NRA - ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- House Bill 4054 is scheduled to be heard in the state House Health Care Committee on Monday, February 13.

This hearing will be held at 1:00 p.m. in Hearing Room E of the Oregon Capitol.  Sponsored by state Representative Jim Thompson (R-23), HB 4054 would prohibit the Public Employees’ Benefit Board from authorizing or requiring the collection of information or maintenance of records about firearms from eligible employees or family members applying for health benefits.

HB 4054 was introduced after state Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-30) secured commitments from both Kaiser Permanente and the Public Employee’s Benefit Board to purge gun ownership data that had been collected after implementing a new employee initiative called the “Health Engagement Model.”  After Senator Ferrioli’s inquiries, both plans dropped the questions related to firearms.

Please call and e-mail members of the state House Health Care Committee TODAY and urge them to support HB 4054.  Their contact information can be found below.

House Health Care Committee:

• Representative Mitch Greenlick (D-33), Co-Chairman
  503-986-1433
  rep.mitchgreenlick@state.or.us
• Representative Jim Thompson (R-23), Co-Chairman
  503-986-1423
  rep.jimthompson@state.or.us
• Representative Val Hoyle (D-14), Co-Vice Chairman
  503-986-1414
  rep.valhoyle@state.or.us
• Representative Bill Kennemer (R-39), Co-Vice Chairman
  503-986-1439
  rep.billkennemer@state.or.us
• Representative Jason Conger (R-54)
  503-986-1454
  rep.jasonconger@state.or.us
• Representative Margaret Doherty (D-35)
  503-986-1435
  rep.margaretdoherty@state.or.us
• Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer (D-46)
  503-986-1446
  rep.alissakenyguyer@state.or.us
• Representative Julie Parrish (R-37)
  503-986-1437
  rep.julieparrish@state.or.us

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

NRA - ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Today, the Virginia House of Delegates passed two pro-gun bills: House Bill 25 and House Bill 754. HB 25 passed in the state House by an 81 to 17 vote and HB 754 passed by a 74 to 22 vote. Both bills will now go to the Virginia Senate for its consideration.

HB 25, sponsored by Delegate Mark Cole (R-88), seeks to prohibit the Clerk of the Court from disclosing information contained on a concealed handgun permit application or on an order issuing a concealed handgun permit.

Sponsored by Delegate Ben Cline (R-24), HB 754 would eliminate the optional fingerprinting requirements for initial concealed carry permits.

We thank NRA members who contacted their Delegate and asked them to support these crucial bills.

Tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. in the Fourth Floor West Conference Room of the General Assembly building, the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee #1 will hold a hearing on the following bills of interest to Virginia gun owners:

Pro-Gun Bills
House Bill 859, introduced by Delegate C. Todd Gilbert (R-15), would provide an exemption from the required criminal history record information check for firearms transfers in the Commonwealth for persons holding a valid Virginia-issued concealed handgun permit.

House Bill 1135, introduced by Delegate R. Lee Ware, Jr. (R-65), would remove certain requirements for an out-of-state concealed handgun permit to be recognized and accepted in Virginia. Requires an out-of-state permittee to carry and present a valid government-issued photo identification in order for his or her valid out-of-state concealed weapon permit to be recognized and accepted in Virginia.

House Bill 1279, introduced by Delegate Christopher P. Stolle (R-83), would provide that a prisoner may be charged under both the crimes by prisoners code section and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Anti-Gun Bills
House Bill 797, introduced by Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey (D-74), would create a Class 1 misdemeanor for any person carrying a handgun in a public place while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and prohibits a person from obtaining a concealed handgun permit for five years following such a conviction. This prohibition applies regardless of whether the person is carrying the handgun openly or concealed. Current law makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to carry a concealed handgun in a public place while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, but does not speak to openly carrying a handgun while under the influence.

House Bill 1197, introduced by Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan (D-71), would create a Class 3 misdemeanor for the offense of failing to report to law enforcement that a firearm a person owns or lawfully possesses has been lost or stolen. Subsequent violations of the law would be a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill also creates a Class 1 misdemeanor for the knowingly false reporting of a lost or stolen firearm.

House Bill 1223, introduced by Delegate Patrick A. Hope (D-47), reads “Except those lawfully possessing a handgun, no person shall possess a weapon in legislative buildings and all persons, except General Assembly members, staff or any law enforcement officer.”

House Bill 1226, introduced by Delegate Luke E. Torian (D-52), would give the board of visitors or other governing body of an educational institution the power to establish rules and regulations for the possession or transportation of firearms or ammunition on property owned or operated by the institution.

House Bill 1257, introduced by Delegate Mark D. Sickles (D-43), would provide that it is a Class 1 misdemeanor for a person who is under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs to carry a loaded firearm on or about his person in a public place and that a person found guilty is ineligible to apply for a concealed handgun permit for a period of five years. This bill also creates a Class 2 misdemeanor for a person who carries a loaded firearm on or about his person onto the premises of any restaurant or club licensed to sell and serve alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption and consume an alcoholic beverage while on the premises.

Please continue to check AmmoLand, your e-mail and www.NRAILA.org for more updates on these issues.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate 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 military. Visit: www.nra.org

Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance

Minnesota --(Ammoland.com)- The Stand Your Ground bill hearing is tomorrow. Please call and email the senators below and urge them to vote YES on HF1467!

If you attended your precinct caucuses last night, can you tell us whether the RKBA amendment resolution wasproposed and adopted?

Please visit http://goo.gl/Javog and fill out our brief form.

Please contact the members of the Senate Finance Committee, and urge them to vote YES on HF1467/SF1357.

Their contact info is below:

• Sen. Claire A. Robling
  Committee Chair
  (651) 296-4123
  sen.claire.robling@senate.mn
• Sean R. Nienow
  Vice Chair
  (651) 296-5419
  sen.sean.nienow@senate.mn
• Richard J. Cohen
  Ranking Minority Member
  (651) 296-5931
  Mail Form
• Terri E. Bonoff
  (651) 296-4314
  sen.terri.bonoff@senate.mn
• Michelle L. Fischbach
  (651) 296-2084
  sen.michelle.fischbach@senate.mn
• Barb Goodwin
  (651) 296-4334
  Mail Form
• David W. Hann
  (651) 296-1749
  Mail Form
• Bill Ingebrigtsen
  (651) 297-8063
  sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn
• Keith Langseth
  (651) 296-3205
  Mail Form
• Doug Magnus
  (651) 296-5650
  sen.doug.magnus@senate.mn
• Scott J. Newman
  (651) 296-4131
  sen.scott.newman@senate.mn
• Gen Olson
  (651) 296-1282
  sen.gen.olson@senate.mn
• Mike Parry
  (651) 296-9457
  sen.mike.parry@senate.mn
• LeRoy A. Stumpf
  (651) 296-8660
  Mail Form
• Linda Higgins
  (651) 296-9246
  sen.linda.higgins@senate.mn

sen.claire.robling@senate.mn ,
sen.sean.nienow@senate.mn ,
sen.terri.bonoff@senate.mn ,
sen.michelle.fischbach@senate.mn ,
sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn ,
sen.doug.magnus@senate.mn ,
sen.scott.newman@senate.mn ,
sen.gen.olson@senate.mn ,
sen.mike.parry@senate.mn ,
sen.linda.higgins@senate.mn

If you use those lists above, don’t forget these senators:

Richard J. Cohen’s Mail Form
Barb Goodwin’s Mail Form
David W. Hann’s Mail Form
Keith Langseth’s Mail Form
LeRoy A. Stumpf’s Mail Form

Please forward this email to gun owners and civil rights supporters, and ask them to sign up at http://www.gocra.org/join.html

About:
We are the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, the organization behind CCRN (Concealed Carry Reform Now!). We are people from all walks of life who have banded together to preserve and protect all of our civil rights as gun owners. Visit: www.gocra-mn.org

NRA - ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Another NRA priority bill is moving forward in the Iowa House of Representatives.  House File 2114, the firearms preemption legislation, passed the state House Public Safety Subcommittee yesterday by a 2 to 1 vote.

State Representatives Matt Windschitl (R-56) and Dwayne Alons (R-4) supported this critical legislation, while state Representative Rick Olson (D-68) voted against it.

HF 2114 has been scheduled to be voted on by the full House Public Safety Committee. 

Upon passage of the Iowa’s shall-issue law in 2010, some counties in Iowa sought to ban firearms from public properties including parks – effectively denying your ability to protect yourself outside your home.  Fortunately, Iowa has a firearm preemption law that prohibits counties from passing ordinances that are more restrictive than state law.  However, the firearms preemption statute needs to be strengthened to prevent current and future attempts to circumvent this law.  This proposed legislation, crafted on the NRA’s successful firearms preemption statute in Florida, rests the sole authority on these matters with the state legislature and prevents a rights-infringing patchwork of local ordinances.

One problem with local firearm ordinances is the sheer variety.  Where no uniform state laws are in place, the result can be a complex patchwork of restrictions that change from one local jurisdiction to the next.  It is unreasonable to require citizens, whether residents of a given state or persons passing through or visiting a state, to memorize and comply with a myriad of laws. When so many local ordinances exist, citizens with no criminal intent are placed in jeopardy of running afoul of restrictions they don`t even know exist.  This can affect hunters, target shooters and firearm collectors who travel through multiple jurisdictions on the way to hunting areas, shooting ranges, and exhibitions.  Additionally, individuals who travel with firearms for personal protection are at risk of breaking the law simply by crossing from one municipality to another.  If charged with a violation of an obscure local ordinance, the honest gun owner faces, at the very least, great expense and devotion of time to clearing his or her good name in court, and retrieving any firearms and other property confiscated by law enforcement officials.

Please call AND e-mail members of the state House Public Safety Committee TODAY and urge them to support this critical legislation and keep law-abiding citizens from becoming criminals just because they cross over an imaginary line.  Contact information for this committee can be found here.

Members of the House Public Safety Committee

• Clel Baudler (R-58), Chairman
• Tom Shaw (R-8), Vice Chairman
• Ako Abdul-Samad (D-66)
• Dwayne Alons (R-4)
• Deborah L. Berry (D- 22)
• Mark Brandenburg (R- 100)
• Joel Fry (R- 95)
• Ruth Ann Gaines (D- 65)
• Chris Hagenow (R- 59)
• Jarad Klein (R- 89)
• Bob M. Kressig (D-19)
• Dan Muhlbauer (D- 51)
• Rick Olson (D- 68)
• Steven N. Olson (R- 83)
• Henry V. Rayhons (R- 11)
• Thomas R. Sands (R- 87)
• Kurt Swaim (D- 94)
• David A. Tjepkes (R- 50)
• Matt W. Windschitl (R- 56)
• Mary Wolfe (D- 26)
• Gary Worthan (R- 52)

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate 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 military. Visit: www.nra.org

Iowa Firearms Coalition

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- Contact Public Safety Committee members today and urge them to vote YES tomorrow on HF 2114, the Iowa Firearm Preemption Act.

Ask these members to vote YES and support current state law in Iowa code 724.7 and 724.28 that explicitly state that permit holders should be allowed to carry anywhere except where state and federal law allow. Punishing law-abiding citizens that are fully screened and have had extensive background checks by disallowing them access to public buildings is dishonoring to Iowans.

It also puts honest, law-abiding citizens at risk of inadvertently violating these unnecessary, illegal laws that fail to offer protection from criminals to begin with.

IFC and the NRA have been working hard to defend the rights of Iowans and we need you to e-mail and call today on this important issue.

Check out the NRA-ILA Alert as well for more information.

Iowa Firearms Coalition put together a comprehensive package for activists to fight these preemption issues at the city and county levels around the state. Our organization spent much of 2011 fighting dozens of local battles in Washington Co., Kalona, Ft. Madison, Marion, Keokuk, Jefferson Co., Burlington, Benton Co., Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Carroll, Plymouth Co., Woodbury Co., Emmet and many, many more city and county battles across the state with tremendous success, but some jurisdiction insisted on hampering the rights of honest, law-abiding citizens. Some cities have even gone to the extreme of implementing wanding procedures for law-abiding citizens prior to entering city council meetings.

This kind of fight is a difficult task for a totally volunteers organization, but yet with true grassroots activism our members mobilized by the dozens to take our preemption message to the streets. Becoming a member today, or donating to our cause, helps us put 100% of your funds toward fighting for Second Amendment rights in Iowa.

IFC is the only Iowa-based pro-Second Amendment organization in Iowa that has a history of tangible victories at the Capitol and around the state in dozens of counties and cities. Please consider supporting us today to help us continue being the leading firearms rights organization in Iowa!

Also, be sure to encourage your friends to join our e-mail alert list today absolutely free! Our organization only utilizes your e-mail for IFC purposes and will not sell you out to other groups trying to make a buck on other issues. We are a Second Amendment centric organization that will not ever sell out, or give out, your personal data to any non-IFC entity!

Thanks for supporting us in the fight,

Jeff Burkett
President – Iowa Firearms Coalition
NRA Endowment Member

About Iowa Firearms Coalition:
The mission of the Iowa Firearms Coalition is to be THE firearms rights organization in Iowa, representing Second Amendment concerns for all firearms owners in the state. We will staunchly defend the rights of hunters and sportsmen as well as the rights of all Iowans to defend themselves and their loved ones. We seek to partner with other like-minded organizations to increase our effectiveness in accomplishing these goals. Visit: www.iowafc.org

Please Re-Elect Scott Bach & Bob Viden To The NRA Board Of Directors

New Jersey Second Amendment Society

New Jersey --(Ammoland.com)- There are many things to discuss in today’s President’s Letter. Please it read to the end.

In summary, I will talk a bit about our recent WIN at the NJ Assembly Law & Public Safety hearing on bill A588, and yet another CITIZEN ACTIVIST who succeeded in getting his town to withdraw an offensive form from their handgun purchase permit procedure.

There is our upcoming meeting with successful Supreme Court attorney Alan Gura, the Non-resident CCW licensing program, the fact that Scott Bach and Bob Viden are being endorsed by the NJ2AS for positions on the NRA Board of Directors, and some excellent opportunities for you to get involved in our various committees, and more.

NJ2AS MEMBERS ROCK THE NJ ASSEMBLY
Last week we discovered that the NJ Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee was planning to hold a hearing on the Introduction of two bills potentially affecting firearms owners in New Jersey – A588 & A 1013. I sent you all an email asking you to contact the members of the committee with phone calls, emails and FAXES. Well… YOU GUYS AND GALS *ROCK*!!!

YOUR response was INCREDIBLE! Every committee member was inundated with calls, email and FAXES to the point where there were calls asking us to stop. On Tuesday January 30, 2012 a number of your fellow members and I attended the hearing. YOUR efforts were not in vain. Most of the committee members expressed OUR concerns to the sponsor of the bill Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer. Then Scott Bach of the ANJRPC testified after which I testified. All this effort resulted in Bill A588 being TABLED. I doubt if it will ever see the light of day again. JOB WELL DONE PEOPLE! I thank everyone who participated (and I KNOW there were a LOT of you), and I encourage everyone to stand ready to *ACT* again the next time we need to face off against an unfair bill. As far as bill A1013 is concerned, we were told that it would be recommended to the full assembly, but with amendments to protect law-abiding firearms owners from being negatively affected. We will keep a vigilant eye on the progress of A1013.

CITIZEN ACTIVISM STRIKES AGAIN
One of our members, Angel Hernandez contacted me a little over a week ago regarding an intrusive form his town, Hopatcong, was requiring him to complete in order to apply for a handgun purchase permit. They were refusing to process his application without it. I explained to Angel the following approach, which was successful in getting the form dropped. I recommend this procedure to anyone facing a similar problem. I will also post this on our website for people to refer to:

HOW TO DEAL WITH ADDITIONAL FORMS

1.) Remember to *ALWAYS* be polite. Just because you are ‘right” it does not mean you will be successful MERELY by demanding your rights. Politely ask to speak with the police chief. Make an appointment if necessary. This step is very important. Please explain to your police chief (or the person who is ultimately in charge of signing your permit) that according to 2C:58-3(f):

“There shall be no conditions or requirements added to the form or content of the application, or required by the licensing authority for the issuance of a permit or identification card, other than those that are specifically set forth in this chapter”.

If they still insist that they will not process application without completing the form, thank them and politely indicate that you will have to take your request to the town council and mayor for their opinion. You have been assured by the President and Board of Directors of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society that Superior Court Judge Douglas Hurd has ruled that all towns and municipalities are required to comply with all NJ state statutes with regard to the processing of these permit applications.

2.) Contact the Assembly Representative and Senate Representative for your district (you can locate them from THIS page). Make an appointment to meet them if possible. At the very least make sure they receive the following request (in your own words if you like):

“I would like to ask for your help. I have lawfully applied for a Firearm Identification Card/Handgun Purchase Permit (whichever applies). I was told by officer “Soandso” (it helps to have the person’s name) that I am required to complete a form that is not allowed by the New Jersey Firearms Statutes according to 2C:58-3(f) (and cite the statue above).

It is my belief that this/these additional form(s) (be sure to attach if sending an email or include if sending through the mail) is/are a clear violation of the statutes and I am asking for your help in convincing the “YourTownName” Police Department to discontinue the use of this/these form(s).

I would also appreciate it if you would contact Lt Daryl Williams, the Unit Head of the NJ Division of State Police Firearms Investigation Unit about this matter. Perhaps you will be more successful in convincing him and or the Attorney General’s office to help. Many of my friends and associates from other towns are experiencing the same difficulties. I know that you agree that your constituents and the law-abiding residents of New Jersey deserve to be treated fairly by those who are sworn to uphold the laws of the state of New Jersey and I would appreciate it if you would intercede on my behalf”.

3.) IMMEDIATELY make an appointment with your Mayor and/or town council to discuss this problem and ask politely for their assistance. You are trying to follow the law and you expect your town to comply with state statutes. You are not asking for any special favors. You are only asking to be treated FAIRLY according to the law as it is written. DO NOT THREATEN! DO NOT LOSE YOUR TEMPER! This is simply a process we HAVE to go through in order to have standing if we need to take further steps. PLEASE – make our job easier by keeping a journal of EVERYONE you talk to about this, with dates, times and basic result (i.e. On 2/25/2012 Chief promised to look into it and get back to me in two days). Always be sure to try and get a specific time commitment as to when you can expect a follow up communication from the people you contact.

4.) KEEP US IN THE LOOP. Email legislation@nj2as.com and let us know what you are doing and the results. There are times when *WE* will want to add our “two cents” by writing to your representatives or by visiting your Chief of Police or Councilman with you (if possible). We will do our best to guide you through this process.

5.) THIS PROCESS WORKS! One by one NJ towns are dropping these additional forms and requirements. We will begin working on getting them to comply with the 30 days processing limits as well, but for now we have to concentrate on getting rid of these forms.

NOTE – The procedures listed above will be updated and revised as necessary – please check for the latest version on www.nj2as.com.

*** PREREGISTER*** ALAN GURA TO ADDRESS THE NJ2AS FEBRUARY 29, 2012

As you may be aware, successful Supreme Court attorney Alan Gura will be the featured speaker at the monthly meeting of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society on Wednesday evening February 29, 2012 at 7:30pm at the American Legion Post 129 on 2025 Church Road in Toms River, NJ. All are invited and ENCOURAGED to attend this very special event. Due to limited seating, it is EXTREMELY important that you PREREGISTER for this FREE event. Preregistration will make it easier for us to process people through the door and get you seated as quickly and easily as possibly. Those who do not preregister will be required to sign in at the door and will be seated on a FIRST COME/FIRST SERVED basis. We expect a large crowd for this meeting. Don’t be disappointed – REGISTER TODAY! For further information and to REGISTER please go to our website at www.nj2as.com under “EVENTS”!

WE WILL HOLD THE NON-RESIDENT CCW LICENSING PROGRAM PRIOR TO THE MEETING

You *MUST* preregister and prepay for this processing PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 25, 2012 to be eligible. Requirements and complete details are listed on our website www.nj2as.com.

SCOTT BACH & BOB VIDEN RUN FOR NRA BOD!

The ballots have gone out to the NRA Life Members to record their choice for membership of the NRA Board of Directors. The NJ2AS endorses Scott Bach and Bob Viden to represent New Jersey. I urge you to cast your ballot for Scott and Bob. Let’s keep New Jersey adequately represented on the NRA BOD. For additional information and biographical information please visit www.bachbio.com and click on the YouTube Video below:

COMMITTEE MEMBERS NEEDED

Several members have asked me how they can help move the NJ2AS mission forward. Recently the board of directors and I developed a framework of committees that require your help and participation. We have left the descriptions fairly open and flexible because the duties and responsibilities of the committees will grow and change as the membership grows. We will be able to do much more when we have enough members working in these vital areas. Here is a list of the various committees and who to contact if you would like to participate. You will notice that there are a LOT of areas that need help. Please keep in mind that we are all pretty much amateurs. If you have any special skills that would be great, but no special skills are required. As long as you are willing to help, we can use you. There are a lot of opportunities for people to shine. Many of the areas are just getting off the ground. Some do not have a leader or any members yet. Why not tackle one of these committees? You will have plenty of opportunity to interact with members of the other committees and there will be quite a bit of overlap. If you discover something I have neglected, please let me know and I will try to add it to the list. If for some reason you have difficulty getting in touch with one of the committees, please email me. THANK YOU!

LEGAL – legislation@nj2as.com

Research

• Identify firearms possession cases that were pled down to lessen or avoid prison time.
• Uncover other abuses and infractions by LE of individual rights and NJ Firearms statutes

Ongoing Litigation

• The OPRA appeal
• Operation Establish Compliance

Legal Defense

• Prepare for the defense of individuals who deserve and require our assistance
• Evaluate and develop a plan to emulate a civil rights defense strategy

LEGISLATIVE – legislation@nj2as.com

Political Action

• Form district committees to monitor and organize action against unfavorable legislation
• Develop programs to promote and support favorable legislation

Petitions

• Evaluate opportunities to enlist community support through petitions
• Organize and coordinate letter writing campaigns, letters to the editor, etc.

MEDIA – media@nj2as.com and communications@nj2as.com – Tom Watt & Mark Steele

Communications

• Internal communication of relevant information and appeals for action
• External promotion of meetings events and activities
• Formulating and distributing Press Releases

Web & Internet

• Frequent maintenance and updating of website to keep it fresh and relevant
• Encourage participation in NJ2AS BLOG, Facebook and Twitter (perhaps forum)
• Develop cooperative relationships with other relevant online groups

Newsletter

• Evaluate the need for “hardcopy” newsletter or. “e-zine”
• Gather, coordinate, develop, Edit and format content for the newsletter
• Enlisting sponsors and advertisements
• Recruiting and coordinating “artistic” talent for original content

Speakers

• Represent the NJ2AS at shows, clubs, and events
• Give presentations on the mission, goals and accomplishments of your Society
• Answer questions. Assist with press conferences.

Distribution – distribution@nj2as.com – Corey Vaughan

• Design, develop, and distribute mailings and posters promoting events & meetings

Merchandise

• Evaluate, design, develop and procure NJ2AS merchandise for promotion & fundraising

MEMBERSHIP – membership@nj2as.com – John Willett

Recruitment

• Among other responsibilities convert “attendees” into members at meetings & events
• Expedite problems with membership processing or updates
• Promote renewals

Meeting Planning

• Identifying and recruiting relevant speakers and presenters for the monthly meetings
• Arranging for venues
• Setting up venues for meetings

Diversity – Kimberley Ball

• Identify issues specifically of concern to women
• Identify programs and recruitment opportunities

Membership Registration

• Assist with preregistration for meetings, events, activities and programs
• Greeting members and guests and assisting with sing-in

SPECIAL EVENTS – events@nj2as.com

• Beginner Shooting Events – Michael Kunkel
• Finding venues, working with ranges, assist Media committee with promotions
• Arrange for proper personnel and safety procedure for these events

CCW Licensing Programs – Anthony Colandro

• Assist with the registration, collection of fees and processing of participants
• Troubleshoot and expedite problems and questions
• Arrange and facilitate special demonstrations.

FINANCE – president@nj2as.com – Frank Jack Fiamingo

Accounting – Avi Finkel

• Keep accurate records of ALL financial transaction made on behalf of the NJ2AS
• Responsible to the Treasurer for monitoring, auditing and financial reporting

Fund Raising

• Evaluate, develop, plan and execute fund raising drives, events, matching funds, etc.

Insurance

Assist in identifying insurance needs and ensuring we maintain adequate coverage

EDUCATION

• Identify, evaluate, design, develop and execute community education programs
• Assist in educating committee heads and members in their duties

EXECUTIVE – president@nj2as.co Frank Jack Fiamingo

Committee Liaison

• Assist the board and President with supporting and monitoring committee’s progress
• Help develop strategic relationships with State and Nations rights groups.
• Help with succession planning
• Plan and run elections
• Bylaws
• Examine the bylaws of similar group to develop and improve NJ2AS bylaws.

EVAN NAPPEN VIDEO

Before I forget – for those of you who missed the presentation by gun rights attorney EVAN NAPPEN , the introduction by yours truly is located on our YouTube Page http://www.youtube.com/user/nj2as. Look under “Featured Play lists”. Part two is available on our website www.nj2as.com.

YOUR SOCIETY

You have a lot of reasons to be proud of your Society. We are without a doubt the single most active firearms owners’ rights group in New Jersey. We have more meetings and more active grassroots participation than any other group in New Jersey. In less than two years this Society has grown to have a significant impact on the restoration and preservation of the fundamental human right to keep and bear arms for legitimate purposes. Please help us do even better. Join one of our committees TODAY, and become one of the people who is actually DOING something positive to regain FREEDOM and LIBERTY in the great garden state of New Jersey! Don’t forget to join us for the fun on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/nj2as/. Until next time, please remember-

THE TIME IS NOW!!!

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

Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore

Maryland --(Ammoland.com)- The House Judiciary Committee will hold hearings on most of the gun bills on what has become known as “Gun Bill Day”.

This hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 1:00 PM, in the House Judiciary Committee which is located in Room 100 in the House Office Building.

We need a very strong demonstration of strength to support gun rights in Maryland. Please make plans now to attend the hearing on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 1:00 PM.

Please view the embed below for the AGC House “Gun Bill Day” Information Pack & Action Plan. This publication is intended to answer your questions regarding bills, contact information, directions, parking, security procedures etc..

If you are concerned about changing Maryland’s “may issue” on permits to carry a concealed handgun to a “shall issue” system as is the case in many other states; you need to make your voice heard.

Don’t wait for “Gun Bill Day“; use the links below and start contacting your legislators today!

For those readers who are new to the Legislative Email Network, blue underlined text contains a hyperlink to additional information. Clicking on the text will take you to that information. Please be sure to take these links for “test drive.”

In this issue:
AGC’s House “Gun Bill Day” Information Pack & Action Plan
Quick Links for 2012 Session Gun Bills & Related Informatio

2012 Maryland House Bill Hearing Action Pack

Note: This document is constantly being updated to reflect the latest information.
Quick Links for 2012 Session Gun Bills & Related Information

Note: The information contained on these links is constantly being updated. Check back often for updates.

Bill Hearing Schedules and Information on Bills to Support or Oppose

This link contains the following information:

1. List of gun bills to date with bill numbers and bill titles
2. AGC’s position in support of, or in opposition, to the various bills
3. Synopsis of the bills
4. Hyperlinks to information on the bills and bill status
5. Hyperlinks to the actual text of the bills
6. Hyperlinks to the committee information with committee contact numbers and hyperlink email addresses

• Action Alerts  (latest information and guidance on bills and issues requiring our immediate action)
• Situation Report: Annapolis   (a continually updated chronology of the latest news and events in Annapolis arranged from the most recent to the oldest)
• Information on Gun Rights Ratings & Contact Information for the Maryland General Assembly
• Civic Action Email System (a very easy way to contact your legislators via email)
• Gun Legislation    (gun legislation and weapons legislation tend to overlap to a large extent)
• Weapons Legislation   (gun legislation and weapons legislation tend to overlap to a large extent)
• Hunting Legislation

About:
Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore, Inc. (AGC), located in Marriottsville, Maryland. The Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore, Inc. was formed on July 1, 1944 when a number of World War II veterans in the Baltimore, Maryland area began looking for a place for recreational and competitive shooting. They organized with several other Baltimore area shooting clubs to form the “AGC” Visit: www.associatedgunclubs.org

Virginia Gun Owners Coalition

Virginia --(Ammoland.com)- VA Gun Owners; The good news is that Castle Doctrine passed the Senate but Constitutional Carry is being killed by its bill sponsor Mark Cole.

Castle Doctrine moves to the House.

The Senate vote is below.

YEAS–Black, Blevins, Carrico, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Norment, Northam, Obenshain, Petersen, Puckett, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stosch, Stuart, Vogel, Wagner, Watkins–23.

NAYS–Barker, Colgan, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Puller, Saslaw–17.

Constitutional Carry was going to be carried by some freshman delegates who got elected with my support but they got talked out of it by Republican Party Boss William Howell.

He convinced them to let one of his trusted chairmen, Mark Cole, run the bill. Now where is HB 139? No where! Not even assigned to a committee for a vote.

Why because Howell can’t trust the Democrats to kill the bills he wants killed.

That’s right!

HB 1052 allowing carry at airport baggage claims and ticket counters passed out of the kill committee 3-2.

Why?
Because an anti-gun Democrat was tired of Republican Party Boss Howell’s game of sending a bill he wants killed to a tiny sub-committee of 5 to be killed by 2 pro-gun delegates and 3 anti-gun delegates.

Three cheers for the smart Democrat.

That is funny enough in and of itself but what is really hysterical and a story for the  - Political Museum of 2nd Amendment Absurdities - is Republican Party Boss lap dog Mark Cole’s explanation to VGOC members as to why he sponsored a bill he planned to kill by doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING – - nothing except insure that a new delegate did not run the bill and get a recoded vote.

Below is Cole’s explanation in BLACK w ith my interpretation in RED

———————————————————————————————————————————

From: Mark Cole [mailto:DelMCole@house.virginia.gov]
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 11:31 AM
To: Ron Browne
Subject: Re: HB 139 Constitutional Carry.

Thank you for contacting me regarding HB 139. First let me say that no gun group (you and all the other members of VGOC who contacted me don’t count) or organization has contacted me with a request to discharge the committee considering HB 139. Unfortunately, I do not expect HB 139 to get a hearing this session (Because I intend to do nothing). It has a negative fiscal impact on state revenues, and since the budget is tight, even if it were to pass the Militia and Police Committee it would be sent to Appropriations where it would die due to lack of funding.it (Actually it won’t require funds but might lose some revenue and obviously taxes are more important than constitutional rights.)

Also, some legislators who are normally pro-gun, and whose votes we need for passage, are not sure HB 139 is a good idea. (They like being able to access your name in a government data base to use at election time to get your vote or raise money talking about how pro-gun they are). Sometimes ideas need to simmer a while before people eventually come around. It took nearly a decade (Which involved much pressure to discharge and multiple mailings into Senator Hanger’s District exposing him for actually killing the bill several times to protect anti-gun Reublicans from voting on the record) to get enough people to come around to repeal the restaurant ban. (Please try to forget that we had to wait to get a Democrat Senate Majority so that Hanger could no longer protect his anti-gun Republicans thus giving him an opportunity to run the bill and clean his skirts) The same for repealing one-gun-a-month, but we are on the verge of passing it.

If we had pushed too hard like some lobbyists had demanded back then, all it would have done was harden the opposition (Please don’t get mad at me for trying to blame gun owners for wanting their gun rights restored) and we would not have gotten them passed at all. (Please believe me when I say that all of us down here vote for what’s right not what makes our party bosses happy by keeping them in office by keeping controversial votes off the record. And please don’t talk to those lobbyists who threatened Senator Hanger’s job and motivated him to run the bill to clean his skirts.)

In Proverbs 25:15 the Bible offers us some good advice on what it takes to sway people on issues like this, patience and gentle persuasion. (Please don’t notice that this is in reference to kings who cannot be voted out of office even though patience and a soft tongue actually do break the political backbones of politicians when they think their job is on the line. The judge in Luke 18 is instructive but please don’t read that. And please don’t walk softly and carry a big stick when you approach me. It scares me.) It will probably take several years to get HB 139 passed IF we approach it correctly. If not, then it will never pass. (Which is really my plan and please don’t ask me why I ran the bill. It would embarrass me.)

I am pleased to report that 3 of my 4 gun bills are moving forward in the House this year (HB 22, HB 25, and HB 26). (I love to sponsor minor bills that are not controversial.) As I mentioned before, the House has passed a repeal of one gun a month and two years ago we were successful in repealing e restaurant ban. 2nd Amendment rights are moving forward in the Commonwealth!

I guarantee you that NONE of that would have happened had pro-gun legislators bowed to pressure from some gun lobbyists to make futile attempts to discharge committees (Please believe this because it will help me continue to sponsor legislation that I have no intention of even getting a hearing on. It is critical that I continue to teach gun owners what my party boss wants them to do. Remember I represent the party boss not gun owners. And please don’t ask me why in the world I sponsor bills that don’t even get a committee hearing, it will make me look foolish.) and add non-germane floor amendments to other bills. (And of course please don’t remind me that what is germaine is what the Speaker rules to be germaine.) Not every gun lobbyist knows how to get legislation through. In fact, some do more harm than good. (Because they won’t play by the rules we use to screw them.)

Again, thank you for contacting me.

Mark L. Cole
Delegate, 88th District
Spotsylvania, Stafford, Fredericksburg, and Fauquier

ACTION ITEM: Email Mark Cole at DelMCole@house.virginia.gov the following:

Dear Mr. Cole,

Please don’t ever run Constitutional Carry again. We need someone who will use the rules to get recorded votes. We will never get controversial legislation passed if we never get votes on the record for use at election time. We hate losing but we would rather lose with a recorded vote than lose by sitting around waiting for ideas to “simmer”.

For Liberty,
Mike McHugh
President, VGOC

About:
Virginia Gun Owners Coalition is Virginia’s only no-compromise, non-partisan gun lobby patterned after Gun Owners of America on Capitol Hill. VGOC is a non-profit tax-exempt organization under 501(c)(4) of the IRS code. Because we lobby politicians to protect and defend the 2nd Amendment, contributions are not tax deductible for IRS purposes. Visit: www.vgoc.org

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- In this 1996 ad, Sen. Dick Lugar boasts about his vote for the Clinton gun ban.

Lugar, the most anti-gun Republican in the Senate, is facing Richard Mourdock (www.richardmourdock.com) in a May 2012 primary.

Help educate gin voters on Lugar’s record of infringing on the Second Amendment, like this video and help spread this link around.

About:
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a non-profit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. GOA sees firearms ownership as a freedom issue. `The only no comprise gun lobby in Washington’ – Ron Paul

One Handgun A Month Repeal Passes Virginia Senate

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- The Senate just passed the repeal of One Handgun a Month by 21 to 19!

The House had already passed it.

The Governor said he would sign such a bill, so barring something truly bizarre happening, the One Handgun a Month repeal will go on to become law in the next month or so and will become effective on July 1st.

We will continue to watch the One Handgun a Month bills as they now flow through the opposite House.

The albatross is almost dead.

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

February 2012 Lawful Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Holders in Michigan

Michigan Coalition For Responsible Gun Owners

Michigan - -(Ammoland.com)- The most recent (February 2012) County by County CPL report is now available for download from the Michigan State Police web site.

According to the MSP report, as of February 3, 2012 there were 300,786 concealed pistol license holders in Michigan. Click here to download. MSP

Lawful Concealed Pistol License (CPL) Holders in Michigan.

About:
The Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Formed from just eight people in 1996, we now have thousands of members and numerous affiliated clubs across the state. We’re growing larger and more effective every day.

Our mission statement is: “Promoting safe use and ownership of firearms through education, litigation, and legislation” Visit: www.mcrgo.org

Michigan Coalition For Responsible Gun Owners

Michigan - -(Ammoland.com)- Senate Bill 58 was introduced by Senator Green early last year and co-sponsored by Senators Kowall, Brandenburg, Colbeck, Casperson, Emmons, Jansen, Moolenaar and Robertson.

It is currently sitting with the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill would eliminate the so-called “Pistol Free Zones” for CPL (Concealed Pistol License) holders.

As readers of this column may recall, I often refer to the “Pistol Free Zones” as “Mass Murderer Empowerment Zones.”

This is because the list includes several places where mass killings have occurred. As any thinking person knows, the only effect of any “gun free zone” that is not secured by metal detectors, and staffed by armed guards, is to simply disarm law-abiding citizens who comply with the law, thereby making them vulnerable to criminals, who do not.

The current list of places where law-abiding CPL holders may not carry is found in MCL 28.425o, and printed in abbreviated form on the back of your CPL. There are various groups of people who may disregard the list. They can be described as various types of law enforcement officers, retired law enforcement officers, judges and retired judges, and licensed private investigators. There are various proposals pending in the legislature to add to this list of people with special self-defense privileges that go beyond the self-defense that is allowed to ordinary citizens.

SB 58 would simply eliminate the list of so-called “Pistol Free Zones” altogether. We CPL holders have demonstrated over a period of more than 10 years, that we can be trusted to act prudently and safely in the overwhelming majority of situations. To say that we may not carry in certain places simply by legislative fiat, is to say that our lives are simply not important if we choose to go to certain places such as hospitals and adoption agencies.

As I tell my law students: “Do not try to apply common sense to gun law, you run the risk of a stroke.“

The current scheme is, by nature, arbitrary and capricious. As responsible gun owners, we are bound to follow the law, but we are also free to urge changes that make it more logical and fair.

If you would like to urge that the Senate Judiciary Committee take up SB 58 and recommend it to the full Senate, you could call the offices of the committee members.

They are:

• Sen. Rick Jones (Chairman) (Grand Ledge) 517-373-3447
• Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (Kalamazoo Co. plus Paw Paw Twp and Antwerp Twp) 517-373-0793
• Sen. Tory Rocca (Clinton Twp., Roseville, Sterling Heights, Utica) 517-373-7315

It is well known that phone calls that are polite and succinct are given more weight than those that are not.

Steve Dulan (www.StevenWDulan.com) is a member of the Board of Directors of the MCRGO and the MCRGO Foundation, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the MCRGO Foundation. He is an attorney in private practice in East Lansing and Adjunct Professor of firearms law at The Thomas M. Cooley Law School. as well as an Endowment Member of the NRA.

About:
The Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Formed from just eight people in 1996, we now have thousands of members and numerous affiliated clubs across the state. We’re growing larger and more effective every day.

Our mission statement is: “Promoting safe use and ownership of firearms through education, litigation, and legislation” Visit: www.mcrgo.org

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- ACTION ITEM: Last night Delegate Scott Lingamfelter’s bill HB 929 passed out of subcommittee.

VCDL opposes this bill because it lets RETIRED Commonwealth Attorneys carry concealed handguns everywhere they go, including places that a concealed handgun permit holder can’t carry, such as on K-12 school grounds! Also their names, addresses and other personal information can’t be given out by a Circuit Court Clerk like it can for a CHP holder.

HB 929 creates an unacceptable double standard. Lawyers who retire from the Commonwealth, and who have no firearms training, are given extraordinary concealed carry privileges, that are denied to CHP holders who have had firearms training!

The government loves to arm itself while denying the same level of protection to the citizens it is supposed to be serving. I, for one, am tired of it.

It’s not that we want retired Commonwealth Attorneys disarmed. Quite the contrary, they absolutely should be allowed to carry a gun for self-defense and a CHP will do the job nicely. Their lives are not less valuable than your life or mine, BUT their lives are also NOT MORE valuable than your life or mine.

Delegate Lingamfelter is usually good on guns, but this bill is simply wrong.

Let’s tell our Delegates to OPPOSE HB 929. Click on the link below: http://tinyurl.com/8ykl56f

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
On Thursday morning the following bill passed out of the Militia, Police, and Public Safety subcommittee #2:

• HB 237, Delegate Cosgrove, moves long gun background checks from the Virginia State Police to the federal National Instant Check System.
• Also on Thursday evening the following bills passed out of the Militia, Police, and Public Safety subcommittee #1:
• HB 25, Delegate Cole, protects concealed handgun permit info from dissemination by Circuit Court Clerks. VCDL strongly supports this bill
• HB 754, Delegate Cline, removes fingerprinting as local option for getting a CHP. VCDL strongly supports this bill
• HB 929, Delegate Lingamfelter, gives RETIRED Commonwealth Attorneys the special carry privileges of an off-duty police officer. VCDL opposes this bill

This bill was carried over until next year:

• HB 592, Delegate Merricks, exempts permit holders from a state background check on the purchase of a firearm.

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

Arizona Citizens Defense League

Catalina, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- To view the status of legislation that AzCDL is monitoring, visit our Bill Tracking page: http://www.azcdl.org/html/bill_tracking.html .

Thank you for your Action Center emails on HB 2095 (stopping HOA firearms restrictions) and SB 1077 (firearms on state lands)! We are working with the committee chairs to get these bills to move forward.

Meanwhile, we’re seeing progress on SB 1241, the AzCDL-requested legislation that would remove local control over the disposition of forfeited weapons. On Monday, January 30, 2012, SB 1241 passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 5 to 2 vote with one member not voting.

Next week, on Monday, February 6, 2012, the following pro-rights bills are schedule to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee:

• SB 1304 would remove the authority of political subdivisions (counties, cities, towns, etc.) to restrict the discharge of a firearm within a quarter mile of an occupied structure. Currently it is possible for you to legally defend yourself with a firearm but be arrested for “discharging a firearm” under a local ordinance.
• SB 1448 would require state and local government property to have access “controlled or restricted by the presence of a state or other certified law enforcement officer, or an armed security officer” in order ban the carrying of weapons.
• SB 1474 is an NRA-requested Campus Carry bill that would allow CCW permit holders to carry discreetly on campus, but would allow college and university governing boards to prohibit weapons inside of buildings as long as “temporary and secure” storage for the weapon is provided.
• SB 1479 would reduce the penalty for entering state and local government property that bans weapons to a Petty Offense unless it is a “secured facility” (guards, metal detectors, etc.), then the penalty is a Misdemeanor. The bill also allows for court action when the government entity doesn’t follow the rules.

Over in the House, HB 2640, which would prohibit the Game and Fish Commission from limiting or restricting magazine capacity on any authorized firearm, has been scheduled for a hearing on Monday, February 6, 2012, in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

On Wednesday, February 8, 2012, HB 2728 is scheduled to be heard in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety (MAPS) Committee. This bill would prohibit the Arizona Game and Fish Commission from banning the lawful possession or use of sound suppressors when hunting.

If you would like to contact your legislator about these, or any other bills, our Legislative Action Center is available for your use. Go to http://capwiz.com/azcdl/home , click on your State Senator or Representative, then click on the “contact” tab and compose a message. If this is your first visit to our Action Center, you will need to provide your location to help you identify your elected officials.

The deadline for Senators to introduce bills was January 30, 2012. Representatives have until Monday, February 6, 2012 to get their bills filed.

Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts.

• You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL , and during the legislative session, we’ll send out updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .
• AzCDL’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .
• These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization: http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .
• AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

About:
AzCDL believes that the emphasis of gun laws should be on criminal misuse and that law-abiding citizens should be able to own and carry firearms unaffected by unnecessary laws or regulations. AzCDL was founded by a group of local activists who recognized that a sustained, coordinated, statewide effort was critical to protecting and expanding the rights of law-abiding gun owners. As a like-minded coalition of activists, the AzCDL founders were instrumental in the successful passage of the first major improvement to Arizona’s CCW (concealed carry) laws since they were instituted in 1994. Visit: www.azcdl.org

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- ACTION ITEM: We need to make sure our Senators AND Delegates understand that they MUST fix the current situation with firearm background checks.

Either take the State Police out of the loop and use the FREE federal NICS system OR fund the State Police check and require that such funding must only be used to hire people to do the background checks.

AND the State Police computer system must have redundancy so that it does NOT go down for more than a few minutes a YEAR, just like Visa, MasterCard, and American Express computers.

• To send an email to your Senator, click here: http://tinyurl.com/7m2fxbj
• To send an email to your Delegate, click here: http://tinyurl.com/7sx9w6q

LET’S ROLL!

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The following gun bills passed the House today and head to the Senate:

• HB 20, Delegate Wilt, protects the right to carry and transport firearms during an emergency (the matching Senate bill, SB 245, Senator Obenshain, has already passed the Senate)
• HB 22, Delegate Cole, provides that a locality must have an ordinance for gun buy-ups before they and do buy-ups and that such guns should be sold to dealers if possible
• HB 26, Delegate Cole, provides a civil for of $25 (instead of the current Class 1 misdemeanor) if a CHP holder does not have their permit with them while carrying concealed
• HB 940, Delegate Lingamfelter, repeals One Handgun a Month

On Wednesday in the Senate Courts of Justice committee, anti-gun Senator McEachin’s SB 379, which outlaws privates sales of handguns unless they go through a dealer, was killed by an 8 to 6 vote!

Senator McEachin’s other anti-gun bill, SB 648, which adds yet another penalty on a gun owner for being in possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, failed to report by a tie 7 to 7 vote. WE ARE WATCHING THIS BILL AS IT COULD BE RESURRECTED. The original vote killed the bill outright, but then there was some shenanigans behind the scenes and a few votes were changed to make the count 7 to 7 (the committee chair, Senator Norment, was one of the changed votes). The significance is that the vote could be reconsidered in the near future and the bill could potentially pass out of committee.

Also, Senator McDougle has a bill, SB 435, that our attorney does NOT like. It changes the language on the law against making a false statement on the handgun purchase forms. The bill throws a wider net and that is not a good thing. Watch for more on this bill soon.

On Thursday, February 2, the House Militia, Police and Public Safety subcommittees #2 and #1 will meet and consider gun bills.

Subcommittee #2 meets at 7:30 AM in the 4th Floor West Conference Room and will consider HB 237, Delegate Cosgrove’s HB 237, which will allow long guns background checks to be run through the federal NICS system to take the load off the Virginia State Police. SEE ACTION ITEM BELOW.

Subcommittee #1 meets at 5 PM in the 4th Floor West Conference Room and will consider the following bills:

• HB 25, Delegate Cole, protects concealed handgun permit info from dissemination by Circuit Court Clerks. VCDL strongly supports this bill
• HB 592, Delegate Merricks, exempts permit holders from a state background check on the purchase of a firearm. VCDL supports this bill, but considers Delegate Gilbert’s HB 859 to be a superior bill
• HB 754, Delegate Cline, removes fingerprinting as local option for getting a CHP. VCDL strongly supports this bill
• HB 929, Delegate Lingamfelter, gives RETIRED Commonwealth Attorneys the special carry privileges of an off-duty police officer. VCDL opposes this bill – a CHP would work just fine for retirees. If there is some concern that the retirees can’t protect themselves EVERYWHERE they go with a CHP, THEN LET’S FIX CHPs SO THAT THEY ARE GOOD EVERYWHERE!

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

NRA - ILA

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- Thanks to the overwhelming number of phone calls and e-mails from dedicated NRA members, the New Jersey Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee decided to hold Assembly Bill 588 for further study.

While this fight is not over, this is a big win for gun owners in the Garden State. During Monday’s hearing, Assembly Bill 1013 passed in the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee with amendments that attempt to address gun owner concerns and has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee where further amendments may occur.

Law-abiding gun owners can breathe a sigh of relief due to A588 being held for further study by the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee. Sponsored by Assemblyman L. Grace Spencer (D-29), A588 has been confused for police safety legislation aimed at armor-piercing ammunition (which is already prohibited under federal and state law).

This measure actually would have opened the door to a sweeping ammunition ban by an unelected public official by executive fiat. Common hunting, target, and self-defense ammunition would have been subject to ban by the Attorney General, along with BB’s, airgun pellets, and non-metallic ammunition like plastic airsoft pellets, if he determined that they pose a threat to the safety and well being of law enforcement.

Although A588 only mentions handgun ammunition, it is in fact not limited to handgun ammunition, and would have applied to all rifle ammunition for which a handgun is ever made. As an increasing number of gun manufacturers make handgun models that shoot rifle caliber ammunition, the line between “handgun” vs. “rifle” ammunition has become blurred, and the New Jersey State Police have already begun treating rifle ammunition in this category as if it were handgun ammunition for regulatory purposes. As long as a handgun exists that shoots a particular caliber of rifle ammunition, New Jersey treats that ammunition as if it were handgun ammunition.

The Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee did pass A1013 with amendments that attempt to address gun owner concerns. This legislation will now head to the New Jersey Assembly Committee on Appropriations. A1013, sponsored by Assemblyman Charles Mainor (D-31), would criminalize the use of a defaced or stolen firearm that is used to injure a police officer and enhances penalties for defacing a firearm. One provision of this police safety legislation significantly increases the penalties relating to “defaced” firearms.

Because of New Jersey’s longstanding poorly-crafted definition of “defaced” firearms, it is possible that refinishing a firearm, or long-term damage from rust or scratches from ordinary wear and tear, could be deemed “defacement” subjecting honest gun owners to lengthy prison sentences, even though identifying information on the firearm is still legible.

We would like to thank all of the NRA members who voiced their opposition to A588 and A1013. Please continue to check AmmoLand Shooting Sports News and www.NRAILA.org for more updates on A588 and A1013.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate 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 military. Visit: www.nra.org

NJ2AS looking over the wall in New Jersey....WOLVERINES!

New Jersey Second Amendment Society

Manahawkin, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- The New Jersey Second Amendment Society testified before the New Jersey Assembly Law & Public Safety Committee yesterday to weigh in on Assembly Bills A588 and A1013.

A588 was opposed because it proposed to give over-reaching authority to the New Jersey Attorney General to ban ammunition, including air soft pellets, at the whim of the Attorney General.

A1013 was opposed because it hinged on the poorly defined definition of ‘defaced’ in the New Jersey code, effectively making law-abiding citizens felons when in possession of older firearms that may have rust or normal wear making their markings unreadable.

The Committee tabled A588 and amended A1013 to address the concerns raised by NJ2AS and other Second Amendment groups that testified.

“We are very pleased with the way the Committee responded to their constituents’ today.” says Frank Jack Fiamingo, President of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society, “The Committee was inundated with phone calls, email and faxes opposing these bills as well as a strong showing at the hearing in Trenton by concerned citizens – and we feel they responded appropriately.”

Frank Jack Fiamingo can be reached for comment via email at President@nj2as.com or by phone at (732) 233-6506.

The New Jersey Second Amendment Society (http://www.NJ2AS.com) is a no compromise defender of the right to keep and bear arms formed to promote those rights protected under the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States within the legislature and the community.

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

Nebraska Firearms Owners Association - Victims Protection Act

Nebraska Firearms Owners Association

Omaha, NE --(Ammoland.com)- As I write this I have just finished preparing my testimony for the hearing on LB 804, scheduled for this afternoon. I am about to leave for the Capital. Before I do I wanted to get some important information to you.

What many have referred to as Castle Doctrine has been a priority of ours for the past few years. With LB 804, we have a shot this year. But we need Nebraskans to act. I need your help. Do you use Facebook? Share the ProtectVictimsNow.org website. Tell your friends about this important legislation. Please forward this note to your family and friends. Talk about this issue with your neighbors.

The 2012 Legislative session is in full swing. New Bills have been introduced and some of them have already been placed on the hearing schedules. This year we are only getting 7 days notice for hearing schedules. It was 10 or 11 days last year. Since this is a short session year things are moving fast

We tried something new this year for voting on the issues. In the past all voting occurred on our website, or the forum. This year we sent a link to the survey out with a newsletter in order to get wider exposure to the membership. If you haven’t voted, you still can. The link to the survey is here. Please take a moment and let us know what position you’d like the NFOA to take on these important pieces of legislation.

Priority Bill Needs Your Help
The NFOA has spent the last 3 years tirelessly working with the Legislature to pass a Victims Protection Act in Nebraska, which some have called the Castle Doctrine. In past years, we’ve been blocked by the stubborn resistance from several liberal senators on the Judiciary Committee who choose to protect criminals over victims. But this year will be different. This year, we have a new bill introduced: LB 804, and we see this bill making it out of the Judiciary Committee, to the floor for a general vote, and ultimately passing.

Our approach this year is much more aggressive. As an NFOA member, you know that we’ve launched ProtectVictimsNow.org, a website dedicated to educating Nebraska voters on the Victim Protection Act. But we need to reach Nebraskans who haven’t joined the NFOA yet. We need them to call and write their senators, just like you have been doing. So to reach them, we have prepared a radio ad ready to air on stations throughout Nebraska to call those Nebraskans to action and join you and I in working to get the Victims Protection Act passed.

The challenge is that airing radio ads costs money. And as a non-profit organization, the NFOA must raise those funds through donations. As a non-profit organization, we have worked out a greatly reduced rate of just under $5000 to air over 100 Victims Protection Act radio ads throughout the State that will reach over 70,000 Nebraska voters. That’s a lot of money, but we have well over 5000 NFOA members and if every single one of us chipped in, as little as $1, we can mobilize well over 10 times our NFOA membership and push this bill beyond the few obstructive senators in Judiciary Committee and to the Unicameral floor, where we know there is enough support for the Victim Protection Act to pass.

Do you want to be secure in knowing that your home is your castle? Do you want to have the piece of mind knowing that if you ever have to legally defend yourself or your family that the violent criminal (or his family) won’t be able to hire an ambulance-chasing lawyer to sue you for your life savings? Then please consider donating to the ProtectVictimsNow.org operation. Together we can get LB804 passed and have a Victims Protection Act in Nebraska this year!

Member voting
The position we take to the Legislature and lobby for is what you our members tell use to take. Take the legislative survey here.

To participate in discussions of these bills please join us in the forums.

Mission -
Nebraska Firearms Owners Association (NFOA) is organized for the purpose of voicing the opinion of its membership to the Nebraska Legislature and other law making bodies within the state as well as Federal level, as it pertains to firearms. NFOA members will also make it a priority to educate residents on firearms related issues.
On the web: www.NebraskaFirearms.org or email: AAllen@NebraskaFirearms.org for more information

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- The race for the Republican nomination for President is neck and neck. The four remaining candidates are spending millions of dollars tearing each other apart for the chance to take on President Obama in November.

But while all eyes are on the Republican presidential primary, GOA also has to prepare for something that American gun owners don’t even want to think about; the possibility of a second Obama term.

Think about it. A second term for Obama means he will be unencumbered with thoughts about reelection.

His political appointees are already radical gun haters. His future picks will be even worse.

Executive actions, such as illegally requiring gun dealers along southwest border states to report multiple long gun sales, will increase.

And Obama, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will ratchet up the pressure on the Senate to ratify a massive UN Small Arms Treaty.

So while a lot of folks just don’t want to think about four more years of Obama, we have to think about it – and prepare for it.

The most important elections will be for the Senate. An Obama reelection, coupled with anti-gunner Harry Reid retaining control of the Senate, would be a disaster for the country. Defeating just four anti-gun Democrats, however, would take the gavel out of Reid’s hands.

GOA already has identified opportunities to pick up pro-gun seats:

• In Florida, a couple of solid candidates are running in a primary to take on Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson.
• Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, F-rated by GOA, is one of the most endangered Democrat Senators.
• Montana’s Democrat Sen. Jon Tester is facing a tough challenge by GOA A-rated candidate Denny Rehberg.
• Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel, a solid Second Amendment advocate, is mounting a vigorous challenge to Sen. Sherrod Brown.
• Retirements in the Democrat-held states of Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Virginia and Wisconsin all represent opportunities to switch seats from anti- to pro-gun.

The key to stopping the radical Obama agenda is to elect as many Second Amendment supporters as possible in the Senate. And this is one of the primary tasks GOA is undertaking over the next nine months.

GOA already has surveyed all the candidates and made several key endorsements. Now’s the time to start contacting gun owners and sportsmen in all the strategic states to spread the word about the best candidates and to make sure all Second Amendment supporters are registered to vote.

We will also be reaching out to the gun rights community over the internet and through mailings. We will spread the word with newspaper, magazine, radio and television advertisements.

Of course, all of these activities cost money. That’s where GOA members come in.

With your help, we will make sure that control of the U.S. Senate does not stay in the hands of Harry Reid – the Senate leader who gave us Attorney General Eric Holder, Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, and a host of other anti-gun Obama nominees.

And it’s not just the Senate we’re interested in. GOA will be involved in dozens of House races, gubernatorial elections and state legislative races across the country.

You’ve probably heard people say this is the most important election in our lifetimes. I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but that’s probably true.

If ever there was a time for the Second Amendment community to join forces against a common foe, it is now.

Help GOA contact hundreds of thousands of gun owners, and send Harry Reid packing.

Sincerely,

PS While gun owners hope that President Obama won’t win reelection, we must prepare for that possibility by helping pro-gunners win as many Senate races as possible. Click here to contribute to GOA’s effort to take the Senate out of Harry Reid’s control.

About:
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a non-profit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. GOA sees firearms ownership as a freedom issue. `The only no comprise gun lobby in Washington’ – Ron Paul

Virginia Senate Goofs Up - Gun Bills To Be Reheard

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- All the gun bills considered in the Senate Courts of Justice last Wednesday will have to be **reheard/revoted on** again!

There is both danger and opportunity in this. A couple of bad bills got through that I would like to try killing again. And, of course, the pro-gun bills could be put in jeopardy.

Senator Mark Obenshain sent this alert out:

“An inadvertent breach of Senate Rules basically nullified everything the Courts of Justice Committee took up in a six hour marathon meeting on Wednesday, and we’re still trying to sort out the carnage.

The bills have to be taken up again, and some hard-fought victories will be revisited. One of those now-jeopardized victories dealt with repealing Virginia’s constitutionally suspect “one gun a month” law, which interferes with the right of law-abiding citizens to purchase firearms.

I certainly hope that, when we take the bill up again, we’ll get another favorable committee vote – but I’d certainly rather not be doing this all over again. Plenty of people are upset right now, and understandably so. But that’s life in the Senate of Virginia: never a dull moment.”

I will keep everyone posted as this mess works its way through the systems. This is the first time I’ve seen this happen.

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

Iowa Firearms Coalition

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- Iowa Firearms Coalition and the NRA have been working hard with Rep. Matt Windschitl (R-56) on a bill that will come up for a vote as early as next Tuesday in the House Public Safety Committee.

HF 573 is the current version of “stand your ground” legislation that Rep. Windschitl has been running since 2007. This year Iowa Firearms Coalition and the NRA are hoping to make significant progress in Iowa helping pass this much needed self-defense legislation that we’ve been working on.

House File 573 would remove a person’s “duty to retreat” from an attacker, allowing law-abiding citizens to stand their ground and protect themselves or their family anywhere they are lawfully present.  It would create a presumption that an individual who unlawfully or forcefully enters your dwelling, place of business or employment, or occupied vehicle is there to cause serious bodily injury or death, so the occupant may use force, including deadly force, against that person.  HF 573 also would expressly allow an individual to use force, including deadly force, to prevent a violent felony, and it would enhance the protections against criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits when justifiable force is used.

You can help by showing support and taking action now. Click on the IFC Action Center link below to quickly e-mail your representative asking for support on HF 573.

Facebook users can also take direct action on the IFC Facebook Alert.  Take action and forward to your friends for action!

Be sure to forward this e-mail alert on to your pro-Second Amendment friends as well. Also, please remember to renew your IFC membership, become a member today or please consider donating today! 100% of your financial support goes to Iowa’s leading Second Amendment rights organization.

Anyone can join the IFC E-mail Alert list for free to subscribe to critical updates on when action is needed at the Capitol to advance our Second Amendment rights.

Like our Facebook page as well for up to date information from Iowa’s NRA Affiliate Club.

Iowa Firearms Coalition is also at the gun show this weekend at the Iowa State Fair Grounds where you can become a member for only $20 (or at any gun show throughout the year). Be sure to stop by and learn about what IFC is doing and give us your input on what you’d like to see happen in Iowa.

Thank you for your dedicated grassroots support!

About Iowa Firearms Coalition:
The mission of the Iowa Firearms Coalition is to be THE firearms rights organization in Iowa, representing Second Amendment concerns for all firearms owners in the state. We will staunchly defend the rights of hunters and sportsmen as well as the rights of all Iowans to defend themselves and their loved ones. We seek to partner with other like-minded organizations to increase our effectiveness in accomplishing these goals. Visit: www.iowafc.org

Arizona Citizens Defense League

Catalina, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Your help is needed to get these pro-rights bills heard in committee. Letters have been prepared and are waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL’s Action Center:

HB 2095: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60874501 .
SB 1077: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60877501 .

Last week, two bills protecting your right to bear arms were scheduled for committee hearings but were “held” without being heard. It’s time to shine some light on those committees and let them know these bills need to heard and voted on favorably.

HB 2095 was scheduled for a hearing in the House Government Committee on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, but was pulled from the list of bills scheduled for debate and vote. This AzCDL-requested legislation would limit the restrictions that a Home Owner Association (HOA) can place on firearms. A letter has been prepared and is waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL’s Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60874501 .

In modern day Arizona, it is difficult to not live in a planned community controlled by an HOA. In the Phoenix area, there are HOA communities bigger than some towns. Unfortunately, the laudable idea of establishing residential standards to optimize property values has a dark side. Social engineering has crept into HOA governing documents. In the not too distant past, racial purity was required in home sales. Still imbedded in many governing documents are requirements that residents must be unarmed as a condition of living in the community.

HB 2095 was drafted to allow the residents of HOA governed communities the same constitutionally protected right to bear arms they enjoy once they leave the boundaries of their neighborhood. If you live in an HOA community, please mention it in the “Editable Text” area of your letter to the House Government Committee: http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60874501 .

SB 1077 was scheduled for a hearing in the Senate National Resources and Transportation Committee on Monday, January 23, 2012, but was pulled from the list of bills scheduled for debate and vote. This bill would specifically exempt from the state lands trespass statute the “lawful possession or discharge of a firearm while hunting, while target shooting, in self-defense or in defense of another.” A letter has been prepared and is waiting to be sent by you at AzCDL’s Action Center:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60877501 .

Somewhere over Arizona’s history as a state, the concept that the people of Arizona have a vested interest in state land got lost. Laws created to regulate mining and grazing have morphed into regulations controlling one’s mere presence on state land. It is now a misdemeanor to be on state land without government permission. SB 1077 specifically excludes the lawful possession and use of a firearm on state land. If you hunt or like to shoot on state “owned” land be sure to mention that in the “Editable Text” of your letter to the Senate National Resources and

Transportation Committee:
http://capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/alert/?alertid=60877501 .

If you believe that your right to bear arms does not have exception clauses for where you live or happen to travel in Arizona, then it is imperative that you get involved and let these committee members know how you want them to vote on these bills. This is not a time to let the “other guy” do the work. Like the quote at the beginning of this Alert says, if we don’t take any action, we lose.

Participation is simple and takes less than a minute. Click on the links provided, fill in the “Sender Information” then click on “Send Message.” The “Editable Text” area of the message allows you add any additional comments, or edit what is already there.

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization: http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom: http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

About:
AzCDL believes that the emphasis of gun laws should be on criminal misuse and that law-abiding citizens should be able to own and carry firearms unaffected by unnecessary laws or regulations. AzCDL was founded by a group of local activists who recognized that a sustained, coordinated, statewide effort was critical to protecting and expanding the rights of law-abiding gun owners. As a like-minded coalition of activists, the AzCDL founders were instrumental in the successful passage of the first major improvement to Arizona’s CCW (concealed carry) laws since they were instituted in 1994. Visit: www.azcdl.org

Maryland Shall Issue

Maryland -–(Ammoland.com)- Maryland Shall Issue Reviews current and pending Gun related Legislation for 2012.

House Bills 2012

HB-45 – Handgun Permits – Qualifications – Presumption and Burden of Proof – SUPPORT

No Hearing Scheduled

Repealing the requirement that the Secretary of State Police base a finding that an applicant for a handgun permit has a good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun on an investigation; establishing a presumption that an applicant for a handgun permit has a good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun for the purposes of qualifying for a handgun permit; and establishing that the Secretary has the burden of specified proof.

HB -208 – Baltimore City Public School System – Governance – NO POSITION

This is just a functional bill that rewords some of the language in this part of the existing code. It’s only filed as a “gun bill” because this section of the code authorizes Baltimore City Schools Police Officers to carry a firearm. There’s nothing of interest for our folks.

HB-209 – Public Safety – Possession of Firearms – Crimes Committed in Other States – NO POSITION

No Hearing Scheduled

Prohibiting a person from possessing a regulated firearm, rifle, or shotgun if the person was previously convicted of an offense under the laws of another state or the United States that would constitute a crime of violence or a violation of specified provisions of law if committed in this State.

This bill modifies HB-241 that passed last year. HB-241 specified that anyone convicted of any of a series of enumerated crimes of violence would be prohibited from owning any firearm. HB-209 extends that to include convictions in other states. We have reservations about how a correlation will be drawn between offenses in other states, where the crime may not be a disqualifying crime, and Maryland code. However, it’s likely that the trial attorneys, including many of the members of the General Assembly who are attorneys, are going to put this one to rest and it is better left to them.

HB-256 – Regulated Firearms – License Issue By Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia or West Virgina – Reciprocity – SUPPORT

No Hearing Scheduled

Specifying that a license to carry a regulated firearm, including a concealed regulated firearm, issued to an individual by Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia is valid in Maryland.

We’ll have more on this bill in the very near future.

HB-300 – Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Renewal Period For Retired law Enforcement – POSITION PENDING

Senate Bills 2012
SB-64 – Public Safety -Machine Gun Registration – Notice To Renew – SUPPORT

Hearing Scheduled for Thursday, February 2 at 1:00pm

Requiring the Secretary of State Police, on or before March 15 in each year succeeding the registration of a machine gun, to notify the registrant in writing of the requirement to renew the registration.

Background on this bill:
A person who acquires a machine gun must register the machine gun with the Secretary of State Police within 24 hours after acquiring the machine gun and in each succeeding year during the month of May. The Secretary of State Police is required to prepare and, on request of an applicant, furnish an application form for registration.

What we need you to do:

Contact the members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Dial 1-800-492-7122 + Ext. number

• Brian E. Frosh (C) (D)-16 2E Miller Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3124 brian.frosh@senate.state.md.us
• Lisa A. Gladden (V-C) (D)-41 2 E Miller Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3697 lisa.gladden@senate.state.md.us
• James Brochin (D)-42 221 James Senate Office Bldg
  Ext. 3648 jim.brochin@senate.state.md.us
• Jennie M. Forehand (D)-17 223 James Senate Office Bldg
  Ext. 3134 jennie.forehand@senate.state.md.us
• Joseph Getty (R)-05 401 James Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3683 joseph.getty@senate.state.md.us
• Nancy Jacobs (R)-34 323 James Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3158 nancy.jacobs@senate.state.md.us
• Victor Ramirez (D)-47 303 James Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3745 victor.ramirez@senate.state.md.us
  Jamin B. Raskin (D)-20 122 James Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3634 jamie.raskin@senate.state.md.us
• Christopher Shank (R)-02 402 James Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3903 christopher.shank@senate.state.md.us
• Norman R. Stone, Jr. (D)-06 216 James Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3587 norman.stone@senate.state.md.us
• Bobby Zirkin (D)-11 301 James Senate Office Bldg.
  Ext. 3131 bobby.zirkin@senate.state.md.us

1. Tell them that this is common sense legislation that protects Maryland citizens who go to extraordinary lengths to comply with both state and federal laws in order to own these firearms.
2. Tell them that there is no reason that the Maryland State Police can not manage this from a logistical and fiscal standpoint. There are 928 machine guns registered in the state of Maryland. If the emissions program can send out thousands of reminders every year for the $14 inspection fee, the Maryland State Police can send out 928 reminders.
3. Tell them that the cost of sending these reminders is ultimately cheaper than enforcement against those law-abiding Maryland gun owners who forget to mail in their annual registration for their machine guns.

Mission Statement: Maryland Shall Issue is an all volunteer, non-partisan effort dedicated to the preservation and advancement of all gunowners’ rights in Maryland, with a primary goal of CCW reform to allow all law-abiding citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon; and to the education of the community to the awareness that ‘shall issue’ laws have, in all cases, resulted in decreased rates of violent crime.

Iowa Firearms Coalition

IOWA – -(Ammoland.com)- Progress at the Capitol!This has been a busy, busy couple of weeks for IFC, your Iowa NRA Affiliate Club!

We have 3 issues to update you on, a new state added recognition of Iowa’s Permit to Carry, steady progress on the Traditional Ammunition Ban front and most importantly Stand Your Ground legislation is moving forward!

Iowa Permit Now Recognized in Georgia
IFC has been working with NRA, and also with Gary Slider at www.hangunlaw.us, to help get Georgia to recognize Iowa’s Permit to Carry.

Thanks to all parties involved for their efforts. Georgia law was written such that it would recognize states that honored Georgia’s permit, but bureaucracy was getting in the way of making it official. That hurdle has now been overcome!

Your Iowa Permit to Carry is now valid in 27 other states.

Traditional Ammunition Progress
Tuesday, Senate Joint Resolution 2001 passed in the state Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee by a 9 to 3 vote. State Senators Dennis Black (D-21), Dick Dearden (D-34), Joni Ernst (R-48), James Hahn (R-40), Shawn Hamerlinck (R-42), Tom Hancock (D-16), Tim Kapucian (R-20), Brian Schoejahn (D-12) and Kent Sorenson (R-37) voted to pass SJR 2001, while Senators Robert Hogg (D-19), Amanda Ragan (D-7) and Joe Seng (D-43) voted against it.

Today, House Joint Resolution 2001 passed in the state House Natural Resources and Environment Committee by a 17 to 4 vote. State Representatives Henry Rayhons (R-11), Jeff Smith (R-6), Richard Arnold (R-72), Clel Baudler (R-58), Joel Fry (R-95), Mary Gaskill (D-93), Bob Hager (R-16), Chris Hall (D-2), Mark Lofgren (R-80), Steven Lukan (R-32), Jim Lykam (D-85), Helen Miller (D-49), Dan Rasmussen (R-23), Annette Sweeney (R-44), James Van Englehoven (R-71), Guy Vander Linden (R-75), John Wittneben (D-7), while Curtis Hanson (D-90), Dan Kelley (D-41), Sharon Steckman (D-13) and Phyllis Thede (D-81) voted against it.

We will keep you updated and let you know when these bills get scheduled for a floor vote.

Stand Your Ground Progress
Tuesday the House Public Safety Subcommittee passed HF 573 by a 2 to 1 vote. This important piece of “stand your ground” self-defense legislation will now be heard by the full House Public Safety Committee as early as Tuesday of next week.

Representative Matt Windschitl (R-56) has been working on this legislation since 2007. Previously the legislation had struggled largely due to Democratic control in the House. Since the power balance in the House has shifted Rep. Windschitl has worked hard with NRA and IFC on crafting a solid self-defense bill for Iowans.

Please take time to e-mail or call Representative Windschitl and thank him for working with IFC and the NRA. Ensure him that you will be helping get behind his effort to pass this important piece of legislation this year! He has been a strong Second Amendment advocate for the Iowans at the Capitol.IFC will be putting together an action alert on this issue soon, so keep an eye out. It’s your voice from the grassroots that really helps us get things done in Iowa!

About Iowa Firearms Coalition:
The mission of the Iowa Firearms Coalition is to be THE firearms rights organization in Iowa, representing Second Amendment concerns for all firearms owners in the state. We will staunchly defend the rights of hunters and sportsmen as well as the rights of all Iowans to defend themselves and their loved ones. We seek to partner with other like-minded organizations to increase our effectiveness in accomplishing these goals. Visit: www.iowafc.org

Virginia Shooting Sports Association

Virginia - -(Ammoland.com)- Contact Your Senators Now: In a long meeting of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee today, two important pro-rights bills were reported out of the committee and are now headed to the Senate floor. Both bills are top priorities of VSSA’s legislative agenda.

First is SB 323, Senator Bill Carrico’s bill to repeal Virginia’s Handgun Rationing law. The vote was 8-7 on the GOP-controlled committee, with Sen. John S. Edwards, D-Roanoke, voting for passage with seven Republicans.

Please contact the following Senators and thank them for their vote in favor or your rights:

Edwards, Obenshain, McDougle, Stuart, Vogel, Stanley, Reeves, Garrett

Also reported out of committee was SB 4, Senator Stuart’s Castle Doctrine bill. It was reported on a party line vote of 8-7, with Senator Norment being absent and the GOP members casting a yea vote for him. It remains to be seen if Senator Norment actually supports the bill or whether he will re-refer it back to committee when it gets to the floor.

Please contact the following Senators and thank them for their vote in favor of your right to self-defense:

Norment (Chairman), Obenshain, McDougle, Stuart, Vogel, Stanley, Reeves, Garrett

Also passed by the committee was SB 67, Senator Stanley’s bill to remove the option for localities to require fingerprints for concealed handgun permit applications. A substitute bill passed the committee.

Voting with gun owners were:

Edwards, Obenshain, McDougle, Stuart, Vogel, Stanley, Reeves, Garrett

Please contact your senator now and urge them to support SB 323 and SB 4, and SB 67. All three bills will be on the floor for a final vote on Friday or Monday. VSSA will keep you posted before the final vote is scheduled.

Additionally, a number of bills are scheduled to be heard Thursday evening in House Militia, Police and Public Safety Subcommittee #1. Please contact members of this Subcommittee and respectfully request that they oppose HB 364 and HB 458 and support HB 20, HB 22, HB 26, HB 375 and HB 940.

Bills to be considered in the subcommittee Thursday:

Anti-Gun Legislation:

• House Bill 364 would prohibit the private sales of firearms at gun shows by requiring that all sales conducted at a gun show go through a federally licensed dealer. Make no mistake, if passed, supporters of this legislation will soon be calling for a ban on all private sales in Virginia.
• House Bill 458 seeks to weaken Virginia’s preemption law by allowing localities to adopt an ordinance that prohibits firearms, ammunition, or components, or a combination thereof, in libraries owned or operated by the locality.

Pro-Gun Legislation:

• House Bill 20 would update Virginia’s Emergency Powers doctrine by adding lawful carrying and transportation to the list of actions that cannot be prohibited during a declaration of emergency.
• House Bill 22 would establish that no locality or entity may participate in compensated consfiscation schemes (gun “buyback”) where individuals are given anything of value or money in exchange for surrendering a firearm to the locality unless the governing body first passes an ordinance authorizing the gun “buyback.” This legislation also requires that any locality holding gun “buybacks” sell the firearms to a federally licensed dealer “or be disposed of in any appropriate manner” if they could not be sold.
• House Bill 26 would allow a court to waive a $25 dollar fine upon presentation of the permit to the court, if a person fails to display his concealed handgun permit when requested by a law enforcement officer.
• House Bill 375 would prohibit localities from adopting any workplace rule that prevents an employee from storing a lawfully possessed firearm and ammunition in his locked motor vehicle. The firearm must be in a secured container or compartment in the vehicle.
• House Bill 940 repeals Virginia’s handgun rationing which prohibits the purchase of more than one handgun in a thirty-day period.

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

Virginia Citizens Defense League

Covington VA --(Ammoland.com)- Yesterday the Senate Courts of Justice Committee heard a bunch of gun bills and some important ones, like the repeal of One Handgun a Month and repeal of Fingerprinting for CHP applicants, passed out of committee.

Unfortunately, a few bad bills passed out, too, and a few good bills were moved to next year:

• SB 4, Senator Stuart, Castle Doctrine – Passed out of committee by 8 to 7!
• SB 64, Senator Stanley, Castle Doctrine – Rolled into SB 4, above.
• SB 67, Senator Stanley, removes option for localities to fingerprint first time CHP applicants – Passed out of committee by 8 to 6!
• SB 224, Senator Herring, makes it easier to disarm someone for LIFE who is convicted of MISDEMEANOR domestic violence – Passed out of committee. We will have to kill this bill on the Floor.
• SB 323, Senator Carrico, repeals One Handgun a Month – Passed out of committee by 8 to 6!
• SB 324, Senator Carrico, state agency preemption – Carried over to next year
• SB 379, Senator McEachin, makes private firearm sales illegal – passed by for the day.
• SB 429, Senator Ruff, streamlines the Virginia form used for purchasing firearms – passed by for the day.
• SB 554, Senator Favola, disarms someone with an emergency protection order without due process – Passed out of committee 9 to 6. We will have to kill this bill on the Floor.
• SB 563, Senator Ruff, cleans up some minor issues in the concealed weapon code – Passed by for the day.
• SB 612, Senator Black, moves long gun to the federal NICS system from the Virginia Instant Check system to improve the amount of time needed to run background checks – Carried over to next year.
• SB 648, Senator McEachin, adds yet another penalty to a gun owner who is in possession of a gun while intoxicated – passed by for the day
• SB 670, Senator Garrett, removes option for localities to fingerprint first time CHP applicants – Rolled into HB 67, above

7 GUN BILLS TO BE HEARD TODAY, Thursday, JANUARY 26!

Thursday, January 26, at 5 PM in the 4th Floor West Conference Room in the General Assembly, the House Militia, Police, and Public Safety subcommittee #1 is going to hear several gun bills and I will be there to speak on them. If you can make it to the committee hearing to show support (and put on a “Guns Save Lives” sticker), that would be great!

• HB 20, Delegate Wilt, protects the right of citizens to carry and transport firearms during a declared emergency (VCDL Strongly Supports)
• HB 22, Delegate Cole, requires localities to try to sell guns they are in possession of instead of just destroying them (VCDL Strongly Supports)
• HB 26, Delegate Cole, provides a $25 civil fine for failure to produce a CHP if demanded by a law enforcement officer (VCDL Strongly Supports)
• HB 364, Delegate McClellan, perennial “gun show loophole” bill (VCDL Strongly Opposes)
• HB 375, Delegate Pogge, allows local government employees to be able to store their guns in their personal vehicles while at work (VCDL Strongly Supports)
• HB 458, Delegate BaCote, allows localities to ban guns in libraries (VCDL Strongly Opposes)
• HB 940, Delegate Lingamfelter, repeals Virginia’s One Handgun a Month law (VCDL Strongly Supports)

URGENT ACTION ITEMS!
Here are a bunch of automatic emails that you need to send ASAP in support of key bills that are on the move. Click on the link below each bill to send a message (that you can customize if you wish) to your Delegate. The system figures out who your legislator is based on your address and zip code.

HOUSE BILLS

• Support for pro-gun bills (above), HB 20, HB 22, HB 26, HB 940: http://tinyurl.com/6mhstjr
• Support for pro-gun bill to allow employees of localities to store guns in their private vehicles while at work: http://tinyurl.com/78z6qor
• Opposition to anti-gun bills (above), HB 364 and HB 458: http://tinyurl.com/7bh2fgg

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

Gun Rights Policies with John Snyder

Arlington, VA - Republicans must choose a fighter to face Obama in the debates and in the election.

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

Scott L. Bach | Good NRA Leadership

AmmoLand Gun News

Manasquan, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Freedom rest on our shoulders — let’s stand proud and defend it together”‘ says three term NRA Board member Scott Bach. “If all we have left to muster is sheer force of will and bold intention, we will always find a way to defend freedom – always.”

These words embody the spirit of a tenacious Second Amendment activist, who has devoted more than a decade to defending gun rights both nationally and on the “front lines” of the Northeast – where politicians who control government are hostile to firearms freedoms.

As president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs for the past six years, and more recently as its first executive director, Bach has defeated numerous gun bans against near-impossible odds in a State House controlled by anti-gunners.

Bach has used the courts to advance Second Amendment rights, suing the State of New Jersey twice to overturn unconstitutional handgun laws, and held various agencies and municipalities accountable for infringing our freedoms.

Bach has championed Right to Carry and is credited with improving carry laws in several states. He also became a bear hunt advocate after a confrontation with a black bear near his home and he helped to reinstate New Jersey’s hunt after a 30-year ban.

An attorney licensed in four states, Bach served more than 12 years in law enforcement, archiving the rank of axillary captain in a large municipal police department. He also served as a U.S. congressional staff member and in special programs for a U.S. Court of Appeals judge and the U.S. Attorney’s office.

At NRA, Bach serves on the Executive Committee as vice chair of the Public Affairs Committee and on the Legislative Policy Committee. He is and avid shooter and makes regular media appearances.

• View Scott Bach NRA Election flyer here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/79255295/Scott-Bach-NRA-Election-Flyer-2012
• Hat Tip to American Rifleman for the Bio: www.americanrifleman.org/
• Scott Bach’s website http://www.bachbio.com/

NRA Election Profiles and compiled yearly by AmmoLand Shooting Sports News to help educate and introduce Board Member Canidates to AmmoLand readers and influence the NRA Board make up.

Top Threats To Gun Rights In 2012 & It May Be You

Buckeye Firearms Foundation

Ohio --(Ammoland.com)- Every January, Buckeye Firearms Association identifies the top 10 threats to our gun rights for the upcoming twelve months.

Historically, the list includes an ever changing line up of anti-gun personalities including the likes of Sarah Brady, Toby Hoover and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

One of the people included on the list more times than any other, however, is the apathetic and uninformed gun owner.

Few individual threats pose more danger to the right to bear arms than the self-proclaimed gun-rights advocate who doesn’t support the latest pro-gun reform, or who refuses to take their business elsewhere when a company discriminates against gun owners.

During 2011, the anti-gun gun owner was front and center during the debate over allowing legal concealed carry in places that serve alcohol. Despite the fact that the reforms proposed in SB17 were already law in every state that surrounds Ohio, the mainstream media didn’t have any trouble getting self-proclaimed die-hard gun owners to claim allowing legal concealed carry in bars was a crazy idea.

In many cases, the offending gun owner opened their anti-gun statement to the media by claiming to be an ardent supporter of gun rights, and often used their membership in the National Rifle Association as proof. Few things sound sweeter to the anti-gun establishment media than hearing someone with ties to the NRA, or another gun rights group, who then claims to oppose the latest pro-gun reform.

Just to be clear, that isn’t an indictment of the NRA, or any other gun group. Instead, it is an indictment of the individual gun owner who is willing to be a mouthpiece for gun-control.

Since 2012 is a presidential election year, the ability of the mainstream media to misrepresent members of the gun community as supporters of President Barack Obama has serious implications. If President Obama returns to the White House, he will be free to pursue anti-gun policies without fear of alienating the electorate, and he is likely to claim a mandate to attack the right to bear arms.

A mandate he will claim demands the appointment of another anti-gun activist judge to the United States Supreme Court.

Such a viewpoint wins President Obama and his campaign staff a spot on the 2012 list.

In the last 10 years, the anti-gun lobby has failed to win a single vote in Congress, or in the Ohio legislature. So, putting the likes of Toby Hoover, or anyone else connected to the Ohio anti-gun lobby on the list is a waste of time. After all, before we can call her a threat to gun-rights, she has to become relevant.

The same holds true for anti-gun Ohio legislators like Bill Patmon (D-10), who is so blinded by a hatred of guns that he is willing to use falsified statistics, misquotes and fabrications as a means to push his misguided agenda. Sadly, it appears only like-minded anti-gun zealots, his legislative staff and mainstream media sycophants fail to see just how impotent Representative Patmon appears to everyone else when espousing one transparently false statistic after another.

His best anti-gun effort remains one of the pro-gun community’s best assets. We can only hope nobody lets Representative Patmon in on the joke.

That means for 2012, we are left with only two true threats to our gun rights:

• Number TWO: President Barack Obama and his campaign staff – Everyone expects him to aggressively pursue an anti-gun agenda if elected to a second term as president. So, it is vital to the pro-gun community that every possible effort is made to see that he fails to win reelection.
• Number ONE: The Apathetic, Misinformed, or Anti-gun Gun Owner – A united pro-gun community can easily defeat President Barack Obama, just as a unified gun community defeated former Democratic Presidential candidates Al Gore and John Kerry (D-MA). Sadly, there were just enough gun voters tricked by Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign that he was able to carry Ohio and therefore win the presidency.

A situation that can’t be allowed to repeat itself in 2012.

Gerard Valentino, a former military intelligence analyst, is a member of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation Board of Directors and the author of “The Valentino Chronicles – Observations of a Middle Class Conservative,” available through the Buckeye Firearms Association store.

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

Arizona Citizens Defense League

Catalina, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- To see legislation that AzCDL is monitoring, visit our Bill Tracking (http://www.azcdl.org/html/bill_tracking.html) page.

As bills appear on this page, we will add our position (i.e., support or oppose), along with other relevant information. This page is updated daily.

Legislators have until February 6, 2012 to file their bills so many are still busy drafting legislation that affects your liberty. Meanwhile a few pro-rights bills have been scheduled for hearings next week.

• SB 1077 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate National Resources and Transportation Committee on Monday, January 23, 2012. This bill would specifically exempt from the state lands trespass statute the “lawful possession or discharge of a firearm while hunting, while target shooting, in self-defense or in defense of another.”
• HB 2095 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Government Committee on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. This is AzCDL-requested legislation that would limit the restrictions that a Home Owner Association (HOA) can place on firearms.
• HJR 2001 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, January 25, 2012. This resolution opposes the use of an international force on American soil that seeks to enforce any United States treaty that has not been ratified by the United States Senate.

AzCDL representatives will be monitoring these committee hearings and testifying if necessary. At this stage, we do not foresee any problems or a need to send emails to committee members.

However if you would like to contact your legislator about these, or any other bills, our Legislative Action Center is available for your use. Go to http://capwiz.com/azcdl/home , click on your State Senator or Representative, then click on the “contact” tab and compose a message. If this is your first visit to our Action Center, you will need to provide your location to help you identify your elected officials.

Stay tuned! When critical legislation moves, we will notify you via these Alerts.

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL , and during the legislative session, we’ll send out updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .

AzCDL’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization: http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html .

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html .

About:
AzCDL believes that the emphasis of gun laws should be on criminal misuse and that law-abiding citizens should be able to own and carry firearms unaffected by unnecessary laws or regulations. AzCDL was founded by a group of local activists who recognized that a sustained, coordinated, statewide effort was critical to protecting and expanding the rights of law-abiding gun owners. As a like-minded coalition of activists, the AzCDL founders were instrumental in the successful passage of the first major improvement to Arizona’s CCW (concealed carry) laws since they were instituted in 1994. Visit: www.azcdl.org

NRA News

Fairfax, VA --(Ammoland.com)- NRA-News is a valued partner that continues to cover breaking gun rights news with a new and improved short video format in the “NRA News Minute” videos.

To view the current firearms or gun rights news video, please click above:

“You look around here, and it’s a reflection of the support of the American public for the Second Amendment, this whole industry and the freedoms that we care about,” NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre at the SHOT Show.

However, he warns that the record-breaking support for the event must carry over into political participation: “2012 is probably the most dangerous election for the Second Amendment in our lifetime,” he says, “this year could break the back of the Second Amendment as an individual right in this country if we don’t work to save it.”

Read More on these topics:

* Trigger the Vote
* Election Volunteer Coordinator

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate 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 military. Visit: www.nra.org

Texas State Rifle Association

Houston, Tx --(Ammoland.com)- Texas is still twiddling its collective political thumbs while waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court to make some kind of decision on how to proceed with Redistricting and the Texas Primary Elections.

You’ll recall that a primary election is needed when several candidates representing one political party file for the same office.

For the purposes of the primary election only, a Texas voter will identify himself as a Democrat, Republican, or other will vote in that Political Party’s Primary only. That’s not the case for the Fall General Election where it’s open season for crossing party lines.

For the time being, we have at least one Texas House member who hopes to be a candidate for the Texas Senate but isn’t certain that he’s eligible based on where he lives and the outcome of the line-drawing chaos. If he can’t run for the Texas Senate, he will likely run for his “old” House seat where he will likely be paired with another pro-gun incumbent.

How do we make endorsements, how do candidates contact constituents and set up campaign headquarters and print materials, etc?

No, not every Congressional, Texas House, and Texas Senate district has this problem only the ones where people live. Seriously, if you live in a growth area, count on not knowing who’s running for what.

At this writing the Supremes may make a temporary decision to again push the primary election out to a still later date. It is generally held in March, now moved to April 3rd, and one scenario moves it to June. By the way, June is when the major political parties in Texas hold their state conventions and select delegates for their national conventions. That won’t work!

Gathering Info for the Voters’ Guide
For now, TSRA-PAC is grading candidate questionnaires for state races returned by non-incumbent candidates and issuing candidate rating letters. Incumbent candidates are also returning questionnaires and many are receiving endorsement letters.

Grading state candidates is a long-shared process between the NRA and TSRA and based on an up to date, confidential

questionnaire tailored to Second Amendment, gun ownership, self defense, concealed carry, and hunting issues only. A letter grade is published for the major party candidates several weeks before either the primary election or the general election. All we consider are the answers to the questions for new candidates but we take pro-gun legislative history into consideration for all incumbents. Heroics earn an A+, simple as that.

The Legislator must successfully “carry our water” or deliver a crucial committee vote, etc. to earn the coveted and rare A+ rating.

Give to the PAC and Come to Annual Meeting
Give generously to TSRA-PAC. These funds are reported to the Texas Ethics Commission and can only be used for campaign and candidate purposes. It’s time!

Finally, it’s TSRA Annual Members’ Meeting time and it’s being held again in Mesquite at the Hampton Inn and Suites, 1700 Rodeo, Mesquite. Below is a live link which allows you to make a hotel reservation at the negotiated convention rate.

Texas State Rifle Association 2012 Convention Hotel Reservations
Think about buying a ticket and arriving Friday night for the TSRA Foundation Banquet and Auction. Then on Saturday, you’ll want to reserve your place at the Key-Note Speaker’s Luncheon. We are honored to have Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst as our guest speaker. A decade of pro-gun bills could not have passed without this powerful and tireless friend.

Also, on Saturday, you’ll want to reserve your place at the Annual Awards Banquet. TSRA-PAC always presents an award, called the Doc Brown Legislator of the Year Award. For the first time in TSRA history, we need two Doc Brown Awards.

Among the honorees will be Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) for his patience and work in passing what may be the gold-standard in range protection legislation bar-none; and this is not Senator Estes’ first help to gun owners. Estes passed past efforts include hunting rights for the handicapped and removing a long-standing barrier that prevented Texas from purchasing a rifle or shotgun beyond the states contiguous to Texas. Thank you, Senator Eses.

Then my State Representative Tim Kleinschmidt contributed the final push to SB 321; and the Employer Parking Lot finally passed. You might recall that the author of SB 321, Senator Glenn Hegar received his Doc Brown Award at past meetings. The Texas Senate passed this issue three times before the House could get’er done. Kleinschmidt brought the bill to the House floor, finally.

There will be many other award winners including many youth competitive shooting awards, our future is linked as always to theirs.

So the Awards Banquet is a party for jobs well done by a great many people and worth your time to buy a ticket and stay over.

Of course, there’s the gun show to keep you from being too board in between.

Upgrade, renew, or sign-up for TSRA membership at www.tsra.com and check www.tsrapac.com occasionally for up dated Texas campaign information.

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

Arizona Citizens Defense League

Catalina, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- This is the end of the first week of the 2012 Arizona Legislative session.

Legislators have about a month to introduce their bills.

As this was being written, over 900 bills, resolutions, and memorials have already been filed. We sift through every bill to find proposed legislation that affects your right to bear arms.

To see legislation that AzCDL is monitoring, visit our Bill Tracking (http://www.azcdl.org/html/bill_tracking.html) page. As bills appear on this page, we will add our position (i.e., support or oppose), along with other relevant information. This page is updated daily.

After filing, all bills go through procedural reviews and votes. From there the Leadership in their respective chamber (House and Senate) decides which bills to assign to committees for further review. Once assigned, the chairman of that committee decides which bills will be heard before the deadline to vote on bills in their respective committees.

For good bills to thrive and survive in this environment, legislators need to be reminded that the citizens being affected by what they do are watching, and have an opinion on how they should vote. When legislators need to hear from you, we will send out an “Alert” and provide information on the bills that need your action, along with a link to a letter waiting for you to email from our Action Center (http://azcdl.capwiz.com/azcdl/home/) .

You don’t have to wait for one of our Alerts. If you would like to contact your legislator on any bill in the current session, you are welcome to use AzCDL’s Action Center: http://azcdl.capwiz.com/azcdl/issues/bills/ .

Stay tuned!

You can also follow AzCDL on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDL , and during the legislative session, we’ll send out updates via Twitter: http://twitter.com/AzCDL_Alerts .

AzCDL’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is also on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/FacebookAzCDLPAC .

About:
AzCDL believes that the emphasis of gun laws should be on criminal misuse and that law-abiding citizens should be able to own and carry firearms unaffected by unnecessary laws or regulations. AzCDL was founded by a group of local activists who recognized that a sustained, coordinated, statewide effort was critical to protecting and expanding the rights of law-abiding gun owners. As a like-minded coalition of activists, the AzCDL founders were instrumental in the successful passage of the first major improvement to Arizona’s CCW (concealed carry) laws since they were instituted in 1994. Visit: www.azcdl.org

Open Letter to NFOA & Nebraskans Seeking Support for Prosecutorial Carry

Nebraska Firearms Owners Association

Omaha, NE --(Ammoland.com)- President Allen and Members of the NFOA Board:

My name is Matthew Mellor, and I am a Deputy County Attorney for Seward County, Nebraska. I am writing to you to request that the NFOA lend its support to LB 802 in this current legislative session.

I proposed the language that would later become LB 802, and I am thankful to Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh for agreeing to introduce it as one of his bills. In general, LB 802 would allow prosecutors in Nebraska to carry a concealed handgun in places where such action is currently prohibited. LB 802 limits a prosecutor’s carrying in such “gun-free zones” to the fulfillment of his or her responsibilities of employment. In short, this bill would allow prosecutors to protect themselves while working to put criminals behind bars. As a prosecutor, I know that people in this line of work are sometimes the subject of very serious threats, and among other things, this bill is intended to address those threats.

I have been following the discussion of LB 802 on the NFOA’s online forum, and as I expected, there is some resistance to the bill because it is creating an exception for a specific group of people. I understand the “if I can’t carry in those places, why should someone else be able to” line of thinking, but I don’t subscribe to it. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that everyone has the right to defend themselves, regardless of where they may be. The type of building they happen to be in shouldn’t matter. I do, however, know that the legislative process isn’t that clear-cut.

I am familiar with the legislative process, and there is a bit of logic to bills such as LB 802. While the ultimate goal for me and probably the NFOA, as well, would be for Constitutional Carry to become a reality in Nebraska, I know that changes to the law don’t come all at once. It took years and years of activity in the Legislature before Sen. Combs was finally able to get the Concealed Handgun Permit Act (CHPA) passed back in 2006, and it’s going to take a significant amount of time before we get to Constitutional Carry in this state.

LB 802, while being an immediate benefit to prosecutors, would also serve as a benefit to the greater concealed carry community, as one poster on the forum rightly noted. This bill is an opportunity to get the proverbial foot in the door that may one day lead to Constitutional Carry, or at least a more relaxed permit system. Sen. Lautenbaugh likely agreed to carry this bill because he thought it would not be that difficult to make an exception for prosecutors based on the nature of their work, as long as such exception was limited to their employment.

It is my position that LB 802 is merely a first step toward a more relaxed permit system, or even Constitutional Carry. Logic would hold that once more and more exceptions to the current CHPA are enacted, there will be fewer restrictions and we may get to see Constitutional Carry in Nebraska. LB 802 and bills that will be introduced in the future slowly erode the restrictions of the CHPA, and will be a benefit to all concealed handgun permit holders.

I appreciate your consideration of LB 802, and again, I ask for the NFOA to support this important legislation.

Mission -
Nebraska Firearms Owners Association (NFOA) is organized for the purpose of voicing the opinion of its membership to the Nebraska Legislature and other law making bodies within the state as well as Federal level, as it pertains to firearms. NFOA members will also make it a priority to educate residents on firearms related issues.
On the web: www.NebraskaFirearms.org or email: AAllen@NebraskaFirearms.org for more information.

Nebraska Firearms Owners Association

Omaha, NE --(Ammoland.com)- Well it’s that time again and the Legislative session is in full swing.

Since this is a short session and things are moving so fast, I am going to break the announcement of Legislative Bills into two groups to send out for your information.

This week we will be letting you know about bills introduced during the first five days of session, and the balance should be coming next week.

We are also going to try something new this year. In order to get your view on the position your NFOA should take on the bills, we have a survey linked.

Please take a moment and let us know what position you’d like the NFOA to take on these important pieces of legislation.

Introduced Legislation

• LB785, Christensen, Authorize possession of firearms as prescribed
  Allows persons with a Concealed Carry Permit to have their firearm in their car on the property of their employer. Further, it creates a civil penalty for employers who fire an employee for legally having a firearm in their vehicle on company property. It also provides liability protections for an employer who has an employee with a firearm stored in their vehicle on company property.
  
• LB796, Avery, Adopt the Outdoor Outfitters and Guides Registration Act
  Creates a registration for Outfitters and Guides with a licensing fee of $100 and requires liability insurance.
  
• LB802, Lautenbaugh, Authorize carrying of concealed handguns by certain authorities within the scope of their employment
  Allows District Attorneys, County Attorneys, the Attorney General, their assistants, and investigators with a Concealed Carry Permit to carry in places that other Concealed Carry Permit holders cannot; when doing so for work purposes. The individual is responsible for the costs of their Concealed Carry Permit and training.
  
• LB804, Lautenbaugh, Change provisions relating to justification for use of force
  Sets presumption that someone who forcibly enters your home or vehicle is there to do you bodily harm, and places protections from civil liabilities in cases of self defense.
  
• LB807, Lautenbaugh, Change Concealed Handgun Permit Act application provisions
  Clarifies that only individuals who have been criminally convicted of a drug- or firearm-related crime would be disqualified from receiving a Nebraska concealed carry permit. Hearing is scheduled for January 19th.
  
• LB919, Schilz, Change court fees, sheriff’s fees, and handgun certificate fees
  Among other fee changes, it raises the cost of a Handgun Purchase Certificate to $10.00, an increase of $5.00. From testimony in the past the average cost to the Sheriffs Dept. for doing this runs between $12 and $15 depending upon the county.
  
• LB920, McGill, Change harassment protection order and domestic abuse protection order provisions
  Makes it so persons under a protective order cannot purchase firearms, also removes automatic hearing for a protective order.
  
• LB928, Louden, Provide for mountain lion hunting permits
  Allows the Nebraska Game and Parks Department to set a hunting season for mountain lions and provide for hunting permits.

Mission -
Nebraska Firearms Owners Association (NFOA) is organized for the purpose of voicing the opinion of its membership to the Nebraska Legislature and other law making bodies within the state as well as Federal level, as it pertains to firearms. NFOA members will also make it a priority to educate residents on firearms related issues.
On the web: www.NebraskaFirearms.org or email: AAllen@NebraskaFirearms.org for more information.

Orrin Hatch Fighting Two Pro-gun Challengers in Re-Election Efforts

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC --(Ammoland.com)- Two pro-gun conservatives recently announced they were running against Utah Senator Orrin Hatch.

This is welcome news for gun owners. In a Senate career that has lasted more than thirty five years, Hatch has not been a particularly good friend of the Second Amendment.

During negotiations over the 1986 McClure-Volkmer Firearms Owners Protection Act – designed to protect gun owners from abuses of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms -- Hatch sat at the negotiating table next to officials of the ATF and argued against the pro-gun positions of Sen. Jim McClure.

Though a senior member of the Senate, Hatch did nothing to block camels-nose legislation slammed through by Republican leader Bob Dole in the late 1980s to regulate armor-piercing bullets and outlaw non-existent “plastic guns.”

As ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1993-4, Hatch refused to filibuster the Brady Law, even though it would have been possible to kill it.

He supported the 1996 Lautenberg amendment to impose a lifetime gun ban on people guilty of “domestic misdemeanors” – a term so amorphous that it could apply to spanking your kid or engaging in a verbal argument.

In the wake of the Columbine shooting, Hatch voted for amendments which would have effectively banned gun shows, made it more difficult to keep a loaded gun in your home for self-defense, and codified the Bush-era semi-auto import ban.

This package of legislation was stopped in a conference committee only after Hatch and others were pummeled relentlessly by tens of thousands of GOA activists.

In 2007, Hatch supported the Veterans Disarmament Act—which could strip the Second Amendment rights of honorably discharged veterans who seek professional counseling following traumatic wartime experiences.

Over the following two years, while GOA was working with pro-gun Senators to repeal the gun ban in national parks, Hatch voted against repeal before voting for it in 2009.

Last year, Hatch opposed an amendment offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to exempt gun buyer information from the Obama administration’s virtually unlimited ability to seize “business records” under the reauthorization of post-9/11 legislation.

Sen. Hatch hasn’t exactly stood up to the Obama administration, either. He voted in favor of regulatory “czar” Cass Sunstein, who favors a ban on hunting and who would grant animals legal protections in court.

And, despite repeated pleas from GOA members, he voted to confirm Eric Holder as Attorney General. In addition to being mired in the Fast and Furious scandal, Holder was the point man on gun control for President Bill Clinton and is a vocal supporter of banning many semiautomatic firearms.

Thankfully, Orrin Hatch is facing a serious challenge in this year’s Republican convention.

Former State Senator Dan Liljenquist is a stalwart pro-gun conservative who understands the dangers of compromising with the likes of President Obama.

And State Rep. Chris Herrod also jumped in the race because, he said, “we don’t have much time to fix our challenges” as a nation. Both Herrod and Liljenquist are “A” rated on gun rights issues.

The candidates will face off in the state Republican convention in April. If no candidate receives more than 60 percent of the delegate votes, the top two vote-getters will run in a June primary.

Gun Owners of America welcomes the challenge to a Senator with a long history of compromising on Second Amendment rights.

About:
Gun Owners of America (GOA) is a non-profit lobbying organization formed in 1975 to preserve and defend the Second Amendment rights of gun owners. GOA sees firearms ownership as a freedom issue. `The only no comprise gun lobby in Washington’ – Ron Paul

Presidential Candidate's Record On Guns Guide

National Association for Gun Rights

Colorado -–(Ammoland.com)-  With the South Carolina, Florida and Nevada Presidential nominating contests soon upon us, I wanted to give you a quick update on the NAGR Presidential Survey program.

As you know, NAGR has mailed every candidate for President an official NAGR Gun Rights Survey.

Ron Paul is the only remaining Republican candidate who has returned his survey 100% in favor of gun rights.

Over the last few weeks and months, I’ve asked you to call the campaigns of Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry to demand that each candidate return their gun rights survey 100% in favor of the Second Amendment.

Believe me, your calls worked. Representatives from each of those campaigns called NAGR offices, demanded we instruct our members and supporters to stop calling and to send them a survey.

Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry were hurt severely in Iowa because they stonewalled gun owners by refusing to return their surveys, and I think the longer that Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney ignore gun owners, the more it will hurt them as well.

Each candidate has the NAGR Presidential Survey in hand. However, we didn’t stop the calls, and we won’t. Each of the remaining candidates needs to know that gun owners have a powerful voice and we will assume that silence is a sign that they are hiding an anti-gun position.

I have serious concerns about Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Perry. It’s their records that worry me.

Let me take a minute or two right now to remind you about the positions of the four Presidential candidates who have so far refused to return their National Association for Gun Rights Presidential Survey.

Mitt Romney:
So far Mitt Romney has refused to respond to his NAGR gun rights survey, perhaps because when Mitt Romney was Governor of ultra-liberal Massachusetts he signed a bill to ban an entire class of firearms.

Would he do the same thing – or even worse – as President of the United States? His record indicates that he would.

Mitt Romney supports the Brady Registration Act, mandatory 5-day waiting periods, mandatory firearms ID cards, the Federal Feinstein Gun Ban (so-called “assault weapons ban”) and he signed the Massachusetts Semi-Auto Ban in 2004.

He even went as far as to say that he supported Massachusetts’ tough anti-gun laws: “We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them… I won’t chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety.”

And to throw fuel on top of Mitt Romney’s anti-gun fire, he received the endorsement of John McCain this week, who himself has recorded promotional commercials for anti-gun groups hell-bent on restricting our Second Amendment rights.

Rick Santorum:
If you’ve watched any of the Presidential debates, you’ve noticed that Rick Santorum claims time and again to be a “fighter” who has “led on conservative issues.”

Rick Santorum’s record on the Second Amendment, however, tells a different story.

In the 90s, he voted to support the Lautenberg Gun Ban, which stripped law-abiding gun owners of their Second Amendment rights for life, simply because they spanked their children or did nothing more than grab a spouses wrist.

He voted for a bill in 1999 disguised as an attempt to increase penalties on drug traffickers with guns… but it also included a provision to require federal background checks at gun shows.

In 2000, Santorum voted to force pawn shops to require a background check on anyone coming into the store to sell a firearm.

And then he voted with gun-controlling Democrats Dianne Fienstein and Frank Lautenberg to mandate locks on handguns in 2005.

But worst of all, Rick Santorum has a storied history of bailing out anti-gun Republicans facing reelection.

Rick Santorum came to anti-gun Arlen Specter’s defense in 2004 when he was down in the polls against pro-gun Republican Pat Toomey. Specter won and continued to push for gun control during his years in the Senate.

He also supported and openly campaigned for anti-gun New Jersey governor, Christine Todd Whitman.

It certainly appears that Rick Santorum has no regrets about his past anti-gun record. Worse, it appears he’d be happy to continue along this path as President.

Newt Gingrich:
For those who have followed Newt Gingrich’s career, the revelation that he talks out of both sides of his mouth won’t be a surprise.

Despite claiming to be pro-gun, Newt Gingrich’s reign as Speaker was downright hostile to our Second Amendment rights.

Newt supports the Brady National Gun Registry, a national biometric thumbprint database for gun purchasers, the Lautenberg Gun Ban and the “Criminal Safezones Act.”

Newt doesn’t think the Brady Instant Gun Registry goes far enough — he wants thumbprints:

“I think we prefer to go to instant check on an immediate basis and try to accelerate implementing instant checks so that you could literally check by thumbprint… Instant check is a much better system than the Brady process.” — June 27, 1997

Gingrich may claim to be pro-gun . . .

But his record indicates otherwise, and his refusal to answer his NAGR survey should give any Second Amendment supporter cause for concern.

Rick Perry:
Texas Governor Rick Perry has received an earful from NAGR members over the past several months for refusing to return his Candidate Survey.

His strategy seems to be to tell gun owners “trust me” while keeping completely silent on what he would do about our gun rights if elected President.

Over the years, gun owners have learned that this is a failed strategy.

George H.W. Bush ran as a pro-gun candidate for President in 1988, but when elected, things changed.

First, he signed an Executive Order banning the importation of so-called “assault weapons.”

Not only that, but it was under President Bush that “Operation Triggerlock,” which dramatically increased funding and power for the BATFE, was implemented.

Of course, as Governor of Texas, Rick Perry did make some minor improvements in state law for gun owners.

It is, however, one thing to act pro-gun as Governor of a state like Texas and quite another to be a pro-gun President of the United States.

Please keep up the pressure on these four Presidential candidates who continue to stonewall gun owners.

Give each campaign a call and demand the candidates return their National Association for Gun Rights Presidential Survey — at once:

• Mitt Romney: 803-575-0698
• Rick Santorum: 603-518-5199
• Newt Gingrich: 678-973-2306
• Rick Perry: 855-887-5627

You and I know that we have the most anti-gun President in the history of our country right now in the Oval Office . . .

. . . but perhaps even more dangerous would be a Republican with a proven anti-gun history cutting backroom, anti-gun deals.

About:
The National Association for Gun Rights is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose citizens’ organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Constitutionally protected right-to-keep-and-bear-arms through an aggressive program designed to mobilize public opposition to anti-gun legislation. The National Association for Gun Rights’ mailing address is P.O 7002, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. They can be contacted toll-free at 1-877-405-4570. Its web address is www.NationalGunRights.org

Editorial Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed above do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, AmmoLand Shooting Sports News, or other sponsors and partners. See the Editorial-Review Process for more details.

Iowa Firearms Coalition

Iowa --(Ammoland.com)- Today is a big day in Iowa!

Participating in the caucus is just as important as exercising your right to vote.

This is an opportunity for you, as a responsible Second Amendment supporter, to help protect and advance our rights here in Iowa by submitting a plank that will help pave the way to an enumerated right to keep and bear arms amendment to the Iowa Constitution.

IFC and NRA are asking you to step up and help us in a big way. Visit our website for access to our 2012 Caucus Package page and help us add this plank to the party platforms that is extremely important for Second Amendment rights in Iowa.

We’ve also released our 2012 Legislative Agenda.  When you go to the caucus to submit the plank supporting an enumerated right to keep and bear arms in our state Constitution, be sure to take copies of our legislative agenda to distribute to your pro-Second Amendment neighbors.

While you will often hear local media sources boasting of Iowa’s progressive actions on various political topics, it can’t be overlooked that Iowa is terribly behind the curve when it comes to recognizing Second Amendment and self-defense rights.

Iowa Firearms Coalition, your Iowa-based NRA Affiliate Organization, has garnered support from numerous other organizations in our efforts to move Iowa the right direction on Second Amendment initiatives. Iowa State Rifle and Pistol Association, Iowa Sportsmen’s Federation and IFC Affiliate, the Iowa Chapter of Safari Club International have all offered their support of our agenda.

Lastly, be sure to utilize our Action Center and send a message to your legislators to let them know you support our issues. Our success in Iowa is predicated on members like you forwarding this e-mail on to fellow Second Amendment supporters who will also be willing take the quick minute or two to click on this link and follow the simple instructions to communicate our goals.

Our legislators are listening and the more e-mails and messages that they receive the more likely they are to give serious consideration to the issues.

Thanks again for your support of Second Amendment issues! Your willingness to take an active part in the process is the most important piece to solving the problems we face.

About Iowa Firearms Coalition:
The mission of the Iowa Firearms Coalition is to be THE firearms rights organization in Iowa, representing Second Amendment concerns for all firearms owners in the state. We will staunchly defend the rights of hunters and sportsmen as well as the rights of all Iowans to defend themselves and their loved ones. We seek to partner with other like-minded organizations to increase our effectiveness in accomplishing these goals. Visit: www.iowafc.org

Chuck Norris

Dallas, TX - -(Ammoland.com)- Whom should we nominate to represent the GOP in a fight against President Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election?

I believe the name of the candidate that fills the majority of the answers in the following 10 questions (in no particular order of importance) deserves your vote.

Based upon the GOP candidates’ character and track records:

10) Who is most committed to follow and lead by the U.S. Constitution?

It’s one thing to take the presidential oath of office, but who has the strongest track record of citing and standing by the Constitution?

James Madison, America’s fourth president and regarded as the “Father of the Constitution,” explained: “The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.”

Strictly following the Constitution includes restoring the 10th Amendment balance of power to our states and shifting solutions away from an “only government” savior (to which Obama committed early in his presidency) to encouraging local communities, agencies and neighborhoods across our nation to rally together, strategize and resurrect the golden rule in caring for their own, just as it was done in America’s heyday.

9) Who has the greatest ability to rally, unify and mobilize citizens across political and societal spectrums?

Everything rises or falls on leadership, and it’s the quintessential necessity in our next president because of the increasing political and social divisions (including class warfare) across our land and around our world.

I believe our country was duped to interpret our current president’s charisma as leadership ability. Pitting political parties and polarizing social classes against one another isn’t leadership. America’s woes have been exacerbated by Obama’s inexperience and lack of executive leadership, and our world also is suffering from it.

More than ever, we need a new president who has a proven track record to rally a team of Washington rivals, as well as a diversified American public and world. As I’ve written extensively in a previous article, I firmly believe that the candidate who extends a public invitation to all his GOP rivals to be a part of the same administration (to fight together) could start a chain reaction leading to his nomination and election.

Who has the best working comprehension of America?

John Adams, America’s second president, said, “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.”

I believe a mastery of American history and politics is a must for any president, for it is a record of how others have led the country since its founding. The degree to which one comprehends America’s ebbs and flows parallels one’s proficiency to lead.

As the adage goes, if one doesn’t know history, he is doomed to repeat its mistakes.

Knowledge of other nations is essential, too, as it will determine how the next president moves America’s chess pieces on a global scale.

7) Who has the best ability to influence a volatile world away from the brink of destruction?

These are dangerous times. Mexican cartels are clashing at our borders. Global terrorists have taken their jihad to the borderless Internet. China has become the new superpower. Global markets are bouncing up and down. The Arab Spring has sprung unrest across the Middle East. Syria is in utter turmoil. Egypt, Libya and now North Korea have unclear futures. Iran is determined to add nuclear energy to its arsenal, heightening its strained relations with the West. America is still in a war with extremists in Afghanistan. We’re also in a new warless battle to quell violent uprisings back in Iraq.

Now is not the time for a political novice, wimp or sheepish patriot in the Oval Office. More than ever, we need a profoundly wise person like Thomas Jefferson, who moved along a flailing new republic while maneuvering a war with Tripoli, or like Ronald Reagan, who was savvy and tough enough to build up the economy while toppling the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall.

6) Who has clear and present moral fortitude?

For our Founding Fathers, moral fortitude was dependent upon the liberties of religion, not the laws of men. Samuel Adams was correct when he wrote in a 1749 essay, “Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”

Temptations are abundant when power is combined with position, and none is greater than the presidency. That is why it is mandatory that the next occupant of the White House demonstrate a life mastery over himself and the wiles of evil and corruption.

That doesn’t mean the next president must be perfect, but he must be a moral model and have the ability to admit faults and learn from mistakes.

I believe what George Washington said: “A good moral character is the first essential in a man.” But I also believe this Washington quote: “We must take human nature as we find it. Perfection falls not to the share of mortals.”

Character is a pre-eminent qualification for leadership, but we must never penalize one’s past in such a way that prevents him from progressing forward into a forgiven and fruitful future; lest we forget, some of the greatest national leaders in human history, such as King David of Israel, committed heinous acts of immorality.

Indeed, the real dilemma for many regarding this race for the GOP nomination is discerning whether to choose the unblemished and relatively inexperienced youthful shepherd in the field or the veteran of war who battled Goliath long ago but slung mud on his own face when doing so.

Next week, I will discuss the remaining five questions, including the critical economic ones.

Until then, for further study of where each GOP candidate stands on these and other critical issues, check out the Family Research Council’s voter guide.

COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK NORRIS

About Chuck Norris:Action hero and Second Amendment activist, Chuck Norris is one of the most enduringly popular actors in the world. He has starred in more than 20 major motion pictures. His television series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which completed its run in April 2001 after eight full seasons, is the most successful Saturday night series on CBS since “Gunsmoke.”In 2006, he added the title of columnist to his illustrious list of credits with the launch of his popular Internet column. Now Chuck is a regular contributor to AmmoLand, click the following link to See more of Chuck Norris on AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.

WGO on the institutional gun lobby .

Wisconsin Gun Owners

Wisconsin --(Ammoland.com)- Q: I’m already a member of the NRA. Why should I join WGO?
A: WGO is a state-based lobbying organization, meaning your support stays in Wisconsin, where gun legislation is decided. So instead of paying some Washington, D.C. executive’s six-figure salary, your donation is used to fund a grassroots fight in your own backyard — here in Wisconsin — where it makes a real difference.

Q: I’ve read that WGO is a “no-compromise” gun rights organization. I’ve always believed we shouldn’t compromise our inalienable rights, but doesn’t the ‘political reality’ dictate we must compromise?
A: The political reality is what you make it. Just ask the homosexual movement, whose numbers nationally are estimated by the Family Research Council to be around 2-3% of the population, who have successfully rammed their agenda into virtually every facet of public policy making. They understand that Politics is the art of confrontation, not compromise. What is often described as a “compromise” in the context of politics is rarely ever a true compromise by definition. Instead of both sides bringing something to the table to give up, anti-gunners initiate a confrontation by making outrageous demands. They then back off and demand less than they originally wanted, claiming they are being “reasonable.” Labeled a “compromise,” this strategic back-step is gladly accepted by establishment republicans and the institutional gun lobbies. But anti-gunners gave up nothing in the equation, it was only a net loss for gun owners — it was a trap. The ‘political reality’ is that “compromising” is the worst possible strategy and a proven recipe for political failure. For a graphic illustration of these concepts, visit our Political Cartoons page. Also visit NRAWOL to see more examples.

Q: I belong to several other state gun organizations, and they say our republican legislators are doing a great job defending our gun rights. Why are you so critical?
A: State politicians are doing a lousy job defending the Second Amendment. In the 2005-06 session, for example, republicans held a majority in both state houses. Instead of introducing a clean concealed carry bill, they introduced one loaded with gun control. This, they claimed, was the ‘political reality’ required to appease anti-gunners into voting for an override of Governor Jim Doyle’s veto. But anti-gunners know their own game and can’t be appeased. Thus, the move back-fired and divided gun owners (some gun owners don’t support gun control). Preemptive surrender fell flat on its face, just as WGO predicted. The reason you never heard this story, is because most state gun groups are led by untrained volunteers who understand only access politics. If they told you the truth, they’d lose access to their politicians. Some don’t know the truth and have been kept in the dark. Similarly, in the 2011-2012 session: This time we had republicans in control of both houses and a republican governor. Yet nary a peep was heard from anti-gunners because republicans surrendered the fight on Constitutional Carry before it began and rammed through a “compromise” bill instead.

Q: But lobbyists have to have access to politicians, don’t they?
A: Lobbyists need access to good legislators. However, it’s not the job of lobbyists to represent the views of bad legislators to their members, it’s the job of lobbyists to represent the views of members to bad politicians. The leaders of most organizations wind up working for politicians. Habitual cronyism feeds off itself and pretty soon the gun group defends the legislator at all costs … even when that politician is ramming gun control into law! In sharp contrast, WGO works for gun owners, not politicians.

Q: Okay, so other gun groups are sucking up to lousy legislators. But without the few ‘pro-gun’ legislators we have, we’d lose everything!
A: No, you’re already losing everything — incrementally. When bad legislators cut gun control deals with the left, many gun groups reward these politicians for their bad behavior. This results in more gun control. If your dog piddles on the rug, and you give him a treat and say ‘Good boy!’ he’ll keep piddling on your rug. WGO does not reward bad behavior. The reason establishment organizations tow the party line and resist getting crossways with legislators is simple: Money. It’s easier for them to raise more funds by telling everyone what they think they want to hear.

Q: Is WGO a professional lobbying organization?
A:  Volunteers are an important part of any battle, but wars are not won by armies led by volunteers. That’s the job of Generals. Those who are working against gun rights in Wisconsin are professional organizations, dedicated full-time to trashing your firearm freedoms. Founded in 2003, Wisconsin Gun Owners, Inc. is a 501(c)4, Tax-Exempt non-profit organization. WGO is registered with the State of Wisconsin as a non-stock corporation (non-profit), and registered lobbying organization with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. In addition, WGO has a highly-trained staff and network of consultants specializing in political strategy. WGO is independent of — but often works in concert with — groups like Gun Owners of America (GOA), National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) and Campaign for Liberty (C4L). While WGO is not legally affiliated with these groups, you’ll often find our organizations fighting a unified battle to defend your right to keep and bear arms in Wisconsin.

Q: How does WGO use my membership donation?
A:  The primary focus of WGO is grassroots lobbying. This entails a sophisticated communications program — direct mail, online and print petitions, post card campaigns, phone bank operations, on-the-ground literature dissemination, member mobilization and communications with legislators and the press. Your contribution will be used to fund all of these important initiatives. At any time you can see where WGO stands on the issues, and how much money has been expended towards these efforts, via the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board by visiting our lobbying page.

About:
WGO works for grassroots gun owners, not politicians. While many gun lobbies fight for “reasonable gun control,” WGO sets a higher standard: Defining the terrain of pro-gun political battle. Sure, many groups claim they’re “pro-gun” – all the while they provide cover for anti-gun deals cut by politicians – but only WGO truly informs gun owners, remaining committed to a 100% pro-gun position. We oppose all gun control – regardless of the political party – and work tirelessly to restore the Second Amendment. Visit www.wisconsingunowners.org