Posted on 11/17/2005 5:18:16 PM PST by Coral Snake
http://www.gunowners.org/a111705.htm
URGENT!!! URGENT!!!
-- House to Vote Soon On Granting FBI Unlimited Access To
Gun Sales Records
Gun Owners of America
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
(703)321-8585
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Registration leads to confiscation. We all know that, and that is why GOA has vehemently opposed all attempts by government forces to compile or retain information pertaining to lawful firearms purchases.
But in the name of fighting terrorism, the United States Congress is getting ready to trample on the rights of law-abiding Americans, no matter what the Constitution (and current law) happens to say.
The House will be voting as early as this Friday (tomorrow) on the PATRIOT Act reauthorization bill (H.R. 3199). Congressmen have been ironing out differences in the House and Senate versions of the bill for quite some time, as GOA -- along with other interested organizations -- has watched carefully to see what the House-Senate conferees would produce.
Well, the product stinks.
GOA alerted you in June to the potential dangers in this legislation. Unfortunately, the problems have remained in the bill, and it poses a very dangerous threat to gun owners.
This LATEST version of this bill has yet to be posted on Thomas (the legislative website for Congress) and, most likely, legislators won't even have this language in front of them before they vote on it. As has happened quite often, they MIGHT get a copy of the bill right before they vote, but they will certainly not have time to read it.
That's why it's so important that you contact your Representative and tell him that gun owners are VERY concerned with this legislation.
Capitol Hill sources have told GOA there is a provision in this bill (Section 215) which would allow the FBI to get a secret court order to seize ANY business records it believes would be relevant to an anti-terrorism investigation... without having to make the case that the gun records they're confiscating have any connection to a suspected terrorist.
Hence, in the name of fighting terrorism, the FBI will be given a license for unbridled fishing expeditions.
Gun sales are business transactions, and FFL holders must retain copies of the 4473 forms (yellow sheets) filled out on every gun sale. Thus, an anti-gun administration could easily determine that such records would be useful in the fight against terrorism, and demand them all.
But that's not all. More than just your gun purchase records are at stake. Financial and medical records, library records and much more will now be open to FBI fishing expeditions. They won't have to get any prior court approval.
It gets worse. If the gun dealer, where you purchased firearms, is required to hand over your gun purchase records, he is BARRED from telling you about it under the PATRIOT Act.
So that dealer would be the ONLY person who could contest the action before your life is raked over the coals... and honestly, how many among us would risk everything rather than tell the feds who it was that stopped by to pick up a Glock a couple of months ago?
Once the FBI has used these secret court orders to collect all gun purchase records across the country, your friendly anti-gun but oh-so-patriotic government would have brought about the gun owner's second-worst-case scenario: a national firearms registration list.
Registration leads to confiscation.
This monstrosity must be stopped. Please take the action requested below, and urge all freedom-loving Americans you know to do the same.
ACTION: Contact your Representative. Politely but firmly demand that they oppose the conference version of the Patriot Act (H.R. 3199), and specifically, its provision to allow secret court orders to collect gun records.
You can use the pre-written message below and send it as an e-mail by visiting the GOA Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm (where phone and fax numbers are also available).
-----Pre-written letter-----
Dear Representative:
The Patriot Act expansion bill (H.R. 3199) would allow the United States government to seize every lawful gun sale record in the country... solely on the basis of a bureaucrat's determination that a national registry of gun owners would be useful in an anti-terrorism investigation.
Registration leads to confiscation.
Section 215 of the bill allow agents of the federal government to get secret court orders for any and all business records which, in their opinion, are relevant to investigating terrorism.
Gun sales are business transactions, and FFL holders must retain copies of the 4473 forms (yellow sheets) filled out on every gun sale. Thus, an anti-gun administration could easily determine that such records would be useful in the fight against terrorism, and demand them all.
Even more ominous, the gun dealers would be required NOT to disclose the existence of the investigation to their customers, meaning that the dealer (rather than the gun purchaser) would be the only person who could contest this action. And why should he risk his livelihood on my behalf? This is massive gun control by simple executive fiat.
There is an illusory right to challenge the secrecy of the court orders, but it's just that... an illusion. If the government claims there is a national security issue at stake or that there's an ongoing criminal investigation, then the FBI's fishing expedition can remain a secret and remain unchallenged.
I believe that a national gun registry is a step this country cannot afford to take, and one that the citizenry will not abide.
I would ask you, in the strongest terms, to oppose this Patriot Act "reform" bill outright, and especially its secret court order provision. Please vote against H.R. 3199.
Sincerely,
****************************
Stop Supporting the Big Anti-gun Internet Service Providers!
The parent companies of AOL / Time Warner / Compuserve, Sprint / Mindspring / Earthlink, and Southwestern Bell -- just to name a few -- have all given money in the past to Sarah Brady. Now, there is an ISP dedicated to gun rights and the sporting life. Plus a portion of your monthly fee will be donated to GOA. By switching to Outdoors Unlimited, you move money away from the Brady Bunch and to the fight for the Second Amendment. Check out http://www.outdoorsunlimited.net and consider switching your Internet service today.
How many gun related crimes involve registered and legally owned and carried guns?
This is the back door to gun registration.
Still, I used to be against any type of gun control. No more. There are millions of non/Americans living in the U.S. today who cannot be trusted with a gun. Only certified, means-tested, law abiding citizens should be permitted to own guns.
The Constitution does not apply to non/citizens or people who have not assimilated into American society.
I can't seem to find that in my copy of the Constitution. Can you point to the Article and Section number where it says that?
Wasn't that Saddam Hussein's philosophy?
Don't forget to add Banglist to keywords on these very important gun related issues..
And Thanks For The Post..
This needs the attention of every gun-owner on FR..
That provision is right next to the clause that gives a woman the right to abort a healthy child growing inside her.
The governmemt can have the legal gun tranactions when they have the names of every woman who had a abortion.
The Right of Privacy is for everyone.
Where's DeLay when we need him????
Who wants to bet that the ATF had something to do with this?
Janet Reno and Bill Clinton are really happy right now!
Bump for later.
I try to avoid buying guns from dealers who require accurate identification. It's best to obtain weapons privately, imo.
agreed. buy any and all weapons possible from private individuals. this is why so many people want to stop this practice, there is no way to track privately sold firearms.
Oops sorry old thread my bad. :-(
Where did you find that Ratikal, where did you find that?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.