Antis` Efforts To Torpedo Lawsuit Bill Begin Anew

Much as we predicted with the introduction in Congress of NRA-backed lawsuit preemption legislation--S. 397 and H.R. 800--the anti-gun drumbeat against these bills has begun.

Last week, the New York Times reported that several city officials across the country are urging the Senate to reject S. 397 when it comes up for a vote. Exhibit A among those city officials is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R), who, in a WABC radio interview last week, stopped just short of calling for an outright ban on handguns, telling interviewer John Gambling, "I`m not so sure I wouldn`t think that that is a good idea."

And would any discussion of gun control be complete without mention of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)? Following the now familiar formula of trying to sink the legislation under the weight of bogus, anti-gun "poison pill" amendments, Schumer revealed his strategy, announcing he fully intends similar action this time around. "I`m not sure what it will be," he said, "but we will add amendments to this bill that may make the sponsors less enthusiastic about passing it."

As we`ve noted in recent Grassroots Alerts, NRA-ILA considers any votes for anti-gun poison pill amendments to these bills as votes against the underlying measure itself.

Please continue to contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative and ask them to cosponsor and support S.397 and H.R. 800. And again, please reiterate to them that you consider any votes in support of anti-gun amendments to this legislation as a vote against the underlying bill itself!

To access the most up-to-date information on this issue, please go to the "Stop Reckless Lawsuits Against the Firearm Industry" heading at, www.NRAILA.org, and click the "Take Action" button. This function will allow you to easily send an e-mail or letter to your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators. Please forward this link to your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners.

You can find additional contact information for your elected officials by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org, or you can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.