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Grassroots Alert: Vol. 12, No. 1 1/7/2005

FORMER NRA PRESIDENT
MARION P. HAMMER INDUCTED
INTO FLORIDA WOMEN`S HALL OF FAME!

On December 28, 2004, Marion P. Hammer was  inducted into the Florida Women`s Hall of Fame by Governor Jeb Bush (R)!

Ms. Hammer, a former President of the NRA, was nominated for the honor 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, who served as NRA President from 1995-98, is a member of the NRA Board of Directors and sits on the Executive Council.  She has been the Executive Director of the Unified Sportsman of Florida since 1978 and is a Certified Firearms Instructor. 

"I have always sought and valued her counsel," said NRA Executive Vice-President Wayne LaPierre, "not only because of her legislative and political acumen, but more importantly, because of her rock-solid integrity."

She has been recognized on many occasions for her tireless efforts on behalf of women and gun owners around the country.  In 1997, she was presented with the "Florida Outstanding Women Achievement Award" from the Florida Secretary of State and in 1996 received the "Arizona Governor`s Appreciation Award" for promoting equal opportunities for women.  Hammer also received the National Safety Council`s prestigious "National Citation Outstanding Community Service Award" in 1993.

In 1995, the American Legion`s "National Education Award" was presented to NRA and Hammer for creating the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program.  That same year she received the "NRA Sybil Luddington Women`s Freedom Award."  Dating back to 1978, she has been honored on 22 different occasions by law enforcement, state and federal governments, and gun rights organizations, among others.  One was the "Roy Rogers Man of the Year" award--the only woman to be so honored.

Ms. Hammer said she was surprised and honored by the induction.  "That kind of recognition is something you don`t think about - but when it comes your way, it`s very special.  To be nominated by the attorney general and selected by Governor Bush, it doesn`t get much better than that."

Congratulations to Marion Hammer on this much-deserved honor!

HANDGUN BAN--
THE SAN FRANCISCO TREAT

As we reported in a previous Grassroots Alert (Vol. 11, #50, 12/17/04), the City of San Francisco is attempting to place a ballot measure before its voters this November advocating a ban on handguns.  The measure would strip any citizen of his or her right to own a handgun for any reason.  Only law enforcement officers, members of the military, and security guards would be allowed to possess them.  The measure would also completely ban the sale, manufacture, and distribution of all handguns and ammunition in San Francisco, as well as the transfer of gun licenses.   If passed in November, city residents would be forced to surrender their firearms within 90 days. 

We need not hypothesize about what would happen in that city if law-abiding citizens are stripped of their right to legally own handguns.  Washington, D.C.--the murder capital of the United States--has already proven what occurs when only criminals own guns and are free to prey upon an unarmed populace.

Over the past few decades, California has served as a laboratory for gun control experiments.  And very often, sadly, what happens out west tends to drift eastward to other pockets of the United Sates.  So not only would passage of the handgun ban have dire consequences for San Franciscans, but it would also no doubt serve as a harbinger for similar bans for other Americans outside of San Francisco who live under the thumb of anti-gun city officials. 

We must nip this in the bud, and NRA-ILA remains committed to defeating this assault on freedom. We will keep you posted of relevant developments on this issue in these pages and elsewhere.  In the meantime, however, NRA members and supporters in San Francisco need to ensure their voter registration is current, and actively work to register other opponents to the handgun ban as well.  For information on voter registration, please visit www.NRAILA.org and visit the "Register to Vote" section.  Finally, for those of you who reside outside of San Francisco, but who know pro-gun supporters living within the city, you need to ensure they are aware of this onerous proposal and are currently registered to vote.

CPAC 2005

NRA Members are invited to attend CPAC 2005--the 32nd Annual Conservative Political Action Conference, February 17 - 19, 2005, at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center on Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington, D.C., just steps away from the White House, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, National Archives, and the hundreds of other monuments, memorials, and museums in our nation`s capital.  CPAC is the nation`s premier annual gathering of conservative leaders, celebrities, elected officials, and grassroots activists.  CPAC will feature book signings by the nation`s hottest conservative authors, live broadcasts of national and local radio talk shows, hands-on training sessions from grassroots activism to media strategy to technology workshops, a young leader`s seminar, Internet row, a blogger`s corner, a silent auction, and much more!   CPAC is co-sponsored by NRA and more than 60 leading conservative organizations.  For additional information, or to register for the conference, please call (703) 836-8602, or visit CPAC online at www.cpac.org.

A LOOK AT THE STATES

NEW YORK CITY
After a long battle, a measure that would force gun dealers and manufacturers to follow a "code of conduct" or face lawsuits was approved by the City Council on a vote of 43-2. Int. 0365-2004, which would hold gun makers responsible for the criminal misuse of firearms, was kept at bay for almost two years while Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D) and Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) worked with sponsors of the measure to pry it out of Chairman Peter Vallone`s (D) Public Safety Committee.  Miller and Bloomberg were forced to accept several changes to the original proposal, but the end result still amounts to an assault on consumer access to a legal product. 

TEXAS and NEW MEXICO
Just before the New Year, Texas Governor Rick Perry (R) and Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) announced that Texas and Colorado finalized a Right-to-Carry reciprocal agreement. Texas also issued a proclamation announcing that it will recognize New Mexico carry permits. New Mexico currently has no reciprocal provision in its carry law, so Texas CHLs are not currently valid in that state. However, legislation is expected to be considered in the 2005 session of the New Mexico Legislature which could authorize their Department of Public Safety to recognize carry permits from other states, including Texas.  For more information, please go to http://www.txdps.state.tx.us.  This week, Representative Suzanna Gratia Hupp (R-Lampasas) filed two bills strongly supported by NRA-ILA.  HB 318 requires records on Concealed Handgun Licensees to remain confidential.  HB 322 lowers the minimum age requirement for military personnel wishing to apply for a CHL to age 18, establishes a grace period on expiring licenses for deployed forces, and reduces CHL fees for veterans and members of the armed forces. The Legislature convenes on January 11.  Please contact your State Representatives and urge them to support HB 318 & HB 322.  For copies of these bills and contact information for your elected officials, please visit http://www.house.state.tx.us

WASHINGTON
Citizens from across the state of Washington will be joining together next Tuesday, January 11, at 10:30 a.m. at the State Capitol in Olympia to urge a revote for the Governor`s race between NRA-PVF endorsed Dino Rossi (R) and Christine Gregoire (D).  Dino Rossi won the initial election by 261 votes and won in the first recount by 42 votes. After she requested a second recount, Christine Gregoire won by 129 votes. Aside from the fact that Ms. Gregoire lost two of the three counts, numerous irregularities have left a dark cloud hanging over this election. For instance, among other more technical issues, it has been documented that convicted felons cast votes and it is even reported that deceased individuals "cast votes."  Additionally, King County had about 3,500 more votes cast than there are registered voters in the County and there are numerous reports that members of the armed forces who are overseas fighting for their country either didn`t receive ballots or received them too late to cast votes. There are just too many questions for this election to be certified and ratified as being legitimate. Please attend the Rally next Tuesday and please visit www.revotewa.com to add your name to the petition urging the state to call a new election.

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.