States with updates this issue: Arizona, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia.
11 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY-
WHAT (MORE!) CAN I DO?
In 11 days we will go to the polls to elect all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, 33 U.S. Senators, 36 governors, and thousands of state and local officials.
Other than voting on Election Day (or voting early or via absentee ballot), what more should gun owners be doing? The answer is very simple--volunteering to work on pro-gun candidates’ campaigns to turn out supportive voters on Election Day, November 7.
While we know NRA members and gun owners are reliable voters, the same can’t be said for others. With that said, our pro-gun candidates are going to have to rely on gun owners’ activism to ensure that voters who support them are contacted and actually go and vote on November 7. Voting on Election Day is the ultimate form of volunteerism. But turning out supportive voters won’t happen by accident. Here are some activities with which you can assist that can spell the difference between victory and defeat on Election Day:
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 pro-freedom candidates to get 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! ILA Grassroots has limited quantities of candidate stickers for the following states: AZ, FL, GA, MN, MS, & TX, as well as “I’m the NRA and I Vote” bumper stickers. If you need additional stickers, please contact the Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
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 clicking the “Take Action” icon, and then 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 there are less than two weeks left in the campaign season, candidates are focusing their efforts on Get Out The Vote (GOTV) projects and laying the final groundwork for a barrage of Election Day activities. This requires 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.
VOTE FOR PRO-GUN CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE ON NOVEMBER 7!: The ultimate act of volunteerism, of course, is casting your ballot on Election Day. Please be sure you vote on Tuesday, November 7, and urge your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to do the same. Remember, too, that in many states you can vote early, prior to November 7. Exercising this option not only ensures that your vote will be “banked,” but that you will have free time on Election Day to help with the aforementioned activities! With this many races tight as a tick, we cannot take even a single pro-gun vote for granted! For candidate information, to assist you when voting, refer to your November NRA magazine, which contains NRA-PVF’s Candidate Endorsements, or visit www.NRAPVF.org.
Another way to get involved with these, and other, similar activities in your area is to contact your NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC), who is a local NRA member spearheading our pro-gun volunteer campaign efforts. To locate your EVC, please visit NRA’s websites (www.NRAILA.org or www.NRAPVF.org) or contact the ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
Finally, you can contact pro-gun candidates’ local campaign offices directly. By visiting the “Elections” section of www.NRAPVF.org you’ll find that many of the pro-gun candidates have a hyperlink that you can click to go directly to their website to find their contact information.
With only 11 short days left until Election Day, if you can spare literally just a few hours of your time with these Get Out The Vote efforts, it can and will make a difference! If a few hours of your time over the next 11 days isn’t worth protecting our Second Amendment rights for our children and grandchildren, what is?
Thank you for all you have done to date to protect our freedom, and all you will continue to do until the polls close on Tuesday, November 7. On to Victory!
VISIT NRA-PVF SITE BEFORE ELECTION DAY
FOR CANDIDATE GRADES & ENDORSEMENTS!
Election Day, November 7, is now less than two weeks away! For up-to-the-minute campaign information, and to see what more you can do to help elect pro-Second Amendment candidates to office, NRA members are strongly encouraged to visit the NRA-Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) website, www.NRAPVF.org. This official NRA campaign site 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, EVC contact information, 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”!
“GIVE THEM BACK”
As you’ve read in previous Grassroots Alerts, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, law-abiding citizens had their lawfully owned firearms confiscated by local officials! When citizens needed protection the most, they were stripped of their right to self-defense. As you’ve also read, President Bush recently signed NRA-backed legislation to ensure such travesties are never repeated.
NRA has launched a new web site-- www.givethemback.com --with shocking video coverage of New Orleans gun confiscations that you’ll never see on ABC, CBS, or NBC. This site gives gun owners a stark and brutal reminder of why we must defend our firearm freedoms with passion and vigilance, in Congress, in state legislatures, in the courts…AND ON ELECTION DAY.
This site makes it clear why gun owners can never sit on the sidelines during an election, and serves as a slap-in-the-face wake up call for every gun owner who thinks anti-gun politicians don’t have the nerve or the will to confiscate our guns. And why they must be defeated before they ever get their hands on power!
Please be sure to visit www.givethemback.com today, and forward the link to your friends, family, and fellow gun owners. Remember what happened in New Orleans, and let your voice be heard on Election Day--“Vote Freedom First” on November 7! With your help, we’re going to make the first time in New Orleans the LAST time in America.
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, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Please note: Early and absentee voting for the Tuesday, November 7 General Election is already underway in many states across the country. For more information on early/absentee voting, please contact your state’s Board of Elections office. Be sure to “Vote Freedom First” on Tuesday, November 7!
ARIZONA
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 1,200 firearms. The meeting will be held on: Tuesday, November 7, 7:00 p.m., A.J. Municipal Court, 300 East Superstition Blvd., Apache Junction, AZ 85219. The Council will also take comments from the public at the meeting. Please take the time to write letters politely asking the Council to develop a policy on the disposal of confiscated firearms that does not begin and end with destruction. While the outpouring of support has resulted in the call for a public meeting, at this point, the most constructive approach would be respectfully providing Councilmembers with written suggestions. Please direct all communications to Mayor Douglas Coleman, Vice-Mayor R.E. Eck, Councilmember Richard Dietz, Councilmember John Insalaco, Councilmember Joe Severs, Councilmember Kris Sippel, and Councilmember Dave Waldron at: 300 E. Superstition Boulevard, Apache Junction, AZ 85219. Please keep checking your e-mail and www.NRAILA.org for updates!
ILLINOIS
When Cook County voters go to the polls this Election Day, November 7, they will be faced with the opportunity to vote on Countywide Advisory Referendum 1¾a non-binding referendum that seeks to urge the State of Illinois to ban countless semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and handguns, as well as all .50 caliber rifles. The Cook County Board could just as easily have given the voters of Cook County an opportunity to voice their support for any number of proven crime-fighting measures, but anti-gun extremists on the Board have chosen to promote a statewide version of the federal gun ban that was such a complete failure in combating violent crime that Congress allowed it to expire two years ago. Targeting law-abiding gun owners instead, the referendum uses buzzwords and phrases (“For the health and safety of children...”) that could have been lifted directly from the websites of gun-ban extremists such as the Brady Campaign, which has endorsed the proposal. Joining the Brady Bunch in support of the referendum at a September event were several anti-gun politicians, including Cook County Commissioners Larry Suffredin (D-13) and John Daley (D-11); State Senator Antonio Munoz (D-1); State Representatives Edward Acevedo (D-2) and Esther Golar (D-6); and Alderman Todd Stroger (D-8). NRA opposes passage of Countywide Advisory Referendum 1, urges its members in Cook County to vote against it, and to spread the word to oppose this effort to prohibit the law-abiding citizens of Illinois from possessing firearms commonly used for personal protection, hunting, and sporting purposes.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R), and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D), 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 our 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
Showing complete disregard for public safety and proven game management practices, anti-hunting extremists are mounting an aggressive campaign demanding that Governor Jon Corzine (D) block a 2006 bear hunt in New Jersey. Banned for 33 years, bear hunting in New Jersey resumed on a limited basis in 2003 and 2005 in response to a bear overpopulation crisis that threatened public safety and resulted in a rash of terrifying bear attacks on humans in the Garden State. Despite these limited hunts, bear-human confrontations remain at unacceptably high levels, and bear sightings have been recorded in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties. An ongoing program of responsible, limited bear hunting is the only available tool that will immediately reduce the bear population to the levels necessary to ensure public safety. During intense grilling by New Jersey’s Supreme Court during the anti-hunt extremists’ failed attempt to stop the 2005 hunt, even their own lawyer was forced to admit that limited hunting is a viable option to control bear population, contradicting his clients’ longstanding, false position that New Jersey’s bear hunt was nothing more than a trophy hunt. Please contact Governor Jon Corzine and New Jersey DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson today and express your support for a 2006 black bear hunting season as part of New Jersey’s comprehensive bear management policy. Your personal safety and sporting heritage cannot be left in the hands of anti-hunting extremists! Act today! Governor Corzine can be reached by phone at (609) 292-6000, (856) 614-3200, or (973) 648-2640, fax (609) 292-3454, via e-mail at http://www.state.nj.us/governor/govmail.html, or send a letter to: Office of the Governor, PO Box 001, Trenton, NJ 08625. DEP Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson can be reached by phone at (609) 292-2885, fax (609) 292-7695, e-mail at http://www.nj.gov/cgi-bin/dep/contactdep_general.pl, or send a letter to: Office of the DEP Commissioner, 401 E. State St., 7th Floor, East Wing, P.O. Box 402, Trenton, NJ 08625-0402.
TENNESSEE
A National Rifle Association-produced documentary titled “Never Again” will be shown at the Clinton Community Center (101 South Hicks Street, Clinton, TN), Tuesday night, October 31, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The documentary to be viewed is shocking and will show you the horrifying crimes committed against law-abiding gun owners in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Anderson County Mayor Rex Lynch, Anderson County Sheriff Paul White, and Clinton Police Chief Rick Scarbrough have signed an NRA-backed pledge stating that they will never unlawfully confiscate firearms from law-abiding citizens. All three plan to attend the showing of the documentary and briefly address the audience. The event is free, and everyone is welcome. For more information, please call Ed Williamson at (865) 919-4308.
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].
In addition, the Virginia Shooting Sports Association presents: “Methods of Concealed Carry with Tom Marx.” Please join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 28, from 8:30 a.m., to 4:30 p.m., at the Izaak 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.
