ARMED PILOTS & RECKLESS LAWSUIT
<align=center>PREEMPTION REMAIN TOP PRIORITIES
Congress may operate beyond its targeted adjournment date of October 4, but there remains little time for action on two of NRA’s key legislative goals—the establishment of an effective armed pilots program and a prohibition on reckless lawsuits designed to bankrupt law-abiding gun manufacturers.
The U.S. Senate took action last week on arming pilots when it passed by an overwhelming margin U.S. Senator Bob Smith’s (R-N.H.) armed pilots amendment to H.R. 5005—the legislation that would create a Homeland Security Department. H.R. 5005 still has yet to come to a final vote in the Senate. Please continue to contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to keep the Smith amendment intact, and to do everything possible to ensure any armed pilots program passed includes every pilot interested in participating in the program.
Reckless lawsuit preemption legislation, which would block politically-motivated lawsuits that attempt to hold law-abiding gun makers liable for the criminal misuse of their products, still needs to move through both chambers of Congress. The House version, H.R. 2037, has 228 co-sponsors, but full committee markup that was tentatively-slated for this week in the House Energy and Commerce Committee did not take place. The Senate version, S. 2268, now has 40 co-sponsors. The number of co-sponsors for each bill shows solid support, but time is rapidly running out for lawmakers to pass these critical reforms. Please call both your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative and urge them to promote the passage of reckless lawsuit preemption legislation.
To contact your U.S. Representative, call (202) 225-3121, and to reach your U.S. Senators, call (202) 224-3121. Just ask to speak with your particular lawmaker. You can also use our "Write Your Representatives" tool.
MORE ELECTIONS AROUND THE CORNER
Massachusetts
and Washington will hold primary elections this Tuesday, September 17, and Hawaii will hold primaries on Saturday, September 21. NRA members should have already received information on candidates endorsed by the NRA-Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) for the primaries, or will shortly, so please be sure to go to the polls and support pro-gun candidates for office, and encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to do the same. NRA members in these states who have not received this information can call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) for more election-related information.
REGISTER TO VOTE!
Perhaps the simplest, yet most important action gun owners can take to ensure they will be able to help in the defense of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms is to make sure they are registered to vote. Only currently registered voters are eligible to cast their vote in an election. Are you willing to let someone else decide who will speak for you in Congress or your state capital? Simply put, your vote is your voice, so USE IT OR LOSE IT! For voter registration information and applications for yourself or to share with your fellow Second Amendment supporters, contact the ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683 or click here. Gun shows, ranges, gun club meetings, and gun shops are great places to register pro-freedom voters. Remember, don’t stop once you are registered to vote yourself. Work within the pro-Second Amendment community in your area and help us register additional voters. Voter registration deadlines vary from state to state, but generallyone must be registered to vote 30 days prior to a primary or the general election, so act now!
NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS
ELECTION WORKSHOPS
In preparation for the November 5 elections, NRA-ILA has scheduled FREE Grassroots-Election Workshops across the country. These Workshops provide NRA members with training on what they can do to ensure pro-gun candidates win key primary races and on Election Day, Nov. 5. These Workshops also provide a venue for lawmakers, candidates seeking office, and their staffs to reach out to NRA members and explain their positions on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Upcoming Workshops are slated for:
South Bend, Ind. — 9/14
Dayton, Ohio — 9/16
Augusta, Ga., & Lehigh Valley, Pa. — 9/17
Marietta, Ga., & Wyomissing, Pa. — 9/18
Aurora, Colo., & Fayetteville, N.C. — 9/19
Colorado Springs, Colo.,
Charlotte, N.C., & Manchester, N.H. — 9/21
Nashville, Tenn. — 9/23
St. Louis, Mo. — 9/24
Jackson, Tenn., & Columbia, Mo. — 9/25
Kansas City, Mo. — 9/26
Bristol, Va. — 9/28
Plymouth, Mass. — 10/1
Marlborough, Mass. — 10/3
Las Vegas, Nev., Norwich, Conn., &
Eau Claire, Wis. — 10/5
Kohler, Wis. — 10/7
Racine, Wis. — 10/9
Mankato, Minn. — 10/17
Monticello, Minn. — 10/19
Duluth, Minn. — 10/21
NRA members who are interested in attending should contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683 for details and to reserve their spots. NRA members can also click here to reserve their spots on-line. Any NRA member who is unable to contact NRA-ILA, but still wishes to attend a Workshop that is drawing near, should please feel free to attend. We can register you on the spot.
Even if you cannot attend a Workshop, or none is scheduled near you, there is still plenty you can do to help ensure victory for the pro-gun community during this election cycle. To assist you with this, NRA-ILA has designated an individual in almost every congressional district (known as an NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator [EVC]) who stands ready to plug you into ongoing campaign activities. The EVC in your district is a fellow NRA member who is working 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 campaign activities. To locate your EVC so you can start working on pro-freedom campaigns TODAY, please call the ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-VOTE (8683), or click here. 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.
Finally, keep an eye out for your October NRA magazine (which should arrive mid- to late-September), as your district’s EVC’s contact information will appear on the front cover. But please don’t wait until then: Contact your EVC and begin your work TODAY!
2002 GUN RIGHTS POLICY CONFERENCE
This year’s Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC), sponsored by the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the Second Amendment Foundation, will be held Sept. 27-29, at the Sheraton-Crescent Hotel, in Phoenix, Ariz. Several national gun rights leaders will be in attendance, including NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre. Registration, conference materials, and 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, call (425) 454-4911 or e-mail your registration to [email protected].
A LOOK AT THE STATES
CALIFORNIA:
Senate Bill 682
(Perata) and Assembly Bill 496 (Koretz)—bills that would remove the exemption for lawful firearm manufacturers from product liability lawsuits—are still on the Governor’s desk awaiting his consideration. These bills are supported by the usual anti-gun suspects, including HCI/"Million" Mom March, who want nothing less than the complete destruction of our firearms heritage and view the passage of SB 682 and AB 496 as one more step to help reach their goal. Governor Gray Davis must be persuaded to veto these harmful bills. In addition to these product liability lawsuit measures, urge Governor Davis to veto AB2902 (Koretz) and AB2080 (Steinberg), two measures that mandate raiding the Dealer Record of Sale Fund (DROS). AB2902 appropriates funding for the random testing of handguns that have already passed the "safe" handgun test. AB2080 requires funding for a new dealer verification website. If either bill becomes law, gun owners can expect background check fees to increase. NRA members and fellow sportsmen must continue to contact Governor Gray Davis at (916) 445-2841 and ask for a veto of all four measures!
NEW JERSEY:
On Tuesday, September 17, and Thursday, September 19, New Jersey citizens have two extremely important opportunities to support the New Jersey limited bear hunt proposal
. New Jersey sportsmen and concerned citizens made their voices heard on the bear management issue at two joint public forums hosted by the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife and Department of Environmental Protection, and two more forums are scheduled. The next will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, at Morris Knolls High School, 50 Knoll Road in Denville (off Franklin Road). Call (973) 664-2200 for directions. The final public forum will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 19, at Hopewell Valley Central High School, 259 Pennington-Titusville Road in Hopewell. Call (609) 737-1411 for directions. The anti-hunting crowd is expected to be in full force at these final forums, so it is important that sportsmen and concerned citizens make strong and vocal showings!
NEW YORK:
Make plans to attend the Sportsmen’s Association for Firearms Education’s (S.A.F.E.) 2002 Right To Carry Conference—a free event that will be held on Sunday, September 29, in Melville, N.Y. At the event, you can expect to hear the latest information on the Right to Carry movement on Long Island; network with fellow Second Amendment activists; hear from several guest speakers of national prominence. Scheduled to speak are: NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, NRA First Vice President Kayne Robinson, NRA Second Vice President Sandra Froman, LEAA Executive Director James Fotis, SAFE President & NRA Director John Cushman, and nationally-syndicated columnist and radio talk-show host Armstrong Williams. Please make plans to attend. Again, the event is free, and will be held Sunday, September 29, at the Melville Long Island Marriott, located at 1350 Old Walt Whitman Rd., Melville, N.Y. Doors open at Noon, and the event is scheduled to run from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. For directions or additional information, please call (631) 423-1600.
NORTH CAROLINA:
Come join fellow NRA members and pro-gun candidates at a Second Amendment Rally on Saturday, September 21, in Burlington. Since it is not a fundraiser, the rally is a free opportunity to enjoy barbeque, win door prizes, and listen to a live bluegrass band while learning about the pro-Second Amendment movement in North Carolina. All candidates for public office have been invited to this non-partisan rally. The event will take place on Saturday, September 21, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Handgunners, Inc., 4325 South NC Hwy. 49 (three miles south of I-85 off exit 145), in the Burlington area. Call Darrell Malcolm at (919) 733-5745 for more information. Don’t miss this exciting rally!
RTBAV TRAINING
NRA`s Refuse To Be A Victim®
program provides men and women with common-sense crime prevention and personal safety strategies that can be used to decrease their chances of being victimized. Since certified instructors schedule seminars on a daily basis, the most up-to-date schedule is available on the Internet by clicking here, by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (800) 861-1166. Upcoming seminars:
9/13/02
Seminar—Orange, Cali.
TJ Johnston—(714) 744-4485
[email protected]
9/14/02
Seminar—Grapevine, Tex.
Mike Smith—(214) 882-7524
[email protected]
9/14/02
Seminar—La Mesa, Cal.
Donald Dodson—(619) 698-4055
[email protected]
9/14/02
Seminar—Canby, Ore.
Lee Anderson—(503) 231-3761
[email protected]
9/14/02 - 9/15/02
Seminar & IDW—Craig, Colo.
Ray Beck—(970) 824-4994
[email protected]
9/14/02
Seminar—Jackson, Miss.
Yvonne Banks—(601) 922-5963
[email protected]
9/18/02
Seminar—Altoona, Pa.
Rick Johnson—(814) 949-2434
[email protected]
