Outrage of the Week:
San Francisco Bans Guns ... for Movie Poster Cops?!
San Francisco is well known for its fog. But while the sunshine sometimes cuts through fog in the atmosphere, one fog that rarely seems to lift is the fog of anti-gun thinking. Twice, the city has tried to ban handguns, and been turned back by court challenges. The city's public housing authority also had to be sued to end its ban on gun possession by public housing residents. And the NRA is currently backing a challenge to the city's gun storage law, which requires city residents to store their handguns in locked containers or disabled with trigger locks.
But as if all that weren't enough,SF Weekly blogs reported this week that the city of San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) doesn't allow advertisements with guns in them. Specifically, SFMTA advertising policy regarding firearms says, "Advertising on Municipal Transportation Agency ("MTA") property, or as authorized under any contract with the MTA, constitutes a nonpublic forum. No such advertisement shall: … appear to promote the use of firearms."
Federal Legislative Roundup: There are currently two bills pending in Congress that require your action. Please review the following legislative initiatives and be sure to contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and urge them to cosponsor and support these measures. Additional contact information can be found using the "Write Your Representatives" feature at www.NRAILA.org.
Voter Registration Alert: With the 2010 elections rapidly approaching, gun owners have a tremendous opportunity to elect officials who will support our Second Amendment rights. This will not be possible, however, unless you make your voice heard by voting, and encouraging your family, friends, and fellow gun owners to do the same. Therefore, it is critical that gun owners are registered to vote for the November elections, and for the upcoming primary elections.
Shoe Leather & Votes: As was the case two years ago in the 2008 elections, in this year's contests, two things will deliver victory for us -- shoe leather and votes.
To ensure that our members and supporters are registered to vote, are active in the campaigns of pro-gun candidates, and prepared to vote in droves before or on Election Day, NRA-ILA's Grassroots Division has hired Campaign Field Representatives (CFRs) that have been dispatched to key states across the country.
"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).
NRA has been a part of this social technology for some time now, with a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites. By actively participating in these new media, we are able to reach out to more potential members and supporters than ever before.
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.)
ARIZONA:OHV Restrictions in Kaibab National Forest Allow for Big Game Retrieval
The Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest has issued a draft plan for managing off-highway vehicle (OHV) use. OHV use will be restricted to those roads and trails designated in the plan, depending on which management alternative is selected following public review and comment. Tusayan Ranger District offers four plan alternatives for managing OHV use. Alternative 1 is the status quo and is used as a baseline to compare the changes to be made in OHV use by the other alternatives. Alternatives 2 and 3 allow motorized big game retrieval up to a mile off of a designated road or trail. Alternative 4 allows no such exemption for hunters using OHVs for game retrieval. Comments on the plan are being accepted until August 30th and can be emailed to [email protected]. The plan can be found online by going to http://fs.usda.gov/goto/kaibab/projects and look for the Tusayan Travel Management Project. If you have questions about the plan or need additional information, you may call 928-635-5649.
CALIFORNIA: Long Gun Registration Bill Advances to Senate Floor for Consideration On Thursday, August 12, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed Assembly Bill 1810. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration. This could be your last opportunity to stop long gun registration in the Golden State. Because it has already passed the Assembly, the bill's next stop, if passed by the Senate, would be the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)!
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. If AB1810 were enacted, violent criminals would continue doing what they do now – obtain firearms through illegal means. This bill would not decrease crime but will rather have disastrous effects on the already financially unstable Golden State. AB1810 would impose additional burdens on California's taxpayers to maintain the registration system as well as on the state's licensed firearms dealers, small businesses who already deal with extensive business requirements. One simply needs to look at Canada, a nation with draconian firearms registration, to see the results – billions in cumulative administrative costs, annual cost overruns, no clear substantiation of public safety benefits, unjust prosecution, and a bureaucratic complexity that daunts those willing to comply. Ironically, California is considering a new registration scheme as Canada is considering doing away with its system. Please contact your State Senator AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and respectfully voice your opposition to AB1810. Contact information for your State Senator can be found by clicking here.
Open Carry Ban Advances to Senate FloorOn Wednesday, August 4, Assembly Bill 1934 advanced out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. AB1934 now heads to the Senate floor. Simply put, AB1934 would outlaw the open carrying of a handgun for self-defense. This bill is a blatant attack on the self-defense rights of law-abiding Californians. AB1934 is a knee-jerk reaction by anti-gun legislators to punish citizens for engaging in the legal act of openly carrying an unloaded handgun. In reality, the open carrying of firearms by law-abiding citizens is forced by California's unfair concealed carry law, which allows some citizens from some counties to receive a permit to carry, while their neighbors in the next county are denied that basic right for political, not public safety, reasons. Please contact your State Senator TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose AB1934. This may be your last opportunity to stop this anti-gun bill as it has already passed the assembly. Contact information for your State Senator can be found by clicking here.
KANSAS: Vote YES on 1 November 2nd! A 1905 
court ruling from the Kansas Supreme Court took the interpretation of Section 4 of the Kansas Constitution to mean the Right to Keep and Bear Arms only exists as a collective right for those in the militia or military and "NO INDIVIDUAL RIGHT EXISTS." For that reason, the NRA has worked with the Kansas State Rifle Association, Senator Mike Petersen and the Legislature, to pass a Constitutional Amendment during the 2009 legislative session, which provides new language that clarifies Section 4 and GUARANTEES an individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The language reads: "A person has the right to keep and bear arms for the defense of self, family, home and state, for lawful hunting and recreational use, and for any other lawful purpose." Our elected officials have done law-abiding Kansans a tremendous service by passing this landmark Constitutional Amendment. Now it is up to YOU to do your part on November 2, 2010 and vote this provision into the Kansas Constitution.
Paid for by the National Rifle Association.
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.
