

                  Combat Arms
                              2869 Grove Way
                   Castro Valley, California 94546-6709
                         Telephone (415) 538-6544
                            BBS: (415) 537-1777
                               March 3, 1991


                   AN ANALYSIS OF HANDGUN CONTROL, INC.


          The following document represents the research by a friend
     and client, Sashai A. McClure. At the time of this writing, Sam
     (as she prefers to be called) is an undergraduate student at the
     University of California at Berkeley. She has done a tremendous
     amount of research into Handgun Control, Inc. and it deserves to
     be read by all gun owners.

     Richard Bash
     -Your SysOp-


                             -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-


                               INTRODUCTION

          Handgun Control, Inc (hereafter abbreviated "HCI") is a
     difficult organization to research. In many aspects, the group is
     very secretive and reluctant, yet it is very open about others.
     Interviews are easy to secure, but getting the same answer twice
     is a difficult proposition. Very few of my interviews yielded
     significant results other than revealing their penchant for
     mystery and secrecy.

          Most of the information accumulated and presented herein has
     been attained through the oddest of sources. I found several
     computer bulletin board services (abbreviated BBS) to be quite
     helpful, particularly the Combat Arms BBS (see bibliography for
     address and telephone number) of Castro Valley, run by Mr.
     Richard Bash. Through his system, I was able to access a national
     echo which relays messages nationwide. Other systems include that
     of Mr. Neal Knox and that of the Berkeley Police Department ("The
     Guardian"). Of these systems, only the latter had a neutral
     position in regard to the gun control controversy, however all
     information (unless otherwise noted) garnered through the BBS's
     that is presented herein has been confirmed through other sources
     and in most cases, by members of HCI.

          Great help was also afforded me by of all groups, the
     National Rifle Association (NRA). The people there were more
     helpful to my research than HCI was, supplying me with printed
     information (even information uncomplimentary to the NRA) and
     interviewees experienced with HCI.

          Oddly, HCI provided the most insurmountable barrier to my
     examination. In general, no one was able to give the same answers
     to the same questions twice, and repeated requests for
     information went unheeded. A mailed response was received only
     once: I had called pretending I wished to join and was sent a
     membership packet and several papers advocating gun control and
     gun elimination. Some allegations were substantiated, some were
     not. Those pamphlets and leaflets which did include references
     supplied only a very limited bibliography, mostly the same source
     repeated several times.

          Phone calls also fell upon the proverbial deaf ears.
     Interviewees (members, secretaries, receptionists and public
     relations personnel) while not incompetent, were generally
     uninformed and seemed to parrot the corporate line when
     uncertain. They did not appear to have thoughts of their own.
     Interviews with more influential members could not be secured.

          Thus with little provisions of printed materials and
     interviews, I was forced to consult with other organizations.
     Most of my information has been confirmed to my satisfaction,
     except that on the formation of the organization itself. There
     are several stories wandering about on this subject and after
     several efforts to contact HCI on this matter and attaining no
     results, I have chosen to present the most plausible and
     substantiated report, that from Mr. Neal Knox's BBS.

          Virtually all my sources either have been or will be
     uploaded to the aforementioned Combat Arms BBS in exchange for
     Mr. Richard Bash's services. The reader may wish to check there
     first to view these sources, thus avoiding the hassle of having
     to track them down himself/herself.



                             TABLE OF CONTENTS

     1.)  Formation

     2.)  Organization and Membership

     3.)  Goals and Reasons for Existence

     4.)  Methods and Publicity

     5.)  Appendix



                                 FORMATION

           There are several discrepancies in everyone's tale of how
     HCI was originally formed so as mentioned, Neal Knox's story
     being the most substantiated and therefore, plausible, shall be
     used here.

          According to Nelson T. (Pete) Shields, III., (founding chair
     of HCI) ex-Cia agent, Edward (Edwin?) O. Welles, was the first
     chairman of the National Council to Ban Handguns (NCBH) which was
     later renamed Handgun Control, Inc. What is curious about this
     (other than alleged CIA involvement in the move to ban private
     firearms ownership) is a competing group was formed in the same
     year as NCCH (1979) by Reverend Jack Corbett under the auspices
     of the United Methodist Church. Rev. Corbett describes Welles as
     a "guiding light" to what Knox refers to as "an ostensibly
     competing organization."1 Further evidence of Welles' involvement
     with two competitors is provided by a telephone conversation Mr.
     Knox was conducting with Rev. Corbett in which Rev. Corbett "was
     stymied by my [Neal Knox] recitation of facts that refuted his
     anti-gun arguments, Corbett handed the phone to Welles-- to my
     utter astonishment."2

          (It should be noted that at the time Edward O. Welles had
     founded HCI and NCBH, he was the owner of two handguns (allegedly
     buried in his backyard) and a Sharps-Borchardt rifle. It is very
     unusual that a man such as he would form an anti-gun coalition.)

          After this, the discrepancies about HCI's origins become
     enormous and impossible to sort through. There are many who
     advocate the position that Shields is a puppet controlled by
     Welles. Others disbelieve any further connection between Welles
     and the coalitions other than founding. Many moderates as well as
     extremists speculate on the possibilities of a CIA conspiracy. In
     my research, I have been unable to corroborate any origination
     stories other than the one from Mr. Neal Knox, and even it
     contains unanswered questions.

          In any event, the group was eventually connected to John and
     Sarah Brady indirectly via John Hinkley Jr.'s 1980 assassination
     attempt on then President Ronald Reagan. Drawing a loaded .22
     revolver from his coat, Hinkley emptied its cylinder in 2.8
     seconds, wounding the president and his press secretary, Mr. John
     Brady. Brady was shot in the head and as a result, is now
     permanently confined to a wheelchair. His wife, Mrs. Sarah Brady,
     began advocating legislation for further gun control. Four years
     later, Mrs. Brady found her son in a friend's car playing with a
     loaded .22. Though it is the contention of many that at this
     point she founded HCI, it had already been in existence since
     1974. Instead, as a political wife, she quickly became the chair.
     Hence the confusion of many as to whether HCI is "that Shields
     group or that Brady group." It is both.


                        ORGANIZATION AND MEMBERSHIP

          The following information was requested from HCI on three
     separate occasions to no avail. The National Rifle Association
     responded after my futile efforts to gain response from HCI with
     a listing of HCI's organization, and its National Committee which
     seems to be only a forum for the boasting of celebrity
     membership.

     HEADQUARTERS:       1225 I Street, NW, Suite 1100
                         Washington, DC 20005

     TELEPHONE:          (202) 898-0792

     REGIONAL OFFICES:   703 Market Street *
                         Suite 1511
                         San Francisco, CA 94103
                         (415) 546-1884

                         310 Fourth Street
                         Suite 724
                         Minneapolis. MN 55415
                         (612) 333-2823

     *    The San Francisco office has moved to Los Angeles, Calif. At
          the time of this writing, I do not have the new address and
          telephone number.

     STAFF:              15

     FOUNDING CHAIR:     Nelson T. (Pete) Shields, III
     CHAIR:              Sarah Brady
     PRESIDENT:          Charles J. Orasin

     BOARD OF DIRECTORS: F. Robert Meier, Treasurer
                         Lois Hess, Secretary

          David Birenbaum          John Phillips
          Carl Bogus               Helen Raiser
          Hon. John Corderman      Maurice Rosenblatt
          Hon. Lee Fisher          Jeanne Shields
          John Hechinger           Odile Stern
          Larry Lowenstein         Edward (Edwin) O. Welles

     PUBLICATION:        Washington Report, quarterly

     PAC:                National Handgun Control Political
                         Action Committee

     MEMBERSHIP:         200,000
                         Although HCI claims to have over 1,000,000
                         members, the method they use for tabulation
                         relies upon contacts with interested parties
                         by any means, not an actual count of dues
                         paying members.

     HCI NATIONAL COMMITTEE

     Mr. Steve Allen
     Mr. Arthur Ashe (deceased)
     Ms. Lauren Becall
     Mrs. Marjorie Benton
     Mr. Leonard Bernstein (deceased)
     Mr. Lloyd Bridges
     Hon. Edmund G. Brown, Sr.
     Ms. Ellen Burstyn
     Mrs. Julia Child
     Mr. Jackie Cooper
     Mr. Hume Cronyn
     Hon. Joseph Curran
     Mr. Stephen Dart
     Mr. William Dorman
     Mr. Gerald Dunfey
     Mr. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
     Hon. Dianne Feinstein
     Hon. Kenneth Gibson
     Rabbi Joseph Glaser
     Ms. Betsy Gotbaum
     Mr. Michael G. Gross
     Mrs. Elliot Jones Halberstam
     Ms. Mariette Hartley
     Hon. Richard Hatcher
     Hon. Janet Gray Hayes
     Mr. Andrew Heiskell
     Mr. Hal Holbrook
     Hon. Maynard Jackson
     Mr. Albert Jenner, Jr.
     Mrs. Shirley Knight
     Ms. Patrick Kennedy Lawford
     Mr. Jack Lemmon
     Hon. Edward Levi
     Honorable John Lindsay
     Ms. Marsha Mason
     Ms. Jane McMichael
     Dr. Karl Menninger
     Mr. Patrick Murphy
     Mr. Paul Newman
     Mr. George D. Newton, Jr.
     Mr Victor Palmeri
     Mr. Gregory Peck
     Mr. Russell Peterson
     Mr. Sol Price
     Mr. Milton Rector
     Ms. Lee Remick
     Mr. Will Rogers, Jr.
     Mr. James W. Rouse
     Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler
     Mr. Neil Simon
     Mr. Rod Steiger
     Dr. Emanuel Tandy
     Ms. Jessica Tandy
     Mr. Eli Wallach
     Ms. Ruth Warrick
     Mr. Francis Wheat
     Mr. James Whitmore
     Mr. Andy Williams

     AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

     Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
     1400 K Street, NW
     Suite 500
     Washington, DC 20005

          "The Center to Prevent Handgun Violence is HCI's
     'educational' spin-off that portrays firearms and their ownership
     as inherently dangerous. Advertisements concentrate on children
     and firearms accidents involving juveniles."3

          In addition to this list of members, HCI counts amongst its
     supporters, "[e]very major law enforcement organization in
     America."4 Upon researching this contention however, it was
     learned that only high police officials and their organizations
     are in support of HCI. The common ground among law enforcement
     HCI supporters is politics. Most are police chiefs and such who
     are either directly elected to their posts or are appointed by
     another elected official. The regular street officer appears to
     be either neutral about the organization and its activities or
     opposed, much to the infuriation of some of their supervisors.
     Witness the plight of San Jose Officer Pyle who after testifying
     against gun control in Sacramento (1989) returned home to find
     that Chief Joe MacNamara no longer required his services. He was
     put on desk duty and his case is on appeal.

         Further investigation of HCI's allegation of law enforcement
     support produced the American Law Enforcement Officers Poll for
     1989. It was sent to 16,259 Chiefs of Police, Sheriffs and
     command personnel nationwide. The curious reader should refer to
     the appendix for a copy of this poll. The stated purpose of the
     poll "... was to enlighten the Congress, the media, and other
     organizations regarding the opinions of our nation's top law
     enforcement officers."5 For the most part, the poll's questions
     are not much better in absenting themselves of obvious bias than
     are the questions of the gun control crowd. However, it seems to
     be the only poll conducted directed at regular line officers as
     opposed to their politically appointed or elected supervisors.
     Its results state that the majority of street law enforcement
     personnel do not support the views of HCI. Clearly, HCI has
     overestimated its law enforcement support, basing its claims on
     the support of a few organizations which are listed as:

     Fraternal Order of Police (207,000 members)
     National Association of Police Organizations (90,000 members)
     International Association of Chiefs of Police (14,500 members)
     National Sheriff's Association (30,000 members)
     National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
     (2,200 members)6

          Upon contacting these organizations (the last two could not
     be reached) it was confirmed that they do indeed support the
     practices and views of Handgun Control, Inc, though this claim is
     vehemently denied by a member of the Fraternal Order of Police.
     Mr. R. Peters contends that the regular membership of the FOP in
     no way endorses the gun control/elimination activities of HCI.
     Presentation of the group's magazine confirms this, though it
     must be noted that the leadership of the group disagrees with its
     membership and supports HCI.

          As a last point on HCI's accumulation of supporters, there
     is some controversy about the groups ethics in gaining them. The
     1989 Federal Lobbying Report (for the first half of the year),

          "... showed that HCI gave anti-gun Columbus Oh. Police
          Officer Dewey Stokes, who heads the Fraternal Order of
          Police, $2,000 on June 30, 1989. HCI has now given him
          $3,000 since the first of the year. It does not say why he
          received it, only that it was a 'contribution.'

          "They also show that HCI gave $500 to the Florida Police
          Chiefs on June 30, 1989.

          "In addition, the reports also show that Phillip C. McGuire,
          former associate director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco
          and Firearms, received substantial payment for expense
          requests.

          "'It appears that HCI has bought their relationship with a
          segment of the anti-gun law enforcement community,' said
          John Barnett, projects director of the Second Amendment
          Foundation."7

          More research is necessary to determine how true Mr.
     Barnett's comment is. When HCI was asked about this, the
     representative from public relations declined to comment, but
     then added that appearances are often deceiving. Clarification as
     to his meaning on this was not provided.


                      GOALS AND REASONS FOR EXISTENCE

          To use the words of the NRA in describing the agenda of HCI:

          "HCI was formed to lobby for legislative control and
          government regulations on the manufacture, importation,
          sale, transfer, and civilian possession of handguns. Their
          efforts have expanded to include attempts to limit the
          private ownership of semi-automatic firearms, specifically
          rifles."8

          Using the words of HCI commercials and printed propaganda:

          "... fighting to keep handguns out of the wrong hands."9

     In the words of founding chair, Nelson T. Shields, III.:

               "I'm convinced that we have to have Federal legislation
          to build on. We're going to have to take one step at a time,
          and the first step is necessarily--given the political
          realities--going to be very modest ... Our ultimate goal--
          total control of handguns in the United States--is going to
          take time ... The first problem is to slow down the
          increasing number of handguns being produced and sold in
          this country. The second problem is to get handguns
          registered, and the final problem is to make the possession
          of all handguns, and all handgun ammunition totally
          illegal."10

          The common denominator of the three reasons listed above for
     the existence of HCI is legislation for governmental regulation
     and restriction of handguns (now expanded to all semi-automatic
     firearms, specifically rifles). In its membership drive pamphlet,
     HCI proudly displays and discusses briefly the recent legislation
     for which it has pushed passage. Unfortunately, they do not list
     bill numbers so it is impossible to tell which legislation is
     really being discussed and whether or not HCI is presenting the
     facts. In my research, this proved to be quite common with HCI
     declarations. Their words are better than mine in describing
     their achievements:

          "INTERSTATE SALE OF HANDGUNS: HCI lobbyists protected
          existing gun controls by persuading Congress to continue a
          ban on the interstate sale of handguns, despite a $100
          million NRA campaign to gut our national law.

          "UNDETECTABLE HANDGUNS: We broke the NRA's stranglehold on
          Congress when federal lawmakers passed a bill outlawing
          plastic, undetectable handguns. The NRA spent millions of
          dollars trying to persuade Congress that these handguns,
          which could slip through metal detectors, were not a
          problem. Our strong alliance of police groups and a
          bipartisan coalition of legislators forced the NRA to change
          its position.

          "COP-KILLER BULLETS: Unbelievable as it may seem, the NRA
          defended the sale of armor-piercing bullets that can
          penetrate the bulletproof vests worn by our nation's police
          officers. Handgun Control lobbied fiercely on Capitol Hill
          against these needless bullets. We won.

          "SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIALS: These easily concealable, low-
          quality handguns have one purpose--use in violent crime.
          Sarah Brady, along with other HCI supporters and law
          enforcement officials, helped persuade Maryland lawmakers to
          stop the sale of Saturday Night Specials in the state. The
          gun lobby immediately launched a drive to repeal the law at
          the ballot box, spending over $6 million in a campaign of
          hysteria and misinformation. But Marylanders soundly
          rejected the NRA and voted to keep the law.

          "ASSAULT WEAPONS: Military-style assault weapons, designed
          solely to gun down human beings quickly and efficiently, are
          an ever-growing concern of America's police officers.
          Despite the increased use of these weapons by drug dealers
          and hate groups, the NRA spends millions of dollars to
          defend their sale. With the help of law enforcement and
          Handgun Control, Inc., California became the first state to
          outlaw the sale and manufacture of these killing machines.
          New Jersey followed, and Virginia and Maryland have also
          enacted restrictions on assault weapons."11

          The validity of these claims and others will be addressed a
     little later. It is through emotional passages such as these that
     membership is solicited. Adding to these, are acts of shocking
     criminal activity utilizing firearms. The stories in the
     membership pamphlet read:

               "In Atlanta, James Calvin Brady walked out of a mental
          hospital and into a pawn shop where he quickly and easily
          purchased a handgun. The next day, Brady, who had a history
          of cocaine addiction, went into a mall's crowded food court
          at lunchtime and opened fire, killing one young man and
          wounding four others.

               "Lancelot Armstrong, wanted by authorities on charges
          of rape and assault, lied about his criminal past on the
          federal form he filled out to buy a TEC-9 assault pistol. He
          later used the gun to kill a deputy sheriff in Broward
          County, Florida. Police found the receipt for the gun in
          Armstrong's wallet when he was apprehended.

               "In Boca Raton, Kenneth Misher, owner of an optics
          store, was murdered by his business associate and colleague
          of 15 years who went out on his lunch hour and purchased a
          handgun with a credit card. Later that day, the co-worker
          shot Misher several times and then turned the weapon on
          himself.12

          Again, the pamphlet contains no documentation of these
     incidents, thus their validity cannot be challenged. It may
     interest the reader to know that these same incidents are
     implemented repeatedly throughout HCI's advocacy and lobbying. It
     is rare that the group uses different examples of handgun
     violence.

          The membership form is also an emotional plea. The new
     member is required to contribute $15 in dues, but is urged to
     send $29, the alleged price of a Saturday Night Special. I asked
     several gun dealers in the area if they could sell me a $29
     handgun and between chortles of laughter, I was told that no such
     handgun exists.

          The primary goal of HCI at present is passage of the Brady
     Bill. Awaiting passage for a couple years, HR467 has been
     defeated several times and keeps coming back for more. According
     to HCI, the Brady Bill (named in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Brady)
     would institute a national seven-day waiting period for all
     handgun purchases. The supposed effect of this period would be
     "... to ensure we aren't selling handguns over-the-counter to
     those with a criminal past. And angry or suicidal individuals
     would have time to cool off-- rather than buying a gun to settle
     an argument or to take their own life."13 During this seven-day
     period, the seller of the handgun would send a copy of the BATF
     form required of all purchasers, certifying that they are
     eligible to purchase a firearm under the provisions of the 1968
     Gun Control Act, to the chief law enforcement officer in the
     region. This officer would be directed to conduct a background
     check and if no record is found within seven days, the purchaser
     is entitled to the weapon. Unfortunately for the Brady Bill and
     its supporters, the Department of Justice recently issued a
     statement to the effect that due to the scattered systems of
     felony record accounts, a background check on a given individual
     whether seven days or seven months are allotted, is quite
     impossible. If the reader is interested in reading the actual
     text of the Brady Bill, it is printed in full as downloaded from
     the Combat Arms BBS in the appendix. The validity of its claims
     will be addressed in the next section.

          The Brady Bill, while forming the cornerstone of HCI's
     legislative wishes, is not the only goal. The membership drive
     pamphlet lists the rest of these goals as:

          Banning military-style assault weapons

          Prohibiting the manufacture, importation, and sale of
          Saturday Night Specials

          Establishing registration requirements for the private sale
          of concealable handguns at gun shows and by citizens

          Barring multiple sales of handguns

          Requiring stringent safety classes for those who buy
          handguns

          Mandating strict reporting requirements for the theft of
          handguns from gun dealers and gun owners

          Establishing control over who can manufacture and sell
          handguns with licensing procedures

          Creating GUN-FREE ZONES around all our schools

          Again, the validity of these goals will be discussed in the
     following section.


     METHODS AND PUBLICITY

          Rarely does HCI present evidence for its allegations. The
     group relies very heavily upon emotionalism and its members and
     supporters are very good at it. Called upon frequently to testify
     before Congress for gun control, Sarah Brady always pushes her
     wheelchaired husband before her, eliciting comments of sympathy
     for both. The figure of the once upright man begging Congress to
     prevent further wheelchaired victims is a pathetic one and pity
     runs high. When James S. Brady speaks, even the most rabidly pro-
     gun are moved to sympathy for the man's condition:

     BEFORE THE U.S. SENATE JUDICIARY SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION,
     NOVEMBER 21, 1989.

               "I am honored to be here, but it's not the honor
          that compelled me to appear today. It's the anger--
          anger at Congress that in 1988 failed to pass a measure
          which would have reduced the handgun violence plaguing
          our nation.

               "I had no choice but to be here today because too
          many Members of Congress have been gutless on this
          issue. They have closed their eyes to tragedies like
          mine. They ignore the statistics. Well, this statistic
          has decided to break his silence.

               "Those Members of Congress who oppose a simple
          seven-day waiting period should try being in my shoes
          for just one day. I am not seeking sympathy. But I want
          you to really understand what being shot has done to me
          and my life.

               "There was a day when I walked the halls of this
          Senate and worked closely with many of you and your
          staffs. There was a wonderful day when I was fortunate
          enough to serve the President of the United States in a
          capacity I had dreamed of all my life. And for a time,
          I felt that people looked up to me. Today, I can tell
          you how hard it is to have people speaking down to me.
          But nothing is harder than losing the independence and
          control we all so value in life. I need help getting
          out of bed, help taking a shower, and help getting
          dressed.

               "There are some who oppose a simple seven-day
          waiting period for handgun purchases because it would
          inconvenience gun buyers. Well, I guess I am paying for
          their convenience. And I am one of the lucky ones. I
          survived being shot in the head. Other shooting victims
          are not so fortunate.

               "I am a Southern Illinois boy who grew up hunting
          and at home with guns. I don't question the rights of
          responsible gun owners. That's not the issue. The issue
          is whether the John Hinckleys of the world should be
          able to walk into gun stores and purchase handguns
          instantly.

               "I felt compelled to get involved because there
          are too many cowardly lions walking the halls of
          Congress. I fight every day to maintain the courage I
          need to survive. I pray that Congress can find the
          courage to quickly pass the Brady Bill."14

          This quote is illustrative of the techniques HCI has at its
     disposal with which to convince. The reader shall note that
     nowhere in Mr. Brady's plea is there reference to hard evidence
     that his bill will work, only a discussion of how miserable his
     life has become in a wheelchair and an insult to those who
     disagree ("cowardly lions").

          Other ways in which HCI gets attention is through smear
     campaigns directed at its main opponent, the NRA. Usually these
     smear campaigns are in the form of painting the NRA as a powerful
     beast that until now, could not be tamed. The tamer of course, is
     the "grassroots" organization made up of ordinary people, HCI.
     The great American classic of the underdog beating the tyrannical
     master is deployed time and again, mostly by citing the NRA's
     enormous monetary assets. Upon contacting both groups, the NRA
     Annual Report (which includes the group's expenses) was received
     in less than a week. Such a report was never sent by HCI despite
     two separate requests. The NRA had no records of HCI's finances
     of course, but when the problem was explained to the
     representative, a news clipping was sent.

          It is claimed by HCI that the NRA spends millions working to
     defeat "sensible ... gun policy"15 A cursory check of the NRA
     Annual Report confirms the year 1989 saw $19,749,403 devoted to
     the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). As mentioned,
     no figures were obtained from HCI as to their total income.

_________________________________________________________
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                    Jared Armstrong

                 Anchorage, Alaska, USA
                Last Free Place On Earth

   jared@alaska.net    http://www.alaska.net/~jared

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