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Grassroots Alert: Vol. 12, No. 46 11/18/2005

[Editor's Note:  Due to technical difficulties, some subscribers may not have received last Friday's Grassroots Alert.  For that reason, we are repeating some of last week's information in this week's edition.]  

NRA FILES LAWSUIT CHALLENGING SAN FRANCISCO GUN BAN

Even with opposition from San Francisco law enforcement and major media outlets, Proposition H--a measure banning the lawful possession of handguns, and the manufacture and transfer of all firearms and ammunition within San Francisco city limits--passed November 8.  NRA immediately filed a lawsuit challenging the ban.

Said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, "This fight is just beginning.  Lawful residents of San Francisco are being stripped of their freedom because of an illegal measure that defies common sense.  We will fight this outrageous assault on the rights of law-abiding San Franciscans, and I believe that we will prevail."

In response to the passage of this proposition, NRA is leading a coalition of organizations in a lawsuit against this illegal ban in San Francisco.  In addition to violating federal guarantees, Proposition H also violates various California state laws and is therefore preempted.

As noted by NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox, "This is a hollow victory for the gun control lobby.  This scheme is in clear violation of California law.  We will fight this to the highest courts in the country."

ELECTION WRAP-UP

Voters in several states went to the polls on November 8.  Here's a summary of some of those contests:

VIRGINIA:  While NRA-PVF's endorsed gubernatorial candidate, Jerry Kilgore (R), was defeated, our endorsed candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Bill Bolling (R), won his race.  The race for Attorney General is still too close to call and may
require a recount after the state Board of Elections certifies results on November 28.  Races for the House of Delegates proved fruitful grounds for Virginia gun owners, as more than 90% of PVF-endorsed candidates won their elections.  This ensures that the Virginia General Assembly will remain in solidly pro-gun hands.

OHIO:  Two ballot issues opposed by NRA were soundly defeated.  "Issue 3" would have given anti-gun billionaires like George Soros the ability to spend their personal fortunes to elect anti-gun candidates in Ohio, while at the same time severely limiting the rights of individual citizens to contribute to the political process.  "Issue 4" would have allowed unelected bureaucrats to redraw legislative and congressional districts, threatening our bi-partisan pro-gun majorities in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, D.C. These unelected bureaucrats would not be required to meet any minimum level of qualification. And once appointed, they would have an unlimited budget of your tax dollars, and no accountability to you the voters.

NEW JERSEY:  Of those candidates endorsed by NRA's Political Victory Fund, more than 60% were elected to office.

FIREARMS LAW & SECOND AMENDMENT SYMPOSIUM
NOW AVAILABLE ON-LINE

To fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence, the authors of the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights made it clear that individual rights were paramount.  The Bill of Rights, wrote James Madison, was "calculated to secure the personal rights of the people."

Yet when the U.S. Department of Justice issued its exhaustive 2004 memorandum on the Second Amendment, concluding without reservation that "the Second Amendment secures a personal right of individuals," the national media was apoplectic.  So politicized had this right become that it had been clearly set apart and segregated as different from other rights guaranteed to the "people" as in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 14th amendments.

To examine the Second Amendment in a scholarly and in-depth forum, prestigious constitutional scholars recently convened to explore issues past and present, pro and con, covering this controversial topic.

This first ever "Firearms Law & the Second Amendment Symposium" was hosted by Law Students for the Second Amendment, at George Mason University School of Law along with The NRA Foundation and the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund.  The symposium was filmed in its entirety and is now available for you to view on-line.  To see this ground-breaking and informative symposium, please visit www.nraila.org/ActionCenter/GrassRootsActivism.aspx?ID=29.

Please share this link with friends, family, and other Second Amendment supporters.

HELP NRA-ILA FIGHT FOR FREEDOM IN THE COURTS!

With NRA engaged in various legal battles to protect our Second Amendment rights across the country (please see accompanying story on NRA's lawsuit to challenge the recently passed San Francisco gun ban), we are asking NRA members to contribute to NRA-ILA as we fight for freedom in the courts.  Please encourage your friends, family, and other Second Amendment supporters to stand with NRA-ILA by making a financial contribution to help us fight for freedom in the U.S. courts.  You may contribute by mail (please make checks payable to NRA-ILA, and send to:  NRA-ILA, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030); by telephone at (800) -392-8683; or via our website at:  https://secure.nraila.org/Contribute.aspx

Thank you for your continued support in our efforts to further the cause of freedom.

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.****)

DELAWARE
Mark your calendar for the "Concealed Carry Conference and Second Amendment Rally" to be held January 8, 2006!  The Conference, held in conjunction with the Delaware State Sportsmen's Association Annual Meeting of Members, will feature special guest speaker NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox, as well as NRA President Sandra Froman, NRA 1st Vice President John Sigler, and NRA 2nd Vice President Ron Schmeits. The conference will be held at Modern Maturity Center, 1121 Forest Ave. (Rt. 8), in Dover.  Doors open at 1:00 p.m., and the meeting begins at 2:00 p.m. This event is open to everyone interested in preserving and defending the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  See you there! 

LOUISIANA
The Legislature is currently meeting in its 1st Extraordinary Legislative Session since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to deal primarily with critical financial matters affecting the state.  This week, they passed HCR 39 by Representative Steve Scalise (R-Metairie), a resolution urging Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) to include legislation amending the state's emergency powers law in the items to be considered during a broader Extraordinary Session expected in January.  As you'll recall, law enforcement officials working for, or under the direction of, the City of New Orleans and St. Tammany Parish abused their authority under this law and confiscated legally-owned firearms from law-abiding citizens trying to protect themselves, their homes, and their families after Katrina hit.  NRA sought, and was granted, a temporary restraining order in federal court stopping this practice and requiring officials to return the guns to their rightful owners.  We'll keep you posted!

MINNESOTA
On Tuesday, November 22, special elections will be held in State Senate Districts 19 and 43.  Please call NRA-ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-8683 for more information on these elections.  

NEVADA
The "Nevada Sheriff's and Chief''s Association" announced last week that they unanimously voted to ask the Department of Public Safety to request that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) grant an extension exempting  CCW holders from federally required background checks and a $25 transaction fee when purchasing new firearms.  As we have reported recently, BATFE conducted an audit and found that a handful of Nevada's sheriffs were not in compliance with their permit issuance policies to allow for the background check waiver.  It was announced several weeks ago that the Chiefs and Sheriffs were NOT going to request the extension to the detriment of Nevada's permit holders.  However, thanks to the phone calls and e-mails sent by NRA members,  the chief law enforcement officers put it before their members for a vote with a more positive outcome.  The extension, which will run through April, will allow those sheriffs found not in compliance the time to address BATFE's concerns. 

NEW MEXICO
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has finalized its rules for implementing HB 641, the NRA-backed Right-to-Carry reform bill sponsored by Representative John Heaton (D-Carlsbad) and Senator Shannon Robinson (D-ABQ) and signed into law by Governor Bill Richardson (D) earlier this year.  Last week, DPS announced that, effective November 30, the new rules will take effect and New Mexico will grant reciprocity to the following 20 states:  Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.  For a copy of the rules, please go to www.dps.nm.org/

WISCONSIN
The Senate Judiciary Committee and House Criminal Justice Committee passed the "Personal Protection Act" (SB 403/AB 763) last week without adopting any detrimental amendments proposed by opponents.  This critical legislation making Wisconsin the 39th Right-to-Carry state is now one significant step closer to final passage in both houses.  If you have not already done so, please be sure to call your State Representative and Senator at (800) 362-9472, and ask them to support the Personal Protection Act.  Every vote is critical!  The State Senate passed AB 56, "Reckless Lawsuit Preemption," by a vote of 23-8.  This common sense legislation is now on its way to the Governor for his consideration.  In addition to ensuring that gun manufacturers, distributors, and retailers may not be sued for the acts of criminals or reckless individuals, over which they have no control, the legislation protects organizations that legally raffle firearms.  This will protect Friends of NRA, National Wild Turkey Federation, Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association and others from being the target of a reckless lawsuit if a legally raffled firearm is later used in a crime.  Please call the Governor's Office at (608) 266-1212 and ask that he sign AB 56 into law.

[Editors Notes:  Effective January 1, 2006, the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert will be transmitted solely via e-mail.  Those of you who currently receive the Friday Alert via fax, and wish to continue to receive it, will need to sign up to receive NRA-ILA's e-mail alerts.  You may sign up for e-mail by visiting www.NRAILA.org and choosing "Sign-up for E-mail" or you may call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.  This change is part of our ongoing transition to e-mail as our primary communication tool, recognizing the vast number of NRA members with e-mail access, and the additional flexibility e-mail affords recipients in easily forwarding the information to others. The NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert will still be posted at www.NRAILA.org.  Thank you for your cooperation with, and attention to, this change.--NRA-ILA Also, in anticipation of the Thanksgiving Holiday, next week's Grassroots Alert will be transmitted on Wednesday, November 23.]

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.