Tuesday, November 01, 2005
GUN OWNERS, 1 - ATF, 0
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS
We're proud to announce a major breakthrough in the long battle to
curb the abuses of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (ATF).
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), an arm of the U.S.
Congress, has issued a memo telling the world what we've always said
(http://www.jpfo.org/batfearticl
arbitrary, made-up standards when they bring charges against gun
owners and testify against us in court.
You can read the CRS report here: http://www.jpfo.org/ATFguntests
Read it carefully. Notice something important. Although the CRS did
an investigation of its own, it relied heavily on information that
came straight from gun-maker Len Savage and JPFO.
THIS REPORT ALMOST GOT BURIED!
Although JPFO does not lobby Congress or urge anyone else to, JPFO's
work and Len's was instrumental in bringing this report into the
world. We're proud of that fact.
But YOUR work was instrumental, too, if you were one of the many
Americans who asked their representatives to get a copy of the ATF's
testing procedures manual.
No such ATF manual exists. One after one, at gun owners' urging,
congressmen asked the CRS to get the manual. The CRS asked the ATF
to produce the manual. And they hit a wall.
Then something ominous happened. For several weeks, the CRS, urged
on by a frantic Justice Department, planned to bury this information.
Why? Because these revelations could potentially overturn hundreds,
even thousands, of criminal prosecutions of innocent gun owners,
going back decades.
But YOU kept pushing. And you did it on your own.
Finally the CRS had no choice but to reveal the truth: the ATF
simply "makes it up as they go along."
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
The CRS memo changes nothing by itself. It has no legal force. But
it is the first light Congress has shone on the ATF in 23 years. It
is a _beginning_. It is a tool concerned gun owners -- and defense
attorneys -- can use.
It's also a demonstration of the truth of two well-known quotations
about the power of the grassroots.
"When I feel the heat, I see the light." -- Sen. Everett Dirksen
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change
the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that can." -- Margaret Mead
Now, what the future holds is, in part, up to you. Take action!
1) READ the CRS report.
2) SHARE IT. Circulate the link to it on email lists. Post the link
on your blog. Let the world know. Think of two dozen -- or a
hundred -- friends who need to see the report and share it with them.
3) ASK QUESTIONS. "How can I get more gun-rights groups involved in
this?" "When is Congress going to curb the ATF?" "What can I do
about it?" "What should ALL gun owners do about it?" "What can
defense lawyers do with this report?" "Do I know any lawyers or
abused gun owners who should get a copy of this?"
4) BUILD FORCES to demand that this report be acted upon and not
ignored.
The CRS report isn't dramatic. The language is calm and legalistic.
It has no force in law. The drama comes when this report inspires
OUTRAGE and ACTION.
Thanks to Len Savage, JPFO, and a few hundred gun owners, you now
have proof that backs what abused gun owners have been shouting all
these years.
Now ... run with it.
If American gun owners take this memo and demand action upon it,
this little report will be bigger than the recent pro-gun vote in
Brazil, bigger than forcing FEMA to allow firearms into refugee
settlements. This has the potential to lead to the dismantling of
one of the worst agencies of the federal government.
Even if it doesn't lead to the end of the ATF, it could still stop
the ruin of thousands of gun owners' lives and the abuse of millions
of gun owners' rights.
In a corollary to Everett Dirksen's famous remark, we always
say "Attack their pension to get their attention." ATF agents are
just working men and women who want to make a living and retire
comfortably. Threatening their security is the best way to force
them to behave.
And make no mistake. Despite the polite language, the revelations in
this report are a major threat to ATF power.
Now ... our next step is to make sure the nobody tolerates ATF
abuses. We must keep the light shining on the CRS report until every
defense lawyer, judge, and leader in the land is aware of it.
Then we must absolutely refuse to tolerate anyone who tolerates ATF
abuses.
Finally, after decades, WE, the American gun owners, are in a
position to take initiative and control.
Will you stand with JPFO and Len Savage? Or will you let the ATF get
away with its abuses when the power to stop them has finally been
placed in your hands? Your freedom is up to you.
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