National Gun Registration And Waiting Period
Are Goals Of New "Gun Show" Study
Despite California's bans on "assault weapons," "unsafe" handguns, private gun sales, and sales of two handguns in a 30-day period; its 10-day waiting period on all gun sales; and its denial of carry permits to people who don't have the right connections, the Golden State's murder and robbery rates are 12 and 20 percent higher, respectively, than in the rest of the country.
Nevertheless, the Brady Campaign calls California's "assault weapon" ban "a model for the nation," and gives the state a high "grade" just for having more gun control than other states. Washington, D.C.'s city council adopted California's "assault weapon" ban and "unsafe handgun" ban whole cloth in January, backtracking on handguns this summer only in the face of court challenges.
And then there's Garen Wintemute, of the University of California (Davis), who in September released another of his "studies" in favor of gun control. His new piece is called "Inside Gun Shows: What Goes On When Everybody Thinks Nobody's Watching."
Clark County Shooting Park Dedicated! Last week, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox, and National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) Senior Vice President Larry Keane joined U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senator John Ensign (R-NV), Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (R), Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, and Commissioner Tom Collins to dedicate the Clark County Shooting Park (CCSP) in Nevada.
2009 Firearms Law & The Second Amendment Symposium The 2009 "Firearms Law & The Second Amendment Symposium" will be held on Saturday, September 12, at Northwestern University Law School, in Chicago, Illinois. This event will be sponsored by The NRA Foundation and the Northwestern University chapter of the Federalist Society.
Triggering The Vote! With each election, Americans go to the polls and make decisions that affect -- for better or worse -- the future of freedom in America.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 72 percent (142 million) of the eligible voting age citizen population (197 million) were registered to vote in 2004. This means that as many as 55 million people were eligible to vote, but unregistered—and therefore did not participate in the November 2004 elections. Far too many gun owners and hunters are among them.
2009 Gun Rights Policy Conference: This year's Gun Rights Policy Conference (GRPC) will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 25, 26, & 27, at the beautiful Airport Renaissance hotel. The theme of this year's conference is "Challenges Ahead."
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: Update on Pending Anti-Gun Legislation in the Golden State Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed Assembly Bill 962 out of committee. The bill will now move to the 
Senate floor for a vote very soon. AB962 would make it a crime to privately transfer more than 50 rounds of ammunition per month, even between family and friends, unless you are registered as a "handgun ammunition vendor" in the Department of Justice's database. Ammunition retailers would have to be licensed and store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. The bill would also require purchasers to submit to fingerprints, which would be kept in dealers' records and subject to inspection by the Department of Justice. Lastly, mail order ammunition sales would be prohibited. No action has been taken on Senate Bill 585, which is still pending a vote by the full Assembly. SB585 would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace. SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all publicly-owned property in California. Please contact your State Senator and respectfully urge him or her to oppose AB962. Also, please contact your Assemblymember and ask him or her to oppose SB585. Contact information can be found here.
NEBRASKA: Attorney General Drafts Concealed Carry Recognition List Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) recently completed a comprehensive review of the concealed handgun laws in all 50 states. This review was done in advance of LB 430 going into effect on Sunday, August 30. As a result of this review, the Attorney General's Office has also compiled a list of states whose Right-to-Carry permits will be recognized in Nebraska. For a full list of states, please click here. Please thank Attorney General Jon Bruning for helping bolster the state's concealed handgun permit statute and strengthening Nebraskan's Second Amendment Rights. You can reach Attorney General Bruning's office by calling (402) 471-2682.
NEW YORK: Sportsmen's Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) 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. Special guests include Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President; Ron Schmeits, NRA President; Chris Cox, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action; Dick Anthony Heller of District of Columbia v. Heller; Ginny Simone, NRA News co-host; and John L. Cushman, S.A.F.E. President and Founder, and NRA Board Member. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Second Amendment issues, both nationally and locally, as well as meet and network 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. The conference will be held Sunday, September 13, 2009, from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. (doors open at 12:00 noon) at the Sheraton Long Island Hotel, 110 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, in Smithtown, NY.
NORTH DAKOTA: Hunters Have Opportunity to Participate in Elk Reduction Plan for Theodore Roosevelt National Park The National Park Service has released its "preferred alternative" for reducing the elk population in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It calls for elk culling to be carried out by qualified federal employees and/or authorized agents. Authorized agents include federal agency personnel and skilled public volunteers, including hunters. The proposal is open for public comment until September 9, and it can be viewed at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/THRO under the "document list" link. Comments can be sent electronically through that site or can be sent to [email protected]. Please send your comments in support of allowing hunters to participate in this endeavor.
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 e-mailed 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 become active participants in the planning process to ensure that sportsmen's interests are well represented in the plan that will be drafted.
TENNESSEE: Tennessee Park Carry Law Went into Effect Earlier This Week On Tuesday, September 1, the local carry provision of the new Tennessee Park carry law, went into effect. This law enables law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders to carry a firearm for self-defense in state and local parks. The state park component of this bill went into effect on June 12, but the local park carry effective date was delayed until September 1 to give local municipalities time to study the issue. Local government bodies have had the opportunity to opt out of the law prior to the effective date. While a majority of Tennessee localities chose not to restrict permit holders, a few voted to opt out of by passing ordinances and resolutions that ban the possession of firearms in local parks, creating arbitrary boundaries that prohibit law-abiding permit holders from protecting themselves. For a list of the counties and municipalities that have opted out please click here.
VIRGINIA: Another Volunteer Kick-Off Meeting Scheduled! 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 is hosting a free volunteer kick-off meeting in Leesburg, on Sept. 16th! At this meeting, 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! This meeting is absolutely free and beverages and light snacks will be served. The event will run only about 60-90 minutes. NRA-ILA Grassroots Director Glen Caroline will also be in attendance.
Here are the details for the Leesburg meeting on Sept. 16th:
Wednesday, September 16th
7:00 p.m.
Holiday Inn Leesburg at Carradoc Hall
1500 East Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-771-9200
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/WASLE/transportation?start=1
To register for this free event, please click here, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
Please join your fellow Virginia freedom-lovers at "An American Event", to be held on Saturday, September 26, at Ritchie Lake Pavilion in Bealton. Gates open at 11:00 a.m., with events commencing at 1:00 p.m. The event will include activities for all age groups, including Colonial and World War II military encampments, vintage military air show, pony rides, moon bounce, monster trucks, live music, free food, surprise speakers and more. If you are interested in donating food, time or energy, please contact the organizers at 703-537-5445 or [email protected]. Monetary donations will be given to aid for wounded soldiers. With Virginia being one of only two states holding elections this year, your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative, Greg Mortensen, will be in attendance working NRA-ILA's voter registration kiosk and discussing how you can get more involved in our efforts to elect pro-gun candidates to office this year. Greg can be reached at: [email protected] or 571-292-4796.
Reloading Clinics: Are you looking for a way to beat the high prices of ammo or are you having trouble finding your favorite ammo in stock at your local gun shop? The Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA), the Official State Affiliate Association of NRA, has the answer. VSSA will be hosting reloading clinics around the Commonwealth starting in September. There will be clinics for both metallic shell reloading and shotgun shell reloading. The courses are designed to enable shooters with little or no prior experience in reloading to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and ability to produce safe, consistent, and accurate reloaded ammunition. The clinics will be held at the Gander Mountain stores in Fredericksburg, Richmond, Roanoke, and Winchester. For more information on cost and dates, go to http://www.myvssa.org/reloading.htm, or e-mail Dave Myers at [email protected]. Class sizes are limited so register today!
WISCONSIN:Green Bay Strikes Down Ordinance Against Open Carry in Parks! On Tuesday, September 1, by an 8 to 3 vote, the Green Bay City Council successfully defeated an anti-gun ordinance that would have prohibited law-abiding gun owners from openly carrying firearms in parks. The ordinance (#32-09) was previously passed by the Parks Committee with only one dissenting vote (Alderman Dan Piton). Ordinance #32-09 would have violated Wisconsin's firearms preemption law which prohibits localities from enacting laws more stringent than state law. Please contact the Green Bay City Council members listed here and thank them for blocking this anti-gun ordinance and protecting our Second Amendment Rights.
