Now Is The Time To Make
Yourself Heard At Town Hall Meetings!
The U.S. House of Representatives adjourned on July 31--and the U.S. Senate will adjourn next week--to start the Summer District Work Period. Both bodies will return after Labor Day. During this Summer District Work Period, your Senators and Representative will be back home in their states and districts.
Many lawmakers use this time to hold town hall meetings, and take questions from their constituents. These meetings offer a tremendous opportunity for you to personally voice your strong support for the Second Amendment.
Please contact your lawmakers’ district offices and ask when they plan to hold their town hall meetings during the break. If you do not know the number for your lawmakers’ district offices, you can use the “Write Your Representatives” tool at www.NRAILA.org, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.
Sotomayor Voted Out of Senate Judiciary Committee: By a vote of 13-6, Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to become an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court was voted out of the Senate Judiciary committee on Tuesday, July 28. Her nomination will now be decided by the full Senate in a vote that is likely to occur next week.
After Sotomayor completed her testimony, the NRA sent a letter to the entire U.S. Senate stating our opposition to her confirmation because of her previous judicial record, and her refusal to acknowledge during the hearings that self defense is a preexisting, inherent right.
To read NRA’s letter, please click here.
Your Help Is Needed In Support of BATFE Reform Bills S. 941 And H.R. 2296
As we reported in May, Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) have introduced S. 941, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009” in the U.S. Senate. Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zack Space (D-Ohio) have introduced a companion bill—H.R. 2296—in the U.S. House. The bills would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. These bipartisan bills are a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations.
STATE ROUNDUP (Please note the only items listed below are those that have had recent action. For other updates on state legislation, please go to the state legislation section at www.NRAILA.org, and check each week’s issue of the Grassroots Alert.”)
CALIFORNIA: Gun Show Ban Remains on the Assembly Floor As we previously, reported, the Assembly Appropriations Committee passed Senate Bill 585. The bill now heads to the Assembly floor. SB585 would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace in Daly City. In short, SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all publicly-owned property in California. Please contact your Assemblymember TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose SB585. Contact information for your Assemblymember can be found here.
ILLINOIS: Continue To Contact Governor Quinn To Sign Pro-Gun Bill Anti-gun groups are urging the Governor to veto HB182. This important pro-gun reform bill, would simply change the “Unlawful Use of Weapons (UUW)” law, adding "dwelling" and "dwelling of another" where a person has been invited with permission to possess a firearm, to the list of exemptions in which a law-abiding citizen is currently restricted from carrying a firearm. Please continue to contact Governor Quinn TODAY and respectfully urge him to sign this critical reform. To contact the Governor, please call 312-814-2121 or click here to send an email.
NEW YORK: New York State Senate Called Back for Special Session! The New York State Senate will return to Albany for a one-day session on Thursday, August 6. Contact your State Senator today and ask him or her to oppose all anti-gun bills that should come up for consideration while the Senators are in Albany. For a list of pending anti-gun bills and contact information, please click here.
Local Law “A” Tabled Once More in Albany County 
On Monday, July 27, the Albany County Law Committee once again postponed Local Law “A” at the request of the bill sponsor, Phillip Steck. Local Law “A” will now be tabled until next month’s meeting on Monday, August 24. Local Law “A” would require that a valid firearms license be shown when purchasing ammunition in Albany County. The law would also mandate that retailers keep a record of all ammunition sales, including the type, caliber, and quantity of the ammunition, the make, model and serial number of the firearm it is for, and the purchaser’s name and address. Please contact the members of the Law Committee and voice your opposition to Local Law “A.” Contact information for the members of the Law Committee can be found here.
Sportsmen’s Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) presents the 2009 Firearm Civil Rights Conference: Please join the Sportsmen’s Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) for its “2009 Firearm Civil Rights Conference”
Sunday, September 13th,
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 12:00 noon)
Sheraton Long Island Hotel
110 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway
Smithtown, NY 11788
(631) 231-1100
(on Motor Parkway on the North side of LIE between exits 53 & 55)
Special guests include Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President; Ron Schmeits, NRA President; Dick Anthony Heller, plaintiff in the landmark Heller-v-Washington DC, case;Ginny Simone, NRA investigative reporter on firearms issues, and radio show host; and John L. Cushman, S.A.F.E. President and Founder, and NRA Board Member.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn the latest information about firearm Civil Rights both nationally and locally, as well as meeting and networking with fellow sportsmen and women concerned about their civil rights and how to protect them. Valuable prizes in drawings will be awarded to attendees. Admission and parking are free, and the event is open to your family and friends.
NORTH CAROLINA: 2009 Legislative Session Close to Adjournment The budget still remains the key issue in the North Carolina General Assembly, and if an agreement is reached soon, the legislature may soon adjourn. Still, at a moments notice, Senate Bill 460 could be brought back to the Senate Floor. This legislation, which is being heavily promoted by the anti-hunting radicals at the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), would create a new provision in state law that will undoubtedly be used to try to wipe out commercial dog breeders.
In addition, anti-gun State Representative Deborah Ross (D-38) continues to refuse to give Senate Bill 928, the “Castle Doctrine” self-defense bill, a hearing. The bill remains stalled in the House Judiciary I Committee, which Ross chairs. For contact information on these important issues, please click here.
OREGON: Opportunity to Expand Hunting Programs in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that it will begin to draft a plan for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge that will guide refuge management for the next 15 years. The 187,000-acre refuge located in Harney County is one of the largest freshwater marshes in the country. Waterfowl hunting is available on approximately half of Malheur Lake and upland bird hunting is available on approximately one quarter of the refuge. One of the issues that the Service will be addressing is the adequacy of access and facilities for all of the wildlife dependent uses, like hunting and fishing, and opportunities to expand these programs. The Service is inviting comments from the public to gather suggestions and information on the scope of the issues to consider during the planning process. Comments are due by October 15 and can be emailed to [email protected]. Include "Malheur CCP" in the subject line of the message. Public meetings will be held and announced on the refuge's website at http://www.fws.gov/malheur. For further information you may call 541-493-2612. It is important that those who hunt and fish in the refuge to become active participants in the planning process to ensure that sportsmen's interests are well represented in the plan that will be drafted.
PENNSYLVANIA: Erie City Council to Consider “Lost or Stolen” Proposal! On August 5, the Erie City Council will consider a proposal to establish a requirement for gun owners to report all lost or stolen firearms with in 72 hours to law enforcement. This proposal not only violates the state preemption laws but could very well turn law-abiding victims into criminals. Please make plans to attend the meeting. Please also contact your City Council members and urge them to oppose any proposal that favors the criminal over legal gun owners. Contact information can be found here.
TENNESSEE: Updated List of Localities Opting Out of Park Carry Several Tennessee counties and municipalities have started the process to opt out of the new park carry law before its effective date (Tuesday, September 1). We have compiled a list of cities and counties that are considering opting out or have scheduled hearings on the issue. Please make your voice heard on this issue. The best way to get your opinion through to your local officials is to contact them immediately. Please respectfully urge them to oppose any proposal or resolution that would prohibit law-abiding permit holders from protecting themselves in local parks. The list of municipalities and their contact information can be located here.
VIRGINIA: This November, Virginia’s elections will be ground zero for the enemies of freedom to try and turn the tide against our gun rights in the Commonwealth, and serve as a launching pad for their national gun ban crusade. Our opponents will be pulling out all the stops as a run-up to the 2010 elections. All eyes will be on Virginia! To ensure we are prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities we will face this election season, NRA-ILA will be hosting a series of free volunteer kick-off meetings throughout the Commonwealth. At these meetings, we will lay out our plans for our grassroots election activities in your area and show you how you can help. You will also get to meet and begin working with your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative-- an NRA-ILA staff person who will be living in your area, coordinating our volunteer activities right through Election Day, Nov. 3! The meetings are absolutely free and beverages and light snacks will be served. These events will run only about 60-90 minutes.
Details for the next scheduled meetings are as follows:
NRA-ILA will be hosting the next free volunteer kick-off meeting this Saturday, August 1st, at 10:00 a.m., at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax (11250 Waples Mill Rd. Fairfax, VA 22030). This Fairfax County meeting will hosted by ILA Grassroots Staff.
No further registration is needed for the Fairfax event; you may just show up.
Following the Fairfax event, the next scheduled meeting will be Thursday, August 6th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Hampton Inn, 200 McBride Lane,Gretna, VA 24557.
To register for this free event, please click here, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
Following the Gretna event, the next scheduled meeting will be Monday, August 17th at 7:00p.m., at the Four Points by Sheraton Manassas, 10800 Vandor Lane, Manassas, VA 20109.
To register for this free event, please click here, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
Following the Manassas event, the next scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, August 18th, at 6:30 p.m., at Holiday Inn, Tanglewood –Roanoke, 4468 Starkey Road, Roanoke, VA 24018.
To register for this free event, please click here, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
Please make plans to attend these meetings and encourage fellow NRA members and Second Amendment supporters to attend as well.
WISCONSIN: Youth Hunting Bill Still Pending Governor’s Consideration! On Thursday, June 18, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 167 by a voice vote. SB167 is now on the desk of Governor Jim Doyle (D) for his consideration. SB167 would establish a mentored hunting program in the Badger State. Please continue to contact Governor Doyle at 608-266-1212 or click here to send email and urge him to sign this important piece of legislation. Also, please contact your State Legislators and thank them for passing SB167. You can find your legislators contact information by clicking here.
