Supreme Court Update: McDonald v. City of Chicago
For several months, we have been reporting on the landmark McDonald v. City of Chicago court case. The McDonald case is one of several that were filed immediately after last year's decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the Court upheld the Second Amendment as protecting an individual right and invalidated Washington, D.C.'s ban on handgun possession, as well as the capital city's ban on keeping loaded, operable firearms for self-defense in the home.
On November 16, the NRA filed its brief with the U.S. Supreme Court as Respondent in Support of Petitioner in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The NRA brief asks the Court to hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the 14th Amendment, and makes a clear and strong case in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment.
INTERPOL Rumors: Over the past year, we have reported several times on the abundance of rumors being circulated regarding firearm issues. Among other things, we've heard phony tales circulating about such things as guns being banned for the elderly, ammunition with expiration dates, a requirement that guns be listed on tax returns, and a prohibition on gun and ammunition imports. The latest scuttlebutt has to do with a recent Executive Order by President Obama concerning the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
Move (Your Bloomin' Eyes) To The Center, Mr. Mayor: Skilled marksmen know that parallax -- caused by having your head in the wrong place when looking through your sights -- can cause you to miss your target. As New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has demonstrated yet again, having your head in the wrong place can also result in a miss where gun control is concerned.
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The NRA Online Advisory Panel: A few weeks ago, we launched a brand new service -- the NRA Online Advisory Panel -- a community of our most active and loyal supporters.
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Grassroots Minute Video:
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: Right-to-Carry Bill Scheduled to be Heard Next Week! Assembly Bill 357is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday, January 12. Sponsored by Assembly Member Steve Knight (R-36), AB357 would create a "shall issue" concealed handgun permit system in California. Under current law, an applicant must show cause as to why he or she should be issued a permit to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense. AB357 would remove that requirement and require sheriffs to issue the license if all other mandated criteria are satisfied. Please contact the members of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety TODAY and respectfully urge them to support AB357. Contact information can be found here.
Hunting Threatened on Mojave National Preserve The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), in concert with the Sierra Club and other anti-hunting organizations, has filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission to ban most hunting in the Mojave National Preserve, including rabbit and varmint hunting. What hunting remains (resident game birds, deer, and bighorn sheep) would be restricted. The "Petition for Rulemaking Regarding Hunting in the Mojave National Preserve" blames hunters for the declining population of the desert tortoise, a threatened species under the state's Endangered Species Act. CBD filed a similar petition in 2003, but the commission did not act on it. The commission could schedule a hearing on it early this year.
The petition contains the flimsiest of evidence that hunting in the preserve is the cause or even a contributing factor of the decline in the tortoise population. In fact, statistics confirm that vehicular traffic and increased tourism within the designated critical habitat of the tortoise have increased substantially since 1994 when the preserve was established. Those activities are believed to be the leading causes of tortoise mortality. Further, there is sufficient research to suggest that predation by ravens and coyotes are also taking its toll on this protected species. The objective of the petition is not to protect and enhance the tortoise population. Rather, it is an attempt by this coalition of anti-hunting organizations to permanently end hunting in the Mojave National Preserve. CBD was also behind the ban on the use of lead ammunition for hunting big game within the range of the California condor, and earlier this year, CBD attempted unsuccessfully to extend that ban to all game species.
Please take a few minutes to contact the commission and ask that they deny the petition. Please address and mail comments to:
John Carlson, Jr., Executive Director
California Fish and Game Commission
1416 Ninth Street, Room 1320
Sacramento, CA 95814
[email protected]
Hunters are continually being harassed with restrictions on hunting and access to hunting areas for reasons not based on science. Please do not let CBD impose their pseudo-science on those who hunt in the Mojave National Preserve!
COLORADO: Support Needed to Re-Open Rampart Shooting Range! Following an accidental shooting last July, the Forest Service closed the very popular and heavily used Rampart Shooting Range on the Pike National Forest. In its nearly 20 year history, Rampart had never before experienced a shooting-related injury or fatality. Rampart is the only free public range in El Paso County and receives 40,000 visitors a year. The Service called the closure a "time-out" in order to assess whether the design of the range was a factor. An investigation determined that the range was not a factor in the accident. Safety experts have said that the accident could have happened at any range. But after it closed Rampart, the Forest Service devised a scheme to keep the range closed permanently.
The Forest Service has listed requirements that must be met before it will reopen Rampart. There is no timetable for meeting these requirements and likely no money to cover costs. The most significant issue is the requirement of full time supervision. Most ranges on federal lands operate without supervision and this requirement could place all such ranges in jeopardy. Rampart Range is in need of improvements, which were identified more than two years ago. Such improvements can be addressed and implemented with the range reopened. The Forest Service has said that it could take up to five years before Rampart is reopened, but there is no guarantee that it would reopen Rampart in that timeframe or at any time in the future.
NRA has been working to get Rampart Range reopened since the day it was closed, but we need the help of Colorado hunters and shooters to show the Forest Service and your elected officials that the federal government cannot continue to close public lands to recreational shooting, and certainly not without replacing those areas lost with other areas of the same or great value. Rampart Shooting Range is an important resource for the shooting community along the Front Range. There is no incentive for the Forest Service to reopen Rampart unless the shooting sports community demands it!
Shooting ranges on public lands are few and far between in Colorado. In addition to the closure of Rampart, the Forest Service has closed its lands to recreational shooting near Boulder and on the Pawnee Grasslands, and large acreage closures have occurred west of Sedalia. The Forest Service is not planning for recreational shooting. Closures are imposed without opening new areas and needed improvements to existing areas, including the Rampart Shooting Range, have not been made. Recreational shooting is not being treated by the Forest Service in Colorado as a legitimate and valued recreational activity on forest lands.
Please send an e-mail in support of the immediate reopening of Rampart to:
Tom Tidwell, Chief of the Forest Service, at [email protected], and copy your letter to:
Senator Mark Udall at [email protected],
Senator Michael Bennet at http://bennet.senate.gov/contact/,
Congressman Doug Lamborn at [email protected], and
Governor Bill Ritter by clicking here.
Please stress that keeping the range closed is not supportable by the investigative report; that the closure has robbed the shooting community of a valuable resource; and that needed improvements to the range can be planned and implemented without closure.
DELAWARE: Delaware State Sportsmen's Association to Host 2010 Election Year Candidate's Forum! On Sunday, January 10, 2010, the Delaware State Sportsmen's Association will be hosting the 2010 Election Year Candidate's Forum and Second Amendment Rally. Doors open at 1 p.m., with an hour reserved for socializing with fellow NRA members and candidates. The forum begins at 2 p.m. Candidates will have five minutes to discuss their stance on Second Amendment, hunting, conservation and concealed carry issues in Delaware. If you would like to ask a question, please plan to arrive early and stay late to mingle with the candidates as questions will not be taken directly from the floor during the forum. Come rally for freedom! Show Delaware's political leaders that Delawareans are strong and united in defense of our Right to Keep and Bear Arms! The forum will take place at the Modern Maturity Center located at 1121 Forrest Avenue in Dover, on Sunday, January 10 at 1 p.m.
MARYLAND: "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" Loses Yet Another Member! Mayor Sheila Dixon (D) has accepted a plea deal for perjury charges stemming from accusations that she did not report gifts she received from a local developer. In a teary announcement yesterday, she resigned her post as mayor. Her resignation was part of the plea. As you will recall, Dixon, a vocal member of "Mayors Against Illegal Guns," was convicted last month of pocketing gift cards intended for Baltimore's needy families. Dixon now joins the ranks of disgraced anti-gun politicians like former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) of Detroit. Perhaps these folks should focus on abiding by the law themselves instead of persecuting law-abiding citizens.
NEVADA: Clark County Shooting Park Needs Your Help! The Clark County Shooting Park has been the target of a lawsuit by a handful of anti-gun homeowners intending to close this major shooting facility north of Decatur Boulevard in Las Vegas. The Shooting Park was established by federal legislation in November 2003 by transferring nearly 3,000 acres of land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to Clark County.
The NRA previously sent an alert on this issue asking for its members to submit comments to the BLM in support of an Environmental Assessment that the court required BLM to prepare. It was released for public comment in August. More than 1,000 comments in support of the Shooting Park were received by the BLM compared to a fraction in opposition.
However, the issue has not been settled. Because some of the comments provided new information or raised questions or concerns regarding the Environmental Assessment, the BLM was forced to consider a wider range of alternatives and thus had to prepare a supplement. The revised document has been released for a 45-day comment period that will end January 29th.
We ask that our members in Nevada and the surrounding states once again take the time to submit comments to the BLM in support of the Preferred Alternative A, which is the conveyance of the federal lands to the County for the Shooting Park. The environmental assessment is available online at www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo.html. Written comments should be addressed to Bob Ross, BLM Las Vegas Field Manager, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV, 89130. Your comments will make a difference as to whether the Shooting Park becomes a reality or falls victim to the whims of anti-gunners.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Two Anti-Gun Bills to be Heard on Monday! Two dangerous anti-freedom bills will be considered in Concord on Monday, January 11. House Bill 1654 and House Bill 1635 would infringe upon our Second Amendment rights by outlawing the possession of firearms in state or town buildings, including state-operated rest areas, the university system/community college system of New Hampshire, the State House complex, etc. HB1654 will be heard at 1:00 p.m. by the House Legislative Administration Committee and HB1635 will be heard at 2:00 p.m. by the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. Both hearings will be held in room LOB 210-211. Please contact the members of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and the House Legislative Administration Committee TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose these bills. Contact information for the committees can be found by clicking here and here.
NEW MEXICO: Pro-Gun Bill Pre-Filed for 2010 Session! State Senator George Munoz (D-4) has pre-filed NRA-supported legislation for the 2010 thirty-day session of the New Mexico Legislature. Senate Bill 40 would allow concealed handgun licensees to lawfully carry handguns for self-defense in certain establishments that serve alcohol for consumption on the premises. Governor Bill Richardson (D) has agreed to "message" the bill, which will make it eligible for consideration during what is primarily a budget-only session. For more information on SB40 and how to take action in support, please click here.
NEW YORK: Legislature Reconvenes in Albany The New York State Legislature reconvened in Albany this week for the 2009-2010 Legislative Session. Bill introduction will occur in the coming weeks and we will keep you alerted when firearm-related legislation is introduced. Please continue to check www.NRAILA.org and your email for updates.
Join NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre for Second Amendment Advocacy Day in Albany on Tuesday, January 12! Please join fellow sportsmen and special guest speaker, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, for Second Amendment Advocacy Day, a day of celebration and advocacy for our Second Amendment rights in Albany! The event will be held on Tuesday, January 12 and is sponsored by NRA's state affiliate, the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, and Assembly Minority Leader Brian M. Kolb (R-129). Attendees will even be eligible to win a $1,000 gift certificate from Remington! Don't miss this great opportunity to stand up and promote our Right to Keep and Bear Arms with NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre! For directions and more information, please click here.
RHODE ISLAND: Legislature Reconvenes in Providence The Rhode Island State Legislature reconvened in Providence this week for the 2010 Legislative Session. Bill introduction will occur in the coming weeks and we will keep you alerted when firearm-related legislation is introduced. Please continue to check www.NRAILA.org and your email for updates throughout the legislative session.
VERMONT: Anti-Gun Bill Introduced in Montpelier The Vermont State Legislature reconvened in Montpelier this week for the 2009-2010 Legislative Session. Senate Bill 168 would penalize the "negligent use of a firearm." This proposed legislation is an irrational attack on gun owners as Vermont already has reckless endangerment laws on the books under which an individual who acts in a negligent manner can be charged, whether the incident involves a firearm, a vehicle or a backyard swimming pool. Please call members of the Vermont State Legislature TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose Senate Bill 168. Contact information for the members of the House of Representatives can be found by clicking here. Contact information for members of the Senate can be found by clicking here.
