Gun Rights Surprise? NRA Supports Many Democrats
By David Kopel
Earlier this week, I wrote that NRA would be foolish obey the wishes of Republican activists who want the NRA to endorse only Republicans, and especially to not endorse endangered House Democrats. Here are some data on NRA endorsements, and some of the actions that dozens of House Democrats have taken to merit their endorsements:
NRA Senate endorsements in 2010: 23 Republicans, 2 Democrats.
NRA House endorsements in 2010: 197 Republicans and 61 Democrats.
There were 251 Congresspersons who signed the pro-Second Amendment incorporation congressional amicus brief in McDonald v. Chicago. Of the signers, 81 were House Democrats, and 19 were Senate Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid.
A top NRA priority in Congress is H.R. 2296, to reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Of the 243 cosponsors, 76 are House Democrats.
Another NRA-favored bill is H.R. 442, the “Veterans’ Heritage Firearms Act,” would create an amnesty period to allow the registration of war trophies (e.g., an automatic rifle captured from the North Vietnamese Army) that were brought into the United States between 1934 and 1968. There are 211 cosponsors, 66 of whom are House Democrats.
The bill that would have the most significant practical effect for most gun owners is H.R. 197, the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act .” Sixty-five House Democrats are among the 209 cosponsors.
Early in the Obama adminisration, Attorney General Eric Holder said that the 1994 ban on so-called “assault weapons” and magazines holding more than 10 rounds, which sunset in 2004, should be re-enacted. Sixty-five Democratic Congressmen signed a letter to the Attorney General, opposing a new ban. In addition, Ike Skelton, the Missouri Democrat who chairs the Armed Services Committee, sent a separate letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer expressing his opposition to the Attorney General’s remarks. The show of Democratic opposition demonstrated that there was no chance that a ban could pass Congress. Since then, Attorney General Holder has not made any public statements in favor of gun bans.
As the numbers above illustrate, Democrats constitute an indispensible part of the pro-Second Amendment majority of the current Congress. Without the NRA’s strong working relationship with so many Democrats, 2009-10 would have seen the enactment of destructive legislation for gun rights, rather than the constructive legislation which has become law.
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I'll preface my comments by complimenting Mr. David Kopel for his lengthy fight in support of "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
However, the sad truth is the NRA has been directly involved in the drafting and passage of every piece of federal gun-control legislation since the Federal Gun Control Act of 1968. The major argument in favor of such seemingly incompatible activities, which has been presented by those in positions of power within the NRA is: if we don't compromise our principles, we'll be blocked out of the legislative process.
You know, I know and they know such nonsense is nothing more than capitulaton - pure and simple.
Facts: 1] Rights predate government. 2] Rights, akin to breathing, require neither permission nor affirmation to exist. They exist, and are often most evident, while being violated. 3] Rights are not subject to alteration, negation, revocation, nor any up-or-down vote of the legislative process.
Since the definitions of "unalienable" and "infringed" remain the same today as they were in the 18th century when the Bill of Rights was ratified, one must wonder exactly what part of "shall not be infringed" have the power brokers within the NRA decided they are allowed to ignore?
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." - George Washington, Commander-in-Chief, Colonial Revolutionary Armed Forces; First U.S. President; and British Traitor.
The NRA's confusing position in advancing government's control over the arms and ammunition of a free people is absolutely antithetical to George Washington's declaration.
INCUMBENTS OUT ON NOVEMBER 2—OF EITHER POLITICAL PARTY
US Senator Barbara Boxer in the first session of Congress will--FORCE--upon us a massive Amnesty, for the12 to 20 million illegal aliens and President Obama will sign it into law. Democrats additionally want to enact the President Bush’s Totalization treaty for Mexican illegal workers, so they can access our Social Security benefits. This means SSI for old disabled American will be at risk as well as retirement pensions for every citizen and legal resident. Sen. Reid, Boxer voted in the affirmative on illegal aliens being able to participate in our Social Security system (May 2006). GOOGLE or YAHOO -- Social Security illegal aliens; Hospital costs for illegal aliens is zooming upwards with hardly any payout from the federal government to cover costs.
GOOGLE--dialysis-Illegal aliens; GOOGLE--illegal alien costs. GOOGLE—Amnesty and view the fact on the Heritage Foundation site that an Amnesty covering all illegal immigrants, would cost an estimated at $2.6 trillion dollars. This is incorrigible with the existence of a $13 trillion dollar treasury deficit. Just apply your own keywords to Google or any other search engine, adding the word—Illegal aliens and you will be absolutely dumbfounded? The costs to pay for this an Amnesty will be the taxpayer’s burden, as it’s always been. Every amnesty that follows will bring millions more poverty stricken people and their children, which will smother our education system. Just look at prime examples in Border States, were classrooms are crammed to the fullest with illegal alien children, affecting negatively the schooling of citizen children.
Jerry Brown is a poor excuse for the future of California, as he too would make our suffering border states even worse. He has always been a tax and spend elected official and pro-amnesty advocate.
In the midterm elections watch cautiously illegal aliens violating federal voting laws. Be particularly observant of absentee balloting, as it’s not that complicated for foreigners to vote and alter the direction of voting numbers. The whole system of "Honor Voting" has been compromised in the last ten years and may have severe repercussions in close races in LA and in every other precinct across the country. President Obama is assessing the need for a giant overhaul of our infrastructure. If such is the case every contractor must screen their workers for illegal labor. This would be a perfect time to implement a federal policy of every job seeker vetted through the E-Verify computer databases. Updated and with a 99.6 success rate could expose illegal aliens and open the gates for qualified citizens and authentic green card holders.
Low income Senior Citizens in many emergency rooms must sit for hours, while foreign parents with four to six kids are waiting for treatment. As there is no disclosure of this painful amount of money, as no administration has had the backbone to tell the absolute truth. In Border States many hospitals have been forced to close, as the federal government never reimburses the hospital to the full amount. That for decades each president and his incoherent representatives have never found nerve to release any true accounting of the unimaginable costs in this propagating problem. Senator Boxer, Reid will doom this country to unimaginable overpopulation, with further expenditures whereas 15 million legal workers cannot find a job. What you decide in November, will either be the success of the Tea Party who will not entertain any type of Amnesty whatsoever and demand that Washington secure the open border.
We could pay for the Afghanistan war for a year, with the just the federal cash spent to support the illegal alien welfare. The Tea Party, a mixture of moderate Conservatives, Independents will neither genuflect nor bend to the will of either the GOP elites or the Liberal Democrats progressives. The Tea Party candidates if elected, will not tolerate any issue against the majority will of the American voter.
Great insights. I've always felt that the NRA is non-partisan, and that was one of their strengths. This despite many people (including most media outlets) trying to define the NRA as a "right wing" group. The partisan nature of so many political issues these days makes it easy for papers and pundits to falsely define various civil rights groups, including NRA.
NRA is concerned about gun rights first and foremost. That is how it should be. I don't look forward to total Republican control of the fed anymore than I enjoy the total Democrat control of the fed.