FEINSTEIN`S BACK-DOOR MANEUVERING
SEEKS TO PUSH "ASSAULT WEAPONS" REAUTHORIZATION BILL
As we reported in last week`s Grassroots Alert, vehemently anti-gun Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has once again introduced legislation that would reauthorize the Clinton gun ban. S. 2498 has been placed on the Senate Calendar, where it could come up at any time.
The stage is now set for a showdown, and you can be sure we`re in for a sustained political battle over the next three months! Our opponents will continue to work at every turn to try and accomplish their anti-gun goals, and we need to be proactive! Please visit NRA-ILA`s informative website, www.ClintonGunBan.com, and learn the facts about this debate, which has too long been driven and dominated by falsehoods and emotion. And please forward this website to others who need to know both the history and the truth about this issue. Then, please immediately contact your Senators and urge them to oppose S. 2498 or any other legislation seeking to extend the so-called "assault weapons" ban. If your Senator(s) voted against extending the ban in March (as an amendment to S. 1805, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act), please thank them and encourage them to oppose S. 2498. To find out how your U.S. Senators voted on the Feinstein Amendment, you can visit http://www.nraila.org/CurrentLegislation/Read.aspx?id=996. You can find contact information for your elected officials by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org, or you can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121.
CAN YOU BELIEVE JOHN KERRY?
John Kerry, whose record of words and misdeeds on firearms rights has earned him a key place among the most solid "F" candidates ever rated by NRA`s Political Victory Fund (PVF), is now posing as a self-styled "lifelong hunter and gun owner" who "believes in the Second Amendment."
In the May 21 edition of the Grassroots Alert, we reported on a connection between Kerry and the Brady Campaign. Now we have still more evidence of that connection--Kerry has added a link on his website to the Brady Campaign`s anti-NRA petition!
For his long history of anti-gun rights votes and positions, he consistently receives a 100-percent rating from the Brady Campaign (Handgun Control Inc.), the American Bar Association`s Special Committee on Gun Violence, and from the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (formerly the National Coalition to Ban Handguns). All of these groups deny the existence of an individual right to keep and bear arms, and some are actively using the courts in an attempt to destroy Americans` Second Amendment freedoms.
On issues directly affecting Second Amendment rights, Kerry has voted 51 of 55 times against us on the floor of the Senate! On a series of critically important votes in the U.S. Senate in March, Kerry eagerly worked to sabotage S.1805--the NRA-backed legislation to stop predatory lawsuits aimed at bankrupting the law-abiding firearms industry--by voting to extend the Clinton gun ban, to make now-legal private gun sales at gun shows criminal acts, and to support his crony Ted Kennedy`s (D-Mass.) ammunition ban, which would have prohibited most centerfire hunting ammunition!
Saying whatever he deems politically expedient, and flip-flopping on issues seem to be habitual for Mr. Kerry, but when it comes to our issue, he can`t have it both ways. Do you believe Mr. Kerry supports your Second Amendment rights? His actions clearly answer "NO!"
NOT IN TOWN ON ELECTION DAY?
WANT TO VOTE EARLY?
NRA CAN HELP!
In elections, every vote matters. And once again, as this year`s elections are expected to be extremely close, it is critical that every NRA member and pro-Second Amendment supporter exercises his right to vote in order to protect our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Even if you can`t vote in person on November 2, your voice can still be heard!
Most states allow voters to cast their ballot early (either in-person or by mail). And every state allows absentee voting if you plan to be away on Election Day—November 2. To make sure the vote
of every Second Amendment supporter is counted this year, NRA is providing a free service that will make voting easier in the 2004 general election. Working with HelpingAmericansVote.Org™, a non-partisan service, we are providing you with information about early voting and absentee voting options that will make your participation easier.
In addition to the information you will need to vote early or via absentee ballot, you can also use this service to register to vote, or to update your voter registration to reflect a recent change in residence. To access this site, please go to www.NRAILA.org, and click on the NRA-ILA HelpingAmericansVote icon and select your state, or you can go directly to the site at http://NRA.HelpingAmericansVote.org.
Please forward these links to your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners, and encourage them to take advantage of this service to ensure that the voices of America`s 65 million gun owners are heard loudly and clearly in this year`s critically-important elections!
We can`t take even a single pro-gun vote for granted this year. Please visit http://NRA.HelpingAmericansVote.org and make sure your vote is cast to support your gun rights.
NRA MOURNS THE PASSING OF PRESIDENT RONALD W. REAGAN
"We will never disarm any American who seeks to protect his or her family from fear and harm."
--President Ronald W. Reagan
The heartfelt convictions behind those words demonstrate why in 1980, for the first time in its long history, NRA formally endorsed a candidate for President of the United States. In its endorsement, NRA left no doubt as to where the Association stood on Ronald Reagan: "Very clearly, Governor Reagan, a long-time member of NRA, shares our fervent belief in the absolute meaning of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: that the Right to Keep and Bear Arms applies to the individual citizen and that it is a right inviolate, which cannot be abridged."
NRA-ILA joins the millions upon millions of Americans, as well as citizens of other nations, who note with great sadness the passing of President Reagan, an Honorary Life Member of the NRA, and a strong and consistent supporter of the Second Amendment.
MICHIGAN DOVE HUNTING LEGISLATION HEADED TO GOVERNOR
On June 8, the Michigan House of Representatives concurred with the Senate to legalize dove hunting for the first time in state history. NRA-ILA has long supported adding the mourning dove to Michigan`s game species list. HB 5029 is now headed to Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) for her consideration.
"This is a significant development for hunters and sportsmen, who we hope will enjoy their first dove hunt in Michigan this fall," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "A dove season will benefit all Michiganders by expanding tourism, increasing spending and creating jobs across the state. Establishing a dove season will bring an estimated $87 million to Michigan`s economy.
"On behalf of tens of thousands of Michigan NRA members, hunters and sportsmen, I urge Governor Granholm to recognize the importance of instituting dove hunting in Michigan by signing HB 5029 into law," concluded Cox.
If signed into law, Michigan will become the 41st state with an established dove hunting season. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) signed similar legislation into law last month.
A LOOK AT THE STATES
LOUISIANA
This week, the House finally passed SB 2, the NRA-backed Right to Hunt, Fish and Trap constitutional amendment. The amendment will be placed on the November 2004 ballot for a vote by the people. Special thanks go to the Louisiana Wildlife Federation, bill sponsor Senator Joe McPherson (D-Woodworth) and Representative Jack Smith (D-Franklin), who carried the bill on the House floor. SB 837, the NRA-backed Right-to-Carry Reciprocity bill sponsored by Senator James David Cain (R-Dry Creek), remains on the House Regular Calendar for final consideration, which could take place any day now. Please continue contacting your State Representatives and urging them to support HB 837. The full text of both bills can be found at www.legis.state.la.us.
VIRGINIA
The Middlesex County Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a hearing concerning the "Cease and Desist" order placed on the Middlesex County Pistol Hunter`s Club. The hearing will be on June 21, at 7:30 pm at the Middlesex County Courthouse in Saluda. Please plan on attending! The Board of Zoning Appeals often responds to a showing of public support, and it is critical that gun owners make their voices heard.
NRA will be closed Friday, June 11, in observance of the National Day of Mourning for President Ronald Reagan.
