III

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 69

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the National Rifle Association

should disavow and condemn the inflammatory and defamatory language

used by its leadership and certain of its officers and employees to

attack Federal law enforcement agencies and their employees.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 18, 1995

Mr. SCHUMER submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the National Rifle

Association should disavow and condemn the inflammatory and defamatory language used by its leadership

and certain of its officers and employees to attack Federal law enforcement agencies and their employees.

Whereas the United States is a model for the world of free

and vigorous political debate, peaceful democratic change,

and respect for the rule of law;

Whereas our long tradition of peaceful political change depends largely upon the universal rejection by the American people of extremist calls to violence and of inflammatory denigration of the institutions of our Government;
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•HCON 69 IH

Whereas the leadership and certain officers and employees of

the National Rifle Association—as opposed to its grass

roots membership—have repeatedly and unjustly attacked Federal law enforcement agencies and Federal law

enforcement officers;

Whereas, for example, in a fundraising letter sent out shortly

before the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing, the leadership of the National Rifle Association called Federal law

enforcement officers ‘‘jack-booted government thugs,

wearing black, armed to the teeth’’, who ‘‘break down a

door, open fire with an automatic weapon, and kill or

maim law-abiding citizens’’;

Whereas this and other intemperate, unfounded, and inaccurate language by the leadership of the National Rifle

Association defames thousands of dedicated men and

women who risk their lives every day enforcing the laws

this Congress has enacted;

Whereas these defamatory excesses by the leadership of the

National Rifle Association dishonor the memory and sully

the sacrifices of the hundreds of selfless law enforcement

officers who have given their lives in enforcing the laws

upon which America’s ‘‘domestic tranquility’’ depends;

Whereas President Clinton and former President Bush alike

have condemned the use of this inflammatory and defamatory language by the leadership of the National Rifle

Association; and

Whereas the membership of the National Rifle Association

should have an opportunity to repudiate the unwise and

intemperate use of this language by the leadership and

certain officers and employees of the National Rifle Association: Now, therefore, be it
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•HCON 69 IH

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) the intemperate, inflammatory, and defama4 tory language used by the National Rifle Association

5 to attack Federal law enforcement agencies and

6 Federal law enforcement officers tends to erode the

7 spirit of vigorous debate, respect for the rule of law,

8 and peaceful change that is the bedrock of our de9 mocracy; and

10 (2) the National Rifle Association should

11 present to its members, and its members should

12 pass, a resolution condemning the past use of such

13 language by the leadership and certain officers and

14 employees of the National Rifle Association, repudi15 ating the use of such language in the future, and di16 recting such officers and employees to return to the

17 mainstream of American life by exercising the more

18 judicious restraint in debate that characterizes a

19 civil and just society.

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