beware of Boehner on gun legislation in the House

[Bay Ranger]

Gun Owners of America
No More "Mr. Nice Guy"
It’s time for Congressmen to get off the pot

GOA has been issuing multiple alerts recently because of the imminent danger that is facing us - as the Senate will soon be taking up gun control legislation.

Much of the focus has been on the Senate. But if anyone thinks that the House – and specifically Speaker John Boehner – is our fail-safe to killing gun control in the Congress, they had better think again.

Speaking on Meet the Press on March 10, Speaker Boehner said that he has "made clear if the Senate acts on gun control legislation, the House will consider it."

Quite simply, that means that House Speaker John Boehner will allow the House to consider votes on gun control legislation.

Not only that, in an article entitled "House GOP Leaders: We can pass gun control, immigration, without Republican support," Breitbart.com reported that on issues like guns, Speaker Boehner was open to "taking rogue Republicans across the aisle to work with Democrats." The House leadership quickly backtracked from this position once the Breitbart article was published.

Regardless, this just underscores how we can't forget about the House, and how we need to keep the pressure on congressmen – especially the Republicans.

Sadly, at a time when the House leadership announces that they support universal gun registry legislation – only to quickly backtrack – we get nothing but excuses, excuses, excuses about why many GOP congressmen have not signed onto the Stockman-Broun letter.

Representatives Steve Stockman (R-TX) and Paul Broun (R-GA) are doing a bang-up job in the House. They are two of the most active leaders working to defeat gun control in Congress.

And to that end, the Stockman-Broun letter uses precedent to call upon Speaker Boehner to reject all gun control legislation unless it has the support of 117 Republicans. This is called the "Hastert Rule." And, if Boehner follows it, virtually no gun control can come to the floor of the House. Virtually none.

So far, more than 25 pro-gun Representatives have signed onto the Stockman-Broun letter - and they should be thanked. But there should be lots more.

It's very frustrating, however, when we have asked pro-gun Congressmen to sign onto the Stockman-Broun letter to tell Speaker Boehner NOT to bring up gun control, but we hear all kinds of excuses as to why they can't.

Here are the types of excuses that GOA is getting as to why congressmen won't sign onto the letter, and our answers to their lame excuses:

EXCUSE #1: One office said it had signed other gun control letters.
ANSWER: There's no quota on your support for the Second Amendment.
EXCUSE #2: Another office said they were afraid of Boehner’s wrath.
ANSWER: You may want to consider your constituents’ wrath instead.
EXCUSE #3: A third office said that gun control was never coming to the House.
ANSWER: Are you going to do nothing until the anvil actually falls on your head? Boehner has publicly stated that Senate-passed gun control would be "considered" by the House.
EXCUSE #4: A fourth office said the congressman had promised to be bipartisan.
ANSWER: Obama's ruthless pursuit of his political goals, at the same time he mouthed words of "bipartisanship" is the reason why he controls the White House and you don't.
EXCUSE #5: A few offices have said they fear this letter is challenging Boehner's authority.
ANSWER: The Stockman-Broun letter does nothing of the sort. It simply asks the Speaker to follow a rule that was established by a former Republican Speaker of the House. No sanctions are stated or implied – it is only a request asking the Speaker to use the Hastert Rule to kill gun control.

Click here to see the list of Republican congressmen who SHOULD BE on the Stockman-Broun letter, but are not.

ACTION: If your congressman has NOT cosigned the Stockman-Broun letter, then please contact him or her immediately. You may click here to send them a prewritten email. Demand that your Representative sign the letter invoking the Hastert Rule to kill gun control in the House.

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I see that our Representative, Miller, has not signed onto the letter. this is what I sent him:

Dear Representative Miller,

I am concerned that Rep. Boehner may allow gun control legislation up for a vote if the Senate approves such legislation.

You have repeatedly professed your support of out Second Amendment rights and I have voted for you based upon your Second Amendment conviction.

I urge you to sign onto the Stockman-Broun letter and to invoke the Hastert Rule to prevent a House vote on any anti-gun Senate legislation.

I would appreciate a response from you regarding the Stockman-Broun letter and if you intend to sign on.

Thank you for fully supporting our Second Amendment rights.

C'mon folks, let's get fully involved and bombard Miller's Office with email telling him what we want.

 

[CCHGN]

Done.....I'm in.

 

[Bay Ranger]

Oh, I forgot to mention that we should send it to all of our friends and relatives in different states that have similar convictions. I've done that. Let's get as many of those Republicans that haven't signed on to do so.

 

[loadtoad1a7]

Sent thanks for the info

 

[Bay Ranger]

OK, here is the typical canned response from a politician:

Dear Mr. blabla,



Thank you for contacting me with regards to the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees an individual's right to keep and bear arms. I appreciate knowing your views about the issues affecting Northwest Florida and our nation.



Over the course of our nation's history, we have experienced several horrific events that have taken the lives of countless innocent people. These unspeakable tragedies, including most recently, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, remind us all that evil knows no boundaries. Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to those whose lives have been forever changed, and while we may never know the answer to the question "why", what we do know is through God's grace and our strength as a nation, we cannot, and we will not bow down to evil.



In response to the recent tragedies, there has been much discussion regarding gun control, gun free zones, mental health, and the reintroduction of the assault weapons ban. Under President Obama's direction, Vice President Biden is leading efforts to end gun-related violence through policies, including an assault weapons ban. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a long time advocate for gun-control and author of the 1994 assault weapons ban, has pledged to pass the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004.



It is important to keep in mind that far too often, we see attention paid to the firearm and not the criminal. It has been proven that infringing on the rights of innocent Americans, as shown as a result of the prior semiautomatic firearm ban that expired in September 2004, will not end violent crime and put an end to all evil. It is my hope that within these discussions, all factors that play a role in criminal activity are taken into consideration. I would like to see the Administration and my colleagues focus on the issue of mental health and enforcing the gun laws that we have in place.



I am a firm believer in protecting the longstanding American right to keep and bear arms. Rest assured, I will continue to work hard with my colleagues in Congress to see that this fundamental right is not infringed upon and will remain opposed to any action that would infringe upon, revoke, or limit that right in any way.



If you would like to receive further information on issues of importance to you, please log on to my website at http://jeffmiller.house.gov/ . As always, please feel free to contact my office if you have any further concerns.




Sincerely,

Jeff Miller
Member of Congress


And, here is how I responded back to him:

Dear Congressman Miller,

Thank you for you canned response regarding your position on our Second Amendment rights.

However, I specifically asked if you were going to endorse, by signing, the Stockman-Broun letter to Speaker Boehner. Again, I am asking whether you will sign on to this letter to Speaker Boehner? Please have one of your staff answer my direct question.

Thank you,

 

[loadtoad1a7]

Ya I got the same response maybe when he actualy reads the email he might respond differently

 

[Bay Ranger]

We can't let them off the hook with a simple canned response. If it is important to us we need to "dig in" and keep pounding on them for an answer. If not, they believe that the canned response was enough to placate us. No risk - no commitment - generic response.

 

[Scrooge]

Thanks for the info. Will fire off an email to Miller right away!

 

[bronxbomber252]

just an FYI, I worked for a while in a legislative office, here is how emails, letters, phone calls, etc are handled.

Employee (usually an intern or low level clerk) receives the Email, letter, or phone call. That person reads/listens, then records that person's name, where they live (town, or district), what issue the person was discussing, and what the person's opinion was (usually just a for, or against but on more complex issues they often have multiple categories to place these in). This then gets added to a excel document. This document contains the stances of every person to contact the office about that issue, their name, and where they live. Periodically and right before any vote on an issue, these excel files are sent to the elected official who then looks at it to get an idea of how many of his/her constituents support or oppose a given bill. Very seldom does the politician see any of the actual letters. Also, the input is not weighted according to the method by which the person contacted the office.

 

[Patoz]

I believe this is the article the OP is in reference to...

Urge Your Congressman to Sign the Stockman-Broun letter
http://www.gunowners.org/alert02202013.htm

And, here is a pre-written letter to Representative Miller that you can send by filling in a little info and clicking send. Just enter your Zip Code for the correct representative. I just sent mine in and got an automated response in 13 minutes.
http://capwiz.com/gunowners/issues/alert/?alertid=62426926


Also...I don't think this is the same thing, but it's from Congressman Steve Stockman (R-Texas 36th), who is leading the fight.

Congressman Moves To Automatically Kill Senate Gun Ban

“The Democrat gun ban is dead on arrival. I will introduce in the House a blue slip resolution that will automatically kill the Senate gun ban,” said Stockman. “Not only are Democrats on the wrong side of public opinion, they are on the wrong side of the Constitution. You can’t strip Americans of their gun rights, and you certainly can’t do it by having the Senate create a national tax on firearms. They are in violation of constitutional limits on federal power.”

A “blue slip” is a resolution that automatically returns to the Senate any bill that violates the “origination clause” of the United States Constitution. The origination clause states “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.”

Blue slip resolutions are immediately considered as a matter of constitutional privilege, are debatable for an hour and are not subject to amendment...

http://www.westernjournalism.com/congressman-moves-to-automatically-kill-senate-gun-ban

 

[Bay Ranger]

bronx, thanks for the insight on how a congressman's office works.

Are you telling me that I will not get a response to my specific question? It seems to me that Miller should be aware of the Stockman-Broun letter and he should have a position on its content. In my response to Miller's email back to me I stated that it would be acceptable for a staffer get back to me. I realize that Miller's time is far to valuable for him to personally get back to me. To me this is akin to me calling Miller's office with a specific issue about the Federal Government. Normally some staffer will get back to the constituent.

Patoz,

The way I understand what is happening is that Boehner has said that if the Senate passes gun control legislation and it is sent over to the House Boehner will bring it up for a vote. The Stockman-Broun letter to Boehner is saying that the majority of Republicans in the House are against the Senate legislation (Hastert Rule) so Boehner should not even bring it up for a vote on the House floor. If Boehner does not bring it up for a vote the Senate gun control legislation fails. That is what we want. That is why we need as many Republican Congressmen to sign on to the Stockman-Broun letter to Boehner.

 

[Scrooge]

Here is the generic response I rec'd... Sent 2 different letters addressing 2A - one, specific to Stockman-Broun; the other concerning ANY new gun control legislation.
This is a pathetic response:
Dear Constituent,

Thank you for your recent e-mail. I value your interest in the legislative process and appreciate your comments about the issues important to you. Your input helps me do a better job serving you and all Americans.

Your input is very valuable and your patience is appreciated as it takes time to respond to the large amount of mail that comes into my office. Please allow several weeks for a written reply.

To receive my newsletter, please visit my website at http://jeffmiller.house.gov/Forms/Form/?ID=414. Thank you again for your interest in the policies that affect both Florida and our nation.

With warm personal regards, I am

Sincerely,

Jeff Miller
Member of Congress
Florida, 1st District

 

[Scrooge]

Thanks for your work on this Bay Ranger. Patoz, I appreciate the insight - I do beleive Miller is going to remain 2A friendly but I share in the feeling of wanting a definite response to the direct question of signing Stockman-Broun... maybe he will sign. I will be checking the website for Congressman Miller's updates and updates to Stockman-Broun via GOA.
Thanks again guys!

 

[Bay Ranger]

I can't believe that more folks on this forum don't feel that this is important enough to join in.

I guess they'd rather bitch and moan here than be active and try and do something.

 

[Patoz]

The reply I got was the same thing Scrooge got. The fact I got it back in 13 minutes at 10:30 pm on a Friday night, confirms it is just an automated reply. But hopefully, the number of emails received about the subject will mean something to them.

Come Monday morning, I'll be watching C-Span for sure to see what happens.

 

[Zeus]

They don't read them and they don't respond to them. They now have "cut and paste" robo emails for everything and that is all you will get back. Plus you then have a good chance of being put on their email list to receive spam emails when they are begging for money.

I now just save time and call to be added as a check mark in the "for" or "against" column. Past that they could care less what you have to say. And most times it seems they don't even care about that.

National Politicians are only concerned with 2 things: making themselves and their families richer, and getting re-elected. Most of them could care less if we draw another breath, and they certainly are not concerned with our views. They do not even read the vast majority of the legislation they vote on.

I talked to Miller FTF about lack of border security during the "08" election cycle. That conversation lasted less than 90 seconds because as soon as he realized I was not a multi-millionaire or corporate head who could help with the 2 things that concern all politicians he told me he would have his office call me as he had to run due to a prior engagement. As he turned his back on me and started walking away I asked him how exactly he was going to accomplish that since I had not given him my phone number. He did not even respond, one of his aids responded they "would look it up"

Funny, I still haven't received a call .......

 

[Scrooge]

Sadly, it is about the 2 things you mentioned... guess we can "eat cake"
I'm still going to write and call - may not do any good but if it's the only shot we have, I'm gonna take it.

 

[Bay Ranger]

I'm gonna call too. I suppose that when I leave them my name they'll think "that it's that ass hole from Gulf Breeze again"

 

[Zeus]

They don’t even care who you are, most times they ask for your zip code but sometimes not even that. I always call their D.C. offices, you can find the numbers online.

 

[Scrooge]

My latest 2 replys from Jeff Miller - same reply to both letters.... :
Still no word on Stockman-Broun.

Dear Mr. Myers,
Thank you for contacting me with regards to the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees an individual's right to keep and bear arms. I appreciate knowing your views about the issues affecting Northwest Florida and our nation.

Over the course of our nation's history, we have experienced several horrific events that have taken the lives of countless innocent people. These unspeakable tragedies, including most recently, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, remind us all that evil knows no boundaries. Our hearts and prayers continue to go out to those whose lives have been forever changed, and while we may never know the answer to the question "why", what we do know is through God's grace and our strength as a nation, we cannot, and we will not bow down to evil.

In response to the recent tragedies, there has been much discussion regarding gun control, gun free zones, mental health, and the reintroduction of the assault weapons ban. Under President Obama's direction, Vice President Biden is leading efforts to end gun-related violence through policies, including an assault weapons ban. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a long time advocate for gun-control and author of the 1994 assault weapons ban, has pledged to pass the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004.

It is important to keep in mind that far too often, we see attention paid to the firearm and not the criminal. It has been proven that infringing on the rights of innocent Americans, as shown as a result of the prior semiautomatic firearm ban that expired in September 2004, will not end violent crime and put an end to all evil. It is my hope that within these discussions, all factors that play a role in criminal activity are taken into consideration. I would like to see the Administration and my colleagues focus on the issue of mental health and enforcing the gun laws that we have in place.

I am a firm believer in protecting the longstanding American right to keep and bear arms. Rest assured, I will continue to work hard with my colleagues in Congress to see that this fundamental right is not infringed upon and will remain opposed to any action that would infringe upon, revoke, or limit that right in any way.

If you would like to receive further information on issues of importance to you, please log on to my website at http://jeffmiller.house.gov/. As always, please feel free to contact my office if you have any further concerns.