses to sign its Low bid May be passed Over for one up to s percent higher. So far none has refused. When new York and los Angeles and other cities adopt policies of that kind Large companies pay attention at least one Blu & Howell says it decided to sell off its South african holdings this year in targe part because it feared effects on its sales of microfilms and textbooks in this country. Then there Are the states that have adopted divestment legislation. Last month the California legislature passed a Bill requiring three huge pen Sion funds to sell Over the next four years All shares in companies that oper ate in South Africa. Ii was endorsed by California s conservative Republican governor George Deukmejian. Why would Congress think of undoing All those state and local efforts the answer is that Congress As a whole has not done so. But one key senator Richar Lugar r-ind., who chairs the foreign relations committee is making a deter mined Effort to do so. When the Senate considered its sanctions Bill Lasi month. Sen. Alfonso d Amato r-n.y., offered an Amend ment to Deal with a Point of special inter est to new York City. The Federal department of transportation has said thai the new York ordinance on South Africa conflicts Wilh Federal competitive bid Ding rules. D Amato wanted new York to continue to get its Federal Highway Aid but his amendment lost. Then in a speech on the floor Lugar suddenly made a far broader statement. Docs the Bill he asked occupy the Field with regard to . Law on apart Heid and thereby supersede and pre empt All state and local Laws on that subject the answer to the question for the moment is it Lugar actually spoke Only for himself. There was no discussion of Preemption in the committee or its report. But supporters of the Bill have become alarmed at his end run attempt to re shape it. They will make contrary statements in the House when asap pears Likely it accepts inc Senate Bill. What is Lugar up to his people say that. Like president Reagan he opposes corporate withdrawal from South Africa he thinks american companies should stay and help improve conditions for Black workers. And he believes the presi Dent for All his dislike of sanctions might sign a Bill that eased pressure on companies to gel out. If thai is the reasoning then Lugar has lost touch with he reality of what is Hap pening in South Africa today. Consider just a single Case that of the Rev. Sang Aliso my Hilshwa the Secretary general of the South african Catholic Bishops con Ference. Mph Tashwa was detained on june 12, when president Botha declared his slate of emergency. We happen to know some thing about him which is unusual among detainees because someone observed his condition a court Case was brought and he swore an affidavit on what had been done to him. He was blindfolded and handcuffed told to stand straight his pants and underpants pulled Down. There he was made to stand on the same spot for 30 hours As he was questioned. Twice gum were fired just behind his head. People who would do such things to a priest Are nol going to be moved by an american company thai builds better housing Tor its workers. Indeed the Issue is not working conditions As Lugar surely knows. It is the end of while supremacy and of the inhumanity needed to maintain it
