'Self-Defense' Bill Introduced in House of Representatives

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Kharn:

Well, speaking as one from the (crime-infested hellhole of an) urban area, I like your Representative a great deal. I already wrote Hoyer a letter asking him nicely to support this bill; hopefully he'll wake up and do it.
 
Proceed with caution: this amounts to giving Government the right to keep and bear arms, which includes self-defense perforce, we already have outside Government by natural right.
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This is a vaild concern...

I see no ill that can come of this, particularly with the wording "Reaffirmation of Right".
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And that is a great answer.

Rep. Butch Otter (a Libertarian in Republican clothing) will get a letter from me requesting that he co-sponsor. My hunch is he will. One of his most successful fund-raisers is a PUBLIC skeet shoot at his own home. There are some things I love about Idaho.
 
sounds cool .... but....

If the government "GIVES" us the right, does this lay the groundwork for it to be totally taken away later? that's what I am worried about
:scrutiny:
 
Mark,

That's what
Reaffirmation of Right- A person not prohibited from receiving a firearm by Section 922(g) of title 18, United States Code, shall have the right to obtain firearms for security, and to use firearms--
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means.

This act does not claim to "give" the right, simply to explicitly reaffirm one facet of the existing right. (the 2nd)

It says the right already exists and provides a codified way to ensure government non-interference with that right.

Baby steps, baby steps......
 
Be still my beating heart. Too bad I have two RINO'S in Ohio. Althought I'll drop them a note that I would like them to co-sponser and vote for this.
 
It probably can't hurt and it's always good to see what happens when you send up a flare.

If the Second Amendment doesn't guarantee our right to self-defense, surely the Ninth does. If the Ninth enshrines "privacy," it also enshrines corporal integrity, aka the right of self-defense.
 
edit: Ok I like it a little, these are my only two gripes (see below). I just realized that it allows people to sue the state if they are victimized and dont have some form of carry law in effect. It also allows me to sue my employers if a criminal act happens at work and I was unable to exercise my right to carry because of their company policy. This law is actually very awesome.

1) Because it only legitmizes self defense with politically correct firearms. If the act is legal, of what import is the tool used in the act?

Solution:
Just say "weapon" as in "anything which can be used by an individual to effect the act of self defense."

2) Because it only legitimizes defense of oneself or ones family members, which doesnt include friends and third parties who are currently included under many justification of lethal force laws. I like that it includes the home lol castle doctrine.

Solution
Just say "in defense of themselves or other threatened individuals."

Overall I like this. It will definitley cause a lot of trouble for certain jurisdictions, even without specifically protecting NFA items.
 
DelayedReaction:
Oh, I didnt realize you were a Marylander. Bartlett isnt actually my rep, I'm registered to vote in Calvert, so I'm stuck with Hoyer.

Kharn
 
They should add the right to own Ammo

before the rest of the "Peoples States" ban real ammo like the PRNJ. Oh we're not stopping you from owning a gun, but you can only have 10 rounds of rnl -p- ammo on your person at any time.
 
I'll call my senators and congress critter

That will do A LOT OF GOOD. I'm sure Hillary and UpChuck are ready to sign on. They've never met a gun bill they didn't like. :barf:
 
That will do A LOT OF GOOD. I'm sure Hillary and UpChuck are ready to sign on. They've never met a gun bill they didn't like.
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I have that same problem. Fortunately for me, though, my house rep is Fossella and he supports gun rights.

I'll still write a letter...no sense in taking any chances.
 
Sooo...would this new law preempt state laws like the AW ban, the .50 Cal. ban and the "approved" gun list in California? It makes no distinction between types of rifles, shotguns or handguns nor does it place restrictions on the calibers of those "firearms." It merely states you can "obtain" any firearm as defined under federal statutes.
 
beerslurpy said:
Because it only legitimizes defense of oneself or ones family members, which doesnt include friends and third parties
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That was my immediate concern on reading the bill as well. And I doubt it is an oversight, but rather a conscious compromise made to gather greater support.
 
Sooo...would this new law preempt state laws like the AW ban, the .50 Cal. ban and the "approved" gun list in California?
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It doesn't preempt any law. It simply creates an official recognition of the right to possess firearms for personal defense. Any laws that seem to violate that right would have to be challenged in court.

I'd guess that the court would follow the same process as with Miller, and weigh the value of the .50 for personal defense. They would probably find it not suitable for personal defense. The ban will probably survive.
 
Does anyone know whether this bill has any chance of passing? Or even coming to a vote?
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I'm just speculating here, but if the DC bill was able to pass the house, I would think that this bill has a very good chance of passing in the house. As for the Senate...well, Reps gained a few seats, and with pro-gun Reid as democratic minority leader, who knows...
 
Sample letter at http://www.barefootclown.net/writings/hr47

Visit http://www.house.gov to find your representative; you might also visit http://judiciary.house.gov/CommitteeMembership.aspx to see if your representative is on the Committee on the Judiciary, as I reference it specifically.

To those of you who say it won't do any good, and are willing to write it off without even trying, I have an offer. You give me your ZIP code, and I'll customize it for your representative (saving you the effort), and send you fifty cents to cover the cost of postage, printing, envelope, etc., as long as you promise to sign it and send it. Can't beat that deal.

Any takers?
 
The law defines shotguns, rifles, and handguns as legitimate firearms, right? What if you use a registered and legal SBR, SBS, or other Class III weapon? Would the law not apply?

This bill has zero chance of passing. As to the backdoor comment about FOPA...the bill wasn't designed that way, the bad part was added at the last minute without the knowledge of anyone that supported it and without the understanding of most of the people that voted for it.
 
Well I thought about the NFA issue, but most states where you would be likely to be affected by this law outlaw NFA items anyway, and being the test case in NYC with a MAC10 or a sawed off striker-12 would probably not be a good thing for the gun rights cause.

In FL I can already concealed carry anything I want and defend myself with any tools I want in a wide range of situations. I think the only prohibition is on poisoned weapons and the various fancy shotguns rounds like flechettes, bolos and bird bombs (which are worthless for self defense anyway). They specifically mention the use of batons, brass knuckles, knives, clubs, saps, nunchacku etc. Switchblades and butterfly knives are allowed.
 
Those of you who live in "friendly" jurisdictions, write anyway, for the benefit of your countrymen (and possibly yourself; you never know when you might end up moving, or travelling, or find yourself with a change in local politics).

I live in OK, and am pretty well covered now, but who knows where I'll be in a decade. I have friends and family in some unfriendly places, too (LA, DC, Baltimore, Boston, and such). Even if you don't know anybody out there, though, it's a human right; do it for the good of everybody (except, possibly, for violent criminals :D ).

C'mon, it's not like there's anything to lose by trying.
 
I live in a similar situation as you, beerslurpy. Here in Indiana a carry permit is as easy as filling out a form at the local police station. Defense of myself or anyone else in need is reasonably allowed. In short, I don't much need this new law here at home.

Do you ever travel, beerslurpy? I often must go to St. Louis or Columbus. This means passing through Illinois and Ohio, both of which are very unfriendly states. My only legal option is to forget about any manner of self defense while on the road.

This new law, if I understand it correctly, would grant me the same options on the road as I enjoy here at home. For this reason I think it would be a Very Good Thing for this bill to pass into law.
 
What if you use a registered and legal SBR, SBS, or other Class III weapon? Would the law not apply?
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I think the purpose of the bill isn't to clarify the legality of using a firearm in self defense, but to clarify the right to possess firearms for self defense. Most states have defined the criteria required to use deadly force and they do not limit the weapon or method actually used. While you may get charged with possessing an illegal weapon should you use an unregistered SBS, it would not affect the legality of your use of deadly force. Using a legal NFA weapon would be no different than using baseball bat.

In FL I can already concealed carry anything I want and defend myself with any tools I want in a wide range of situations. I think the only prohibition is on poisoned weapons and the various fancy shotguns rounds like flechettes, bolos and bird bombs
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Florida specifically prohibits carrying a machinegun with a CCW. Other NFA weapons are OK.
 
This bill makes me wonder, why aren't we bringing cival cases against these groups NOW for these human rights violations?

Why would we have to wait for this law? Why can't I sue KS for denying me the right to effective self defense in public? Is legal precident what's holding us back or is there some major flaw in the judical system that it would take this legislation to cure?
 
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