States with updates this issue: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
PRO-GUN BILLS MAKE WAY TO HOUSE FLOOR!
The House of Representatives may act as early as next week on critical pro-Second Amendment reform bills. These bills need your support today:
H.R. 5092--the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006,” by Reps. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) -- will curb the agency’s efforts to revoke dealers’ licenses for minor paperwork errors, improve the appeals process for dealers, and, establish new guidelines for BATFE investigations. This bill was drafted in large part to address recent, blatant BATFE abuses at Richmond, Virginia gun shows highlighted in hearings before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. (See next story on Brady Center’s blatant misrepresentation of this bill.)
H.R. 5005--the “Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act,” by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) -- will protect gun owners’ privacy by creating a permanent version of the “Tiahrt Amendment,” preventing disclosure of gun owner records outside of legitimate criminal investigations. The bill also includes a ban on BATFE retrieving out-of-business dealers’ records by the gun owner’s name—making permanent an appropriations restriction that’s been in effect for the last 10 years. Among other reforms, H.R. 5005 will also permanently ban federal fees on instant background checks and roll back various restrictions on firearms industry activities.
With the legislative clock running out, this may be our last chance to pass these essential reforms before the November election--so please be sure to immediately contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge him or her to VOTE FOR H.R. 5092 and H.R. 5005 when they are brought to the House floor! Additional contact information can be found by visiting www.NRAILA.org, clicking the “Take Action” icon, and then clicking the “Write Your Representatives” icon.
Please be sure to contact your Representative TODAY, and urge your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to do the same!
Thank you for your continued support as we work to make these legislative reforms the law of the land!
BRADY CENTER MISLEADS PUBLIC ON BATFE REFORM BILL
The Brady Center’s latest hatchet job attacks makes many false claims about firearm dealer license revocations, in order to attack H.R. 5092 and the reforms that bill would make.
The “study” is based on published court decisions that have upheld BATFE license revocations. This is misleading because it excludes all cases (about 90% of revocations) where dealers choose not to file a challenge in court—often because the dealer couldn’t afford the necessary attorneys’ fees.
The study also implies that dealers violate the law more often than they used to. To “prove” this, the Brady Center relies on studies from the Clinton administration, which targeted licensees in an effort to reduce the availability of firearms to law-abiding Americans. It’s not surprising that when BATFE politically broadened the definition of “violations,” it found more of them.
The report also harps on dealers who had guns “lost” or “unaccounted for.” These vague phrases don’t tell us whether the dealer had a gun stolen, made a paperwork mistake, or made criminal “off the book” sales. Obviously, under current law or under H.R. 5092, intentional sales without paperwork would be serious violations, for which a dealer could have his license revoked (and even be arrested and imprisoned).
70 MILLION MORE GUNS…38% LESS VIOLENT CRIME
Data released by the FBI on Monday showed that in 2005, the nation’s total violent crime rate was 38% lower than in 1991, when violent crime hit an all-time high. Rates of the individual categories of violent crime were also much lower in 2005 than in 1991. Murder was 43% lower, rape 25% lower, robbery 48% lower, and aggravated assault 33% lower. The FBI’s report came on the heels of a Bureau of Justice Statistics crime survey that found that violent crime was lower in 2005 than anytime in the survey’s 32-year history.
Defying the anti-gunners’ claim that more guns means more crime, from 1991-2005 the number of privately owned guns increased by more than 70 million.
The news media often characterize violent crime as a primarily gun-oriented problem, but the FBI’s report showed that only one in every four violent crimes in 2005 was committed with a gun. In 2005, as in previous years, most violent crimes were robberies and aggravated assaults, most of which were committed with knives or bare hands.
Recently, anti-gun politicians and activists have intensified their rhetoric over the “lack” of bans on handguns, so-called “assault weapons”, and .50-caliber rifles; gun registration, gun owner licensing, and mandatory background checks on sales of guns between friends and family members; and limits on the frequency of gun purchases, all of which they say are necessary to reduce the nation’s murder rate. But for the last seven years, the murder rate has been steady¾in the 5.5-5.7 per 100,000 population range¾at all times lower than anytime since the mid-1960s. In 2005, for example, the murder rate was 5.6.
Naturally, anti-gunners will downplay the downward trend in violent crime since 1991, and focus on the fact that the FBI’s report showed a 1% increase in total violent crime, and a 2% increase in murder in 2005, compared to 2004. But those changes are miniscule, compared to the huge decrease in crime over the last 14 years.
The FBI’s report once again confirmed that violent crime rates are lower in states with Right-to-Carry (RTC) laws. In 2005, RTC states had, on average, 22% lower total violent crime, 30% less murder, 46% lower robbery, and 12% lower aggravated assault rates, compared to the rest of the country.
As usual, Washington, D.C., which leads the nation in anti-gun laws, led the nation in murder, with a rate six times higher than the rest of the country. Neighboring Maryland, where gun control advocates have been particularly active recently, once again had the highest robbery rate among the states, but also tied for the unenviable distinction of “first place” in murder among the states. However, despite Maryland’s high crime counts, CeaseFire Maryland, the local Brady Campaign affiliate that recently released a paper demanding an “assault weapon” ban, was unable to point to any crimes in the state involving such a gun.
The FBI’s report must have displeased New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg (R). Despite the mayor’s recent posturing on the gun issue, and his self-laudatory comments about fighting crime, the Big Apple’s murder rate was more than double that of the rest of the state. Similarly, in Philadelphia, where anti-gun politicians are calling for a statewide one-gun-a-month law, the murder rate was more than seven times higher than the rest of Pennsylvania.
Adding to the reasons why voters should “Dump Doyle” in Wisconsin’s upcoming gubernatorial election, their state had the greatest total violent crime rate increase (15.1%) between 2004-2005. Murder was up 25.2%; robbery up 11.2%; and aggravated assault up 20.2%. Wisconsin is one of only two states that prohibits Right-to-Carry entirely, but in 2005, 11 of the 12 states that had the greatest decreases in total violent crime, and 12 of the 14 states with the greatest decreases in murder were Right-to-Carry states. The seven states with the lowest total violent crime rates in 2005, and 11 of the 12 states that had the lowest murder rates, were Right-to-Carry states.
Last, but not least, is good news from Florida, the state that during the last 20 years has been most often attacked by anti-gunners, for (among other reasons) setting the Right-to-Carry and “Castle Doctrine” movements in motion. In 2005, Florida recorded a murder rate 13% lower than the rate for the rest of the country (4.96 per 100,000, vs. 5.67 for the rest of the country). For the record, Florida’s 2005 murder rate was 58% lower than it was in 1986, the last year before the state’s landmark Right-to-Carry law took effect.
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 the Federal government can:
· Better respect the interests of people with ownership in land, water, and other natural resources;
· Enhance wildlife habitat, species protection, and other conservation outcomes through regulatory and voluntary conservation programs;
· Enhance cooperation among federal agencies and with states, tribes, and local communities in the application of environmental protection and conservation laws;
· Work with states, tribes, and other public- and private-sector partners to improve science used in environmental protection and conservation, and;
· 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:
Orlando, Florida, Time to be determined, Sept. 25, 2006, Orange County Convention Center. Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson will attend.
Waco, Texas, 10:00 a.m., Sept. 27, 2006, Waco Convention Center. Acting Assistant (Interior) Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, David Verhey, and Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Alex Beehler will attend.
Colton, California, 10:00 a.m., September 28, 2006, Colton High School Auditorium. Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne will attend.
Northampton, Massachusetts, 1:00 p.m., September 29, 2006, Hotel Northampton, Agriculture Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment, Mark Rey 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-ILA “MIX N’ MINGLES”
Much is at stake in this year’s elections. Voters 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 this year.
To ensure victory for our pro-gun candidates, NRA-ILA will be hosting FREE NRA-ILA “Mix N’ Mingles” across the country. These events will provide NRA members with training on what you can do locally to propel candidates to victory. 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:
- 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
- Albuquerque, NM 10/10/06
- Tucson, AZ 10/12/06
- Cincinnati, OH 10/12/06
- Columbus, OH 10/14/06
- Eagan, MN 10/14/06
- Scottsdale, AZ 10/14/06
- St. Cloud, MN 10/16/06
- New Hartford, NY 10/19/06 * (new date, please see details in section below)
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 “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.
NATIONAL HUNTING AND FISHING DAY
Tomorrow, Saturday, September 23, is the 35th annual “National Hunting and Fishing Day”!
National Hunting and Fishing Day was officially established in 1972 to celebrate sportsmen and their role in fostering conservation and the scientific management of natural resources and wildlife.
For further information on the history of this day and events in your area please use the following link: www.nhfday.org/
A LOOK AT THE STATES
(***For all of the action items below, you can find contact information for your legislators by visiting www.NRAILA.org, clicking the “Take Action” icon, and then clicking the “Write Your Representatives” icon. 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. As always, thank you for your support.***)
States with updates this issue: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
ARIZONA
September 23, is National Hunting and Fishing Day. Join the Game and Fish Department at Cabela’s in Glendale, and the Sportsman’s Warehouses in Goodyear, Mesa, and Phoenix, between 9:00 a.m., and 5:00 p.m., to discuss issues about fishing, hunting, off-highway vehicle travel and wildlife watching. Please use the following link to read more about Arizona’s National Hunting and Fishing Day: www.azgfd.gov/artman/publish/article_610.shtml.
CALIFORNIA
SB 59, sponsored by Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-27), and AB2714, sponsored by Assembly Member Alberto Torrico (D-20), are heading to the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R). Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger today and urge him to protect your Second Amendment freedom by vetoing SB 59 and AB 2714. Governor Schwarzenegger can be reached by phone at (916)-445-2841, by fax at (916) 445-4633, and by e-mail by visiting www.govmail.ca.gov. SB 59 will expand the definition of the term “firearm” to include the frame or receiver of the gun for purposes of the offense of failure to report a stolen or lost firearm. This bill also makes it a crime for any person whose handgun is stolen or irretrievably lost to not report the theft or loss to a local law enforcement agency within five working days after his or her discovery of the theft or loss; or within five working days after the date he or she should have reasonably known of the theft or loss. SB59 will allow local governments to impose even stricter reporting requirements. AB2714 will require that no ammunition (or reloaded ammunition) may be sold in a retail transaction unless the purchaser personally presents evidence of his or her identity and age, as specified, to the seller of the ammunition. Additionally, it would severely undermine California’s state preemption law. Spread the news to fellow gun owners, family and friends that it is critical to call Governor Schwarzenegger and urge him to veto SB 59 and AB 2714, because California’s gun rights are under attack.
HAWAII
The 2006 Primary elections are being held tomorrow, Saturday, September 23. If you didn’t vote early, please remember to go to the polls tomorrow and “Vote Freedom First”! For more information on voting in Hawaii, please use the following link: www.hawaii.gov/elections/.
MICHIGAN
The Michigan legislature is taking up pro-gun state of emergency legislation. On Tuesday, the Michigan House Government Operations Committee unanimously approved (7-0) legislation that prevents the government seizure of lawfully possessed firearms and ammunitions in a declared state of emergency. House Bill 6363, and House Bill 6364, sponsored by Representative Scott Hummel (R-93), prevent Hurricane Katrina-like confiscations and amended the governor’s state of emergency powers accordingly. The bill will now go to the Michigan House for approval. Please keep checking your email and www.NRAILA.org for updates on HB 6363 and HB 6364.
NEW YORK
Please note that, due to a scheduling conflict, the New Hartford “Mix N’ Mingle,” which was originally scheduled for October 5, has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 19, 2006! The location remains the same-- the Holiday Inn Utica, located at 1777 Burrstone Road, New Hartford, NY 13413. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and hope you will still be able to attend. If you are no longer able to attend, please contact us ASAP at (800) 392-8683. If you still plan to attend, you do not need to do anything, and we’ll see you on October 19.
Also, 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 are free, and the event is open to your family and friends.
Finally, the Shooters’ Committee on Political Education (SCOPE) will be holding its 41st Annual “SCOPE Awards Banquet,” on Saturday, October 14, 2006. Featured speakers will include NRA Second Vice President Ron Schmeits, and several local speakers. The Banquet will be held at the Diplomat Banquet Center, 1956 Lyell Avenue (same as 1 Diplomat Way), Rochester, NY 14606, from 5:30-11:00 p.m. For tickets, reservations, and more information, please visit http://www.scopeny.org/banquet.html, or contact Ken Mathison by phone at: (585) 663-8741, or by mail at: PO Box 12711, Rochester, NY 14612. Seating is limited, so get your tickets now!
PENNSYLVANIA
This month, all gun owners in Pennsylvania need to stand up and be heard. Anti-gun legislators, led by Representative Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), are pushing new gun control measures in Harrisburg. Pointing to data from a recent Democratic Party funded poll that indicates suburban residents are concerned about gun violence, Evans stated that “legislators should move beyond boundary lines and party labels to take action on gun control.” Gun-control legislation has been dead on arrival in Harrisburg for more than a decade, because the balance of the General Assembly supports the rights of gun owners. However, if Representative Evans and his supporters are successful this could change overnight. With your help, we can again stop this from happening. Pennsylvania gun owners have two important dates to remember:
September 25th - Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Stewart Greenleaf (R-12) schedules final hearing in Harrisburg - On Sept. 25, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a final hearing to receive testimony relating to urban violence. The hearing will be held 10:00 a.m., in Room 8E-B of the East Wing. During the past several months, the committee has heard testimony from public officials and anti-gun zealots insisting on new gun control legislation to combat urban crime. This will be the final opportunity for NRA members to voice their discontent regarding the lack of enforcement and prosecution of federal and state firearm laws which has fueled violent crime over the past year. If you’re planning on testifying or need additional information, contact Gregg Warner of Sen. Greenleaf's office, (717) 787-6599 or [email protected].
September 26th - Committee of the Whole Meeting: On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the House of Representatives will resolve itself for one day into a “Committee of the Whole” to focus on crime and violence in Pennsylvania. The Committee of the Whole is a rarely used legislative mechanism designed to allow for a more informal, free-flowing public debate of a particularly critical issue facing the Commonwealth. Topics expected to be addressed include “One-Gun-a-Month” legislation, elimination of statewide preemption, semi-automatic firearm bans as well as other anti-gun legislation that would limit your rights as law-abiding gun owners. The time is NOW! NRA members across Pennsylvania must call or write their State Representatives and send the message that stiff punishment of criminals who commit crimes with guns is the key to stopping gun violence. Please contact your State Representative at (717) 787-2016 and State Senator at (717) 787-5920.
TEXAS
On Saturday, September 23, Students for the Second Amendment (SF2A) and the Collegiate Firearms Instructor Program (CFIP) will host their third official NRA Shooting Sports Camp¾The Alamo City NRA Youth Sportsfest. The event will take place at the National Shooting Complex, at 5931 Roft Road, in San Antonio, TX, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event has been designated an official “NRA Day” event, and is free for youngsters 18 years old and under, and just $5 for adults. For event details, please visit: www.sf2a.org/NRACamp2006.htm. For information on sponsorship, please visit: www.sf2a.org/Sponsors.htm.
There will be 10 stations of .22 rifle, 10 stations of air gun, 10 stations of .22 pistol, and 6 stations of shotgun. Additionally, there will be a map & compass course, a hunter skills trail, field archery, living history reenactors, a climbing tower, military vehicles and displays, and much more.
All ranges will be supervised by NRA Certified Firearms Instructors and NRA Range Safety Officers, and firearms, eye and ear protection, and other equipment is included.
