🚀 go-pugleaf

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_008F_01C0798B.3544F2E0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAMCMYPMHC.html

      Jan 5, 2001 - 09:45 PM=20


      Gun Makers Drop Lawsuit Against HUD=20
      By Leigh Strope
      Associated Press Writer



      WASHINGTON (AP) - Seven gun makers and a firearms group dropped =
their lawsuit Friday against the Department of Housing and Urban =
Development and 39 other government officials and municipalities over a =
program favoring manufacturer Smith & Wesson.=20
      The gun makers said they were dropping the suit because a new =
Republican administration was about to take office and was thought =
unlikely to support the program. A HUD spokeswoman disputed that, saying =
the real reason the manufacturers dropped the suit was that they =
expected to lose.=20

      The lawsuit was filed last April over a plan to give preferential =
treatment to Smith & Wesson when buying guns for law enforcement =
agencies after the gun maker had agreed to install gun locks on its =
weapons and block gun sales at gun shows without background checks.=20

      Smith & Wesson implemented those measures in exchange for a =
promise that a lawsuit against it would be dropped. Any other gun maker =
that agreed to the plan also would be given preferential treatment.=20

      "It is clear that the election of George W. Bush changes the =
dynamic regarding this pattern of government abuse coached by President =
Clinton and quarterbacked by" HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo, said Robert T. =
Delfay, president and chief executive of the National Shooting Sports =
Foundation, a Connecticut-based firearms industry group.=20

      The gun makers also said they dropped their suit because the =
preferential treatment plan has not been enforced.=20

      HUD spokeswoman Lisa Macspadden said the reasons the gun makers =
cited for dropping the suit were "ridiculous."=20

      She specifically disputed their assertion that the preferential =
treatment plan was not being enforced. "That statement is contrary to =
sworn affidavits submitted by gun makers that the coalition's efforts =
were indeed hurting their businesses," she said.=20

      "The obvious reason for this retreat is that the gun industry knew =
that it did not have a leg to stand on and it was going to lose," she =
said. "The real issue remains the fact that gun makers refuse to make =
safer guns that will save lives."=20

      AP-ES-01-05-01 2145EST=20
    =20
      =A9 Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. =20



------=_NextPart_000_008F_01C0798B.3544F2E0
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAMCMYPMHC.html">http://ap.tbo.com=
/ap/breaking/MGAMCMYPMHC.html</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D385 border=3D0>
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD vAlign=3Dtop><FONT size=3D2><I><SPAN class=3Ddateline>Jan 5, =
2001 - 09:45 PM=20
      </SPAN></I><BR></FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D4></FONT></P><FONT size=3D4><FONT=20
      face=3D"arial, helvetica, geneva"><B><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Gun =
Makers Drop=20
      Lawsuit Against HUD </SPAN></B></FONT><BR></FONT><FONT =
size=3D2><FONT=20
      face=3D"arial, helvetica, geneva"><SPAN class=3Dbyline>By Leigh=20
      Strope<BR>Associated Press Writer<BR></SPAN></FONT><BR></FONT>
      <P></P><FONT face=3D"arial, helvetica, geneva"><SPAN=20
      class=3Dbodytext>WASHINGTON (AP) - Seven gun makers and a firearms =
group=20
      dropped their lawsuit Friday against the Department of Housing and =
Urban=20
      Development and 39 other government officials and municipalities =
over a=20
      program favoring manufacturer Smith &amp; Wesson.=20
      <P><FONT size=3D2>The gun makers said they were dropping the suit =
because a=20
      new Republican administration was about to take office and was =
thought=20
      unlikely to support the program. A HUD spokeswoman disputed that, =
saying=20
      the real reason the manufacturers dropped the suit was that they =
expected=20
      to lose. </FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>The lawsuit was filed last April over a plan to =
give=20
      preferential treatment to Smith &amp; Wesson when buying guns for =
law=20
      enforcement agencies after the gun maker had agreed to install gun =
locks=20
      on its weapons and block gun sales at gun shows without background =
checks.=20
      </FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>Smith &amp; Wesson implemented those measures in =
exchange=20
      for a promise that a lawsuit against it would be dropped. Any =
other gun=20
      maker that agreed to the plan also would be given preferential =
treatment.=20
      </FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>"It is clear that the election of George W. Bush =
changes=20
      the dynamic regarding this pattern of government abuse coached by=20
      President Clinton and quarterbacked by" HUD Secretary Andrew =
Cuomo, said=20
      Robert T. Delfay, president and chief executive of the National =
Shooting=20
      Sports Foundation, a Connecticut-based firearms industry group. =
</FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>The gun makers also said they dropped their suit =
because=20
      the preferential treatment plan has not been enforced. </FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>HUD spokeswoman Lisa Macspadden said the reasons =
the gun=20
      makers cited for dropping the suit were "ridiculous." </FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>She specifically disputed their assertion that =
the=20
      preferential treatment plan was not being enforced. "That =
statement is=20
      contrary to sworn affidavits submitted by gun makers that the =
coalition's=20
      efforts were indeed hurting their businesses," she said. </FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>"The obvious reason for this retreat is that the =
gun=20
      industry knew that it did not have a leg to stand on and it was =
going to=20
      lose," she said. "The real issue remains the fact that gun makers =
refuse=20
      to make safer guns that will save lives." </FONT>
      <P><FONT size=3D2>AP-ES-01-05-01 2145EST =
</FONT></SPAN></FONT></P></TD></TR>
  <TR>
    <TD><FONT face=3D"arial, helvetica" size=3D-2><I>=A9 Copyright 2001 =
Associated=20
      Press. All rights reserved. =
</I></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_008F_01C0798B.3544F2E0--