McCain Still Trying To Gag Gun Owners About His Record

McCain Still Trying To Gag Gun Owners From Criticizing His Anti-gun Record

A few weeks ago, we alerted you to legislation — introduced by anti-gun Senator John McCain (R-AZ) — which is aimed at squelching the First Amendment rights of grassroots groups like Gun Owners of America.

That bill, S. 2128, is ostensibly aimed at dealing with some of the congressional controversies that have hit the media in recent weeks. A true reform bill would focus the spotlight on members like John McCain, who was one of the original Keating Five senators who were deeply implicated in the savings and loan scandal.

Instead, McCain began his war on real transparency in 2002 when he teamed up with anti-gun Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) to push the Incumbent Protection Act into law — an act that stifles the ability of organizations like GOA to criticize elected officials before an election.

Now with the Gag Act (S. 2128), McCain wants to target his wrath on groups like GOA — requiring them to register their “grassroots” communications and to file twice as many frivolous reports.

If McCain succeeds in pushing an expansive interpretation of his bill (as he did when he convinced the courts to regulate the Internet under McCain-Feingold), then we could see a host of draconian restrictions affecting both GOA and you.

For example, if we wanted to alert you to gun ban that is moving in our nation’s capital, we could first have to tell McCain (and all his other buddies in Congress) about what we’re planning to do, who we’re planning to alert (that is, grassroots folks like yourself), how much money we plan to spend, etc.

Because of Section 105 in this bill, everyone with whom GOA contracts to get the word out (advertisers, printers, etc.) could be required to tell Congress twenty days in advance about GOA’s public information campaign.

In effect, we would end up alerting Sarah Brady every time we plan to wage a grassroots campaign in opposition to gun control.

This is ridiculous!

No doubt, the Gag Act is further proof that grassroots lobbying works. It works so well, that John McCain wants to muzzle it.

S. 2128 — or a bill that is similar to it — is now likely to come to the floor of the Senate in early March, according to Majority Leader Bill Frist. It is imperative that we contact our Senators today.

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Michael & Me

This debut DVD from provocative filmmaker and talk-radio host Larry Elder aims to mirror Moore’s quest for a confrontation with General Motors’ CEO, Roger Smith — except this time it’s Moore himself who is being pursued. “Michael & Me” follows Elder over an 18-month period as he attempts to locate the elusive Moore in order to quiz him about some of his assertions in his attack on guns and gun owners in “Bowling for Columbine.” Prominent in Elder’s mind is the question of how many Americans have managed to stay alive after using a gun in self-defense.

The DVD includes interviews with prominent Second Amendment spokesmen, including several appearances by GOA’s executive director, Larry Pratt. It’s now ON SALE through Gun Owners Foundation at just $14.50.

Please see http://www.gunowners.com/resource.htm to order (and check out the massive, ongoing book sale at the same time).