European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Programs involving Hunting competitive shooting gun safety and the like Lor its 3 million duos paying members Many of whom oin mainly for the subscription to one of its Hunting or firearms magazines that goes with the $20 annual membership for years since its founding in 1871 to promote marksmanship those were the Era s main pursuits. While in has always championed the position that the right to keep arid Bear arms is absolute it did not put its full weight behind the cause until 1975 thai s when it formed ils Institute for legislative action 1la. Its lobbying Arm in the years since Era membership has tripled the Ila has a staff of 50, five of them stationed full time on Capitol Hill these do not include 22 Field representatives scattered across me nation it also has at ils disposal the organized members of an official Era association in each state and Whoso of 12.000 Era affiliated gun clubs throughout the land when gun control legislation is proposed boasts an Era pamphlet whether at the local slate or Federal level Era members and supporters alerted by Ila stall respond with individual letters and Calls to their elected  last year the Ila budget was $11 million All irom individual donations unless you be experienced  said a Florida legislator who opposed that slate s recent Law. You can t imagine the pressure the Era can bring " indeed when the Federal gun Law was debated last year in Congress no legislator spoke up or tightening it. Era political influence does t Stop with lobbying a year Afler Ila s birth. The association formed ils pvt political Victory fund. The pvt pumps Money directly into political campaigns solely according to a candidate s stand on gun control in 1984. The pvt spent $3 5 million. In last year s general election the pvt evaluated 20,000 stale candidates endorsed 2,000. And contributed directly to 1,375 races one reason i think me Nha is so elective. Says pole Shields chairman of handgun control. Inc. An Era opponent is thai politicians Are aware of Iho lopsided Power of one Issue voters. People who favor gun control lend to judge a candidate s stand on that Issue along with other important issues. People strongly against gun control might reject a candidate on that Issue alone or politicians fear they will so candidates ii to Dancu nationwide deaths by handgun total homicide and non negligent manslaughter it to 77 71 71 m my just Only Ejmi Wev Cal Wilpon Mew Molion a Kook to to if f b i some fwd Rel but a 0 my Tig lion Ted Lattanzo of the National nine association la Ever on guard again it restrictive gun Laws. Around the Issue " another reason surely Lor Iho Era s Success is Iho mystique of the gun Down through american history from the Pilgrim father with his Blunderbuss Over his shoulder to Annie Oakley with her Rille to John Wayna with his pistols and Clint Eastwood inviting the bad Guy to make his Day America has celebrated sharpshooters As heroes certainly Hollywood never questioned the gun s Box Ollice Appeal ii would not be going off half cocked to Point out thai guns have become so much a part of american lilo and Myrtli that they have even become ingrained in the american idiom lock Stock and barrel. Across the nation especially in its Rural places Hunting remains a traditional Pursuit of 20 million americans who spend counting everything irom Bilo Yuil Slid la ail Jim lie ill Kumb 4 10 Uli Ilum h Chi of the estimated 140 million firearms in private hands in America not quite half of them. Irom 40 to 60 million Are handguns. Since these Are Seldom used Lor Hunting they Are the target of most gun control Laws because handguns Are responsible for most gun related crimes and deaths. Where the Era and most of its organized opponents clash most vociferously right now is Over an Era Campaign promoting handguns for self defense a series of six full Page ads Are running in selected newspapers across the country. They seem to be in response to the words of a rape victim quoted in an Era pamphlet be graphic be disgusting be obscene make them  one and asks should you shoot a rapist before he cuts your Throat another do robbers rapists and murderers wait in lines accompanying photos Are indeed graphic one suggests a rapist two show people getting shot one a kneeling victim being bludgeoned with a club All repeal a Bottom line defend your right to defend yourself reaction to the ads from what we hear those who support the people s right to keep and Bear arms favor them those who Don t oppose  in the continuing Battle Over gun control that would also summarize the Era s unchanging position there is no Middle ground. Laws regulating guns often ineffective by Jules Toh associated press ack in 1880 an angry Kentucky Mountaineer named Randolph Mccoy aiming Only to Stop something ugly before it got started instead provided history with one of its More pathetic gestures. He went to the Pike county courthouse and swore out warrants against Lorrol his neighbors or carrying concealed and deadly  All four were named Hatfield. None was arrested. The same Law is still on the books in Kentucky. And it seems no More effective today in keeping pistols out of Glove compartments at least in Pike county than it was a Century ago in holding off what became America s longest and bloodiest family feud. The Kentucky Law is one of no fewer than 20,000 in America s states counties and cities regulating gun use. Most prohibit things like firing of a gun within the City limits or allowing children to carry them and Are not controversial. Others Are. One in Morton Grove lit., bans Possession of handguns another in Kennesaw ga., requires Heads of households to keep a working gun in their Homes still others Are either ignored or skirted. In Pike county. By or example the Way to get around that concealed weapons Law legally is simply to sign up As a Volunteer Deputy sheriff How Many have done this is hard to say but in the estimate of the county clerk who was too Busy to count the whole list Rke county s unpaid deputies number in the hundreds " the new Florida Lav allows a permit or a concealed weapon to anyone who has lived in the state six months pays a $146 Lee. Takes a Brief safety instruction and has his fingerprints recorded it wiped out local restrictions such As one in Dade county which required at least a 72-hour waiting period or a background Check by local police. In some other states such As new York and Massachusetts by contrast an applicant needs first a permit from the local police just to buy a gun and a second permit to carry it. Both require extensive background investigations and persuasive arguments Why the License should be issued. The police May deny it at their discretion. Florida s seeming laxity shocked Many who eel gun Laws should be tightened not loosened. They might be surprised to learn that 10 other states Are equally Iree of difficult License requirements Alabama Connecticut Georgia Indiana Maine. New Hampshire both Dakotas Utah and Washington. Vermont requires no License at All. As for carrying guns openly strapping one on your hip and walking Down main Street if you choose is Legal in 33 states. Most Stales like Florida stipulate that the gun must be carried for a legitimate purpose such As going Hunting or target shooting. Florida s legislature inadvertently removed that provision when it passed its new Law. Then like a rueful youth lamenting that he did t know the gun was loaded hurried to restored in special session now if the gun Toter can t show a legitimate purpose he is guilty of a second degree Misdemeanour Florida s lowest classification of criminal offences. Maximum Fine s500. We could t understand what All the fuss was about in Florida said Rick Bartley. An assistant Commonwealth s attorney in Pikeville. By we could t  said Ted Lattanzio. The director of state and local affairs Lor the National Rifle association the Era spent years lobbying the Florida legislature to pass the Law All it  he said was remove arbitrary and confusing Laws that varied irom county to county and replace them with a stale Standard that is uniform equal and fair or  ill Tell you what the fuss was  said Barbara Lautman of handgun control inc., one of the Era s leading opponents. A number of slates 31, have passed Preemption Laws Laws that give the state authority Over All future gun control Laws she said. That s bad enough but Florida was the first to wipe out All existing local Laws in doing so we believe that issuing licences for carrying concealed weapons ought to be done locally where the Law enforcement people know the applicants better and can Check on them " a National Law requiring a week Long Wail before completing a handgun Sale to provide Lime for a local background Check and also a Cooling off period to prevent crimes of passion is a key feature in a gun control Bill awaiting congressional action Sci Calls it the Brady  Sarah Brady Sci s vice chairman is the wife of White House press Secretary Jim Brady Sci contends that a police Check would have shown thai Charles Hockley illegally gave a false address when he bought the handgun that wounded her husband and president Reagan the Era compiles statistics and studies intended to show that gun Laws have no effect on crime Rales or even hat some places with less restrictive gun Laws such As Vermont have lower crime rates Sci and other gun control advocates argue that thai has More to do with regional history and traditional behaviour than on gun Laws in any Case Sci focuses not on crime figures but on deaths by handguns As the Era  Don t kill people do As Sci replies. Guns Don t die. People do " the hat deeds and Mccoy could have agreed with both the stars and stripes Page 15