Responding to a grassroots outcry from gun owners, the Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has denied a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and other radical groups that had sought to ban the use of lead in ammunition.
Agreeing with the position of the NRA and the firearms industry, the agency explained in a news release that it "does not have the legal authority to regulate this type of product under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)." Further crushing the hopes of anti-gun and anti-hunting activists, the release added: "nor is the agency seeking such authority."
NRA-Backed Measure Signed By President: Last week, the NRA-backed "Firearms Excise Tax Improvement Act of 2010" (H.R. 5552) was signed into law.
Federal Legislative Roundup: Both houses of Congress have adjourned for their "Summer District Work Period," and there are two issues pending in Congress that require your immediate action to lobby your Senators and Congressman while back in their homestate for the next month.
Be sure to contact your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121, and urge them to cosponsor and support these measures, if they are not already doing so. Additional contact information can be found using the "Write Your Representatives" feature at www.NRAILA.org. Also, if you are able to attend town hall meetings and/or arrange a personal visit with your lawmakers, these issues should be raised. To learn more about visiting with you elected officials, please click here.
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.
"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).
The current king of on-line social networking is Facebook. NRA's Facebook page continues to be extremely popular. In fact, our page has grown from about 300,000 fans on July 28, 2010 to more than 408,000 as of this writing. That's more than 108,000 new fans in just one month!
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) Heads Back to Senate Floor On Monday, August 23, the Senate Public Safety Committee passed the newly-amended version of Assembly Bill 2358 by a 4-2 vote. AB2358 now returns to the floor of the Senate for consideration. AB2358 was recently amended to include common rifle ammunition like .223 and 7.62 x 39. This anti-gun legislation is intended 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 your State Senator TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose AB2358. Contact information for your State Senator can be found by clicking 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.
ILLINOIS:NRA's Challenge to Semi-Auto Ban Referendum in Illinois a Success The Electoral Board in Cook County, Illinois has agreed to dismiss a bogus petition to create a referendum on the November ballot asking if the sale of semi-automatic firearms should be banned in Illinois. The National Rifle Association backed a protest filed in response to the referendum petition. The petition asked, "Shall the Governor and the members of the Illinois General Assembly enact legislation to ban the sale of semi-automatic and assault weapons that are used by criminals to threaten the lives of law enforcement and the people of Illinois?" NRA member Selvin Morgan, a resident of Cook County, filed the objection to this petition and the NRA supported him in this effort. The names, addresses and signatures of more than 83,000 Cook County residents were needed for the question raised by the petition to make it on to the ballot. The petitioner submitted information for only a fraction of that requirement, but tried to proceed anyway. Many of the entries even lacked valid names, addresses and signatures. This petition and Mr. Morgan's protest to the petition were the subject of a hearing before the Cook County Electoral Board on August 17th. At that time, the NRA assisted Mr. Morgan in asking that this referendum be stricken from the ballot. On August 20th, the board agreed with Mr. Morgan and the NRA, saying that the petitioner had a "failure to have a sufficient number of valid signatures." Mr. Morgan's objection was sustained so the referendum will not appear on the November ballot.
KANSAS: Vote YES on 1 November 2nd! A 1905 ruling from the Kansas Supreme Court interpreted Section 4 of the Kansas Constitution to mean that 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 guaranteesan 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.
MICHIGAN: "Eddie Eagle" Legislation Moves to the House Floor On Tuesday, August 24, the <>
Michigan House Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources passed Senate Bill 1402 by a 9 to 0 vote. This legislation now moves to the House floor for consideration. Authored by State Senator John Gleason (D-27), SB1402 would make gun safety programs available to school districts for inclusion in curriculums in Michigan. The purpose of NRA's Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program isn't to teach whether guns are good or bad, but rather to promote the protection and safety of children if they come across a firearm in an unsupervised situation. Please continue to check www.NRAILA.org for more information as this bill moves through the State House.
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: Last Chance to 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 times and locations of the last two Town Hall Meetings.
