Rep. Sensenbrenner Rams Gun Ban Through On (Voice Vote)

http://www.gunowners.org ^ | Wednesday, November 5, 2003 | http://www.gunowners.org

[veryone]

Rep. Sensenbrenner Rams Gun Ban Through On Voice Vote -- Time to ask your Senators to oppose the same ban

Wednesday, November 5, 2003

The gun grabbers know what this fight is all about... it's about "incrementalism." It's about steadily advancing their illicit cause, even when support for gun control has little popular appeal outside of Congress.

Consider the statement of one prominent Democrat on the House floor today:

"In the wake of the September 11 attacks, we need to do much more to prevent dangerous firearms from falling into the hands of would-be terrorists and other violent criminals," said Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) when speaking in favor of the ban that passed the House this morning.

"We could start by renewing the current assault weapons ban. We could also strengthen criminal background checks and close the gun show loophole," Scott said. "Finally, we need to protect us from [plastic guns]. The bill before us today achieves the last of these objectives."

In other words: "We want much more, but today, we'll settle for a ban on a gun that doesn't even exist."

Scott wants to ban these guns, before they are ever invented, to keep bad guys from getting them. The fallacy of his argument is in thinking that ANY gun ban will stop terrorists and violent criminals from getting the outlawed weapons. No gun ban on the face of the earth has done that yet.

Not in the nation's capital -- nor in Chicago, Los Angeles or even England -- have gun bans worked to keep bad guys from getting firearms.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) authored this bill to extend the prohibition on plastic firearms. The current ban is scheduled to sunset in December.

The Wisconsin Congressman brought it directly to the floor of the House, having skipped the committee process, after successfully urging the House leadership to allow the rules of the House to be suspended.

Speaking in favor of the ban, Sensenbrenner praised the Bush Justice Department for supporting the bill. In opposition, Gun Owners of America was the only national gun lobby to fight the ban.

Sensenbrenner managed to get H.R. 3348 passed on a voice vote, meaning that fewer than 30 Representatives -- those who happened to be on the floor at the time -- were all that it took to extend the ban on these firearms.

In one sense, the ban is meaningless since a completely plastic gun has yet to be invented. It would be like banning Star Trek phaser rifles. The technology is not even there. And no gun manufacturer is even close to developing an all-plastic gun in the near future.

In another sense, however, the ban continues to extend the illegitimate reach of Congress into the realm of firearms -- a precedent which will be used by gun grabbers in the future to justify more bans.

The fight now shifts to the Senate, where Senator Ted Kennedy is expected to push his version of the bill very soon.

Unlike the House bill, which simply extends the ban for 10 more years, S. 1774 would make the ban permanent.

ACTION: Please urge your Senator to oppose S. 1774, and to instead support REAL efforts aimed at stopping terrorists -- such as arming the rest of the pilots who want to carry guns.

Please visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send the pre-written message below to your Senators.

------ Pre-written message ----- Dear Senator:

I urge you to vote against S. 1774, a bill authored by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). This bill is unconstitutional, and it is a useless waste of taxpayers' money and of your time. Plus, the gun it purports to ban doesn't even exist!

If a totally plastic gun is ever developed, a ban will not keep bad guys from getting their hands on such a firearm any more than the other 20,000 or so gun laws keep murderers and thieves from getting their hands on guns now.

You have much more important things to do. Please, instead of wasting your time banning a gun that does not exist, force the Transportation Safety Administration to arm pilots.

Gun Owners of America will inform me how you vote. Please vote against S. 1774.

Sincerely,

**************************** New! "Just For Skeptics" Websection

Know someone who doesn't know what to think about using guns for self protection? Or perhaps someone who "knows" all about the need for gun control -- and doesn't know they are wrong? Check out the Just For Skeptics section of the GOA website at http://www.gunowners.org/skeptic.htm to help your friends. Dozens of articles and fact sheets divided into eight categories explode common gun control myths, highlight real-life instances of self-defense, and explore the role of the gun in modern society. Even a long-time activist will find plenty of "soundbites" suitable for talk shows or casual conversation. Tell those skeptical friends of yours about it today -- before some thug gets to them first!

[deport]

The next thing you know they'll be coming for your tanks and aircraft ...

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Now tanks I don't know what to do with, but maybe just maybe we can bury those aircraft like the Iraqis did with some of theirs......

[El Gato]

So, a bill can be passed no matter how many (or how few) Representatives are present on the floor at the time. As long as nobody present objects to the lack of quorum, and as long as there's no recorded vote proving the lack of a quorum, the vote is final.

Sounds similar to "Taxation without representation" doesn't it? Except that in this case they'll wait until later to take even more of your money. Right now they want your guns. They keep this up, and they may get them.

[El Gato]

undetectable guns will have to be made with anti-matter.

A gun made of antimatter would make a nuke look like a firecracker, even without any bullets! (Anti matter, when exposed to regular matter, converts itself, and an equal mass of regular matter into pure energy. 100% conversion. Nukes get a fraction of a percent conversion of matter to energy.)

[El Gato]

DeLay says he will not support renewal of the AWB...and until I see otherwise, I believe him.

I imagine he opposed this too, fat lot of good that did. It went around him. Expect the AW ban to follow a similar, alhtough hopefully not so blatent, path.

[sergeantdave]

So, if two house members get together and no one objects that a quorum is not present they can pass a law to throw all Jews and Christians in concentration camps.

Somehow, I'm not believing this

[steplock]

For what it's worth, this is what I sent our Senators. Congressmen, governor, newspapers, and other interested parties...
.

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Two nights ago, the House voted in favor of suspending the rules and passing a bill. It was a voice vote, and there were only about 20 mostly democrat Congressmen present on the floor at the time. (The bill was H.R. 4210.) How can a bill be allowed to pass when so few Representatives are present?

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Dear Senators:

I urge you to vote against S. 1774, a bill authored by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). This bill is unconstitutional, and it is a useless waste of taxpayers' money and of your time. Plus, the gun it purports to ban doesn't even exist!

If a totally plastic gun is ever developed, a ban will not keep bad guys from getting their hands on such a firearm any more than the other 20,000 or so gun laws keep murderers and thieves from getting their hands on guns now.

You have much more important things to do. Please, instead of wasting your time banning a gun that does not exist, force the Transportation Safety Administration to arm pilots.

Gun Owners of America will inform me how you vote. 

VOTE AGAINST S. 1774

 

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Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, on any pretence, raised in the United States.

Noah Webster

"Gentlemen, Comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about glasnost and perestroika and democracy in the coming years. These are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal change within the Soviet Union, other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep".

Mikhial Gorbachev, President Soviet Union, to the Politburo Nov 1987 Ted Kennedy

www.spadata.com

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ps.  STUPIDITY knows no bounds with the DNC:

"In the wake of the September 11 attacks, we need to do much more to prevent dangerous firearms from falling into the hands of would-be terrorists and other violent criminals," said Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) when speaking in favor of the ban that passed the House this morning.

 

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[neverdem]

I think it got around DeLay because he's throwing the anti-gun nuts a bone that means nothing, but it would sound bad in the traditional media who know very little about guns or technology. The concealed carry legislation in so many states since this bill was originally passed in 1988 makes this nonsense moot.

It's been thirty years since I took college basic physics courses. At the national labs, do you have any idea if they have any usuable practical anti-matter particles bigger than positrons?

[Squantos]

Sons of Bitches.....every damn one of them...........

Thanks for the ping B4.....Stay safe !

[philman_36]

Check it out!

[afraidfortherepublic]

Outrageous. Congressman Sensenbrenner is my Congressman, but I am increasingly unhappy with him. No Republican will run against him, but he will have 3 Democrat opponents in the next election.

I don't know what to say about this development, since there is no such thing as a plastic gun. It is a typical piece of Sensenbrenner legislation -- get all hot and bothered about something that isn't even pertinent. But he's missing in action on the important stuff. Notice that he wasn't present at the signing of the Partiial Birth Abortion Ban today. He promised me personally (in front of a large group of people at one of his Town Hall meetings) that he would see that there was an investigation of Janet Reno's Justice Department and the INS after what they did to Elian Gonzalez and his family on Easter Eve. NOTHING, NADA, ZIP, ZILCH. He was only concerned about the "appearance of the picture" that ws splashed all over the papers.

[Euro-American Scum]

Is this the thread you were referring to earlier?

[Once-Ler]

Wow...look at all the babbling Paleo-Cons fretting over a ban on a gun that doesn't even exist. It passed in the House, that does not make it law.

Dubya has a long record of supporting gun rights in Texas, and he hasn't signed one gun limitation since becoming President.

Get a grip boys.

[NRA2BFree]

This is actually the thread I was talking about but it's the same piece of Legislation. This earlier one was before the vote was taken. here

[FSPress]

Ahhh, another Wiconsin Republican. Wasn't one of the Republicans from your state the one who pushed this legislation. Now what was that you were saying about Texas?

[Joe Brower]

[Eagle Eye]

I thought RINO's were needed because we could get judges confirmed and our laws passed and stop liberal bills.

Rino? Who you callin' RINO?

[templar]

So, a bill can be passed no matter how many (or how few) Representatives are present on the floor at the time.

Remember the Brady bill? We went to bed one night with the news declaring it dead and woke up the next mornning with it passed. Thanks to notable Republican leader and failed presidetial candidate Bob Dole.

[George Smiley]

I couldn't pull this up on thomas.loc.gov

How did you find it?

[coloradan]

This is a bill for banning plastic guns and for other purposes.

[ZULU]

In addition to contacting your senators and Representatives on this, you should send a letter directly to President Bush, ccing Mr. Rove, Bush's evil genius and Jim Carville's clone, to the effect that you are not willing to sacrifice the Constitution and the Second Amendment on the altar of his re-ection to a Second Term. On the contrary, this is a critical issue and you will NOT support him in 2004 if he allows this bill to be become law.

And remember the Amazing Hulk from Kalifornia, who was elected with conservative support and now joins hands with that viper Feinstein to try and enact even more restrictive gun laws. Gray Davis should have been relected, he was less dangerous and besides, Hollyweird deserved him.