Monthly Archives: September 2010

Pro-gun Champion Under Attack

Pro-gun Champion Under Attack

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Pl, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
http://www.goapvf.org

September 17, 2010

Pro-gun Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is not afraid to stand up to the Washington Republican establishment, and now he’s being attacked for that reason.

On Tuesday, Sen. DeMint split with the leadership of his party and endorsed Christine O’Donnell in the Delaware Republican Senate primary. O’Donnell, who is also supported by GOA, was taking on the most notoriously anti-gun Republican member of the House of Representatives, Mike Castle.

In nearly two decades in the House, Castle voted for, and even sponsored, legislation to ban guns, close down gun shows, register gun owners, and much more. And when the egregious Clinton ban on semi-automatic firearms was set to expire in 2004, Castle wrote a letter to the Republican Speaker of the House urging him to extend the gun ban.

It is because Christine O’Donnell respects the Constitution and the right to keep and bear arms that Sen. DeMint (A+ rated by GOA) got involved in the race. But now, the know-nothing elites in the Party apparatus are claiming DeMint is diminishing Republican chances to win the Senate.

That’s an odd accusation, seeing that their prized candidate couldn’t make it out of a primary even though he had been in office for decades and had the support of major Republican figures from coast to coast.

But even more to the point, if Party leaders were able to fill the Senate with the likes of Mike Castle, the Second Amendment would be in greater danger — politicians like Chuck Schumer are eager to make banning guns a “bi-partisan” issue and would welcome Castle with open arms.

It is no surprise, then, that Sen. DeMint said that “I’ve been in the majority with Republicans who didn’t have principles, and we embarrassed ourselves and lost credibility in front of the country. Frankly, I’m at a point where I’d rather lose fighting for the right cause than win fighting for the wrong cause.

GOA salutes Sen. DeMint for standing up to the RINOs (Republican in Name Only) in Washington. Please take a minute to thank Sen. DeMint by going to www.jimdemint.com/contact-me/ and dropping him a note

And also, if you are able, please visit Christine O’Donnell on the web at www.christineodonnell.com to make a contribution. She is under attack on all sides, and is relying on gun owners and all those who care about the Constitution and limited government to rally in her support.

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice-Chairman

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Obama gives TCU rifle team a warm welcome at White House

By Maria Recio

mrecio@mcclatchydc.com

WASHINGTON — The five female members of Texas Christian University’s national championship rifle team were already beside themselves to be on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday evening at a celebration of all NCAA sports champions when President Barack Obama gave them the first shout-out.

“We’ve got the sharpshooters from the TCU rifle squad. Where are they?” asked Obama as the team members, standing near the camera risers, screamed. “I think that they may be able to give the Secret Service a run for their money.”

Obama spoke briefly to the 650 honorees from 32 schools, praising them for being students and athletes. “You didn’t do it as professionals,” he said. “You put in countless hours of practice for the love of the game and for the pride of your school.”

The TCU rifle team came in for some extra attention because it is the first all-female national rifle championship winner in NCAA history — the sport can have all-male, mixed gender and all-female teams.

“That was so awesome,” said Sarah Scherer, 19, a sophomore from Fort Worth, “to be recognized by the president.”

It was about to get more awesome.

As the president worked the rope line, shaking hands and talking to many of the students, he reached the TCU team members — who stood out in their black dresses and matching purple and black TCU cowboy boots.

“He said, ‘Check out the boots!'” said Caitlin Morrissey, 19, of Topeka, Kan.

TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini, who also attended the event, said the university had given the president his own pair of TCU boots, as well — all the championship teams brought some item of clothing with their logo, which were collected at a security checkpoint.

“It’s a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of us,” said Boschini.

And there was another surprise for the president — team member Simone Riford, 22, of Hawaii graduated from Obama’s Honolulu high school — and was wearing her class ring to prove it.

“I showed him my ring,” she said, and they spoke about Hawaii and Punahou High School.

And, surprisingly, Obama told the TCU team members that he, too, practiced shooting with a rifle. “He said he practiced with the Secret Service,” said Riford, who graduated from TCU in May and now works in Fort Worth.

“It was sweet,” said Morrissey. “It was way more than we expected.”

“It’s a great experience,” said Scherer, who grew up in Boston. “Our sport is not very well known, so to be invited to the White House is very exciting.”

Erin Lorenzen, 22, of Fort Wayne, Ind., who graduated in May, said that she once visited the White House on her eighth-grade class trip. “This time it’ll be inside the fence,” she said beforehand.

Sarah Beard, 19, a sophomore from Danville, Ind., said that winning the championship as a freshman “was a good way to end my first year.”

And being at the White House seemed to top it all off, as Beard described meeting the president as “awesome.”

Coach Karen Monez gave her team all the credit for their championship — and was thrilled that Obama gave them such personal attention.

TCU Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said the women were also outstanding students who had the highest GPA of the school’s teams.

Maria Recio is the Star-Telegram’s Washington bureau chief.

Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/09/13/2465524/obama-gives-tcu-rifle-team-a-warm.html#ixzz0zc5bJ1GU

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Obama Administration Moves to Block the Sale of M1s to Law-abiding Americans

— State Department intimates that these historic relics may be melted down

Friday, September 10, 2010

Apparently, things are going so well in the Middle East that the State Department now feels it can turn its attention to banning the lawful possession of firearms by American citizens.

In a little-noticed decision in March, the Obama administration reversed an earlier decision and moved to block the importation of 857,470 lawful M1 semi-automatics which were being sold by South Korea in an effort to raise money for its military. According to Hillary Clinton’s State Department, this action was taken because the M1’s “could potentially be exploited… for illicit purposes.”

Even worse, a spokesman for the State Department left the impression that the valuable historic relics could even be melted down, as Clinton’s husband did during his administration. Suffice it to say that this is just another reiteration of the same anti-gun political theatre. And the cheers coming from anti-gunners like Dennis Henigan of the Brady Campaign are ample proof of that.

Possession of these guns by Americans is lawful. They are antiques of historical interest, particularly for those who, unlike Clinton and her husband, served this country honorably in America’s foreign wars. And anyone wishing to acquire one would have to go through an Instant Check.

If any American, going into the November elections, had any doubt that Barack Obama and the Democratic Party leaders hate guns and have contempt for the Second Amendment, this is proof.  Reps. John Boozman and Paul Broun are submitting a letter to State Department Secretary Hillary Clinton — demanding that this unlawful decision be reversed.

And we are working with several legislators to offer an amendment on the next available legislative vehicle which would prohibit the administration from blocking the importation — or even the destruction — of these firearms.  Please see the ACTION item and pre-written letter below.

Have you recently renewed your GOA membership?

If you haven’t renewed your membership lately, then there’s a lot of information that you could be missing.  In our newsletters, GOA takes on recent UN efforts to impose global gun control and has provided its members with postcards to inundate their Senators in opposition to any arms control treaties that would infringe upon our gun rights.

In fact, current members should be expecting another update on UN gun control efforts that will be arriving in their mailboxes soon.  We can’t fight all our battles through email and that’s why we need you to be a member of Gun Owners of America.

You can go to http://gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm and join Gun Owners of America for the cost of a box of ammunition.  Get your friends and family to sign up as well.  You’ll be glad you did!

ACTION:
Write your Representative and urge him or her to cosign the Boozman/Broun letter which demands that the unlawful decision against the M1s be reversed.  You can go to the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center to send your Representative the pre-written e-mail message below.

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Representative:

Please stand up for the Second Amendment in opposition to the Obama administration’s anti-gun efforts to block the importation of — or even destroy — over 850,000 legal, historic M1 semi-automatic firearms.

Reps. John Boozman and Paul Broun are submitting a letter to State Department Secretary Hillary Clinton protesting this unlawful action.

I urge you in the strongest terms to cosign that letter with them.  You can contact either Boozman’s or Broun’s office to get a copy of the letter and to indicate your desire to add your name to this effort.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

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