Hey folks I got this news letter yesterday. In a way I'm really glad the senator appreciates the realities of Alaska especially rural Alaska. But I think and hope he is able to protect all gun owners in all of USA. And I don't agree that he is "increasing" or "extending" our 2A rights - just slightly slowing the erosion of our rights. I wrote to thank him, sent copies to Sen Murkowski, and Rep Young AND Rand Paul. We need to stay on top of this stuff. I posted similar in the 2A forum here.
February 9, 2014 Begich Fights to Increase 2nd Amendment Rights for AlaskansDear Friends,Protecting Alaskans' right to bear arms is a priority for me which is why I wanted to tell you about my fight in the Senate the week to protect our Second Amendment Rights. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which I am a member, has held several hearings on postal reform. On Thursday, in the final session before the bill heads to the Senate floor, I fought back against the Democratic chairman who tried to refuse a vote on an amendment related to guns in post offices offered by Senator Rand Paul. I pushed back on the Chair, insisting we take the time to address the issue of Second Amendment rights.
After some back and forth, it became clear that the committee was going to vote against Sen. Paul's amendment so I quickly offered a common sense solution that not only got the support of every member of the committee (including all Democrats and Sen. Paul) but also the NRA. And now the final bill includes language that protects Alaskans' rights. Before my amendment, there was a chance that hunters or others who stopped by the post office with a shotgun or other firearm in their trucks could be found guilty of breaking the law.
The Washington Times has an article about the hearing that you can read here: Here is an excerpt:
The measure from Sen. Mark Begich, Alaska Democrat, to a broader Postal Reform bill is meant to head off situations where a person could be charged with a crime if they run into the post office after hunting or shooting, for example, and leave their gun in the parking lot. "In my state, a rural state, we have folks who are going out to the post office [with] a gun in their car, "
Mr. Begich said Thursday at a meeting of the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. "[You] park and you go in and you may not realize that even though you stored your gun in that parking lot … this solves this problem once and for all."
This is only one example of the ongoing fight I take on to make sure that Washington does not interfere with our rights. And after hearing from so many Alaskans on this issue, I wanted to make sure you knew about this important win for our rights and our way of life in Alaska. As a proud member of the NRA with an "A" rating from the organization, I know Alaskans' right to carry firearms is a valued right no matter where they are.
I hope you'll continue to stay up to date on my work here in the Senate.
Sincerely, Senator Mark Begich
--------------dang! its a chore cleaning up some of these letters to post on here!!! ---------
