FBI MAKES PROGRESS ON GUN BUYER PRIVACY
One of the top priorities of gun owners at the end of the Clinton Administration was to end the unlawful retention (for up to 180 days) of records on lawful gun buyers, kept by the FBI`s National Instant Background Check System (NICS). Though the law establishing NICS has always been clear that all records of a sale should be destroyed when the sale was completed, the Clinton Administration claimed the records were needed for "system audits."
In July 2001, the Department of Justice published a proposed regulation that would require record destruction by the beginning of the next business day. NRA, along with hundreds of concerned citizens, filed comments on the proposed rule.
More recently, the Tiahrt Amendment to the Fiscal 2004 Omnibus appropriations bill required destruction of these records within 24 hours--not perfect, but a huge improvement over the original Clinton-Reno plan. With that legislative language going into effect this week, the FBI also published a final rule implementing the same 24-hour requirement. The FBI`s explanation of the rule carefully rebuts many of the arguments anti-gun groups had leveled against this critical privacy safeguard.
The new rule also makes other important changes to NICS operations. Perhaps the most significant change for the average gun buyer is the creation of a "Voluntary Appeal File." Under the new rule, a person who is wrongly rejected for a gun transfer (in a case of mistaken identity, for example) and successfully appeals the rejection to the FBI, can have the information from the appeal stored in the system, thereby avoiding the need for unnecessary appeals in the future.
You can read the new rule in the Federal Register, available at http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/publications/hot_off_the_press.html.
ATTEND TOWN HALL MEETINGS-
VOICE OPPOSITION TO EXTENSION OF
BILL CLINTON`S GUN BAN
Congress is currently on its Summer District Work Period and will be out of session until September 7. That means that the gun-banners have just a few more working days left to push "assault weapons" legislation if they hope to get a vote before the September 13 "sunset" of the Clinton gun ban. With time running out, the anti-gunners and their media sympathizers are in a frenzy. They`re becoming desperate, and we must remain vigilant against any attempts to reauthorize this legislation. We can expect these gun prohibitionists to mount a major offensive battle, and now, more than ever, it is critical that we remain active!
During this recess, your Senators and Representative 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 afford you an opportunity to personally voice your strong opposition to any legislation that seeks to reenact or expand the 1994 Clinton gun ban.
Please contact your lawmakers` district offices and ask when they plan to hold their town hall meetings during the break. If you do not know the number for your lawmakers` district offices, you can use the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.
If you are able to meet with them, it is critical that you ask your Senators and your Representative to oppose any legislation that seeks to reauthorize the "assault weapons" ban. Also, if, during these meetings, you learn of any important positions your lawmakers have on firearm-related issues--especially regarding the "assault weapons" ban--please contact the Grassroots Division and let us know.
In addition to attending town hall 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, friends, and fellow firearm owners, 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 (800) 392-8683, by faxing to (703) 267-3918, or by sending an e-mail to TOWNHALL@nrahq.org. Also, please take advantage of this recess to try and schedule personal meetings with your lawmakers and/or their staffs in their district offices to discuss these issues, and share any intelligence with us.
For a current list of these meetings, please visit www.NRAILA.org, choose "Get Involved Locally," and then click the "Event Calendar."
AMERICA ONLINE CAN FIRE
GUN-OWNING EMPLOYEES
UTAH HIGH COURT RULES
Self-defense took a big blow this week when the Utah Supreme Court upheld the right of America Online (AOL), America`s largest on-line service provider, to fire three employees whose firearms were stored in the trunks of their cars in the parking lot of an AOL call center in Ogden, Utah. In a decision that diminishes rights guaranteed under both the Utah and the U.S. Constitution, the court acknowledged the individual right to keep and bear arms, but said the right of a business to regulate its own property is more important!
Complying with this decision could potentially cost an employee his or her life--violent criminals certainly aren`t going to obey such a ban. It may also diminish employees` abilities to hunt or target shoot after work.
The issue is becoming a hot legislative topic in the states. This year Oklahoma passed HB 2122 ensuring that employees with guns in their cars were not fired or harassed, and it was debated in several other states.
Please look to future editions of the Grassroots Alert for developing information on this issue.
MARYLAND BEAR HUNT
IN DANGER OF BEING CANCELED
Over the last decade, the black bear population in Western Maryland has dramatically increased, with nearly 400 bears now living in that area. The large increase has led to the development of a responsible population management plan by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the form of a limited bear hunting season. Although this is the most effective way to manage the bear population in Allegany and Garrett Counties, many anti-hunting advocates are putting pressure on state legislators to cancel the hunt.
DNR`s black bear management plan will soon be considered by Maryland`s Joint Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review Committee (AELR). The State Senators and Delegates listed below are members of the AELR Committee and need to hear from NRA members. Please take a moment to call the legislators listed and let them know that the management of Maryland`s black bears is best left to the scientists and biologists at Maryland`s DNR, and that the black bear hunt scheduled for this fall should proceed. It is absolutely critical that you contact these Committee members, as every single call counts:
SENATORS: Paul Pinsky, (410) 841-3155; Gwendolyn Britt, (410) 841-3745; Jim Brochin, (410) 823-7087; Jennie Forehand, (410) 841-3134; Rob Garagiola, (410) 841-3169; Lisa Gladden, (410) 367-5811; Sandra Schrader, (410) 841-3572.
DELEGATES: Bill Bronrott, (410) 841-3019; Jill Carter, (410) 841-3283; Jean Cryor, (410) 841-3090; Barry Glassman, (410) 836-2400; Rich Madaleno, (301) 858-3130; Dan Morhaim, (410) 581-8712; Shane Pendergrass, (410) 841-3205; Mary Roe Walkup, (410) 778-6635.
NOT IN TOWN ON ELECTION DAY?
WANT TO VOTE EARLY?
NRA CAN HELP!
Once again, 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 ballots 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 a single pro-gun vote for granted. Please visit http://NRA.HelpingAmericansVote.org and make sure your vote is cast to support your gun rights.
A LOOK AT THE STATES
DELAWARE
This week, Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D) signed into law House Bill 164, the NRA-backed range protection bill. The law, which protects existing shooting ranges and hunting operations from nuisance suits that might otherwise be brought by persons who have recently moved into the area, was approved overwhelmingly by the Senate and House of Representatives earlier this month. A special note of thanks goes to Governor Minner for all of her efforts in making this bill a reality. Please be sure to thank Governor Minner for signing HB 164 and for supporting the interests of law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen in Delaware.
NEW YORK
On July 21, the New York State Legislature reached an agreement to remove language banning .50 caliber rifles from anti-terror legislation. After A7039, a stand alone measure outlawing .50 caliber firearms, met with little support in the Senate earlier this year, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-64) included the gun ban as part of the two-year struggle to pass anti-terrorism legislation in New York. To read more, visit www.NRAILA.org.
OKLAHOMA
Tuesday, July 27, is Primary Election Day in your area so please be sure to get out and vote! To find out more information and about NRA-PVF-endorsed candidates, please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
