[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E756-E757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  OPPOSING THE BLAIR HOLT'S FIREARM LICENSING AND RECORD OF SALE ACT-

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNY REHBERG

                               of montana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 24, 2009

  Mr. REHBERG. Madam Speaker, a few weeks ago, I stood on the floor of 
the House of Representatives to express the outrage I'm hearing from 
Montanans regarding H.R. 45 and similar bills that erode our Second 
Amendment rights and make eventual confiscation of firearms easier. 
Even gun-control advocates understand that this bill goes too far. They 
promise that H.R. 45 will never pass.
   Notice, they don't say it shouldn't pass--only that it won't.
   Some of my colleagues here in Washington, D.C. wish it could pass. 
And that's why it remains so important to stand our ground against The 
Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act and similar 
measures.
   Thomas Jefferson wrote, ``The price of freedom is eternal 
vigilance.'' While public outcry has made H.R. 45 a politically 
unattractive proposal for now, make no mistake about it: if we ease 
back, even for a moment, opponents of the Second Amendment will take 
advantage.
   I recently created a user-group on the popular social networking 
website Facebook entitled ``Fight to Protect the 2nd Amendment Against 
H.R. 45.'' It has been incredible to watch the response as friends have 
invited friends to join and people posted their opinions on ``The 
Wall'' for others to read. In a little over two weeks, the group has 
more than 1,500 members, with more joining every day.
   Sadly a bill like H.R. 45 isn't politically unattractive because 
it's a bad idea. Congress passes bad ideas every day. It's politically 
unattractive because Americans like those in my Facebook group are 
taking Thomas Jefferson's advice and remaining vigilant. It's 
politically unattractive because of the grassroots advocacy that has 
arisen against it.
   To make it clear that advocates of liberty will pay the price of 
vigilance for our freedom, here is a sampling of some of the comments 
that were written on the wall in that angry little corner of Facebook.

        ``The ability to bear arms has much more to do with being 
     able to protect one's self then it does for those hunting. I 
     used a 22 rifle once to keep an invader out of my apartment. 
     I didn't have any ammo but all the guy needed to see was my 
     gun pointing at him when he broke into my front door, he 
     promptly left and I was one less victim of who knows what 
     crime. Don't take that right to defend myself away from me. I 
     don't want to be a statistic!''--Jaclyn Colebank
        ``As once was written, `If guns kill people then pencils 
     misspell words.' As an avid gun owner and 25 year old female 
     I appreciate the constitution and the rights we have been 
     given. The second amendment assists us in protecting the 
     first. If someone decides to break into my home and deprive 
     me of my life, liberty and/or happiness, I am going to 
     protect those rights using a firearm if necessary.''--Amanda 
     Barta
        ``I use to never want to have a gun in my home. They 
     always scared me. My husband is a trucker and over a year I 
     am pretty much alone with just my son in the home. I am 
     disabled so I can't really get away from someone if they were 
     to break in. A couple of guys threatened my son and myself. 
     Immediately I told my husband that soon as he came home we 
     were going to get me a gun and he was going to teach me to 
     shoot. I need to know how to protect my family and myself. I 
     also realize that an unarmed society is nothing but slaves to 
     the government. The Founding Fathers knew that the people 
     needed a way to protect themselves from a government gone 
     wild which is why they made sure we have the 2nd amendment. I 
     am now a member of the NRA and I will not be disarmed. 
     Statistics prove that areas that have gun bans have a much 
     higher crime rate. I am a rape survivor and had I carried a 
     gun then maybe I would not have been a victim. Never 
     again.''--Anita Calbert
        ``If I'm a violent criminal all set to ply my trade, I'd 
     rather operate in an unarmed helpless community than your 
     basic Montana town. What is it about an armed populace that 
     is so frightening?''--Randy Nankivel
        ``The second amendment states, ``A well regulated Militia, 
     being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of 
     the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'' 
     While H.R 45 does not outright ban guns, it would impair the 
     purchase and ownership of arms to the point to where it would 
     have the same effect as a ban, and as such H.R. 45 should be 
     considered unconstitutional. Opponents will claim as long as 
     there is the opportunity to buy a gun, however small, the 
     second amendment would not be violated. This is an abuse of 
     the definition and meaning of the second amendment, unfairly 
     restricting the scope of amendment and marginalizing it until 
     rendered ineffective.''--Eric Fulton
        ``Being a gun owner is not only a privilege but my right. 
     Anyone who wants to take our gun rights has forgotten how the 
     birth of our great country came about. I enjoy target 
     shooting as well as hunting. It is something my husband and I 
     do to spend time together. If we let Congress pass any bill 
     allowing them to take our guns, it would be detrimental to 
     the well being of every American. The criminals will have 
     them anyway and the hard working citizens will have no way to 
     protect themselves, not to mention being able to hunt. 
     Hunting is a way of life for a lot of families, especially 
     families who cannot afford to buy beef etc. I see absolutely 
     nothing positive being gained by taking our gun rights.''--
     Tara Preshinger

[[Page E757]]

        ``Guns have been a part of my life and my family's life 
     since we have lived in the US. It has been a useful tool in 
     feeding my family since we have been here. I am a soldier, 
     hunter, brother, son and many other things and I refuse to 
     let this right be taken from me when all that will happen is 
     it will take firearms from people who use them as tools and a 
     way of life and those who use them for bad will get them one 
     way or another. If guns are outlawed only outlaws will have 
     guns and we will have nothing to protect ourselves with. 
     That's way I say this right is important to me. I am here to 
     protect my family, friends, and the US from all enemies and I 
     feel sorry for the poor sap that tries to take this right 
     away from me.''--Clint Dean
       ``As a U.S. Soldier and a Montanan guns have always been a 
     part of my life. I will never give up the right to keep and 
     bear arms. I say if anyone wants to take my guns. . .. . .. . 
     ...You can try but you might want to wait till I'm 
     reloading!!!!!''--Matt Calnan
        ``There are so many reasons to oppose gun control, it's 
     hard to pick a favorite. I would say that the main reason is 
     that it simply doesn't work. Look at places like Great 
     Britain and Mexico--have they become violence-free Utopias, 
     or do their defenseless citizens now suffer exploded rates of 
     violent crimes committed with total impunity since having 
     been disarmed? If civil disarmament worked well, then Great 
     Britain wouldn't need 40 cameras on every street corner; and 
     they wouldn't try to do it either for fear of armed revolt. 
     What do our leaders hope to accomplish with gun control? 
     Also, how many of them are willing to give up their own guns, 
     or the guns of their bodyguards? Finally, if they take our 
     weapons, will they legislate to overturn Castle Rock v. 
     Gonzales? If not, then WHO will protect us?''--Ian Sean 
     Montgomery
        ``Whether you are for or against gun control you can still 
     recognize that H.R. 45 is simply unconstitutional''--Joe 
     Chollak
        ``A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and 
     emotional maturity.''--Sigmund Freud
        ``I live in Montana and I enjoy [spending] my time in the 
     outdoors. I grew up learning the responsibilities of firearm 
     ownership from my father and my grandfather. I use those same 
     responsibilities in my everyday life. I spend my fall hunting 
     and the meat that I harvest rarely remains in my freezer 
     because I like to donate it to local charities like the 
     rescue missions and the food banks in my hometown. If this 
     regulation becomes readily available and can later be used as 
     but step in the ladder to complete firearm [eradication]. If 
     this bill is put into I know that many families who rely on 
     groups like the food bank for meat will go without because 
     this form of charity will become a distant memory.''--Ryan 
     Belke
        ``Once freedom is given up, or even compromised, it can 
     never be taken back. Compromise, even in the deceitful form 
     of regulations, is not an infringement on the ownership of 
     guns, but an infringement on what it means to be an American 
     and the rights granted, declared, and (supposedly) defended 
     by the government whom the people support. These are our 
     rights as Americans. Take them away, and you take America 
     away. You take away life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
     happiness . . . because that is what Americans are promised. 
     Take away the promise, and you leave us with nothing.''--
     Justin Countryman
        ``If the right to bear arms is taken away, what will be 
     next? One by one other freedom will be stripped away. The 
     right to bear arms gives citizens the right and ability to 
     defend themselves against criminals, and even if necessary 
     our own government. In these uncertain times this is 
     definitely a right we don't want taken away. I've heard a 
     quote and don't know the exact source that `if guns are 
     outlawed only outlaws will have guns.' ''--Niki Griffis
        ``HR 45 makes the jobs of criminals easier and threatens 
     the safety of all law abiding citizens, with it you can also 
     say goodbye to your 2nd and 4th amendment rights! It also 
     hurts a family tradition of target shooting and hunting that 
     so many people share.''--Brant Manley
        ``Honest citizens use the right to bear arms as a source 
     of recreation through hunting, trap shooting, etc. as well as 
     a for an essential source of protection in dangerous 
     situations. We follow the firearm regulations that are 
     already in place. Criminals, however, do not. The only people 
     who will be affected by further restrictions against our 
     right to bear arms will be law-abiding citizens. HR 45 will 
     have no affect on criminals. Instead, the only people left 
     with firearms will be the ones who should not possess them in 
     the first place.''--Christine Hodges
        ``I have seen it argued that HR 45 is simply a bill 
     proposing gun registration. That contention is absolutely 
     false. HR 45 is nothing less than a backdoor attempt to 
     circumvent the 2nd Amendment, by harassing law-abiding 
     citizens into giving up their firearms. Criminals don't 
     register guns anyway. It's quite obvious who this bill is 
     directed toward . . . and it isn't criminals. HR 45 addresses 
     only law-abiding citizens; yet, treats them no better than 
     convicted sex offenders or other felons just because they own 
     a firearm. When the government starts using heavy-handed 
     tactics to suppress the freedoms of law-abiding citizens, 
     then those citizens need to stand firm in defense of their 
     rights, and preserve the integrity of the US 
     Constitution.''--Debra Sullivan

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