Archive for the ‘Hoplophobia’ Category

U.N. Gun Ban is still out there

January 22, 2010

The various whack jobs are at it again, and yes, I include the potty mouth Hillary Clinton. Good luck getting this treaty signed off on by the Senate though. Senators like their plums and such, and that means staying in office.  Association with such historical maniacs leads to a short political life. Read on…

LAS VEGAS — In the parallel world where the likes of Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi live, the enlightened govern the ignorant masses by applying one set of universal rules, and it’s not the Constitution of the United States.

In Hillary’s world, radical ideas progress at first with baby steps that ultimately become great strides to harness the destructive forces in society. That’s why the current Secretary of State and the other Hillarys in her world are drawing a bead on gun owners, mainly those in the United States.

SHOT Show

Colin MooreSteve Sanneti, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, says “anti-hunters will do or say anything to curtail hunting, and they’ll settle for winning small battles and advancing their cause in incremental stages.”

In 2012, the United Nation’s will push for the Arms Trade Treaty, which, among other things, will establish goals regarding the ownership and disposition of firearms on a global basis. This new world order is apt to take various forms, but none of them are likely to be good for gun owners in this country.

The Arms Trade Treaty, along with attempts to reconstitute the so-called “assault weapons ban,” and efforts to ban lead-based ammunition are among the biggest challenges facing the shooting sports industry in the coming years, according to Steve Sanneti, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

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FEDS RESPOND TO FIREARMS FREEDOM ACT

January 21, 2010
FEDS RESPOND TO FIREARMS FREEDOM ACT LAWSUIT MOTION TO DISMISS “EXPECTED”
MISSOULA – The United States has made its first response to a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Missoula to test the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (MFFA), passed by the 2009 Legislature and signed into law by Governor Schweitzer.

The MFFA declares that any firearms, ammunition or firearms accessories made and retained in Montana are not subject to federal regulation under the power given to Congress in the U.S. Constitution to regulate commerce “among the several states.” The MFFA is a states’ rights challenge on Tenth Amendment grounds, with firearms serving as the vehicle for the challenge.

This lawsuit to validate the MFFA was brought by the Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). The suit names U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder as defendant, and is referred to as MSSA v. Holder.

The first response to the lawsuit by the United States is a Motion to Dismiss, submitted January 19th and considered to be a standard procedural maneuver in lawsuits against the U.S government . This motion seeks to avoid the legal merits by asserting that the Plaintiffs lack standing to sue, that a justiciable controversy does not exist, and that prevailing case law is against Plaintiffs.

MSSA President Gary Marbut, also a Plaintiff in the lawsuit explained, “The first import of this response is that the legal game is now on. There was some concern that the defendants would forfeit the game with no response in an effort to prevent this important issue from being adjudicated properly. We are now beyond that hurdle.” However, the Motion to Dismiss by Washington also seeks to sidestep proper adjudication.

SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb said, “We are disappointed but not surprised that the government would try to kill this suit on standing, rather than arguing about the merits of the case.”

The MFFA concept has gained traction across the Nation since its passage in Montana. Tennessee has enacted a clone of the MFFA, and other clones have been introduced in the state legislatures of 19 other states, including: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. . Ten or more additional states are expected to introduce yet more MFFA clones in the next few weeks. (See: http://www.FirearmsFreedomAct.com)

The U.S.’s Motion to Dismiss and Brief in Support are viewable at: http://FirearmsFreedomAct.com/montana-lawsuit-updates/

MSSA and SAF have assembled a litigation team for this effort consisting of three attorneys from Montana, one from New York, one from Florida and one from Arizona. Lead attorney for the Plaintiffs is Quentin Rhoades, partner the Missoula firm of Sullivan, Tabaracci and Rhoades. Other interested parties from both in and out of Montana are preparing to weigh in on this issue of national interest and national importance as amicus curiae (friends of the court).

Marbut commented, “The FFA concept has created a firestorm of interest nationwide. Lots of people and other states are watching carefully to see how Montana fares in this challenge to overbearing federal authority and to Washington’s attempt to control every detail of commerce in the Nation, especially including activity wholly confined within an individual state. That level of micro management certainly was not the intent of our founders when they gave Congress limited power in the Constitution to regulate commerce ‘among the states’.” (See: http://FirearmsFreedomAct.com/what-is-the-commerce-clause/)

MSSA is the primary political advocate for gun owners and hunters in Montana, having gotten 54 pro-gun and pro-hunting bills through the Montana Legislature in the past 25 years. SAF is a pro-gun foundation in Bellevue, Washington, established to press the rights of gun owners primarily in judicial fora. SAF has been a party to numerous lawsuits to assert the rights of gun owners across the Nation.

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nations oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

State of Disunion : Epic Fail Obama

January 21, 2010

Mark Alexander hits out of the ballpark again, please see the blogroll for the link to The patriot Post.

Alexander’s Essay – January 21, 2010

State of Disunion

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” –Article II, Section I, U.S. Constitution

On Wednesday, 27 January, Barack Hussein Obama will deliver his first “State of the Union” speech as president, a self evaluation of his first year’s achievements.

Sprinkled between his infamous “let me be clear” or “make no mistake” introduction to his lies, he will, characteristically, attempt to spin a plethora of failures into something including these phony fallback phrases: back from the brink; signs of recovery; restored our reputation; achieved some successes; more work yet to do; fiscal restraint; greed on Wall Street; affordable health care; relief for working families; job creation.

He’ll also use the word “inherited,” as in “I inherited this mess.” He’ll speak of “unprecedented” reforms or achievements or challenges. And he’ll mention “those who seek to do us harm,” but he won’t dare utter the term “Islamic terrorists.”

In advance of his teleprompted propaganda, then, let’s take a reality check on Obama and his first year.

Never before in the history of our great nation has any sitting president held so much disregard and outright contempt for our Constitution and Rule of Law.

Perhaps the operative words in his oath were, “to the best of my ability”?

Of course, what were we to expect from a Marxist, whose views on government and economy were shaped by his surrogate father and communist mentor, Frank Marshall Davis; whose first campaign for political office was launched by Maoist anarchists William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn; whose political career has been stewarded by the likes of Leftists Richard Daley, Michael Pfleger, Khalid al-Mansour, Rashid Khalidi, et al.

And don’t forget his religious mentor, Jeremiah Wright, who married Barack and Michelle and baptized their children.

Wright preached hate, plain and simple: “The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government gives [black people] drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strikes law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, g-d d— America. G-d d— America for treating our citizens as less than human. G-d d— America.”

Wright sermonized that our great nation is in fact the “U.S. of KKK-A” and is “controlled by and run by rich white people. Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run. We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in god. And god has got to be sick of this sh-t!”

How did Obama respond when asked about his pastor’s perennial anti-American tirades? “It sounds like he was trying to be provocative,” concludes Obama.

At a foundational level, Obama’s ability and his agenda have been shaped first and foremost by his condition as a pathological narcissist, a young man driven by a blinding need for acceptance and its coefficient, power — the result of a childhood characterized by his father’s, and then stepfather’s, rejection.

It should be noted that the young Barry Obama did not ask for or deserve the hardship he suffered as a child any more than millions of other children abandoned by their fathers today. In that respect, he deserves our compassion.

However, Obama’s insatiable pathological need for power renders him a very dangerous person in power.

He was elected on a promise that should have served as a warning sign: “This is our moment, this is our time to turn the page on the policies of the past, to offer a new direction. We are fundamentally transforming the United States of America.

He ran his charismatic campaign on a promise of “hope,” but in the words of Patrick Henry, “It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth — and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts.”

As for “fundamentally transforming” our nation, that is a thinly veiled reference to an outright assault on our Constitution and our Essential Liberty, one that thrusts an ever more powerful central government upon us.

Not since 1860 has the Union been at such odds with the fundamental rights of the States and the People.

Obama’s effort to endow the central government with absolute authority follows his Socialist political playbook, Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals.”

Obama was elected just weeks after an economic collapse which can be tied directly to Leftist economic policies.

His effort to “Reclaim America” involves taxing and borrowing more than a trillion dollars from the private sector, sifting it through the bureaucracies of his political appointees, then “investing” it into the public sector to grow government and pay off his special interest constituencies and other benefactors.

He is plundering private sector resources under the pretense of private sector “job creation.”

He has attempted, with some success, to nationalize, by way of regulation, coercion or “investment,” the major industrial and service segments of the economy — including energy, banking, investment, education, insurance, automotive and real estate — and he has supplanted free enterprise with Socialism.

He is endeavoring to nationalize our nation’s largest single economic sector, health care, and he laughs off any suggestion that there is no constitutional authority for such folly. Moreover, the House version creates 111 new oversight bureaucracies. (1)

He has attempted to advance his domestic agenda on a global scale under the guise of “climate change.”

Further, Obama’s national security failures present even greater peril to life and liberty.

Coddling Islamic extremists, bowing to Saudi kings, apologizing to the world, politicizing terrorist interrogation methods at Gitmo, treating terrorism as “criminal activity” and moving the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to New York, using Operation Enduring Freedom as campaign fodder and setting a timeframe for withdrawal from Afghanistan — these and many more grossly errant policy decisions served only to hinder and demoralize us and our allies while empowering and emboldening our enemies, thus enabling jihadi attacks such as the murder of 12 soldiers, one civilian, and an unborn baby at Ft. Hood, and the narrowly averted bombing of a U.S. airliner this past Christmas Day.

Of course, there were other ridiculous gaffes, like the one at his last public press conference (six months ago), when he offered his impromptu assessment of the arrest of his friend, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, by claiming that the Cambridge Police “acted stupidly.” His subsequent “beer summit” was a forced and feeble attempt at damage control.

And then there was the Nobel Peace Prize, a ridiculous Euro-leftist albatross of an award that was bestowed upon Obama just days after he ascended to the presidency.

Were it not for the threat of unbridled laughter, Obama’s SotU address might also reflect on some of the most egregious prevarications from his brief tenure.

On his plans for massive government expansion: “Not because I believe in bigger government — I don’t.”

On his grand Socialist schemes: “I’ve never bought into these Malthusian, woe, Chicken Little, the earth is falling — I tend to be pretty optimistic.”

On the so-called “stimulus package” (i.e., record debt): “Less than one month after taking office, we enacted the most sweeping recovery package in history, and we did so without any of the earmarks, pork-barrel projects that are usually accompanying these big — these big bills.”

On bailouts for behemoth auto producers: “Let me be clear. The United States government has no interest in running GM. We have no intention of running GM.”

On his friends at ACORN: “You know, it’s — frankly, it’s not really something I’ve followed closely. I didn’t even know that ACORN was getting a whole lot of federal money.”

On blame shifting: “You haven’t seen me out there blaming the Republicans.”

On taxes: “I will tax just the rich. I want to give a tax cut to the middle class.”

On the cost of ObamaCare: “It won’t add to the deficit. And I mean it! … It’s designed to lower it!” And how about this one: “I have not said I am in favor of a single-payer system.”

On the transparency of his health care “reform” deliberations: “It’s going to be on C-SPAN.”

On jobs (record unemployment): “My administration has created or saved… [ad nauseam].” (2)

On the political influence of grassroots Tea Party participants: “Those people waving their little tea bags around…”

Clearly, Obama has underestimated the influence of those who support America’s First Principles. In addition, he has also grossly misread his mandate as the heir of the once-noble Democratic Party.

These miscalculations were manifest in the recent Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, and again this week in Massachusetts.

Who woulda thunk it — that in the most liberal state of the union, whose legislature hastily amended laws so the governor could immediately appoint a Demo replacement for the seat vacated by the U.S. Senate’s most liberal member, Ted Kennedy, who had occupied the seat for 47 years since the departure of his brother, JFK, and whose life ambition was to nationalize health care, whose designated replacement, Martha Coakley ran on his platform — who woulda thunk that a Democrat who just weeks ago held a 30-point lead in the polls would be defeated by Scott Brown, a moderate Republican state legislator of the Mitt Romney variety, who ran on a platform against nationalized health care?

Clearly, the loss of a Senate seat in Massachusetts is a major reality check for Obama. When asked about the rising rejection of his “vision” for America, Obama responded, “I think the assumption was if I just focus on policy, if I just focus on this provision or that law or if we’re making a good rational decision here, then people will get it.”

In other words, “The people are just too dumb.”

And speaking of “the people,” when Scott Brown was asked in his last debate with Coakley if he would be willing to “sit in Teddy Kennedy’s seat” and vote against the health care bill, he responded, “Well, with all due respect, it’s not the Kennedy seat, and it’s not the Democrats’ seat, it’s the people’s seat.”

Every Republican and Independent running for election or re-election in 2010 should, first, take that cue from Brown — the seats they seek belong to the people. Second, they should take a cue from Ronald Reagan, who left a timeless template for success: Run on a platform that, first and foremost, insists on the re-establishment of constitutional Rule of Law, and then governs accordingly.

For too long, too many Americans have been complacent about liberty, believing it to be their birthright and the birthright of generations to come. They have enjoyed the fruit of liberty defended by others, taking rights for granted and knowing nothing of the obligations for maintaining that blessing.

Most Americans have never had to fight for liberty and, thus, have little concept of its value or any sense of gratitude for its accumulated cost — a cost paid by generations of Patriots who have pledged their Lives, their Fortunes and their Sacred Honor.

The election of Barack Hussein Obama was an egregious affront to our legacy of Essential Liberty, and a clarion call to action for the many good citizens who honor the rights and obligations of citizenship.

As was the case with the first American Revolution, we now face a crucial battle for liberty. The upcoming elections, more than any other in recent history, are about the restoration of constitutional integrity.

Indeed, fellow Patriots, this is our time. The road to recovery is long, but the momentum is with us.

Footnotes: 1. With the election of Brown, ObamaCare in its present form is dead, but expect Obama to call for passage of revised legislation, which has support of both Republicans and Democrats. Once passed, it can then be readily amended.

2. Credit where credit due — Obama’s recovery plan has not created any real jobs, but it did secure new employment for at least three Republicans: One in Virginia, one in New Jersey and now one in Massachusetts.

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!

Mark Alexander
Publisher, PatriotPost.US

Wyoming Senator Cale Case introducing a fix to conceal carry reciprocity

January 20, 2010

By Anthony Bouchard
Originally posted on examiner.com

Thumbs up to Senator Cale Case, he has introduced legislation to fix the conceal-carry blunder from earlier this year. SF 26 – Eligibility concealed weapons permit, will fix what Freuedenthal’s appointee decided was a problem.

Ultimately, WyGO / Wyoming Gun Owners supports legislation that lets anyone with a permit from any state carry in Wyoming. If an individual has a concealed carry permit from their own state, no matter what we interpret from their state law, who are we to say they cannot carry in Wyoming? Even if that state doesn’t reciprocate, we must lead by example.

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The Fat Lady Sang, and Martha Coakley isn’t her name!

January 20, 2010

There are few times in life when something truly historical happens, and fewer still when there is a social upheaval that restores freedom and liberty.

The utter arrogance of the democrats was their downfall. But who would have thought that the peoples republic of Massachusetts would have thrown the bums out? Decent liberty loving Americans from across the nation, that is who. Martha Coakley is no law and order champion as portrayed by some supporters. She is a sexist that practices mysandry from her position of power. A closet Marxist, and supports some of the most egregious policies that ignore, and or destroys the Constitutional protections of Americans. Led by the nose by epic fail obama she received her just desserts. The fat lady sang in Massachusetts. Will she once again stand, and sing America the beautiful this coming November? We must, as always remain vigilant.

On behalf of the 4 million members of the National Rifle Association, we would like to offer congratulations to Senator-elect Scott Brown on his hard-fought and well-deserved victory in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate Special Election. We would like to thank all gun owners, hunters and NRA members in the Bay State for seizing this unique opportunity to elect a supporter of our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms to the U.S. Senate.

Scott Brown‘s victory is a stunning defeat for gun control extremists, including the Massachusetts-based “Stop Handgun Violence”, who spent significant manpower in an unsuccessful attempt to try and turn out anti-gun voters for Martha Coakley. Their crass attempts to misrepresent Brown’s record — a record that in stark contrast to Coakley’s, has been tough on criminals yet supportive of the rights of law-abiding Massachusetts gun owners — clearly failed.

Again, the NRA congratulates Senator-elect Brown on his outstanding and historic victory.

SOURCE
Related: Back to basics
Related: Epic Fail obama Race issue

Related: Economy and the election

Lautenberg and Bloomberg’s terrorist watch list

January 18, 2010

This is a tad stale, what with all the hoopla over the special election, and soon to be apparent thuggery employed by Martha the mysandryist Coakley, and epic fail obama in the get out the vote pogrom. But, this is precisely what happens when you elect big government authoritarian Chicago style politicians to positions where they can wreck havoc.

As we’ve reported before, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), encouraged by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, wants to prohibit anyone on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist from possessing a firearm. Yet, the list and its criteria are secret, and Lautenberg’s bill would criminalize the exercise of a constitutionally protected right while denying a person the opportunity to clear himself of accusations in a fair and open hearing before a court of law. Even today, thousands of people who aren’t terrorists cannot prevent the list from misidentifying them, causing them delays and embarrassment when trying to board commercial aircraft.

It’s one thing when an adult gets the run-around at an airport, because he or she has a name identical or similar to someone the FBI is watching. As the American Civil Liberties Union has pointed out, the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) “automatic selectee” list — its list of people who are not permitted to board an aircraft without being given the once-over by the agency’s machines and uniformed, latex-gloved personnel — is based on people’s names, not on physical factors like age.

But when the system is so unorganized that it cannot distinguish a kid from a terrorist, what’s going on here? Yesterday, the New York Times reported that for the last six or seven years, one of Lautenberg’s constituents — eight-year-old New Jersey Cub Scout Michael “Mikey” Hicks — hasn’t been able to get on a plane without being patted down like your average neighborhood hubcap thief with his palms on the hood of a police cruiser and a nightstick between his legs. Repeatedly mistaken for someone on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist since he was two years old, Mikey’s encounters with the federal government have consisted of, as his mother puts it, “Up your arms, down your arms, up your crotch, someone is patting your 8-year-old down like he’s a criminal.”

To say that the situation is ironic is a gross understatement. The government can’t or won’t get Mikey’s situation straightened out. And he isn’t alone. The Times says that of nearly 82,000 travelers who have applied through the Department of Homeland Security to get their names cleared from the watchlist during the last three years, 25,000 are still waiting.

Yet, the government failed to add to the TSA’s “no-fly list” the self-proclaimed al Qaeda-trained Nigerian Islamist fanatic who allegedly smuggled military high explosives aboard a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day last year and almost blew the plane to kingdom come. As the White House report on the incident concluded, there was enough information to have placed him on the “no-fly list;” he was already in the government’s international terrorist identities database (the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE). But, the government failed to recognize that he had a U.S. travel visa (which it could have revoked) because it had misspelled his name.

TSA can spell “Mikey,” however. Despite efforts by the boy’s parents and their congressman to get TSA to straighten out the error, the delays and pat-downs continue. Meanwhile, other non-terrorists tired of their airport delays have been able to get off TSA’s radar screen by changing their names or deliberately misspelling their names when purchasing a ticket.

Irrespective of how this relates to Second Amendment issues, we think — and more and more people are likely to agree — that while our fellow Americans in federal service have prevented virtually all terrorist attacks in the U.S. since the September 11 attacks, numerous problems with the watchlist apparatus remain and it is long past the time that these problems should have been corrected.

Mikey’s case, however, serves to remind us of the potential ramifications for the Second Amendment, if the watchlist is used by the likes of Lautenberg and Bloomberg to their nefarious ends.

SOURCE

What a year it has been: GOA’s State of the Union Update on Gun Rights

January 14, 2010

GOA’s State of the Union Update on Gun Rights
— Despite intense opposition, GOA members made giant strides in 2009

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/ordergoamem.htm

“The real gun lobby in Washington is the GOA.” — Senator Tom Coburn, August 14, 2009

Thursday, January 14, 2010
By the end of the month, President Barack Obama is expected to give the State of the Union address.

Oh, what a year it’s been.

It was almost a year ago that President Obama took his oath of office.  But soon after he raised his right hand and promised to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution, Americans became engaged in the fight of their lives to safeguard their liberties.  The extremist Obama administration began pushing an anti-gun, socialistic agenda of the kind that most Americans have not seen in their lifetimes.

The President began placing gun-hating radicals in high positions of power — both in the executive department and in the courts — and he pushed a socialistic gun control agenda that kept gun owners busy throughout 2009.

Yet through it all, Gun Owners of America rallied the troops to oppose the President each and every step of the way.  Some battles we lost.  Others we won.  Some are still at a stalemate.

Regardless, this 2009 review should encourage you.  It shows that even though every institution in Washington is slanted against us, we can slow down, stop or reverse the march towards gun control.

And, yes, Gun Owners of America has won some incredible victories.  In some cases, our organization fought these battles alone — although in truth, we haven’t been alone because we represent thousands upon thousands of active gun owners like you who are all determined to preserve our liberties.

In 2010, we need you to stay with us.  It takes less than five minutes to go to http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm and sign up.  By doing so, you will be joining — in the words of Senator Tom Coburn — the “real gun lobby in Washington.”

The fight will be intense for another year — at least until the elections this November.  We need you to stand with us to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

Until then, get ready for 2010 and be encouraged by what we accomplished together in 2009.

January – February

* President Obama nominates an anti-gun radical, Eric Holder, to the office of Attorney General.  GOA releases several alerts to mobilize the grassroots against Holder, and fights a lonely (uphill) battle against the nomination — as GOA is the only national gun rights organization lobbying against Holder.

In the end, Holder is confirmed, but not without cost to the President.  The fight over Holder represents the first step in a long effort to expose the President’s vulnerabilities, as his Approval Index drops more than 10 points during his first two weeks in office.  Leading up to the inauguration, Barack Obama was practically deified by many around the country, but now he is increasingly seen as being unable to shoot straight in selecting cabinet members.  By the end of the year, the President’s support will have dropped well below 50 percent.

* In a raw power grab, congressional Democrats try to gain three more seats in Congress (one in the House and two in the Senate) by bringing up the DC Voting Rights Act for a vote.  Three more legislators from Washington, DC would, undoubtedly, mean three more ferocious anti-gunners in Congress.

But GOA works with Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada to attach a provision to the bill repealing the DC gun ban.  The Ensign amendment passes in the Senate, causing the overall Voting Rights bill to be extremely distasteful to House Democrats.  The bill passes the Senate, but is pronounced D.O.A. in the House.

* GOA’s Larry Pratt appears on Fox Cable News’ Glenn Beck program to highlight the dangers of HR 45, a bill that would ban the possession of handguns unless gun owners registered themselves like sex offenders.

March – April

* Following Larry Pratt’s appearance on Fox’s Glenn Beck show, GOA begins its campaign against HR 45, mobilizing gun owners across the nation to inundate Representatives with thousands of postcards against the gun registration bill.  The legislation gains much fanfare in the pro-gun community, and in the Congress the bill remains locked up in committee.

* Even though many in the conservative movement think the passage of a socialized health care is inevitable, GOA issues its first of many alerts to warn gun owners about the dangers contained in the ObamaCare legislation.

May – June

* The members of GOA once again fight a solo battle (among national groups) in the effort to repeal the Reagan-era gun ban in the National Parks.  Gun Owners rallies the troops, asking them to contact their Senators in favor of a repeal amendment authored by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK).  The amendment passes the Senate and is signed into law by Memorial Day.

Senator Coburn praises the efforts of GOA members, saying that:  “Gun Owners of America was the most consistent and loudest voice on Capitol Hill in support of the effort to repeal the National Park Service gun ban.”

* Gun Owners of America wages another lonely battle to rally gunnies against the President’s anti-gun Supreme Court pick, Sonia Sotomayor.  Even though she was ultimately confirmed, GOA’s grassroots activists were able to help accomplish a tremendous feat.  To wit, there were 31 Republican Senators who opposed Sotomayor — which represents the most overwhelming show of opposition from Senate Republicans against a Supreme Court nominee in at least a generation.

* Gun Owners of America works in Tennessee to enact the nation’s first Firearms Freedom Act, a law mandating that guns which are made (and stay) in the state are exempt from federal gun restrictions.  Tennessee’s law is the first of its kind to become law, even though Montana was the first state to take up the issue.  Tennessee’s law went into effect in June of last year; Montana’s law in October.

July – September

* Gun Owners of America engages in a grassroots campaign to lobby squishy Republican Senators who are trying to reach a compromise on ObamaCare.  GOA’s message is:  We don’t want any socialized health care that can be used to infringe upon the rights of gun owners.  This campaign would ultimately be successful as every Republican would soon announce their opposition to — and vote against — the health care bill.

* The media begins picking up on GOA’s campaign against ObamaCare.  The newspaper of record on Capitol Hill reports that, “The Gun Owners of America group, which boasts more than 300,000 members, has been warning its ranks that the proposed healthcare legislation would compile the information of Americans into a government database.” (The Hill, August 21, 2009.)

* Another media outlet reports that, “Gun Owners of America (GOA) has been alone on the national stage in warning of the dangers of centralized health care to the rights of gun owners.” (Examiner.com, September 3, 2009)

* GOA spearheads a victorious campaign to support the Amtrak amendment in the U.S. Senate.  This amendment, offered by Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, allows law-abiding gun owners to safely and legally transport firearms when they travel on Amtrak.  The amendment is successfully attached to the transportation bill by a filibuster-proof margin of 63-35 and is later signed into law (in December).

October – November

* Gun Owners of America mounts an all-out offensive to rally gun owners to oppose the ObamaCare bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The bill passes narrowly by five votes.

* Given the increased media attention of GOA’s position — and the narrow vote in the House — the White House launches a broadside against GOA’s arguments, claiming there are no gun rights threats in the health care bill.  GOA publicly responds to the White House’s erroneous claims right before the Thanksgiving break.

Ironically, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will affirm GOA’s position less than a month later by including an amendment in the Senate version of the bill supposedly designed to allay gun owners’ concerns.  While the Reid “fix” will help in some small ways, it still leaves the majority of GOA’s concerns unaddressed.

* Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation file an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in support of four Chicago residents who are seeking to invalidate a city ordinance prohibiting them from owning or possessing a handgun in their own home (McDonald v. Chicago).  Oral arguments before the Court are scheduled for March 2, 2010.

December

* The very liberal Slate magazine ruefully declares:  “Score one for the Gun Owners of America” (December 20, 2009).  Slate’s declaration recognizes the fact that Majority Leader Harry Reid has tried to appease gun owners by placing a pro-gun “fix” in the bill.  But as mentioned earlier, the “fix” is more of a first step, as it falls short of addressing all the problems GOA has with the bill.

Senate Democrats later overcome a Republican filibuster with no votes to spare.  But despite this defeat, the ObamaCare legislation still has a long way to go.  GOA will continue to fight this bill — and all other attempts to enact gun control at the federal level — in 2010.

GOA will also be ramping up its efforts at the state level this year, most notably in leading the charge for Firearms Freedom and genuine (Alaska-style) carry reform.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO STAND WITH GOA THIS YEAR!

The ability of GOA to continue putting pressure on politicians depends on loyal activists like you. GOA has been the national leader when it comes to opposing the gun control in the socialized health care bill.

But don’t just take our word for it… listen to what others have been saying.  The media has declared that Gun Owners of America “has been alone on the national stage” and has “scored” legislative victories for gun owners.  Senator David Vitter (R-LA) said that, “GOA has led the national gun rights organizations in actively opposing Mr. Holder’s nomination….”

Our philosophy is to fight gun control without compromising our rights.  That’s why Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) has called GOA the “only no-compromise gun lobby” in the nation’s capital.

We can only continue fighting for your rights as long as you continue to fight with us. You can stand with us today by joining GOA or renewing your existing membership at http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm

Thank you for your support!

Does Massachusetts Hold the Key to Stopping ObamaCare?

January 12, 2010
Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund Alert:
Does Massachusetts Hold the Key to Stopping ObamaCare?

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Pl, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
http://www.goapvf.org

January 12, 2010

The best opportunity to defeat ObamaCare may come from, ironically, Massachusetts.

In the race to succeed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, Republican State Senator Scott Brown could become the key vote to stop nationalized health care.

With Senate Democrats controlling 60 votes, Republicans were unable to muster the 41 votes needed to block the anti-gun health care bill when it passed the Senate on Christmas Eve.  But the bill must still be voted on by both the House and Senate, and the Senate is scheduled to reconvene on January 19 — the same day as the special election in Massachusetts.

How big of an issue is health care in this election?

Scott Brown told Politico: “If you feel that Washington and the health care bill that they’re proposing is systemic of the problems in Washington and the failure to understand average people anymore, then you vote for me because as the 41st senator. I can stop a lot of this stuff in its tracks.  I can actually force them to go back to the drawing board.”

Ordinarily, a Massachusetts Senate race is a cinch for Democrats, who dominate state politics.  But a recent Public Policy Polling poll shows Brown up one point against his opponent, anti-gun State Attorney General Martha Coakley!

Should Scott Brown pull off a win, the ObamaCare legislation would die instantly as Democrats will have lost their 60th vote.

As state Senator, Brown is considered one of the most conservative Republicans in the Bay State — supporting issues like concealed carry of firearms and earning an “A+” rating from the state pro-gun group, Gun Owners Action League.

His opponent is the type of radical anti-gunner people have come to expect from Massachusetts.  Late last year, Attorney General Coakley filed a brief urging the state Supreme Court to uphold a law requiring firearms to be kept under lock and key when not in use.

The choice for gun owners in this race could not be more clear — and the stakes could not be higher.

After telling gun owners for a year that they had nothing to fear from the national health care bill, Democrats in Washington finally admitted that that was a bald-faced lie.  So they stuck a bunch of language in the most recent version of the bill supposedly addressing the gun problems (which they claimed for so long did not exist!)

But the new language does not prohibit the FBI or the BATFE from trolling the ObamaCare medical database in search of medical reasons to disqualify citizens from owning firearms.

Already, the Department of Veterans Affairs — which operates its own nationalized health care system — has denied around 150,000 veterans their Second Amendment rights based on the opinions of doctors, and not on the basis of any criminal conviction.  And that is just the tip of the iceberg should the health care bill pass for the rest of the population.

So you can see how important this Massachusetts special election on January 19 is for the nation.

It is also clear that concerned citizens from all over the country should do all they can to get Scott Brown over the finish line.

This is a very expensive race, and Scott’s opponent has so far out-raised him significantly, as she’s raked in millions of dollars from ObamaCare supporters.

And, even though Scott is carrying the Republican message that will likely dominate the 2010 Congressional elections, news reports indicate that the Republican national committees have shown only token support.  That must change, and change quickly.

Sure, Massachusetts is normally a safe Democrat state — but these are not normal times.  This race is winnable.  Scott Brown was down by 31 percentage points in November, but he is now effectively tied in the latest poll.

There are several action items that can be taken by people from every state:

1. Visit Scott Brown on the web at http://www.brownforussenate.com and make a generous contribution.  And, please make sure all your contacts know about the importance of this race.

2. Contact National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn at info@nrsc.org and urge him to pull out all the stops to elect Scott Brown.

3. Email Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele at info@gop.com and deliver the same message.

4. Of course, if you live in Massachusetts, vote for Scott Brown on Tuesday, January 19.

Together, we can strike a blow to anti-gun national health care — and send a powerful message to Washington — by scoring a win in liberal Massachusetts.

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice Chairman

Blooberg Follies: Another one bites the dust!

January 8, 2010

Birds of a feather flock together a the saying goes. The Felon Mayor of New York City. Yes, that’s right, he is a felon irrespective of the shill judge that said otherwise. Think about it, if you or I set out to have a load of straw purchases of firearms we would be cellmates in some prison. So, the felon sets up a very dishonest organization, and goes to work with the goal of taking away your civil rights, and a whole slew of people jump on board his coat tails. Quite a a few figured out what he was up to, and quit. Others heard their constituents and left because they wanted to keep their jobs. Yet others, stayed in the flock. Yes indeed, these birds are all of a feather. Read on…

“Mayors Against Illegal Guns” Loses Yet Another Member!


Thursday, January 07, 2010
Mayor Sheila Dixon (D) has accepted a plea deal for perjury charges stemming from accusations that she did not report gifts she received from a local developer.  In a teary announcement yesterday, she resigned her post as the Mayor of Baltimore as part of the plea.

As you will recall, Dixon, a vocal member of “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” was convicted last month of pocketing gift cards intended for Baltimore’s needy families.

Dixon now joins the ranks of disgraced anti-gun politicians like former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) of Detroit.  Perhaps these folks should focus on abiding by the law themselves instead of persecuting law-abiding citizens.

“Mayors Against Illegal Guns” (MAIG) was founded and is funded by activist anti-gun billionaire and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a front group to lobby Congress to oppose important pro-gun reforms and support new federal gun control restrictions.  Despite its very misleading name, this national group of anti-gun mayors has lobbied Congress against national reciprocity of state Right-to-Carry permits, against much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), for regulating gun shows out of existence, and for repealing the Tiahrt Amendment that protects the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners and limits disclosure of sensitive firearm trace data to protect law enforcement personnel and protect lawful gun manufacturers from bogus lawsuits.

SOURCE

ObamaCare Has Revealed The Moral Bankruptcy Of The Senate

January 7, 2010
ObamaCare Has Revealed The Moral Bankruptcy Of The Senate
— It’s time for us for to repeat this loudly and often

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://gunowners.org

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Here’s where we’re at on socialized health care.  The House and Senate have passed ObamaCare bills, but the two versions are very different.  So, the bill can’t go to the President until they iron out the differences.

Make no mistake about it.  This legislation moves us down the road towards socialism, and it will result in even more gun owners being disqualified from owning firearms.

We need to regroup and renew our efforts to kill ObamaCare — an outcome which is still very doable.

Now, repeat this phrase over and over:  A MORAL CESSPOOL.

If we are going to defeat the anti-gun ObamaCare legislation, these words are going to have to be repeated millions of times over the next month.

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool.

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool.

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool.

Why is this refrain so important?  There are several reasons why, but consider this:  Throughout this fight over ObamaCare, Senators have lied about guns… they’ve lied about the deficit… they’ve lied about the costs of health insurance premiums and how the bill will affect senior citizens.  They have lied over and over to their constituents about all these issues.

That’s why it’s time that we tell Democrat Senators how corrupt their vote for ObamaCare really was.  Obviously, they won’t agree.  So let each Senator make the argument that, “I am not a crook.”

That argument never wins elections.

Already, Democrat Representatives and Senators are either switching parties or announcing their retirements.  They know the American people are disgusted with the moral bankruptcy of the U.S. Congress — a situation that has become obvious to anyone who watches the nightly news.

Consider the following despicable practices which were perpetrated in order to push ObamaCare through the Senate last month:

1. Lies

* For months, Senators claimed there were no anti-gun provisions in the ObamaCare legislation.  But everyone knew they were lying.  So last month, a provision was inserted into the Senate bill which claims to allay the concerns of gun owners — but leaves the most important problem unremedied.  If they weren’t lying to begin with, then why try to fix what they claimed wasn’t there?

* Senators are now insisting that the current Senate health bill protects the rights of gun owners, even though this version would still allow the BATFE and FBI to troll through the ObamaCare database for gun owners who would be disqualified because of their medical information.  This could result in millions of Americans — who are suffering from PTSD and other similar conditions — being put into the NICS system and denied the right to buy firearms.

2. Bribes

* A $100 million bribe to treat Sen. Ben Nelson’s state different from all others, in exchange for Ben Nelson’s vote.

* A $100-300 million bribe to treat Sen. Mary Landrieu’s state different from all others, in exchange for Mary Landrieu’s vote.

* $10 billion for community health centers operated by groups similar to ACORN, in exchange for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ vote.

* A bribe to Sen. Max Baucus in order to treat Libby, Montana, different from any other town.

* A bribe to Sen. Chris Dodd consisting of a $100 million medical center in Connecticut.

* Bribes to Sens. Kent Conrad, Brian Dorgan, Bill Nelson, etc., etc., etc.

* In fact, there are so many bribes in the Senate version of the ObamaCare bill that the bribe-meister himself, Majority Leader Harry Reid, publicly bragged that if your senator doesn’t have a bribe in this bill, it “speaks poorly” of him.

3. Extortion

* Threats to take away Sen. Joe Lieberman’s chairmanship because of his opposition to the government run “public option.”

4. Fraud

* Senators are claiming that the Senate-passed version reduces the deficit, even though:

a. $247 billion of the bill’s costs are being snuck through in separate legislation;

b. The “savings” rely on $465 billion of Medicare “cuts,” which no one believed were achievable; and

c. The “savings” rely on making new taxes take effect 3-5 years before any of those tax monies are spent.

* Senators are claiming that the bill would make Medicare solvent — but this claim can only be made by fraudulently double-counting the effects of the phony Medicare cuts.

* Senators are claiming that health care costs would be brought under control, when the government’s own Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that costs would go up $245 billion.

* Senators are claiming that premiums would be brought under control, even though the Congressional Budget Office found that policies under the “exchange” (i.e., those policies which you would have to buy, under penalty of law) would be 10-13% more expensive than if Congress did nothing.

5. Secrecy

* The final version of the 2407-page bill wasn’t revealed until less than 48 hours before Congress began voting on it.

Now that the Christmas holidays are behind us, we need to get back to work.  Please take the time to contact your Senator, so that we can protect the rights of gun owners by defeating socialized medicine.

ACTION: Over the next month, the term “moral cesspool” needs to become part of the political lexicon.  Below, you will find that two sample communications are attached — one for Democrat Senators, the other for Republicans.

So please send your letter, and then get your relatives, your friends, your neighbors, your gun clubs, churches, etc., to do the same.

You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send a pre-written message to your Senators — the appropriate e-mail will automatically be sent to your Senator, based on whether he or she is a Republican or Democrat.

—– Pre-written letter for Democrat Senators —–

Dear Senator:

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool, and you need to begin doing something about it before this whole country is sacrificed on the altar of the Senate’s moral decay.

I am disgusted with the lies, bribes, and fraud which you have advocated by voting for the Senate ObamaCare legislation:

* Millions of American taxpayer dollars were spent in the states of Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu and Chris Dodd to obtain their votes.  In fact, so many bribes were shelled out that the chief bribe-meister, Harry Reid, publicly bragged that if a senator doesn’t have a bribe in this bill, it “speaks poorly” of him.

* The Senate bill was passed on the claim that the Reid bill reduces the deficit, even though:

a. $247 billion of the bill’s costs are being snuck through in separate legislation;

b. The “savings” rely on $465 billion of Medicare “cuts,” which no one believed were achievable; and

c. The “savings” rely on making new taxes take effect 3-5 years before any of those tax monies are spent.

* Senators claimed that health care costs would be brought under control, when the government’s own Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that costs would go up $245 billion.

* Senators also claimed that premiums would be brought under control, even though the Congressional Budget Office found that policies under the “exchange” (i.e., those policies which you would have to buy, under penalty of law) would be 10-13% more expensive than if Congress did nothing.

There is still time to change course.  I implore you to change your vote on ObamaCare.

Sincerely,

—– Pre-written letter for Republican Senators —–

Dear Senator:

Thank you for voting against the ObamaCare fiasco.

For months, Senators claimed there were no anti-gun provisions in the ObamaCare legislation.  But everyone knew they were lying.  So last month, a provision was inserted into the Senate bill which claims to allay the concerns of gun owners — but leaves the most important problem unremedied.

Some Democrat Senators are now claiming that the current Senate health bill protects the rights of gun owners, even though this version would still allow the BATFE and FBI to troll through the ObamaCare database for gun owners who would be disqualified because of their medical information.  This could result in millions of Americans — who are suffering from PTSD and other similar conditions — being put into the NICS system and denied the right to buy firearms.

Bottom line:  Please do everything in your power to kill the ObamaCare legislation.  What can you, as a senator, do about this?

Please take away the incentive that the suicidal Democrats have for selling their votes on ObamaCare for posh nominations in the Obama administration after they are defeated at the polls or retire.

You can do this by announcing you will place a “hold” on the nominations of Blanche Lincoln, Evan Bayh, Chris Dodd, Brian Dorgan, and Michael Bennet — nominations which will inevitably be made next year as a payoff for their votes on behalf of ObamaCare.

It’s time that the bribes stopped, and you can make this happen.

Sincerely,


Second Amendment March

Larry Pratt, GOA’s Executive Director, will be speaking at the Second Amendment March. The March will take place April 19, 2010 in Washington, DC.  All gun rights supporters are urged to attend this massive, free event.  Satellite marches are also being planned for state capitals around the country.

For details, click the banner on the GOA website.