Wednesday, May 13, 2009


Gun owners won a long-fought victory in the U.S. Senate yesterday with
the passage of an amendment to repeal the gun ban on National Park
Service (NPS) and National Wildlife Refuge System land.

GOA was the driving force behind this amendment and lobbied Senators
hard prior to the vote to get the provision passed. The amendment,
offered by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), passed overwhelmingly by a vote of
67-29. People can see how their Senators voted on the Coburn amendment
by going to:
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/votes/?...p;congress=1111

NPS and Wildlife Refuge land is treated differently with regard to gun
rights than other federally controlled land. For instance, the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM) allows state and local laws to govern firearms
possession. However, carrying firearms on NPS land and Wildlife Refuges
is prohibited, even if the state in which the land is located allows
carrying firearms.

The only way to legally possess a firearm anywhere on National Park land
is by having it unloaded and inaccessible, such as locked up in your
trunk.

This has created a patchwork of conflicting regulations. For instance, a
Virginia resident who is licensed to carry a concealed firearm can
legally carry on the Commonwealth's roadways, but it is illegal to carry
on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a major thoroughfare in
Virginia under the jurisdiction of the NPS.

In the waning days of his administration, President Bush partially
reversed the ban, but even that half-way measure has been
single-handedly negated by an activist judge in Washington, D.C. The
Department of Interior has decided not to appeal that ruling, thus
leaving the gun ban in place.

The Coburn amendment will treat NPS land and Wildlife Refuges in the
same manner as BLM land. The amendment will in no way change or override
state, local or federal law, but will simply allow those laws -- enacted
by legislation, not bureaucrats or judges -- to govern firearms
possession.

The amendment was attached to a bill, H.R. 627, regulating the credit
card industry. The House passed its own version of the bill on April 30
by a vote of 357-70, and the Senate is expected to follow suit this
week.

The House bill does not contain the Coburn language, and is
substantially different in other respects. Therefore, a House and Senate
conference committee will have to iron out the differences between the
two bills. President Obama said he wants to sign a bill before Memorial
Day.

GOA will alert you once the conferees are appointed, as we need to put
the heat on the conference committee to keep the Coburn amendment in the
final bill.

Please stay tuned for further updates.



States Beginning to Resist Federal Intrusion

The epicenter of the earthquake you may have felt last month originated
in Helena, Montana.

That's where Governor Brian Schweitzer signed the Montana Firearms
Freedom Act into law. This act basically states that if you build a gun
in Montana -- and the firearm stays in the state -- it is exempt from
federal gun control laws.

Several states have passed so-called Tenth Amendment resolutions in
recent years to protest the usurpation of power that the federal
government has engaged in. However, most of these resolutions have no
teeth.

What Montana has done is to actually interpose itself so as to protect
its citizens from the unconstitutional mandates that have been passed at
the federal level.

Gary Marbut, a former GOA Board Member and the current head of the
Montana Shooting Sports Association, is the intellectual author of this
legislation. He says that almost a dozen states are considering -- or
have already introduced -- similar bills. Marbut is expected to talk
about the new law on Fox's Glenn Beck show this Friday (5 pm EST).

This effort is not the first act of interposition on Montana's part.
This is the state that has effectively, by law, decreed that every
law-abiding citizen within the state is authorized to carry a firearm
within a school zone; the state that nullified the federal requirements
of REAL-ID (read: National ID card); and which had even threatened to
leave the union if the Supreme Court ruled against Second Amendment
rights in the Heller case.

Thank God for the state of Montana.

The Ohio dem said No but the Republican said yes. We'll win em one at a time. It's OK with me.

Both Virginia Senators voted "yes," but they're both Democrats, they both suck, and I look forward to replacing them at the earliest opportunity.

But I'm glad they voted "yes."

Both of mine voted against, no surprise. One was appointed by Rod Blagojevich, the other is just a run of the mil nutcase liberal. Both received short but scathing e mails.

This is too funny. My letter to Sen. Burris;

You guys must be out of your minds voting "NO" on this. I can't wait until
you're both replaced by someone who will truly represent the peoples
wishes.

The form letter response;

Thank you very much for contacting my office to express your views. I will take your opinions and concerns into consideration as we debate these issues in the United States Senate and address challenges facing Illinois and the nation.

The constituents of Illinois are of the utmost importance to me, and it is an honor to work on your behalf by representing you in the United States Senate.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, DC office. Again, thank you and I am honored to serve you in the United States Senate.


Sincerely,

Roland W. Burris
United States Senator

I feel your pain, Mike
Get similar responses from C. MyCatsKill in Misery.......what really trips my trigger is her (?) closing:
"All Best"
?
???
?????????????????????

Just WTF does that mean?

Nothing to me

Bunch of Card-Carrying-Commies as far as I'm concerned.

Back on topic:
My understanding is that our (?)(somebody's) leadership in the Senate has decided to vote on this in two parts--one part on the Bill itself and the other on Colburn's Amendment.

Did someone say something about a bunch of Commies!!!!!?????

Bob

Well, I'll be Double-Dipped in DO-DO. The Bill passed WITH the Amendment

B B

Here's the thing, when I sent my letter I chose the "Elections" catagory. The reason is I doubt Dem's read many of the gun related e mails. Soooo, today Sen Burris wrote me this;

"Dear Michael:

Thank you for contacting me regarding gun policy. I appreciate hearing your perspective on this important issue.

As a registered gun owner myself, I respect the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership. However, I am deeply concerned about the devastating consequences of guns falling into the wrong hands. To this end, I strongly believe that we should keep firearms out of the hands of children, terrorists, and criminals. In solving this problem, I do not find crime prevention laws and Second Amendment rights to be mutually exclusive. I will continue to respect sportsmen and legitimate gun owners while addressing the gun crime currently plaguing America’s cities.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to do so again on issues of such importance.

Sincerely,

Roland W. Burris
United States Senator"

My responce;

"So then, it's your opinion that anyone who is in possession of a firearm and traveling into or through national parks should be assumed to be criminals or terrorists, and therefor arrested. Yep, that makes sense. Keep up the good work."

"Registered" meaning "branded like an animal."

Criminals and terrorists don't have to register to own a gun. Heaping more and more legal restrictions on law-abiding gun owners doesn't prevent crime, it just prevents self-defense.

I'm a little surprised that the guy answered.

Ha! Amy Kobluchar. She voted to extend the assault weapons ban. but then voted YES on prohibiting foreign & UN aid that restricts US gun ownership; which was a UN attempt to instill gun control on the membership. It was rejected 44 to 51 (requires 3/5ths to pass). Don't give her credit because she's a total politician d-bag.