Second Amendment Issues

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

http://www.gunsandammoenthusiastblog.com

——————————————————————————–

POLL say MOST AMERICANS SAY CITIES HAVE NO RIGHT TO BAN HANDGUNS

Posted: 06 Mar 2010 07:21 AM PST

BELLEVUE, WA – A new Rasmussen poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of Americans reject the notion that cities have a right to ban handguns, siding with the Second Amendment Foundation’s position in its lawsuit to overturn the Chicago ban.

Oral arguments in the SAF case were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday. Court observers predict the high court will overturn the Chicago ban, thus incorporating the Second Amendment to state and local governments through provisions in the 14th Amendment. Results from Rasmussen’s national telephone survey found that 69 percent of the respondents say cities have no right to ban legal handgun ownership, while 25 percent believe cities can ban guns.

“The Rasmussen survey clearly shows that Americans have grown weary of anti-gun municipal demagoguery,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “A victory in our case before the Supreme Court should send a clear signal to gun prohibitionists like Chicago Mayor Richard Daley that arbitrarily disarming law-abiding citizens under the guise of fighting crime is an idea that has no place in this country.”

SAF is joined in its case by the Illinois State Rifle Association and four Chicago residents, including Otis McDonald, for whom the Supreme Court case is named.

The Rasmussen poll also found very little difference between current public sentiment and earlier surveys that noted 70 percent of American adults believe the U.S. Constitution guarantees the individual right to own a firearm.

“For years,” Gottlieb said, “the anti-gun lobby has been claiming majority support for its Draconian agenda, but polling data like this new information from Rasmussen shows that the public is not about to surrender a significant civil right. We believe the Supreme Court is on the verge of expanding the scope of that right by applying the Second Amendment to the states.”

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

http://www.gunsandammoenthusiastblog.com

Another one bits the dust feds and ATFE, South Dakota Legislature Passes Firearms Freedom Bill! Good News for all

Posted: 04 Mar 2010 07:33 AM PST

Well good news to second amendment, guns, ammo, and hunting fans. Looks like South Dakota may be joining the ranks of states that pass a firearm Freedom Bill.

A bill that declares “exempt from federal regulation any firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition manufactured and retained in South Dakota” passed in the South Dakota House of Representatives today.

SB 89 was approved by a 49-19 vote. The bill had already passed the state Senate on Feb. 18 with a 29-4 vote.

The bill states it would “exempt from federal regulation any firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition manufactured and retained in South Dakota.” The spirit of the bill hearkens to the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which says

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government the power to regulate interstate commerce, but the firearms and ammunition covered by this bill would not be involved in interstate commerce; it specifies guns and ammo that are manufactured and kept within the state of South Dakota.

A number of states across the country have been working on “Firearms Freedom Acts” which seek to rein in our out-of-control federal government. South Dakota is joining this effort to restore federalism and strengthen our American freedoms.

Dave Kopel’s Second Amendment Newsletter

Dave Kopel’s Second Amendment Project is based at the Independence Institute,
a free-market think tank in Golden, Colorado.
http://www.independenceinstitute.org

Please visit Dave Kopel’s website, containing articles on the Second Amendment and other freedom topics.
http://www.davekopel.org

To subscribe to this free e-mail newsletter, please send a request to:
kopelnewsletter@liberty.seanet.com

New by Kopel: Law Review Articles: State Court Standards, ‘Living Constitution,’ Pennsylvania Quakers, Zimbabwe; Short Articles: South Africa’s Disaster, Chicago; Audio: Privileges or Immunities, Miller’s Meaning, IHEA, Pfaff interviews Dave; Bloggery: Armed and Overcoming, Clinton Connection to ‘Birthers,’ Gao Zisheng, Roscoe Pound, Interpol, Nemerov, Ginsberg.
International: The Bahamas; Balkans; Finland; Mexico; Call for South African ban
Industry: NSSF’s Government Relations Blog; SHOT Show
Anti-Gun Movement: Brady Center Leans on Starbucks; O’Reilly favors Crisis Gun-Grabs; Gun Owners Against Illegal Mayors; California Detective Calls for Shootings
Media: CNN’s Smuggling Network: Scoop or Spin?
Federal: Guns in National Parks
States: California Microstamping; Colorado Campus Concealed Carry; Delaware Public Housing; Tennessee Bowhunters
Cases: Supreme Court to define ‘Machinegun;’ Shoot, Don’t Brandish; Washington Supremes Apply 2nd via 14th; Seattle Parks Ban Pre-empted
Research & Scholarship: Halbrook, Halbrook, Halbrook; Incidental Charges Defense; New Tendentious VPC Study; Mens Rea; 19th Century Incorporation; Time, place, and manner standard; Slaughter-House Three

New by Kopel

Law Review Articles

State Standards for the Right to Arms

David Kopel with Clayton Cramer
Santa Clara Law Review
2010
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1542544

“Cases on the right to arms in state constitutions can provide useful guidance for courts addressing Second Amendment issues. Although some people have claimed that state courts always use a highly deferential version of “reasonableness,” this article shows that many courts have employed rigorous standards, including the tools of strict scrutiny, such as overbreadth, narrow tailoring, and less restrictive means.”

The Right to Arms in the Living Constitution

Dave Kopel
Cardozo Law Review de Novo 99
2010
http://www.davekopel.com/2A/LawRev/Second-Amendment-in-the-Living-Constitution.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

This article presents a brief history of the Second Amendment as part of the living Constitution. From the Early Republic through the present, the American public has always understood the Second Amendment as guaranteeing a right to own firearms for self-defense. That view has been in accordance with élite legal opinion, except for a period in part of the twentieth century.

The Keystone of the Second Amendment: Quakers, the Pennsylvania Constitution, and the Flawed Scholarship of Nathan Kozuskanich

Dave Kopel with Clayton Cramer
19 Widener Law Journal
2010
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1502925

Kopel and Cramer examine the historical underpinnings of historian Nathan Kozuskanich’s claim that the right to arms in the 1776 Pennsylvania constitution only guaranteed a right to serve in the commonwealth’s militia.

The Arms Trade Treaty: Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Prospects for Arms Embargoes on Human Rights Violators.

Dave Kopel, Paul Gallant, and Joanne T. Eisen
114 Penn State Law Review No. 3, 2010, Forthcoming
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1437204

“Advocates of the proposed United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) promise that it will prevent the flow of arms to human rights violators. This Article first examines the ATT, and observes that the ATT, if implemented as promised, would require dozens of additional arms embargoes, including embargoes on much of Africa. The Article then provides case studies of the current supply of arms to the dictatorship in Zimbabwe and to the warlords in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Article argues that the ATT would do nothing to remediate the conditions which have allowed so many arms to be acquired by human rights violators. The ATT would have no more effective force than the embargoes that are already imposed by the UN Security Council; therefore states, including China, which violate current Security Council embargoes could just as well violate ATT embargoes. Accordingly, the ATT is a distraction, and human rights activists should instead examine alternative methods of addressing the problem of arms in the hands of human rights violators.” What’s up now is the near-final version.

Short Articles

South Africa’s Deadly Disaster

Dave Kopel
America’s 1st Freedom
March, 2010
http://www.davekopel.com/2A/Foreign/South-Africas-Deadly-Disaster.htm

“When not banning guns outright, the gun prohibition lobbies—both in the United States and abroad—promote gun owner licensing as a ‘reasonable’ and ’sensible’ regulation. Yet, the terrible experience of South African gun owners shows how purportedly ‘reasonable’ licensing can be used to devastate a culture of responsible gun ownership.”

The Next Supreme Decision: Showdown Over Chicago

Dave Kopel
America’s 1st Freedom
February, 2019
http://www.davekopel.com/2A/Mags/next-supreme-decision.htm

“The NRA files a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case of McDonald v. Chicago, making a powerful argument in defense of the Second Amendment.”

Podcasts and Audio

The Privileges or Immunities Clause and What it Means for the Second Amendment

David Kopel with Ilya Shapiro
Dave Kopel’s Second Amendment Podcast
February 16, 2010
http://audio.ivoices.org/mp3/iipodcast376.mp3

Kopel interviews the Cato Institute’s Ilya Shapiro about his new law review article. 29 minutes.

What Miller Meant

David Kopel with Michael O’Shea
Dave Kopel’s Second Amendment Podcast
February 16, 2010
http://audio.ivoices.org/mp3/iipodcast377.mp3

Kopel interviews Michael O’Shea about the history and multiple meanings of United States v. Miller. 65 minutes.

The International Hunter Education Association

David Kopel with Wayne East
Dave Kopel’s Second Amendment Podcast
February 16, 2010
http://audio.ivoices.org/mp3/iipodcast378.mp3

Kopel interviews the International Hunter Education Association’s Wayne East, about IHEA’s good works in teaching safety and responsibility. 26 minutes.

David Kopel: Aiming for Liberty, The Future of Freedom and Self-Defense

Jim Pfaff with Dave Kopel
The Jim Pfaff Show
January 21, 2010
http://www.opiniontimes.com/podcast/20100121-JPS-Dave-Kopel.mp3

Jim Pfaff interviews Kopel about Aiming for Liberty, Dave’s new book. 24 minutes.

Kopel’s Bloggery

The Story of the Armed Community Organizers

David Kopel
The Volokh Conspiracy
February 22, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/22/the-story-of-the-armed-community-organizers/

One of the reasons that as many figures in the Civil Rights movement of the 60’s fared as well as they did is that a considerable number of them were armed with things besides faith and virtue.

“Birther” claim about Obama and the Bush National Guard Hoax: Fruit of the same Poisonous Tree?

David Kopel
The Volokh Conspiracy
February 9, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/09/birther-claim-about-obama-and-the-bush-national-guard-hoax-fruit-of-the-same-poisonous-tree/

“So suggests John Avalon, in a Daily Beast column ‘The Secret History of the Birthers.’ He traces birtherism to a Texas woman named Linda Starr, who was a Hillary Clinton delegate to the 2008 Texas state Democratic Convention. Avalon writes that Starr ‘was also cited as a key source for CBS’s discredited election year investigation into George W. Bush’s National Guard records that led to Dan Rather’s replacement after 24 years as the evening news anchor.’”

State Court Standards of Review for the Right to Arms

David Kopel
The Volokh Conspiracy
February 18, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/09/birther-claim-about-obama-and-the-bush-national-guard-hoax-fruit-of-the-same-poisonous-tree/

“That’s that title of a forthcoming article in a Santa Clara Law Review symposium, by Clayton Cramer and me. We examine, in detail, scores of important cases, from Bliss v. Commonwealth in 1822 up to the present. We explain which cases can provide useful guidance to modern courts which must interpret the Second Amendment (and which cases use an approach is plainly inapplicable to Second Amendment analysis, post–Heller).”

How the Right to Arms Saved the Non-violent Civil Rights Protesters

David Kopel
The Volokh Conspiracy
February 8, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/08/how-the-right-to-arms-saved-the-non-violent-civil-rights-protesters/

“As the history of the Civil Rights Movement demonstrates, the denial of the constitutional right to own a handgun could endanger other constitutional rights, particularly the rights of community organizers.”

Where is Gao Zisheng?

The Volokh Conspiracy
February 4, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/04/where-is-gao-zisheng/

“There is no writ of habeas corpus in China, nor are there most of the other civil rights guarantees which are characteristic of a civilized nation with a free government. And so Gao Zisheng’s writ of habeas corpus will not be issued by a Chinese court, but its moral equivalent can be issued by the free people of the world: commanding that the body of Gao Zisheng, in the Chinese government’s custody detained, as it is said, together with the day and cause of his caption and detention, be safely brought forth.”

Roscoe Pound on the Second Amendment

The Volokh Conspiracy
February 2, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/02/roscoe-pound-on-the-second-amendment/

“As David Bernstein has explained, Pound argued on a broad front that judges should ignore the text and original meaning of the Constitution, so as not to impede (supposedly) beneficial expansions of government power to restrict personal freedom. Pound was no friend of the Constitution.”

Interpol Realism

David Kopel
The Volokh Conspiracy
January 15, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/01/15/interpol-realism/

“Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of concern in some quarters about President Obama’s Executive Order extending certain legal immunities to Interpol. These concerns are misplaced. I am currently writing a research paper on Interpol, which will cover the immunities, and many other issues.”

Best unknown gun rights writer? Howard Nemerov

David Kopel
The Volokh Conspiracy
January 8, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/01/08/best-unknown-gun-right-writer-howard-nemerov/

“The Examiner on-line newspapers have provided forum for a bevy of authors who write on Second Amendment and firearms policy issues. There are plenty of good writers among them, but my favorite is Howard Nemerov, who writes for the Austin Examiner. Howard´s columns are often data-rich (such as his latest piece, on the failures of police protection in Chicago). He is no mere commentator, but instead works hard to research the facts and advance the story.” Mr. Nemerov’s work can be found here: http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner

Justice Ginsburg: Supreme Court may Eventually Overrule Heller

David Kopel
The Volokh Conspiracy
December 20, 2009
http://volokh.com/2009/12/20/justice-ginsburg-supreme-court-may-eventually-overrule-heller/

“On Thursday, Dec. 17, Justice Ginsburg spoke at a luncheon of the Harvard Club of Washington, D.C. I was not present at the luncheon, but I have heard, third-hand, that she spoke on the value of dissenting opinions. She said that sometimes a dissent can become the majority of a ‘future, wiser court.’ As an example, she pointed to the dissent in District of Columbia v. Heller.”

International

The Bahamas

Gun License Holders Requested to Renew or Face Possible Charges

Loretta Mackey
Bahama Islands Info
February 10, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/y8grwxp

“Please know that the deadline for renewal ended on 31st December, 2009. Furthermore, the ‘grace’ period of fourteen after the deadline has also expired. Therefore, gun license holders, should make a special effort to renew their licenses immediately. You are all reminded that if you have not renewed your licenses, you are now in ‘possession of an unlicensed firearm/ammunitions’ which are criminal charges.”

The Balkans

Hunting surges in Southeast Europe

Phil Cain
Global Post
February 16, 2009
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/europe/100209/balkans-hunting-conservation

“After the fall of communism, hunting became an economic imperative in the Balkans, worrying conservationists.”

Egypt

Firearms, and another Friday night in Cairo

Ingrid Wassmann
Dubai Business Journal
February 19, 2010
http://www.kippreport.com/2010/02/firearms-and-another-friday-night-in-cairo/

“Egyptians are confronting a violent crime wave with a decidedly American approach: buying guns and taking the law into their own hands.”

Finland

Finns propose ban on handguns after shootings

Matti Huuhtanen
The Associated Press (Finland)
February 17, 2010
http://www.chicoer.com/news/national/ci_14417391

“A Finnish government commission on Wednesday proposed a ban on semiautomatic handguns after two school shootings in recent years left 20 people dead.”

Mexico

Mexican Gun Control: The Bitter Irony

Howard O. Ness
The Las Cruces Sun (New Mexico)
February 11, 2010
http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-opinion/ci_14380633

“We read with horror about yet another mass slaughter in our Mexican border city, Juarez, on the last day of January when 18 young persons were killed in cold blood at a festive event. This story is now being repeated all over Mexico, particularly in the northern tier of states. There is a terrible irony about the current wave of deaths occurring from out-of-control shootings, many with fully automatic weapons. The principle irony is this. To my knowledge, Mexico has the toughest gun control laws in the Western Hemisphere.”

South Africa

Gun Free SA Wants Gun Ownership Illegal

Regan Thaw
Eyewitness News (South Africa)
February 13, 2009
http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=32456

An organization called Gun Free South Africa is urging the South African Government to expand aggressive new restrictions on civilian firearms ownership into a total ban.

Industry

Introducing ‘Keane Insights,’ NSSF’s Government Relations Blog

Press Release
The National Shooting Sports Foundation
February 15, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/yb38f25

“NSSF has launched a new blog focusing on public policy, legislation, regulation and legal issues affecting the firearms industry. Titled ‘Keane Insights’ after its author, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane, the blog is a direct response to member requests for more government-relations-based communications.”

2010 SHOT Show

Boge Quinn
Guns Magazine’s ‘Web Blast’
January 21, 2010
http://www.gunblast.com/SHOT_Show_2010.htm

Here’s coverage of the entirety of the Firearms Industry’s 2010 SHOT show, held January 18th through the 21st in Las Vegas.

Anti-gun movement

Contact Starbucks And Protect The Right-To-Carry

Press Release
The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action
February 12, 2010
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=5399

The Brady Campaign is launching an effort to convince Starbucks to forbid concealed carry by licensees at its establishments.

NRA: Brady Campaign’s Contradiction on Concealed Guns

Wayne LaPierre
Opposiing Views
November 16, 2009
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/nra-brady-campaign-s-contradiction-on-concealed-guns

Having previously acknowledged the obvious fact that civilian concealed carry has posed no problem, the Brady Campaign’s effort to pressure Starbucks into forbidding it is a clear contradiction of their stated view.

‘Conservative’ Bill O’Reilly Supports Gun Confiscation in Emergencies

David Codrea
The Examiner
February 19,2010
http://tinyurl.com/yf35m7x

Citing the need of authorities to regain control of a city in crisis, Fox’s Bill O’Reilly supported disarming the population in the aftermath of an upheaval. Codrea points out that at such a time the population would be in the most need of their arms.

Gun Owners Against Illegal Mayors

Informational Web Page
2010
http://www.stopillegalmayors.com/

This organization has done a thorough job of amassing considerable evidence that NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s ‘Mayors Against Illegal Guns’ organization contains enough convicted or alleged felons to justify its investigation as a criminal conspiracy.

Gun Rights Advocates Target California Detective Following Facebook Posts

Joshua Rhett Miller
Fox News
February 15, 2010
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,585807,00.html

“Gun rights advocates have a California police detective in their crosshairs after he apparently posted comments on Facebook advocating that ‘open carry’ supporters should be shot.”

Media

Smuggled Guns used in Cartel Hits

Ed Lavandera
CNN
February 18, 2010
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/17/cartel.guns/

A network of straw purchasers has been illegally obtaining weapons in Texas for use by the Mexican drug cartels.

The One Thing That’s Missing…

David Codrea
The War on Guns Blogspot
February 17, 2010
http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2010/02/one-thing-thats-missing.html

Codrea succinctly points out that the objectives of ‘Lost and Stolen’ laws will not be met unless criminals comply with the legislation by reporting themselves and surrendering the purloined weapons.

CNN’s Lavandera Misrepresents Illegal ‘Lost & Stolen’ Gun Ordinances

Matthew Balan
Newsbusters
February 17, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/ygcb8rq

“CNN’s Ed Lavandera [author of the article above] misrepresented ‘lost and stolen’ gun ordinances passed by municipalities in Pennsylvania as ’straw purchase ordinances’ on Wednesday’s American Morning, and hinted that gun rights supporters were somehow extreme.”

Is CNN Report on “Legal Guns that Go Bad” Misleading?

Mark Berman
Opposing Views
February 17, 2010
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/is-cnn-report-on-legal-guns-that-go-bad-misleading

Here is a summary of Newsbusters’ ongoing criticism of CNN’s efforts to claim that a large, organized network of illegal gun traffickers is funneling large amounts of weapons from the U.S. into the wars of the Mexican drug cartels.

Federal

National ‘Take a Gun Hiking’ Day

Howard Nemerov
The Examiner
February 22, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/yf9md6j

Howard Nemerov offers his useful perspective and insights on the Federal law now allowing legal concealed carry, subject to state law, in the National Parks.

National Parks are Safer with Concealed Carry Law

Howard Nemerov
Pajamas Media
February 20, 2010
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/national-parks-are-safer-with-right-to-carry-law/

“Thanks to a new federal law beginning February 22, people who can legally carry concealed handguns according to state law can also carry within national parks and forests in that state, too. While this may help protect visitors from the parks’ burgeoning crime problem, the story of this law’s journey through Congress provides a lesson in campaign contributions and anti-liberty special interests.”

States

California

Concealed Weapons Permit Violations Rare, Police Say

C. D. Michel
California Gun laws
February 15, 2010
http://calgunlaws.com/index.php/california-law/83/858.html

“The lack of available micro-stamping technology has not deterred the Department of Justice from proceeding with promulgating regulations for the law’s implementation. In other words, these proposed regulations are completely unnecessary at this time. It is on this basis, among others, that the NRA is objecting to the DOJ commencing with the rulemaking process on this matter.” The text of the NRA’s letter is here: http://tinyurl.com/y8gkh4b

Colorado

Colorado Senate News: Republicans back CSU Students in Struggle to Preserve On-Campus Concealed Carry Policy

ColoradoSenateNews.com
The Denver Daily News
February 12, 2010
http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=7285

“A Republican lawmaker is outraged that Democrats killed a bill that would have declared that any firearms made and retained in Colorado are beyond the control of Congress.”

CSU Approves Separate Concealed-weapons Policies for Two Campuses

Monte Whaley
The Denver Post
February 24, 2010
http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14458517

“Rocky Mountain Gun Owners has threatened to lead the legal charge against the gun policy, which bans people from carrying licensed concealed weapons on both campuses.”

Delaware

House Bill 357 Introduced to Overturn Public Housing Gun Bans

Lee Williams
Caesar Rodney Institute Blog
February 18, 2010
http://criblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/house-bill-357-introduced-to-overturn-public-housing-gun-bans/

“A bill that would stop the state’s public housing authorities from banning guns was introduced today, co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of more than two-dozen state lawmakers.”

Maryland

Assault Weapons Ban Bill Dropped

Douglas Tallman
The Gazette (Gaithersburg, MD)
February 19, 2009
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02192010/polinew200653_32551.php

“The sponsor of a proposal to ban assault weapons withdrew his bill from the Maryland Senate this week, acknowledging the measure lacked enough support to get the legislation out of committee.”

Tennessee

Bill Would OK Handguns while Bowhunting in Tenn.

The Associated Press(TN)
February 22, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/yzwghst

“Handgun permit holders in Tennessee would be able to carry their weapons while big game bowhunting under a measure approved by the House. The bill sponsored by House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner of Nashville passed 85-3 on Monday. The companion bill is waiting to be scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor.”

Cases

Mandatory Minimums and Automatic Weapons: United States v. O’Brien and Burgess

Anna Christensen
SCOTUS blog
February 19, 2010
http://tinyurl.com/y8kmwfb

“In United States v. O’Brien and Burgess, the Court will once again enter the tangled field of sentencing law, this time to interpret 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), which criminalizes the use or carrying of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence or drug trafficking and which has been the subject of several decisions since it was amended in 1998 to clarify that it extended to ‘mere’ possession of a firearm. The case involves the sentence enhancement for the use of a ‘machinegun’…”

If You Brandish a Gun in Self-Defense in Kansas, You’d Best Shoot It

Eugene Volokh
The Volokh Conspiracy
February 12, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/12/if-you-brandish-a-gun-in-self-defense-in-kansas-youd-best-shoot-it/

The Kansas State Supreme court has held, under its 2009 Hendrix decision, that a man who merely brandished a firearm in what he believed was a dangerous situation was unable to use the self-defense defense he could have used had he fired the weapon.

State of Washington v. Christopher William Sieyes

Justice Richard B. Sanders
Supreme Court of the State of Washington
February 18, 2010
http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/821542.opn.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

The Washington State Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans are applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment.

Judge’s Ruling Ends Seattle Parks Gun Ban

Erik Lacitis
The Seattle Times
February 12, 2010
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011061469_parksgun13m.html

“The rule banning firearms in Seattle parks was tossed out Friday by King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer, who said the city cannot pre-empt state law.”

Research & Scholarship

Securing Civil Rights

Stephen P. Halbrook
The Independent Institute
April, 2010
http://www.independent.org/store/book_detail.asp?bookID=85

Now with the urgency of the McDonald case, the Independent Institute is making copies of Securing Civil Rights available in a new, inexpensive, reader-friendly edition.”

Freedmen, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Right to Bear Arms, 1866-1876

Stephen P. Halbrook
The National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action
February, 2010
http://www.nraila.org/ActionCenter/GrassRootsActivism.aspx?id=96

“Now, you can donate to NRA-ILA and get the top source on the subject: Freedmen, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Right to Bear Arms, 1866-1876, by Stephen P. Halbrook. This hardcover, 230-page book has been a key source of primary materials for scholars and attorneys challenging the Chicago handgun ban. Now out of print, copies cost $75 or more online, but you can receive your copy, with no shipping charge, for a $25 donation to NRA-ILA.”

Heller, the Second Amendment, and Reconstruction: Protecting All Freedmen or Only Militiamen?

Stephen P. Halbrook
Santa Clara Law Review
Forthcoming
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1544924##

Halbrook responds to the District of Columbia’s use of his scholarship in their Heller brief about the efforts of the Southern states to disarm former slaves in the aftermath of Emancipation. Halbrook further enlarges upon his explanation of his conclusion that on the Federal level the civil rights of the Freedmen very much included the right to keep and bear arms.

Bans on Discharging Firearms, Without a Self-Defense Exception

Eugene Volokh
The Volokh Conspiracy
February 12, 2010
http://volokh.com/2010/02/12/bans-on-discharging-firearms-without-a-self-defense-exception/

Volokh here discusses how a claim of self-defense can offer an explicit or implicit defense against other legal violations incidental to the action defended by a claim of self-defense.

A Shot at Mens Rea in Aiding and Abetting Illegal Firearms Possession Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(G)

Stephen R. Klein
Ave Maria Law Review
Vol. 7, No. 639, 2009
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1543547

This Note explains the current circuit split regarding aiding and abetting illegal firearm possession and argues that the split should be resolved legislatively by restricting § 922(g) charges via § 2(a). Possible judicial remedies are also discussed. Considerations include how the U.S. Supreme Court would resolve the current circuit split: the Court could either apply its reasoning in Staples v. United States 9 to § 922(g), or adopt its formulation of aiding and abetting in Nye & Nissen v. United States, or it could do both. Ultimately, the current disparity is best resolved by Congress, for it does not appear that aiding and abetting will ever find uniform judicial application within criminal law.

Target: Law Enforcement

Tom Diaz, VPC Senior Policy Analyst
The Violence Policy Center
December 4, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/yz7yzr2

More than one out of four assault weapon incidents involve police, says a study by the Violence Policy Center (VPC). Based on reports in the news of assault weapons incidents over two years the group said the study is a snapshot of the effect of Americas laissez- faire policy toward these deadly military-style weapons. The study found that the percentage of assault weapons incidents involving police rose significantly between the two periods studied: March 1, 2005 to February 28, 2006, and March 1, 2006 to February 28, 2007. Police were involved in 29 of 117 incidents (24.8 percent) in the first period and 35 of 118 incidents (29.7 percent) in the second period’s increase of 20.7 percent. The study also found that shots were fired from assault weapons (other than police weapons) in three out of every four reported incidents involving police, and that gangs were reported to be involved in one out of five of the reported incidents involving assault weapons. At least one victim was killed in 86 out of 235 reported incidents (36.6 percent). A total of 115 deaths were reported for the 86 incidents.

Ducking the Bullet: District Of Columbia v. Heller and The Stevens Dissent

David T. Hardy
Cardozo Law Review de Novo 99
2010
http://www.cardozolawreview.com/content/denovo/HARDY_2010_61.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

Hardy here offers a critique of Justice Steven’s dissent in Heller.

The Potentially Expansive Reach of McDonald V. Chicago: Enabling the Privileges or Immunities Clause

Michael Anthony Lawrence
Cardozo Law Review de Novo 99
2010
http://www.cardozolawreview.com/content/denovo/LAWRENCE_2010_139.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

Lewis makes a proposal that all restrictions on liberty be judged according to a “reasonable time, place, and manner” standard.

Why Did the Incorporation of the Bill of Rights Fail in the Late Nineteenth Century?

Gerard N. Magliocca
The Minnesota Law Review 94
2009
http://www.minnesotalawreview.org/sites/default/files/Magliocca_MLR.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

Today, the conventional wisdom is that the Slaughter-House cases asserted that the Privileges or Immunities clause does not protect the Bill of Rights. But until 1900, the conventional reading—including in Supreme Court opinions—was that the case only rejected application of procedural rights to the states. The idea that SH rejects the application of substantive rights (e.g., freedom of speech, right to keep and bear arms) came during the progressive era, as the Court and the rest of the legal elites panicked about labor unrest, and decided that states should have wide latitude to suppress dissent. The historical evidence supports using PI to make the Second Amendment apply to the states.

Privileges, Immunities, and Substantive Due Process

Timothy Sandefur
NYU Journal of Law & Liberty Vol. 5, No. 1
2010
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1516667##

Slaughter-House’s most egregious error was in nullifying the principle of “paramount national citizenship” which lay at the heart of the ideology of the 14th Amendment’s advocates. Revitalizing the Privileges and Immunities clause should not lead to the abandonment of “substantive due process.” This article provides the best collection of citations and sources in defense of the theory that, long before the 14th Amendment was written, it was widely understood that the principle of “due process” substantively prohibited certain arbitrary acts by legislatures (e.g., giving A’s property to B) even if the proper procedures were followed.

Citizen Gun Rights: Incorporating the Second Amendment through the Privileges or Immunities Clause

Kenneth A. Klukowski
New Mexico Law Review 39
November, 2009
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1290584

Klukowski argues that Slaughter-House should be affirmed, and that the Second Amendment can be protected against state/local infringement by the Privileges and Immunities clause, because the Amendment fits under Slaughter-House’s restrictive definition of rights of national citizenship which are created by the Constitution. Makes policy arguments that PI is superior to Due Process for protection of Second Amendment rights, since the former applies only to citizens. He goes on to warn that overruling Slaughter-House could provide a future Court with too many opportunities to fabricate novel “rights” out of the Privileges and Immunities clause.

Keeping Pandora’s Box Sealed: Privileges or Immunities, the Constitution in 2020, and Properly Extending the Right to Keep and Bear Arms to the States

Ilya Shapiro & Josh Blackman
Georgetown Journal of Law & Public Policy, vol. 8, number 1 Winter, 2010
http://www.cato.org/pubs/articles/ilya-shapiro-keeping-pandoras-box-sealed.pdf
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar software.

These authors discuss a hypothetical future reflecting the repeal of the Slaughter-House decision, which they argue at length would re-affirm the protections of the Constitution from abuses by the States as well as the Federal government.

This newsletter is compiled with help from Dr. Rob S. Rice. For more on this inferential, yet illative individual, see here: http://robricebooks.com. Samples of Dr. Rice’s photography off that page might serve to explain his emphasis on writing as his means of livelihood.

Al Qaeda delenda est!

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

March 1, 2010

http://www.gunsandammoenthusiastblog.com

——————————————————————————–

Utah joins the growing list of state telling feds hands off our guns and ammo

Posted: 28 Feb 2010 07:51 PM PST

On Friday, Utah Governor Gary Herbert finally signed into law SB11, the Utah State-Made Firearms Protection Act. The bill passed both the House and the Senate, then sat on Herbert’s desk for 10 days while the governor debated whether he would sign or veto the bill. Had the governor neither signed nor vetoed the bill by Saturday, it would have automatically gone into effect as law. Herbert said the decision to sign came after careful review of the potential fallout from the controversial legislation.

“There are times when the state needs to push back against continued encroachment from the federal government. Sending the message that we will stand up for a proper balance between the state and federal government is a good thing,” the governor said. “But in these challenging economic times, when Utah families continue to struggle and our Legislature must account for every dollar it spends, we must also be thoughtful about the cost of that message.”

SB11 creates statute that allows guns and ammunition manufactured and sold in Utah to be regulated by the state of Utah, not by the federal government. At its heart, SB11 is a states’ rights bill, not a weapons bill. It lashes out at the federal government and attempts to regain some of the control and power the federal government has usurped from the states through overreaching use of the Interstate Commerce Clause.

Senator Margaret Dayton, the bill’s sponsor, said the bill is all about control. But asserting control will likely come with a constitutional challenge. The bill was modeled after Montana’s Firearms Freedom Act, which passed last year, and has since gone into litigation. Litigation was brought against the federal government by a private group who asserts that current interpretation of constitutional law, as it regards to the Interstate Commerce Clause, is incorrect. The federal government has filed a motion to dismiss the matter, which is awaiting a hearing. Tennessee is the only other state that has adopted a similar law.

Governor Herbert has consulted with the state Attorney General and other legal advisers, who assured him that the state can take a stand on this issue of controlling intrastate commerce without incurring onerous legal expenses.

“The attorney general has assured me that, should a legal challenge be filed against the state, his office can take a variety of actions to ensure the defense of this legislation will have a minimal cost to the people of Utah,” said Herbert. “I am satisfied that Utah can stand confidently with other states that are taking a stand against the federal government’s overreach in this area.”

Second Amendment Issues

February 28, 2010

Folks,

From the Knox Fire Arms Coalition.

“Get the News to Protect Your Freedom” at www.gunnewsdaily.com

To join this alert list,
send an email to sdrra-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Thank You!
Jim – San Diego Rifle and Revolver Association

*Welcome to another Knox e-Update*

Please repost and share this with your friends and invite them to
subscribe — it’s free!

If you do not wish to receive these updates and Alerts, there is opt-out
information at the end.

*In this issue:*

* 1. **Iowa** Saga Continues*

* 2. Constitutional Carry in Trouble in AZ*

* 3. NRA Board of Directors Election*

* 4. The Importance of Strategic Planning*

* 5. Swing for the Fences: Time to Push for the Best*

* 6. Work to Do: Hoplophobia is Pervasive*

* 7. Join Us on Facebook*

I tried to get an e-Update out right before I left for the SHOT Show,
but had a computer problem that kept it from going out. That was
followed by two weeks on the road to return just in time for the “Storm
of the Century” here in Virginia. Having dug out from the snow, power
outage, and downed phone service, I am still struggling to dig out from
under the backlogs in my businesses.

*Iowa** and NRA*

Things in Iowa are still running at a high boil and require more
attention from me and from activists — in Iowa and around the country.
I hope to have a more detailed report out soon.

Two new twists have been added since my last report (linked at the end
of this update):

Democrats have thrown out the NRA language for the concealed carry bill
leaving nothing but a hollow shell. They have tasked one of their
members, an attorney with a solid anti-gun voting record, with writing a
new bill. Expect that to have some serious problems, but also expect
NRA to, at worst support the bill, warts and all, or to back away from
it quietly. It is beginning to look like killing carry reform is the
best Iowans can hope for this year. Whatever happens, don’t expect to
see a bunch of “F” grades from NRA as a result of this fiasco. Many
anti-rights politicians will get credit for “trying” regardless of the
final language or passage, and the makeup of next year’s legislature
will not be significantly altered by angry GunVoters.

The other big twist is the introduction of a bill to codify the
“Lautenberg Amendment” into Iowa law. This effort is currently in the
Senate and has been delayed primarily by the efforts of Iowa Gun
Owners. At this time the NRA lobbyist in Iowa, Chris Rager, is listed
as “Undecided” in support or opposition to the bill. If Iowa adopts
their own Lautenberg bill, repeal of Lautenberg at the federal level
would not fix the problem.

*Constitutional Carry in **Arizona***

Constitutional Carry legislation was moving well in the Arizona
Legislature until an amendment was successfully attached (by just one
vote) on the House floor. The offending amendment requires private
sellers at “arms shows” to verify proof of citizenship whenever they
sell a gun. Aside from creating a statutory definition of “arms shows”
and drafting sellers into the service of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, the penalty for a seller making a mistake — or not being
able to prove he didn’t make a mistake — is a serious felony, on par
with rapists and drug-lords. If this amendment can not be removed,
principled activists in Arizona will kill the bill — and hold those who
supported the amendment accountable for their actions.

*Here are links to the latest Knox Update columns at
www.FirearmsCoaliti
on.org <http://www.firearmscoalition.org/
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/> >:*

*NRA Director Elections 2010
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=502:nra-board-elections-2010&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=502:nra-board-elections-2010&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144>
>*

It is time again to elect one third of the absurdly large Board of
Directors of NRA. Each year 25 seats come up for election for a 3-year
term and then one of the runner-ups is elected to a 1-year term at the
annual meetings. This year 24 of the current directors are running for
reelection and there are 7 non-incumbent nominees also running resulting
in 31 candidates for 25 seats… *(Read More)*
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=502:nra-board-elections-2010&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=502:nra-board-elections-2010&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144>
>

*Effective Activist Politics
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=506:strategic-planning&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=506:strategic-planning&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144> >*

*Lesson Six: Strategic Planning
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=506:strategic-planning&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=506:strategic-planning&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144> >*

It’s been awhile since I have written an installment of my Effective
Activist Politics series, but this is one of the most important topics
for activists and activist organizations to pay attention to so I’m
adding it to the series. If you’d like to read or re-read the other
articles in the series they are available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/ <http://www.firearmscoalition.org/> >
and also at www.GunVoter.org
<http://www.gunvoter.org/ <http://www.gunvoter.org/> >.

Every grass roots lobbying organization needs to schedule two strategic
planning sessions every year. The output of one is a legislative plan,
and the other is a political action plan… *(Read More)*
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=506:strategic-planning&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=506:strategic-planning&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144> >

*Swing for the Fences!
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=505:swing-for-the-fences&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=505:swing-for-the-fences&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144> >*

In politics, like baseball, there is a time to bunt and a time to swing
for the fence. This year is ripe for home runs. The political climate
this year offers a unique opportunity for rights advocates to make major
gains — both legislatively and politically. To make those gains we
need to pull out all of the stops and go big.

The election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts was clear proof that voters
are unhappy. Politicians who were already concerned about disgruntled
voters are now terrified as they look toward the November elections.
Pundits and analysts can spin the Brown victory any way they wish but
the facts are clear. Voters are not happy with the way Democrats have
exercised control of both houses of Congress and the Presidency. The
backlash won’t stop at congressional elections and the local politicians
know it. Many state legislators rode the wave of Democrat ascendancy to
gain control of their state legislatures and as they watch that wave
crashing on the rocks, they know they have a serious fight on the way
this November… *(Read More)*
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=505:swing-for-the-fences&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=505:swing-for-the-fences&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144> >

*A Lot of Work to Do
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=504:a-lot-of-work-to-do&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=504:a-lot-of-work-to-do&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144> >*

I recently wrote about the need for preaching to the choir — too many
of our own friends, family members, and fellow shooters are woefully
uninformed about the fight for liberty. A chance conversation in a
hardware store this week really brought home just how much work there is
to do beyond the choir room doors. At the hardware store I got into a
conversation with a fellow shopper. As conversations with me tend to
do, it wasn’t long before we were talking about guns and gun laws. The
fellow’s wife had joined the conversation by this time and while his
reaction was troubling, her reaction was down right scary… *(Read
More)*
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=504:a-lot-of-work-to-do&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=504:a-lot-of-work-to-do&catid=19:the-knox-update&Itemid=144> >

*The Iowa Controversy – Continued
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=500:iowa-continued&catid=50:reports
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=500:iowa-continued&catid=50:reports> >*

The Iowa Legislature started their brief 2010 election year session last
Monday and fortunately, as of Friday, January 15th, NRA had still not
filed their concealed carry reform bill. The NRA proposal first
surfaced last November as a revolting collection of sloppily worded
amendments to Iowa’s atrocious weapons laws. Thanks to the efforts of
rights groups, including The Firearms Coalition and GunVoter.org, NRA
made several revisions, improving their first proposal, yet still
falling far short of a good bill. NRA’s current offering could be a
barely tolerable fallback, assuming a good bill wasn’t possible, but the
current political situation argues for stronger demands. While the
latest version has a number of very good provisions, it also contains
things that simply shouldn’t be there… *(Read More)
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=500:iowa-continued&catid=50:reports
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti\
cle&id=500:iowa-continued&catid=50:reports> >
*

*Neal Knox Associates on Facebook*

We have established a presence on Facebook. Please *Visit and become a
fan of: The Firearms Coalition
<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#%21/pages/The-Firearms-Coalit\
ion/323815929674
<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#%21/pages/The-Firearms-Coalit\
ion/323815929674> >,
GunVoter.org
<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#%21/pages/GunVoterorg/1078248\
83170
<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#%21/pages/GunVoterorg/1078248\
83170> >**,
and Neal Knox – The Gun Rights War
<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#%21/pages/Neal-Knox-The-Gun-R\
ights-War/138725011180
<http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#%21/pages/Neal-Knox-The-Gun-R\
ights-War/138725011180> >.
*

*Help us spread the word!*

* The Knox e-Update is a free service of Neal Knox Associates
and The Firearms Coalition. We try to send it out a couple of times a
month, often less, and sometimes more depending on news and time
constraints.*

Please forward this e-Update to everyone who cares about rights on
your email list and invite them to sign up for a free subscription at
www.FirearmsCoalition.org <http://www.firearmscoalition.org/
<http://www.firearmscoalition.org/> >.

We never sell or share the list and we won’t abuse your trust. Thanks.

WA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RICHARD SANDERS
AUTHORS SIGNIFICANT GUN RIGHTS RULING

By Alan M. Gottlieb

Executive Vice President

Second Amendment Foundation

The Washington State Supreme Court has issued a precedent-setting opinion in the case of State v. Christopher William Sieyes which holds that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights “applies to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment”

This outstanding opinion was authored by Justice Richard B. Sanders, a Supreme Court veteran who clearly understands the history of both the state and federal constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Perhaps what makes the Sanders opinion so remarkable is that it places the Washington Supreme Court ahead of the United States Supreme Court in recognition that the U.S. Constitution’s recognition of the right to keep and bear arms applies to all citizens, and should also place limits on state and local governments, as it does on Congress.

Quoting Justice Sanders, “Lower courts need not wait for the Supreme Court the Constitution is the rule of all courts both state and federal judiciaries wield power to strike down unconstitutional government acts.”

The Sanders opinion was issued February 18, 2010 and its significance quickly registered with gun rights organizations and activists across the map. For example, the National Shooting Sports Foundation hailed the ruling. NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane called it “a welcome development and victory for the rights of law-abiding firearms owners.”

This state high court opinion, among other things, effectively “puts on notice” anti-gun groups in the Evergreen State that their continued efforts to impair the rights of legally-armed citizens will face not only growing legislative resistance, but intense legal scrutiny. Though not binding on other states, it clears a path for other state supreme courts to follow.

Despite its brevity at only 24 pages, Justice Sanders’ opinion – which was co-signed by five of his colleagues, including Chief Justice Barbara A. Madsen – thoroughly and proactively debunks any suggestion that the authors of Article 1, Section 24 of the Washington State Constitution did not mean specifically what they wrote: “The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men.”

Perhaps Justice Sanders put it best when he noted, “This right is necessary to an Anglo-American regime of ordered liberty and fundamental to the American scheme of justice.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nations oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

http://www.gunsandammoenthusiastblog.com

February 25, 2010

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

——————————————————————————–

If we can not have Switzerland style gun laws, why not Wyoming’s attempt at firearm law?

Posted: 24 Feb 2010 12:20 AM PST

One small step for Wyoming, one giant leap for gun rights

Wyoming is on the verge of passing two key pieces of gun rights legislation.

HB-95, The Wyoming Firearms Freedom Act, and HB-113 “Alaska-style” permit-less concealed carry, are facing an up-or-down vote before the Wyoming State House of Representatives.

On Tuesday, National Association for Gun Rights Director of Operations Luke O’Dell was on hand to testify before the Wyoming State House Judiciary Committee on behalf of both HB-95, the Wyoming Firearms Freedom Act, and the HB-113, “Alaska-style” permit less carry.

You may be asking yourself, “Why do I care, I don’t live in Wyoming?”

It’s simple: The higher the bar is set, the more pro-gun pieces of legislation pass across the country, the stronger the gun rights movement gets.

Passage of permit-less “Alaska-style” concealed carry in Wyoming would be a huge step forward toward true firearms freedom. Only in Alaska and Vermont can law-abiding citizens carry concealed firearms for their own protection without getting Big Brother’s approval. Should Wyoming join their ranks, the right-to-carry will have taken a major step forward.

Additionally, Wyoming’s Firearms Freedom Act was written with much stronger language than similar legislation in other states. Wyoming’s bill included penalties for state law enforcement enforcing Federal laws which contradict Wyoming state law.

I’m happy to say that Wyoming Gun Owners, a partner of ours, has been leading the charge for both pieces of legislation.

Now it’s our turn to help out.

If you live in Wyoming, or know someone who does, please have them contact their Wyoming legislator and tell them to vote “Yes” on HB-95 and HB-113.

You can find contact information for Wyoming State Legislators here.

If you’re not from Wyoming, go ahead and drop them a line anyways. Tell them that you support their efforts to advance freedom in Wyoming.

And if you’d like to help Wyoming Gun Owners pass this legislation by making a donation, click here.

For Liberty,

Gun Owners of America Endorsement

February 22, 2010

GOA Endorsing J.D. Hayworth Over John McCain

McCain wrong for Arizona, wrong for America. Read More…

Subject: GOA-PVF: Replace McCain With A Real Pro-gun Legislator!
From: “Gun Owners of America”
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Endorses J.D. Hayworth for Congress
– John McCain Wrong for Arizona, Wrong for America

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Pl, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
http://www.goapvf.org

February 19, 2010

John McCain has gone out of his way to earn the ire of conservatives and gun owners in his 20-plus years as a U.S. Senator from Arizona.

Perhaps his crowning legislative achievement was so-called campaign finance reform, or the McCain-Feingold law. This law put the muzzle on organizations such as GOA, prohibiting any broadcast advertisements within 30 days of a primary election and 60 days of a general election that even mention the name of a candidate for federal office.

Not surprisingly, there is frequently a flurry of activity in Congress in the months right before an election, as politicians try to ram bills through at the end of a session. Forbidding criticism of sitting legislators during these crucial times (although media corporations were exempt) made McCain’s bill the perfect “Incumbent Protection” act.

McCain’s bill prohibited the most important form of speech the Founding Fathers meant to protect with the First Amendment — political speech — so it was welcome news when the Supreme Court recently repudiated much of the McCain bill as an assault on liberty.

But it should not come as a surprise that McCain does not want voters hear about what he’s up to in Washington, because the same person who holds the First Amendment in contempt would also like to run the Second Amendment through a shredder.

John McCain may have begun as a pro-gun legislator, but when he decided to become a gun control “maverick,” he went all out.

Since his conversion to a gun control advocate over the last ten years, McCain has favored a ban on small and inexpensive handguns and considered a ban on certain semi-automatic firearms (so-called assault weapons).

In what was his boldest move against American gun owners, however, McCain authored a bill to that could only have been designed to close down gun shows. In addition to regulating all private sales at gun shows, his bill would have placed onerous licensing requirements on gun show promoters and would essentially have registered the millions of people who attend gun shows. Under the burdens of the McCain bill, no promoter in the country would put on a gun show and, if they did, gun owners would likely not attend.

Thanks to McCain, the inaccurate and misleading phrase “gun show loophole” became a part of the anti-Second Amendment crowd’s lexicon. The truth is, there is no gun show loophole; firearms transactions are conducted the same inside a gun show as they are anyplace else.

In 2000, McCain became a spokesman for a gun control organization (now defunct) called Americans for Gun Safety, a group that advocated licensing and registering all gun owners. The group ran radio and TV ads with McCain supporting ballot initiatives in Colorado and Oregon that would impose McCain’s favorite restrictions on gun shows.

These ads were a way for McCain to “stick it” to gun owners, after a gun show bill stalled in the Congress. “I think that if the Congress won’t act, the least I can do is support the initiative in states where it’s on the ballot,” McCain said in an interview.

In 2001, the group ran advertisements in movie theaters featuring McCain urging people to keep their guns locked up “for the sake of the children.” In the ads, he greatly exaggerated the risks of children gaining access to firearms in the home, and at the same time completely ignored the danger of having guns locked away if they are needed to thwart a criminal attack.

After the 2001 terror attacks, when Gun Owners of America and tens of thousands of commercial airline pilots were pushing legislation to arm pilots as a defense against terrorism, McCain prepared an amendment that would have replaced “firearms” with “stun guns.” GOA pointed out at the time how stun guns would not be effective against the type of attacks that could occur in a cockpit.

John McCain may pretend to be pro-gun (especially in election years) but he has plunged his dagger deep into the backs of gun rights supporters. He may fancy himself as a “maverick” in shining armor, riding to rescue the American people, but all the while he has trampled the Bill of Rights underfoot.

Thankfully, this year gun owners have a choice. Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who was “A” rated by Gun Owners of America in his twelve years in the House of Representatives, is challenging McCain in the 2010 Republican primary.

J.D. respects the Constitution and understands that the Second Amendment was put there by the Founding Fathers to always ensure that the people would have the means to preserve their liberty.

During his time in the Congress, J.D. Hayworth did not vote one way in election years and another way when in nonelection years. J.D. consistently supported the Second Amendment, and that is just the type of leadership gun owners in Arizona will vote for in November.

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is proud to endorse J.D. Hayworth for U.S. Senate and urges gun owners and sportsmen from across America to help defeat anti-gunner McCain.

Please visit J.D. on the web at http://www.jdforsenate.com to make the most generous contribution possible. Working together, we can win this fight and gain a Second Amendment ally in the U.S. Senate.

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice Chairman

Paid for by Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund is a project of Gun Owners of America.

Join the discussion on AMG’s The Public Square

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

February 21, 2010

http://www.gunsandammoenthusiastblog.com

NRA national riffle association Lie of the year, and boy is it a whopper

Posted: 20 Feb 2010 07:27 AM PST

This from the NRA-ILA “NRA has always supported applying the Second Amendment to every American. All law-abiding Americans have the fundamental, individual right to self-protection no matter where they live.”

Lets start of by calling this what it is sour grapes. This particular ruling came down by NO effort by the NRA. In fact they had nothing to do with the case. This ruling was brought to us thanks to the SAF Second Amendment Foundation. So NRA nothing to do with it, SAF be praised for it.

Now on to ripping the statement apart. First of all they say “NRA has always supported applying the Second Amendment to every American.” Which is what it was intended for. Every single American no matter what. 200 years ago, every single person could and did own a firearm. Great however these hypocritical moron’s go on to add the final sentence. “All law-abiding Americans have the fundamental, individual right to self-protection no matter where they live.”

There was no intent from the founders to prevent “criminals” from owning firearms. Especially since they them selves were considered criminals by the king of England. Not to mention all the laws they have supported to take firearms out of the hands of the so called “law abiding”. National firearm acts of 1934, 1981, and so on. So lets just call them what they are lying hypocritical fools.

Did I ever mention I HATE being lied to, thought a fool, or considered ignorant?

Statement By NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox Regarding Washington State Supreme Court Decision:

Friday, February 19, 2010

“We are pleased with the Washington State Supreme Court’s decision in State v. Sieyes yesterday, which stated that the Second Amendment applies to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

“The Court rightly held that ‘the history, lineage, and pedigree of the Second Amendment right to bear arms [is] necessary to an Anglo-American regime of ordered liberty and fundamental to the American Scheme of justice.’ The Court also stated that the Second Amendment’s protections satisfied the requirements for incorporation to the states.

“NRA has always supported applying the Second Amendment to every American. All law-abiding Americans have the fundamental, individual right to self-protection no matter where they live.”

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

——————————————————————————–

Washington State supreme court ruled on the side of reason visa vie gun rights and the second amendment

Posted: 19 Feb 2010 07:45 AM PST

Thursday the Washington State Supreme court rulled that the Second Amendment does actually incorporate to the states. Basically the founds of our great nation intended that the second amendment WAS intended for the states not only the federal government. So the second amendment was meant to apply to the to the people and the states. This ruling is thanks to the Second Amendment Foundation. Good job guys.

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

http://www.gunsandammoenthusiastblog.com/

——————————————————————————–

an Idaho lawmaker wants Washington D.C. to keep its mitts – and its laws – off guns and ammunition manufactured in his state

Posted: 18 Feb 2010 04:04 PM PST

In yet another shot from Idaho over the federal government’s bow, an Idaho lawmaker wants Washington D.C. to keep its mitts – and its laws – off guns and ammunition manufactured in his state.

Rep. Dick Harwood, from St. Maries, introduced the “Idaho Firearms Freedom Act” Thursday in the House State Affairs Committee.

Montana passed a similar bill last year, saying guns made and kept within its borders are exempt from national gun laws. Gun advocates sued in federal court to validate the law, while U.S. attorneys want the case to be dismissed.

Meanwhile, Tennessee passed the same law and legislators in a couple dozen other states are considering following suit.

Harwood, who comes from rural northern Idaho where suspicions of federal agents runs high among some, called this a “sovereignty issue.”

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

February 17, 2010

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

Are police forshowding crimes to be commited against lawabiding firearm owners?

Posted: 16 Feb 2010 07:45 AM PST

You decide and post your thoughts.

Gun rights advocates have a California police detective in their crosshairs after he apparently posted comments on Facebook advocating that “open carry” supporters should be shot.

East Palo Alto Police Det. Rod Tuason apparently posted the remarks on his Facebook page in response to a friend’s status update, which suggested that gun advocates who carry unloaded weapons openly — which is legal in California — should do so in places like “Oakland, Richmond and East Palo Alto” and not just in “hoity toity” cities.
“Haha we had one guy last week try to do it!” Tuason replied. “He got proned out [laid face-down on the ground] and reminded where he was at and that turds will jack him for his gun in a heartbeat!”

Several comments later, the detective suggested shooting the gun rights advocates, some of whom have carried firearms openly in recent weeks in California’s Bay Area, particularly at Starbucks locations.
“Sounds like you had someone practicing their 2nd amendment rights last night!” Tuason wrote. “Should’ve pulled the AR out and prone them all out! And if one of them makes a furtive movement … 2 weeks off!!!” — referring to the modified duty, commonly known as desk duty, that typically follows any instance in which an officer is investigated for firing his weapon.

Those comments caught the attention of a California attorney and blogger, as well as a Virginia man who started a Facebook group calling for Tuason’s termination.
John Taylor, whose Facebook group had 54 members as of midday Friday, said the
Facebook thread confirmed gun owners’ worst fears.

“Any sworn officer who suggests shooting law-abiding citizens for exercising their most basic constitutional rights deserves the full wrath of America’s gun owners,” Taylor told FoxNews.com. “It’s an affront.”

California’s Penal Code makes it illegal to carry concealed weapons without a county-issued license. But it is legal to carry an unloaded weapon in plain view in a holster. In most cases, it is illegal for an unconcealed weapon to be loaded.
Taylor, of Arlington, Va., who has a concealed weapons permit in his home state, said he planned to write a letter to the East Palo Alto Police Department demanding that Tuason be fired.

“The targeting, harassment and intimidation of law-abiding citizens who are peacefully agitating for their rights by a police officer is an abomination to the Constitution, and is in fact the exact reason our Founding Fathers created the Second Amendment,” Taylor said. “Police officers who think they are going to get between law-abiding Americans and their Second Amendment rights are going to find themselves in the line of fire.”
Tuason’s comments were first noticed by California attorney Kevin Thomason, who posted a screen grab of the detective’s remarks on his Web site on Sunday.

“[Tuason] didn’t realize that actual PRO-GUN people also read Facebook,” Thomason wrote. “Amazingly, he posted the following comment about law abiding gun owners on a friend’s page. Basically, he’s saying ‘prone them out’ (face down on the ground), and if anyone moves, kill them. I don’t make this crap up.”

Thomason, a member of the National Rifle Association, wrote that Tuason’s comments were “worth a call” to the East Palo Alto City Council, as well as to his superior officers.
Tuason, who has since removed his Facebook profile, did not return messages seeking comment on Friday. He is reportedly being investigated by the police department’s professional standards division regarding the Facebook remarks.
East Palo Alto Police Sgt. Rod Norris said he was unable to comment on the matter, but Capt. Carl Estelle told the San Jose Mercury News that police officials must be careful not to violate Tuason’s First Amendment rights, since the comments appeared on his personal Web site.

“In no way are his personal comments reflective of any policies or procedures here at the department nor does he speak for the police department,” Estelle told the newspaper.

Guns and Ammo Enthusiast Blog

February 14, 2010

Isn’t this just a kick in the ass. The NRA has supported a ban on ammunition. Look here

Posted: 14 Feb 2010 01:20 PM PST

The NRA issued a release today saying that it supports a ban on ammunition sales in the U.S…”It’s a fact”, said a spokesman, “guns don’t kill people, bullets do”. The NRA has long been of the opinion that any restrictions on gun ownership would violate the constitutional right to bear arms. “Nowhere in the constitution does it give the right to bear ammo, so we’re fine with a ban on bullets”, said Arnold “Pop gun” Gunnarson, at an NRA conference.” We still get to keep our weapons, which is all we really wanted in the first place.” Some of the membership were a little reluctant to endorse the NRA’s stance. These are generally considered to be fringe elements. ” Those guys are kind of crazy anyway. Who would want a bunch of people running around with loaded guns? They might shoot somebody”, said Gunnarson.

VICTORY: COURT STRIKES
DOWN SEATTLE PARK GUN BAN

SEATTLE, WA – A King County Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by the Second Amendment Foundation and National Rifle Association, striking down a ban on guns in city parks because it violates Washington State’s long-standing preemption statute.

Judge Catherine Shaffer ruled from the bench that the gun ban, adopted under former Mayor Greg Nickels, violates Washington’s law, which placed sole authority for regulating firearms in the hands of the State Legislature. That law was adopted in 1983 and amended in 1985, and has served as a model for similar laws across the country.

SAF and NRA were joined in the lawsuit by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, the Washington Arms Collectors and five individual plaintiffs.

“This is a great victory for the rule of law and Washington citizens,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “Greg Nickels was so blinded by his personal hatred for firearms owners and his own arrogance that he imagined the city under his control could simply ignore state law. That arrogance cost Nickels his job last year. We repeatedly warned him not to push a gun ban, but he refused to listen.

“It is also a victory for the Legislature,” he observed, “because this case affirms the intent of lawmakers in 1983 to prevent cities like Seattle from creating a nightmare patchwork of conflicting and confusing firearms regulations. The ruling solidifies the legislature’s authority and sends a message to city and county governments to stop meddling with the rights of Washington citizens.”

Gottlieb suggested a review of local ordinances may now be in order, so that city and county governments can be compelled to remove old gun regulations or face legal consequences.

“This ruling puts anti-gun local officials on notice that legally-armed citizens have rights, too,” Gottlieb stated.

New Rule on Guns in Parks Takes Effect February 22

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

On February 22, a new law on guns in national parks takes effect. The law repeals a National Park Service rule that has long prohibited Americans from lawfully possessing firearms in national parks for self-defense.

The new law, passed last spring by an overwhelming bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate, will allow people to possess, carry and transport firearms in national parks, in accordance with state law.

However, many details remain to be worked out. Reports indicate that National Park Service officials are debating issues such as the definition of “federal facilities,” where firearms will remain prohibited under a different federal law.

NPS officials are expected to issue further information as February 22 approaches, and some parks have already published information on their new policies. Because state laws vary greatly, before you visit a national park, you should check the park’s website or call the park headquarters for more information. NRA will also provide updates as they become available.

From Guns and Ammo Enthusiast blog

February 6, 2010

http://www.gunsandammoenthusiastblog.com/

The NRA couldn’t care less about gun rights

This is from our friends at JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP

One wonders if NRA members should be proud of their organization’s apparent newfound fiduciary conservatism. The so-called “premier” gun rights organization has now managed to finagle its way into the spotlight after someone else’s sweat and money rented the hall, built the stage, and set up the sound system.

NRA lawyers are now second guessing pro-gun lawyer Alan Gura’s expertise. And this, after Gura masterminded and navigated the vitally crucial landmark Heller case to a victorious decision in favor of the Second Amendment.

The NRA’s leadership must have looked at each other and realized that (coming so close on the coat tails of Heller) McDonald actually had a good chance at victory. I can just hear them clinking their drinks in toast and chuckling: “Gura will likely win this one too. Let’s get on board now!”

All that might not be so bad, but look who the NRA has hired as their head counsel in this wedge into McDonald: Paul Clement, the very attorney who advocated against our gun rights in Heller!

That’s right, Clement led the federal government’s charge to protect the Washington D.C. ban on handgun ownership!

Here are some of Paul Clements espousals during Heller. These are from Clement’s oral arguments to SCOTUS and from the written brief filed in the case. He penned or uttered these little nuggets of liberty loving patriotism.

“In our view it makes a world of difference, Justice Ginsburg, because we certainly take the position, as we have since consistently since 2001, that the Federal firearm statutes can be defended as constitutional, and that would be consistent with this kind of intermediate scrutiny standard that we propose.”

Oh yeah?

Now take a look at this one:

“The Second Amendment talks about “the right to bear arms”, not just “a right to bear arms”. And that preexisting always coexisted with reasonable regulations of firearms.”

Don’t you love the word “reasonable”? It sound so…so reasonable! Unfortunately what Clement is talking about here is a ban on the possession of a handgun in your own home for your own self defense!

And here’s an intriguingly slippery one for you:

“Absolutely, Justice Ginsburg, and just… I mean, to give you a clear example, we would take the position that the kind of plastic guns or guns that are specifically designed to evade metal detectors that are prohibited by Federal law are not “arms” within the meaning of the Second Amendment and are not protected at all.”

Hmmm…. Very lawyerly. I’m not going to comment on that one. Just read it a couple of times for your own smell test.

And now a couple of tidbits from Paul Clement’s written brief in Heller:

“Given the unquestionable threat to public safety that unrestricted private firearm possession would entail, various categories of firearm-related regulations are permitted by the Second Amendment.”

How does “shall not be infringed” somehow sneak past this guy’s obviously impressive intellect?

Some icing on the cake:

“Nothing in the Second Amendment, properly understood — and certainly no principle necessary to decide this case — calls for invalidation of numerous federal laws regulating firearms.”

Oh boy…

Yes, friends, this is the man the NRA has hired to defend your gun rights in the unbelievably crucial McDonald vs. The City of Chicago case.

This is the same NRA that still believes the BATFE has a warm and fuzzy place in our lives. See: “NRA Letter”

This is also the same NRA that has not called for the completed destruction of “gun control” laws. And it’s the same NRA that does not appear to have a problem with Nazi “gun control” laws used as a basis for “The Gun Control Act of 1968”. See: In a recent JPFO alert article I speculated on what might knock McDonald off the rails. See: “ Cato @ Liberty article.

Paul Clement is like a shark who just tried to bite our legs off. And now the NRA has crashed the pool party and tossed him in with us! Is it “hire a crook to catch a crook” logic? How can Clement’s oral arguments in the upcoming McDonald case possibly be all that effective? Those nine Justices (four of whom are obviously anti-gun Liberals) might truly wonder to themselves: “Hey! This guy was here about a year ago and argued the exact opposite of what we’re hearing now!”

Hey NRA, do you call that good legal strategy? And more importantly: Do you really want a McDonald victory?

Washington State Senate Judiciary hearing on SB 6396 today report. I was there.

During the hearing today on SB 6396 a statistic was used. More people in the state of Washington have been killed by firearms in the last 10 years the every American soldier in all the wars in the 20th century. According to my calculations American soldiers killed from 1900 to just Vietnam is roughly 707,516. According to Google there were approximately 6,549,224. In 10 years that is a lot of Washington state residents. It is also roughly 3 times the amount of people killed in all of the USA in the same time period. How the hell is that possible? Can someone explain how that works? Got to love today’s democrats who just pull numbers and statistics out of their ass’ to fit their needs. To bad it doesn’t face up against reality, and the truth.

If we the people do not stop the tyranny NOW all freedom will be lost! SB 6396

How can I make this claim? It’s simply. The second amendment is the one that protects all other rights and freedoms. For without our rights to keep and bear arms by the citizenry, there is nothing to stop a tyrannical governing class from removing all other rights. So what is all this about? A slow movement to eliminate firearm rights is afoot.
It has happened in California to a lesser extent with their gun laws. In Washington state the state legislature is trying to make ALL semi automatic firearms a felony to own and posses. Almost all shotguns and riffles as well.

Every semiautomatic AND PUMP-ACTION rifle and shotgun that has a detachable magazine and has a pistol grip located rear of the trigger (yes, that is just about all of them) is defined as an “assault weapon” and is banned under SB 6396!

If you and your child/children are out in the woods plinking with his or her Ruger 10-22 and there are more than 10 rounds in the magazine, you are a FELON!

If you are a Concealed Pistol License holder and your semi-auto self-defense pistol contains more than 10 rounds, you are a FELON!

The use of firearms defined as “assault weapons” (see first bullet point) are banned for use in hunting!

Competitive shooters will be impacted as any semi-auto pistol that has a detachable magazine and is equipped with a muzzle brake or compensator is defined as an “assault weapon!”

If you own a firearm(s) defined as an “assault weapon” on the date this bill becomes law, you can keep it if you are willing to allow your Sheriff to come into your home once every year to ensure you store your firearm(s) appropriately!

Senate Bill 6396 is proof that the gun-ban groups and politicians are not interested in only banning semi-automatic firearms that happen to look like military firearms. This bill shows where they really want to go with their agenda! This gun ban scheme will only punish law-abiding citizens and will do nothing to curb crime or keep criminals from obtaining firearms illegally. This is not only another attack on our Second Amendment rights in Washington State, but an attack on your Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches of your home!
Apparently it’s not the obama administration directly that we need to fear as far as our gun rights go. It’s their operatives in the states legislatures who will do the work for them. Here is the problem. Throughout history for a government to take full control of it’s people, the first thing they MUST do is to remove all weapons from public hands. Is that the plans of the democrat party? You decide. My opinion is yes. However, that is just my opinion. So where does that leave us? At the same place as we become at the start of the article. The fact is that no man or woman with good conscience living in the state of Washington should be for Senate Bill 6396. Seeing as we have decided no one in the state of Washington can be for the bill what’s left for you to do? Get outraged. With the outrage contact every state legislator and the governor of the state and tell them to vate against Senate Bill 6396. Get up in arms, e-mail, call, contact, go visit, send regular mail, tell them this bill can not go through. Not just for Washington state, but for America. Because if this bill pass’ in Washington it will not be soon before it comes to your state.

NRA

February 5, 2010

Maybe Brady Campaign Should Switch To Decaf

The hand-wringers at the Brady Campaign must have figured out what the rest of us have known for quite some time. Having been rendered all but entirely irrelevant, at least for the time being, the group is resorting to weird publicity stunts, in a vain attempt to again be taken seriously by its former not-so-secret admirers in the national anti-gun news media.

Last month, the group gave President Obama an “F” for “failed leadership” on gun control, accusing him of “squandering” the opportunity to push for tighter gun control laws. Now it’s attacking Starbucks for allowing people to carry firearms in its stores as provided for by state law.

Get this doozie: “It’s everyone’s right to sit in a restaurant or coffee shop with their families without intimidation or fear of guns,” the Brady Campaign says, in its modern rendition of FDR’s famous “freedom from fear” quote.

Housing Authority Lifts Gun Ban, Restores Second Amendment Rights: Delaware gun owners and Second Amendment advocates earned a victory this week as the Newark Housing Authority (NHA) withdrew a gun ban that had prohibited its residents from legally possessing firearms in their homes.

The Caesar Rodney Institute (CRI), a research and education organization in Delaware, recently released a series of Special Reports drawing attention to the plight of public housing residents being stripped of their right to self-defense, which prompted swift action from NRA.

January 28, 2010

Dear fellow patriot,

With willing one-world accomplices in Washington, D.C., gun-grabbers around the globe believe they have it made.

In fact, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just announced the Obama Administration would be working hand in glove with the UN to pass a new “Small Arms Treaty.”

Disguised as legislation to help in the fight against “terrorism,” “insurgency” and “international crime syndicates,” the UN Small Arms Treaty is nothing more than a massive, GLOBAL gun control scheme.

Ultimately, the UN’s Small Arms Treaty is designed to register, ban and CONFISCATE firearms owned by private citizens like YOU.

That’s why it’s vital you sign the special petition I’ve made up for your signature that DEMANDS your U.S. Senators vote AGAINST ratification of the UN’s “Small Arms Treaty!”

So far, the gun-grabbers have successfully kept the exact wording of their new scheme under wraps.

But looking at previous versions of the UN “Small Arms Treaty,” you and I can get a good idea of what’s likely in the works.

If passed by the UN and ratified by the U.S. Senate, the UN “Small Arms Treaty” would almost certainly FORCE national governments to:

*** Enact tougher licensing requirements, making law-abiding citizens cut through even more bureaucratic red tape just to own a firearm legally;

*** CONFISCATE and DESTROY ALL “unauthorized” civilian firearms (all firearms owned by the government are excluded, of course);

*** BAN the trade, sale and private ownership of ALL semi-automatic weapons;

*** Create an INTERNATIONAL gun registry, setting the stage for full-scale gun CONFISCATION.

So please click here to sign the petition to your U.S. Senators before it’s too late!

You see, this is NOT a fight we can afford to lose.

Ever since its founding almost 65 years ago, the United Nations has been hell-bent on bringing the United States to its knees.

To the petty dictators and one-worlders who control the UN, the U.S. isn’t a “shining city on a hill” — it’s an affront to their grand totalitarian designs for the globe.

These anti-gun globalists know that so long as Americans remain free to make our own decisions without being bossed around by big government bureaucrats, they’ll NEVER be able to seize the worldwide oppressive power they crave.

And the UN’s apologists also know the most effective way to finally strip you and me of ALL our freedoms would be to DESTROY our gun rights.

That’s why it’s vital you act TODAY!

The truth is, there’s no time to waste.

You and I have to be prepared for this fight to move FAST.

The fact is, the last thing the gun-grabbers in the U.N. and in Washington, D.C. want is for you and me to have time to react and mobilize gun owners to defeat this radical legislation.

They’ve made that mistake before, and we’ve made them pay, defeating EVERY attempt to ram the “Treaty on Small Arms” into law since the mid-1990s.

But this time, time won’t be on our side.

In fact, we’re likely to only have a few days or weeks to defeat the treaty.

Worse, there’s no longer a pro-gun Republican Senate to kill ratification of the treaty.

There’s no longer any Republican in the White House who has stated opposition to the treaty.

And you and I know good and well how Germany, Great Britain, France, Communist China or the rest of the anti-gun members of the United Nations are going to vote.

So our ONE AND ONLY CHANCE of stopping the UN’s “Small Arms Treaty” is during the ratification process in the U.S. Senate.

As you know, it takes 67 Senate votes to ratify a treaty.

With 40 Republicans, that should be easy, right?

Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

First, you know just as well as I do that not all the remaining Republicans in the Senate are “pro-gun” in any sense of the term.

Second, even with the partisan rancor in Washington, D.C., many GOP Senators get “queasy” about killing treaties for fear of “embarrassing” the President — especially with “international prestige” at stake.

They look at ratifying treaties much like approving Presidents’ Supreme Court nominees.

And remember, there were NINE Republicans who voted to confirm anti-gun Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

A dozen more GOP Senators only voted against Sotomayor after receiving massive grassroots pressure from the folks back home.

So if we’re going to defeat the UN’s “Small Arms Treaty” we have to turn the heat up on the U.S. Senate now before it’s too late!

That’s exactly where this petition comes in.

So won’t you click here to sign IMMEDIATELY?

And also, if you can, I hope you’ll agree to make a generous contribution of $200, $150, $100 or even just $35.

With your generous contribution, I’ll immediately begin contacting Second Amendment supporters through mail, phones and e-mail to turn up the heat on targeted U.S. Senators.

Tops on the list are the “usual suspects” like Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Lindsay Graham and the rest of the weak-kneed Republicans in the Senate whose votes we can never count on.

I also want to begin contacting gun owners in states represented by key Democrats — like Senators John Tester and Max Baucus of Montana, Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb of Virginia, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

And finally, I’ve designed a “special” hard-hitting program especially for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to let Nevada gun owners know exactly what he and his anti-gun pals have planned for you and me.

Facing a tough reelection in 2010, Senator Reid knows he’s already skating on thin ice with Nevada voters.

So you and I could end up putting the final nail in his political coffin — if I can pull out all the stops.

Direct mail. Phones. E-mail. Blogs. Billboards. Guest editorials. Press conferences. Hard-hitting newspaper, radio and TV ads. The whole nine yards.

Of course, if I can raise enough resources, my goal is to expand this full program to ALL our target states.

But that’s not going to be cheap, and we may not have much time.

In fact, if we’re going to defeat the UN’s so-called “Small Arms Treaty,” we have to start NOW!

So please click here to sign the petition to your U.S. Senators.

And if you possibly can, please agree to make a contribution of $200, $150, $100, or even just $35.

Every petition and every dollar count in this fight.

So please sign the petition and include your most generous contribution of $200, $150, $100 or $35 TODAY.

In Liberty,

Dudley Brown
Executive Director
National Association for Gun Rights

P.S. The Obama Administration just announced they would be working hand in glove with the UN to pass a new GLOBAL, “Small Arms Treaty.”

That’s why its vital you and I fight back IMMEDIATELY.

Please click here to sign the special petition I’ve made up for your signature that DEMANDS your U.S. Senators vote AGAINST ratification of the UN’s “Small Arms Treaty.”

And if you can, please make a generous contribution of $250, $150, $100 or $35 right away!

January 26, 2010

Supreme Court Hands Down Key Campaign Finance Decision–

Repeals Unconstitutional Restrictions on Political Speech

Friday, January 22, 2010

NRA praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision yesterday in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that removed unconstitutional restrictions on NRA’s ability to speak freely at election time.

The late Sen. Paul Wellstone had said during the original debate over this legislation that it was his intention to silence groups like NRA. While the author of this measure had singled out NRA, this law delivered a clear message to all American citizens: “Keep your mouths shut and stay out of our political debates.”

NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, said, “This ruling is a victory for anyone who believes that the First Amendment applies to each and every one of us. The majesty of free speech is that any American can roll out of bed and speak as freely as The New York Times, NBC or politicians. This is a defeat for arrogant elitists who wanted to carve out free speech as a privilege for themselves and deny it to the rest of us; and for those who believed that speech had a dollar value and should be treated and regulated like currency, and not a freedom. Today’s decision reaffirms that the Bill of Rights was written for every American and it will amplify the voice of average citizens who want their voices heard.”

The case originally centered on the Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) denial of Citizens United’s attempt to broadcast a film about Hillary Clinton through on-demand cable services in January 2008, but had broader implications in protecting the First Amendment rights of organizations like NRA during elections.

NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox, said, “This decision today returns sanity to our political system. The First Amendment does not allow Congress to make laws denying Americans the right to speak out on issues, the right to assemble or organize on public policy issues, or the right to petition our government for redress of grievances.”

NRA-ILA has been in the forefront of defending the First Amendment so we can protect the Second Amendment. This ruling is clearly a victory for our continuing efforts to educate voters on where politicians stand on our fundamental, individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.

11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 800-392-8683

FEDS RESPOND TO FIREARMS FREEDOM ACT LAWSUIT MOTION TO DISMISS “EXPECTED”

January 22, 2010.

MISSOULA – The United States has made its first response to a lawsuit filed in federal district court in Missoula to test the Montana Firearms Freedom Act (MFFA), passed by the 2009 Legislature and signed into law by Governor Schweitzer.

The MFFA declares that any firearms, ammunition or firearms accessories made and retained in Montana are not subject to federal regulation under the power given to Congress in the U.S. Constitution to regulate commerce “among the several states.” The MFFA is a states’ rights challenge on Tenth Amendment grounds, with firearms serving as the vehicle for the challenge.

This lawsuit to validate the MFFA was brought by the Montana Shooting Sports Association (MSSA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). The suit names U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder as defendant, and is referred to as MSSA v. Holder.

The first response to the lawsuit by the United States is a Motion to Dismiss, submitted January 19th and considered to be a standard procedural maneuver in lawsuits against the U.S government . This motion seeks to avoid the legal merits by asserting that the Plaintiffs lack standing to sue, that a justiciable controversy does not exist, and that prevailing case law is against Plaintiffs.

MSSA President Gary Marbut, also a Plaintiff in the lawsuit explained, “The first import of this response is that the legal game is now on. There was some concern that the defendants would forfeit the game with no response in an effort to prevent this important issue from being adjudicated properly. We are now beyond that hurdle.” However, the Motion to Dismiss by Washington also seeks to sidestep proper adjudication.

SAF Founder Alan Gottlieb said, “We are disappointed but not surprised that the government would try to kill this suit on standing, rather than arguing about the merits of the case.”

The MFFA concept has gained traction across the Nation since its passage in Montana. Tennessee has enacted a clone of the MFFA, and other clones have been introduced in the state legislatures of 19 other states, including: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. . Ten or more additional states are expected to introduce yet more MFFA clones in the next few weeks. (See: http://www.FirearmsFreedomAct.com)

The U.S.’s Motion to Dismiss and Brief in Support are viewable at: http://FirearmsFreedomAct.com/montana-lawsuit-updates/

MSSA and SAF have assembled a litigation team for this effort consisting of three attorneys from Montana, one from New York, one from Florida and one from Arizona. Lead attorney for the Plaintiffs is Quentin Rhoades, partner the Missoula firm of Sullivan, Tabaracci and Rhoades. Other interested parties from both in and out of Montana are preparing to weigh in on this issue of national interest and national importance as amicus curiae (friends of the court).

Marbut commented, “The FFA concept has created a firestorm of interest nationwide. Lots of people and other states are watching carefully to see how Montana fares in this challenge to overbearing federal authority and to Washington’s attempt to control every detail of commerce in the Nation, especially including activity wholly confined within an individual state. That level of micro management certainly was not the intent of our founders when they gave Congress limited power in the Constitution to regulate commerce ‘among the states’.” (See: http://FirearmsFreedomAct.com/what-is-the-commerce-clause/)

MSSA is the primary political advocate for gun owners and hunters in Montana, having gotten 54 pro-gun and pro-hunting bills through the Montana Legislature in the past 25 years. SAF is a pro-gun foundation in Bellevue, Washington, established to press the rights of gun owners primarily in judicial fora. SAF has been a party to numerous lawsuits to assert the rights of gun owners across the Nation.

Folks,

Please fire up those fax machines, send snail mail, call and send emails to stop this bill.

“Get the News to Protect Your Freedom” at www.gunnewsdaily.com

To join this alert list,
send an email to sdrra-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Thank You!
Jim – San Diego Rifle and Revolver Association

From: Gun Owners of America
Date: Friday, January 22, 2010, 6:28:26 AM
Subject: Don’t “Fix” ObamaCare — Kill It!

Anti-gun ObamaCare on Life Support!
– ObamaCare needs one final stake through its heart

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://gunowners. org

Friday, January 22, 2010

Congratulations on a tremendous victory on Tuesday! And thank you all
for your help in getting Scott Brown elected to the U.S. Senate in
Massachusetts.

Gun Owners of America was the first national gun lobby to endorse
Brown, and with your aid, he was receiving more than one million
dollars a day in his comeback win over anti-gun Martha Coakley.

With your help, Massachusetts — the bluest of blue states — has sent
a message to Washington: take your ObamaCare bill and shove it!

By a vote of 52% to 47%, Massachusetts voters sent anti-ObamaCare
candidate Scott Brown to the Senate — defeating liberal icon Martha
Coakley. And D.C. Democrats are beginning to understand that GOP
victories in New Jersey and Massachusetts are merely a precursor to the electoral bloodbath still to come in November.

Obama-Pelosi still committed to passing socialized health care

But has the prospect of losing two hundred congressional seats caused
Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi to back off of their efforts to shove
this bill down the throats of the American people?

Amazingly, no.

It”s like you stepped in something. And, as much as you scrape
and scrape the bottom of your shoe, you just can”t get rid of the
smell.

At first, Pelosi’s strategy was to get the House to pass the Senate
version of ObamaCare — verbatim — so that the bill goes straight to
the Oval Office, without having to break another filibuster in the
Senate (which no longer has a filibuster-proof majority).

Thankfully, there are SO MANY rank-and-file Democrats who have revolted against this strategy (Democrats who are scared to death of losing their seats) that Rep. Pelosi yesterday said the Senate bill is not viable… WITHOUT CHANGES.

“I don’t see the votes for [the Senate bill] at this time,”
Pelosi said. But note the words “at this time.”

Despite huge obstacles, Pelosi trying to resurrect ObamaCare

Pelosi did say there’s a “foundation in that bill” they can
work with. So Pelosi may just try to pass one big fix-up bill — using
a “reconciliation” bill that will only need 51 votes when it
goes to the Senate — or simply break up the Senate bill into smaller
pieces and send those parts to the President.

But remember that the Senate health care bill which Pelosi now seeks to fix contains the following problems:

* It will allow BATFE to troll a health/gun database in order to take
away firearms from tens of millions of Americans;

* It is jam-packed with billions of dollars of bribes paid to buy the
votes of sleazy senators;

* It will impose a host of new taxes, force Americans to buy expensive
insurance which they can’t afford, and increase insurance premiums in
the individual market by 10 to 13%; and,

* It will continue the bankrupting of our country by increasing the
deficit by half a trillion dollars, when the underhanded accounting
tricks are discounted.

You can be sure that most, if not all, of these problems will be left
untouched.

ACTION: So please contact your Representative. Tell him or her to vote
against the bribe-filled Senate ObamaCare bill, and that no amount of
“fixing” will make this bill acceptable. The Senate already
tried to fix the gun problems in the bill but failed miserably.

You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://www.gunowner s.org/activism. htm to send a pre-written message to
your Representative.

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Representative:

You are being urged by Nancy Pelosi to dive into the Senate’s moral
cesspool and pass its ObamaCare bill — either cut up in pieces or, as
a whole, accompanied by a “fix up” reconciliation bill.

If you do this, the Massachusetts results are just the faintest of
forebodings of the electoral bloodbath which will erupt in November.

The American people have made it clear they do not want Nancy Pelosi
and Harry Reid to cram this bill down our throats. And yet, Pelosi
delusionally concludes that the path to electoral success is to keep
cramming and cramming and cramming and cramming.

In case you have forgotten, the Senate ObamaCare bill:

* Will allow BATFE to troll a health/gun database in order to take away firearms from tens of millions of Americans;

* Is jam-packed with billions of dollars of bribes paid to buy the
votes of sleazy senators;

* Will impose a host of new taxes, force Americans to buy expensive
insurance which they can’t afford, and increase insurance premiums in
the individual market by 10 to 13%; and,

* Will continue the bankrupting of our country by increasing the
deficit by half a trillion dollars, when the accounting tricks are
discounted.

Please tell me now that you oppose this bill and that no amount of
“fix up” will make it acceptable. The Senate already tried
to fix the gun problems in the bill but failed miserably. It’s time to
pull the plug on ObamaCare.

Sincerely,

************ ********* ********* ****

Second Amendment March

Check out the Second Amendment March speakers lineup. In addition to
GOA’s Larry Pratt, confirmed speakers include: Former Texas state
Representative Suzanna Hupp (a survivor of the Luby’s massacre),
Sheriff Richard Mack, Stewart Rhodes of Oath Keepers and many others.
Find out more at: http://www.secondam endmentmarch. com

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT
Vol. 17, No. 2 01/15/10

11250 Waples Mill Road · Fairfax, Virginia 22030 ·800-392-8683

Sleep Easy, America – Feds’ Terrorist Watchlist Nabs Cub Scout

Friday, January 15, 2010

As we’ve reported before, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), encouraged by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, wants to prohibit anyone on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist from possessing a firearm. Yet, the list and its criteria are secret, and Lautenberg’s bill would criminalize the exercise of a constitutionally protected right while denying a person the opportunity to clear himself of accusations in a fair and open hearing before a court of law. Even today, thousands of people who aren’t terrorists cannot prevent the list from misidentifying them, causing them delays and embarrassment when trying to board commercial aircraft.

It’s one thing when an adult gets the run-around at an airport, because he or she has a name identical or similar to someone the FBI is watching. As the American Civil Liberties Union has pointed out, the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) “automatic selectee” list — its list of people who are not permitted to board an aircraft without being given the once-over by the agency’s machines and uniformed, latex-gloved personnel — is based on people’s names, not on physical factors like age.

But when the system is so unorganized that it cannot distinguish a kid from a terrorist, what’s going on here? Yesterday, the New York Times reported that for the last six or seven years, one of Lautenberg’s constituents — eight-year-old New Jersey Cub Scout Michael “Mikey” Hicks — hasn’t been able to get on a plane without being patted down like your average neighborhood hubcap thief with his palms on the hood of a police cruiser and a nightstick between his legs. Repeatedly mistaken for someone on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist since he was two years old, Mikey’s encounters with the federal government have consisted of, as his mother puts it, “Up your arms, down your arms, up your crotch, someone is patting your 8-year-old down like he’s a criminal.”

To say that the situation is ironic is a gross understatement. The government can’t or won’t get Mikey’s situation straightened out. And he isn’t alone. The Times says that of nearly 82,000 travelers who have applied through the Department of Homeland Security to get their names cleared from the watchlist during the last three years, 25,000 are still waiting.

Yet, the government failed to add to the TSA’s “no-fly list” the self-proclaimed al Qaeda-trained Nigerian Islamist fanatic who allegedly smuggled military high explosives aboard a plane bound for Detroit on Christmas Day last year and almost blew the plane to kingdom come. As the White House report on the incident concluded, there was enough information to have placed him on the “no-fly list;” he was already in the government’s international terrorist identities database (the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE). But, the government failed to recognize that he had a U.S. travel visa (which it could have revoked) because it had misspelled his name.

TSA can spell “Mikey,” however. Despite efforts by the boy’s parents and their congressman to get TSA to straighten out the error, the delays and pat-downs continue. Meanwhile, other non-terrorists tired of their airport delays have been able to get off TSA’s radar screen by changing their names or deliberately misspelling their names when purchasing a ticket.

Irrespective of how this relates to Second Amendment issues, we think — and more and more people are likely to agree — that while our fellow Americans in federal service have prevented virtually all terrorist attacks in the U.S. since the September 11 attacks, numerous problems with the watchlist apparatus remain and it is long past the time that these problems should have been corrected.

Mikey’s case, however, serves to remind us of the potential ramifications for the Second Amendment, if the watchlist is used by the likes of Lautenberg and Bloomberg to their nefarious ends.

Find this item at: http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=5302

January 13, 2010

Folks,

From GOA. Obamacare is unhealthy for gun owners, see below. We need to stand up and be counted now!

“Get the News to Protect Your Freedom” at www.gunnewsdaily.com

To join this alert list, send an email to sdrra-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Thank You!
Jim – San Diego Rifle and Revolver Association

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund Alert:
Does Massachusetts Hold the Key to Stopping ObamaCare?

Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Pl, Suite 102
Springfield, VA 22151
http://www.goapvf.org <http://www.goapvf.org/>

January 12, 2010

The best opportunity to defeat ObamaCare may come from, ironically,
Massachusetts.

In the race to succeed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, Republican State
Senator Scott Brown could become the key vote to stop nationalized
health care.

With Senate Democrats controlling 60 votes, Republicans were unable to
muster the 41 votes needed to block the anti-gun health care bill when
it passed the Senate on Christmas Eve. But the bill must still be voted
on by both the House and Senate, and the Senate is scheduled to
reconvene on January 19 — the same day as the special election in
Massachusetts.

How big of an issue is health care in this election?

Scott Brown told Politico: “If you feel that Washington and the health
care bill that they’re proposing is systemic of the problems in
Washington and the failure to understand average people anymore, then
you vote for me because as the 41st senator. I can stop a lot of this
stuff in its tracks. I can actually force them to go back to the
drawing board.”

Ordinarily, a Massachusetts Senate race is a cinch for Democrats, who
dominate state politics. But a recent Public Policy Polling poll shows
Brown up one point against his opponent, anti-gun State Attorney General
Martha Coakley!

Should Scott Brown pull off a win, the ObamaCare legislation would die
instantly as Democrats will have lost their 60th vote.

As state Senator, Brown is considered one of the most conservative
Republicans in the Bay State — supporting issues like concealed carry
of firearms and earning an “A+” rating from the state pro-gun group, Gun
Owners Action League.

His opponent is the type of radical anti-gunner people have come to
expect from Massachusetts. Late last year, Attorney General Coakley
filed a brief urging the state Supreme Court to uphold a law requiring
firearms to be kept under lock and key when not in use.

The choice for gun owners in this race could not be more clear — and
the stakes could not be higher.

After telling gun owners for a year that they had nothing to fear from
the national health care bill, Democrats in Washington finally admitted
that that was a bald-faced lie. So they stuck a bunch of language in
the most recent version of the bill supposedly addressing the gun
problems (which they claimed for so long did not exist!)

But the new language does not prohibit the FBI or the BATFE from
trolling the ObamaCare medical database in search of medical reasons to
disqualify citizens from owning firearms.

Already, the Department of Veterans Affairs — which operates its own
nationalized health care system — has denied around 150,000 veterans
their Second Amendment rights based on the opinions of doctors, and not
on the basis of any criminal conviction. And that is just the tip of
the iceberg should the health care bill pass for the rest of the
population.

So you can see how important this Massachusetts special election on
January 19 is for the nation.

It is also clear that concerned citizens from all over the country
should do all they can to get Scott Brown over the finish line.

This is a very expensive race, and Scott’s opponent has so far
out-raised him significantly, as she’s raked in millions of dollars from
ObamaCare supporters.

And, even though Scott is carrying the Republican message that will
likely dominate the 2010 Congressional elections, news reports indicate
that the Republican national committees have shown only token support.
That must change, and change quickly.

Sure, Massachusetts is normally a safe Democrat state — but these are
not normal times. This race is winnable. Scott Brown was down by 31
percentage points in November, but he is now effectively tied in the
latest poll.

There are several action items that can be taken by people from every
state:

1. Visit Scott Brown on the web at http://www.brownforussenate.com
<http://www.brownforussenate.com/> and make a generous contribution.
And, please make sure all your contacts know about the importance of
this race.

2. Contact National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn
at info@nrsc.org <mailto:info@nrsc.org> and urge him to pull out all
the stops to elect Scott Brown.

3. Email Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele at
info@gop.com <mailto:info@gop.com> and deliver the same message.

4. Of course, if you live in Massachusetts, vote for Scott Brown on
Tuesday, January 19.

Together, we can strike a blow to anti-gun national health care — and
send a powerful message to Washington — by scoring a win in liberal
Massachusetts.

Sincerely,

Tim Macy
Vice Chairman

January 12, 2010

OK Here we go again. The NRA (National Riffle Association) is supporting a law that is NOT only unconstitutional in a major way, but completely discriminatory. The basic run down of NRA supported H.R.3752 is this: It will allow for ALL former and active duty Police (including “current and retired law enforcement officers of the Amtrak Police Department, the Federal Reserve System, the executive branch, and the Armed Forces”) Here is my first problem. It makes all of the rest of us second class citizens. That’s right I said SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. And of course we have NEVER heard of police going bad, have we? (L.A. Rampart division). Also when said officers are off duty, they are that OFF DUTY. Meaning they are now citizens, not police officers. However that doesn’t seem to mater. That is a bunch of junk. Also when a police officer retires, they are no longer part of the police department. Why are they special? I know for a fact there are a lot of cops out there that can not shoot as well as I can. So it can not be because they are “trained” to shoot. This is the major part of the discrimination charge put forth earlier. There is another issue with this. The same damn issue I had with the thune amendment. It’s called state’s rights and that pesky 10th amendment of the constitution. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Oops canceled carry is not directly mention in the constitution. That “bill of negative rights” as obama called it. That alone stops all this crap.

Another issue, the military factor. Ever hear of The Posse Comitatus Act? If not then this is generally what it’s all about. “The statute generally prohibits federal military personnel and units of the National Guard under federal authority from acting in a law enforcement capacity within the United States, except where expressly authorized by the Constitution or Congress. The Coast Guard is exempt from the Act during peacetime.” Basically the military is not allowed to act as law enforcement here in The USA. Unless the president waves The Posse Comitatus Act short term.”

By now you are probably asking what the hell is he talking about. Well here is the bill: To amend title 18, United States Code, to improve the provisions relating to the carrying of concealed weapons by law enforcement officers, and for other purposes. Introduced Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act of 2009 – Amends the federal criminal code to:

(1) expand the definition of “law enforcement officers,” for purposes of provisions authorizing such officers to carry concealed weapons, to include current and retired law enforcement officers of the Amtrak Police Department, the Federal Reserve System, the executive branch, and the Armed Forces;

(2) allow law enforcement officers who are retired or who separated in good standing after at least ten years of service to carry a concealed weapon; and

(3) expand the categories of law enforcement officers authorized to possess a fireman in a school zone to include retired law enforcement officers.”

There you go the holy crap act of 2009-2010. Basically if you are not one of the above you and your second amendment rights do not matter. Call me paranoid, but, I can see this act passing and it being used as sledge hammer to take away our rights to keep and bare arms. Am I anti military. HELL no. My brother is active duty Army. And I am very pro military. Tell your elected official to vote against the BS bill.

Frank.

January 6, 2010

Right-to-Carry Bill Scheduled to be Heard Next Week!
Please Contact the Members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee Today!

Assembly Bill 357 is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday, January 12.
AB357, sponsored by Assembly Member Steve Knight (R-36), would create a “shall issue” concealed handgun permit system in California. Under current law, an applicant must show cause as to why they should be issued a permit to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense. AB357 would remove that stipulation and require sheriffs to issue the license if all other mandated criteria are satisfied.

Please contact the members of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety TODAY and respectfully urge them to support AB357. Contact information can be found below.

Assembly Member Jose Solorio (D-69) – Chair

(916) 319-2069

Assemblymember.solorio@assembly.ca.gov

Assembly Member Curt Hagman (R-60) – Vice Chair

(916) 319-2060

Assemblymember.Hagman@assembly.ca.gov

Assembly Member Warren T. Furutani (D-55)

(916) 319-2055

Assemblymember.Furutani@assembly.ca.gov

Assembly Member Danny D. Gilmore (R-30)

(916) 319-2030

Assemblymember.Gilmore@assembly.ca.gov

Assembly Member Jerry Hill (D-19)

(916) 319-2019

Assemblymember.Hill@assembly.ca.gov

Assembly Member Fiona Ma (D-12)

(916) 319-2012

Assemblymember.Ma@assembly.ca.gov

Assembly Member Nancy Skinner (D-14)

(916) 319-2014

Assemblymember.Skinner@assembly.ca.gov

MURDER DOWN, GUN SALES UP; PROOF THAT GUNS DON’T CAUSE CRIME: SAF

BELLEVUE, WA – A ten percent drop in murders during the first six months of this year at a time when gun sales were up dramatically is more proof that there is no correlation between gun ownership and violent crime, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.

The FBI released data Monday that shows murders dropped by 10 percent from the same period in 2008. Meanwhile, according to data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) shows that during the first six months of this year, gun sales were up. January 2009 background checks rose 28.8 percent over the same month in 2008, February’s NICS checks were up 23.3 percent and in March they were up 29.9 percent over March 2008. The trend continued in April, with NICS checks up 30.3 percent, while May showed a slowdown, up only 15.5 percent, and in June they were up 18.1 percent.

“What this shows,” said SAF Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb, “is that gun prohibitionists are all wrong when they argue that more guns result in more crime. Firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens are no threat to anyone. Perhaps violent criminals were actually discouraged by all of those gun sales earlier this year, because the media made a point of reporting the booming gun market.

“Anti-gunners,” he continued, “have lost another one of their baseless arguments. Millions of Americans bought guns during the first six months of this year, many of them for the first time. Yet with all of those new guns in circulation, coupled with an increased demand for concealed carry licenses around the country, the streets have not been awash in blood, as gun banners repeatedly predict.

“Hard facts trump hot air,” Gottlieb concluded. “These people are consistently wrong about our rights. Millions of people bought guns, especially semiautomatic sport-utility rifles that gun grabbers want to ban because they say people aren’t safe with all of those guns in private hands. Well, the people disagree, and so does the data.”

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nations oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.

——————————————————————————–

< Please e-mail, distribute, and circulate to friends and family >

Second Amendment Foundation

James Madison Building

12500 N.E. Tenth Place

Bellevue, WA 98005 Voice: 425-454-7012

Toll Free: 800-426-4302

FAX: 425-451-3959

email: InformationRequest@saf.org

A Gun owner’s Ode to Christmas

By S.E. Cupp in Townhall Magazine

What do firearms and this blessed holiday have in common? Well, for one, liberals don’t like to talk about either.

Christmas is coming. And for many Americans, that means opening gifts around the tree, big family dinners and Midnight Mass. No disrespect to Norman Rockwell – but Christmas always reminds me of shooting. Sure, I love seeing my family, gorging on the kind of food and drink that are usually impermissible during the other 11 months of the year and finding some fabulous little trinket under the tree. And every year I bring a batch of ‘Cupp-cakes’ to my local police and fire precincts. But enough of Capra. If I’m honest, it’s also about the gun. Almost a decade ago, my friends and I had a lovely Christmas brunch at Les Halles in New York City-a superb French brasserie where, rightly so, nearly everything on the menu once had parents. After enough pork belly, crispy duck and rabbit ragout to swell our ankles and give us heart palpitations, we exchanged gifts. In a small, unmarked envelope addressed to me was a gift certificate for a shooting lesson. I was thrilled. I went down to the West Side Rifle and Pistol Range, in the dank and gritty basement of a building on 20th Street, to cash in my gift. After the lesson, we took to the targets. I squeezed the trigger of the .22 at the paper bull’s eyes in front of me, and I was officially hooked. Over the years that followed, I took up skeet shooting and hunting, and eventually bought my own 12-gauge shotgun. In recent years, the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas has been marked by a trip upstate for deer hunting, and (hopefully) a freezer full of venison follows. And every Christmas, I go back to the West Side range for an hour to shoot that .22, which always feels a little smaller and lighter in my hands. It’s a simple Christmas pleasure, a total escape and my annual gift to myself.

And I’m not alone. For many Americans, the holidays wouldn’t be the same without their guns. Maybe they’re putting a turkey, a rabbit or some venison on the table for their families, or they’re gathering the old gang together for the annual winter hunt. Or maybe they’re donating a deer to one of the country’s countless collection and processing centers that feed hundreds of thousands of homeless and hungry every year. In New York State alone, since 1999 the Venison Donation Coalition has processed 337.51 tons of venison, or the equivalent of 2,700,800 meals served.

That’s evidenced not only by his frightening legislative promises to make it nearly impossible to own a gun or even buy ammunition, but also by his nomination of anti-gun public health advocate David Michaels to the OSHA post and his appointment of Cass Sunstein, who thinks deer should be able to sue you, as regulatory czar. And with the economy down, the Obama administration is looking to squeeze some much-needed cash out of hunters and gun owners, via sweeping fines, taxes and fees. But it won’t work.

In Idaho, lawmakers hiked the fee on out-of-state hunting licenses this year to raise money for the Fish and Game Department. As of October, revenue from tag sales was down 9 percent. States that want to raise revenue should be making it easier and cheaper for hunters, not harder and more expensive.

‘The Obama administration’s elitist antagonism of American gun owners and hunters is just bad socio-economics. And it feels particularly mean-spirited as Christmas approaches.’

Between land conservation, deer population control and feeding the hungry, hunters are some of our most important humanitarians. And shooters, too. Studies prove that right-to-carry states have less crime, not more. According to the American Rifleman’s celebrated ‘Armed Citizen’ column, gun owners use firearms for protection as frequently as 2.5 million times a year, saving lives. And all of this is in jeopardy. President Obama is no friend to gun owners and hunters. The Obama administration’s elitist antagonism of American gun owners and hunters is just bad socio-economics. And it feels particularly mean-spirited as Christmas approaches. But good luck telling the grinches and scrooges of the liberal Left that, for many of us, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without our guns. After all, Christmas, like the great American pastimes of shooting and hunting, is something you whisper about under your breath in liberal circles. On that note, I’m off to the range.

The Year In Review

Here are some of the top stories we brought you in the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert in 2009. With what will no doubt be a very busy 2010, we must redouble our efforts to ensure we are prepared to meet the opportunities and challenges we will face next year. We will continue to provide you with information in future Alerts to ensure our mutual success.

(NOTE: The next regular Grassroots Alert will be transmitted on Friday, January 8.)

JANUARY:

A federal lawsuit filed by NRA to challenge a San Francisco Housing Authority ban on firearms in public housing is settled. Under the settlement, the agency will no longer enforce a 2005 rule that prohibited the otherwise legal possession of guns and ammunition in public housing units. The City of San Francisco later pays NRA $380,000 as reimbursement for legal fees.
U.S. Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Rick Boucher (D-Va.), introduce H.R. 197– the “National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2009″–a bill that would provide national recognition for valid state Right-to-Carry licensees.

FEBRUARY:

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upholds an Oklahoma law allowing employees to store legally owned firearms in locked, private motor vehicles while parked in employer parking lots. This decision upholds NRA-backed legislation passed in 2004.
Just over five weeks after Inauguration Day, Attorney General Eric Holder announces that the Obama Administration will seek to reinstate the expired federal “assault weapon” ban and impose additional restrictions. Holder said that new gun control laws are needed because in Mexico, a country with a history of corruption and disregard for individual rights, there’s a shooting war going on between drug gangs and government troops, and some of the gangsters’ guns have been illegally purchased in the United States.
The United States votes to adopt an amendment offered by Nevada Senator John Ensign (R), that seeks to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in the District of Columbia. The amendment, attached to S.160, the “D.C. Voting Rights Act,” seeks to repeal restrictive gun control laws passed by the District of Columbia’s (D.C.) city council in defiance of the landmark D.C. v. Heller Supreme Court decision. The vote margin was 62-36.

MARCH:

A federal district court in Washington, D.C. grants anti-gun plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against implementation of the new rule allowing law-abiding citizens to defend themselves by carrying a concealed firearm in national parks and wildlife refuges. NRA files an appeal.
In a letter to Attorney General Holder, 65 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Congressman Mike Ross (D-Ark.), express their opposition to the reinstatement of the failed 1994 ban on semi-automatic firearms and ammunition magazines. These congressmen cite numerous studies that proved the 1994 ban was ineffective, and they strongly urge Attorney General Holder to stop his effort and instead focus on the enforcement of existing gun laws.
NRA files a second amended complaint in Dick Anthony Heller et al v. District of Columbia in U.S. District Court, asking the court to issue a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent the D.C. Council from implementing laws that violate the Second Amendment and from enforcing its prohibitions on the possession of commonly owned firearms.

APRIL:

U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Bob Bennett (R-Utah), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) introduce legislation (S.816) to restore the Second Amendment rights of visitors in national parks and wildlife refuges (its companion bill, H.R. 1684 was introduced previously Congressman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.)).
On ABC’s “Good Morning America,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says, “we [members of Congress] have to find some level of compromise” on guns. She notes that the Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller, ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to guns. But, she said, “We want them registered.” Pelosi also uses the word “draconian” to describe legislation before Congress to reform D.C.’s gun laws. This is followed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the Senate sponsor of the now-expired federal “assault weapons” ban, saying on a CBS “60 Minutes” program that she is only temporarily holding off on introducing legislation to reinstate the ban. “I’ll pick the time and place. No question about it,” Feinstein says.
During an official visit to Mexico, President Obama announces his support for Senate ratification of an inter-American treaty on firearms trafficking. In response, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox note, “ .NRA knows that anti-gun advocates will still try to use this treaty to attack gun ownership in the U.S. Therefore, the NRA will continue to vigorously oppose any international effort to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding American gun owners.”
Anti-gun Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduces S. 843, calling for massive new government powers to register gun show customers, register gun owners, retain information on people who pass criminal records checks when buying firearms, heavily tax both gun collectors and gun sales, and require gun show promoters to police gun show customers, as if they were agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

MAY:

Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduce S. 941- the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act,” representing the first time such BATFE reform legislation has been introduced in the Senate. Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zack Space (D-Ohio), introduce its House companion–H.R. 2296.
375 staunch, pro-gun patriots attend the standing room only NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop, held in conjunction with NRA’s Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Phoenix–double the attendance from last year’s workshop in Louisville.
U.S. Reps Peter King (R-N.Y.), Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), Mike Castle (R-Del.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Mark Kirk (D-Ill.), and Chris Smith (R-N.J.)introduce H.R. 2159, which would give “the Attorney General the authority to deny the sale, delivery, or transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit to dangerous terrorists. . . . if the Attorney General determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support thereof, and the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that the prospective transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism.” The legislation disregards traditional ideas of due process, as well as the well-documented problems with the government’s “terrorist watchlists.”
NRA-backed legislation to restore the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in national parks and wildlife refuges passes in the U.S. House of Representatives by an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 279-147, and is signed into law. The legislation will take effect on February 22, 2010.

JUNE:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issues a proposed rule change that directly targets the importation of “assisted opening” folding knives. (Read the proposed rule here.) The proposed regulations would designate all these knives as “switchblades” (despite the fact they do not fall under the federal definition of “switchblades”), and would make them illegal for import into the United States. The proposed change could affect all knives that can be opened with one hand.
American gun owners celebrate the anniversary of the landmark D.C. v. Heller case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Washington, D.C.’s handgun ban and affirmed that the Second Amendment protects an individual right.

JULY:

Two-thirds of the nation’s attorneys general file a “friend of the court” brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of NRA v. Chicago and hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment. This bipartisan group of 33 attorneys general agrees with the NRA’s position that the Second Amendment protects a fundamental individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms in the home for self-defense, disagreeing with the decision recently issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
The Senate unanimously passes an amendment to the Federal Switchblade Act as part of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. The amendment, authored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), changes the federal law under which CBP tried to redefine many common knives as switchblades.
Gun owners and Second Amendment advocates earn a victory as the House Financial Services Committee considers and adopts an amendment offered by Representative Tom Price (R-Ga.) to protect the Second Amendment rights of public housing residents.
NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre and ILA Executive Director Chris Cox announce NRA opposition to Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court, noting, “We believe any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self-defense should not serve on any court, much less the highest court in the land. Therefore, the National Rifle Association of America opposes the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the position of Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.”
A bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate votes in favor of an amendment offered by Senators John Thune (R-SD) and David Vitter (R-La.) to provide interstate recognition of Right-to-Carry permits. The amendment to S.1390–the National Defense Authorization Act–would acknowledge that the right to self-defense extends across state lines. Under this provision, an individual with a carry permit from his or her home state, or who is otherwise allowed to carry firearm in his home state, could carry in any other state that issues permits.

AUGUST:

On an appearance on “Meet the Press,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announces that he will raise money to counter the influence of the NRA. Bloomberg trumpets the meager 39 votes he was able to muster to squeak out a defeat of national Right-to-Carry reciprocity.
Yet another mayor, Village of Walton Hills, Ohio Mayor Marlene Anielski (R), resigns her membership from Bloomberg’s mis-named Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) coalition. Mayor Anielski informs the Buckeye Firearms Association of her decision, reporting that she had not realized the real agenda of MAIG. In fact, she reported, she and her husband are NRA Life Members!
On August 6, by a vote of 68-31, the full Senate votes to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

SEPTEMBER:

Garen Wintemute, of the University of California (Davis), releases another of his “studies” in favor of gun control. His new piece is called “Inside Gun Shows: What Goes On When Everybody Thinks Nobody’s Watching.” “Gun shows” are just the hook, however. While repeating gun control supporters’ mantra about the need to run instant background checks on people who buy guns from private parties at gun shows, Wintemute admits important factors that undercut his goal. First, he notes that straw purchases – the very purpose of which is to thwart the background checks he pretends to be concerned about – “are a major source of crime guns.” Second, he admits that “The proportion of all gun sales nationwide that occurs at gun shows is relatively small” and that “most sales at gun shows involve licensed retailers,” who are already required to perform background checks.
During consideration of H.R. 3288 (the FY 2010 Transportation–Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill), the Wicker Amendment is adopted, to allow the transportation of firearms on Amtrak trains.

Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns has lost over 50 members because gun owners took action to tell their mayors the truth about this organization. Many of the mayors who have resigned from MAIG have indicated they were unaware of the full extent of their anti-gun agenda. They now know they were mislead by MAIG’s claims that it was only concerned with “illegal” guns

OCTOBER:

The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear the landmark Second Amendment case of McDonald v. Chicago. The case will address the application of the Second Amendment to the states through either the Due Process clause or the Privileges or Immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), join forces with U.S. Representatives Mark Souder (R-Ind.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.), in filing a joint, pro-Second Amendment amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief before the Supreme Court in the McDonald v. Chicago case.
The so-called Bi-National Task Force on Rethinking the United States-Mexico Border produces a report, which, among other things, calls for re-imposition of the federal “assault weapon” ban of 1994-2004, saying it would improve security in both countries. The “border-rethinking” group has been put together by the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations. The group consists mostly of former U.S. and Mexican officials and journalists, none of them currently elected by the people of the U.S. or Mexico to make policy on these issues.
The U.S. Senate and House pass crucial legislation that will protect pocketknives used by tens of millions of Americans. The amendment will block CBP’s earlier proposed policy change and keep pocketknives from being classified as illegal switchblades.

NRA files a complaint in the Superior Court of Washington State against the City of Seattle, asking the court to enjoin and declare invalid a recently enacted parks and recreation administrative policy that prohibits firearms in parks, community centers and other city-owned buildings. Other plaintiffs in the case include state correctional officers and private citizens, as well as the Washington-based Second Amendment Foundation.

NOVEMBER:

The National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund’s (NRA-PVF) endorsed candidates for statewide office in Virginia–Bob McDonnell (R) for governor, Ken Cuccinelli (R) for attorney general, and Bill Bolling (R) for lieutenant governor–win handily in the November 3rd general election. Additionally, 98 percent (58 out of 59) of NRA-PVF-endorsed candidates for the Virginia House of Delegates win their respective races.
On November 16, the NRA files its brief with the U.S. Supreme Court as Respondent in Support of Petitioner in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The NRA brief asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment.

In another transparent attempt to undercut the Second Amendment, Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, alleges that the multiple murders that took place on Ft. Hood recently could have been prevented by changes in federal gun laws.

DECEMBER:

The U.S. Supreme Court schedules oral arguments in the McDonald v. City of Chicago case for Tuesday, March 2, 2010.
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s MAIG releases the findings of a “poll” conducted by a political consulting firm called “The Word Doctors,” whose slogan is “It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear.” The pollster claims the results of his misleadingly worded questions show that NRA members and gun owners support restrictive gun laws; he fails to highlight results that show strong opposition to other measures, and serious concern about the Obama administration’s future plans on the issue.
The U.S. House of Representatives approves an NRA-backed amendment, introduced by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), to allow Amtrak travelers to transport firearms in checked baggage where checked baggage service is available. The Wicker amendment isincluded along with several government agencies’ appropriations bills in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010.

U.S. House of Representatives passes H.R. 3326-the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2010. NRA’s efforts on the huge spending bill were rewarded with the restoration of a longstanding rider to protect M-1 carbines, M-1 Garands, M-14s, .22 caliber rifles, and others from being destroyed. The language also included a prohibition on the destruction of small arms ammunition and components, passed in response to the short-lived concern over destruction of spent brass casings earlier this year.

NRA will be closing at noon on Thursday, December 31,
and will be closed on Friday, January 1.

Please have a safe and happy Holiday weekend!

FBI Reports Huge Decrease In Murders As Firearm, Ammunition And “Large” Magazine Sales Soar
Tuesday, December 29, 2009Last week, the FBI issued its preliminary 2009 crime report, showing that the number of murders in the first half of 2009 decreased 10 percent compared to the first half of 2008. If the trend holds for the remainder of 2009, it will be the single greatest one-year decrease in the number of murders since at least 1960, the earliest year for which national data are available through the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Also, the per capita murder rate for 2009 will be 51 percent lower than the all-time high recorded in 1991, and it will be the lowest rate since 1963—a 46-year low. Final figures for 2009 will be released by the FBI next year.According to gun control supporter dogma—“more guns means more crime”—the number of privately owned firearms must have decreased 10 percent in 2009. To the contrary, however, the number rose between 1.5 and 2 percent, to an all-time high. For the better part of the last 15 months, firearms, ammunition, and “large” ammunition magazines have been sold in what appear to be record quantities. And, the firearms that were most commonly purchased in 2009 are those that gun control supporters most want to be banned—AR-15s, similar semi-automatic rifles, and handguns designed for defense. The National Shooting Sports Foundation already estimates record ammunition sales in 2009, dominated by .223 Remington, 7.62×39mm, 9mm and other calibers widely favored for defensive purposes.Also indicative of the upward trend in firearm sales, the number of national instant check transactions rose 24.5 percent in the first six months of 2009 compared to the first six months in 2008, the greatest increase since NICS’ inception in 1998. Through the end of October, NICS transactions rose18 percent, compared to the same period in 2008.More Guns Means More Crime? Hardly. In 2009, more guns meant less crime, in a very, very big way.

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT
Vol. 16, No. 43 10/30/09

NRA Sues Seattle Over Illegal Gun Ban

On October 28, NRA filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Washington State against the City of Seattle, asking the court to enjoin and declare invalid a recently enacted parks and recreation administrative policy that prohibits firearms in parks, community centers and other city-owned buildings. Other plaintiffs in the case include state correctional officers and private citizens.

“NRA members are outraged that the City of Seattle has ignored and defied state law and an opinion of Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “The NRA will continue to fight this senseless infringement on the rights of law-abiding Seattle gun owners.”

Outrage Of The Week: Over the past few years, we have reported on numerous, outrageous cases of “zero-tolerance” enforcement defying logic and rational thought. There seems to be no shortage of this kind of miscarriage of not only justice, but of common sense. So here we go again: This week’s “Outrage” comes to us from Des Moines, Iowa, where a school recently suspended an 11-year-old girl for bringing a handful of empty shotgun shells to school.

During a family trip to a ranch in South Dakota, the blank rounds were fired as part of a show, and the sixth-grade student gathered the harmless, empty shells as souvenirs. Once again, these were harmless, empty shell casings from fired, blank rounds!

.But We’re Not Through: This week’s second outrage comes to us via Tennessee Attorney General Bob Cooper (D), who recently issued an official opinion that landlords can prohibit law-abiding tenants from possessing their legally-owned firearms within the leased premises of their rented apartments, even if the tenants have a valid carry permit!

According to an October 28^th article on Knoxnews.com, the opinion is in response to a request from state Representative Tony Shipley (R-2), who said he had thought the answer would have been different.

Can’t Spell “Freedom’s Voice” Without Free! As the days wind down to Election Day in Virginia-November 3^rd-once again, Grassroots staff is on the road-where we belong and where we thrive! We will be traveling across the state, working with our members and supporters to elect pro-gun candidates.

Another Way To Get Involved: Online Social Networking: Internet social networking has exploded in recent years. Websites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter attract millions of users. These on-line communities foster a connection between their users, and allow distribution of user-generated content (like pictures, profiles, music, video, and text).

NRA has been a part of this social technology for some time now, with a presence on each of these sites. By actively participating in these new media, we are able to reach out to more potential members and supporters than ever before.

Clearing Up the Rumors: The Truth About The “Gun Tax Bill” Over the past few months, NRA-ILA has received hundreds of e-mails warning us about “SB-2099,” a bill that would supposedly require you to report all your guns on your income tax return every April 15.

Like many rumors, there’s just a grain of truth to this one. Someone is recycling an old alert, which wasn’t even very accurate when it was new.

Help Defend Your Gun Rights One Click At A Time: We have a revolutionary yet simple tool that will allow you to stay connected to NRA-ILA and raise valuable contributions to defend our Second Amendment rights without spending a dime! It’s the NRA-ILA Toolbar, and you can make a difference by downloading and using it.

STATE ROUNDUP (Please note the only items listed below are those that have had recent action. For other updates on state legislation, please go to the state legislation section at www.NRAILA.org, and check each week’s issue of the Grassroots Alert.”)

MICHIGAN: Parking Lot Legislation Headed to the House Floor!
On Tuesday, October 27 the House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee approved House Bill 5302 and House Bill 5303 by a 9 to 1 vote. HB5302, introduced by State Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93), and HB5303, introduced by State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-103), would prohibit employers from firing employees who safely and lawfully store their firearms in locked vehicles while at work. The bill now moves to the full Michigan House of Representatives where a vote may be taken any day. Please contact your Representative TODAY and respectfully ask them to support this important Second Amendment legislation. To find your representative and contact information please click here.

NEW JERSEY: Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day! Be sure to “Vote Freedom First!” If you have questions about candidate grades and endorsements, please call our Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) or visit www.NRAPVF.org. For more information about voting in New Jersey, please visit http://www.njelections.org/.

NORTH CAROLINA: Tar Heel State to Start Producing NRA License Plates! In 2005, North Carolina established an NRA license plate, but we needed 300 North Carolinians to commit to purchasing them before they could be issued. We have finally reached the magic number! The applications, along with the necessary payments, have been submitted to the North Carolina DMV, and we thank everyone who has been patiently waiting for their chance to show support for NRA on their vehicle-especially those who applied in the beginning. It has been a long road, but your patience will soon pay off. We will be sure to post further updates as soon as we can, to let you know when to expect your NRA license plate. Our special thanks go out to NRA Western North Carolina Field Representative Doug Merrill, who has been handling all of the submitted applications, and fielding anxious calls looking for updates. Again, thank you for your patience!

SOUTH CAROLINA: Volunteers Needed to Assist with Range Clean-Up and Maintenance The Twin Ponds Rifle Range in the Francis Marion National Forest is in need of clean-up and repairs after it was closed in September because of vandalism over the last 12 months. The Forest is hosting a volunteer clean-up and repair day in order to get the range reopened by Sunday, November 1. Already, a number of shooter-volunteers, along with a troop of Cub Scouts, have pledged their help that day. The Forest can always use additional volunteers for that day and in the future to keep the range safe and clean. For more information, please click here.

TENNESSEE: Clay County to Address Repeal of Ban on Firearms within State Parks On Monday, November 2 at 6:30 p.m. the Clay County Commission will consider an ordinance that would repeal an earlier vote that bans the possession of firearms within County parks. The meeting will be held at the Clay County Community Center, located at 145 Cordell Hull Drive in Celina. The meeting will be open for public debate so be sure to arrive early if you would like the option to speak. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact County Mayor Dale Reagan and the County Commissioners at 931-243-2161 and respectfully urge them to support the removal of the existing gun ban. To contact the Mayor and County Commissioners, please click here.

Ordinance Banning Firearms in Parks Dealt a Blow in Bartlett An ordinance which would have outlawed the possession of firearms in local parks, even by those who possess Right-to-Carry permits, failed to pass on Tuesday, October 27. Thank you to all of the NRA members who made their voices heard. Please continue to visit www.nraila.org for up-to-date legislative alerts on this issue.

TEXAS: Attention NRA Members in Henderson & Kaufman Counties! Please make plans to attend upcoming town hall meetings for your State Representative and strong Second Amendment supporter, Betty Brown (R-4). The events are being hosted by the Texas Conservative Coalition — the conservative caucus of the Texas Legislature. The first meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m.in the Trinity Valley Community College cafeteria, located at 100 Cardinal Drive, in Athens. The second will be held on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:30 AM at Covenant Generations Church, located at 10342 W. Highway 80 in Forney. Two key NRA-backed bills did not pass during the 2009 legislative session: a proposal prohibiting employers from enforcing policies against hard-working Texans who store their lawfully-owned firearms in their locked motor vehicles while parked at work, and a measure allowing concealed handgun licensees to protect themselves on college and university campuses. Rep. Brown co-sponsored both bills, but House leaders failed to set either of them for a timely vote by the full House. This is your chance to thank Rep. Brown for her support and to urge her to push House leaders for a floor vote on both issues next session!

VIRGINIA: Remember to Vote Freedom First on Election Day! Tuesday, November 3 is Election Day in the Old Dominion. Be sure to “Vote Freedom First!” If you have questions about candidate grades and endorsements, please visit www.NRAPVF.org, or call our Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683). For more information about voting in Virginia, please visit http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Election_Information/Index.html.

With the Virginia elections now merely days away, we need you to increase your volunteer activism in support of our candidates. To find out how you can assist with our final push, please contact your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representatives (CFRs). For CFR contact information, please click here.

WASHINGTON: NRA Sues Seattle Over Illegal Gun Ban On Wednesday, October 28, the National Rifle Association filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Washington State against the City of Seattle, asking the court to enjoin and declare invalid a recently enacted parks and recreation administrative policy that prohibits firearms in parks, community centers and other city-owned buildings. Other plaintiffs in the case include state correctional officers and private citizens, as well as the Second Amendment Foundation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the Washington Arms Collectors, Inc. The city is in violation of Washington’s preemption statute, which forbids localities from enacting this type of ban. In October 2008, Attorney General Rob McKenna issued an opinion that put the City of Seattle and Mayor Nickels on notice that Washington cities may not enact local laws prohibiting possession of firearms on city property or in city-owned facilities.

FULL ALERT – FEDERAL – Anti-Gun “Health” Bill

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://gunowners. org/ordergoamem. htm

Friday, October 23, 2009

Congratulations!

You have stymied the shady tactics used by Barack Obama, Harry Reid,
and Nancy Pelosi to try to pass the ObamaCare bill and — in the
opening salvo of the battle — you blew them out of the water.

Gun Owners won a huge vote Wednesday in the Senate.

As you remember, the ObamaCare bill would dump your gun-related health
data into a federal database. It would also put your (government
mandated) insurance at risk if you keep a loaded gun for self-defense.

But there was a problem: The anti-gun health bills cost too much, and
Obama had promised to pass a bill which would not raise the deficit by
“one penny.”

So what Obama, Reid, and Pelosi did was to try to pass a separate bill
(S. 1776) which would fund the anti-gun ObamaCare bill by raising the
deficit another $247 billion dollars.

But, they would argue, because S. 1776 was a “separate bill,”
the ObamaCare bill itself would not raise the deficit.

In a Senate not known for morality, this rose to a level of sleaze and
corruption that embarrassed many Democrats, in addition to all
Republicans.

With gun owners responding vigorously to our alerts on this issue, the
motion to invoke “cloture” (or shut off debate) on the bill
failed by a 47-53 vote — 13 votes short of the 60 votes the anti-gun
socialists needed.

The victory on S. 1776 means that it will be much harder for Obama,
Reid and Pelosi to pick up the somewhat fiscally-minded Blue Dog
Democrats they so desperately need to get their anti-gun ObamaCare
legislation passed.

So congratulations! It is true that this is only the first battle…
but, if we continue battering Congress as we have, it will be the first of many victories.

To see the official listing of how each Senator voted, you can go to
http://tinyurl. com/ykb6kjb.

But in the meantime, pat yourself on the back for a job well done…
and have a great weekend!

Join NRA-ILA’s New Online Community

You read NRA-ILA’s alerts. You call your elected officials on important Second Amendment issues. You talk to your friends, family and others about protecting the right to keep and bear arms. In short, you are at the heart of NRA-ILA’s efforts.

Now you have an opportunity to help the NRA by sharing your thoughts on policy, politics, corporate partnerships, and more.

We are excited to announce the launch of the NRA-ILA Online Advisory Panel, a community of our most active and loyal supporters. As a part of the Advisory Panel, you will have the opportunity to engage with other NRA members, take weekly polls and surveys, compare your Members of Congress, track federal legislation, and more. This is your chance to make your voice count. NRA-ILA wants to know what you think and what gun owners are concerned-or excited-about in your part of the country.

Which issues are you most concerned about? What programs do you think work? Which ones don’t? As a part of the NRA-ILA Online Advisory Panel, you will have an opportunity to weigh in on these questions, and your voice will help target our activities and frame the Second Amendment debate.

To find out more and to sign up to become a member of the NRA-ILA Online Advisory Panel, go to: http://nra.civicscience.com.

“Task Force” Using Crime And Corruption In Mexico As Premise For Gun Control In U.S.

Friday, October 16, 2009

On October 13, the Associated Press reported that the so-called Bi-National Task Force on Rethinking the United States-Mexico Border has produced a report, which, among other things, calls for re-imposition of the federal “assault weapon” ban of 1994-2004, saying it would improve security in both countries.

The “border-rethinking” group has been put together by the Pacific Council on International Policy and the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations. The group consists mostly of former U.S. and Mexican officials and journalists, none of them currently elected by the people of the U.S. or Mexico to make policy on these issues.

According to the Pacific Council, the report is being released under the auspices of the Mexican CFR on November 13th and is absolutely unavailable until that time. The Brady Campaign, naturally, has a copy of the report anyway, and quotes its executive summary as saying “The United States should intensify efforts to curtail the smuggling of firearms, ammunition, and bulk cash into Mexico by aggressively investigating gun sellers, regulating gun shows, [and] reinstituting the Clinton-era ban on assault weapons.”

Congress finished its hearings on the Mexico situation several months ago, and many members of Congress have declared their line-in-the-sand opposition to re-imposition of the ban. So given that Brady Campaign seems to be the only outfit that has a copy of the embargoed report, it’s safe to conclude that the “task force” is trying to keep the public primed for the next attack on the ownership of firearms like the AR-15 and Remington 11-87, and ammunition magazines designed for defensive purposes.

Whatever the opinions of those who sip tea and nibble biscuits while musing about how to restrict the rest of us, re-imposing the ban would have no effect on Mexico’s historic problem of crime and corruption, for at least three reasons.

First, as has been amply demonstrated, the cartels are not limited to semi-automatic AR-15s and AK-47s. They have hand-held and tripod-mounted, belt-fed machine guns; grenade launchers and grenades; and a variety of other high-end firearms, explosives, and special-purpose optics and communication gear acquired from countries other than the United States. Thanks to some Americans’ insatiable appetite for mind-altering drugs, they have enough money to buy the “task force” 10 times over, along with any weapon that can be found among any infantry platoon on Earth, no matter what kind of gun law gets imposed.

Second, most of the firearms seized from the cartels do not come from the United States. The claim that “90 percent” of Mexican “crime guns” originate in the U.S. is false. It does not relate to all firearms the Mexicans have seized from the cartels, but only to guns that the Mexicans have asked the BATFE to trace. As the Government Accountability Office has explained, “In 2008, of the almost 30,000 firearms that the Mexican Attorney General’s office said were seized, only around 7,200, or approximately a quarter, were submitted to [BATFE] for tracing.” The 6,700 guns that BATFE traced to the U.S. accounted for about 90 percent of the 7,200 guns that BATFE traced, but only 22 percent of all firearms seized by the Mexican government

Third, the ban did not stop the production and sale of any guns, it merely put a one-attachment limit on new guns. For example, before the ban, AR-15s had a pistol-type grip, flash suppressor and bayonet mount. The 750,000 AR-15s made during the ban had only the grip. If the “task force” thinks the fate of Mexico hinges on whether a relatively small number of semi-automatic rifles have flash suppressors and bayonet mounts, its members ought to switch to decaffeinated tea and sugar-free cookies during their get-togethers.

Make no mistake, however. Even if the “task force” doesn’t understand the finer details of the old “assault weapon” ban, leading gun ban advocates like Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, the Brady Campaign, the Violence Policy Center, the Joyce Foundation, and the Legal Community Against Violence do. If they have their way, they will eventually drag us into a much larger battle over the right to keep and bear semi-automatic shotguns, M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, and Ruger Mini-14s, in addition to the AR-15s, semi-automatic AK-47s, and other commonly owned firearms that were at issue during the 1994-2004 ban.

This may be reproduced. It may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.

11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 800-392-8683

Alert: 75% Of America Rejects
Lautenberg Gun Ban

Rasmussen Poll Says A Majority of Democrats and Repulicans Believe The Constitution Guarantees The Right To Own A Gun.

Only days after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to one of the nation’s most egregious gun laws, a new Rasmussen poll shows waning support for stricter gun laws.

Among Americans polled, 75% said the Constitution guaranteed the right to own a gun. The percentage of “yes” answers was higher among Republicans (92%) and lower among Democrats (64%). Among others, 71% answered yes. And, 57% of those polled cited fear of increased government restrictions as the reason for a spike in gun sales.

Gun Hater Lautenberg Proposes “Extraordinary Powers” Be Given To the U.S. Attorney General To Limit Gun Sales.

Obama and the White House are looking the other way as Lautenberg seeks to ban guns from 1,000,000 US citizens on a secret FBI terrorist watch list. Obama has deliberately and repeatedly lied to America’s 90 million gun owners across the country when he insisted that he would not try to take away anyone’s firearms. Now Obama’s silence endorses Lautenberg’s latest attempt at banning guns.

Lautenberg has now been introduced bill S.1317 that would give the attorney general the discretion to block gun sales to people on terror watch lists. We must defeat this bill from giving extraordinary powers to limit gun sales to the Attorney General.

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Lautenberg To Reveal Names on Secret List

The names of the people on the watch list are secret, and Lautenberg said he was frustrated by the F.B.I.’s refusal to disclose to investigators details and specific cases of gun purchases beyond the aggregate data.

Gun hater Lautenberg requested the gun grab study from the Government Accountability Office. He is using statistics, compiled in the report that is scheduled for public release next week to invade US citizen’s privacy and put more restrictions on the Second Amendment.

Lautenberg said he wanted a better understanding of who is being allowed to buy guns.

How you ask? Trial by innuendo and misinformation that has put 1,000,000 Americans and maybe even you on a terrorist watch list without your knowledge by saying: people placed on this government’s terrorist watch list can be stopped from getting on a plane or getting a visa, and will also be stopped from buying a gun.

Lautenberg wants gun purchases stopped for just being on the list. Current law states federal officials must find some other disqualification of a would-be gun buyer, like being a felon, an illegal alien or a drug addict.

Is your name on the list and can you get it removed?

The government’s consolidated watch list, used to identify people suspected of links to terrorists, has grown to more than one million names since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It also has drawn widespread criticism over the prevalence of mistaken identities and unclear links to terrorism.

A CNN story raises questions about mistaken identities on the list – James Robinson is a retired Air National Guard brigadier general and a commercial pilot for a major airline who flies passenger planes around the country.

James Robinson is a retired brigadier general and a commercial pilot. His name is on the terrorist “watch list.”

He has even been certified by the Transportation Security Administration to carry a weapon into the cockpit as part of the government’s defense program should a terrorist try to commandeer a plane.

But there’s one problem: James Robinson, the pilot, has difficulty even getting to his plane because his name is on the government’s terrorist “watch list.”

That means he can’t use an airport kiosk to check in; he can’t do it online; he can’t do it curbside. Instead, like thousands of Americans whose names match a name or alias used by a suspected terrorist on the list, he must go to the ticket counter and have an agent verify that he is James Robinson, the pilot, and not James Robinson, the terrorist.

“Shocking’s a good word; frustrating,” Robinson — the pilot — said. “I’m carrying a weapon, flying a multimillion-dollar jet with passengers, but I’m still screened as, you know, on the terrorist watch list.”

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

History Repeating Itself?

The 1938 German Weapons Act, the precursor of the current weapons law, superseded the 1928 law. As under the 1928 law, citizens were required to have a permit to carry a firearm and a separate permit to acquire a firearm. Furthermore, the law restricted ownership of firearms to “…persons whose trustworthiness is not in question and who can show a need for a (gun) permit.”

Lautenberg Must be Stopped

Recently Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) have joined Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and victims and family members of the Virginia Tech tragedy, to introduce legislation to eliminate the private transfers of firearms and close the nation’s “gun show loophole.”

This Senate bill is in the Judiciary Committee, chaired by anti-gun liberal Democrat Leahy. Lautenberg’s gun hate is well documented and he says you are irrational if you support private gun sales.

“There is no rational reason to oppose closing the loophole. The reason it’s still not closed is simple: the continuing power of the special interest gun lobby in Washington” Sen. Lautenberg said ignoring the Constitution.

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Lautenberg and the Gun Grabbers in the Senate are now tying to use the GAO to justify putting Americans on a secret gun ban list.

LAUTENBERG’S MOTIVES

Motives for his latest gun ban to are twofold:

First, he is taking small steps to enact gun control legislation this is just one step.
Second, eradicate the gun culture altogether.

All that seems to be on the minds of the Anti-Gun Senators and at the offices of gun control extremists is figuring out how to invade your privacy to erode and eventually destroy the right, and the means, of self-defense.

Now the Anti-Gun Coalitions are trying to use a self supporting GAO study to destroy the right of all Americans to keep and bear arms to protect themselves under the law. They are attacking and hiding behind an Anti-Terrorist Agenda while getting political and financial support from:

George Soros a Hungarian-born billionaire bank rolling efforts with his check book and spending more that $100 million to destroy the Constitution.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) admitted that “guns would be banned and confiscated” if she could have her way.

The United Nations actively pushes globalism seeking to disarm all Americans.

We must Stop the Anti-Gun Coalition and get ready for the biggest gun control fight of the year from coast to coast. We can not do that without your support.

Stand up against this attack! Stand up for the right to not only defend yourself, but to defend your family, your children, your friends, and your classmates!

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Like all other threats against our freedoms, we must rise and defeat this bill from giving extraordinary powers to limit gun sales to the Attorney General.

In order to stop Lautenberg and his fellow gun-grabbers-we need to let the Congress know with thousands of faxes telling them to leave guns alone.

Americans like you who understand what our Founding Fathers envisioned for our nation…and who are willing to fight to defend our Constitution and for what it stands.

So please, help the Citizens Committee and me defeat those who wish to gut and trash the United States Constitution.

Help me flood the U.S. Senate with a sea of FAXES big enough to drown each and every Senator willing to vote away the Second Amendment.

Please, send your Donation and FAX TODAY!

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Keep calling your Senators today, toll free numbers include 1-877-851-6437 and 1-866-220-0044, or call toll 1-202-225-3121 AND REGISTER YOU’RE OUTRAGE at ongoing efforts to take guns away!

CALL PRESIDENT Obama, 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414 expressing your disdain and ABSOLUTE REJECTION of all GUN BANS.

DO NOT BE SILENCED – MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

NOTE: We need TENS OF THOUSANDS of faxes and PHONE CALLS and EMAILS delivered to ALL Senators right away!

For our projects to be successful, we must count on the voluntary financial support from individuals like you who care.

Your contribution of $20 or $25 is urgently needed today.

Your donation for just $10 will help so much. If you can afford to send $50 or $100 or more it would truly be a godsend.

Remember, protecting our freedom is not inexpensive.

But then, it’s impossible to put a price tag on freedom.

SELECT HERE to DONATE NOW.
The rights you save may be your own!

https://secure.responseenterprises.com/saf/?a=3081

Together, we can preserve the Constitutional rights our Founding Fathers intended our people to have forever.

For more information about CCRKBA go to http://www.ccrkba.org/

Thank you. I know I can count on you.

Sincerely,

Alan Gottlieb
Chairman
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

CAL-ERT 10/13/09 — 9:00 AM
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE ALERT – http://www.calnra.com/calerts/calert101309.shtml
This information is accurate at the time this CAL-ERT was written and originally distributed. The NRA Members’ Councils of California will keep you informed as issues affect your gun-rights in California.

NRA SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO REPEAL AB962!

Earlier this year, Assemblyman Curt Hagman introduced Assembly Bill 373 related to the sales of handguns. AB373 was sponsored by the National Rifle Association in order to streamline the ability for law-abiding Californians to purchase handguns.

Now that Governor Schwarzenegger has signed AB962 into law, people are already becoming aware of the damage that it will do to California and it’s citizens. Therefore, the NRA and Assemblyman Hagman have agreed to amend AB373 into legislation that would repeal AB962. The newly amended AB373 will be heard in the State Legislature in January of 2010 so we must be ready for these hearings.

All of California’s firearms owners, dealers, shooters, hunters, collectors, clubs/organizations, and ammunition vendors, should be prepared to join in this effort to repeal AB962. This will not be an easy fight, but it is possible to win if we all stick together and act in an organized manner.

We, the NRA, will have specific activities that everyone can participate in during this important effort. Please stand-by and be prepared to help. There is no good reason not to be part of the team.

Read the NRA-ILA News Release regarding Governor Schwarzenegger’s counter-productive signing of AB962 at http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=12998 .

As a first-step in this process; please contact Assemblyman Curt Hagman and thank him for demonstrating his leadership by using his legislation (AB373) for this very important effort to repeal AB962. His office phone number is 916-319-2060 and you can email him at http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/60/default.aspx?p=email .

More to come……………..

Find this item at: http://www.calnra.com/calerts/calert101309.shtml

Continue to monitor the latest legislative updates at: http://NRAMembersCouncils.com/legs.shtml

Archived CAL-ERTs can be found at: http://www.nramemberscouncils.com/calerts/archives/index.shtml

NRA Members’ Councils of California http://NRAMembersCouncils.com

Due to some duplication of efforts, some people might get more than one copy of this message. We apologize if this causes any inconvenience.

To subscribe, unsubscribe, or update your subscription information to CAL-ERTs, CLICK HERE and enter your email address.

CAL-ERTs are provided as a free service to all gun owners and Pro-2nd Amendment organizations by the NRA Members’ Councils of California. Please work together with the NRA and help once again defeat the misguided efforts of the anti-gun legislators and fringe groups by cross-posting this CAL-ERT via the Internet, newsletters/publications and hand-outs. The CALifornia-alERT system is operated by NRA staff and volunteers operating within the NRA Members’ Councils Program. NRA Members’ Council Office Phone Number (951) 683-4NRA

NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT

Governor Schwarzenegger/California Lawmakers Squander Limited Financial Resources on Firearm Owner Registration Scheme

Fairfax, Va. – Governor Schwarzenegger has signed a severe yet impotent gun control measure into law. Assembly Bill 962, taking effect on February 1, 2011, mandates individuals purchasing ammunition to be fingerprinted and registered at the time of sale and outlaws mail order ammunition purchases. AB 962 also requires dealers to maintain these records indefinitely and make them available for inspection by the California Department of Justice. As an additional burden, ammunition retailers are also required to store ammunition away from purchasers. AB 692 also failed to garner support from Attorney General Brown, and any law enforcement organization. In fact, 15 sheriffs wrote letters of opposition to this legislation.

“This law presents intrusive and unnecessary burdens that will only affect law-abiding firearm retailers and gun-owners…not criminals,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. “At a time when California is facing dire budget problems, California has squandered valuable resources in policing law-abiding Californians instead of investing in substantive measures that target criminals. More than two decades ago, Congress abolished similar requirements to U.S. federal law because ammunition sales records were found to be ineffective for solving crimes. It is indeed regrettable that foolish minds and bogus arguments prevailed over common sense and empirical evidence.”

Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed Senate Bill 585, a bill that would have prohibited the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside of San Francisco. He also signed Senate Bill 175, which will exempt gunsmiths from a vague California law. This exemption will now allow for the exchange of a firearm to or from a gunsmith for purposes of service or repair.

“Governor Schwarzenegger acted in the interest of good public policy with his actions to SB 585 and SB 175. But, in signing AB 962, he has paved the way for one of the most intrusive and ineffective gun control laws that California has seen in recent years,” said Cox.

The National Rifle Association will review all possible options to remove this draconian, requirement from California statute, and will assess legislative and legal remedies to do so.

Alert: 75% Of America Rejects
Lautenberg Gun Ban

Rasmussen Poll Says A Majority of Democrats and Repulicans Believe The Constitution Guarantees The Right To Own A Gun.

Only days after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to one of the nation’s most egregious gun laws, a new Rasmussen poll shows waning support for stricter gun laws.

Gun Hater Lautenberg Proposes “Extraordinary Powers” Be Given To the U.S. Attorney General To Limit Gun Sales.

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Lautenberg To Reveal Names on Secret List

Lautenberg said he wanted a better understanding of who is being allowed to buy guns.

Is your name on the list and can you get it removed?

James Robinson is a retired brigadier general and a commercial pilot. His name is on the terrorist “watch list.”

He has even been certified by the Transportation Security Administration to carry a weapon into the cockpit as part of the government’s defense program should a terrorist try to commandeer a plane.

But there’s one problem: James Robinson, the pilot, has difficulty even getting to his plane because his name is on the government’s terrorist “watch list.”

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

History Repeating Itself?

Lautenberg Must be Stopped

This Senate bill is in the Judiciary Committee, chaired by anti-gun liberal Democrat Leahy. Lautenberg’s gun hate is well documented and he says you are irrational if you support private gun sales.

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Lautenberg and the Gun Grabbers in the Senate are now tying to use the GAO to justify putting Americans on a secret gun ban list.

LAUTENBERG’S MOTIVES

Motives for his latest gun ban to are twofold:

First, he is taking small steps to enact gun control legislation this is just one step.
Second, eradicate the gun culture altogether.

George Soros a Hungarian-born billionaire bank rolling efforts with his check book and spending more that $100 million to destroy the Constitution.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) admitted that “guns would be banned and confiscated” if she could have her way.

The United Nations actively pushes globalism seeking to disarm all Americans.

We must Stop the Anti-Gun Coalition and get ready for the biggest gun control fight of the year from coast to coast. We can not do that without your support.

Stand up against this attack! Stand up for the right to not only defend yourself, but to defend your family, your children, your friends, and your classmates!

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Like all other threats against our freedoms, we must rise and defeat this bill from giving extraordinary powers to limit gun sales to the Attorney General.

In order to stop Lautenberg and his fellow gun-grabbers-we need to let the Congress know with thousands of faxes telling them to leave guns alone.

Americans like you who understand what our Founding Fathers envisioned for our nation…and who are willing to fight to defend our Constitution and for what it stands.

So please, help the Citizens Committee and me defeat those who wish to gut and trash the United States Constitution.

Help me flood the U.S. Senate with a sea of FAXES big enough to drown each and every Senator willing to vote away the Second Amendment.

Please, send your Donation and FAX TODAY!

Fax NOW – Get Your Name Off The List
STOP Lautenberg’s Attorney General Gun Grab
Select Here to Reject AG Gun Ban and Fax All 99 Senators

Keep calling your Senators today, toll free numbers include 1-877-851-6437 and 1-866-220-0044, or call toll 1-202-225-3121 AND REGISTER YOU’RE OUTRAGE at ongoing efforts to take guns away!

CALL PRESIDENT Obama, 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414 expressing your disdain and ABSOLUTE REJECTION of all GUN BANS.

DO NOT BE SILENCED – MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

NOTE: We need TENS OF THOUSANDS of faxes and PHONE CALLS and EMAILS delivered to ALL Senators right away!

For our projects to be successful, we must count on the voluntary financial support from individuals like you who care.

Your contribution of $20 or $25 is urgently needed today.

Your donation for just $10 will help so much. If you can afford to send $50 or $100 or more it would truly be a godsend.

Remember, protecting our freedom is not inexpensive.

But then, it’s impossible to put a price tag on freedom.

SELECT HERE to DONATE NOW.
The rights you save may be your own!

https://secure.responseenterprises.com/saf/?a=3081

Together, we can preserve the Constitutional rights our Founding Fathers intended our people to have forever.

For more information about CCRKBA go to http://www.ccrkba.org/

Thank you. I know I can count on you.

Sincerely,

Alan Gottlieb
Chairman
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Fron the Second Ammendment Foundation

Obama’s Anti-Gun Agenda Heads To

Supreme Court

Chicago Gun Ban Case to Determine Gun Rights For All States

The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, and decide whether the right to keep and bear arms secured by the Second Amendment protects Americans from overreaching state and local governments.

The Supreme Court case is of paramount importance to American citizens, to see that their constitutional rights are respected not only by the Congress, but by state and local governments.

Obama made public his clear anti-gun agenda in March 2004 in Chicago. Obama voted against Illinois Senate Bill 2165 allowing citizens the right to protect themselves and for local ordinances against handgun possession. The measure passed the Illinois Senate by a vote of 38-20 without Obama’s vote. STOP Obama’s Anti-Gun Agenda now before he can appoint any anti-gun judges.

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) is delighted to bring this case in cooperation with the Illinois State Rifle Association and the four local plaintiffs. We are in this fight because a gun ban is no less onerous to civil rights in Chicago than it was in the District of Columbia. Such a law cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.

Protecting our gun rights is expensive and it’s impossible to put a price tag on. This time freedom will cost $250,000 to defend your Second Amendment rights in this challenge to the Chicago gun ban. SAF stands firmly committed to defend these rights and we are asking you to stand with us and we need your help to stop the anti-freedom extremists now!

We urgently need you to demand that all State Attorneys General file an Amicus Brief stating they agree that the individual right to keep and bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and applies to all 50 states.

FAX All 50 State Attorney Generals Now and Donate The $250,000 Needed
For SAF To Defend Second Amendment Rights At The Supreme Court!

https://secure.responseenterprises.com/saf_faxag/?a=3068

At issue is a 27-year-old Chicago law banning handguns, requiring the annual taxation of firearms, and otherwise interfering with the right of law-abiding individuals to keep guns at home for self-defense. The case was brought on behalf of four Chicago residents, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the Illinois State Rifle Association.

Last year, in the landmark case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. However, as that case concerned the actions of the District of Columbia government, a federal entity, the high court was not called upon to decide whether the right bound states and local governments. Over the years, almost the entire Bill of Rights has been held to apply to state and local governments by incorporation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

“The freedoms we enjoy as Americans are secured to us against violation by all levels of government,” noted Alan Gura, of Gura & Possessky, PLLC, lead counsel for the McDonald plaintiffs. “State and local politicians should be on notice: the Second Amendment is a normal part of the Bill of Rights, and it is coming to your town.”

Otis McDonald, a Chicago resident since 1952 who led the fight to integrate his union local in the 1960s and is a plaintiff in the case, welcomed the news.

“I am grateful the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case,” McDonald said. “I now pray that the Court secures me and all other law-abiding citizens the right to defend ourselves and our families.”

FAX All 50 State Attorney Generals Now and Donate The $250,000 Needed
For SAF To Defend Second Amendment Rights At The Supreme Court!

https://secure.responseenterprises.com/saf_faxag/?a=3068

Chicago attorney David Sigale commented, “The City of Chicago cannot take from millions of Americans the fundamental freedom of self-defense in one’s own home. We are confident the Court will stand on the side of the law-abiding citizens and the Bill of Rights.”

“We’re pleased to hear that the Supreme Court has decided to take a look at Chicago’s gun laws,” added ISRA President Don Moran. “In this time of economic uncertainty and increasing lawlessness, the good people of Chicago ought not have to choose between violating Chicago’s gun ban, and protecting themselves and their loved ones.”

The Chicago gun ban challenge will likely be among the most closely watched constitutional law cases in decades. At stake is not just the question of whether the Second Amendment secures the right to arms against state and local governments, but also the extent to which the Supreme Court preserves individual liberty against encroachment by state and local governments.

Oral argument will possibly be scheduled early this coming winter, with a decision expected by June 2010. Gura will argue the case on behalf of the McDonald plaintiffs.

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

DO NOT BE SILENCED – MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

For our projects to be successful, we must count on the voluntary financial support from individuals like you who care.

As I write this, the anti-freedom extremists are raising tens of thousands of dollars to defeat us at the Supreme Court …maybe even more! We need your financial support today to ensure we have the resources to beat back anti-gunners who will stop at nothing to take away our right and ability to defend ourselves and our families.

Please give your most generous contribution today. Help me defend your individual right to bear arms in this important Supreme Court case, today!

Your contribution of $20 or $25 is urgently needed today.

Your donation for just $10 will help so much. If you can afford to send $50 or $100 or more it would truly be a godsend.

Remember, protecting our freedom is not inexpensive.

But then, it’s impossible to put a price tag on freedom.

FAX All 50 State Attorney Generals Now and Donate The $250,000 Needed
For SAF To Defend Second Amendment Rights At The Supreme Court!

https://secure.responseenterprises.com/saf_faxag/?a=3068

Together, we can preserve the Constitutional rights our Founding Fathers intended our people to have forever.

For more information about SAF go to http://www.saf.org/

Thank you. I know I can count on you.

Sincerely yours,

Alan M. Gottlieb
Founder
Second Amendment Foundation

Gun Rights Conference Wraps Up In St. Louis

September 29, 2009 by Personal Liberty News Desk

Gun rights conference wraps up in St. Louis Despite the Obama administration’s anti-Second Amendment efforts, gun rights leaders from across the country gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, last weekend to network, exchange strategies and hear from experts on major issues relating to firearms litigation and politics.

The 24th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference was hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA). Among the speakers were CCRKBA chairman Alan Gottlieb, SAF President Joseph Tartaro as well as attorney Alan Gura, winner of the landmark Second Amendment Heller case.

On the agenda this year were panel discussions on the UN threat to gun rights, federal and state legislative updates, media bias, self-defense and right-to-carry, open carry, guns and the 10th Amendment as well as the campus concealed carry issue.

According to Daniel White, writing for Examiner.com, ammunition control was also in the spotlight as a new threat posed by the gun control movement.

“These people realize that the most effective way to kill off a species is to cut off its food source, and ammunition is food for guns,” White wrote in his column.

Under particular scrutiny came California’s bill AB 962 that would require retailers to keep ammunition where customers cannot access it, check buyers’ IDs, record names and addresses and to take thumbprints, according to the news source.

Next year’s conference is scheduled to be held in San Francisco

Premiere Radio Network, the radio home of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck – that champions conservative values, the Second Amendment, and free enterprise- has REFUSED to run radio ads for my Greatest Course, Gear and Gun Giveaway because the word GUN is used in the ad!

Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck’s Premiere Radio Network will allow the ad to say Free Gift, but not Free Gun!

It’s true. After I have already provided Front Sight’s world class Four Day Defensive Handgun Course and One Day 30 State Concealed Carry Permit Course for Pennies-on-the-Dollar and thrown in over 3,000 Springfield Armory XD Pistols at no charge to responsible Americans across the country, I decided to commit to deliver even more guns, but Premiere Radio Network, the radio home of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck REFUSED the ads.

This is the same Greatest Course, Gear and Gun offer that is endorsed by Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation, Aaron Zelman of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America, Joe Farah of WorldNetDaily.com, Alex Jones of InfoWars.com and has been advertised on the Michael Savage radio show and is currently airing on over 100 other radio stations across America, BUT Premiere Radio Network, the radio home of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck REFUSED it because I use the word GUN in it.

They will allow the word Gift, but not Gun!

Here is the actual radio ad Premiere Radio Network, the radio home of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck is so afraid of…

Click Here to play the Banned Front Sight Commercial.

And here is the banner ad that scares the hell out of Premiere Radio Network, the radio home of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck…

Can you believe this hypocrisy? Premiere Radio Network, makes a fortune off millions of listeners who believe the hosts they are listening to don’t just “talk the talk” of conservative values but also “walk the walk” and yet when I place the word “Gun” in an ad with a proven track record of delivering over 3,000 courses and guns to responsible American citizens across this country, Premiere Radio Network refuses it!

Look folks, I DON’T MIND providing an offer of five days of Front Sight’s world class training, that includes everything you need to secure non-resident concealed carry permits, allowing you to carry a gun in over 30 states, and throwing in a free gun and gear package, that when delivered MAKES ME NO MONEY.

Front Sight has always been my labor of love to help positively change the image of gun ownership in our lifetimes by training responsible citizens to levels that exceed law enforcement and military standards. I don’t mind providing such an amazing Course, Gun and Gear Offer to you, that gives me nothing in return (it actually costs me money) other than the satisfaction of knowing that the Front Sight Organization and all of the members and staff associated with it are making a positive difference for Americans who want the comfort of skill at arms to protect themselves and their families.

Honestly, I shouldn’t even have to advertise this offer! The NRA, GOA, JPFO, Second Amendment Foundation, and every other pro gun organization in America should be shouting this offer to all of their members.

Conservative Talk Show Hosts and Bloggers should be telling all of their viewers, listeners and readers about it!

After all, have you heard of ANYONE else in America giving away 5 days of training and a 30 state CCW for pennies-on-the-dollar and then throwing in FREE OF CHARGE, a brand new Springfield Armory XD pistol in the caliber of your choice plus all the tactical accessories you need for the course?

Well, have you?

The Second Amendment and my belief that Americans need to be armed and trained, now more than ever before, is so strong that EVEN AFTER ALREADY DELIVERING over 3,000 of these amazing offers, and not making any money on it, I decided to extend the offer and PAY $96,411 to Premiere Radio Network, so the millions of listeners of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck would find out about this life-changing offer over the next several days of radio, banner and e-mail ads.

That’s right! I was willing to pay $96,411 dollars to advertise an offer that takes money out of my own pocket to provide to you, and I went to the largest conservative radio network to spread the message, and they REFUSED it because of the word GUN was in the ad. They would allow the words Free Gift, but not Free Gun!

Do I sound pissed? Well I am, and you should be too!

I hope and pray that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck have no idea such hypocrisy is going on at their network and have nothing to do with such an asinine decision on the part of Premiere Radio Network.

I sincerely want to believe that this insult to conservative radio listeners is the direct result of some NITWIT at Premiere Radio Network who makes a his living on the backs of conservatives and patriots, but is covertly anti-gun and anti-American in his true beliefs!

I implore Rush, Sean, and Glenn to look into this outrage and straighten out the individual(s) responsible. After all, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck just lost nearly $100,000 in my advertising dollars for their shows, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, millions of their listeners will miss the opportunity to get 5 days of world class training, a 30 state CCW for pennies-on-the-dollar and a FREE Springfield Armory XD Pistol in the caliber of their choice.

With what the future may hold, this offer is just too important not to make available to all freedom loving Americans.

How can you help right this wrong?

Click here to forward this blog to Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity and tell them what you think so we know they are aware of the anti-gun policies of their OWN Network!

Click here to forward this blog to everyone on your list and ask them to do the same.

And if you would like the mindset and skill at arms to protect yourself against all enemies, foreign and domestic, but do not yet have a 30 State Concealed Weapons Permit, the world class training that Front Sight provides, or a Springfield Armory XD Pistol, then take advantage of Front Sight’s Greatest Course, Gun and CCW Permit Offer Ever. (Also known as the Millionaire Patriot Offer.)

https://www.frontsight.com/free-gun.asp

I post a different article on this blog each Monday so I look forward to your visit every week.

If you have an interesting photo, story, or tip about a relevant topic of interest to gun ownership, firearms training or Second Amendment issues, please feel free to send it to me at:

info@frontsight.com or

Ignatius@frontsight.com

If you want to take advantage of the Greatest Course, Gun, and CCW Permit Offer in the firearms training industry see this link:

https://www.frontsight.com/free-gun.asp

See you next week.

Dr. Ignatius Piazza
Founder and Director
Front Sight Firearms Training Institute

Dear Friend of Freedom,

This has been a great week. Over the weekend our 24^th Annual Gun Rights Policy Conference was a huge success. More than 700 gun rights activists attended and heard over 50 speakers.

I hope that you got to see the positive news coverage the conference received nationally on CNN. If you missed it, please take a few minutes and go to this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNqyu5okXgo on YouTube to see it for yourself.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear our historic suit, McDonald v. Chicago, against the Chicago gun ban law. This case is most important because last year’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the Washington, D.C. gun ban only applied to the federal government and federal enclaves. This suit will incorporate Second Amendment protections against states and cities in all 50 states from banning firearms.

And if all this isn’t enough, yesterday, the Second Amendment Foundation along with the Montana Sport Shooting Association filed suit against Attorney General Eric Holder to stop the Obama Administration from violating the Montana Firearms Freedom Act. This Act says if a gun is made in Montana and stays in Montana then it is not the federal government’s business.

All of these important efforts are only made possible thanks to your help. So you deserve to share in the credit. On behalf of all of us at the Second Amendment Foundation, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

If you wish to see more about the record number of legal actions that we have filed to protect and expand our gun rights and/or make a donation to keep us on the cutting edge, just go to www.saf.org and join in our fight for freedom.

Sincerely yours,

Alan Gottlieb

Founder

Legislation Still Under the Radar Would Devastate U.S. Gun Ownership Rights

September 30, 2009 by Bob Livingston

Legislation Still Under the Radar Would Devastate U.S. Gun Ownership Rights

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.–President Barack Obama in San Francisco at a 2008 fundraiser.

While high profile issues like passage of a healthcare reform bill and cap and trade energy tax are getting front page headlines and top billing by television talking heads, be very wary of stealth legislation slowly working its way through Congress to restrict gun ownership.

Passage of either of two bills, HR 45 (also known as Blair-Holt Firearm Licensing and Record Sale Act of 2009) and S 1317, would be a devastating blow to Second Amendment rights.

HR 45, introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush, would make it illegal to own a gun unless you are fingerprinted and can provide a driver’s license and Social Security number.

Additionally under HR 45, a person buying a gun would have to undergo both a physical and mental evaluation before making a firearm purchase. It also would require guns be secured from access by children under age 18, and would empower law enforcement officers to come into your home to check compliance.

S 1317, introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenburg, would give the attorney general the right to block gun sales to people on terror watch lists. A third bill, HR 2647, contains a companion clause to S 1317 that gives the attorney general the authority to determine who belongs on terrorist watch lists.

And who are the terrorists? In Obamaworld it’s not the Islamo-fascists flying airliners into buildings, planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or strapping bombs to their waists and setting them off in crowded areas.

No, because in Obamaworld, the word terrorism no longer applies to those who were once called terrorists. And those who used to be considered terrorists no longer commit acts of terrorism. No they commit man-caused disasters. The word terrorist, at least in its past usage, has been dropped from the lexicon.

Today’s terrorists, according to those now in power in the United States, are people in flyover country who believe the Constitution is sacrosanct, and that the Second Amendment actually means that people are free to own guns without restriction.

Our own country’s Department of Homeland Security issued an assessment earlier this year warning law enforcement of a possible rise in home-grown terrorism from “right wing extremists.” And who are those rightwing extremists? The assessment tell us: “Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

As we’ve reported before in related stories here and here the current administration is no friend to gun owners.

And what does Eric Holder—attorney general for the United States and the person who would under S 1317 be granted the authority to determine who belongs on terrorist watch groups—think about guns?

Following are few of his quotes that have appeared in various newspapers over the last few years:

“As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons.”

“The second amendment does not protect firearms possession or use that is unrelated to participation in a well-regulated militia.”

“To further strengthen the ability of law enforcement officials to track those suspected of terrorism or other criminal acts in this country, Congress should also pass legislation that would give the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms a record of every firearm sale.”

Holder’s boss, the president, is equally unfriendly to gun owners. Writing for Gun Digest last October, gun lobbyist Richard A. Pearson called Obama an enemy of the law abiding firearm owner. You can read his article here.

Some of Obama’s own quotes, as they have appeared in various publications, will back this up:

“I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposing concealed carry.”

“I am not in favor of concealed weapons. I think that creates a potential atmosphere where more innocent people could (get shot during) altercations.”

“The package (legislation passed in the Illinois Senate) closes the Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card loopholes which resulted in the shooting out in Melrose Park. We’re eliminating 17 specific assault weapons. There is no reason why anybody should need an assault weapon to protect themselves or their family. We’re limiting handgun sales to one a month. We’re calling for handgun registration. It’s very hard right now to track whether or not a felon has turned in his weapons or if he has a FOID card because we don’t know how many weapons he has purchased.”

Without a doubt, the current administration is the most anti-gun administration in our nation’s history. Don’t let the hullabaloo over healthcare and cap and trade cause you to let your guard down.

And be sure you cling to your guns and religion. They may soon be all you have.

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR 2^ND AMENDMENT CHALLENGE TO CHICAGO GUN BAN WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, and decide whether the right to keep and bear arms secured by the Second Amendment protects Americans from overreaching state and local governments. At issue is a 27-year-old Chicago law banning handguns, requiring the annual taxation of firearms, and otherwise interfering with the right of law-abiding individuals to keep guns at home for self-defense. The case was brought on behalf of four Chicago residents, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the Illinois State Rifle Association.Last year, in the landmark case of District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. However, as that case concerned the actions of the District of Columbia government, a federal entity, the high court was not called upon to decide whether the right bound states and local governments. Over the years, almost the entire Bill of Rights has been held to apply to state and local governments by operation of the Fourteenth Amendment.“The freedoms we enjoy as Americans are secured to us against violation by all levels of government,” noted Alan Gura, of Gura & Possessky, PLLC, lead counsel for the McDonald plaintiffs. “State and local politicians should be on notice: the Second Amendment is a normal part of the Bill of Rights, and it is coming to your town.”Otis McDonald, a Chicago resident since 1952 who led the fight to integrate his union local in the 1960s and is a plaintiff in the case, welcomed the news.“I am grateful the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case,” McDonald said. “I now pray that the Court secures me and all other law-abiding citizens the right to defend ourselves and our families.”SAF founder Alan Gottlieb said the case is of paramount importance to American citizens, to see that their constitutional rights are respected not only by the Congress, but by state and local governments.“SAF was delighted to bring this case in cooperation with the Illinois State Rifle Association and the four local plaintiffs because a gun ban is no less onerous to civil rights in Chicago than it was in the District of Columbia,” Gottlieb observed. “Such a law cannot be allowed to stand unchallenged.”

SAF ad 1

Oral argument will possibly be scheduled early this coming winter, with a decision expected by June 2010. Gura will argue the case on behalf of the McDonald plaintiffs.

2009 GUN RIGHTS POLICY CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND IN ST. LOUIS, MO BELLEVUE, WA – More than 700 gun rights activists from across the country will gather with the nation’s leading Second Amendment advocates this weekend at the Airport Renaissance Hotel in St. Louis, MO for the 24^th annual Gun Rights Policy Conference. Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, is scheduled to deliver a special address Saturday morning. In addition, former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, the 2008 Libertarian Party presidential candidate, will keynote Saturday’s awards luncheon. Hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), this annual conference provides an opportunity for firearms owners to meet and discuss important issues pending at the local and national levels. Speakers will include CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, SAF President Joseph Tartaro, plus attorney Alan Gura, winner of the landmark Second Amendment Heller case; Charles Cunningham, director of federal affairs, NRA Institute for Legislative Action; Tim Oliver, vice president, Missouri Concealed Carry; Kansas State Sen. Phillip Journey, Tennessee State Sen. Doug Jackson; Richard Pearson, executive director of the Illinois State Rifle Association; Jake McGuigan, director of governmental affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and many others. A buffet reception co-hosted by the NRA and CCRKBA is scheduled Friday evening, 7-10 p.m. Conference panels begin at 8:30 Saturday morning, and at 9 a.m. Sunday, with adjournment at 1 p.m. The conference is supported by NRA, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and other groups and individuals.Attendance is free. Additional information is available at: www.saf.orgThe Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, the Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

< Please e-mail, distribute, and circulate to friends and family >Copyright © 2009 Second Amendment Foundation, All Rights Reserved.
Second Amendment Foundation James Madison Building 12500 N.E. Tenth Place Bellevue, WA 98005	Voice: 425-454-7012 Toll Free: 800-426-4302 FAX: 425-451-3959

NRA-Backed Wicker Amendment Adopted By Senate

During consideration of H.R. 3288 (FY 2010 Transportation–Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill), Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) offered NRA-backed Amendment 2366 to reform policies regarding the transportation of firearms on Amtrak trains. Currently, passengers who choose to travel by passenger rail in the United States cannot transport a firearm in checked baggage as they can on airlines.

Known as the Wicker Amendment, this measure was adopted by the Senate on Wednesday, September 16, by a vote of 68-30, and would allow law-abiding Amtrak passengers the ability to securely transport firearms in their checked baggage while traveling by Amtrak train.

Wicker offered a similar amendment to a budget resolution on April 2. That NRA-supported amendment was adopted by the Senate by a 63-35 vote. Unfortunately, the amendment did not survive the conference committee and was not included in the final budget resolution.

“Americans should not have their Second Amendment rights restricted for any reason, particularly if they choose to travel on America’s federally subsidized rail line,” said Wicker.

Wicker’s appropriations amendment would cut more than $1.5 billion in taxpayer funding to Amtrak if the railroad does not change its policy to allow passengers to securely transport firearms in checked baggage. The policy change would also broaden gun owners’ choices in choosing how to travel, and benefit Amtrak by encouraging more business from shooters and hunters.

“Sportsmen who would like to use an Amtrak train for hunting trips cannot do so because they are not allowed to bring a firearm in checked luggage, something that is done every day at airports across our country,” Wicker said during floor debate.

Many Mayors Hear Your Voice: Grassroots politics is alive and well in the United States, as gun owners have been making their voices heard to their mayors. In the past few weeks, gun owners have been contacting their mayors who joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG).

The result: MAIG has lost over 50 members because gun owners took action to tell their mayors the truth about this organization. Many of the mayors who have resigned from MAIG have indicated they were unaware of the full extent of their anti-gun agenda. They now know they were mislead by MAIG’s claims that it was only concerned with “illegal” guns.

In response to NRA-ILA’s efforts to inform voters and mayors regarding the truth about MAIG and its anti-gun agenda, Bloomberg’s group has contacted mayors repeating their claim that they are only concerned with “illegal” guns, claiming that NRA is misrepresenting their agenda. But the facts are clear.

MAIG has never taken any direct action regarding illegal guns. (Click here to read more about MAIG.) All of their priorities, from repealing the Tiahrt amendment, to opposing interstate Right-to-Carry reciprocity, have been targeted at law-abiding gun owners. Law enforcement groups, like the Fraternal Order of Police, have made their support for the Tiahrt amendment clear. The Tiahrt amendment protects not only ongoing criminal investigations, but also the lives and safety of law-enforcement officers. (To read what FOP President Chuck Canterbury wrote on the Tiahrt amendment click here.)

The real reason MAIG opposes the Tiahrt amendment is because it interferes with the efforts of anti-gun mayors like Bloomberg, Boston’s Thomas Menino (a MAIG co-founder), and Chicago’s Richard Daley to bring bogus lawsuits against lawful firearm manufacturers. These suits are designed to punish gun makers for the acts of criminals, and to use the courts to impose strict regulations on gun sales that legislatures have rejected; gun regulations that negatively impact law-abiding gun buyers, but have no impact on criminals.

MAIG opposition to Right-to-Carry reciprocity is a clear example of their opposition to legal gun ownership and self-defense. Reciprocity would only apply to those who have permits, and then only if all local laws are followed. Criminals and gunrunners do not undergo background checks, take training courses, and seek certification to obtain a carry permit–law-abiding gun owners do.

Gun owners must keep up the pressure on their mayors to ensure that their rights are respected. If your mayor is a member of MAIG, contact him and let him know the truth about this anti-gun group’s real agenda. (To find if your mayor is a member of MAIG, click here.) If your mayor is one of those who has resigned, call and thank him for his support.

Like many rumors, there’s just a grain of truth to this one. Someone is recycling an old alert, which wasn’t even very accurate when it was new.

There actually was a U.S. Senate bill with that number that would have taxed handguns¾nine years ago. It was introduced by anti-gun Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and it would have included handguns under the National Firearms Act’s tax and registration scheme. This has nothing to do with anyone’s Form 1040, of course.

Fortunately, S. 2099 disappeared without any action by the Senate, back when Bill Clinton was still in the White House. We reported about it back then, just as we report about new anti-gun bills every week. Now, it’s time for gun owners to drop this old distraction and focus on the real threats at hand.

To read a story by NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox on this and other rumors, please click here.

Triggering The Vote! With each election, Americans go to the polls and make decisions that affect-for better or worse-the future of freedom in America.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 72 percent (142 million) of the eligible voting age citizen population (197 million) were registered to vote in 2004. This means that as many as 55 million people were eligible to vote, but unregistered-and therefore did not participate in the November 2004 elections. Far too many gun owners and hunters are among them. TRIGGER

NRA has created a new affiliate, the NRA Freedom Action Foundation (NRA-FAF), which focuses on nonpartisan voter registration and citizen education. The NRA-FAF has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are fully deductible.

The NRA Freedom Action Foundation, in turn, has launched a new campaign-Trigger the Vote. And to serve as Honorary Chairman, we brought on board one of America’s most persuasive action heroes-Chuck Norris. Visit www.TriggertheVote.org to hear his message.

You can be part of the campaign. Visit the website, recommend it to friends-and use it to persuade any unregistered gun owners, hunters or shooters you may know to get on board by registering to vote.

Visit www.TriggertheVote.org today-and Trigger the Vote in your community.

2009 Gun Rights Policy Conference: This year’s Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 25, 26, & 27, at the Airport Renaissance hotel. The theme of this year’s conference is “Challenges Ahead.”

Celebrating its 24th year, the conference is a great place to meet national gun rights leaders and your fellow grassroots activists. This year’s conference promises to be action-packed, with more than 50 notable speakers, including NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre. Discussion topics will include city gun bans, youth violence, “smart” guns, concealed carry, federal legislation, legal actions, gun show regulation, and state and local activity. There will also be a preview of upcoming court cases and a review of the U.S. Supreme Court Heller Decision.

Registration, conference books and materials, receptions, and a Saturday luncheon, are free. Participants are required to pay for their own lodging, travel, and other meals. For more information, or to register for this year’s GRPC, please call (800) 426-4302, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., PDT, or visit www.saf.org/default.asp?p=GRPC, to register on-line.

Grassroots Minute Video:

CALIFORNIA: Two Anti-Gun Bills Head to Governor’s Desk in California On Friday, September 11, the California Assembly passed Assembly Bill 962 by a 44 to 31 vote. AB962 now joins Senate Bill 585 on the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) where they await his consideration. Please contact the Governor immediately and respectfully urge him to veto these bills. AB962 would require individuals purchasing ammunition to be fingerprinted and registered at the time of sale, and mandates that dealers keep these records and make them available for inspection by the California Department of Justice. Ammunition retailers would also have to store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. Finally, mail order ammunition sales would be prohibited under AB962. Over 20 years ago, Congress abolished similar requirements because ammunition sales records were found to be useless for solving crimes. AB962 is a dire threat to our Second Amendment rights in the Golden State. SB585 would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside of San Francisco. SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all publicly-owned property in California. Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger TODAY and respectfully urge him to veto AB962 and SB585. The Governor can be reached by phone at 916-445-2841 or via fax at 916-558-3160. To e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger, please visit http://gov.ca.gov/interact.

MICHIGAN: Workplace Protection and Campus Carry Introduced in Michigan! In an effort to strengthen workers’ rights in Michigan, a number of pro-gun bills (HB5302, HB5303, SB792, and SB793) were introduced that would protect workers’ rights to lawfully store their personally-owned firearms in their vehicles, while prohibiting an employer from retaliating against an employee who exercises his or her rights. Also introduced this past week was Senate Bill 747. This legislation would allow permit holders who are at least 21 years old to carry a concealed firearm on college and university campuses by removing these locations from the list of prohibited places. At this time no action is required.

MISSSISSIPPI: NRA License Plates Now Available! Support your NRA by purchasing a specialized tag today! NRA license plates are now available through your county tax collector’s office. The cost is $31, with $24 of that going to the NRA Foundation State Account to promote firearms training, youth hunter education, shooting range development and other programs specifically in Mississippi.
For a list of county tax collectors and office locations, please visit
http://www.mstc.state.ms.us/info/offices/mvlinfo.htm

MISSOURI: Warren County Commission to Consider New Outdoor Youth Shooting Range on Monday, September 21! On Monday, September 21, the Warren County Commissioners will consider allowing a new outdoor youth shooting facility to be constructed. If approved by the Commissioners, the new range will be located in the southern part of Warren County and will provide new opportunities for youth-oriented shooting sports in the area. This range will give young, novice shooters the opportunity to learn proper firearm safety, hone their skills, and exercise their Second Amendment freedoms in a safe, controlled environment. The vote will take place at 2 p.m. at 107 W. Walton St. in Warrenton. Gun control advocates are actively pressuring commissioners to oppose the proposed shooting range. The Warren County Commissioners need to hear from NRA members TODAY! Please contact Warren County Commissioners Arden Engelage, Hubert Kluesner, and Dan Hampson at (636) 456-3045 and respectfully voice your support for the youth shooting range. Email addresses can be found here. Also, please try to attend the Monday, September 21 meeting and show your support.

OREGON: Opportunity to Expand Hunting Programs in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it will begin to draft a plan for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that will guide refuge management for the next 15 years. The 187,000-acre refuge located geese

in Harney County is one of the largest freshwater marshes in the country. Waterfowl hunting is available on approximately half of Malheur Lake and upland bird hunting is available on approximately one quarter of the refuge. One of the issues that the Service will be addressing is the adequacy of access and facilities for all of the wildlife dependent uses, like hunting and fishing, and opportunities to expand these programs. The Service is inviting comments from the public to gather suggestions and information on the scope of the issues to consider during the planning process. Comments are due by October 15, and can be e-mailed to FW1PlanningComments@fws.gov. Include “Malheur CCP” in the subject line of the message. Public meetings will be held and announced on the refuge’s website at http://www.fws.gov/malheur. For further information you may call 541-493-2612. It is important that those who hunt and fish in the refuge become active participants in the planning process to ensure that sportsmen’s interests are well represented in the plan that will be drafted.

TENNESSEE: Knoxville to Consider Removing Firearm Ban in Parks! On Tuesday, September 22, at 7:00 p.m., the Knoxville City Council will finally vote on an ordinance that would remove the long-time ban on firearms within city parks. Please contact the Mayor and members of the City Council and urge them to support efforts to overturn the current gun ban in city parks. If you are able, please attend the City Council Meeting in support of our Second Amendment rights. Citizens will be given the opportunity to speak. Please get there early! Mayor Bill Haslam can be reached by calling (865) 215-2040 and Council Members can be reached at (865) 215-2075. The hearing will be held in the City Council Building, located on 400 Main Street.

Bartlett to Consider Opting out of New Park Carry law! On Tuesday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m., the Bartlett City Aldermen will meet to consider an anti-gun ordinance which would ban the possession of all firearms in local parks, even by those who possess Right-to-Carry permits. If passed, this ordinance would strip gun owners of their right to carry a firearm for self-defense in all Bartlett parks. The hearing will be held at Bartlett City Hall, located at 6400 Stage Road. It is vital that you not only make plans to attend this hearing but also contact Mayor Keith McDonald at (901) 385-6444, and the City Alderman at (901) 385-6444, and voice your opposition to this ordinance that would eliminate your right to self-defense in local parks.

Knox County Attempting to Opt Out of New Park Carry Law On Monday, September 28, at 2:00 P.M, .the Knox County Commissioners will be hearing a resolution to opt-out of carrying firearms in county parks. The meeting will be held at the City County Building located at 400 Main Street in Knoxville. Please call 865-215-2534 in advance to be placed on the list to speak at the meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please contact County Mayor Mike Ragsdale at 865-215-2005 and the County Commission at 865-215-2534 to voice your opposition to the resolution. You can also e-mail the Commissioners at commission@knoxcounty.org.

TEXAS: State Representative Dan Flynn to Host Town Hall Meeting on Monday, September 28 NRA members in Hunt, Rains & Van Zandt counties are encouraged to attend an upcoming town hall meeting for State Representative and strong Second Amendment supporter, Dan Flynn (R-2). The event is being hosted by the Texas Conservative Coalition, a conservative caucus of members of the Texas Legislature, and will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, September 28, at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center, 5501 South Business Highway 69, in Greenville. Two key NRA-backed bills did not pass during the 2009 legislative session: a proposal prohibiting employers from enforcing policies against hard-working Texans who store firearms in their locked motor vehicles while parked at work, and a measure allowing Concealed Handgun Licensees to protect themselves on college and university campuses. Rep. Flynn co-sponsored both bills, but House leaders failed to set either of them for a timely vote by the full House. This is your chance to personally thank Rep. Flynn for his support and to urge him to push House leaders for a floor vote on both issues next session! If you plan to attend the meeting, please RSVP to FlynnTownHall@txcc.org.

VIRGINIA: Please join your fellow Virginia freedom-lovers at “An American Event”, to be held on Saturday, September 26, at Ritchie Lake Pavilion in Bealton. Gates open at 11:00 a.m., with events commencing at 1:00 p.m. The event will include activities for all age groups, including Colonial and World War II military encampments, vintage military air show, pony rides, moon bounce, monster trucks, live music, free food, surprise speakers and more. If you are interested in donating food, time or energy, please contact the organizers at 703-537-5445 or info@anamericanevent.org. Monetary donations will be given to aid wounded soldiers. With Virginia being one of only two states holding elections this year, your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative, Greg Mortensen, will be in attendance working NRA-ILA’s voter registration kiosk and discussing how you can get more involved in our efforts to elect pro-gun candidates to office this year. Greg can be reached at: nranmh1@gmail.com or 571-292-4796.

Reloading Clinics: Are you looking for a way to beat the high prices of ammo or are you having trouble finding your favorite ammo in stock at your local gun shop? The Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA), the Official State Affiliate Association of NRA, has the answer. VSSA will be hosting reloading clinics around the Commonwealth starting in September. There will be clinics for both metallic shell reloading and shotgun shell reloading. The courses are designed to enable shooters with little or no prior experience in reloading to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability to produce safe, consistent, and accurate reloaded ammunition. The clinics will be held at the Gander Mountain stores in Fredericksburg, Richmond, Roanoke, and Winchester. For more information on cost and dates, go to http://www.myvssa.org/reloading.htm, or e-mail Dave Myers at Dave.Myers@myvssa.org. Class sizes are limited so register today!

WISCONSIN: State Senate Scheduled to Vote on Hunting Reform Bill! On Tuesday, September 22, the Wisconsin State Senate will vote on Senate Bill 243, which would repeal the current requirement that bow hunters wait at least three days after buying their hunting license before they begin hunting. This important reform legislation would remove a burdensome hurdle that negatively affects local and visiting hunters alike in the Badger State. Please contact your State Senator and respectfully urge him or her to support SB 243. You can contact your Senator by phone at (608) 266-9960. To find out who your State Senator is and for more contact information click here.

MURRAY’S ANTI-GUN BIGOTRY SHOWS

IN AMTRAK DEBATE, SAYS CCRKBA

BELLEVUE, WA – Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) is once again demonstrating her disdain for gun owners and their rights by opposing an amendment to her Amtrak funding legislation that would allow firearms to be carried in baggage aboard trains, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today. “Patty Murray evidently has a short memory span,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Has she already forgotten what happened to her friend, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, in the primary because of his extremist anti-gun philosophy? Surely she knows about Tuesday’s primary election results in New York City, where anti-gunner Richard Aborn came in last in a three-way race for Manhattan prosecutor by running on his gun control record.” Murray is opposing an amendment, added to her Amtrak bill by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), that would allow train travelers to transport firearms in their luggage, provided the guns are declared at check-in and they are locked up for transport. This is no different than flying with firearms, Gottlieb noted, “and people do that every day.” “The amendment passed 68-30,” Gottlieb noted, “and Murray’s opposition shows she is way out of the mainstream on this issue. Even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid supports the measure. People used to take firearms on trains all the time. Someone should tell the senator that constitutional rights don’t end at the Amtrak boarding platform.” Murray argues that the amendment would be too costly and time-consuming, because Amtrak would have to create a process for checking and tracking guns.

“That’s a bogus argument,” Gottlieb countered, “and she knows it. The Transportation Security Administration already has that process down pat. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. That option has apparently not occurred to her, or maybe it has and she just can’t get beyond her narrow gun prohibitionist viewpoint.

“Amtrak has been losing money for years,” Gottlieb concluded. “Maybe it’s because American gun owners won’t travel with a carrier that treats them like outcasts. Maybe gun owners will return that sentiment when Murray runs for re-election next year.”

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (www.ccrkba.org) is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO:

Join the NRA and CRPA now!
I
If you received this CALIFORNIA-ALERT SYSTEM (CAL-ERTs) message from sources other than your own personal subscription, we encourage you to subscribe to this free service at http://e-govmail.com/cgi-bin/subscribe.cgi?to=nramemberscouncils.com . We won’t send you messages very often, but when we do, something important is happening.
Circulate this alert to every firearms owner, shooter, hunter, club, and freedom-loving American that you know and ask them to help.
Read the “Open Letter to California’s Sportsmen” at http://www.calnra.com/caspecial/openletter.shtml
Subscribe to NRA-ILA alerts from NRA HQ — https://secure.nraila.org/EmailSignup.aspx
Subscribe to CRPA alerts at — http://www.crpa.org/lb_survey.asp

f you are not already a member of your local NRA Members’ Council, JOIN NOW at http://www.calnra.com/volunteer/ It costs you nothing but a little of your time – volunteering to help the NRA regain our Second Amendment rights in California.

By whois2811 September 17, 2009

22 Comments to “Second Amendment Issues”

By Wyoming Real Estate, December 27, 2009 @ 6:40 pm

It’s funny that you nevertheless spoke up! I have been waiting for someone to bring this out to the open! Anyway… nice post. I will be back.
By freeware spyware removal, December 30, 2009 @ 10:03 pm

I absolutely am loving this blog totally gonna have to remember to put this on my blogroll.
By Gene Igtanloc, January 9, 2010 @ 12:01 am

Thank you. Very helpful posting.
By Hipolito M. Wiseman, January 10, 2010 @ 3:07 am

A lot of useful information. Thank you!
By Self Esteem, January 10, 2010 @ 7:30 pm

Thank you so much, there aren’t enough posts on this… or at least i cant find them. I am turning into such a blog nut, I just cant get enough and this is such an important topic… i’ll be sure to write something about your site
By Self Esteem, January 13, 2010 @ 1:04 am

Thank you so much, there aren’t enough posts on this… keep up the good work
By Roderick Vandre, January 21, 2010 @ 11:22 am

Hey-o, just found your site on bing. You have a bunch of sweet posts!
By life insurance calculators, January 22, 2010 @ 7:45 pm

Nice blog and some interesting information, I found it really by mistake looking for something else. Have bookmarked it and will be back soon.
By Private Jet Ownership, January 27, 2010 @ 4:37 am

I would not have found this article if it were not for a blog who linked to it.
By LAPD Oral Exam, January 27, 2010 @ 7:40 am

Hello. This is kind of an “unconventional” question , but have other visitors asked you how get the menu bar to look like you’ve got it? I also have a blog and am really looking to alter around the theme, however am scared to death to mess with it for fear of the search engines punishing me. I am very new to all of this …so i am just not positive exactly how to try to to it all yet. I’ll just keep working on it one day at a time Thanks for any help you can offer here.
By whois2811, January 27, 2010 @ 12:52 pm

We used to be on Google as you are now but we moved and are now using WordPress as our editor. As far as getting the menu bar on blogspot.com I cannot tell you, we have a person who set this site up for us as my html experience is limited and I have no idea how to use WordPress programing.

Sorry.
By Ana (Mma Pound for Pound), January 29, 2010 @ 3:50 pm

Very new to this thing, still learning about this sport. This is a excellent thing that my friend recommended to me, I never getting involved with it but soon will be Thanks!
By Corina Handsom, January 29, 2010 @ 4:21 pm

Good Post. Can you email me back, please. Awaiting your Answer.
By Laramie River Ranch, February 1, 2010 @ 6:37 pm

I REALLY liked your post and blog! It took me a minute bit to stumble upon your site…but I book marked it. Would you mind if I placed a link back to your post? Well Wishes!I enjoyed reading your writing!
By Gregory Despain, February 8, 2010 @ 2:19 pm

Great post! I hardly ever comment on blogs, but your well reasoned and thoughtful analysis of the subject just required I give you a pat on the back.
By Mike Abbatiello, February 10, 2010 @ 12:04 pm

I will not debate with your decisions because I think you’re right on the money! You have put together a coherent case for your sentiments and now I know more about this special topic. Gives Thanks for this astonishing post and i will come back for more.
By John Meach, February 13, 2010 @ 5:00 am

I’m rather interested in this now. Please e-mail me more information
By Insurance, February 21, 2010 @ 5:37 am

Hi, I can
By Joeann Gulston, March 1, 2010 @ 11:10 am

You have some very interesting articles on here, I look forward to more posts
By medical insurance, March 5, 2010 @ 3:18 pm

“One out of three women in the United States has an abortion by the age of 45. Still the experience remains shrouded in silence, and for some women, shame. As if making the decision alone wasn’t hard enough.
By whois2811, March 5, 2010 @ 7:00 pm

Didn’t used to be that way, in fact it only became that way after welfare was brought in and people found it a way to increase their income without having to do it the old way. WORK FOR IT!
By kbone, March 9, 2010 @ 10:42 pm

You have really great taste on catch article titles, even when you are not interested in this topic you push to read it