DINGELL CRUISES TO EASY WIN- HCI CLAIMS HE JUST "SQUEAKED BY"

In one of the most closely-followed races in this young 2002 election season, NRA-PVF-endorsed U.S. Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.) handily defeated anti-gun extremist U.S. Representative Lynn Rivers (D-Mich.) on Tuesday in a rare primary match-up between incumbents. Redistricting pitted these two lawmakers against each other, and while they held similar positions on a number of issues, they diverged dramatically on the Second Amendment. As Rep. Dingell's strong support of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms became the central issue of the race, it attracted national attention, and the race became promoted as a national forum on gun control. NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox pointed out, "Anti-gun groups attempted to use this race as an indictment against all gun rights of law-abiding Americans."

However, ever since Al Gore lost his bid for the presidency in 2000-while running on a platform that included promoting gun bans, and licensing and registration schemes for law-abiding gun owners-Democrats have been doing everything they can to distance themselves from the image that theirs is the party of gun control. The Nebraska Democratic Party, for example, recently recognized the right to arms as a part of its official platform, as did the Montana Democratic Party in February.

But Rep. Rivers was one of the exceptions. She openly embraced her anti-gun history, aggressively campaigned on an anti-gun platform, and repeatedly condemned Rep. Dingell for his history of working closely with NRA. Rivers received the endorsement of the gun-ban lobby formerly known as HCI in March, and the extremist organization dedicated a great deal of time, energy, and money to the Rivers campaign. Late in the race, their Chair, Sarah Brady, dedicated much of her time to campaigning for Rivers, including committing a whole day to be at the candidate's side. Brady's organization even named Dingell the first of its "Dangerous Dozen"-the gun-ban lobby's list of pro-Second Amendment lawmakers it intends to target for defeat during the 2002 elections. HCI and the "Million Mom March" (MMM)-the anti-gun organization that was on the verge of collapse before HCI absorbed it-even set up a website that highlighted Rep. Dingell's pro-gun track record in an effort to rally anti-gun extremists to support Rivers. ILA's Cox observed, "The Rivers campaign, bankrolled by anti-gun groups like Handgun Control, Inc., enlisted actor Martin Sheen and activist Sarah Brady to tape get-out-the-vote messages for Lynn Rivers. In fact, the anti-gun groups threw in the kitchen sink in this race."

In contrast, Rep. Dingell, who once served as an NRA Director, proudly promoted his long history of supporting our Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and the plank of his platform on firearms focused on targeting violent gun crimes, not law-abiding gun owners. He also highlighted the tremendous amount of work he has done on behalf of hunters during nearly five decades in Congress. In support of Dingell, NRA held an Election Workshop (see story below for details) in his district in June, and we worked hard to ensure the pro-gun community was energized and ready to bring victory to Dingell. And NRA's efforts paid off in spades.

In spite of the pronouncement from political pundits that Dingell was facing a serious challenge from Rivers, and despite the fact that many polls prior to Primary Election Day, August 6, had the two in a dead heat, Dingell ended up trouncing Rivers. But the lopsided 59% - 41% vote didn't seem to sink in with the gun-ban lobby. Michael Barnes, President of HCI, desperately tried to spin the loss of one of his organization's most staunch supporters. He had the audacity to proclaim, "Although Dingell squeaked by, this race is a warning ... standing with the [pro-gun community] jeopardizes your congressional seat." Only in the anti-gun fantasy world can a near 20-point loss be categorized as a squeaker.

We've asked before if HCI is losing touch with reality, and outrageous statements such as this latest from Barnes will certainly not help the group's credibility. Even today, the gun-ban lobby seems mired in denial, as it continues to promote its anti-Dingell campaign on its website, but has refused to post anything about the loss of one of its great allies in Congress.

Even if HCI chooses to ignore the facts, there's no denying that Rep. Dingell's victory is a tremendous win for the pro-gun community. Chris Cox celebrated this victory, stating, "I would like to congratulate John Dingell on his impressive victory ... and thank the thousands of NRA members in Michigan's 15th Congressional District who came out and voted for John in this primary election."

KANSAS ELECTION DAY VICTORIES

John Dingell's victory was not the only good news for gun owners on Tuesday. In Kansas, NRA-PVF endorsed candidates won three important races. In statewide contests, gubernatorial candidate Tim Shallenburger won the Republican Primary, and Phill Kline won the Republican Primary for Attorney General. And in District 51, the most anti-gun House incumbent, Cindy Hermes, was defeated by pro-gun challenger, and NRA-PVF-endorsed, Mike Burgess in that district's Republican Primary. Our congratulations go out to these candidates, and our thanks go out to our members that helped to make these victories possible.

ATTEND TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Congress remains on vacation during its Summer District Work Period-with the House recess scheduled to run until Sept. 5, and the Senate's until Sept. 2. Please contact your lawmakers' district offices and ask if or when they plan to hold town hall meetings during the recess. If you do not know the number for your lawmakers' district offices, you can use our "Write Your Reps" tool.

In addition to attending meetings and speaking out in support of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms (remember to specifically promote S. 2554 and H.R. 4635-the armed pilots bills-and S. 2268 and H.R. 2037-the reckless lawsuit preemption bills), please forward the dates, times, and locations of any town hall meetings to your family members and friends who support the Second Amendment, and to the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division, so we may share this information with the pro-gun community. Please forward this information to the Grassroots Division by calling our toll-free number, faxing to (703) 267-3918, or by sending an e-mail to townhall@nrahq.org. You can find listings of the town hall meetings we know about by clicking here.

ANTI-GUN EXTREMISTS EXPOSE MORE OF THEIR AGENDA

While NRA has always known that anti-gun extremists will support any measure that will further their gun-ban agenda, it's rare for them to go on record as supporting anything more than what they nebulously refer to as "common-sense" reforms. In a recent opinion piece in the Detroit Free Press, however, Donna Dees-Thomases has chosen to eschew this practice, and actually put in writing what she and her ilk consider "common-sense." Dees-Thomases, you will recall, is the political operative with close ties to the Clinton/Gore Administration who founded the MMM, which is now under the control of HCI. In her piece in the Free Press, she openly proclaims her support of banning the possession of all firearms by anyone under the age of 21, mandating a psychological examination for anyone under the age of 25 who wishes to purchase a firearm, and a complete ban on all pump-action rifles and shotguns. This last position is most revealing.

Again, NRA has always known the ultimate goal of anti-gun extremists such as Dees-Thomases and her masters at HCI is to ban firearms, but they almost never admit this fact, and have feigned indignation when NRA has referred to HCI, et al., as the gun-ban lobby. Not only does this article clearly show HCI and MMM do support banning guns, but it completely dispels the stale mantra of anti-gun extremists that they do not wish to affect hunters. When defending its support of banning so-called "assault weapons," HCI even states, "To alleviate concerns that hunting weapons somehow might be affected, the law provides specific protection to 670 types of hunting rifles and shotguns that are presently being manufactured." Of course, pump-action firearms, especially shotguns, are widely represented on that list, and have been some of the most popular hunting guns for more than a century. Dees-Thomases has unequivocally confirmed that the ultimate goal of anti-gun extremists is to eliminate all firearms, even if they have to do it one gun at a time.