Rush Holt's Failed Attempts

WARNING: Do not break the law before, during, or after reading anything I mention.



Representative Rush D. Holt has been in Congress for more than a decade, surely he must have done something to be remembered for, as the wise citizens of New Jersey's 12th Congressional District ready themselves to remove him from office on November 2, 2010. Other than voting for and against bills in Congress, the other privilege a public servant has is to introduce legislation to benefit the nation. This legislative activity tells us a great deal about Mr. Holt. The record clearly reveals that he has been unable to persuade others in Congress to give their assent to his proposals. Rush Holt's ineffective record in getting his own laws passed shows us that his views are generally rejected by most of his colleagues in Congress, and in both political parties. When you look at the public record, Mr. Holt has not done much at all. Do not take me wrong, it is very good that there are public servants in Congress that have stopped Mr. Holt's misguided efforts, no matter what party they reside in. Let us take a closer look at our congressman's ill-conceived legislative proposals.


H.R. 3472 is one particular bill introduced by Rush Holt in the 106th Congress that show his contempt for our fundamental rights as citizens, and his radically suspicious and expansive views. This bill was introduced 11/18/1999 and sought to amend "the Federal criminal code to require the Attorney General to establish a Federal system for the licensing and registration of all handguns owned, possessed, or controlled in the United States, which shall include a method for easily retrieving information to identify: (1) each State resident who owns, possesses, or controls a handgun; and (2) the handgun." Citizens of America were saved from this blatant assault on gun ownership, and outright suspicion of citizens. Rush Holt's expansive federal schemes, and distrust for law abiding citizens, was totally rejected by his fellow colleagues in Congress, and H.R. 3472 was shot down and died in committee, never becoming the intrusive instrument it was intended to be.

The very next Congress, the 107th, Rush Holt introduced the same legislative language in H.R. 114, the Handgun Licensing and Registration Act of 2001. Mr. Holt did not learn much from the previous congressional session. H.R. 114 suffered the same fate as its predecessor. This bill was introduced 1/3/2001 and was referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, where it died in the same manner as the previous endeavor. Mr. Holt's persistence and energy flows in the wrong direction, and takes a contrary path from the majority of Congress, and a majority of citizens in CD-12. Most of Rush Holt's ill-judged proposals can be found in committee trash cans.

Rush Holt has proved he cannot be trusted with our confidence. His actions in Congress, with regard to these particular issues, have been beaten back by his colleagues moderate sentiments. It is great to know that there are still public servants that can stand up to Rush Holt's expansionist attempts. Now it is time for the citizens of CD-12 to stand up to Rush Holt's voracious appetite for more federal power, authority, regulation, and discretion. Mr. Holt does not hold the same moderate views as his constituents. He does not trust law abiding citizens that own guns, and would subject them all to an intrusive expansion of congressional power and regulation. The only individuals Rush Holt empowers are federal bureaucrats. These two bills Rush Holt tried to pass would do nothing to criminals that steal registered handguns and sell them out of the trunks of cars.  There are already enough regulatory measures placed on law abiding citizens. We need to send Rush Holt a message in November, that our second amendment rights will never be surrendered.