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On Feb. 14, 2007, Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) introduced H.R. 1022, a bill with the stated purpose, "to reauthorize the assault weapons ban, and for other purposes." McCarthy's verbiage warrants explanation. Presumably, what she means by "assault weapons ban" is the Clinton Gun Ban of 1994. Congress allowed the ban to expire in 2004 for multiple reasons, including the fact that federal, state and local law enforcement agency studies showed that guns affected by the ban had been used in only a small percentage of crime, before and after the ban was imposed. With the nation's murder rate 43% lower than in 1991, and the re-legalized guns still used in only a small percentage of crime, reauthorizing the Clinton Gun Ban would be objectionable enough. But McCarthy's "other purposes" would make matters even worse. H.R. 1022 would ban every gun banned by the Clinton ban, plus millions more guns, including: . Every gun made to comply with the Clinton ban. (The Clinton ban dictated the kinds of grips, stocks and attachments new guns could have. Manufacturers modified new guns to the Clinton requirements. H.R. 1022 would ban the modified guns too.) . Guns exempted by the Clinton ban. (Ruger Mini-14s and -30s and Ranch Rifles; .30 cal. carbines; and fixed-magazine, semi-automatic, center-fire rifles that hold more than 10 rounds.) . All semi-automatic shotguns. (E.g., Remington, Winchester, Beretta and Benelli, used for hunting, sport shooting, and self-defense. H.R. 1022 would ban them because they have "any characteristic that can function as a grip," and would also ban their main component, called the "receiver.") . All detachable-magazine semi-automatic rifles-including, for example, the ubiquitous Ruger 10/22 .22 rimfire-because they have "any characteristic that can function as a grip." . Target shooting rifles. (E.g., the three centerfire rifles most popular for marksmanship competitions: the Colt AR-15, the Springfield M1A and the M1 "Garand.") . Any semi-automatic shotgun or rifle an Attorney General one day claims isn't "sporting," even though the constitutions of the U.S. and 44 states, and the laws of all 50 states, recognize the right to use guns for defense. . 65 named guns (the Clinton law banned 19 by name); semi-auto fixed-magazine pistols of over 10 rounds capacity; and frames, receivers and parts used to repair or refurbish guns. H.R. 1022 would also ban the importation of magazines exempted by the Clinton ban, ban the sale of a legally-owned "assault weapon" with a magazine of over 10 rounds capacity, and begin backdoor registration of guns, by requiring private sales of banned guns, frames, receivers and parts to be conducted through licensed dealers. Finally, whereas the Clinton Gun Ban was imposed for a 10-year trial period, H.R. 1022 would be a permanent ban. Please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative
and urge him or her to oppose You can call your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.
NRA Members are invited to attend CPAC 2007Cthe 34th Annual Conservative Political Action Conference, March 1 - 3, 2007. The conference will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., just a short trip from the White House, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, National Archives, and the hundreds of other monuments, memorials, and museums in our nation's capital. CPAC is the nation's premier annual gathering of conservative leaders, celebrities, elected officials, and grassroots activists. CPAC will offer an agenda packed with political headliners including Vice President Dick Cheney, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, Senator Mitch McConnell, Congressman Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, David Horowitz, Phyllis Schlafly, and many others as they discuss important issues of the day. CPAC is co-sponsored by NRA and more than 60 leading conservative organizations. For additional information, or to register for the conference, please call (703) 836-8602, or visit CPAC online at www.cpac.org
In addition to the FREE Grassroots Workshop being held in conjunction with NRA's Annual Meetings in St. Louis that we reported on last week, the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division is holding an additional FREE event in St. Louis. We hope you will also be able to join us Saturday, April 14 for the inaugural session of "In Their Own Words." This first-of-its-kind panel will afford NRA members the opportunity to hear directly from their fellow NRA members on effective grassroots activism. The panel will feature some of NRA-ILA's most active volunteers in the nation, who will talk about their personal efforts to advance our mutual causes in their local communities. The session will conclude with a question and answer period to allow audience participation. Don't miss this opportunity to hear these present-day patriots talk about their personal experiences working in the pro-gun rights grassroots movement, and learn effective means of protecting and promoting the Second Amendment in your own community. There is no registration required and, as with the Friday Workshop, admission is FREE Here are the details for each event: NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop-FREE! To register on-line, pleas visit www.nraam.org/seminars/grassroots.asp. You may also call NRA-ILA at (800) 392-VOTE (8683). "In Their Own Words"-FREE! We hope to see you in St. Louis!
The federal government is holding hearings to obtain public comments regarding the delisting of Rocky Mountain wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It is critical that sportsmen attend the hearings in order to counter the emotional claims of anti-hunting forces, who seem to believe that a species' listing should be permanent. Of course, the success of the ESA comes when a species, like the wolf, is delisted because its numbers recover after once being dangerously low. Wolves have their place within the ecosystem. But, as with other species, sportsmen must be allowed to appropriately manage their numbers. Delisting will allow state game officials to provide for regulated hunting and trapping. Without this, wolves will continue to take an unacceptably high toll on elk, moose, and deer populations. Six open house meetings in different states are scheduled on
the proposed delisting (all six public hearings will be held
from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.): Helena, MT: March 1, 2007, at Jorgenson's Inn & Suites, 1714 11th Avenue. Boise, ID: March 6, 2007, at Boise Convention Center on the Grove, 850 Front Street. Pendleton, OR: March 7, 2007, at Pendleton Red Lion Inn, 304 S.E. Nye Street. Spokane Valley, WA: March 8, 2007, at Oxford Inns & Suites, 15015 East Indiana Avenue. Anyone wishing to make an oral statement for the record is encouraged to provide a written copy of his or her statement and present it at the hearing. In the event there is a large attendance, the time allotted for oral statements may be limited. Speakers can only sign up at the open houses and hearings. Oral and written statements receive equal consideration. There are no limits on the length of written comments submitted. If you have any questions concerning the public hearings, please contact Sharon Rose (303) 236-4580. Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and participate in the public hearings in Boise, ID; Pendleton, OR; or Spokane, WA, should contact Joan Jewett at (503) 231-6211; or, for hearings in Cheyenne, WY; Salt Lake City, UT; or Helena, MT, Sharon Rose at (303) 236-4580. If needed, please call as soon as possible in order to allow sufficient time to process requests. Also, please call no later than one week before the hearing date. Please attend the hearings in your area and let your voice be heard!
The Boulder Ranger District of the Araphoe and Roosevelt National Forests is conducting a planning process to determine how recreational shooting, dispersed camping, and campfires will be managed in the future. Issues concerning these activities have been developed based upon public input through written comments or at one of the public meetings held last May. The District Ranger has now scheduled three public meetings to talk about solutions to the issues. The meetings are as follows: February 24 - Boulder; 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.; New Vista High School, 700 20th Street February 28 - Boulder; 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.; Platt Middle School; 6096 Baseline Road March 3 - Longmont; 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.; Longmont High School; 1040 Sunset Street Comments may be sent to cluna@fs.fed.us. For more information you may call the District Ranger's office at (303) 541-2500, or go to the website at: www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/projects/ea-projects/brd/ufc/index.shtml
When it meets on March 2, the California Fish and Game Commission will consider amending the state's hunting regulations for 2007-2010 to ban or limit the use of lead ammunition for hunting in the range of the California condor. The Department of Fish and Game suggested three alternatives to the Commission: ban the use of lead ammunition for big game hunting; ban the use of lead ammunition statewide; or offer hunters incentives to voluntarily use non-lead ammunition. Comments can be sent to the Commission by mail at: 1416 Ninth Street, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090, or by contacting the Commission through its website at www.fgc.ca.gov.
(***For all of the action items below, you can find contact information for your legislators by visiting www.NRAILA.org, clicking the "Take Action" icon, and then clicking the "Write Your Representatives" icon. As always, thank you for your support.***) States with updates this issue: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. ARIZONA ARKANSAS As mentioned, opposition to this pro-hunting amendment is coming from a strange source-The Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission (AGFC). According to recent articles in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the very agency tasked with regulating hunting and fishing is opposed to an amendment that would protect hunting and fishing for future generations. And while this is truly puzzling, some of the reasons stated in an article published on February 18 are even more confounding. Scott Henderson, director of the AGFC, is quoted in the article as stating, "Arkansas is one of the few states where fish and wildlife management is elevated to constitutional status." This reference to Amendment 35, which established the AGFC, may be true, but fish and wildlife management does not automatically include fishing and hunting by sportsmen. Some anti-hunting groups feel that wildlife management can be accomplished through the use of professional hunters hired by the state, or even using contraception programs. Groups such as PETA and HSUS are so opposed to hunting that they are likely scheming to come up with any number of ways wildlife can be "managed" without involving citizens who enjoy hunting. What SJR 7 seeks to do is establish that hunting and fishing are preferred methods of management, and recognize that citizens have a right to hunt and fish. The article also attributes to Henderson the claim that SJR 7 would prohibit AGFC from suspending the licenses of people who repeatedly violate wildlife codes. According to the article, "This would essentially void the wildlife code because the AGFC would then be unable to enforce it." This is patently absurd, as no such catastrophic collapse of wildlife management has been experienced in any of the other states that currently recognize hunting and fishing as protected rights. Furthermore, SJR 7 clearly states the right is "subject to reasonable regulation prescribed by the General Assembly and the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission." Other claims in the article are that SJR 7 may impact trespass laws, landowner rights, certain established restrictions on hunting, and eliminate seasons and bag limits. These claims are simply ridiculous. Again, other states with similar amendments have not experienced these problems and, again, the right is "subject to reasonable regulation." It is hard to understand how anyone who supports hunting does not recognize that assaults on hunting have been going on for decades, and extremist groups like PETA and HSUS have multi-million dollar annual budgets to promote their anti-hunting agendas. In addition, there is nothing in Amendment 35 that states the AGFC must be made up of people who respect the interests of hunters. The sole requirement to be a Commissioner is that the individual must "have knowledge of and interest in wildlife conservation." The leadership of HSUS and PETA could certainly argue they meet such qualifications. All Amendment 35 does, in reality, is guarantee the AGFC has the sole role in determining what constitutes Arkansas policy regarding "[t]he control, management, restoration, conservation and regulation of birds, fish, game and wildlife resources of the State..." SJR 7, on the other hand, will guarantee that hunting and fishing by the honest citizens of Arkansas is the preferred method in that wildlife management process. The opposition to SJR 7 is certainly not unanimous on the AGFC, so in addition to contacting members of the Senate and House Committees on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, please contact the Commissioners of the AGFC and urge them to support SJR 7. Contact information for the Commissioners can be found at http://www.agfc.com/commission/ . Finally, contact Bryan Hendricks, the author of the article mentioned above, and urge him to once again change his position on SJR 7. An article of his published on February 11, fully supported this amendment, but he has now come out in opposition to it, based, it would seem, on the fallacious arguments promoted by the AGFC. You can send Hendricks e-mail by going to bhendricks@arkansasonline.com, or call him at (501) 378-3579. COLORADO Senate Bill 34, sponsored by State Senator John Morse (D-11), passed the State Senate on Friday, February 23 by a vote of 20-15. The bill now is awaiting a House committee assignment. If enacted, non-resident concealed carry permits will no longer be honored if the address on the holder's identification is different than the state where the permit was issued. For example, a Florida permit issued to a non-resident will not be recognized in Colorado. No demonstrated need has been presented to justify Senate Bill 34, legislation that will potentially threaten reciprocity agreements. This bill will invalidate non-resident permit holders and made second-class citizens out of Colorado residents. Don't be fooled! This is simply a first step towards repealing your right-to-carry! Please contact your State Representative today at (303) 866-2904, or if outside of Denver, at (800) 811-7647 and respectfully urge that he or she oppose SB34. HAWAII ILLINOIS KANSAS Also, in a victory for gun owners in Kansas, a bill that would significantly weaken Castle Doctrine legislation, SB268, was killed in the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week. MARYLAND MISSOURI NEBRASKA NEVADA NEW MEXICO Also, HB 588, by State Representative John Heaton (D-Carlsbad), and SB 111, by State Senator Stuart Ingle (R-Portales), NRA-supported bills that would allow Concealed Handgun Licensees to protect themselves in establishments selling alcohol for off-premises consumption, are both currently in the House Business & Industry Committee, although no hearing has been scheduled on either measure yet. Please continue to contact members of the committee and urge them to support both HB 588 & SB 111. For contact information for the committee, please visit http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=2640. NEW YORK NORTH DAKOTA SOUTH CAROLINA In addition, H 3310, sponsored by Representative Mike Pitts (R-14), clarifies that it is legal for a RTC permit holder to carry a concealed firearm while driving a car, passed out of the House on Friday, February 23, and will now head over to the Senate for consideration. This legislation was drafted in response to reports that RTC permit holders were being charged with unlawful carrying of firearms while driving their vehicles. Please call your Senator at (803) 212-6200 and urge him or her to support this measure when it is brought up for consideration. TEXAS On Tuesday, February 27, the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence will consider HB 284, by State Representative Joe Driver (R-Garland), NRA-backed "Castle Doctrine" legislation that offers protection from criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits to individuals who justifiably use force to protect themselves and their families. The bill also contains language stating that you have "no duty to retreat" from a violent attack that occurs outside your home. Please contact members of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and urge them to support HB 284. Contact information for committee members is available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Committees/Membership.aspx. Finally, on Wednesday, February 28, the Senate Jurisprudence Committee will consider SB 378, by State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio), the Senate version of the NRA-backed "Castle Doctrine" bill. Please contact Senate Jurisprudence Committee members and urge them to support SB 378. Contact information for committee members is available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Committees/Membership.aspx. UTAH Also, anti-gun Senate Bill 251, introduced by Senator Greg Bell (R-22), passed the Senate and is on its way to the House, although it hasn't been set for a hearing date. SB 251 would restrict the possession and carrying of concealed firearms on the property of institutions of higher education in specified faculty and staff offices, as well as authorize the institution to allow a dorm resident to have only roommates who are not licensed to carry a concealed firearm. Please contact your House member by calling the Message Center at (801) 538-1029, and ask for his or her "NO" vote should it come before them for a vote. VIRGINIA WYOMING
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