The Supreme Court and the DC Gun Ban—
Now that the Supreme Court has agreed to review the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in District of Columbia v. Heller (formerly Parker v. District of Columbia), which struck down three D.C. gun bans as unconstitutional, many newspapers are publishing editorials, opinion pieces, and letters to the editor that read suspiciously like the anti-Parker “essays” that the Brady Campaign has been posting on its website for the last few months.
OUTRAGE OF THE WEEK!
Jesse Jackson Exploiting Tragedy: This week’s outrage concerns anti-gun opportunist Jesse Jackson, who exploited the tragic death of Washington Redskins star, Sean Taylor, using the occasion of Taylor’s funeral as a platform for one of his now-typical gun-banning rants.
STATE ROUNDUP (please click to see any updates on states not listed below.)
COLORADO: BLM Plans to Close Canyons of the Ancients to Recreational Shooting: The Bureau of Land Management has released a draft management plan for the 164,000-acre Canyons of the Ancients National Monument in southwest Colorado. All four management alternatives would close the entire Monument to recreational shooting. The BLM cites vandalism of cultural and natural resources and visitor safety as the reasons for closure. For more information about the plan, please go to http://www.blm.gov/rmp/canm/. Comments from the public are being accepted until January 25, 2008. It is critical that gun owners and sportsmen take an active role in this process!
BLM Plan Will Set Game Retrieval Restrictions: The Bureau of Land Management has released a draft management plan for travel routes on lands it administers within San Luis Valley, Colorado. The proposal will limit the retrieval of game off designated routes except to a perpendicular distance of 300 ft. from the edge of a route. Comments on the plan are being accepted until December 31. The document can be viewed at
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/slvplc/Travel_Management.html. For further information, please contact Mark Swinney, Project Lead, by phone at (719) 655-2547, or by e-mail at [email protected]. Once again, it is critical that gun owners and sportsmen take an active role in this process!
PENNSYLVANIA: “Castle Doctrine” Bill Set to be Heard in House Judiciary Committee! On Tuesday, December 11, at 10:00 a.m. in Room G50 of the Irvis Office Building, the House Judiciary Committee is slated to hear House Bill 641, vital “Castle Doctrine” legislation. This bill would ensure that Pennsylvanians have the ability to defend themselves and their loved ones from violent attack without fear of criminal prosecution or civil action. Please contact the members of the House Judiciary Committee today and respectfully urge them to protect our right to self-defense by supporting HB 641. Contact information can be found by clicking here.
VIRGINIA: Hunting With Hounds Under Review: The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has launched a review of hound hunting in the Commonwealth. Virginia Tech is conducting focus group meetings around the state during December. Trespass complaints from property owners have sparked this review. The Department’s goal is “To provide diverse opportunities for hunting with hounds in Virginia in a manner that is fair, sportsmanlike and consistent with the rights of property owners and other citizens.” The process includes many avenues for hound hunters to participate, such as focus group meetings with individual stakeholder groups, a survey conducted through the Department’s website, opportunity to review all developments, public meetings, and by letter or e-mail. About half of the focus groups will be comprised of bear, deer, fox, and raccoon hound hunters. The remainder of the focus groups will be populated by landowners, government representatives, other hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. If you are a hound hunter, make your views known during this public process. Go to www.dgif.state.va.us/hunting/hounds for more information about how you can participate.
WEST VIRGINIA: Hunting Threatened in New River Gorge National River: The National Park Service released a draft management plan for NRGNR, which includes 4 options for the future of hunting on these federal lands. Hunting has been allowed in the NRGNR since 1982, but at the discretion of the Service. The options are addressed on page 11 of the draft plan. Option #4 would eliminate hunting within the NRGNR. It is critical for the Service to hear the views of hunters--not just in West Virginia, but also around the country--on these options, particularly option #4. The comment deadline is December 15. For further information, including where to send your comments, please go to http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ and type in New River Gorge National River to view the management plan. By way of information, there are nearly 400 units in the National Park System. Only 61 are open to hunting.
WISCONSIN: Emergency Powers Bill Heading to Assembly Floor! Assembly Bill 581, critical Emergency Powers legislation, passed the Assembly Committee on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness by a 7-1 vote on Tuesday, December 4. AB 581 now heads to the full Assembly for a vote next Tuesday, December 11. AB 581 would prevent the state of Wisconsin from restricting the possession, transfer, sale, transport, storage, display, or use of firearms or ammunition during a declared state of emergency. Please contact your Assembly member today and respectfully urge him or her to support AB 581. Assembly members can be contacted toll-free by phone at 1-800-362-9472 or in Madison at (608) 266-9960.
