REGISTERING THE FIREARMS

HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, California Democrat, announced last week that she wants to register guns. Her next move will be to try to confiscate them.

The speaker picked a television show with a viewership of 4.6 million to float the Democrats' coming gun-control push. Questioned on ABC's "Good Morning America" about the prospect of new gun-control laws now that "it's a Democratic president, a Democratic House," she responded, "We don't want to take their guns away. We want them registered."

Politicians and bureaucrats routinely claim that registration helps solve crimes. If a registered gun is used in a crime and left at the crime scene, registration supposedly lets the police trace the gun back to the criminal. Though this turn of events might work on fictional TV crime shows, it virtually never occurs in real life. Criminals' guns are rarely left at crime scenes. When guns are left behind, it usually is because a crook has been seriously injured or killed and the police are poised to catch him anyway.

The few guns left at crime scenes rarely—if ever—are registered to the perpetrator. If they are registered at all, it is to someone else, whose piece was stolen. Despite what Mrs. Pelosi might think, those who use guns to commit major crimes such as robbing and killing are unlikely to respect her request to file paperwork so the government can catalog the tools of their trade.

Numerous examples disprove gun-control propaganda. Hawaii has had licensing and registration of guns for about 50 years. After all of the administrative expenses and inconvenience imposed on gun owners, police there cannot point to a single crime that has been solved as a result of those programs. Given Hawaii's remote island geography, this should be an ideal place to keep track of guns because movement in and out of the state is limited and legal importation is controlled. If registration is going to work anywhere, it should work there. Unfortunately, criminals seem to be able to get their hands on guns virtually anyplace in the world.

Other jurisdictions with a history of strict handgun bans, such as the District of Columbia and Chicago, have even required registration of hunting rifles and shotguns for more than 20 years. Neither the District nor Chicago can point to any crimes that have been solved using registration records.

Read it all.

Hmm, I think I'm going to go and purchase a firearm for the first time. If confiscating legally owned firearms doesn't reduce crime, then the government is indeed trying to wrest power from the people—which is why I and every member of my family should own a gun. The rapid speed and vitriolic nature of these powerful Democrats in moving their agenda is frightening, and despite all I have ever believed about this country and its honor in leadership, I do now believe we are headed for a constitutional crisis with the transnational statists.

Perhaps we may all soon need to defend liberty and the constituion of the United States by own own actions and blood, if this awful trend proves more a taste of reality than unsubstantiated conspiracy theory.

GUNS, REVOLUTIONS, HISTORY

by Charles M. Richardson

Today the U.N. wants to take away our guns. Where's the parallel in our Nation's history? During the past few decades the teaching of American History in our public schools has suffered greatly at the hands of the American Historical Association and others who would manipulate our children. So I'm going to recap some need-to-be-aware American History: How and WHY our American Revolution started.

We celebrate April 19th as "Patriot's Day," the anniversary of Paul Revere's Ride. What was that all about? For starters, here are the first three stanzas of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem:

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town tonight,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore shall be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Then he said, "Good night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar,
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflections in the tide.

Now let us see what that was all about, courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Military Science Department's Battle of Lexington & Concord Abstract. You can download its entirety HERE.

"On the 15 of April 1775, General Thomas Gage, British Military Governor of Massachusetts, was ordered to destroy the rebel's military stores at Concord. To accomplish this he assembled the 'Flanking units," including Light Infantry and Grenadiers, from his Boston Garrison. In charge he put Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn. ....In an attempt at secrecy he did not tell his officers his plan until the last minute. The problem with his security measures was that Boston had become a glass fishbowl. All rebel eyes were watching to see the British's next action, and when the garrison committed to an action, the Americans knew their every move.

"At midnight on the 19th of April the British column, consisting of 650-900 troops left Boston, crossed the Charles River, [preceded] closely by the alarm rider Paul Revere. As the British marched toward Concord, the entire countryside had been alerted to their presence, and rebel militia was deployed to meet them.

"Until this time there was no armed resistance to the British that had resulted in loss of British life. Several months earlier, Gage had attempted to destroy military arms at Salem and met with resistance but no shots were fired, and the British retreated without completing their objective. Lexington Militia Captain John Parker had heard of the events at Salem, and collected his men on the Lexington Green to face the British column.

"At dawn Smith's advanced parties under the command of Major Pitcairn arrived at Lexington Green to see [Parker's] group of armed Militia in formation across the Green. Pitcairn ordered the Militia to be disarmed. In response Parker ordered his men to disperse ..... the British fired upon the small group [which] retreated into the woods . . .

"The British column then advanced to Concord encountering a group of armed militia at the Concord North Bridge. This time when shots rang out the Americans were more prepared, and fired back in 'The Shot Heard Round the World' and so began the American Revolution. The short battle at the bridge was a rout, and the British abandoned the bridge, retreating to Concord center. Knowing that he was in a dangerous situation, Smith decided to return to Boston as soon as possible. In his retreat the real battle began.

"Militia and Minutemen from all surrounding towns had marched toward Concord, and when the retreating column ran into this army they were outflanked, out gunned, and scared. The Americans did not fight as the British did. ....Because the Americans never formed a firing line the inexperienced British had little to shoot at. This ...shooting from behind trees, walls, etc. destroyed the British morale and they broke ranks.....

"... ...The British suffered badly, nearly 20 percent casualties, but more importantly, this action led to the siege of Boston and the start of the Revolutionary War."

Longfellow's last stanza:

So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm, --
A cry of defiance and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
Is the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen and hear
The hurrying hoofbeats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

—H. W. Longfellow [1807-1882]

At the dedication of the Minute Man Monument at Lexington Green, on April 19, 1836, was sung/read Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn:"

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

.....Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die,
and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson [1803-1882]

I hope all of you have seen "The Patriot," as the suffering and sacrifices were great, to bring into being the America that has beckoned to so many millions.

Let us beware of any tyrants who would seize our guns. The illusion of "peace" through a "one-world" government is not worthy of such risk.

Remember. Sir Winston Churchill's inspiring words to British Parliament in 1939 ring true today:

"If you will not fight when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may be even a worse fate. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves."

GUN CONTROL PACIFICATION MEASURES

THEN THERE WAS A LOUD BOOM! Think you've heard everything? Try this on for shock value. The mob origin of Chicago's handgun ban. Now, tell me who else from Chicago is trying to take away all guns...

Dear Concerned Citizen,

The liberals are at it again. In a new bill introduced the first day of the present session of Congress, and with zero coverage from the MSM, H.R. 45 (Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009) targets all gun owners in the USA. While the media the world and everyone else is focused on the "phony plan" to spend tax dollars legislation is sneeking through the House and Senate for more gun control.

This nefarious bill seeks to strip us all of our Constitutional Rights to possess and bear firearms of any distinction. It requires, within the first two years, that all new guns be registered. The bill goes retroactive after two years. Meaning that two years after the passage of the bill, ALL FIREARMS in a citizen's possession must be registered, not just those purchased after the bill passes, and this apparently applies to antique firearms as well.

Every five years the firearm owner must go through a complete renewal process for each weapon owned. Failure to comply carries stiff penalties including confiscation of the firearms and jail time (penalties as high as ten years imprisonment in some cases). The bill also authorizes government searches without warrant, the creation of a federal bureaucracy to monitor firearm possession, et cetera.

The following is a summary of the bill as provided by the Congressional Research Service. If you read the whole bill, you'll find it will effectively preclude the ownership of any firearms by law-abiding people unless directly licensed by the Attorney General :

1/6/2009—Introduced. Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009—Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to prohibit a person from possessing a firearm unless that person has been issued a firearm license under this Act or a state system certified under this Act and such license has not been invalidated or revoked. Prescribes license application, issuance, and renewal requirements.

Prohibits transferring or receiving a qualifying firearm unless the recipient presents a valid firearms license, the license is verified, and the dealer records a tracking authorization number. Prescribes firearms transfer reporting and record keeping requirements. Directs the Attorney General to establish and maintain a federal record of sale system.

Prohibits:
1. Transferring a firearm to any person other than a licensee, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with national instant criminal background check system requirements, with exceptions;
2. Licensed manufacturer or dealer from failing to comply with reporting and record keeping requirements of this Act;
3. Failing to report the loss or theft of the firearm to the Attorney General within 72 hours;
4. Failing to report to the Attorney General an address change within 60 days;
5. Keeping a loaded firearm, or an unloaded firearm and ammunition for the firearm, knowingly or recklessly disregarding the risk that a child is capable of gaining access, if a child uses the firearm and causes death or serious bodily injury. Prescribes criminal penalties for violations of firearms provisions covered by this Act. Directs the Attorney General to:
1. Establish and maintain a firearm injury information clearinghouse;
2. Conduct continuing studies and investigations of firearm-related deaths and injuries; and
3. Collect and maintain current production and sales figures of each licensed manufacturer. Authorizes the Attorney General to certify state firearm licensing or record of sale systems.

Like all other threats against our liberty, we must rise and defeat this bill, slap it down hard.

In order to stop Democratic Party Senators Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein and their fellow gun-grabbers—we need to let the Congress know with thousands of faxes telling them to leave guns alone.

Americans like you who understand what our Founding Fathers envisioned for our nation—and who are willing to fight to defend our Constitution and for what it stands. So please, help the Citizens Committee and me defeat those who wish to gut and trash the United States Constitution.

Help me flood the U.S. Senate and the House with the sea of FAXES big enough to drown each and every Senator and Representative willing to vote away the Second Amendment.

Keep calling your Senators today, toll free numbers include 1-877-851-6437 and 1-866-220-0044, or call toll 1-202-225-3121 AND REGISTER YOUR OUTRAGE at ongoing efforts to take guns away!

CALL PRESIDENT OBAMA, 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414 expressing your disdain and ABSOLUTE REJECTION of all GUN BANS.

DO NOT BE SILENCED–MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

NOTE: We need TENS OF THOUSANDS of faxes and PHONE CALLS and EMAILS delivered to ALL Senators and Representives right away!

For our projects to be successful, we must count on voluntary financial support from individuals who care. Remember, protecting our freedom is not inexpensive. But then, it's impossible to put a price tag on freedom. But together, we can preserve the Constitutional rights our Founding Fathers intended our people to have forever.

For more information contact CCRKBA.

Sincerely,

Alan Gottlieb
Chairman, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

If you prefer to donate by check, please mail to:

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
12500 NE Tenth Place
Dept Code 2098
Bellevue, Washington 98004

If you are still not certain what's going on here, ask yourself this question—why is the liberal establishment even interested in much less think they can accurately account for the massive accumulation of handguns, rifles, shotguns, and various other firearms scattered about this vast nation any more than they can haul in, document, and deport the illegal aliens that are flooding into this country?

Whenever this question of illegals comes up in polite company the pat response is, "Oh there's no way we can round up all these people. The challenge is just too daunting. They are here. We just have to deal with it as a compassionate nation."

Or something to that effect.

And yet, these same laissez-faire liberals dare insist upon this notion to round up, document, tax, monitor, or confiscate every personal weapon in the possession of law-abiding citizens, contrary to the notion of the Second Amendment which guarantees the right of citizens to keep and bear arms, (whereas illegal aliens have no such Constitutional protection).

This ain't Denmark, my friends, but something is definitely rotten in the neighborhood.

VIRGINIA DINERS PACKING HEAT

As the nine esteemed justices sitting on the United States Supreme Court wrestle with the legality of the DC Law banning all hand-guns, in a decision which will perhaps affect gun laws throughout the country, here is one working version of the Second Amendment from nearby Fairfax County in northern Virginia.

THE PATRONS AT CHAMPPS in Reston, an upscale restaurant and bar chain, were eating ribs and drinking beer on a recent Saturday when customer Bruce Jackson stood up and made an announcement: He was armed, and so were dozens of other patrons.

The armed customers stood up in unison, showing off holstered pistols. Mr. Jackson said a word or two about the rights of gun owners to carry firearms in Virginia, then thanked everyone for his or her attention and sat down. And the diners returned to their burgers and Budweisers.

The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) organized the dinner at Champps to prove a point: that the presence of armed customers in Northern Virginia restaurants would elicit little more than shrugs. The dinner—and several other restaurant visits throughout Northern Virginia last month—were a response to comments from the majority leader in the state Senate, Democrat Richard L. Saslaw, who said during a legislative debate that armed patrons would be unwelcome in Northern Virginia restaurants.

"In most urban areas, you walk into a restaurant with a gun on your hip, they're going to tell you to get out," Mr. Saslaw said.

In fact, with a few exceptions, the gun owners got their meals. The group went to eight different restaurants last month—at two of them, they were asked to leave. More often than not, though, their presence failed to generate a stir.

Read it all.