GOA Email Alert

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Protect the Constitution

-- Read it, don't violate it

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert

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Gun Owners of America - Gun Owners Of America

Friday, January 14, 2011

Calls for greater gun control in response to the Tucson, Arizona massacre are growing daily on Capitol Hill.

This hardly comes as a surprise. For many legislators, the knee-jerk reaction to any criminal shooting is to pass yet another gun control law, despite the fact that the criminal already broke many laws in the commission of the crime.

The zaniest of the new proposals is one by Representative Peter King (R-NY) to ban guns within 1,000 feet of certain federal officials -- including members of Congress. What the Congressman ignores is that what he euphemistically calls "gun free zones" are actually "criminal safety zones."

Thankfully, House Speaker John Boehner flatly rejected the King plan.

Another proposal, being offered by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), would ban ammunition feeding devices holding more than an arbitrarily determined number of rounds.

For Mr. Lautenberg, the magic number is 10 rounds.

"These high-capacity clips (sic) simply should not be on the market," Lautenberg said. "When the Senate returns to Washington, I will introduce legislation to prohibit this type of high-capacity clip."

But what would Lautenberg say to the "average citizen" who runs out of ammunition when facing multiple attackers? Or, more accurately, what would he say to that victim's family?

Of course, if Lautenberg were successful there is no doubt he would be back with a ban on even smaller magazines as soon as the next headlines are made. He's only trying to take a small bite out of the Constitution at this time, as he seeks political advantage from the sad events of last weekend.

To make matters worse, when the Senate reconvenes later this month Majority Leader Harry Reid has cooked up a plan to make it easier to pass anti-gun laws like Frank Lautenberg's.

Reid is seeking to change the rules of the Senate to strip the minority party (currently Republicans) of their ability to stop legislation using the filibuster, which historically requires a 60 vote majority to overcome.

Pro-gun Senators have successfully used the filibuster to stop gun control, especially when emotions are running high following a nationally publicized shooting.

But before the Senate considers changing its rules to make it easier to pass gun control or votes on any bills that would violate the Constitution, Gun Owners of America has a proposal of its own: Read the Constitution!

As you know, GOA spearheaded the effort to get the Constitution read on the floor of the Congress. Speaker Boehner brought the reading to the House floor two weeks ago, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has made no indication that he will follow suit.

That is a sad commentary on the Senate. The Constitution is the real, binding contract with America, but it continues to be ignored even though each and every Senator raises his or her right hand and swears an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic," and that they will "bear true faith and allegiance to the same."

Harry Reid cannot be allowed to continue to rule the Senate with an iron fist. GOA is working with several senate offices on a plan to read the Constitution over Reid's opposition. It is important for all Senators to support this effort to read out loud America's most important founding document.

Action: Contact your Senators and urge them to 1) oppose Harry Reid's plan to do away with the filibuster, 2) oppose the effort by Sen. Frank Lautenberg to ban so-called "high capacity" ammunition feeding devices and, 3) support any effort or resolution to have the U.S. Constitution read out loud on the floor of the Senate. You can click on the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to quickly send your Senators a pre-written message. take-action