STATEMENT BY MRS. TANYA K METAKSA,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NRA INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1995
{Mrs. Metaksa's remarks were made in concert with a coalition of other
civil rights groups on the need for a national commission to improve
federal law enforcement.}
I think everyone in this room -- including correspondents -- can all
agree on one thing. Counter-terrorism legislation is a most complex
matter, and it will get no easier to decipher. Accordingly, I ask that
you study the coalition's joint letter very closely. Before it gets too
complex, let me make a very basic statement. The National Rifle
Association is not signaling a red light to counter-terrorism
legislation, but a yellow light. Proceed with caution.
Government power and individual liberty are like neighbors.
Sometimes they bicker. Sometimes they just happily pass the time of
day. The fence between government power and individual liberty is the
U.S. Constitution. And as we all know, a good, solid fence makes good
neighbors of us all. That's what we're here today to talk about: the
fence line. I'll give you one example.
Current proposals enlarge the government's power to gather
intelligence on citizens without reasonable evidence of criminal
wrong-doing, such as a court order or grand jury subpoena. Now, the
privacy rights of individual citizens has been a burning public policy
issue for decades in this country. No political faction -- left, right
or center -- has a monopoly on the Fourth Amendment. Absent probable
cause of crime, we must all work to ensure that the privacy rights of all
Americans are protected. We cannot allow the Fourth Amendment to be
victimized -- an innocent bystander in the legitimate fight against
criminal terrorists.
We should also be clear on one other matter. A few weeks ago, we
gathered here to call for a national commission to ensure professionalism
and accountability in federal law enforcement. That call has not yet
been answered. What is moving in Congress? Legislation to expand
government power in the wake of hearings that showed serious flaws in the
way the government exerts its present level of power. And I might add
... terrorism seems to me to be a difficult target to hit.
Maybe -- just maybe -- a national commission could enhance not just
accountability and professionalism. Maybe, a national commission could
enhance coordination among some one hundred -- one hundred -- federal law
enforcement agencies.
NRA is here to signal our willingness to work with Congress for
legitimate changes in the law to enhance our nation's response to the
terrorist threat. NRA is not here with our arms folded defiantly. NRA
is here with our sleeves rolled up, ready to work.
Transmitted: 12/8/95 1:49 AM (n120695s)
--
Stanton McCandlish
mech@eff.org
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Online Activist