Dustin Reininger

By Jeff Knox

FirearmsCoalition.org

Manassas, VA, -(AmmoLand.com)- Dustin Reininger is serving a five-year sentence with a three-year minimum before he’s eligible for parole. His crime? Pulling off the highway to get some rest during a long drive.

Reininger, a veteran of both the Army and the Air Force, and a former police officer, was moving from Maine back to Texas, but only made it as far as New Jersey. He got tired and parked behind a building in Readington Township, New Jersey, . Had he held out for another 20 minutes, there wouldn’t be a story about Dustin Reininger because he wouldn’t have had a problem in Pennsylvania, but he was tired so he stopped in New Jersey.

Police found him asleep in his SUV early that morning. Reininger just wanted to move on down the road, but officers thought something in the back seat looked like a gun case and considered that probable cause for a search. They found several rifles, shotguns, and handguns, as well as hollow point bullets, and a “standard-capacity” magazine.

Of course, all of that is perfectly legal in Maine and in Texas – or even 24 miles up the road in Pennsylvania – but it’s not legal in New Jersey without a permit. Federal law provides safe passage for someone transporting guns through a restrictive jurisdiction, but the jury didn’t get to hear about that law. An appeals court panel said that law didn’t apply because it specifies that the guns should be locked in the trunk, and Reininger’s SUV didn’t have a trunk.

They also ruled that officers were justified in searching Reininger’s car because they recognized the gun cases as evidence of a crime. The case could go to the State Supreme Court, but I wouldn’t make any bets on the chances of a new trial.

Dustin Reininger’s life has been destroyed simply because he innocently possessed his legally owned guns in the wrong place at the wrong time. A minimum of 3 years in a New Jersey prison is no cake walk. Reininger will, for the rest of his life, have to mark “Yes” on job applications asking if he’s ever been convicted of a felony, and he is barred from ever owning firearms again. So much for his career in law enforcement.

This is what gun control laws do. They turn innocent people into criminals, destroying lives, while protecting no one.

A spokesman for the NJ Attorney General’s office told the AP that the office was “gratified that the court accepted our arguments that none of the issues had any legal merit, or provided a basis to upset the defendant’s conviction.”

It doesn’t matter to the police or the politicians or the Attorney General that this guy wasn’t hurting anyone, or that he wasn’t planning to hurt anyone. All that matters to them is that they caught and convicted someone who was in technical violation of their hoplophobic gun laws. And unfortunately, this is an attitude that is prevalent in too many police departments and AG’s offices around the country.

Reininger’s story is not unique, it just happens to be a recent, and particularly egregious, example of something we’ve been seeing routinely for over 40 years.

The other side of the coin is just as bad. While gun laws routinely ensnare the innocent, they are just as routinely dismissed in prosecuting serious career criminals. Some gun laws can’t even be enforced against criminals. For instance, a convicted felon cannot be prosecuted for failing to register his illegal weapon because doing so would be self-incriminating. So we end up with serious, violent criminals released back on the street, while harmless people like Dustin Reininger are zealously prosecuted for technical violations – and the prosecution is “gratified.”

The stories of people unjustly prosecuted – and persecuted – in the name of gun control would fill a book. The history is clear; no matter how innocuous or “common sense” a gun law might seem, once it goes into force it is inevitably used to harass and abuse gun owners.

That’s just one of the reasons gun owners opposed the recent Manchin-Toomey proposal to extend background checks to private sales. Among the very troubling provisions in that proposal, the most obvious danger is the requirement that even transactions involving concealed carry permit holders – who are exempt from background checks – would have been required to go through a dealer. The only reason to do that is to create a permanent record of the transaction – registration – something gun owners oppose for very good reasons.

Gun control is not about guns, it’s about control. History shows that gun laws always end up being used to harass and persecute regular gun owners. Gun owners have every reason to expect that any law that can be used to abuse them will be used to abuse them.

Are gun owners paranoid because we believe gun control laws threaten us?

Dustin Reininger is serving a five-year sentence with a three-year minimum before he’s eligible for parole because he pulled off the highway to get some rest during a long drive. If we are paranoid, it’s because we need to be.

Visit Dustin’s Website: http://dustinshanereininger.com/home
Friend Dustin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dustin.reininger.3

About:
The Firearms Coalition is a loose-knit coalition of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs and civil rights organizations. Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, the organization provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues, and with a historical perspective of the gun rights movement. The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, Manassas, VA. Visit: www.FirearmsCoalition.org

Tyranny Alert

Lawsuit Filed Against Illegal Background Check Fees

Connecticut Carry

Torrington, CT -(Ammoland.com)- In Connecticut Carry’s ongoing efforts to educate and to protect the rights of the citizens in Connecticut to bear arms, our legal counsel Attorney Rachel Baird has filed a lawsuit against the Connecticut DESPP and the town of Torrington for illegal collections of fees regarding pistol permits and the right to carry firearms.

Since October 1^st, 2009 the Department of Public Safety (now the DESPP) has conspired with local issuing authorities across Connecticut to collect a $50 fee for each Connecticut State Pistol Permit state background check. In the town of Torrington alone, there have been $22,250 in fees collected.

Statewide, this results in over $1 million of background check fees state wide being illegally collected.

The DESPP has alleged repeatedly that they are entitled to this money, even though the Connecticut General Statutes make clear that the local issuing authorities are requesting the background checks and that they are exempt from the fees.

Connecticut Carry challenged this fee by issuing a cease and desist order to the local issuing authorities and to the DESPP. The Town of Windsor published a favorable opinion to each permit applicant that states that they agree that the fee has no basis in law, but that the DESPP might ‘deny’ permits based on this omission. Many towns and the DESPP have continued to collect this fee despite being informed of the legal issues with the collection.
In response to a FOI request for data related to information on this fee being collected in March, 2012 the DESPP destroyed documents after receiving FOI requests for the records from both Connecticut Carry and American News and Information Services.

In the recent 2013 legislative session, the DESPP requested and received a bill (SB 969) that would allow them to collect this fee, admitting that they lacked the statutory authority to collect the fee in the first place. This proposed legislation followed the cease and desist order from Connecticut Carry.

From the DESPP’s legislative proposal:
“[u]nder existing law all criminal history records checks coming from other agencies are not subject to any state fees.”

Confirming the intentions for the new statutory fee, and bringing into scrutiny DESPP’s current requests for further funding, the DESPP uses as a justification:
[the] “statutory change would create a new and appropriate revenue stream.”

This revenue stream would lack accountability since it was not defined via statute. Despite the DESPP collecting over $1 million dollars in unauthorized fees, they have continually fallen behind in their state background checks for pistol permits causing undue delays in pistol permit issuances.

The actions by the Connecticut DESPP are outrageous, especially when evaluated in parallel to the current requests by the DESPP for more funding and employees because of the completely unreasonable delays in the pistol permit process for applicant statewide.

More information on this issue can be found here: http://ctcarry.com/BackgroundCheckFee/Fees

The Cease and Desist can be found here: http://ctcarry.com/BackgroundCheckFee/Action1

The current lawsuit’s complaint can be found here: http://ctcarry.com/Document/Download/ea8bd9fe52ca-43e5-8d57-e7d7e0001173

To find out more about Connecticut Carry: http://ctcarry.com.

Connecticut Carry is dedicated to advancing and protecting the fundamental civil rights of the men and women of Connecticut to keep and bear arms for defense of themselves and the state as guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Connecticut.

Contact:
Richard Burgess
President
Connecticut Carry, Inc
Ph: 203-208-9577
Email: rich@ctcarry.com
http://ctcarry.com

Memorial Day

Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs Memorial Day Legislative Assessment

A message from Scott Bach

Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs

Trenton, NJ --(Ammoland.com)-As we pause for Memorial Day weekend, consider where we’ve been the last five months, where we are right now, and where we are headed as the legislative session draws to its customary close at the end of June.

Since January, more than 80 anti-gun bills have been introduced in the legislature, comprising the worst attacks on firearms owners in state history. That number still continues to increase to this day.

In February, Assembly Democrats rammed through 24 of these bills, despite a massive outcry from gun owners, a record-setting turnout at a “kangaroo-court” committee hearing, and a well-attended rally on the same day as one of the Northeast’s worst snow storms ever. The defining event of that period was the moment, during a 7-hour Assembly committee hearing, when the chairman actually said that public testimony would be heard “after we vote,” revealing the hearing process as a complete sham.

Democratic Leadership in the Senate took note of the absurd process in the Assembly and the massive outcry from gun owners, promising a slower, fairer, and more deliberative process in the Senate. Instead of ramming legislation through in March, they instead took the time to meet with representatives of gun owners and sportsmen (and also with anti-gun groups) in March and April.

Although gun owner concerns were heard repeatedly and forcefully during these meetings, the end result was that most of the anti-gun agenda would still move to Senate committee, with only a few minor changes to make the bills slightly “less bad” (instead of eliminating attacks on the law-abiding and shifting the focus onto punishment of those who misuse firearms). The general consensus among those involved in this process is that anti-gunners got over 90% of what they sought, while gun owners and sportsmen got less than 10% of what they sought.

In late April and early May, multiple Senate committee hearings were scheduled to move the package of gun bills. The first two hearings were very well attended by gun owners, and the proceedings were marred by some rancor and unfortunate ejections of members of the public. Minor amendments were made to several bills based on gun owner testimony, but some of those amendments actually made the bills worse.

One defining moment of the Senate hearings came as State Police surrounded upset citizens who complained that testimony was being cut off before they could testify. In solidarity, the entire audience stood up and spontaneously recited the pledge of allegiance, as many of the committee members sat silently in their chairs.

Another defining moment included the notorious “hot mic” incident of May 9, in which the official state recording of a committee hearing continued to run after the meeting ended, capturing three Senators discussing gun confiscation and disparaging gun owner motives. That story went viral nationally and a YouTube video featuring the recording has been viewed nearly 200,000 times.

The end of the road in the Senate was supposed to be the May 13 full voting session, but Senate Democrats’ own rush to move these bills that day came back to bite them badly as they realized that several of their signature pieces of legislation needed last minute amendments, requiring “emergency” consent of Republican leadership under Senate rules. Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-21) refused to consent, delaying a Senate vote on these bills until the next scheduled voting session (May 30).

The delay is significant, as it puts off final reconciliation of these bills in the Assembly until late June, which in turn means that Governor Christie could postpone final action on bills that come to his desk until deep into summer or later, when the legislature will be out of session and into campaign mode for the upcoming election.

Senate Minority Leader Kean’s courageous action was not without consequences. Senate President Stephen Sweeney, outraged that his signature piece of legislation was derailed from its fast track, retaliated by blocking the movement of all republican bills for the foreseeable future, pouring fuel on an already smoldering feud between the two legislators. Minority Leader Kean’s support of Sweeney’s Republican challenger Niki Trunk in the November election is a key point of contention.

Recent editorials sharply criticizing Sweeney for the retaliation have been published by the traditionally liberal Morris Daily Record and The Bergen Record (see editorials hereand here).

ANJRPC is using the current delay to press Democratic leadership to move proactive bills addressing longstanding issues plaguing honest gun owners, including an “Aitken’s Law” concept (to prevent law-abiding gun owners from being turned into criminals for hypertechnical violations of New Jersey’s extreme gun laws); enforcement of the 30-day firearms permitting deadline already required by statute but regularly ignored by permitting authorities; and extension of handgun permit expiration to one year. So far, a small group of gun ban extremists in the legislature have stonewalled these reasonable, common-sense proposals that have no downside to anyone, revealing their utter contempt and ill will toward law-abiding gun owners.

We expect the legislature to complete passage of its entire package of gun bills by the end of June. Between now and then, some of the bills will gradually dribble onto the Governor’s desk (three are already there now), but the entire package will be before Governor Christie by late June. We do not anticipate that the Governor will take action before July on any of the bills that reach his desk.

Right now the action remains in the Senate and the Assembly, and that is where gun owner attention needs to remain focused for the time being. We will be issuing detailed alerts in the coming weeks about upcoming Senate and Assembly action, including full Senate and Assembly floor votes, and possible additional committee hearings that may precede them.

One of the largest challenges we now face is gun owner fatigue. The process over the past five months has been relentless, and many gun owners are exhausted from the many calls to action that they have answered. It is critical that gun owners remain active and engaged in the process until the very end, and continue to focus their energy where and when it is needed in the legislative process.

Every effort makes a difference, even if it seems futile. Consider that the efforts made in the Assembly in February slowed things down in the Senate in March, April and May. The efforts you make now in the Senate will impact what happens over the summer. The strength of organizations like ANJRPC and NRA resides solely in the membership – very little can be accomplished without members who are willing to sacrifice and answer the call, repeatedly, even when it seems like it is not making an immediate difference. So rest and recharge this weekend, and get ready to hit the ground running after the holiday!

About: Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs
The Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, Inc. is the official NRA State Association in New Jersey. Our mission is to implement all of the programs and activities at the state level that the NRA does at the national level. This mission includes the following: To support and defend the constitutional rights of the people to keep and bear arms. To take immediate action against any legislation at the local, state and federal level that would infringe upon these rights. Visit: www.anjrpc.org

Memorial Day 27 May 2013 We Buried Another Veteran Today

AmmoLand Gun News

Wisconsin --(Ammoland.com)-  We buried another veteran today.
He went to his God, from us, he went away.
This one was young, in the prime of his life.
He left twin children and a very courageous wife.

It wasn’t a bullet, a plane crash or a bomb.
It was cancer, and he just finally, could not hold on.
He fought “it” like a military campaign.
But the time came to surrender, to end his earthly pain.

He knew he would be fine in the presence of his Lord.
But what about his twins, those children he adored?
Will they grow strong and at “life” win.
Please God, let them always remember him.

We buried another veteran today.
It seems, all my life, it has happened this way.
From my uncles of the WW II-time frame.
To the military friends, Vietnam would claim.

For me the number of dead, is always on the rise.
When I get a call another veteran is gone, it is never really a surprise.
From lost sub-mariners, in early days of my life.
To the forever gone, military-medical friends of my veteran wife.

I lost a Korean War veteran friend this year, to a crashed airplane.
I lost a Gulf War friend to cancer, a difference in their age, but still that pain.
I lost an Uncle to cancer who did Korea with the Navy, steaming off shores.
I lost my father-in-law who fought in Korea, from a “fox-hole” in the
frozen outdoors.

We buried another Veteran today.
It seems in all my family’s generations, it happens this way.
From my Revolutionary War Grandfathers who started this sad, but needed trend.
To the family members on both sides in 1861, who just would not bend.

Some of my family lived a long and happy life, after “their” war.
They died of old age in their bed, safe-behind a locked door.
They died in battle, buried where they fell.
They died years later, carrying emotional scars, in their own personal hell.

My family is no different than thousands who met our Nation’s call.
They rose to the demands of this country and some gave their “all“.
We have to continue doing this, to make America free.
But, it’s that Veteran’s twin-little children that keeps worrying me.

We buried another Veteran today.
It seems all my life it continues this way.
Now my only child is nine and we reside on a military installation.
My wife and I truly want her to live safe, in a free nation.

But what happens, when it is her-generation’s turn to make a stand.
Do we lose our only child in some forsaken-foreign land?
Does she play it safe, stay home and say “that’s boy’s stuff”.
Or does she join like her mother and go right into the ruff.

She has to be that one Veteran I don’t see, make that final “call“.
Let me go before her, let me first give this country my fighting “all“.
Maybe if I go “out-there” and make my final stand.
She can stay safe-at-home, in this wonderful free land.

WE BURIED ANOTHER VETERAN TODAY

About Major Van Harl USAF Ret.:
Major Van E. Harl USAF Ret. , is a career Police Officer in the U.S. Air Force was born in Burlington, Iowa, USA, in 1955. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. Now retired, these days he enjoys camping, traveling, volunteering with the Girl Scouts and writing. vanharl@aol.com

Country Star Kevin Fowler is an NRA Supporter

NRA – ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Rising country music star Kevin Fowler was the opening act for the “NRA Country Jam” at this year’s NRA Annual Meetings in Houston.

Fowler is an unabashed supporter of NRA and the Second Amendment, and he’ll gladly let you know that, graphically and in no uncertain terms.  Fowler recently weighed in on the gun control debate during an exclusive interview with TheBlaze.

In the interview, Fowler said the U.S. already has plenty of gun laws on the books, and that those laws are just not properly enforced.

“If you want to kill people, you can do it with a fork, you can do it with something you can buy at the hardware store, you can do it with a gun, you can do it with a knife, you can do it with a car, you can do it with a truck, you can do it however you want to,” Fowler explained, stressing the importance of addressing the nation’s mental health problem.

Fowler noted that he was raised around firearms, and has plenty of guns, but according to the article, they don’t sprout legs and go off and kill people.

To see pictures of a recent Kevin Fowler concert and to read the full piece on TheBlaze.com, please click here.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

Florida Carry

Florida - -(Ammoland.com)- Florida Carry, Inc., filed an action to stop Daytona Beach’s illegal practice of refusing to return firearms to people, including veterans, who were Baker Acted but found to be no danger to themselves or others.

For too long, many jurisdictions throughout Florida have refused to follow the law.

In 2009 the Florida Attorney General made clear in an opinion that the continued detention of firearms after a person was released without being found to be a danger to themselves or others was prohibited by Florida law.

Despite the clear instruction from the Attorney General and the legal prohibition on creating their own firearms rules since 1987, these individuals and agencies who have sworn to uphold the law, have instead violated the law and the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Florida gun owners.

It is time to hold these jurisdictions responsible and require that these people in authority follow the laws they swore an oath to uphold and enforce.

As we previously reported, an honorably discharged combat vet called a veteran’s assistance hotline for someone to talk to. Instead of finding the sympathetic and understanding ear of a fellow vet, the VA hotline worker got the police to come out and take this man who has stood in defense of our country from his home and submit him for mental evaluation. The police officers also seized his firearms, bows, arrows, ammo and protective equipment. One talk with a qualified mental health professional was all it took for the doctor to determine that the vet was never a threat to himself or anyone else.

Now the police department refuses to give this man who has stood watch for our defense his guns back despite numerous previous court decisions and instructions from the Florida Attorney General that all instruct that his property should be immediately returned.

This problem has been found statewide and Florida Carry got involved in this case to protect the rights of all Floridians. The denial of personal property rights without just cause and the denial of the right to bear arms without due process of law must end now.

The case filing can be read here: Complaint_A.B_and_FL_Carry_v_Daytona

About:
Florida Carry is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental civil right of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I Section 8 of the Florida Constitution. Florida Carry, Inc. was organized by a group of Florida gun rights activists in order to better coordinate activities, effectively lobby the state legislature, and to provide a legal entity capable of filing suit to demand compliance with state and federal law. Florida Carry stands only to represent our members and the over 6 million gun owners of Florida. We are not beholden to any national organization’s agenda that may compromise that mission.
Florida Carry works tirelessly toward repealing and striking down ill-conceived gun control laws that have been proven to provide safe havens to criminals and be deadly to law abiding citizens.

Cuomo to N.Y. Sheriffs: Keep Quiet About Gun Law

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn --(Ammoland.com)- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo invited representatives of the New York State Sheriff’s Association to meet with him and discuss issues with the recently passed “SAFE Act.”

At least that’s what the sheriffs thought the meeting would be about.

But instead, according to this article in the Albany Times Union, Cuomo told the sheriffs to cease and desist expressing their wide-ranging comments in opposition to many of the law’s provisions.  “The governor was of the opinion that the sheriffs around the state should not be interjecting their personal opinions in reference to the law,” according to one attendee.

News flash to the governor:  That cat is out of the bag, since both the Sheriff’s Association and several individual sheriffs have joined the litigation against the new law.  But the governor isn’t out of options yet.  No meeting attendee was willing to confirm this, but at least one source says that Cuomo threatened to use an obscure power of the governor’s office to remove sheriffs from office.

New York is not the only state where sheriffs are speaking out against new gun laws.  In Colorado, a majority of state sheriffs have joined litigation against new gun laws filed earlier this week.  NSSF is also a party to the Colorado lawsuit, and proud to support the sheriffs for pointing out obvious problems with the new law, as noted in this article, which quotes their filing as follows:

“The Sheriffs have limited resources and limited public funds to spend on investigations . . . They cannot expend those resources to conduct investigations that would be necessary to monitor compliance with the new magazine restrictions. No documentation has ever been required for the retail or private purchase of magazines, making it a practical impossibility for the Sheriffs to determine whether one of the many magazines already in existence was obtained after the effective date.”

Of course, we told them that before the law was passed, but Colorado legislators weren’t listening then, any more than Cuomo is willing to hear criticism of his trademark law now.  And we recall that Colorado legislators protested comments by state sheriffs in opposition when their new law was under debate.

It is rapidly becoming a hallmark of anti-gun politicians to view the First Amendment with equal disdain as the Second Amendment.  Both are “inconvenient truths” in their zeal to enact new restrictions on our rights and our industry.

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

Friends of NRA

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Rifle Association is pleased to name the 2012 Friends of NRA Volunteers of the Year.

Presented by Mill Pond Press, recipients were recognized for their outstanding impact on Friends of NRA, the grassroots fundraising program for The NRA Foundation, America’s leading charitable organization in support of the shooting sports.

“Volunteers are the backbone of most non-profit organizations and NRA volunteers are heads above the rest,” said Linda Schaner, President of Mill Pond Press. “We at Mill Pond are thrilled to be associated with Friends of NRA and honored to have taken part in recognizing these volunteers’ accomplishments.”

Each NRA Field Representative selected an Area Volunteer winner based on year-round efforts. Area Volunteers received a “2012 Friends of NRA Volunteer of the Year” jacket and special recognition from their NRA Field Representative. From the pool of Area Volunteers, a committee of senior NRA staff selected Region Volunteers of the Year who were honored and recognized May 2, at the National NRA Foundation Banquet during the 2013 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Houston, Texas.

“Friends of NRA volunteers spend countless hours selling tickets, recruiting sponsors, and setting up events,” said Sarah Budi, Director of Volunteer Fundraising. “They are the real testament to the success of the fundraising program and we are grateful for their time protecting and promoting the shooting sports for future generations.”

The 2012 Friends of NRA Region and Area award winners and their committees are listed below:

Region Volunteers of the Year:

• Eastern Region: West Virginia and Western Virginia: William Shank, Midland Trail
• Central Region: Missouri: Tim Heuiser, South East Missouri
• Mid West Region: Colorado: Patty Cattoor, Colorado State and Black Canyon
• Southern Region: Florida (Southern): Gary and Pat Graef, Greater Ft. Myers and Charlotte Harbor
• Western Region: Nevada: John Madden, Reno/Sparks and Modesto

Area Volunteers of the Year:

Eastern Region:

• Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York (Lower) and Rhode Island: Stan Pascoo, Hudson Valley
• Delaware and Pennsylvania (Eastern): Charlie Fox, Bradford Area
• Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont: Elizabeth Elliott, New Hampshire Seacoast
• New York (Upper): Paul Lendvay, Catskill Region
• North Carolina (Eastern): Elvie Jackson, Greater Triangle
• North Carolina (Western): George and Shirley Pullman, Western North Carolina
• Ohio (Northern): Todd Figard, North East Ohio
• Ohio (Southern): Donald Pagath, Zanesville Area
• Pennsylvania (Western): William Tylavsky, PA’s 1st
• Virginia (Eastern) and Washington, D.C.: Hugh Crittenden, Greater Richmond

Central Region:

• Illinois (Northern): Christina Cira, East Central Illinois
• Illinois (Southern): Veron Auld, Perry/Randolf
• Indiana: Richard “Dick” Hacker, Hendricks County
• Iowa: Bobby Meyer, North Iowa
• Kentucky: Scott Smith, Big Rivers
• Michigan: Robert Haviland, WWCCA
• Nebraska: Tim Gray, High Plains
• Tennessee: Butch Rhea, Fayette County
• Wisconsin: Kellie Walsh, State Line

Mid West Region:

• Kansas: Doug King, Butler County
• Minnesota: James Kelley, Itasca County
• Montana: John Shevlin, Central Montana and North Central Montana
• New Mexico: Jeanie Otis, San Juan
• North Dakota: Scott Bachmeier, Southwest
• South Dakota: Doug DeLaRoi, Northern Oahe
• Oklahoma: Jimmy Hawk, Cherokee Strip
• Utah: Monte Smith, Ogden
• Wyoming: Laura Milne, Casper

Southern Region:

• Alabama: Mike Parsons, Huntsville
• Arkansas: Jeff Eddy, Independence
• Florida (Northern): Patty Galyean, Suwannee River
• Georgia: Doug Hollberg, Sr, Central Georgia
• Louisiana: Lori & Marcell Parker, Florida Parishes
• Mississippi: David Goode, DeSoto County
• South Carolina: Charles Johnson, Lexington
• Texas (Northern): John Capps, Ellis and Barnett Shale
• Texas (Southern): Carol Hester, Alamo
• Texas (West): Robin Dawson, Texas Panhandle

Western Region:

• Alaska (Northern): Steve Smith, Nome
• Alaska (Southern): Jodee Kuden, Alaska State
• Arizona: Hugh Winderweedle, White Mountain
• California (Central): Noel Ryan, Paso Robles
• California (Mid): Dan Weare, Exeter and Tulare
• California (North Eastern): Barry Blaylock, Tuolumne County
• California (North Western): Michael Amato, Livermore/Pleasanton
• California (Southern): Dennis Kee, SoCal Gun-O-Rama, South OC, San Gabriel Valley, Metro OC
• Hawaii and Oregon: Mike Fitz, Portland
• Idaho: Rich and Trudy Jackson, Treasure Valley
• Washington: Richard “Rick” Crawford, Kittitas County

International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights

EU --(Ammoland.com)- Dear IAPCAR members and supporters,

Italian IAPCAR member group FISAT, has sent an important call to action. Attempts are underway by the European Union to further restrict the right of civilians to have certain firearms. It is vitally important to the firearms rights community stand together internationally.

There are three important things we can each do:

1. Read the alert from FISAT below and follow the instructions to participate in the EU survey.
2. Post a link to this alert on your website and send it to all of your members and supporters.
3. Ask all your supporters to send this call to action to all of their friends.

I personally want to thank all of you for your unwavering support of civilian arms rights. It is a privilege to work with you.

International Association for the Protection of Civilian Arms Rights

[Important Message Below]

Dear friends and gun rights activists,

Joining the call of British Shooting Sports Council we ask to IAPCAR and all gun rights association in its organization, to participate to the online survey organized by European Union Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom.

The menace to semiautomatic firearms in private hands is IMMINENT, as the online survey maliciously suggests a possible link between private possession of firearms and their us for criminal or terrorist purposes, being nothing else than another attempt to disarm honest citizens for the sake of added “firearms security”.

The questions are utterly misleading.

Question C.2 suggests that the list of prohibited firearms should be extended (it is understood that the Commission is referring to semiautomatic rifles and possibly also to semiautomatic shotguns and handguns).

Question C.4 pursues the mandatory use of locking devices in firearms (imagine the impact if this was made retrospective).

Question C.7 would provide a justification to introduce compulsory mental health tests and suppress the current derogation that allows people under the age of 18 to hunt and sport-shoot if they have parental permission or guidance.

We can expect for sure that the various anti-gun EU associations will take action to orchestrate a deliberate number of answers resulting in a public call for tighter gun control.
Deadline for participation is June 17^th 2013.         

This can’t happen and we ask you to take part to the online survey in the following steps:

Please follow the following steps:

1. Go to:  http://ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/ipm/forms/dispatch?form=ReduceFirearmsRisk
2. Choose your language in the icon that is in the upper right part of the screen.
3. Indicate your country, whether you are an individual or an organization and your name or the name of your organization.
4. Answer the questions by clicking on option “1” for each one of them. You do not need to answer the optional questions that request additional comments (questions B.4, C.11, D.5 and E.6).
5. After having answered the questions, as a security measure to avoid computer-generated replies, you will have to type in the numbers and/or letters that will be displayed in your screen and validate them.
6. Your answers will have been submitted by then. You can view them and/or save them as a PDF.

All of the European associations, especially Swedish ones, can contact the proposer of this survey in the person of European Commissioner Ms. Cecilia Malmstrom which can be contacted at these sites, possibly to explain her that firearms of private honest citizens are not to be confused with the ones of criminals and terrorists:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/malmstrom/contact/contact-me_en.htm

https://twitter.com/malmstromeu

https://www.facebook.com/MalmstromEU

Swedish citizens in particular can also contact her party, Folkpartiet liberalerna (Liberal People’s Party), to let them know what you think, at the following site and email:

http://www.folkpartiet.se/  –  info@folkpartiet.se

While EU citiziens can contact Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (A.L.D.E.):

http://web.cor.europa.eu/alde/contact-us/Pages/default.aspx

Asking their respective national parties NOT to support Maelmstrom initiatives, you can find various parties members of ALDE at the following page:

http://www.alde.eu/alde-group/alde-across-europe-map-member-state/

We thank you for your help, immediate action is necessary for the protection of our common gun rights.

Best regards,

Simone Ciucchi – FISAT President

May 2013

Bologna, Italy 

Gun Rights Advocates Making Better Offers For Firearms Than The Wayne County (MI) Government

Legally Armed In Detroit

Detroit, Michigan – -(Ammoland.com)- This past Saturday, May 18th, 2013, approximately 50 gun rights activists attended a “Guns for Groceries” event to stage a demonstration of their own against the Wayne County (MI) government.

The Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and the Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon teamed up with a local church (The New St. Paul Tabernacle Church of God in Christ), the Meijer’s grocery store chain, and the Goodman-Acker law firm to entice citizens to turn in their guns on a “no questions asked” basis.

All month long commercials were being run over the airwaves seeking to convince Detroit residents that the cause of the violence in their town was guns owned by them. Thus, if they wanted to reduce the amount of violent crime in Detroit, the “obvious” solution floated by the local county government was for everybody to sell their firearms for a $50 gift card to buy groceries at Meijer’s.

Local Detroit gun rights activists, however, know the truth about these “guns for goods” program ran by local governments all across our country:

• They have never been proven to have any positive effect on violent crime rates.
• They encourage firearm thefts because no questions will be asked.
• They potentially lead to the destruction of evidence used in crimes.
• They lead to the destruction of personal property of the rightful owners.
• They consume public resources that could be used to fight crime.
• They exploit the poor by offering $50 for potentially valuable hardware.
• They mislead the public by creating only a “feel good” fluff story in the media.

Accordingly, gun rights activists who are members of a variety of local organizations (e.g. Legally Armed in Detroit, Michigan Open Carry, Inc., Michigan Gun Owners, and Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners) set up for business in the parking lot of a local fast-food restaurant located next door to the church. Activists made sure that they were equipped to comply with current state law by having either a Michigan Concealed Pistol License or a Michigan Pistol Purchase Permits and Michigan Pistol Sales Record Forms.

Gun rescued by local gun rights activist

The protest was an instant success: Cars that carried people looking for the church had to drive by the gun rights activists in the parking lot. As such, many people pulled over and were willing to part with their firearms for cash, often more than $50, instead of a gift card for groceries.

It didn’t take long for the county officials to discover why their event wasn’t as successful as they thought it would be. In fact, about an hour into the selling period, the Wayne County Executive himself, Robert Ficano, pulled into the parking lot where the gun rights activists were set up and exited his vehicle to survey what was happening. He left frustrated, 10 minutes later. In his place, Wayne County deputies were sent to the lot.

From that moment forward until the event ended, the gun rights activists were harassed by all day by Wayne County deputies. Their first act was to park one of their marked cars by the parking lot’s entrance and started directing people further up the street to the church.

Then a deputy went into the fast-food restaurant and talked to the manager on duty. We do not know what they told the manager, but suddenly, the restaurant reversed its decision to allow gun rights activists onto its property. Prior to contact with the deputies, their presence was allowed as long as it did not interfere with customers buying food.

Thus, the gun rights activists were ejected from the parking lot and had to move their cars. Apparently, the deputies thought their actions were enough to deter the activists. They couldn’t have been more wrong. The activists adjusted by walking up and down the public sidewalk while holding their signs.

The deputies responded by telling them that they would start writing tickets for both being on and obstructing the sidewalk in front of the church. It would be a hour or so later before discussions with the top deputy in charge confirmed that walking on the sidewalk was legal and that all deputies would be apprised of that fact.

One gun rights activists was detained for a while. It is unclear why it happened. After he was released, Rick Ector from Legally Armed In Detroit, interviewed him so that he could tell us what happened. Check out the video for an account in his own words.

At the end of the day, the Wayne County government bought 200 guns – many of them inoperable pieces of junk. The activists bought 40 guns in working condition.

The activists prevailed because they did not quit, especially after being harassed by the Wayne County government.

About The Author

Rick Ector is a National Rifle Association credentialed Firearms Trainer, who provides Michigan CCW Class training in Detroit for students at his firearms school – Rick’s Firearm Academy of Detroit.

Ector is a recognized expert in firearm safety and has been featured extensively in the national and local media: Associated Press, NRAnews, Gun Digest, The Politics Daily, Fox News Detroit, The Detroit News, WJLB, WGPR and the UrbanShooterPodcast.

Connecticut Citizens Defense League

Bridgeport, CT –-(Ammoland.com)- Today, a widely-anticipated lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Connecticut, challenging the constitutionality of the new firearms law that was passed hastily by the Connecticut legislature in response to the tragic shooting in Newtown by a disturbed individual.

The lawsuit seeks immediate injunctive relief and a ruling declaring the new law unconstitutional under the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

It alleges that Connecticut’s new firearms law is not only unconstitutional but dangerous, since it makes both citizens and law enforcement less safe by depriving citizens of firearms that are in common use throughout the country.

The very firearms and design features banned by the new law are commonly used in part because of safety, accuracy and ease-of-use features that make them effective in the hands of citizens who must defend themselves and their families against criminals and the mentally ill who do not obey such laws.

Brought on behalf of individual gun owners, retailers, and citizen’s defense and sportsmen’s organizations, the lawsuit seeks to vindicate the constitutional rights of citizens who are harmed by the broad prohibitions and unworkable vagueness of the new law. The legal challenge focuses on Connecticut’s ban of more than 100 additional common firearms that the law now dubs “assault weapons” and on the ban of standard design features, including magazines that hold more than 10 round of ammunition, that provide improved safety, accuracy, and ease-of-use. The lawsuit also challenges the practical bans imposed by the new law on an even broader array of firearms due to the law’s vague language and interpretative confusion combined with severe criminal penalties.

Plaintiffs bringing the lawsuit include individuals such as an elderly widow who lives alone in a rural area where the emergency response time of a lone resident trooper serving the area is 45 minutes, a rabbi whose synagogue in the Bridgeport area has been broken into by intruders, a young professional woman whose efforts to defend herself are made more difficult by the loss of an arm due to cancer, among other individuals.

In addition, retailers whose businesses have been severely harmed by the law have joined the lawsuit, which was conceived and organized by fellow-plaintiff organizations the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, commonly known as CCDL, and the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen. Both organizational plaintiffs represent large numbers of Connecticut citizens whose rights to own the firearms of their choice for self-defense and other lawful purposes, such as sports shooting and hunting, have been harmed by the new prohibitions.

Despite the new law being called “An Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and Children’s Safety,” Connecticut’s new firearms law makes Connecticut citizens less safe. Among the individuals harmed by the law’s provisions are women, the elderly, and anyone of a smaller physical stature — individuals who typically lack the strength to operate older style, heavier, or difficult to use firearms and yet who need to be able to protect themselves in challenging home-invasion and other self-defense situations.

CCDL’s President, Scott Wilson, who has seen his organization’s membership grow from 2,500 to 7,600 in just a few months, says “On behalf of our members and all of the plaintiffs, we wish to thank the National Rifle Association, whose vision and stalwart defense of citizens’ fundamental rights has helped make this important legal challenge possible.” Wilson says, “Connecticut’s new gun ban violates Second Amendment rights by depriving law-abiding citizens of firearms that are in common use throughout the country precisely because of their known effectiveness in the protection of citizens, their families, and homes. Criminals and the mentally ill will not abide by this terrible law, which means it has the perverse effect of actually making citizens and law enforcement officers less safe.”

Bob Crook, Executive Director of the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, says, “This law will do nothing to prevent a tragedy or solve the problem of crime committed with guns. Instead of violating constitutional rights, we need to get serious about addressing violence and mental illness.” He continued, “Two recent independent studies by Pew and the federal government have just revealed that gun homicides are down almost 40% and general crime involving guns has dropped a whopping 70% since 1993, which corresponds with the elimination of the federal assault weapons ban. In contrast, the few areas of the country where gun crimes have increased dramatically are the very places where local or state governments have banned or severely restricted gun ownership by law-abiding citizens.”

Many of the design features now banned by Connecticut’s new law have long been standard in firearms design as they enhance safety, accuracy and ease-of-use, and include: design features that enhance a citizen’s ability to balance a firearm properly so that it can be shot safely and accurately based on the size of the owner – especially if the owner is smaller-sized like many women, the elderly, and youth shooters (retractable shoulder stock); design features that allow a long gun to be held more easily for accuracy and to be held onto by its owner if an attacker tries to take the gun from a victim (pistol grip and forward pistol grip); design features that allow those who are in stressful situations with multiple home-invaders or attackers to have sufficient bullets for meaningful self-defense without impractical situation of having to try to reload or access a second gun (standard magazine capacities over 10 rounds), etc. The specific firearms now banned by the law include some of the most commonly used and popular models in Connecticut and in America today, including the light and versatile AR-15.

Some local retailers supporting the lawsuit say that in addition to the increased dangers created by the law, the law is vague and unworkable. Although they are knowledgeable about various types of firearms, many are having difficulty trying to determine which firearms are banned and which are legal to sell. If they decide incorrectly, they could be facing years in jail. Some say it is difficult for reputable dealers to continue serving the law-abiding citizens of Connecticut under these circumstances. If licensed dealers leave the state, it will become increasingly difficult for the people of Connecticut to acquire firearms to defend themselves. Meanwhile, these retailers say, the criminals will still be armed and in an even stronger position to harm and terrorize the people of Connecticut.

The Connecticut lawsuit, like similar legal challenges in New York, Colorado and Maryland, is expected to better define the limits of a citizen’s right to own a commonly used firearm of personal choice for self-defense, defense of family, and other lawful purposes. Each of these states has enacted new firearms laws that make citizens and law enforcement less safe as they try to defend against criminals and the mentally ill who do not obey these laws.

About the CCDL:
The Connecticut Citizens Defense League was formed in 2009 by a small group of concerned citizens as a non-partisan organization to advocate second amendment rights in the state of Connecticut. Since their founding, the group has grown to over 7.500+ members from all walks of life. Thanks to this large supportive base across the state the CCDL has become a fixture of the capitol, and well recognized by committees that see firearms related bills. CCDL is also actively involved at the state Board of Firearms Permit Examiners. As the go-to organization in the state they are consulted regularly by lawmakers who have questions and concerns about pending legislation or existing laws. For more information on the CCDL please visit http://www.ccdl.us//

Madison Rising

Madison Rising

New York, NY - -(Ammoland.com)- Best selling patriotic rock band, Madison Rising woke up this morning to hundreds of complaints from angry fans complaining that their postings of the band’s best selling rendition of the Star Spangled Banner had been deleted from Facebook over the past 24 hours.

What started as complaints from a handful of fans escalated onto a barrage of anger after the band posted a message asking if anyone else had experienced this same problem.

“I’m not sure why this would happen,” Said band manager, Richard Mgrdechian. “Of all things, to delete such a beautiful and reverent version of the Star Spangled Banner is beyond comprehension. I hope it’s just a technical glitch, but something larger seems to be at work.”

Facebook typically deletes postings flagged as spam by large numbers of users. It would be an unusual, though certainly not unprecedented move for the company to intentionally delete a post across the board.

The band asks anyone else who has experienced this problem to please email as much information as possible to anthony@purple-eagle.com .

Madison Rising released its widely acclaimed version of the Star Spangled Banner last summer, updated with a special addendum to reflect our nation’s struggles at the dawn of the 21st century. In conjunction with that release, the band launched the Star Spangled Banner Challenge (http://www.starspangledbannerchallenge.com) to offer Americans a fun and meaningful way to show their patriotism by watching the video and downloading the song directly to their iPods and other devices to play proudly in their cars, at the gym, at the beach or anywhere else they want.

With nearly 4 million views on YouTube, the band is well on its way to achieving its goal of five million views by July 4th.

“Awesome,” “deeply moving,” “amazing,” “chilling,” and “the best ever,” are just some of the superlatives used to describe the band’s rendition of the song that celebrates what being an American is all about. In addition to all of the accolades, the band has received thousands of messages from fans calling for them to perform at Super Bowl XLVIII next year as well as at NASCAR events and a plethora of other major venues around the country.

Madison Rising promotes the principles of liberty, independence, smaller government and personal responsibility. Their mission is not only to make great music, but to also send a message that American culture is alive and well. Madison Rising is currently recording its second album and actively touring around the country. To book the band for live performances such as music festivals, sporting events, corporate events or welcome home parties for those serving overseas, please contact Madison Rising at booking(at)madisonrising(dot)com.

NJ2AS Pro-Gun Twitter Campaign – Receives Free 2A FlashMob Approval

New Jersey Second Amendment Society

New Jersey --(Ammoland.com)- Greetings Everyone!

Our friends at Ammoland Shooting Sports News have been terrific partners in our Twitter Campaign, and have made a very generous offer. Any active NJ2AS Twitter member will be eligible for a FREE 2A Flashmob Patch. If you have been tweeting and retweeting our messages you can get one of these great patches for FREE.

You can read more about the 2A Flashmob approval at www.ammoland.com/2a-flash-mob-approved .

Just send a SASE to:

Please write “Twitter Campaign” on the front of your envelope.

Thanks to Ammoland.com for their invaluable partnership and their generosity. And, thanks to all of you for your hard work.

About:
New Jersey Second Amendment Society – Our mission is to promote the free exercise of Second Amendment rights within the community and Legislature of New Jersey, to educate the community regarding the enjoyable, safe, and responsible use of firearms, and to engender a sense of camaraderie and fellowship among the members and their families. Visit: www.nj2as.com

NRA’s Wayne LaPierre

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- To understand the current state of the gun-ban crowd’s “conversation” about destroying the Second Amendment, it boils down to this: insanity versus sanity.

With the horrific series of mass murders culminating in the cold-blooded killing of children and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., last December, this latest iteration of “gun control” is entirely directed at making the sane pay the price for unthinkable acts committed by the insane.

It is the root of the civil disarmament movement in America today.

The Sandy Hook rampage was the evil work of an individual who was clearly insane. There is no question. Adam Lanza, according to reports, had been planning his attack on children —the most innocent among us— for years.

Reportedly, he considered himself in competition with other mass killers around the world and scored his own planned massacre against their records of slaughter. In his obsession with murder, he logged and researched those killing sprees in preparation for his own.

But Lanza was not in a class of one.

The July 20, 2012 murder of 12 and wounding of 70 midnight movie patrons in Aurora, Colo., was committed by a person who was under psychiatric care at the college he attended. His psychiatrist had reported to campus police that he had homicidal thoughts and was a danger to the public, according to court documents. Insane? There is no question.

The Tucson, Ariz., murder of six people and wounding of 13 others including U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords in January 2011 was the work of an insane, deeply disturbed individual, Jared Lee Loughner, whose own parents feared his behavior. Insane? There is no doubt.

But for the evil acts of these and other deranged killers, all of the sane people in America are supposed to pay the price with the loss of our freedom.

On its face, that very concept is, well, insane. And the gun-banners know it. They cynically exploit these tragedies and their elite media enablers amplify what they, too, know to be a big lie: that, somehow, homicidal maniacs are going to be stopped through legislation, as if you can legislate morality, or sanity, for that matter.

Vice President Joe Biden —President Barack Obama’s personal czar for “gun control”— is demanding all sorts of concessions of personal liberty from millions of peaceable Americans when it comes to the Second Amendment. Proposals run from bans on high-capacity magazines, to bans on all manner of semi-automatic firearms, to their massive de facto registration scheme under the guise of “universal background checks,” which Biden threatens “is just the beginning” of forcing their radical agenda.

All of this comes with the Sandy Hook school massacre cynically used as a rationale to chip away at Americans’ liberty.

In late January, NBC headlined its coverage of a Biden meeting with gun-ban Senate Democrats with this:

“Biden: New gun controls likely won’t end shootings” and quoted Obama’s official gun-ban czar as saying, “Nothing we’re going to do is going to fundamentally alter or eliminate the possibility of another mass shooting. …”

So what on earth is all this push for massive new gun controls on innocent citizens about? In a March 31 2013 diatribe against the NRA, The Boston Globe let the cat out of the bag:

“The National Rifle Association has been heartened by the chance to isolate Loughner and Lanza from the rest of the gun owning universe; reports of their bizarre behavior seem to put them in a class by themselves.”

Got that? The “rest of the gun owning universe”—you and me, our friends and families—are deemed as guilty as the insane killers, just because we own guns.

Although the Globe admits, “The unfortunate truth is that none of the gun control proposals on the table would necessarily have stopped Lanza or Loughner. For gun control supporters, there is no point in denying it,” it goes on to say:

“But this is hardly a reason to stop pushing for tighter gun laws… Gun control is a cause in itself. …”

And that is insane.

But I’ll tell you what is sane: providing on-the-scene school security to confront immediate threats to our nation’s kids.

That was NRA’s goal when we enlisted former U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson to lead a multi-faceted task force to comb the nation for the best measures to heighten school security—immediate steps to make children safer. We fully funded the study, but gave him total independence.

The result is the National School Shield Program.

In creating a wide-ranging series of recommendations, his team of experts in virtually every field of public safety has created a flexible blueprint for local communities to consider and adopt. The 225-page study is designed to help school decision makers create and maintain adequate security in their schools. One option among the many suggested is the training of armed and certified personnel on campus to provide rapid response to threats presented by the likes of the Sandy Hook murderer.

Describing the diverse nature of the program, Hutchison, formerly a U.S. prosecutor, head of the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration and assistant secretary of Homeland Security, said:

“Every school and community is different, but this model security plan will allow every school to choose among its various components to develop a school safety strategy that ­fits their own unique situation, whether it’s a large urban school … a small rural school, or anything in-between.”

During Rep. Hutchinson’s National School Shield presentation at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Mark Mattioli, whose 6-year-old son, James, was among those murdered at Sandy Hook, made a courageous appearance and implored school officials across the nation to act:

“I’m putting it on you, I’m putting it on the experts out there to do something with these recommendations, to implement solutions, so people don’t have to go through what I’m going through.”

As NRA members, we have an obligation to Mr. Mattioli, and to his son and others who have lost their lives in school violence and to youngsters who need future protection, to make sure that our schools consider all that is offered in The National School Shield Program. Contact your local school officials and direct them to our website at www.nraschoolshield.com for expert guidance on how to actually make our nation’s school children and America safer.

About NRA:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Nearly five million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services.Visit: www.nra.org

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- The Petersburg Circuit Court Clerk, Shalva J. Braxton, is refusing to do her job.

She is not following Virginia law when issuing CHPs, so VCDL is petitioning the Virginia Supreme Court to issue a Writ of Mandamus against Ms. Braxton!

(A Writ of Mandamus is where the Supreme Court orders a government official to do their job in cases where the official has no discretion under Virginia law.)

This all started when VCDL was notified by member Michael McNeill that Ms. Braxton’s office was requiring CHP applicants to take a check for $35 and their application to the Petersburg Police Department. Then, when the background check was completed, the applicant was to go to Ms. Braxton’s office and give her a check for $15. On top of that violation of law, renewals through the mail were not allowed by Ms. Braxton.

The law is clear: only one check is to be provided and it is to be given to the Clerk or an agent of the Clerk. It is also clear that a CHP holder can renew their application through the mail.

I left a voicemail for Ms. Braxton to call me about this, but nothing. I then emailed her and told her that she needs to fix the above problems or we would get a Writ of Mandamus issued against her. She then responded with an email, saying she reads the code differently than we do. I believe she is misreading the law, but WILLFULLY.

I sent her another email, where I gave her just the part of 18.2-308 that she needed to read to understand her job. I asked her to respond and let me know if she was going to fix her procedures to follow the law.

• I never heard back from her!
• I resent the email.
• Nothing.

Board member Dale Welch went down to the Clerk’s office with Michael to see if he could help fix the problem. It ended up being a total waste of time, with nothing accomplished.

So I then contacted Michael McNeill and told him that VCDL would cover the expenses of the petition if he would be the plaintiff. Michael agreed and Ms. Braxton was served papers last week and the Supreme Court should have its copy of the paperwork by now.

We expect the Supreme Court to agree with VCDL and to order Ms. Braxton to follow the law. I will advise as this case progresses.

Here is part of the email that I sent to Ms. Braxton:

“Below are the key parts of the 18.2-308 D code section that indicate your procedures are incorrect. I have chopped out the irrelevant wording and put in an ellipse for such wording. That makes the intent of the law much clearer:

§ 18.2-308 D. Any person 21 years of age or older may apply in writing to the CLERK of the circuit court of the county or city in which he resides … for a five-year permit to carry a concealed handgun. … The COURT shall consult with either the sheriff or police department of the county or city and receive a report from the Central Criminal Records Exchange. … An application is deemed complete when all information REQUIRED to be furnished by the applicant is delivered to and received by the CLERK of court…

Section I also has importance for renewals:

§ 18.2-308 I. …Persons who previously have been issued a concealed handgun permit pursuant to subsection D shall NOT be required to appear in person to apply for a new five-year permit pursuant to this subsection, and the application for the new permit MAY be submitted via the United States mail. The CIRCUIT COURT THAT RECEIVES THE APPLICATION shall promptly notify an applicant if the application is incomplete or if the fee submitted for the permit pursuant to subsection K is incorrect.

Section K covers that only one fee is to be paid:

§ 18.2-308 K. … The total amount assessed for processing an application for a permit shall not exceed $50, with such fees to be paid in ONE sum to the person who receives the application…”

–

Our attorney has also requested all of our legal fees be reimbursed by the Court, as is allowed under Virginia’s firearms preemption statute 15.2-915.

About:
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right. Visit: www.vcdl.org

The Imperial Presidency Starts To Unravel – Political Commentary

AmmoLand Gun News

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Soon the Emperor will have no clothes, and the charade will come to an end.

I don’t think the process can be stopped at this point. Too many worms are out of the can, and they are not the kind that can spin new silk clothes.

Hillary will be taken down by her own past cowardice and dishonesty. When Obama tries to throw her under the bus, in order to save his own sorry hide, she will not let that happen — without at least making sure she takes him down with her. Bill Clinton will see to that.

As it becomes clearer and clearer that the ship is going down, more and more rats will leave, and more and more whistleblowers will come forward to help deliver the appalling truths behind the mask of this Imperial Presidency.

Barack will not welcome the governmental transparency about to be forced upon him. His short fuse and megalomaniacal narcissism may well end up eating him alive and handing his political enemies the very tools with which to finish him off.

In attempting to maintain the Benghazi coverup, the Administration saw to it that General Petraeus was taken out of commission early on, by leaking the news of his extramarital affair. And then twenty-some survivors of the Libyan terrorist attack were quarantined (with identities blacked out) for seven months, with no access allowed to ANYONE in the Media.

So much for freedom of the press! And the First Amendment right of free speech for the survivors who were put on ice.

Recent Congressional hearings blew the lid off the Administration’s credibility with a huge part of the Mainstream Media. The latest two scandals regarding the IRS targeting conservative political organizations, and the Justice Department’s placing of wiretaps on TWENTY of AP’s phone lines (serving over 100 of the company’s reporters), and now Fox News — these are so appalling, even to most liberals, that Obama’s Genie has been yanked right out of the bottle. It is most unlikely that it can ever be put back in. I am waiting for Alan Dershowitz to weigh in.

Suddenly, the Liberal Media are starting to realize how much they’ve been gamed and manipulated by those they’ve been willing to give a pass to: on virtually every sin, act of idiocy or deception, and display of incompetence or hypocrisy. It seems that even Tom Brokaw has opened his eyes in just the past 24 hours. As the Media slowly wake up, so will the American people, and — come the elections of 2014 and 2016, by the time ObamaCare has fully kicked in — voters will not forget how badly they were fooled and taken in by all of those trying to push Big Government down their throats.

By the time a few wounded titans in the Liberal Press have taken their revenge on the con artists that so abused their gullibility, Obama will be left bleeding and unconscious on the cutting room floor — scarcely better off than the victims of Dr. Gosnell’s infanticide practice.

Wait till Bob Woodward comes out with his next book! He has already been sufficiently wounded, mocked, and knocked about by the White House gang, that he no longer will pull any punches.

And, if the GOP can’t take political advantage of the many gifts coming its way, then that Party will die a quick death as well — and deservedly so.

About the Author
Dennis Dunn graduated cum laude from Harvard University with a major in Romance Languages and earned a Master’s Degree in French Literature from the University of Washington. Now retired, he has been a French teacher, a political party leader, and a securities broker. He is the author of “BAREBOW! An Archer’s Fair-Chase Taking of North America’s Big Game 29” and a life-member of many outdoor-oriented organizations and, in addition to hunting, has a passion for fishing, mineral collecting, skiing, opera, and his wife Karen. Visit: www.str8arrows.com

CCRKBA.org

BELLEVUE, WA – -(Ammoland.com)- Citing concerns about First Amendment erosion based on revelations about covert Justice Department probes of journalists, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today called the government snooping “deplorable, if not despicable.”

“It is disturbing that James Rosen, who covers the State Department for Fox News was targeted,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb, “but now published reports suggest that the DOJ, in a separate effort, apparently also targeted Fox News reporter William La Jeunesse, who broke several stories about Operation Fast and Furious.

“We find this deplorable and despicable,” he added, “and a clear sign that the Obama administration is not simply out of touch, it is out of control. It is time for Congress to put a check on the Executive branch and rein these people in, and it is also time for Attorney General Eric Holder to go.”

Gottlieb noted that, “It is the role of the press to be a watchdog on government, not the other way around.” He said Rosen and La Jeunesse “not only did nothing wrong, they did their jobs. In La Jeunesse’s case, he has been instrumental in exposing the outrage known as Fast and Furious to the American people.”

Fast and Furious is the scandalous Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gun trafficking operation that authorized at least 2,000 AK-type rifles to be purchased by known criminal suspects. It was terminated immediately after a gun associated with the operation was recovered at the scene of a gunfight in 2010 that resulted in the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

“It should not surprise anyone that the First Amendment is every bit as important to us as the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb observed. “The Citizens Committee is not an organization that cherry picks from the Bill of Rights. Unlike the Obama administration, we revere all the individual rights protected by the Constitution, while they seem intent on ignoring its very existence.

“In light of these scandals,” he concluded, “it is clear why gun owners are being joined by growing legions of other citizens in their distrust of government.”

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States. The Citizens Committee can be reached by phone at (425) 454-4911, on the Internet at www.ccrkba.org or by email to InformationRequest@ccrkba.org.

Jon Stewart Blasts Obama’s Failed Promise to Veterans

AmmoLand Gun News

Washington DC - -(Ammoland.com)- During the May 20 2013 edition of The Daily Show, host Jon Stewart brought up President Barack Obama’s unfulfilled 2009 promise to “create a seamless, computerized Veterans’ health records system.”

After covering the subject for half a segment, Stewart concluded that Obama took his two elections to office more seriously that he took fulfilling this promise to our vets.

Stewart backed up this conclusion by explaining what is required to create the computerized veterans’ health records system. And nearly everything needed to do so–things which have not been done in four years’ time–were done in 2012 for Obama’s re-election campaign.

For example, Stewart pointed that out the creation of this computerized system for Veterans requires pooling information from two separate, extant databases at the DOD and the Veterans Administration. He sarcastically pointed out that doing this would require the Obama administration to take “two disparate data bases and [turn] them into one gigantic database.” His rhetorical point was, ‘How could that be done?’

He then played a clip of a political commentator speaking after Obama’s reelection, explaining that Obama campaign won by uniting “the databases they had from the first campaign–the fundraising database, the polling database–all into one gigantic database.”

The camera then panned to Stewart who was staring blankly into it.

Stewart provided more examples of how Obama has done for himself what he didn’t do for Veterans. And pointed out that because the health records system hasn’t been completed, there is still a backlog of disability claims for 900,000 veterans. And that number is growing.

Concluded Stewart: “You could clear up this VA thing in a month,” if Obama took governing as seriously as he took getting elected.

About:
AWR Hawkins writes for all the BIG sites, for Pajamas Media, for RedCounty.com, for Townhall.com and now AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.

His southern drawl is frequently heard discussing his take on current events on radio shows like America’s Morning News, the G. Gordon Liddy Show, the Ken Pittman Show, and the NRA’s Cam & Company, among others. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal (summer 2010), and he holds a PhD in military history from Texas Tech University.

If you have questions or comments, email him at awr@awrhawkins.com. You can find him on facebook at www.facebook.com/awr.hawkins.

New Jersey Second Amendment Society

New Jersey --(Ammoland.com)- The May monthly meeting of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society was held on May 15 in Newton, NJ, Sussex County.

President Frank Fiamingo spoke about the importance of persisting even when progress seems to be stalled. He reminded the audience that the Second Amendment is not about guns, hunting, or target shooting.

It is about liberty and preserving the balance of power. NJ2AS has been continuously dedicated to working to preserve the right to keep and bear arms, even though we are not getting all of the results we want. Please be patient and trust in the decisions being made by the organization.

Fiamingo noted that one of the biggest problems faced in New Jersey are delays related to obtaining a permit to purchase a handgun, firearms owners identification cards, and excessive delays with the NJ NICS “instant” background check system. We are extending an open invitation to all NJ FFL’s to work with NJ2AS about ending the NICS delays.

NJ Assemblywoman Allison McHose was the guest speaker at the meeting. She announced that the theme should be “take back NJ”, and shared with the crowd the fact that her husband, a full time National Guard employee, was denied his Permit to Carry a Handgun.

ASW McHose expressed shock at the audacity of the NJ State Senators who were recorded stating “confiscate, confiscate, confiscate” at the senate hearings. She asks that everyone works to support the campaign efforts of the Republican party throughout the state to give strength to the second amendment cause.

At the meeting’s close, ASW McHouse was applauded and thanked by those in attendance for her efforts to preserve liberty in the Garden State.

OTHER NJ2AS HAPPENINGS

NJ2AS is pleased to announce that we have a new “Twitter Queen”, Miss Amy Levine-Brittin. Amy is organizing and coordinating our efforts to use social media, in particular Twitter, to get the message across to our legislators. If you are already using Twitter, you can follow us: @NJ2AS. Be sure to use the hash tag #NJ2AS when posting your pro second amendment tweets so that others dedicated to the preservation of life and liberty can find you. If you need help setting up a Twitter account, please contact Amy, amy@spuz.com and she will offer you some guidance.

The June monthly meeting of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society will be held at the Avalon Golf Club, 1510 Route 9 North, Cape May Court House, on June 19, 2013 starting at 7:30PM. This is the first time NJ2AS will be holding it’s monthly meeting in Cape May County. Senator Jeff VanDrew is scheduled to be the guest speaker. You can register for the meeting by clicking on this link.

About:
New Jersey Second Amendment Society – Our mission is to promote the free exercise of Second Amendment rights within the community and Legislature of New Jersey, to educate the community regarding the enjoyable, safe, and responsible use of firearms, and to engender a sense of camaraderie and fellowship among the members and their families. Visit: www.nj2as.com

NRA – ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- As we reported last month, on April 2, the United Nations General Assembly voted 153-4 to pass the Arms Trade Treaty, with the United States voting in favor and several countries abstaining. The vote in the General Assembly pushed the treaty process forward after negotiations twice failed to deliver on the goal of developing the treaty by consensus. The Obama Administration is expected to sign the treaty soon after it is opened for signature on June 3.

According to a May 16 Amnesty International article, a senior US diplomat–Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Countryman–has confirmed the U.S. government will be quick to sign the new treaty.  According to the article, Countryman said on Wednesday that the United States would sign the ATT “in the very near future.”

If the deeply problematic treaty is signed, the fight will move to the U.S. Senate, where the Obama administration would need to find 67 senators to ratify the treaty.

Of course, anti-gun Amnesty International approves of the treaty and is advocating its signing and ratification.  In addition, Amnesty International has gone so far as to claim that the treaty will not affect “domestic gun control regulations.”

On the contrary, the ATT does indeed threaten the rights and privacy of American gun owners. Signatories will be encouraged to keep information on the “end users” of arms imported into their territory and supply such information to the exporting country. Exporting nations, nearly all of which have civilian firearm control regimes far harsher than the U.S., will be encouraged to take the firearm control laws of an importing country into account before approving a transfer of arms. And the treaty also encourages states to adopt domestic legislation to facilitate the treaty’s onerous requirements.

A majority of senators have already made clear their opposition to ratifying the ATT. On March 23, 53 senators endorsed an amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2014, “establish[ing] a deficit neutral fund” to oppose United States entrance into the treaty. Additionally, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kans.), along with 32 cosponsors, has put forth a concurrent resolution expressing the Senate’s opposition to the ATT, as it “fails to expressly recognize the fundamental, individual right to keep and to bear arms and the individual right of personal self-defense… and thus risks infringing on freedoms protected by the Second Amendment.”

Unfortunately, once a treaty has been signed, it normally remains available for the Senate to ratify in perpetuity, unless a later president withdraws from it. This means that American gun owners must remain vigilant in ensuring this treaty is never ratified. The NRA will continue to keep gun owners up to date on any movement toward ratification, and will work with our allies in the Senate to ensure the treaty remains unratified.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

Thomas Sowell

Stanford, California --(Ammoland.com)- This time of year, as college students return home for the summer, many parents may notice how many politically correct ideas they have acquired on campus.

Some of those parents may wonder how they can undo some of the brainwashing that has become so common in what are supposed to be institutions of higher learning.

The strategy used by General Douglas MacArthur so successfully in the Pacific during World War II can be useful in this very different kind of battle. General MacArthur won his victories while minimizing his casualties — something that is also desirable in clashes of ideas within the family.

Instead of fighting the Japanese for every island stronghold as the Americans advanced toward Japan, MacArthur sent his troops into battle for only those islands that were strategically crucial. In the same spirit, parents who want to bring their brainwashed offspring back to reality need not try to combat every crazy idea they picked up from their politically correct professors.

Just demolishing a few crucial beliefs, and exposing what nonsense they are, can deal a blow to the general credibility of the professorial pied pipers.

For example, if the student has been led to join the crusade for more gun control, and thinks that the reason the British have lower murder rates than Americans have is because the Brits have tighter gun control laws, just give him or her a copy of the book “Guns and Violence” by Joyce Lee Malcolm.

As the facts in that book demolish the gun control propaganda fed to students by their professors, that can create a healthy skepticism about other professorial propaganda.

There are other books that can likewise demolish other politically correct beliefs that prevail on campuses. My own recent book, “Intellectuals and Race,” has innumerable documented facts that expose the fallacies in most of what is said about racial issues in most college classrooms.

For those students who have bought the campus party line on Third World nations, the classic study of that subject is “Equality, the Third World, and Economic Delusion” by the late P.T.

Bauer of the London School of Economics. He made a veritable demolition derby of most of what has been said in politically correct circles about the relationship between rich and poor countries.

For those students who have been conditioned to regard the welfare state as the solution to social problems, there is no book that exposes the actual human consequences of the welfare state more poignantly than “Life at the Bottom” by British physician Theodore Dalrymple. He has worked in both low-income neighborhoods and in prisons, so he has seen it all.

Although Britain is the setting for “Life at the Bottom,” Americans will recognize very similar patterns here. Problems found in low-income black ghettoes in the United States are found in low-income white neighborhoods in Britain, where none of the usual excuses about racism, slavery, etc., apply. The only thing that is the same in both countries is the welfare state and its poisonous ideology.

If your student has been led to believe that “comprehensive immigration reform” — amnesty, in plain English — is the only way to go, a devastating book titled “Mexifornia,” by Victor Davis Hanson, introduces some cold, factual reality into a subject usually discussed in sweeping and lofty rhetoric.

A book that offers a choice between the island-hopping strategy that General MacArthur used in the Pacific and the all-out assault across a broad front that was used by the Allied armies in Europe is titled “The New Leviathan.”

It has thirteen penetrating articles by leading authorities on such subjects as national security, ObamaCare, environmentalism, election frauds and more.

Those parents who want to follow the MacArthur strategy can recommend reading one, or a few, of these articles, while those who want to follow the strategy of attacking all across a broad front can recommend that their student read the whole book.

However the battle is fought, what is most important is that the battle be fought, since the young are the future, and the propaganda of today can become the government policies of tomorrow.

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His website is www.tsowell.com. To find out more about Thomas Sowell and read his articles visit his website above.

Buckeye Firearms Foundation

Ohio --(Ammoland.com)- Recently, African American activists brought together by the Center for Urban Renewal and Education at the National Press Club discussed their support for the Second Amendment.

They recounted the history of the NRA as an organization that fought to ensure that freed slaves could defend themselves from the Ku Klux Klan, and argued against current attempts to pass gun control laws, observing that “gun control is about black people control.”

Excerpts:

Full Version:

About:
Buckeye Firearms Association is a grassroots political action committee dedicated to defending and advancing the right of Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities. Visit: www.buckeyefirearms.org

Austin Police Chief Trash Talks 2nd Amendment Supporter on Twitter

AmmoLand Gun News

Washington DC - -(Ammoland.com)- The lack of civility coming from gun control advocates was made apparent again over the weekend when Austin, Texas Police Chief Art Acevedo described a pro-gun twitter user as having a ”lying extremist undeveloped brain.”

It seems the pro-gun tweet that drew Acevedo’s ire was one that suggested the police chief supported universal background checks. Acevedo tried to undercut this claim by labeling it “lying” and “extremist.”

However,  as Twitchy points out, Acevedo has been clear about his support for universal background checks in the past.

In fact, during the May 19 exchange with the “lying extremist” pro-gun twitter user, Acevedo tweeted: “police chiefs have supported UBC long before this POTUS & will continue doing so long after he leaves office.”

In another tweet, Acevedo mocked concerns that universal background checks will curtail personal liberty and infringe on the the 2nd Amendment itself: “Oh, no the horror, gun profiteers can’t sell guns to criminals and nuts.”

These texts have since been deleted from Acevedo’s twitter account in what appears to be an effort to cover his tracks.

About:
AWR Hawkins writes for all the BIG sites, for Pajamas Media, for RedCounty.com, for Townhall.com and now AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.

His southern drawl is frequently heard discussing his take on current events on radio shows like America’s Morning News, the G. Gordon Liddy Show, the Ken Pittman Show, and the NRA’s Cam & Company, among others. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal (summer 2010), and he holds a PhD in military history from Texas Tech University.

If you have questions or comments, email him at awr@awrhawkins.com. You can find him on facebook at www.facebook.com/awr.hawkins.

Loretta Weinberg Confiscate! Confiscate! Confiscate!

NRA – ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- The Star-Ledger reported last Friday that after a closed-door hearing on gun control in the New Jersey Senate the previous day, three state senators–believed to be Democrats Loretta Weinberg, Sandra Cunningham and Linda Greenstein–were caught on tape, complaining that bills introduced in the Garden State–including one that would require mandatory training to possess a firearm–don’t go far enough.

First, a voice is heard complaining, “We needed a bill that was going to confiscate, confiscate, confiscate.” Then, the trio apparently focuses its ire on gun control opponents who say that the way to keep guns out of the hands of criminals is to throw the book at them.

Weinberg, willing to have no part of it, says “They want to keep the guns out of the hands of the bad guys, but they don’t have any regulations to do it.” Cunningham then snipes, “They don’t care about the bad guys. All they want to do is have their little guns and do whatever they want with them,” and Greenstein chimes in that enforcing existing law is “the line they have developed.”

Strong rhetoric that reveals how gun control supporters really feel about their issue is nothing new, of course. Nearly 20 years ago, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said that if she had been able to muster the votes, her 1994 “assault weapon” ban would not have merely prohibited various guns from being made with pistol grips, folding stocks and flash suppressors, but would have required a far harsher outcome; as Sen. Feinstein put it, “Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in.”

However, the fact that gun control supporters still feel that way, after violent crime rates have plummeted as gun controls have been eliminated and gun sales and gun ownership rates have soared, suggests that we’re up against ideologically driven adversaries with whom there can be no negotiation–only victory or defeat.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Rifle Association is proud to support a lawsuit filed today in federal court by 55 Colorado county sheriffs, the firearms industry trade association, several firearms retailers, individuals with disabilities and other parties which challenges the State of Colorado’s recently enacted gun control laws.

“The National Rifle Association, the many plaintiffs in this case, and the law-abiding gun owners in the state of Colorado know that the recently enacted gun control laws are unconstitutional,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.

The laws being challenged include an unconstitutional magazine capacity limit which has a negative effect on all law-abiding citizens, and disproportionately so on disabled adults. Also, the law requires ‘transfers’ to be conducted through a federally-licensed firearms dealer as if they are selling the firearm from their own inventory. This creates administrative and regulatory burdens on the dealers, the cost of which dealers will not be able to recoup. It is reasonable to assume that many dealers will not be able provide this service, making it impossible for firearms owners to comply with this unenforceable, unconstitutional law.

NRA- Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. More than four million members strong, NRA continues to uphold the Second Amendment and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services. Be sure to follow the NRA on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NationalRifleAssociation and on Twitter @NRA.

About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

Vermont 2013 Legislative Session Adjourns with No Bad Gun Bills

NRA – ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)-  State lawmakers wrapped up their 2013 legislative session earlier this week in Montpelier with good results for Vermont NRA members.

Several anti-gun bills were introduced in Vermont this year, but none of them advanced beyond committee. NRA members did a tremendous job of contacting their state legislators to express concerns about legislation that would attack the Second Amendment, and your telephone calls and e-mails made the difference.

However, anti-gun lawmakers who annually sponsor these proposals will not abandon their agenda. Gun owners will need to remain vigilant as these anti-gun bills will carry over to the 2014 session.

Additionally, an important pro-gun bill prevailed this session.  Late last fall, the NRA met with state Representative Patrick Brennan (R-Chittenden) to discuss legislation allowing Vermonters to carry a handgun while bow hunting or dog training, provided that game may not be harvested with the pistol during archery season.  House Bill 129 was introduced by Representative Brennan and during the session was amended by the House Fish, Wildlife & Water Resources Committee into House Bill 101, the Game and Fish bill.  This legislation will allow bow hunters and dog trainers to provide for their own self-defense while afield.  This change is an important improvement as the number of women participating in these activities has increased and bow hunters and dog trainers typically enjoy their activities in remote areas.  H.101 passed both chambers of the General Assembly and is currently awaiting the signature of Governor Peter Shumlin (D).

Thank you to all NRA members who contacted their legislators this session regarding these important issues!

About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

Grass Roots North Carolina for Firearms Education

North Carolina --(Ammoland.com)-GRNC 2013 Annual Dinner and Freedom Awards features renowned researcher John R. Lott and ACORN-busting James O’Keefe!

In the war for truth and individual liberty, some warriors distinguish themselves. Because those who do deserve recognition, GRNC is holding the “2013 GRNC Annual Dinner & Freedom Awards,” including an opportunity to meet national figures in the gun debate.

Speakers at GRNC Freedom Awards:

• John R. Lott, internationally renowned researcher and author of “More Guns, Less Crime.”
• James O’Keefe, president of Project Veritas, and maker of secretly-recorded videos that “outted” leftists at ACORN, Planned Parenthood, and National Public Radio.
• Bill LuMaye, ardent gun rights supporter and conservative talk show host for Raleigh’s WPTF Radio.
• Rep. Larry Pittman, courageous NC House Representative and arguably the most pro-gun member of the legislature.

Added bonus:
James O’Keefe will be autographing copies of his book, due out June 18th: “Breakthrough: Our Guerilla War to Expose Fraud and Save Democracy” and John Lott will be signing copies of his recent book: “At the Brink: Will Obama Push Us Over the Edge?”

Shoot with James O’Keefe!
This is a unique opportunity to go to the range & shoot with James O’Keefe while supporting your 2nd Amendment group! GRNC will be holding a silent bid for our Political Victory Fund. The highest bidder and one additional randomly drawn GRNC-PVF contributor will join O’Keefe Sunday, June 23rd at Personal Defense and Handgun Safety Center for some shooting action. Be ready for this opportunity & we will have the bidding forms available at the dinner on June 22.

Event details:

• Date: June 22, 2013
• Place: Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown, 3415 Wake Forest Rd., Raleigh, NC, 27609-7330, 919-872-2323
• Price: Dinner: 1st ticket, $50; 2nd & subsequent tickets, $40 each.
• VIP reception: $20/ticket. (Free to GRNC Benefactor members, PRO RKBA Benefactor Sponsors, and active volunteers. For complimentary tickets, contact: DirectorOfDevelopment@GRNC.org
• Tickets: May be purchased using the enclosed return piece, or via GRNC’s web site by CLICKING HERE or going to: http://GRNC.org/annualdinner
• Ticket availability will be limited, so order yours ASAP!

Event schedule:

• 4:00 PM: GRNC annual meeting
• 5:30 PM: VIP reception
• 6:30 PM: GRNC Annual Dinner & Freedom Awards
• Rooms: GRNC has a limited number of rooms available at the special rate of $95/night. Call the hotel number above and let them know you are with Grass Roots North Carolina.

RAFFLE TICKET PURCHASERS:
GRNC would like to thank everyone that participated in the GRNC Political Victory Fund “Politically Incorrect AR-15 Raffle.” This was the first time we sold out of tickets in less than a week. If you bought tickets and have not received a confirmation email, you need to contact Charles French at GRNC@nc.rr.com The winner will be notified by email. If I don’t have a working email for you, you can’t win.

About:
Grass Roots North Carolina/Forum for Firearms Education is a non-profit, all volunteer organization devoted to educating the public about trends which abridge the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and engaging in grass roots activism to preserve those freedoms. Formed in 1994 to conduct a highly successful rally for the Second Amendment, GRNC has gone on to conduct projects like “Remember in November: A Gun Owner’s Guide to Voting,” bringing concealed carry to North Carolina. Visit:www.grnc.org

Texas State Rifle Association

Houston, Tx --(Ammoland.com)- First of all, HB 972 strikes and removes the offense of committing a 3rd degree felony for the possession of a firearm on the “premises” of a private or public college or university for CHLs and for commissioned, uniformed security officers.

No opting in or opting out. The felony is removed and that’s a very big deal!

College presidents may or may not adopt rules or regulations prohibiting CHLs from carrying on campus; however, if they decide to prohibit they must consult with students, faculty, staff, and law enforcement and involve these people in the decision-making process. If a prohibition is decided, it may only remain in effect for one year. At the end of the year the rule must again be reviewed through this same consulting process and the ban renewed or amended. Every single year!

HB 972 provides civil immunity for colleges and universities who move forward to allow personal protection on campus.

Finally whether or not the college or university, public or private, modifies their employment policy and/or their student code of conduct for licensees, the rule-making authority will not extend to a CHL student’s personal vehicle parked on the university’s parking lot. You might recall this problem was fixed with the passage of SB 321 for college faculty and staff last session; however, not for students.

Right now a graduate student attending night classes at St. Ed’s in Austin, might have his licensed concealed handgun in his car while at work Then he must go home and secure the firearm before coming onto campus to class. If this licensed adult-student is caught with a handgun in his vehicle while at night school, he can be expelled by the university.

Stripping the felony is a giant first-step forward. Requiring university and colleges to annually involve students, faculty, staff and college law enforcement in rule-making or rule-amending is another step forward, and protecting the personal safety of students who commute has been a priority objective.

Call your Texas Senator to support HB 972 by Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury).

Your messages needs to be “Please Vote For Consideration and Then Vote for Passage of HB 972″.

In the Texas Senate it takes 2/3′s of the Senate to vote to bring ANY bill to the Senate floor for consideration and passage.

This means 21 Senators must vote to discuss HB 972. There 19 Republican Senators.

HB 972 is on the Senate Intent Calendar. We need 21 to bring it to the Senate floor, today or tomorrow. Bills then pass or fail by a simple majority.

The students need you. Don’t give the liberal anti-gunners a win.

Bill status can be found and www.tsrapac.com can be read and researched at and bills can be read on line at Texas Legislature on Line

Session ends May 27th 2013. More info to follow.

Keep the Faith,

About:The Mission of the Texas State Rifle Association is to protect and defend the inalienable rights of the individual Texan to acquire, possess, transport, carry, transfer ownership and enjoy the right to lawful use of firearms for self preservation, for the defense of family and property and the common defense of the Republic and the individual liberties of the people. Visit: www.TSRA.com

A Message from Virgina Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Virginia Shooting Sports Association

Virginia - -(Ammoland.com)- You and I understand that our rights come from our Creator—not the government. Without the ability to defend ourselves, individuals have no rights.

Luckily, our Founders understood that natural rights predate government.

That’s why they passed the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution to protect our right to defend ourselves and loved ones.

It states a simple concept that was obvious to them: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Being an advocate for gun rights takes more than just voting the right way. It takes persistence. It takes the willingness to stand up for what is right even if it’s not popular. It takes leadership and guts. Others will tell you they have good voting records while representing conservative counties. I put the bills in and led from the front, all while representing Fairfax, VA.

As a State Senator from Fairfax, I proved that I was on the side of gun owners across the Commonwealth by being a consistent champion of our Second Amendment rights.

During my tenure, I:

• Worked for the repeal of unreasonable restrictions on concealed carry permit holders and for reciprocity between states that issue concealed carry permits.
• Successfully advanced the bill that finally stopped counties from requiring duplicate local back- ground checks when purchasing a firearm, checks that those counties used as nothing more than a back-door waiting period on law-abiding Virginians.
• Fought for and won protections for law-abiding gun owners, despite coming from some of the most anti-gun political territory in the entire Commonwealth.

When I ran for Attorney General, I was endorsed by organizations including the Virginia Shooting Sports Association, Virginia Citizens Defense League, Gun Owners of America and had an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. Without your help, I would not be in the position I am today to defend our rights.

I have continued my fight against the liberal gun-grabbers. I have led an effort among states to have a Maryland law barring law-abiding citizens from carrying outside their own homes (similar to the Heller case, but outside the home) declared unconstitutional.

As Attorney General, I am the lawyer for each government agency. It is still true that lawyers merely advise, while clients (state agencies) decide. When I was in the private sector there were only two times that my clients did not take my recommendations. Since I got into government, I lost count of how many times state agencies didn’t heed my advice.

That’s exactly why I’m running for governor, to become the decision maker and your advocate for gun rights. As your governor, I promise to continue my record of defending our constitutional rights. We must maintain the progress we have made in the Commonwealth on this issue.

When I lived in Fairfax, I was a member of the Arlington-Fairfax Izaak Walton League. I’m an avid shooter. I always look forward to range time (especially skeet).

I ask for your continued support in my bid to become Virginia’s next governor because I understand the philosophical basis of the Second Amendment, the practical application as a fellow sportsman, and most important I am the only person running who has been a leader in the fight to defend our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

About:
The Virginia Shooting Sports Association (VSSA) was originally founded as the Virginia State Rifle and Revolver Association in 1938. VSSA is the official state association of the National Rifle Association. VSSA is also closely affiliated with the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), Virginia Outdoor Sports Information Network (VOSIN), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), Virginia Gun Collectors Association, and the Virginia Wildlife Federation (VWF). Visit: www.myvssa.org

Gun Control Liars

FirearmsCoalition.org

Manassas, VA --(Ammoland.com)- Gun control advocates are compulsive liars.

They have to be because the truth doesn’t support their agenda.

Even the names of gun control groups – suggesting “violence policy,” “violence prevention,” and “gun safety” – are all lies. And the term “gun control” itself is a lie.

Virtually everything coming from gun control advocates today is a lie.

I’m not talking about simple distortions or cases of “my statistics are better than your statistics,” these are intentional, calculated, bald-faced deceptions, foisted on the American public by ideologically motivated zealots trying to force an agenda of citizen disarmament and government control. That’s not to say that everyone who supports gun control is driven by the same ideology, or that there are no honest, passionate, idealistic, true believers among the ranks of gun control advocates. There are some very good, honest, sincere people who promote gun control, but unfortunately these misguided souls are steeped in emotion and inculcated with the never ending lies of the professional gun haters.

Let’s dissect some of the lies:

• Over 90% (almost 90%, close to 90%) of Americans support “universal background checks,” as do various large percentages of gun owners and NRA members.

Anyone with a brain should realize that these statistics were fraudulent based solely on the fact that there is almost nothing that 90% of Americans agree on. But this lie has gotten bigger as time has gone by. More recent polls place support for any gun control at less than 50%, and approval of the Senate’s rejection of expanded background checks at almost 40% – yet gun control advocates and politicians continue to declare that 90% of Americans support universal background checks. It is a lie.

• Almost 40% of firearms sales occur without a background check.

That lie was a stretch when it was presented in late December, and it was soon declared to be a distortion by the fact check column in the Washington Post – garnering “2 Pinocchios.” The bogus statistic was then called out by several other watchdog centers, but Obama and company have continued to preach it as Gospel, right up to this very day. That earned Mr. Obama an extra “Pinocchio” from the Post. When you say something that’s not true, even after you know it’s not true, that’s called a lie.

• Gun control is needed to “make our children and our communities safer”.

This presumes that guns serve only evil purposes, and that passing laws prevents criminal violence. There has never been a supportable study proving, or even strongly suggesting, that gun control does anything to reduce criminal violence or even suicide. Reviews of existing literature going back to the 1970s have consistently found no positive connection between gun control and crime. On the other hand, there are several peer-reviewed studies which show that guns in private hands are used to stop crimes much more often than they are used to commit crimes, and that the prevalence of guns appears to result in reduced violent crime. Claims of improved safety with gun control are lies.

• About 30,000 lives are lost to “gun violence” each year in the US, and; “Thirteen children a day are killed in gun violence.”

The 30,000 number is based predominantly on suicides. Suicide is not “gun violence” and gun control doesn’t reduce suicide. Guns are much more prevalent in the US than Canada, and are used more frequently in suicides here than there, yet the suicide rate in the US is only slightly higher. Reducing guns doesn’t reduce suicide – saying it does is a lie.

The “13 a day” statistic includes “children” up to 24. The peak age range for criminal activity is 16 to 27. That is also a peak age range for suicide. Virtually all of the guns used by these young people are obtained illegally. The 30,000 and 13 a day claims are intentional lies.

• There is an epidemic of violent crime and mass murder sweeping the nation.

No there isn’t. Crime is at its lowest rate in decades. It has gone down as gun ownership and concealed carry have gone up. Atrocities like Sandy Hook and the Batman movie massacre tend to run in copycat cycles based largely on media play. There is no growing epidemic. Claims otherwise are lies.

Gun control groups are based in lies. They call themselves “violence prevention” and “gun safety” groups even though the only violence prevention and gun safety policies they espouse are restrictions on legal access to firearms. They lie about who they are, what they stand for, and what they want. They use lies to press their agenda, and they lie about what that agenda is and what impact it would have. They are liars through and through, and it is ridiculous that the media and politicians promote and parrot the lies.

The truth is, Gun Control Doesn’t represent the Truth.

About:
The Firearms Coalition is a loose-knit coalition of individual Second Amendment activists, clubs and civil rights organizations. Founded by Neal Knox in 1984, the organization provides support to grassroots activists in the form of education, analysis of current issues, and with a historical perspective of the gun rights movement. The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, Manassas, VA. Visit: www.FirearmsCoalition.org

NRA – ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)-  Last week, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D) signed into law sweeping gun control legislation, Senate Bill 281.

Reported by NRA-ILA throughout the session here, S.B. 281 faced strong opposition by the people of Maryland throughout the legislative process. This sweeping anti-gun legislation will take effect on October 1, 2013.

Among other things, this new law will ban 45 specific types of commonly owned semiautomatic firearms, require future purchasers of handguns to obtain a license to do so, mandate reporting of lost or stolen firearms within an arbitrary time period, and institute a ban on the sale, manufacture, purchase or transfer of magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition.

Your NRA-ILA will be pursuing legal action and continue to update you on the status on this and any other Second Amendment related issues in Maryland.
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

New Jersey Democrate’s Gun Control Package Advancing in Trenton

NRA – ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)-  The shameless plotting of gun control advocates in Trenton was caught on tape last week when a live microphone in the Senate Budget Committee was left on.

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg was part of a conversation discussing gun confiscation.  This recording has been posted on YouTube and has garnered national attention.  Undaunted by the negative public reaction, New Jersey Senators continued to push forward with their anti-Second Amendment agenda.

About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

IllinoisCarry.com

Illinois --(Ammoland.com)- Sen. Kwame Raoul and his Chicago-style “no carry” carry law passed out of the Senate Executive Committee by a straight party vote of 10-4 last week and could come to the floor of the Senate for a vote this week.

Rep. Brandon Phelps’ bill in the House, a true shall-issue, statewide preemption bill continues to gain support in the House and could also come to a vote in the House.

It is a classic battle of downstate vs Chicago. It is a classic battle of honoring the 7th Circuit Court’s ruling vs Chicago continuing to thumb their noses at the court by circumventing the Constitution, Chicago continuing to violate the rights of law-abiding citizens, Chicago continuing to make it impossible for the citizens of Illinois to protect themselves and their families.

Sen. Kwame Raoul bill would allow home rule counties and towns all over the state to enact whatever restrictions they want. Plus, while Sen. Raoul might call his bill a shall-issue bill, it will require a special endorsement from the police superintendent for people in Chicago – that is a MAY-ISSUE bill!

Some Chicago legislators feel that a “one size fits all” carry bill is not necessary for Illinois citizens. WRONG! Our U.S. Constitution is a one size fits all Constitution for all law abiding citizens. The Bill of Rights is not just for people who live in a certain zip code!

The Illinois Right to Carry law must include equal protection for ALL law-abiding citizens of Illinois.

Call your IL State Senator and State Representative immediately and urge them to vote NO on any Right to Carry bill that is not a shall-issue, statewide preemption bill.

Call you state legislators – NOW!!

Find your legislators’ contact information by clicking here! http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/

Magazine Ban Is Back !
Sen. Dan Kotowski stoops to a new low this coming week when he plans to bring the parents of slain Sandy Hook school children to Springfield to testify in support of his gun magazine ban, SB1002. The parents will testify that had the murderer needed to reload more often, less children might have been killed – not taking into consideration that magazine changes take only nanoseconds to perform.

While all our hearts break for these parents and the loss of their children, it is a cruel thing for politicians to mislead them and use them for a political agenda. What they will not tell is that, after the awful massacre that tore at our souls, the Sandy Hook school board voted unanimously to add armed security to protect the elementary school just like they already had in place for their middle and high school. That is one decision that comes so tragically late and a decision that could have made a tremendous difference in the outcome of that horrible day.

Limiting law-abiding citizens’ ability to adequately protect themselves against violent criminals and madmen by insuring the victims will be outgunned by those intent on taking innocent lives DOES NOT MAKE US OR OUR CHILDREN SAFER. Who in their right mind would insist on giving criminals the advantage when it comes to protecting our children and our homes by passing a law that limits the number of rounds the good guys have when we know the bad guys will ignore the law?

Call you State Senator – NOW

Urge him/her to vote NO on SB1002!!

Find your legislators’ contact information by clicking here! http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/

Please forward this alert to all your friends and other contacts!

About:
The IllinoisCarry forum was started in April 2004. The idea was that Illinois needed a central location to communicate ideas and information regarding 2nd Amendment issues in Illinois. There are many organizations in Illinois working to protect our 2nd Amendment Rights. Working with these groups IllinoisCarry has become the central location for information and Action Alerts. IllinoisCarry will not endorse political candidates. We simply provide information so voters can make informed decisions. Our goal is to join the other 48 states that allow their citizens to carry concealed firearms. We encourage you to register on our forum and join the fight for your 2nd Amendment Rights in Illinois. Visit www.IllinoisCarry.com

Avalon Golf Club

New Jersey Second Amendment Society

New Jersey --(Ammoland.com)- On June 19th 2013 the regular monthly meetings of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) will be held for the 1st time in Cape May County.

Avalon Golf Club
1510 Route 9 North
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210
www.avalongolfclub.net

The meeting begins at 7:30 PM for a CELEBRATION of the RIGHT of the people to keep and bear arms.

NJ State Senator Jeff VanDrew will be our guest speaker for this meeting.

The Utah CCW will be offered prior to the meeting from 3:30pm to 7:30pm. In order to sign up for this class please click on the link below to register

http://gunforhire.com/classes/utah-ccw/

Everyone who believes in our mission is invited to attend. There is no cost to attend our meetings, however since we are a non-profit Society and depend on contributions from our member supporters, donations are always greatly appreciated.

Contrary to popular belief. We *DO* retain the right to both KEEP *AND* CARRY firearms for lawful purposes here in the state of New Jersey. That RIGHT is as valid here as it is ANYWHERE else on this planet. However, what you MUST understand is that *IF* you *EXERCISE* that right, the three branches of NJ government *WILL* conspire against you, convict you of a FELONY and send you to prison. They are able to do this because the PEOPLE of NJ continue to allow them to do so.

*THAT* is the reason we exist and *THOSE* are the conditions WE MUST CHANGE! We cannot do it alone, and that is why we have these meetings. We must continue to build our membership and our influence until we overcome the obstacles imposed by NJ upon our RKBA. So please bring an interested friend or family member to this meeting of our Society and SIGN THEM UP.

About:
New Jersey Second Amendment Society – Our mission is to promote the free exercise of Second Amendment rights within the community and Legislature of New Jersey, to educate the community regarding the enjoyable, safe, and responsible use of firearms, and to engender a sense of camaraderie and fellowship among the members and their families. Visit: www.nj2as.com

GLC Shooting Academy Sponsors Comp-Tac Republic Of Texas IDPA Championship

International Defensive Pistol Association

BERRYVILLE, Ark. --(Ammoland.com)- The International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) announced that GLC Shooting Academy, a Texas based shooting school founded by Gordon Carrell and dedicated to improving shooters’ skills for recreation, competition or self-defense, has signed on as a stage sponsor of the 2013 Comp-Tac Republic of Texas IDPA Championship.

GLC Shooting Academy joins ACADEMI, Armadillo Concealment and Comp-Tac Victory Gear, the title sponsor of the match, in supporting the Lone Star State’s premier defensive pistol shooting competition and state championship match.

“Gordon Carrell is one of IDPA’s top, and most respected shooters. He has also given back to the sport, dedicating his time and talents to making IDPA the best it can be. GLC Shooting Academy’s support of the Comp-Tac Republic of Texas IDPA Championship is just one more example of Gordon’s commitment to his fellow shooters,” said Joyce Wilson, executive director of IDPA.

In addition to sponsoring the match, Carrell, who has been the reigning Texas Stock Service Pistol division champion for the last 10 years, will be competing this year in the Enhanced Service Pistol division.

Taking place on Saturday, May 25 on the northwest side of Houston at the Impactzone Range in Hempstead, the sold-out Comp-Tac Republic of Texas IDPA Championship will feature 218 top shooters from throughout Texas, all vying for the championship title in Custom Defensive Pistol, Enhanced Service Pistol, Stock Service Pistol, Stock Service Revolver or Enhanced Service Revolver, the five divisions in IDPA competition.

For more information on IDPA, the 2013 Comp-Tac Republic of Texas IDPA Championship or to get started in this fun and exciting defensive pistol shooting sport, visit www.IDPA.com. You can also connect with IDPA online by following @OfficialIDPA on Twitter, like ShootIDPA on Facebook, watch IDPA TV, or check for regular news and updates on the DOWN ZERO Blog.

Gun Rights Policies with John Snyder

Titusville, FL - “Obama is the ringmaster in chief of the Washington scandal circus,” gun law expert John M. Snyder said here today.

“The circus now involves several departments and sections of departments,” he added. “Who knows how big it will get now that the winds of investigation and revelation appear about to blow the lid off a possible White House cover-up.

“What the whole thing shows is something a lot of people have realized for some time. That is that big government is big trouble.”

“Hopefully,” Snyder continued, “Congress now will act decisively and definitively and with determination. Congress has the power to slash wasteful and needless and sometimes idiotic government programs. It ought to do so. Pronto.

“At the same time, the Senate and House of Representatives should refrain from interference with the civil rights of Americans, including especially the right to life and the individual Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Congress should act positively to protect these rights of citizens and to reject legislative attempts to whittle away at them or to eliminate them.”

About John Snyder:
Named the Gun Dean by Human Events, “the senior rights activist in Washington” by Shotgun News, a “champion of the right to self-defense” by The Washington Times, and “dean of gun lobbyists” by The Washington Post and The New York Times, John M. Snyder has spent 45 years as a proponent of the individual Second Amendment civil right to keep and bear arms as a National Rifle Association editor, public affairs director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, treasurer of the Second Amendment Foundation, and founder of www.GunRightsPolicies.org.

A former Jesuit seminarian, Snyder is founder/manager of Telum Associates, LL.C., founder/chairman of the St. Gabriel Possenti Society, Inc., a director of Council for America, and serves on the boards of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and the American Federation of Police & Concerned Citizens. He is also the author of the book Gun Saint. Visit: www.GunRightsPolicies.org