Archive for the ‘Gun Control’ Category

Anti-gun ObamaCare bill Coming to the House Floor Very Soon

November 6, 2009

This was sent out Wednesday, but just now popped up on my email…

Anti-gun ObamaCare bill Coming to the House Floor Very Soon
— This week is the critical time to lobby your Representative

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, November 4, 2009

We have reached the point in the battle over ObamaCare which will decide whether we win or lose.

The details of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bill are in, and they can be seen at http://docs.house.gov/rules/health/111_ahcaa.pdf .

The bill (H.R. 3962) is 1,990 pages long and weighs over 20 pounds.  And even though a search of the bill will not reveal the word “gun” or “firearm,” that doesn’t mean the bill is neutral in regard to your Second Amendment rights.

For starters, this bill will — like all the ObamaCare versions before it — most likely result in all of your gun-related health data being dumped into a government database that was created in the stimulus bill.  This includes any firearms-related information your doctor has gleaned… or any determination of PTSD, or something similar, that can preclude you from owning firearms.

The bill will also create special “wellness” programs in section 112 which would allow the government to offer lower premiums to employers who bribe their employees to live healthier lifestyles — and nothing within the bill would prohibit rabidly anti-gun HHS Secretary Sebelius from decreeing that “no guns” is somehow healthier.

The bill purports to cut Medicare by $500 billion — in a move which will result in massive rationing for seniors, while ultimately adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit.

The bill will mandate that you purchase expensive government-approved policies and will (according to some studies) triple your insurance premiums through taxes and government requirements.

Of course, this all means that you will have less money to spend on pursuing your real passions — like providing for your family and purchasing guns and ammunition!

ACTION: Write your Representative.  Tell him or her to oppose this bill.  Don’t be discouraged by reports in the liberal media which have tried to tell us — since January — that this battle is hopeless.  We can win, and, with your help, we will win.

You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send a pre-written message to your Representative.

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Representative:

The Pelosi health care bill, sponsored by Rep. Dingell, has now been made public.

For starters, this bill will — like all the ObamaCare versions before it — most likely result in all gun-related health data being dumped into the government database that was created in the stimulus bill.  This includes any firearms-related information that doctors have gleaned… or any determination of PTSD, or something similar, that can preclude a person from owning firearms.

The bill will also create special “wellness” programs in section 112 which would allow the government to offer lower premiums to employers who bribe their employees to live healthier lifestyles — and nothing within the bill would prohibit rabidly anti-gun HHS Secretary Sebelius from decreeing that “no guns” is somehow healthier.

The bill will, according to some studies, triple insurance premiums through taxes and government requirements — while mandating that Americans purchase expensive government-approved policies.

But, perhaps most instructively, there is this:  Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid promised to produce a $900 billion bill which would not add “one dime” to the deficit.

This bill will cost $1.3 trillion and will increase the deficit by AT LEAST $150 billion.

The only way Pelosi or the Congressional Budget Office can continue to pretend to the contrary is to take $247 billion in bill costs and slip them through in separate legislation.

In short, this process is fraudulent.

I have many issues with this legislation.  And so I urge you to oppose this legislation and keep the government from inserting itself even more into my everyday life.

Sincerely,

California: Amicus Brief Filed in Millender v. County of Los Angeles

November 4, 2009

I’m sure that I will raise the ire of many law and order folks with this. The Bill of Rights is an entire package, and when you weaken it anywhere, you weaken the entire thing, including the concept. And please, don’t come here and post about not yelling fire in a crowded theater. If the damned thing is actually on fire then you have a civic duty to inform your fellow theater patrons that the damned place is in fact on fire and needs to be evacuated…

Tuesday, November 03, 2009
On October 22, 2009, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief in the case of Millender v. County of Los Angeles, et al. (07-55518).  The case is pending en banc hearing before a 12 judge panel in the Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals.  A copy of the brief is posted at www.calgunlaws.com. No right is more clearly established under the Fourth Amendment than the right not to be subject to search and seizure under a general warrant (i.e., a warrant not based on probable cause and not particularly describing the place to be searched and the person or thing to be seized). Furthermore, as the Second Amendment makes clear, firearms are lawful to possess and may not be seized without probable cause to believe that a specific firearm was used in a crime.

The NRA/CRPA amicus brief challenges the ability of law enforcement to write over-broad “general” search warrants which allow police to seize any and all firearms an individual may possess, even when police only have “probable cause” to search for a particular firearm.  Far too often police seize legal firearms collections even when most of those firearms are not alleged to be part of a criminal offense.  This is sometimes driven by a political motivation to increase gun seizure statistics so police can seek increased funding.

This deprivation of property often results in damage to the firearms and inevitably causes the owner to incur significant expense and legal fees in retrieving the firearms. The purpose of the NRA/CRPA brief is to convince the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to publish a binding precedent to prevent these search and seizure abuses in the future.

SOURCE

Dangerous vote due this week ACT NOW‏

November 4, 2009

From Downsize D.C. see sidebar for a link.

We want to thank the staff at Reason magazine for drawing attention to a great Denver Post column by David Harsanyi.

We’re going to crib from it for today’s action item.

Please send a letter to Congress opposing the 1,900-page healthcare bill.

Here’s what I wrote in my personal comments (my Senators will receive a copy too so they can know how I feel about this):

I object to the 1,900-page House healthcare bill precisely because it’s 1,900 pages long. That’s too much complexity.

I object because the word “regulation” appears in this bill 181 times, “tax” is there 214 times, and “fees” is used 103 times. I hate these words and I won’t feel too good about you either if you inflict them on me.

I object because you’re not going to read this bill before you vote on it, or sit with the federal code to look up and read all the parts of existing law that the bill will change.

I object because the bill will require federal bureaucrats to write hundreds, or even thousands of pages of regulations to fill in the details, and because I’ll have to pay for lawyers and accountants, either directly or indirectly, to interpret and comply with this mess.

I object because many of my healthcare choices will be dictated by a “Health Choices Commissioner” and an “Inspector General for the Health Choices Administration.” I won’t be able to elect or fire either of these people, and I do not want them in my life.

I object because this bill costs too much, and because you’re hiding the true cost in a variety of fraudulent ways.

I object because this bill contains numerous Trojan Horses that will eventually kill free market healthcare in favor of complete government control.

I object because it is increasingly clear to me that my supposed representatives really represent their own party leadership first, special interest lobbyists second, and me not at all.

Please stop to consider that this bill will be imposed on me at the point of a policeman’s gun. If I do not want to pay for it, or comply with it, armed men will eventually knock on my door to force me to submit. Do not do this too me!

If you pass this bill, or anything like it, I will never forgive you.

END OF SAMPLE LETTER

You can send your letter to Congress here.

Please take additional steps to spread the word, recruit more DC Downsizers, and increase the heat on Congress:

Recommended reading

November 1, 2009

Just for kicks I decided to post a reading list that this blogs followers might like, in addition to those on my blogroll in the side bar. Enjoy!

Recommended reading

Atlanta: Ed StoneBoston: Ron BoklemanCharlotte: Paul ValoneCheyenne: Anthony BouchardChicago: Don GwinnCleveland: Daniel WhiteDC: Mike StollenwerkDenver: Dan BidstrupGrand Rapids: Skip CoryelLos Angeles: John LongeneckerMinneapolis: John PierceNational: David CodreaPhoenix: Douglas LittleSeattle: Dave WorkmanSt. Louis: Kurt HofmannWisconsin: Gene German

OSHA CZAR: Yet another liberty hater

November 1, 2009

OSHA Czar David Michaels rabid anti liberty ideology makes him yet another perfect fit in the current administrations war on America. David Kopel explains just how dangerous this political animal is to your personal safety. Not to mention your liberty and freedom.

Read about that HERE.

What is it with team obama? Is there an end point to the collective hate that permeates this group? We are being assaulted from all sides. I guess that means that we can swing our swords in any direction because the enemy, is everywhere.

New Details Emerge on House HC Bill

October 31, 2009

 

Stolen! With permission by the way, from Anthony, at the Liberty Sphere.

New Details Emerge on House HC Bill

As we reported yesterday, the gargantuan 1990-page ‘healthcare reform’ bill agreed upon by the House is replete with booby-traps for the citizens. New details revealed today indicate that the ‘death panels’ Sarah Palin warned about are back and very present in the bill.

This provision will determine who is worthy of care based upon age and overall health, which will most certainly result in rationing for the elderly. In addition, the measure mandates that ‘end of life counseling’ be offered to the elderly.

The cost of the plan is also of great interest. According to the Congressional Budget Office the pricetag will be 1.055 TRILLION, far above the supposed goal of Nancy Pelosi and others to keep the cost below a trillion bucks.

But by the time ALL of the hidden costs are added in to the measure, the actual price is more like 2 trillion at the very least.

Let’s take a quick review of the provisions of the bill as they are known so far:

*It covers illegal aliens.
*It covers abortions.
*It raises taxes.
*It mandates that all citizens purchase health insurance (which is unconstitutional).
*It takes billions out of Medicare and depletes the Medicare Advantage supplemental programs.
*It gives the HHS Secretary the power to create ‘waiting lists’ which is tantamount to rationing.
*It imposes heavy fines on individuals who fail to purchase insurance and on businesses that fail to provide it for their employees, leading to unemployment and layoffs since many businesses can’t afford it.
*It maintains the so-called ‘public option’ which will drive private insurers out of business. In short, this is government-run healthcare.

The House will debate the bill next week. Assuming it passes, which is in doubt, it will have to go to a conference committee to reconcile the bill with a Senate version. The Senate has already made it clear that ObamaCare is in deep trouble with heavy hitters such as Joe Lieberman and Olympia Snowe indicating they will not support the plan.
SOURCE

Other great things by the author HERE.

Second Amendment: NJ Court Says No Right to Buy Handgun

October 31, 2009

So much for Heller vs D.C. When so many in the Freedom community crows about winning that case many, including myself cautioned that there were devils in the details. Indeed it would appear that the demons that lurked are more then raising their heads.

Courts across the nation, as well as SCOTUS, are a power unto themselves, and they are hell bent to destroy your rights across the board. Think about it. This, despite what is on the face of it, is not really about gun control. It is about controlling you. From the pre- Constitutional right to defend yourself and yours, to property rights, to unreasonable search and seizure, and beyond. This is all about power. The power of government.

Second Amendment: NJ Court Says No Right to Buy Handgun

“A New Jersey appeals court has concluded that Americans have no Second Amendment right to buy a handgun,” CBS News reports. “[T]he superior court upheld a state law saying that nobody may possess ‘any handgun’ without obtaining law enforcement approval and permission in advance.” Given that the Supreme Court ruled last year in DC v. Heller that the Second Amendment guarantees “the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation,” this ruling is a bit surprising. New Jersey Appellate Division Judge Stephen Skillman, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel, said that Heller “has no impact upon the constitutionality of” the state law.

It’s true that the Supreme Court avoided some larger questions in Heller, even specifically saying that the ruling does “not address the licensing requirement.” However, the Second Amendment to the Constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Based on our reading of that plain language, there’s nothing in there about permission from a court or law enforcement for particular arms. We hope the Supreme Court addresses this question when it hears McDonald v. Chicago, challenging Chicago’s handgun ban, later this year.

SOURCE

The times they are a changing…

October 30, 2009

Or so the song goes. Change is not always bad, nor is it always good. So much though that has come about in recent times leaves one to wonder.

From Rules of Engagement that strap our troops ability to fight and win in real war. To undermining the core values of the military. To Chairborne Rangers with stars on their collars, that are political beasts and perfumed princes the leadership is, for the most part, FUBAR

From an administration that spreads obamanure across the land, supported by those that detest America, private property, and private enterprise. With RINO coconspitators that defile the Constitution and the Bill of Rights seemingly at every opportunity.

To a Supreme Court that ignores the Constitution, and principle of law that they all swore to protect and defend.

We, as a nation, are in fact, Balkanized. We are split into factions more so than ever before. More than at the beginning, when only a small percentage of people were pro-revolution, and in favor of splitting from England. More than at the beginning of the War of Northern Aggression. More, by a long shot, than during the nineteen sixties and seventies when a revolution seemed to be imminent to many of us.

Anthony writes for the Examiner an insightful essay series. Check it out, and think about what was written.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

What are we to think and do when confronted by all that is being force fed to us? Further, if it is all so good and righteous then why is it being force upon us? Here, I think that I will paraphrase something that I paraphrased many years ago.

Second Amendment solutions for bureaucratic belligerence and official oppression? Freedom, is found on the edge of a sword, and the muzzle of a gun. Especially when the ballot box only serves to thwart that freedom.


GOA: PVF Alert

October 28, 2009
Help Elect A Pro-gun Champion!

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

October 27, 2009

Dear Friend of the Second Amendment,

You may have heard about a special Congressional election taking place next week in upstate New York.  The race features a Nancy Pelosi Democrat and a Republican with long-standing ties to ACORN against a genuine pro-gun leader named Doug Hoffman.

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is proud to endorse Doug Hoffman in this race.

Doug Hoffman is a 100% gun rights supporter who will be a leader in the battle to defend the Second Amendment.

Mr. Hoffman believes that laws restricting your right to keep and bear arms is no way to fight crime.

As the next Congressman from New York, Doug Hoffman will fight hard against the gun control schemes coming out of Nancy Pelosi’s office and he will work to repeal unconstitutional gun laws on the books.

One of Doug Hoffman’s opponents, Bill Owens, will be just another YES vote for radical anti-gun House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  He refuses to let voters know where he stands on specific gun control issues, which enables him to play it both ways on the Second Amendment.

Politicians like this are slowly destroying our right to keep and bear arms.

Mr. Hoffman’s other opponent, Dede Scozzafava, voted in 1999 for the kind of “study” of gun “safety” that is so often used by the gun prohibitionists as a backdoor to greater and more intrusive regulation.  Attacking gun owners’ rights under the cover of “safety” is a favorite tactic of the anti-Second Amendment crowd and she voted for it.

She also voted in 1999 to stick gun owners with a burdensome reporting requirement when a gun is stolen.   Under that law, the victim of a gun theft can be criminally prosecuted if the theft is not reported quickly enough to suit the authorities.  This type of law turns the victim into a criminal.

These are not the votes of a 100% defender of the Second Amendment.

In addition, this candidate has close ties to the radical anti-gun group ACORN. The current leader of ACORN, Bertha Lewis, also co-founded New York’s Working Families Party — a party that supported Scozzafava in past elections.

The right choice for gun owners in this election is clearly Doug Hoffman.

One recent poll shows Mr. Hoffman with a slight lead in the three-way race, but the election is all about voter turnout.  In the last few days of the campaign Doug needs our financial help to reach out to as many pro-Second Amendment voters as possible.

Your contribution of $25, $50, $100, or more at http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com will help Doug Hoffman stay on the air, speaking directly to voters.

Your support of Doug Hoffman will send a strong message to Congressional leaders of both parties in Washington — a message that says NO to Nancy Pelosi’s gun control agenda and NO to more business-as-usual politicians.

We need representatives who are willing to “rock the boat” on Capitol Hill, and Doug Hoffman is just that type of candidate.  Please go to http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com right away!

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice-Chairman


Paid for by Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund.  Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.  Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is a project of Gun Owners of America.

The average American commits about three federal felonies per day

October 25, 2009

A few years ago I posted about all the laws that keep going on the books. I posited then, and still do that laws are rarely, if ever removed. Scare tactics are bread and butter for politicians irrespective of party affiliation.

Prosecutors and police have a vast array of statutes with which to send you off to the poky for an extended stay. Use of government power as a social engineering tool has a rather long and sordid history. From the racist based gun control laws to laws designed by better then thous to protect you from yourself they just keep piling them on. Political correctness, as embodied in various new laws that push agenda after agenda throttle freedom and liberty while supposedly protecting the same. Sexism, racism, and matters of equality seem to be the ticket to framing most of the newer tools of oppression, and don’t forget “acceptable” religion.

Framing certain unacceptable behavior’s as misdemeanors is a tactic often employed as of late. Along with attached felony penalties of course. Please note, that in most, if not all states, you can get a pardon for felony crimes if you clean your act up. However, for infractions and misdemeanors the situation is different. You are stuck with those penalties for life. Even when there is a mechanism in place for what is basically a pardon, it is most often at the whim of the prosecutors and court that convicted the person. Fat chance of that happening. They want the feathers in their war bonnets. While at the same time exposing their social cowardice for not having actually taken the person to task by convicting them of a felony.

“There’s no way to rule innocent men.
The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals.
Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them.
One declares so many things to be a crime
that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”

Ayn Rand

To that end Reason magazine has an article up that is, for the most part pretty accurate. Aside from their illogical comment on illegal immigration. Read that in it’s entirety HERE.