Gun Rights Threatened In 2008


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Administrator
Staff member
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
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"Gun Owners of America has remained a steadfast ally. Their unwavering defense of our rights as Americans is commendable." --
Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), November 2007
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

This past year was one of the most dangerous on record.Headlines blared what many feared would happen after the Democrats took over the Congress: "New bill has a good chance of becoming the first major gun control law in more than a decade."

That "new bill" is known as the Veterans Disarmament Act, and the battle against it has been intense, as it would disarm hundreds of thousands of military veterans who are suffering the ailments that frequently follow combat stress.

But you should know that there was only ONE MAJOR GUN LOBBY that was actively working to stop this legislation... ONLY ONE GROUP that has been fighting the bill sponsored by notorious gun grabbers like Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and Senator Chuck Schumer.

That one major lobby group is Gun Owners of America.

In April, Newsweek noted that GOA had "launched a public campaign to block the [Veterans Disarmament Act] warning that the proposal could 'block millions of additional, honest gun owners from buying firearms.'"

As noted by Newsweek, GOA's main weapon in this fight has been the grassroots. And that's why you are receiving this e-mail. You can play an important part in helping the gun lobby that DOES NOT COMPROMISE to increase its clout on Capitol Hill and stop gun control in its tracks.

Next year, GOA will continue fighting the Veterans Disarmament Act. That's where you will find GOA... on the front lines in the war to defend our rights.

But Senators Chuck Schumer and Ted Kennedy want to do more than just disarm the veterans who fought so bravely for our country. Some of the other attacks we could expect include: more bullet bans; more aggressive behavior by the BATFE; a prohibition on gun shows; and, mandatory "biometric" technology (expensive, unproven firearms that only the actual owner can use -- rendering them useless to your loved ones if your home is invaded while you are away).

And, of course, the gun grabbers will never cease working on their perennial favorites, such as a new semi-auto ban, a complete nationwide outlawing of private sales between individuals, banning additional guns such as .50 caliber rifles, and raising hunting age limits so that our children will never experience our heritage... and so much more.

Whether you realized what GOA was up to in 2007, GOA has been YOUR VOICE in the media, YOUR LOBBYIST on Capitol Hill, and one of your CHIEF ADVOCATES in the courts.

This e-mail will give you just a glimpse of what GOA was up to in 2007, and then show you how you can become an important part of this effort to preserve our gun rights for future generations. Link RemovedGOA WAS YOUR VOICE IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE IN 2007

As the nation watched the horrifying images coming from Virginia Tech on April 16, gun control advocates heightened their calls for greater restrictions. GOA spokesmen spent countless hours on Capitol Hill and in the media.

In just the first two weeks following the shooting, GOA appeared in several hundred news outlets across the country -- including newspaper articles, radio talk shows and TV debates.You can go to Link Removed to see many of the TV debates that GOA spokesmen engaged in -- debates ranging from Fox News to CNN to MSNBC and more.

GOA HAS BEEN YOUR LOBBYIST ON CAPITOL HILL

1. Stalling the Veterans Disarmament Act.

The April shooting jumpstarted anti-gun legislation sponsored by Rep. McCarthy and Senator Chuck Schumer. In the name of stopping bad guys like the Virginia Tech gunman, the Veterans Disarmament Act would disarm hundreds of thousands of law-abiding Americans -- not to mention military veterans!

Gun Owners of America activated its grassroots network at every stage of the legislative battle (while still restricting our low-volume e-mail alerts to only what is truly needed to keep gun owners on top of the situation). This resulted in thousands upon thousands of e-mails and phone calls being generated into Congress in opposition to the Veterans Disarmament Act.

All year long, the media reported that Gun Owners of America was the ONE GUN LOBBY that was fighting the Veterans Disarmament Act. By October, Gun Owners had garnered several important allies in the fight against the gun control bill.

The Politico newspaper stated, "Gun Owners of America... has launched grassroots efforts across the nation, backed by military groups such as the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the American Legion."By the end of 2007, the pressure that GOA and its activists applied -- plus, the work of Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma -- had resulted in the Veterans Disarmament Act being stalled in the Senate.

2. GOA killed anti-gun Kennedy immigration bill.

GOA helped kill an anti-gun immigration bill that was introduced by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). The bill contained harmful language which, in the hands of a future anti-gun administration, would allow gun shops to be shut down and classified as "criminal gangs."GOA ginned up the grassroots in favor of a killer amendment that brought the huge debate over the amnesty bill to a screeching halt.

That one amendment is credited by Capitol Hill insiders as being THE BIGGEST reason this anti-gun bill was defeated by a 53-46 vote in the Senate.

3. GOA lobbied to defang BATFE.

When the Senate recently came within a couple of hours of unanimously approving anti-gun Michael Sullivan for the position of BATFE Director, GOA sent an emergency fax to every Senate office, urging them to oppose the Sullivan nomination. Thankfully, one senator filed an official objection to Sullivan, and his nomination was temporarily stalled.

GOA then generated a massive outpouring of opposition from its activists, which resulted in other Senators placing a "hold" on the Sullivan nomination. The anti-gun appointment has now been put off until next year.

GOA HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR GUN OWNERS IN THE COURTS

1. GOA and the Supreme Court.

Gun Owners Foundation (the legal arm of GOA) began preparing an amicus brief for the U.S. Supreme Court after the justices decide to take up Washington, D.C.'s appeal when its gun ban was declared unconstitutional. An appellate court ruled in March that the city's draconian gun ban violated the Second Amendment of the Constitution. The DC v. Heller case will likely be heard next spring.

2. GOA protects the rights of gun owners.

Gun Owners Foundation is also continuing its defense of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean -- the two border patrol agents who were convicted of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler on the U.S. side of the border. GOF attorneys filed an amicus brief earlier in the year which argued that Ramos and Compean were falsely convicted of "firing a gun during the commission of a crime" -- a crime that doesn't even exist in federal law.

While the "firing a gun" charge can serve as a sentence enhancement to an underlying crime, the prosecutor would have to show that the two border agents were unlawfully carrying firearms -- a ludicrous idea! It became very clear in December that two of the three judges hearing the agents' appeal were very familiar with GOF's arguments, as their questions to the prosecutor repeatedly focused on this particular area of federal law. Prospects look good for a decision reversing their conviction next year.

3. GOA beat the Brady Bunch in court.

Finally, GOA won a huge bout with the Brady Campaign in the courts! Shortly after last year's elections, the Brady Campaign asked the Federal Election Commission to shut down GOA's ability to post its candidate ratings on the Internet.

Meanwhile, Gun Owners of America was leading a coalition of organizations in amicus briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court -- challenging the FEC. When the high court ruled in our favor, it took the wind out of Brady's sails -- as the court's opinion essentially forced the FEC to dismiss the case against GOA. This means that GOA will be able to continue posting candidate ratings without restraint.

It should be noted that Gun Owners of America is the ONLY national gun lobby which provides Second Amendment ratings for every candidate for federal office regardless of party affiliation. In addition, paying GOA members will receive our handy Voter Guide in the mail.

PLEASE STAND WITH GOA IN 2008!

If you want to put your money where it really counts, put it with Gun Owners of America.

With your support in 2008, we will defend the Second Amendment and fight off all of these new attacks on our rights. We will not permit the federal government to steal any more of your Second Amendment rights. And we will renew our fight to restore the gun rights stolen during the Clinton years.

SO HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Please go to http://www.gunowners.org and join GOA -- the nation's only no compromise gun lobby. For as little as $20 a year, you can help deliver a "no compromise" message to the Congress and across the nation. For just five cents a day, you can support the nation's most aggressive gun lobby. As former Rep. John Hostettler of Indiana used to say: "Gun Owners of America is the pit bull of the Second Amendment. They are relentless and never give any ground whatsoever to the gun grabbers."

2. Even if you cannot afford to join right now, please go to Link Removed to sign up for GOA's free e-mail alerts. You can be assured that we will never share your e-mail address with anyone. GOA alerts are low-volume (we only contact you when something is actually happening; the annual average works out to less than one message per week). You may unsubscribe at any time and we never send attachments. Most often, an alert will include a link to our famous Legislative Action Center where a pre-written message will be waiting for you to send directly to your Member of Congress with ease.

GOA will keep you abreast of the latest information coming from Capitol Hill. The more gun owners who are willing to send their congressman a message with the click of a mouse, the louder our voice will be in the nation's capital. So please sign up today!

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To subscribe to free, low-volume GOA alerts, go to Link Removed on the web.
 

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