A Shot To Repeal A Truly Deadly Law

More Americans Being Killed In DC Than In Iraq
— Ask your Senators to repeal DC’s draconian gun ban

You haven’t heard Dan Rather talk about this, nor can you expect to hear it from Peter Jennings or Tom Brokaw. But more Americans were murdered in our nation’s capital during a recent three-month period than were killed in Iraq during that same time.

Despite the obvious dangers to our U.S. military in that country, the tragic loss of 52 U.S. soldiers in the ninety days following the end of combat operations on May 1 is fewer than the 66 Americans killed in Washington, D.C. during those months.

What is wrong with this picture?

What’s wrong is that Americans have not been allowed to own or carry firearms in this nation’s capital since 1976, when the D.C. Council passed one of the most draconian gun bans in the country.

There were some folks who were grandfathered in, although few of them still live in the city. And even they must keep their long guns unloaded and either disassembled or locked up. In essence, the guns must be kept in a manner that is unusable for self-defense.

This has not only made mandatory victims of many citizens, it has also made the city unsafe for countless visitors who come each year to enjoy the national monuments and historic museums.

Frequently, the nation’s capital is also the nation’s leader in crime. The city once again topped the charts last year, regaining the dubious distinction as the nation’s Murder Capital.

But Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) wants to change all that. He has introduced S. 1414, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act. This bill would finally allow law-abiding citizens to possess handguns and rifles in their homes and businesses, and would repeal the registration requirements for firearms and ammunition.

Putting guns in the hands of decent citizens would send a message to criminals that they no longer have a safe working environment in Washington!

Can you imagine the consternation this would bring to Brady Bunch headquarters? Zapping the D.C. gun ban would be a significant reversal for them and further prove that gun control is not inevitable.

Twenty-three Senators have sponsored S. 1414, including: Allard (R-CO), Allen (R-VA), Bunning (R-KY), Burns (R-MT), Campbell (R-CO), Chambliss (R-GA), Cornyn (R-TX), Craig (R-ID), Crapo (R-ID), Domenici (R-NM), Enzi (R-WY), Graham (R-SC), Grassley (R-IA), Hutchison (R-TX), Inhofe (R-OK), Lott (R-MS), Miller (D-GA), Nickles (R-OK), Sessions (R-AL), Shelby (R-AL), Stevens (R-AK), Sununu (R-NH), and Thomas (R-WY).

ACTION: If you have a Senator who is not on this list, please urge him or her to cosponsor the Hatch bill, S. 1414. You can contact your Senators by visiting the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm and sending them a pre-written e-mail message. Or, you can cut-and-paste the text below and fax it to your two Senators (fax numbers can be found at the above URL in the Elected Officials section).

If your Senator has already cosponsored the bill, please be sure to thank him or her.

Let’s ruin the Brady Bunch’s day by repealing a gun ban in their own back yard.

—— Pre-written message ——

Dear Senator:

Our experiment with gun control has gone on long enough! Gun control in the nation’s capital has failed to keep criminals from getting guns, and has done nothing to reduce the murder rate there.

To the contrary, Washington, D.C. was never the nation’s leader in crime until its notorious gun ban was passed in 1976. In eight of the last nine years, Washington, D.C. has earned the dubious distinction of being the nation’s Murder Capital — despite this city having imposed some of the most draconian gun restrictions in the country!

The gun ban in D.C. is ineffective and unconstitutional. For these reasons, I would like you to cosponsor Senator Orrin Hatch’s bill to rectify this dreadful state of affairs. Please cosponsor S. 1414, the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act.

Residents of, and visitors to, the District should not walk the streets in fear. Sen. Hatch’s bill would bring an end to the “safe working environment” that criminals now enjoy and allow citizens to once again own firearms in the capital of this great nation of ours.

Please let me know what you intend to do.

Sincerely,

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

On Sale: New Pro-gun Book

The Bias Against Guns by John R. Lott, Jr. is now being offered at a reduced price on the Gun Owners Foundation website.

Subtitled “Why Almost Everything You’ve Heard About Gun Control Is Wrong,” Lott’s newest work is an eye-opener. Want to know exactly how pollsters and government statisticians “cook” data to benefit the anti-gun lobby? How gun control is promoted in the national media in the guise of “news”? How gun grabbers actually get their hands on your tax dollars to further their agenda? This is the book for you.

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