2nd Amendment Alert: H.R. 822 is scheduled for a floor vote tomorrow

H.R. 822 is scheduled for a floor vote tomorrow, and it is imperative that you call Rep. G. K. Butterfield at (202) 225-3101 and let them know that the federal government has no business messing around with your concealed carry permit.


As you know, I’ve been vocal about my opposition to H.R. 822. I’m worried it will open the door to MASSIVE federal overreach and intrusion into the concealed weapons permit process.


The LAST people we want involved in setting concealed weapons policy are the federal government.

In fact, one of my biggest concerns about concealed carry permits -- the lists of gun owners a permit process creates -- should send shivers down your spine: Imagine Eric Holder and the BATFE with a national database of concealed carry permit holders.

It’s bad enough to have those lists exist at a state level. Once Eric Holder and his cronies find a way to request that list from a state, they’ll do it -- all the in the name of “implementing H.R. 822.”

That possibility is enough to make any red-blooded American want to shelf H.R. 822.


However, there is a lot of momentum and misinformation surrounding this bill and I’m worried that we may not be able to stop it.

You see, a lot of normally pro-gun Representatives, despite their opposition of federal overreach, are being pushed -- or worse, deceived -- by the institutional gun lobby into supporting H.R. 822.

That’s why it’s imperative that you take action, right now.

Please call Rep. G. K. Butterfield at (202) 225-3101. Tell them to vote “NO” on H.R. 822, that you want them to keep the government’s hands off your permit and that you oppose federal intrusion into the concealed weapons permit process.

I know many of you are frustrated that you can carry in some states but not others -- I’m frustrated, too.

I carry concealed every day, everywhere I go, and have worked to expand the ability of citizens to carry in dozens of states.  I believe I should be able to carry concealed -- without a permit -- in all 50 states. That’s what “bear arms” means. Believe me, that’s a long-term policy goal for the National Association for Gun Rights.


But mark my words, H.R. 822, the National CCW Registration Act, will become nothing more than a Trojan Horse for even more federal gun control. A Republican amendment to the bill requires it be brought up for “review” again in one year!

We’ve already seen in committee that even Republicans are willing to amend the bill to eliminate provisions protecting states’ rights and create a “study” to confront the “problem” of firearm sales over the internet.

That was in the Republican-led House; you can only imagine what Harry Reid and the Obamacrats in the Senate will tack on to this bill.


Unfortunately, the institutional gun lobby is eager to invite the fox into the hen house by forcing H.R. 822 through the House next week. Your member of Congress needs to hear from you, right away.

I understand that many who support this bill sincerely just want their right to carry respected -- but cannot due to the fact that their state won’t do the right thing.

But the devil is truly in the details... and the details are where H.R. 822 gets sticky.

This bill isn’t just about the right to carry for self-defense -- it’s a battle over the role of government and the ability to restrict our Second Amendment rights.

Once gun owners let the Obamacrats start mandating whether states recognize permit reciprocity, they will want to mandate what it takes to get and keep those permits.


We’re talking about:

•More onerous standards to acquire a permit so that only FBI agents can pass muster (look at New York’s permit system);

•Higher fees;
•More training requirements;
•A demonstration of “Need” for a permit;
•More frequent renewal periods;
•Federally-mandated waiting periods;
•A national database of all permit holders, accessible by Attorney General Eric Holder;
•An extensive, federally-created list of Criminal Safezones, where only criminals will carry and where law-abiding gun owners are vulnerable;
•The list of potential problems is endless.

I need you to call Rep. G. K. Butterfield at (202) 225-3101 and make clear that you want to keep the government’s hands off your permit and that you oppose federal intrusion into the concealed weapons permit process.


I haven’t even mentioned that this legislation would shred the Constitutional Carry provisions that are on the books in Arizona, Alaska, Vermont and Wyoming.

It doesn’t stop with just concealed carry. They’ll co-opt the bill to expand the national Brady Registration Check system to block military veterans with PTSD (a bill supported by the institutional gun lobby) or individuals with misdemeanor convictions from even OWNING firearms -- much less use them for self-defense.

I don’t believe the intentions of the bill sponsors are intrinsically bad -- they’re just naive and misguided.

Many statists in Washington will co-opt H.R. 822 as part of their grab for more federal power and less individual liberty.

Even now, the statists in Congress are trying to adopt a National ID card, complete with biometric data that they’ve forced the states to conform to their mandated drivers license “standards.” The National Association for Gun Rights has been part of a group of liberty-minded organizations which have passed state legislation forbidding cooperation with a National ID card.


Please call Rep. G. K. Butterfield at (202) 225-3101 and tell them to vote “NO” on H.R. 822 and keep the government’s hands off your permit. Tell them you oppose federal intrusion into the concealed weapons permit process.

Thank you for joining me in this battle.

For Freedom,
Dudley Brown

Executive Director
National Association for Gun Rights
The National Association for Gun Rights is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens' organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Constitutionally protected right-to-keep-and-bear-arms through an aggressive program designed to mobilize public opposition to anti-gun legislation. The National Association for Gun Rights' mailing address is P.O. 7002, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. They can be contacted toll-free at 1-877-405-4570. Its web address is www.NationalGunRights.org/