Congress Goes on August Recess

Congress is scheduled to go on its August/Labor Day recess today, and will remain on break until September 3 for the U.S. Senate, and September 4 for the U.S. House. During this time, your Senators and Representatives will be back home in their respective states and districts. Many lawmakers use this time to hold town hall meetings, where they can report on what they’ve been doing in Washington, and take questions from their constituents. These meetings offer a tremendous opportunity for you to personally voice your opposition to any additional legislation that further erodes freedom, and to promote legislation that bolsters our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Please contact your lawmakers’ district offices and ask when they plan to hold their town hall meetings during the August recess. If you do not know the number for your lawmakers’ district offices, you can use the "Write Your Reps" tool at www.NRAILA.org, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.

If you get a chance to meet with your lawmakers, be sure to tell them to:

• Oppose any attacks on gun shows, including S. 767, introduced by Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and S. 890, introduced by Senators Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).
• Oppose any efforts to give the FBI authority to retain records of law-abiding gun purchasers, thus invading the privacy rights of honest citizens. The House has already rejected such a proposal on an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, but the Senate may take up S. 1253—introduced by Senators Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—which seeks to establish this registry.
• Cosponsor and support H.R. 2037—introduced by U.S. Representatives Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) and Chris John (D-La.)—which seeks to prohibit reckless lawsuits designed to bankrupt law-abiding firearms and ammunition manufacturers.
• Oppose "Campaign Finance Reform" (H.R. 2356) and urge against signing the discharge petition to force House action on this legislation which will limit First Amendment rights to protect Second Amendment freedoms.

In addition to attending meetings and speaking out in support of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms, please forward the dates, times, and locations of any town hall meetings to your family members and friends who support the Second Amendment, and to the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division, so we may compile this information and share it with the pro-gun community. Please forward this information to the Grassroots Division by calling our toll-free number, faxing to (703) 267-3918, or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].