ATTEND TOWN HALL MEETINGS—OPPOSE EXTENSION OF GUN BAN
As we continue to note, Congress will return from its Summer District Work Period on September 7. That means that the gun-banners have just a few more working days left to push for an extension of the Clinton gun ban before it "sunsets" next month. With time running out, we must remain vigilant against any attempts to reauthorize this legislation. As we count down the remaining days, 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."
NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ELECTION WORKSHOPS
With the 2004 elections in full swing, NRA-ILA is hosting FREE Grassroots Election Workshops across the country. These Workshops provide NRA members with training on what they can do locally to propel pro-gun candidates to victory in 2004. The meetings also provide a venue for lawmakers, candidates, 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:
-New Bern, North Carolina 8/21/04
-Aurora, Colorado 8/26/04
-Grand Junction, Colorado 8/28/04
-Augusta, Maine 8/28/04
-Savannah, Georgia 9/18/04
-Soldotna, Alaska 9/23/04
-Anchorage, Alaska 9/25/04
-Burnsville, Minnesota 9/25/04
-Wasilla, Alaska 9/27/04
-Monticello, Minnesota 9/28/04
-Fairbanks, Alaska 9/29/04
-Bellevue, Washington 9/30/04
NRA members who are interested in attending should contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) for details and to reserve their seats. NRA members who have access to the Internet can also go to www.nraila.org/workshops/ to reserve their seats on-line.
GET YOUR NRA-ILA VISA® CARD,
AND DEFEND THE SECOND AMENDMENT WITH EVERY PURCHASE!
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The NRA-ILA Platinum Edition® Visa Card features include:
* No annual fee;
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* Make your credit card payment on-line—FREE;
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* Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty;
*A portion of every purchase you make with your NRA-ILA Platinum Edition® Visa Card is given back to support NRA`s Institute for Legislative Action!
For additional information, or to apply, please call (866) NRA-VISA ext. 44200.
NOT IN TOWN ON ELECTION DAY?
WANT TO VOTE EARLY? NRA CAN HELP!
This year`s elections are just around the corner and, once again, many 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 make sure that every one of your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners are registered voters. You can forward these links to them 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
ALASKA
The Alaska Primary Election is Tuesday, August 24. 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 24 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.
CALIFORNIA
Please contact your Assemblyman and Senator and ask him to vote "NO" on the following legislation: SB1152 would require registration paperwork and fingerprints every time ammunition is purchased, SB1140 would make it a crime if a minor gains access to your firearm with or without your permission, SB1733 would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition at the Cow Palace Fairgrounds in San Francisco, and AB50 would ban the sale and possession of .50 caliber rifles! In the last 10 days of the session ALL of the bills could come up for a vote. The last day of session is August 31. You can find contact information regarding your legislator by using the "Write Your Representatives" feature at www.NRAILA.org.
ILLINOIS
On August 19, the Village of Woodridge held a Board Meeting to discuss Proposed Resolution No. R63-2004, which would "Urge Congress and President Bush to Reauthorize and Strengthen the Federal Assault Weapons Ban." With over 200 people attending this meeting, 4 of the 6 Board members made the right decision voting against this resolution. Please contact the Village Board Members via e-mail at [email protected] and thank them for standing up for our Second Amendment freedoms. Our thanks go out to everyone who showed up to help defend our Right to Keep and Bear Arms!
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 nearby 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 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 try to defeat this initiative 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 /workshops/. To register by phone or for more information, please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
MARYLAND
Maryland`s Department of Natural Resources has developed a black bear management plan, that will be considered on Wednesday, August 25, by the Joint Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review Committee (AELR). The plan consists of a limited hunt that would take place this fall in specified areas of Garrett and Allegany counties. It is imperative that you call your legislators and let them know that you support the hunt. Respectfully tell them 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 your elected officials today. You can find contact information by using the "Write Your Representatives" feature at www.NRAILA.org.
