Federal Power Grab Threatens Your Rights

[Gun Owners of America <goamail@gunowners.org> (by way of "Edwin E. Smith" <edsmith@IntNet.net>)]

Massive New Power Grab By The Feds
   -- gun owners' constitutional rights in jeopardy

Gun Owners of America E-Mail/FAX Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

First, an update on Smith's "Anti-Brady" amendment: The pro-gun
Smith amendment that passed the Senate in July is still awaiting
action in a House-Senate conference committee. In fact, the House
still has yet to pick the House conferees. GOA will keep you
updated on this important legislation which would put the brakes
on FBI's ability to register and tax gun owners. Keep calling
your legislators (202-224-3121) and urge them to oppose the
Commerce-Justice-State bill UNLESS it keeps the Smith language
100 percent intact.

(Friday, October 2, 1998)-- Rep. Bob Barr has discovered that
Janet Reno's Department of Justice (DOJ) is shopping around a
legislative "wish list" to further erode our constitutional
liberties. They are hoping to take advantage of the chaotic
situation in Washington to "load up" an appropriations bill
with a number of frightening expansions of federal power:

  * Enlarged asset forfeiture provisions to allow the FBI to
    seize personal property in both criminal and civil matters
    (your entire gun collection would be at risk)

  * A vastly expanded definition of terrorism to include
    domestic crimes having no relationship to terrorism
    (fighting "terrorism" is a new tactic of the gun grabbers,
    especially since the Supreme Court has stated that the
    Commerce Clause is no longer sufficient)

  * The ability to commandeer personnel from other federal
    agencies without reimbursement (just in case they need
    more agents for the next Waco)

  * Authority to force telephone and Internet companies to
    divulge information on their customers without a warrant
    (someone posts a message threatening the President to a gun
    list, and the feds demand the names and addresses of
    everyone who received the offending message)

  * Expanded wiretap authority to allow "roving" wiretaps of
    innocent citizens and gun owners, and wiretaps without any
    court authority whatsoever (so much for the Fourth
    Amendment)

  * Loosening of Posse Comitatus restrictions to allow more
    military involvement in domestic law enforcement
    (further blurring the line between police and military,
    which means destroying targets rather than making arrests)

  * The establishment of a permanent "FBI Police Force" (one
    could only speculate as to how bad this would be)

  * The power to seize commercial transportation assets for
    federal use (like the rest of the wish list, there is
    zero constitutional authority for this).

In an era in which agencies of the federal government routinely
target law-abiding gun owners for persecution, such assaults on
our constitutional rights must be stopped.

HERE'S WHAT TO DO:

Contact your Representative and both Senators. Urge them to
oppose any DOJ expansion of power through the appropriations
process. Call 202-224-3121 or hit the GOA website at
http://www.gunowners.org for phone, fax and e-mail of individual
Congressional offices.

Tell them to keep Smith in, and to keep the FBI out!


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