- "They obviously got your message loud and clear.
It was the most lopsided gun vote I have ever seen." -- As told by
a Senate office to GOA after the overwhelming vote yesterday
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- Friday, July 14, 2006
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- Good news! The Senate voted yesterday 84-16 to pass the
pro-gun Vitter amendment.
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- The language, offered by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) as
an amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations bill (HR 5441), will
make it illegal for federal agents to confiscate firearms during an emergency
or major disaster. The provision must now survive a conference committee
-- where House and Senate negotiators will iron out differences between
the spending bills passed in both chambers.
-
- If the Vitter language makes it to the President's desk,
it will perfectly complement what has been happening in the states. This
year, one of GOA's highest priorities has been to address the problems
with so-called "emergency powers" across the country.
-
- GOA-supported bills have made it absolutely certain that
no government official could disarm the citizenry during an emergency,
and several states -- ten in all -- have already enacted their bills into
law.
-
- Sen. Vitter, who less than a month ago was presented
with the Legislator of the Year award by Gun Owners of America, made special
mention of this groundswell of support that has been rising around the
country. It was especially significant that his own state of Louisiana
recently enacted a ban on confiscating firearms -- an action taken to correct
the gun thefts which occurred there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
-
- GOA spent a lot of time in Louisiana, getting gun owners
in the state to lobby their own legislators this spring. The results were
astounding.
-
- The sponsor of the Emergency Protection legislation in
the state, Rep. Steve Scalise, told GOA that, "I've had a number of
[Representatives] come up to me asking to co-author my bill because they
heard from members of Gun Owners of America in their districts in support
of my bill," Scalise said. In the end, 80% of the House cosponsored
his bill.
-
- If you have ever wondered if your activism makes a difference,
then wonder no more.
-
- One U.S. Senate office told GOA after yesterday's vote,
"They obviously got your message loud and clear. It was the most lopsided
gun vote I have ever seen. There was some serious hand wringing on the
democratic side."
-
- Why was there "serious hand wringing"? Because
your efforts made it VERY difficult for anti-gun Democrats to vote against
the Vitter language.
-
- Again, there were only 16 Senators who voted wrong. If
you look at GOA's Senate rating -- at http://www.gunowners.org/109srat.htm
-- you'll see a lot more than just 16 F's in that chamber.
-
- So who were the Senators who were arrogant enough to
stand by their anti-gun convictions and vote against this common-sense
legislation? They were:
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- Akaka (D-HI)
- Boxer (D-CA)
- Clinton (D-NY)
- Dodd (D-CT)
- Durbin (D-IL)
- Feinstein (D-CA)
- Harkin (D-IA)
- Inouye (D-HI)
- Kennedy (D-MA)
- Lautenberg (D-NJ)
- Levin (D-MI)
- Menendez (D-NJ)
- Mikulski (D-MD)
- Reed (D-RI)
- Sarbanes (D-MD)
- Schumer (D-NY)
-
- Basically, these senators said that when your life is
in danger, you don't have the right to defend yourself. You are just supposed
to pick up the phone and dial 9-1-1. Your guns are part of the problem
because they could be stolen by bad guys. And you don't need guns anyway
because the police are there to protect you.
-
- These are actually the talking points from the anti-gun
side of the aisle yesterday. They told the Senate -- and the country --
that YOUR guns were the problem. Your duty is simply to call the police
when you're in danger.
-
- Of course, calling 9-1-1 doesn't work very well when
the neighborhood is flooded, the phones aren't working and chaos is in
full bloom. Sen. Vitter made this point very eloquently, and he should
be commended for his efforts in defense of our gun rights.
-
- Again, GOA thanks all of you who took action yesterday.
Your activism and your financial support is greatly appreciated and is
necessary to allow us to remain here fighting for your rights.
-
- To help continue GOA's legislative efforts, you can go
to http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm or call 703-321-8585. Thank
you.
-
- Gun Owners of America
- 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
- Phone 703-321-8585 FAX 703-321-8408
- http://www.gunowners.org
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