[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1250-E1251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CREDIT CARDHOLDERS' BILL OF RIGHTS ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 20, 2009

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, reasonable gun restrictions are the 
cornerstone of the Second Amendment. Unfortunately, opponents of 
sensible gun laws have taken advantage of every opportunity to 
undermine the commonsense regulations that keep our communities safe 
and uphold our Constitution.
  Earlier this year, these opponents stalled historic efforts to 
provide District of Columbia residents with a voting representative in 
Congress by including unrelated amendments legalizing semiautomatic 
assault weapons in the District. Today, while the House considers H.R. 
627, the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights, which will grant stronger 
protections for consumers facing excessive credit card fees, arbitrary 
interest rate increases, and unfair agreements with credit card 
companies, we also are faced with an Date unrelated amendment allowing 
loaded firearms to be carried in parks. These gun provisions have

[[Page E1251]]

no place in this bill and loaded firearms have no place in parks. I 
urge my colleagues to join me in opposing these harmful changes.
  When the Bush Administration issued its regulations allowing national 
park visitors to carry loaded, concealed, and operable guns, it was 
clear these changes were not designed to protect Americans visiting 
parks. The Bush regulations aimed to overturn reasonable restrictions 
that had existed for nearly 30 years enabling park visitors with proper 
permits to carry firearms, as long as they were rendered inoperable 
with either a trigger lock or by disassembly. Fortunately, on March 19, 
2009, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly halted the Bush 
Administration's regulations from going into effect.
  Today, with this amendment, the gun industry seeks to go beyond the 
Bush Administration's suspended regulations and put into law extreme 
rules that allow park visitors to openly carry rifles, shotguns, and 
semi-automatic weapons in national parks. This reckless and 
irresponsible policy will dramatically increase the risk of shooting 
protected wildlife, vandalizing historic monuments, gun-related 
accidents for children and families visiting these parks. We cannot 
allow this dangerous policy to be passed into law.
  Our national parks are America's sacred treasures and we must ensure 
their conservation and the safety of all who visit them. Madame 
Speaker, I fear that with this amendment, we are sacrificing our 
national parks and the safety of American families for the wishes of 
the gun industry and we will set a very dangerous precedent.

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