FAIRNESS IN FIREARM TESTING:A LITMUS TEST FOR FRIENDS OF FREEDOMGood news! At the urging of freedom's friend Len Savage, Rep. Phil Gingrey of Georgia's 11th congressional district has introduced H.R. 1603, "The Fairness in Firearm Testing Act."
This brief, clearly worded bill would require the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to video-record ALL tests it conducts on firearms and to make copies of the unedited recordings available to owners of the tested items and defendants in cases involving those items.
Gingrey's bill was directly inspired by the JPFO documentary _BATFE Fails the Test_ (
http://www.jpfo.org/batfevideo.htm). That documentary contains the first -- and so far only -- footage showing the BATFE trying to frame an innocent owner of a semi- automatic rifle.
Gun owners have been aware of such dirty ATF tricks for decades. But not until Len Savage delivered this explosive footage and JPFO made it available to the world did higher- ups in the U.S. Justice Department and Congress finally begin to believe us.
If Rep. Gingrey's bill passes as written, the ATF will have a much harder time destroying American lives. If the bill _doesn't_ pass (or gets weakened), then the ATF and a compliant court system will d everything they can to make sure We the People never again witness how that agency operates behind the scenes.
JPFO cannot and does not take a stand on any particular piece of legislation. We are an educational, not a political, organization. But we hope every reader will watch this bill carefully. (You can find its full (very short) text online at
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi- bin/query/D?c109:4:./temp/~c109u1ZZC5:: (tinyURL:
http://tinyurl.com/d93lz ) or go to
http://thomas.loc.gov and search on "Fairness in Firearm Testing.")
Watch who signs on as a co-sponsor. Watch who works to get the bill out of committee -- or who connives to keep it from ever reaching the floor of Congress. Watch who compromises, who sells out, who tries to weaken or twist the bill's language, and who stands firm. Watch which representatives vote for it and which vote against it.
Then you'll know, without a shadow of a doubt, which members of Congress are true friends of liberty and which only give lip service.
Keep an especially wary eye on the actions of James Sensenbrenner, the powerful chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Rep. Sensenbrenner claims to be a friend of gun owners, but when Aaron Zelman asked him to hold hearings on a long list of BATFE abuses, Sensenbrenner arrogantly replied with a form letter claiming the ATF protected Americans' constitutional rights (
http://www.jpfo.org/alert20050329.htm).
The Fairness in Firearm Testing Act is neither "pro-gun" nor "anti-gun." It simply requires honesty and openness in government. _Any_ representative who cares about liberty would vote for its simple, fair provisions (assuming no destructive changes or amendments are made to the bill). Whether a representative is for or against the Second Amendment is irrelevant in this case. Their attitude toward H.R. 1603 will reveal whether they want real freedom and justice for the citizens of this country.
By their actions toward this bill, you'll know their _true_ positions
http://www.jpfo.org/alert20050418.htm.
