Last Chance To OPPOSE
Elena Kagan's Confirmation to U.S. Supreme Court
On Tuesday, July 20, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-6 to send Elena Kagan's Supreme Court nomination on to the full Senate for a vote. The full Senate vote on the confirmation will occur the week of August 2nd. NOW is the time to contact your U.S. Senators and strongly urge them to OPPOSE and filibuster the Kagan nomination!
As we've been reporting in these pages, on July 1, in a letter to the U.S. Senate, NRA announced its strong opposition to her confirmation. Prior to the Senate Judiciary Committee vote, we ran print ads in Politico, Roll Call, and The Hill newspapers, and ran a nationwide commercial on Fox News and on the Internet opposing Kagan's confirmation.
Both her political career in the Clinton Administration and her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee make it clear that Kagan is a serious opponent of our Second Amendment Rights.
NRA-Backed "Protecting Gun Owners In Bankruptcy Act of 2010" Passes U.S. House: This week, by a margin of 307-113, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to amend the federal definition of "household goods" to protect firearms from creditors in bankruptcy proceedings.
NRA Protects Second Amendment Rights Of Residents In Public Housing: Gun owners and sportsmen earned a victory this week as the House Financial Services Committee considered and adopted an amendment offered by Congressman Tom Price (R-Ga.) to protect the Second Amendment rights of public housing residents.
"Don't Tread On My Gun Rights" Yard Signs Available Now: We've created a new yard sign that will send a strong message this election season to all who read it: "Don't Tread on my Gun Rights."
Another Way To Get Involved--Join NRA's Facebook And Twitter Groups: Internet social networking has exploded in recent years, and websites such as Facebook and Twitter attract millions of users. This on-line community fosters a connection between its users, and allows distribution of user-generated content (like pictures, profiles, music, video, and text).
Grassroots News Minute Video: To view this week's "Grassroots News Minute" video, please click here:
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: Another Lawsuit Filed Challenging Ban on Shipping Ammunition into CaliforniaOn Thursday July 29, the National Rifle Association (NRA) joined the Calguns Foundation, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (the largest trucker's trade association), the Folsom Shooting Club, and two individual truckers in a lawsuit challenging California's soon-to-be-implemented law banning most shipments of handgun ammunition into California. The case is OOIDA v. Lindley. A copy of the Complaint is available at www.calgunlaws.com. Assembly Bill 962 was signed into law last year. Starting in February 2011, the law will criminalize the delivery and transfer of handgun ammunition not done in face-to-face transactions. The law provides only a few exceptions to this shipping ban, and requires shipping companies to bear the burden of determining whether the recipient of a package containing handgun ammunition is covered by one of the exceptions before delivering the package. This will make shipping ammunition to California much more difficult, complicated, and expensive. The new lawsuit, filed in Sacramento's United States District Court, Eastern District of California, alleges that the ammo shipment ban is similarly burdensome and preempted by the FAAAA. Plaintiffs will soon be seeking an injunction to block the shipping portions of the law from taking effect. This lawsuit follows a separate suit brought by Tehama County Sheriff Clay Parker and the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA). For more information on this lawsuit please click here.
Long Gun Registration and Open Carry Ban Pending Consideration Assembly Bill 1810 and Assembly Bill 1934 are awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee. AB1810 would establish a registration system, similar to the one currently in place for handguns, for all newly-acquired long guns. Under AB1810, the make, model and serial number of the firearm as well as the identifying information of the purchaser would be recorded and kept on file by the California Attorney General's office. AB1934 would outlaw the open carrying of a handgun for self-defense. Please contact the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose AB1810 and AB1934. Contact information for the committee can be found here. The legislature will reconvene on August 2, so please call your State Senator and ask them to oppose AB1810 and AB1934.
Important Pro-Hunting Bill Advances in Sacramento! On June 29, the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee passed Senate Bill 1179. The bill now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for consideration. SB1179 would require that the Department of Fish and Game establish two free hunting days per year where unlicensed hunters can hunt so long as they are accompanied by someone who is licensed. This legislation promises to help recruit the next generation of hunters by allowing novices to try their hand at hunting without being required to purchase a license. Please contact the members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and respectfully urge them to support SB1179. Please click here for contact information. The legislature will reconvene on August 2, so please call your State Assemblymember and ask them to support SB1179.
IOWA: Mayor Trousil Continues to Threaten the Safety of Iowans in West Burlington Since we've notified Mayor Hans Trousil and the City Council of West Burlington of its unlawful firearm ban ordinance, a number of stories have appeared in the Des Moines Register and The Hawkeye newspaper. In each instance, journalists have contacted Mayor Trousil seeking comments and he continues -- even in his emails responding to Iowa's NRA members' concerns -- to disingenuously misstate our position and display a poor understanding of Iowa's firearm laws. As such, it is necessary to explain the facts on this issue. To learn more, please click here.
NEW YORK: Sportsmen's Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) 2010 Firearm Civil Rights Conference. Please join the Sportsmen's Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) for its 2010 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; 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. Attendees can win valuable prizes in exclusive drawings. Admission and parking are free, and the event is open to your family and friends. The conference will be held Sunday, October 3, 2010, from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. (doors open at 12:00 noon) at the International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers Hall, 370 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, NY 11788 (On North side of Motor Parkway between exits 53 & 55 of LIE).
S.A.F.E. and Women on Target (WOT) are sponsoring a Women's Only Clinic on Rifle Shooting on Long Island, on Saturday, October 2, 2010, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon or 12:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Nassau County Indoor Rifle & Pistol Range, located in Mitchell Park, across from the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Earl Ovington Blvd, Uniondale, NY (you can call 516-572-0421 for directions). If you have never shot a firearm before, this is a great opportunity to learn. Experienced instructors will be on hand. This clinic is free and open to all women, regardless of experience. You will learn safe gun handling skills, proper firearm storage techniques, and fundamentals of marksmanship. Admission is FREE. The program includes free coffee and Danish, a firearms safety class, all ammunition and targets, the use of .22 caliber rifles, all safety equipment and certified NRA Instructors. Pre-registration is required by September 26th, 2010 because space is limited. For more information, please call (631) 475-8125.
NORTH CAROLINA: New Management Plan for the Uwharrie National Forest The U.S. Forest Service is planning to revise the current management plan for the Uwharrie National Forest. The new plan will guide the Forest's management for the next 15 years. This process is of critical importance to sportsmen because hunting and recreational shooting must be included in the plan in order to safeguard these activities for the future. Recently, the Flintlock Valley Shooting Range, a public shooting range on the Uwharrie, was closed pending a review of safety concerns. Unless the Forest makes management of hunting and shooting a priority, we risk loss of these opportunities to competing recreational interests. One of the plan revision themes is "Providing Outstanding and Environmentally Friendly Outdoor Recreation Opportunities, with Excellent Trails and Facilities." The Uwharrie will be hosting an open house on Tuesday, August 3rd at the North Carolina Zoo, Stedman Education Building in Asheboro, NC from 6:00pm to 8:30pm. This is an opportunity for the public to talk with Forest Service staff about the new management plan. Further information about the planning process and the open house can be found at http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/uwharrie_plan. You may also contact Ruth Berner, Forest Planner, at 828-257-4862. It is vitally important that hunters and shooters take the time to attend this open house and become engaged in the management planning process to ensure that you have places to hunt and shoot in the Uwharrie.
NORTH DAKOTA: National Park Service Asking for Volunteer Assistance in Elk Cull: The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is asking for volunteers from the public to assist them in a culling operation to reduce the Park's elk population. The cull will take place between November 1st and January 21st. The goal is to recruit 20 volunteers each week to take up to 250 cow elk. Applications to participate can only be made on-line. Instructions are posted on the Park's website at www.nps.gov/thro. Applicants can apply individually or as a group of up to four, and will be selected at random for each week during the culling operation. Volunteers will be able to receive meat from up to one elk depending on the success of each week's harvest. NRA was instrumental in changing National Park Service policy with respect to the overpopulation of deer and elk. Hunters and other qualified members of the public now replace paid professional sharpshooters in culling operations in national parks where hunting is not permitted and cannot be used as a wildlife management tool to maintain wildlife populations at a healthy level. The first park to initiate the new policy was Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.
PENNSYLVANIA: Consideration of Discharge Ban Postponed in Exeter Township The Exeter Township Board of Supervisors has decided to postpone the consideration of an ordinance that would outlaw the discharge of not only firearms, but air guns and bows and arrows, as well. At this time, no action is needed in opposition to this ordinance. Please continue to check your email and www.NRAILA.org for updates.
