[Durangokid]

Big Labor unions and the NAACP are lineing up behind Obama to support this antigun drive. The out of control murder rate among blacks in Chicago is being used to push for national gun control. Obama is Americas second dictator. The first was Lyndon Johnson [D]Txs. who came very close to disarming all Americans. LBJ left us with the 68' gun laws and the BATF. What will Obama leave us with?

[Balota]

Originally Posted by WebleyFosbery38

32% of our nations eligible voters cast a ballot in our last election. Its BS that 90% gripe and bitch about our Republi-Crats yet only a paltry 30% show up at the polls where real change could come.

Write your representative that your going to stop writing to them because they arent listening and start urging and encouraging your neighbors to get off their fat lazy derrieres and register to vote.

I agree with the spirit of your rant. But please note that the other 70% are already registered to vote! The problem is their fat lazy derrieres which they seem unable to drag pooping and farting into the voting place.

They are also generally unaware of the issues (deliberate ignorance) and wouldn't know which candidate (if any) are on the constitutional side of an issue anyway.

Even so, the relatively small percentage of the voters (us) can influence the outcome in a disproportionate way by trying to accomplish the following:
1. Talk to our neighbors, friends, acquaintances, enemies, anyone who will listen, about the importance of the upcoming election.
2. Avoid ranting and posturing. Cite facts and be prepared to back them up with references.
3. Make a point of calling as many as possible of those folks in the days before the election to remind them to vote. Remind them of the issues and your previous discussions.
4. Soft bribery may be effective with some. Invite them to a beer party at your house on election day. Admission: Proof of voting (I Voted sticker).
5. Generally represent our position from a calm, reasoned, level-headed standpoint. Bombast and extremism do more harm than good to our cause.

If we manage to persuade even one or two of our contacts to (a) show up at the polls, and (b) vote intelligently, we have multiplied our influence by a factor of 2 or 3. Think about it. If we represent 5% out of the 30% who vote normally and we "expand our influence" by even a factor of 2 (one of our contacts actually shows up), our portion becomes 10%. In a close race perhaps the 30% were split 16-14. With the 5% extra the 35% becomes 16-19. Guess what, we win!!!

[beastmode986]

This is not how the founding fathers wanted america to be.

If this passes one of you illinois gun owners better have a rifle for me!

[Rugers9]

What's the jest of this treaty if it goes through

[AIKIJUTSU]

Originally Posted by Rugers9

What's the jest of this treaty if it goes through

Our super-star president, being the "Commander in Chief", can issue an (executive?) order for the Army to collect all guns from all civilians. The treaty would give him one more excuse to ignore the Constitution.

[CourtJester]

This is a reply I got form one of my local senators

Dear Mr. Middleton:

Thank you for contacting me about the proposed United Nations (UN) Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). I appreciate hearing your views on this matter.

The illegal manufacture and trafficking of firearms contributes to crime and violence around the world by arming criminals, terrorists, and other militant groups. Illicit firearms, especially small arms and light weapons, can destabilize entire regions by fueling armed conflict and violence against innocent civilians. In addition, the presence of such weapons complicates humanitarian relief programs, peacekeeping initiatives and the development of democratic societies. According to the United Nations, there are more than 875 million small arms and light weapons in circulation worldwide, and these weapons are responsible for approximately 300,000 deaths every year.

Over the years, the United States and other UN member governments have undertaken both national and international efforts to combat the significant increase in illegally manufactured and trafficked firearms. U.S. policy includes attempting to curb black market transfers of small arms to zones of conflict, terrorists, international criminal organizations and/or drug traffickers; encouraging other nations to raise arms export standards to U.S. standards; streamlining and strengthening U.S. export procedures to improve accountability without interfering with the legal trade in or transfer of arms; and supporting the destruction of excess stockpiles of small arms, particularly in regions where conflicts have ended. In July 2001, a nonbinding “Program of Action” (PoA) was adopted by UN member governments, including the United States, that encouraged nations to ensure that manufacturers use markings on small arms and light weapons to facilitate the tracing of illicit weapons transfers; establish procedures to monitor legal sales, transfer and stockpiling of small arms and light weapons; and make the illegal manufacture, trade and possession of such weapons a criminal offense.

In 2008, the UN General Assembly convened a UN Group of Governmental Experts to examine the possibility of an international treaty focused on denying arms to groups that would abuse them, including rogue states, terrorist organizations and illegal militias. Under the Bush administration, the United States was an active participant in the 2008 UN Group of Governmental Experts and endorsed the Group’s recommendations for an international framework for controlling the international conventional arms trade. In October 2009, the United States voted for a UN resolution laying out a schedule for talks on the proposed Arms Trade Treaty, including a final UN Conference on the ATT in 2012.

The United States supported the resolution in part because it states that the 2012 Conference will operate under the rule of consensus decision-making, a provision that was necessary to gain U.S. backing. According to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “as long as that Conference operates under the rule of consensus decision-making needed to ensure that all countries can be held to standards that will actually improve the global situation by denying arms to those who would abuse them, the United States will actively support the negotiations. Consensus is needed to ensure the widest possible support for the Treaty and to avoid loopholes in the Treaty that can be exploited by those wishing to export arms irresponsibly.” In this instance, consensus decision-making means that the United States maintains its right to veto any agreement produced by the 2012 Conference.

Some have raised concerns that UN efforts to combat the illegal international arms trade may restrict the rights of law-abiding American citizens, despite the fact that the proposed ATT is focused on the illegal manufacture and trafficking of firearms around the world. While I believe these concerns are misplaced in regard to the proposed ATT, it is important that any efforts to curb the illegal international arms trade do not infringe on the rights of law-abiding U.S. citizens.

As the world’s largest exporter of conventional weapons and a government that is widely considered to have the gold-standard on arms export controls, the United States has a special responsibility to promote responsible global arms trade. I support ratification of a strong and effective ATT, and I look forward to working with the administration and my Senate colleagues to achieve that goal.

Thank you again for contacting me.

Sincerely,
Carl Levin
levin.senate.gov

[WebleyFosbery38]

Heres Chucks full response. Nice letter, not convincing in any way. He would be happy to be assured that his bodyguards were the only ones carrying.

Thank you for contacting me regarding gun control legislation. Like you, I believe the right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Constitution’s Second Amendment. The recent Supreme Court decisions reinforced this fact, but I believed that this was the case prior to those decisions.

While I certainly respect the Second Amendment to the Constitution, I believe that we have a collective interest in keeping guns out of the hands of those who want to harm the innocent. I believe it is possible to strike a reasonable balance. I have long advocated for faster and more accurate background checks so legal purchasers can receive their guns quickly while ensuring criminals do not illegally purchase and possess firearms. In 2011, I proposed S. 436, the Fix Gun Checks Act to provide more funding to states to compile required background data for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This legislation builds on the National Rifle Association-supported NICS Improvements Amendment Act, passed by Congress in 2007. Ensuring that this information is comprehensive and up to date will protect law enforcement from criminals with illegally obtained weapons while speeding up the process for purchasing legal firearms.

You may also be pleased to know that I have successfully fought to create new opportunities for law abiding citizens to exercise their right to use guns. For example, in the 109th Congress, I secured federal money to expand the scarce hunting grounds in New York State by creating a financial incentive for private landowners to allow hunters access to their property.

Thank you for contacting me about this important issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can ever be of assistance to you on this, or any other matter.


Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator

"You may also be pleased to know that I have successfully fought to create new opportunities for law abiding citizens to exercise their right to use guns." Hmm, thats nice, he should be fighting for all opportunities not just new ones, thats parsing rights not supporting them....

[culdee]

Chuck is your typical double-speak politician and will go down the road of gun confiscation if that is what the supreme leader wants, him and gillibrand both.

[Longrange]

I receiced email from fl. Senator Bill Nelson (d) who clearly stated he opposes any UN treaty.

[AIKIJUTSU]

The "honorable" Senator Levin needs an early retirement party.

Here's what I got from Jeff Duncan, South Carolina - a canned auto-reply:

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office. Each day, I receive hundreds of letters, phone calls, and emails, and each one is important to me. I want to assure you that you will receive a response to your question or concern as soon as possible.
God bless you and your family, and God bless America.

Sincerely,
Jeff Duncan
Member of Congress

So, I guess that means he might read it some day.