shallit@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP (Jeff Shallit) (01/06/85)
The story of the Biaggi-Moynihan bill is an interesting one and not anywhere near as black and white as recent postings by Karl Kleinpaste might indicate. Here is an excerpt from a recent breathless exchange... >> = Jeff Shallit > = Karl Kleinpaste >>Recently, >>however, they [the NRA] have dedicated themselves to the opposition of ALL legislation >>regulating gun owners, including reasonable legislation like the ban >>on cop-killer bullets, which was favored by almost every major law >>enforcement organization in the country. >---------- >The NRA opposed the legislation banning it for a >variety of reasons. Specifically, from Howard Pollock, NRA President, in >"The President's Column" of the Dec 1984 *American Rifleman*: > >"'Why in the world would the NRA opposed the passage of federal legislation >that outlawed the so-called 'cop killer' bullet?' The simple reason is that >the legislation...contained such a broad definition of the metal-piercing >ammunition sought to be controlled that it would have outlawed most >conventional sports ammunition available to hunters and other >sportsmen. Hmm. From this posting, direct from the NRA's magazine, one might assume that the NRA has been consistent in its opposition to Moynihan-Biaggi. However, one would be wrong. "In a stunning victory for police and Handgun Control supporters across the nation, the Reagan Administration and the National Rifle Association ***reversed their positions*** [italics mine] on the cop-killer bullet issue, endorsing a ban on the manufacture and importation of this deadly ammunition. On June 15, the Administration sent a White House-authored bill to the Congress that would ban bullets capable of penetrating the bullet-proof vests worn by nearly half the nation's police. "The new bill is supported by Congressman Mario Biaggi (D-NY), a 23-year veteran of the New York City Police Department, who originally introduced the Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act to ban cop-killer bullets. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), who led the fight in the Senate, has also given his endorsement to the Administration's compromise bill. "Congressman Biaggi and Senator Moynihan introduced their bill nearly four years ago at the request of the New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. Dozens of police organizations endorsed the Biaggi-Moynihan Bill. "But the NRA launched an unprecedented lobbying comapaign, saying, ``The cop-killer bullet issue is a Trojan Horse waiting outside gun owners' doors'' and ``there's not such thing as a good or bad bullet.'' And just last April, the NRA sent a legislative alert to each of its 2.6 million members, asking that they write in opposition to any legislation against cop-killer bullets. "The NRA's reversal came after a year of strong lobbying by Handgun Control, Inc., representatives of the law enforcement community, and Congressman Biaggi and Senator Moynihan." [some omissions] "In May, leaders of four of the largest law enforcement organizations in the nation wrote to the Congress urging passage of the Biaggi-Moynihan Bill. Stating that ``federal legislation to ban armor-piercing bullets must be passed,'' the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, the National Sheriff's Association, and the Police Executive Research Forum, argued persuasively for cop-killer bullet legislation." "Finally, the Reagan Administration admitted that cop-killer bullets pose a serious threat to police, and a compromise bill was drafted. The NRA, fearful of being alone in its opposition to a cop-killer bullet ban, was forced to support the new bill, now known as the Biaggi-Brooks Bill in the House and the Thurmond-Biden-Moynihan-D'Amato Bill in the Senate." ---Washington Report, V. 10, No. 2 (August, 1984) There's much more to this story than one can find out from reading NRA propaganda. In fact, it seems a bit naive to rely on news about firearms legislation solely on the official house organ of an organization that, in recent years, has dedicated itself to the opposition of ANY firearms control whatsoever. See future postings on how the NRA flip-flopped AGAIN on Moynihan-Biaggi, and the ill-fated McClure-Volkmer Bill. Jeff Shallit University of Chicago