NOW ACTION ALERT ON DV GUN BAN

Batterers should not have guns! That is the message of our effort to protect the domestic violence offender gun ban which is under attack by the National Rifle Association and several police unions. A strong grassroots response is urgently needed, so please send your message to members of Congress who will be voting on this issue the week of May 19th.

So far, activists have managed to keep Rep. Bob Barr (D-GA) from trying to attach his bill weakening the gun ban to an appropriations measure which is moving quickly through Congress. However, a new problem has arisen. Next Tuesday or Wednesday, May 20th or 21st, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime will be meeting for a mark-up session on Rep. Bob Barr's bill (H.R.26) to remove all retroactivity for application of the ban on firearms for misdemeanor domestic violence offenders. This means anyone who was convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense (some states classify these serious offenses as misdemeanors, rather than felonies) at any point in the past will still be able to purchase and possess a gun. Under a different law, persons convicted of a felony offense are not permitted to own or carry a firearm.

We are opposed to changing the retroactivity feature in any way because this means that batterers will still have access to guns. We know that the presence of guns in domestic violence situations increases the possibility of homicide. Your message should simply be: "No change on retroactivity in the domestic violence gun ban and no guns for batterers."

The pending vote appears to be very close -- we especially need to have calls, faxes and email messages from the Orlando, FL, home district of subcommittee chair, Bill McCollum (R) at (202) 225-2176 or fax (202)225-0999; and from the home districts of Rep. Steve Chabot (R) of Cincinnati, OH at 202-225-2216 or fax (202)2253012; Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R) of Fayetteville, AR (202)225-4301 or asa.hutchinson@mail.house.gov and Rep. Charles Schumer (D) of Brooklyn, NY at (202)225-6616 or fax (202)225-4183. Even if you live in a different Congressional District, please call the key members anyway. We have to put a stop now to weakening the ban. If we can stop the bill in the House, then a similar measure is not likely to move in the Senate since there appears to be less interest in the upper body to weaken the ban.

Other full committee members who would be important to contact are: Steven Schiff, (R- NM); Steve Buyer (R-IN); Robert Wexler (D-FL); Steven Rothman (D-NJ); Henry Hyde (R- IL), chair of the House Judiciary Committee; Lamar Smith (R-TX); Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI); George Gekas (R-PA); Howard Coble (R-NC); Elton Gallegly (R-CA); Charles Canady (R- Fl); Bob Inglis (R-SC); Bob Goodlatte (R-VA); Sonny Bono (R-CA); Ed Bryant (R-TN); Bob Barr (R-GA); William Jenkins (R-TN); Edward Pease (R-IN) and Chris Cannon (R-UT).

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