I’m generally pretty reluctant to bad mouth pro-gun groups, because we’re all on the same side, but I’m getting way too fed up by the crap some of the other groups are peddling.
I’m pointing this out as an example. I’m not going to mention who it’s coming from, because I don’t want to ruffle feathers by singling out any one group:
If we can slow this monster NRA anti-gun sell-out bill down we may have a chance to kill it like we did the NRA backed renewal of the Clinton Gun Ban in 2004.
The 20 state coalition of state-level gun lobbies that stopped the NRA from shoving the Clinton Gun Ban down our throats is swinging into action. The coalition that now goes under the name NAGR – National Association for Gun Rights. Some of you may have noticed that I sometimes mail non-profit under their banner for [name deleted].
Are you friggin kidding me? Can you show me the NRA backed bill that was to renew the Clinton Assault Weapons Ban that you defeated? If you mean the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act that got a renewal attached to it by some anti-gun Democrats, the NRA withdrew its support at that point and the bill died. Acting like the NRA was still pushing it is misleading. If you hate the NRA fine, but don’t try to dupe people. Promoting your own group is fine, promoting it at the expense of other gun rights organizations isn’t helping our cause any.
Right now, GOP Senators (except Vitter and Coburn) aren’t going against the NRA. But if we can muscle a few of them we might be able to slow this thing down and have time for an all out fight and look at the issues. Possibly even kill [HR2640].
Slowing this thing down, when it doesn’t change any current federal gun laws (you read the bill right?), and gives us some ways to relieve disabilities, is not helping any. By slowing it down, you will give anti-gun senators a chance to tack on amendments during debate. We want this to sail through.
I just got off the phone with Senator Webb’s office and told his staff an earful. The tack to take with Webb is to tell them you believe him to be pro-gun and that you expect him to join Vitter and Coburn to slow this thing down and look at the devil in the details. Tell him to filibuster this monster.
Does Webb really want to see Veterans disarmed when they come home?
This bill sets out clear rules for when veterans may and may not be considered to have a firearms disability and be entered into NICS. It also gives the 83,000 veterans screwed in 2000 a way to get their names out and have their disabilities removed. Mental health disabilities, if this bill passes, will no longer be life long disabilities, as they are currently. You guys read the bill right? By the way, yelling at politicians is a sure way to make sure they pay no attention to you at all. Their staff will put you on the “kook” list.
Look, I have no problems with people criticizing NRA or criticizing this bill. There are many ways of looking at things where it can be argued the bill hurts us politically. I’m not bashing people for criticizing NRA or this bill, but I want that criticism to be fair. I’ve seen some very good arguments for what the problems are with this bill from people like Syd over at Front Sight, Press and Joe Huffman at A View from North Central Idaho.
This group describes themselves as “no-compromise”, which sure does feel good. But in politics those that aren’t willing to compromise are ignored. It sucks that we have to do this with constitutional rights. The whole purpose of having it inserted as an enumerated right was to set it up as a right beyond the reach of the political process, but it’s not that way right now. The end goal is to have the second amendment treated as a right, as seriously as all the others. But until the courts step up and actually do it, we’re stuck playing this game.
Why is it that the people who advocate change the most are least likely to notice it? IIRC, within a week of the VA tech shooting anti-gun law makers introduced a bill to prevent “the insane†from buying guns. Of course the bill was so haste-fully written it included nearly everyone. On Prozac, in NICS, have Valium for anxiety, in NICS, seeing a marriage consular(!?), in NICS. And then one day someone mentions that ALL vets from Iraq get preventive consulting when returning to the States, thus they too would be in NICS and disqualified.
About a month later some idiot is complaining (online no less) about the this topic and keeps asking “Do you really think our veterans should be denied their gun rights?†He obviously ignored it when I wrote about being a vet myself… He let emotions get in the way a facts, refused to see other points of view, and worst was making his case on some line he stole from someone else.
Yes, the first bill was a bad bill. You notice how fast it got smacked down? Back to topic; this ENTIRELY NEW BILL has nothing to do with the old one but the “none so blind as those who will not see†are still fighting it. Maybe someone should tell them they already won THEIR fight and this is a different battle altogether. Maybe, just maybe, If we make it sound good and sugar coat it, then they’ll actually LISTEN.