GOA Urges Supporters to ‘Stop Schumer’s Gun Control’

It’s not that Schumer is ANTI-gun. He just wants to be on the side that controls them.

“Many Americans have been permanently prevented from purchasing firearms because of a Chuck Schumer amendment — enacted in the early 1990s — that prevents many potential gun buyers from getting their rights restored,” Gun Owners of America notes in a Wednesday action alert. The rights group is urging members and supporters to “contact the House CJS Subcommittee chairman, Rep. John Culberson. Urge him to remove the anti-gun Schumer amendment from the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill — thus, deleting the anti-gun language from federal law.”

Huh? What in the world is that about?

It all starts with the so-called “Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986.” That’s the one that “compromised” and horse-traded on the right to keep and bear arms, the one right where the mandate is that it “shall not be infringed.” It was intended to “correct” abuses by ATF highlighted in a 1982 Senate Subcommittee report, and it did that by assuming powers nowhere delegated in the Constitution.  Among the “concessions” is the general ban on private citizen ownership of post-enactment (May 19, 1986) machine guns (which some, typically those owning guns with artificially hyper-inflated values, seem to like just fine for some reason).

What did “We the People” get in return? Among other things, a supposed registry prohibition, and supposed “safe passage” to transport firearms while traveling through states that banned their own citizens from such firearms (and we’ve seen how well that’s worked in places like New Jersey). And “we” were also supposed to get the ability — for those who have run afoul of the “law” and are designated “prohibited persons” — to apply for restoration of rights.

An undeniable truth (well, the antis can deny it, but they’d be wrong) is that anyone who can’t be trusted with a gun can’t be trusted without a custodian. As far as released felons are concerned, if they’re still truly dangerous, Robert J. Kukla made a brilliant observation in his classic “Gun Control,” equating their release with opening the cage of a man-eating tiger and expecting a different result.

A dangerous character?

Understand this isn’t an “Arm Charlie Manson” effort. There are plenty of hoops—starting with ATF and ending in federal courts – an applicant must jump through to prove he is no danger to himself and others. Does anyone really think Martha Stewart and Scooter Libby are going to engage in drive-bys?

As we’ve seen, a lifetime prohibition can be imposed for something as simple as throwing keys, or tearing a pocket. Or for refusing to comply with citizen disarmament edicts.

“For roughly 25 years, the ‘Schumer amendment’ to the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Bill has prohibited any federal funds from being used to restore anyone’s constitutional rights,” GOA explains. “So for much of this time, if a person were a veteran with PTSD, they’re out of luck. If they had a conviction for a federal regulatory offense — fifty years ago — they’re out of luck. They will NEVER get their guns back, thanks to Democrat Chuck Schumer.”

The amendment has been included annually in appropriations as part of the “compromise” with Democrats – the same politicians who want to restore voting rights to their overwhelmingly supportive demographic of felons.  And past appeals to remove it from the bill have been ignored, in large part because most gun owners are unaware of the shenanigans, and too few are committed to turning up the heat and exacting a political cost on Republicans who betray them.

If you’re going to lead, Rep. Culberson, then lead.

“So please, Congressman Culberson, make the right choice and delete the Schumer amendment from this year’s Commerce-Justice-Science ‘chairman’s mark,’” GOA asks in a representative message intended for members to amplify.

I’d go a step further. I’d let Culberson know that with an “A”-rating from GOA and with an “A+” and endorsement from NRA, I shouldn’t have to be sending polite form mailers asking him to “please” do his job. He’s happy to accept gun owners support and to represent himself as a Second Amendment leader and champion.  It’s not too much to expect him to act like one and to vocally lead the charge on this, especially since it’s taking place in his wheelhouse.

He did take an oath, right? And he presumably understands its importance?

I’d also let GOA and NRA know that if they’re going to sell these guys to us, we’re relying on them to make that expectation known as a condition of endorsement.

Spreading ‘Lies of Omission’ Can Be a Good Thing

T.L. Davis (L) shares ideas (and some beer) around my fire pit.

“David – I’m in the locale. Would you like me to stop by with a rough cut of the film?” T.L. Davis emailed me yesterday afternoon.

He was passing through Ohio on his way westward after wrapping up some last-minute items with Gun Owners of America’s Larry Pratt in Virginia. Larry is one of the interview subjects featured in the 12 Rounds Production documentary “Lies of Omission,” a film intended to broach and explore what the media and political establishment suppress and pass on to Millenials “unique perspectives on American Freedom … and … demonstrate the value of America and what is worth saving.”

T.L. was on a tight schedule to make the film’s pre-release work-in-progress screening Saturday in Cañon City, Colorado. I texted him a directions link and he got to my place around 5:00 p.m. He took a few more establishment shots for possible inclusion in the final cut and we loaded his disc in the DVD player. I gotta say, although you can dismiss my opinion as subjective if you like (because it kind of is), I really enjoyed it, and not just because I’m in it.

Also part of the documentary are former SEAL and “bleeding edge” novelist Matt Bracken of Enemies Foreign and Domestic trilogy fame, “freedomista” author Claire Wolfe, liberty writer Kit Perez of the Patrick Henry Society, Order of the White Rose and Liberty Nation, and my departed friend and colleague, citizen journalist Mike Vanderboegh.

The film was moderated and directed by T.L.’s daughter Sammi Lee Davis, a recent film school graduate and budding professional. The intent is to pass on a liberty message to people of her generation, and as such, she was the catalyst for ensuing conversations. It’s also evident that it’s a labor of love, and a testament of the type of bond a father can have with his daughter.

Naturally, with the people involved, the discussion heavily involved Second Amendment principles, but in the context of being a means of protecting all freedoms. There’s also history, personal anecdotes, philsophical discussions, the importance of the Constitution, the unfolding totalitarian threats the target audience will face. And what you’ll get are real responses from the interviewees. No one was given questions in advance.

We had all been filmed separately over the course of many months as T.L. and Sammi Lee traveled to where we each live — they’d actually visited with Vanderboegh in Alabama almost a year before they made it up north to see me. T.L.tells me they have much more footage of Mike that can be part of a separate project — hours of conversation with the guy that won’t fit into the current documentary, but will certainly be a legacy resource I’m expecting to hear more about.

As an aside, having Mike in my living room on the big screen almost made me forget he’s gone, and made watching all the more poignant when the reality of his passing would creep in unbidden and inescapable.

With the documentary watched and discussed (it turns out most of my suggestions had already been incorporated in a later edit), we went to dinner at a local restaurant and then came back to enjoy the first fire of the season in my backyard fire pit. We were joined by my oldest son, 26, his girlfriend, 23, and my youngest son, 22. They’re exactly the audience T.L. finds critical for passing the film’s messages on to, and among the age group most heavily influenced by ANTIFA subversion. They and T.L. hit it right off and were engaged and interested, and he told me later how much he enjoyed the almost nonstop exchange of agreeable ideas about freedom and perspectives on the conditions we face. I also got a call from Armed American Radio host and friend Mark Walters, and that gave me a chance to introduce him to T.L. over the phone.

The conversation and the fire lasted ’til 1:00 a.m., at which point I put T.L. up in the guest room and set the coffeemaker up for morning. He rousted me four hours later so we could say goodbye and he could get back on the road to make the screening in time.

As I said earlier, I’m biased, but I factor that in to my endorsement of this project and how much I enjoyed seeing the near-finished product. There are some trailers that have been released that will give you a taste of what T.L.and Sammi have created, but just a taste. After seeing the rough cut, I want more and can’t wait to see the final.

You can find out more about this project(and help out with the financing!) at:

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