The How & Why Behind NRA-PVF's Endorsement Policies
Candidate Ratings And Endorsements Now Available
The 2010 elections are less than five weeks away, and NRA members will be deciding thousands of races. The NRA-Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF -- NRA's Political Action Committee) has redesigned its website, www.NRAPVF.org, to make it more user-friendly and to provide you with the critical information you'll need to make informed decisions on Election Day, November 2nd. New information on the site includes the 2010 candidate grades and endorsements, which were released today. These ratings and endorsements will also appear in the November issue of your NRA magazine (November issue should arrive by mid-October).
With release of the grades and endorsements today at www.NRAPVF.org, here once again is additional information on how our grades and endorsements are issued.
MAIG Mimics Brady Campaign's Misuse Of Tracing Data: This week, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) released a report, similar to earlier efforts by the Brady Campaign, claiming that guns originally sold in states that don't have the gun control laws that MAIG likes are more likely to end up "recovered in out-of-state crimes."
U.S. House of Representatives Passes "Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act" --Measure Now Goes to the President for Signature:
The U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to pass S. 1132 -- the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act. This important legislation addresses problems that have occurred in the implementation of the original Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) of 2004.
Mexico Mayors "Blame America First": Well, just when you think you have heard just about everything, Fox News reports that "A coalition of Mexican mayors has asked the United States to stop deporting illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. to Mexican border cities, saying the deportations are contributing to Mexican border violence."
2010 Firearms Law & The Second Amendment Symposium: The 2010 "Firearms Law & The Second Amendment Symposium" will be held on Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. This event will be sponsored by The NRA Foundation and the John Marshall Law School chapter of the Federalist Society.
NRA Freedom Action Foundation Has Launched Its 2010 Trigger The Vote Effort, Featuring Honorary Chairman Chuck Norris: NRA's Freedom Action Foundation (NRA-FAF) has launched its 2010 "Trigger the Vote" campaign, featuring its Honorary Chairman Chuck Norris in a new series of advertisements. "Tough Like Chuck," the first in the new series of ads, can be viewed here: www.triggerthevote.org/landing
"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.)
ARIZONA: This year, the citizens of Arizona have an opportunity to affirm their long cherished right to hunt and fish in our state. Proposition 109 will amend Arizona's constitution to establish a legal right to hunt and fish as a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. To gather support for Prop 109, Tucson NRA members and all those who enjoy outdoor sports are invited to Rally on Wednesday, October 13th, at the Manning House, 450 West Paseo Redondo, Tucson Arizona, from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. The event is FREE to the public. Speakers include Sandy Froman, NRA Past President, and Executive Board Member, Todd Rathner, NRA Board member and other special guests to be named later. NRA-PVF endorsed candidates are also invited to attend. Contact Judi White at [email protected] for more information.
COLORADO: Forest Service Invites Public Comment on Proposed Shooting RangeRecreational shooting is increasing in popularity on the Pawnee National Grassland as the population on the Colorado Front Range grows. To be responsive to the needs of shooters looking for a safe place to shoot, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests/Pawnee National Grassland is proposing to construct a shooting range on three acres of forestlands between Ault and Briggsdale, north of Colorado State Highway 14. The proposal is for a 100-yard range with eight to ten shooting positions. The site would be open to the public seven-days-a-week from dawn until dusk. The area would include an access road and parking lot, bermed shooting area, informational kiosk, benches, and shade cover, if constructed as proposed. Both the NRA and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources have made grant money available for the project.
The Forest Service is inviting the public to comment on the project. Please e-mail comments to District Ranger Lori Bell at [email protected]. To be fully considered in the project analysis and to keep the planning process on schedule, please respond by October 7, 2010. As information becomes available, it will be posted online at www.fs.usda.gov/arp. The NRA encourages all of its hunters and shooters in the state to take a few minutes to e-mail the District Ranger expressing support for this project. All too often, the response of land managers towards recreation shooting is negative. In this case, the land manager has become the driving force for establishing a shooting range and it is important that she receives a groundswell of support from sportsmen and women.
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.
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.
The Shooters' Committee on Political Education (SCOPE) will be holding its 45th Annual "SCOPE Banquet for 2010," on Friday, October 8, 2010. Featured speakers will include NRA First Vice President David Keene. The Banquet will be held at the Lucarelli's Banquet Center, 1830 Abbott Road, Lackawanna, NY 14218, from 5:30 to 11:00 p.m. There will be many activities, including door prizes, raffles, and auctions. For tickets, reservations, and more information, please visit http://www.scopeny.org/banquet2010.html, or contact Mary Jo Picone (click name for e-mail) by phone at: (716) 566-9597, or by mail at: 111 Marjorie Drive, Tonawanda, NY 14223. Get your tickets now!
OREGON: Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Mandates Hunter Orange for Youth, Ignoring Statistical Science and Public Opposition: The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission made wearing hunter orange mandatory for youth 17 years of age or younger, beginning August 1, 2011. "The rule will require the wearing of a hunter orange upper garment OR hat for youth hunters while hunting game mammals and upland birds (except turkey) with any firearm."
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife issued a Hunter Orange Report to the Commission (HORC) back on June 4 that contained creative statistics supporting some sort of mandate. The link to the report: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/hunting/safety/hunter_orange.asp
The HORC highlights the fact that only 19 percent of vision-related shooting incidents reported over a twenty-year period in Oregon involved victims who were wearing hunter orange, suggesting that there would be fewer incidents if more hunters wore orange. The authors ignore the fact that in the same HORC document, there are estimates that only 15 to 25 percent of hunters voluntarily wear hunter orange. This makes as little sense as a report claiming that blue cars are safer than cars painted other colors because they are involved in only 19 percent of all accidents despite the fact that blue cars represent 19 percent of all vehicles on the public roads. The truth in both cases is that the results are more likely a function of random selection.
Oregon is already a safe state for hunters, especially when compared with its neighbor Washington, which has imposed a hunter orange mandate. Washington has a rate of 4.65 incidents per 100,000 license sales compared with Oregon's rate of 1.56. The record shows that Oregon's hunters can be trusted to make decisions about hunter orange that best fit their personal circumstances. Even in this era of ever-expanding government mandates, the decision to wear hunter orange should be voluntary and left up to the individual. Unfortunately, the Commission chose a mandate although the evidence presented is faulty and shows no increase in safety.
PENNSLYVANIA: Pennsylvania Legislature to hear Gun Bills on Monday. Your State Representative Must Hear from You Immediately! Your NRA-ILA has learned that anti-gun forces are plotting to attach a plethora of anti-gun amendments to House Bill 40 when the Pennsylvania House of Representatives returns to session Monday, October 4. HB40, sponsored by State Representative Scott Perry (R-92), is the "Castle Doctrine" bill that would permit law-abiding citizens to use force, including deadly force, 
against an attacker in their homes and any places outside of their home where they have a legal right to be. Such amendments include: a ban on semi-automatic rifles; "one-gun-a-month" purchasing restrictions; a prohibition on the use of out of state Right-to-Carry permits by Pennsylvania residents while inside the Commonwealth; mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms; mandatory storage of firearms within the home; and increased regulations of firearm ownership in Philadelphia. Two other amendments to this anti-freedom laundry list are currently pending. Please contact your State Representative and urge their support of HB40 without any anti-gun amendments. Contact information can be found by clicking here.
Senate Action Delayed on "Castle Doctrine" Bill Senate consideration of House Bill 1926 was passed over on Wednesday and the bill will likely be heard when the Senate returns back to session. As you will recall, State Senator Richard Alloway (R-33) filed an amendment to HB1926 containing vital "Castle Doctrine" language. Senator Alloway's proposed amendment to the bill would permit law-abiding citizens to use force, including deadly force, against an attacker in their homes and any places outside of their home where they have a legal right to be. If enacted, this law would also protect individuals from civil lawsuits by the attacker or the attacker's family when force is used. Please continue to contact your State Senator and urge their support of HB1926 with the Alloway amendment. Contact information can be found by clicking here.
