imported post
I've been very heavily involved in promoting and advocating the Kentucky Firearms Freedom Act. I'm sorry I've been absent from the OCDO discussion for so long. It truly has been a matter of ignoring natural allies, which makes no sense at all.
I've had Kentucky Firearms Freedom Act tables at the last four major gun shows in Kentucky (Lexington, Louisville, Louisville and Lexington last weekend). I took my Bluegrass Armory .50 BMG rifle and a friend's DoubleStar AR-15 as examples of firearms made in Kentucky that could be purchased without any federal intervention after the KFFA is passed, and I tried to explain the larger goals of the national firearms freedom act and the benefits of state sovereignty.
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/146/photos/787789
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/146/photos/798550
Here's a short piece of literature that I made to explain the KFFA to Kentucky gun owners.
http://files.meetup.com/510992/KFFA-SlimJim.pdf
I created a petition for the Kentucky Firearms Freedom Act.
http://files.meetup.com/510992/KFFA-Petition.pdf
So far, I have collected 798 signed petitions, with the help of some friends. It's an impressive stack, 3.5" tall, that weighs eight pounds. My goal is to deliver 1000 petitions to the legislative committee where I will speak on behalf of the KFFA. This will be my first experience as a citizen legislative activist. I made a trip to the Capitol Building in Frankfort yesterday as part of a legislative training day to prepare for my future appearance to speak to the Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee when the KFFA is discussed.
I think we could probably pass a more strongly worded Kentucky Firearms Freedom Act, with serious penalties for federal agents who disregard our laws, but at this point it may be better to seek rapid and nearly unanimous passage of the bill. We're building consensus on the issues of freedom in general and firearms freedom in particular.
It's early in the 2010 legislative session, but so far things are looking good for the KFFA. At the time of this post, the bill has been sponsored by representative Stan Lee of Lexington and is co-sponsored by ten other representatives, many from urban areas where I would expect the least support. I assume Stan is reaching out to shore up support in the weakest areas first, knowing this is a slam dunk for rural legislators.
http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/10RS/HB87.htm
I was not surprised to see an intelligent debate here on OCDO, complete with the historical, legal and philosophical perspectives. However, I was surprised to find so much federalist, statist, defeatist attitude here.
Yes, Wickard v. Filburn and more recently Gonzales v. Raich are the relevant US Supreme Court test cases, but rather than remove all hope of any justice and common sense, they serve as glaring examples of exactly how wrong the federal government is on this matter, and the ridiculous extent to which they have twisted, distorted and over reached in the area of interstate commerce. Neither case was INTERSTATE, nor COMMERCE.
Ironically, the interstate commerce clause they've been abusing originally had a completely different intent. The very meaning of "regulate" has been altered to empower statists at the federal level. When it was first penned, the interstate commerce clause was designed to promote state commerce. It was an attempt to circumvent one state charging exorbitant taxes for goods flowing through their state which would have harmed interstate commerce. Back then, regulate meant "to make regular". The pendulum on a clock was referred to as the regulator, because it facilitated the proper operation. It kept the clock regular, so it displayed the proper time. Old clocks even have the word "regulator" penned in the window where the pendulum can be seen. But now, statists have twisted the word "regulate" to mean tax, inhibit, or prohibit, which is exactly the opposite of the original meaning.
Fast forward to now. Here is what's happened and what's happening.
The federal government and those who benefit from a strong federal government have stepped up their power grab since 1910. Because our country was prosperous, there was plenty and we allowed their confiscatory taxes that made them stronger and us weaker. We have given up a lot of our liberty until the federal government is now the proverbial 800 pound gorilla. They have screwed up our economy and denied us our unalienable rights on many fronts, and now states' rights and individual rights are making a big comeback.
The firearms freedom act (
http://www.FirearmsFreedomAct.com) has already passed in two states, is before the state legislatures in the 2010 legislative session in 14 other states, and is under serious consideration in 14 more states. It's one of many state sovereignty measures currently being promoted with great success throughout the country. We have at least three other state sovereignty bills before the 2010 Kentucky state legislature.
The KFFA
WILL pass in Kentucky. I don't think there is any force that would oppose the bill in committee, and frankly, there is so much citizen and legislative muscle behind this legislation that any opposition would be squashed like a bug under a steam roller. Once out of committee and up for a floor vote, there are maybe two legislators in Kentucky who could vote against a bill entitled The Kentucky Firearms Freedom Act and keep their job. Legislators opposing firearms freedom in Kentucky will be signing their own pink slips, and they know it.
When over half the states pass firearms freedom acts, and they will, what will the federal government do? They'll scramble and try to retain whatever control they can, but there is little they can do. Read the tenth amendment in our Bill Of Rights. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution (and they are few and specific) are reserved to the States respectively, or to the People. The federal government can pound sand.
The BATFE already sent a letter to the licensed firearms dealers in Montana and Tennessee, instructing them that the federal laws supersede the state laws. This was predicted. We are on course. The day the Montana Firearms Freedom Act became active, that letter was challenged in federal court in Montana.
More states will sign on to the firearms freedom act, and I expect the legal challenge to proceed to the US Supreme Court. The federal government will try to delay the process, because the outcome is inevitable, IMO. The US Supreme Court, being FEDERAL judges, will once again side with the federal government, and then the states will individually use their right to nullify federal laws within the state. The Kentucky Resolution of 1798 is an example of Kentucky nullifying a bad federal law. It was our response to the Alien and Sedition Act, which was the founders version of the USA PATRIOT Act.
This, and issues like this, will be the impetus to elect GOOD representatives at the federal level and clean up the federal rot that we've allowed to spread for decades. We'll eventually appoint good judges to the US Supreme Court, and rectify the federal abuses we've suffered.
It's a long road back to the liberty that is our birthright, but we still have all the legal remedies in place to get back to the freedom our founders fought and died to secure for us, and the best part is, we don't need to have a civil war or fire a single shot. We're right, the power rests with the people as it always does in even the most repressive regimes, and we will prevail.
