ASSOCIATED GUN CLUBS OF BALTIMORE, INC.
Legislative Report - July, 2012
P.O. BOX 20102 - TOWSON, MD 21284-0102
410-296-3947 Email: LVP@ASSOCIATEDGUNCLUBS.ORG
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Sincerest Condolences
Our sincerest condolences are extended to Berwyn Rod & Gun Club Member, Thomas Chase, his family and friends. Marine Sgt. Julian Clement Chase, a 22-year-old from Edgewater was killed on Memorial Day during combat operations in Helmand province Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company and was part of the III Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan. Semper fi! We will never forget. A picture memorial is posted on YouTube: Click here. |
 United Nations Arms Trade Treaty
The United Nations Arms Trade Treaty has become the focus of much attention in recent months; reaching a fever pitch with the last weeks as the proposed July 27th adoption date draws near. It is important to remember that even if the US signs the treaty, it is meaningless until ratified by a 2/3 majority (67 votes) vote of the United States Senate. In an personal email to me, a well placed and trusted friend had the following observations on this issue: Put it this way - the NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) were supposed to go first with formal statements but the countries all got 4 minutes for "introductory statements" if they wanted. Well all 100+ "nations" wanted their four minutes so there went a week of lost oxygen out of the atmosphere. Then the NGOs got their shot and now the countries are putting in their "reports and evidence" through August some time (NGOs) can give their stuff to a sponsoring country but can't submit directly. That's about how it goes.
At this moment what everybody needs to know is:
1. Anyone who says we are not going to be impacted is lying because nobody knows what it will contain.
2. It will impact the US even if we walk because it will affect the international price and availability of everything.
3. There is ONLY ONE THING WE CAN DO - VOTE, VOTE, VOTE, drive friends and the elderly to the polls, work the polls, join campaigns and work! Let your members know - buying a gun doesn't do a thing to protect your rights - only voting does. ***** FROM the NRA: Key Facts About the Arms Trade Treaty
Gun owners must understand the true threat this treaty poses and also the actions that are required for the treaty to have force in the U.S. The treaty poses a very real threat, and gun owners can maximize our efforts to prevent ratification of the treaty by understanding those threats. Here are answers to some common questions about the treaty process.
When will the treaty be signed?
The U. N. will finish drafting the Arms Trade Treaty in late July. It will then be sent to the U.N. General Assembly for approval. After General Assembly approval (likely this fall), many member states are expected to immediately sign on. But there is no deadline for doing so, no date for signing has been set, and the treaty does not need any particular number of signatories to "pass."
Heads of state, or their designees, can sign international treaties at any time, even years or decades later. However, for political reasons, President Obama might choose not to sign immediately while facing reelection. Also, even if the president were to sign the treaty right away, he is not required to send the treaty to the Senate for ratification at any specific time. Nor is there usually any deadline for ratification. (For example, in 1997, President Clinton signed an anti-gun treaty negotiated through the Organization of American States; the U.S. still hasn't ratified that treaty.)
Currently, 58 senators are on record in strong opposition to the treaty if it includes civilian firearms, as is widely expected. In addition, as we reported last week, 130 members of the U.S. House have also written to President Obama, expressing similar concerns.
What will be the treaty's effects?
Treaty advocates falsely claim that the treaty will have no impact on national gun laws. Proponents have repeatedly called for the treaty to cover civilian arms and to require national systems of licensing, registration and other restrictions.
The threat to our Second Amendment rights posed by the treaty are real, but the process for ratifying the treaty gives gun owners the time and the ability to block ratification--if we take action to hold our elected officials accountable.
What force would the treaty have under U.S. law if the Senate ratified it?
A treaty could have a severe effect, as described above, but it would not override the Constitution.
Treaties have the same legal standing as laws passed by Congress. They cannot override the Constitution and they are subject to constitutional challenge. However, they can override statutes passed prior to ratification of the treaty.
This means any restrictions imposed directly by a U.N. treaty, or indirectly by congressional legislation or executive action to implement a treaty, would have to be challenged on their own merits under the Second Amendment. Obviously, it would be far better to prevent an anti-gun treaty from being signed or ratified in the first place.
Can the President bypass the ratification process?
Strictly speaking, no. But an anti-gun administration could still try to use the treaty to impose gun control in the U.S.
Even if the Senate defeats any effort to ratify the treaty, anti-gun activists in the administration could argue that, under customary international law, the U.S. must implement the treaty's restrictions lest we violate its "object and purpose."
This tactic has been used before. For example, the United States has never ratified the U.N. Law of the Sea treaty, but treats parts of that treaty as binding on the U.S.
The Obama administration could easily take the same approach with respect to an Arms Trade Treaty--for instance, by arguing in court that a narrow interpretation of the Second Amendment is necessary to comply with our obligations under "customary international law." *****
FROM Gun Owner's of America: UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) threatens gun rights In other news, the Obama Administration is hurtling toward a July 27 signing of the ATT. Supporters of the treaty are trying to claim it won't jeopardize gun owners' rights, but former UN ambassador John Bolton is not buying it. Bolton says that the U.N. "is trying to act as though this is really just a treaty about international arms trade between nation states, but there is no doubt that the real agenda here is domestic firearms control." The Treaty will create a U.N.-based Implementation Support Unit (ISU) which will become an engine of gun control around the world -- yes, the very same UN which helped disarm the Tutsi's in Rwanda, and then sat idly by while the Hutus subsequently massacred them in 1994. Fox News reports that, under the latest draft of the treaty, every country would be required to submit a report to the ISU outlining "all activities undertaken in order to accomplish the implementation of this Treaty, including... domestic laws, regulations and administrative measures." Not only that, the ATT would require countries to set up their own government agencies to track any guns that could be exported. "Parties shall take all necessary measures to control brokering activities taking place within its territories ... to prevent the diversion of exported arms into the illicit market or to unintended end users," the draft reads. Considering the fact that our own federal government couldn't track the guns going south of the border as part of the Operation Fast & Furious, what makes anyone think that a UN agency can do any better? But to be quite honest, we DON'T WANT the UN tracking our guns! Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) is still seeking to get fellow Senators on a letter he plans to send to President Obama and Hillary Clinton. While both of these recipients will probably ignore his letter, the key reason for sending it is to lock in the needed 34 votes to kill the Treaty in the Senate. Currently, Sen. Moran has 20 signatories. ACTION: Click here to send a prewritten letter urging your Senator to cosign the Moran-ATT letter. *****
Click here for the United Nations' Arms Treaty Website |
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NRA: Chicago: City to revamp gun control ordinance after loss in court
The city of Chicago is taking another shot at a drafting a gun ordinance it hopes will pass muster with the courts.Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to introduce a revised ordinance Wednesday barring anyone with a misdemeanor conviction for a violent crime within five years from obtaining a city gun permit.The proposal is a reaction to a federal judge's ruling Tuesday striking down part of the city's 2010 firearm ordinance.
Click here for the Chicago Sun Times Article
Click here for the Federal Court ruling
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Utah Concealed Carry Permit Class
Date & Time:
SUNDAY - July 22, 2012
CORRECTION ON COURSE DAY!
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM Check-In
8:30AM - 1:30 PM Course
Location:
Baltimore County Game & Fish Protective Association
3400 Northwind Road
Parkville, MD 21234
Click here for the event flyer Click here for directions.
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John H. Josselyn, Legislative Vice President
Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore, Inc.
P.O. Box 20102
Towson, MD 21284-0102
Email: lvp@associatedgunclubs.org
Webpage: www.associatedgunclubs.org
Article 1. That all Government of right originates from the People, is founded in compact only, and instituted solely for the good of the whole; and they have, at all times, the inalienable right to alter, reform or abolish their Form of Government in such manner as they may deem expedient. |
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