gu · 6/5/2015 · the gfsza. columbine survivor supports armed teachers evan m. todd was a...

by Erich PrattThe most amazing debate took

place in the Grand Canyon State earlierthis year.

It was a theological dispute sur-rounding two pro-gun bills that legisla-tors were debating in the ArizonaHouse of Representatives.

The hot topic was: “Is the right tokeep and bear arms a God-given rightor not?”

Lest some consider this to be an“angels dancing on the head of a pin” type of discussion, think again.

The answer to this question deter-mines where our rights come from andwho determines if there are limits tothose rights.

The Founding Fathers made theirposition clear when signing the Decla-ration of Independence on July 4, 1776.They boldly told the rest of the worldthat the unalienable rights of every per-son are “endowed by their Creator.”

And that’s the key: Our rights comefrom God. That’s why our Founderscould say that our rights are “unalien-

Gun OwnersTHE40 YEARS OF NO COMPROMISE – 1975-2015

by Chris StoneOklahoma recently joined a growing cadre of states that

have taken the best step for protecting children: they are allow-ing the potential victims to fight back.

On May 12, Governor Mary Fallin (R) signed legislationthat authorizes law-abiding teachers and staff to carry con-cealed firearms while on school property.

It’s not a perfect law, in that it requires the concealed carri-ers must be “specifically designated by the board of educa-tion.” Nevertheless, it is a massive step in the right direction.

Too many times, we’ve witnessed the heart-wrenching news that no one wants to hear: An active shooter is on theloose, indiscriminately murdering innocent men, women and children.

And quite often, these madmen choose schools as their targets.

Even though concealed carry is legal in some form in all 50states and the District of Columbia, federal law has preventedcapable teachers, parents, and school staff from arming them-selves to protect our children since the 1990’s.

Oklahoma Schools are No Longer Gun-Free Zones!GOA working to repeal these gun bans in other states

Volume XXXV, Number 2 • June 30, 2015

Continued on page 7

GOA’s Erich Pratt (right) meets with pro-gun RepresentativeThomas Massie (R-KY), the chief sponsor of H.R. 86 –– a billthat would repeal the ban on carrying firearms around schoolsand make it far easier for law-abiding Americans to protectchildren without fear of breaking federal law.

Repealing Gun-Free Zones

Continued on page 2

The Genius of July 4 Trumps Every Gun Control Argument

• GOA on the Frontlines(page 3)

• Mass shootings nipped in the bud (page 6)

• Why Independence Day came early this year (page 8)

Inside:

The Gun Owners is published by Gun Owners of America, Inc. 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 (703) 321-8585

June 30, 2015 • The Gun Owners /Page 2

Gun-Free Zones are killing fields

After an earlier version of the GunFree School Zones Act was struckdown by the Supreme Court in 1995,President Bill Clinton signed a renewalof the ban the following year. Clinton’sban reinstated the federal prohibition onlaw-abiding citizens carrying armswhile on school property.

Sadly, we have seen the toll thisunconstitutional and arcane law hastaken on the most helpless citizens inthe United States. Both the Columbineand Sandy Hook shootings might havenever happened if teachers, parents, andschool staff were allowed to arm them-selves.

Every day, local news stories reporthow average Americans are able todeter and prevent criminal thugs fromcommitting atrocities — stories whichthe national media often ignore. Yet onearmed good guy with a gun stepping upand firing back does stop crime.

Just recently, we have seen severalriveting examples of self-defense,including:

• An off-duty cop in Gar-land, Texas, who shottwo ISIS terrorists deadin their tracks;

• A man in a barbershopin Philadelphia, Penn-sylvania, who used hisconcealed handgun tostop a mass shooting;

• A carjacker in Atlanta,Georgia, who was heldat gunpoint by a legalconcealed carrier untilpolice arrived;

• A 77-year-old man whoshot and killed a homeintruder in Redland,Florida.

The theme in these fourexamples? Honest, armedAmericans stopped criminals with theirfirearms. There was no loss of innocentlife, and each gun owner responsiblyhandled his firearm while engaging thecriminal threat.

Police say armed civilians prevent mass shootings

In a survey of police officers byPoliceOne.com, respondents replied “80 percent feel that legally-armed citi-zens would likely have reduced thenumber of casualties in recent massshooting incidents.”

Rank-and-file cops agree that armedcitizens are the answer. They know copscan’t be everywhere at once.

Guns save lives — plain and simple.Yet, many of these same individuals arelegally prevented from carrying thefirearms if they were on school

property. Thankfully, there are elected officials

who are fighting back.

H.R. 86 will repeal Gun-FreeZones around the country

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) hasintroduced H.R. 86, known as the SafeStudents Act. This bill ends the GunFree School Zones Act (GFSZA) andmakes it far easier for law-abidingAmericans to carry their personalfirearms onto school property withoutfear of breaking federal law.

It should come as no surprise thatRep. Massie has an A+ rating withGOA and has been on the forefront ofdefending our right to keep and beararms while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sadly, Rep. Massie’s bill has lessthan 10 co-sponsors, and the “pro-gun”Republican leadership has yet to evenconsider allowing a vote on repealingthe GFSZA.

Columbine survivor supports armed teachers

Evan M. Todd was a student atColumbine High School the day twoderanged students began murderinginnocent kids. His life was barelyspared, and thankfully he escaped with

only minor injuries. Butsince the massacre, Mr. Toddhas been clear about what hethinks concerning gun-freezones.

“I just want to tell people— just grab them and makethem listen — that creatingfake ‘gun-free’ zones doesn’twork. Someone needs to beable to physically stop akiller. This means that goodpeople need the right to beararms.”

This statement by Mr.Todd sums it up perfectly.

Gun-free zones only create anillusion of safety. But crimi-nals, by definition, are willingto break the law. A sign stat-ing “no guns allowed” means

nothing to a murderer. In fact, if it does mean anything to

them, it sadly means “you won’t findany armed resistance here.”

But it’s armed resistance whichkeeps massacres from happening. ■

GOA working to repeal gun bansContinued from page 1

Columbine survivorsupports armed teachers

Colorado state Representative Patrick Neville (R-Castle Rock) wasa student at Columbine High Schoolon the day of the 1999 massacre.He says that if some of the teachershad been armed, “more of myfriends would still be alive today.”

Gun Owners of America Chairman Tim Macy brought Officer RobYoung (left) to speak to Capitol Hill staffers in 2013. Officer Young ––who as a child, survived the 1989 school shooting in Stockton, Califor-nia –– explained that the best way to stop school shootings is to armteachers.



GOA on the Front Lines

GOA Victory in the U.S. Supreme Court. In May, GOA helpedachieve a tremendous victory for private property and theSecond Amendment in Henderson v. United States, when theCourt unanimously ruled against the government in a gunconfiscation case.

As the Giant-slayer. Earlier this year, PBS highlighted GOA’sinvolvement in killing Obama’s gun control legislation in 2013.

Pratt on Fox & Friends. GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt debated gunissues on Fox & Friends in June. Pratt made the case that firearms in citi-zens’ hands are the ultimate defense against tyranny.

Pushing concealed carry. GOA’s Erich Pratt and Chris Stone met with Sena-tor Joni Ernst (R-IA) to discuss concealed carry legislation. Soon afterwards,she became the 27th cosponsor of the Senate’s pro-gun reciprocity bill.

GOA: Still No Compromise!“Gun Owners of America is a group that is over a million strong that is lobbying in Washington for the individual who is constantly up on the fight and will not compromise the fight. That is what’s so awesome about Gun Owners of America.”

–– Radio Host Jim Coyle, March 1, 2015



Anti-gun Loretta Lynch Sworn in as Attorney Generalby Michael Hammond

Loretta Lynch was sworn in as the83rd Attorney General of the UnitedStates in April.

Lynch is an extreme, anti-gun advo-cate who supports reenacting the so-called “Assault Weapons” ban whichsunset in 2004.

Sadly, Senate Majority Leader MitchMcConnell and his leadership team puta big, fat knife in the back of gun own-ers, as they helped ram through Lynch’sconfirmation.

McConnell did this, despite the factthat close to 50 senators had announcedtheir intention to vote against Lynch.Not only that, there were pro-gun sena-tors who were filibustering Lynch’snomination.

GOA was also prepared to work withSenators to invoke a parliamentarymaneuver which would have defeatedObama’s pick, because in the weeksleading up to the vote, Lynch didn'thave the 60 votes necessary to shut offa filibuster.

Ultimately, 43 Senators voted againstLynch, which would have been twomore votes than was needed to continuea filibuster and keep Lynch from beingconfirmed.

But Mitch McConnell led the betray-al against constitutionalists, and joinedwith Harry Reid to support Lynch.

Sen. McConnell twists arms to get Lynch confirmed

To look at the final vote count, onewould wonder: Why would so manyRepublicans vote to confirm PresidentObama’s anti-gun nominee — given heranti-gun record, and given the fact thatshe wants to legalize millions of anti-gun voters?

The answer? Because the pressure tosupport her came straight from the top,straight from Majority Leader MitchMcConnell’s office.

Senate Republicans, who opposedLynch, report that Majority LeaderMcConnell was quietly twisting arms,getting the support needed to overcomea filibuster.

Here’s what was report-ed in one of the CapitolHill newspapers:

Senate MajorityLeader MitchMcConnell (R-Ky.)worked quietly toround up more than 60votes to end a fili-buster of attorney gen-eral nominee LorettaLynch, Republicansenators say. After holding upLynch’s confirmationvote for weeks,McConnell worked toensure she wouldovercome a filibusterwith a strong biparti-san vote, pitting him against TeaParty firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other conservatives.(The Hill, April 23, 2015)

Having overcome the filibusteragainst Lynch, Sen. McConnell thenvoted in favor of the President’s anti-gun nominee.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz excoriatedthe Republican leadership on the floorof the Senate for the way they rammed

this nomination through:The Republican majority, if it sochose, could defeat this nomination,but the Republican majority haschosen to go forward and allowLoretta Lynch to be confirmed. I would note there are more than afew voters back home that are ask-ing what exactly is the differencebetween a Democratic and Republi-

Are you a GOA Life Member yet?Enroll as a Life Member at the special charter rate of only $500, which entitles you to full member privileges.

Also consider the easy payment plan with an initial deposit of $50 (with theremainder to be billed to you) or as a quarterly debit to your credit card for $50 until your GOA Life Membership is fully paid.

Gun Owners of America8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102Springfield, Virginia 22151

703-321-8585www.gunowners.org

When you contact us by phone, email or mail, please provide us with your name, address, city, state,zip and member number to begin enjoying your Life Member privileges with Gun Owners of America.

Life Member

“Eric Holder began disregarding the Constitutionand laws after he was confirmed as Attorney General. Ms. Lynch has [already] told the Senate that’s what she’s going to do.”

–– Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), speaking in opposition to the nomination of Loretta Lynch (inset) on the Senate floor, April 23, 2015

Continued on page 5



can majority when the exact sameindividual gets confirmed as Attorney General, promising theexact same lawlessness, what’sthe difference?

Great question from Senator Cruz:What is the difference between a Reid-run Senate and one that’s run byMcConnell?

Loretta Lynch’s anti-gun record

As things stand now, the Senate hasconfirmed a person who is expected totry to implement the semi-auto ban,which she supports, by executive fiat.

Apparently, it’s okay withMcConnell and a majority of Senatorsthat Lynch stated, under oath, that shehas no problem implementing Obama’sunlawful, politically motivated amnestyorders — even though a federal courthas found them unlawful.

And Lynch went on to feign igno-rance on universal background checksand Operation Choke Point’s anti-gunramifications — even though she wasunder oath.

Of course, Obama apologists rantabout how “qualified” Lynch supposed-ly is. But think about it: What if shehad refused to enforce the 1964 CivilRights Act? Would Obama have sim-ply chalked that up to a “difference onpolicy”?

Why, then, should an anti-gun advo-

cate who spits on the Constitution’sSecond Amendment be treated as some-how acceptable?

It is almost impossible to think ofanything which would be different ifDemocrats were still in control of theSenate.

One Silver LiningIf there is one Silver Lining in the

events surrounding the Lynch confirma-tion, consider this: In 2009, there wereonly 21 Senators who voted againstEric Holder to be Attorney General.There were few Senators who were

willing to stand against the Obamaagenda.

But fast-forward to this April —after several elections have intervenedto put Harry Reid in the minority —there were 43 Senators who votedagainst Loretta Lynch.

The bad news is that we are still atless than a majority. The good news isthat we are getting close. ■

Michael Hammond is the LegislativeCounsel for Gun Owners of America.Erich Pratt also contributed to this article.

How to PlaceGOAin Your Will

GOA has received numerous inquiries from members asking how they canplace Gun Owners of America in their will or estate plans. Here are some sample instructions to share with your advisor or attorney:

I give, devise and bequeath to Gun Owners of America (tax ID # 52-1256643),a non-profit, corporation in Springfield, Virginia:A. The sum of $_________; orB. _________ percent of my estate; orC. Residue. I give my Residue to Gun Owners of America,

8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, Virginia 22151.

Alexander (R-TN)Ayotte (R-NH)Burr (R-NC)Capito (R-WV)Cochran (R-MS)Collins (R-ME)Corker (R-TN)Cornyn (R-TX)Flake (R-AZ)Gardner (R-CO)

Graham (R-SC)Hatch (R-UT)Johnson (R-WI)Kirk (R-IL)McConnell (R-KY)Portman (R-OH)Roberts (R-KS)Rounds (R-SD)Thune (R-SD)Tillis (R-NC)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

Anti-gun Loretta LynchSworn in as Attorney GeneralContinued from page 4

While every Democrat supported Loretta Lynch, the Republicans listed here cast theirsupport for her, as well. Each one of them betrayed gun owners in April by voting tobreak the filibuster against her nomination. Then, there’s the Senators whose namesare bolded. They took the extra step of actually voting to confirm Loretta Lynch. Inessence, they voted for Loretta Lynch twice –– in that they not only voted to break theRepublican filibuster, they also voted for her final confirmation.

The Benedict Arnold List. .



Uber Driver Halts Mass Shooting in April________________________________________________Seeing a gunman fire into a crowd of people, a Chicago

Uber driver grabbed his pistol, stepped out of his car and firedat the perpetrator.

The driver, who is also a concealed carry holder, struck thegunman several times and halted the attack.

Assistant State’s Attorney Barry Quinn praised the Uber dri-ver for “acting in self-defense and in the defense of others.”

Police Say Armed Civilian ‘Saved a Lot of People’________________________________________________Police credited a concealed carrier with saving several

lives, including those of children, in a Philadelphia barber shopthis past March.

The incident occurred after a man pulled a gun and began

ON TARGETby Erich Pratt

firing at patrons. Thankfully, a legal carrier pulled his gun andfired back, killing the aggressor.

Police Cpt. Frank Llewellyn said the situation could havebeen “a lot worse” and affirmed the concealed carrier “saved alot of people in there.”

Firefighters Say They ‘May Have Stopped a Massacre’________________________________________________Chad Barker pulled up to a crowded fire station in May

where children and firefighters were present, got out of his carand started firing his weapon.

But that was a big mistake. There were several firefighterspresent who possessed concealed carry permits. They drewtheir firearms and forced Barker to stand down.

Firefighters then grabbed Barker’s weapon and detainedhim, until deputies could arrive. Barker was subsequentlyarrested and incarcerated.

There have been a string of attempted shootings across the country, over thepast few months, where armed civilians have intervened to save countless lives.

And except in one case –– where an off-duty police officer stopped the attack ––these heroic efforts have gone virtually unmentioned by the media.

But gun owners should be aware that these incidents are occurring, and knowthat they can stay up-to-date on recent cases of self-defense by:

• Liking GOA’s Facebook page at: Facebook.com/GunOwners

• And visiting GOA’s Self-Defense Corner at: tinyurl.com/nnrgl6a

Texas Shows the World How to Deal with Terrorists______________________________________________Making good on their threats to attack the U.S. homeland,

two ISIS “soldiers” attempted to commit a massacre in Garland,Texas, this spring.

But even though they were heavily armed and wearing bodyarmor, an off-duty police officer drew his service weapon andkilled both gunmen.

Because the attack was met with lethal force by one of thepotential “victims” at the scene of the crime, the incident wasover in 15 seconds.

This compares drastically to the terrorist shooting at theCharlie Hebdo publication in France this past January.

There were no armed civilians who could shoot back. Even

the police who initially responded were unarmed. The attackswhich began at Charlie Hebdo continued for 48 hours aroundthe region, as Muslim terrorists murdered a total of 17 people(including police).

These killings occurred, despite the fact that France has thegun control laws that anti-gunners like Michael Bloomberg canonly dream of. The gun laws in France are stricter than the lawsin any state in this country. Civilians are prohibited from carry-ing firearms in France.

But turning a country into a gun-free zone did not preventterrorists from acquiring weapons, and it most certainly did notkeep the French people safe.

Fifteen seconds versus 48 hours –– guns in the hands ofgood guys makes a whole lot of difference.

Armed Civilians Halt Potential Mass Shootings



Harrisburg last year, the 650,000 attendees were able to seeexhibits of AR-15s and the like. Reed Exhibitions was forcedto learn the same lesson that George III had been forced tolearn — keep your hands off Americans’ guns.

Sadly, AR-15 phobia is not just a British thing. Americanpoliticians such as Barack Obama and former New York City

Mayor Michael Bloomberg have also waged a war againstguns like the AR-15. And both have had to learn the same les-son as their British counterparts: Americans like their guns.

Efforts to enact a Congressional ban on AR-15s have failed,as have attempts to outlaw the sale of common ammunition forthe firearm. And this has left both men extremely frustrated.The President recently told ABC News how “heart-breaking” itis that his administration has not been able to pass gun control.

That being the case, maybe Obama and Bloomberg wouldbe happier if they moved to England. ■

We Like Our GunsContinued from page 8

able” — or that they’re incapable ofbeing infringed. That means no waitingperiods, no background checks, no gunor ammunition bans. Nothing.

Unfortunately, the notion of God-given rights is eroding. CNN’sChris Cuomo, when confront-ed this year by an AlabamaSupreme Court Judge who saidthat rights come from God,countered that rights actually“come from man.”

And one of the ArizonaDemocrats, who took the anti-gun position during their theo-logical debate in March,claimed the right to keep andbear arms couldn’t possibly bea God-given right since —now get ready for this laughline — “I know that God did-n’t write the Constitution.”

Some might find humor inArizona Rep. Sally Ann Gon-zalez’s comments, but theimplications of her views areno laughing matter.

Because here’s the problem:If rights don’t come from God,then where do they comefrom? Do “We the People” decide whatour human rights are?

Good luck finding any unanimitythere. The view that denies God asbeing the author of our rights must ulti-mately depend upon the 51% majorityas the only practical way of definingthem.

But then what happens when amajority favors slavery or segregation?Or favors the infringement of a basic

right like the protection of one’s self orfamily?

What happens is that people becomemercilessly oppressed.

Consider the draconian gun ban inChicago that had left many honest citi-zens defenseless for decades, thus leav-ing the city with a murder rate that wasfrequently the highest in the nation.

Not until the city’s gun ban — andlater, its ban on concealed carry — was

struck down, did they experience a dra-matic reduction in murder rates. Liveshave been spared.

In April, an Uber driver in the WindyCity used his concealed firearm to pre-vent a mass shooting, when he dis-charged six rounds from his weapon tostop a gunman who was firing into acrowd of people.

In years past, there would have been

no concealed carrier, and people wouldhave been forced to wait for the policeto arrive.

Not only that, this would have beenjust one more story where a crackpotgoes on a shooting spree ... commits amass murder ... and jumpstarts calls forgun control.

Thankfully, a good guy with a gunwas not prevented from defending hislife, along with the lives of many oth-

ers.This is why the Supreme

Court’s decision in McDonaldv. Chicago was so key. In2010, the Court struck downChicago’s gun ban andaffirmed that “self-defense is abasic right, recognized bymany legal systems fromancient times to the presentday.”

It didn’t matter if a majorityof Chicago’s politiciansfavored gun control. The gunban was in violation of theConstitution, which protects a“basic right” that has been rec-ognized from “ancient times.”

Well, our Founders knewjust how “ancient” this right is.

Elbridge Gerry, one of thesigners of the Declaration ofIndependence, said that, “Self-defense is a primary law ofnature [and] the immediate giftof the Creator.”

As we celebrate our independencethis year, we should be thankful for thewisdom and vision of our FoundingFathers.

Had their Declaration not articulatedthe “self-evident” truth that rights comefrom God, Chicago-style gun controlmight very well be the norm throughoutthe country — and we’d still be speak-ing British, too! ■

The Genius of July 4Trumps Every Gun ControlArgumentContinued from page 1

In the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers saidrights are God-given and unalienable. By doing so, they placed allrights –– including the right of self-defense –– on a more concretefoundation than popular polls.



Gun OwnersTHESen. H.L. Richardson (Ret.)

Founder

Tim MacyChairman

The Gun Owners publication is copyrighted.But copies may be made freely with attribution,giving GOA’s address, phone number and website location.

GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102Springfield, Virginia 22151703-321-8585Web Site: http://www.gunowners.org

Larry PrattExecutive Director

John VellecoDirector of Operations

Erich PrattDirector of Communications

Chris StoneDirector of Federal Affairs

by Larry PrattIndependence Day festivi-

ties came early this year, asmany Americans celebrated afantastic anniversary in spring.

You see, it was this Aprilthat marked the first year wehave been free from a Britishoccupation, of sorts. We are no

longer subject to the pompous drivel that was dished outon a daily basis for years by CNN’s British host PiersMorgan, who aired his last show on March 28 of lastyear.

Morgan was notori-ous for his anti-gunantics. His hatred forAmerica’s Constitutionwas legendary. And hisattacks on gun owner-ship were relentless.

But it was the Mid-dle America that he soruthlessly despised whohad the last laugh.Morgan later confessedthat, perhaps, Ameri-cans were “tired” ofhim “going on” aboutguns.

Yes, we were tired ofit; he was right aboutthat. Americans do gettired of being lecturedby people who are perpetually “stuck on stupid.”

And that is why Piers Morgan has not been the onlyBrit to get “the boot” in recent years because he failed —or refused — to understand Americans’ love of freedom.

Reed Exhibitions is a case in point. They are a Britishcompany that, for years, had run the Eastern Sports andOutdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was apopular show that was well-supported by gun owners upand down the East Coast.

But in 2013, they demonstrated what it means to be“stuck on stupid.” Like Piers Morgan, Reed Exhibitionsdecided they were going to teach their American cousinsa lesson about firearms. Indeed.

After the Newtown shooting in December of 2012,Reed Exhibitions decided that the 2013 Outdoor showwould not permit the presence of AR-15s in their Harris-burg show. Such a firearm, reasoned Reed, would dis-tract from the “theme of hunting and fishing, disruptingthe broader experience of our guests.”

Cabela’s pulled out of the Harrisburg show, followedby many other companies and groups. The hemorrhageof companies led to the cancellation of the 2013 show.

Once the largest con-sumer outdoor showalong the East Coast,Reed’s Eastern Sportsand Outdoor Showwent the way of theDodo bird and wouldnever again open theirdoors under that man-agement.

It got worse forReed.

Reed had longworked with theNational ShootingSports Foundation(NSSF) to put on theannual SHOT Show, ahuge annual tradeshow for firearms and

related companies. After working with NSSF for overthree decades, the NSSF fired Reed and hired anothercompany.

Gun shows across the country began to announce thatthey would NOT ban AR-15s from their shows. The Har-risburg show was taken over by different managementand opened up under a new name.

When the Great American Outdoor Show was held in

Continued on page 7

We Like Our Guns

In two TV-debates with GOA’s Larry Pratt, both of which went viral onYouTube, CNN’s Piers Morgan (left) displayed a very serious case of“stuck on stupid.”

gu · 6/5/2015 · the gfsza. columbine survivor supports armed teachers evan m. todd was a...

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