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The Missing Link: The correct link for yesterday's report about the
loaded muzzleloading rifle discharging in the evidence room of a New
Jersey sheriff's department is:
http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060713/UPDATES01/607130351/1005/NEWS01
---
Passage Of Vitter Amendment Signals Shift: The Senate's overwhelming 84
to 16 vote this week to prohibit gun confiscations from private citizens
in emergencies shows there has been a remarkable shift in the public's
attitude about gun rights after the Hurricane Katrina debacle, the
Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) said today.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69259
GOA Statement:
http://www.gunowners.org/a071406.htm
---
Stand-Your-Ground Laws Hitting Courtrooms: Unsympathetic article cites
one Florida case (recent law) and one Colorado case (old law).
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1152867927379
---
Kansans Start Applying For CCW Permits: County sheriffs' offices across
the state have had dozens of people pick up license applications since
the state's concealed carry law took effect July 1, although permits
won't be issued by the Kansas attorney general's office until Jan. 1, 2007.
http://www.hutchnews.com/news/regional/stories/guns071406.shtml
---
New York Times Reports - Handgun Training In Texas: Article presents a
fairly friendly view of one reporter's introduction to handguns,
training and eventual application for a Texas CHL. (Texas does not
normally issue to non-residents so I have to wonder why this article was
placed in the Travel section.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/travel/escapes/14shoot.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all
---
USNWR Article Debunked: A recent article in U.S. News & World Report
employs two common myths to explain why pro-gun groups allegedly wield
too much political power.
http://newsbusters.org/node/6421
---
Ohio Licensees Could Face Charges: Two Ohio CHL-holders could face
charges for holding two criminal suspects at gunpoint for police.
http://www.ohioccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3640&Itemid=83
---
Interesting Shooting In Alaska: A tourist from Arizona called the Alaska
State Troopers after a man fired shots at him and his fishing partner.
When the trooper arrived, the local man pointed a long gun at him and
was fatally shot by the tourist.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7963991p-7857152c.html
---
California Deputy Acquitted Of Negligent Storage: Former Tulare County
Sheriff's deputy Paul Turner was charged with negligently storing his
pistol. Children found it in Turner's home and used it to accidentally
shoot and kill seven year old Gabriella Garcia.
http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=16DD3E7D-CBD5-43D4-8038-59EE6EA129D7
---
Not The Brightest Bulb In The Chandelier: A Chicago-area man was
arrested for breach of the peace after walking into a mall wearing a toy
revolver in a shoulder holster. He claimed he had forgotten to take it
off after a play session. (People who move out west from places like
Chicago and New York have been known to call the police when they see
someone legally carrying an openly holstered handgun.)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-0607130245jul13,1,2270796.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
---
But Does He Mean It? Article about a Flagstaff AZ barber, who decorates
his shop in a Western motif, says, "As a joke, Florez has hung a "leave
guns here" sign on the north wall." (In such a liberal city, by Arizona
standards, one has to wonder how many customers unholster their guns for
storage.)
---
Wisconsin Residents Revive Swiss Shooting Tradition: Members of New
Glarus Vision Inc. and Swiss Center of North America are banding
together to revive Schuetzen Fest and save the historic Shooting Park
barn, which will be 100 years old next year and is in need of repair.
http://www.themonroetimes.com/o0713psc.htm
---
Brazilian Success Story: Article presents a brief look at the leader of
the movement that defeated the national gun-ban initiative by a
two-to-one margin, in a major defeat for international firearm
prohibitionists.
http://www.tfp.org/what_we_do/index/how_to_say_no_to_gun_control%20.htm
---
From NRA-ILA:
NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 13, No. 28 0714/06
States with updates this issue: Alabama, California, Georgia, Kansas,
and Michigan.
INTERNATIONAL GUN BANNERS DEALT BLOW--FOR NOW!
The "U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of
the Programme of Action to Prevent and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in
Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects" ended last Friday in
deadlock with no formal conclusions or recommendations. In the final
analysis, the complexity of the issue and the concerns of hunters, sport
shooters and firearm owners worldwide prevailed. No recommendations on
ammunition, civilian possession or future U.N. meetings, or for that
matter, any other subjects, were adopted. The failure of this five-year
program to impact the legitimate firearm industry, and the Second
Amendment rights of U.S. citizens was total. Anti-gun Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) and liberal governments served notice they would
not give up and would present all of their issues to the U.N. General
Assembly this fall.
Thanks should be given to NRA Board members Bob Barr, David Keene, and
Jim Gilmore for their crucial participation in this significant victory.
U.S. SENATE VOTES TO PROTECT SECOND
AMENDMENT RIGHTS DURING EMERGENCIES
On July 13, the U. S. Senate overwhelmingly passed (84-16) an amendment
to the Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 5441). This
amendment, offered by Senator David Vitter (R-La.), prohibits the use of
funds appropriated under H.R. 5441 for the confiscation of lawfully
possessed firearms during an emergency or major disaster.
Commenting on the passage of the amendment, NRA-ILA Executive Director
Chris W. Cox said, "After Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Police
Superintendent issued orders to confiscate firearms from all citizens,
allegedly under a state emergency powers law. With that one order, he
stripped the one means of self-protection innocent citizens had during a
time of widespread civil disorder. This legislation guarantees that
will never happen again."
Various reports indicate that law enforcement agencies from the federal
government and several states confiscated guns from law-abiding New
Orleans residents. The Vitter Amendment prohibits the use of federal
funds to seize firearms or restrict firearms possession, except in the
circumstances allowed by current federal or state law. Convicted felons
and other "prohibited persons" are not protected under this legislation
and it does not affect law enforcement operations outside of disaster
relief situations.
"In passing this legislation, the U.S. Senate acted to protect the
self-defense rights of citizens when those rights are most vital. There
was no 9-1-1 or police to rely on while looters and rapists and thugs
ran rampant and honest citizens were left to their own devices to
protect themselves, their families and their neighbors. I want to thank
Senator Vitter for introducing this amendment and all the Senators who
supported it," concluded Cox.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the resulting gun
confiscations, NRA filed suit in federal court and won a temporary
restraining order ending the illegal gun confiscations. After the City
of New Orleans failed to comply with the court's ruling, NRA filed a
motion of contempt that included an order that all seized firearms be
returned to their rightful owners.
Due to NRA's efforts, emergency powers legislation prohibiting
government officials from restricting the rights of law-abiding gun
owners during declared states of emergency has passed this year in
Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Alaska,
Idaho, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.
While the passage of the Vitter Amendment in the U.S. Senate represents
an important victory for America's law-abiding gun owners, the job is
not yet finished. It is vital that this provision be included in the
final version of the bill that emerges from the House and Senate
Conference Committee later this year.
Please click here to make a secure, online contribution to help fund
NRA's legislative efforts around the country. Your donation of $100,
$50, or $25 will replenish our financial firepower to ensure that we
have the resources to fight attempts to infringe on our Second Amendment
rights across the country.
DI FI TAKES ONE ON THE CHIN
During a mark-up of the Commerce, Justice, State Appropriations Bill,
the Senate Appropriations Committee rejected, on a voice vote, an
amendment by notoriously anti-gun Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Cal.).
Feinstein's amendment sought to gut the NRA-supported Tiahrt Amendment
that protects the public disclosure of firearm trace data.
The Tiahrt Amendment prohibits the release of firearm trace data to any
entity except a law enforcement agency conducting a bona fide criminal
investigation involving the firearm. This language is critically
important in ensuring politically motivated lawsuits (such as those
being promoted by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) don't misuse
this data to try and bankrupt the lawful firearm industry through
reckless litigation. Additionally, as NRA and numerous law enforcement
officers and agencies have continuously pointed out, release of this
information also jeopardizes ongoing criminal investigations and the
lives of law enforcement prsonnel involved with them.
Had Senator Feinstein's amendment succeeded and ultimately passed into
law, sensitive trace data could be abused by those who seek to erode our
Second Amendment rights and undermine the efforts of the law enforcement
community to arrest, prosecute, and punish criminals involved in illegal
firearms activities.
GOVERNOR BUSH NOTES CORRELATION BETWEEN
ARMED, LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS AND FLORIDA'S LOWER CRIME RATE
When queried this week about his state's declining crime rate, Florida
Governor Jeb Bush (R) told reporters from the Fort Lauderdale
Sun-Sentinel, "Law abiding citizens that have guns for protection
actually probably are part of the reason we have a lower crime rate."
Florida is one of 40 states with Right-to-Carry statutes that allow
their law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed firearm for
self-defense. In addition, the state last year passed NRA-backed
"Castle Doctrine" legislation that allows citizens to "stand their
ground" and defend themselves against an attacker in a place where they
have a legal right to be.
Florida's crime rate dropped for the 14th straight year and the crime
rate is currently at its lowest level since 1971.
WASHINGTON, D.C., ONCE AGAIN
GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATES THE FAILURE OF GUN CONTROL
Washington, D.C.'s ban on handguns and on using guns for protection at
home exists throughout the entire city. Now, so does the fear of
violent crime. In the American city with the most restrictive "gun
control" laws, a "crime emergency" has been declared, following 13
murders in only 11 days, as well as a spike in robberies and assaults.
D.C.'s police chief, Charles Ramsey, issued the declaration on July 11,
the third time he has done so in the last four years.
"It used to be almost 80 percent of criminals, if not higher, were
arrested in areas near where they live," Chief Ramsey said. "Now we're
starting to see a trend where more and more people are being arrested in
places they do not live in." In a recent, highly publicized crime of
this type, a British man had his throat cut and his woman companion was
nearly raped in D.C.'s affluent, trendy, and usually peaceful Georgetown
neighborhood. The main suspects in the murder, both from other
neighborhoods, have criminal records, one for armed robbery and a drug
charge, the other for drug offense and probation violation, and both are
suspected of committing at least two robberies in Georgetown in recent
weeks. Even the Washington Mall, a popular location for people touring
the city's historic landmarks, has been plagued by crime recently.
After a rash of robberies in May, a new string of robberies has begun
around the Washington Monument.
D.C.'s delegate to Congress, Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D), has called for
increased patrols in the Mall area. But we won't hold our breath
waiting for her to join NRA in calling for repeal of the city's
anti-gun, anti-self-defense laws. Holmes-Norton is one of the chief
obstructionists to that long overdue reform.
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask
them to cosponsor and support S. 1082 and H.R. 1288-- the Senate and
House versions of the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act"--
and restore the constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights of
the residents of the District of Columbia. You can call your U.S.
Senators at (202) 224-3121, or your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.
NRA-ILA "MIX N' MINGLES"
Much is at stake in this year's elections; we will decide if we continue
to move ahead on the path of pro-gun reform, or, if we will revert to
the dark Clinton-Gore years. In order to ensure continued success for
the Second Amendment, we must elect pro-gun lawmakers to office this
election season.
To ensure victory for our pro-gun candidates this election year, NRA-ILA
will be hosting FREE NRA-ILA "Mix N' Mingles" across the country. These
events will provide NRA members with training on what they can do
locally to propel candidates to victory this election season. The
meetings also provide attendees the opportunity to meet and socialize
with lawmakers, candidates, and their staffs; NRA-ILA Headquarters
staff, fellow NRA members--and to earn FREE NRA fraternal items such as
hats, pocketknives, buttons, etc. "Mix N' Mingles," including
materials, food, beverages, and NRA items, are FREE!
Mix N' Mingle events are scheduled for:
- Addison, IL 07/15/06
- Lakemoor, IL 07/18/06
- Reading, PA 08/12/06
- Libby, MT 08/15/06
- Great Falls, MT 08/17/06
- Billings, MT 08/19/06
- Seymour, IN 08/24/06
- South Bend, IN 08/26/06
- Aurora, CO 08/26/06
- Lincoln, NE 09/09/06
- Dublin, OH 10/14/06
- St. Cloud, MN 10/16/06
NRA members who have access to the Internet can go to
www.nraila.org/workshops/ to reserve their seats on-line. NRA members
are encouraged to check this website address frequently to see if any
upcoming "Mix N' Mingles" are scheduled in their area. NRA members may
also contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683)
for details and to reserve their seats.
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. For information on NRA-PVF candidate endorsements, NRA
members are encouraged to call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800)
392-VOTE (8683), or visit www.NRAPVF.org. If you go to the NRA-PVF
site, you will have to provide your NRA member ID number to access the
site. Your NRA member ID number can be found on the front of your NRA
magazine or on your NRA membership card. Your ID number on the
magazine's mailing label is the 10-digit number that follows the code:
#07901. Examples of how to find your ID number can also be found at
www.NRAPVF.org on the login page accessed by choosing your state. As
always, thank you for your support.***)
States with updates this issue: Alabama, California, Georgia, Kansas,
and Michigan.
ALABAMA
The 2006 Primary Run-Off elections are being held Tuesday, July 18! For
further information about voting in Alabama, please go to
www.sos.state.al.us/downloads/election/2006/2006-Voter-Guide.pdf. Be
sure to "Vote Freedom First" on Tuesday, July 18!
CALIFORNIA
On July 12, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed Assembly Bill 2111
into law. AB 2111, sponsored by Assembly Member Ray Haynes (R-66),
provides that if a purchaser begins a transfer of a handgun that is
listed on the roster as "not unsafe", and, prior to the transfer's
completion, the handgun is removed from the roster of "not unsafe"
handguns due to nonpayment of the fee required to list the handgun on
that register, the handgun can be delivered to the purchaser if he or
she is not otherwise prohibited from purchasing or possessing the
handgun. Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger at (916) 445-2841 or by
e-mail at
http://www.govmail.ca.gov/ to thank him for signing AB 2111.
A special thank you to all NRA members for your calls and emails in
support of AB 2111 during the legislative session!
GEORGIA
The 2006 Primary elections are being held Tuesday, July 18! For further
information about voting in Georgia, please go to
www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/elections/voter%5Finformation/. Be sure
to "Vote Freedom First" on Tuesday, July 18!
KANSAS
The 2006 Primary elections are being held Tuesday, August 1! Advance
voting started July 12 and ends July 31! For more information about
advance voting please to go the following website:
www.kssos.org/elections/elections_registration_voting.html or call
1-800-262-VOTE (8683). Be sure to "Vote Freedom First" on Tuesday,
August 1!
MICHIGAN
On July 10, Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) signed two important
pro-hunting bills aimed at increasing involvement in Michigan's hunting
heritage. SB 1105, sponsored by Senator Michelle McManus (R-35), makes
it easier for new participants to become involved in our hunting
heritage by allowing them to hunt with a licensed adult for up to two
years without taking lengthy hunter education courses. HB 5192,
sponsored by Representative Scott Hummel (R-93), lowers the legal
hunting age from 14 to 12, and 12 to 10, for big game and small game,
respectively. Please contact Governor Granholm TODAY at (517) 373-3400
or (517) 335-7858, to thank her for signing SB 1105 and HB 5192, and to
respectfully urge her to sign the "Castle Doctrine" legislation. A
special thank you to all NRA members for your calls and e-mails in
support of SB 1105 and HB 5192 during the legislative session!
--
Stephen P. Wenger
Firearm safety - It's a matter
for education, not legislation.
http://www.spw-duf.info
