Posted on 06/15/2010 9:01:41 PM PDT by Steelers6
STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION ON H.R. 5175, THE DISCLOSE ACT Also at https://www.nrahq.org/contact.asp
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The National Rifle Association believes that any restrictions on the political speech of Americans are unconstitutional.
In the past, through the courts and in Congress, the NRA has opposed any effort to restrict the rights of its four million members to speak and have their voices heard on behalf of gun owners nationwide.
The NRA’s opposition to restrictions on political speech includes its May 26, 2010 letter to Members of Congress expressing strong concerns about H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act. As it stood at the time of that letter, the measure would have undermined or obliterated virtually all of the NRA’s right to free political speech and, therefore, jeopardized the Second Amendment rights of every law-abiding American.
The most potent defense of the Second Amendment requires the most adamant exercise of the First Amendment. The NRA stands absolutely obligated to its members to ensure maximum access to the First Amendment, in order to protect and preserve the freedom of the Second Amendment.
The NRA must preserve its ability to speak. It cannot risk a strategy that would deny its rights, for the Second Amendment cannot be defended without them.
Thus, the NRA’s first obligation must be to its members and to its most ardent defense of firearms freedom for America’s lawful gun owners.
On June 14, 2010, Democratic leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives pledged that H.R. 5175 would be amended to exempt groups like the NRA, that meet certain criteria, from its onerous restrictions on political speech. As a result, and as long as that remains the case, the NRA will not be involved in final consideration of the House bill.
The NRA cannot defend the Second Amendment from the attacks we face in the local, state, federal, international and judicial arenas without the ability to speak. We will not allow ourselves to be silenced while the national news media, politicians and others are allowed to attack us freely.
The NRA will continue to fight for its right to speak out in defense of the Second Amendment. Any efforts to silence the political speech of NRA members will, as has been the case in the past, be met with strong opposition.
Bump
So if the McDonald v Chicago case goes in our favor the NRA would let Schumer and Van Hollen invalidate if they left an exemption for NRA Executive Staff to keep and bear arms!!
FREEP these guys big time tommorrow!!
they dont say they support the proposed bill
That links the statement to its earlier thread. I'm disappointed to say the least.
bump
Makes me curious.
They also endorsed Ted Strickland, Gov of Ohio, who is WHOLLY in favor of the nationalized healthcare...
(a.) quit my NRA membership now, in a first-amendment-supportive-protest pique; or,
(b.) to see if we members can affect a clean sweep of NRA honchos (starting with the neo-weasel La Pierre).
Either way, I'm mad as heck, and I won't sit idly by while the NRA flips, using my dues.
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Typical hypocrisy and underhanded dealing by the NRA.
I resigned from the NRA when they stuffed the elitist Charlton Heston in, and they have sent me an unrequested membership card every year since. This is how they keep their membership numbers up.
The NRA won’t let you quit!
They’ll send you a fresh membership card every year. They’ve been doing that to me for 14 years.
I disagree with you on Charlton Heston, I didn’t think of him as an elitist. He put up with a lot of crap from Michael Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, and other elites for his support of gun rights. Then he developed Alzheimers as Reagan did and died from it much quicker than I thought.
The McDonald case decision is coming out in a couple of weeks and unless Justice Kennedy double crosses us the 2nd Amendment will become stronger. This is what the NRA’s focus should be now, not cutting deals with Schmucky and Van Hollen.
I disagree about Heston too. He was awesome for the NRA. He was a common man who made good and he knew it. He never forgot his roots. Heston and Reagan where great friends. When Nancy Reagan heard about Hestons’ illness, the first thing she did was to call Mrs. Heston. I respect Wayne LaPIERRE very much and know him well. Ted Nugent is on the NRA board and I”m very proud to have him there representing us too. I may be dismayed and disappointed at some of the decesions that are made at the top but I don’t feel I can do anything about it unless I am a member with some influence. Just my thoughts.
It’s your right to disagree, but My prediction that our rights would diminish under Heston came true in spades.
The NRA is a power broker, not a defender of rights. Its always been that way.
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The NRA is about one thing, the Second Amendment. They do not care about political party nor conservative values. They have done a fine job over the last 100 years or so.....and they are still the only pro-gun organization that Washington fears.
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