States with updates this issue: Arizona, California, New York, and Virginia.
NRA-BACKED
“BATFE MODERNIZATION AND REFORM BILL”
PASSES THE U.S. HOUSE
NRA-ILA is pleased to report that this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed NRA-backed H.R. 5092, the “BATFE Modernization and Reform Act of 2006,” by an overwhelming bi-partisan vote of 277-131.
As you know, H.R. 5092 was drafted in large part to address BATFE abuses at Richmond, Virginia area gun shows last year. H.R. 5092 will help curb BATFE’s efforts to revoke dealers’ licenses for minor paperwork errors, establish new guidelines for BATFE investigations, and improve the appeals process for dealers. Currently, for most violations, BATFE can only give a federal firearms license (FFL) holder a warning or completely revoke his license.
This week’s vote is a significant victory for America’s law-abiding gun owners and dealers and should serve as a reminder to us all about what is at stake on Election Day. While the U.S. Senate will likely not consider the measure until after the November elections, today’s vote is an important first step toward reforming BATFE.
GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS
AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK ON NRA-PVF SITE!
The official NRA campaign site— www.nrapvf.org/ —will serve as your one-stop campaign reference guide this election season. The site is loaded with all of the critical information you’ll need to make informed decisions on Election Day, November 7. Included on the site are news stories, articles from NRA’s magazines, NRA-PVF press releases, and, as soon as next week, a complete listing of NRA-PVF candidate grades and endorsements!
In addition to all of the late-breaking campaign news, candidate grades and endorsements, and firearm issue background information, you will also find our multimedia section— www.nrapvf.org/Multimedia/Default.aspx —which houses easy-to-access ads that are perfectly suited for distribution among your fellow NRA Members!
With so few days between now and Election Day, November 7, please be sure that you leave no stone unturned and, on November 7, join us on “Freedom’s Frontline” and “Vote Freedom First”!
GUN OWNER’S ROAD MAP TO A
WINNING ELECTION STRATEGY
Every election year, the cry goes out that this year’s election is the most important in history. And while at times it may seem like crying wolf, every year this truly is the case. Think about it. Just as in the shooting sports, the most important shot is always the next one. Once your previous round has left the muzzle, there is nothing you can do to influence the outcome of that shot. All you can do is regroup, and prepare for your next shot. The same can be said of elections. Once an election has come and gone, it is part of history; we can influence its results no more. The only way we can change the course of history for the Second Amendment is by preparing to fight and influence the outcome of the next election. Well, that next election is now!
To help assure that you have the tools you need to expand the pro-gun voting bloc for the upcoming election, we need you to take advantage of the following resources, which we hope will make your job a bit easier.
While every gun owner can’t be expected to do everything in the defense of our freedoms, we must work to ensure that every gun owner does at least something!
Register To Vote. Vote Early Or Via Absentee Ballot. One of the simplest, yet most important, things gun owners can do this election season is ensure they are currently registered to vote. Our vote is our voice; if we don’t use it, we will lose it! We can’t afford to let others decide for us who will represent our interests in Washington or in the state legislature. Every state allows absentee voting if you plan to be away on Election Day. NRA-ILA has a section on its website that will provide you with information about early voting and absentee voting options that will make your participation easier. You can also use this site to register to vote. To access this site, please go to www.NRAILA.org, and click on the “Voter Information” icon and select your state. Many registration deadlines are fast approaching, so please register to vote today!
Find Out Where Candidates In Your Area Stand On Gun Issues. To help you learn which candidates truly support our Second Amendment rights, and which oppose them, visit www.NRAPVF.org, where you’ll find the NRA-Political Victory Fund’s (NRA-PVF) grades for candidates seeking office, political ads, and other important election-related information you will need to make an informed decision in November. Simply put, www.NRAPVF.org is your place for one-stop-shopping for all of your election needs!
Contact your NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC). NRA-ILA has designated an individual NRA member in nearly every congressional district to serve as an EVC. Your EVC works to provide pro-gun campaigns in your state and area with volunteers to help with phone banks, literature drops, voter registration drives, precinct walks, Get Out The Vote, Election Day activities, and other volunteer campaign activities. EVCs also work to assist ILA in pursuit of its legislative objectives.
To locate your EVC so you can prepare to begin working on pro-freedom campaigns, please call ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-VOTE (8683), or log on to our website at www.NRAILA.org, and click on the “Get Involved Locally” section.
Attend A FREE NRA-ILA “Mix N’ Mingle”. “Mix N’ Mingles” provide NRA members with training on what they can do locally to propel pro-gun candidates to victory on Election Day. To see if a “Mix N’ Mingle” is scheduled near you, or to register to attend, please call ILA Grassroots at (800) 392-VOTE (8683), or visit www.nraila.org/workshops/.
Purchase an NRA-ILA Yard Sign. It has been shown that well placed campaign signs can translate into four points on Election Day! To help raise gun owner awareness of the upcoming election and to market NRA-ILA’s campaign efforts, we have produced three campaign signs; one featuring the “Freedom’s Frontline” slogan, one announcing “I’m the NRA & I Vote”, and the other promoting our “Vote Freedom First!” campaign. A portion of every sign purchase goes directly to NRA-ILA’s efforts to protect the Second Amendment! To order your sign, go to www.NRAILAsigns.org or call (800) 388-8755.
Monitor the Media and Write Letters to the Editor. By monitoring your local media and responding when you see attacks on our Second Amendment rights, you can play a leading role in combating the media elite’s blatant bias, and educate vast numbers of citizens in your community about the facts surrounding this most important debate. For tips to aid you in communicating with local media outlets, please go to www.NRAILA.org. For contact information for local and national media, select the “Take Action” icon and then click the “Write The Media” tool.
SPREAD THE WORD!!! MAGNIFY YOUR IMPACT!!! Remember, you are Freedom’s ambassadors in your community. We need to ensure that our message is spread far and wide to those who support the Second Amendment, but whom we may not be able to always reach. Be sure you inform your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners of the resources listed above, and encourage those folks to take advantage of them!
We are looking to you to answer this call!
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:
- 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.
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, New York, and Virginia.
ARIZONA
The Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD) invites you to a meeting to provide input on the Ben Avery master plan! The meeting is to be held Saturday, October 7, from 8 a.m., to 4 p.m., at the Embassy Suites, 2577 W. Greenway Road, in Phoenix. The AGFD wants to ensure that the Ben Avery Shooting Facility continues to be a premier facility serving the needs of our shooting community. To that end, the department is engaging in a “master planning” process for the facility. Representatives from the AGFD and Logan Simpson Design consultants will be in attendance to receive your input into the features, amenities, and other suggestions you would like to see incorporated in a master plan for the range. Please bring your ideas and suggestions. For more information, contact Anthony Chavez, statewide shooting ranges coordinator, at (602) 789-3395 or [email protected].
CALIFORNIA
Governor Schwarzenegger has still not made a decision on SB 59, sponsored by Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-27) and AB 2714, sponsored by Assembly Member Alberto Torrico (D-20). There is still time to contact Governor Schwarzenegger by phone at (916)-445-2841, by fax at (916) 445-4633, or via e-mail by visiting www.govmail.ca.gov/ to urge him to protect your Second Amendment freedom by vetoing SB 59 and AB2714. 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. AB 2714 will require that no ammunition (including reloads) 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.
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!
VIRGINIA
The Loudoun County Friends of NRA Committee invites you to attend their annual banquet and auction. This event includes a live auction, silent auction, games, raffles, and prize drawings. Proceeds benefit The NRA Foundation and provide funding for shooting-sports-related grants. Come out and join your fellow NRA-supporters for an evening of fun while raising money for Friends of NRA. The event is scheduled for Thursday, November 9, at the Leesburg Holiday Inn-Carradoc Hall, 1500 East Market Street, in Leesburg. Tickets are limited and are on sale now, $40 per person and $70 per couple. Sponsorships are also available. For additional information or to purchase tickets, please contact Brooke Berthelsen by phone at 703-267-1354 or by e-mail at [email protected].
In addition, please join the Virginia Shooting Sports Association, and guest speaker, Cam Edwards, host of NRANews.com, for its Annual Meeting and Banquet at 6:00 p.m., on October 14. This year’s Banquet is being held at Hunter Motel and Restaurant, 8100 Loisdale Road, Newington, VA. For more information, please visit www.myvssa.org/annualmeeting1006.htm.
Finally, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association presents: “Methods of Concealed Carry with Tom Marx.” Please join us on October 28, from 8:30 a.m., to 4:30 p.m., at the Izzak Walton League of America, 14708 Mount Olive Road, Centreville, VA, for the full day version of the program Tom has done for several years at the NRA Annual Meeting. Space is limited and advanced registration is recommended. The cost is $15 for members, and $20 for non-members. For more information and to register, please call (703) 599-9399 or visit www.myvssa.org/methodsofconcealedcarry.pdf.
