AmmoLandWashington, DC –-(Ammoland.com)- UPDATE: VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned Friday morning.
GOA thanks those of you who contacted your legislators over the past couple of weeks in response to our earlier email alert.
In the end, over 20 Representatives and Senators called for the ouster of Shinseki — who, in addition to the recent scandals, has overseen an agency that has disarmed more than 175,000 military veterans.
GUN CONTROL VOTE IN HOUSE: Disciples of anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg staged an ambush in the House of Representatives on Thursday. And 76 Republicans fell right into the trap.
The vote was on a Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY) amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science funding bill. Both Representatives hold an “F” rating with Gun Owners of America.
Their amendment would add an additional $19.5 million to pay states to turn in more names to the federal gun-ban (NICS) list.
Already, more than 175,000 law-abiding veterans have lost their Second Amendment rights this way. And, in states like New York, this money will pay to strip Americans of their constitutional rights, merely because they consult a psychiatrist and are prescribed a therapeutic drug.
The amendment was sprung so that GOA had only a few hours to send a letter to the Hill, and no time to send out a new alert to its members — although we told you earlier this week that Bloomberg and Obama minions were renewing efforts to exploit the recent California tragedy and pass gun control. NRA took no public position at all on the legislation.
Despite the short turn-around time, GOA did manage to get a Facebook alert out to its members.
In the end, the Thompson-King amendment passed by a vote of 260-145. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that the battle has just begun. The bill now goes to the Senate, and will ultimately be shelved in favor of a massive government-wide funding bill — called a “continuing resolution” or CR.
Hence, there is still a possibility that we can get the Thompson-King amendment removed from the final CR.
That being said, the loss hurts.
Bloomberg can now spend weeks bragging that he has “crushed” the gun lobby, and this will give impetus to allow him to raise more money.
But when it comes to gun rights issues, the 76 Republicans who went wobbly will be defined almost exclusively by their vote for this anti-gun amendment.
The GOP could take a lesson from Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 “ground game” playbook. As odious as Obama is to those who love the Constitution, he reached out to each of the major constituencies of the Democratic Party and gave them a reason to vote for him. As a result, he won.
The 76 Republicans are hardly going to get Bloomberg’s endorsement for betraying their supporters. And they have angered the Second Amendment community in a way that may take a long time for them to repair.
ACTION: Write your Representative. Thank him if he voted right and opposed the Thompson-King amendment. If he voted wrong, let him know what you think about that.
Take Action and use the GOA Engage site, the correct letter will automatically be chosen.
Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 Phone: 703-321-8585 FAX: 703-321-8408 www.gunowners.orgAbout: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 Visit: www.gunowners.org to Join.
Read more: http://www.ammoland.com/2014/05/bloomberg-sycophants-spring-an-ambush-friday-with-anti-gun-amendment-in-house/#ixzz33O9QLGTD
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“The amendment was sprung so that GOA had only a few hours to send a letter to the Hill, and no time to send out a new alert to its members…”
Legitimate.
” NRA took no public position at all on the legislation.”
NOT.
But it’s just an itty-bitty infringement, right?
Hang ’em all!