Victory in Congress: Gun Ban Repealed!

Individual Congressional Representatives' Vote available.

From: Gun Owners of America

Victory at Last
-- National Park Service Gun Ban Repealed!

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

"Gun Owners of America was the most consistent and loudest voice on
Capitol Hill in support of the effort to repeal the National Park
Service gun ban." -- Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Good news!

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill today that included an
amendment to repeal the gun ban on National Park Service (NPS) land and
wildlife refuges.

The amendment, sponsored by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and attached to a
credit card industry reform bill, passed the House overwhelmingly by a
vote of 279-147.

For decades, law-abiding citizens have been prohibited from exercising
their Second Amendment rights on NPS land and wildlife refuges, even if
the state in which the land is located allows carrying firearms.

With some limited exceptions for hunting, the only way to legally
possess a firearm anywhere in a national park is by having it unloaded
and inaccessible, such as locked up in an automobile trunk. A Bush
administration regulation partially reversed the ban, but that action
was singlehandedly negated recently by an activist judge in Washington,
D.C. The Department of Interior decided not to appeal that ruling.

Senator Coburn believes, like you do, that Americans should not be
forced to sacrifice their Second Amendment rights when entering NPS land
and wildlife refuges.

GOA worked with Coburn on an amendment that simply allows for state and
local laws -- instead of unelected bureaucrats and anti gun activist
judges -- to govern firearm possession on these lands.

The anti-gun leadership in both the House and Senate went berserk and
fought to keep the Coburn amendment from being attached to the
underlying bill. Sparks were flying on the floor of the House of
Representatives today.

Anti-gun Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) whined that a "very
good" credit
card bill had been "hijacked" by the Coburn amendment. To
this, Rep.
Rob Bishop (R-UT) pointed out that gun control is the policy of tyrants,
as evidenced by the British attempt to confiscate firearms at Lexington
and Concord in 1775.

Congressional leaders and entrenched bureaucrats have fought GOA over
the NPS gun ban for the past eight years.

But your activism has finally broken through. The late Senator Everett
Dirksen said, "When I feel the heat, I see the light!" Well,
you have applied a lot of heat. Members of Congress know that they oppose your Second Amendment rights at their own peril.

As it stands today, both houses of Congress have now passed the Coburn
amendment -- and President Obama is expected to sign the provision into
law (only because it is part of a larger credit card bill that he really
wants).

So, congratulate yourself for winning this long, hard battle. GOA was
the leading, and often only, national gun group involved in this fight.
You involvement was absolutely vital to achieving this win.

Of course, many more battles lie ahead. President Obama continues to
push for the Senate to ratify massive international gun control
treaties. There is a battle over a Supreme Court nominee coming up.
Anti-gun zealots in Congress are aggressively pushing to renew the
Clinton gun ban and close down gun shows.

And as the health care debate picks up steam in the coming weeks and
months, GOA is battling efforts to create a computerized national
healthcare database. Such a database can be used to deny people their
Second Amendment rights in the same way that so many veterans have lost
their gun rights based only on the diagnoses of a doctor for things like
combat-related stress.

GOA will be calling for action on these and other Second Amendment
issues as they move through Congress.

In the meantime, have a safe Memorial Day as we remember those who gave
the ultimate sacrifice so that America would remain "Land of the
Free."

****************************

What's Your Current GOA Status?

Obviously, we now face years of invigorated attacks on our gun rights.
Shutting down gun shows, prohibitions on specific calibers, another
semi-auto ban, and the anti-gun extremists' Holy Grail of mandatory
federal licensing and registration of all gun owners -- these are just
some of the horrors that we already know we'll have to defeat head-on.
Meanwhile, we'll take every opportunity to go on offense and advance the
Second Amendment.

It can't be done without every single voice being counted. That's why we
are asking you to consider making the commitment of becoming a Gun
Owners of America Life Member. By doing so, you put the politicians on
notice that neither you nor GOA is going away -- that no matter who's in
the White House, there is always going to be a solid wall of resistance.

Now is a perfect time to become a Life Member. And if you aren't a GOA
member at all, isn't it time you became one?

Please go to http://gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm to upgrade your
participation in GOA.

Gang fools Mexico prison guards

This has received little coverage from the US press. Is it because it doesn't fit in with the model of Mexican firearms coming from US gun shows?

No, they were probably too busy covering the Preakness and the Obama's graduation speeches....

Gang fools Mexico prison guards

From the BBC:

An armed gang disguised as police has broken into a jail in northern Mexico and
freed more than 50 prisoners.
A convoy of at least 15 vehicles arrived at the prison with gang members all apparently disguised as federal police officers.
Once inside, the prison authorities were persuaded that an inspection was under way and guards were overpowered.
A manhunt is underway for the fugitives - believed to be linked to the powerful drug
smuggling Gulf cartel.
Army troops as well as local and federal police have begun a search and set up roadblocks near the prison facility in Zacatecas and neighbouring states.
President Felipe Calderon has declared war on the illegal narcotic organisation in Mexico, deploying 40,000 troops to fight the cartels.
In some regions instances of beheadings and attacks on police have become commonplace, with the deaths of 6,000 people last year alone blamed on illegal
narcotics.
But progress in the war against the cartels has been limited by the fact that in the face of well armed and well financed drug cartels, this country's law and order institutions have proved weak and easily corruptible, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Mexico City says.

Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/8054021.stm

Published: 2009/05/17 00:19:04 GMT© BBC MMIX

Economy limiting services of local police

Ever wonder why people are buying guns and ammo? Here's another reason. We realize that we're the only people responsible for ourselves.

Economy limiting services of local police

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

The recession is altering local law enforcement in the U.S. by forcing some
agencies to close precincts, merge with other departments or even shut
down.
Once largely spared from the deepest budget cuts, some police
departments are struggling to provide basic services, police officials
say.
"For the first time, because of the economy, police departments ... may
have to change how they do business," says Chuck Wexler, executive director of
the Police Executive Research Forum, a law enforcement think tank. "People will
see a change in the basic delivery of services," from longer police response
times to a dramatically reduced police presence in some communities.
Harlan
Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, said
political leaders are "choosing whether they keep the streetsopenor the police
on patrol," though it's too early to tell whether the changes will increase
crime.
The Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus plan gives about $4
billion to local law enforcement, including $1 billion to hire and retain
officers. But the hiring money has not been distributed, and applicants have
requested more than is available.
Among the recent cuts:
• In
Pennsylvania, 19 suburban and rural police agencies have closed in the past 15
months, and seven others have cut patrols. The "unprecedented" closures and cuts
have forced the state police — who face their own budget struggles — to assume
full or partial public safety responsibility for about 54,000 more people, says
Lt. Col. Lenny Bandy, deputy commissioner of operations for the state
police.
• In Minnesota, nine small police agencies have closed in the past
five months, leaving sheriffs' departments to protect the public. The Elko New
Market Police Department was briefly the 10th shuttered agency, until residents
last month demanded that the City Council reverse its 2-week-old decision to
eliminate it. "A lot of people felt that we were sending a potentially dangerous
public message ... without a police department," says Mayor Jason Ponsonby, who
opposed the closure.
• In Portland, Ore., police are consolidating operations
by eliminating two of five patrol precincts. Portland police spokesman Greg
Pashley says some residents fear response times will rise and established
officers will be replaced by others who are unfamiliar with local problems. He
says the move, which takes effect in June, was needed to cut costs, but he
believes it will not compromise safety.
• In Southern California, Indio and
its neighbors Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City and Beaumont have
merged some key functions and also plan to combine dispatch operations to
increase efficiency. "It's the legacy of the budget crunch," Indio's Capt.
Richard Banasiak says.



Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-05-17-police-closure_N.htm

Copyright
2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Concealed Carry and National Parks

On May 12th, the Senate voted to include the "Colburn Amendment" on to a bill from the House to better regulate credit card companies. The two Washington Senators, Murray and Cantwell, voted Nay. Not a huge surprise, as they are usually voting lock-step with Democrat Party Instructions. It puts them with an esteemed anti-gun crowd which includes Senators Boxer and Feinstein of California, Senators Durbin and Burris of Illinois, and Senator Kerry as well as others.

Here is Senator Colburn discussing his amendment:





The history of this issue is interesting, but not surprising. The Bush Interior Department rescinded a rule which prohibited concealed firearms carry in the National Parks after a lengthy (and extended) public comment period. The rule, itself, was issued late in 2008, but the process had gone on for a couple of years. The rule states that concealed carry laws in a state extend into the National Park within the state border. For those of us in Washington, it allows those who can legally carry concealed in the state to continue to carry concealed in Mt. Rainier National Park, for example.

The anti-gun (anti-personal-responsibility) groups protested the rule change arguing that:

1. There would be outbreaks of gunfights in the parks


2. Poaching would increase

The Congressional Representative from Washington's 6th District, Norm Dicks, strongly opposes the change.

The supporters of the rule change argued that law enforcement is very sparse in the parks and that crime in the parks is increasing.

Despite the popular support for the change in the rule, the Brady Campaign and others sued in court for an injunction. Citing a lack of an Environmental Impact Study on the effects of carrying a concealed pistol, Federal District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued a preliminary injunction reversing the rule. Certainly the environmental impact of an unfired gun pales at the impact of mosquito spray in the

The Obama Administration has not elected to appeal the ruling, but the National Rifle Association is appealing.

It is likely that the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009 (HR 627) will pass. After all, it has strong support from the White House.




Let us just hope that the Senate/House Conference Committee doesn't strip the Colburn Amendment out.

Disarming "Terrorists"

Now unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know about the recent flap over the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) recent report of potential right-wing terrorists. In the report, DHS takes a swipe at both Veterans and Gun Owners:

(U//FOUO) Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons
bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of rightwing extremist groups, as well as potentially spur some of them to begin planning and training for violence against the government. The high volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by rightwing extremists in anticipation of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement.

— (U//FOUO) Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

One can only assume that veterans who own guns are probably a lethal combination. Until reading this report, which actually wasn't supposed to go public, we also didn't realize that the "stockpiling of weapons...[continues] to be a primary concern to law enforcement."

So now comes HR 2159, Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009. Keep explosives from terrorists? Sounds like a good idea to me. Reading on:

To increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of firearms or explosives licenses to a known or suspected dangerous terrorist.

The bill provides that the Attorney General

`Sec. 922A. Attorney General's discretion to deny transfer of
a firearm

`The Attorney General may deny the transfer of a firearm pursuant
to section 922(t)(1)(B)(ii) if the Attorney General determines that the
transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support thereof, and the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that the prospective transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism.';

So this allows the Attorney General to deny an "appropriately suspected" person to purchase a firearm. If we read again the DHS report, a Veteran can be an "appropriately suspected" person. So can anyone who already owns firearms, or anyone who is stockpiling, a term not defined.

If we read on, the Attorney General doesn't have to disclose -- in fact is prohibited from disclosing -- who is suspected of being a terrorist:

(g) Attorney General's Ability To Withhold Information in Firearms License

Denial and Revocation Suit- Section 923(f) of such title is amended--

(1) in the 1st sentence of paragraph (1), by inserting `, except that if the denial or revocation is pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(H) or (e)(3), then any information on which the Attorney General relied for this determination may be withheld from the petitioner if the Attorney General determines that disclosure of the information would likely compromise national security' before the period; and
(2) in paragraph (3), by inserting after the 3rd sentence the following:
`With respect to any information withheld from the aggrieved party under paragraph (1), the United States may submit, and the court may rely on, summaries or redacted versions of documents containing information the disclosure of which the Attorney General has determined would likely compromise
national security.'.

So there it is. Take the contents of the DHS report and the contents of this bill and anyone who owns a gun or is a Veteran might be a terrorist and, therefore, should be prohibited from owning any more.

Let us hope this blatant violation of the First and Second Amendments dies in Committee as it should.

Watch Out at Your Local Drug Store

This is nothing other than drug crime out in suburbia. It has been a problem on the East Coast for years.

Good work to the pharmacies that aren't allowing these thugs to run things!

Of course, "The Authorities" don't want people fighting back. Security cameras are going to do little to make the employees safer.

Hey, Dianne Sawyer

Recently, ABC (owned by Disney) did what can be called nothing other than a "hit piece" on gun owners on 20/20. The episode was called "If I Only Had A Gun" (http://abc.go.com/player/index?pn=index&show=166626&season=166625&episode=197494). The basic premises were that guns are bad, no one other than police should have guns, and that we should all be cowering victims.

John Lott's excellent commentary on the piece is on this blog at http://firearmslegislation.blogspot.com/2009/04/john-lott-abcs-shameful-2020-experiment.html.

Today, news comes from Atlanta of yet another example of private folks -- college students, no less -- protecting themselves from slaughter. http://www.wsbtv.com/news/19365762/detail.html

Seems that they were the victims of a home invasion in which males and females were segregated and the invaders made sure that there was enough ammunition for the victims present. One of the potential murders was with the females, starting a rape.

Fortunately, one of the potential victims was armed and independent enough to take care of matters. Appropriately, he shot the felons.

Thank goodness he had a gun and wasn't caught just wishing he had one.

A good argument for self-protection, and a good argument for allowing licensed college students to be allowed to also carry when they are on campus. http://concealedcampus.org/

GOAL Post 2009-16

GOAL Post 2009-16

Legislative Update from Olympia 1 May 2009

SESSION ENDS

THREE GUN-RELATED BILLS PASSED, SIGNED BY GOV

GOVERNOR TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION

GOAL POST TO CONTINUE PERIODICALLY

REP. TOM CAMPBELL ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL BID

The 2009 regular session of the Washington legislature adjourned sine
die late on Sunday, 26 April. 26 April was the 105th day of the session
and the last day allowed by the state constitution for the session. The
primary focus of any odd-year session is the biennial budget. That was
all the more critical this year with the ongoing recession and
significant reductions in state revenues. To at least some degree, that
kept legislators focused on fiscal matters and limited dabbling into
other areas.

Three gun related bills passed the legislature, out of 15 filed. Keep
in mind that bills remain alive for the full biennium. Bills that
"died" during the 2009 regular session may be reactivated in future
session(s).

Governor Gregoire has indicated she will call a special session of the
legislature, possibly in mid- or late May, to pass a few bills relating
to implementation of the biennial budget. She wants to limit it to a
single day, with the agenda already laid out. Keep in mind, once the
legislature goes into session, they may act on ANY BILL of their
choosing. The bills that died in committee during the regular session
MAY be resurrected and voted on.

GOAL Post is intended to keep individuals informed of legislation
directly impacting the right to keep and bear arms in Washington. We
normally close out after the session has ended, and resume publication
during any special sessions or at the beginning of the next regular
session (in this case, in January 2010).

Due to several ongoing initiatives by the Obama administration, we will
continue to publish GOAL Post during the remainder of the year, probably
on a bi-weekly or monthly basis, to keep you informed of activity in the
"other Washington." If you do not wish to continue receiving GOAL Post,
send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject line to
"jwaldron@halcyon.com."

State Representative Tom Campbell (R-2), a long time and loyal friend of
gun owners, has announced he will seek election to Congress in the 2010
mid-term elections. Tom is running against Adam Smith (D-9) in the 9th
Congressional District, or Smith's successor should he be appointed to
an Obama administration position as has been rumored. As a state
Senator in 1994, Smith was one of the three principal authors of the
Youth Violence Act (E2SHB 2319) which rewrote Washington's firearms
code, to our detriment.

While he was on the campaign trail in 2008, Barack Obama said "The
United States is the greatest country in the world. Please help me
change it." In the first 100 days of his presidency, he has certainly
worked to make those changes. If he continues at this pace, 2010 may
well be another 1994, the Year of the Republicans.

BILL STATUS:

The following bills were filed for the 2009-10 biennium:

Bill # Subject
Sponsor Status

2SHB 1052 Alien firearm licenses Moeller (D-49)
Signed by Gov.

HB 1114 Youth hunting age requirement Blake (D-19) Died

HB 1498 Involuntary commitment Hunter (D-48)
Signed by Gov.

HB 1604 Suppressors Condotta
(R-12) Died

HB 1832 Firearms during emergencies Herrera (R-18)
Died

HB 2011 Firearms safety education Chase (D-32)
Died

HB 2065 LEO firearm certification Orcutt
(R-18) Died

HB 2226 LEO firearm certificate Orcutt
(R-18) Died

HB 2264 Gun show regulation Williams
(D-22) Died

HJM 4009 10th Amendment sovereignty Shea (R-4) Died

SB 5095 Lead shot ban Jacobsen
(D-46) Died

SB 5193 Alien firearm licenses Delvin
(R-8) Died

SB 5559 Youth hunting age requirement Kohl-Welles (D-36) Died

SB 5637 CPL renewal by mail for military Swecker (R-20) S.Died

SB 5739 CPL renewal by military members King (R-14)
Signed by Gov.

Key to abbreviations: S. = Senate, H. = House, HB = House Bill, SB =
Senate Bill, 2SHB = Second Substitute House Bill, ESHB = Engrossed
Substitute House Bill,

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by
calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The
hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!

1-800-562-6000 TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative
schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web
site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf)
format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from
Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy
bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE
OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be
ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000.
You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at
http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at
the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill,
you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the
"roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate
voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this
information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail,
send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to
anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights.
Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun
club's bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s).
PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST
PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION
AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com"
or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail
hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY
be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you feel you have received this message in error, or if you no longer
desire to subscribe to the GOAL Post, e-mail "jwaldron@halcyon.com" and
place "unsubscribe GOAL Post" in the subject line.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe 2-3 May

Puyallup 30-31 May

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself,
or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall
be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize,
maintain or employ an armed body of men."

Article 1, Section 24

Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2009 Gun Owners Action League of WA

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