A couple was at home with their 15-month-old son when two armed men, one of them a convicted felon with a history of break-ins, kicked in the front door. According to police, one of the residents shot both intruders with his handgun, causing the felon to flee and the other burglar to fall dead inside the house."1 think probably if he had not had a gun, he would have been [killed], as well as the female in the house, and possibly the baby;' said Sgt. Jack Cates of the Durham, N.C., police department. The uninjured residents fled next door with their son and called police. Minutes later, a man showed up at the hospital suffering from a gunshot wound. He was charged with first degree burglary, armed robbery and felony possession of cocaine. (The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, 08/12/06)
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary inside a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant when a man approached the counter and placed an order. But then he demanded of the cashier, "Give me the money before I shoot you:' Initially, Paul Sherlock joined the other customers as they bolted for the door. But then he stopped out of concern for the cashier. He recalled a June 2005 incident in which a carjacker shot at him. That was also the day he decided to buy a gun and apply for a carry permit. Police say Sherlock faced the suspect then pulled out his 9 mm pistol. The suspect put his hands in the air and Sherlock ordered him to lean against a window. Police apprehended the man without incident. The accused's "gun" turned out to be a screwdriver. (Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, IN, 08/19/06)
According to police, two men wearing masks invaded Allen Cooper's home and began robbing him at gunpoint. Cooper gave one of the masked men some cash, but, unsatisfied, they ordered him to call back two people who left the house prior to the robbery. Cooper contacted Rhea McCary and James Robertson, who returned, but sensed something was wrong. When they arrived, Cooper bolted out the door yelling, "They've got guns!" The attackers began shooting, striking McCary in the arm, but McCary returned fire, killing one of the suspects. The second suspect fled and was still at large at press time. (The State, Columbia, SC, 08/17/06)
Durham, N.C., police say an intruder forcefully entered an apartment and told the resident he was looking for a particular person. When the resident said that person didn't live there, the intruder refused to leave and attempted to restrain the resident. In the ensuing struggle, the resident shot the intruder twice, sending him to the hospital. The resident was unharmed. (The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC, 08/22/06)
A man who stopped taking his prescribed medications for mental illness began arguing with a group of people along the Arkansas River, and the incident quickly escalated. According to police, the man grabbed a gun from his car and fired it into the air as an apparent threat. He then headed toward James Woody, a fisherman who was unloading his boat. Woody reached into his truck for the pistol he keeps for protection. The disturbed man chased Woody around the truck, then threatened his life. Woody turned and shot his assailant, killing him. (Associated Press, 08/27/06)
Jose Bercian walked out of his bedroom and was alarmed to find a stranger inside his home. Police say Bercian darted back into his room and retrieved a handgun. The intruder pulled out his own gun and shot at Bercian. Bercian returned fire, killing his assailant, then fled to a neighbor's home to phone police. "The dude that got killed was three or four times [Bercian's] size;' said the neighbor. (Gwinnett Daily Post, Lawrenceville, GA, 08/16/06)
Police say a burglar was terrified to find that his intended victim was armed. "The suspect rang the victim's doorbell several times, and when he received no answer, he kicked in the front door and went inside;' said Sgt. Greg Minster of the Lancaster, Calif., Sheriff's Station. The resident, armed with a handgun, took aim at the suspect and ordered him to leave. The intruder dashed from the house, screaming for his accomplice who was waiting in a car. "[The suspect] appeared to be worried that he was being pursued;' said Minster. Police blocked off streets and apprehended both men. (Antelope Valley Press, Palmdale, CA, 07/22/06) |
The media is playing a stealth propaganda game this year, giving the impression that gun control is not at issue. They are floating stories predicting an inevitable takeover of legislative power by staunch enemies of the Second Amendment. All of this is to fool less-savvy gun owners into believing that losing control of Congress doesn't matter. Nothing is further from the truth. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, along with ally and fellow Californian, U.s. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, will surely press for new federal confiscatory firearm bans. She has hinted that gun control will be a priority "when the issue is ripe:' If our pro-gun majority in the House is routed in this election, as Speaker of the House, Pelosi will make it "ripe:' To Hillary Clinton-who is amassing a war chest approaching $50 million for her 2008 run for the White House-control of the U.S. Senate is key to shaping the courts and thus killing the Second Amendment. She recently said, "There is· truly a profound struggle occurring over the future direction of the country ... hardest fought of these struggles is over the future of the judiciary:' Charles Schumer, masterminding a multi-million dollar iron-hand campaign to overturn our pro-gun Senate majority, has teamed with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a national scheme to wipe out your local gun dealers, one at a time-through lawsuits defying NRA supported congressional bans on such punitive misuse of the courts. Bragging "I was the author of the Brady law and the assault weapons ban in the House of Representatives;' Schumer called Mayor Bloomberg's campaign to shut down the firearm industry an "all fronts war:' At a recent press conference, Schumer boasted, "The lawsuits he put together are just brilliant .... Just at a time when the issue seemed to be fading, the mayor has really breathed new life into it:' House Speaker Pelosi. Presidential wannabe Hillary Clinton. Senate kingmaker Schumer. They want all the power they can take. And they mean to do it this election. I have always said that in politics, one thing counts above all-the biggest number wins. But in places .like Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York City and California-where oppressive gun laws have forced law-abiding gun owners to flee to other states-the biggest number now rests on the side of tyranny. That intrinsic tyranny is why the Founders created the Bill of Rights. That is why we have a Second Amendment. And that is why federal judges who will uphold that right in the face of a radical majority are so important. To define what a gun-ban majority leadership under Pelosi, Clinton and Schumer would have in store for us, look no further than the nightmare scenarios unfolding in California, which provide the perfect medium for metastasizing the political cancer of civilian disarmament to the rest of the nation. When the gun-prohibition majority in that state's legislature banned a host of semi-autos, they demanded registration of "government-approved" self-loaders. But it was a double-cross. Many Californians who complied were informed their registration was "illegal" after all and were told by government agents that they had three choices: Give up their guns to police or face prosecution and prison; get their guns out of state; or move. The same thing is happening with large bore, single-shot, bolt-action target rifles banned as "assault weapons:' It's insane. In my travels, meeting with NRA members across the nation, I can't begin to count the number of heartsick former Californians who told me they gave up their homes, careers, friends and family ties to flee to freedom in other states. And for every gun owner who understandably chose to leave tyranny behind, the pool of voters left to fight was diminished. Americans should never be forced to make that choice. Where the media is predicting "regime change" in the Congress, there is one force that can stop it - the nation's firearm owners. As NRA members, we must forcefully communicate the importance of the electoral process this year to others. Vote to preserve the Second Amendment and make sure that your friends, co-workers and family do the same. We must make our collective voices count at the ballot box so that on November 8, Pelosi, Schumer and Hillary Clinton will still be facing the defiant wall of a pro Second Amendment majority. |
For the November 7 elections, the worst enemies of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms-New York U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and California U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi-are counting on low voter turnout to give them control of Congress. It's a sure bet that if they depose our hard-won pro-Second Amendment majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, we will face unprecedented new attacks on our freedom. As informed voters, and as NRA members, we must do everything possible between now and election day to mobilize fellow gun owners to hand the gun-ban crowd a day of profound· disappointment.
If we fail to act, out of apathy or because we want someone else to do our job, we betray not only ourselves but our children and grandchildren. We betray our country and the Founding Fathers. Every gain we've made for the Second Amendment could be reversed unless we win this critical election. Freedom is at risk on four fronts-the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court and the Oval Office. In the U.S. House, the rabidly antigun Democrat Nancy Pelosi, an ultra-left multimillionaire from San Francisco, is poised to become Speaker. If Republicans lose 15 or more seats in the House-which polls say may very well happen-we'll have the most liberal House Speaker in history in a position to force her radical agenda on all of us. Pelosi, who has opposed virtually every modern weapon system for our military, opposes programs our government uses to track down terrorists and stop their attacks and is proud of her "F" rating from NRA, would take control of that entire chamber of Congress. If that happens, here's what would follow: First, every bill NRA is pushing to protect and enhance your freedom would stop dead in its tracks, while every gun-ban measure from the Clinton years would be back on the agenda. Second, important House committees would have anti-gun majorities with chairmen personally appointed by Pelosi. This includes Congressman John Conyers-who says that the Second Amendment confers no right whatsoever to individual Americans to own guns becoming chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, where most NRA-supported bills are assigned. Third, Pelosi would be second-in-Iine to the presidency. If-God forbid-anything were to happen to the president and vice president, then Speaker Pelosi would instantly become president of the United States and commander-in-chief of our Armed Forces. As an NRA member, whatever your political affiliation, you cannot allow that ascendancy to happen. The Senate is also at risk. Though it seemed impossible just a few months ago, we are in danger of losing our pro-gun majority in the U.S. Senate. And with it, pro-freedom victories, like passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, the sunset of Clinton's gun ban law, fair tax exemption for gunsmiths and the firearm law reforms we've helped enact would be reversed. There is absolutely no doubt that these victories would have a 'short-lived history-and that's not all. If the Senate falls to the enemies of the Second Amendment, if we allow anti-gun senatorial candidates to win on Nov. 7, our hope of seeing a pro- gun majority on the U.S. Supreme Court would vanish overnight. The next Supreme Court nominee with a conservative judicial philosophy, like current justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito, would be crushed by a liberal filibuster, and we wouldn't have the votes needed to break the filibuster or invoke the "nuclear option:' All this would be a prelude to 2008. This White House would be under siege for the next two years, no pro-active legislation would pass, good judges would be kept off the federal courts and everything the anti-gun crowd would do would lay the groundwork for retaking the Oval Office. We are at war. Our freedom is at stake. The Second Amendment is America's original homeland security and you, my fellow NRA members, are at the heart of our national defense. But Pelosi and her fellow extremists, who are hoping to take control, oppose our national security efforts and oppose your Right to Keep and Bear Arms. We had no part in creating this problem, but we must be the solution. You may not be happy about some things this administration or Congress did. You may be angry over a number of unresolved issues. But remember what's at stake. Those who would seize power on Nov. 7 are unrelenting opponents of your values and beliefs. They want to create an America that looks nothing like the vision our Founding Fathers had when they risked their lives, their futures and their sacred honor to create the greatest, freest country in the world. You and I have to protect that freedom. And we have to fight now. Get out to the polls, take your friends with you, volunteer in these last days to make a difference for a good candidate, and let our opponents hear the voice of Freedom's Army roar like thunder. Disaster is looming on Nov. 7, and I need your help to save our freedom. I'm not exaggerating. We are at the edge of a dangerous political precipice. If we stumble, we will fall back to a pre-1994 anti-Second Amendment Congress. If we fail to act, out of apathy or because we want someone else to do our job, we betray not only ourselves but our children and grandchildren. We betray our country and the Founding Fathers. Every gain we've made for the Second Amendment could be reversed unless we win this critical election. Freedom is at risk on four fronts-the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court and the Oval Office. In the U.S. House, the rabidly antigun Democrat Nancy Pelosi, an ultra-left multimillionaire from San Francisco, is poised to become Speaker. If Republicans lose 15 or more seats in the House-which polls say may very well happen-we'll have the most liberal House Speaker in history in a position to force her radical agenda on all of us. Pelosi, who has opposed virtually every modern weapon system for our military, opposes programs our government uses to track down terrorists and stop their attacks and is proud of her "F" rating from NRA, would take control of that entire chamber of Congress. If that happens, here's what would follow: First, every bill NRA is pushing to protect and enhance your freedom would stop dead in its tracks, while every gun-ban measure from the Clinton years would be back on the agenda. Second, important House committees would have anti-gun majorities with chairmen personally appointed by Pelosi. This includes Congressman John Conyers-who says that the Second Amendment confers no right whatsoever to individual Americans to own guns becoming chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, where most NRA-supported bills are assigned. Third, Pelosi would be second-in-Iine to the presidency. If-God forbid-anything were to happen to the president and vice president, then Speaker Pelosi would instantly become president of the United States and commander-in-chief of our Armed Forces. As an NRA member, whatever your political affiliation, you cannot allow that ascendancy to happen. The Senate is also at risk. Though it seemed impossible just a few months ago, we are in danger of losing our pro-gun majority in the U.S. Senate. And with it, pro-freedom victories, like passage of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, the sunset of Clinton's gun ban law, fair tax exemption for gunsmiths and the firearm law reforms we've helped enact would be reversed. There is absolutely no doubt that these victories would have a 'short-lived history-and that's not all. If the Senate falls to the enemies of the Second Amendment, if we allow anti-gun senatorial candidates to win on Nov. 7, our hope of seeing a pro- gun majority on the U.S. Supreme Court would vanish overnight. The next Supreme Court nominee with a conservative judicial philosophy, like current justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito, would be crushed by a liberal filibuster, and we wouldn't have the votes needed to break the filibuster or invoke the "nuclear option:' All this would be a prelude to 2008. This White House would be under siege for the next two years, no pro-active legislation would pass, good judges would be kept off the federal courts and everything the anti-gun crowd would do would lay the groundwork for retaking the Oval Office. We are at war. Our freedom is at stake. The Second Amendment is America's original homeland security and you, my fellow NRA members, are at the heart of our national defense. But Pelosi and her fellow extremists, who are hoping to take control, oppose our national security efforts and oppose your Right to Keep and Bear Arms. We had no part in creating this problem, but we must be the solution. You may not be happy about some things this administration or Congress did. You may be angry over a number of unresolved issues. But remember what's at stake. Those who would seize power on Nov. 7 are unrelenting opponents of your values and beliefs. They want to create an America that looks nothing like the vision our Founding Fathers had when they risked their lives, their futures and their sacred honor to create the greatest, freest country in the world. You and I have to protect that freedom. And we have to fight now. Get out to the polls, take your friends with you, volunteer in these last days to make a difference for a good candidate, and let our opponents hear the voice of Freedom's Army roar like thunder. |
Disaster is looming on Nov. 7, and I need your help to save our freedom. I'm not exaggerating. We are at the edge of a dangerous political precipice. If we stumble, we will fall back to a pre-1994 anti-Second Amendment Congress.