CANDIDATES TAKE NOTICE: SPORTSMEN VOTE!
In the months leading up to the presidential election, both President Bush and Senator Kerry (D-Mass.) have focused much effort on courting the "Sportsmen`s Vote." And the findings of a survey recently released by the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen`s Foundation (CSF) suggests they are wise to do so.
The survey of hunters and anglers in three swing states indicates that some 80% of these sportsmen will vote in this year`s election!
"This survey re-emphasizes that hunters and anglers are an active and important constituency and that the attention that President Bush and Senator Kerry have been giving to sportsmen is well-aimed," commented Melinda Gable, Executive Director of the CSF.
As evidence of the importance he places on this key constituency, President Bush, an avid bass fisherman and bird hunter, has held at least two major meetings with representatives of sportsmen`s groups in recent months.
This survey clearly validates the significance of the pro-sportsmen voting bloc, but we aren`t about to take the sportsmen`s vote for granted. Since only currently-registered voters are permitted to cast ballots in this year`s elections, it is critical that every eligible Second Amendment supporter registers to vote and makes sure his or her voice is heard on November 2!
While voter registration deadlines have passed in many states, the following states are still accepting applications. Here is a list of those states and the corresponding voter registration deadlines: AL (10/22); CA (10/18); CT (10/19); ID (Election Day); IA (10/23); KS (10/18); ME (10/23 by mail and up to and including Election Day); MN (on Election Day at the polls); NE (10/15 for mail-in; 10/22 for in-person); ND (no voter registration required); NH (10/23); SD (10/18); VT (10/25 by noon for in-person; by mail must be postmarked or delivered by 10/25); WA (10/18 in person); WI (10/20 for mail-in; 11/1 in person; or on Election Day at the polls).
Also, you`ve read many times in the Grassroots Alert about the importance of voting early or via absentee ballot. NRA-ILA has received word that Secretaries of State are asking early voters to return their applications on or before October 22. The consensus is that—regardless of a legal deadline—returning applications by October 22 allows enough time for processing the application, mailing the ballot to the voter`s home, and having the voter return it to the appropriate office. Again, this is a general guideline that the Secretaries of State are requesting be honored.
NRA-ILA has a section of its website to assist you in registering to vote and getting the information you need on early/absentee voting. 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.
There are a number of additional ways you can get involved with the Bush-Cheney re-election efforts: The Republican National Committee (RNC) has put together a sportsmen specific 72-Hour Deployment plan. This entails sportsmen and sportswomen from "non-target" states traveling to "target" states to organize sportsmen during the last 72 hours of the campaign. A 72-Hour Task Force Volunteer must be willing to participate in grassroots activities such as walking door to door, mailing literature, and phone banking. He or she must be willing to commit at least five to seven (or even more) days of his time to the 72-Hour Task Force Volunteer Program (though if you can only volunteer a couple/few days, you will be utilized). Each volunteer would need to commit to arriving in the assigned target state no later than the evening of Thursday, October 28, and stay through Election Day. Travel and hotel expenses would be covered. In addition, volunteers will receive a per diem for food. (The RNC will make your travel arrangements.) If you or someone you know can help with this endeavor, please contact Angela Hill at (202) 863-8600 or via e-mail at: [email protected]. WHEN CONTACTING ANGELA, PLEASE LET HER KNOW YOUR ARE AN NRA MEMBER AND SECOND AMENDMENT SUPPORTER!
In addition, you can contact your local NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC), who is a local NRA member spearheading our pro-gun volunteer campaign efforts. To locate your EVC, please visit NRA`s websites (www.NRAILA.org or www.NRAPVF.org) or contact the ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE-8683.
While President Bush has a strong track record that bolsters his legitimate claim to the sportsmen`s vote, Senator Kerry`s manipulative and disingenuous attempt to position himself as a hunter and Second Amendment proponent are preposterous.
Please make sure you protect your right to keep and bear arms by exercising your right to vote on Tuesday, November 2. Vote Bush-Cheney on election day!
FORMER NRA PRESIDENT NOMINATED FOR WOMEN`S HALL OF FAME
Former NRA President Marion Hammer has been nominated for the Florida Women`s Hall of Fame by Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist (R). The Hall of Fame was created by Florida Statute to honor women who have made significant contributions to the improvement of life for women and for all citizens of Florida.
"Marion Hammer has long proven herself to be a worthy recipient of appointment to the Florida Women`s Hall of Fame," said Crist. "Throughout her career she has diligently and uncompromisingly pursued issues that are beneficial to women and their families, as well as her community, her state and her nation."
Hammer served as NRA President from 1995-98 and remains on the Board of Directors. She has been the Executive Director of the Unified Sportsman of Florida since 1978 and is a Certified Firearms Instructor.
"I have had the great fortune to know Marion for a quarter of a century and to have worked closely with her, especially during her historic term as the first woman President in the National Rifle Association`s long history," said NRA Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre. "I have always sought and valued her counsel, not only because of her legislative and political acumen, but more importantly, because of her rock-solid integrity. I concur 100% with Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R), who stated of Marion: ‘When she says it, you know she means it, and you know her word is golden.`"
And Marion Hammer backs up her words with actions. Because of her efforts, Florida today is a safer place for decent citizens in every corner of the state. Marion worked seven long years to bring a "shall-issue" Right-to-Carry law to her state in 1987, and it is hardly coincidental that Florida`s violent crime rate has dropped 26% since then—according to the latest FBI statistics.
Equally remarkable have been Marion`s pioneering efforts in the area of child and family safety. In 1987, as a member of NRA`s Board of Directors, she was devoted to organizing a top-notch team of educators, clinical psychologists, law enforcement officials and urban housing safety officials to develop a firearms accident avoidance program for our children. The result was the award-winning Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program, which has reached more than 17 million children in all fifty states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Eddie Eagle has touched more than 850,000 Florida youngsters with the assistance of 303 police and sheriff`s departments and 579 schools throughout the state.
The Women`s Hall of Fame Committee will soon announce 10 finalists. Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R) will then appoint the inductees from among those finalists.
To support this effort, Letters may be sent to: The Honorable Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, Plaza Level, The Capitol, 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001, SUBJECT: Florida Women`s Hall of Fame. You may phone the Governor at: (850) 488-4441, or e-mail him at: one of the following addresses: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].
GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS NOW AVAILABLE ON NRA-PVF SITE!
The official NRA campaign site— www.NRAPVF.org —will serve as your one-stop campaign reference guide this election season. The site is loaded with all of the critical information you`ll need to make informed decisions on Election Day, November 2. Included on the site are news stories, articles from NRA`s magazines, NRA-PVF press releases, polling information, and, as of today, a complete listing of NRA-PVF candidate grades and endorsements!
In addition to all of the late-breaking campaign news, candidate grades and endorsements, and firearm issue background information, you will also find our multimedia section— www.nrapvf.org/Multimedia/Default.aspx —which houses easy-to-access ads that are perfectly suited for distribution among your fellow NRA Members! You may have seen our most recent ad campaign: "John Kerry—That Dog Don`t Hunt." You can view this add and help us spread the word about Kerry`s campaign to deceive America`s sportsmen by ordering your own "That Dog Don`t Hunt" t-shirt. Please visit these sites frequently and share them with your fellow NRA Members.
With so few days between now and Election Day, November 2, please be sure that you leave no stone unturned in your efforts! Keep up the great work, and "Vote Freedom First" on November 2!
A LOOK AT THE STATES
ALASKA
Once again, out-of-state animal "rights" extremists are seeking to force their will on Alaskans by seeking to ban the use of bear management techniques commonly used by the Department of Fish and Game. Funded largely by fanatical anti-hunting groups such as Greenpeace and PETA, this ballot measure would, in addition to restricting the methods used by hunters to attract bears, ban the intentional feeding of bears for the purpose of photography or viewing, and prohibit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game from live trapping and relocating problem bears. If found in violation of this proposed law, one could spend a year in jail and face a hefty $10,000 fine for each offense. It`s time to say "NO" to a radical agenda that would prevent Alaska`s professional game biologists from utilizing one of the most effective game management tools available. It`s time to say "NO" to extremists who seek to punish law-abiding Alaskans for protecting their children and pets from predatory bears, and it`s time to say "NO," once and for all, to out-of-state interests that would deny local control or public involvement on an issue of this importance. Please be sure to encourage your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen to vote "NO" on BALLOT MEASURE 3 in the November 2 election.
COLORADO
Gun owners and sportsmen need to vote "NO" on Amendment 36 on November 2. Amendment 36 would destroy the tried and true Electoral College system created by our Founding Fathers, by cutting the winner of Colorado`s electoral votes from nine to five. Additionally, this proposal would be retroactive to affect this year`s election, if it were to pass, triggering an immediate court challenge. Vote "NO" on Amendment 36!
LOUISIANA
Attention Sportsmen! Absentee and early voting begins next week. If you plan on being out of town or hunting on Election Day, you can vote early in-person at your local Registrar of Voters office from Thursday, October 2,1 through 4:30 p.m., on Tuesday, October 26. It is especially important for hunters to be aware of these dates so they can vote "YES" on Proposition #1, the NRA-backed Right to Hunt, Fish & Trap Constitutional Amendment on the General Election ballot!
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 QUESTION 2 on this initiative in the November 2 election.
NEVADA
On Monday, October 18, the Nevada Commission on Special License Plates will be hearing a request from Assemblyman Don Gustavson (R-30) in regard to the addition of a "Protect the Second Amendment" license plate to the list of accepted specialty plates. The Commission will be hearing five requests and accepting only three. It is vital that NRA members attend this hearing asking the Commission to approve the pro-Second Amendment license plate. A portion of the proceeds from the specialty plates will be donated to a scholarship fund for dependent children of law enforcement officers or emergency personnel killed in the line of duty. The hearing will be held at the Legislative Building, Room 3138, in Carson City at 9:00 a.m., or via video conference at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
An amendment to New Hampshire`s administrative rules has made it easier for those living in gun-unfriendly jurisdictions to obtain non-resident concealed carry licenses from New Hampshire. Under the previous rule, non-residents had to produce a carry license from their home state to qualify for a New Hampshire non-resident license. Those living where carry permits are unobtainable could not qualify for New Hampshire`s non-resident license simply because of where they happened to live. Under the amended rule (Saf-C 2102.03), a carry license from any state will qualify for the New Hampshire non-resident license. Those who hold non-resident permits from "shall-issue" states like Florida will now be eligible for New Hampshire non-resident permits. The rule was amended yesterday, largely due to the efforts of NRA state affiliate Gun Owners of New Hampshire and its president, State Representative Elbert Bicknell (R-73).
NEW MEXICO
If you plan on being out of town or hunting on Election Day, early voting begins this Saturday, October 16, and runs through Saturday, October 30. Be on the lookout for NRA-PVF`s 2004 Political Preference Chart in the next issue of your NRA magazines or visit www.NRAPVF.org for information on candidates in your area. For information on early voting locations, please visit http://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/EV2004Gen.htm.
OHIO
The Xavier College Republicans will host a debate entitled "Gun Control: Pro or Con" at 7:00 p.m., on October 28. The debate will be held at the Cintas Center on the Xavier University campus (take Dana Avenue [east or west] to University Drive, to campus), and will feature noted author and scholar John R. Lott, Jr. A reception for Mr. Lott will be held prior to the debate at 6:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Adam Shira at (513) 238-4895.
OREGON
Mail ballots will be sent to voters between October 15-19. Ballots must be returned to your local elections office by 8:00 p.m. on November 2, and postmarks do not count. Be on the lookout for NRA-PVF`s 2004 Political Preference Chart in the next issue of your NRA magazines or visit www.NRAPVF.org for information on candidates in your area.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Thanks to the efforts of NRA members in South Carolina`s 30th Senate District, "A"- rated and NRA-PVF-endorsed candidate Kent Williams (D) defeated 10-year State Senator Maggie Glover (D)—one of the few truly anti-gun voices in the South Carolina Senate—in Tuesday`s Primary Election run-off. Kent Williams, the brother of conservative talk-show personality Armstrong Williams, faces no opposition in the General Election in November, so he will be the new Senator for Senate District 30 when the legislature convenes in January 2005. Congratulations to all NRA members in this district who helped to make this important victory possible!
TEXAS
If you plan on being out of town or hunting on Election Day, early voting begins on Monday, October 18, and runs through Friday, October 29. Be on the lookout for NRA-PVF`s 2004 Political Preference Chart in the next issue of your NRA magazines or visit www.NRAPVF.org for information on candidates in your area. For information on early voting locations, please visit http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/index.shtml
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