by Joseph P. Tartaro
Executive Editor

The final vote on passage of HR-4635—the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act—in the US House of Representatives on July 10 may prove to be the only record vote on a gun issue in the last half of the current session. While it may seem an overwhelmingly pro-gun vote on a “no-brainer” question, the vote cannot be regarded as the true measure of the firearms positions on many incumbents when they come up for reelection in November.

Voters this November who will be picking candidates based on their positions on the right to keep and bear arms will need to look at earlier votes on other gun-related bills and stated platforms of candidates as well as the July 10 voting record.

This is not as a clear a vote on the right to keep and bear arms as some might imagine, even though it has sent traditional anti-gun organizations and newspaper editorialists into orbit.

The measure originally sponsored by Reps. John Mica (R-FL) and Don Young (R-AK) was amended in committee and brought to the House floor on an unusual open rule which allowed almost unlimited amendments (for more details on the content of the final bill, see the related story beginning on Page 1 of this issue).

The key amendment broadening the measure that passed the committee was offered by Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), who has a long history of anti-gun votes. DeFazio’s amendment—which was approved 250-175—removed the limit on the number of pilots that could be armed and made the program permanent instead of a two-year trial.

Conversely, an amendment by pro-gun Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN) to remove any preference to arm pilots who have a military or law enforcement experience was rejected 49-376.

The final vote (Rollcall 292) recorded at 4:46 p.m. on July 10, 2002 was by party affiliation: Yeas: Republicans—206; Democrats—102; Independents—2 (total 310). Nays: Republicans—11; Democrats—102 (total 113). Not Voting: Republicans—4; Democrats—7 (total 11). Republicans are shown in roman type; Democrats in italic, and Independents are underlined.

Yeas: Ackerman; Aderholt; Akin; Armey; Baca; Bachus; Baird; Baker; Ballenger; Barcia; Barr; Bartlett; Barton; Bass; Berkley; Berry; Biggert; Bilirakis; Bishop; Blagojevich; Blunt; Boehlert; Boehner; Bonilla; Bono; Boozman; Boswell; Boucher; Boyd, and Brady (TX).

Brown (OH); Brown (SC); Bryant; Burton; Buyer; Callahan; Calvert; Camp; Cannon; Cantor; Capito; Capps; Cardin; Carson (OK); Castle; Chabot; Clement; Coble; Collins; Combest; Condit; Cooksey; Costello; Cox; Cramer; Crane; Crenshaw; Cubin; Culberson, and Cummings.

Cunningham; Davis, Jo Ann; Davis, Tom; Deal; DeFazio; DeLay; DeMint; Deutsch; Diaz-Balart; Dicks; Dingell; Doolittle; Dreier; Duncan; Dunn; Edwards; Ehrlich; Emerson; Engel; English; Eshoo; Everett; Flake; Fletcher; Foley; Forbes; Ford, and Fossella.

Frank; Frelinghuysen; Gallegly; Ganske; Gekas; Gilchrest; Gillmor; Gilman; Goode; Goodlatte; Gordon; Goss; Graham; Granger; Graves; Green (TX); Green (WI); Greenwood; Grucci; Gutknecht; Hall (OH); Hall (TX); Hansen; Harman; Hastings (WA); Hayes; Hayworth; Hefley; Herger, and Hill.

Hilleary; Hilliard; Hinchey; Hobson; Holden; Holt; Hooley; Horn; Hostettler; Houghton; Hulshof; Hunter; Hyde; Isakson; Israel; Issa; Istook; Jefferson; Jenkins; John; Johnson (CT); Johnson (IL); Johnson, Sam; Jones (NC); Kanjorski; Keller; Kelly; Kennedy (MN), and Kennedy (RI).

Kerns; Kildee; Kind (WI); King (NY); Kingston; Kirk; Knollenberg; Kolbe; LaHood; Lampson; Langevin; Lantos; Larsen (WA); Latham; LaTourette; Leach; Lewis (CA); Lewis (KY); Linder; LoBiondo; Lofgren; Lowey; Lucas (KY); Lucas (OK); Luther; Lynch; Maloney (CT); Maloney (NY); Manzullo, and Matheson.

McCarthy (NY); McCrery; McHugh; McInnis; McIntyre; McKeon; McNulty; Meehan; Meeks (NY); Mica; Miller, Dan; Miller, Gary; Miller, George; Miller, Jeff; Mollohan; Moore; Moran (KS); Murtha; Myrick; Nadler; Napolitano; Nethercutt; Ney; Northup; Nussle, and Ortiz.

Osborne; Ose; Otter; Owens; Oxley; Paul; Pence; Peterson (MN); Peterson (PA); Petri; Phelps; Pickering; Pitts; Platts; Pombo; Pomeroy; Portman; Pryce (OH); Putnam; Quinn; Radanovich; Rahall; Ramstad; Regula; Rehberg; Reyes; Reynolds; Riley; Rodriguez, and Roemer.

Rogers (KY); Rogers (MI); Rohrabacher; Ros-Lehtinen; Ross; Rothman; Royce; Ryan (WI); Ryun (KS); Sanchez; Sanders; Sandlin; Saxton; Schaffer; Schiff; Schrock; Sensenbrenner; Sessions; Shadegg; Shaw; Shays; Sherman; Sherwood; Shimkus; Shows; Shuster; Simmons; Simpson; Skelton, and Smith (NJ).

Smith (TX); Smith (WA); Stearns; Stenholm; Strickland; Stump; Stupak; Sullivan; Sununu; Sweeney; Tancredo; Tanner; Tauscher; Tauzin; Taylor (MS); Taylor (NC); Terry; Thompson (CA); Thompson (MS); Thornberry; Thune; Thurman; Tiahrt; Tiberi; Toomey; Turner; Udall (NM); Upton; Vitter, and Walden.

Walsh; Wamp; Watkins (OK); Watts (OK); Weldon (FL); Weldon (PA); Weller; Wexler; Whitfield; Wicker; Wilson (NM); Wilson (SC); Wolf; Wu; Wynn; Young (AK), and Young (FL).

Nays: Abercrombie; Allen; Baldacci; Baldwin; Becerra; Bentsen; Bereuter; Berman; Blumenauer; Borski; Brady (PA); Brown (FL); Burr; Capuano; Carson (IN); Clay; Clayton; Clyburn; Conyers; Coyne; Crowley; Davis (CA); Davis (FL); Davis (IL); DeGette; DeLauro; Doggett; Dooley; Doyle, and Ehlers.

Etheridge; Evans; Farr; Fattah; Ferguson; Filner; Frost; Gephardt; Gibbons; Gonzalez; Gutierrez; Hinojosa; Hoeffel; Hoekstra; Honda; Hoyer; Inslee; Jackson (IL); Jackson-Lee (TX); Johnson, E. B.; Jones (OH); Kaptur; Kilpatrick; Kleczka; Kucinich; LaFalce; Larson (CT); Lee; Levin, and Lewis (GA).

Lipinski; Markey; Mascara; Matsui; McCarthy (MO); McCollum; McDermott; McGovern; McKinney; Meek (FL); Menendez; Millender-McDonald; Mink; Moran (VA); Morella; Neal; Oberstar; Obey; Pallone; Pascrell; Pastor; Payne; Pelosi; Price (NC); Rangel; Rivers; Roybal-Allard; Rush; Sabo, and Sawyer.

Schakowsky; Scott; Serrano; Skeen; Slaughter; Smith (MI); Snyder; Solis; Souder; Spratt; Stark; Thomas; Tierney; Towns; Udall (CO); Velazquez; Visclosky; Waters; Watson (CA); Watt (NC); Waxman; Weiner, and Woolsey.

Not Voting: Andrews; Barrett; Bonior; Chambliss; Delahunt; Hart; Hastings (FL); Norwood; Olver; Roukema, and Traficant.