(March 21, 2004)
1. IT'LL GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER THIS WEEK. With House hearings now behind us, gun grabbing delegates will agitate for action on their so-called "assault weapon ban" - the ban on virtually all semi-auto firearms. Look for proponents to escalate rhetoric about how they will amend the bill to simply "conform Maryland law to the sunsetting federal law." Such language makes it sound a whole lot more reasonable to the uninformed but remember ... none of it is true. You'd have to repeal a lot of Maryland law to conform us with the feds, and we know they won't do that. Claims of reasonableness are only weak willed liberals looking to grab cover for their misdeeds.

Here are a few things to remember: The fact of ban proponents speculating about amendments shows how much of a loss they think this is for them. They signed half the legislature as a cosponsor yet need an amendment to get the bill advanced before the first shot is fired? That's a failure if any pundit saw one. Furthermore, no House action you may read about this week signals any change in the dynamics of the Senate situation. Gun bills simply aren't moving there. So ... if the House considers and advances a gun control bill, then it won't be pleasant for us but neither will it necessarily be fatal. In fact, it'll give us a 2006 voting guide in the House.

Our advice: stay the course. It may be bad political business for House leaders to put their people on record with a vote on controversial legislation that won't go anywhere in the Senate, but it is their call to make, and we'll adjust our plans accordingly. That leads us to ....

2. ACTION ITEM: All Delegates in the House must hear from pro-gun constituents early this week. Call 'em all, be polite but be firm and tell them to vote NO on any new gun control. If a gun bill advances in the House this week, make sure your Delegates know that no compromise language is of value to us ... we won't take any "softening" language as being some kind of favor. If you called last week (like you were supposed to! :-) then CALL AGAIN. It is fine for you to confirm that your message got through to your Delegate or to update a note. (See www.myguns.net for details on how to find legislator contact information.)

3. MPFO'S LATEST FUND RAISER IS DEDICATED TO POLITICAL PAY BACK: Marylanders for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (MPFO) has launched a fund raiser with all proceeds dedicated to the ouster of any legislator who promoted the assault weapon bans in Annapolis. We have a lot of payback to deliver, so we have a lot of raffle tickets to sell! Win an AR-15 tactical carbine (what gun- banners would call an "assault weapon" ... with attitude, we might add!) for a $5 donation. Details at www.myguns.net