Posted on 07/28/2004 8:41:07 PM PDT by Ramonan
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS' SAFETY ACT SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT BUSH!
Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Grand Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police, proudly announced that President George W. Bush signed H.R. 218, the "Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act" into law on Thursday.
"This triumph was the result of a long, hard-fought battle," Canterbury said. "The Fraternal Order of Police has been working toward this day for over ten years. With the stroke of his pen, the President has made real the hopes of law enforcement officers across the nation."
The legislation, sponsored by Representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA), was passed by the House in June, and then by the Senate earlier this month. It exempts qualified active and retired law enforcement officers from State and local prohibitions with respect to the carrying of concealed firearms.
Canterbury and F.O.P. Executive Director Jim Pasco were the only law enforcement representatives to meet with the President in the Oval Office before the bill signing. "The President has truly made this country a safer place," said Canterbury after the ceremony. "By enacting this legislation, President Bush has ensured that when officers are confronted with a situation to which they must react, they have the tools necessary to ensure their own safety, and the safety of their families and the public they have been sworn to protect."
Now that the measure has been signed into law, active and retired law enforcement officers will be able to carry their firearms even when traveling outside their own jurisdictions. The bill, which was the F.O.P.'s top legislative priority, had wide, bipartisan support in both the House and Senate during its consideration in the Congress.
"There are many people to whom we owe a debt of gratitude today. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), and Representatives Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Duke Cunningham (R-CA) were all instrumental in moving the bill through the legislative process. We are especially grateful to President Bush, a true friend to law enforcement. Without his tireless support, we would not be here today. But most importantly, we owe our thanks to all those F.O.P. members who have worked so hard to achieve this goal."
The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 318,000 members.
The law, first drafted in 1992 by Congressman Randy " Duke" Cunningham and LEAA has become the number one legislative priority of America's rank and file police officers and is also backed by nearly every national organization representing rank and file law enforcement officers. Fotis, along with other leaders from America's law enforcement community and key members of Congress were at the President's side as he signed this unprecedented, life-saving legislation.
These folks will use their firearms to defend themselves and others from violent attacks -- exactly the same way that armed civilians employ their concealed guns in the nearly 40 states that allow honest, law-abiding civilians to carry concealed." Fotis went on to make clear, "Just as we have seen time and time again with civilians who safely and responsibly carry concealed guns because of Right-to-Carry, I believe the brave men and women of law enforcement that can now carry the tools of their trade will help make America more secure." Fotis added, "America's men and women in blue have always known that President Bush stands shoulder to shoulder with them in the fight for public safety and homeland security. By signing this law, the President is making an unprecedented effort to support our nation's protectors after their shift or tour of duty has ended."
LEAA points out for the record, that while President George Bush has unequivocally demonstrated his support of Law Enforcement, including his action today on H.R. 218, just three months ago, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) made a special effort to leave the campaign trail, returning to the Senate to vote against this bill. On March 2, Senator Kerry, against the wishes of the law enforcement community, voted to kill the Senate version of H.R. 218 by voting for 'poison pill' amendments.
(Excerpt) Read more at calibrepress.com ...
I'm a retirement eligible (50 yrs old) federal agent that is really happy this bill was passed. I'm stationed in Guam right now, but my home is VA. I was dreading my retirement, because then if I wanted to travel out of VA (where I know I could qualify for a concealed permit), I'd have to go gunless, no trips to DC or MD. Semper Fidelis. P.S. I'm a member of the NRA and feel that only convicted criminals should not be allowed to own guns, concealed or otherwise. I'm not a hunter, but have a "870" for home defense (first 2 rounds out are birdshot, the second two are OO Buck and the last two are rifled slugs).
Outstanding!!!!
:-)
D2
BUSH/CHENEY 2004 !!!!:-) May God Continue To Bless America!!!!:-)
Thank you for your service and may your travels be untroubled. Only a kind man would spot intruders two birdshots ;^ )
Well, where's the Citizen Safety Act?
I support the right to keep and bear arms for every citizen, not just a federally-mandated special class. Once the federal government ordains itself to determine who may bear arms and where, they also ordain themselves to determine who may not carry arms and where.
Question: Aren't the laws against former felons owning weapons federal laws? Perhaps that was the precedent that allowed this latest assault on federalism.
Furthermore, I support being able to carry without fear when I drive or fly across the country. But does not the "full faith and credit" clause in the U.S. Constitution already apply here?
I agree with you that Bush's signing this was deplorable even though I support the end result. The common thread running through his presidency has been his quest to federalize everything he touches.
I am very suspicious of new laws which grant us a right we already have. You're right. This one is a trojan horse.
The office of police, is a department of the common law, which bypassed the founding and the construction and the ratification of the Constitution; the common law being of the States but not of the federal government (for example, the States make the marriage laws, but the federal government does not).
When I was training to be a federal agent, our instructors were very particular about our understanding exactly from where, came our authority to be a federal agent, and to be an armed federal agent, and to make arrests, etc. At the time, in the early 1970's, we had to specifically state the Constitutional portions and the federal statutes that gave us the authority. I recall the day that I met a Secret Service Agent who had all that very neatly printed on a formal ID presentation binder; I recall, because I asked him what was his authority, and he smiled and produced that gem.
I also asked, because part of our instruction was the information about the authority of citizens; what authority they have --- it's quite a lot --- to ask questions about legal procedures, law procedures, due process stuff, and that included challenging (with respect) all government agents, as to, what is their authority, what is their business, and directing them to what in their actions is lawful versus what is not lawful.
Our instructors were real picky about getting it right and not leaving procedures open to successful failure analysis by opposing council, let alone the judge who would, in those days, be just too happy to rake a miserable law enforcement officer's performance over the coals.
For the record, here, law enforcement authority for a police officer whose office is of the State and / or local government (jurisdiction), comes from the State and comes from the local government but does not come from the federal government.
The federal government does not give power to State and local police offices, except under martial law, that is, except in the event of an emergency.
Call the above bill what they will, it is an act of martial law, because that part of the Constitution is wherefrom the authority for such a bill comes. The authority did not come from the Second Amendment nor from a Second Amendment right of either the States or individuals.
This is a very sad day to see the Congress and President sweep the Second Amendment out of the way of the federal government; and worse, it is a sad day to see citizens emotional attachment to guns, supercede our duty to keep government limited in power.
I sincerely hope that this un-Constitutional law, above, gets rescinded, struck down, immediately.
Once the federal government ordains itself to determine who may bear arms and where, they also ordain themselves to determine who may not carry arms and where.Unfortunately true.
That is why the Democrats were for this (yet another) extra-Constitutional [b]reach.
Students "incorrectly believe" that police officers of a police office that is of a State, act with authority of that office...should be:
Students are unaware that police officers of a police office that is of a State, act with authority of that office...
(Few hours sleep, and I need some breakfast!)
Great. Now how about extending that to the rest of the citizens of this country, seeing as how we are all supposedly subject to equal protection. We're not supposed to have a caste system in this country, the last I checked.
Regarding our rights to keep and bear Arms, the Second Amendment affirms the right nationally, not only within the States.
If mustered, then Presidential authority is required to move as a State militia beyond that State, except for when the President may be incapacitated, in which case the governors of the States affected by some national emergency, may act and order the milita to respond outside their borders. Generally, the point here, is that as individuals or small parties, we are free to keep and bear Arms across State lines and anywhere in U.S. territories, and the Second Amendment affirms this right.
Bush should have had the guts to not sign the bill and then restate the Second Amendment's affirmation of our right.
Of course, Bush did not do that because his vast retinue of lawyers are culpably a blank slate on the matter, too.
"Bush declares marshal law. "
When did this happen?
>>Only a kind man would spot intruders two birdshots ;^ )
LMAO over here! So true!
Please see reply 29 and then reply 27.
Other than feeling like a 2nd class citizen, the one thing that does give me hope is the old guys, the "retired law enforcement officers" know and understand what the Constitution is about.
They are the ones we can probably count on to assist us in getting our rights back as they know America is in trouble.
See #27
This MUST be what the Breck-Girl is talking about when he refers to "two Americas". One America for those who are exempt from unconstitutional gun-control laws, and One America for those that are subject to unconstitutional gun-control laws, but I don't recall him mentioning it it last night's diatribe.
Are any of them running for Congress?
God Save the Constitution. Please.
Common law is created by judges. Police depts. are statutory and created by legislatures.
What is unconstitutional here is that the 2nd Amend. was again ignored for purposes of granting fictional priviledges to a particular labor group when addressing full faith and credit problems. If the law is to have any validity in protecting rights and insuring those rights are respected across state borders, then the law should have honored the 2nd Amend. w/o regard to occupation. Congress should have explicitly applied it to the States, w/o waiting for a court decision incorporating it by the 14th Amend.
The split is between those that believe in and promote Freedom, and those that don't. The laws and privaledges granted can't make that distinction. However, those that don't believe in Freedom are likely to take advantage of any special priviledges and laws to advance and promote Freedoms destruction.
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