ATTEND TOWN HALL MEETINGS--
VOICE OPPOSITION TO
EXTENSION OF 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 for an extension of the Clinton gun ban before it "sunsets" on September 13. 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. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we remain active!
During this recess, many of your Senators and Representatives 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 hold discussions with 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 Clinton gun ban. Also, if, during these meetings, you learn of any important positions your lawmakers have on firearm-related issues--especially regarding the Clinton gun 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."
VIETNAM VETS FOR THE TRUTH
LATEST GROUP TO QUESTION KERRY`S
VERSION OF THE "TRUTH"
As Democratic presidential nominee, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) continues his charade of trying to convince us that he`s a "lifelong hunter and gun owner" who "believes in the Second Amendment," NRA-ILA continues to set the record straight.
The truth is, John Kerry is the most anti-gun presidential nominee in U.S. history! On issues directly affecting Second Amendment rights, Kerry has voted more than 50 times against us on the floor of the Senate! During a recent series of critically important votes in the U.S. Senate, Kerry eagerly worked to sabotage NRA-backed legislation to stop predatory lawsuits aimed at bankrupting the law-abiding firearms industry. He voted 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, a senseless maneuver which would have banned nearly all centerfire hunting ammunition! And these are but a few examples!
Now, more groups are coming forward to challenge Kerry`s claims and call him to account.
One such group, Vietnam Veterans for the Truth, LLC (VVT), will be hosting a fundraising dinner on August 17, at the Aquaturf Club in Plantsville, Connecticut. Proceeds from the event will benefit VVT`s "Kerry Lied ...While Good Men Died" rally in Washington, D.C., on September 12. Attendance at the dinner is not limited to veterans; warmly invited are those Americans who share VVT`s views on the statements Kerry made about American veterans in 1971. Attendance is limited with an RSVP date of 8/10/04. Details are available at VVT`s website: www.kerrylied.com.
Another group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is challenging Kerry in a new television ad. The ad points out more troubling examples of Kerry`s difficulties in speaking the truth.
For more information and to view the ad, please visit www.swiftvets.com.
LET FREEDOM RING AT COUNTY FAIRS
If you`ve ever attended a Grassroots-Election Workshop (for details on upcoming Workshops in your area, please visit www.nraila.org/workshops/), you`ve heard ILA Grassroots staff relentlessly preach the need for us to reach out to the "natural resources of the pro-gun community." Effectively, what we are talking about are: gun shops, gun shows, gun/hunting clubs, and shooting ranges--the places where gun owners and Second Amendment supporters can be found.
While probably not considered a true "natural resource" in that vein, county fairs are nonetheless a terrific venue for you to attend to sign up NRA-ILA FrontLines™ volunteers, register pro-gun voters, encourage fellow Second Amendment supporters to contact their lawmakers in opposition to expansion/extension of the Clinton gun ban, and to find volunteers to assist with area campaigns. The county fair season in many states is in full swing, and we encourage you to attend a fair near you to promote our common agenda and activities.
NRA-ILA`s Grassroots Division can assist by providing you with voter registration information and applications, bumper stickers, buttons, and information on the Clinton gun ban.
Please go to the following sites for schedules and more information on county fairs that may be going on near you, and make every effort to attend and spread the word:
http://www.pafairs.org/Default.htm
http://www.stepintoplaces.com/Fairs%20and%20Festivals/County%20Fairs%20Index.htm
http://www.stepintoplaces.com/index.htm
http://www.breedersworld.com/fairs.html
http://www.expocentral.com/agriculture/us_fairs/US_Fairs.html
To request materials for distribution at these fairs, or, if you need assistance on how to proceed, please contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) and ask to speak to your state`s Grassroots Coordinator.
NEW NRA-PVF WEBSITE HAS BEEN REDESIGNED FOR YOU
Based on your comments and feedback, the NRA- Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) has redesigned its website, www.nrapvf.org, to make it more user friendly and to provide you with the critical information you`ll need to make informed decisions on Election Day, November 2. Included on the site will be news stories, articles from NRA`s magazines, NRA-PVF press releases, polling information, and everything else needed to make this your year-round election headquarters.
News stories will be updated regularly, keeping you informed with the latest campaign and election news. The NRA-PVF site will help you make a difference with the "Write Your Representatives" and "EVC Locator" options. And, in an effort to make sure your voice is heard on Election Day, NRA-PVF has included a voter registration section and an absentee voting information center. Later, you`ll see candidate grades and endorsements with hyperlinks to campaigns NRA-PVF is supporting.
If you`re already an NRA member, you will be able to visit the special "NRA Members Only" section with features exclusive to you. Simply log in with your NRA member number (the number is printed on your membership card and on the cover of your magazine). Once in, members will have special access to NRA-PVF screen savers and wallpaper, a convenient display of the candidate grades for your lawmakers, and a brand new "Build Your Own ePrecinct" section.
The 2004 elections are just months away, and you`ll be deciding thousands of state legislative races, 435 U.S. House races, 34 U.S. Senate races, 11 Governors` races, and the Presidential race. NRA-PVF needs your help now more than ever. Please go to www.nrapvf.org to get everything you need to Vote Freedom First. And while you`re there, don`t forget to order a yard sign to show your support for America`s first freedom and NRA.
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
CALIFORNIA
The California Assembly is planning to act on anti-gun legislation before adjourning on August 31. 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. You can find contact information regarding you Assembly members by using the "Write your Representatives" feature at www.NRAILA.org.
COLORADO
The Colorado Primary Election is Tuesday, August 10. Please go to the polls and vote for those candidates who support our "Right to Keep and Bear Arms." And please be sure to encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to vote on August 10 as well.
CONNECTICUT
The Connecticut Primary Election is Tuesday, August 10. Please go to the polls and vote for those candidates who support our "Right to Keep and Bear Arms." And please be sure to encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to vote on August 10 as well. NRA members can get more information about the candidates running in these districts by calling the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.
GEORGIA
A Primary Runoff Election will be held in State Senate District 31 and State Senate District 37. Please go to the polls and vote for those candidates who support our "Right to Keep and Bear Arms." And please be sure to encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to vote on August 10 as well. To find out more about the candidates running in these districts, NRA members can call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.
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. Please note: In opposition to the anti-bear hunting ballot initiative question on the November 2 ballot, NRA-ILA is hosting a FREE Grassroots-Election Workshop in Augusta on August 28. The Workshop and related materials, including food & drink, are FREE! At the Workshop, you will hear from the only pro-freedom U.S. Representative in the Pine Tree State, U.S. Representative Michael Michaud (D), as he discusses the effects of this referendum in your state. You will also hear from organizations in Maine that are working to protect your sporting and outdoors traditions, NRA-ILA representatives, and NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinators (EVCs) on what you can do locally to ensure this initiative is defeated on Election Day. Your EVC is a local NRA member who is working closely with NRA-ILA to defeat this bear initiative by providing critically-needed volunteer support for a variety of activities. Rest assured, anti-hunting extremists are already working full force in the Pine Tree State to ensure the passage of this initiative. We must be prepared to defeat their efforts at every turn. The Workshop will be held on Saturday, August 28, from 9:00 a.m. - Noon, at the Holiday Inn Augusta-Civic Center, 110 Community Drive, Augusta. Registration and breakfast will be from 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. For additional information, please call (207) 622-4751. To reserve your seat, please visit http://www.nraila.org/workshops/. To register by phone or for more information, please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
NEW JERSEY
The New Jersey black bear hunt, scheduled for December 2004, is being threatened by anti-hunting advocates. Please be sure to call your state legislators and tell them that you support the hunt and that the hunt should proceed as planned. You can find contact information for your legislators by using the "Write your Representatives" feature at www.NRAILA.org. Also, please be sure to stop by the New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen`s Clubs tent at the upcoming New Jersey State Fair. The Fair is being held August 6-15, Plains Road, Frankford Township, Sussex County. Please be sure to visit the tent and show your support of the black bear hunt!
