Pending Legislation: Second Amendment Protection (H.R.1762)

Josey1

Congressional Legislation Brady LawBill # H.R.1762Original Sponsor:Ron Paul (R-TX 14th)Cosponsor Total: 4(last sponsor added 10/04/2001) 1 Democrats 3 Republicans About This Legislation:Congressman Ron Paul recently stated, "Hard as it may be to believe, the Supreme Court recently ruled that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has the authority to retain personal information regarding law-abiding gun owners in a database. The court found that Congress granted the BATF this power as part of the Brady law. Attorney General Ashcroft has announced the FBI will not exercise this power - but nothing stops a future attorney general from ordering the FBI to compile a database of every gun owner in the country!"H.R. 1762 - The Second Amendment Protection Act of 2001 would 1) repeal the Brady law; 2) repeal the semi-automatic ban; 3) repeal the unconstitutional distinction of discriminating against firearms which an anti-gun president may find are "not particularly suited for sporting purposes."In the seven years since enactment of the Brady law, there have been no credible studies to demonstrate that the Brady law has reduced crime.On the contrary, states which have enacted "concealed carry" laws have experienced dramatic reductions in crime. States which have spent money for policing and for the construction of prisons have experienced reductions in crime. The Brady law, however, has had no effect.It is time for this unlawful (unconstitutional) and counterproductive statute to be repealed. Detailed, up-to-date bill status information on H.R.1762. http://capwiz.com/liberty/issues/bills/?bill=46238

Josey1

Congressional Legislation Lautenberg AmendmentBill # H.R.1455Original Sponsor:Virgil Goode (I-VA 5th)Cosponsor Total: 25(last sponsor added 12/06/2001) 3 Democrats 1 Independents 21 Republicans About This Legislation:H.R. 1455 -- States' Rights and Second and Tenth Amendment Restoration Act of 2001, introduced by Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode, would repeal the Lautenberg amendment.Enacted in 1996, the counterproductive and overbearing Lautenberg amendment imposes a lifetime ban on anyone who was ever convicted of a domestic misdeanor.Battered wives trying to defend themselves against their abusive husbands -- parents applying corporal punishment to their deliquent children -- innocent spouses caught in he-said-she-said rounds of fraudulent charges in connection with messy divorces -- all of these victims have found themselves doubly victimized when the Lautenberg amendment took away their constitutional right to defend themselves.Furthermore, because police were not exempted from the Lautenberg amendment, police departments throughout the country have confronted the possibility of widespread dismissals. In addition, the Lautenberg amendment was retroactive resulting in the possibility that law-abiding citizens could be disarmed for minor offenses commited 50 years earlier.The Goode bill would change all of this nonsense. By repealing the Lautenberg amendment, H.R. 1455 would send this unconstitutional and unwise gun control measure into the oblivion it so richly deserves.

Josey1

Congressional Legislation Citizens' Self-DefenseBill # H.R.31Original Sponsor:Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD 6th)Cosponsor Total: 70(last sponsor added 01/23/2002) 11 Democrats 1 Independents 58 Republicans About This Legislation:Two and a half million times a year, Americans use firearms to defend themselves, their homes, and their families against criminal threats.Sadly, the anti-gun zealotry of some liberal jurisdictions is so extreme that prosecutors are more intent on punishing the armed victim than the predatory criminal.H.R. 31 -- Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2001, introduced by Maryland Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, would reaffirm the right to use a firearm to protect yourself, your family, and your home. As such, it would preempt any state or local statute or decision seeking to limit that Second Amendment right.Furthermore, H.R. 31 would allow aggrieved gun owners to bring an action against local officials for damages, injunctive relief and such other relief as the court deems appropriate.Jurisdictions (such as Texas) which have expanded the rights of citizens to use firearms to defend themselves have uniformly witnessed dramatic drops in homicide and crime rates.By emboldening gun owners to maintain and carry firearms for self-defense, H.R. 31 would be a major step toward reducing crime and reaffirming the constitutional principles articulated by our country's founders.

Josey1

Congressional Legislation UN Gun BanBill # H.RES.197Original Sponsor:Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD 6th)Cosponsor Total: 16(last sponsor added 09/05/2001) 16 Republicans About This Legislation:Don't be fooled into thinking that the threat by the recent United Nations Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons has been eliminated or minimized. The well-paid bureaucrats of the United Nations and numerous non-governmental organizations will relentlessly work to ban the private ownership of firearms worldwide.The Washington Post reported on July 21, 2001: "The European Union has also been seeking an agreement from the United States to back a followup conference on small arms in five years. 'We want to get something to leave the door open, to make this a continuing process that leads to something that is legally binding,' the European diplomat said."Although ostensibly convened to deal with international trafficking of firearms, the delegate from the Republic of Ireland stated the real purpose of the United Nations Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons by saying: "States must stop exporting small arms and light weapons to all except other governments. All states must suppress private ownership of small arms and light weapons."H. Res. 197 would express the sense of the House of Representatives that 1) the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms; 2) any conference or treaty infringing on this right is unconstitutional; 3) the president should reject the anti-gun decrees and proclamations of the United Nations Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons. Detailed, up-to-date bill status information on H.RES.197.

Josey1

Congressional Legislation Allow Armed PilotsBill # H.R.2896Original Sponsor:Ron Paul (R-TX 14th)Cosponsor Total: 20(last sponsor added 11/13/2001) 5 Democrats 1 Independents 14 Republicans About This Legislation:9/14/01 "Washington, DC: In the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist bombings in New York and Washington, Congressman Ron Paul has introduced legislation designed to help airlines fight terrorism. The 'Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001' insures that pilots and law enforcement personnel assigned to protect aircraft will be permitted to carry firearms. Specifically, the bill would allow airlines to establish policies for arming pilots or sky marshals, so they could protect their own lives and the lives of their passengers- as well as possibly thousands on the ground below." -- Press Release of Congressman Ron PaulH.R. 2896 - The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001To provide for the safety of United States aviation and the suppression of terrorism.SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.This Act may be cited as the `Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001'.SEC. 2. FINDINGS.Congress finds the following:(1) On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked 4 civilian aircraft, crashing 2 of the aircraft into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, and another of the aircraft into the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C.(2) Thousands of innocent people were killed or injured as a result of these attacks, including the passengers and crews of the 4 aircraft, workers in the World Trade Center and in the Pentagon, rescue workers, and bystanders.(3) These attacks destroyed both towers of the World Trade Center, as well as adjacent buildings, and seriously damaged the Pentagon.(4) These attacks were by far the deadliest terrorist attacks ever launched against the United States and, by targeting symbols of United States strength and success, clearly were intended to intimidate the Nation and weaken its resolve.SEC. 2. AVIATION SAFETY AND SUPPRESSION OF TERRORISM.Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no department or agency of the Federal Government shall prohibit any pilot, copilot, or navigator of an aircraft, or any law enforcement personnel specifically detailed for the protection of that aircraft, from carrying a firearm. Detailed, up-to-date bill status information on H.R.2896