HELP SPREAD THE TRUTH & PROMOTE ACTIVISM--
Identify "Second Amendment Activist Centers"
Here in the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division, we are fond of talking about the need to "hunt where the ducks are" by utilizing the "natural resources" of the pro-gun community (gun shops, shooting ranges, gun & hunting clubs, and gun shows) to spread the word about gun-related issues.
In an effort to formalize this ongoing endeavor, we are seeking your assistance in identifying Second Amendment Activist Centers that will assist in distributing legislative and election-related materials to NRA members and gun owners. Of course, it makes sense to focus on our natural resources, but any business willing to assist in this critical educational campaign is welcome to become an Activist Center. Here`s what we are asking you to do:
Determine which venues in your area would be suitable to serve as an Activist Center and contact them to see if they would be willing to participate in this program. These Centers will provide NRA members and gun owners with NRA buttons, Fact Sheets on legislation and issues, volunteer sign-up forms, voter registration materials, and, in election years, information on grassroots activities and events. Also, we are encouraging all Second Amendment Activist Centers that are able to do so, to make a computer terminal with Internet access available to their patrons so they may access our website-- www.NRAILA.org --and e-mail their lawmakers, on-the-spot, utilizing our site`s "Write Your Representatives" and other features (specifically, the "Help Save America`s Firearms Industry" section).
Specific dates will be determined where individuals may go to the Activist Centers to pick up their materials for their personal use and to distribute to others, and NRA-ILA will alert its members and supporters to these dates and venues. Thus, an additional incentive for a business to become a Second Amendment Activist Center, is that, not only will NRA-ILA work to inform area NRA members and gun owners of the dates to pick up materials, but we will also promote all Second Amendment Activist Centers via e-mail, on our website, in the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert, and through our monthly newsletter, "Freedom`s Voice." So in addition to helping us disseminate critically-important information, NRA-ILA will also promote these establishments to our members and supporters which may increase business for them!
Please reach out to area businesses whom you think would be good candidates to serve as Second Amendment Activist Centers, and if they will agree to serve in this capacity. If so, either call (800) 392-8683 and ask to speak to your state`s Grassroots Coordinator, or have someone from the potential Activist Center do so him/herself. If you are the owner/manager of an establishment that wants to participate in this program, please call the aforementioned number and ask to speak directly to your state`s Grassroots Coordinator.
As legislation to end reckless, predatory lawsuits against the gun industry prepares to be voted on (H.R. 800/S. 397), and as the 2006 elections approach, this project will pay huge dividends not only for gun owners, but for area retail businesses as well!
CONTINUE YOUR SUPPORT FOR S. 397 AND H.R. 800
The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (S. 397/H.R. 800) would protect law-abiding firearm manufacturers from reckless, predatory, and potentially bankrupting lawsuits.
The bill currently has 246 cosponsors in the House, 56 cosponsors in the Senate, and has the full support of President Bush and numerous other groups and associations.
It is imperative that you continue to contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative and ask them to cosponsor and support S.397 and H.R. 800--without any anti-gun amendments--and put a halt to these reckless lawsuits once and for all. Again, please be sure to let your lawmakers know that you consider any votes in support of anti-gun amendments to this legislation as votes against the bill itself.
To access the most up-to-date information on this issue, and to find out if your lawmaker is a cosponsor, please go to the "Help Save America`s Firearms Industry" heading at, www.NRAILA.org. This function will allow you to easily send an e-mail or letter to your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators. Please forward this link to your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners.
For additional information on effectively communicating with your lawmakers, please go to: http://www.nraila.org/CurrentLegislation/ActionAlerts/Read.aspx?ID=274 (Grassroots Alert, Vol. 12, No. 12).
You may also call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, or your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.
SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR
2004 NRA-ILA VOLUNTEER AWARDS
The "Jay M. Littlefield Memorial NRA-ILA Volunteer of the Year Award" is an annual honor that recognizes an individual NRA member who demonstrates exceptionally meritorious activism in defense of our Second Amendment rights. Similarly, the "NRA-ILA Volunteer Organization of the Year Award" is bestowed upon a group that has gone above and beyond the call of duty in defending our freedom over the past year.
Nominations for these honors for last year (2004) should be submitted to: NRA-ILA Volunteer Awards, c/o Jennifer Bradey, NRA-ILA Grassroots Division, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA, 22030. Nominations may also be faxed to Jennifer at (703) 267-3918, or e-mailed to [email protected].
All nominations must be submitted by NRA members in good standing and be accompanied by a one page description of why the nominee is deserving. Winners will be selected by NRA-ILA staff, and will be acknowledged at this Fall`s NRA Board of Directors Meeting. The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2005.
A LOOK AT THE STATES
(****For all of the action items below, you can find contact information for your legislators by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org. As always, thank you for your support****)
CALIFORNIA
The California Assembly will consider Assembly Bill 352 at anytime. This legislation could essentially ban all semi-automatic pistols commonly used by California gun owners. AB 352 expands the definition of "unsafe handguns" to include semi-automatic pistols that are not designed and equipped with an array of microscopic characters, which identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol by imprinting the characters on each cartridge case when the firearm is discharged. Please continue to contact members of the Assembly through Monday, May 16, and ask them to oppose AB 352. Assembly Members can be reached at (916) 319-20 (plus your 2-digit district number for the last two numbers). Senate Bill 357 would establish a program requiring serialization of handgun ammunition to be enforced by the Department of Justice. The manufacture, transfer, and possession of non-serialized handgun ammunition after July 1, 2007 would be considered a crime. SB 357 would also require ammunition vendors and manufacturers to register with the Department of Justice. This anti-gun legislation is waiting to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Please continue to contact members of the committee at (916) 651-4101 and ask them to oppose SB 357.
DELAWARE
On May 12, final approval was given to SB 46, which establishes a handgun hunting season from the first Saturday in January until the second Saturday in January. For a full text of the bill and to see how your legislators voted please visit the General Assembly`s web page at www.legis.state.de.us. Special thanks go to the bill`s prime Senate sponsor, Senator Robert Venables (D-21), and the bill`s House sponsors, Representatives Bruce Ennis (D-28), Pam Thornburg (R-29), and "Biff" Lee (R-40). The bill now goes to Governor Ruth Ann Minner (D) for her signature. Your voices were heard!
LOUISIANA
Thanks to an overwhelming number of phone calls and e-mails in opposition to SB 319, the sponsor withdrew the bill from the files of the Senate, meaning it will not be considered during the 2005 Regular Session of the Legislature. SB 319 restricted the sale and possession of certain semi-automatic firearms, placed onerous record keeping requirements on licensed dealers, and imposed a $50 tax on the purchase of ammunition that could be used in firearms targeted by the bill.
MARYLAND
On May 10, Governor Robert Ehrlich (R) signed HB 1086, the "Hunting Heritage Protection Act," into law. This important piece of legislation will ensure that Maryland`s public hunting lands remain open to sportsmen for generations to come. Because of your efforts, this bill is now a reality!
NEBRASKA
Due to time restraints, Right-to-Carry bill LB 454 will not get through the Nebraska legislature this year. The bill`s sponsor, Senator Combs (R-32), has written assurance from Speaker Brashear (I-4) that LB 454 will receive a full and fair debate within the first 21 days of the 2006 legislative session. As a result of all the Nebraska members who called, e-mailed, and sent letters to their Senators, LB 454 has received unprecedented support from the legislature.
NEW JERSEY
On May 21, the Salem County Sportsmen`s Club and South Jersey Sportsmen, Inc. will host the third annual NRA Day--a free day of gun safety and recreational shooting instruction for the entire family. The event will be held at the Sportsmen`s Club from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. NRA Day activities include rifle and handgun shooting, an air gun range for children with adult supervision, and a special exhibit "Firearms in America" by the South Jersey Arms Collectors which will feature a number of historically significant firearms. All firearms, targets, ammunition, and eye and ear protection will be provided. The event is free and open to the public. The club is located on eastbound U.S. Route 40 in Carney`s Point. For more information, please call Bob Viden at (856) 881-7575.
NEW YORK
With a strong turnout from gun owners, hunters and sportsmen, NRA-PVF endorsed candidate Cathy Young (R) overwhelmingly won her special election this week in State Senate District 57! While serving in the Assembly, Representative Young has always been a champion of our Second Amendment rights, and we can count on her to continue her fine work as a member of the Senate. On May 17, several anti-gun bills are scheduled to be considered by the Assembly Codes Committee, including A 673, which creates the crimes of "failure to store a weapon safely" and criminally negligent storage of a firearm, A 2302, which would prohibit the retail sale of a handgun which does not contain a "child proofing" or integrated safety device, and A 4471, which would ban the sale, use and possession of .50 caliber firearms. These bills are likely to be approved by the committee and will then head to the Assembly floor. Please contact your Assembly Member TODAY and urge them to oppose A 673, A 2302 and A 4471!
OREGON
This week, the Oregon House approved HB 2373, NRA-supported legislation protecting gun manufacturers from reckless lawsuits, and HB 2529, the NRA-backed "No Net Loss of Public Hunting Lands" bill. Both bills move now to the Senate for consideration, so please begin contacting your Senators and urging them to support HB 2373 & HB 2529. We`ll keep you posted on Senate committee referrals and any hearings scheduled on these measures! In addition, local NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) Curt Greer (OR-4) needs your help in supporting our Armed Forces. Curt entered a float in last year`s Veteran`s Day Parade representing NRA and the award-winning Eddie Eagle Gun Safe® Program, and is entering it again in this year`s Armed Forces Day Parade. Volunteers are needed to help assemble the float and to also participate in the parade. The parade will begin on Main Street, in Cottage Grove, on May 21, at 9:00 a.m. To volunteer your time for this worthy event, or for additional information, please contact Curt Greer by phone at (541) 746-7806 or by e-mail at [email protected].
PENNSYLVANIA
On Tuesday, May 17, Pennsylvania hunters should go to the polls and vote YES on the "Growing Greener II" bond initiative. "Growing Greener II" will authorize the state to issue bonds to raise money for outdoor conservation initiatives. Among the things that the money could be used for are infrastructure improvements on state game lands and the maintenance and improvement of state shooting ranges. Please go to the polls on Tuesday and vote YES on "Growing Greener II."
TENNESSEE
SJR 44, a proposed amendment to the State Constitution providing citizens with the "Right to Hunt and Fish," is finally in a form that legitimately protects sportsmen against attacks from radical animal "rights" organizations. On May 12, Senator Jeff Miller (R-Cleveland) worked diligently on the floor to win approval of an amendment that protects against politically motivated bans on the hunting of certain species, such as bear and dove, or bans on the use of certain implements or methods, such as archery equipment. This was important because the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has contended in meetings with NRA representatives that it should be allowed to retain the ability to prohibit certain types of hunting for political, not biological, reasons. This, of course, is precisely what sportsmen must be protected against. Senator Miller understood this and fought for your rights. Please call Senator Miller`s office at (615) 741-3794 and thank him for his efforts on your behalf. Also, it is critical that you call your Senator and ask him/her to continue to support SJR 44 with the Miller Amendment that was adopted on Thursday.
TEXAS
This week, the Texas Senate gave final approval to HB 685, by Representative Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio), sending the bill to Governor Rick Perry (R). HB 685 exempts military personnel with recent handgun training from the range instruction portion of the Concealed Handgun License (CHL) course. Also this week, the Senate approved HB 225, by Representative Joe Driver (R-Garland) and Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville), but not before amending two other NRA-supported measures onto the bill; HB 318, the CHL confidentiality bill sponsored by Representative Suzanna Hupp and Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville), and HB 1066, by Representative Glenn Hegar (R-Katy) and Senator Todd Staples (R-Palestine), which allows residents from any other state to apply for a Texas CHL and expands the number of states that would be eligible for reciprocal agreements with Texas. HB 225, which now also contains the language of HB 318 and HB 1066, moves back to the House for concurrence with the Senate amendments.
