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Rogue Agency still at it…

March 20, 2011
Seems that the rogue agency that has done more to destroy liberty and freedom than any other is now not just killing religious people, but even our own border warriors.
Many have been calling for the utter abolishment of the BATFE, and for good reasons. This situation should enrage every American, and especially those involved in public safety. Yes, once again I implore each of you to contact your elected leaders.
(February 23, 2011)

“Two months after the shooting death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office remain silent. But family members, and others, are speaking out.”
— William Lajeunesse, “America’s Third War: Agent Brian Terry, A Policy of Silence?,” Fox News (February 22, 2011) at http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/02/22/agent-brian-terry-policy-silence/

Summary

According to recent press reports — such as Fox News — the ATF has enabled gun smuggling by telling gun dealers in the southwest to sell weapons to known straw purchasers (people who buy guns for others).  Even worse, one of those guns became the murder weapon in a tragic case where a Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, was gunned down on December 14th, 2010.

This ATF operation is called Project Gunrunner and its purpose was to monitor illicit gun sales in the southwest in order to track down the smuggling rings delivering guns to the drug cartels.

But, now, it’s beginning to look like the biggest arms supplier is the ATF itself for having allowed more than 3000 weapons to be smuggled under its Gunrunner program.

While Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) has demanded answers from the ATF, he has been blown off — not only by agency superiors, but by officials as high up as Attorney General Eric Holder.

Given the fact that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is likely to drag his feet in order to protect Attorney General Eric Holder, we believe that hearings should begin in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Thus, Gun Owners of America is now calling for both the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Reform in the U.S. House of Representatives to initiate hearings into Project Gunrunner — and presents the following information to help in their investigations.

History

“The gun used to kill Agent Brian Terry has been sourced, not to Mexico, but to a gun store in Phoenix that was actually part — and cooperating — with a federal investigation into arms trafficking.  However, US agents did not stop the sale or the transfer of that gun to the cartels that killed Terry.”
— William Lajeunesse, Fox News broadcast (February 22, 2011)

Around 11:00 pm on the night of December 14, 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was shot and mortally wounded near Peck Canyon, Rio Rico, north of Nogales in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, approximately 10 miles north of the U.S.-Mexican border.  Agent Terry, aged 40, a Marine Corps veteran and a “cop’s cop,” died shortly afterward.  Four suspects were taken into custody, including one who was shot and transported to the hospital.

Two months after the murder, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Phoenix announced that three of the four, Jesus Soria-Ruiz, Jose Angel-Camacho, and Francisco Rosario Camacho-Alameda would be deported to Mexico after pleading guilty to charges of illegal entry.   As of this writing (February 23, 2011), they have been released for deportation.

Despite being arrested at the scene, it was announced that no evidence tied the three to the shooting of Agent Terry.  This is amazing.  Should not these illegal aliens be kept in custody as witnesses?  At best, they are material witnesses … at worst, they are perpetrators who assisted in the murder of Agent Terry.

To date no one has been charged with the murder and the FBI has been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the investigation, except to assure that Terry was not killed by friendly fire from fellow agents.  (It is the opinion of many — not only those here at GOA, but also the whistleblowers — that because these Mexican citizens have potential knowledge as material witnesses in the case, they should not be deported and, instead, should be kept in protective custody until they can be made available to independent Congressional investigators.)

Two semi-automatic Kalashnikov-pattern rifles were found at the scene.  When traced, it was discovered that these had been purchased from an American gun shop which had been cooperating with agents of the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (commonly referred to as the ATF) in an investigation of gun smuggling known as Project Gunrunner.  It was also learned that these weapons had been traced by the ATF at least once before, and that the agency had extensive knowledge of the person who bought them.

Almost immediately, rumors began to circulate within the agency that the Phoenix office of ATF had botched the oversight and execution of Project Gunrunner, and that the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was an unintended but foreseeable consequence of poor planning, sloppy field craft and even sloppier management.  Such a tragedy, it was said, had even been predicted by some agents beforehand.

Worse, both street agents and responsible supervisors within the agency had tried to prevent such an outcome and were overruled by higher management.  In the case of one, Darren Gil, the ATF attaché in Mexico City who went over the head of Phoenix Special Agent in Charge, William Newell, to ATF headquarters, such fidelity to duty was a career-ending act.  Gil was forced into early retirement on December 31, 2010, two and a half weeks after the murder of Brian Terry.

Gil was removed, at least in part, because he insisted that pursuant to treaty and established protocol, the Mexican government should be notified of the operation.  It was not.  The decision to remove Darren Gil and keep the Mexican government in the dark was approved, it is said, at least at the highest levels of the Justice Department.

There are now five separate but connected accusations leveled by current or former employees of the ATF against ATF and DOJ officials in what has been dubbed the “Project Gunwalker“ Scandal:

First, that they intentionally allowed perhaps as many as 3,000 firearms to “walk” across the U.S. border into Mexico with the purpose of boosting the statistics of seized firearms with American commercial provenance from Mexican crime scenes.

Second, that they instructed U.S. gun dealers to proceed with questionable and illegal sales of firearms to suspected gunrunners.

Third, that they intentionally withheld information about U.S.-sanctioned gun smuggling from the Mexican government.

Fourth, that one of the rifles ATF allowed to be smuggled into Mexico was involved in the death of CBP Agent Brian Terry.  (See the link to Grassley’s February 9 letter in the footnotes below.)

Fifth, that high-level managers of ATF and DOJ are now, in tandem with the FBI, involved in covering up ATF and DOJ culpability in items One through Four, by various means including the unlawful threatening of current-serving ATF agents with personal knowledge of the case.

Eventually, these charges came to the attention of U.S. Senators Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Chuck Grassley of Iowa through the new media which learned of the existence of potential whistleblowers from its own sources within ATF.  The Senators then got in touch with the whistleblowers, so that they could be afforded some protection from the threats of their managers and so that the truth of the circumstances of the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry could be discovered.

The story is starting to get out.  As stated on February 22 by William Lajeunesse of Fox News:  “The slug that killed Terry came from an AK-47 dropped at the scene. The weapon was traced to a Phoenix gun store, which had reported the sale to ATF’s ‘Project Gunrunner.’”

At present, many other revelations are expected.

This study will present a background, narrative, condensed timeline and document sources to help Senators and Members of the House of Representatives understand where this scandal came from, what the evidentiary sources are and what legislative remedies may be taken to fully develop the truth, help target oversight and to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.  It has been written with input derived from the whistleblowers themselves.

Background, Narrative and Condensed Timeline

For many months throughout 2010, the ATF’s “Project Gunrunner” initiative was under fire for poor management, exaggerated statistics, etc. The agency was floundering to carry out an agenda that wasn’t entirely covered by the law and its managers were stung by poor publicity and especially by an Inspector General’s report which Michael Isikoff first reported leaks on last September 21, presaging the official report which was finally made public in November.  Isikoff’s story said in part:

“A major Justice Department program aimed at intercepting the flow of U.S. weapons to Mexico’s drug cartels is misfiring due to bureaucratic turf battles and a failure to share critical intelligence about illegal firearms purchases, according to an internal department report.”

The IG report excoriated ATF’s Project Gunrunner performance.  It is now alleged by ATF’s own agents that sometime in late 2009 or early 2010, the Phoenix office of ATF began to implement a policy of “walking” semi-automatic rifles south of the border — at first with a wink and a nod, later, according to one agent:

“The agency was not only looking the other way but actually facilitating trafficking, threatening and punishing agents who voiced objections, covering up trace information, the truth about the gun that killed BPA Terry, what I.C.E. knew, it goes on and on.”

“Walking” is a time tested way of making a case against a known criminal figure.  For example, let’s say that Evil Bad Guy “B” is known to have provided contraband to Criminal Enterprise “C.”  Law enforcement then uses a confidential informant or perhaps just a petty criminal known to them and arranges that they convey the contraband from Point “A” to Evil Bad Guy “B,” who then transports it to “C.”  “Walking” involves the surveillance by law enforcement of the contraband from “A” all the way through to “C” — either by eyes on or electronics — thus establishing a chain of custody and when it arrives, the agents swoop down and roll up the entire ring.  The agents literally “walk” the contraband from “A” to “C.”

In these cases, however, the end destination — the Point “C” — was across the border into Mexico, where ATF cannot normally go, and certainly not without the assistance of Mexican law enforcement.

During this time, it is alleged by an experienced ATF street agent, the ATF deliberately did not inform the Mexican authorities that this was going on:

“Darren Gil, former attaché to Mexico is an honest and honorable guy. He was forcefully removed from Mexico without warning in November in large part because he wouldn’t sit silent on these matters. He will tell the truth if asked by competent authority. He retired Dec 31 because of all this.”

Also during this time, gun stores along the border were calling ATF and reporting multiple sales, only to be told to allow the sales to go through, and in some cases, follow the purchasers out into the parking lot to get license numbers.   There are firearms dealers who are willing to come forward and detail their similar experiences to the Congress if asked under oath.  They are reluctant to do so without Congressional protection because their livelihoods are at the mercy of ATF regulators, who are known to conduct hostile “inspections” designed to characterize the dealer as a criminal or danger to the community.

All of this, it is alleged, was done in order to boost the numbers of seized semi-automatic “assault weapons” in Mexico to justify continued, or expanded, Project Gunrunner funding.

With the death of Agent Terry, the private resistance of the street agents of the ATF in the Phoenix office and elsewhere broke out into the open.  An unknown but significant number of ATF agents with personal knowledge and documents of this scandal became willing to tell their story to any Senator who asked them.  The first mention of these rumors in a public venue came out in postings by disaffected ATF street agents writing comments at their own website, CleanUpATF.org.  The story broke on December 28, 2010.

Over the next month, Senator Grassley’s office contacted these agents who were willing to speak out, not the other way around as has been reported.

The contacts with the whistleblowers led to Senator Grassley’s first letter to ATF Acting Director Kenneth Melson on January 27, 2011, laying out the whistleblower‘s allegation and requesting information.

“On Tuesday, according to press reports, the ATF arrested 17 suspects in a Project Gunrunner bust.  William Newell, the Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Phoenix Field Office was quoted as saying, ‘We strongly believe we took down the entire organization from top to bottom that operated out of the Phoenix area.’  However, if the 17 individuals were merely straw purchasers of whom the ATF had been previously aware before Agent Terry’s death, then that raises a host of serious questions that the ATF needs to address immediately.”

On January 31, 2011, pursuant to reports that the Phoenix ATF management was threatening reprisals against agents who talked about the Terry case, Senator Grassley sent another letter to Acting Director Melson, reminding him strongly of the whistleblower protection laws and that the Congress would decline to appropriate money to pay the salaries of any federal employees who tried to so retaliate.

On February 4, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich sent a reply to Senator Grassley which was both preemptory and insulting to his character.  On February 7, an ATF agent writing on CleanUpATF.org proposed a witness list and questions for Senator Grassley.

In retrospect, the Justice Department surely considered the February 4 letter ill-advised, because on February 9 Senator Grassley fired back a blistering three-page salvo directly to Attorney General Holder with attached documents he obviously obtained from whistleblowers that strongly supported their allegations.  Senator Grassley concluded this letter:

“The Terry family deserves answers. The whistleblowers have expressed a desire to honor Agent Terry’s memory by disclosing this information. The Justice Department should work to do the same. The best way to honor his memory is to come clean.”

The Senator in his letter again suggested a meeting with ATF.  That meeting happened on February 10, and according to an internal ATF source, the briefing was done by James E. McDermond, Assistant Director of ATF’s Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information.  McDermond was quoted as saying he thought the meeting went well.

On February 16, Senator Grassley disabused the ATF, the FBI, Customs and Border Patrol and the Department of Justice of that optimistic notion with a detailed, two-page demand to AG Eric Holder for specific documents in the “Project Gunwalker” Scandal.

It has been over two months since Agent Terry’s death and the complete outline of this scandal has yet to be discovered.  What we do not know, and what should be a priority of legislative inquiry, is what happened to the rest of the alleged three thousand “walked” firearms?  The ATF whistleblowers have said that there already have been other casualties, including the deaths of Mexican government officials and citizens, who have been identified.  The ATF should be compelled by the Congress to disclose who they are so that we may know the entire scope of this scandal, and determine how to help prevent such flawed law enforcement operations in future.

Government Accountability Office (GAO)

The relevant committee(s) taking up the inquiry into the “Project Gunwalker” scandal need to request two reports, one from GAO, the other from CRS.  The GAO report request should ask for a report on the firearms tracing system; how firearms trace data are collected, indexed, called up/retrieved, reported, what the data represent, how the data can be used, the extent (if any) to which ATF has validated the data, and how ATF has been using or misusing the data.  Of course the GAO (like CRS) is not an investigative agency per se but rather does program audits and evaluations, to explain how a program and/or policy is working or not.  An objective evaluation of the ATF’s firearms tracing system would be relevant to this case, and provide legislative guidance for any changes in the system that may be advisable.

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

The Congress routinely relies upon CRS reports to obtain legislative and policy information, and to prepare materials in support of Congressional hearings.   CRS previously did a report entitled “Gun Trafficking and the Southwest Border” by Vivian S. Chu, CRS Legislative Attorney and William J. Krouse, dated July 29, 2009.

Importantly, in November of last year the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Evaluation and Inspections Division released a report titled “Review of ATF’s Project Gunrunner, Evaluation and Inspections Report I-2011-001, November 2010,” which was extremely critical of ATF’s performance.

The November 2010 report determined:

“ATF has not provided Mexican law enforcement with intelligence it requested on firearms trafficking patterns and trends, including trafficking routes and distribution points where guns are crossing into Mexico.”

This, of course, is one of the most important allegations of the ATF whistleblowers.

The Congress should request CRS to update the July 29, 2009 report on Project Gunrunner, which include (1) the major criticisms of Project Gunrunner identified by the Department of Justice Inspector General, as well as the appropriateness of remedies suggested in that report to address shortcomings in Project Gunrunner, and (2) an analysis of the legislative issues which are suggested by Project Gunrunner, such as tracking the multiple sales of rifles by federally licensed firearms dealers.

Both of these Congressional agencies have a history of providing helpful information in response to Congressional inquiries.  Even so, investigative hearings of the immediate “Project Gunwalker” allegations should not be postponed waiting on these GAO and CRS reports.

Immediate Investigative Hearings

There is a pressing public need to know what actually happened with Project Gunrunner and the circumstances which led to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.  It may be concluded from Senator Grassley’s letters that they are well-informed by documents and informal testimony from whistleblower witnesses within the agency.  The only way that the public can be informed as to the truth is for these agency whistleblowers, other witnesses such as cooperating gun store owners, the accused senior managers and other such persons having knowledge to be called before the Congress and questioned under oath.

The ATF agent’s list above is a good start, but the following persons may also be profitably questioned to develop a complete understanding of what went wrong with Project Gunrunner, what decisions were taken after the murder of Brian Terry, and what the effects have been of the “walked” firearms on the Mexican side of the border:

* Adam R. Price and Jeffrey B. Stirling, program managers for Gunrunner at ATF headquarters.

* Lanny Breuer, Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ Criminal Investigations Division.

* Eric Holder, Attorney General of the United States

* Robert Mueller, Director of the FBI

* Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State

* Janet Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security

———————————————–

ATF Oversight Hearings

“We got to figure out a way between you and me. We got to figure out a better way so that we don’t take this argument to the Internet or all over the place. . . to Senators and Congressmen, who don’t know anything about what we are talking about.” — Sterling Nixon, Chief of Firearms Technology Branch, ATF,  to firearms designer and manufacturer Len Savage, Historic Arms, LLC, Franklin, GA, transcript of taped telephone call, on file with DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility.

For a later date in this Congress, there are several subjects raised by the scandal that should be explored by both the Senate and the House in their oversight capacity.

The ATF has not had truly serious, critical oversight hearings since 1982.  This unaccountability throughout administrations of both parties has led to an arrogance that permeates management at all levels, according to the whistleblowers.   They allege that this scandal could have been averted entirely if the ATF senior executive service was not riddled with cronyism, toleration of incompetence, lack of accountability, lack of transparency, failure to adhere to written policies, retaliation against agents trying to do the right thing, and so on.

In addition, both the street agents and outside observers identify the Chief Counsel’s Office as the center of many of the agency’s problems.  The CCO has used its considerable powers to retaliate against dissident agents and citizen critics alike.  It has, according to the agents, misused the EEOC enforcement process against what the CCO views as “malcontents.”  Outside the agency, the CCO is alleged (with considerable evidence) to have pursued “economic Wacos” (an internal ATF term) against those within the ATF’s regulatory power such as FFL holders, firearm designers, etc., who anger someone in the agency.

Inter-Agency and Foreign Relations Implications

Hearings exploring the diplomatic implications of American federal law enforcement agency misconduct as exemplified by “Project Gunwalker” and how the various agencies interact to help or harm the safety of citizens of both countries on each side of the border could become a stepping stone to fix some of those problems.  Gunwalker brings into prominence the problems when one agency decides to make its own foreign policy, independent of and contrary to, the will of the Senate, the House and the people.

The extent to which the ATF and DOJ executives in the Gunwalker scandal broke American and Mexican laws — as well as diplomatic accords and even treaties by unilaterally deciding to abrogate them — could provide guidance for stronger laws, better training, and for effective inter-agency and international communication.

Conclusion

The members of Gun Owners of America — and the whistleblowers who first risked all to get the story of this scandal out — believe that there is a pressing public need to know what actually happened with Project Gunrunner and the circumstances which led to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.  We believe that there should be immediate investigative hearings in both Senate and House followed by oversight hearings to shine a bright light on the endemic problems of the ATF which led to this scandal.

However, since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is likely to assist in the cover-up, rather than embarrass Attorney General Eric Holder, we believe that hearings should begin in the U.S. House of Representatives.

We also believe with Senator Grassley that the best way to honor Brian Terry’s memory is for the ATF and the Department of Justice “to come clean.”  We believe that this will only happen when all the parties involved are put under oath in a hearing room on Capitol Hill.

———————————————–

Important Source Documents for “Project Gunwalker”

David Codrea’s Comprehensive Guide to “Project Gunwalker”

Can be found here: http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/a-journalist-s-guide-to-project-gunwalker

Background:

Michael Isikoff’s story of 21 September 2010 can be found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39282887/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

The November 2010 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General report, “Review of ATF’s Project Gunrunner” which excoriates ATF performance can be found here:  http://www.justice.gov/oig/reports/ATF/e1101.pdf


Sources of Mexican crime trace weapons and the “90 Percent Myth”

Mexico’s Gun Supply and the 90 Percent Myth  by Scott Stewart, Stratfor Intelligence Report, http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110209-mexicos-gun-supply-and-90-percent-myth

Wikileaks cables on military ordnance in cartel hands in Mexico:  http://www.wikileaks.ch/cable/2009/03/09MONTERREY100.html

Carter’s Country as example of ATF requests to gun dealers:

The 12 December Washington Post article is here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/12/AR2010121202663.html

The 13 December Post follow-up with some of Deguerin’s remarks is here:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/13/AR2010121305395.html

Also on 13 December the local Houston FOX affiliate ran video with more Deguerin quotes: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/101213-gun-dealer-atf-approved-sales-to-mexican-gun-runners

Fast and Furious Indictments referred to in the Open Source Analysis

US v. Avila et al.:
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/US_v_Avila_Indictment.pdf

US v. Flores et al.:  http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/US_v_Flores_Indictment.pdf

US v. Broome et al.:
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/US_v_Broome_Indictment.pdf

US v. Aguilar:
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/US_v_Aguilar_Indictment.pdf

US v. Abarca
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/US_v_Abarca_Indictment.pdf

Map of Firearms Recovered in Avilas Investigation
http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/press_releases/2011/Fast_Furious_Map_ATF.pdf

Grassley/ATF/DOJ Letters:

27 December, Grassley to Melson: http://www.scribd.com/doc/47909152/ATF1-1
31 December, Grassley to Melson: http://www.scribd.com/doc/47909228/ATF2
4 February, Weich to Grassley:  http://www.scribd.com/doc/48448953/atf-2
9 February, Grassley to Holder: http://www.scribd.com/doc/48549160/RosettaStone
16 February, Grassley to Holder, et.al.: http://judiciary.senate.gov/resources/documents/upload/021611GrassleyToHolder.pdf

 

 

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Posted in Blogroll, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Hoplophobia, Immigration, Law, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Profiles in Valor, States Rights, Valhalla, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Rogue Agency still at it…

An ENEMY of the people…

December 18, 2010

Nearly two years into his term, President Obama finally chose a director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Mr. Obama will submit the name of Andrew Traver, the special agent in charge of the Bureau’s Chicago field division, to the Senate, the White House said. However, he will face a confirmation fight—if his nomination is not filibustered, eliminating him from consideration.

Why? He is an anti-gun zealot. This is preposterous!

I can’t—nor can most Americans—comprehend the idea of an anti-gun zealot being in charge of the ATF. Even worse, Mr. Obama appears to be waiting to appoint him during the Christmas holiday recess because he knows he will face a brutal confirmation hearing by Senate Republicans and gun-rights moderate Democrats—if not an outright boycott of his nomination…

Insiders tell me it this appointment could, and likely will, happen when no one is thinking about it. It could be the last Christmas present you unwrap on Christmas morning; or perhaps, it will be the throbbing headache you wake up with on January 1. The bottom line is this: Andrew Traver is an ENEMY of the people, like you and me, who understand the Second Amendment is the cornerstone of liberty and, without the Second Amendment right to own and bear arms, we would be no more secure, no more safe in our homes, than the least safe and least secure people in the most despotic nations on Earth. The Second Amendment is what safeguards the entire Bill of Rights. Weaken the Second Amendment and the Constitution of the United States will easily be breached.

Let me give you Andrew Traver’s philosophical resume:

  • He favors banning ALL gun shows.
  • He opposes civilian ownership of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.
  • He opposes private firearm sales.
  • He wants the Center for Disease Control to have oversight of the firearms industry. Apparently Mr. Traver believes guns are a disease. Or, maybe it’s the gun owners he believes are diseased.

This is a DIRECT AFFRONT to those of us who own guns and use them properly and lawfully.

A frightening as it is, Mr. Obama can legally make a “recess appointment” and commission Mr. Traver is the TOP law enforcement official over the gun industry without a single Senator voting to confirm him. By confirming him on January 1, 2011, Traver would head the ATF for the balance of Obama’s term in office. Now, that’s scary, too.


The ATF hasn’t has a director for almost four years. Former director Carl Truscott’s reign was marked by numerous complaints about misappropriation of funds and poor treatment of employees. Following his resignation in 2006, the parameters were changed, and Senate confirmation is now required for a nominee.

Mr. Traver is NOT a friend of the people who whole-heartedly believe in the Second Amendment rights in the U. S. Constitution. Yes, that’s you and me!

What he is a “friend” of is the “Chicago Machine” that spawned so many of your favorite Chicago-Washington “elites” who use the word “Chicago” as a synonym for cronyism. Cronyism was voted OUT in the November elections; but the message has not yet resonated at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Obama’s anti-gun friend will head the ATF if the American people don’t stop him. That’s why you and I must STOP this recess appointment.

The bottom line: We MUST let our voices and votes be heard. Traver is obviously NOT the man to head the most powerful firearms policing agency. His ANTI-GUN BIAS illustrates a clear conflict of interest on his part and his nomination proves that Barack Obama is openly hostile to your gun rights.

Anyone as clearly hostile to the Second Amendment as Mr. Traver is, has no business being allowed to head the powerful gun licensing and regulatory agency.

The nomination of the Naperville, Illinois native to be top gun cop is applauded by gun-control activists, who say the 5,000-employee ATF has lost ground in its regulation of the $28 Billion US firearms business, having labored under interim directors since 2006.

Quite frankly, Mr. Obama has chosen a very strong, anti-Second Amendment ATF head for an administrative job that has far more influence over the practical exercise of the Second Amendment rights than any other job in the country.

In spite of our economic uncertainty, Americans spent $11 BILLION MORE in 2009 than in 2008 to buy guns, ammo, and gear, etc. In an economy that needs every dollar in retail sales from every corner of the free enterprise system, killing $11 billion more in retail sales in a failing economy is not wise, the Second Amendment notwithstanding.

There are roughly 80,000,000 gun owners in our great country who, like you, must reject this presidential appointment. So we must GET INVOLVED NOW to fax every single Member of Congress to make sure that the appointment of Andrew Traver is TOTALLY BLOCKED.

Chris Cox, NRA spokesperson said this about Andrew Travers: “You might as well put an arsonist in charge of the fire department.”

The bottom line: Andrew Traver is an anti-gun zealot. His confirmation, recess or otherwise, MUST be blocked! Mr. Traver is clearly NOT the man to head the most powerful firearms policing agency in the world. His anti-gun bias illustrates a clear conflict of interest. Please help us at this very moment to block this travesty and adverse person who is AGAINST YOU and your ownership of a gun.

We must OPPOSE this confirmation right now.

This email from The Second Amendment Foundation has been modified in order to pass muster with spam filters. If you wish to donate to the cause, go HERE.

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That perfect gift!

December 16, 2010

 

“Be a real American Warrior for gun rights and freedom.  Join GOA
and sign up as many members as you can.” — Ted Nugent

With a little over a week left until Christmas, many folks are still looking for that perfect gift.

Well, look no further.

Why not give your pro-gun family and friends a gift membership in Gun Owners of America?

You will not only be finishing up your Christmas shopping list… you’ll be increasing the voice of the most active grassroots gun lobby that is constantly on the front lines defending your rights.

The more activists who, like you, send their e-mails and postcards to their legislators… the louder your voice becomes in the halls of Congress.

As stated by Senator Jim DeMint:

Every letter, e-mail, or phone call makes a difference because elected officials know that for every one person who contacts us about an issue there are at least a hundred and maybe a thousand who feel the same way.

It’s by unleashing the power of the grassroots that your GOA helped bring down the anti-free speech DISCLOSE Act… secured some protections for gun owners in ObamaCare… repealed the Amtrak and National Park gun bans… and defeated scores of anti-gun Blue Dog Democrats, who lied to the American people by trying to portray themselves as pro-gun legislators when really they were not.

You know which gun lobby has been on the front lines — warning you of the threats originating in Washington, and alerting you to opportunities for going on the offensive.

All along, it’s been GOA!

To give a gift membership in Gun Owners of America, simply go to:  http://gunowners.org/giftmembership.htm

The $20 fee is still a bargain, as you will be signing people up as members in the hardest-hitting gun lobby in Washington, DC, for about the cost of a box of ammo.

Once you click on http://gunowners.org/giftmembership.htm just fill in the information for your family members or friends.  You can then print out a Gift Certificate which you can present to the recipients of your generosity.

The new Congress is just around the corner.  We have an ambitious agenda.

As we stated in our previous alert, we are going to be lobbying to shut down the BATFE (or to put a straitjacket on them, at a minimum); to liberalize concealed carry (so good people aren’t registered like sex offenders before exercising their rights); to block UN gun control; to pass Firearms Freedom Acts (which allow states to imprison any federal official who tries to enforce unconstitutional gun control laws); and much, much more.

You have already added your voice to our grassroots network… and we thank you.  But now we need you to help increase our voice, so that when Congress reconvenes in January — and we gin up grassroots activists — they’re going to feel the heat like never before.

Please go to http://gunowners.org/giftmembership.htm to sign up your friends and family today!

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epic fail obamacare: The Constitution, what Constitution..?

December 16, 2010

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli won a major victory today when a federal judge in Richmond ruled ObamaCare’s individual mandate unconstitutional.

Of course, this battle over the anti-gun national heath care law — which could allow the government to disarm many gun owners based on medical records — is not over.  Twenty other states, led by Florida, also have legal challenges to ObamaCare, and this issue is guaranteed to go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Certainly, the decision in Richmond is good news for the Constitution and good news for all Americans.

Attorney General Cuccinelli also recently backed GOA’s effort to get the Congress to read the U.S. Constitution at the start of the new session in January.  We could hope that had the 111th Congress read the Constitution, there would have been no ObamaCare.

If you have not already signed the petition, please do so at http://readtheusconstitution.org (and encourage others to so as well).  Below is the text of a letter that Ken Cuccinelli released last week:

———————–

Dear Friend of Liberty,

My friends at Gun Owners of America (GOA) have a great idea to begin the 112th Congress: Read the Constitution!

Not just read it privately, but have it read out loud on the floor of the U.S. House and Senate.

In January, all Members of Congress will swear an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.  Yet every day in Washington, that document is ignored by those same people.

Ours was intended to be a government of limited, enumerated powers.  But by disregarding the law of this land, Congress is reaching into the every aspect of American life.  This must stop, and the first step is to remind the politicians about that document that they swore to defend.

It is time to restore constitutional fidelity, and to put the federal government back under the restraints laid out for it by the Founding Fathers.

I hope you will join with GOA and hundreds of thousands of like-minded Americans and sign the petition urging the Congress to read the Constitution in January, before it takes up even one piece of legislation.

You can read and sign the petition at www.readtheusconstitution.org.

Sincerely,
Ken Cuccinelli, II
Attorney General of Virginia

http://www.gunowners.org

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Allies like these: Italy serves up more than spagetti

December 16, 2010

It wasn’t all that long ago that Italy was being pounded on a regular basis by various terrorist organizations. The United States of America stood by Italy in it’s fight with the blood thirsty enemies of freedom and liberty. Often at our own peoples peril. This is how we are repaid for that loyalty.

ROME (AFP) – An Italian court upped the sentences for 23 CIA agents convicted in absentia of abducting an Egyptian imam in one of the biggest cases against the US “extraordinary rendition” programme.

The 23 CIA agents, originally sentenced in November 2009 to five to eight years in prison, had their sentences increased to seven to nine years on appeal in what one of the defence lawyers described as a “shocking blow” for the US.

SOURCE

Now, in all honesty I wouldn’t have bought into the Nuremberg style defense that was presented either. However, we are in a war, and have been for quite some time. Italy, is supposed to be a major ally, fellow member of the N.A.T.O. alliance and all that. So what do they do? Set their own people free based upon national security concerns that were just as involved as our own C.I.A. personnel but sentence our people to prison… Perhaps, in a juvenile sense it might be a bit fun to just let Italy sit and take it on the chin the next few times they get hit with terrorism. But “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Indeed, The United States of America should take the high road and maintain as cordial a relationship as possible.

That said there is a huge Italian demographic here, and those that still have ties to the old country should be talking to the officials in Italy about this issue, and do it like Americans. Loud and proud!

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ANTLER COLLECTORS REMINDED OF RESTRICTIONS

December 14, 2010

I have been called a “rollover” for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and worse in the past. What follows has some very serious problems… I’ll respond to any serious questions about my reservations with this latest episode in beast verses man, and Mankind…

GUNNISON, Colo. — The Colorado Division of Wildlife is reminding antler hunters that the collection of shed antlers in the Gunnison Basin is regulated by strict guidelines.

The purpose of the regulations is to protect vulnerable wildlife species, especially Gunnison sage-grouse and mule deer, explained J Wenum, area wildlife manager in Gunnison.

Collecting shed antlers for commercial use has grown significantly during the last decade in the Gunnison area. The activity can disturb Gunnison sage-grouse during their mating period, and also cause unnecessary harassment of deer and elk on winter range. Collectors are cautioned to know the regulations. Violations could result in confiscation of antlers, a $68 fine and five penalty points against hunting and fishing privileges.

“The Colorado Division of Wildlife takes the disturbance of wildlife species during the critical winter period very seriously,” Wenum said.

Over the years, unscrupulous antler collectors have been observed chasing deer on foot and with snowmobiles, searching areas at night, and going onto private land without permission.

Shed antler collection on public lands in Game Management Units 54, 55, 551, 66 and 67 is closed completely from Jan. 1 through March 14 annually. From March 15 through May 15, collecting is prohibited from sunset to 10 a.m. daily.

The regulations were adopted by the Colorado Wildlife Commission and based on a collaborative petition submitted by the Gunnison Basin Sage Grouse Strategic Committee, Gunnison-area sportsmen and shed antler collectors. The DOW worked closely with those groups to develop the regulations.

The period of the first closure (Jan. 1 to March 14) assures that deer herds and Gunnison sage-grouse are not harassed during the difficult winter months. The second closure period (March 15 to May 15) ensures that Gunnison sage-grouse are not disturbed during the critical early morning hours of their mating period.

The closures will be strictly enforced. Collectors are advised to consult official sunset tables and to obtain accurate public lands maps.

For more information, or to report violations or suspicious activity, call the DOW office in Gunnison at (970) 641-7060.

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.


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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, Law, Local Politics Colorado, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, States Rights, Uncategorized, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on ANTLER COLLECTORS REMINDED OF RESTRICTIONS

obamacare and the Courts…

December 14, 2010

Basic instinct as well as simple logic reveal that the mandated purchase of a product, any product, exceeds the power and authority of government. Yet, as expected, courts are issuing different rulings concerning this abominous assault on the personal liberty and freedom of all Americans.

I can already hear it though; you are just too stupid to be able to understand things like this. It’s just too complicated for you. To that I reply that when laws are beyond the ken of the common man then they are unenforceable, and violate the principles of natural and common law.

Within a fortnight of each other, two federal judges in Virginia, relying on identical precedents and hearing carbon-copy arguments, issued diametrically opposed decisions on the constitutionality of the federal health-care overhaul.

Read side by side, the two rulings reveal strikingly divergent views of what the case is about—and suggest that the fate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 will rest on which depiction best satisfies the Supreme Court.

Full Story HERE

So what next..? A Supreme Court ruling that will treat all of us as wayward children that are incapable of making our own decisions about life and death matters? If so, then what of Juries, and our entire system of laws?

Related Story


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Honor Roll High School Student Faces Expulsion

December 10, 2010

Demari DeRue is a 16-year-old junior at Columbia Falls High School in Columbia Falls, Montana.  She is an honor roll student, a cheerleader and a hunter.  On Monday, December 13th, she faces expulsion from school because, after a recent weekend family hunting trip, she inadvertently left her unloaded and secured hunting rifle locked in her trunk, and then drove to school Monday morning and parked on school property.

The expulsion could be for as long as a year, but any expulsion could seriously hurt Demari’s college plans.

Details of Demari’s situation can be read here: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_30256480-0282-11e0-ac8f-001cc4c03286.html

School officials claim they have no choice but to expel Demari.  But the facts of this case show the unreasonable nature of the “zero-tolerance” mindset.  Further, both federal and state law give discretion to school officials to modify the expulsion provisions in the statutes.

The no firearms rules were created to punish students who present a danger or who intend to commit crimes; not to punish an upstanding honor student who simply had a memory lapse.  Further, it was Demari who voluntarily informed school officials when she remembered she had left the rifle locked in the trunk of her car.  It is appalling that Demari is facing expulsion because of her honesty.

The hearing for Demari will be Monday, December 13, at 6:00 p.m. (plan to arrive by 5:00 p.m.), in the Administration Building at Glacier Gateway Elementary School, located at 501 sixth avenue west, in Columbia Falls.  If at all possible, please attend this hearing and support Demari.  Politely tell school district officials that blind adherence to unreasonable anti-gun policies does not make our kids safer, and in this particular case, would be a grave injustice.

Let them know that the only reasonable outcome of this hearing is to completely purge Demari’s high school record of this incident, so she won’t be in a position of trying to explain a “gun crime” to firearm-averse review committees considering college and scholarship applications.

Also, please contact high school officials, the superintendent and the school board and politely let them know that you support Demari, that you oppose any action to expel her and that a complete expungement of her record is in order. Contact information can be found below.

Mike Nicosia   Superintendent   mnicosia@sd6.k12.mt.us

Alan Robbins   Principal             arobbins@sd6.k12.mt.us

Scott Gaiser    Asst. Principal     sgaiser@sd6.k12.mt.us

School Board Members:

Jill Rocksund                            jrocksund@sd6.k12.mt.us
Dean Chisholm                        dchisholm@sd6.k12.mt.us
Barbara Riley                            briley@sd6.k12.mt.us
Darrell Newby                          dnewby@sd6.k12.mt.us
Gail Pauley                               gpauley@sd6.k12.mt.us

Jim Henjum                             jhenjum@sd6.k12.mt.us
Larry Wilson                             lwilson@sd6.k12.mt.us
Scott Emmerich                        semmerich@sd6.k12.mt.us

SOURCE

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The facts, however, don’t stop the Left from their dishonest characterization

December 10, 2010

“Tax deal” is the buzz phrase of the week in Washington, as Barack Obama and congressional Republicans came to an agreement Monday on a two-year extension of current income tax rates for all Americans. Predictably, the Left went hysterical. House Democrats promptly held a voice vote to reject the compromise unless undisclosed changes are made to it, though the Senate began debate on a larded-up version of the proposal Thursday night with a test vote scheduled for Monday. As usual, the devil is in the details — and, in this case, the definitions.

Obama, his fellow Democrats and their acolytes in the media continue to frame the debate in terms of tax “cuts” versus the budget deficit — as if tax rates before 2001 were the natural order of things and to keep rates where they are is a “cut” that will increase the deficit. On the contrary, without the deal, everyone’s taxes will rise by hundreds or even thousands of dollars next year. With the deal, no one’s income taxes will be cut. In fact, some taxes will skyrocket. The estate (death) tax will be resurrected at 35 percent with a $5 million exemption — up from 0 percent this year, but down from the previous 55 percent. The only new cut would be a temporary payroll tax reduction of two percentage points.

The facts, however, don’t stop the Left from their dishonest characterization. “The far-reaching package … would add more than $900 billion to the deficit over the next two years,” The Washington Post lamented. Ditto for The New York Times, the Associated Press and others. This assumes that economic behavior won’t change if taxes go up, meaning federal revenue will increase by the exact amount of the tax increase. Ergo, if Congress prevents the tax hike, that lost revenue adds to the deficit. It’s a wrong assumption, demonstrable by the fact that federal revenue actually went up after the Bush tax cuts went into effect.

Meanwhile, Obama was so concerned about the “cost” that he insisted that unemployment benefits be extended for another year. Now that will actually cost nearly $60 billion, and it will cause the unemployment rate to remain higher than it otherwise should. On top of that, Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) secured various energy subsidies in exchange for their votes, and more pork is almost sure to follow.

The fact that Obama conceded to any deal is notable. The Wall Street Journal concludes, “Obama has implicitly admitted that his economic strategy has flopped. He is acknowledging that tax rates matter to growth, that treating business like robber barons has hurt investment and hiring, and that tax cuts are superior to spending as stimulus. It took 9.8% unemployment and a loss of 63 House seats for this education to sink in, but the country will benefit.” The flop is so complete that even former economic adviser Larry Summers warned of a “double dip” recession if taxes go up. John Maynard Keynes, call your office.

Though Obama did accept the deal with the GOP, he proved to be a rather disagreeable compromiser, calling Republicans “hostage takers” and the American people the “hostages.” Obama thus not only reneged on an oft-repeated campaign promise to repeal the Bush-era tax cuts “for the rich,” he also proved utterly ungracious to those lawmakers with whom he had just struck a deal. “[B]ecause of this agreement, middle-class Americans won’t see their taxes go up on January 1st, which is what I promised,” he said. “[But] I’m as opposed to the high-end tax cuts today as I’ve been for years. In the long run, we simply can’t afford them. And when they expire in two years, I will fight to end them.”

Some conservatives are opposing the bill because of the aded deficit spending. Club for Growth President Chris Chocola said, “The plan would resurrect the Death Tax, grow government, blow a hole in the deficit with unpaid-for spending, and do so without providing the permanent relief and security our economy needs to finally start hiring and growing again.”

Yet given that Democrats still control the White House and, until January, both houses of Congress, this deal may be the best we can hope for now. Republicans should fight to resist wasteful spending, but tax hikes must be prevented. If they are, taxpayers will keep billions of their hard-earned dollars over the next two years. With that renewed tax stability for small businesses, unemployment should go down, though not as much as if the rates were permanent. In 2012, Republicans could be in far better position to win a permanent solution.

Patriot Post

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Year in Review: 2010

December 10, 2010

Your membership in — and activism with — Gun Owners of America has made a world of difference over the past several months.

The past couple of years were supposed to be the worst on record, as far as gun rights are concerned.  With the election of Barack Hussein Obama, Americans went rushing to gun stores and generated a buying spree that created shortages of firearms and ammunition around the country.

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were in charge of the legislative branch, and with the election of Obama, everyone was bracing themselves for the worst.

But even with the deck stacked against us, Gun Owners of America began working with friendly congressmen to get good legislation passed… and to defeat most of the anti-gun bills that were thrown our way.

What follows here is a record of what ALL OF US were able to accomplish by working together.  As you read about the amazing success that gun rights activists achieved, please also consider joining Gun Owners of America if you have not yet renewed your membership for next year.

For your convenience, you can go to http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm to update your membership.

We thank you for your support, which makes this e-mail and web service possible.

And now for this year’s highlights. The following paragraphs review some of the major achievements that we accomplished together in 2010.

January

* The year begins with GOA taking the offensive in the battle against the anti-gun ObamaCare legislation.  While both houses of Congress have passed different versions of the bill, the fight against this legislation is far from over.  A conference committee will most likely have to iron out differences between the two bills and then send the finalized version to each chamber for another vote.

* Gun Owners of America gets involved in the Scott Brown race in Massachusetts.  Even though a month earlier, Brown was about 30 points down in his run for the U.S. Senate, GOA is hoping that a win in the Bay State will kill ObamaCare for the year.

After all, replacing the late Sen. Ted Kennedy with someone who opposes ObamaCare will give Republicans the exact number of votes to filibuster the health care bill.  Amazingly, Brown pulls off a dramatic come-from-behind win, and political pundits are declaring ObamaCare is now on life-support — if not dead for the year.

* In a case where GOA has submitted an amicus brief, the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of free speech rights in the Citizens United case.  The Court ruled unconstitutional huge portions of the McCain-Feingold law, which means that GOA will have greater freedom to hold legislators accountable for their anti-gun voting records.

* GOA begins rallying the grassroots in several different states to pass Firearms Freedom Act legislation.  These laws stipulate that a firearm which is made in a state — and stays in the state — is immune from federal gun laws that rely on the Interstate Commerce Clause for their justification.

February – March

* GOA continues its campaign to enact good Firearms Freedom Acts (FFAs).  Of special note, GOA works with the sponsor of the Wyoming bill to put “teeth” in his bill, thus making it the toughest FFA in the nation.  The Wyoming act criminalizes any federal official who attempts to impose a federal gun ban in contravention to The Cowboy State’s law.

* The National Parks gun ban finally expires!  GOA worked with Senator John Ensign (R-NV) to get a repeal added as an amendment to a must-pass bill in 2009.  This effort succeeded, and the repeal of the Reagan-era gun ban takes effect on February 22.

* The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a very important gun-related case known as McDonald v. Chicago.  As Gun Owners of America submits a hard-hitting amicus brief in this case, USA Today asks Gun Owners to submit the Opposing View editorial taking aim at Chicago’s gun ban.

* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cajoles enough “Blue Dog” Democrats to walk the political plank and vote for ObamaCare.  Because the House voted for an identical version of the legislation that passed in the Senate last year, Congressional leaders can send the anti-gun bill straight to the President’s desk, thus avoiding a Senate filibuster (now that Scott Brown is in the Senate).

GOA was able to gain modest protections for gun owners in ObamaCare.  Nevertheless, GOA is committed to repealing this law at the federal level.

* In Virginia, GOA works to successfully pass anti-ObamaCare legislation in the state that will prevent citizens in the Old Dominion from being forced to comply with the insidious federal mandates in the new anti-gun health care law.  Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) signs the legislation.

April – May

* One of GOA’s top priorities is getting permitless carry passed in states around the country.  To this end, GOA helps lobby for new legislation in Arizona (allowing concealed carry on one’s person) and in Virginia (allowing concealed carry in one’s car or boat) — without having to jump through government hoops.  Both bills are signed by the respective governors of each state.

* GOA begins a fierce lobbying campaign against Elena Kagan as the next Justice for the U.S. Supreme Court.  Of special note, GOA targets Senator Jon Kyl in his home state of Arizona.  Kyl, the Senate Minority Whip, goes on record saying that Republicans will probably not filibuster Kagan’s nomination.

* By the end of the state legislative season, several states have passed Firearms Freedom Act laws, including Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

June – July (Part One)

* The Supreme Court hands down the McDonald decision, stating that Fourteenth Amendment applies the right to keep and bear arms (in the Second Amendment) to all 50 states.  GOA uses this opportunity to discuss the impact of the McDonald decision in dozens upon dozens of media outlets.

* Gun Owners of America is the only national gun group on Capitol Hill lobbying to defeat the DISCLOSE Act, which would hinder our ability to expose congressmen’s records around election time.  As the first battle is fought in the House, DISCLOSE narrowly passes by a mere seven votes.

* Erick Erickson of RedState.com thanks GOA for taking a strong stand against DISCLOSE, stating:  “I support Gun Owners of America, which is a consistent and uncompromising defender of the Second Amendment, not a weak little girl of an organization protecting itself while throwing everyone else under the bus.”

June – July (Part Two)

* The fight against DISCLOSE moves to the Senate, where GOA marshals the grassroots to inundate Senate offices with opposition to the bill.  Thankfully, there are enough votes to filibuster the anti-free speech legislation, as it dies on a party line vote.  (Scott Brown’s earlier victory is now paying tremendous dividends.)

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) congratulates GOA for its hard work against the bill, saying that, “Gun Owners of America has been one of the key players in opposing the DISCLOSE Act.”

* GOA attorney Bill Olson testifies before Congress against Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, telling Senators that, “If [Kagan] were to go on the Court, with what we know about her now, she could be the most anti-gun justice on that Court.”

August

* The U.S. Senate debates the nomination of Elena Kagan.  Senator John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, uses GOA testimony to underscore the problems with Kagan:  “After reviewing Ms. Kagan’s record and testimony at her confirmation hearing, the Gun Owners of America concluded that, ‘The available evidence portrays her as a forceful advocate of restrictive gun laws and driven by political considerations rather than rule of law.'”

* The Senate votes 63-37 to confirm Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court.  While this was very disappointing, it is important to note that we got more votes against Kagan than we have ever gotten against a Supreme Court Justice that we’ve opposed — more than we garnered against Justices Sotomayor or Ginsburg.  (On Justice Gingsburg’s nomination, there were only three negative votes.)

Bottom line:  we gained tremendous ground in our fight against Kagan.  There were Senators who voted against Kagan in August who had never before voted against a Supreme Court Justice.  And by the way, Senator Kyl was one of the Senators who supported the filibuster against her (see “April – May”).

September – November

* GOA’s Political Victory Fund has been busy all year long, working to get good candidates elected.  Some of the more notable highlights include knocking off long-time compromisers such as Sen. Bob Bennett in Utah, while helping many good candidates get their party’s nomination — like Kentucky’s Rand Paul in May and Florida’s Marco Rubio in August.

* In October, GOA publishes its biannual Congressional Voter Guide.  For 20 years, GOA has been the only gun group publishing an open-source national rating for gun owners to use.  Our rating has been so devastating in smoking out the anti-gun bias of phony politicians that the Brady Campaign even took us before an administrative court three years ago to try and silence us.  They lost.

* On November 2, scores of candidates backed by Gun Owners of America won tremendous victories.  In many cases, GOA was the ONLY national pro-gun organization to actively oppose Nancy Pelosi’s “Blue Dogs” Democrats.  Our aggressive opposition to these Representatives — who are mistakenly considered to be somewhat conservative — was well worth the effort as Pelosi was reduced to minority status.

December

* GOA, having spearheaded the victorious lobbying campaign against the Amtrak gun ban, celebrates its demise this month.  The repeal language was authored by Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi.  The Wicker language takes effect December 15, 2010, and enforces a policy similar to airlines, so that firearms can be transported in checked bags on the trains so long as they are declared and carried in a prescribed manner.

Stand with Gun Owners of America!

As you can see, your activism helped us to accomplish many great things this year.  And this should encourage you and anyone you know who is concerned about Second Amendment rights.

. We are going to be fighting a lot of battles in the next Congress, and it’s good for gun owners all across the country to go into these skirmishes with a reminder that we can accomplish much together (and that we have done so in the past).

As you know, we were able to get two gun bans repealed this past year — the National Parks ban and the one on Amtrak trains.  Now we are going to be lobbying to shut down the BATFE (or to put a straitjacket on them, at a minimum); to liberalize concealed carry (so good people aren’t registered like sex offenders before exercising their rights); to block UN gun control; to pass Firearms Freedom Acts (which allow states to imprison any federal official who tries to enforce unconstitutional gun control laws); and much, much more.

Thanks for standing with us. You can go to http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm to make sure that your support remains current.

 

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