Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Dingy Harry as Rush calls him, really stuck his foot in his mouth today. Discussing the hold-up on the bill approving aid to New York, New Jersey, and other areas impacted by Superstorm Sandy, Reid made the comparison with Hurricane Katrina.
I won’t spoil the surprise. Just listen to the clip below. I’ll let you decide if Reid is an frigging idiot or what.
FoxNews did a story today about the response to Journal News publishing the names and addresses of pistol permit holders in Westchester and Rockland Counties, New York. Putnam County is resisting the request to release this information and is getting support from Sen. Greg Ball (R-NY-40).
You can see a video of the report and the interview of Sen. Greg Ball here.
What is equally as interesting is the response by ex-cons and reformed burglars to this story. They say that this map published using Google Maps by the Journal News would have made their job easier.
“That was the most asinine article I’ve ever seen,” said Walter T.
Shaw, 65, a former burglar and jewel thief who the FBI blames for more
than 3,000 break-ins that netted some $70 million in the 1960s and
1970s. “Having a list of who has a gun is like gold – why rob that house
when you can hit the one next door, where there are no guns?
“What they did was insanity,” added Shaw, author of “License to Steal,” a book about his criminal career.
Bob Portenier, another former burglar turned crime prevention consultant, offered this:
“They just created an opportunity for some crimes to be committed and I think it’s exceptionally stupid,” said Bob Portenier, 65, a former burglar and armed house robber turned crime prevention consultant.
Professional burglars are always looking for an edge, and like most folks, they read the paper, said Portenier.
“Criminals are always looking for opportunity and words travels through the grapevine—burglars trade secrets and when you see something like that in the paper, that’s is something burglar’s are going to talk about,” Portenier said. “‘Did you see in the paper where all these people have guns and their addresses?’ and that kind of stuff, they’ll say.”
While some burglars may use the newspaper’s information to avoid guns, Portenier said others will target homes with guns. The newspaper’s decision could even lead to legally-owned guns proliferating on the street, he said.
“That’s one of the first things we’d check out—guns are on the top of the list of what you want to steal,” he said. “They can walk out with a shotgun and a couple of handguns and sell them on the street for $300 or $400 a pop. They can sell them to a gangbanger who ends up killing someone.”
If I was on the list and got robbed or, more likely, I lived next to someone on the list and got robbed, I’d be talking to a good young attorney who wanted to make a name for him or herself. I am sure that Gannett, the parent company of the Journal News, has sufficiently deep pockets to make it worth some attorney’s time and effort.
Grass Roots North Carolina has noticed Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell’s attempt to shut down gun shows in Asheville. They released the alert below last night.
If you happen to be going to the Asheville Gun Show this weekend, I’ll be there on Saturday morning volunteering at the GRNC table. Stop by and say hello.
Councilman fails to understand the law in the latest attempt to ban guns…In one of the most ridiculous knee-jerk political reactions to recent shootings which have drawn national attention, Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell led an attempt this week to use an Asheville city ordinance that bans guns from city-owned property to block gun shows in the city. Bothwell seems to think that distorting this ordinance should be just the ticket to capitalize on national grief over the Newtown shootings in order to change gun laws, but there are a couple of major issues he failed to recognize before stepping into the limelight with his scheme.
State-wide uniformity of local regulations
One such issue Councilman Bothwell failed to take into consideration is that North Carolina General Statute §14409.40, “Statewide uniformity of local regulation,” states, in part:
“(d) No county or municipality, by zoning or other ordinance, shall regulate in any manner firearms shows with regulations more stringent than those applying to shows of other types of items.”
What this means is that gun shows may not be regulated any differently than any other type of show that is allowed to use the same facilities. In other words, if they wanted to ban gun shows, they would have to ban virtually any other kind of show from the property. State law prevents any county or municipality from treating gun shows any differently than an antique show or an agricultural event.
City or State owned?
One other issue that Councilman Bothwell and other city council members failed to understand is that the facility in question, the WNC Agricultural Center, is not owned by the city of Asheville! That’s right, the WNC Agricultural center is state-owned property, operated by the state. In their blind zeal to remove your rights as gun owners through any scheme they can cook up, the Asheville City Council is trying to enforce a city ordinance which bans guns on city property in a building which is actually owned by the State of North Carolina! What’s more, the WNC Agricultural Center isn’t even located inside Asheville city limits!
GRNC President responds
In a letter sent by GRNC President Paul Valone to Asheville City Attorney Bob Oast, Valone stated that these kinds of actions are clearly irresponsible and a direct violation of state law:
To: Robert W. Oast, Jr., Asheville City Attorney
From: F. Paul Valone, President, Grass Roots North Carolina
Re: Proposal to restrict gun shows at Western North Carolina Agricultural Center
Cc: Mayor“Dear Mr. Oast:
According to the Asheville Citizen-Times, the Asheville City Council is contemplating enforcing an ordinance in such a way as to restrict gun shows from the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. Accordingly, please allow me to point out §14409.40, “Statewide uniformity of local regulation,” which says in relevant part:
“(d) No county or municipality, by zoning or other ordinance, shall regulate in any manner firearms shows with regulations more stringent than those applying to shows of other types of items.”
Our Director of Legal Affairs advises me that the only way Asheville could ban gun shows at the facility would be to ban all shows at the facility. If that is your intent, please let us know.
Otherwise, please be advised that any attempt to limit gun shows in violation of §14409.40(d) will be met not only political opposition targeting the City Council, but also legal action similar to what we filing this week against the city of Winston-Salem.
As one pundit recently pointed out, the similar case of Nordyke v. King kept Alameda County in court for thirteen years before they finally lost. I’m sure we wouldn’t want to tie up the Asheville City Council for such an extended period; it might distract them from the fine work they do.”
Show your solidarity!
You can do your part to stop this attempt to block your rights as gun owners. While the Asheville City Council attempts to use city laws to override state law, you can show your resolve by attending the gun show scheduled for the weekend of January 5th & 6th at the WNC Agricultural Center. Volunteers are needed to help at the GRNC table. If you would like to volunteer a few hours at the GRNC table, please contact Cliff Odom via email at inhisstepscliff@gmail.com .
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED!
IMMEDIATELY CONTACT THE ASHEVILLE CITY COUNCIL: Use the contact information provided and deliver the message below
PLAN TO ATTEND THE ASHEVILLE GUN SHOW: You can make a difference by attending the Ashville gun show to show your resolve against these incredible schemes
Support GRNC!: GRNC needs your support to help combat the efforts against your rights as gun owners. Join or renew your membership! http://www.grnc.org/join-grnc/join-grnc-online
COURTESY COPY AND PASTE LIST
Note: Some Email programs automatically hyperlink addresses. Click Here to get a version you may copy.
mayorbellamy@avlcouncil.com, emanheimer@vwlawfirm.com, cecil@braveulysses.com, jandavis@avlcouncil.com, marchunt@avlcouncil.com, chrispelly@avlcouncil.com, gordonsmith@avlcouncil.com
DELIVER THIS MESSAGE
Suggested Subject: “Hands Off Gun Shows”
Asheville City Council Members:
I urge you to respect the rights of North Carolina gun owners. Councilman Bothwell’s poorly considered attack on gun shows is both misdirected and illegal. North Carolina’s preemption statute (§14409.40) clearly does not allow you this latitude. Also there facts that the WNC facilities are state-owned and OUTSIDE of the Asheville city limits.
Any attempts to violate my rights as a gun owner will be remembered at the polls. I will be following your actions through the alerts of Grass Roots North Carolina.
Respectfully,
A Concerned North Carolina Voter
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mayor Terry Bellamy Contact Information:
Mail: P.O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802
Phone: (828) 259-5600
Fax: (828) 259-5499
E-mail: mayorbellamy@avlcouncil.com
Personal Web site: www.terrymbellamy.comVice-Mayor Esther Manheimer contact information:
Mail: 11 North Market Street, Asheville, NC 28801
P.O. Box 7376, Asheville, NC 28802-7376
Phone: (828) 258-2991
E-mail: emanheimer@vwlawfirm.comCouncilman Cecil Bothwell contact information:
Mail: 54 Fulton Street, Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 713-8840
E-mail: cecil@braveulysses.comCouncilman Jan Davis contact information:
Mail: 209 Patton Ave., Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 253-5634
Fax: (828) 253-8029
E-mail: jandavis@avlcouncil.com
Personal Web site: www.jandavistire.comCouncilman Marc Hunt contact information:
Mail: 55 Cambridge Road, Asheville, NC 28804
Phone: (828) 273-2172
Email: marchunt@avlcouncil.comCouncilman Chris Pelly contact information:
Mail: 95 Cisco Road, Asheville, NC 28805
Phone: (828) 231-3704
Email: chrispelly@avlcouncil.comCouncilman Gordon Smith contact information:
Mail: 49 Euclid Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: (828) 279-2551
E-mail: gordonsmith@avlcouncil.com
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on the Jimmy Fallon Show and was complaining that the media doesn’t do a good job of reporting “firearm news” other than mass shootings. The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms agrees and issued this statement.
BELLEVUE, WA – Anti-gun New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was “half-right” when he told NBC’s Jimmy Fallon that there is “scant coverage” of other firearms news, because there is virtually no coverage of self-defense uses every day, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.
Bloomberg complained about the lack of attention paid by the press to “people who are killed by guns every day,” according to Yahoo News.
“Press coverage of justifiable gun use in self-defense is almost invisible,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “yet firearms are used in successful self-defense situations hundreds, if not thousands of times every day. It is disingenuous to talk about crime without mentioning the lives saved because an intended victim was armed.
“We know that hundreds of thousands of lives are saved in this country every year because someone had a firearm,” he continued. “In most cases, a shot is never fired, but the display of a gun sends criminals running.”
He noted examples such as the shooting at a Florida internet café last year, and the intervention by an armed citizen at the Clackamas mall in Oregon last month that stopped a gunman.
“Most of the time,” Gottlieb noted, “if they are reported at all, such stories rarely get beyond local media coverage, and quickly vanish from the headlines. It would be a refreshing change to see the press pay more attention when an armed citizen defends himself, his family, his home or total strangers by being in the right place at the right time.
“While Bloomberg would ignore these people,” he observed, “they really are first responders and they sometimes perform acts of remarkable heroism in saving innocent lives. The press only pays attention to tragedies while ignoring triumphs.
“Mayor Bloomberg is famous for telling half a story,” Gottlieb concluded, “and he wants the press to continue as his surrogate in this campaign to demonize firearms and the people who own them. In truth, gun owners are our friends, neighbors, doctors, the people who teach our children, and many others who have sometimes been called upon to use a firearm to save a life, and we out number him.”
Clayton Cramer used to do a great job in publishing media reports of defensive gun use. Unfortunately, he stopped doing this after getting sued by the charlatans at the now-defunct RightHaven, LLC. While I have checked the old Armed Citizen site, it doesn’t seem up-to-date.
This parody of gun-free zones is ostensibly from Fox News. I doubt that but it is still rather funny and points out the fallacy of gun-free zones. To expect criminals who are already breaking the law to obey a gun-free zone sign is ridiculous.
H/T The Dave Kopel Daily
As you can imagine, this has been a very busy week for the Illinois State Rifle Association and Richard Pearson. He has sent out the following week in review which gives more perspective on the bills and the machinations of the gun prohibitionists in the Illinois General Assembly.
January 4, 2013 – The Week in Review The Unabashed Arrogance of the Gun Control MovementAs most of you know, this has been a very tense week for the law-abiding Illinois firearm owner. As most of us were getting ready to ring in the New Year, Senate President John Cullerton and his band of gun controllers were secretly preparing a major offensive against your gun rights. We got wind of the pending attack on your 2nd Amendment rights early in the week and immediately called together our lobbyists and strategic planners to build a defense.
When we finally saw the public release of the Cullerton plan mid-week, we were shocked at what we saw. Based on recent events, we fully expected to see legislative proposals to ban so-called assault weapons, and so-called high-capacity ammunition feeding devices. However, those affronts to your rights paled in comparison with what Cullertons proposal entailed. Here is a sampling of the extremist proposals advanced by Cullertons gun-grab plan:
– The Illinois State Police would be given full control over the design and operation of commercial gun ranges in the state. That control would extend from the design of the bullet backstops to qualifications of range employees and even to the color of the paint on the walls of the mens room. The State Police would determine the hours of operation, what types and calibers of firearms could be discharged at the range, and even a minimum number of square feet. Every range customer would have to undergo a background check and each customers visit would be logged by the range operator. Any Illinois law enforcement agency could conduct unannounced and warrantless inspections and searches of ranges at any time. Those searches and inspections would extend to range customers and their property. That means that the Chicago Police Department would have the authority to raid a range in Peoria and roust the customers of that range. The bottom line is, this range regulation proposal has the sole objective of running commercial shooting ranges out of business. We had never seen anything like this before, but the intent was clear.
– All semi-automatic firearms would be either banned outright, or be so severely taxed and restricted that ownership would be impractical. We expected to see attempts to ban or regulate AR and AK type firearms, but what we saw in Cullertons proposal carried that to an extreme. Cullertons gun ban would extend to all semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns. Additionally, many pump action rifles and shotguns would be banned as well. This ban would include such classics as the 1911 and the M1 Garand. Of course, all Glocks, Sig-Sauers, and other popular pistols would be banned as well. Estimates are that about 50% of rifles and 80% of handguns lawfully-owned by Illinois citizens would be subject to ban and confiscation under the Cullerton gun ban.
– A bizarre and convoluted scheme to register all ammunition feeding devices capable of holding more than 10 rounds including magazines, stripper clips, drums, etc. Since none of these devices possess serial numbers, owners of these devices would essentially register them under the honor system. Of course, we all know how well criminals stick to the honor system.
The two bills containing these provisions, HB0815 and HB1263, were both assigned to the Senate Public Health Committee for review. This committee is notoriously anti-gun and is stacked 6 to 4 with antigun Democrats under Cullertons thumb. On Wednesday night, the two bills came up for hearing before the Senate Public Health Committee. During debate of these two bills, we heard straight from the horses mouths what the intents and purposes of these bills were. Sitting there listening to the sponsors and their supporters was a very maddening experience.
Committee testimony given by the anti-gunners confirmed that the gun control movement holds firearm owners in deep contempt. During testimony, the gun controllers claimed that the range restriction bill would actually preserve 2nd Amendment rights while providing public safety. The gun controllers acknowledged that most semiautomatic firearms would be banned, but that people who wished to shoot semiautomatics should be reassured because they would be able to go to an approved range and legally rent semiautomatics to shoot. In other words, you should not be upset about surrendering your $5,000 target rifle because you can still go down to an approved range and get a junker out of the rental case to plink with. This was one of the most condescending lines of testimony I have ever heard levied against the right to keep and bear arms and the anti-gunners uttered it with completely straight faces. The gun controllers really need to keep in mind that the 2nd Amendment says “keep and bear arms, not “rent arms.
Of course, nowhere in any of the testimony given by the bills supporters was there any mention of how these restrictions and bans would affect criminals. In fact, the bill proponents became extremely defensive when pro-gun witnesses mentioned anything about violent gun-toting criminals. It was clear that the proponents focus was solely on lawfully held firearms. In not so many words, the supporters of these bills claimed that they were good first steps to achieving a civil society. In the twisted world-view of the anti-gunners, law-abiding citizens are standing in the way of a civil society, not criminals.
As most of you may know, the two bills passed out of the Public Health Committee by 6-4 and 6-3 votes. The next step would be a vote on the floor. Late Thursday, the newspapers were reporting that the sponsors are delaying a vote on the bills because they do not have enough support for passage. Please, dont be fooled by such claims. These bills are alive and well and can be called up for a vote at any time.
In writing this note, I thought Id give you a taste of what the ISRA lobbyists experience every day in Springfield. We could not continue to do what we do without knowing that you, the law-abiding citizen, has our back. Your support is crucial to our success we do all we do for you. So, with that in mind, there are a few things Id like you to do:
1. Remember that these anti-gun bills are eligible for a full vote of the Senate at any time up through next Wednesday. Do not be lulled to sleep by media claims that the bills are dead.
2. Keep an eye on your email for any alerts the ISRA issues regarding these bills or any other anti-gun activity.
3. Please consider giving the ISRA a generous monetary donation so we may continue the fight for your rights.
Thanks for your time,
Richard A. Pearson
Executive Director
Illinois State Rifle Association
While there were no bills – only resolutions – filed in the US Senate yesterday, House members seem to have been very active filing bills dealing with firearms. By my count, there were eight anti-gun bills and one pro-gun bill filed in the House of Representatives yesterday. None of the bills listed below have the text of legislation available so we’ll have to wait a few days to see the details of just how they plan to screw gun owners.
I have listed the bills below in order of their introduction along with their sponsor and the bills working title. I have put the one pro-gun bill in bold print.
HR 21 – James Moran (D-VA)
To provide for greater safety in the use of firearms.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 34 – Bobby Rush (D-IL)
To provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for
purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those
firearms, and for other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 65 – Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
To prevent children’s access to firearms.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 93 – David Cicilline (D-RI)
To amend chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, to restrict the
ability of a person whose Federal license to import, manufacture, or
deal in firearms has been revoked, whose application to renew such a
license has been denied, or who has received a license revocation or
renewal denial notice, to transfer business inventory firearms, and for
other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 117 – Rush Holt (D-NJ)
To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of handguns.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 133 – Thomas Massie (R-KY)
To repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 and amendments to that Act.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 137 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
To ensure that all individuals who should be prohibited from buying a
firearm are listed in the national instant criminal background check
system and require a background check for every firearm sale.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 138 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Co-sponsored by Diana DeGette (D-CO)
To prohibit the transfer or possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices, and for other purposes.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
HR 141 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
To require criminal background checks on all firearms transactions occurring at gun shows.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
While all bills are important and could be enacted, the likelihood is that most of these bills will never get a hearing and will have no further action. HR 138 sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy is the major bill of this bunch and the one that may get some attention. Fortunately, the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) has said he doesn’t favor any new gun control laws including magazine restrictions.
As more bills and more information becomes available, it will be posted.
UPDATE: Two more to add to the list – one good and one bad. Thanks to pointers to these bills from the comments.
HR 35 – Steve Stockman (R-TX)
Co-sponsored by Paul Broun (R-GA)
To restore safety to America’s schools.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
As noted in the comments below, this bill would repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act.
HR 142 – Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
To require face to face purchases of ammunition, to require licensing of
ammunition dealers, and to require reporting regarding bulk purchases
of ammunition.
Referred to the House Judiciary Committee
It is too soon to let our guard down in Illinois over the range, AWB, and magazine ban bills. While newspaper reports yesterday indicated that the gun prohibitionists were falling short and had given up their efforts, it isn’t over yet as the lame duck session hasn’t ended.
The Illinois State Rifle Association issued this warning on their Facebook page:
Note to all members and supporters. The bills
put forward in the IL Senate are NOT dead. They are still alive until
the new legislature is sworn in on Wednesday… they could vote as they
clean out their desks.
Keep the calls and emails coming. They are having an effect and will be the difference between your guns being banned or not.
Thirdpower at Days of Our Trailers has this warning along with some comments from Illinois legislators:
NYET!! NINE!!! NADA!!! NOPE!!!These bills are NOT dead. They are just being held off so the Chicago-crats can try and strong arm enough votes before next Wednesday. Got that? NEXT Wednesday is when the bills are dead, not before.
KEEP making those calls and informing fellow gun owners. They WILL attempt to bring them up again as soon as they think they can get them through, the same way they play the midnight sessions game to get their annual pay raises.
Those of you living in Illinois need to keep up the pressure on your state representatives and senators. Be polite but call them every day. Don’t let them think you’ve let your guard down.
UPDATE: While all the action so far has been in the Illinois State Senate, Todd Vandermyde let me know this morning that his sources in the State House tell him that Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be pushing similar bans in the House. The House reconvenes for its lame duck session at 5pm on Sunday.
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) will be introducing a bill today that will mandate reduced-capacity magazines and will ban sale and transfer of standard-capacity magazines. Checking the Library of Congress service Thomas, no bills are listed as having been introduced but I think there is probably some lag in the system.
This move by McCarthy and DeGette was fully expected. Sebastian feels that the magazine ban will be harder to fight than any AWB due to many on the center-right who feel it is reasonable. He makes a number of good points especially that the criminal class will have no trouble in obtaining magazines.
Massad Ayoob discusses why good people need standard capacity magazines in his blog in Backwoods Home Magazine. He concludes:
The reasoning is strikingly clear. The cops are the experts on the current criminal trends. If they have determined that a “high capacity” semiautomatic pistol and a .223 semiautomatic rifle with 30-round magazines are the best firearms for them to use to protect people like me and my family, they are obviously the best things for us to use to protect ourselves and our families .
McCarthy’s release on the bill:
WASHINGTON, DC (Jan. 3, 2013) — Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY4) and Diana DeGette (D-CO1) are reintroducing legislation today to ban the high-capacity ammunition magazines that have enabled high numbers of casualties in almost every recent mass shooting in American history.
“These assault magazines help put the ‘mass’ in ‘mass shooting’ and anything we can do to stop their proliferation will save lives in America,” Rep. McCarthy said. “These devices are used to kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time possible and we owe it to innocent Americans everywhere to keep them out of the hands of dangerous people. We don’t even allow hunters to use them – something’s deeply wrong if we’re protecting game more than we’re protecting innocent human beings.”
“Since I came to Congress, I have been working to protect our children and our families from senseless gun violence,” Rep. DeGette said. “Recent tragedies have only heightened the need, and that is why Rep. McCarthy and I are reintroducing our bill to ban high-capacity assault magazines. While there is no single answer to stopping these massacres, this bill is a step that will go a long way toward making our country safe.”The High Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, as the bill is formally known, bans the sale or transfer of ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. Such a standard was federal law between 1994 and 2004, when the assault weapons ban was in effect, and it is state law in many parts of the United States. Magazines are available today in capacities of up to 100 and even more. Law enforcement officials and analysts have cited the direct role that magazine capacity plays in ensuring the high numbers of casualties in mass shootings. Often, as in the cases of Tucson, Arizona and the Long Island Railroad, the carnage ends when the shooters run out of bullets and stop to reload, at which point they are stopped by bystanders.
Unfortunately, the devices are still easily available to the public and have been used in every mass shooting in recent history, such as: Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut; a shopping mall in Oregon; a temple in Wisconsin; a movie theater in Colorado; a Congressional event in Arizona; at schools like Columbine High School and Virginia Tech University; at a law office in California; and on a commuter rail car in New York. They were even acquired from the United States by mail order and used in the Norway shooting of 2011, where 69 people were shot to death.
In many cases, mass shooters intending to act don’t have access to a black market, but acquire whatever they can easily and legally, making a ban on high-capacity magazines a major obstacle for future mass murderers to carry out their plans.
The legislation had 138 House co-sponsors in the 112th Congress, under the number H.R. 308. One hundred and eleven House members signed on after its introduction after the shooting in Tucson, Arizona; two more signed on after the shooting in Aurora, Colorado; then 25 more signed on after last month’s shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Rep. McCarthy, a lifelong nurse, strode into a life of activism to reduce gun violence after her husband was murdered and son critically wounded in the 1993 mass shooting on the Long Island Railroad in New York. Her activism led her to Washington first to lobby members of Congress as an advocate for victims, and then as a member herself after running against her own congressman who voted against the assault weapons ban.
Rep. DeGette has been an outspoken supporter of measures to reduce gun violence and played a critical role in rounding up support for new cosponsors for the ban on high-capacity magazines after the most recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Her district includes Columbine High School and is adjacent to that which includes Aurora, Colorado. She is now, with Rep. McCarthy, the original co-sponsor of the legislation, which will receive a bill number shortly.
The bill to ban high-capacity magazines was carried in the Senate in the 112th Congress by Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey. Sen. Lautenberg has helped lead the fight for safer gun policy for much of his decades-long career, writing the law to keep guns out of the hands of domestic violence offenders and co-sponsoring the original Brady Law to establish background checks for handgun purchases, among other efforts.
Grant Cunningham, revolversmith, trainer, and blogger, had an excellent post yesterday on writing to those in Congress. As he notes with regard to Feinstein’s anticipated assault weapons (sic) ban, “If we, the shooting community, don’t act immediately her little scheme might just work.”
This is one fight that we can’t leave to the NRA, GOA, NSSF, or SAF. They do work but can only do so much. We have to get in there and do some heavy lifting.
Grant lists a series of things he’s learned about communicating with Congress. Many of them aren’t new but do bear repeating. I’m just going to list the high points and urge you to read his full blog post.
I’m starting to collect letters that we can use as a basis for writing both state and national representatives. I will be posting the better ones for you to use and would urge you to modify them to suit you. There is no need for you or me to reinvent the wheel. We are all in this together and need to work smarter, not harder.
If you have a good letter, send to me by e-mail at jpr9954 AT gmail DOT com.
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