Obama/Biden can silence critics by voting for HR 6691, “To restore Second Amendment rights in the

jody

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Wed Sep-24-08 05:24 PM
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Obama/Biden can silence critics by voting for HR 6691, “To restore Second Amendment rights in the

District of Columbia.”

RKBA is becoming an important issue in key states like FL, PA, OH, MI. and Obama tells voters he will not take their rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan says;

Address Gun Violence in Cities: As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

Obama and Biden should pressure Harry Reid to bring H.R. 6691 up for a vote in the Senate so Obama/Biden can show their support for Second Amendment rights.

One pro-Second Amendment group says: CCRKBA URGES SEN. REID TO ALLOW SENATE VOTE ON DISTRICT GUN LAW

BELLEVUE, WA – The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is today calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to allow a House-approved bill on the District of Columbia’s gun law to face an immediate Senate vote.

“Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and 46 of her colleagues have asked Sen. Reid to do this before the end of the 110th Congress,” noted CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “but we think this vote needs to occur before the Nov. 4 election. It should be openly debated and subjected to a roll call vote.

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

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms ( www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States

One prominent activist group against H.R. 6691 says in Capital Under Fire:

Envision a Washington, D.C. in which it would be entirely legal for individuals or groups to carry loaded AK-47s, or set up .50 caliber sniper rifles that can bring down aircraft, near Cabinet buildings, motorcades, or blocks from the Capitol, ready and able to fire at any number of highranking government officials or foreign dignitaries. It may sound ludicrous, but that would be the legal reality if H.R. 6691 becomes law.

If Congress passes and the President signs H.R. 6691, it will be legal to openly carry any of these weapons of war, fully loaded and ready to fire, on District of Columbia streets frequented by Senators, Representatives, White House and Cabinet officials, diplomats, foreign dignitaries, and tourists. An angry or disturbed political adversary, a terrorist, or any unstable person, unless otherwise prohibited from possessing guns, could wait, fully armed, for a high-ranking government official, diplomat, or motorcade to come within striking distance, leaving police without legal grounds to disarm the shooter until it was likely too late. Especially in this post 9-11 age, this bill would represent a dangerous step backwards in law enforcement’s efforts to protect our capital and our government from harm. As D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier testified in Congress, “Imagine how difficult it will be for law enforcement to safeguard the public, not to mention the new President at the Inaugural Parade, if carrying semi-automatic rifles were suddenly to become legal in Washington.”

The purported rationale for H.R. 6691 is to “restore Second Amendment rights” in the District in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26, 2008 ruling in District of Columbia v.Heller. However, the ruling, striking down D.C.’s ban on handguns in the home, made it clear that the Second Amendment does not mandate an “any gun, anywhere” policy. Justice Scalia’s majority opinion in Heller specifically noted that everything from laws “forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places” to “conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms” are “presumptively lawful.” H.R. 6691 goes far beyond what the Second Amendment demands, and implicitly repudiates the limitations endorsed by all nine justices.

This Congressional action is also not needed because the District of Columbia is diligently working to “restore Second Amendment rights” in light of the Heller decision. D.C. has already passed temporary, emergency regulations to comply with the Supreme Court ruling, and the plaintiff in the case, Dick Heller, was approved by the city to keep a gun in his home. D.C. is currently developing permanent regulations to conform all of its gun laws to the Court’s ruling. D.C.’s elected officials should be given a fair and reasonable opportunity to enact permanent regulations.

H.R. 6691 would endanger not only D.C. residents but also all those who work in and visit the capital. At a time when terrorists continue to look for ways to attack our nation, enacting H.R. 6691 would be reckless and irresponsible.

IMO this would be a wonderful way for Obama and Biden to show voters their support for the Second Amendment by voting for H.R. 6691 and silencing their critics.