DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION ROLLS OUT BIG ANTI-GUNNERS
A host of very prominent anti-gun politicians spoke at this week`s Democratic National Convention. Notable among the group was Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), who urged her willing party to do all that it can to renew the so-called "assault weapons" ban.
Fearing the fate of Al Gore in the 2000 elections, Democratic Presidential nominee, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and his cronies have gone far out of their way this election year to try and hoodwink voters--gun owners in particular--into believing they are pro-Second Amendment. Of course, we know their ruse is outrageous. The official 2004 Democratic National Platform statement plainly declares, "We will protect Americans` Second Amendment right to own firearms," by, "reauthorizing the assault weapons ban, and closing the gun show loophole."
While certainly not all Democrats are anti-gun, the party leadership, led by John Kerry, unarguably is.
In her July 28 speech to the convention, McCarthy said that when the ban expires: "We won`t have to go to Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction" [emphasis added].
A quote from a July 23 CNSNews.com article concludes, "Allowing McCarthy a forum to campaign against the firearms rights of millions of law-abiding Americans in the middle of their national convention should tell firearms owners all they need to know about the true Democrat agenda."
"MY LIFE" RECOUNTS YOUR IMPACT & POWER!
Many political pundits have acknowledged that the gun issue cost Al Gore the 2000 presidential election. In his recently released book "My Life," Bill Clinton adds further evidence.
Following are some quotes from the book that illustrate this point:
"Just before the House vote (on the crime bill), Speaker Tom Foley and majority leader Dick Gephardt had made a last-ditch appeal to me to remove the assault weapons ban from the bill. They argued that many Democrats who represented closely divided districts had already...defied the NRA once on the Brady bill vote. They said that if we made them walk the plank again on the assault weapons ban, the overall bill might not pass, and that if it did, many Democrats who voted for it would not survive the election in November. Jack Brooks, the House Judiciary Committee chairman from Texas, told me the same thing...Jack was convinced that if we didn`t drop the ban, the NRA would beat a lot of Democrats by terrifying gun owners....Foley, Gephardt, and Brooks were right and I was wrong. The price...would be heavy casualties among its defenders." (Pages 611-612)
"On November 8, we got the living daylights beat out of us, losing eight Senate races and fifty-four House seats, the largest defeat for our party since 1946....The NRA had a great night. They beat both Speaker Tom Foley and Jack Brooks, two of the ablest members of Congress, who had warned me this would happen. Foley was the first Speaker to be defeated in more than a century. Jack Brooks had supported the NRA for years and had led the fight against the assault weapons ban in the House, but as chairman of the Judiciary Committee he had voted for the overall crime bill even after the ban was put into it. The NRA was an unforgiving master: one strike and you`re out. The gun lobby claimed to have defeated nineteen of the twenty-four members on its hit list. They did at least that much damage...." (Pages 629-630)
"One Saturday morning, I went to a diner in Manchester full of men who were deer hunters and NRA members. In impromptu remarks, I told them that I knew they had defeated their Democratic congressman, Dick Swett, in 1994 because he voted for the Brady bill and the assault weapons ban. Several of them nodded in agreement." (Page 699)
Because of Bill Clinton`s anti-gun agenda and his obsession with taking on the gun issue, dozens of Senators and Representatives now have "ex-" in front of their names.
Candidates in this year`s elections should take heed--playing politics with the rights of law-abiding gun owners can be dangerous!
ST. LOUIS`S JUNK LAWSUIT AGAINST GUN INDUSTRY REJECTED
NRA-ILA commends the decision of the Missouri Court of Appeals to dismiss the City of St. Louis`s reckless lawsuit against the firearm industry. The opinion upholds a lower court`s ruling that the City of St. Louis`s claims are without merit-- firearm manufacturers and dealers are not liable for the criminal misuse of guns.
"This sound decision is a victory for gun owners and all who believe society must hold criminals accountable for their crimes," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "These baseless lawsuits have done nothing but squander taxpayers` money.
"There has never been any merit to these lawsuits--in fact, the majority have been dismissed,"Cox added. "Unfortunately, big-city mayors and money-hungry lawyers have played into the hands of gun-banners, who designed these suits to crush the American firearm industry under a weight of legal fees."
More than 30 states, including Missouri, have adopted common-sense laws to prevent cities and municipalities from filing further suits against the lawful firearm industry. The Court of Appeals found Missouri`s preemption law was a proper response to keep the courts from regulating from the bench.
"Lawsuits designed for the sole purpose of bankrupting a respectable industry have no place in our judicial system. NRA applauds this sensible ruling and will continue working with lawmakers to pass additional laws protecting firearm manufacturers from reckless lawsuits," concluded Cox.
HUNTING HERITAGE PROTECTED IN ILLINOIS
With solid support from NRA-ILA, Illinois has enacted the Hunting Heritage Protection Act into law, safeguarding the state`s public hunting land. The Act mandates that state public land management actions should result in no net loss of land available for hunting. It also instructs the Director of Natural Resources to submit an annual report citing the areas closed to hunting and the areas opened to compensate for the loss.
"The Hunting Heritage Protection Act ensures there will never be any less public hunting land than there is today in Illinois," said NRA-ILA`s Chris W. Cox. "NRA applauds the Legislature, especially bill sponsors Senator John O. Jones (R-54) and Representative William J. Grunloh (D-108), for their decisive action to protect hunters` rights.
"Anti-hunting groups have long fought to dismantle public hunting land in an effort to eradicate America`s sporting heritage," added Cox. "This law guarantees that the hunters of tomorrow will enjoy the traditions and learn the skills their fathers and grandfathers mastered in the woods of Illinois."
NRA has successfully worked to enact a number of pro-hunting measures this year, including establishing dove hunting in Minnesota and Michigan, and placing a "Freedom to Hunt and Fish" Amendment on the Louisiana ballot.
"Hunting is a fundamental element of conservation and a vital asset to the economy. Saving this important heritage not only benefits sportsmen and the environment, but business owners as well. This is why NRA-ILA will continue to fight for similar hunting protection and conservation laws in all fifty states," concluded Cox.
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.
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 will have just a few more working days left to push "assault weapons" legislation 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 [email protected]. 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."
A LOOK AT THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
The California Assembly is planning to act on anti-gun legislation before adjourning on August 31. Thanks to the efforts of NRA members, anti-gun legislation, including the handgun sales tax and the .50 caliber ban have been defeated. Unfortunately, a vote could take place any day on the remaining anti-gun bills, so it is critical that NRA members and the pro-gun community voice their opposition. Please contact your Assemblyman and ask him to vote "NO" on the following legislation: SB 1152 would require registration paperwork and fingerprints every time ammo is purchased, AB 50 would ban the sale and possession of .50 caliber rifles, SB 1140 would make it a crime if a minor gains access to your firearm with or without your permission, and SB 1733 would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition at the Cow Palace Fairgrounds in San Francisco.
LOUISIANA
NRA-ILA and the Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF) need your help in support of Proposed Amendment No. 2--the Right To Hunt, Fish & Trap Constitutional Amendment that will appear before voters for approval on the November 2, 2004, ballot. If your business, gun club, or sportsmen`s group is willing to consider formally and publicly endorsing this amendment, please contact LWF`s Executive Director Randy Lanctot at (225) 344-6707 or [email protected]. Please visit www.lawildlifefed.org for more information on the proposal.
MAINE
National animal rights groups, led by the Humane Society of the United States, have organized and funded a ballot initiative for the November 2 election, that would ban the three traditional methods of bear hunting--baiting, hunting with dogs, and trapping. These groups routinely use ballot measures to curtail hunting throughout the country and have been successful in several states, including banning all trapping in neighboring Massachusetts. Please be sure to encourage your family, friends and fellow sportsmen to vote "NO" on this initiative in the November 2, election.
MICHIGAN
The Michigan Primary Election is Tuesday, August 3. Please go to the polls on Tuesday and vote for those candidates who support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Please be sure to encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to vote on August 3 as well. To find out more about the candidates running in your area, please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.
