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| Larry Pratt |
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| Baucus Health Care Draft to Fine Reluctant Gun Owners up to $3,800 |
Thursday, September 10, 2009
By now, members of Gun Owners of America should have received pre-written postcards opposing the anti-gun health care bills that are floating around on Capitol Hill.
Please send in those postcards -- as it’s very important for legislative offices to see mounds of gun owners’ mail being dumped on their desks!
Now that Congress is back in session -- and the President has given his televised push on health care -- it is time for us to redouble our efforts.
To review the bidding:
Every major health care bill being considered in Congress would require many (if not most) Americans to be covered by insurance policies written by the Obama administration -- so-called ObamaCare.
Among other things, ObamaCare will almost certainly require, by regulation, that all gun-related medical data be fed into a federal health database -- pursuant to a $20 billion program Obama insisted be included in the $787 billion stimulus bill.
So, as a gun owner who doesn't want this data to be trolled by the BATFE from a federal database, you might say:
* “I'm not going to buy an ObamaCare policy.”
or
* “I'm going to buy the type of insurance that I want to buy.”
Well, anti-gun Democrat Max Baucus (D-MT) has a question for you: “How would you like to pay a $3,800 a year fine?”
That's right. In a legislative draft released this week, Baucus would fine you up to $3,800 for not buying precisely the insurance policy which Barack Obama orders you to buy.
So, what's going to be required under ObamaCare? And how much is it going to cost?
Baucus isn't going to tell you that until after the bill is passed. We do know that, under the Baucus draft, a lower middle income family could be forced to pay up to 13% of its income to buy an ObamaCare policy. And, presumably, a middle income family would be required to spend much, much more.
Take into consideration that the Baucus draft -- with its $3,800 per year fines and its ObamaCare -related gun databases -- is the so-called “conservative” bill. This is the one that they're trying to get Republicans to sign onto because it's so “conservative.” The final Pelosi-written conference report will be much, much worse.
Incidentally, Obama opposed forcing Americans to purchase government-approved insurance during the campaign, but guess what? He lied.
ACTION:
1. Write your Senators. Ask them to oppose the anti-gun Baucus draft, with its requirement that Americans purchase an Obama-approved insurance policy or pay a $3,800 annual fine. This legislative draft has not yet been publicly released; however, several news agencies have reported on its key features -- and these reviews are widely available on the Internet.
Click here to use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your legislators the pre-written e-mail message below.
2. Distribute this email far and wide. There are people that you know who should be involved in the fight against socialized health care who are just sitting on the sidelines. Please forward this email to them and get them involved in the fight!
----- Pre-written letter -----
Dear Senator:
Please oppose the open-ended anti-gun mandates contained in the Baucus health draft.
Among other things, Baucus-mandated policies, which would have to be approved by the Obama administration, will almost certainly require, by regulation, that all gun¬-related medical data be fed into a federal health database -- pursuant to a $20 billion program Obama insisted be included in the $787 billion stimulus bill.
So, what if a gun owner insists on buying the type of insurance he wants to buy?
Sen. Baucus would fine him up to $3,800 a year.
That's right. In a recently released draft, Baucus would fine gun owners up to $3,800 for not buying precisely the insurance policy which Barack Obama orders them to buy.
So, what's going to be required by this Baucus¬-mandated policy? And how much is it going to cost?
Baucus isn't going to tell us that until after the bill is passed. We do know that, under the Baucus draft, a lower middle income family could be forced to pay up to 13% of its income to buy an ObamaCare policy. And, presumably, a middle income family would be required to spend much, much more.
Incidentally, Obama opposed forcing Americans to purchase government-approved insurance during the campaign.
In short, please oppose the anti-gun, anti-freedom Baucus “compromise” and please let me know exactly where you stand on this issue.
Sincerely,
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Victory in the House!
-- But the land bill battle will continue
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, March 11, 2009
Thanks to you, a bill expanding gun control on federal land was narrowly
defeated Wednesday morning, March 11.
The Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009, S. 22, would have drastically
increased the amount of land controlled by the National Park Service,
thus subjecting such land to the anti-gun regulations of the agency.
The bill was brought to the floor of the U.S. House on what is known as
the "suspension calendar." This calendar is normally reserved for
non-controversial bills. As such, any bill being passed under the
suspension calendar requires a two-thirds majority of those voting.
In this case, the pro-gun position prevailed by a mere two votes --
meaning S. 22 is far from being non-controversial.
Although suspension bills are not normally amended, one change was
allowed in a secret backroom deal between a few members.
The amendment, offered by Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA), was intended to
alleviate the concerns of gun owners.
The Altmire amendment sought to protect hunting and recreational
shooting on federal land, but those steps are completely inadequate to
address the concerns of millions of gun owners.
The Second Amendment protects, as the Supreme Court affirmed in D.C. v.
Heller, an individual right to keep and bear arms. That right was never
intended to protect only the shooting sports.
Under current regulations, firearms possessed for the sole purpose of
self-defense on land controlled by the National Park Service is
prohibited unless the person holds a concealed carry permit.
While millions of law-biding Americans hold CCW permits, many more do
not. It is these citizens' rights that are going unprotected.
NPS land covers the gamut from busy thoroughfares to remote wilderness
areas. These gun free zones are dangerous, in addition to creating a
patchwork of inconsistent regulations between federal and state land.
Although we won today, unfortunately the battle is not over.
The anti-gun leadership will attempt to bring this bill back to the
floor in a way that requires a simple majority, rather than the
two-thirds vote they needed Wednesday.
Several pro-gun congressmen will try to offer an amendment in committee
to simply allow state and local law to govern firearms possession on NPS
land. This type of amendment would put more control at the local level
and protect the gun rights of all law-abiding Americans.
What is expected is that the leadership will propose a new "rule" that
blocks any such pro-gun amendments.
If that happens, the vote on the rule becomes the gun vote.
House leaders have not indicated when they will attempt to bring the
bill back to the floor, but it could come up at any time.
Therefore, your Representative needs to hear from you once again, for
two reasons. First, the entire House needs to be urged to reject any
parliamentary trick that excludes language to protect Second Amendment
rights on federal land. Next, those who voted against your rights need
to know of your dissatisfaction, while those who stood up for your
rights should be thanked.
ACTION: Please use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Rep. a pre-written
letter. Note: the LAC will automatically load the correct text for
individual Representatives, based upon their vote Wednesday. Because
the list has to be divided in this way, the pre-written letters are not
editable by the sender.
----- Pre-written letter for those who voted pro-gun -----
Dear Representative:
Thank you for standing up for the Second Amendment by voting against S.
22, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.
This bill would greatly expand land controlled by the National Park
Service, and thus spread the agency's gun restrictions to even more
areas. The NPS gun ban should be repealed, not expanded.
Although the pro-gun side won today, the battle is not over. The
anti-gun leadership will try to bring the bill to the floor again, this
time with a rule intended to exclude a pro-gun amendment to repeal the
NPS anti-gun regulations.
If that is the case, I urge you to once again stand up for the Second
Amendment and vote against the rule.
Sincerely,
----- Pre-written letter for those who voted anti-gun -----
Dear Representative,
I am extremely disappointed that you did not stand up for the Second
Amendment on the issue of S. 22, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act
of 2009.
This bill would greatly expand land controlled by the National Park
Service, and thus spread the agency's gun restrictions to even more
areas. The NPS gun ban should be repealed, not expanded.
Although the pro-gun side won today, the battle is not over. The
anti-gun leadership will try to bring the bill to the floor again, this
time with a rule intended to exclude a pro-gun amendment to repeal the
NPS anti-gun regulations.
If that is the case, I urge you to protect the Second Amendment rights
of law-abiding Americans and vote against the rule.
Sincerely,
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Imminent Vote In Congress To Repeal DC Gun Ban
-- DC digs in its heels, even while other communities are repealing their
gun control
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
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Heller earthquake continues to send tremors through gun control
communities in middle America.
Following the Supreme Court's U.S. v. Heller decision in June, at least one
town in West Virginia and two jurisdictions in Illinois have been forced to
reconsider their gun control laws. The latter two -- in Wilmette and Morton
Grove, Illinois -- repealed their handgun bans in July.
But while some communities have "seen the light," others continue to dig in
their heels. Take Washington, DC, where the city council has thumbed its
nose at the Court's ruling and has redrafted its registration law to impose
a burdensome 12-step process that, as summarized in one legislative report,
involves "multiple trips to gun dealers and government offices,
fingerprinting, a written exam, and ballistic testing."
At a minimum, some officers believe this process will take 14 days. But a
more realistic assessment was offered by DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier who
said the process "could take months."
In response, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote soon on
legislation to simply repeal the DC gun ban -- a vote that could come as
early as today.
HR 6691, introduced by Rep. Travis Childers (D-MS), would repeal much of the
gun control in the District -- including the ban on semi-auto pistols and
rifles, and the registration requirements which require residents to get
permission from the city council before they can own a weapon.
The Childers bill will also strike the "trigger lock" provision which
endangers gun owners by forcing the lucky ones who successfully jump through
the 12-step process to render their guns unusable for immediate defensive
purposes.
Faced with a discharge petition that had gained tremendous momentum -- in
large part, thanks to your efforts which was a response to an earlier GOA
alert -- the Democratic leadership realized that a bill to repeal the DC gun
ban was definitely going to be brought out of committee and passed on the
House floor. So the anti-gun leadership decided that the place to kill the
bill was in the Senate.
Consider what news reports are saying:
"Although the bill is expected to pass in the House, possibly as soon as
this week, its fate is less clear in the Senate," reported The Washington
Post this past Tuesday. "It has won the backing of 48 [House] Democrats,
many facing reelection in strongly pro-gun areas, and is expected to pick up
broad support among Republicans."
Remarkably, the Post is right. (A stopped clock is also right twice a day.)
The Democrats are trying to "have their cake and eat it too" by protecting
Democrats from rural districts -- allowing them to vote pro-gun -- but then
letting the bill die in the Senate.
That's why GOA is encouraging members to contact their two senators at this
time.
ACTION: Please urge your senators to demand a vote on repealing DC's gun
control. While we certainly don't want to discourage you from contacting
your Representative, the main battle is going to be in the other chamber, so
please make sure you contact both of your senators.
You can use the pre-written message below and send it as an e-mail by
visiting the GOA Legislative Action Center at
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm (where phone and fax numbers are also
available).
----- Pre-written letter -----
Dear Senator:
I am glad to see that the House is taking up HR 6691, a bill introduced by
Mississippi Democrat Travis Childers. His bill would help enforce the
recent Supreme Court decision in U.S. v. Heller. It would do so by
repealing the gun ban in the District -- including the ban on semi-auto
pistols and rifles, and the registration requirements which require
residents to get permission from the city council before they can own a
weapon.
The Childers bill will also strike the "trigger lock" provision which
endangers gun owners by forcing the lucky ones who successfully jump through
the 12-step process to render their guns unusable for immediate defensive
purposes.
Regardless of what happens to HR 6691, I would implore you, in the strongest
possible terms, to urge Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to schedule a vote
on repealing the DC gun ban. Thank you.
Sincerely
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CAN YOU FIND TIME IN HELPING WITH THIS PLEASE
GOA Submits Appeal On Behalf Of Olofson
-- Olofson's wife thanks GOA members for coming to their aide
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
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Gun owners across the nation are still rejoicing over the Supreme Court
decision that struck down portions of the DC gun ban as unconstitutional.
But the Heller decision has also signaled the beginning of a new major
assault by the anti-gun left.
Make no mistake, the anti-gun lobby is not going quietly into the night.
They are absolutely rabid over this decision -- and their friends in
Congress are in a strong position to legislate away those gun freedoms which
the Supreme Court has affirmed.
In the meantime, agencies like the federal BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) appear to have no intention, whatsoever,
of stopping their attacks on law-abiding gun owners, gun dealers and
manufacturers.
In GOA's newsletter which recently landed in mailboxes (The Gun Owners,
August 18), we detailed the lengths to which the BATFE is going to trample
the rights of gun owners and dealers.
From using paid "informants" to provide false testimony, to physically
altering firearms to turn them into "machine guns," to abusing and harassing
mom and pop gun shops who cannot afford to legally defend themselves, this
agency appears not only to have little or no regards for the rights of
citizens, but is clearly willing even to ignore the rulings of the Supreme
Court.
As you know, Gun Owners is helping to defend David Olofson, a recent victim
of BATFE abuse who has been sentenced to 30 months in the Federal
Correctional Institute at Sandstone, Minnesota for the alleged crime of
knowingly transferring an unregistered machine gun.
GOA submitted an appeal on August 25, 2008, to get him released from prison,
and our brief is viewable at http://www.gunowners.org/fs0806.pdf on the GOA
website.
We took on the case when we learned that the so-called "machine gun" that
Olofson owned was, in reality, one of thousands of ordinary semi-automatic
rifles made by Olympic Arms. It happened to misfire a few extra rounds when
a friend was using it at a range -- thus drawing the attention of the feds.
However, it only became a machine gun when the BATFE, behind closed doors,
mechanically tampered with the rifle.
Getting guns to malfunction is a favorite technique of the BATFE as it gives
them a great opportunity to rack up convictions on the possession or selling
of "machine guns," which requires a special type of license.
As a result, David Olofson has been robbed of all his freedom, not just his
right to keep and bear arms. He has lost his liberty, his family, and his
life outside of prison.
It is just a turn of fate that it is David Olofson -- not you or any other
semi-auto owner you know -- who is rotting away in prison.
And that's why GOA came to his aide, and we are pleased to report that you
guys have been a tremendous blessing to the Olofson family.
David's wife, Candy, told GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt last week that
contributions from GOA members have been a tremendous help. So much so,
that she does not need to take a second job, thus allowing her to spend time
with her children.
All of this has resulted from the many GOA members who are making monthly
contributions to help pay the Olofson family's mortgage and car payment.
By the way, a lawyer friend who lives near Candy told her that GOA's brief
was superb. One could could hear the encouragement in her voice that
resulted from what the attorney told her.
So, now that we have the Olofson family stabilized, we're asking you to help
us get stabilized. This case is very expensive, and we need your help to
continue pressing ahead for his release from prison.
The costs in taking on this case are huge, although it's a burden we gladly
bear because of the danger that it presents to ALL gun owners -- especially
those who own semi-automatic firearms. If this injustice stands, it will
give the ATF the green light to put millions of additional gun owners in
their cross hairs.
GOA also needs your financial help because we are using this experience to
work with a team of experts to develop written testing standards that could
be imposed on the BATFE by law. Such a law would protect individual gun
owners, manufacturers and dealers alike, and would be the next best thing to
getting rid of The Gang (aka, the BATFE).
So please help GOA to accomplish these worthwhile efforts.
You can help GOA continue fighting to defend David Olofson -- and all gun
owners like him -- by going to http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm on
the GOA website. Thank you.
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Please do not reply directly to this message, as your reply will
bounce back as undeliverable.
To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to
http://www.gunowners.org/ean.htm on the web. Change of e-mail
address may also be made at that location.
To unsubscribe send a message to
gunowners_list@capwiz.mailmanager.net with the word unsubscribe in
the subject line or use the url below.
Problems, questions or comments? The main GOA e-mail address
goamail@gunowners.org is at your disposal. Please do not add that
address to distribution lists sending more than ten messages per
week or lists associated with issues other than gun rights.
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Carrying Guns Soon To Be Legal In National Parks
-- But your help is needed to make sure the right is permanently recognized
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
(703)321-8585
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Bush administration, after more than seven years, has finally issued regulations permitting the carrying of firearms in national parks. Gun owners will soon be able to carry firearms according to the laws of the state in which the park is located.
While not perfect, the proposed regulations, which are likely to take effect at the end of June 2008, represent a sharp contrast with the steadfast refusal to allow for self-defense in national parks.
The bureaucrats responded after a crescendo of congressional activity. Senator Tom Coburn has made efforts to put the matter before the Senate, and would have done so had Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid not broken his word to Coburn to allow him to have a vote on the measure. Also, 47 Senators signed a letter to the Department of the Interior urging that the ban be removed.
In the House, there are now three bills that would open national parks to carrying firearms as regulated by the state in which the park is located.
The most recent bill, and the most comprehensive, is that of GOA Life Member Paul Broun (R-GA), who was elected to Congress in July of last year. Rep. Broun has introduced HR 5646, the "Protecting the Second Amendment and Hunting Rights on Federal Lands Act of 2008."
This is not the time to slack off on our efforts. If congressional activity got the Park Service bureaucrats to finally move, we need to keep the heat on. We need to make sure they follow through.
Moreover, legislation is the more sure way of keeping concealed carry "on the books." Regulations could be changed the first day an anti-gun president takes office.
Finally, Rep. Broun's legislation would go even further than the proposed National Parks regulations. As we mentioned above, they are not perfect. Among other things, it’s not clear (in the proposed regs) whether or not an individual will be able to engage in open carry on national park lands for the purpose of self-defense. That would not even be questioned under the Broun bill.
So with all this in mind, we urge you to send an email to your representative urging him to cosponsor Rep. Broun's bill, HR 5646.
ACTION: Please urge your Representative to cosponsor HR 5646. You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Representative the pre-written e-mail message below. And, you can call your Representative at 202-225-3121or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.
Dear Representative:
I urge you to cosponsor Rep. Paul Broun's bill, H.R. 5646, which protects the Second Amendment rights of individuals to carry firearms and ammunition in units of the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System. It also requires that hunting activities be a land use in all management plans for Federal land to the extent that such use is not clearly incompatible with the purposes for which the Federal land is managed.
Now that the Park Service has finally recognized that this is a good idea, there is no reason not to enact this into federal law so that the next president could not once again make it illegal to protect oneself with a gun in a national park.
Please let me know when you have cosponsored Rep. Broun's bill. Gun Owners of America will be keeping me posted.
Sincerely,
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| GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA |
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| Watch the Rally Here |
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Friday, April 4, 2008
The Post Office is wading into the gun control debate.
That's right, the U.S. Postal Service is trying to keep people from shipping
replica or inert munitions through the mail.
They have no authority in the law, since Congress has kept for itself the
power to decide what can and cannot be shipped. But the Post Office is
trying to say that replica or inert munitions are hazardous!
Gun Owners of America's attorneys just found out about this outrageous
proposal which was issued by the Post Office. Although the deadline for
postmarking is Monday, April 7, our attorneys say that e-mails and letters
should be sent anyway.
If you are a re-enactor or collector of replica or inert munitions, you are
in the Post Office crosshairs. If you are not directly involved in this,
you should still be outraged that a bunch of bureaucrats are trying to
further restrict Second Amendment activity.
By the way, there is one interesting dimension to all of this: Canada wants
the US to help shut off shipment of these items into Canada. So it looks
like our bureaucrats are eager to appease other governments by changing our
laws to make them as bad as our neighbors'.
You can read the Postal Service proposed regulations here:
http://uxoinfo.com/blogcfc/client/enclosures/Proposed-Ban_ShippingInert.pdf
You can read GOA's comments to the Postal Service here:
http://www.gunowners.org/fs0803.pdf
ACTION: Please send your comments to the Post Office ASAP. The letter must
be postmarked by Monday, April 7, 2008. Here's the contact information.
TITLE: 73 Fed. Reg. 12321: New Standards Prohibit the Mailing of Replica or
Inert Munitions
E-MAIL: michael.f.lee@usps.gov
SNAIL MAIL:
Manager, Mailing Standards
United States Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Room 3436
Washington, DC 20260-3436
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Pratt To Speak In The State Capitol
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
April, 2008
Gun Owners of America Executive Director, Larry Pratt, will be speaking at
the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally on Monday, April 7 in the State
Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg.
The rally will begin at 10:00 AM. Following the program, Second Amendment
supporters will be encouraged to visit their Representatives and Senators.
Kim Stolfer of Firearms Owners Against Crime and Melody Zullinger of the
Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs will be speaking, along with a
number of legislators.
If you cannot make it to the rally, you can view it online at:
http://www.repmetcalfe.com
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