Nov. 15,  2007 - If that eery silence about H.R. 2640 (the Veteran Disarmament bill by Carolyn McCarthy) makes you uneasy, it should: the best time for our opponents to slip gun control through the legislative process is when it's quiet, and everyone's occupied by other business. 

It's no coincidence that gun control often gains steam close to the Holiday season, when Americans are busy with filling that deer tag, going to Christmas plays, shopping and getting the basement room ready for Grandma.

Some good news:

• Sources at the Gun Rights Policy Conference reported that when NRA-ILA Federal Affair lobbyist Chuck Cunningham spoke, he was assaulted with questions about why the NRA was supporting McCarthy's bill.  Immediately after that woodshedding, Wayne LaPierre canceled his speaking appearance at the event -- none of LaPierre's handlers wanted the "face of the NRA" to be caught on video defending their support of gun control.

Friends, that is encouraging: the NRA is feeling the heat on this issue, and if they back off of the bill, H.R. 2640's support on Capitol Hill will lose votes faster than Obama at a John Birch Society straw poll.

And though that is good news, we have bad news:

• Expert sources on the Hill are telling us that politicians took notice of the firestorm that struck their offices late this summer and early fall, but now believe the heat is off and are once again eyeing the passage of HR 2640.

• An NRA insider has told us that yet another deal is in the works between the NRA and Congressional offices, something designed to pass the bill while giving the NRA cover to continue their support.

This confirms what we know: there's a lot of deal-making happening in Washington on this issue, and it's very dangerous to our rights.  These next few weeks -- until the end of 2007 -- are pivotal.

If history repeats itself (and it often does), this Holiday season is a likely spot for our rights to be ambushed.

What you can do:

1)  Call Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Bunning and tell them to join Senator Coburn in opposition to H.R. 2640, the McCarthy/Leahy Gun Control Bill. 

Call Senator Mike Crapo’s office at (202) 224-6142.   To e-mail senator Crapo go here.

Call Senator Bunning’s office at (202) 224-4343.  To e-mail Senator Bunning go here.

2)   Call or e-mail the NRA and tell them to stop schmoozing with Sarah Brady and Chuck Schumer and oppose H.R. 2640.   

       Call (800) 392-8683 or e-mail the NRA’s federal lobbyist, Chuck Cunningham at chuckc@visi.net and Federal-Affairs@nrahq.org.   

For NAGR’s extensive analysis of H.R. 2640, go here.