In a highly dishonest advertisement by the National Rifle Association on CNN last Tuesday, actor Charlton Heston criticized the Crime Bill, claiming that it would let 10,000 drug dealers back out on the streets. Nowhere in the commercial did Heston mention the NRA's real objection to the bill, which is the Assault Weapons Ban.

The NRA's tactics are reprehensible: they've sacrificed both truth and the rights of others in order to advance their agenda. In doing so, they risk alienating a large number of their supporters.

Please contact the NRA and Heston to let them know what you think of their Machiavellian politics:

National Rifle Association
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 267-1000

Charlton Heston
c/o International Creative Management
8942 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Some points for your letters:

• The U.S. Sentencing Commission has calculated that only 1,600 prisoners will be released under the retroactive safety valve clause.
• Only first time, low level, non-violent offenders who have cooperated fully with federal authorities will be eligible.
• Sentence reductions will be given only case by the case at the discretion of the presiding judges.
• The prison spaces freed by the release of non-violent offenders can be used to prevent early parole of violent criminals like murderers and rapists.
• The NRA's commercial is dishonest, not only in grossly exaggerating the number of inmates who can be released early, but also in concealing the ad's real purpose, which is to prevent passage of the Assault Weapons Ban.
• It's wrong to barter constitutional rights.

Note: DRCNet is strictly devoted to drug policy reform, and takes no position either for or against gun control. We do maintain, however, that most gun violence results directly or indirectly from drug prohibition, and that legalization is our best, perhaps only hope for significantly reducing violence.