LEAA's Capitol Hill News Conference Is Huge Success
Cops Show How They Really Feel About Gun Control
Washington, D.C., September 9, 1999

LEAA Executive Director Jim Fotis led a Capitol Hill news conference as part of a national newspaper ad campaign that sent a strong message to the White House and to members of Congress about gun control. With congressmen and sworn police officers at our side, we relayed a message from thousands of rank-and-file law enforcement officers-that "more gun laws won't do anything to make our communities any safer. Getting tough with criminals will."

Orchestrating our event to coincide with Bill Clinton's entourage of big-city mayors and chiefs who called for more ineffective gun control, the members of Congress returning from a month-long summer recess finally got the other side of the story.

Beating the President at his Own Game! In a surprising game of one-upmanship, LEAA succeeded in upstaging Clinton's "photo-op cops" attempt to further restrict law-abiding citizens Second Amendment rights. Joining us at the September 9th press conference were (left to right) Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.); LEAA Third Vice President Bryant Jennings (a 20-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department); Chief Rollin Kiser of the Marysville, Ohio Police Department (hidden, left of speaker); at the podium Sen. Jeff Sessions R-Al.); LEAA Executive Director Jim Fotis; Sheriff Sam Franks of the Orange County (Vt.) Sheriff's Department; Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md); Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho); and Rep. Virgil Goode (D-Va). On the same day in Washington, the president, flanked by big-city chiefs, launched his gun-buyback program.

Rather than just spouting rhetoric (as the other side does), LEAA wanted to back up its statement with tangible facts. After learning of the mayors' and chiefs' anticipated trek to Washington, and with less than three weeks to work, LEAA contacted its law enforcement members and explained the strategy we had in mind.

Knowing the only certain method of getting our message out (factoring in a biased mass media), we knew we'd have to purchase ad space in the preeminent Washington publications. We wanted to reassure the members of Congress who typically vote with us (and to hopefully sway those on the fence about gun control) that Bill Clinton and the IACP were again misrepresenting law enforcement. We wanted Congress and the public to know, once and for all, that the overwhelming majority of cops on the beat want crime control, not gun control. But would our members respond with such a short time to act?

Simply stated, the feedback was phenomenal, and quite reassuring to a staff who worked around the clock to make this "campaign" happen. When we sent out a first-class mailing asking sworn law enforcement officers for authorization to use their names in an upcoming newspaper ad, to counter the propaganda that law enforcement doesn't support the Second Amendment, more than 3,000 signatures poured in (and that's just what we received by the deadline, without them ever seeing the final ad!).

Quickly our plan for a one-page ad quadrupled, and after negotiating a fair price, we ran a four-page ad in The Washington Times (the more conservative of the two Capital City daily papers).

Simultaneously, we progressed with our one-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, as well as some publications widely read in Washington like Roll Call, The Hill, Congress Daily, the National Journal and CQ Monitor. The ad was a "Message To Congress" and cleverly featured about a dozen 6-foot cardboard cutouts of police officers with the headline, "Our Stand-Ins Are Standing Up For the Truth. You Should Too." The ad went on to say, "We couldn't be in Washington today, but if we were, we'd tell you the simple truth: More gun laws won't do anything to make our communities any safer, or our jobs any easier. Getting tough with criminals will." Then the multitude of police signatures followed. (Incidentally, LEAA's ad featured the signatures of four times as many chiefs as Clinton brought to town that week.)

Now, backed up with these signatures (and in most cases, the officers let us use their ranks and department names, at the risk of possible reprisal), we planned the September 9th press conference to coincide with the placement of the ads. Not only was this the week Congress would be returning to town, but it was the week they'd come under pressure from the anti's to "finish what they started" when they went to work on additional measures to restrict honest gun owners shortly after the tragic Columbine school shooting.

And LEAA had allies other than just the 3,000 signatures. We were joined at our press conference by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Penn.), Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), and Rep. Virgil Goode (D-Va.).

Taking a Stand! A vocal champion for cops across the country, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) calls on President Clinton to stop playing politics with the safety of law enforcement professionals. He is flanked by (left to right) Bryant Jennings, Chief Rollin Kiser, Jim Fotis and Sheriff Sam Frank.

Criticizing the Clinton-Gore Administration's failed crime initiatives, the congressmen also took aim at President Clinton's recent grant of clemency to a dozen violent Puerto Rican terrorists.

Congressman Barr, a former federal prosecutor and a member of the House Judiciary Committee, also joined Fotis in criticizing a White House meeting with the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the International Association of Chiefs of Police earlier in the day: "These mayors and police chiefs should stop playing politics in Washington and start enforcing the criminal laws in their own cities. Whining won't stop criminals, but effective state, local, and federal enforcement of existing laws will."

Congressman Bartlett admonished the Clinton-Gore Administration to stop postulating and start enforcing: "If Americans want the federal government to take effective steps to reduce gun violence, we need to send a wake-up call to the Administration by saying, 'It's the lack of enforcement, stupid.'"

Since LEAA represents so many officers on the beat, we wanted to bring a few to town. Executive Director Jim Fotis introduced LEAA members Sheriff Sam Frank of Orange County, Vt.; Chief Rollin Kiser of the Marysville (Ohio) Police Department; and Officer Bryant Jennings of the Memphis Police Department's Crime Scene Investigations Unit, who gave up their time for this event. All three of these seasoned officers spoke articulately about the need for tough-on-crime initiatives, not more gun control.

Hitting Every Media: Chief Rollin Kiser talks to a TV reporter while a print journalist questions Sheriff Sam Frank of the Orange County (VT) Sheriff's Office. Their message was the same: street cops want to get tougher on criminals, not law-abiding gun owners!

Chief Kiser told one reporter, "There are already way too many gun control laws. They won't work if you don't enforce them. Why make anymore?" And Sheriff Sam Frank stated, "Gun control laws don't work, period."

This news conference took place the same day we hand-delivered 6-foot-tall cardboard replicas of uniformed police officers to 87 key members of the House and Senate. Attached to the law enforcement figures was LEAA's powerful message along with thousands of signatures from police officers.

There are few ways to determine the success of such a public relations campaign. One measurement is to evaluate who attended and the press coverage gleaned from the event. We were pleased to see cameras present from ABC, CBS, CNN, C-SPAN and NBC, as well as reporters from major newspapers, including the New York Times, The New York Post and The Washington Times.

Another evaluation of success is seen in the legislative decisions made by the congressmen we were trying to reach. As this newsletter goes to press, the Conference Committee determining the fate of the Juvenile Justice Bill is still deliberating over the social programs and gun restrictions proposed immediately following the Columbine tragedy.

Now 17 members of the House and Senate have been appointed to negotiate the differences between S.254 and H.R.1501/2122. We encourage LEAA members to monitor these developments along with us as the outcome of this committee will have far-reaching effects.

If the President Can Do It... Bringing to light the sham "photo-op cops" tactic used by Clinton in his attempt to force a pretense of law enforcement support for gun-bans, LEAA ringed the podium with cardboard "cop stand-ups." The large group of reporters covering the event (below) were quick to recognize the truth when flesh-and-blood uniformed officers spoke intelligently and passionately about their genuine and very logical opposition to gun control. Taking the forefront position on H.R. 218, LEAA hammered the point home - law enforcement professionals deserve the same level of protection off the job as they do on duty! Its good for cops and good for the community.