Support of Ensign Amendment is Vital to Ending D.C. Gun Ban
An amendment to repeal the onerous gun ban in the District of Columbiawill likely come to the floor of the Senate this week.
Senator John Ensign (R-NV) plans to file the amendment to the so-called D.C. Voting Rights Act.
After the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Heller striking down Washington's gun ban as unconstitutional, the city council passed a gun control law that was almost as restrictive as the old one.
To simply possess a firearm in the nation's Capitol City, a resident must:
* Take a five hour training course
* Re-register any firearms every three years
* Undergo an invasive background check every six years
* Pass a 20 question multiple choice test designed by bureaucrats based
on the city's convoluted law
* Pay a registration fee
* Have all handguns undergo a ballistics test
In addition to protecting Second Amendment rights in the District of Columbia, a vote on the Ensign amendment is an important test for your two Senators. Many of the provisions in the existing D.C. gun law are also on the wish list of the anti-gunners.
A vote on repealing the D.C. gun ban will be a good indication of how the Senate will vote on other gun-related issues.
Ensign's measure will be offered as an amendment to S. 160, the D.C. Voting Rights Act. The bill is designed to give Washington, D.C., full voting privileges in the House of Representatives, as well as increasing the total number of representatives from 435 to 437.
While there are many constitutional concerns with the underlying measure, the gun ban repeal simply comes down to a vote for or against the Second Amendment.
It is vital that you contact your Senators in support of the Ensign amendment because GOA is the only group that has announced it will score this vote.
Read the Brady Campaign's opposition to the Ensign amendment, "Ensign Amendment Would Endanger Public Safety"
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Support of Ensign Amendment is Vital to Ending D.C. Gun Ban
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Some rational thoughts...
[B]* Take a five hour training course[/B]
- Excellent idea, and I totally agree any LAW ABIDING citizen should have training before taking on the responsibility of a firearm.
[B]* Re-register any firearms every three years[/B]
- I disagree. Registration should be illegal. Remember law abiding citizens do not commit crimes. How hard is that to understand?
[B]* Undergo an invasive background check every six years[/B]
- I am sure this violates several laws somewhere. Also unrealistic. I say we give all Congress and Senate members invasive background check every two years to make sure they are above board and not getting extra money from special interest groups on the side.
[B]* Pass a 20 question multiple choice test designed by bureaucrats based
on the city's convoluted law[/B]
- Why? I can see a realistic test based on proper firearms handling, such as with a hunters permit or even a CCW. But this is just one more tax burden that is not required and quite frankly would do NOTHING to deter crime or the criminally intent.
[B]* Pay a registration fee[/B]
- Why? Let's go back to registration. I don't agree with it since it tells the government where to go when they decide they want to confiscate privately owned firearms. Don't think it could happen? How about New York... New Orleans... registration is a tool used by Socialists to disarm the people so they can enforce their will. As a Libertarian AND a Constitutionalist, I disagree with any form of registration as well as about 90% of the idiotic gun laws out there.
[B]* Have all handguns undergo a ballistics test[/B}
- This is a violation of the presumption of innocence. And again it does NOTHING to deter crime or the criminally intent.
The bottom line is these are ideas with the exception of the first one are a waste of tax payers money. (haven't we thrown enough money away bailing out the idiots on Wall Street?) creates more bureaucratic BS which in turn equates to bigger government. Enough already.
This will not deter crime or criminals. It's time people start using some simple logic instead of using their emotions in a knee jerk fashion. And that is what Liberals are, emotional knee jerks that when you put evidence to the contrary of their beliefs in front of them, crumble.
- Linux User
February 26, 2009 9:23AM
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