Sen. Corker 2nd Amend. Rights are not Negotiable

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news

Sen. Moran and 50 Senators: Second Amendment Rights are not Negotiable



¡úJul 26, 2012



WASHINGTON, D.C. ¨C U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) today led 50 senators in expressing grave concern about the dangers posed to Americans¡¯ Second Amendment rights by the United Nations¡¯ Arms Trade Treaty. The 51 senators notified President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton of their intent to oppose ratification of an Arms Trade Treaty that in any way restricts the rights of law-abiding American gun owners. The opposition is strong enough to block the treaty from Senate passage, as treaties submitted to the U.S. Senate require approval of two-thirds of Senators present to be ratified.

In the letter, the senators wrote: ¡°As the treaty process continues, we strongly encourage your administration not only to uphold our country¡¯s constitutional protections of civilian firearms ownership, but to ensure ¨C if necessary, by breaking consensus at the July conference ¨C that the treaty will explicitly recognize the legitimacy of lawful activities associated with firearms, including but not limited to the right of self-defense. As members of the United States Senate, we will oppose the ratification of any Arms Trade Treaty that falls short of this standard.¡±

¡°Our country¡¯s sovereignty and the rights of American citizens must not be infringed upon by the United Nations,¡± Sen. Moran said. ¡°Today, the Senate sends a powerful message to the Obama Administration: an Arms Trade Treaty that does not protect ownership of civilian firearms will fail in the Senate. Our firearm freedoms are not negotiable.¡±

¡°The NRA, our four million members and the tens of millions of law-abiding Americans who own firearms will never surrender our right to keep and bear arms to the United Nations,¡± said Chris Cox, executive director of NRA¡¯s Institute for Legislative Action. ¡°That is why the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty has been met with the full opposition of the NRA. We are grateful for the efforts of these senators, led by Senator Jerry Moran, to oppose this encroachment of international tyranny.¡±

The U.N. conference on the Arms Trade Treaty is taking place this week in New York City. In October of 2009 at the U.N. General Assembly, the Obama Administration reversed the positions of the two previous Administrations and voted for the U.S. to participate in negotiating the Arms Trade Treaty, purportedly to establish ¡°common international standards for the import, export, and transfer of conventional arms.¡± However, by threatening to include civilian firearms within its scope, the Arms Trade Treaty could restrict the lawful private ownership of firearms in the United States.

The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Max Baucus (D-MT), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mark Begich (D-AK), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bob Casey (D-PA), Dan Coats (R-IN), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Corker (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Dean Heller (R-NV), John Hoeven (R-ND), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), James Inhofe (R-OK), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Mike Lee (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Rand Paul (R-KY), Rob Portman (R-OH), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Jim Risch (R-ID), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Richard Shelby (R-AL), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Jon Tester (D-MT), John Thune (R-SD), Pat Toomey (R-PA), David Vitter (R-LA), Jim Webb (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

The full text of the signed letter is below and the PDF version can be found here.

Source: moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=2b02a67f-2179-41fc-be55-3502163c8510

[NitaX]

Sigh. Let me forward this to my H. This serves as a reminder that no matter how sensible Corker seems in his ads, we just can't vote for this guy.

[Deleted]

Lamar Alexander signed on to this too and I generally like him.

You'd think in light of last week's tragedy this wouldn't be the shit he's posting on FB feed.

[OscarQ]

Olympia Snowe signed it? I didn't know she was a gun rights person (last I can find the NRA had her at a C+ in 2006).

And Bob Casey - ha! Gotta get that "clinging to your guns and religion" vote.

[Deleted]

Rights are not negotiable. Except Gay rights. And others that we don't like. However, we really like guns. The end.

[Deleted]

Jul 26, 2012 10:04:21 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Gah! This makes me so mad! rights to privacy, control over your body, etc. are TOTES okay to negotiate, but don't even think about touching guns!

Right?

[mominatrix]

Apparently, all other Constitutional rights can be "qualified"... so despite the famous admonition that the First Amendment says "no law, no law, no law", you don't have the First Amendment right to shout "fire" in a crowded theater.

Now, using a military-style assault rifle in a crowded theater, you totes have a Second Amendment right to do... despite the in-Constitution qualification that the right to bear arms is so we can have a militia.

Yeah. The Second Amendment is supposed to have no qualifications on it at all.

[wawa]

Jul 26, 2012 10:04:21 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

Gah! This makes me so mad! rights to privacy, control over your body, etc. are TOTES okay to negotiate, but don't even think about touching guns!

Agreed.