The unconstitutional law banning import and manufacture of certain militia rifles (so-called "assault weapons") and magazines holding over 10 cartridges, passed by the Democrats and a few worthless Republicans in 1994, will expire in 2004.

Incredibly, George W. Bush says he is in favor of continuing it, and incredibly, John Ashcroft says he will enforce this unconstitutional law.

While George Bush and John Ashcroft occasionally support the Second Amendment, and are certainly better than Bill Clinton and most Democrats, their practice of helping gun owners in one area while seriously hurting them in another is unacceptable.

It was GUN OWNERS who put Mr. Bush in office, and he is stabbing them in the back with his support of the '94 militia rifle/magazine ban. I doubt the current NRA management will raise an outcry over this betrayal, seeing that they have taken that organization from trying to prevent or repeal unconstitutional gun laws to calling for their strict enforcement, thereby joining hands with Handgun Control Incorporated, or whatever they're called this week.

It is an absolute OUTRAGE that the federal government -- which is basically nothing more than a temporary collection of our employees, including George Bush -- is enforcing an edict banning the very firearms that the Second Amendment implies, via the militia clause, are the most important. That is, rifles suitable for military (militia) use.

Gun owners absolutely must grasp the political reality clearly expressed by "Morgan", who runs http://www.CitizenSpokane.com, which is: There is no such thing as gun control, only incremental gun prohibition.

Gun owners absolutely must grasp another political reality, which is: Allowing the government to get away with dictating the features of SOME guns sets the judicial, legislative, and psychological precedent for allowing them to dictate the features of ALL guns.

It is an absolute OUTRAGE that the government (including George Bush) is telling you and me, as though we were idiot children playing with toys, that our ammunition feeding devices cannot hold more than 10 cartridges. Where did this number come from? Answer: Nowhere. It's arbitrary. What's to prevent it from being arbitrarily reduced to 8? Or 4? Answer: Nothing.

The semi-automatic rifles currently banned by the federal government are no different in basic form and function from all other semi-automatic rifles. So if these banned semi-automatic rifles are bad for society (as the ban clearly implies), then wouldn't it be best if all semi-automatic and/or high-capacity rifles and shotguns were banned?

Think it can't happen? Ask gun owners in Australia, where they can't even own a pump shotgun these days. It happened.

The Democrats are pushing now to ban .50 BMG caliber rifles, which have been legal to own and shoot for about 80 years. You don't care? You will care when precisely the same rationale for banning it (too big, too powerful, no one real needs a caliber/cartridge/bullet that big) is used to ban all .50+ caliber cartridges and bullets, including black powder. You will care when precisely the same rationale is extended to ban your .458 Winchester Magnum, and then your .375 Weatherby Magnum, and then your .30-'06.

Think it can't happen? Take a look at wretched England. It happened.

And the ban on normal capacity magazines? If magazines holding 11 rounds are bad for society (as the ban clearly implies) then wouldn't it be better if we reduced the capacity to 5 rounds instead of 10? Think it couldn't happen here? Let me ask you something -- did you ever imagine that the federal government would prohibit you, an adult American citizen, from buying, selling, or manufacturing a new firearm magazine holding 11 rounds or more? It happened.

Just a reminder: George Bush thinks that's a good idea, let's keep that ban. John Ashcroft says fine, he'll enforce that ban. So much for the Constitution as the "supreme law of the land," so much for the Second Amendment, so much for "infringed".

We must start right now in pressuring Bush to let that 1994 ban on our rights DIE, and we must keep up the pressure. We must let Bush and the Republican party know that if they don't support our rights we will either refuse to go to the polls or we will vote for a third party.

If that idea terrifies you, then you don't understand politicians. They understand one thing -- votes. If you give them your vote even when they sell you out, they'll keep selling you out. You cannot send a more powerful message to a politician or a political party than either refusing to vote--and telling them why--or voting for someone else--and telling them why.

Don't believe me? Then why has the Republican party folded on principle after principle, becoming the "Democrat Lite" party? It's because you kept voting for them even when they worked against you. If we had stopped doing that ten or fifteen years ago, the Republican party would be working for you, instead of letting you know the terms of their latest sellout to the Democrats. Let's not keep repeating this same mistake, hoping for a different result.

There are real, but narrow, windows of opportunity to change government policy by raising hell, but you must act during those times, not complain to your friends. For example, the Bush administration recently floated a "trial balloon" regarding giving amnesty for illegal immigrants. A storm of email, letters and phone calls to the president and Congress shot the idea down for the foreseeable future.

That is exactly what gun owners need to do -- starting right now and continuing during the coming months -- regarding the insulting, outrageous 1994 Clinton/Democrat ban on militia rifles, on ergonomic features such as flash hiders and pistol grips, and on normal-capacity magazines.

Here's your starter kit. Don't use this information once and forget it. Write it on a piece of paper, keep it visibly posted, and use it repeatedly until 2004 when Mr. Bush wants us gun owners to put him back in the White House.

Sure, we'll do that, Mr. Bush -- providing you don't agree with the Democrats that we aren't allowed to have more that 10 rounds in our gun's magazine.

Email President George Bush:

[email protected] 

Write President George Bush:

President George Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20500

To email your congressman or senator, use this link:

https://www.keepandbeararms.com/information/capitolwiz/

If you want another look at this situation, read "We May literally Have to Fight".

Brian Puckett currently serves as president of Citizens Of America, which is running a national pro-gun rights advertising campaign supported by people like YOU. Go to: http://www.citizensofamerica.org.