STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION ON H.R. 5175, THE DISCLOSE ACT

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 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.

And my 2 cents: Egotistic Whining Freeloaders need not apply. Do your own lobbying.

And the sky has fallen! The seas are rising and we are all going to die! The NRA has betrayed us once more!

That would be the case according to the No Compromise Real Wives of the Interwebs.The NRA has managed to carve out an exception from the monstrous DISCLOSE Bill now in congress and the GOA Babies & Cousins seem to have wet their diapers a bucketful ’cause they are crying a river.  Treason! Qusilings! Death to the NRA! are some of the comments seen in the Chic Radical blogs out there and Sebastian tried it best to be polite and explain things.  But ney! The Real Wives of the Interweb grasped at their tactical perms and tore at their 5.11 robes while decrying the depths of back stabbing done by the NRA and how they would not defend their rights. Mind you, they are not bitching at the Democrats, Congress or calling their representatives on this one, that would be too much work and too much use of the neurons. But the NRA is a much easy target so the NRA is it.

However, one common thing most of the “No-Compromise Commenters” at Sebastian’s Blog have in common is this: They do not belong to the NRA. Allow me to repeat:

The Biggest Bunch of Cry Babies tearing down the NRA for the DISCLOSE bill do not belong to the NRA and thus do not fund the NRA or its efforts. Yet they feel entitled to direct its actions & share in their achievements.

Seriously, What the fuck is wrong with this picture? You don’t contribute, you don’t add anything positive, you do not belong to the NRA but have the immense set of balls to complain when the NRA defends its institution and its members?  What fucking moral authority do you even begin to dream you have to even raise one word against the NRA?  You know why you are all pissed and pillow biting?:

Because you were shaken off the NRA’s coat tails on this one. You did not get a free ride. You pull your own weight or shut the fuck up about what the NRA is doing.

The NRA is not a Gun Owners’ Welfare system. Demand your Government Cheese from your No Compromise groups.

PS: Sebastian once more does a great job on a follow up post regarding DISCLOSE and who in the Gun Rights community gets affected.

In Massad Ayoob’s blog, the question of an American Mumbai seems to be flying with authority.

I live very close to an elementary school and my nightmare has always been Beslam. I hope neither takes place.

Although earlier rains have begun to erode the new berms:

Other than the humidity engulfing everything like invisible fly paper, the sun was the enemy.

Today:
Miami International Airport
Lat: 25.78 Lon: -80.32 Elev: 35
Last Update on Jun 12, 5:53 am EDT
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Partly cloudy, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 103. North wind at 7 mph becoming east. Chance of precipitation is 30%

But still I will do some shooting. IDPA Match beckons and I have new shooters coming to the club.  If I am not blogging back by Monday, you’ll probably find me in the nearest ER draped in ice and plugged full of fluids.

On June of last year, a masked armed robber went inside a Burger King in Miami and got his ticket to the other side by a customer with a concealed weapons permit. The citizen himself was wounded in the exchange and in a very amazing and possibly spur of the moment emotional outburst, Miami police spokesman Jeff Giordano said that the citizen was a good Samaritan. “There were a lot of people inside the Burger King; he may have saved lives. It was a brave act.” he was quoted. The Good Samaritan was identified the man as 45-year-old John Landers, a photographer by trade and well liked by peers and neighbors.  Landers was wounded and had to be taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be treated….. and that was the last anybody heard of this issue.

15 months later I find out that Mr. Landers, shot 4 times in the chest, arm and hand, is still recovering from his wounds and he has not been cleared yet of the shooting. His weapon is still in the hands of the police who refuse to return it unless a court order is issued and he still has another year till the DA becomes unable to press charges is any are forthcoming according to them.

I think it was Massad Ayoob said that you don’t win a gun fight, you survive it. This shows the truth of that statement, specially when the legal mongrels decide to make your life miserable by keeping you in legal limbo.

Correction:

I was explained the following:

As to the outcome, Miami PD presented their investigation to the SAO who ruled the homicide justifiable. However since there are accomplice/s, information of sufficient value to warrant an arrest would lead to a felony homicide charge and place the guy in the center of a homicide trial as a star witness. He acted in the manor any of us sympathize with however he is not clear of the legal system. And as (XXX) mentioned, he is still healing from his wounds which, were made with a .380. The civil aspects of this can expose him to jeopardy for I think 2 years (lawyers please correct me if I am mistaken).

He is lawyered up and is properly following the advise to avoid discussing the incident and living a low profile life while trying to get back to normal.