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Archive for March, 2009
Pro-Gun Democrats Stand Up to Holder
Following on the heels of getting the Department of Defense to reverse its policy on destroying one fired brass, once again allowing it to be sold to the public, we’re quite fortunate to have sixty five pro-gun Democrats stand up to the Obama Administration on the issue of re-instituting the expired ban on so-called “Assault Weapons.”
We Pennsylvanians are fortunate to have a number of our Congressional delegation among the signers, and they deserve our thanks and praise. Those Representatives are:
- Tim Holden (PA-17) Dauphin, Lebanon, Schuylkill, Parts of Berks and Perry.
- Paul Kanjorski (PA-11) Carbon, Columbia, Monroe, Lackawanna, Luzerne
- John Murtha (PA-12) Greene County, Parts of nearly half the southwest.
- Christopher Carney (PA-10) Wayne, Pike, Susquehanna, Bradford, Sullivan, etc
- Jason Altmire (PA-04) Allegheny County, Beaver, Butler, parts of others.
But in addition to those above who voted to protect our Second Amendment rights, we should also note those Democrats who chose not to take any preemptive action:
- Robert Brady (PA-01) (Philadelphia)
- Chaka Fattah (PA-02) (Philadelphia)
- Joe Sestak (PA-07) Delaware Co. Chester County (Part)
- Patrick Murphy (PA-08) Bucks County, Philadelphia (Part)
- Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) Montgomery County, Philadelphia (Part)
- Kathleen A. Dahlkemper (PA-3) Erie County, Parts of Surrounding counties
- Michael F Doyle (PA-14) Allegeny County (Pittsburgh)
If your representative is on the first list, call them and thank them for their support. If they are on the latter list, ask them why they were not among the signers.
This is a very important development in terms of the likelihood we’ll be looking at a new Assault Weapons Ban in the 111th Congress. It takes 218 votes to pass a bill out of Congress, and with these 65 Democrats, we could lose 28 Republicans, and a renewal still would not have the votes to pass the House. If Obama wishes to pass a renewal of the failed semi-auto ban of the Clinton years, it will be, at best, an uphill battle.
But this is not to say that gun owners are out of the woods. We still have anti-gun leadership in key positions in Congress, and still have one of the most anti-gun Presidents in history occupying the Oval Office. This pass over the mountains may be blocked for the time being, but we must think about where they will try to cross next.
Action Needed on D.C. Gun Rights!
Last week, gun owners secured a major victory when 62 Senators – a strong bipartisan majority – voted in favor of an amendment that would repeal Washington DC’s draconian gun laws to a bill that would give the District of Columbia a voting seat in the House of Representatives. (The new post-Heller laws are nearly as bad as the outright gun ban, and are the subject of yet another lawsuit which has yet to be heard.) The Senate made clear to the leaders of the District that if they want to have a vote in the United States Congress that they must honor the Bill of Rights.
However, Nancy Pelosi, fearing the same amendment would be added in the House, actually pulled the bill from the calendar in order to have time to pressure members. This morning, the Washington Post published an article that gives us an idea of what Pelosi’s is doing in the House. Left-leaning groups are putting pressure on 60 moderate Democrats to try and pull away the 28 votes they need to avoid having the amendment attached on the House floor. Many Pennsylvania Congressmen are likely in those targeted by these groups. They are being told that people back home don’t care about gun rights, and that their seats are in no danger from a pro-gun backlash.
This battle over a local Second Amendment issue will have repercussions on the entire country, and will definitely effect the 2010 elections. It is critically important that gun owners contact their members of Congress. You can find your member here. We must demonstrate to Congress that the threat from gun owners is real, and that we are watching what they are doing.