Today, Ranking Member Hastings welcomed reports that House Democrat leaders will likely allow a separate vote on the Coburn amendment to restore Americans Second Amendment rights on public lands:

“This week will test whether Democrats in Congress and the Obama Administration are willing to stand up to gun control groups and finally allow the House to vote on protecting gun rights on federal lands. After months of going to extreme lengths to avoid this issue, it appears Democrat leaders have finally recognized the need to hold an open vote and restore Americans’ Second Amendment rights. Passing this legislation will not only vindicate another Bush Administration rule but also codify common sense firearm policies. I encourage House leadership to move forward with this important vote.”

Background

In January, with the bipartisan support of over half of the Members of the United States Senate, the Federal Government announced a common sense policy to legally allow citizens to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges in accordance with State law.

However, on March 19, 2009, Washington, D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly single-handedly decided to block the Federal Government’s commonsense policy.

Unfortunately, the Department of the Interior announced on April 17, 2009 that it will not appeal the federal court ruling that prohibits carrying loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges.

On March 24, 2009, Ranking Member Hastings, Representative Bishop and other members introduced legislation (H.R. 1684) to restore Americans’ Second Amendment rights on public lands and wildlife refuges. Today, the bill has 55 cosponsors.

Since the court ruling in March, Democrats in Congress have gone to extreme lengths to avoid a vote on Second Amendment rights. For example, rather than consider The Omnibus Lands Management Bill through a fair and open process, Democrat leaders lobbed the $10 billion, 1200-page bill from one chamber to another through a series of legislative tactics aimed at blocking Members from offering amendments and preventing a vote on gun rights.

On May 12, 2009, the Senate voted 67-29 in favor of Senator Coburn’s amendment to the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act to ensure that law-abiding visitors to National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service public lands can possess firearms in accordance with federal, state, and local law.

This week, after the Senate passes the bill, the House Rules Committee is expected to split the legislation into two separate votes, one on the Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights Act and another on Coburn’s amendment to restore Second Amendment Rights. Both votes would have to pass in order for the bill to be sent to the White House for the President’s signature.

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