NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 16, No. 15 4/17/09
President Obama Announces Support for Firearms Treaty
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During an official visit to Mexico on April 16, President Obama announced his support for Senate ratification of an inter-American treaty on firearms trafficking. In response, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox issued the following statement:
"The NRA is well aware of the proposed Organization of American States treaty on firearms trafficking, known by its Spanish initials as CIFTA. The NRA monitored the development of this treaty from its earliest days, but contrary to news reports today, the NRA did not 'participate' at the meeting where the treaty was approved.
"The treaty does include language suggesting that it is not intended to restrict 'lawful ownership and use' of firearms. Despite those words, the NRA knows that anti-gun advocates will still try to use this treaty to attack gun ownership in the U.S. Therefore, the NRA will continue to vigorously oppose any international effort to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding American gun owners."
DHS: How About An Apology For Gun Owners? This past week, gun owners, veterans, and many others were incensed by a report released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that identified broad categories of people as potential terror threats based on their political beliefs, including a support for the Second Amendment.
The report, entitled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment" was started in 2008 and completed and released recently. Its purpose was to highlight "rightwing" extremists who could become or be planning acts of violence; but the inclusion of groups as potential threats based simply on their political views has created a significant backlash.
"News" Media Trying To Wag The Dog On Gun Control: President Obama, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Attorney General Eric Holder are downplaying gun control, at least for the time being. But the so-called "news" media have begun hammering away on guns with the same intensity they did in the early 1990s, when the outcomes of the Brady bill and "assault weapons" debates were still undecided.
You have to wonder why the media think they, and not the public, know best what direction the country should take. Annual polls show that Americans' confidence in newspapers and television news has decreased to a mere 24 percent. During the last few years of President George W. Bush's administration, the media sanctimoniously and incessantly reminded us that the president's approval ratings were near the lowest in history, yet in every single year of the Bush administration, Americans' confidence in the president exceeded their confidence in the media. Even with the nation's recent economic problems, largely blamed on big banks, Americans have more confidence in banks than in the media.
Gun Control Ad Hits Airwaves In Virginia: Virginia, which, along with New Jersey, is one of two states with off-year elections this year, has been targeted by the anti-gunners, who are seeking to advance their agenda this election season as a run-up to the 2010 midterm elections.
Americans United for Safe Streets, a Washington, D.C.-based group heavily bankrolled by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), has fired an opening salvo in Virginia's elections with an ad featuring Omar Samaha, whose sister was tragically killed by a criminal madman at Virginia Tech.
ILA Dinner and Auction At Annual Meetings: The Institute for Legislative Action will hold its Third Annual Dinner and Auction in conjunction with the NRA Annual Meetings in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday evening, May 15th.
The Third Annual NRA-ILA Dinner and Auction will allow you to show your continued support for NRA-ILA, and to enjoy a great evening filled with good food, friends and an excellent live and silent auction. This year's auction is dedicated to "Investing in our Firearms Freedom."
For more information regarding this great event, or to purchase tickets, please click here.
Plan To Attend Free Phoenix Grassroots Workshop! With anti-gun forces aligned against us at all levels of government, America's gun owners can expect a barrage of anti-gun measures like we have not seen in decades. In order to meet these challenges head on, we must redouble our efforts to beat back attempts by the anti-gunners to erode our Second Amendment freedom.
Your attendance at this year's NRA-ILA Grassroots Workshop in Phoenix is a critical step toward ensuring the future of our gun rights. This Workshop has been a staple of NRA's Annual Meetings, and is one of the most popular events of the week, attended by hundreds of freedom-loving NRA members.
Volunteers Needed In Phoenix For 2009 NRA Annual Meetings: The 2009 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will be an exciting weekend, as thousands of NRA members will come together May 15-17, 2009, in Phoenix, AZ. You can contribute to the success of our meeting by participating as an Annual Meeting Volunteer. To volunteer or to see how you can get involved, please click here.
Help Defend Your Gun Rights One Easy Click At A Time: We now have a revolutionary yet simple tool that will allow you to stay connected to NRA-ILA and raise valuable contributions to defend our Second Amendment rights without spending a dime! It's the NRA-ILA Toolbar, and you can make a difference by downloading and using it.
Show your support, stay connected to your NRA-ILA, and raise valuable contributions for our defense of the Second Amendment by downloading and using this free toolbar! Please click here to download your toolbar now!
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: BLM Travel Management Plans Will Eliminate or Restrict Motorized Game Retrieval The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is in the process of designating roads and trails where motorized travel will be restricted on BLM lands in Arizona. BLM's Tucson Field Office recently released a travel management plan for the Middle Gila Canyons, which proposed that cross-country motorized travel for hunting or to retrieve game be prohibited. If you hunt on BLM land in this area, it is important that you comment on the proposed management plan. BLM is taking public comment on the plan until Friday, May 8. For more information and how to take action, please click here.
CALIFORNIA: Bill Seeking to End Gun Shows in California Moving Forward Earlier this week, the Senate Public Safety Committee passed legislation, Senate Bill 585, which would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace. The committee passed SB585 by a 4-2 vote and it now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee. SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all publicly-owned property in California. Please contact the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose SB585 when it comes before them for a vote. Contact information can be found here.
COLORADO: Shooting Area Clean-Up Day Scheduled on Two National Forests
The Front Range Shooting Sports Partners (FRSSP) has scheduled Saturday, April 25 to clean-up two popular shooting sites. One is an informal area on the Pawnee National Grassland in Weld County, and the other is the South Rampart Shooting Range on the Pike National Forest west of Colorado Springs. The FRSSP is a coalition that was formed several years ago to address the needs of recreational shooters along the Front Range. Partners in the coalition are the Colorado Division of Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Firearms Coalition of Colorado, Safari Club International, Colorado Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and 11 other state and private organizations. The clean up project is the first of its kind scheduled by the FRSSP. For further information on the Pawnee clean-up, please contact tjwilliams@fs.fed.us or call 970-295-6693. For the Rampart Range clean-up, please contact Richard Gandolf at dicknjudy@q.com or call 719-597-2722. For more details you may also go to
http://wildlife.state.co.us/hunting/shootingsports/shootingsportspartners. If you shoot on federal lands in the state and are within reasonable driving distance of these sites, you would be making a tremendous contribution to the future of recreational shooting on federal lands if you could volunteer your time on April 25th at either site. If you can volunteer, we would appreciate you wearing a ball cap, jacket or other item that identifies you as a NRA member.
CONNECTICUT: Animal "Rights" Extremists Working to Outlaw Trapping in Connecticut! Senate Bill 994, introduced by the Environment Committee, would effectively prohibit recreational trapping in Connecticut by banning the use of the most common and humane forms of traps - leghold and conibear-style traps. SB 994 is currently pending action in the Judiciary Committee. Please contact the members of the Judiciary Committee TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose SB994. Contact information can be found here.
IDAHO: Update on Pending Pro-Gun Bills Two important pro-gun bills (House Bill 287 and House Bill 194) are at various stages of the legislative process. To learn more about these bills and how to take action, please click here.
Governor Signs Pro-Gun Bill into Law! Last week, Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter (R) signed legislation (House Bill 65A) that will enable law-abiding Idahoans to purchase firearms in non-contiguous states. It will also permit non-residents to purchase long guns in Idaho. The new law is effective July 1, 2009. Thank you to all of the NRA members who stood in support of HB65A. Without you, this victory would not have been possible. Please take the time to thank Governor Otter for signing HB65A. The Governor can be reached by phone at 208-334-2100 or visit
http://gov.idaho.gov/WebRespond/contact_form.html to send email.
Motorized Access in Boise National Forest Under Review The Emmett Ranger District of the Boise National Forest is working on a travel management plan that will designate what roads and trails will be opened in the future to motorized access. Particular attention is being paid to the Bull Creek and Silver Creek trails. The Ranger District is inviting public comment, which will be used in the decision making process. What roads and trails remain open or closed will affect hunters' access to these lands. Those who hunt in this National Forest need to get directly involved in this planning process. Two letters written by the District Ranger providing more detailed information can be found by clicking here or here. Please send comments to Emmett Ranger District, 1806 Highway 16, Room 5, Emmett, Idaho 83617. Comments may also be sent via e-mail to comments-intermtn-boise-emmett@fs.fed.us.
MAINE: Gun Show/Private Sale Ban Legislation Dealt a Blow! Earlier this week, the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee recommended that LD814 and LD985 "ought not to pass." These bills would effectively dismantle gun shows as well as ban the private sale of firearms in Maine. LD814 requires that a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check be performed by a federally licensed firearm dealer prior to the sale or transfer of a firearm at a gun show. LD985 would require that a federally licensed firearms dealer facilitate all sales, transfers, and loans of firearms. While this development is a solid step towards defeating LD814 and LD985, the bills still pose a threat. Please continue checking your email and
www.NRAILA.org for updates.
MISSOURI: Castle Doctrine Expansion Bill Needs Your Help! This week, the Missouri House of Representatives passed House Bill 668. This important legislation would expand Missouri's Castle Doctrine to now include your private property boundaries. HB668 would also lower the Right-to-Carry minimum age requirement from 23 to 21, prevent municipalities from regulating your possession of a firearm, and expand the number of places a Right-to-Carry permit holder could carry a concealed firearm for self-defense. Please contact your State Representative TODAY and thank them for supporting HB668. Contact information can be found here.
MONTANA: Self-Defense Reform Bill Heads to the Governor's Desk in Montana!
As we reported last week, the Montana House and Senate passed House Bill 228 and sent it to Governor Brian Schweitzer (D) for his consideration. HB228 is a comprehensive pro-gun reform bill and makes many much needed improvements on existing law. Please contact Governor Schweitzer TODAY and respectfully urge him to sign HB228. The Governor can be reached by phone at (406) 444-3111 or visit
http://governor.mt.gov/contact/commentsform.asp to send email.
NEBRASKA: Right-to-Carry Reform Bill Advancing in Lincoln! Please politely and respectfully continue to contact your State Senator TODAY and urge them to keep LB 430 free from amendments on Select File that could substantially weaken the bill and to vote to advance it to Final Action. On April 2, LB 430 advanced from General File to Select File by a vote of 40 to 4. Two notable amendments were added which helped make this good bill even better. In its current form, LB 430 would provide statewide preemption for all Right-to-Carry permit holders, which would prevent any city, county, or municipality from restricting the lawful carry by permit holders anywhere not prohibited by state law. To find contact information for your State Senator, please click here.
