Is Senator Coburn Cutting a “Deal with the Devil”?

 

Is Senator Coburn Cutting a “Deal with the Devil”?

Urge the Senator to break off talks with Democrat Senators Schumer & Manchin

 


 

As you know, the President and his minions have declared war on our gun rights in recent weeks.  But incredibly, Oklahoma’s Tom Coburn appears to be working out a “compromise” gun control agreement with some prominent Democrat Senators.

According to KRMG.org on January 25, Coburn said “he will work with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Virginia) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) to help craft stronger laws.” (Emphasis added.)

KRMG’s website also quotes Coburn as saying:  “I think there’s lots of good things that can happen in terms of mental health screening and checks.  Everybody … if you transfer your car, you have to have a license to transfer, it has to go through that, that’s a responsibility of freedom.  I have no problems with us making sure that we don’t allow guns to get in the hands of either felons, or people who are a danger to themselves or other people.

“I’m willing to work with Manchin and Schumer on that, and going to,” Coburn said.

There are several problems with Senator Coburn’s statements — not the least of which is that Americans DO NOT go through background checks to drive a car.  We don’t require breathalyzer checks before people get into their cars even though drunk drivers kill more than 30 times more people than “assault rifles” do.  Nor do we require background checks on clubs and hammers, which also kill more often than “assault rifles.”

Here are five reasons why expanding our current system of background checks would be a HORRIBLE idea to implement:

Violation of Rights. The principle that no American can own a firearm without getting the go-ahead from the government is offensive to Americans.

Ineffective. One of the nation’s leading anti-gun medical publications, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that the Brady law has failed to reduce murder rates.  In August 2000, JAMA reported that states implementing waiting periods and background checks did “not [experience] reductions in homicide rates or overall suicide rates.”  And to be sure, Universal background checks would not have stopped Adam Lanza (who stole his guns), or James Holmes or Jared Loughner (who passed background checks).

Overreaching. The NICS list currently contains the names of more than 150,000 law-abiding veterans who didn’t do anything wrong (but honorably served their country and then sought counseling for their wartime experiences) — and could soon contain tens of millions of names of Medicaid patients with post partem depression, IDEA students with ADHD, and soldiers, police, and firemen with PTSD.

Framework for confiscation. Anyone who doesn’t believe a national gun registry leads to national gun confiscation should consider the confidential memorandum advocating confiscation and circulated by New York Democrats prior to their most recent round of New York gun control.

Hypocritical. Remember Fast & Furious?  The Obama Administration knowingly approved (via background checks) the sales of thousands of guns to the Mexican Cartel in order to justify calls for greater gun control here at home.  As a result, several hundred Mexicans have been killed — not to mention at least one U.S. federal agent.  Considering the administration’s malfeasance on guns, can we really trust the administration to protect the privacy of gun owners?

Not only are there good policy reasons to OPPOSE any expansion of the background check system, there are good political reasons as well.  And this is something that Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer understand.  If Barack Obama emerged from this battle with Coburn-Schumer legislation which allows him to “declare victory” over the gun lobby (just as Obama is currently “declaring victory” over House Speaker Boehner in connection with the fiscal cliff), it will have far-reaching ramifications.

The Brady Campaign, rather than existing as a demoralized movement right now, would be able to paint itself as having “destroyed the gun lobby.”  Their membership rolls will swell, and they will be an important part of the coalition to insure that a pro-gun nominee does not go to the White House in 2016.

Finally, as with the 1968 gun ban, the 1986 auto ban, the 1986 bullet ban, the plastic gun ban, the toy gun ban, the 1994 semi-auto ban, the 1994 Brady Law, the 1996 domestic misdemeanor ban, the 1996 school gun ban, and the 2007 veterans disarmament ban, the new gun ban will do nothing about horrific violence, but, instead, will merely be a platform for the next set of demands, issued immediately after the next incident of horrific media-generated copycat violence.

ACTION: Please contact Senator Tom Coburn right away and urge him to BREAK OFF TALKS IMMEDIATELY with Senator Chuck Schumer. So, cut-n-paste the Dear Senator letter below, Click here and Take action.

 

—– Pre-written letter —–

 

Dear Senator Coburn:

 

I was disappointed to hear that you are working out a gun control compromise with Senators Schumer and Manchin.  You have told Tulsa radio that you are negotiating with them to help craft stronger gun laws.  But it seems to me that you are only looking to give ground, rather than working to REPEAL the gun free zones that have served as magnets for criminals.

 

Gun free zones have been the location for virtually every large-scale massacre in recent history — Sandy Hook, the Aurora theater, Fort Hood, Virginia Tech, Columbine, etc.

 

Having said this, there are many reasons that it’s a horrible idea to try and expand our current system of background checks:

 

Violation of Rights. The principle that no American can own a firearm without getting the go-ahead from the government is offensive to Americans.  We don’t require breathalyzer checks before people get into their cars even though drunk drivers kill more than 30 times more people than “assault rifles” do.  Nor do we require background checks on clubs and hammers, which also kill more often than “assault rifles.”

 

Ineffective. One of the nation’s leading anti-gun medical publications, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that the Brady law has failed to reduce murder rates.  In August 2000, JAMA reported that states implementing waiting periods and background checks did “not [experience] reductions in homicide rates or overall suicide rates.”  And to be sure, Universal background checks would not have stopped Adam Lanza (who stole his guns), or James Holmes or Jared Loughner (who passed background checks).

 

Overreaching. The NICS list currently contains the names of more than 150,000 law-abiding veterans who didn’t do anything wrong (but honorably served their country and then sought counseling for their wartime experiences) — and could soon contain tens of millions of names of Medicaid patients with post partem depression, IDEA students with ADHD, and soldiers, police, and firemen with PTSD.

 

Framework for confiscation. Anyone who doesn’t believe a national gun registry leads to national gun confiscation should consider the confidential memorandum advocating confiscation and circulated by New York Democrats prior to their most recent round of New York gun control.

 

Hypocritical. Remember Fast & Furious?  The Obama Administration knowingly approved (via background checks) the sales of thousands of guns to the Mexican Cartel in order to justify calls for greater gun control here at home.  As a result, several hundred Mexicans have been killed — not to mention at least one U.S. federal agent.  Considering the administration’s malfeasance on guns, can we really trust the administration to protect the privacy of gun owners?

 

I understand that the New York Times will fawn over you if you ignore the wishes of the people who elected you.  But know this:  If you make this deal, you will:

* Decimate the pro-gun movement and bring the anti-gun movement back from the dead;

* Throw away any chance that your Party will take the Senate back in 2014, or that you will become a committee chairman;

* Turn Barack Obama into a victorious transformational President and set the stage for every other evil policy he wishes to pursue;

* Create the next platform for the next round of gun control.

Please do not sell out Oklahoma for a little praise in the New York Times.

 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,