Providing For Consideration Of Senate Amendments of H. R. 146, Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 146, OMNIBUS PUBLIC LAND MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - March 25, 2009)
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Mr. FLEMING. I thank the gen tle lady from North Carolina.
I want to speak out on this rule and certainly the underlying legislation for the omnibus public land bill. The Constitution of the United States has long been a thorn in the side of many activist judges in this country. Last week we witnessed another act of hostility towards the Constitution when a U.S. district judge single-handedly decided to recede one of our basic constitutional rights. The ruling by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly eliminating a law-abiding citizen's right to carry a concealed weapon on Federal lands is a direct assault on the second amendment.
The right to bear arms was a founding principle of our democracy, and the second amendment spells out this principle in clear, unambiguous language that requires no clarification or translation: ``The right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.'' Citizens should not lose this right just because they are standing or driving on Federal lands.
It is our responsibility in Congress to craft legislation that is in accordance with the Constitution. And we should not see cede this responsibility to an agenda-driven activist judge.
I urge my colleagues to join me in upholding and protecting this country's founding document by voting to restore Americans' second amendment rights on public lands.
``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.''
Let us never forget the second amendment and its importance.
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