Bob Barr blasts D.C. for flouting Heller decision on gun control, other Prez candidates for silence on same

In an email addressed "Dear fellow gun owner", Libertarian presidential candidate and NRA Board of Directors member Bob Barr wrote:

Just a few weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Washington's gun ban unconstitutional, the city government there is passing new ordinances that might as well be a renewal of the ban as it requires that guns kept there be locked up and/or disassembled. Their new law adds further restrictions and registrations that were clearly not the intent of the Court.

Have you noticed the total silence about this issue in the Presidential campaign?

By his actions - not his words - we know that Barack Obama is a long time proponent of every imaginable gun control scheme. He is a perfect fit for the gun grabbers in his party.

And where is John McCain on this issue? Silent.

Barr's email continues by stating that "as one of my first acts as President I would order federal law enforcement to step in and force Washington, D.C. officials to abide by the court ruling. I am reminded this day of the time when federal authorities had to step in to enforce court rulings related to desegregation in the South."

"Gun ownership and use is as much a civil right as any other, and I will continue the fight for our freedom to keep and use our firearms."

The following is a July 20 press release released by the Barr campaign:

Atlanta, GA -- “Citizens of Washington, D.C. and firearms rights organizations must be prepared to file a quick and clear challenge to the new Washington, D.C. gun control law designed to keep them disarmed,” says Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president. “The City Council is attempting to flout the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Heller that explicitly affirmed an individual’s right to own firearms. The Council is disingenuously doing this by appearing to legalize gun ownership while restricting the right into ineffectiveness.”

For instance, explains Barr, “the District of Columbia will continue to ban semi-automatic weapons, the most common kind of handgun in America. Moreover, residents will be required to keep their guns unloaded and either disassembled or disabled with a trigger lock. Unfortunately, most criminals aren’t going to give homeowners the courtesy of waiting for them to make their weapons operational before striking.”

In contrast, the Chicago suburbs of Morton Grove and Wilmette are moving to eliminate their handgun bans in response to suits filed by firearms advocacy organizations including the National Rifle Association, on whose board Barr sits. “It may be for only tactical political purposes, but these two communities are showing a willingness to comply with the law of the land lacking in Washington, D.C.,” observes Barr. “It has long been said that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. As Washington, D.C.’s latest attack on gun owners demonstrates, that remains the case even after the Supreme Court rules in your favor.”

“Heller is merely the first step in the battle to protect our constitutional right to own firearms. All Americans have a stake in ensuring enforcement of this most fundamental guarantee of individual liberty and limited government,” says Barr.

Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, where he served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, as Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Financial Services. Prior to his congressional career, Barr was appointed by President Reagan to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and also served as an official with the CIA.

Since leaving Congress, Barr has been practicing law and has teamed up with groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the American Conservative Union to actively advocate every American citizen’s right to privacy and other civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Along with this, Bob is committed to helping elect leaders who will strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual freedom.

Related News:
The Houston Chronicle - Gun backers wary of Obama, lukewarm on McCain

While gun rights groups are endorsing some Democrats, they are highly suspicious of Obama. They are particularly concerned about his record in the Illinois Legislature, where he opposed legislation that would have overridden handgun restrictions if homeowners used weapons in self-defense.

However, the NRA has had an up-and-down relationship with McCain. The Arizona senator has in the past sided with the gun-rights group in opposing waiting periods for gun purchases and a ban on semiautomatic weapons.

But McCain angered the NRA with his support for closing a gun show loophole, which allows firearms purchasers to avoid background checks if they buy rifles and pistols from private dealers at gun shows.

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a group advocating gun control measures, said that McCain has in some ways done more than Obama for gun control. Unlike Obama, Helmke said, McCain has introduced legislation and done television ads promoting a crackdown on the gun show loophole.