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Since It Has Become Politically Incorrect To Do So...let me wish a merry
Christmas and happy Hanukkah to all who observe those holy days.
---
"Second Amendments" Will Entertain Troops During Holidays: An
all-congressional band known as the Second Amendments will perform for
U.S. troops over the holidays during a trip to the Middle East and Europe.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1223rock-troops23.html
---
Pennsylvania To Ban Loaded Paintball Guns In Vehicles: Governor Rendell
has signed HB 1686, which essentially bans to loaded carry of paintball
guns in vehicles unless they are not readily accessible from the
passenger seat.
http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?Q=448507&A=11
---
Follow-Up On Off-Duty Shooting Incident: A female Seattle police officer
has received a shorter suspension than that originally intended after
her meeting with the chief. (This is the same chief whose handgun,
stolen from his automobile, as I recall, is still missing. He has also
lent his name to a group that is seeking to regulate private-party
transfers in Washington.) Article raises several issues worth considering.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002688647_copshoot17m.html
---
UN Will Host Gun-Ban Meeting In January: The UN Preparatory Committee is
a 2-week meeting at UN Headquarters in New York (US), 9-20 January 2006.
It prepares the structure, procedure and priorities for the 2006 Review
Conference, to be held 26 June-7 July. The Review Conference is the most
important global meeting on small arms since
the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit
Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects was agreed in
2001, and will set the next phase of the UN small arms control process.
http://www.iansa.org/un/documents/iansa-un-bulletin-dec2005.pdf
---
England And Wales To Survey Officers On Firearms: As British officials
wonder if they may not need more armed police officers, every officer in
England and Wales will be surveyed on their views on carrying firearms.
(Will they every survey their subjects on their right to keep and bear
arms?)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4544188.stm
---
From NRA-ILA:
NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 12, No. 51 12/23/05
NRA-ILA ANNOUNCES 2004
VOLUNTEER AWARD WINNERS
Each year, NRA-ILA bestows its volunteer awards upon those individuals
(and an organization) who have gone above and beyond the call in defense
of our freedom. As in past years, we received a number of extremely
qualified nominations for the 2004 awards, and we were heartened to
learn of all the tremendous work our volunteers have been doing
throughout the country. With 2004 being an extremely busy election
year, this choice was made even more difficult.
Here are the NRA-ILA Volunteer Award winners for 2004:
Jay M. Littlefield NRA-ILA Volunteer of the Year Award:
Roy Burkhart (Alaska)
Scott Newhall (N.H.)
NRA-ILA Volunteer Organization of the Year Award:
Gun Owners' Action League (Mass.).
Roy Burkhart serves as the NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC)
for Alaska. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) personally nominated
Roy for this award, crediting him with spearheading her campaign
activities in the Mat-Su Valley region during the 2004 elections.
Senator Murkowski noted, "Having won a high-profile race for the U.S.
Senate last year, I can attest that the reason candidates succeed is
through the dedicated efforts of grassroots volunteers like Roy and [his
wife] June. Not only are the Burkharts top-notch campaign volunteers,
but after having known them now for some time, I also consider them
friends. Their activism represents all that is good with our system of
governance and active citizen participation..In closing, I again want to
thank NRA and its grassroots activists like Roy and June Burkhart for
their tremendous support in my race last year. I could not have won
without them."
Scott Newhall serves as NRA-ILA's EVC for the entire state of New
Hampshire. In this role, he organized volunteers to attend rallies, to
work at campaign offices, and to undertake numerous other grassroots
election activities. Additionally, Mr. Newhall planned and executed his
own EVC Grassroots-Election Workshop that was held in Manchester in May
2004. This meeting included 20 core volunteers, as well as individuals
from Gun Owners of New Hampshire (NRA's state affiliate), two NRA-ILA
Grassroots staff members who also participated in the presentation, a
representative from the Bush campaign, and other local candidates for
office. He also wrote his own e-newsletter encouraging involvement
with the campaigns of President Bush, U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-1), U.S.
Rep. Charlie Bass (R-2), Gov. Craig Benson (R), and numerous state and
local candidates. Additionally, Scott regularly attended Second
Amendment Roundtable meetings with Rep. Bradley. These are just some of
he many endeavors Scott undertook throughout New Hampshire in 2004.
And last but certainly not least, Gun Owners' Action League (GOAL) of
Massachusetts distinguished itself in the fight to preserve the Second
Amendment, working closely with NRA-ILA's State Liaison, attending
legislative hearings, and always keeping their membership apprised of
key legislative activities and state gun laws through their website and
e-mail alerts. GOAL also took a leadership role in reforming provisions
of Chapter 180 of Massachusetts law that benefited all law-abiding
gun-owners in the Bay State.
All of us at NRA-ILA offer our sincerest thanks and congratulations to
the 2004 award winners for their support and dedication to our mutual
cause, and we know you all join us in congratulating these individuals
and Gun Owners' Action League for their tireless defense of the Second
Amendment.
Congratulations to all!
NEW YORK UPDATE
Law-abiding gun owners prevailed in Albany on Wednesday during a special
session called by Governor Pataki (R). During the session, lawmakers
passed legislation that focused on illegal gun trafficking and crimes
against police officers. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's (D-64)
shameless attempts to use this opportunity to go after legal gun owners
and to put legitimate licensed gun dealers out of business failed this
time, but he has vowed to bring his anti-gun proposals back when the
legislature goes into regular session in early January. In fact, a
December 22, New York Times article quotes Mr. Silver as saying, "Our
job is not finished. While we have locked the front door on gun
traffickers, the NRA's influence in Albany keeps the back door open."
It is critical that NRA members remain vigilant. We urge you to contact
your lawmakers to thank them for keeping the focus where it belongs--on
the criminals. You should also remind them that NRA is acting as a
voice for the thousands upon thousands of law-abiding gun owners,
hunters, and sportsmen in New York State that are members of our
organization. Speaker Silver's insinuation that those lawmakers who
don't go along with him are doing the NRA's bidding is just plain wrong.
They are acting on the will of the people who elected them.
Assemblymembers can be reached at (518) 455-4100, and State Senators can
be reached at (518) 455-2800.
SAN FRANCISCO BACKS OFF--
FOR NOW
Bowing to pressure from NRA and law-abiding firearm owners, the City of
San Francisco has agreed to postpone enforcement of the provision of
Prop H that bans the sale or transfer of any firearm or ammunition until
March 1, 2006. The handgun possession ban provision of Prop H does not
goes into effect until April 1, 2006. Residents of San Francisco have
until then to get their guns out of the city or turn them in to police
without compensation.
In the interim, the NRA lawsuit challenging the ordinance will be filed
in the San Francisco Superior Court. NRA had previously filed suit in
the Court of Appeals on November 9, but the Court declined to exercise
jurisdiction until the Superior Court had heard the matter. The hearing
date on NRA's motion to invalidate the entire ordinance has been
tentatively scheduled for February 15, 2006, in San Francisco Superior
Court.
For more information on Prop H and the lawsuit, please visit
www.stopsanfranban.com.
D.C. PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT--
A TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY
One of NRA-ILA's top legislative priorities in Congress continues to be
the passage of S. 1082 and H.R. 1288--the Senate and House versions of
the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act." This legislation
seeks to restore the constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights
of the residents of the District of Columbia.
The need for this legislation is obvious. Since 1977, the District has
banned the possession of all handguns not acquired and registered before
that year. D.C. law also prohibits keeping an assembled rifle or
shotgun in the home, effectively outlawing the use of firearms for
lawful self-defense. And despite these Draconian gun control laws,
Washington, D.C., consistently has one of the highest homicide rates in
the nation.
"D.C.'s politicians have stripped law-abiding residents of their ability
to defend themselves and their families," said NRA-ILA Executive
Director Chris W. Cox. "Passage of the 'District of Columbia Personal
Protection Act' will remedy this senseless and dangerous injustice."
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask
them to cosponsor and support S. 1082 and H.R. 1288.
For a list of Senate cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01082:@@@P.
For a list of House cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR01288:@@@P.
You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, or your U.S.
Representative at (202) 225-3121.
HELP NRA-ILA FIGHT FOR
FREEDOM IN THE COURTS!
With NRA engaged in various legal battles to protect our Second
Amendment rights across the country, we are asking NRA members to
contribute to NRA-ILA as we fight for freedom in the courts. Please
encourage your friends, family, and other Second Amendment supporters to
stand with NRA-ILA by making a financial contribution to help us fight
for freedom. You may contribute by mail (please make checks payable to
NRA-ILA, and send to: NRA-ILA, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA
22030); by telephone at (800) 392-8683; or via our website at:
https://secure.nraila.org/Contribute.aspx.
Thank you for your continued support in our efforts to further the cause
of freedom.
[Contributions to NRA-ILA are not deductible as charitable contributions
for Federal income tax purposes.]
A LOOK AT THE STATES
(****For all of the action items below, you can find contact information
for your legislators by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at
www.NRAILA.org. As always, thank you for your support.****)
DELAWARE
Mark your calendar for the "Concealed Carry Conference and Second
Amendment Rally" to be held January 8, 2006! The Conference, held in
conjunction with the Delaware State Sportsmen's Association Annual
Meeting of Members, will feature special guest speaker NRA-ILA Executive
Director Chris W. Cox, as well as NRA President Sandra Froman, NRA 1st
Vice President John Sigler, and NRA 2nd Vice President Ron Schmeits. The
conference will be held at Modern Maturity Center, 1121 Forest Ave. (Rt.
8), in Dover. Doors open at 1:00 p.m., and the meeting begins at 2:00
p.m. This event is open to everyone interested in preserving and
defending the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. See you there!
NEW YORK
In response to a recent "investigative" story done by local NBC
affiliate I-Team 10 in Rochester that revealed that a number of hunting
licenses have been issued to convicted felons over the past decade,
State Senator Michael Nozzolio (R-54) indicated he might be introducing
legislation to remedy the problem by requiring criminal background
checks for all hunting license applicants. Apparently, when I-Team 10
did their misleading investigation, they failed to uncover and report
the fact that there are many people who have hunting licenses who do not
possess or use firearms. For example, in New York State it is necessary
to obtain a big game hunting license prior to obtaining a bow hunting
permit. After careful review of the issue, Senator Nozzolio has
contacted NRA and has stated he does not plan to introduce new
legislation on this subject and believes that the challenge of keeping
firearms out of the hands of felons can be met by enforcement of federal
law.&nsp; We commend Senator Nozzolio's efforts to thoroughly analyze
the issue before taking any action and we encourage members to contact
Senator Nozzolio at (315) 568-9816 to let him know that we appreciated
his attention to the matter.
WISCONSIN
The same week that the Personal Protection Act passed the Assembly by a
veto-proof margin, another critical, NRA-backed bill was overwhelmingly
approved. AB 586, legislation that lowers the minimum supervised
hunting age from 12 to eight years-old and establishes a mentored
hunting program, was sent to the Senate on a strong, bi-partisan vote of
74-19. The bill is intended to remove many of the barriers that keep
Wisconsin's youths from hunting and enjoying the outdoors. It allows
parents, instead of the state, to determine when their children are
mature enough to begin hunting under the close supervision and mentoring
of an adult who meets the hunter safety education requirements. AB 586
also allows a person 12 years-old and older, who has not yet completed
the hunter education requirement, to hunt with a mentor who is within
arm's reach. This is better known as the "try it before you buy it"
provision and is allowed for up to two year for each individual. Many
would-be hunters are discouraged from hunting in Wisconsin today because
they must first complete the lengthy hunter safety class. The mentoring
program allows these people to get out and try hunting to see if they
like it enough to complete the class so that they are eventually able to
hunt on their own. AB 586 is critical to the preservation of
Wisconsin's hunting heritage. Please contact your state senator today
at (608) 266-2517, or (800) 362-9472, and respectfully request that he
or she support the Youth Hunting Bill, AB 586.
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
