Gun Control Education Bill STALLED!

 

Good News, Your Phone Calls & E-mails Have Made A Difference!
— Gun control education bill stalls for the moment

Your activism has gotten the attention of folks on Capitol Hill. Here’s what has happened since GOA sent out the last alert on H.R. 1078, the bill that would set up Presidential Academies for training teachers — training that would almost certainly track the anti-gun curriculum which is now being taught in schools:

* After hearing from gun owners, one cosponsor of the bill, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), has removed her name as cosponsor of the bill;

* Other cosponsors have called the GOA offices, now that they have been made aware of the dangers in the bill because of the calls and e-mails coming from their constituents — specifically, gun owners;

* Hill sources have told GOA that a group of current cosponsors of H.R. 1078 have indicated they might remove their names from the bill; and

* The White House (which is in strong support of this bill) called Gun Owners of America to express their concern over the mounting opposition against the bill.

A White House spokesman called GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt last week in an attempt to allay our fears with the bill. The White House repeated several times that gun owners were an important constituency, and they wanted to assure us that there were no mandates in the bill that would endanger gun owners rights.

“Not true,” Pratt responded, “federal funding equals mandates.” The bill authorizes millions of dollars to be spent for training teachers in history and civics. We have already seen how such “strings” have moved education in this country towards a pro-UN and anti-gun direction in the subsidized textbooks which are currently being used in public schools.

For example, We the People — a federally subsidized textbook — chips away at our national sovereignty, praises our dependence upon the United Nations, downplays the Founders’ vision on the importance of federalism, and desecrates the Bill of Rights, suggesting that our Second Amendment rights are not relevant for today.

As we reported earlier, supporters of H.R. 1078 wanted to get the bill to the President before Constitution Day on September 17. But thanks to your activism, the bill has stalled for now.

Because of the defections (mentioned above), the bill’s prime sponsor is considering amendments to “improve” the bill and safeguard the rights of gun owners. While GOA appreciates such efforts, we have reminded Hill offices that the Constitution offers no authority at all for spending money in this area.

ACTION: Please contact the White House and let the folks there hear gun owners’ concerns directly. They are already feeling the heat from Representatives in Congress (who in turn, were feeling the heat from you guys). But the White House is still pushing strongly in favor of this bill. It is important that they hear directly from you.

You can contact the President by visiting the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm and sending him a pre-written e-mail message. Or, you can cut-and-paste the text below and fax it to him at 202-456-2461.

—— Pre-written message ——

Dear President Bush:

As a firm believer in the Second Amendment, I am very concerned about legislation that will continue to dumb down the next generation of Americans. Specifically, I’m referring to H.R. 1078, and its companion bill, S. 504.

This legislation would fund Presidential Academies that will train educators in history and civics, but there are no safeguards that the Academies will steer clear of the already existing anti-gun education that is prevalent in the public schools.

For example, We the People is a federally subsidized book that gives a “road map” that the Presidential Academies might very well follow. And what is seen in We the People is quite shocking.

The book chips away at our national sovereignty, praises our dependence upon the United Nations, downplays the Founders’ vision on the importance of federalism, and desecrates the Bill of Rights, suggesting that our Second Amendment rights are not relevant for today.

Clearly, there is an existing problem that should be corrected before we launch any new ventures — such as the proposed Presidential Academies. Although I would remind you that the Constitution provides no authority in Article I, Section 8 for Congress to fund such Academies.

Again, this bill poses a great danger to my Second Amendment rights, and I would hope that you will never sign a bill that will fund the training of teachers in such a radical, revisionist ideology.

We already have too much Federal involvement in education, and the results have not been good. As control over education becomes more and more federalized, it seems that the ideas which children are learning become more and more radical. Please do not support S. 504 and H.R. 1078, two bills which are decidedly anti-gun.

Sincerely,

****************************

Question: What fights like a pit bull, but looks good in a suit and tie?

Answer: A Gun Owners of America lobbyist.

Just ask Rep. John Hostettler, Republican Congressman from Indiana:

“Gun Owners of America is the pit bull of the Second Amendment. They are relentless and never give any ground whatsoever to the gun grabbers.”

Have You Joined GOA?
Your Membership in GOA Gives You:

  1. A no-compromise voice in Washington, D.C.
  2. Pre-written letters and postcards to help you lobby your Congressmen
  3. Experienced spokesmen to defend your rights in the media
  4. In-depth research and analysis
  5. Valuable discounts

Please join GOA today!

Simply go to http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm and join with hundreds of thousands of other Americans who have already sided with the nation’s only national, no-compromise gun lobby.