Again, if the NRA doesn’t get this carve out and Congress passes this law and the USSC upholds it, who will speak for Second Amendment rights? That’s right, no one.

The problem, again, is that we cannot count on our own party’s Senators to filibuster this legislation. There is no dancing around that point…which Ms. Mitchells acknowledges. The NRA would be ill-serving its members if it didn’t lobby to get this carve out. I don’t like that it is even needed, but given how CFR came about in the first place I realize it is needed.

Again, if the NRA doesn’t get this carve out and Congress passes this law and the USSC upholds it, who will speak for Second Amendment rights? That’s right, no one.

The problem, again, is that we cannot count on our own party’s Senators to filibuster this legislation. There is no dancing around that point…which Ms. Mitchells acknowledges. The NRA would be ill-serving its members if it didn’t lobby to get this carve out. I don’t like that it is even needed, but given how CFR came about in the first place I realize it is needed.

I’m an NRA life member and I say shame on them. It is ludicrous to believe that those of us who believe in freedom would stop supporting it if our names were to be disclosed. There is a far greater danger in the DISCLOSE Act. It invades freedom giving government to right to regulate and punish political speech. If the NRA had the power to stop this abuse and sold out for its own exemption, shame on them.

We appreciate some NRA members’ concerns about our position on H.R. 5175, the “DISCLOSE Act.” Unfortunately, critics of our position have misstated or misunderstood the facts.

We have never said we would support any version of this bill. To the contrary, we clearly stated NRA’s strong opposition to the DISCLOSE Act (as introduced) in a letter sent to Members of Congress on May 26 (click here to read the letter).

Through the courts and in Congress, the NRA has consistently and strongly opposed any effort to restrict the rights of our four million members to speak and have their voices heard on behalf of gun owners nationwide. The initial version of H.R. 5175 would effectively have put a gag order on the NRA during elections and threatened our members’ freedom of association, by forcing us to turn our donor lists over to the federal government. We would also have been forced to list our top donors on all election-related television, radio and Internet ads and mailings-even mailings to our own members. We refuse to let this Congress impose those unconstitutional restrictions on our Association.

The NRA provides critical firearms training for our Armed Forces and law enforcement throughout the country. This bill would force us to choose between training our men and women in uniform and exercising our right to free political speech. We refuse to let this Congress force us to make that choice.

We didn’t “sell out” to Nancy Pelosi or anyone else. We told Congress we opposed the bill. As a result, congressional leaders made a commitment to exempt us from its draconian restrictions on free speech. If that commitment is honored, we will not be involved in the final House debate. If that commitment is not fully honored, we will strongly oppose the bill.

Our position is based on principle and experience. During consideration of the previous campaign finance legislation passed in 2002, congressional leadership repeatedly refused to exempt the NRA from its provisions, promising that our concerns would be fixed somewhere down the line. That didn’t happen; instead, the NRA had to live under those restrictions for seven years and spend millions of dollars on compliance costs and on legal fees to challenge the law. We will not go down that road again when we have an opportunity to protect our ability to speak.

There are those who say the NRA has a greater duty to principle than to gun rights. It’s easy to say we should put the Second Amendment at risk over some so-called First Amendment principle – unless you have a sworn duty to protect the Second Amendment above all else, as we do.

The NRA is a bipartisan, single-issue organization made up of millions of individual members dedicated to the protection of the Second Amendment. We do not represent the interests of other organizations. That’s their responsibility. Our responsibility is to protect and defend the interests of our members. And that we do without apology.

Should you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact us again at any time.

Sincerely,
Michael Land
NRA-ILA Grassroots Division

“They came for the businessmen and no one spoke up,” etc., comes to mind.

The First Amendment has been left undefended for too long, but it may not be too late. Reminder: It says

Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press….

The argument hasn’t been made that any law that affects free speech in any way abridges it, even if it supposedly promotes it or levels the playing field.

A Supreme Court that can’t see the error in CFR has become part of the problem, not the solution.

Rush Limbaugh compared the current regime in DC to organized crime, which led me to wonder, What is the difference between the Obama Regime and Organized Crime? Organized Crime doesn’t have its own court system to issue final decrees in its favor.

Devide and conquer has always worked well, and apparently still is effective. Dont forget to vot’em out in Nov.

NRA’s unpersuasive argument that it is a single-issue organization,i.e. the protection of 2nd Amendment righs, is infuriatingly simple-minded and shortsighted. I am glad Ms. Mitchell had to wherewithall to point that out. NRA’s making a deal with the progressive left to abridge First Amerndment rights in order to protect the 2nd Amerndment is tantamount to a suicide pact. Hasn’t it learned anything from history? Dealing with the devil to protect your own turf is exactly what the German people did and they soon lost it all anyway. This sort of dishonorable compromising with the left should not be condoned by an self-respecting NRA member. The Constitution and the Republic MUST always come first.

I have been a Life Member since 1962 and think it’s about time to change the NRA management. They have become too big a business and too little a defender of our Rights.
Spiff

During this whole sorry episode I’m reminded of the words of one of our founding fathers: ‘ we must all hang together or surely we’ll all hang seperately’ This NRA ‘cut out’ is wrong on so many levels. I’m an NRA Endowment Life Member and I’m totally disappointed in the NRA leadership on this. I’ve written them and told and encouraged all my friends who are NRA members to do so. Just as it’s time to clean house at the leadership of the GOP, it appears it’s time to clean house at NRA HQ.

Can someone explain to me why we have the situation of the two primary Second Amendment Gun Rights support organizations at loggerheads at this very dangerous time.
This is rank stupidity at a number of levels.
The United States has never had a greater threat to Second and First amendment rights than that posed by this administration, its’ lapdog Congress, its’ drooling and leg shaking media and local idiots in cities and towns all over the country that want “Gun Control”.
This is not the time for stupid and self defeating infighting. Does anybody maybe see that the Libs are loving this and will foster this “fight” any way they can.
Suck it up folks. YOU ARE AIDING AND ABETTING THE ENEMY. As a former Air Force Officer and Vietnam veteran and avid supporter of our constitutional rights (All of them) I am asking you to remove the “Stupid” stamp on your foreheads and bury this particular hatchet. Now is not the time for infighting.

Try reading exactly what the NRA has stated. They did not enter into a deal with the Dems. The Dems handed them an exemption. The NRA has not “endorsed” this crap bill. Some of this bills supporters have bailed because the Dems gave this exemption to the NRA. Pelosi has pulled the bill! The NRA won without fighting thus saving US members a whole lot of money. As I told another national gun rights group, “now is not the time to be attacking each other”. The NRA has not supported “ANY” version of this bill. For the stupid people here that are putting words in the NRA’s mouth, stop being like the Dems.
unfatmatt said; “We have never said we would support any version of this bill.”
No one accused them of that. For instance, they won’t support the version that doesn’t exempt them. Only the version that lets them cut a special deal for themselves.
“we clearly stated NRA’s strong opposition to the DISCLOSE Act (as introduced)”
But not as amended…
Here is a perfect example of self interpitation. The NRA does not support this act at all. I have to wonder which side unfatmatt is on. Are you just an agitator that came here for the sake of helping your new God Obamanation? Most of you are uninformed. Get the information before you start venting at the people that are on your side. Again, The NRA has not supported “ANY” version of this bill. If they do, it will be suicide for them and they know it. Redstate should also get the facts straight before attacking our friends. Shame on you!!!

Tom interviewed Wayne LaPierre on Sunday’s show during hour 2.

http://guntalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_category=podcasts