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Republicans are Trying to Block the “No Gun Registration” Amendment
Please call Minority Leader McConnell today

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has been doing a yeoman’s job of trying to rein in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and protecting the privacy of gun owners.

But now, according to senate insiders, the Republican leadership is trying to undermine these efforts by urging fellow Republicans to oppose Paul’s “no gun registration” amendment.

Paul’s amendment would exempt gun records – including 4473’s (the form all purchasers fill out when they buy a firearm from a licensed dealer) — from the blanket information demands which the ATF can make under the 9/11 legislation.

We have known for weeks that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would oppose Rand Paul. But now, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is also helping “Dirty Harry” Reid by encouraging other Senate Republicans to oppose the Paul language.

All gun owners need to take action right now. Time is short, as the PATRIOT Act extension will become a done deal sometime tomorrow (Friday).

So please use the Talking Points below TO CALL Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell today! Ask him to support the Paul amendment and to urge other Republicans to do the same.

Even if you live in Kentucky, please make sure you call the Senator’s office, because time is short.

CONTACT INFORMATION for Mitch McConnell:

Direct office number: 202-224-2541

Toll-free switchboard number (you must ask for McConnell’s office): 1-877-762-8762

Email: The Senator does NOT accept emails from out of state

TALKING POINTS FOR SENATOR McCONNELL

1. Please urge Senator McConnell to support the Paul “no gun registration” amendment and to use his leadership position to urge other Republicans to do the same.

2. Without the Paul “no gun registration” amendment, it is possible that the ATF could go to a secret (FISA) court and demand every 4473 in the country, ostensibly because a “terrorism investigation” requires it. If such an action were taken, the government would have a list of every gun buyer in the country going back decades.

3. If Senator McConnell allows Harry Reid to successfully shut out gun amendments, then gun owners will hold him (McConnell) personally responsible for enabling the Majority Leader. And if the Democrats retain the control of the Senate in 2012, the Republicans will only have themselves to blame.

4. ANSWERS TO POSSIBLE OBJECTION. Senators have been trying to tell Senator Paul (and Senator McConnell will probably tell you) that the PATRIOT Act does not allow the ATF to get every 4473 in the country. Well, there are two answers to this:

a. First, if the PATRIOT Act does not, in fact, allow the ATF to go on fishing expeditions, then what is the harm in passing the Paul amendment? Why not just pass the Paul provision so that we can have an extra ounce of prevention specifically prohibiting the ATF from using the PATRIOT Act to fish for people’s gun sale records.

b. Second, the very language that some Senators are claiming will protect us is the very language that the ATF is currently violating! Senators like McConnell want us to think that the 1986 McClure-Volkmer law (which outlaws gun owner registration) is good enough to protect us from fishing expeditions under the PATRIOT Act.

But as any law school student and judge in the country knows, more recent laws (like the PATRIOT Act) ALWAYS TRUMP older laws (like the 1986 Act which prohibits gun owner registration). If there is a conflict, the more recent law governs. Hence, it’s not surprising that we are currently witnessing the ATF violate the 1986 McClure-Volkmer law, as the agency recently issued new proposed rules to require registration of those persons who purchase multiple semi-autos — and all of this in the name of fighting gun smuggling in the Southwest.

About:
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a non-profit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. GOA sees firearms ownership as a freedom issue. `The only no comprise gun lobby in Washington’ – Ron Paul

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Harry Reid Employs Sleazy Tactics to Block Pro-gun Rand Paul Amendment

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Remember the corrupt tactics used by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass ObamaCare? The secret meetings? The refusal to let the American people see the language?

Well, he’s at it again. This time, Reid is abusing his role as Majority Leader of the Senate to block a pro-gun amendment that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is attempting to add to the so-called Patriot Act.

In order to circumvent Sen. Paul’s efforts to protect gun rights, Reid scuttled the Senate version of the 9/11 extension and instead tacked it onto an unrelated House-passed small business bill. He then employed a procedural scheme to lock out ALL Republican amendments, including Paul’s pro-gun amendment.

As you know, Rand Paul’s amendment would exempt 4473’s (the form all purchasers fill out when they buy a firearm from a licensed dealer) and other gun records from the blanket information demands which Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) can make under the 9/11 legislation.

Without Paul’s exemption, it is possible that the BATFE could go to a secret (FISA) court, and, in a one-party (ex parte) proceeding, obtain an order to produce every 4473 in the country, ostensibly because a “terrorism investigation” requires it. If such an action were taken, the government would have a list of every gun buyer in the country going back decades.

This is unacceptable and it is a violation of gun owner protections enacted in 1986 as part of the McClure-Volkmer Firearms Owners Protection Act. The McClure-Volkmer Act spells out the purposes for which gun records can be obtained by a law enforcement agency: as part of a bona fide criminal investigation, a trace, or a routine annual inspection. Sen. Paul’s amendment will simply keep the 1986 law’s provisions in place.

It should also be noted that the records in question deal with persons who already underwent the (unconstitutional) background check and were allowed to purchase a firearm. Once again, the dangers of a background check system (which presumes a person is a criminal until proven otherwise) are highlighted, as efforts must constantly be made to keep the government’s hands off the list of honest gun owners.

Sen. Paul’s amendment to protect gun owners would have tremendous support in the Senate, and Reid knows it—which is why he has gone through such great lengths to keep it of the floor. Now is the time to insist that the Paul amendment be allowed to come up for a vote and that gun dealer records be protected

ACTION: Contact your Senators. Tell them to oppose cloture on Harry Reid’s motion to concur until Rand Paul has had an opportunity to offer his amendment to protect gun records.

Click Here to send your Senators a prewritten email.

About:
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a non-profit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. GOA sees firearms ownership as a freedom issue. `The only no comprise gun lobby in Washington’ – Ron Paul

Filed under: Gun Rights News by Ammoland 3 Comments »