Bush Justice Department Sides with DC to Supremes!

[AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition)]

    In typical, "screw your friends and appease your enemies," 
Republican fashion, the Bush Justice Department has filed an amicus 
brief defending the DC gun ban in the DC v. Heller case currently before 
the Supreme Court.  The Justice Department calls on the Court to 
acknowledge the Second Amendment as an individual right, but asks that 
the Circuit Court's decision in the case be reversed and remanded 
(thrown out and sent back to the Circuit Court) with instructions to 
determine whether DC's laws unreasonably restrict resident's ability to 
exercise their rights.  It appears that the "pro-gun," Republican 
Department of Justice fears that any decision from the Supreme Court 
which held that banning any class of weapons was an infringement of the 
Second Amendment, might open the door to challenges against bans on 
dreaded machineguns.
    It is worth noting that Congress recognized back in 1934 that 
banning machineguns would be a violation of the Second Amendment so they 
instead devised a plan whereby they could control such firearms with 
burdensome taxes and paperwork restrictions.  It was not until 1986 that 
the first ever federal firearms ban was enacted when NRA accepted a ban 
on private purchase or possession of any newly manufactured machineguns 
as an amendment to the McClure-Volkmer, Firearms Owner's Protection 
Act.  At that time, NRA-ILA chief, Wayne LaPierre declared that repeal 
of the machinegun ban would be NRA's top priority in the next session of 
Congress.  Even though Mr. LaPierre has been the Chief Executive Officer 
of the organization for more than 15 years now and receives a 
compensation totaling more than a million dollars a year, no bill to 
repeal the '86 ban has ever been put forward by NRA.
    If the Supreme Court follows the government's request in this 
matter, no firm decision about the practical value of the Second 
Amendment could be expected for at least another four years; many 
thousands of dollars, and at least two new Justices from now. 
    Republican politicians and operatives across the country need to 
hear and feel the wrath of GunVoters over this latest in a long list of 
betrayals from our oh-so-reliable, pro-gun friends.  Write to the 
President, the Vice-President, your Republican Senators and 
Representatives, your local Republican officials and your County Central 
Committee and let them know that your anger will be reflected at the 
ballot box. 
    This is just another example of why Republicans like Rudy Giuliani, 
Mitt Romney, and John McCain are completely unacceptable presidential 
candidates and why Republicans are likely to lose the Presidency and 
additional Congressional seats due to a poor showing from GunVoters in 
the coming elections.
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    We will continue to keep you informed about the important events in 
the gun rights fight.  Thank you for staying on the front lines and 
helping us play a role.  If you do not currently subscribe to our 
bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, or have not made a 
contribution to our cause recently, we would appreciate your help right 
now.  Contributions can be made through our web site: 
www.FirearmsCoalition.org, over the phone at 703-753-0424, or by mail to 
The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA  20108.
    Your support is the only way we can stay in the fight so please help 
if you can.

    Yours for the Second Amendment,

     Jeff
    Jeff Knox
    The Firearms Coalition
    www.FirearmsCoalition.org

P.S. Special thanks to Dave Hardy, Second Amendment scholar and good 
friend (http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2008/01/government_file.php) 
for alerting us to this important development and giving us the, "screw 
your friends and appease your enemies," quote.  JAK