NEWS An Important Message From Gun Owners Of America - Land grab bill coming back, again

[lukem]

Do you agree with people like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who treat the Second Amendment as if it were written only to protect your ability to go hunting and target shooting?

Or do you agree with Gun Owners of America, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who believe that the Second Amendment protects a pre-existing fundamental right that is essential to the preservation of liberty?

Well, a whole lot of people in Congress are claiming to protect your Second Amendment rights, but all they're really doing is protecting your hunting season.

We're talking about the Omnibus Public Lands Act. You helped to defeat this bill last week in the House, but Congressional leaders have vowed to bring it up again soon.

S. 22 is an enormous package of over 190 bills lumped together with a price tag of $10 billion. The bill will greatly expand the amount of land controlled by the National Park Service, thus spreading the agency's unconstitutional gun regulations to more areas.

Fear of upsetting gun owners -- who helped elect many members of Congress from both parties -- kept this bill off the floor for several weeks.

Then, in a meeting last Tuesday, not held in an open committee hearing but behind closed doors, House leaders brokered a deal with some supposedly pro-gun Democrats.

They said they were concerned about your gun rights. They said they were going to "fix" the bill.

But they did not address the NPS anti-gun regulations that prohibit carrying a firearm for self defense without a government issued concealed carry permit.

What did they do? They added language to the bill to say you can still go hunting.

That's right. Many Congressmen claimed to be protecting the Second Amendment, when all they were really doing was thumbing their noses at self defense.

Here is the entire "pro-gun" amendment that was considered in the House. Judge for yourself if this really protects your Second Amendment rights:

"Nothing in this Title shall be construed as affecting the authority, jurisdiction, or responsibility of the several States to manage, control, or regulate fish and resident wildlife under State law or regulations, including the regulation of hunting, fishing, trapping, and recreational shooting. Nothing in this Title shall be construed as limiting access for hunting, fishing, trapping, or recreational shooting."

They may as well have called it the "Elmer Fudd Protection Act."

A lot of people who voted for this bill campaigned for office as champions of gun rights. They said "Send me to Washington; I'll fight for the Second Amendment." And this is what we get? Pathetic.

But let's be clear. The issue is not just about the NPS gun restrictions, as bad as they are. And whether or not you personally use federal land is not the point.

What is important is the disdain with which legislators hold your Second Amendment rights.

It is imperative that you speak up on this issue. The outcome of this battle will be a preview of what we can expect for the next two years. Will your gun rights be comprised away little by little? Or will we stand together and hold legislators accountable to their campaign promises to uphold the Second Amendment?

This week there may be several votes in both the Senate and House on the Omnibus Land bill.

Congressional leaders plan to act quickly in an attempt to ram this down the throat of the American people without a fair and open process. They desperately want to avoid any amendment that would truly protect your gun rights.

Congress hopes to leave the gun ban in place, and enlarge the areas affected by it. For example, the bill expands existing park land, creates new national trails that will fall under the gun restrictions, and authorizes the federal government to buy more land adjacent to national parks and trails.

House and Senate leaders plan to move on this bill rapidly, although they are ambiguous about the process.

But our message to Congress is simple: Stop playing around with our Second Amendment rights!

We don't care about the process. We care about the Second Amendment. And we mean ALL of the Second Amendment, not just hunting.

Tell Congress you expect them to protect your right to keep and bear arms without compromising. Please take a few seconds and send the pre-written message below.

When you're done, become a force multiplier. Send this alert to a few friends.

It is important that you take this action because right now GOA is the only gun rights organization speaking out for ALL of your Second Amendment rights.

We've all forwarded jokes or funny pictures to our friends. How about forwarding a message to help protect our God-ordained constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms?

And please do not think your voice won't be heard. Remember, this bill failed to pass the House by just two votes last week because people like you took action.

Congressmen need to know that their votes in the coming days will impact YOUR vote next year. But if they don't hear from you and they think you're not looking, many will treat your rights with contempt.

We're not alone in this battle. In the Senate, pro-gun champions such as Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint are prepared to lead the fight against this bill.

In the House, Reps. Paul Broun, Rob Bishop and Doc Hastings are among those fighting hard for your gun rights.

In fact, there are many in Congress willing to stand up for the Second Amendment, but they are repeatedly squashed by the anti-gun leadership or undermined by pro-gun compromisers. Pro-gun Congressmen who want to repeal the gun ban are being told, in effect, to "Shut up and vote!"

Friends, we know we've asked for a lot of action from you already this year.

Unfortunately, that is not going to stop. But we will all draw the line at some point. Let's work together and do it now.

Thank you for working with Gun Owners of America. Our effectiveness in Washington depends on your activism. PLEASE try to get your pro-gun friends and family involved. Now more than ever, every voice is critical.

ACTION: Please use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://gunowners.org/activism.htm to tell your Representative and Senators to reject the lands bill (S. 22) unless your Second Amendment rights are protected. Per usual, a pre-written letter is provided for your convenience.

----- Pre-written message -----

The Omnibus Public Land Act of 2009 is expected to come to the floor soon.

I urge you to oppose this bill if, as expected, the leadership does not allow an amendment to repeal the anti-gun regulations of the National Park Service.

Recent changes made by the Interior Department only allow persons with a concealed carry permit to possess a self-defense firearm on NPS land. Non-permit holders are still prohibited from carrying a firearm for their protection.

And please don't be fooled by a supposedly pro-gun amendment to "fix" the bill that was brought up last week during the House debate on S. 22. That language only modestly protects hunting and recreational shooting.

While protecting the rights of sportsmen is important, the Second Amendment is NOT about hunting rights. I am more concerned about my ability to defend my life, and the lives of my loved ones, than I am about plinking cans.

Congressional leaders have been ambiguous about how this legislation will come to the floor, but my message to you is clear: protect ALL of my Second Amendment rights.

Please OPPOSE final passage on any land bill that does not repeal the NPS gun ban.

Sincerely,


****************************

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

[ricbak]

Two E-Mails Sent to T. McCotter of Michigan. The Second E-Mail was to fix the things that are broke, AIG, Banks, Ect. and leave the Consitution Alone.

[Scarecrow]

sent to my reps... those idiots won't quit!!!

[wolfhunter]

Emails sent. Glad one of Florida's Senator's isn't running for re-election. Maybe we can get two pro-2A advocates elected.

[defender829]

Sent! Thanks so much, lukem!

[mini.ben]

The votes already happened according to Senator Mark Warners web page. He voted for it... I'll write to express my displeasure instead.

[fibertech]

I have sent to congressman and state rep...thanks for the heads up!

[EGMZ]

Sent email to both senators.. And will do it twice a day till they get annoyed with me

[Shooter McGriffin]

Thanks for the heads up.

It amazes me the level of ignorance with the general public regarding the 2A. I suppose it is the government education most recieve.

As we all know the 2A historically and originally speaking has nothing to do with hunting and little to do with self-defense and everything to do with resisting government tyrrany. The right of the people to keep and bear arms is not limited and is in deed and fact an imperative. The Bill of Rights plainly states this right "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" It amzes me how some people would never even remotely consider giving up their first amendment rights...or 3rd or fourth...but they will compromise their 2A rights.

The control freaks in the government are bent on destroying the second amendment for one purpose only. They want ABSOLUTE control over the people....it's that simple.

Anyway....to fully understand the environment the 2A was created in and the original intent of this imperative important inalienable right one MUST have a little historical understanding or the issues that surrounded the creation of this right.

Here is a decent source for shedding some light on the issue as it quotes the founders and their contemporaries regarding this issue:

GunCite: Second Amendment-Quotes from the Founding Fathers and their contemporaries on the right to keep and bear arms.

One last thing...some people are so naive they believe that if the Supreme Court makes a ruling that it is somehow always the right ruling. After all they are "experts". But look at the past history of some of the most egregious examples of the "tyrrany" of the high court. I submit to you the Dread Scott case of 1857. What a sham!

Finally I leave you with this quote:

"To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions [is] a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy." Thomas Jefferson