You probably recall reading a story we brought you in May regarding the Brady Center’s stomach-turning fundraising plea sent in the immediate aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. The solicitation asked for $32--one dollar for each of the victims that lost his or her life.
You might have thought the condemnation and scorn the Brady Bunch rightly earned for this tasteless stunt would have been enough for them not to do something similar in the future. Apparently not so.
Now comes a “lie-in” protest scheduled nearby a Richmond, Va. gun show this weekend, where 32 “Million” Mom March/Brady supporters will play dead for a few minutes to represent the victims at Virginia Tech.
The protest is part and parcel of their campaign to close the mythical gun show “loophole.” Despite the fact that this weekend’s show, like the thousands held every year, will see an overwhelming majority of its gun sales go through a licensed dealer and NICS background check, and ignoring the fact that federal reports show gun shows amount for less than 2% of guns used in crimes, the Brady gang is bent on pursuing legislation that would in effect end gun shows as we know them. (For more information on the myth of the gun show “loophole”, click here: www.nraila.org/Issues/articles/read.aspx?ID=13).
While NRA continues its work to enact proven policies to reduce gun crime, the Brady Center and its affiliates apparently remain content in pushing for more restrictions on lawful gun owners and promoting PR stunts that should offend even the staunchest gun control supporters. The depths to which the Brady Center and its supporters will stoop apparently knows no bounds. Unfortunately for America, we have to be constantly reminded of this fact.
STATE ROUNDUP (please click to see any updates on states not listed below.)
CALIFORNIA: Governor Ignores Law-Abiding Gun Owners and Sportsmen! With the stroke of a pen, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) dismissed the concerns of gun owners and sportsmen in California and signed two anti-gun pieces of legislation, Assembly Bill 1471 and Assembly Bill 821. The first, AB1471, outlaws the sale of all new handguns that do not imprint identifying information upon cartridge cases after firing. AB821 bans the use of lead ammunition in areas which are inhabited by California condors. Gun owners in California did not entirely lose out this past weekend as the Governor did sign vital legislation protecting law-abiding gun owners from the seizure or confiscation of any lawfully carried or possessed firearm or ammunition during a declared state of emergency.
LOUISIANA: Saturday, October 20, is Primary Election Day! Please be sure to go to the polls. For information on candidate ratings and endorsements, please visit www.nrapvf.org, refer to our candidate endorsements guide in the November issue of your NRA magazine, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683). For more information about voting in Louisiana, please visit http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/. Remember to Vote Freedom First on Saturday, October 20!
MARYLAND: Governor O’Malley Allows Black Bear Hunt to Continue! Governor Martin O’Malley (D) recently decided to allow Maryland’s black bear hunt to continue in 2007 despite being pressured by radical animal “rights” groups to cancel the hunt. Hunting is the most effective and humane way to control Maryland’s black bear population, especially since there has been a growing number of bear-human confrontations in western Maryland. Please contact Governor O’Malley at (410) 974-3901, or toll free (800) 811-8336, or use this form to email the Governor and thank him for allowing the 2007 Black Bear Hunt to go on and for protecting the rights of sportsmen in Maryland.
NEW JERSEY: Cam Edwards to Keynote New Jersey State Association Banquet on Saturday! NRA’s Official State Affiliate, the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) combined annual meeting banquet and Friends of NRA Dinner and Auction will be held this Saturday, October 20 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ramada Inn located at 60 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873 (732-560-9880). The festivities are guaranteed to be lively as Cam Edwards of NRA News will be the keynote speaker sharing his unique viewpoint on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Banquet seating ($40 per ticket) is extremely limited and open to the public on a first come, first-served basis. Prepay for a ticket to ensure that seats are still available and that the event is not sold out (contact Lisa Caso at [email protected] or 201-424-5536).
WISCONSIN: Important Pro-Hunting Bills Moving Through Legislature! Senate Bill 198 and its companion, Assembly Bill 401 are making their way through the Wisconsin Legislature. These bills would remove the section of the Wisconsin code requiring bow hunters to wait three days after purchasing a hunting license before they are allowed to hunt. SB198, sponsored by State Senator Mark Miller (D-16) passed the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on Wednesday, October 17 and is now on its way to the Senate. AB401 has been scheduled for a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday, October 24 at 10:00 a.m. in room 417 North (GAR Hall) in the State Capitol. Please attend the hearing or contact the members of the committee and respectfully urge them to pass AB 401 and end this pointless inconvenience to Wisconsin sportsmen. For contact information for the committee, please click here.
