Hidden among the volumes of information that churns out of the U.S. Capitol on a daily basis is a notice for a hearing that is to take place this coming Tuesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The formal name for this hearing is “Firearms in Commerce: Assessing the Need for Reform in the Federal Regulatory Process” and it is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM EDT (9:00 CDT) on Tuesday. (There is a link to a webcast of the meeting on the hearing's website.)
Our own Senator Grassley is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I've placed a call with his office to try to find out what this hearing is really about. Speculation abounds, as there is no information about the hearing on any of the mainstream new outlets. One can only imagine what the true intent of the hearing might be, especially since Sen. Leahy – a known enemy of gun rights in America – is the Chair of the committee. My fellow Examiner David Codrea has some speculation posted in his article today.
As soon as I receive word back from Senator Grassley's office, I'll post a follow-up to this article. In the meantime, keep your eyes open. Holding a committee meeting with little coverage is a great way to slide something by unsuspecting citizens. I trust Senator Grassley to do the right thing for firearms owners in Iowa, but there's only so much he can do with Senator Leahy in the Chair and Democrats holding the majority.
UPDATE - 3:40 PM CDT - I just received a call back from Senator Grassley's office. The hearing will be dealing with the BATFE Modernization Act, which was passed in the House as HR 2296. The aide I spoke with said that Senator Grassley is paying very close attention to this legislation, and they will be pushing to have the Senate version of the act (S 941) put out on the floor for a full vote as quickly as possible. The aide also told me that he has not yet received the witness list, but it will be closely inspected to make sure that nobody "harmful" to the cause gets to pull a lot of traction.
For a good list of what this act does, visit this article on the Hot Air website.
So, nothing to worry about - yet. Senator Grassley is well on board with S 941, and Senator Harkin - if history bears repeating - will be staunchly against it.
Comments
Since when has ANY reform in Government REDUCED regulation? Never. This Hearing can NOT possibly be good news.
And why the secrecy? Where's the transparency in Government Obama promised us?
How can a notice of a public hearing before the full Judiciary Committee not include the AGENDA?
This Government thinks it's no longer accountable to the People. They give us the runaround. They regulate everything from shower heads and toilet bowls (gallons per minute and per flush), to light bulbs we must use, to 401k's and Retirement fund regulations (and confiscation?), and to guns.
Can't WAIT for the November elections! Those who support the 2nd Amendment, you better show-up to vote on November 2nd, or you'll get more of the same BS we see today.
"So, nothing to worry about - yet. Senator Grassley is well on board with S 941, and Senator Harkin - if history bears repeating - will be staunchly against it" ~~ Harkin will definitely be against it. No surprises there....
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