WISCONSIN PPA UPDATE:
FIGHT TO OVERRIDE VETO FAILS BY TWO VOTES
For the third time in four years, the law-abiding citizens of Wisconsin have been denied the same essential right to self-defense enjoyed by the citizens of 38 other states, including neighboring states Minnesota and Michigan. On Tuesday, January 31, the State Assembly, by a vote of 64-34, failed to override Governor Jim Doyle's (D) veto of Senate Bill 403, the "Personal Protection Act" (PPA). The vote was two short of the 66 required for an override.
Casting numerous votes in support of the PPA in the past, Representatives John Steinbrink (D-65) and Terry Van Akkeren (D-26) put partisan politics above your right to self-defense by voting to sustain the Governor's veto. It is regrettable these Representatives do not trust law-abiding citizens in Wisconsin to carry a firearm for personal protection.
The fight, however, is far from over. NRA and other proponents of the "Personal Protection Act" will not stop until violent criminals are forced to think twice before deciding to attack their victims. The momentum behind the PPA will continue to build until Wisconsin joins the vast majority of states by enacting Right-to-Carry.
You need to be a part of this continuing effort by actively supporting those legislators who supported your rights by voting for the PPA. Become a volunteer on their campaigns and let them know the reason for your involvement. Conversely, you must spread the word regarding those elected officials who do not trust law-abiding citizens with the right to self-defense or, perhaps worse, those who betray their long-held belief in defending "people's liberty."
Thank you to all of the members who were present for Tuesday's Assembly vote and to those who contacted their Legislators over the past few months. If your Legislators voted in favor of the override, please be sure to thank them for their support. If they voted against the override please be sure to let them know as a constituent, you will remember their vote at election time in November. To see how your Legislator voted please visit www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/votes/av0462.pdf. You can contact your State Representative and Senator at (800) 362-9472.
Also, please be sure to visit www.NRAILA.org to find contact information for your NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) so you may contact him to begin working on the campaign of those who support Right-to-Carry.
NATIONAL RIGHT-TO-CARRY BILL INTRODUCED
U.S. Representative Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) recently introduced H.R. 4547--a national Right-to-Carry (RTC) reciprocity bill that would provide national reciprocity for state carry licensees. The bill would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by a state to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if they meet certain criteria. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; it would simply require the states to recognize each others' carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses.
For more information on the bill, please visit www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?ID=189.
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge him or her to cosponsor and support H.R. 4547!
HOUSE GOP LEADERSHIP REMAINS SOLIDLY PRO-GUN
Yesterday, House Republicans met to elect some new leaders for the chamber. And not surprisingly, the elections maintained the House GOP leadership's pro-gun support.
Newly-elected House Majority Leader, Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), has long been a champion of the Second Amendment, consistently earning "A" ratings from NRA's Political Victory Fund. The other new member to the leadership team, Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), who won the contest for Republican Policy Committee Chairman, is also a stalwart defender of the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
NRA-ILA "MIX N' MINGLES"
How often do you get the opportunity to mix n' mingle with NRA-ILA Headquarters staff and fellow NRA members in your area, to earn FREE NRA items, and to assist with the efforts of candidates seeking office in your area? Well, in preparation for the 2006 elections, you will have the opportunity to do just that.
This election year, NRA-ILA will be hosting FREE NRA-ILA Mix N' Mingles across the country. These events will provide NRA members with training on what they can do locally to propel candidates to victory this election season. The meetings also provide attendees the opportunity to meet and socialize with lawmakers, candidates, their staffs, NRA-ILA Headquarters staff, and fellow area NRA members--and to earn FREE NRA fraternal items like hats, pocketknives, buttons, etc. Mix N' Mingles, including materials, food, beverages, and NRA items are FREE!
The first-ever Mix N' Mingle is scheduled for:
-San Antonio, TX--2/25/06
NRA members who have access to the Internet can go to www.nraila.org/workshops/ to reserve their seats on-line. To forward the Mix N' Mingle invitation to fellow NRA members, including a personal message from you, please go to www.nraila.org/ecard/?ID=1. NRA members are encouraged to check this website address frequently to see if any upcoming Mix N' Mingles are scheduled in their area. NRA members may also contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) for details and to reserve their seats.
CPAC 2006
NRA Members are invited to attend CPAC 2006--the 33rd Annual Conservative Political Action Conference--February 9-11, 2006. The conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., just a short trip 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 offer an agenda packed with political headliners including Vice President Dick Cheney, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton, Senators George Allen and Rick Santorum, Representative Mike Pence, syndicated columnist George Will, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, NRA President Sandra S. Froman, and many others as they discuss important issues of the day. 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.
D.C. PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT--A TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY
As we continue to note, one of NRA-ILA's top legislative priorities in Congress continues to be the passage of S. 1082 and H.R. 1288--the Senate and House versions of the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act." This legislation seeks to restore the constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights of the residents of the District of Columbia.
The need for this corrective legislation is obvious. Since 1977, the District has banned the possession of all handguns not acquired and registered before that year. D.C. law also prohibits keeping an assembled rifle or shotgun in the home, effectively outlawing the use of firearms for lawful self-defense. And despite these Draconian gun control laws, Washington, D.C., consistently has one of the highest homicide rates in the nation.
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask them to cosponsor and support S. 1082 and H.R. 1288.
For a list of Senate cosponsors, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01082:@@@P.
For a list of House cosponsors, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR01288:@@@P.
You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, or your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.
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.****)
ALABAMA
Next week, the Alabama state Senate will be considering a bill of great importance to gun owners. SB 283, the "Castle Doctrine" sponsored by Senator Larry Means (D-10), removes the "duty to retreat" when a citizen is faced with attack in a place that he or she has a right to be. SB 283 would ensure that an individual whose home was being broken into had no duty to retreat before using necessary force. Please call your Senator and respectfully urge him or her to support SB 283 when it comes before the Senate next week for a vote! You can reach you Senator at (334) 242-7800. Please be sure to make this important call today!
GEORGIA
The Georgia House of Representatives will be considering HB 998 ("Georgia's Self Defense Act"), sponsored by Representative Tom Graves (R-12), as early as next week. This bill would protect the rights of all Georgians who carry firearms in their vehicles for protection and other lawful purposes, thereby stopping businesses from controlling what private property you have in your personal vehicle. HB 998 passed out of the House Public Safety Committee this week. Please be sure to call your Representative today at 404-656-0305 and voice your support of HB 998. Let your voice be heard on this critical piece of legislation!
HAWAII
A coalition of law enforcement groups has proposed the language written in SB 2579--a ban on the sale and possession of .50 caliber rifles and ammunition. As you know, these rifles are used for sporting purposes, but have been demonized in the press and by anti-gun groups looking for the next gun control scheme. SB 2579 is an outright ban that, if signed, will take effect immediately. Owners of the affected firearms would have to remove the firearm from the state, surrender it to law enforcement, or have it destroyed. It is vital that NRA members and friends in the pro-gun community call their state legislators at (808) 587-0666 and ask them to oppose this proposed gun ban.
ILLINOIS
The legislative session is heating up, and there are some firearm-related bills of which the pro-gun community needs to be aware. The first, HB 2414, introduced by Representative Edward Acevedo (D-2), is the bill on which we have previously reported that seeks to ban certain semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, as well as .50 caliber rifles. Anti-gun extremists, led by Governor Blagojevich (D) and Chicago Mayor Daley (D), continue to pressure lawmakers to support this attack on the Second Amendment, as well as look for ways to "water down" the bill to make it more palatable to wavering legislators. Another anti-gun bill, HB 4694, introduced by Representative Deborah Graham (D-78), is a mandatory storage bill that would require law-abiding gun owners to store firearms in a manner that would leave them useless for personal protection, or face criminal charges. One provision of this legislation goes so far as to state that firearms be "unloaded and disassembled and placed in a securely locked box or container." Finally, HB 4693, introduced by Representative Deborah Graham (D-78), would create an unnecessary bureaucratic redundancy by requiring all federally licensed firearm dealers that sell handguns to also be licensed by the State of Illinois. Furthermore, this legislation could allow reckless lawsuits to be filed against dealers licensed to sell handguns, in spite of the NRA-backed federal law enacted last year that specifically prohibits such frivolous suits designed to drive dealers out of existence not by winning the cases, but by saddling the dealers with huge legal fees as they defend their lawful businesses. Please continue to contact your legislators and urge them to oppose HB 2414, and also urge them to oppose HB 4694 and HB 4693. As for pro-gun legislation, HB 4529, introduced by Representative John Bradley (D-117), would allow FOID card applicants to sue the Illinois Department of State Police if that agency fails to act on applications within the 30-day time period mandated by law. This legislation was introduced in response to recent reports that FOID card applications and renewals were taking as long as 50 days to be processed. Please contact your legislators and urge them to support HB 4529. State Senators can be reached at (217) 782-5715 and State Representatives can be reached at (217) 782-8223.
INDIANA
The Indiana House passed two critically important pro-gun measures this week: HB 1028, sponsored by Rep. Eric Koch (R-65), prohibits employers from enforcing policies that ban employees from lawfully possessing firearms in locked vehicles on employers' property and also codifies in state code that there is no duty to retreat from an attacker, further enhancing your right to self-defense. HB 1028 was passed with overwhelmingly bi-partisan support by a vote of 82-18. Also this week, HB 1176, sponsored by Rep. Troy Woodruff (R-64), passed by a vote of 78-21. HB 1176 allows for Right-to-Carry permits to be renewed online, as well as to allow for carry permit applicants to apply for a "lifetime" carry permit, should he or she choose to do so. If passed by the Indiana Senate, HB 1176 would provide law-abiding, qualified, Hoosiers the option of obtaining either a permit valid for four years, or a permit valid for the lifetime of the licensee. We are grateful to Rep. Koch and Rep. Woodruff for their leadership on these bills, and to all the House Members who voted in support of these pro-gun advances. Please be sure to call your Senator and urge him or her to support HB 1028 and HB 1176! You can reach your Senator at (317) 232-9400.
KANSAS
Help make Right-to-Carry a reality in Kansas! Senate Bill 418, "The Personal and Family Protection Act," will be voted on by the Senate Federal & State Affairs Committee on Tuesday, February 7, at 10:30 a.m. Please start contacting your Senator at (785) 296-2456 and ask him or her to support passage of this important legislation without amendments. House Bill 2577, the "Stand and Defend Act" will be voted on by the House Federal & State Affairs Committee on Thursday, February 9, at 1:30 p.m. This important legislation allows a person to use justifiable force when the fear of bodily harm is present. Please start contacting your Representative at (785) 296-1153 and ask him or her to support your right to protect yourself and your loved ones!
KENTUCKY
Sponsored by Representative Carolyn Belcher (D-72) HB 290, the "Gun Owner Protection Act," will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 8. This critical legislation ensures the names of concealed firearm license holders are not released to the public. It prohibits employers from enacting or enforcing policies that keep employees from storing lawfully-owned firearms in their vehicles while at work. HB 290 also prohibits government officials from regulating lawful firearms ownership during a state of emergency. An amendment will be proposed allowing concealed firearm license holders to use their license to satisfy the NICS requirement when purchasing firearms from a licensed dealer. HB 236 will also be heard in the House Judiciary Committee. Sponsored by Representative J.R. Gray (D-6), this bill enacts the "Castle Doctrine" in Kentucky. Please call your State Representative and ask him or her to support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms by voting for HB 290 and HB 236. Sponsored by Senator Katie Kratz Stine (R-24) SB 12, the "School Posting Bill," will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, February 9. This bill prohibits the prosecution of gun owners who unknowingly wander onto property owned by a public or private school if it is not properly posted pursuant to current law. Current law requires the posting of school property. However, if a school ignores this legal requirement, gun owners may still be prosecuted for a felony offense when possessing a firearm on the property. This is unacceptable and must be rectified. Please contact your State Senator and ask him or her to support SB 12 in order to protect gun owners from being convicted for a felony offense. All members of the Kentucky General Assembly can be reached at (502) 564-8100.
MISSOURI
On Monday, February 6, the Senate Judiciary & Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence Committee will hear SB 571, sponsored by Sen. John Cauthorn (R-18). SB 571 provides that Missourians do not have a duty to retreat, and may use whatever force necessary to defend themselves, their family, and their property from an attacker. Monday's committee hearing begins at 7:00 p.m., so please be sure to contact the following committee members and urge them to protect your right to self-defense by supporting SB 571: Sen. Matt Bartle (R-8) (Chairman), (573) 751-1464; Sen. Rob Mayer (R-25) (Vice-Chair), (573) 751-3859; Sen. Bill Alter (R-22) (573) 751-1492; Sen. Jason Crowell (R-27) (573) 751-2459; Sen. Jack Goodman (R-29) (573) 751-2234; Sen. Chris Koster (R-31) (573) 751-1430; and Sen. Victor Callahan (D-11) (573) 751-3074. In addition, special elections will be held for two open State House seats on Tuesday, February 7. NRA Members who reside in State House District 93 or State House District 105, should call NRA-ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) for more information.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
A public hearing will be held on HB 1354, "Castle Doctrine" legislation, in the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, February 7, at 10:00 a.m., in Room 204 of the Legislative Office Building. Sponsored by Representative Howard C. Dickinson (R-Carroll 01), HB 1354 simply says if a criminal breaks into your home, your occupied vehicle, or your place of business, you may presume he is there to do bodily harm, and therefore, you may use necessary force against him. The bill removes the "duty to retreat" if you are attacked in any place you have a legal right to be and it provides protection from criminal prosecution and civil litigation for those who defend themselves from criminal attack. Please attend Tuesday's hearing in support of HB 1354. If you are unable to attend, please call your State Representative at (603) 271-2111 and ask him or her to support HB 1354.
NEW MEXICO
During the 30-day budget session of the New Mexico Legislature, NRA-ILA and the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association have been working to secure money for improvements to Shooting Range State Park in Albuquerque, which will host the NRA National Police Shooting Championships starting in September of 2006. Because this is a public-use facility, the shooting sports community will benefit from any improvements to it for years to come. Please call or e-mail the following members of the Albuquerque delegation to thank them for requesting money specifically dedicated for this project: Senator Joe Carraro (R-23) (505) 986-4387, [email protected]; Senator Shannon Robinson (D-17) (505) 986-4856, [email protected]; Senator Kent Cravens (R-21) (505) 986-4391, [email protected]; Senator John Ryan (R-10) (505) 986-4373, [email protected]; Senator James Taylor (D-14) (505) 986-4862, [email protected]; Senator Bill Payne (R-20) (505) 986-4276, [email protected]; Representative Tom Anderson (R-29) (505) 986-4452, [email protected]; Representative Justine Fox-Young (R-30) (505) 986-4226, [email protected]; Representative Jimmie Hall (R-28) (505) 986-4215, [email protected]; Representative Larry Larranaga (R-27) (505) 986) 4215), Representative Kathy McCoy (R-22) (505) 986-4214, [email protected]; Representative Al Park (D-26) (505) 986-4234; Representative Bill Rehm (R-31) (505) 986-4453, [email protected]; and Representative Eric Youngberg (R-23) (505) 986-4226, [email protected]. Please also call Governor Bill Richardson's (D) office to thank him for his strong financial support for this project. The Governor can be reached at 505-476-2200.
NEW YORK
Flanked by anti-gun Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-64) held yet another press conference this week calling for Senate action on his gun control package. As Silver seems to be keeping the pressure on, it is critical that your State Senator hear from you! Senators can be reached at (518) 455-2800. A listing and descriptions of the bills included in the Assembly's package can be found on our website at www.nraila.org/CurrentLegislation.
SOUTH DAKOTA
House Bill 1134 ("A Citizens Right to Self-Defense"), modeled after Florida's "Castle Doctrine," successfully passed the House and is expected to be voted on this coming week by the Senate Judiciary committee. HB 1134 removes the "duty to retreat" if you are attacked in a place you have a legal right to be. Please call your Senator at (605) 773-3851 and ask him or her to support HB 1134. Remind them that you are a constituent and you rely on him or her to have your voice heard.
TEXAS
On Tuesday, February 14, an important run-off election will be held for the open seat in State House District 48. Early voting will take place February 6-10, at the following locations: Travis County Airport Boulevard Offices; Randall's @ Research; Randall's @ Westlake Hills; Northwest Rural Community Center; Howson Branch Public Library. Please call NRA-ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-VOTE (8683) for more information or visit www.traviscountyelections.org.
VIRGINIA
On Friday, February 3, the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee passed two important pro-Second Amendment bills: HB 162, sponsored by Delegate Scott Lingamfelter (R-31), which prevents law-abiding citizens from being subjected to an employer's policy prohibiting lawfully-possessed firearms in a locked vehicle on the employer's property; and HB 1265, sponsored by Delegate Bill Janis (R-56), that prevents any government authority from suspending or restricting your Right to Keep and Bear Arms during a declared state of emergency. Both of these bills will be heading to the House floor next week, so it is critical that you contact your Delegate and strongly encourage him or her to support these measures on the House floor! Additionally, on Thursday, February 2, a House Militia, Police, and Public Safety Subcommittee passed a number of pro-gun measures that could be heard by the full Committee as early as next Friday. Please contact your Delegate and urge him or her to support all of the following bills: HB 704 (Del. Clarke Hogan (R-60)), prevents counties from enacting any regulation regarding hunting or the discharge of firearms; HB 1577 (Del. Ben Cline (R-24)), allows any person designated by the issuing judge to sign a concealed handgun permit; HB 1578 (Del. Ben Cline (R-24)), clarifies language regarding "personal knowledge" and limits the disqualification relating to the likelihood of using a weapon unlawfully or negligently; HB 1401 (Del. Charles Carrico (R-5)), removes the option for a locality to require that an applicant for a concealed handgun permit submit fingerprints as part of the application; HB 167 (Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-31)), eliminates the need for Virginia residents to renew a concealed handgun permit (lifetime permit); HB 769 (Del. Mark Sickles (D-43)), requires the Virginia Attorney General to provide a website link to the Virginia State Supreme Court opinions regarding deadly and lethal force, and that notification of such information be contained on the application for a concealed handgun permit. Also, on Thursday, the same subcommittee tabled (HB 1495), a bill by Delegate Kristen Amundson (D-44) that would have extended the prohibition against carrying firearms at schools to school board meetings, regardless of whether the meeting is held on school property. Special thanks to subcommittee Chairman Del. Tommy Wright (R-61) and committee members Del. Morgan Griffith (R-8), Del. Scott Lingamfelter (R-31), and Del. Dave Nutter (R-7) for their support and efforts on these bills. Finally, two more pro-gun bills will be heard in House committees next week: HB 1531, sponsored by Del. Ward Armstrong (D-10), would prohibit medical professionals from asking patients whether or not they own firearms; and HB 879, sponsored by Del. Tom Gear (R-91), would provide protection from civil and criminal action taken against an individual who is acting in defense of themselves, their family, or their property. Please be sure to contact your Delegate and urge him or her to support all of the above-referenced bills. You can reach your Delegate at (804) 698-1500.
WASHINGTON
SB 5343, a bill that would have prohibited non-licensed individuals from buying, selling, or trading firearms from their private collections at gun shows without conducting the exchange through a licensed firearm dealer in Washington, was defeated Wednesday, February 1. The Senate Judiciary Committee cast 5 of their 8 votes in opposition to this restrictive legislation. Please call the committee members who voted "No", to thank them for holding firm against this terrible legislation (especially Senator Luke Esser (R-48) and Senator Marilyn Rasmussen (D-2)) at (800) 562-6000. Those who voted "no" include: Senator Stephen Johnson, Ranking Minority Member (R-47); Senator Mike Carrell (R-28); Senator Luke Esser (R-48); Senator Bob McCaslin (R-4); and Senator Marilyn Rasmussen (D-2). Those who voted "yes" include: Senator Adam Kline, Chair (D-37); Senator Brian Weinstein, Vice Chair (D-41); and Senator Pat Thibaudeau (D-43). Senator James Hargrove (D-24) was absent. Thank you for your phone calls to legislators in opposition of SB 5343.
WYOMING
In an effort to stop the NRA's "no duty to retreat" measure, the Brady Campaign has declared Wyoming a battleground state in which to deny law-abiding citizens their right to self-defense. House Bill 46, as introduced by Representatives Steve Watt (R-17) and Mick Powers (R-18), would remove the "duty to retreat" if you are attacked in any place you have a right to be. You may stand your ground and fight back, meeting force with force, including deadly force. The Legislature is set to convene on February 13, and, due to the Budget Session, will only meet for 20 days. Due to the short legislative session, it is vital that NRA members contact their legislators and ask for their support of HB 46 immediately. Remember, the Brady Campaign has already started with their misinformation and smear tactics! State Senators can be reached by calling (307) 777-7711. State Representatives can be reached at (307) 777-7852. You can also e-mail your legislator on the state's website at http://legisweb.state.wy.us. To reach State Senate Members, please visit http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2005/members/sen.htm. For State House Members, please visit http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2005/members/rep.htm.
