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GOA alert....Anti-gun National ID Card
pickenup
Member Posts: 22,844 ✭✭✭✭
Battle over the National ID Card now moves to the Senate
-- But not before Rep. Paul blasts the anti-gun bill
on the House floor
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
Thursday, February 17, 2005
"The U.S. House of Representatives passed a national ID bill last
week that masqueraded as 'immigration reform.' ... In reality, the
bill is a Trojan horse. It pretends to offer desperately needed
border control in order to con a credulous Congress into sacrificing
more of our constitutionally protected liberty."
-- Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Rep. Ron Paul got it right. H.R. 418 is not about immigration
control as much as it is about citizen control.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 261-161 to send
H.R. 418, the so-called "REAL ID Act of 2005," over to the Senate.
The bill federalizes the issuance of drivers' licenses, an activity
which until recently has always been a state function. Because no
American will be able to fly, take a train or buy a gun from a dealer
without a driver's license that meets the federal standards in the
bill, H.R. 418 has effectively created a National ID card.
The bill's future in the Senate is uncertain at this time, although
Rep. Paul's office has told Gun Owners of America that House leaders
are contemplating whether to attach H.R. 418 as an amendment to the
tsunami relief bill.
Lambasting the bill on the floor of the House last week, Rep. Paul
noted that the legislation gives authority to the Secretary of
Homeland Security to expand the required information that goes into
drivers' licenses, including "such biometric information as retina
scans, fingerprints, DNA information, and even Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) radio tracking technology."
Should this happen, it would mean that the federal government "would
know where Americans are at all times of the day and night," Paul
said.
Moreover, H.R. 418 requires the U.S. government to share our personal
information with Canada and Mexico. Paul was flabbergasted. "There
are no limits on what happens to the database of sensitive
information on Americans once it leaves the United States for Canada
and Mexico -- or perhaps other countries," he said. Paul wondered if
crooked Mexican officials would soon be able to sell thousands of
identity files, including our Social Security numbers, to alien
criminals.
Rep. Paul also informed his House colleagues about the dangers this
bill poses to gun owners, noting that H.R. 418 contains no
prohibitions against including "a person's appearance on a registry
of firearms owners" in the National ID card.
"H.R. 418 does what legislation restricting firearm ownership
does,"
Paul said. "It punishes law-abiding citizens. Criminals will ignore
it.
"H.R. 418 offers us a false sense of greater security at the cost of
taking a gigantic step toward making America a police state."
If the President and Congress were serious about cracking down on
alien terrorists, they would (for starters) get serious about
securing our border. But while Congress funded an additional 2,000
border guards last year, the administration has stated it will only
seek to add 210 new guards.
And while Congress has enacted armed pilots legislation to combat the
threat of terrorist hijackers, the administration has fought this
proposal every step of the way. As it stands today, there are many
pilots who simply refuse to jump over all the hurdles that the
administration has erected for those pilots who want to carry
firearms in the cockpit.
"It seems disingenuous," said GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt,
"for our elected officials in Washington to claim they are interested
in stopping illegal immigrants from operating in our country, when
they have refused to perform the most basic tasks to effectively
secure our border."
ACTION: Please contact your Representative to either thank him for
opposing H.R. 418 or to take him to task for supporting it. The GOA
Legislative Action Center -- at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm
-- will help you to automatically send the correct message to your
legislator. (You can read the two different pre-written letters
below.)
To view the entire Roll Call vote last week on H.R. 418, see
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll031.xml on the web.
And, the entirety of Rep. Ron Paul's floor speech in opposition to
H.R. 418 can be read at http://www.gunowners.org/op0506.htm on the
GOA website.
-- Letter taking a Representative to task for supporting H.R. 418 --
Dear Representative:
I was disappointed to see that you voted for H.R. 418. Rep. Ron Paul
has correctly described this bill as a Trojan Horse that purports to
control immigration, but actually does more to control the lives of
average citizens.
I understand that some in Congress don't think the bill starts us
down the road toward a National ID card. But even the Republican
talking points in favor of this bill state that "the federal
government should set standards for the issuance of birth
certificates and sources of identification such as driver's
licenses."
Federal standards? Doesn't that sound like the language of a
National ID card? Especially when you consider that the Secretary of
Homeland Security is authorized to require any other information he
desires to be included in these National IDs, including retina scans,
fingerprints or DNA information -- or within a future anti-gun
administration, even information concerning concealed carry license
holders.
Some have argued that H.R. 418 is only voluntary for the states. Of
course, the 55 mile-an-hour speed limit was only voluntary, and yet
EVERY state in the union was bribed into following that federal
mandate.
The problem with this "voluntary" system is that if a state chooses
to ignore the requirements in H.R. 418, then citizens in that state
will NOT be able to ride on a train or fly an airplane -- and will
probably not be able to buy a gun from a dealer, as well.
As a citizen who values my privacy, and as a supporter of Second
Amendment rights, this bill concerns me greatly.
I will continue to get updates from Gun Owners of America on the
progress of this bill. So as a constituent of yours, I would ask you
to please reconsider your vote on H.R. 418 -- especially since you
will probably get to vote on this bill again at some point in the
legislative process. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Letter thanking a Representative for opposing H.R. 418
Dear Representative:
Thank you so much for voting against H.R. 418. As you know, this
bill does very little in the way of controlling illegal immigration.
But it will do much to federalize the issuance of drivers' licenses,
thereby establishing a de facto National ID card.
I hope that you will continue to oppose this bill, every step of the
way.
Sincerely,
The gene pool needs chlorine.
-- But not before Rep. Paul blasts the anti-gun bill
on the House floor
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
Thursday, February 17, 2005
"The U.S. House of Representatives passed a national ID bill last
week that masqueraded as 'immigration reform.' ... In reality, the
bill is a Trojan horse. It pretends to offer desperately needed
border control in order to con a credulous Congress into sacrificing
more of our constitutionally protected liberty."
-- Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Rep. Ron Paul got it right. H.R. 418 is not about immigration
control as much as it is about citizen control.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 261-161 to send
H.R. 418, the so-called "REAL ID Act of 2005," over to the Senate.
The bill federalizes the issuance of drivers' licenses, an activity
which until recently has always been a state function. Because no
American will be able to fly, take a train or buy a gun from a dealer
without a driver's license that meets the federal standards in the
bill, H.R. 418 has effectively created a National ID card.
The bill's future in the Senate is uncertain at this time, although
Rep. Paul's office has told Gun Owners of America that House leaders
are contemplating whether to attach H.R. 418 as an amendment to the
tsunami relief bill.
Lambasting the bill on the floor of the House last week, Rep. Paul
noted that the legislation gives authority to the Secretary of
Homeland Security to expand the required information that goes into
drivers' licenses, including "such biometric information as retina
scans, fingerprints, DNA information, and even Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) radio tracking technology."
Should this happen, it would mean that the federal government "would
know where Americans are at all times of the day and night," Paul
said.
Moreover, H.R. 418 requires the U.S. government to share our personal
information with Canada and Mexico. Paul was flabbergasted. "There
are no limits on what happens to the database of sensitive
information on Americans once it leaves the United States for Canada
and Mexico -- or perhaps other countries," he said. Paul wondered if
crooked Mexican officials would soon be able to sell thousands of
identity files, including our Social Security numbers, to alien
criminals.
Rep. Paul also informed his House colleagues about the dangers this
bill poses to gun owners, noting that H.R. 418 contains no
prohibitions against including "a person's appearance on a registry
of firearms owners" in the National ID card.
"H.R. 418 does what legislation restricting firearm ownership
does,"
Paul said. "It punishes law-abiding citizens. Criminals will ignore
it.
"H.R. 418 offers us a false sense of greater security at the cost of
taking a gigantic step toward making America a police state."
If the President and Congress were serious about cracking down on
alien terrorists, they would (for starters) get serious about
securing our border. But while Congress funded an additional 2,000
border guards last year, the administration has stated it will only
seek to add 210 new guards.
And while Congress has enacted armed pilots legislation to combat the
threat of terrorist hijackers, the administration has fought this
proposal every step of the way. As it stands today, there are many
pilots who simply refuse to jump over all the hurdles that the
administration has erected for those pilots who want to carry
firearms in the cockpit.
"It seems disingenuous," said GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt,
"for our elected officials in Washington to claim they are interested
in stopping illegal immigrants from operating in our country, when
they have refused to perform the most basic tasks to effectively
secure our border."
ACTION: Please contact your Representative to either thank him for
opposing H.R. 418 or to take him to task for supporting it. The GOA
Legislative Action Center -- at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm
-- will help you to automatically send the correct message to your
legislator. (You can read the two different pre-written letters
below.)
To view the entire Roll Call vote last week on H.R. 418, see
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll031.xml on the web.
And, the entirety of Rep. Ron Paul's floor speech in opposition to
H.R. 418 can be read at http://www.gunowners.org/op0506.htm on the
GOA website.
-- Letter taking a Representative to task for supporting H.R. 418 --
Dear Representative:
I was disappointed to see that you voted for H.R. 418. Rep. Ron Paul
has correctly described this bill as a Trojan Horse that purports to
control immigration, but actually does more to control the lives of
average citizens.
I understand that some in Congress don't think the bill starts us
down the road toward a National ID card. But even the Republican
talking points in favor of this bill state that "the federal
government should set standards for the issuance of birth
certificates and sources of identification such as driver's
licenses."
Federal standards? Doesn't that sound like the language of a
National ID card? Especially when you consider that the Secretary of
Homeland Security is authorized to require any other information he
desires to be included in these National IDs, including retina scans,
fingerprints or DNA information -- or within a future anti-gun
administration, even information concerning concealed carry license
holders.
Some have argued that H.R. 418 is only voluntary for the states. Of
course, the 55 mile-an-hour speed limit was only voluntary, and yet
EVERY state in the union was bribed into following that federal
mandate.
The problem with this "voluntary" system is that if a state chooses
to ignore the requirements in H.R. 418, then citizens in that state
will NOT be able to ride on a train or fly an airplane -- and will
probably not be able to buy a gun from a dealer, as well.
As a citizen who values my privacy, and as a supporter of Second
Amendment rights, this bill concerns me greatly.
I will continue to get updates from Gun Owners of America on the
progress of this bill. So as a constituent of yours, I would ask you
to please reconsider your vote on H.R. 418 -- especially since you
will probably get to vote on this bill again at some point in the
legislative process. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Letter thanking a Representative for opposing H.R. 418
Dear Representative:
Thank you so much for voting against H.R. 418. As you know, this
bill does very little in the way of controlling illegal immigration.
But it will do much to federalize the issuance of drivers' licenses,
thereby establishing a de facto National ID card.
I hope that you will continue to oppose this bill, every step of the
way.
Sincerely,
The gene pool needs chlorine.