Posted on 01/13/2004 1:12:04 AM PST by Richard-SIA
I attended a small gathering of about 60 republican party faithful tonight.
The occasion was an informal evening meeting with Nevada Senator John Ensign (R).
This was an invitational event, I was still surprised and disappointed that it was not better attended.
This is my favorite type of event, the cost of attendence was only $25 to cover rental of the exhibit hall, the location was nearby (Reno), and there was plenty of time available to speak directly with my favorite Nevada senator.
I believe there will be another meeting tomorrow, in Las Vegas. Anyone interested can probably get information by calling his L.V. office, (702) 388-6605
Anyone who was no too timid to speak up in public was able to ask whatever question they liked.
John did not duck any of them, and resonded clearly, as a good republican should.
Many in attendence asked their questions and made their comments in comparative privacy, in one on one discussion.
Two of my questions were in the area of "gun control".
I am quoting John's replies as closely as I recall them.
Q. Will the AW & Hi-Cap Mag. bans be allowed to expire on Sept, 13th?
A. Certainly, it would take 60 votes to force a bill extending them to the floor, there are too many people like myself who will filibuster them if necessary to prevent their passing.
The democrats know the gun control issue can hurt them, it is not likely to be an issue.
Q. What are the chances of SB-659 being passed next year? (Outlaws continuing the predatory lawsuits that have been filed in an effort to bankrupt the firearms industry)
A. The bill can be expected to pass, it is a good thing that the bill will be decided in an election year, gun control is not a winning issue in an election year.
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I would encourage everyone to attend these party meetings any time they can.
You can learn where and when they are being held by simply asking your representative's staff.
Also ask them to put you on their mailing list.
The MOST effective means of contacting our reps is personal contact. This event illustrates that it does not require great wealth, just a little time and commitment.
You already can if you folow the laws strictly (and avoid NFA violations). It has to do with the percentage of foreign and domestic parts in the finished weapon. There are lots of American manufactured parts and conversion kits, that will allow you to do this, on the market now (beware of the flash hider/muzle brake situation and skip the idea of a bayonet lug: those things make a weapon too dangerous anyway). Don't try it unless you are willing to learn some gunsmithing though.
That is true, but if some nut with an AK-47 bursts into some school a month or two before the election and starts shooting, then the AW bill will be renewed pronto.
Indeed. But, it is refreshing to hear encouraging news all the same.
shovel- check.
hammer- check.
nails, three each- check.
4x4s, upright and crossbeam, one each- check.
Yep.
The gun-haters are sneaks, liars, and will pull whatever trick they think they can get away with to further their agenda of total civilian disarmament. Act accordingly.
So true. IMHO, if the AW ban sunsets, it'll be a temporary reprieve from an idiotic piece of legislation, not a permanent victory. The next time the Democrats have enough clout in Congress, the same anti-gun provisions - and probably far worse - will be passed. Either a Democrat or gutless Republican president will sign it, and you can bet there will be no sunset provision.
As far as what may occur this year, we should be doubly vigilant. While we're watching the bill that promises to expand the AW Ban, a simple sentence re-authorizing and making permanent the existing AW ban could be slipped into some other innocous piece of legislation. Check Six, people.
" The price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance."
Honestly.......more magazines for my M1A's is all I'm seeking at this time and maybe a few new mags for my browning high powers. But of course the next new gun of the month club trendy thang will be small high capacity CHL pistols. In fact a HiCap SIG in 357SIG will be my first purchase. I kinda like that caliber in full size handgun but only if it's high capacity . Otherwise I carry a 1911A1 or SIG 220 if Alphabet Risk manager mandates such. Of course this is all based on .....if the AWB sunsets on 9-13-04
Stay Safe !
.......
I certainly subscribe to the theory that the Demoncrat Party must die. I don't believe that it is possible to kill both of the two major political parties in the US at the same time. Until the Demoncrats are dead, we are stuck with the Republicans.
I would, however, vote against any Republican who infringes my right to keep and bear arms. If Bush signs an AWB bill, he will never get my vote again. If I had a Republican Representative or Senator, however, who voted to support my right to keep and bear arms, I would certainly not punish him in any way.
Why would you expect your legislator to oppose anti-gunners if you are going to punish him anyway?
If he is interested in my vote - and, as I mentioned, I voted for him before - then he and every other Republican will lean on those at the top of the Party who don't stand for principled positions, but who are "triangulating" in order to win the votes of soccer moms & such who will supposedly vote for Bush and Republicans if he moves Left. I seek to get the Republican Party to keep its promises and uphold the Constitution. If its leaders do that, they will destroy the Dems. Pandering to people who've virtually never voted Republican, while ticking off core supporters repeatedly (CFR, Patriot Act, Immigration, gun control) is not a recipe for success. But we, the conservatives at the core of Republican success, need to communicate our displeasure and our intentions. Failure to do that will leave the Party's leaders with the impression that we'll vote for them no matter what.
If they thought they could get away with it, they would vote tomorrow on a total gun ban/confiscation law. It is the reality of the well-armed citizenry that keeps them from doing it all at once. Instead, the plan is to slowly convince the moron voters that they, and the children, will all be safer once all guns are gone. They will lie, cheat, stall, BS and otherwise drag their feet anytime the 2nd is brought up in polite conversation. Sure, everyone of the SOB's will say that he is fore-square behind the 2nd Amendment; but when pressed by the right people, most will define the 2nd as a collective right of states to arm government-controlled militias.
The gains made over the last decade in CCW reform have been striking; yet no gun laws have been repealed or thrown out by the courts, and no real reversal of the trend toward more gun control have been realized. That is why the sunsetting of this rotten, unconstitutional AW ban is so critical. It would be the FIRST time that any progress was made in reversing the trend. It is a watershed issue for me; as goes this sunsetting, so goes my political thinking process. I think that if this ban cannot be gotten rid of and KEPT rid of, then the 2nd will soon become meaningless and the PKBA (permission to keep and bear arms) will eventually be revoked.
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