Some GOA Updates

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A Portion of the GOA April 11th update:

Gun Owners of America alerted you on Tuesday to the looming battle over
Senate legislation that will determine whether or not you will be able to
carry a gun on lands controlled by the National Park Service.

The showdown has been postponed until later, as Senator Tom Coburn of
Oklahoma (who had planned to offer the pro-gun amendment) determined he
didn't have enough votes. Senator Coburn does plan to find another vehicle
to offer his amendment at a later date. So please stay tuned.

In other news, here's an update on what else is happening on Capitol Hill.

* Several bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives to
recognize the right of Americans to carry firearms in national parks: HR
1897 (Paul), HR 5434 (Hensarling) and HR 5646 (Broun). All three bills do
basically the same thing, except for Broun's bill which would also encourage
hunting on federal lands.

* Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) will soon be introducing a solid concealed carry
reciprocity bill. Modeling the old Hostettler bill from previous
Congresses, this bill would allow anyone -- who is recognized by his state
of residence to carry a firearm concealed -- to carry his gun anywhere in
the country. This bill means that even residents of Vermont and Alaska, who
can legally carry without a permit, would be given reciprocity by the
Boozman bill.

And hey, my good ol' Senator, Frankie Lautenberg, emailed me his response on S. 2619:

Thank you for contacting me about legislation to allow loaded weapons in national parks (S. 2619). I oppose this legislation, and appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

In 1983, then-Secretary of the Interior James Watt approved regulations to require gun owners to place their weapons somewhere out of reach, such as in a car trunk, when in a national park. The rules were instated to protect the millions of visitors to national parks each year and the animals that call these refuges home.

The so-called "Protecting Americans from Violent Crime Act of 2008," introduced by Senator Coburn (R-OK) would instead permit people to bring loaded weapons into national parks. This legislation could make it more difficult to protect visitors at these parks and harm animals by making it easier for poachers to walk through parks with loaded weapons. Please be assured that I oppose this ill-conceived legislation.

Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue.

I feel better now.