Important Gun Vote In The Senate

Important Gun Vote In The 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

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

An amendment to repeal the onerous gun ban in the District of Columbia
may come to the floor of the Senate as early as tomorrow, Wednesday,
February 25.

Senator John Ensign (R-NV) plans to file the amendment to the so-called
D.C. Voting Rights Act.

After the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Heller striking down
Washington's gun ban as unconstitutional, the city council passed a gun
control law that was almost as restrictive as the old one.

To simply possess a firearm in the nation's Capitol City, a resident
must:

* Take a five hour training course
* Re-register any firearms every three years
* Undergo an invasive background check every six years
* Pass a 20 question multiple choice test designed by bureaucrats based
on the city's convoluted law
* Pay a registration fee
* Have all handguns undergo a ballistics test

In addition to protecting Second Amendment rights in the District of
Columbia, a vote on the Ensign amendment is an important test for your
two Senators. Many of the provisions in the existing D.C. gun law are
also on the wish list of the anti-gunners.

A vote on repealing the D.C. gun ban will be a good indication of how
the Senate will vote on other gun-related issues.

Ensign's measure will be offered as an amendment to S. 160, the D.C.
Voting Rights Act. The bill is designed to give Washington, D.C., full
voting privileges in the House of Representatives, as well as increasing
the total number of representatives from 435 to 437.

While there are many constitutional concerns with the underlying
measure, the gun ban repeal simply comes down to a vote for or against
the Second Amendment.

It is vital that you contact your Senators in support of the Ensign
amendment because GOA is the only group that has announced it will score
this vote.

ACTION: Please contact your two U.S. Senators and urge them to support
the Ensign amendment to repeal the D.C. gun ban. Ask them to encourage
Senate leadership to make it a priority for consideration on S. 160. You
can go to the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Senators the pre-written
e-mail message below.


----- Prewritten Letter -----

Dear Senator:

Senator John Ensign has an amendment to repeal the onerous D.C. gun ban.

After the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Heller striking down
Washington's gun ban as unconstitutional, the city council passed a gun
control law that was almost as restrictive as the old one.

To simply possess a firearm in the nation's Capitol City, a resident
must:

* Take a five hour training course
* Re-register any firearms every three years
* Undergo an invasive background check every six years
* Pass a 20 question multiple choice test designed by bureaucrats based
on the city's convoluted law
* Pay a registration fee
* Have all handguns undergo a ballistics test

Please vote FOR the Ensign amendment and ask Senate leadership to make
this a priority consideration on S. 160. Gun Owners of America will
score this vote and will also let me know how you voted.

Sincerely,


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

Saw that one - contacted my Senators - not that I think it will do good because both think guns are "icky".

It passed. Now on to the house.

Senate Repeals D.C. Gun Ban By Large Vote
-- But the fight in the House is just beginning

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

Monday, March 2, 2009


By a resounding vote of 62 to 36 last week, the U.S. Senate has approved
an amendment, offered by Senator John Ensign of Nevada, to repeal the
D.C. gun ban.

Congratulations!

But the battle is not over.

This week, the House will take up the D.C. voting legislation. And
anti-gun Speaker Nancy Pelosi is angling to impose a "gag rule" on the
House, so that D.C. gets its unconstitutional representative, while
continuing its draconian anti-gun laws (like microstamping).

So here's the deal: The House will be asked to consider a "rule" which
establishes the time for debate and provides for which amendments may be
considered -- and which may not.

It is expected that the Pelosi rule will seek to deny the House any vote
on the D.C. gun ban and thereby strip the repeal of the ban from the
House bill.

So what we are asking you to do is to write and/or call your congressman
and demand that he oppose any rule that strips the D.C. gun ban repeal
from the D.C. voting bill.

Just to remind you of how draconian the D.C. gun law is:

* Following the Supreme Court's decision in Heller declaring the law to
be unconstitutional, D.C. made a few cosmetic changes which will, as a
practical matter, allow it to continue to deny its citizens the right to
keep and bear arms.

* Then, the City Council passed a whole series of new anti-gun measures.
These include a requirement that most guns used for self-defense
"microstamp" fired casings in two places with a "unique serial number."


Aside from being ineffectual with respect to stolen guns or crimes where
the brass has not been left behind, this microstamping provision is
intended to make guns so expensive that they won't be available anywhere
-- including your state.

ACTION: Write your Representative and urge him or her in the strongest
terms to oppose any rule which will strip the gun ban repeal from the
D.C. voting bill.

You can go to the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send your Representative the
pre-written e-mail message below.

You can also call him or her toll-free at 1-877-762-8762.

----- Prewritten Letter -----

Dear Representative:

This week, when the House takes up the D.C. voting legislation, please
vote against any rule that strips the Senate's pro-gun language and/or
imposes a "gag rule" on members of the House.

Just to remind you of how virulently anti-gun the D.C. gun law is:
Following the Supreme Court's decision in Heller declaring the law to be
unconstitutional, D.C. made a few cosmetic changes which will, as a
practical matter, allow it to continue to deny its citizens the right to
keep and bear arms.

But, in addition, the City Council passed a whole series of new anti-gun
measures. These include a requirement that most guns used for
self-defense "microstamp" fired casings in two places with a "unique
serial number."

Aside from being ineffectual with respect to stolen guns or crimes where
the brass has not been left behind, this microstamping provision is
intended to make guns so expensive that they won't be available anywhere
-- including my state.

I urge you, in the strongest terms, to oppose any rule that makes it
impossible for you to vote on the D.C. gun ban repeal.

Sincerely,