Anti-Gun Group Shows Why
The American Way Is Better, As U.S. Firearm Production Soars
Anyone who traveled behind the Iron Curtain back in those days probably didn’t have to look very hard to find groups of “workers” sitting around doing pretty much nothing, except collecting a taxpayer-funded government paycheck.
The American way is better. Anti-gun group employees can still sit around doing pretty much nothing and collect a paycheck, but the money -- lots of it -- comes from donations, from foundations and individuals who share their ideals. While the rest of us have to contend with anything tangible they might produce, at least we don’t have to pay for it, most of the time.
Take the latest from the so-called Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV), a handful of gun-hater lawyers operating out of an office in San Francisco, California. Mimicking the Brady Campaign -- probably not a good business plan, given that Brady Campaign is not exactly a thriving enterprise these days -- LCAV is now ranking the states according to how “strong” their gun laws are.
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.”
It has been estimated that well-placed campaign signs can account for four percentage points on Election Day. Think back to the 2000 presidential election, where 537 votes in Florida separated George W. Bush from Al Gore, and four points seems like a landslide! While you are focused on the November 2 election, some gun owners may not be aware of what’s at stake for the future of the Second Amendment on Election Day.
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: Ammo Sales Bill (AB2358) Sent Back to Senate Public Safety Committee in California Assembly Bill 2358was recently amended to include common rifle ammunition like .223 and 7.62 x 39. The bill has been directed back to the Senate Public Safety Committee for approval of this alteration where it will be considered on Monday, August 23. As we reported, AB2358 is anti-gun legislation meant to “clean-up” and address problems encountered with the passage of AB962 in 2009. Make no mistake about it; this bill does nothing to improve AB962 for California’s gun owners. In fact, it makes things far worse. AB2358 would force licensed state ammunition retailers to obtain a special local license to operate in municipalities. These retailers would also be required to notify local law enforcement before conducting business within their jurisdiction. Moreover, this bill mandates that ammunition retailers submit sales records to local law enforcement agencies and allows them to maintain those records indefinitely. It does not require the same privacy and destruction requirements mandated for state ammunition vendors. Passage of AB2358 would make it difficult for ammunition retailers to sell ammunition at sporting events and gun shows. It would also leave law abiding Californian gun owners vulnerable to identity theft and political persecution by local, anti-gun politicians. Please contact the members of the Senate Public Safety Committee IMMEDIATELY and respectfully urge them to oppose AB2358. Contact information for the committee can be found here.
Long Gun Registration Bill and Open Carry Ban Awaiting Consideration by California Senate Two serious attacks on the Second Amendment freedoms of California’s law-abiding gun owners are currently pending action on the Senate floor. Assembly Bill 1810 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. Assembly Bill 1934, 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.
This could be your last opportunity to stop long gun registration and the prohibition on open carry in the Golden State. These bills have already passed the Assembly and their next stop, if passed by the Senate, would be the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)! Please contact your State Senator AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and respectfully voice your opposition to AB1810 and AB1934. 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.
NEVADA: Update on CCW Confidentiality in Nevada Last week, Nevada NRA members received a postcard regarding the recent State Supreme Court ruling which held that the information pertaining to Right-to-Carry permit holders is not confidential under the current wording of the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS 202.3662). In the postcard, we indicated that each county sheriff had alerted CCW permit holders in their respective counties in a letter detailing what had led to the Supreme Court ruling. Frank Adams, Executive Director with the Nevada Sheriffs’ and Chiefs’ Association has informed us that the ONLY sheriff alerting CCW permit holders was the Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley. We apologize if this caused any confusion, but we would like to take this time to applaud Sheriff Haley for his forthrightness and proactive approach with his constituency. As of this writing, Assemblyman Don Gustavson (R-Sparks) plans to bring a bill forward in the 2011 legislative session to correct this matter. Please continue to check your email and www.NRAILA.org for updates.
NEW MEXICO: Forest Service Plan for Santa Fe National Forest Could Close 53% of Roads and Trails to OHVs: The US Forest Service has released a travel management plan for public review and comment that will detemine what roads and trails will be designated for off-highway vehicle (OHV) use in the Santa Fe National Forest. The plan presents 5 management alternatives. Alternative 1 is the “no action” alternative. It describes the current conditions and is used to measure the changes to be made by the other alternatives. Alternative 2 is the Forest Service’s preferred management approach. It proposes to close over 50% of the roads and trails used by OHVers. The remaining alternatives close greater percentages. Alternative 2 and 4 will allow OHVs to be used to retrieve legally taken big game. Alternatives 3 and 5 do not provide for game retrieval using OHVs.
The draft plan is open for public comment until September 30th. The plan is available on line at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/sfe/travelmgt/index.html . Comments can be emailed to [email protected]. For further information, you may call 505-438-5300. This is an important document to review and provide comments as it will shape the future of OHV use for general recreation and for hunting in this national forest. Hunters will want to study the maps closely to determine how the road and trail closures proposed in each of the alternatives will affect access to their favorite hunting areas.
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.
VIRGINIA:Help Support Repeal Of Obsolete Gun Buyer Check In 1989, Virginia passed its first-in-the-nation state instant check statute. Nine years later, the national instant check system (NICS) became available. Since 1998, there has been a federal requirement for purchasers of any modern firearm from any gun dealer in every state to undergo a criminal history records check.
So, for the past twelve years, the Virginia Firearms Transaction Program (VFTP) has been obsolete and unnecessary. For all gun purchases, the VFTP requires additional paperwork (Virginia State Police Form 65 in addition to the federal Form 4473), imposes a two dollar fee (state gun tax - no fee for NICS) and causes inordinate delays, particularly on weekends at gun shows and gun stores since the Virginia State Police is not adequately staffing this operation to meet demand. Governor McDonnell has scheduled several Town Hall Meetings across Virginia in August that he will attend to explain his efforts to reform state government and also solicit public comment on ideas for him and his government reform commission to consider, recommend and pursue. Please click here to see the schedule for upcoming meetings throughout this month.
