States with updates this issue: Arizona, California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
ONE MONTH TO GO—
WHAT (MORE) CAN YOU DO?
With the November 7 elections just around the corner, here are some activities in which pro-Second Amendment activists must be involved to assure victory for pro-gun candidates on Election Day. While we can’t expect every gun owner to do everything, we must work to ensure every gun owner does something!
YARD SIGNS: The key to placing yard signs is location, location, location. Put signs where large numbers of people will see them, but out of right of ways. Ask fellow firearm owners who have property that would make a good sign location to post a sign, and make sure the “natural resources of the pro-gun community” (gun shows, gun shops, shooting ranges, and gun and hunting clubs) have signs prominently displayed. Don’t put signs on private property without permission, and don’t tamper with the opposition’s signs! And, of course, make sure you have a pro-gun candidate’s sign in your yard or on your property!
LITERATURE DROPS: Literature drops are an extremely effective way for Second Amendment supporters to get out their message regarding pro-freedom candidates. Again, take advantage of the “natural resources” of the pro-gun community. Gun shows are the best venue to conduct a literature drop. Check with the show promoter to set up a literature table or share one with a fellow NRA member or pro-gun supporter. Or, better yet, hand out pro-gun candidates’ literature to all attendees as they enter the show. If distributing literature in neighborhoods, never put materials in a mailbox! Remember, the goal of this activity isn’t to debate with anti-gun voters, but rather, to distribute as much material to as many potential voters as possible!
BUMPER STICKERS: Make sure every vehicle you own has a pro-gun candidate’s (and/or NRA) bumper sticker on it. Then, work to ensure the vehicles of your friends and fellow firearm owners are proudly displaying a sticker(s) as well!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Please submit at least one letter to the editor of your local newspaper in support of a pro-gun candidate between now and Election Day. Consult your paper’s deadlines, as some papers stop accepting political letters to the editor on a certain date prior to the election. You can find media contact information by visiting our homepage-- www.NRAILA.org-- and accessing the “Take Action” section and then clicking the "Write The Media" link. Your goal in writing should be to ensure that pro-gun candidates are receiving positive media in these final days leading up to November 7.
GET OUT THE VOTE & ELECTION DAY ACTIVITIES: Now that we are in the final month of the campaign season, candidates are focusing their efforts on Get Out The Vote projects, and laying the final groundwork for a barrage of Election Day activities. These activities require assistance contacting voters by phone, walking precincts, volunteering to drive pro-gun voters to the polls, and putting up signs and handing out literature at polling locations on Election Day.
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/.
Thank you for all you have done to date to protect our freedom and for all you will continue to do until the polls close on Tuesday, November 7!
GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS NOW
AVAILABLE 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 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 — that houses easy-to-access ads that are perfectly suited for distribution among your fellow NRA Members!
Early and absentee voting is currently underway in several states. If you are voting early or by absentee ballot, please be sure to visit www.NRAPVF.org before casting your ballot.
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”!
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:
- 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.
ATTEND FINAL “LISTENING SESSION
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 their final “listening session” to exchange ideas on incentives, voluntary programs, and regulations that can improve results and promote cooperative conservation.
This final session will 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.
This final meeting will guide the federal government in the development of future policy proposals that build upon the success of cooperative conservation.
The session listed below is the final event this year:
Boise Idaho, 10:00 a.m., Monday, October 9, in the Hatch Ballroom at Boise State University's Student Union building. Secretary Kempthorne will be joined on the panel by Senator Larry Craig, Senator Mike Crapo, and Congressman Butch Otter.
Please be sure to attend and participate in this critically important session 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.
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 Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
ARIZONA
The Arizona Game & Fish Department (AGFD) invites you to a meeting to provide input on the Ben Avery Shooting Facility master plan! The meeting will be on Saturday, October 7, from 8:00 A.M. to Noon at the Embassy Suites, 2577 W. Greenway Road, Phoenix. The AGFD wants to ensure that the Ben Avery shooting complex 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].
Apache Junction Update: Due to the high volume of calls from concerned gun owners, the City Council has agreed to hold a public hearing to address the lack of procedure under which the Apache Junction Police Chief operated, when his staff destroyed over 1200 firearms. According to the City Attorney and Vice Mayor Eck, this absence of procedure is what will be discussed at the November 7 hearing and public comment is welcome to help in the crafting of policy. Please mark your calendars to attend this important public hearing to be held Tuesday, November 7, at 7:00 p.m., at the A. J. Municipal Court, 300 East Superstition Blvd., Apache Junction, AZ 85219. Also, on Tuesday, October 10, at 8:40 p.m., (Arizona time), Vice-Mayor R. E. Eck will be on NRA news (www.NRANEWS.com) to further discuss this important issue. Don’t forget to tune in! Please keep checking your email and www.NRAILA.org for updates!
CALIFORNIA
On Friday, September 29, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) protected the Second Amendment by returning SB59 to the State Senate and AB2714 to the State Assembly without his signature.
SB59, sponsored by Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-27) would have expanded 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 would also have made 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 discovering the loss or theft; or within five working days after the date he or she should have reasonably known of the theft or loss. Additionally, SB59 would have allowed local governments to impose even stricter reporting requirements.
AB2714, sponsored by Assembly Member Alberto Torrico (D-20), would have required that no ammunition (or reloaded ammunition) 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. It also would have severely undermined California’s state preemption law.
A special thank you to all NRA members for your calls, emails, and faxes in opposition of SB59 and AB2714 during the legislative session! Please thank Governor Schwarzenegger today by visiting www.govmail.ca.gov/.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, are personally contacting every mayor in New Hampshire asking them to sign onto Mayor Bloomberg’s New York-style gun control agenda. Please call your Mayor and find out if he/she has received such a call, then, discourage your mayor from signing onto this outrageous attack on your Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Then, please call the Gun Owners of New Hampshire at (603) 225-4664, and let them know whether or not your Mayor received that call. The following online links will help you find the contact information for your Mayor: www.newhampshire.com/nh-towns/rochester.aspx, www.directorynh.com/NHCities-Towns/NHCities&Towns.html, and www.nh.gov/municipal/index.html. Citizens throughout New Hampshire are counting on you to contact your Mayor TODAY!
NEW JERSEY
The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs’ annual meeting banquet will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2006, at 6:00 p.m., at the Ramada Inn Somerset, 60 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873. The event is being combined with a Friends of NRA dinner and auction, and will feature remarks from New Jersey's leading Second Amendment activists. The auction portion of the event will feature unique collectible merchandise, and half the proceeds will be donated back to New Jersey shooters by the NRA Foundation. Tickets are $40 (please contact John Coakley at [email protected] or 908-812-1664).
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.
In addition, 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
The House, meeting to consider crime-fighting proposals this past Tuesday, rejected every gun-control measure on the agenda, including bills to limit gun purchases to one a month and to impose a statewide ban on so-called assault weapons. They were defeated on the House floor. Representative Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) proposed a statewide ban on “assault weapons” but the legislation failed by a vote of 63-124, as did a plan offered by Representative John Myers (D-Philadelphia) to ban such firearms in Philadelphia only, which lawmakers rejected in a 57-128 vote.
The House also rejected several gun-control measures last week, including legislation that would have imposed reporting requirements on gun sellers, supposedly to prevent “straw” buying, as well as bills to mandate child safety locks on firearms and allow Philadelphia to regulate the sale of guns and ammunition.
The gun-control debate came during the course of a rarely used legislative procedure known as the Committee of the Whole. Each lawmaker was given an opportunity to offer crime-fighting measures in the committee, and informal votes were taken to determine which proposals would be considered in regular session. Over the three days of debate, the House plowed through nearly a 100 proposals of the crime-focused Committee of the Whole. Lawmakers endorsed many bills toughening criminal penalties or buttressing law enforcement, including a plan to add up to 10,000 new police officers to local forces by 2010, with a mix of state and local funding.
VIRGINIA
The Loudoun County Friends of NRA Committee invites you to attend its 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].
Also, 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.
NRA University is a training program geared toward college students to educate them on NRA, the Second Amendment, gun control, and activism.
