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Grassroots Alert: Vol. 13, No. 10 3/10/2006

States with updates this issue:  Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota.


CALIFORNIA JUDGE DISMISSES SUIT
THANKS TO “PROTECTION OF LAWFUL COMMERCE IN ARMS ACT”

On Monday, Federal District Court Judge Audrey B. Collins used the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act” as the basis for dismissal of a reckless “public-nuisance” lawsuit against firearm manufacturer Glock and distributor RSR.  In doing so, Judge Collins became the first judge in the country to use the new law to counter the anti-gun lobby’s shameless attempts to hold the lawful firearm industry responsible for the acts of criminals.

The suit sought to blame Glock and RSR for the horrendous criminal actions of deranged white supremacist Buford Furrow.  In 1999, Furrow shot and killed postal worker Joseph Ileto, and wounded three children at a Jewish Community Center in Grenada Hills, California, after illegally acquiring firearms.  What is not often reported is that, while a Glock pistol was used in Furrow’s heinous crime, the gun was originally sold to a police department, which subsequently sold it to a licensed dealer, who in turn sold it to a collector, who finally sold it to Furrow.  Glock is being targeted, but did nothing illegal, and RSR never owned, sold, or possessed the firearm.

“It is fitting that this case was the first ever dismissed based on the ‘Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act’ because the facts made this case the poster child for passage of common sense legal reform,” said Lawrence G. Keane, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. 


SAME OLD SILLINESS, DIFFERENT YEAR--
Brady Campaign’s Latest Annual “Grades” for State Gun Laws

Every year since 1997, the Brady Campaign, previously known as Handgun Control, Inc., has “graded” the states on their gun laws.  It released its 2005 grades on March 9, 2006.

Brady’s premise is simple.  It supports gun prohibition and laws that inch closer to gun prohibition, so it naturally believes there are not enough gun laws.  In the group’s press release announcing its new “grades,” its chair, Sarah Brady, says, “we have done almost nothing, at the state or Federal level, to make it harder for either a terrorist, garden variety armed robber, or young person to get their hands on a handgun.”  This is an incredible statement, given that the Brady Act, for which the group claims credit, requires a criminal background check on anyone who purchases a firearm from a firearm dealer, and given the fact that there are many other federal and state gun laws.

Brady’s approach to its “grades” is equally simple:  the fewer a state’s restrictions on guns, the lower the grade, and conversely, more state gun control laws equate to a higher grade.  This year, Brady gives 32 states an “F” or “D” (10 “Fs” and 22 “Ds”) and the average “grade” for the 50 states is a “D+”, about the same as in previous years.

However, there is no correlation between Brady’s grades and violent crime or firearm-related deaths.  For example, six of the 10 states Brady gives an “F”, and 13 of the 22 states Brady gives a “D”, have violent crime rates below the national rate.

There is also no correlation between Brady’s grades and trends in violent crime or gun-related deaths.  Since 1991, violent crime has declined every year, 39% overall, to a 30-year low (and murder has declined to a 39-year low), and since 1993 the firearm-related death rate has decreased 32% among the whole population and decreased 63% among children.  Yet, as noted, Brady’s grades are essentially unchanged from year to year, mostly “Fs” and Ds”.


PLAN TO ATTEND FREE  MILWAUKEE GRASSROOTS WORKSHOP!

The NRA-ILA Grassroots Division will host a FREE Grassroots Workshop in conjunction with NRA’s Annual Meetings in Milwaukee.  This Workshop has been a regular part of NRA’s Annual Meetings for a decade.  At this event, you will hear from NRA officers, staff, and your fellow NRA members on what you can do in your own community to ensure victory for the Second Amendment in this year’s elections.

We will also discuss how you can work with your local Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC). Your EVC is a local NRA member who is working with the various pro-gun campaigns in his area to provide critically-needed volunteer support for a variety of activities, including:  phone banks, precinct walks, literature drops, voter registration drives, Get Out The Vote & Election Day activities, etc. EVCs also promote NRA-ILA’s legislative agenda at the federal and state levels.

With the 2006 elections in full swing, it is critical that we start implementing our grassroots battle plan to ensure we are ready to meet these electoral challenges head on as Election Day 2006 approaches.  Rest assured, the anti-gunners are already re-doubling their efforts to ensure the defeat of pro-Second Amendment candidates in critical elections across the country, so we must ensure we are prepared to defeat their efforts at every turn. 
 
Workshop details are:

NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop-FREE!
Friday, May 19, 2006, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 Noon
(Registration & free continental breakfast-8:00 - 9:00 a.m.) 
Hilton Milwaukee City Center
Monarch Ballroom
509 W. Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203

To reserve your seat, or for more information, please call NRA-ILA at  (800) 392-VOTE (8683).  You may also register on-line at www.nraam.org/seminars/grassroots.asp.  We hope to see you in Milwaukee on Friday, May 19!


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN MILWAUKEE!

Once again NRA is seeking volunteers to help at the 2006 NRA Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, May 17-21.  To a large degree, the success of each year’s NRA Annual Meeting is dependent on the contributions of our volunteers.  And you can be a part of that successful effort this year!

A number of volunteers are needed to help with set-up on Wednesday and Thursday, May 17 and 18, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  During the actual exhibit and meetings--Friday through Sunday--volunteers will work in the NRA Store, at our Membership Services Booth, and at the Airgun Range.  There are a number of additional volunteer opportunities as well.

To volunteer or for more information, visit any of NRA’s web sites or the Annual Meeting site (www.nraam.org), or contact NRA Field Representative, Scott Taetsch, at (262) 392-2716, or Dennis Eggers, Central Region Director, at (270) 522-0909.  Their respective e-mail addresses are:  [email protected] and [email protected].


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 community, 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 and their staffs, NRA-ILA Headquarters staff, and fellow area NRA members—and to earn FREE NRA fraternal items such as hats, pocketknives, buttons, etc.  Mix N’ Mingles, including materials, food, beverages, and NRA items, are FREE!
Mix N’ Mingle events are scheduled for:

- Lorain, OH —04/08/06
- Eau Claire, WI--05/23/06
- Ashland, WI--05/24/06

NRA members who have access to the Internet can go to www.nraila.org/workshops/ to reserve their seats on-line.  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.


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.***)

States with updates this issue:  Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota.

CONNECTICUT
Unfortunately, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Environment Committee omitted important language when drafting Senate Bill 605.  SB 605 allows the Department of Environmental Protection to designate areas that would be open to Sunday hunting on private property. As drafted, the bill would regrettably apply only to bow hunters and would not include individuals who hunt with firearms.  NRA anticipated SB 605 would include rifles and shotguns.  Without an amendment, Sunday hunting in Connecticut will not be open to individuals who hunt with rifles and shotguns. SB 605 is scheduled to be heard on Friday, March 17.  Please call the Co-Chairmen of the Environment Committee, Senator Bill Finch (D-22), at (800) 842-1420, and Representative Richard Roy (D-119), at (800) 842-8267, and tell them you support expanding Sunday hunting opportunities beyond bow hunting only.  In addition, please plan on attending what promises to be one of the largest and most successful Friends of NRA events in the country, on March 24, 2006, in Southington.  Limited edition firearms, knives, art prints, and other collectibles will be offered for sale, at auction, or given away in special drawings.  50% of the net proceeds from the event will go to qualified projects in Connecticut, with the remaining 50% benefiting national programs.  The event will take place at the beautiful Aqua Turf Restaurant on Mulberry Street, in Southington.  It will start at 6:00 p.m., and will feature a delicious meal prepared by the Aqua Turf.  For tickets, directions, or more information, please call Chairman Ray Hanley at (203) 264-4899.

DELAWARE
The Delaware General Assembly reconvenes on Tuesday, March 14, after a six-week break for budget hearings.  One of the first pieces of legislation that will be considered is HB 359 (sponsored by Representative Deborah Hudson (R-12), a “shall issue” Right-to-Carry bill that gives law-abiding citizens the Right-to-Carry concealed firearms for personal protection.  Your lawmakers need to hear from you.  Please be sure to e-mail your legislators before Tuesday and ask them to support HB 359.  You can find your lawmaker’s e-mail address by visiting www.legis.state.de.us/Legislature.nsf?Open.  Please be sure to send an e-mail TODAY in support of HB 359!

ILLINOIS
Illinois will hold primary elections on Tuesday, March 21.  NRA members are encouraged to head to the polls and vote for those candidates who support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.  Please be sure to encourage your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to do the same.  You can vote early starting February 27, and ending March 16.  For a list of early voting locations in your area, please contact your county election official.  Please visit www.elections.state.il.us/VotingInformation/EarlyVotingLocations.aspx for county election official contact information.  For NRA-PVF endorsement information, NRA members are encouraged to call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).  Further information will be posted soon to the NRA-PVF website at www.NRAPVF.org.  Be sure to “Vote Freedom First!” on Tuesday, March 21!

KANSAS
On Monday morning, March 13, Senate Bill 418, “The Personal and Family Protection Act,” is scheduled for a vote in the Kansas House of Representatives!  This important legislation, sponsored by Senator Phil Journey (R-26), will bring Kansans a step closer to having their right to self-defense fully recognized.  We are asking if you will take 10 minutes out of your day to do the following: First, call your State Representative at (785) 296-2456 and ask him or her to support SB 418; Second, start contacting Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D) toll-free at (877) 579-6757, local (785) 296-6240, via e-mail at www.ksgovernor.org/comment.html, or fax (785) 368-8788, and respectfully ask her to sign SB 418 when it reaches her desk.  Spread the word to your friends, family members, fellow firearm owners, and co-workers, and ask them to help by contacting their State Representative and Governor Sebelius.  The time has come for Kansans to be trusted to protect themselves and their loved ones!

MISSISSIPPI
It is critical that you continue contacting your State Representatives and urge them to VOTE TO CONCUR with the Senate amendments to HB 1141.  HB 1141 is the most significant piece of legislation to protect gun owners and sportsmen in recent memory.  It contains language:  (1) allowing hunting to continue on minimum-sized land tracts which are annexed by a city or county (even if that locality bans the discharge of firearms); (2) prohibiting local officials from confiscating lawfully-possessed firearms during a natural disaster; and (3) permitting employees, under certain circumstances, to transport and store firearms in their locked, private vehicles while parked on property controlled by their employer.   Let your State Representatives know that a vote to send the bill to a “conference committee” to work out differences between the House and Senate versions is a vote to defeat the bill.  Please forward this alert to at least five other gun owners and sportsmen you know. For contact information for your State Representatives in Jackson, please visit www.mississippi.gov.

NEBRASKA
Legislative Bill 454, the “Concealed Handgun Permit Act,” sponsored by Representative Jeanne Combs (I-32), passed Select File by a vote of 31-9, with 33 votes for cloture. Unfortunately, LB 454 will not come up for final passage for a couple of weeks due to budget hearings.  Please continue contacting your State Senator and ask him or her to continue supporting LB 454 and to trust the law-abiding citizens of Nebraska!  Due to the overwhelming number of phone calls to the phone number normally listed as the contact number, the Nebraska Legislature has respectfully requested we ask our dedicated members to please call your specific State Senator.  If you know your State Senator’s name, please use the following link to find his or her phone number www.unicam.state.ne.us/senators/distlist.pdf.   If you need help identifying your State Senator is please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683), or visit www.NRAILA.org.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Senate Bill 318, sponsored by State Senator Peter E. Bragdon, (R-11, Milford), passed by a narrow margin this week in the Senate and is now headed to the House.  SB 318 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.  A special “thank you” to the members of the Gun Owners of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Firearm Coalition, and members of the National Rifle Association who made this happen.  Senate Bill 318 must now pass the House.  Please Contact your House Member at (603) 271-2548 and urge him or her to support this legislation.

OHIO
HB 347, introduced by Representative Jim Aslanides (R-94), passed the Ohio House yesterday by a vote of 76-19.  This legislation addresses several problems associated with the enactment of House Bill 12, “Right-to-Carry” legislation, that became law in 2004.  This bill would streamline an already successful law, bringing clarity for Ohioans and law enforcement alike.  This important piece of legislation would do the following for Ohioans: (1) create a clear definition of “plain sight” in a motor vehicle; (2) allow for off-duty law enforcement officers to carry a concealed firearm 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (a.k.a. 24/7 provision); and (3) create statewide preemption for the regulation of firearms and ammunition, therefore avoiding the patchwork of laws currently on the books in Ohio.  Please call your state Senator at (614) 466-4900 and respectfully ask him or her to support of HB 347.

PENNSYLVANIA
Several Pennsylvania Sportsmen’s organizations will be holding a “Right to Keep and Bear Arms” Press Conference Tuesday, March 14, from 9:00-11:00 a.m., on the steps of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  This event will launch the introduction of several pro-gun measures, including legislation based on the traditional “Castle Doctrine,” which removes the “duty to retreat” if you are attacked in any place you have a legal right to be while granting protection from criminal prosecution and civil litigation for those who defend themselves from criminal attack.  The Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League (www.acslpa.org), in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Sportsmen’s Association, the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs (www.pfsc.org), and other concerned Pennsylvania grassroots gun and sportsmen organizations have cooperated in organizing this event.  For Information, please contact Kim Stolfer, by phone at (412) 221-3346, or by e-mail at [email protected].  Also, State Representative Dwight Evans (D-203), this week was joined by Philadelphia City Council members Darrell Clarke and Donna Reed Miller in announcing House Bill 2483, legislation to gut state preemption and allow local control or regulation firearms. Speaking in the Council Caucus Room at City Hall, Evans stated that his bill would provide local governments the option of approving an ordinance regulating such topics as: restricting areas where firearms may be discharged; limiting or prohibiting possession in areas of municipal or county parks or recreational areas or other publicly-owned grounds; regulating the brandishing of firearms or the manner by which a person may carry a firearm; regulating firearms in times of insurrection or civil unrest; regulating pellet guns; regulating pawn or secondhand shops; “limiting the ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of assault weapons within the city limits; requiring background checks or waiting periods on the purchase of firearms in addition to that required by state law; and, limiting the amount of firearms that may be purchased in a specific period of time or making it unlawful for a person who is not a licensed firearms dealer to purchase more than one handgun with any 30-day period.”  Please call your state Representative at (717) 787-2372 and respectfully ask him or her to oppose this restrictive legislation. 

SOUTH CAROLINA
Next Wednesday, March 15, the House Judiciary Committee’s Criminal Laws Subcommittee will have a public hearing on H 4473, introduced by Representative Catherine Ceips (R-124).  This legislation will establish an expedited process for issuing an emergency Right-to-Carry (RTC) permit to victims of domestic violence.  H 4473 will also require victims be notified of this personal protection option if their request for an order of protection is granted, and will ensure that, should a domestic violence victim obtain an emergency RTC permit, that victim’s personal information cannot be released unless for the purpose of an official police investigation.  This will prevent abusers from tracking down their victims by exploiting the current system that allows easy access to personal information regarding RTC permit holders.  This hearing will be held Wednesday, March 15, at 2:30 p.m. in the Blatt Building in Columbia.  Please make plans to attend this hearing in support of
H 4473.  If you cannot attend, please be sure to contact members of the subcommittee and urge them to support H 4473.  To find out in which room the hearing will be held, please call the House Judiciary Committee information line at (803) 734-3120.

SOUTH DAKOTA
House Bill 1199, sponsored by Representative Margaret Gillespie (D-16), was signed by Governor Mike Rounds (R), on Friday, March 3.  HB 1199 will protect law-abiding South Dakota citizens by prohibiting the release of information concerning applicants and current permit holders to any person, and prohibits any lists or records of privately-owned firearms to be kept.  In addition, HB 1134, “Citizens Right to Self-Defense” legislation, which removes the “duty to retreat” when a citizen is faced with attack in a place that he or she has a right to be, was signed by Governor Rounds on Friday, February, 17.  Please contact Governor Rounds at (605) 773-3212 and thank him for protecting the citizens of South Dakota by signing HB 1199 and HB 1134.

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.