GOA Email Alert

[Guest oldfella]

Efforts to Destroy ObamaCare Advance

-- First Senate test votes expected soon

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert

8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151

Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408

Gun Owners of America - Gun Owners Of America

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Things are happening fast and furiously in connection with our efforts to destroy the anti-gun ObamaCare law.

This law would allow the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to troll a national medical database in order to impose gun bans on persons with ailments such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

For this reason, GOA has been working with Congress to ensure that this abomination is not just "tweaked," but totally repealed.

Here are some recent developments:

ObamaCare Declared Unconstitutional In A Lawsuit Brought By 26 States

In a massive blow to the Obama administration's socialist anti-gun agenda, Florida federal district judge Roger Vinson held on Monday that ObamaCare was unconstitutional and "non-severable." This means that, if the decision is upheld, the entire law goes into the trash bin.

The Obama administration will appeal Judge Vinson's decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta -- one of the more conservative circuits. Ultimately, the case is expected to be decided by the Supreme Court.

When GOA first became involved in fighting ObamaCare during the winter of 2009, at least a half-dozen Republican senators were cosponsoring the "individual mandate" that all Americans must buy insurance. And many more were thought to believe it was a good idea. GOA members throughout the country blasted GOP senators like Utah's Bob Bennett for their support of the mandate, and ultimately forced moderate Republicans to reverse their support for it -- setting the stage for a united GOP to attack ObamaCare on the basis of its unconstitutional mandate.

House Repeal Bill Brought Onto The Senate Calendar

At the urging of GOA, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has used the provisions of the Senate rules to bring the House-passed ObamaCare repeal bill, H.R. 2, directly onto the Senate calendar. At this point, it is possible for ANY senator to move that the Senate take up this bill at any time.

All 47 Republicans Cosponsor DeMint Repeal Bill

A close friend of GOA, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), has introduced Senate legislation to repeal ObamaCare. That bill is comparable to H.R. 2, which passed the House. All 47 Senate Republicans have agreed to cosponsor the DeMint bill -- meaning that the Republican Party is united behind the ObamaCare repeal and the Democratic Party is nearly united in support of ObamaCare.

ObamaCare Repeal Test Votes To Occur This Week

The first Senate vote on ObamaCare repeal will occur on a McConnell amendment which will be offered to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, S. 223, which is currently pending in the Senate.

Unfortunately, this is not an ideal strategy. Even if the McConnell amendment were adopted, it could be objected to by the House because it would be a Senate-initiated revenue bill, in contravention of the constitutional requirement that such a bill originate in the House.

Furthermore, anti-gun liberal Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has indicated that he would pepper the FAA bill with amendments highlighting the "popular" provisions of ObamaCare. Schumer indicated, on Sunday talk shows, that his intention was to turn the ObamaCare repeal effort into "Swiss cheese."

It would have been better for McConnell to simply move to proceed to the House bill.

Nevertheless, this is the hand we've been dealt. And the significance of this test vote is huge, as we'll begin to see where wobbly senators stand.

ACTION: Contact your two senators. Urge them to support the ObamaCare repeal amendment to the FAA bill and oppose the Schumer "Swiss cheese" amendments. Click on the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your senators a pre-written message.