States with updates this issue: Alaska, Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
NRA-ILA ANNOUNCES ITS AWARD WINNERS FOR 2005
The “Jay M. Littlefield Memorial NRA-ILA Volunteer of the Year Award” is awarded annually to recognize an 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 previous year. The 2005 NRA-ILA volunteer award winners are:
“Jay M. Littlefield Memorial NRA-ILA Volunteer of the Year” winners: Joseph DeBergalis, Jr. (NY) and Ed Williamson (TN). The “NRA-ILA Volunteer Organization of the Year Award” will be presented to both the Kansas State Rifle Association and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association.
Joseph DeBergalis is the NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) for New York’s 27th and 28th Congressional Districts, where he has served since 2002. Joseph has raised the bar in member activism with his continually “can do” attitude. Making phone calls to volunteers, recruiting new members, or meeting with elected officials, Joe is a vital piece in the political puzzle that is New York.
Ed Williamson joined the EVC program in 2003, and quickly took helm of Tennessee’s 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts. Ed has been instrumental in assisting with NRA-ILA’s lobbying efforts throughout the state. Not one to shy away from grunt work, Ed has also put in countless hours at gun shows, campaign offices, and NRA-ILA booths at political events. He also takes time to appear on numerous news shows promoting our Second Amendment rights.
The Kansas State Rifle Association (KSRA) was instrumental in last year’s passage of the state’s historic Right-to-Carry law, through its formation of a coalition of groups, businesses, and organizations that supported Right-to-Carry. In 2005, President Ralph Goodwin made legislative success an absolute priority. KSRA began collecting funds for political action, and, working with NRA-ILA, they put those funds and an enormous volunteer effort to good use in support of Kansas gun owners. KSRA has established itself as a credible political force in Kansas politics and contributed tremendously to the passage and successful implementation of Right-To-Carry and Castle Doctrine legislation.
Finally, the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA) has distinguished itself as a lobbying powerhouse. Working alongside NRA-ILA, the NYSRPA has many accomplishments for which to be proud of in 2005. Through alerts and grassroots activism the NYSRPA defeated numerous anti-gun proposals, defeated several anti-gun officials running for re-election to office, and advocated expanding firearm and hunting laws throughout the state. The dedication and leadership of this organization symbolizes the true nature of firearms owners in New York.
We know you all join us in congratulating these individuals and organizations for their tireless defense of the Second Amendment. Congratulations to all!
NRA-ILA “MIX N’ MINGLES”
Much is at stake in this year’s elections; we will decide if we continue to move ahead on the path of pro-gun reform, or if we will revert to the dark Clinton-Gore years. In order to ensure continued success for the Second Amendment, we must elect pro-gun lawmakers to office this election season.
To ensure victory for our pro-gun candidates 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, fellow 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:
- Reading, PA 08/12/06
- Libby, MT 08/15/06
- Great Falls, MT 08/17/06
- Billings, MT 08/19/06
- Seymour, IN 08/24/06
- South Bend, IN 08/26/06
- Aurora, CO 08/26/06
- St. Joseph, MO 09/14/06
- Joplin, MO 09/16/06
- Green Bay, WI 09/21/06
- Towson, MD 09/23/06
- Asheville, NC 09/28/06
- Norwich, CT 09/30/06
- Rock Hill, SC 09/30/06
- Stockton, CA 09/30/06
- New Hartford, NY 10/05/06
- Albuquerque, NM 10/10/06
- Tucson, AZ 10/12/06
- Columbus, OH 10/14/06
- Eagan, MN 10/14/06
- St. Cloud, MN 10/16/06
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.
ATTEND “LISTENING SESSIONS ON COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION”
The Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce and Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality are holding “listening sessions” around the country to exchange ideas on incentives, voluntary programs, and regulations that can improve results and promote cooperative conservation.
These sessions provide a vital opportunity for NRA members and the hunting community to ensure that their voices are heard.
The discussion topics will include:
· How can the federal government better respect the interests of people with ownership in land, water, and other natural resources?
· How can the federal government enhance wildlife habitat, species protection, and other conservation outcomes through regulatory and voluntary conservation programs?
· How can the federal government enhance cooperation among federal agencies and with states, tribes, and local communities in the application of environmental protection and conservation laws?
· How can the federal government work with states, tribes, and other public- and private-sector partners to improve science used in environmental protection and conservation?
· How can the federal government work cooperatively with businesses and landowners to protect the environment and promote conservation?
These meetings will guide the federal government in the development of future policy proposals that build upon the success of cooperative conservation.
The sessions listed below are the first of at least two-dozen that will be held around the country:
Helena, Montana, 1:00 p.m., August 14, 2006, Public Health and Human Services Building, Auditorium
Roanoke, Virginia, 10:30 a.m., August 14, 2006, Roanoke College in Salem, Va. Colket Center, Wortmann Ballroom
Columbus, Ohio, 4:00 p.m., August 21, 2006, Ohio State University Agricultural Administration Building Auditorium
Redmond, Oregon, 9:00 a.m., August 22, 2006, Deschutes County Fairgrounds Expo Center
Jefferson City, Missouri, 9:00 a.m., August 29, 2006, Runge Conservation Nature Center
Enid, Oklahoma, 1:00 p.m., August 30, 2006,Cherokee Strip Conference Center, Piner Hall
Omaha, Nebraska, 1:00 p.m., August 24, 2006, Qwest Center Omaha-Convention Center Junior Ballroom. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall will attend * Muncie, Indiana, 10 a.m., August 26, 2006, Horizon Convention Center Exhibition Hall. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett will attend.
Fairbanks, Alaska, 10:00 a.m., August 28, 2006. The Carlson Center. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne will attend.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, 9:00 a.m., September 15, 2006, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the Gymnasium. United States Department of Agriculture Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment, Mark Rey will attend.
Brewer, Maine, 4:00 p.m., September 20, 2006, Jeff's Catering Banquet and Convention Center. Secretary Kempthorne will attend.
Brunswick, Georgia, 1:00 p.m., September 21, 2006, Coastal Georgia Community College, Southeast Georgia Conference Center. FWS Director Hall will attend.
Colton, California, 10:00 a.m., September 28, 2006, Colton High School Auditorium. Secretary Kempthorne will attend.
Please be sure to attend and participate in these critically important sessions that will guide the federal government in the development of future policy proposals. Let your voice be heard!
For more information, please refer to the “Listening Session” page on the Cooperative Conservation Website at http://cooperativeconservation.gov.
NRA CLUB UNIVERSITIES
The NRA is hosting three FREE Club Universities this year across the country. Club Universities are daylong seminars designed to show clubs the benefits of being affiliated with the NRA. The forum affords clubs the opportunity to learn and discuss: integrating NRA programs that strengthen your club and community; special benefits to clubs (range services, NRA endorsed insurance, etc.); and networking between local clubs and state associations. All clubs and state associations are invited to attend the Club Universities.
NRA Headquarters staff will be present to speak about various NRA programs including competitive shooting, youth/women’s programs, ranges and Eddie Eagle. Other staff representatives will give information on grants, club recruiting and legislative initiatives. Speakers’ presentations will be geared toward how clubs can implement and grow programs at the local level and the benefits clubs receive from program delivery.
The forums will conclude with roundtable discussions on current issues clubs face. These can include suburban encroachment, databases, member attrition, etc.--whatever is most pertinent to attendees--so they can benefit from their peers’ experiences.
The three 2006 Club Universities will be held: Tomorrow, August 12, in Ashley, OH; August 26, in Mt. Kisco, NY; and September 16, in Santa Ana, CA. Admission is FREE and meals are provided. Each university runs from 9:00 a.m., to 5:00 p.m., preceded by a continental breakfast and followed by an afternoon reception.
More information for any of the 2006 Club Universities can be found online @ www.nrahq.org/clubs/club_university. Please register for this event via e-mail: [email protected], or phone: (800) 672-3888, x1345.
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. For information on NRA-PVF candidate endorsements, NRA members are encouraged to call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683), or visit www.NRAPVF.org. If you go to the NRA-PVF site, you will have to provide your NRA member ID number to access the site. Your NRA member ID number can be found on the front of your NRA magazine or on your NRA membership card. Your ID number on the magazine’s mailing label is the 10-digit number that follows the code: #07901. Examples of how to find your ID number can also be found at www.NRAPVF.org on the login page accessed by choosing your state. As always, thank you for your support.***)
States with updates this issue: Alaska, Connecticut, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
ALASKA
The 2006 Primary elections are being held Tuesday, August 22! For more information on voting in Alaska, please use the following link: http://ltgov.state.ak.us/elections/. Be sure to “Vote Freedom First” on August 22!
CONNECTICUT
Thanks to concerned law-abiding gun owners, NRA has finally obtained Montville Mayor Joseph Jaskiewicz’s (D) proposal to restrict shooting in Montville. After reviewing the proposal, NRA still finds that the ordinance would severely limit the rights of recreational shooters, or those who might be faced with using a firearm for personal protection, and would threaten to shut down safe shooting ranges. The measure would outlaw the discharge of a firearm “within 500 feet of an occupied building, near livestock, pets or people, or land designated as a nature preserve, conservancy or town park,” and would also prohibit hunting and any recreational shooting by those under 16 that does not take place on an “authorized” range. The measure is set to be introduced to the Town Council on Monday, August 14. We urge NRA members to attend this meeting, which begins at 7:00 p.m., at the Montville Town Hall, 310 Norwich-New London Turnpike, Uncasville, CT 06382 in the 1st Floor Council Chambers Room. If you can't attend the meeting please contact Mayor Jaskiewicz at (860) 848-3030 Ext. 301, and urge him to drop his proposal. Also be sure to contact your Town Council members to ask them to oppose Mayor Jaskiewicz’s anti-gun measure. You can contact Council members at the following link: www.townofmontville.org/CMS/default.asp?CMS_AreaID=122, or by calling (860) 848-1349. Please keep checking your e-mail and www.nraila.org for future updates on this new threat to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in the Town of Montville!
MICHIGAN
On August 16, the Michigan Chapters of Safari Club International will be holding a benefit dinner and auction to help assist the campaign to defeat the dove hunting ban referendum in Livonia. For more details or to RSVP, please contact Marc Somers at (586) 295-9457. Tickets are $40.00 per person and checks should be made out to SCI-Flint Chapter.
NEBRASKA
At the August 7, city council meeting, Mayor Coleen Seng (D) introduced two proposals that will greatly affect law-abiding gun owner’s Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The Mayor’s first proposal, 06-140, would make it illegal for some citizens to own a firearm within the city limits by re-classifying certain misdemeanor offenses to “serious misdemeanor” offenses. The second proposal, 06-141, would make it illegal for all Right-to-Carry permit holders to carry their firearm in the City of Lincoln, or Lancaster County facilities. These proposals are on the schedule for a public hearing at the August 14 City Council meeting. It is critical that NRA members attend the August 14 meeting, and contact the Lincoln City Council to voice their opposition to these anti-gun proposals. If passed, these proposals could create a patchwork system of laws and regulations in each city and town throughout Nebraska regulating who is qualified to carry or possess a firearm, and whether or not Right-to-Carry is even allowed within the city limits. It is important that Council members recognize the importance of a uniform statewide system of concealed carry. Please contact the City Council members at (401) 441-7515 and ask them to oppose proposals 06-140 and 06-141, along with continuing to oppose any attempt to infringe on their citizen’s Right-to-Carry. Again, the City Council meeting will be held on August 14, at 1:30 p. m., at the County-City Building, located at 555 S. 10th Street, Lincoln, 68508. For further contact information on each of the council members, please use the following link: http://www.ci.lincoln.ne.us/city/council/lista.htm. To view proposal 06-140, please visit: www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/council/agenda/2006/080706/06140.pdf. To view proposal 06-141 please, visit: www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/council/agenda/2006/080706/06141.pdf.
NEW YORK
The Suffolk County Parks & Recreation Committee is having another meeting on August 16, regarding Introdutory Resolution 1738-2006, that would permanently close the Suffolk County Trap & Skeet Range and cancel the existing contract of the vendor who is currently operating the range. Attendance at this meeting is crucial to help keep the Suffolk County Trap & Skeet range open. The meeting will be held at 11:00 a.m., at the Rose Caracappa Auditorium of the William H. Rodgers Legislative Building, located at 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, New York 11787. If you are unable to attend, please call the following members of the Parks & Recreation Committee: Chairwoman Lynne C. Nowick, (631) 854-3900; Vice Chair, Vivian Viloria-Fisher, (631) 854-1500; Resolution Sponsor, Legislator Kate Browning, (631) 852-1300; Legislator Jon Cooper, (631) 854-4500; and Legislator Cameron Alden, (631) 854-0940, and urge them to oppose IR-1738-2006. For further contact information on the Suffolk County Legislature, please use the following link: www.co.suffolk.ny.us/legis/. Remember to mark your calendars for August 16, at 11:00 a.m., to save the Suffolk County Trap & Skeet Range.
White Plains update: INT 3-2006, that would have required any person in the City of White Plains who sells, possesses or transports any air pistol or air rifle to obtain a license and pay an annual fee, was removed from the agenda for the Monday, August 2 meeting of the City Council. Please keep checking your e-mail and www.nraila.org for any future developments on this matter.
Finally, the Sportsmen’s Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) will be hosting its “2006 Right-to-Carry Conference & Second Amendment Rally” on Sunday, October 1, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 12:00 noon). The event will be held at the Sheraton, Long Island, 110 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, Smithtown, NY, (631) 231-1100, (on Motor Parkway on the North side of LIE between exits 53 & 55). In attendance at the event will be: Wayne R. LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President; Bob Barr, Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives and NRA Board Member; Jim Fotis, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Alliance of America; John Faso, Republican Candidate for New York State Governor; John Spencer, Republican/Conservative Candidate for U.S. Senate from New York; and John L. Cushman, S.A.F.E. President and Founder, and NRA Board Member.
Attendees will get the latest information on the Right-to-Carry nationwide and locally. You will meet and network with fellow sportsmen and women concerning your civil rights and those of your children and grandchildren. This conference will raise issues of concern and give suggested courses of action with local and national leaders of Second Amendment organizations and legislators from all levels of government. You will also have a chance to win valuable prizes in drawings limited to attendees only. Admission and parking is free, and the event is open to your family and friends.
NEVADA
The 2006 Primary elections are being held Tuesday, August 15! For more information on voting in Nevada, please use the following link: www.sos.state.nv.us/nvelection/. Be sure to “Vote Freedom First” on August 15!
TEXAS
Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) has negotiated, and Governor Rick Perry (R) has issued, a proclamation that allows persons with valid concealed handgun licenses from Alabama to carry in Texas. All Alabama license holders will be required to follow Texas laws while in this state, including age restrictions and type of handgun permitted. This proclamation will automatically trigger a reciprocal agreement allowing Texas CHLs to carry in Alabama. For a complete list of reciprocal states and state licenses that are honored by Texas, please visit: www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/crime_records/chl/reciprocity.htm.
WISCONSIN
Registration for the NRA and Future Wisconsin Sportsmen’s Conference has started and is filling up fast! This event is open to the public, and the cost is $10. Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 9, at the Bluemound Gardens Conference Center, 11703 West Bluemound Road, Wauwatosa, WI 53226. The event begins at 7:00 a.m., with a breakfast buffet. Conference speakers include State Senators Tom Reynolds and Dave Zien, and State Representative Scott Gunderson among others. In conjunction with this event, you’ll want to make plans to also join the NRA-ILA Grassroots staff and your fellow NRA members, for socializing at a FREE NRA-ILA Mix N' Mingle beginning at 1:30 p.m. To RSVP, please call (414) 258-1719, or e-mail [email protected]. For more information, please visit www.widigest.com.
WYOMING
The 2006 Primary elections are being held Tuesday, August 22! For more information on voting in Wyoming, please use the following link: http://soswy.state.wy.us/election/election.htm. Be sure to “Vote Freedom First” on August 22!
