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Showing posts with label Democrats and gun control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democrats and gun control. Show all posts

Saturday, April 20, 2013

GOA BULLETIN - GUN CONTROL BILL GETS PULLED - HERE'S WHO TO THANK, WHO TO KICK IN THE ASS



logo Gun Owners of America

Gun Control Bill Gets Pulled!
You can breathe a sigh of relief ... for now
“The Gun Owners of America chimed in, attacking Republican senators who showed any interest in compromise, arguing that a national gun registry would arise from the bill.” -The New York Times, April 17, 2013
You guys were amazing! Your efforts have accomplished what, four months ago, many in Washington thought was impossible: a total and complete victory (for now) against President Obama’s anti-gun agenda.
But let's face it. We're never going to be able to let our guard down entirely, until the 113th Congress adjourns in December, 2014.
Senator Harry Reid has now pulled the gun bill from the floor. And it appears he would have to move to proceed in order to bring it up again - something that would require 60 votes to do so.
Moreover, if Obama tries to make another run at gun control, pro-gun senators are prepared to go on the offensive and offer amendments to back Harry Reid down. These provisions would include pro-gun amendments that:
  • Cut Justice Department funds for states with gun confiscation and registration (i.e., New York, Connecticut, Maryland);
  • Take another run at passing the Thune-Cornyn-Vitter national concealed carry reciprocity amendment;
  • Provide that no veteran can lose any constitutional right without a court order.
So it's time to celebrate your enormous victory and recognize those heroes who played a part.
1) First of all, there’s you! The Nutty Lefties now fear you guys more than any group in America. Give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work. It has been noticed by many on Capitol Hill and even by the anti-gun media.
Just consider some of the recent headlines:
  • “Democrats blame ‘Gun Owners of America’ for gun control setback,” - TPM, April 8, 2013.
  • “Gun Owners of America out-hardlines the NRA” - Salon, April 4, 2013.
  • “Upstart group [GOA] pushes harder than the NRA,” - New York Times, April 3, 2013.

And then there’s what anti-gun Senators are saying:

  • “Schumer’s spokesman Brian Fallon took note of Gun Owners of America’s role in the debate, tweeting a link to the Times profile and saying the group ‘is making a deal on even background checks extremely hard.’” - TPM, April 8, 2013
  • “Democratic staffers likewise tell the paper [Slate] that other Republicans they’ve approached to co-sponsor a background check bill were quick to point to the GOA as the most obvious reason not to.” - Slate, April 4, 2013
2) Senators Rand Paul (KY), Ted Cruz (TX) and Mike Lee (UT)--and their entire staffs - deserve your thanks. These three Senators led the filibuster and forced Obama & Co. to expend much capital in simply getting Reid’s gun control bill to the floor.
Honorable mention also goes to Senators John Cornyn (TX) and John Thune (SD) and their offices. While Cornyn is a key player on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Thune is the leader of the Second Amendment Task Force in the Senate. Both offices provided invaluable support in strategizing and marshaling the opposition to Reid’s gun control efforts.
Finally, we should not forget Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who adopted a very sound strategy in combating Reid’s gun control bill. Nor should we forget the words of the Declaration of Independence and our “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence” for His defense of our rights.
3) The gun lobby that represents you. GOA and NRA stood together in opposition to gun control. Our presence was even able to pull another gun organization onto the right side - the one that announced it was originally supporting the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer provision. As we alluded to in a previous alert, that group later renounced its initial support.
4) The Senators who both supported the Paul-Cruz-Lee filibuster and opposed the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer provision.
Realize that many of these Senators who voted right were under INTENSE PRESSURE to vote wrong. GOA has heard of intense debates that occurred in some of the offices that voted right.
And yesterday, the Brady Campaign began using its platform on MSNBC to urge gun banners to call their Senators and hammer those who voted for the Second Amendment.
So it is imperative for us to not forget those who voted right!
With that in mind, we are listing below the Senators who voted correctly on the TWO MOST IMPORTANT VOTES: the vote AGAINST the motion to proceed on S. 649 on April 11 and AGAINST the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer amendmend on April 17.
There are 31 Senators who voted right on BOTH of these key votes, and this is who they are:
John Barrasso (R-WY)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Dan Coats (R-IN)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Tim Johnson (R-WI)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Mark Pryor (D-AR)
James Risch (R-ID)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA)

ACTION: Contact the Senators above and thank them for their pro-gun votes. If your Senator is not listed above, then he or she needs to be hammered.
And you might point out the following irony to those Senators who voted wrong: During a week when the Senate voted to infringe upon the rights of gun owners, the residents in Boston were cowering in fear and locked in their homes hoping that one of the two bombers didn’t go into their homes and take them hostage while they’re hiding from the cops. Gun control does not make us safer and does not stop bad guys from acquiring dangerous weapons.
How they voted. You can go to the links below, to see how your Senators voted on the most important issues:
(1) Votes where GOA scored NO as the correct position - the motion to proceed to S. 649 (the filibuster vote), the Toomey-Manchin-Schumer gun owner registry, the Feinstein gun ban, and the Lautenberg magazine limitation; and,
(2) Votes where GOA scored YES as the correct position: the Cornyn-Vitter-Thune concealed carry reciprocity amendment, the Burr provision to protect veterans’ gun rights, and the Barrasso language cutting off funds to states that release gun owners’ names.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

YOU BETCHA THEY'RE BRAVE! SENATORS PAUL, CRUZ AND LEE TO LEAD FILIBUSTER OF REID'S GUN CONTROL BRIBE-O-THON! REMEMBER THAT WHEN AT ELECTION TIME. HEY - WHERE IS YOUR SENATOR? AND MINE (HA! BILL NELSON - WHAT A FOOL YOU BE!)

logoGun Owners of America

Senators Paul, Cruz and Lee to Lead Filibuster
of Reid’s Gun Control Bribe-o-thon

On the heels of a test vote last Saturday where 50 Senators — including six “Red State” Democrats — voted for an amendment offered by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) to prohibit virtually all gun control legislation in the Senate, three senators have committed to filibuster any motion to proceed to any gun control legislation.
The three Republican Senators — Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas and Lee of Utah - have cosigned a letter indicating that they would filibuster a motion to proceed to S. 649.
S. 649 already contains the Veterans Gun Ban, which could send you to prison for 15 years for selling, raffling or gifting a firearm in America, while not realizing that the recipient was disqualified in some way — say, for being a military veteran with PTSD or for being a habitual user of marijuana (for medical purposes).
In addition, S. 649 contains Chuck Schumer's universal gun registry legislation. Although he doesn't have 60 votes now, Schumer will ruthlessly work to get weak-kneed Republicans to endorse some version of universal registries.
Finally, Reid will allow amendments to S. 649 consisting of the Feinstein gun ban, a magazine ban, and whatever other gun control proposals he feels he can cram down our throats. But not if the Paul-Cruz-Lee filibuster is successful, as the Senate will never reach Reid's gun control bribe-o-rama where he will be able to threaten, bribe, and coerce other Senators into getting the votes he needs to pass a myriad of gun control restrictions.
ACTION: Click here to contact your Senators. Demand that they support the Paul-Cruz-Lee filibuster of the motion to proceed to S. 649 and to resist Harry Reid's gun control bribe-o-rama.
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Sunday, February 20, 2011

THOSE ICE AGENTS WERE UNARMED

Subject: two American ICE Special Agents, who were ambushed last week in Mexico by members of a local drug cartel, were both unarmed!
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2011 13:05:31 -0700

IF FED STATE COUNTY CITY ELECTED APPOINTED HIRED BUREAUCRATICS DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES - HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU ??? ......... ANSWER IS NONE !!!
Texas legislator Dr. Suzanne Gratia-Hupp said, "How a politician (or really anyone !!!) stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual. as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
Dr Suzanna Hupp SPEAKING BEFORE THE U.S. CONGRESS IN WDC
From John Farnam:

16 Feb 11

"... the world's gone mad today,
and good's bad today,
and day's night today,
and wrong's right today,
and all the guys today,
who women prize today,
are just silly gigolos"

Composed by Cole Porter, for the 1934 Musical, "Anything Goes"

In 1970, when I became an LEO, a five-shot snubby revolver was considered adequate for concealed carry. Actually, it probably was no more "adequate" then than now, but we naively went forward, not realizing the dangerous direction in which world history was taking us.

In fact, in the black-and-white TV era, I remember watching NYPD Chief "Peter Clifford" (played by JD Cannon) lecturing displaced NM police officer Sam McCloud (played by Dennis Weaver of "Gunsmoke" fame) about the impropriety of carrying his (McCloud's) 45Colt SAA in NY City!

"This is all you need... ," screeched the Chief, as he waived his own S&W M36 in the air.

On a different channel (also black-and-white), Defective Sgt Joe Friday (played by Jack Webb) and his loveable partner, Bill Gannon (played by Harry Morgan), on the Dragnet Series, both carried S&W snubbies also. I ever wished I could be as clever and articulate as Sgt Friday!

Today, S&W still sells lots of five-shot, snubby revolvers, but most of us consider them suitable only for back-up. Most of us now, even for routine concealed carry, want a high-capacity autoloader, and at least one spare magazine, all fully-charged with high-performance, controlled-expansion ammunition that represents a quantum leap forward, with regard to terminal performance, over what was the accepted norm just a few decades ago.

I even remember when "hollow-point" pistol ammunition was piously banned within many police departments, particularly big, metro areas. I also remember it becoming incrementally, ever so slowly, accepted for regular police service. NYC was one of the last departments to go over.

Today, "hardball" ammunition is considered acceptable only for practice.

This all happened within a single LEO career!

The real question is, "Are our policies and procedures keeping pace with our technological advances and with the precipitous decline of our civilization?"

Our officers, imitating what they see on TV, are, even today, endlessly command gun-wielding felons to "drop your gun," as the felon points his gun at officers multiple times! When the felon ultimately surrenders without further incident, the naive officer gets congratulated, instead of fired, as he should be!

Today, during an LEO Class here in CO, when asked why they carry a gun, most officers in attendance had no answer, other than "... because they make me." When asked why "qualification" was important, most responded that it was important only because passing is required for them to keep their jobs.

We, for the most part, got away with attitudes like that in the 1970s. We lived through it, through no fault of our own!

Those idyllic days are gone forever! Today, alertness, incisiveness, surgical skill, and, yes, even ruthlessness will be required of all of us, in spades!

If you're not willing to face the challenge squarely, get out now.

"The battle has begun, gentlemen. It's too late to change our dispositions!"

Confederate General Albert S Johnston, at the dawn of the Battle of Shiloh, TN, 6 Apr 1862

/John

(To pick nits, I believe that Sgt. Joe Friday actually carried Colt revolvers in Dragnet, usually the two-inch, six-shot Detective Special. Getting back to five-shot revolvers, for many it’s a case of fact being the greatest enemy of theory – lots of us carry them. So long as you do not envision the need to use them outside your own window of ability with them, I see nothing wrong with them, so long as you carry more than one. In the immortal words of another fictional cop, Inspector Harry Callahan, “A good man knows his limitations.” Personally, I’d rather carry ten rounds in a pair of revolvers, keeping one accessible to each hand, than to carry 15 rounds in a single pistol. If your lifestyle places you at risk for confronting several assailants simultaneously or of encountering rifle-armed jihadists, you may do well to relegate the snubnose revolver to a backup role and learn to dress around something bigger.)

17 Feb 11

This clarification from a friend in the Federal System:

"When a gun-wielding VCA is pointing his weapon at you, you need to be shooting, not 'commanding,' 'pleading,' 'begging,' nor 'reasoning!' Such inappropriate verbalizations make surpassing, tear-jerking television drama, but they represent miserable, indeed suicidal, individual tactics!

According to Tennessee v. Garner, rendered by the US Supreme Court in 1985, 'verbal warnings' are only required 'when feasible.'"

Comment: I'm sure this VCA, in threatening you with a lethal weapon, is only "crying-out for help," and I'm confident his threatening behavior is solely due to the fact that his mother didn't breast-feed him as an infant, his underwear are too tight, he received insufficient youth-counseling, ad nauseam.

Of all those who put forward these laughable arguments, none have ever worn a uniform, been directly threatened, nor fired a shot in anger in their entire, sheltered lives!

Their pampered fannies are not threatened. Yours is! When you're not prepared, and eminently willing, to decisively terminate threatening behavior with gunfire, you need to get out of this business... while you still can!

/John

(Those of you who have read my book may recognize the name of LAPD officer Stacy Lim, who fatally shot the gangbanger who had just shot her in the chest. Many years ago, I heard Stacy describe the incident in person and could not help thinking that had she simply raised her pistol and fired at the man already pointing a revolver at her, rather than verbally identifying herself as a police officer, she would likely not have gone through the experience of being brought back from clinical death twice.)

19 Feb 11

These sage comments about TV "Cop Shows," from a renowned trainer:

"When training LEOs, both recruits and experienced, I ask them: 'You are behind cover and involved in a shootout with a single VCA. You fire several shots, and he goes down. What do you do next?'

The most common TV-inspired response is, '... immediately break cover, approach him, kick his gun away, and then check his condition.'

We all take a breath, and then discuss why and when one would ever break cover in such a situation, and how naive script-writers are infinitely more interested in fabricated drama, and ratings, than they will ever be in the survival of real police officers.

Teaching officers what actions are in their best interests and are likely to prolong their lives, rather than place them in mortal danger, is a formidable task, as you can see! I need to overwrite all programming done by years of watching fictitious 'cop shows.'

My second challenge is testifying in front of grand juries regarding the actions of bona-fide police in life-and-death situations. Non-police, serving on juries, have spent a lifetime in front of those same TV sets, watching the same sewage! In a short time, I must assist them in understanding that their perception of lethal encounters is entirely inaccurate and based upon manufactured fantasy, not reality. Loosely translated, I must persuade them that virtually everything they 'know' about this business, is wrong!

When I am unsuccessful, a competent and courageous officer will face years of litigation for only doing what was moral, right, good, and true... for not choosing to commit suicide!

All martial arts skills, armed and otherwise, no matter how refined, mean little when the individual officer does not have personal victory as his primary motivation each time he confronts dangerous situations and individuals.
"

Comment: "You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."

Ayn Rand

"Cursed be the social wants that sin against the strength of youth
Cursed be the social ties that warp us from the living Truth
Cursed be the sickly forms that err from honest Nature's rule
Curse be the gold that gilds the straightened forehead of the fool!"

Tennyson

Cursed indeed!

/John

(I no longer have a window to current NYPD training doctrine but I know that there was a time when NYPD officers were trained not to approach a suspect whom they had just shot. Rather, because of their emotional involvement, they were to provide cover while another officer, albeit a later responder, made the approach. I see no reason why this policy should have been changed and teach my own students no differently.)

20 Feb 11

Unarmed in Mexico, or "Nothing is too good for our men!"

It has just been confirmed that the two American ICE Special Agents, who were ambushed last week in Mexico by members of a local drug cartel, were both unarmed!

One agent was killed. The other badly injured, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

American law enforcement agents assigned to Mexico are apparently all unarmed, as a matter of policy!

All such US agents in Mexico are there on diplomatic passports, so they could be armed. But, those up the food-chain, safe and sound back in the plush, heavily-guarded offices within CONUS, have insured that their agents operating in Mexico are completely defenseless, as a matter of "policy."

I wonder whose job it is to inform widows and orphans about this "policy!"

"The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of the hypocrite is itself hypocrisy!"