Gun Control Alert!

[LIONHART]

 

AG-nominee Backs Semi-auto Ban

-- Gonzales tells Senate he supports gun control

 

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

 

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

 

 

Testifying before the U.S. Senate last week, Alberto Gonzales

announced he supports President Bush's position on the semi-auto ban.

 

"The president has made it clear that he stands ready to sign a

reauthorization of the federal assault weapons ban if it is sent to

him by Congress," Gonzales said. "I, of course, support the

president on this issue."

 

While some might be tempted to give Gonzales a "pass" since he was

parroting his boss' position, Gonzales went even further, indicating

that gun control was a heart-felt position of his own.

 

He spoke of his brother, who is a Houston SWAT officer, and said, "I

worry about his safety and the types of weapons he will confront on

the street." Hence, he supports a prohibition on semi-automatics

that, in truth, only amounts to a ban on ugly guns.

 

GOA activists are certainly aware of the fact that President Bush has

repeatedly trumpeted his support for the Clinton semi-auto ban which

expired last September. But every time Bush has opened his mouth on

this issue, GOA activists have led the way in bombarding the White

House.

 

And that is why it is VERY important that gun rights supporters take

the President to the "political woodshed" once again. No, we

probably won't change his mind on this issue. But if we barrage his

office with phone calls, faxes and e-mails, it is very possible that

we will increase his reluctance to push the ban.

 

Most likely, our stiff opposition in the past has already

accomplished this. A frequent complaint during the campaign last

year was that Bush was doing very little to press Congressional

Republicans to send him gun ban legislation.

 

Remember the third presidential debate last year? Bush was asked,

"You said if Congress would vote to extend the ban on assault

weapons, that you'd sign the legislation, but you did nothing to

encourage Congress to extend it."

 

Yes, maybe Bush was trying to have it both ways. But your outspoken

opposition to the ban has certainly not hurt our efforts to restrain

the President from pushing it.

 

So please make sure you contact President Bush. While some might

think that an anti-gun Attorney General is limited in the amount of

damage he can inflict upon the Second Amendment, we can be sure that

his position on critical court cases could affect our gun rights for

generations to come.

 

Remember that it was former Attorney General, John Ashcroft, who

opposed us on the important Emerson case that came before the Supreme

Court not too long ago. A Fifth Circuit District Court had initially

ruled in favor of Second Amendment rights, arguing that a federal gun

statute was unconstitutional -- the law disarmed citizens who were

not guilty of any crime or had not been convicted by any jury. After

the Appeals Court reversed the decision, Dr. Emerson appealed to the

Supreme Court.

 

While the Supremes refused to hear the case, gun owners did not fail

notice that General Ashcroft was in full support of how the Emerson

case was ultimately decided -- thus, putting him in total support of

the federal gun restrictions.

 

Not only that, but the Ashcroft-led Justice Department also opposed

gun owners in the Silveira semi-auto ban case and the Lamar Bean

case.

 

All of this to say, it is imperative that we speak out once again --

if for no other reason than to remind President Bush there are

millions of gun owners that he, and his party, cannot afford to take

for granted.

 

ACTION: Please contact President Bush and express your outrage that

he would nominate an Attorney General who supports a federal ban on

semi-automatic firearms.

 

You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at

http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send a pre-written e-mail

message to President Bush. To call or snail mail the President

regarding the semi-auto ban, you can use the following contact info:

 

President George Bush

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Fax: 202-456-2461 or 202-456-1907

Phone: 202-456-1414

 

----- Pre-written letter -----

 

Dear President Bush:

 

I am very disappointed that you would nominate an anti-gun Attorney

General such as Alberto Gonzales. He supports the Clinton ban on

semi-automatic firearms, and I think that's a travesty.

 

Please realize that you were reelected President, in large part,

because gun owners opposed the cockeyed positions of your opponent.

I would expect to see a bigger difference between the two of you when

it comes to Second Amendment issues.

 

In the future, I hope you will use the Second Amendment as a litmus

test in nominating candidates who oppose gun control when filling

important administrative and judicial positions.

 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

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

 

 

[Walter63a]

Lionhart, thank-you very much for your dedication and diligence in bringing this to our attention. I signed it and sent it via email. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/smile.gif I'm sure I received the same notification in my email, but I don't always check it regularly. My email box is often so full of junk that it would be a shame for something this important to be overlooked. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/blink.gif http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/cool.gif Thanks again, Walter

 

P.S. I really do hope President Bush is more careful when he has the opportunity to appoint Federal Judges and Supreme Court Justices. http://www.machinegunbooks.com/forums/invboard1_1_2/upload/html/emoticons/ph34r.gif

[hawk]

Thanks Lionhart,

I signed it via email also. Everyone on the board should do the same.

[mgdoc8307]

Dear Lionheart, Email letter signed and sent, Thanks

[Ron A]

Thanks Lionhart for info - my letter sent tonight.

[First Sergeant]

I signed and sent email as well.