GOA Sends: Gun Control Bill Gets Pulled

[Colonel Dan, SASS #24025]

GOA says we can breathe a sigh of relief...for now. My take; that "for now" period lasted about a nano-second and is long gone. Steel your nerve, remain resolute and soldier on! Just the view from my saddle! CD

===============================

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.