GUN News - Gunnery Network News

Attorney General designate John Ashcroft has come under fire from a number of liberal special interest groups, most notably Handgun Control, Inc. In a January 5th press release, Handgun Control blasted Mr. Ashcroft for his votes on the gun issue, notably for his support for Missouri concealed-carry laws. HCI also attacked the Attorney General designate for his lack of support for President Clinton’s “assault weapon” ban. They see him defending the ban less than vigorously from legal
challenges from armed citizens or their support organizations.

The worst part of this press release is Handgun Control’s criticism of Mr. Ashcroft’s Second Amendment views, quoted as follows:

“Perhaps most disturbing about Ashcroft's record is his extremist view of the Second Amendment. In a 1998 Senate Subcommittee hearing on the Second Amendment called by Ashcroft, the Senator said, "A citizenry armed with the right both to possess firearms and to speak freely is less likely to fall victim to a tyrannical central government than a citizenry that is disarmed from criticizing government or defending themselves.” This and other statements by Ashcroft indicate that he believes in the "insurrectionist" theory of the Second Amendment. The idea that the Founding Fathers would have included within the Second Amendment a "suicide" provision -- one that empowers citizens to overthrow the very government the Constitution seeks to create and protect -- is ludicrous and has been widely discredited. The idea that the chief law enforcement officer of the nation would subscribe to such a belief is alarming." [Author’s emphasis]

Pay attention to the highlighted sentence. This one jumble of words sheds light on Handgun Control’s twisted perception of the Constitution. The Constitution and especially the Bill Rights protects citizens from the Government, not the Government from its Citizens. HCI’s idea of what the Constitution stands for goes directly against the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence and all that it entails.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." [Author’s emphasis]

“The idea that the Founding Fathers would have included…a ‘suicide’ provision … that empowers citizens to overthrow the very government the Constitution seeks to create and protect – is ludicrous…” Ludicrous, huh? Considering the Founding Fathers did state that very idea very explicitly in the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence makes it one of the central points of this country’s existence.

Make no mistake; Handgun Control’s mission is not to protect children from irresponsible gun owners, or keep felons from getting access to firearms. Handgun Control wants to disarm everyone to install a socialist government run by elitists. They give away their true nature with their own words. If they believe that a citizenry armed with the right both to possess firearms and to speak freely is less likely to fall victim to a tyrannical central government than a citizenry that is disarmed from criticizing government or defending themselves is a ludicrous idea, then how could they refute the charge that they want all Americans disarmed and helpless?

~~ New York - John J. Marciano

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