Nebraska Firearms Owners Association

Tuesday April 16, 2013

The Nebraska Firearms Owners Association – Political Action Fund (NFOA-PAF) has conducted a survey of the mayoral candidates and city council candidates in the city of Omaha for the General Election on May 14, 2013. This survey asked specific questions to determine each candidate’s views on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and gun owner’s rights in the City of Omaha. As a result of the survey responses collected and also the candidate’s past history on these issues, the NFOA-PAF has issued endorsements for this election.

Today we announce our City Council endorsements.

District One
The NFOA-PAF proudly endorses Ed Truemper. Dr. Truemper’s experience in working with victims and families of criminal violence brings a unique viewpoint to the discussion of how to deal with the ever-rising violent crime in Omaha. That experience, coupled with his desire to serve the community and to be a voice of reason on the City Council, makes him an excellent choice for our community.

District Four
Virgil Patlan’s experience as a line level police officer provides another unique perspective on dealing with criminal violence in Omaha, one of the major issues our city must deal with. The endorsement for this race was a difficult choice, because Garry Gernandt had sponsored the ordinance recognizing the Nebraska Concealed Carry Permit in Omaha. However, when an attempt was made to fix problems in the City’s Handgun Registration, Councilman Gernandt opposed community efforts and instead supported the position of Mayor Jim Suttle to stymie these proposals. Nothing Councilman Gernandt has done leads us to believe that he would oppose any effort of the Suttle administration to further restrict the lawful exercise of your rights. We believe that Virgil Patlan will be a strong, independent voice for the protection of your rights and at the same time, tackle the tough issues that face our city.

District Five
Rich Pahls has a long voting history of supporting firearms owners in the Nebraska State Legislature and we feel that he would be able to use his experience in balancing many competing issues to help lead in moving the City of Omaha forward in many areas.

District Six
Councilman Franklin Thompson has been a voice of reason on the City Council and we support his continued efforts as a leader in our city.

District Seven
This race introduces two political newcomers to the City Council race: Aimee Melton and Tim Lonergan. While both of these candidates support your Second Amendment rights, we feel that one of these two stands out. Aimee Melton’s experience as a Douglas County Prosecutor brings a definite advantage to a City Council that must deal with an increasing violent crime rate. One of the many responsibilities Aimee had while serving as a county prosecutor was representing the county on all firearms appeals. She did this with respect for the law and for the rights of the county’s citizens. She used her professional experience and legal discretion to make sure the court denied the appeals to those who did not qualify for the purchase permits, while making sure those appeals from victims of errors in the approval system did not lose their right to purchase and own a firearm. On at least one occasion, Aimee provided supporting evidence for one of the citizens erroneously caught in the system when a judge questioned whether a permit should be granted. Aimee’s experience and ethics will make her an exceptional City Councilman.

The NFOA-PAF encourages all firearms enthusiasts to support the candidacies of Ed Truemper, Virgil Patlan, Rich Pahls, Franklin Thompson, and Aimee Melton in the General Election on May 14, 2013.

For a full listing of the survey questions, along with the candidate’s answers to the survey you can access our website at www.nfoapaf.org.

NFOA-PAF Mission
Nebraska Firearms Owners Association – Political Action Fund is a State political action committee dedicated to being a leader in preserving the right of all law-abiding Nebraskans to purchase, possess, and use firearms as guaranteed by the Nebraska State Constitution and the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The 2013 NFOA-PAF Candidate Survey, candidate responses, and additional organization information can be found at our website: www.nfoapaf.org.

Contact:
Andreas (Andy) Allen
402-321-5520
info@nfoapaf.org
President NFOA-PAF
PO Box 45604
Omaha, NE 68145-0604

For Immediate Release:
Nebraska Firearms Owners Association Sues State of Nebraska Over Concealed Handgun Permit Discrimination

Lincoln, NE, April 1, 2013 – The Nebraska Firearms Owners Association (NFOA), announced that today the NFOA and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the State of Nebraska’s statutory prohibition on issuing concealed handgun permits to legal non-citizens for self defense.

The case seeks to overturn the State’s non-citizen concealed carry ban on constitutional grounds, specifically the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. The plaintiff is Carlos Nino De Rivera Lajous, a Mexican citizen who legally resides in Nebraska. He has lived legally in Lincoln, Nebraska since 1990 and received his permanent resident visa (green card) in 1991.

“Mr. Lajous has worked as a machinist for an aviation company in Lincoln for fourteen years,” stated NFOA President Wesley Dickinson.  “He has also earned three associate degrees from Central Community College in Hastings and he has family in the area.”

Defendants in the case are Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning and Nebraska State Patrol Superintendent David Sankey, in their respective official capacities.

“At issue here is long-settled law,” Dickinson continued. “The State of Nebraska cannot, under the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, deny a legal Permanent Resident Alien his fundamental Second Amendment rights. This includes prohibiting Mr. Lajous, who can legally openly carry a handgun in the State of Nebraska, from applying for, passing the background checks, and obtaining a concealed handgun permit from the Nebraska State Patrol to carry a concealed handgun for his own personal protection.”

Nebraska Firearms Owners Association is the largest firearms rights organization in the state of Nebraska, and membership is free for all Nebraskans concerned with their right to keep and bear arms; simply sign-up at www.nebraskafirearms.org/join.  We are local firearms owners who have a personal interest in protecting firearms owners’ rights in Nebraska.

NFOA Mission
Nebraska Firearms Owners Association (NFOA) is organized for the purpose of voicing the opinion of its membership to the Nebraska Legislature and other law making bodies within the state as well as Federal level, as it pertains to firearms. NFOA members will also make it a priority to educate residents on firearms related issues.

On the web:  www.NebraskaFirearms.org or email: info@nebraskafirearms.org for more information.

Contacts
Wesley Dickinson
President, Nebraska Firearms Owners Association
P.O. BOX 419
Syracuse, Nebraska 68446
402-404-NFOA (6362)

The Lincoln Izaak Walton League is hosting a Friends of NRA banquet on May 8th at our clubhouse east of Lincoln, just off of Highway 2 & South 134th St (address is Bennet, NE). Tickets are $25 and include a meal catered by Famous Dave’s as well as admission to the auction and entry into the door prize drawings.

We’ll be giving away and auctioning several rifles, pistols, shotguns and other outdoor related items. In addition to buying a ticket, you can choose to support the NRA by becoming a sponsor. Sponsorships range from $250 to $5,000, and you will receive a tax writeoff in addition to a sponsor gift. Sponsor gifts include firearms such as the Keltec PMR-30, Kimber Solo, Henry .30-30, or a Winchester 94.

For more information or to purchase tickets and sponsorships online, you can go to Southeast Nebraska Friends of NRA

Only 200 tickets are available, and we expect them to go fast.

Happening now on the NFOA forums

 I am the Mid America Council Shooting Sports Committee Chairman here in Omaha.  I cannot speak for the Cornhusker Council out of Lincoln or the Overland Trails Council out of Grand Island as to their level of ammunition needs but quite a large number of councils across the nation are looking for ammunition.

The councils that budgeted and were able to purchase ammo in the fall are in good shape.  Those that had to wait for budget reasons till after January 1 to order are scrambling for .22 caliber LR ammunition.

If anyone across the state, be they NFOA members or friends and family, wish to help out your local council with a donation of .22 caliber LR ammo, please use the following contact information.

Overland Trails Council – Grand Island. Covers West Central and Western Nebraska serving 6,500 youth and 2,500 adult volunteers.  DAVID PLOND 308-382-3717.

Cornhusker Council – Lincoln. Covers 16 counties in Central and Southeast Nebraska. They serve over 11,000 youth. 402-488-6028

Mid America Council – Omaha. Covers Eastern Nebraska, Western Iowa and SE South Dakota.  We serve over 20,000 youth – 7,000 adults in 58 counties.
Contact Clarissa Conolley in Scouter Services at 402-431-9272…

At the Mid America Council, upon receiving the donated ammunition, the donor will be asked to supply their name and address so that we may send them a letter that acknowledges the items donated.  This would serve as a recognition of a donation to a nonprofit for tax purposes should the donor wish to do so.

During our 6 week summer camp program at Camp Cedars, near Cedar Bluff, NE we serve 600 youth in our Rifle Shooting MB program and 360 youth in our Shotgun Shooting MB program.  Average rifle ammunition consumption for summer camp is 30,000 rds.  For shotgun, the number of rounds is over 22,000.

During the spring and fall months, we do district camping events which will offer both rifle and shotgun shooting sports activities for the Boy Scouts.

Bottom line…..   We burn through a lot of ammunition working with the youth on SAFETY – Knowledge – Skills – Attitude, and instilling in them the interest in shooting sports.  Many of these youth have never held a firearm before summer camp and may never hold one again but they leave with the knowledge of how they work, how to use them, what they can do and how to deal with them safely..

Thank you.