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Imminent Vote In Congress To Repeal DC Gun Ban

goarep

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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Grove, Illinois -- repealed their handgun bans in July.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,

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

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
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address may also be made at that location.

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Problems, questions or comments? The main GOA e-mail address
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Venator

Anti-Saldana Freedom Fighter
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
6,462
Location
Lansing area, Michigan, USA
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UPDATE:


Subject: DC Gun Ban Repeal Passes House -- Senate Pressure Needed
House Passes Bill To Repeal D.C. Gun Ban
Action now needed in the U.S. Senate

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, September 17, 2008

Thank you so much for your activism!



Today, the U.S. House of Representatives opted to pass Representative
Childers' D.C. gun ban repeal instead of the anti-gun bill sponsored by Del.
Eleanor Holmes Norton -- which would have allowed D.C. to continue enacting
gun control.

The bill now goes to the Senate, but unless there is a ton of pressure put
on Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the bill will languish in committee.
Thankfully, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) is spearheading an effort to
get a vote on the House-passed bill. She is asking her fellow Senators to
cosponsor a letter which she will then deliver to Sen. Reid. The Hutchison letter points out that, "In DC v. Heller, the court affirmed that the District of Columbia's ban on ownership of handguns was an unconstitutional restriction on that right."

After noting that D.C. has continued to deprive its residents of their Second Amendment rights for more than 30 years, the letter asks Sen. Reid "to ensure that D.C. residents do not have to wait any longer to realize their constitutional rights by allowing the full Senate to consider H.R. 6842 before the 110th Congress concludes." (Norton's bill was the original HR 6842, but it now contains the Childers pro-gun language instead -- thanks in no small part to your efforts.)

There are not many days left before Congress recesses for the remainder of
the year, and Sen. Reid is expected to try to run out the clock on the D.C.
repeal bill. That's why it's important to act quickly and contact your own two U.S. Senators. This is the last chance we have this year to put some teeth into the Supreme Court's decision in Heller. Gun Owners of America will score the signing of this letter in its upcoming congressional rating.

ACTION: Please contact your two Senators and ask them to cosign the
Hutchison letter to Senator Reid. You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative
Action Center at
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Senators the pre-written e-mail message below. And, you can call your Senators at 202-224-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.

----- Pre-written letter -----

Dear Senator:

I was happy to see that the House of Representatives voted for the Childers
substitute language which will repeal the D.C. gun ban (HR 6842). I recognize that there is not much time left in the legislative session, and so I hope you will do everything in your power to pressure Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring up HR 6842 for a vote.

Hence, I urge you to cosign by Friday the Hutchison letter which urges Reid
"to ensure that D.C. residents do not have to wait any longer to realize their constitutional rights by allowing the full Senate to consider H.R. 6842 before the 110th Congress concludes." Gun Owners of America will score the signing of this letter in its upcoming congressional rating. Please let me know how you intend to act.

Sincerely,


 
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