Grassroots rebellion picks up steam

There's nothing like a concentrated dose of liberalism to work like smelling salts on the American public.

Here we are almost one year into the Obama presidency and gun sales are still running hot in the midst of a recession.

Political novices are getting involved and taking off work to rally at Tea Parties - even to the point where nearly a million people traveled to Washington, D.C., in September to tell Congress and the president that they'd better start taking seriously their oath to uphold the Constitution.

Speaking of Obama, the Presidential Approval Index (as reported by Rasmussen) has dropped more than 30 points since he took office. More Americans now "strongly disapprove" of the president than "strongly approve" of him.

Most encouraging, however, is the change in thinking that seems to be sweeping the nation. People who formerly swallowed the pabulum from the political left are now rethinking their positions.

For example, support for gun control is at its lowest level in recent memory. Only three in 10 Americans now support stricter gun control according to a recent Rasmussen poll (released Oct. 5). This is a substantial drop from recent years.

Sixty-nine percent oppose the ability of city governments to prevent citizens from owning handguns - an interesting statistic considering that the Supreme Court will be looking at Chicago's handgun ban this year.

Seventy-one percent of Americans believe the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to own guns. And an equal percentage believes that President Barack Obama is at least somewhat likely to seek tougher gun control laws.

People are scared of what the ObamaCrats are planning to do to them and now they're rising up to say "enough!" But the people in the states are not alone, as their legislators are also stepping into the fray:

•Thirty-six states have introduced 10th Amendment resolutions, and seven states have already passed them. These resolutions reassert the sovereignty of each state and rebuke Washington for its profligate ways.

•Montana and Tennessee have enacted Firearms Freedom Acts, declaring that guns which are made (and stay) in their states are exempt from federal gun restrictions. Seven other states have also introduced such legislation - Alaska, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas - and another 20 states are considering similar bills.

•More than a dozen states have refused to implement parts of the REAL ID Act (2005), a law that forces states to standardize driver's licenses. Such standards could require RFID chips to be placed in the licenses, allowing the tracking of individuals and the inclusion of all kinds of private information (including gun ownership). The states' rejection of this law has forced the Obama administration and the Congress to move towards repealing and replacing the federal law.

•More than a dozen states are considering ballot initiatives to prevent their citizens from being forced to buy health insurance - a crucial element of all the federal ObamaCare proposals. Arizona has already placed its anti-socialized health care initiative on the ballot for 2010.

All Americans should be concerned about socialized health care, but gun owners should especially be wary. The ObamaCare legislation in Congress could empower anti-gun bureaucrats to deny medical reimbursements to individuals who engage in supposedly "dangerous" activities, like owning loaded weapons for self-defense.

A majority of Americans are right. The ObamaCrats do want to restrict our gun rights, but they're not necessarily going to do it with a frontal assault.

That's why it's a good thing that the silent majority is now waking up, because a grassroots rebellion is the only thing that is going to be able to prevent all the back-door assaults on our liberties.

Please pass the smelling salts.