With Labor Day now behind us, the unofficial kick-off of the campaign season has begun. Although the 2008 elections may seem a long way off, as states jockey for coveted presidential primary slots, the 2008 elections have begun in earnest, and earlier than ever. Five states are hosting elections this November (Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia). These elections will be used by political prognosticators and the anti-gun media to foreshadow the 2008 elections, so it is critical that we succeed in electing pro-gun candidates to office this year.
For those of you in these five states, and those of you who won't have candidates on the ballot until next year, below is a "grassroots primer" on what you, as a leader in the pro-gun rights grassroots movement, should be doing between now and Election Day.
While we can't expect everyone to do everything, we must work to ensure that every gun owner does something!
Register To Vote. One of the simplest, yet most important, things gun owners can do this election season is ensure they are registered to vote. 
Our vote is our voice; if we don't use it, we will lose it! We can't afford to let others decide who will represent our interests in Washington or in the state legislatures. For information on voter registration deadlines, requirements, and applications, contact NRA-ILA's Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683). You can also find most of this information, along with an on-line voter registration application, at www.NRAILA.org, under the "Register To Vote" section (located in the bottom left-hand corner of the page). If you haven't voted in recent elections or have moved, you may need to update your voter registration. (Please see related story for '07 elections.)
Contact your NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC). NRA-ILA has designated an NRA member in nearly every congressional district to serve as an EVC. Your EVC works to provide pro-gun campaigns in your state and area with volunteers to help with phone banks, literature drops, voter registration drives, precinct walks, Get Out The Vote and Election Day activities, and other volunteer campaign activities. EVCs also work to assist ILA in pursuit of its legislative objectives. To locate your EVC so you can begin working on pro-freedom campaigns, please click here or call ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-VOTE (8683). If your district currently has a vacancy for an EVC, and you would like to serve in this capacity, please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division and ask to speak with the Grassroots Coordinator for your state.
Contact Your Lawmakers. As a reader of the Grassroots Alert, you continuously hear our pleas to contact your lawmakers on pending legislation. Of most import to date is to contact your U.S. Senators regarding gun-related legislation. To identify and contact your elected officials, please click here.
Join NRA-ILA's Free FrontLines™ Volunteer Program & Recruit Additional FrontLines Volunteers. Make no mistake; our strength is in our numbers. And our FrontLines Volunteers represent the tip of our grassroots arrow. NRA-ILA FrontLines™ is comprised only of the most dedicated and active volunteers who are willing to work vigorously with NRA-ILA and their EVC to defend our Second Amendment rights. FrontLines is not for the faint of heart. Only those pro-freedom activists who pledge their regular assistance when called to action will be enrolled. All FrontLines members receive: up-to-the-minute legislative/election alerts and analyses; crime and safety studies and statistics; NRA-ILA's monthly political newsletter, "Freedom's Voice"; and direct access to ILA staff and our resources via our toll free Volunteer Hotline. To enroll in the FrontLines program, click here, or contact the ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) and request a Volunteer Information Form. If you are already enrolled in this free program, spread the word to your fellow gun owners and encourage them to join.
Recruit Others To Receive ILA's FREE E-mail Alerts. As a reader of the Grassroots Alert, it is important that you assist us in recruiting additional recipients. In addition to receiving the Grassroots Alert via e-mail, subscribers will also get all of ILA's e-mail alerts. E-mail allows you more flexibility in relaying our information to others. Please encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to sign up to receive ILA's e-mail alerts. Have them go to www.NRAILA.org, then go to the "Take Action" tab, then click the "Email Sign Up" tab.
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