POLITICAL SLUG IN HEALTHCARE Why the Gun Lobby Is Celebrating the Election of Scott Brown (Larry Pratt is in EST)
Among the cheers outside of Massachusetts regarding that state’s surprising election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate seat formerly held by the late Ted Kennedy, were those of gun owners everywhere.
Not the least of which was Executive Director of the Gun Owners of America (GOA), Larry Pratt, who had been pitching against the healthcare reform bills coming out of the House and Senate all along.
So, why was the GOA so occupied with the healthcare reform process? And why is the work not finished, in spite of the fact that Brown’s victory completely upset the Democrats’ super-majority apple cart?
Well, as Pratt points out in a recent e-mail alert to the GOA’s member constituents, apart from the Dems’ classic big-government, big-spend, big-debt plan that left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, the bill currently on the table includes provisions that would position gun ownership as a health hazard like smoking. Further, it would allow the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to set up and “troll a health/gun database in order to take away firearms from tens of millions of Americans.”
Now that Brown is moving into his new office, the GOA and other Americans are sweating a little less today over the possible forced passage of a bill they don’t want. But Pratt says House Speaker Pelosi and other leftists in Congress are not willing to let the bill die.
“Pelosi did say there's a ‘foundation in that bill’ they can work with. So Pelosi may just try to pass one big fix-up bill—using a ‘reconciliation’ bill that will only need 51 votes when it goes to the Senate—or simply break up the Senate bill into smaller pieces and send those parts to the President.”
Find out more by calling Special Guests to book an interview with Larry Pratt.
ABOUT YOUR EXPERT GUEST, LARRY PRATT:
Larry Pratt has been Executive Director of Gun Owners of America for 30 years. GOA is a national membership organization of 300,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their second amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.
GOA lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA’s work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency.
Pratt has appeared on numerous national radio and TV programs such as NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Good Morning America, CNN’s Crossfire and Larry King Live, Fox’s Hannity & Colmes, MSNBC’s Phil Donahue and Dan Abrams show and many others.
Larry Pratt has debated Congressmen James Traficant, Jr. (D-OH), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Vice President Al Gore, among others.
Larry’s columns have appeared in newspapers across the country.
Pratt published a book, Armed People Victorious, in 1990 and was editor of a book, Safeguarding Liberty: The Constitution & Militias, 1995.
Pratt’s latest book is “On the Firing Line: Essays in the Defense of Liberty.”
Pratt has held elective office in the state legislature of Virginia, serving in the House of Delegates. Pratt directs a number of other public interest organizations and serves as the Vice-Chairman of the American Institute for Cancer Research.