BOREN
ADDRESSES NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATIONS
ANNUAL MEETING
WASHINGTON D.C.
U.S. Congressman Dan Boren, Democrat from the
Second Congressional District of Oklahoma and
a member of the National Rifle Associations
(NRA) Board of Directors, addressed the NRAs
139th Annual Meeting and Exhibits in Charlotte,
North Carolina today. Boren, one of the strongest
defenders of the Second Amendment in the House
of Representatives, highlighted his legislative
work on gun rights in Congress, his thoughts
on the recent DC v. Heller Supreme Court decision
pertaining to the District of Columbia gun ban,
and his views on the NRAs efforts in assisting
gun-owners across the nation.
It is an enormous honor
to speak at the NRA National Convention. For
me personally, it is the largest crowd I get
to address all year and the participants are
very receptive and energized. I know there are
plenty of Oklahoma gun-owners and hunters in
the room curious to see what I have to say.
My goal when addressing the convention is to
reinforce my support for the Second Amendment
and provide my perspective as a member of the
House of Representatives on the current issues
facing gun-owners and sportsmen across America,
said Boren.
This marks the second time that
Boren has addressed the NRAs annual gathering
the first being in 2008 which was the
same year Boren was elected to the organizations
Board of Directors. Throughout his career in
public service, Boren has remained firmly committed
to upholding and protecting the Second Amendment.
Borens legislative background on outdoors
and gun rights issues includes his tenure as
the current Co-Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen
Caucus and Co-Chair of the Second Amendment
Task Force in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Excerpts:
As I was preparing for being
here today, one question kept coming to my mind.
What does it mean to be an American?
Its a tough question that has a lot of
answers. For us, as Members of the National
Rifle Association, the answer to this question
comes back to the Second Amendment. 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.
Coming right after the First Amendment guaranteeing
free speech, I believe that the Second Amendment
is in the DNA of America and Americans.
Because I; we, and every
gun owner in America must continue, in the great
tradition of Jefferson, Adams and Franklin,
to proactively defend the Second Amendment.
There is an old saying in Washington: Youre
either at the table or youre on the menu.
And we, as gun owners, hunters and shooters,
need to make sure that our Second Amendment
rights are never on the menu.
But fortunately, for our
sake, the NRA knows that the best defense is
a good offense. And together, we have become
proactive.
Just last fall, the NRA
and loyal gun owners went to battle with the
DC government to protect its citizens
right to possess a firearm. The landmark Supreme
Court case was in many ways a straight forward
test of the Second Amendment. The question was
do D.C residents have the right to possess
a firearm to protect their house and their family?
I, along with a bipartisan majority of the House
and Senate; including the Vice President of
the United States at the time, signed A
Friend of the Court Brief, arguing that
DCs gun ban was completely unconstitutional.
And because of the NRA's
hard work, we are beginning the process of restoring
gun rights in yet another American city that
previously had none. And this victory, while
historic, should remind everyone in this room
why we cant get complacent. Because complacency
leads to erosion, and the erosion of our rights
leads to the oppression of gun owners everywhere.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I
am proud to be here today. I am proud to be
a member of the board of the NRA. I believe
in liberty. I believe in freedom. My right to
keep and bear arms is an important part of my
heritage
..Im looking forward to
the day that I can teach my daughter or little
boy to shoot and hunt and handle fire arms with
respect.
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