The second amendment to the US Constitution contains one of the clearest statements you’ll ever read, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”  George’s right to bear arms has been infringed, and I’m not happy about it.  He was  onboard ship off the coast of Beirut when the Marine barracks was bombed.  He was trained very well in the use of firearms,  by the US Marine Corps.  He is also a corrections officer.  He carries a sidearm at work, and also carries a permit to identify his permission to do so.  Corrections officers are trained and retrained.

George has educated our two teenage sons in the safe and responsible use of firearms, and they’re both crack shots.  We live on a lake and in the summer I spend much time at the beach.  We shoot pellets from our deck, at targets between the house and the lake.   We have so many targets on the lawn, I’ve seen signs on my deck that say, “DON’T SHOOT MOM!”

Believe me, this man KNOWS what he’s doing.  Yet, to obtain permission to exercise what our founding fathers recognized to be a right, he had to bear the elementary instruction, expense and  inconvenience  of taking a course in the use of handguns.   This is infringement.  The fact that the government expects to KNOW who is carrying a firearm is infringement.  The fact that the government enters into it at all…IS  infringement.

This is the way Government is supposed to operate, with “We the People” in charge. This is the power of localized Government. When a citizen has a problem, or realizes a problem with their local Government, he can not only be heard, but can actually produce change at the local level where it counts the most.

Tom Matos, Linda Goldthorpe, and several other like-minded citizens addressed the city council on Monday, Dec 7th about the un-constitutional law that has been in effect in Alpena since the late 1970s, and through their efforts it was forwarded to the city attorney as requested by Tom Matos.

We are very pleased with how the city council has responded, and we feel empowered, and you should feel empowered, that we the people can change our Government when we take a stand and fight for what’s right.

Check out this Video Interview with Tom Matos, note the Goldthorpe for Congress business card on his shirt (buttons will be available soon!):

I’m so excited about the response to our plea for constitution-lovers to express their opinions of the Alpena city ordinance that prohibits weapons (and razors) on any person in the city.  (Section 54-2, a, 6)  We expect a tremendous turnout tomorrow night at 123 Chisholm, at 6 pm.

Many of those who have sent supportive emails, seem to think that this weapon prohibition is pending. This is not the case.  The unconstitutional provision is already part of the Alpena code. We’re optimistic that the city council will recognize this unusual opportunity to uphold the fundamental rights of the community.

Sec. 54-2. Disorderly Conduct
(a) The following acts shall constitute disorderly conduct, and no person shall:

(6) Go armed with or have concealed upon his person, a dirk, dagger, sword, pistol, air gun, stiletto, metallic knuckles, pocket billie, sand bag, skull cracker, slingshot, razor or other offensive and dangerous weapon or instrument, unless such person is a police officer or night watchman, and is legitimately employed as such.

(b) As used in subsection (a) of this section, the term “public place” shall mean any street, alley, park, public building, or any place of business or assembly open to or frequented by the public.

This demonstrates blatant disregard for the rights enumerated in our state and federal constitutions, which ensure all citizens the right to “Keep and Bear Arms”. On the 7th of December we invite you to come and voice your opinion on this important issue. We can not let freedoms be taken away from our brothers and sisters in the first district. It is up to all of us to take a stand and fight for liberty and justice in the 1st district as well as the rest of the Country.

Join us December 7th at 6:00pm!

Join Thomas Matos (the man leading the charge on this issue in Alpena), Linda Goldthorpe, and other conservative-minded 1st district citizens on Dec 7th to protest this unconstitutional Gun Ban put in place by the city of Alpena. We will be meeting at 6:00 pm at the Alpena County GOP office (two blocks down from Stupak’s office by the way), and walking together to the City Hall which takes place at 7:00pm. Feel free to bring protest signs and banners, the more the better!

Also make sure to invite your friends/family, we need as many people there as we can, we can’t let an issue like this slide.

For more info go to the Event Page on LindaForCongress.com

http://www.lindaforcongress.com/events/gun-rights-activists-protest-against-unconstitutional-gun-ban-in-alpena

Also make sure to forward this on to your friends!

In Liberty,

Isaac Miller
Field Director
Goldthorpe for Congress

Any law that restricts the right to self-defense is unconstitutional. The Second Amendment reads, “a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” The first clause of the sentence is one of reasoning, and only the second bears the command. It is absurd to claim that “the people,” used in every other Constitutional context to mean all of the citizenry, is in this instance meant to only include “members of a well-regulated militia.”

Free people have the right to defend themselves without regulation. This is the right that distinguishes citizens from subjects. Without it, we are left to depend on the government to defend us—and we know how reliable that can be.

Restrictions on the right to bear arms typically emphasize banning only the most dangerous weapons. But inevitably, criminals are able to find these weapons whether or not they are illegal, and the restrictions only mean that the criminals are assured that they can out-gun the law-abiding citizens. If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will carry them.

Another excuse for restricting guns is to prevent accidental killings. But the facts point in the opposite direction. As Gun Owners of America notes, guns are used 2.5 million times a year in self-defense. Law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year, or about 6,850 times a day. In contrast, the National Safety Council reported 776 accidental firearms deaths. In other words, you’re about 3,200 times more likely to use your gun to defend yourself in a deadly situation than to accidentally kill somebody.

Recent legislation targeted people with histories of mental disorders. Of course, the records can’t possibly give an accurate picture of one’s ability to own a firearm: there are dangerous people who are undocumented just as there are perfectly responsible people whose health records are misleading. In yet another example of the failure of regulation, the government is asserting authority it does not and should not have. It is also targeting our veterans, who by the nature of their duty, are more likely than most Americans to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

From a legal perspective as well as a practical perspective, the Second Amendment should be taken literally, and there should be no restriction on the right to bear arms. Efforts to reduce crime and violence by restricting gun ownership have backfired: they are leaving the law-abiding public defenseless against criminals and dependent upon police to keep them safe. For freedom and security, the Second Amendment should be unconditionally defended at all times.
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1 “Gun Control Fact-Sheet.” http://gunowners.org/fs0404.htm. By Gun Owners Foundation.