Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408 http://www.gunowners.org Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Thank you so much for your activism! Today, the U.S. House of Representatives opted to pass Representative Childers' D.C. gun ban repeal instead of the anti-gun bill sponsored by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton -- which would have allowed D.C. to continue enacting gun control. The bill now goes to the Senate, but unless there is a ton of pressure put on Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the bill will languish in committee. Thankfully, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) is spearheading an effort to get a vote on the House-passed bill. She is asking her fellow Senators to cosponsor a letter which she will then deliver to Sen. Reid. The Hutchison letter points out that, "In DC v. Heller, the court affirmed that the District of Columbia's ban on ownership of handguns was an unconstitutional restriction on that right." After noting that D.C. has continued to deprive its residents of their Second Amendment rights for more than 30 years, the letter asks Sen. Reid "to ensure that D.C. residents do not have to wait any longer to realize their constitutional rights by allowing the full Senate to consider H.R. 6842 before the 110th Congress concludes." (Norton's bill was the original HR 6842, but it now contains the Childers pro-gun language instead -- thanks in no small part to your efforts.) There are not many days left before Congress recesses for the remainder of the year, and Sen. Reid is expected to try to run out the clock on the D.C. repeal bill. That's why it's important to act quickly and contact your own two U.S. Senators. This is the last chance we have this year to put some teeth into the Supreme Court's decision in Heller. Gun Owners of America will score the signing of this letter in its upcoming congressional rating. ACTION: Please contact your two Senators and ask them to cosign the Hutchison letter to Senator Reid. You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Senators the pre-written e-mail message below. And, you can call your Senators at 202-224-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762. ----- Pre-written letter ----- Dear Senator: I was happy to see that the House of Representatives voted for the Childers substitute language which will repeal the D.C. gun ban (HR 6842). I recognize that there is not much time left in the legislative session, and so I hope you will do everything in your power to pressure Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring up HR 6842 for a vote. Hence, I urge you to cosign by Friday the Hutchison letter which urges Reid "to ensure that D.C. residents do not have to wait any longer to realize their constitutional rights by allowing the full Senate to consider H.R. 6842 before the 110th Congress concludes." Gun Owners of America will score the signing of this letter in its upcoming congressional rating. Please let me know how you intend to act. Sincerely,
Archive for September, 2008
House Passes Bill To Repeal D.C. Gun Ban
September 18, 2008Who am I?
September 18, 2008Who Am I? I am under 45 years old, I love the outdoors, I hunt, I am a Republican reformer, I have taken on the Republican Party establishment, I have many children, I have a spot on the national ticket as vice president with less than two years in the governor's office. Did you guess? Scroll DOWN! I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900 source: Dr. Dan! :)
The AIG Collapse
September 17, 2008Those that complain about the economy all to often consider laissez-faire to be Free Market Economics.This simply is not true, and the “AIG Bailout”is a good example of why that is so. Even in capitalist countries, where Free Markets are the norm there are laws and practices that serve to protect the public.
Certainly because of the scope of a failure by AIG, intervention of some sort was badly needed. A collapse would have had International Macroeconomic implications that at least theoretically, could have caused financial collapse worldwide.
The takeover, or bailout as I see it by the government, is more a Free Market approach, than simply taking AIG over. It appears to be more of a private enterprise buyout, but only time will tell.
Meet Obama’s new Bill Ayers associate
September 15, 2008I suppose that pigs do indeed fly somewhere. One, is that Obama really supports America. Follow the link for this latest expose about Obama and his cronies.
The Gang of twenty
September 15, 2008Dear Fellow Taxpayer,
The so-called “Gang of 20” Senate energy compromise will raise taxes on domestic energy production, and will cost America more than 600,000 jobs. That’s not all, because the bill raises corporate income taxes, it is a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge sponsored by our organization, Americans for Tax Reform.
Currently, there are eight Pledge signers who are listed as supporters of the “Gang of 20” Senate Energy Plan; Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Bob Corker (R-TN), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Ben Nelson (D-NE), John Sununu (R-NH), and John Thune (R-SD). These eight Senators are in serious danger of breaking their Pledge to their constituents. All for an energy bill that will do almost nothing to increase the supply of oil, and which will cost American jobs.
Tell your Senators that raising taxes on energy production is a big mistake!
Tell them to abandon the fatally flawed “Gang of 20” energy plan.
And it gets even worse...the “Gang of 20” plan will also create a new permanent ban on offshore drilling forever. We need more domestic oil supplies, not less! (which is now set to expire on October 1st, 2008). This means that these Senators want to lock away the 115 billion barrels of oil domestically available
Tell your Senator to oppose and abandon the “Gang of 20” energy plan and instead allow the ban on offshore drilling to expire on October 1st!
Onward,
Grover Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform
This is just plain bad politics…
Governor Palin
September 15, 2008Friends,
Two weeks ago, conservatives let out a big cheer as we learned who John McCain has chosen as his running mate.
The cheering hasn’t stopped since.
Since the announcement, Governor Palin have energized Republicans across the nation and sent the Obama campaign into a tailspin.
Michael Reagan even said that Governor Palin is the next Reagan.
The Left has a different response. Barack Obama and his allies have unleashed a barrage of despicable smears and attacks on Governor Palin’s record, her background, and even her family. Obama has even implied that Governor Palin is a “pig.” There is debate if that is what he meant but as the video of his comments demonstrates, his liberal audience clearly took it as a reference to Governor Palin. The hateful speech from Obama must stop.
Get the truth about Sarah Palin by ordering her biography, Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down, FREE with Townhall Magazine now.
The mainstream media has joined in the attacks. They have failed to separate truth from rumor and smear. They have applied a double-standard against Gov. Palin that no other candidate would have to endure. Just this past week, ABC’s Charlie Gibson looked down his nose in condescending fashion and mocked Palin’s seriousness as a candidate for Vice President.
So far Gov. Palin has fought back against the attacks, but the attacks will continue. The Left can’t afford for you to know the real Sarah Palin — they have to create a fictional story if they are going to defeat the biggest breath of fresh air to hit the national scene in decades.
source:
Jonathan Garthwaite
Editor-in-Chief, Townhall.com
For my part I am not at all happy with the implied name calling. I am also not happy when we who are against Obama are automatically classified racist. I oppose Obama for many reasons. His policy’s will destroy this nation, and quite possibly lead to full blown civil war. His personal associations are more than suspect: Criminals, racist preachers, and known unrepentant terrorist’s are but a few that I simply cannot allow to be brushed aside. It is said that “birds of a feather flock together.” Do we really want somebody like that as our President?
Do we genuinely want a person that has sworn to uphold the Constitution but has regularly used his power to try and undermine our inalienable rights? Do we really want a person with his track record as our President?
I think not!
About September eleventh
September 13, 2008I didn’t write about the tragedy of September eleventh the other day because, well? My Internet access just was not up to par that day. As many that have followed my writings here, and on forums over the years since the attack know. I had thirteen friends killed there that day. All of them were rescuers. Either Firefighters or EMS workers. Each and everyone of them gave their lives in helping those that could not help themselves, or attempting to do so.
There is another take on the event though. That of the survivor. Eric, over at Tygger Express did an in depth interview with one such person. It’s a very good read, and I urge you to follow the link.
My feelings have not changed a single iota when it comes to the perpetrators of the attacks. Kill every last one of them, and I don’t give a damn who in the world we anger by doing it. Get them wherever we can find them. Do it openly, and publicly, in full view of the world.
Update: BATFE and David Olofson
September 10, 2008Outlaw federal agency BATFE continues to ignore the law of the land. Here is an update from GOA.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Gun owners across the nation are still rejoicing over the Supreme Court decision that struck down portions of the DC gun ban as unconstitutional. But the Heller decision has also signaled the beginning of a new major assault by the anti-gun left. Make no mistake, the anti-gun lobby is not going quietly into the night. They are absolutely rabid over this decision -- and their friends in Congress are in a strong position to legislate away those gun freedoms which the Supreme Court has affirmed. In the meantime, agencies like the federal BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) appear to have no intention, whatsoever, of stopping their attacks on law-abiding gun owners, gun dealers and manufacturers. In GOA's newsletter which recently landed in mailboxes (The Gun Owners, August 18), we detailed the lengths to which the BATFE is going to trample the rights of gun owners and dealers. From using paid "informants" to provide false testimony, to physically altering firearms to turn them into "machine guns," to abusing and harassing mom and pop gun shops who cannot afford to legally defend themselves, this agency appears not only to have little or no regards for the rights of citizens, but is clearly willing even to ignore the rulings of the Supreme Court. As you know, Gun Owners is helping to defend David Olofson, a recent victim of BATFE abuse who has been sentenced to 30 months in the Federal Correctional Institute at Sandstone, Minnesota for the alleged crime of knowingly transferring an unregistered machine gun. GOA submitted an appeal on August 25, 2008, to get him released from prison, and our brief is viewable at http://www.gunowners.org/fs0806.pdf on the GOA website. We took on the case when we learned that the so-called "machine gun" that Olofson owned was, in reality, one of thousands of ordinary semi-automatic rifles made by Olympic Arms. It happened to misfire a few extra rounds when a friend was using it at a range -- thus drawing the attention of the feds. However, it only became a machine gun when the BATFE, behind closed doors, mechanically tampered with the rifle. Getting guns to malfunction is a favorite technique of the BATFE as it gives them a great opportunity to rack up convictions on the possession or selling of "machine guns," which requires a special type of license. As a result, David Olofson has been robbed of all his freedom, not just his right to keep and bear arms. He has lost his liberty, his family, and his life outside of prison. It is just a turn of fate that it is David Olofson -- not you or any other semi-auto owner you know -- who is rotting away in prison. And that's why GOA came to his aide, and we are pleased to report that you guys have been a tremendous blessing to the Olofson family. David's wife, Candy, told GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt last week that contributions from GOA members have been a tremendous help. So much so, that she does not need to take a second job, thus allowing her to spend time with her children. All of this has resulted from the many GOA members who are making monthly contributions to help pay the Olofson family's mortgage and car payment. By the way, a lawyer friend who lives near Candy told her that GOA's brief was superb. One could could hear the encouragement in her voice that resulted from what the attorney told her. So, now that we have the Olofson family stabilized, we're asking you to help us get stabilized. This case is very expensive, and we need your help to continue pressing ahead for his release from prison. The costs in taking on this case are huge, although it's a burden we gladly bear because of the danger that it presents to ALL gun owners -- especially those who own semi-automatic firearms. If this injustice stands, it will give the ATF the green light to put millions of additional gun owners in their cross hairs. GOA also needs your financial help because we are using this experience to work with a team of experts to develop written testing standards that could be imposed on the BATFE by law. Such a law would protect individual gun owners, manufacturers and dealers alike, and would be the next best thing to getting rid of The Gang (aka, the BATFE). So please help GOA to accomplish these worthwhile efforts. You can help GOA continue fighting to defend David Olofson -- and all gun owners like him -- by going to http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm on the GOA website. Thank you.
My response to a debate
September 8, 2008First, I would like to thank Edger from Opposing Views for commenting.I looked over the debate there about guns, and if they make you safer or not. Vetted experts from both sides of this debate had free reign, and the discussion looks lively.
I may, or may not be considered an expert on this subject. My background is one that includes actually using a firearm to defend myself and others. As opposed to so many that talk about having frightened off an assailant with a firearm. I also spent more than twenty years in a major metropolitan area working as a Paramedic. That gave me a front row seat in the gun play scenario. Over the years I learned a few things from that experience. I also developed some pretty strong opinions after seeing things that happened to friends.
- I never once saw an instance where a person had his or her firearm taken from them and then used against them. This is an urban myth that the hopolophobes continue to toss around that has little if any basis in fact. Think otherwise? Fine, show us the numbers…
- I have known five women that were raped and had been denied the ability to effectively defend themselves. Read; they were denied the ability to own a firearm.
- I have known seven women that stopped an attempted sexual assault using a firearm. See the above for comparison.
- Kids with guns? Just last year a young man saved his mothers life when she was attacked by Pit Bulls that had already killed another woman in the Parker, Colorado area. While anecdotal many minors have saved family members from marauding bears in Canada.
- Kids harming themselves or others “playing” with guns are the result of poor parenting, period. Teach your kids about firearms and those things will not be happening as often as they do. Which is about five times a year on average.
- Gang Bangers’ are not kids playing with guns, they are criminals committing criminal acts. Learn to tell the difference.
- Submitting to an assault is more likely to result in debilitating injury or death than effectively resisting according to the FBI. Don’t believe me? Look it up for yourself. If you refuse to do that then your mind is made up already, and fact or logic will not change that.
- Shooting someone by mistake, such as a loved one is the result of poor, or no training. I recommend FRONT SIGHT or GUNSITE for the best training available in the world. Lacking that the NRA has low cost programs almost every where. Just remember, you get what you pay for.
I conclude with this statement: Guns save lives. Guns take lives. It is the person behind the weapon that is either good or evil, smart or stupid. A firearm is a tool. Nothing more.
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 