Like this:

Dear Virginia Gun Owner,

Recently, I told you some well-meaning, but in my opinion very misguided pro-gunners are working to pass a bill that could turn into a Trojan Horse for more gun control.

I was talking about H.R. 822, the so-called “National Reciprocity Act,” which could open the flood gates of gun control.

I’m calling it the National CCW Registration Scheme.

While the idea that all states should recognize a concealed weapons permit is sound public policy, the use of the anti-gun federal bureaucracy to implement it is simply foolish.

Can I count on you to take action RIGHT NOW? Rep. Lamar Smith is the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee that will hear H.R. 822, the National CCW Registration Scheme.

I need you to call House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith and make clear that you want to keep the government’s hands off your permit and that you are opposed to federal intrusion into the concealed weapons permit process.

Once the federal government is in the business of setting the standards for concealed carry permits, it’s only a matter of time before they start using that power to restrict our rights.

Now you may hear arguments that this bill doesn’t do that, and maybe that’s true… for now.

Even worse, once this bill starts moving, anyone can amend the bill with anything… and no legislation can bind a future Congress in any way.

That doesn’t count what Obamacrats in the Department of Justice might dream up as the “regulations” to carry out the legislative “intent.”

Gun owners have enough trouble with Republican-run Executive branches implementing the law improperly. Does anyone really think the Obama Administration is going to treat gun owners fairly?

I know many of you are frustrated that you can carry in some states but not others — I’m frustrated, too.

I carry concealed every day, everywhere I go, and have worked to expand the ability of citizens to carry in dozens of states.

I believe I should be able to carry concealed — without a permit — in all 50 states. That’s what “bear arms” means. Believe me, that’s a long-term policy goal for Virginia Gun Owners Coalition.

But mark my words, H.R. 822, the National CCW Registration Scheme, will become nothing more than a Trojan Horse for even more federal gun control.

I understand that many who support this bill sincerely just want their right to carry respected — but cannot due to the fact that their state or another won’t do the right thing.

But the devil is truly in the details… and the details are where H.R. 822 gets sticky.

This bill isn’t just about the right to carry for self defense — it’s a battle over the role of government and the ability to restrict our Second Amendment rights.

Once gun owners let the Obamacrats start mandating whether states recognize permit reciprocity, they will want to mandate what it takes to get and keep those permits.

We’re talking about:

• More onerous standards to acquire a permit, so that only FBI agents can pass muster (look at New York’s permit system);
• Higher fees;
• More training requirements;
• A demonstration of “Need” for a permit;
• More frequent renewal periods;
• Federally-mandated waiting periods;
• A national database of all permit holders, accessible by Attorney General Eric Holder;
• An extensive, federally-created list of Criminal Safezones, where only criminals will carry and where law-abiding gun owners are vulnerable;
• The list of potential problems is endless.

I need you to call House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith at (202)225-4236 and make clear that you want to keep the government’s hands off your permit and that you oppose federal intrusion into the concealed weapons permit process.

I haven’t even mentioned that this legislation would shred the Constitutional Carry provisions that are on the books in Arizona, Alaska, Vermont and Wyoming.

And it will kill our efforts to pass Constitutional Carry here in Virginia.

It doesn’t stop with just concealed carry. They’ll co-opt the bill to expand the national Brady Registration Check system to block military veterans with PTSD or individuals with misdemeanor convictions from even OWNING firearms — much less use them for self defense.

I don’t believe the intentions of the bill sponsors are intrinsically bad — they’re just naive and misguided.

Many statists in Washington will co-opt H.R. 822 as part of their grab for more federal power and less individual liberty.

Even now, the statists in Congress are trying to adopt a National ID card, complete with biometric data that they’ve forced the states to conform to their mandated drivers license “standards.” Virginia Gun Owners Coalition been part of a group of liberty-minded organizations which have passed state legislation forbidding cooperation with a National ID card – which I renamed DANGEROUS ID.

While many in the institutional gun control lobby will tell you this is a step forward for CCW permit holders, make no mistake, the National CCW Registration Scheme is a misguided attempt to protect our rights.

Do you really want the the fox to guard the hen house?

They will use this bill as the foundation to create a federal database of CCW permit holders. And then they can link it everywhere the Feds have database connections — state police, doctors and insurance companies under Obamacare, and Medicaid/Medicare.

I’m sorry, but I refuse to entrust my liberty and privacy to a “trust us, they won’t do that” approach to dealing with Obama, the gun-grabbers or frankly most politicians of either party in Washington.

I need you to make some noise, right now!

So PLEASE make the phone call above and please consider a donation at www.vgoc.org to keep us in the fight.

 

For Liberty,

Mike McHugh

President, VGOC

P.S. can you please chip in 15 or 20 dollars atwww.vgoc.org to keep us in the fight?

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