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Grassroots Alert: Vol. 12, No. 21 5/27/2005

H.R. 800 PASSES OUT OF HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

On Wednesday, May 25, the House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 800 (the House version of the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,") by a vote of 22-12 and ALL proposed anti-gun amendments were defeated!  
 
Commenting on the legislation, the bill`s cosponsor, Representative Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.),  reiterated one of the core tenets of this common sense bill:  "This measure provides protection only against lawsuits based on the criminal or unlawful acts of third parties--not against their own negligent or criminal conduct.  Under this measure, manufacturers or sellers must operate entirely within federal and state law and are still liable for acts of negligence and for defective products."
 
And Representative Rick Boucher (D-Va.), the Democratic cosponsor, voiced the opinion that there is no reason to allow the lawsuits to continue.  "The effort of cities to sue gun manufacturers because someone misuses a firearm is nothing but an attempt to impose gun control by judicial means."
 
H.R. 800 enjoys strong bipartisan support and currently has 255 cosponsors.  The legislation will now move to the House floor for a vote.  We will keep you posted as the vote is scheduled.
 
To help keep this momentum going, it is imperative that you continue to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators and urge them to support and cosponsor H.R. 800 and its Senate counterpart, S. 397--without any anti-gun amendments.
 
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).

MINNESOTA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL RESTORING RIGHT-TO-CARRY

Last week, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a bill re-enacting the "Personal Protection Act" that was struck down by the courts last month.  The bill then went to pro-Second Amendment Governor Tim Pawlenty (R), who this week, signed the measure into law.
 
In doing so, Governor Pawlenty has restored the right of law abiding residents of the Gopher State to carry concealed firearms. The new law, which restores an identical 2003 measure that was struck down by the courts, takes effect immediately.
 
"We signed it before, we signed it again," said Pawlenty`s spokesman, Brian McClung.   Prior to the 2003 law, sheriffs and police chiefs had discretion to grant or deny carry permits to any applicant within their jurisdiction.
 
NRA members can be proud of their grassroots efforts.  Thanks to your phone calls, e-mails, and letters, the new law passed overwhelmingly in the House (86-47) and Senate (44-21). 
 
Please contact the bill`s sponsor Senator Pat Pariseau (R-36), Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum (R-28B), and, of course, Governor Pawlenty, and thank them for their hard work and support of this important measure. 

CELEBRATING MEMORIAL DAY

This weekend, our country will celebrate Memorial Day.  We`ll cookout, relax, and visit with friends and family.  But this holiday weekend is about more than barbeques, swimming pools, and family get-togethers.  As we celebrate the Memorial Day Weekend, let us keep in mind what we are "celebrating"--those who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that Americans, and people around the world, would be able to reap the benefits of freedom.  Sadly, too many in our own country seem to have forgotten, or neglect, the one freedom that we as Americans enjoy that protects all our other freedoms--the Second Amendment.  Those who fought and died on the battlefield did so to protect our country, our way of life, and our freedom.  It is now our calling, and our responsibility, to pick up that mantle and ensure that future generations never fail to realize how blessed we are to live in a country like the United States, a country whose Constitution guarantees its citizens` freedom, including the right to lawfully own firearms.

This weekend, think about our great country and the freedom we enjoy.  Think about our men and women in uniform, and the sacrifices they are making for all of us.  Remember those who paid the ultimate price in defense of that freedom.  As we celebrate their countless contributions and selfless sacrifice, let us pledge to one another that we will continue to carry that torch of freedom in defense of the Second Amendment.

SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR 2004 NRA-ILA VOLUNTEER AWARDS

The "NRA-ILA Jay M. Littlefield Memorial 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. 
 
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. 
 
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].  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 any time.  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.  This legislation could essentially ban all semi-automatic pistols commonly used by California gun owners.  Please continue to contact members of the Assembly through Friday, June 3, 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).  As expected, anti-gun legislation, Senate Bill 357, passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday, May 26.  Next it will be considered in the full Senate.   This bill 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.  Please contact members of the Senate and ask them to oppose SB 357.  Senators can be reached at (916) 651-40 (plus your 2-digit district number for the last two numbers).  The deadline for voting on both AB 352 and SB 357 is Friday, June 3.  Assembly Bill 996 moved to the Senate on Monday, May 23.  AB 996 would require all retailers to display and sell ammunition in a manner that is only accessible by an employee, not the purchaser.  Any violation of this measure would result in a misdemeanor.  This bill has been voted down twice during the 2005 Legislative Session because existing law already makes it a crime to sell ammunition to a minor or ammunition designed for a handgun to anyone less than 21 years of age.  A hearing has yet to be scheduled on this measure. 

CONNECTICUT
Proponents of the now dead HB 6657 prevailed in getting the "Gun Traffickers Protection Act" language amended to SB 1195 in the Senate on a vote of 24 to 11.  While the anti-gunners claim the measure, which would make the failure to report a lost or stolen firearm within 72 hours a crime, would help law enforcement, it will do just the opposite. It will actually make life easier for criminals by allowing them to cover up a "straw purchase" by filing a false police report.  The only people who have anything to lose are law-abiding citizens, who could face prosecution if they fail to make the report because they did not know of the loss or theft and are not able to prove it.  This is not about public safety, it`s about the anti-gun crowd`s need to score another victory at the expense of gun owners.  Please call your state representatives TODAY and urge him/her to oppose SB 1195, the "Gun Traffickers Protection Act." 

ILLINOIS
Anti-gun extremists continue their assault on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Springfield!  This week saw the House take up an amendment to HB 2414, which seeks to ban certain semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, as well as .50 cal. rifles, and the amendment narrowly failed.  This was a victory for the pro-gun community, and a clear sign that your calls in opposition to banning firearms from the law-abiding citizens of Illinois are working.  In addition, the Senate sent to Governor Blagojevich (D) SB 57, the gun show bill that requires the destruction of the database on lawful firearm purchases maintained by the Illinois State Police.  Governor Blagojevich has threatened to use his amendatory veto power to strip the database destruction language from the bill and send it back to the General Assembly.  Meanwhile, to support Governor Blagojevich, the editorial pages of the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times have launched a full-scale assault on SB 57, NRA, law-abiding gun owners, and their supporters in the General Assembly.  It is imperative that the pro-gun community redouble its efforts to counter this coordinated assault by the gun-banners in the legislature and the Governor`s Mansion, and their collaborators in the media.  Be sure to contact your State Representative and ask him/her to oppose HB 2414, the semi-auto and .50 cal. rifle ban, as well as HB 1098, which also seeks to ban .50 cal. rifles.  Also ask your Representative to oppose SB 1333, a bill that goes after gun shows, should it be brought up for consideration.  You can call your  Representative at (217) 782-2000 (your District number is required).  It is important to remind lawmakers that they represent you, and not the anti-gun extremists on the editorial boards of Chicago`s major media outlets that are spearheading this anti-Second Amendment campaign.  Finally, please take the time to write a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times, stating your opposition to the anti-gun crusade of these newspapers.  For contact information for the Tribune and Sun-Times, as well as tips on writing effective Letters to the Editor, please click on the "Write the Media" link at www.NRAILA.org

NEW YORK
As anticipated, several anti-gun bills were approved by the Assembly this week.  They include 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 that does not contain a "child proofing" or integrated safety device,  A 4471, which would ban the sale, use and possession of .50 caliber firearms, and A 2345, which would impose new restrictions on firearm dealers, and A 2466, an expansion of the state`s ban on so-called assault weapons. These measures now move to the Senate.  Please contact your State Senator TODAY and urge him/her to oppose A 673, A 2302, A 4471/S 2590, A 2345, and A 2466!  You can reach your Senator by calling (518) 455-2800. 

OKLAHOMA
HB 1243 has passed the House and is now waiting to be brought to the Senate floor. HB 1243 provides employers and employees legal protection if a gun is taken from an employee`s vehicle and used to commit a crime.  NRA-ILA would like to give a special thanks to Representative Greg Piatt (R-48) for his dedication and persistence on HB1243.  We would also like to thank Speaker Todd Hiett (R-29) for bringing the bill to the floor for its final vote in the House. 

SOUTH CAROLINA
The South Carolina House of Representatives did not concur with the Senate version of H 3110, leaving the fate of the bill in the hands of a conference committee.  H 3110, as originally introduced, would have established a true reciprocity system for South Carolina Right-to-Carry permits.  Unfortunately, the version that the Senate passed was amended to make the reciprocity standards even more restrictive than they are currently.  In fact, if the Senate`s version of H 3110 were to become law, permits issued by several other states that South Carolina currently recognizes may no longer meet the new reciprocity standards, and could be dropped from the reciprocity list.  NRA will continue to work with the South Carolina General Assembly to ensure the passage of a clean Right-to-Carry reciprocity bill. 

TEXAS
This week, the Senate approved HB 823 by Representative Terry Keel (R-Austin) and Senator Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen), an NRA-backed bill which takes important steps toward clarifying that law-abiding Texans can carry a handgun for protection in their vehicles without a Concealed Handgun License (CHL).  The bill now goes back to the House for concurrence with Senate amendments.  Also this week, the House voted to concur with Senate amendments to two more NRA-backed bills, sending them both to Governor Rick Perry (R) for his signature. HB 322 by Representative Suzanna Hupp (R-Lampasas) and Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls), which lowers CHL fees and the minimum age requirement for a CHL from 21 to 18 for active-duty military personnel, and HB 1038 by Representative Carl Isett (R-Lubbock) and Senator Kim Brimer (R-Fort Worth), which reduces CHL renewal fees for senior citizens by 50% (down to $35 for anyone 60 years or older).  Lastly, Governor Rick Perry (R) signed HB 685 by Representative Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio), which exempts military personnel with recent handgun training from the range instruction portion of the CHL course.  Note: The Legislature will be in session over Memorial Day weekend for final work on concurrence and conference report votes, and will adjourn sine die on May 30.  Several other NRA-supported measures were expected to be given final consideration during this time.  We`ll report back to you with a full wrap-up in next week`s Grassroots Alert. 

VERMONT
The Vermont Senate has adopted a resolution for a "Hunter Appreciation Day!"  The House of Representatives is expected to concur any day.  According to this new resolution, "Hunter Appreciation Day" will be celebrated by all Vermont citizens on Friday, September 23, 2005. Currently, plans are being made to have a ceremony at the State Capitol to commemorate this day with a USPS special cancellation followed by a legislative shooting event. 

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend,  and please remember those who have paid the ultimate price to protect our freedom!

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.