PANEL ON VIRGINIA TECH MURDERS PUSHES ANTI-GUN AGENDA
Yesterday, the "Virginia Tech Review Panel" released its report on April's horrific mass murder on campus. Most media attention has rightly focused on failures of communication. These include failures to share information between university officials, mental health counselors, campus police, and killer Seung Hui Cho's parents, as well as the university's failure to promptly notify students, faculty and staff promptly about the first two shootings on campus. Yet while the panel effectively reviewed those issues, it used its chapter on "Gun Purchase and Campus Policies" to promote an anti-gun agenda that has no relationship to this spring's tragedy. Many of its findings and recommendations are contradictory; none would have had an effect on Cho's rampage.
Recent Study On Media Bias Shows Need For Gun Owners To Speak Out: The Culture and Media Institute (CMI) recently released a report entitled "The Media Assault on the Second Amendment." Its findings will not surprise you.
According to the study, in the first seven months of 2007, the three major networks ran some 650 stories on firearm-related homicides, yet only two covering the use of guns for self-defense. Considering guns are used three to five times more often for self-defense than to commit a crime, this disproportion is staggering.
Commemorating Katrina's Second Anniversary - And Vowing Never To Forget: As we commemorate the second anniversary of the devastating hurricane that ravished the New Orleans-area, let us remember all of its victims, including the Second Amendment. With local law enforcement officials engaged in a concerted effort to confiscate the lawfully owned arms of New Orleans' residents after the storm, those who claimed "it could never happen here" learned that the U.S. is not immune to illegal gun confiscations. If you've forgotten how the Second Amendment was trampled upon following Hurricane Katrina, or if you have friends or family members who still naively believe "it can't happen here," please see NRA's compelling video on the subject by clicking here.
National Gathering Of Conservatives To Feature NRA Grassroots Seminar: Conservatives from around the country will convene in Reno, NV, October 11-13, for the 2007 "Conservative Leadership Conference" (CLC). In addition to the numerous training seminars and political discussions featuring some of the nation's most prominent political figures and movement leaders, NRA-ILA Grassroots Director Glen Caroline will be conducting a seminar titled: "Grassroots Lobbying: Turning Up The Heat." For more information on CLC '07 and to register, please visit http://www.clc07.com/.
Register To Vote For THIS YEAR'S Elections! With the 2007 Election season in full swing in five states (Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia), it is critical that gun owners and gun rights supporters register to vote in advance of state deadlines. Make no mistake, the opponents of our freedom will be working this year to gain momentum going into the all-important 2008 contests. It is critical that we as gun owners are registered to vote and that we most assuredly vote on Election Day.
To assist you in registering to vote this year, NRA-ILA has a number of tools available. Please click here (www.nraila.org/ActionCenter/GetInvolvedLocally/VoterInformation.aspx?st) and choose your state to find out all the voter registration dates, deadlines, and requirements for this year's elections. Click here (https://ssl.capwiz.com/nra/e4/nvra/?action=formhere) to print a voter registration application that you can complete and return by mail, please. You may also obtain voter registration information by calling the ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
Let's make sure that we in the pro-Second Amendment community do all we can in registering to vote and voting this year!
STATE ROUNDUP (please click to see any updates on states not listed below.)
CALIFORNIA: California Senate Expected To Vote On Microstamping and Lead Ammunition Legislation Any Day The State Senate could vote any day on two anti-gun bills. Assembly Bill 821 would ban the use of lead ammunition for hunting in various hunting zones around the state that incorporate condor range, Assembly Bill 1471 would require that after a certain date, the make, model, and serial number of the firearm be microstamped onto the interior surface or internal working parts of all handguns in such a manner that those identifiers are imprinted onto the cartridge case upon firing. Under AB 1471, the manufacture, sale, and transfer of handguns that do not include their identifying information would be a crime. Please contact your State Senator today and respectfully urge him or her to oppose AB 821 and AB 1471. Contact information for your State Senator can be found by clicking here.
NEBRASKA: Omaha City Council Passes Ordinance Protecting Our Second Amendment Rights! On Tuesday, August 28, the Omaha City Council unanimously passed an ordinance introduced by Councilman Chuck Sigerson, Jr. allowing a legally-owned firearm that has been stolen and used in a crime to be returned to the rightful owner, as long as it was reported stolen to police. Please contact City Councilman Sigerson and thank him for protecting our Second Amendment rights. Contact information can be found by clicking here.
NEW YORK: The Sportsmen's Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) will be hosting its "2007 Right-to-Carry Conference & Second Amendment Rally" on Sunday, September 23, 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 (on Motor Parkway on the North side of LIE between exits 53 & 55), Smithtown, NY, (631) 231-1100. In attendance at the event will be: Wayne R. LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President; John Sigler, NRA President; Bob Barr, Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives and NRA Board Member; Jim Fotis, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Alliance of America; Susan Howard, actress and Commissioner of Parks & Wildlife in Texas; 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.
NORTH DAKOTA: PLOTS Goal Reached Two Years Early! Governor John Hoeven (R) and Terry Steinwand, Director of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, announced on Tuesday, August 28 that the goal of opening 1 million of acres of Private Land Open to Sportsmen (PLOTS) has been reached two years early. PLOTS pays landowners to provide walk-in hunting access to the public to hunt pheasant, deer, and many other game species. Please contact Governor Hoeven and Director Steinwand and thank them for their hard work in preserving North Dakota's rich hunting heritage. Governor Hoeven's office can be reached by phone at (701) 328-2200 or via email at [email protected]. Director Steinwand can be contacted by phone at (701) 328-6305 or by email at [email protected].
PENNSYLVANIA: Rendell Firearm Purchase Shutdown Scheduled to Begin Sunday, September 2 Demonstrating his complete disregard for the rights of law-abiding gun owners and the appointed ad hoc committee assigned to evaluate alternatives, Governor Ed Rendell (D) issued a press release late Tuesday confirming his plan to proceed with the recently announced shutdown of the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) for firearm purchases across the Commonwealth. The shutdown will cover two full working days, 6 p.m. Sunday, September 2, until 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 6, which directly coincides with the beginning of the Pennsylvania hunting season. Please continue to contact Governor Rendell and urge him to conduct the maintenance of PICS during non-business hours, when it will not interfere with a law-abiding citizen's right to purchase a firearm. Governor Rendell can be reached at (717) 787-2500, or visit http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html to send him an email The State Senate can be reached at (717) 787-5920 and the House of Representatives can be reached at (717) 787-2382.
WISCONSIN: Governor Doyle Pushes a Massive Gun Control Scheme! As we reported last week, Governor Jim Doyle (D) has outlined a gun control scheme aimed not at reducing crime, but at infringing on the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding gun-owners in Wisconsin. The Governor's package would eliminate all private transfers at gun shows, allow municipalities to enact their own firearms regulations, require ballistic "fingerprinting" of firearms, and prohibit more law-abiding individuals from owning a firearm. While his gun control package has not yet been introduced, we will continue to monitor the situation and report any updates to you as soon as they become available. Please contact your State Senator at (608) 266-2517 and your State Representative at (608) 266-1501 today and respectfully urge them to oppose Governor Doyle's anti-gun measures. Also, please contact Governor Doyle at (608) 266-1212 and let him know that his priority should be locking up criminals, not eliminating the rights of law-abiding citizens.
In observation of Labor Day, NRA will be closed on Monday, September 3.
Have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend!
