Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC – The anti-gun health care issue may very well be decided this weekend. Even if you have already called, faxed or e-mailed your congressman, it is imperative that you do so one last time. Please see contact information and suggested letter and talking points below.

This is gun owners’ last shot (so to speak) at saving the country from the worst piece of legislation that we’ve seen in years.

Make no mistake about it: The pivotal vote in the House will be – directly or indirectly – on whether to adopt the corrupt and discredited Senate ObamaCare bill verbatim. And the votes are being corralled by Obama and Pelosi through a new round of bribes, threats, and corruption.

Consider what has been implanted in the bill which will be voted on in the House this week.

1. Restrictions upon gun owners. The Senate-passed version would allow the ATF to troll your confidential medical records in order to take guns away from potentially tens of millions of Americans. The “individual mandate” (in Sections 1501 and 1502) will make it impossible for you to keep private, medical information out of the government-controlled medical database that was created in last year’s stimulus bill.

2. Bribes, bribes, bribes. The bill your Representative will be voting on still contains virtually all of the bribes that made the Senate version such a disgusting spectacle. This includes:

• Mary Landrieu’s $300,000,000 “Louisiana Purchase;”
• A broadened version of the nauseating “Cornhusker Kickback” to get Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson’s vote;
• The roughly $10 BILLION (with a “b”) bribe to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for clinics which could well be run by ACORN and Planned Parenthood;
• The $100 million Connecticut “Hospital Handout” bribe to corrupt Senator Chris Dodd; and
• The $300 million Libby, Montana, asbestos bribe.

3. Unconstitutional mandates. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill to be voted on this week would increase the cost of private insurance by 10-13% over what it would be if Congress did nothing — and require, under penalty of imprisonment, that you buy it.

4. Corrupt procedures. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) plan to ram this bill through the Congress and onto the President’s desk using cheat schemes called “reconciliation” and “self-executing rules.” This is nothing other than a slimy attempt to ignore the will of the people, who according to the latest polls, overwhelmingly oppose this legislation:

• Under “reconciliation,” any language qualifying for special Senate procedures had to have been reported out of committee by October 15, 2009. As of March 15, 2010, the language was still not available, even though the House Budget Committee voted to approve the non-existent draft.
• Under the Senate rules, these special procedures can be used only to reduce the deficit. Once you discount the accounting tricks and fraud that Reid and Pelosi are employing, ObamaCare would INCREASE the deficit by half a trillion dollars over the first ten years.
• Despite Obama’s lies, “reconciliation” has never been used for non-budgetary issues which do not reduce the deficit.
• Now, House Rules Committee Chairman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) is proposing a plan (which has been approved by Pelosi) to “deem” ObamaCare passed without having the House vote on it. Read more about this plan at http://tinyurl.com/yk7s5a4 .

According to news reports, the phones are ringing off the hook on Capitol Hill. Estimates as to how close Pelosi is to delivering the votes vary widely. But Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), who opposes the bill on grounds that it would allow for taxpayer funding of abortions, says he thinks Pelosi is about 16 votes away.

Please take action now!
WHERE DOES YOUR REPRESENTATIVE STAND ON HEALTH CARE? You can go to two URLs to get the latest updates on where your Representative stands. Please see:

• http://tinyurl.com/ya3oulz
• http://tinyurl.com/y99ccy7

CONTACT INFO:

Phone: toll-free at 877-762-8762 or 800-965-4701; or call the regular number at 202-225-3121

E-mail: Visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send a pre-written message to your Representative.

—– Pre-written letter and talking points —–

Dear Representative:

I am writing you with one final plea to vote against the Senate’s corrupt and bribe-laden ObamaCare bill.

Despite the fact that the Senate tried to allay gun owners’ concerns, the Senate bill would still allow the ATF to troll the confidential medical records in order to take guns away from potentially tens of millions of Americans. This is because the “individual mandate” in Sections 1501 and 1502 of the Senate-passed bill would make it impossible for people to keep private, medical information out of the government-controlled medical database that was created by the stimulus bill.

The process that put together this Senate bill has been marked with bribes (such as the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase, etc.), by unconstitutional mandates and by corrupt procedures. As to corruption, any rules vote on your part which “deems” ObamaCare as passed will be held in the greatest contempt by your constituents.

You represent my state, not the “state of Nancy Pelosi.” Americans overwhelmingly oppose this legislation. Please — please listen to your constituents and vote against ObamaCare.

Sincerely,
———————————————

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

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CBO Number’s In On Anti-gun ObamaCare House Vote On For This Weekend

Outdoors Magazine

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- PETA, the organization known for publicity stunts, is at it again. This time it is in the wake of rumors that an Ocean Task Force established by the Obama Administration could threaten recreational fishing.

While there was almost an immediate response from the White House stating that was not the intention, this didn’t stop PETA from jumping on the band wagon.

In an interview with Fox News, Ryan Huling, a PETA spokesman, stated that fish suffer “the same as cats and dogs, and that if we wouldn’t put a hook through a dog’s mouth, we shouldn’t put one through a fish’s mouth.” Click above to see the complete video.

At Outdoors Magazine, we want to know your opinion on the issue. Visit our facebook page to leave a comment. If we like it, we may use it in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

For more information, sponsorship opportunities, and expanded article descriptions, visit www.outdoorsmagazine.net.

About:
Each month Outdoors Magazine shines its spotlight on different areas of the outdoors world. Features and sub-features are multiple page spreads written by select experts in their fields. In addition to features and sub-features, each month Outdoors Magazine has over 40 columns written by real guides, industry experts, and the best in their fields. Our staff are die-hards who take the time out of their lives hunting and fishing to write.

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PETA At It Again

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

OLYMPIA, Wa --(AmmoLand.com)-  The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will accept public comments on proposed changes to this year’s hunting regulations and special-hunt permit drawings during a meeting here March 12-13.

The commission, which sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), also will consider initial comments on proposed new rules designed to address property damage and other public concerns related to wildlife.

The public meeting in Olympia will start at 8:30 p.m. both days in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E. An agenda for the meeting, along with WDFW’s proposals on these issues, is available on the commission’s website. (See http://bit.ly/a9Uqdg ).

“The new hunting rules proposed for the upcoming season reflect changes in state game populations since the current three-year hunting plan was adopted last year, said Dave Ware, WDFW game manager. The proposed hunting rules include a combination of new conservation measures and hunting opportunities for species such as deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, black bear, cougar and small game.”

In addition, WDFW is proposing changes in the way random drawings are conducted for special-hunt permits, which provide additional hunting options beyond those authorized by a general hunting license.

Public hearings on special-hunt permits and hunting rules proposed by WDFW are scheduled March 13, the second day of the commission’s meeting in Olympia. The commission is expected to take action on both proposals at a meeting set April 9-10 in Leavenworth.

Also at the meeting March 12-13 in Olympia, the commission will:

• Accept public comments on a new initiative proposed by WDFW to address property damage and reduce other conflicts between wildlife and humans.
• Consider extending the current fishery allocation policy for Columbia River summer chinook salmon by one year.
• Receive a briefing on 2010 salmon forecasts, conservation needs and fishing opportunities.
• Consider approval of land transactions proposed by WDFW in Pierce, Kitsap and Okanogan counties.

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Public Hearings Planned On Proposed Hunting Rules, Special-Permit Process

Dudley Brown & Congressman Paul Broun

National Association for Gun Rights

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Last week, National Association for Gun Rights Director of Operations Luke O’Dell and I were in Washington D.C. for a series of meetings with Congressional leaders.

I know I don’t need to tell you that the anti-gun lobby and their willing accomplices in Congress and the media are scheming to infringe upon our gun rights.

Despite the backroom dealings and the anti-gun maneuvering going on in Washington, the gun rights cause is not without hope.

I’m happy to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised by the tenacity and gumption of many of the pro-gun members of Congress and their staff.

Both in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate we have a very smart, capable band of pro-gunners who are dedicated to advancing and protecting the right to keep and bear arms.

I was particularly pleased to meet with Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA).

Congressmen Broun has been a strong supporter of the National Association for Gun Rights. I was proud to discuss some of the important work he has helped us with.

While we have many, many battles facing us, including the looming U.N Small Arms “treaty” and a multitude of back-door attempts to pass a national gun registry and to disarm conservative activists as “domestic terrorists”, I know that we will be able to count on the leadership of people like Congressman Broun to help fight these important battles.

On a personal note, Congressman Broun’s support for gun rights isn’t just a Constitutional issue; he’s an avid hunter and gun owner himself.

Luke and I were impressed by the collection of mounted trophy game in his office, including an Alaskan Brown Bear.

(Left - Right) Congressman Paul Broun, Luke O'Dell, Dudley Brown

This weekend, if you have a spare moment, feel free to drop Congressmen Broun a line, here. Thank him for his leadership on behalf of our gun rights and his continued support of the National Association for Gun Rights.

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Pro-Gun leaders in Washington

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- A leaked memo from the U.S. Department of the Interior reveals plans to set aside millions of acres of federal lands, currently open to a multitude of users, as new “National Monuments.” Basically, these designations could be established by a stroke of President Obama’s pen with no oversight.

The memo identifies approximately 13 million acres in nine western states for “National Monument” designation under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The Act allows the President to make these designations without Congressional approval or local input.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) is deeply concerned as prior Monument designations have caused trouble for hunters and wildlife conservation.

For example, President Carter created millions of acres of National Park Service Monuments in Alaska which immediately closed the areas to sport hunting. It took a subsequent act of Congress to undo many of these hunting closures. President Clinton also created Monuments at the end of his term. Wilderness activists have since blocked wildlife management projects in these areas arguing that conservation efforts are inconsistent with Monument purposes.

Monument designation does not automatically limit hunting or other uses, but experience has shown that this designation can have a negative impact on access and conservation efforts. USSA holds that any change in public land use should only occur after open discussion with stakeholders allowing them to voice their concerns, if any.

“President Obama campaigned on keeping government decisions transparent to the public and we ask that he honor that pledge by not making a decision on Monument designations without first hearing the opinion of America’s sportsmen and other concerned citizens,” said Rob Sexton, USSA vice president for government affairs. “The USSA will be watching closely and respond immediately if sportsmen and others are kept in the dark.”

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

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Leaked Obama Administration Document Could Spell Trouble for Sportsmen

FirearmsCoalition.org

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)-  Oral arguments in the Supreme Court case of McDonald v. Chicago were an interesting show on March 2.

Most of the Justices made their positions on applying the Second Amendment to the states – and what mechanism to use to do it – fairly clear from the outset. Most observers agree that the Court will declare that states must recognize a fundamental right to keep and bear arms.

A secondary issue in this case is not just whether the Second Amendment should apply to the states, but also how it should get there. The 14th Amendment was written and ratified specifically for the purpose of, among other things, clarifying who is a citizen of the US and to make the rights of US citizenship applicable and enforceable in the states.

That intent was thwarted however by a Supreme Court dominated by Justices with a strong state autonomy philosophy. In a ruling known as the Slaughterhouse cases, the Court interpreted, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States,” to be limited in scope to only such rights or privileges as were bestowed by the Constitution, not those which pre-existed and were merely reiterated in that document.

In the 140 years since that egregious decision no Court has been willing to reverse their esteemed predecessors and open the Pandora’s Box of “unenumerated rights”. mentioned in the Constitution. Instead they created a novel construct around another clause of the 14th which says, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” They have used this clause to somehow selectively “incorporate” virtually all of the Bill of Rights. Now they are poised to do the same with the Second Amendment.

This controversy leads to much speculation about how the Court will split on this question. Roberts and Scalia very clearly want to incorporate under Due Process.

Kennedy, Alito, and Thomas are likely to join them, but some of them could come out with a partial dissent favoring application of the right by means of the Privileges or Immunities clause rather than the Due Process clause of the 14th Amendment. Breyer, Ginsburg, and Sotomayor seemed resigned to the fact that incorporation is inevitable, but would clearly prefer to selectively apply some limited version of the Second Amendment with lots of room for restrictions. Stevens might be the lone holdout dissenting on the grounds that applying the Second Amendment in cities like Chicago will cost lives – as if guns are only used for crime.

After losing in the 7th Circuit and being granted a review by the SCOTUS, Alan Gura, attorney for Otis McDonald and the Second Amendment Foundation, decided to use the opportunity to try and restore the Privileges or Immunities clause to its proper place in constitutional law. Some didn’t like that idea and so the NRA elbowed their way into the case to have their attorney, former Solicitor General Paul Clement, argue for the more traditional Due Process incorporation.

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During the oral arguments Gura and James Feldman, Special Counsel for Chicago were both rigorously questioned, almost badgered, by the Justices to the point that neither ever got more than a few words out before being interrupted again. The contrast between this and how the Justices handled Clement, was simply startling. Clement was able to breeze through his talking points with only a few, very cordial interruptions for polite, agreeable questions.

It was very clear that the Justices – at least the vocal ones – were downright hostile to the idea of overturning Slaughterhouse and most were equally hostile to the idea of not applying the Second to the states. It was also clear that these justices were predisposed to buy what Clement was selling. That had to be tough on Gura. This was his case from the beginning and he was very unhappy when NRA forced their way in and took one third of his argument time. Then to have their lawyer come out the heroes of the day while Gura’s arguments remained largely unuttered… It had to be frustrating, especially since Gura was planning all along to include Due Process in his arguments.

Since Clement came in, Gura had little choice but to concentrate virtually all of his time on the Privileges or Immunities argument.

In the end, it doesn’t matter how the right to arms is applied to the states so long as it is applied. Of course, winning this case is only the beginning. There will be multiple lawsuits over many years costing millions of dollars, and still the citizens of Chicago will probably have a difficult – if not impossible – time acquiring and maintaining legal handguns for self-defense in their homes – much less out in the wilds of the city streets.

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

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Deciphering the Court Deciphering Your Rights

Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation

WASHINGTON, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation welcomed the sportsman-legislator champions of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus back to Washington last night at a reception honoring their commitment to hunting and fishing access in the 111th Congress.

The re-scheduled “Welcome” reception was originally scheduled for February 10 but had to be postponed until Tuesday because of the record snowfall in Washington, DC.

Over twenty members of the United States Congress joined together for this yearly gathering of hunting, fishing, and conservation leaders, policy makers, and industry representatives to celebrate the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus’ successes on behalf of sportsmen in the previous session of Congress and to focus on current legislative issues affecting hunters and anglers.

“For 20 years now, the combination of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and CSF have been at the forefront of pro-sportsmen’s legislation,” said CSF President Crane. “While the party in power may change, the true bipartisan nature of this Caucus insures that we never take our eye off of the sportsmen’s agenda.”

Past Caucus Co-Chair, Congressman Don Young, jokingly added, “hunting and fishing aren’t partisan pursuits—I’ve never met a partisan bullet.”

“It is really wonderful to gather with all these sportsmen leaders to discuss the ongoing issues that face our way of life,” said Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Dan Boren. “As an avid outdoorsman and a member of the Caucus, I recognize the importance of ensuring that the public has the fullest opportunity to enjoy and participate in sporting activities.”

Special guests included Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks and Chief of Staff to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and NASCAR racing legend and CSF Board Member Richard Childress, as well as many other leaders of the hunting, fishing and conservation community.

“We are extremely proud to work closely with members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, Jeff and his staff at CSF, and with sportsmen and women at large on issues that are important to us all,” said Assistant Secretary Strickland.

The 2010 Welcome Reception was hosted by Laser Shot and sponsored by American Farm Bureau Federation, American Trucking Association, Capitol Hill Consulting Group, ETA, National Beer Wholesalers Association, Natural Resource Results, NRA, Oracle, PAC/WEST, and Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, and featured the Laser Shot hunting simulator.

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Sportsmen’s Caucus Members Return To Washington Determined To Improve Hunting, Fishing and Conservation Opportunities

People Lining Up for McDonald v. Chicago

Gunlaws.com

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- This case was way more complicated than Heller.

Both attorneys faced hostility from the bench. Chicago’s lawyer got hit from all sides with little in the way of what you might call support. But the surprise was the way Alan Gura got blasted, even by the best friend gun-rights has up there, Justice Scalia.

Whoever or however we believed the Court might be ready to review the Privileges or Immunities clause of 14A was totally wrong. Every Justice had problems with the scope of such a decision, and poor Gura had to withstand withering assaults on his reasoning and approach.

I definitely need a transcript to go over what exactly happened, I thought audio was weak in chambers, complexity was way large, and in chatter afterwords found I wasn’t the only one.

How those aging Justices keep up — and they did, note for note, cite for cite — is a bloody miracle.

BOTTOM LINE
It looks like the Heller majority may hold together for this case, and the Second Amendment will be incorporated against the states, under the familiar selective incorporation of Due Process. The same 2A that controls federal activity will apply to the states, no more, no less, though that issue of degree got a lot of attention. Not that the scope of 2A is all the well defined, but there was animus to the idea that incorporation would yield a “shadow” version for the states.

Gura may get the win, but not for any brilliant strategic planning — there was open hostility to the idea, central to his arguments, of 2A being a Privilege or Immunity of citizenship (I’ll discuss soon). The win, if there is one, may be more of a result of the bench being unprepared to treat 2A as some special bastard child the states do not have to follow, unlike the rest of the Bill of Rights that has been incorporated so far.

And let me tell you, thank God for the NRA. They took a lot of heat for asking for and getting some of Gura’s oral argument time, using Paul Clement who had argued the government’s unsavory position for a low standard of scrutiny in Heller, getting their hat in the ring.

That turned out to be baloney, they were life savers. Considering the ferocity with which Gura and P&I were attacked, we were lucky to have at elegant, articulate, eloquent voice to apply 2A through Due Process. (Don’t get me wrong, Chicago fared just as poorly, but for different reasons.)

Clement’s arguments were so well made and so compelling, he got to speak at length without interruption, with the Justices in rapt attention. I asked him about that afterwords and he said yeah, it was really nice getting some “air time.”

There’s so much more to tell, the back-and-forth over substantive and procedural due process, and the – un-frickin-believable – lengthy consideration by the Justices of how much RKBA we’d enjoy if there was “no Second Amendment” (protected instead as a privilege or immunity), plus Breyer’s astounding hostility towards guns in general (”guns kill!”), and Stevens’ ‘parading around with guns’ concerns… it’ll have to be later (been on the go since 5:30 a.m), probably when I return to Phoenix, beginning of next week.

It was an honor and a thrill witnessing it all.

Supreme Court official website: http://www.supremecourtus.gov

Guns Saves Lives: Click If You Agree

Alan Korwin
Bloomfield Press
“We publish the gun laws.”
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
602-996-4020 Phone
602-494-0679 Fax
1-800-707-4020 Orders
http://www.gunlaws.com
alan@gunlaws.com
Call, write, fax or click for free full-color catalog

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Oral Arguments in Mcdonald V. Chicago Second Amendment Case Eyewitness Report

People Lining Up for McDonald v. Chicago

Gunlaws.com

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- I’m back in my hotel, having endured the weather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, anticipating oral arguments in McDonald v. Chicago in the a.m., the case that will decide the standing of our Second Amendment rights in the 50 states.

Well, people are lining up all right. Young people who can withstand it.

It’s bitter cold with a 20 MPH wind, but if you’ve decided to come here for the latest most seminal gun-rights case imaginable that’s not going to stop you.

At 5PM when I arrived (night before the oral argument) there were eight people awaiting seats for tomorrow’s McDonald v. Chicago 14th Amendment/Second Amendment case. By the time I left, with my feet too numb to feel, there were thirteen people trickled in, including a GW law-school student and her Mom who brought an air mattress and a comforter. When I cell-phoned some of the stalwarts later, before beginning this draft, I was told there were nearly 50 people there, including 15 or so high-school students who decided to rough it and see a landmark case at the Supreme Court.

Only 50 are guaranteed seats, so the window of opportunity is pratically closed. The Marshall’s office expected the crowd to develop in the a.m., looks like they’ll be SOOL.

Coulda been worse — for Heller, the line started TWO days ahead of time. This night-before stuff is child’s play. But it’s COOOOOLD.

As usual, the hale and hearty on line are more knowledgeable about this case than most of the public (and the media — Wash Post made their above-the-fold front-page story today a referendum on Justice Scalia, read like an unsavory biography (they don’t like the guy!), instead of the merits of the case; what facts Court reporter Robert Barnes did provide were out of whack, thin, misleading, pretty standard for that rag. Guess what they chose for an illustration — a picture of Chirs Broughton carrying his AR-15 at the Obama rally in Phoenix!! I kid you not. That makes sense, right? The Wash Compost’s idea of a gun image is a months old piece of discriminatory controversy, not something depicting basic human rights.

We had dynamic chats on the street about the premise of the case (the Post barely touched it), constitutional realities, the unknowns, the likely outcomes, the vote — Mike the blogger, incredibly knowledgable and with past cases at his fingertips with such detail and a tongue too fast even for me to follow, predicts a 9 -0 result — the Court will not overrule its Heller jurisprudence, and even hopelessly anti-gun-rights Ginsburg will forgo her hatred of 2A to reintstate 14A, or so he believes. Robert Cumberland flew in from California and is first in line — and he knows his stuff. This case affects him more than even Heller — that case set the groundwork, but this is the one that might actually force reinstatement of his abrogated rights, and he wants to be here to see it.

The carnival atmosphere is definitely lacking, there isn’t a single camera crew set up — at Heller there were dozens at this point, but no doubt there will be some tomorrow. Yet this case stands to have more net effect than Heller, it just doesn’t break ground in the same way. Dick Heller was out there after I left (phone tips from the folks I met, seven men and one woman), chatting up the crowd, enjoying his 15 years of fame, his nephew plans to be on line to see the proceedings, some guy named Robert is holding a place in line in the freezing cold for a party unnamed, at $20 an hour. Dan Schmutter, attorney for JPFO dropped by to see what’s up, this is definitely the hot ticket in town — all seats in Chambers are reserved, save for the precious few for the rabble (what we call the public).

Perhaps the most telling perspective came from a British theology professor visiting here, met in a bar on the frigid way home — he thinks the only rights you legitimately have are those the government gives you. You can have a gun if government “allows” it, with no ammo, locked in a locker, and this is freedom. If he was on the Court we’d be doomed. I’m not making this up.

Exhausted, need to pack, will observe tomorrow and provide my observations soon. Real soon.

Supreme Court official website: http://www.supremecourtus.gov

Guns Saves Lives: Click If You Agree

Alan Korwin
Bloomfield Press
“We publish the gun laws.”
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
602-996-4020 Phone
602-494-0679 Fax
1-800-707-4020 Orders
http://www.gunlaws.com
alan@gunlaws.com
Call, write, fax or click for free full-color catalog

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Mcdonald V. Chicago Second Amendment Case Eyewitness Report

FHFH.org

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Despite all the hotly contested issues facing our legislators these days, both the House and Senate found something that all could agree on…providing donated venison to the hungry is a good thing!

The good work being done by organizations like Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry in communities nationwide is definitely being noticed and making a difference in many lives.

Thanks for your continued interest in this important mission to feed the hungry!

U.S. Senate Resolution 374 - CLICK for more
Title: A resolution recognizing the cooperative efforts of hunters, sportsmen’s associations, meat processors, hunger relief organizations, and State wildlife, health, and food safety agencies to establish programs that provide game meat to feed the hungry.
Sponsor: Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. [AR]; Cosponsors (3)
Related Bills: H.RES.270
Latest Major Action: 12/18/2009 Passed/agreed to in Senate.

U.S. House Resolution 270 - CLICK for more
Title: Recognizing the establishment of Hunters for the Hungry programs across the United States and the contributions of those programs efforts to decrease hunger and help feed those in need.
Sponsor: Rep Gingrey, Phil [GA-11]; Cosponsors (43)
Related Bills: S.RES.374
Latest Major Action: 7/21/2009 Passed/agreed to in House.

About:
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) is an outreach ministry of the people of God called upon to feed venison to the hungry among us nationwide. Visit FHFH.org

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Congress Recognizes Efforts to Provide Venison for the Hungry

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The next chairman of a key house committee with oversight over federal funding for wildlife conservation has a long history of opposing hunting, trapping, and gun ownership.

U.S. Representative Jim Moran (D- VA) is expected to be named Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. This subcommittee oversees funding for the Department of Interior and its various agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This makes this chair one of the most powerful positions influencing public policy on federal lands including whether to keep such land open to sportsmen.

Rep. Moran has sponsored and cosponsored a number of anti-hunting and anti-trapping bills during his time in Congress. One of his most high profile battles against sportsmen was an effort to ban the use of bait to hunt black bears on federal land despite being considered a valid management option by wildlife professionals in numerous states. This effort earned him the support of the nation’s leading anti-hunting group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Further anti-hunting and anti-trapping bills supported by Rep. Moran during the current Congressional session include co-sponsorships of:

• HR 3710- which would prohibit the use of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System; and
• HR 2480- “Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009” which would enforce more restrictive labeling requirements on fur.

Rep. Moran’s anti efforts were not the only thing that earned him applause from HSUS. In February, 2009, he helped form the “Creature Caucus” in order to promote animal rights issues in Washington. The head of HSUS’ lobbying wing, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, gushed about this group at the time by saying, “We could not be more excited about this new organization of humane lawmakers.”

He has also supported anti-gun legislation earning himself the number four position on the NRA’s 2006 Top Anti-Gun representatives. He has supported bills such as “assault weapon” bans, prohibitions on transferring ammunition to juveniles, and mandates for additional background checks at gun shows. Rep. Moran also supported legislation requiring ballistics testing data from guns be kept in a national database.

Rep. Moran’s expected move is part of a domino effect of legislators shifting committee positions that began with the recent passing of Rep. John Murtha (D- PA).

“Sportsmen are right to be wary that an obvious anti is getting ready to control the gavel for a committee overseeing much of the nation’s conservation policy,” said Rob Sexton, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) vice president for government affairs. “The USSA is going to watch this committee like a hawk and be sure that sound science and sportsmen’s voices are not ignored.”

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Anti-Hunting Legislator Likely Head of Key House Committee for Sportsmen

Gunlaws.com

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)-  Are the 50 states required to obey the Second Amendment?

Or can they do whatever they want, with no obligation to respect our right to keep and bear arms?

That’s what’s at stake in the Chicago gun-ban case, McDonald v. City of Chicago, at the U.S. Supreme Court, where oral arguments will be heard this Tuesday, March 2, with a decision expected in June.

I’m hitting the road tomorrow (for two Texas conventions) and will be at the Court for eyewitness reports. The circus atmosphere does not appear to be in the air — yet this case could have more far-reaching consequences than the Heller case.

There’s no disagreement that when the Second Amendment and the Bill of Rights were ratified in 1791, they were designed to control the federal government only, not the states. Did the 14th Amendment change that?

The Colonists and the Founders were intensely afraid that a strong central government would eventually confiscate the rights cherished by early Americans — the very things that made America great and that have drawn people here like magnetism.

It was not a baseless fear, as we can see clearly from constant and growing federal usurpations of our rights and freedoms, with massive accumulations of power in Washington, D.C.

The First Amendment says it plainly: “CONGRESS shall make no law…” (emphasis added). The whole idea was to control the central government, not the states (which had their own protections and statements of rights).

The idea that the states should also be obligated to respect the fundamental rights in the national Bill of Rights didn’t arrive until 1868, with the 14th Amendment. And that was a result of the end of slavery – the former Confederate states did everything they could think of to deny virtually any rights to newly freed slaves – especially the right to keep and bear arms.

Congress, led by the northern states, declared that all Americans had rights and that, “…No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws…” (the key 52 words of the 14th Amendment’s 435 words, emphasis added). The historical record is emphatic in noting that the right to arms, especially for freedmen, was a prime mover in passing this amendment.

That language is clear, but here’s where it gets tricky, and the heart of the McDonald case. Passage of 14A didn’t automatically protect all citizens. What exactly are all the rights, privileges and immunities of the people? For reasons too complex to go into now, rights in the Bill of Rights have been applied to control the states, but only one at a time, by the U.S. Supreme Court.

There were two main ways to do this — the Privileges and Immunities clause (which protects only citizens), and the Due Process clause (which applies to “any person”). The Court has essentially abandoned the P&I clause, and relied mainly on Due Process.

A set of cases, combined into “The Slaughterhouse Cases” (look that up, it’s fascinating) pretty much gutted the Privileges and Immunities clause, by saying the only rights you have as an American are extremely narrow. The P&I clause has essentially been a dead letter since that case in 1873 — and this is why McDonald v. Chicago is seen as so critical — it could breathe life into the heart of the 14th Amendment. The Second Amendment is the subject matter, but the 14th Amendment is what’s at stake. OK, OK, they’re both at stake.

With a key chunk of the 14th essentially dead, the High Court has relied on Due Process to apply (legal eagles say “incorporate”) the Bill-of-Rights rights against the states. That’s why states can’t search and seize your property without a warrant (well, in theory at least — the states have usurped enormous powers too). The Due Process clause is why free speech cannot be denied by the states (again, only in theory — the abuses here are so great it’s the subject of my next book: Bomb Jokes At Airports — And 186 Other Things You’d Better Not Say).

So now we’re at the case in hand. Chicago has pretty much outlawed or severely infringed firearms rights for anyone in the city. All the city’s powers are basically derived from the state of Illinois. Does Chicago have legitimate power to outlaw your rights? It says yes.

Is Chicago obligated, under the 14th Amendment, to honor and respect your rights? It says no, it can do as it pleases and screw your rights, just like other abhorrent petty tyrants currently running loose without nooses in the United States. (FWIW, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey filed briefs supporting Chicago, a total of three arguing against RKBA rights.)

I say, along with a huge chunk of this great country, that the states should be as totally bound to protect and safeguard the rights you have as an American citizen as all government should be. (38 briefs were filed in defense of our rights, including one by 251 congressmen and 58 senators). I go a bit further and say the bigots who have been denying and repressing your rights all this time belong in prison, but we’re not likely to go that far. This time.

People who know about these things believe it is most likely that, if the High Court decides the states are obligated to honor the Second Amendment (and by implication, the entire rest of the Bill of Rights) they will apply the Due Process clause to justify their reasoning. That’s how it’s always been done, that’s the most safe and precedent-ready route, and that’s the best argument to press. Or is it?

Hopes are huge and the Court has subtly signaled that it is ready to finally breathe life into the P&I clause, and that has become the dominant argument for the petitioners (McDonald, et al.) and their attorneys, led by Alan Gura. The Court has all it needs to go the Due Process route, why not give it the encouragement it needs, seems to want, to rebirth P&I.

And here’s where it gets really interesting. McDonald v. Chicago is seen as the best opportunity in more than a century to fix the harm done by Slaughterhouse. There is virtually unanimous consensus that Slaughterhouse was bad law, decided for bad reasons, and that it needs to be overturned. It has killed off a crucial part of a crucial constitutional amendment, and the times, and the Court, and the legal system are ready to set it right. It means upsetting a huge apple cart, but it’s time.

Even though the subject matter of McDonald is gun rights, and a positive decision will have enormous positive impact on everyone’s right to arms, many on the political left are supporting this case. Talk about strange bedfellows. They want that 14th Amendment restored because they see it as a linchpin for all sorts of possible “civil rights” they envision in the future. Think of every wacky demand the left makes, and then imagine these are “found,” one by one, to be civil rights the federal government can force the states to honor and protect.

Yes, we’re delighted that the states may be forced — by our friends the feds — to honor our right to keep arms and our right to bear arms. We can conveniently overlook and rationalize any concerns about federalism — the concept that states are sovereign and independent, and in many matters can decide on their own how their territories will be run. Force from federal mandates seems just fine to protect free speech or stop search-and-seizure abuse, or to protect RKBA. But how well that flies if it’s “newly discovered privileges and immunities” (polygamy? drugs? animal rights? affirmative action? debt? medicine? carbon neutrality? diversity? greenness? diet?) remains to be seen.

Those are far fetched and unlikely concerns, according to most people in the know. And the idea of losing the case, leaving states free to trample our precious right to arms, is just unthinkable. Giving up the best chance we’ve had in our history to right the wrongs of Slaughterhouse is not an easy option to consider. But the NRA, with laser aim on reinstating the rights of Chicagoans, has stepped into the fray, and asked for and received part of the tiny argument time (30 minutes) Alan Gura has before the Court.

The NRA has retained Paul Clement, the former solicitor general whose experience before the Court is unrivaled (and who wrote the pro-rights brief signed by 58% of the U.S. Congress for this case). The NRA wants to make sure the Due Process arguments are firmly made, since Mr. Gura has chosen the somewhat riskier focus on the Privileges and Immunities clause (though both camps make arguments for both approaches). The NRA’s request for time, unusual but not unheard of, was definitely a fly in the ointment, but an ointment they felt needed a stir and examination.

To be sure, many of the friend-of-the-court amicus briefs filed in this case brought up and documented well the value, need and reasons to re-establish the P&I clause — but it would break very new ground. So the NRA’s position is not out in left field — they are recognizing and making the more traditional case based Due Process. It’s a double-barreled approach for success. which is a good thing. Probably. You never know when the Supreme Court gets its hands on an issue.

The most dangerous game may be the side note about Chicago’s gun-registration scheme. If you can have a gun there at all it must be re-registered every year, most guns simply cannot be registered, and if you miss your renewal date (and fee for every gun you own) the gun(s) becomes permanently unregisterable and contraband. Is that OK? The Court’s handling of this policy if they decide to touch it (and it seems they may have to based on the facts of the case), is fraught with danger for gun rights.

So there you have it.

In the amicus brief my company Bloomfield Press filed with lead attorney Chuck Michel and dozens of district attorneys, gun rights groups from Texas, Virginia and Arizona, sheriff Richard Mack who was behind the original Brady law case (which he won) and others, we mainly left the 14A arguments for others. Instead, we addressed some essential points that got far less attention.

Our brief establishes this crucial point: the Second Amendment protects an American right that is long standing, deeply rooted and truly fundamental, and therefore meets the tests for incorporation under the 14th Amendment.

We did this with five separate arguments, two of which were a direct result of the work I did with attorneys Dave Kopel and Stephen Halbrook on my 10th book, Supreme Court Gun Cases. We found 92 gun-related cases the Court had heard (starting in 1820) up to that time (2003) and they were uniformly consistent with an individual right to keep and bear arms. (By my count, the Court has actually heard 103 gun-related cases at this point. McDonald will be the 104th).

In 14 of these prior cases the Court repeatedly stated every basic tenet of self defense in effect today. The Heller case forced the modern-day judiciary to finally unambiguously recognize and accept self defense as a core reason and justification for the right to arms in the first place. The public already understood this well. We carefully documented which classic cases supported which aspects of self defense (innocence, reasonable belief, grounds for belief, actions not words, necessity, equal force, immediacy ends, retreat and chase, plus rightfully armed, mutual combat, wounding and withdrawal) to show how solidly grounded these rights and issues are in the High Court’s existing jurisprudence.

Supreme Court Gun Cases

The Heller Case: Gun Rights Affirmed! has the complete case that saved the Second Amendment, with 400 key quotes highlighted and plain English analysis, plus summaries of the first 96 gun cases the High Court has decided.
http://www.gunlaws.com/hc.htm

My next post is planned for the evening before the oral argument (I’m breaking my infrequent-posts rule, but you understand). I’ll be down at the courthouse to see the theatrics, though I’m not expecting much. The wind went out of those sails with the Heller case (and camping out in early March is a much tougher gig than in D.C. in October). Still, with both the left and the right focused on this seminal 14A hearing, well, I’ll let you know what I find. Fortunately, I’ll spend the night in my hotel.

P.S. In Heller, when we waited with bated breath for the bottom-line result we wanted to hear “Affirmed.” And we did. In this case, we’re rooting for “Reversed.” That means the lower court decision supporting Chicago’s gun-rights denial, which is being challenged here, is overturned.

The McDonald v. Chicago petitioners website, with background:
http://www.chicagoguncase.com

The amicus brief joined by Bloomfield Press:
BLOOMFIELD PRESS McDonald v. Chicago amicus curiae brief

Background on all Supreme Court Gun Cases:
http://www.gunlaws.com/supreme.htm

My initial summary and press release on the issues:
http://www.gunlaws.com/McDonald_v_Chicago_BP_Amicus.htm

Every amicus brief filed:
http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/feb2010.shtml#mcdonald

Supreme Court official website: http://www.supremecourtus.gov

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What’s At Stake In The Chicago Gun-Ban Case, McDonald v. Chicago

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- According to a recent poll, only 23% of the American people want Congress to pass the anti-gun ObamaCare bill.

And the President’s response to this? He believes Americans are just too stupid to understand what geniuses like him, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid are trying to do for us.

So what is Obama’s current plan?  Cheat.

ObamaCare is already the product of fraud, secrecy, bribery, and corruption. But Obama is preparing to ratchet up this corruption to a whole new level.

In 1974, Congress created a special process for balancing the budget. Senators could reduce the deficit with a simple 51 votes in the Senate, rather than getting the 60 needed votes to stop a filibuster.

Under the rules, this process — called “reconciliation” — can ONLY be used for balancing the budget.

To repeat, it cannot be used for anything other than reducing the deficit. By contrast, ObamaCare would INCREASE the deficit by at least $500 BILLION.

So what does Obama do (with the help of crooked accountants at the Congressional Budget Office)?  He lies.

He fraudulently pretends the anti-gun ObamaCare legislation would reduce the deficit. And he does this by hiding costs and pretending he’s going to make cuts he never intends to fully implement ($465 billion in Medicare cuts).

And he intends to use this fraud scheme to cram ObamaCare down the throats of the American people against their will.

Americans don’t want the increased taxes and gun control that have been injected into the bill. Remember, Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to claim his legislation fixed the problems that Gun Owners of America had with this legislation.

But in reality, the bill still allows the ATF to troll a health/gun database in order to take away firearms from tens of millions of Americans.

ACTION:

Please contact your two senators and your representative. Tell them that using the budget-balancing “reconciliation” process to pass ObamaCare is nothing but cheating.

You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send a pre-written message to your legislators.

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear

ObamaCare is already the product of fraud, secrecy, bribery, and corruption. But Obama is preparing to ratchet up this corruption to a whole new level.

In 1974, Congress created a special process for balancing the budget — with a simple 51 votes in the Senate, rather than the 60 needed to stop a filibuster. Under the rules, this process — called “reconciliation” — can ONLY be used for reducing the deficit.

To repeat, it cannot be used for anything other than reducing the deficit. By contrast, ObamaCare would INCREASE the deficit by at least $500 BILLION.

So what does Obama do (with the help of crooked congressional accountants at the Congressional Budget Office)? He lies. He fraudulently pretends ObamaCare would reduce the deficit. And he does this by hiding costs (the $247 billion “doc fix”) and pretending he’s going to make cuts he never intends to fully implement ($465 billion in Medicare cuts).

This “reconciliation” scheme is nothing more than a fraud on the American people, who, according to every recent poll, oppose ObamaCare by overwhelming majorities.

Understand this: I strongly object to this “cheat scheme.”

Majority Leader Harry Reid has tried to claim his legislation fixed the anti-gun problems in ObamaCare. But in reality, it will still allow the ATF to troll a health/gun database in order to take away firearms from tens of millions of Americans.

Please oppose the use of “reconciliation” to pass ObamaCare.

Sincerely,

——————————————————————————–

The Larry Pratt News Hour is carried by the Information Radio Network on Saturdays (rebroadcasts Sundays). The show is simulcast on the web at http://irnusaradio.com/ and previous episodes are archived at http://irnusaradio.com/our-programs/gunowners-news-hour with a number of listening formats, including podcasts, supported.

Recent guests and topics, among many others, have included:

• Dave Kopel — Aiming For Liberty
• Skip Coreyell — 2nd Amendment March Organizer
• Anita Moncrief — ACORN Whistleblower

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

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Obama Threatening to Pass Anti-gun Health Care by Cheating

National Association for Gun Rights

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- I’m sitting at a makeshift desk in my hotel room here in Washington, D.C., writing just as fast as I can type.

Earlier this afternoon, I delivered to Congress boxes upon boxes of the petitions good folks like you have sent back to the National Association for Gun Rights over these past few months.

My hope was, after delivering those petitions, I’d grab a bite to eat and catch up with some friends . . . or maybe see what the Jefferson Memorial looks like lit up at night.

But what I saw and heard today on Capital Hill left me scared stiff so I’m writing to urge you to take IMMEDIATE action.

You see, Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the rest of the anti-gun Democrat leadership in Congress have read the “tea leaves.”

They know the political winds are changing. They know more and more Americans from all over the country are getting FED UP.

But they’re not backing down.

Instead, they’re counting on “The Machine” — their pals in various left-wing groups across the country — to turn out the vote and make sure they hold on to their huge majorities in Congress this November.

Most liberal groups are falling in line. They’re more than happy with all the legislative goodies they’ve been given.

But with Sarah Brady and the rest of the gun-control crowd, it’s a different story.

They’re FURIOUS.

They’re screaming that they’ve been given NOTHING in return for putting anti-gun Democrats in power.

In fact, some gun control groups have even begun telling anti-gun politicians that they’ll sit out the November elections if they don’t see IMMEDIATE action on their agenda!

Believe me, that’s the last thing Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid want to hear.

That’s why you can be sure the Democrats in Congress will do EVERYTHING they can to ram every item on the gun-grabbers’ agenda into law, including:

• *** H.R. 2159, the Disarming American Citizens Act allowing anti-gun Attorney General Eric Holder to revoke the Second Amendment rights of ANY American he chooses based on pure “suspicion”;
• *** A new so-called “Assault Weapons” Ban, targeting ALL semi-automatic rifles and shotguns — which, unlike the Clinton ban, will NEVER expire;
• *** H.R. 45, the “Catch-All” Obama Gun Control Bill, which would create a national gun registry, require a two-day waiting period, hike taxes on gun sales, federally ban ALL private firearms sales, and FORCE you to take a written exam just to prove you’re “fit” to own a firearm;
• *** The U.N.’s so-called “Small Arms Treaty,” which would confiscate and destroy ALL “unauthorized” civilian firearms and set the stage for INTERNATIONAL gun confiscation. That’s why it’s vital you sign the SECOND AMENDMENT PLEDGE I’ve prepared for you IMMEDIATELY.

You see, considering the current balance of power in Washington, D.C., you and I are already going into these fights with our backs against the wall.

But to make matters worse, I’m afraid some Republicans in Congress I met with don’t have the stomach for an all-out fight.

In fact, I was asked point blank by a few Republicans what “sensible” gun control bill I’d be “ok with” as a compromise!

They explained how they wanted to “take the lead on the gun control issue” to keep from getting hammered in the press.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do.

But I couldn’t help but get MAD.

I said the only gun bills I’m “ok with” are those that RESTORE freedom — NOT those that take freedom away!

I said they were completely missing the boat! Haven’t they seen the Tea Parties?

Don’t they know just how ANGRY many Americans are at all the madness we’ve seen coming out of Washington, D.C.?

They just laughed and said all those Tea Parties they’ve been ignoring aren’t really about guns.

They said gun owners LIKE YOU “always vote Republican no matter what!”

Frankly, I’d like to believe these Republicans are just spineless — that they’re just cowards who crumble at the sight of Katie Couric or Keith Olbermann.

But it could be something more sinister.

You see, it’s no secret on Capital Hill the gun control crowd is frustrated with the Democrat Congressional Leadership.

I’m afraid these Republicans may just be scheming to take the LEAD on gun control in a misguided attempt to “grow the GOP tent!”

That’s why you and I must act NOW. There’s no time to waste.

Believe me, if you and I can mobilize enough Americans, not only will we PROVE to every Republican that we’re DEAD SERIOUS about our gun rights, but Democrats will get the message as well.

The fact is, there are numerous Democrat Congressmen and Senators representing swing districts and states.

I saw more than a few of their troubled faces when I delivered huge stacks of petitions earlier today.

They’re worried about making Second Amendment supporters angry — but they’re also worried about losing support from gun-control groups.

As you’ll see, I’ve provided the link to your personalized SECOND AMENDNMENT PLEDGE.

This SECOND AMENDMENT PLEDGE simply states that ANY Congressman or Senator who supports ANY gun control legislation in the current Congress deserves to be defeated this November REGARDLESS of political party.

So won’t you please sign your pledge immediately so I can distribute copies to your Congressman and Senators?

The fact is too many Congressmen and Senators are going to decide between voting with us or voting with Sarah Brady and the gun-control crowd based SOLELY on which side turns up the most heat.

So in addition to your signed SECOND AMENDMENT PLEDGE, I hope you’ll also make a generous contribution of $200, $100, $50, or $35 to help me create a grassroots firestorm.

From my hotel room tonight, I will finish working out every detail of a full-scale nationwide program using mail, e-mail, blogs — and if we can raise the additional resources — targeted radio, newspaper, and TV ads, as well.

I don’t care if it takes me all night. There’s too much at stake.

Of course, such a massive nationwide effort won’t be cheap — especially because everything is last minute.

But if we don’t act now, I’m afraid everything you and I have worked so hard to stop could be rammed into law.

I don’t know about you, but I can hardly stomach that thought.

So please sign your SECOND AMENDMENT PLEDGE at once.

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.

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Sarah Brady And The Rest Of The Gun-Control Crowd Are Furious

Second Amendment March

Delton MI - -(AmmoLand.com)- Today the Second Amendment March (SAM) publicly thanked the National Rifle Association (NRA) for its assistance in promoting the planed Second Amendment March through online announcements.

“This is a pivotal time not just for gun owners, but for the entire country. On behalf of the SAM, I wish to thank the NRA-ILA for agreeing to send out periodic reminders about the march to its members.” said Skip Coryell, founder of the march.

“We understand that NRA has a lot on its plate and we fully acknowledge the value this relationship presents. I hope it’s one which will blossom in the weeks and months to come.”

The NRA-ILA announcement can be found online here.

Coryell, a US Marine Corps veteran, invoked the memory of Benjamin Franklin when he indicated that gun rights activists must hang together in these turbulent times.

“We’re in a dangerous period right now in America, and it helps to have friends in high places,” said Coryell.

“The entire SAM Board Of Directors wishes to extend our sincere gratitude to NRA for stepping forward and taking a leadership position on this event.”

The Second Amendment March is a non-profit (501c4 pending) nonpartisan organization founded to petition our petition officials against establishing anti-gun legislation, regulations or other encroachments in the form of treaties, and to appeal for a reduction in anti-gun controls. Visit the Second Amendment March online at www.secondamendmentmarch.com for more information.

About:
The mission of the Second Amendment March is to galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense. Visit: www.secondamendmentmarch.com

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NRA Receives Heartfelt Thanks from Second Amendment March

Second Amendment March

Delton MI –-(AmmoLand.com)- We now have an RSVP form on our website that allows our supporters to let us know if they plan on attending their state march, the national march, or both.

This information will help us greatly in determining how many attendees to expect, additional resources that we may need to secure, and how many hotel rooms we should block off.

We have created the form to require only a minimal amount of information. However, the more information you provide to us, the better we can serve you.

Rest assured that we value your privacy, and this information will not be shared with ANYONE outside of the Second Amendment March organization or our event planning partner, One Step Promotions.

To RSVP now, please go to http://www.secondamendmentmarch.com/rsvp

About:
The mission of the Second Amendment March is to galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense. Visit: www.secondamendmentmarch.com

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Second Amendment March Attendees Please RSVP

National Rifle Association

Washington, D.C. --(AmmoLand.com)- There will be a Second Amendment March in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Attendees will gather on the northeast corner of the Washington Monument grounds at 10:00 a.m., and the entire event will take place there (due to logistics, the event will be more of a “rally” than an actual march).

The event is sponsored and coordinated by the organization “Second Amendment March,” whose stated mission is, “to galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense.”

Read more About The Second Amendment March

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.

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Second Amendment March On Washington Scheduled For April

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

WASHINGTON, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today lauded the creation of the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council, a new federal advisory committee that will advise the government on wildlife and hunting issues and work to sustain America’s hunting heritage into the future.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced formation of the council, which was officially launched this afternoon at a ceremony at Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial near Washington, D.C. In addition to TRCP staff, attendees included U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Sam D. Hamilton, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer.

In a memo from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the “scope and objective” of the new council are defined as providing “advice about wildlife and habitat conservation endeavors that (a) benefit recreational hunting; (b) benefit wildlife resources and (c) encourage partnership among the public, the sporting conservation community, the shooting and hunting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, the states, Native American tribes and the federal government.”

“The TRCP’s mission is founded in the desire by sportsmen to promote the conservation of fish and wildlife populations and their habitats as a means of securing our outdoor traditions,” said Tom Franklin, TRCP director of policy and government relations, “and we look forward to continuing to advocate for such policies governing the responsible management and use of our natural resources, on behalf of the nation’s sportsmen-conservationists, as the council commences this important work.”

Learn more about the TRCP’s goals and objectives as outlined in the TRCP 2010 Conservation Policy Agenda.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions
of hunting and fishing.

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Federal Council to Promote Hunting, Conservation Draws Praise From the TRCP

Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

WASHINGTON, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today announced the creation of the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council to promote and preserve America’s hunting heritage.

“Today sportsmen and women applaud both Secretary Salazar and Secretary Vilsack for providing us with a seat at the table through a formal advisory role on key issues of concern to hunter conservationists,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “Revenue generated from hunting licenses, duck stamps and excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment provides billions of dollars for habitat across the nation, and provides the principal source of funding for state wildlife agencies.”

The press conference and Charter signing was held at Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial in Washington, D.C, and was attended by many hunting, fishing and conservation organizations, including the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), who look to be a part of the new Federal Advisory Council on Wildlife Conservation and Hunting Issues. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzerwas also on hand to lend his support for the new advisory council.

“Theodore Roosevelt understood the vital role that hunting plays in American life, as well as the importance of protecting lands and wildlife to sustain that tradition,” said Secretary Salazar. “The early efforts of America’s hunters and anglers to preserve our nation’s wildlife heritage fueled the modern conservation movement and left us the natural bounty we are now entrusted with protecting.”

The new federal advisory provides a forum for sports men and women to advise the Federal government on policies related to wildlife and habitat conservation endeavors that (a) benefit recreational hunting; (b) benefit wildlife resources; and (c) encourage partnership among the public, the sporting conservation community, the shooting and hunting sports industry, wildlife conservation organizations, the States, Native American tribes, and the Federal government.

“Today’s conservation challenges demand that we all step forward and embrace the important work necessary to maintain and conserve the wildlife habitat and water resources that are so important to America’s hunting and angling heritage,” said Secretary Vilsack.

The new Council replaces the previously existing Sporting Conservation Council (SCC) by expanding membership to include the archery, hunting and shooting sports industries, as well as including broader representation from the nation’s major hunting organizations. Crane served as Vice Chairman of the SCC, and CSF Board Member, Bob Model, served as Chairman of the SCC.

A podcast of today’s announcement is available at: http://doi.gov/news/podcasts/

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Secretaries Salazar and Vilsack Announce Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council

Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- CSF President Jeff Crane met last week with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Under-Secretary Tom Strickland to discuss the National Park Service (NPS) ruling on use of lead based ammunition and fishing tackle in National Parks.

The Department of Interior (DOI) representatives stated that there is no consideration of extending the lead ban to private citizens and that the ban would only pertain to DOI employees who are held to a higher standard.

Jeff Crane suggested to the DOI representatives that additional consideration should be given to scientific studies that refute studies showing harmful effects of lead ammo and tackle that were used in forming the NPS policy.

Secretary Salazar reiterated his comments that the sportsmen’s community is vitally important in the formation of DOI policy and offered that the sportsmen have a seat at the DOI table.

About:
We can have the best wildlife habitat imaginable and a record number of people who buy fishing and hunting licenses, but it won’t matter if misguided laws and regulations are made at the federal and state levels that negatively impact our outdoor traditions. Keeping sportsmen’s issues front and center is what the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation does. Day in and day out, our sole focus is on providing a voice for sportsmen in the political arena. Serving as the first line of defense in protecting America’s outdoor traditions as well as promoting the sportsmen’s agenda through the collective muscle of sportsmen’s caucuses. Visit: www.sportsmenslink.org

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National Park Service Lead Ban

National Shooting Sports Foundation

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- According to the most recent Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Collection Report, released by the Department of the Treasury, firearm and ammunition manufacturers report excise tax obligations to be more than $115.8 million in the third calendar quarter of 2009, up 29 percent over the same time period reported in 2008.

The increase follows a 52 percent increase in excise tax obligations from the previous quarter (2Q, 2009) and more than a year of record-high FBI background checks for firearm purchasers — another strong indicator of firearm sales.

The report, which covers the time period of July 1 through Sept. 30, shows that $29.85 million was due in taxes for pistols and revolvers, $37.09 million for long guns and $48.89 million for ammunition.

Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Collection Up 29%

Compared to the same quarter in 2008, collections were up 50.2 percent for handguns, 33.4 percent for ammunition and 11.5 percent for long guns.

Encourage support for excise tax reform legislation:

It is important that members of the firearms and ammunition industry urge their senators and representatives to support S 632 and HR 510 — pro-conservation, pro-business, bipartisan legislation to bring equity to the excise tax payment schedule.

Learn more through NSSF’s Government Relations Web page.

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

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Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax Collection Up 29%

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- The President’s FY 2011 budget request of $1.6 billion for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will focus funding on the agency’s highest priority conservation initiatives, while containing costs through management efficiencies and other savings to address government fiscal realities.

Among the top strategic investments are increases of $18.8 million for Climate Change Adaptation and $4 million for work to review planned renewable energy development to ensure they do not place threatened or endangered species at risk, as well as an additional $15.8 million for ecosystem restoration and $20 million for Federal land acquisition.

The budget focuses on key ecosystems threatened by pollution, water shortages and habitat destruction through the Treasured Landscapes Initiative, and includes an additional $2.5 million to fund conservation jobs for youth through the Youth in Natural Resources Initiative. An additional $1.23 billion would be made available through permanent appropriations, most of which will go directly to states for fish and wildlife restoration and conservation efforts.

“This budget request recognizes the need to make difficult choices in challenging economic times, while providing substantial increases to address the unparalleled threat posed by climate change to our nation’s fish and wildlife resources,” said Sam Hamilton, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The strategic investments this budget makes will allow us to continue to work with our partners to build the capacity we need to tackle climate change and other future challenges. Our request also recognizes the need to protect significant ecosystems across the nation and to facilitate the responsible development of renewable energy resources.”

The following is a brief summary of the Service’s FY 2011 request:

Climate Change Adaptation Initiative: The budget request provides for an increase of $18.8 million for climate change, including $8.8 million for Climate Change Planning and Adaptive Science Capacity. The budget will build on the new Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), partner-based centers for biological planning and conservation design. By the end of FY 2010, nine LCCs will be established. In FY 2011, three additional LCCs will be established with $3.8 million of the requested increase for climate change planning, thereby enabling the Service to increase the total to 12 LCCs. These 12 LCCs will cover more than half the country. To support pressing scientific needs, $5.0 million dollars in additional funding is requested to provide climate models, species and habitat assessments, and other information needed to make required adaptive management decisions. The budget also provides $8.0 million for continued development of our refuge system climate science inventory and monitoring effort, as well as $2.0 million for conservation measures on private lands through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program.

New Energy Frontier Initiative: This initiative includes an additional $4 million for consultation, conservation planning and technical assistance in project design and review of renewable energy projects. Energy development activities can have a major and direct impact on fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats, and have the potential to alter public recreational opportunities in the outdoors. The Service’s ability to conduct consultations and planning activities is critical to ensuring that the nation can expand the production of renewable energy while protecting environmental values.

Treasured Landscapes: An additional $15.8 million will lend additional support to ongoing restoration and conservation efforts in nationally significant ecosystems such as the Everglades, Gulf Coast, Chesapeake Bay, and San Francisco Bay Delta. The budget also provides $106.3 million, an increase of $20.0 million, for land acquisition for the National Wildlife Refuge System, providing support for important ecosystems and vital wildlife habitat and lands for outdoor recreation. Additional funding requested includes:

$1.8 million requested for Everglades to support landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects in the Florida Everglades.

$5.0 million requested for Chesapeake Bay to support implementation of Executive Order 13508 to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay. The Executive Order calls for Federal leadership “…to protect and restore the health, heritage, natural resources, and social and economic value of the Nation’s largest estuarine ecosystem and the natural sustainability of its watershed.”

$4.0 million requested for the California Bay Delta will support a variety of actions and investments the Administration is undertaking to address California’s current water supply and ecological crisis. The Administration’s efforts will support and complement the recently-enacted state law that addresses water supply needs within the State.

$5.0 million requested for the Service’s Gulf Coast effort — part of a larger effort with state and federal partners — to implement restoration projects on refuges and enable the Service to provide its expertise to multi-agency planning of projects. These projects are needed to mitigate, in part, effects of ongoing wetlands losses along the Central Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Youth in Natural Resources Initiative: Additional funding will provide jobs in natural resources for America’s youth, including Youth Conservation Corps positions at wildlife refuges. The increase for this initiative includes $2 million for the National Wildlife Refuge System to hire youth through programs such as the Youth Conservation Corps and $1 million through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will leverage this funding to obtain private contributions and implement a competitive grant program to develop new or expand existing youth conservation job programs. Funds will be awarded to Refuges, Fish Hatcheries, Friends groups, Youth Conservation Corps, and non-governmental organizations and others who seek to develop innovative conservation employment opportunities for youth. The primary focus of the program will be to support Refuges, Fish Hatcheries and priority species on both public and private lands.

Details on the President’s FY 2011 Budget Request are available online at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

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$1.6 Billion Requested for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2011 Budget

Second Amendment March

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- As you know, the April 19 date for the D.C. march is fast approaching.

There are many things that need to be accomplished before and during the event. We need your help! Below are a few of the volunteer opportunities we have identified so far.

If you can help with any of these, please send an email to Terri Stocke at Terri.Stocke@SecondAmendmentMarch.com.

We will add you to a specific volunteer list and will start organizing each group of volunteers as the march date draws near.

Emergency Medical Technicians
We are looking for volunteer EMT’s who will be at the march in D.C. We are required to have a certain number of licensed EMT’s working the event (based on size of the crowd). If you would like to volunteer for this, please let us know.
Petition Table

We need 6-8 people to man a petition table (petition is available on our website) to gather signatures at the D.C. March. This can be divided into shifts if we have enough volunteers.
Hosts

Volunteers needed to direct people to the rally location (Washington Monument) from various points within the city. During the rally, circulate amongst the crowd to answer questions and provide assistance as needed.

Second Amendment March
The mission of the Second Amendment March is to galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense.

It is the one right that protects all others.

We will accomplish our mission by a peaceful march in Washington DC, the United States Capital, supported by satellite marches to State Capitols and smaller cities all across America.

The march in D.C. will take place on Monday, April 19, 2010 on the grounds of the Washington Monument.

About:
The mission of the Second Amendment March is to galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense. Visit: www.secondamendmentmarch.com

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Second Amendment March Needs Volunteer Help

Second Amendment March

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- We have quite an impressive lineup of speakers scheduled so far and more are on the way!

Here is a sampling:

GOA’s Larry Pratt
Larry Pratt has been Executive Director of Gun Owners of America for 26 years. GOA is a national membership organization of 300,000 Americans dedicated to promoting their Second Amendment freedom to keep and bear arms.

GOA lobbies for the pro-gun position in Washington, D.C. and is involved in firearm issues in the states. GOA’s work includes providing legal assistance to those involved in lawsuits with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the federal firearms law enforcement agency.

Pratt has appeared on numerous national radio and TV programs such as NBC’s Today Show, CBS’ Good Morning America, CNN’s Crossfire and Larry King Live, Fox’s Hannity and Colmes and many others. He has debated Congressman James Traficant, Jr. (D-OH), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and Vice President Al Gore, among others. His columns have appeared in newspapers across the country.

He published a book, Armed People Victorious, in 1990 and was editor of a book, Safeguarding Liberty: The Constitution & Militias, 1995. His latest book, On the Firing Line: Essays in the Defense of Liberty was published in 2001.

Pratt has held elective office in the state legislature of Virginia, serving in the House of Delegates. Pratt directs a number of other public interest organizations and serves as the Vice-Chairman of the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman
Col. Grossman is an Airborne Ranger infantry officer, and a prior-service sergeant and paratrooper, with a total of over 23 years experience in leading U.S. soldiers worldwide. He retired from the Army in February 1998 and has devoted himself to teaching, writing, speaking, and research. Today he is the director of the Killology Research Group, and in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks he is on the road almost 300 days a year, training elite military and law enforcement organizations worldwide about the reality of combat.

Kenn Blanchard
Kenn Blanchard is a former Marine Security Guard who has worked protective details for international celebrities and US diplomats. Later after becoming a federal police officer, he was detailed to protect a couple of families which morphed into another career path where he worked or taught firearms, tactics and protection. He is also a D.C.-area pastor who runs blackmanwithagun.com. Kenn has been involved in the struggle for the Second Amendment since the state of Virginia reformed its conceal carry law in the early nineties. He founded the Tenth Cavalry Gun Club, a national pro-gun organization for African Americans, and worked around the country after that to promote safe and responsible firearms ownership. He was involved in concealed carry reforms in Texas, South Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin and has testified in the US Congress and in Maryland on bills or acts designed to prevent law abiding Americans from legal firearm ownership or concealed carry.

Suzanna G. Hupp
Suzanna G. Hupp is a former Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives and a recognized public advocate for the Second Amendment and an individual’s right to carry a concealed weapon.

A Friendswood, Texas, native, Suzanna Gratia (married name Hupp) was born on January 1, 1959. After she received a doctor of chiropractic degree from the Texas Chiropractic College in Pasadena, Texas, she owned and operated Cove Physical Rehab Clinic in Copperas Cove, Texas from 1987 until she sold the practice in 2000.

On Wednesday, October 16, 1991, Suzanna and her parents were having lunch at Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, when a man drove his truck into the restaurant and opened fire on the patrons. Suzanna instinctively reached into her purse for her handgun, but realized it was in her vehicle, as a new law was passed in Texas banning the carry of a concealed weapon. Suzanna escaped out of a broken window, but 23 unarmed others, including Suzanna’s mother and father, were killed at the hands of the gunman.

As a survivor of the Luby’s massacre, Suzanna has been quoted in U.S. News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal, Texas Monthly, Time and People magazines, in addition to appearing on CNN, 48 Hours, Today Show and World News Tonight, to name a few.

Hupp has since authored a memoir recounting her experiences in the massacre, entitled From Luby’s to the Legislature: One Woman’s Fight Against Gun Control, available October 2009.

Richard Mack
Richard Mack held office as Sheriff in Graham County, Arizona, and is a long-time crusader for freedom and individual rights as well as an author of several books on those topics. In 1994, Sheriff Mack also challenged the Brady Bill in the Supreme Court of the United States.

Michael Bane
Michael Bane is the host of Shooting Gallery, a show on the Outdoor Channel that every week explores a different facet of the very wide world of shooting, from competition to law enforcement to self-defense to the men and women at arms who are defending this country.

From Michael’s bio:
“I’ve been involved with guns and shooting literally my entire life. Most recently, I conceived and still manage the five-year-old NSSF Media Education Program, which has had a profound effect on the relationship between the firearms industry and the media. It also bought together the perhaps greatest group of firearms instructors of all stripes ever. That “critical mass” of instructors has been redefining handgun instruction, and I’m proud to have had a small part in that. I was part of the 3-person team who handled national media during the Maryland sniper crisis, which as emerged as a textbook example for the industry in dealing with flashfires. I’ve also handled crisis stuff for IPSC and USPSA. we’re currently working directly with major companies on setting up their own media events and training their people to deal with media crises.”

Nikki Goeser
Nikki Goeser In April 2009, Nikki’s husband, Ben, was killed by a gunman in a Tennessee sports bar. The gunman did not have a carry permit, and it was illegal at that time to bring a firearm into the establishment. Had she been able to carry her firearm into that bar, Nikki feels she may have been able to save her husband. In June 2009, the Tennessee legislature passed house bill number 962, which amended Tennessee’s law that prohibited firearms in establishments that serve alcohol. Since that time a rogue judge overturned that decision. Nikki continues to fight for the right of Tennesseeans to protect themselves.

You can listen to Nikki’s interview on Armed American Radio at http://uscca-downloads.s3.amazonaws.com/podcasts/AAR-11-30-2009-3.mp3 .

Nicole “Nicki” Stallard
Nicole “Nicki” Stallard is a unique person, a publically open post-op MTF transexual gun rights activists. Nicki grew up in New York, served in the US Navy from 1978 thru 1985. Nicole has been involved in various Libertarian and Republican political activities since 1989. Nicole took over the San Jose Chapter of the Pink Pistols in 2006 as the coordinator. She has been Northern Ca Pink Pistols spokesperson and has testified for California CCW reform bills. She has represented the Pink Pistols at the SAF GRPC in 2007 and 2008 and is currently building bridges with both gun rights and gay rights organizations.

The Pink Pistols is a LBGT (Lesbain, Bisexual, Gay and Transgendered) rights group that advocates armed self defense to deal with hate crimes. The Pink Pistols views the individual right of armed self defense as a basic human right and looks forward to getting “shall issue” CCW laws in all 50 states.

Nicole Stallard is working to find common ground and build alliances in both the gun and gay community.She is a Ron Paul Republican and views herself as a pragmatic Libertarian Republican.

Mark Walters
Mark Walters has been penning The Ordinary Guy column as a regular contributor to Concealed Carry Magazine for almost 5 years. An original “charter member” of the USCCA, Mark was one of the first 500 members to join the organization when it was first founded by Tim Schmidt. As a freelance writer for a local industrial trade publication and a vocal second amendment activist in Tampa, Florida, Mark had a few op-eds printed in the Tampa Tribune and was given “guest column” status on more than one occasion to print his views on a wide array of topics including the right to keep and bear arms. His book, Lessons From Armed America written with co-author Kathy Jackson and forward by Massad Ayoob will be available nationwide on October 1st from Whitefeather Press.

Since a near-hijacking event in 2002, Mark writes about ordinary folks like you and I who have used a weapon to defend themselves as well as interviewing some of the nations biggest news makers and activists. The list includes Ted Nugent, Dick Heller, politicians, internationally recognized trainers, weapons experts, criminal psychologists, television hosts, authors, real people who have used a firearm to defend themselves against violent attack and regular, ordinary folks who make a difference.

Mr. Walters is a member of the NRA, an NRA Certified Instructor in three disciplines, a member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation as well as a card carrying member of Georgiacarry.org and a vocal 2nd amendment activist in his home town. In the spare time of his “real life”he ran his own successful business for over 13 years and now works full time on the nations airwaves as the host of Armed American Radio.

Stewart Rhodes
Stewart Rhodes is the founder and Director of Oath Keepers. He served as a U.S. Army paratrooper until disabled in a rough terrain parachuting accident during a night jump.

He is a former firearms instructor and former member of Rep. Ron Paul’s DC staff.

Stewart currently writes the monthly Enemy at the Gates column for S.W.A.T. Magazine.

Stewart graduated from Yale Law School in 2004, where his paper “Solving the Puzzle of Enemy Combatant Status” won Yale’s Miller prize for best paper on the Bill of Rights. He assisted teaching U.S. military history at Yale, was a Yale Research Scholar, and is writing a book on the dangers of applying the laws of war to the American people.

David Burnett
David Burnett is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and 1L candidate for law school in 2010. He is the Director of Public Relations with Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, and also runs the civilian defensive gun use blog at TheArmedCitizen.com. He has written multiple editorials and articles in support of the Second Amendment, including a cover story on the NRA’s “America’s First Freedom” and appeared on radio programs such as the NRA’s Cam & Company and Armed American Radio.

About:
The mission of the Second Amendment March is to galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense. Visit: www.secondamendmentmarch.com

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Second Amendment March List Of Scheduled Speakers

National Rifle Association

Washington, DC- -(AmmoLand.com)-As we’ve been reporting for months, Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) have introduced S. 941, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009” in the U.S. Senate. Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zack Space (D-Ohio) have introduced a companion bill—H.R. 2296—in the U.S. House.

The bills would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. These bipartisan bills are a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations.

Of highest importance, S. 941and H.R. 2296 totally rewrite the system of administrative penalties for licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms. Currently, for most violations, BATFE can only give a federal firearms license (FFL) holder a warning, or revoke his license.

S. 941 and H.R. 2296 would allow fines or license suspensions for less serious violations, while still allowing license revocation for the kind of serious violations that would block an investigation or put guns in the hands of criminals. This will help prevent the all-too-common situations where BATFE has revoked licenses for insignificant technical violations—such as improper use of abbreviations or filing records in the wrong order.

Among its other provisions, S. 941 and H.R. 2296 would:

• Clarify the standard for “willful” violations—allowing penalties for intentional, purposeful violations of the law, but not for simple paperwork mistakes.
• Improve the process for imposing penalties, notably by allowing FFLs to appeal BATFE penalties to a neutral administrative law judge, rather than to an employee of BATFE itself.
• Allow a licensee a period of time to liquidate inventory when he goes out of business. During this period, all firearms sold would be subject to a background check by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
• Allow a grace period for people taking over an existing firearms business to correct problems in the business’s records—so if a person inherited a family gun store (for example), the new owner couldn’t be punished for the previous owner’s recordkeeping violations.
• Reform the procedures for consideration of federal firearms license applications. Under S. 941, denial of an application would require notification to the applicant, complete with reasons for the denial. Additionally, an applicant would be allowed to provide supplemental information and to have a hearing on the application.
• Require BATFE to establish clear investigative guidelines.
• Clarify the licensing requirement for gunsmiths, distinguishing between repair and other gunsmith work and manufacture of a firearm. This would stop BATFE from arguing that minor gunsmithing or refinishing activities require a manufacturers’ license.
• Eliminate a provision of the Youth Handgun Safety Act that requires those under 18 to have written permission to use a handgun for lawful purposes (such as competitive shooting or safety training)—even when the parent or guardian is present.
• Permanently ban creation of a centralized electronic index of out of business dealers’ records—a threat to gun owners’ privacy that Congress has barred through appropriations riders for more than a decade.
• Allow importation and transfer of new machineguns by firearm and ammunition manufacturers for use in developing or testing firearms and ammunition, and training customers. In particular, ammunition manufacturers fulfilling government contracts need to ensure that their ammunition works reliably. S. 941 and H.R. 2296 would also provide for the transfer and possession of new machineguns by professional film and theatrical organizations.
• Repeal the Brady Act’s “interim” waiting period provisions, which expired in 1998.
• Give BATFE sole responsibility for receiving reports of multiple handgun sales. (Currently, dealers also have to report multiple sales to state or local agencies, a requirement that has shown little or no law enforcement value.) State and local agencies could receive these reports upon request to BATFE, but would have to comply strictly with current requirements to destroy these records after 20 days, unless the person buying the guns turns out to be prohibited from receiving firearms.
• Restore a policy that allowed importation of barrels, frames and receivers for non-importable firearms, when they can be used as repair or replacement parts.

S. 941 represents the first time such BATFE reform legislation has been introduced in the Senate. However, the House passed similar legislation (H.R. 5092) in the 109th Congress by a 277-131 vote. A majority of the House–224 congressmen–cosponsored H.R. 4900 in the 110th Congress.

A fact sheet on S. 941/H.R. 2296 can be found here.

As of this writing, S. 941 has 20 cosponsors, and H.R. 2296 has 200 cosponsors.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative, and ask them to cosponsor and support S. 941 and H.R. 2296! You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.

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

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Your Help Is Needed In Support of BATFE Reform Bills S. 941 And H.R. 2296

National Rifle Association

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Over the past year, we have reported several times on the abundance of rumors being circulated regarding firearm issues. Among other things, we’ve heard phony tales circulating about such things as guns being banned for the elderly, ammunition with expiration dates, a requirement that guns be listed on tax returns, and a prohibition on gun and ammunition imports. The latest scuttlebutt has to do with a recent Executive Order by President Obama concerning the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

Some have argued that the order would make INTERPOL and its officials immune from civil suit or criminal prosecution, and that it would therefore allow INTERPOL personnel to seize firearms, kidnap Americans, and otherwise violate U.S. citizens’ rights. Our legal staff has reviewed this order and does not believe it poses any of these threats.

President Obama’s order amends a 1983 order by President Reagan, in which the U.S. recognized INTERPOL as an international organization that is entitled to certain legal immunities under the International Organizations Immunities Act (IOIA).

One of those immunities is immunity from civil lawsuits. Under the doctrine of “sovereign immunity,” foreign governments generally can’t be sued, and the IOIA extended that protection to international organizations. This has been applied to block suits against the United Nations, Organization of American States, and other international bodies.

This means that articles on the recent order are incorrect in claiming that the order made INTERPOL immune from civil suits; INTERPOL was already immune.

Some have also suggested that under the order, INTERPOL agents would receive diplomatic immunity, so they could violate Americans’ rights without fear of criminal prosecution. There are several misconceptions here.

First, diplomatic immunity only protects diplomats, and the IOIA specifically says it does not confer diplomatic immunity on international organization employees.

Second, while the IOIA does provide a limited type of immunity for international organization employees, this is only immunity “relating to acts performed by them in their official capacity.” U.S. courts have interpreted this narrowly. In one case, a court found that a U.N. employee was not immune to a local speeding ticket even though he was actually driving the Secretary General of the U.N. to an official conference. In other cases, courts have found that employees of international organizations can be prosecuted for espionage, because espionage is not among their official duties.

Law enforcement officers working with INTERPOL are detailed from agencies in various countries, such as the FBI or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They have no power of arrest outside their own countries. Therefore, a seizure of an American (or of an Americans’ firearms) would likely not fall within the official duties for which INTERPOL officials would be immune from prosecution.

Now don’t take any of this to mean that we underestimate our anti-gun opponents, or that we don’t believe they would happily and readily seize the opportunity to adopt and enforce measures that would limit our freedom. We know full well that they would. Rather, our message is this: Rumors abound, so don’t believe everything you read. If it’s a legitimate concern, rest assured your NRA-ILA will promptly address it and will give you the straight story.

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INTERPOL Rumors

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Here’s where we’re at on socialized health care. The House and Senate have passed ObamaCare bills, but the two versions are very different. So, the bill can’t go to the President until they iron out the differences.

Make no mistake about it. This legislation moves us down the road towards socialism, and it will result in even more gun owners being disqualified from owning firearms.

We need to regroup and renew our efforts to kill ObamaCare — an outcome which is still very doable.

Now, repeat this phrase over and over: A MORAL CESSPOOL.

If we are going to defeat the anti-gun ObamaCare legislation, these words are going to have to be repeated millions of times over the next month.

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool.

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool.

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool.

Why is this refrain so important?
There are several reasons why, but consider this: Throughout this fight over ObamaCare, Senators have lied about guns… they’ve lied about the deficit… they’ve lied about the costs of health insurance premiums and how the bill will affect senior citizens. They have lied over and over to their constituents about all these issues.

That’s why it’s time that we tell Democrat Senators how corrupt their vote for ObamaCare really was. Obviously, they won’t agree. So let each Senator make the argument that, “I am not a crook.”

That argument never wins elections.

Already, Democrat Representatives and Senators are either switching parties or announcing their retirements. They know the American people are disgusted with the moral bankruptcy of the U.S. Congress — a situation that has become obvious to anyone who watches the nightly news.

Consider the following despicable practices which were perpetrated in order to push ObamaCare through the Senate last month:

1. Lies

• For months, Senators claimed there were no anti-gun provisions in the ObamaCare legislation. But everyone knew they were lying. So last month, a provision was inserted into the Senate bill which claims to allay the concerns of gun owners — but leaves the most important problem unremedied. If they weren’t lying to begin with, then why try to fix what they claimed wasn’t there?
• Senators are now insisting that the current Senate health bill protects the rights of gun owners, even though this version would still allow the BATFE and FBI to troll through the ObamaCare database for gun owners who would be disqualified because of their medical information. This could result in millions of Americans — who are suffering from PTSD and other similar conditions — being put into the NICS system and denied the right to buy firearms.

2. Bribes

• A $100 million bribe to treat Sen. Ben Nelson’s state different from all others, in exchange for Ben Nelson’s vote.
• A $100-300 million bribe to treat Sen. Mary Landrieu’s state different from all others, in exchange for Mary Landrieu’s vote.
• $10 billion for community health centers operated by groups similar to ACORN, in exchange for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ vote.
• A bribe to Sen. Max Baucus in order to treat Libby, Montana, different from any other town.
• A bribe to Sen. Chris Dodd consisting of a $100 million medical center in Connecticut.
• Bribes to Sens. Kent Conrad, Brian Dorgan, Bill Nelson, etc., etc., etc.
• In fact, there are so many bribes in the Senate version of the ObamaCare bill that the bribe-meister himself, Majority Leader Harry Reid, publicly bragged that if your senator doesn’t have a bribe in this bill, it “speaks poorly” of him.

3. Extortion

• Threats to take away Sen. Joe Lieberman’s chairmanship because of his opposition to the government run “public option.”

4. Fraud

• Senators are claiming that the Senate-passed version reduces the deficit, even though:

• a. $247 billion of the bill’s costs are being snuck through in separate legislation;
• b. The “savings” rely on $465 billion of Medicare “cuts,” which no one believed were achievable; and
• c. The “savings” rely on making new taxes take effect 3-5 years before any of those tax monies are spent.

• Senators are claiming that the bill would make Medicare solvent — but this claim can only be made by fraudulently double-counting the effects of the phony Medicare cuts.
• Senators are claiming that health care costs would be brought under control, when the government’s own Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that costs would go up $245 billion.
• Senators are claiming that premiums would be brought under control, even though the Congressional Budget Office found that policies under the “exchange” (i.e., those policies which you would have to buy, under penalty of law) would be 10-13% more expensive than if Congress did nothing.

5. Secrecy

• The final version of the 2407-page bill wasn’t revealed until less than 48 hours before Congress began voting on it.

Now that the Christmas holidays are behind us, we need to get back to work. Please take the time to contact your Senator, so that we can protect the rights of gun owners by defeating socialized medicine.

ACTION: Over the next month, the term “moral cesspool” needs to become part of the political lexicon. Below, you will find that two sample communications are attached — one for Democrat Senators, the other for Republicans.

So please send your letter, and then get your relatives, your friends, your neighbors, your gun clubs, churches, etc., to do the same.

You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send a pre-written message to your Senators — the appropriate e-mail will automatically be sent to your Senator, based on whether he or she is a Republican or Democrat.

—– Pre-written letter for Democrat Senators —–

Dear Senator:

The U.S. Senate has become a moral cesspool, and you need to begin doing something about it before this whole country is sacrificed on the altar of the Senate’s moral decay.

I am disgusted with the lies, bribes, and fraud which you have advocated by voting for the Senate ObamaCare legislation:

* Millions of American taxpayer dollars were spent in the states of Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu and Chris Dodd to obtain their votes. In fact, so many bribes were shelled out that the chief bribe-meister, Harry Reid, publicly bragged that if a senator doesn’t have a bribe in this bill, it “speaks poorly” of him.

* The Senate bill was passed on the claim that the Reid bill reduces the deficit, even though:

a. $247 billion of the bill’s costs are being snuck through in separate legislation;

b. The “savings” rely on $465 billion of Medicare “cuts,” which no one believed were achievable; and

c. The “savings” rely on making new taxes take effect 3-5 years before any of those tax monies are spent.

* Senators claimed that health care costs would be brought under control, when the government’s own Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that costs would go up $245 billion.

* Senators also claimed that premiums would be brought under control, even though the Congressional Budget Office found that policies under the “exchange” (i.e., those policies which you would have to buy, under penalty of law) would be 10-13% more expensive than if Congress did nothing.

There is still time to change course. I implore you to change your vote on ObamaCare.

Sincerely,

—– Pre-written letter for Republican Senators —–

Dear Senator:

Thank you for voting against the ObamaCare fiasco.

For months, Senators claimed there were no anti-gun provisions in the ObamaCare legislation. But everyone knew they were lying. So last month, a provision was inserted into the Senate bill which claims to allay the concerns of gun owners — but leaves the most important problem unremedied.

Some Democrat Senators are now claiming that the current Senate health bill protects the rights of gun owners, even though this version would still allow the BATFE and FBI to troll through the ObamaCare database for gun owners who would be disqualified because of their medical information. This could result in millions of Americans — who are suffering from PTSD and other similar conditions — being put into the NICS system and denied the right to buy firearms.

Bottom line: Please do everything in your power to kill the ObamaCare legislation. What can you, as a senator, do about this?

Please take away the incentive that the suicidal Democrats have for selling their votes on ObamaCare for posh nominations in the Obama administration after they are defeated at the polls or retire.

You can do this by announcing you will place a “hold” on the nominations of Blanche Lincoln, Evan Bayh, Chris Dodd, Brian Dorgan, and Michael Bennet — nominations which will inevitably be made next year as a payoff for their votes on behalf of ObamaCare.

It’s time that the bribes stopped, and you can make this happen.

Sincerely,

——————————————————————————–

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

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ObamaCare Reveals The Moral Bankruptcy Of The Senate

Michigan - -(AmmoLand.com)-  A short while ago we learned that the TEA Party Patriots would be holding a march in Washington DC on April 15th, 2010, 4 days before our own event.

Concerned that this would affect the attendance at our own march, the Board of Directors spent a week gathering information. We were concerned that people would not be able to make two trips to DC because of time and money constraints.

However, we discovered that the TEA party will not be one HUGE event to be held in Washington DC, but rather would be held in hundreds of cities all across the country. That means that many, many people will likely spend April 15th in their home town TEA party and hence would still be able to attend the April 19th Second Amendment March.

Other deciding factors were:

• Many people had already made plans for April 19th by asking time off work and making travel arrangements.
• It became apparent that we would not be able to work out all the logistical headaches involved with changing the date.
• Some of our speakers would not be able to accommodate the change.
• Some of the State Capitol Rallies had already chosen their dates and changing the date of the DC rally would have complicated their efforts.
• Concerns over the lack of availability of lodging if both events were held simultaneously.

Many of you sent us personal emails voicing a variety of opinions and I want to assure you that we appreciate all your input.

So now, let us look to the future and the task at hand. We have a lot of money to raise and a lot of work to do if we are to make the Second Amendment March a huge success!

Thanks again, and I’ll see you in DC on April 19th, 2010!

About:
The mission of the Second Amendment March is to galvanize the courage and resolve of Americans; to petition our elected officials against establishing anti-gun legislation; and to remind America that the Second Amendment is necessary to maintain our right to self defense. Visit: www.secondamendmentmarch.com

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Second Amendment March to Remain April 19th, 2010

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

WASHINGTON, DC –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership’s George Cooper announced today his decision to step down as president and CEO of the sportsmen-conservation group.

The TRCP board of directors has appointed Director of Finance and CFO Diane Craney interim CEO beginning Jan. 1, 2010. The board is initiating a national search for a permanent replacement this week.

Cooper, who has worked for the TRCP for almost seven years, including three as president and CEO, will continue to work with the group in an advisory capacity to assist with transition. His resignation takes effect Dec. 31. Cooper, who is leaving the TRCP to pursue new professional opportunities, has accepted an invitation to join its board of directors in 2010.

“I am extremely honored to have played a role in building the TRCP from the ground up as one of its first employees,” said Cooper, “and I am very proud of the work we have done with our partners in a remarkably short period of time to ensure the sportsmen-conservation community is more effectively engaged in the policymaking decisions that will affect the future of hunting and fishing in this country.”

TRCP Board of Directors Chairman Jim Martin said today, “We on the board are so appreciative of the energy and expertise George Cooper has brought to the TRCP. We look forward to George joining our board so that we may continue to enjoy a close relationship with him as he explores new and exciting professional opportunities. George will always be part of the TRCP family.

“The board’s decision to appoint Diane Craney as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is hired will guarantee the continued efficient operation of our organization,” continued Martin. “We are tapping Diane’s financial expertise and management skills as she temporarily oversees TRCP operations to guarantee that the TRCP enters 2010 without missing a beat in our conservation mission. She will work closely with our professional staff of fish and wildlife, communications and grassroots professionals to assure the effective continuation of the TRCP’s critical policy work.”

A certified public accountant with more than 15 years of experience directing and enhancing organizational effectiveness, Craney has worked as an auditor, controller, consultant and CFO. Her professional qualifications span a broad spectrum of staff and systems management, financial leadership, technical development and strategic planning.

“The TRCP mission – guaranteeing every American a place to hunt and fish – offers a conservation vision that is more crucial now than ever before,” said Craney. “Together with the TRCP board of directors and partners, we remain committed to upholding the TRCP’s leading role in safeguarding our country’s shared natural resources and unique outdoors heritage.”

Cooper joined the TRCP soon after its establishment in 2002 as the group’s first director of communications, having worked as a producer for CNN for 10 years. In 2006 he was appointed senior vice president, managing the group’s communications and conservation program work. Cooper was named TRCP president and CEO in early 2007. Cooper played an integral role in staking out important new strategic ground at the federal policymaking level for the TRCP’s coalition of hunting, fishing and conservation groups. He was particularly successful in leading efforts to gain more visibility for the sportsmen-conservation community in the media during his time with the TRCP.

“I remain firmly committed to the TRCP’s mission, to its extraordinary staff and volunteer board of directors, and to playing a role in assuring that the progress we’ve made in Washington is continued,” Cooper concluded. “The partnership’s coalition of the nation’s leading hunting, fishing and conservation groups, plus the groundbreaking addition of millions of union sportsmen through the TRCP’s Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, will move us toward a brighter future for the outdoor way of life in this country – the future our namesake Theodore Roosevelt charged us with building and defending.”

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions
of hunting and fishing.

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TRCP CEO Steps Down, Board Begins Search for Replacement

Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Rep. Dan Boren, House Co-Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, last week offered into the Congressional Record a congratulatory statement on the 20th Anniversary of the founding of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

CSF was incorporated December 7, 1989.
Link: 20Th Anniversary Of The Congressional Sportsmen Caucus And Congressional Sportsmen Foundation

HON. DAN BOREN of Oklahoma in the House of Representatives Thursday, December 10, 2009

Mr. BOREN. Madam Speaker, as House Co-Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and lifelong sportsman, I hereby recognize the 20th Anniversary of the founding of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. The Foundation was officially incorporated 20 years ago this week on December 7, 1989.

On behalf of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and the millions of hunters and anglers across the country, congratulations to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation on 20 years of successfully supporting the Caucus in advancing pro-sportsmen hunting, fishing, and conservation issues in the United States Congress.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is the most trusted organization focused on issues of importance to this nation’s sporting heritage and serves as the most critical link between sportsmen and women and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. The sportsmen and women of America can be proud of the long standing partnership between the Caucus and Foundation in accomplishing many legislative victories on their behalf.

Since its inception, the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus has grown into one of the largest and most effective caucuses in the United States Congress with nearly 300 members representing almost all 50 states. With bipartisan leadership in both the House and the Senate, the Caucus is the sportsmen’s ally and first line of defense in Washington promoting and protecting the rights of hunters, trappers and anglers.

With the success of the CSC/CSF partnership, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation created a network of state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses modeled after the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in 2004, launching the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC). Currently with 38 state legislative sportsmen’s caucuses and nearly 2,000 legislators, the NASC facilitates the interaction and idea exchange among state caucus leaders and the outdoor community.

Earlier this year the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation launched the Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus to facilitate communication and information exchange among a bipartisan team of state chief executives in support of legislation and regulations that promote and protect hunting and fishing. Guided by a bipartisan leadership team of governors and staffed through the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the GSC further enhances the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses.

The combination of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses, and the Governor’s Sportsmen’s Caucus, working side-by-side with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, serves as an unprecedented network of pro-sportsmen elected officials that promote and protect the agenda of America’s hunters and anglers.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation looks back fondly on the accomplishments of the last 20 years and now looks forward to continuing the work of protecting America’s hunters and anglers in the future.

About:
We can have the best wildlife habitat imaginable and a record number of people who buy fishing and hunting licenses, but it won’t matter if misguided laws and regulations are made at the federal and state levels that negatively impact our outdoor traditions. Keeping sportsmen’s issues front and center is what the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation does. Day in and day out, our sole focus is on providing a voice for sportsmen in the political arena. Serving as the first line of defense in protecting America’s outdoor traditions as well as promoting the sportsmen’s agenda through the collective muscle of sportsmen’s caucuses.

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Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Recognized In U.S. House of Representatives

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn. --(AmmoLand.com)- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed Beretta U.S.A. and the firearms industry another victory by rejecting the Brady Center’s appeal of Adames v. Beretta U.S.A. Corporation challenging the constitutionality of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).

The PLCAA is the 2005 federal law passed by Congress in response to the flood of reckless lawsuits brought by the Brady Center on behalf of anti-gun mayors seeking to hold members of the firearms industry liable for the criminal or unlawful misuse of their products.

This is now the third time this year the Supreme Court has denied a challenge to the PLCAA backed by the Brady Center. In March 2009, the Brady Center was also involved in the appeals of Lawson v. Beretta and City of New York v. Beretta, both of which the Supreme Court refused to hear. Monday’s Supreme Court decision in the Adames case is another stinging setback to the Brady Center’s failed anti-gun political agenda to destroy the individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms — a right the Supreme Court declared last year in Heller was protected by the Second Amendment.

The Adames lawsuit was filed by the Brady Center on behalf of a family seeking to hold Beretta responsible for the tragic shooting death of their son, caused solely by the criminal acts of a teenage boy who gained unauthorized access to his father’s unsecured service pistol. The case was originally dismissed by a Chicago trial court, subsequently reinstated in part by the Illinois Court of Appeals, and then ultimately found to be barred under the PLCAA by the Illinois Supreme Court. By its decision yesterday, the Supreme Court found it unnecessary to consider the Illinois Supreme Court’s well-reasoned decision that held the PLCAA was both constitutional and clearly applicable to this lawsuit.

Representing Beretta in the case was Craig Livingston of the Livingston Law Firm, who after being notified of the Supreme Court’s rejection of the appeal remarked,

“And so ends a long legal battle — from the trial court in Chicago, through the Illinois appellate courts, and all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court — which served only to confirm what has been known since May 5, 2001, namely that this tragic shooting death was caused not by any defect in a Cook County Corrections Officer’s Beretta pistol, but rather by its reckless misuse on that fateful day by his teenage son.”

Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, applauded yesterday’s Supreme Court rejection of the Brady Center’s appeal, stating,

“Frivolous and unsupported lawsuits such as Adames that attempt to force manufacturers of firearms to pay for the crimes of others over whom they have no control are precisely what the PLCAA is designed to stop.”

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

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Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case Against Gun Maker

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn. –-(AmmoLand.com)- The National Shooting Sports Foundation has notified members that, as demand for ammunition continues to outpace supply,

“it is critically important that an amendment authored by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) to a seemingly obscure hazardous material bill (HR 4016) be attached to the legislation during consideration on the House floor.”

The NSSF notes that the amendment being pushed by Graves will help protect the shipment of materials necessary for the manufacturing of ammunition, and warns that without the Graves Amendment, the rate of production will slip, perhaps precipitously.

In turn, decreased production of ammunition will lead to decreased availability. This will lead to an increase in ammunition prices directly affecting consumers.

NSSF is encouraging all hunters and sportsmen to contact Rep. Oberstar and urge him to support the Graves Amendment. He can be reached at 202-225-6211.

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 5,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

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NSSF Calls For Action in Passing Pro Ammunition Bill

Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership

Hartford, WI - -(AmmoLand.com)- To: Members of Congress and Appointed Bureaucrats.

As Bill of Rights Day approaches, Americans’ personal freedoms are waning rapidly. Our nation has been invaded and infiltrated in front of our eyes, while, at the same time, actual American citizens have seen our own most fundamental unalienable rights denigrated and eroded. You have done absolutely nothing effective or meaningful to stop it. A preponderance of the blame can be laid directly at your feet.

Why? Because many of you are, unequivocally, deceivers and liars.

How can I call you liars? It’s actually quite clear and simple. Upon your election or appointment here’s what you promised us:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me G-d.”*

(*Out of respect, Jews do not spell out the name of the Almighty in secular texts.)

Are you a “domestic” enemy as described in your oath? Your oath of office is a contract, both verbal and signed. If you are in breach of that contract you are now both a liar and a criminal.

If you are in breach of that contract you are now both a liar and a criminal.

Additionally, are you knowingly, or unwittingly a traitor? This is not simply a rhetorical or overblown question. It is fundamental to what is happening within our nation today.

A traitor commits treason. Here’s how the Constitution defines “treason”:

Article III Section 3
“Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.”

The first thing to notice is that the Constitutional definition of treason is specific and limited. The word “only” means what it means. So, Constitutionally, there are only two types of people who can be traitors, those who physically levy war against the people of any of the States of the Union … and those who give “aid and comfort” to those who are levying war.

Also implicit within this definition would be the obvious fact that one must first be an American before one can commit treason. Foreign nationals waging terrorism on American soil are not traitors. They are, quite obviously “enemies, foreign” (see your oath of office). Are you aiding and abetting them intentionally?

Are you aiding and abetting them intentionally?

Have your lax, pandering stances on illegal aliens allowed our “enemies foreign” to burrow into our nation? Have your disgusting politically correct policies about “racism” and “hate speech” given virulent Muslim extremists, who hate and want to murder Christians and Jews, the very cloak and cover that no amount of planning and money could buy?

What immediate convenience or passing luxury could lure so many of you into your present and insane politically correct points of view? It must be asked: Are you taking bribes? Are you being blackmailed? What is the promise or price being offered for you to so transparently betray America?

If you’re not taking bribes, or under some secret duress, what perverse reasoning blinds you to your betrayal of those you have sworn to serve?

You were not elected or appointed to bow to the whims of foreign nationals. You were elected or appointed to serve Americans, and only Americans. If you want to serve foreign nationals go get a job with the U.N. or some global charity.

You need to be reminded that the victim of treason as defined in the Constitution is not some conglomerate entity known as “The United States” in the sense of a nation. In the definition of treason the words “them” and “their” distinctly refer to the individual States in their separateness and sovereignty, and, most importantly the People of those States. Please refresh your memory of this essential detail by reading the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the Constitution.

The Founders knew that your corrupting and dangerous species would rise up and fester within our nation. To counteract this inevitability, on top of the “checks and balances” of a three branched form of government, in their wisdom the designers of the American Experiment penned a Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights is a “No Trespassing” sign meant for you, not for those of us you have falsely sworn to serve.

The Bill of Rights is a “No Trespassing” sign meant for you, not for those of us you have falsely sworn to serve.

You should stand on this December 15th, Bill of Rights Day, right hand raised once again, and re-take your oath of office … and mean it.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans have shed their blood and died to defend our nation from the very evils you have embraced. Your laws now destroy our rights instead of defending them.

Your actions, under the clear and simple “litmus test” of the Bill of Rights have been revealed as poison to our freedoms. You allow a literal invasion of thirty million illegal aliens (many of whom hate, and would destroy, American culture) while, at the same time take every effort to neutralize decent Americans with your victim disarmament “gun control” schemes.

You call those of us who would attempt to preserve the American Experiment “intolerant” or “xenophobic” (or even “domestic terrorists”) the moment we open our mouths in protest against your blatant sabotage of this nation. You would actually pass laws that prohibit our protests, and would jail us for speaking our minds. It appears you view the First Amendment as an exclusive vehicle to further your malevolent agenda.

You breed bureaucracies brimming with criminal intent against The People of the States. A perfect example: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

There is not one facet of the Constitution you have not ground down and defiled with either your stupidity, arrogance, or blatant dishonesty.

Show integrity and guts. Demonstrate just a fragment of the courage that founded and forged this nation, the greatest testament to individual liberty in the history of the human race. There is still time for you to defend the American way by embracing the Bill of Rights, and repeal any and all laws that desecrate the spirit of that document.

Because, if you don’t change course, how long do you think the American people are going to tolerate your charade of loyalty?

About:
Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership Mission is to destroy “gun control” and to encourage Americans to understand and defend all of the Bill of Rights for everyone. Those are the twin goals of Wisconsin-based Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO). Founded by Jews and initially aimed at educating the Jewish community about the historical evils that Jews have suffered when they have been disarmed, JPFO has always welcomed persons of all religious beliefs who share a common goal of opposing and reversing victim disarmament policies while advancing liberty for all.

JPFO is a non-profit tax-exempt educational civil rights organization, not a lobby. JPFO’s products and programs reach out to as many segments of the American people as possible, using bold tactics without compromise on fundamental principles. Visit www.JPFO.org

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An Open Letter to All American Politicians and Bureaucrats

National Rifle Association

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- On December 10, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an NRA-backed amendment, introduced by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), to allow Amtrak travelers to transport firearms in checked baggage where checked baggage service is available. The Wicker amendment was included along with several government agencies’ appropriations bills in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010.

“We would like to thank Sen. Wicker for his persistence in standing up for the rights of rail travelers,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “This is a victory for every law-abiding American who now has the freedom to travel on Amtrak with a lawfully-owned firearm.”

The Firearms Owners’ Protection Act protects law-abiding gun owners from local interference when traveling by car, and the Transportation Security Administration has rules for transporting guns in checked baggage for those traveling by air. But for nearly a decade, those who travel by train have been prohibited from bringing firearms on board Amtrak. The Wicker Amendment will fix that problem.

The amendment is expected to be approved in the U.S. Senate next week. Once approved, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 will head to President Obama for his expected signature.

“This has been a long and hard-fought battle. NRA will continue to work to ensure that this measure is implemented by Amtrak,” concluded Cox.

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.

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U. S. House Approves Transporting Firearms In Checked Luggage On Amtrak

United States Concealed Carry Association

United States --(AmmoLand.com)-  With the 2010 mid-term elections on the horizon, the gun issue is nowhere to be found … or is it?

Health Care and the nation’s economic problems are dominating the news, and are likely to remain front and center in the upcoming campaign season.

However, gun owners need to remain vigilant. The fact is those in power want to take our guns. They always have. And they will come for them when we’re preoccupied with other issues.

One tactic to watch for is the Trojan horse, a type of attack that hides anti-gun provisions in a seemingly harmless bill. Health Care reform is of particular interest since once the government is paying medical bills, they can use the medical-related costs from any activity as an excuse for regulation.

Ken Hanson recently showed how this could work in an in-depth article called Will Health Care Reform Regulate Guns? We have successfully fought off direct attacks on our gun rights in recent years – it’s the indirect attack that should concern us.

Gun Rights Roundup is a joint venture of Buckeye Firearms Association and USCCA. We will keep fighting until every American enjoys their natural right to carry and self-defense.

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.

About:
United States Concealed Carry Association is The Most Comprehensive, Up-To-Date Resource for the Law-Abiding, Armed Citizen. Visit: www.usconcealedcarry.com

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Health Care Reform May Not be Healthy for Gun Rights

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

WASHINGTON, DC –-(AmmoLand.com)- The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership has affirmed its support of Senate Bill 1470, the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, legislation that would fulfill twin goals of sustaining traditional conservation values and fish and wildlife resources in Montana while upholding the forest-based jobs that form the economic bedrock of communities throughout the state.

The TRCP decision heightens the ongoing efforts by a number of prominent sportsmen-conservationist groups, including the Montana Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited, the Mule Deer Foundation and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, to promote S. 1470 and furthers the TRCP’s aim of building consensus on natural resource policy issues affecting citizens in Montana and across the country.

Introduced by Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act would sustain the economic development and recreational use of National Forest System lands and other public lands in Montana, add lands to the National Wilderness Preservation System, release certain wilderness study areas and designate new areas for recreation.

A letter sent to Sen. Tester by the TRCP reads, “This legislation represents a unique and sensible approach to resolve natural resource management conflicts by combining three distinct collaborative efforts – Three Rivers Challenge, the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project and the Beaverhead-Deerlodge Partnership – among timber companies, recreation groups, sportsmen, and wilderness advocates to resolve natural resources gridlock.”

Bill Geer, director of the TRCP Center for Western Lands and a Montana resident, was quick to laud S. 1470 and the valuable public-lands conservation that would result from its passage. To illustrate, Geer pointed to data gathered from the TRCP’s Sportsmen Values Mapping Project, which captures sportsmen’s input to delineate important hunting and fishing areas.

“When a map of the geographic areas incorporated into the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act is overlaid on the TRCP Sportsmen Value Maps, we see that every area included in the bill is ranked by Montana sportsmen as ‘moderate to high value’ bread-and-butter hunting and fishing areas,” said Geer. “These are the areas in which sportsmen in 43 clubs in 32 towns across the state say they want the hunting and fishing values retained in the face of development. S. 1470 would enable that conservation.”

“The TRCP has deemed the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act a solid collaborative approach providing substantial benefits to sportsmen,” said TRCP President and CEO George Cooper. “We are pleased to lend our support to Senator Tester’s bill and look forward to continued opportunities to work together with our conservation partners to guarantee the future of America’s cherished hunting and fishing heritage.”

The Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests will convene a hearing on Dec. 17 to further consider S. 1470. Representatives of the sportsmen’s community will be in Washington to testify on behalf of the legislation.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions
of hunting and fishing.

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TRCP Supports Forest Jobs and Recreation Act

Gun Owners of America

Washington, DC - -(AmmoLand.com)- Here we go again.

First, there was Sonia Sotomayor. Then there was David Hamilton.

Now, we have another radical, anti-gun judge that has been nominated for the federal judiciary. His name is Louis Butler, and he is so radical, he was twice rejected by the people of Wisconsin (which is, by the way, one of the most liberal states in our union).

When Louis Butler first ran for the Wisconsin Supreme Court — the voters rejected him by a 2-1 margin. When he was appointed to that court by Democrat Governor Jim Doyle and then stood for retention by the voters, they again rejected him. This was the first time a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court was rejected by the voters in more than 40 years.

More importantly, Louis Butler opposes the rights of gun owners. The right to bear arms in the Wisconsin Constitution expressly notes that this right is for personal security and “any other lawful purpose.” But in State v. Fischer, Judge Butler was the deciding vote in 2006 to hold that a Wisconsin statute barring carrying a concealed weapon for any purpose, at any time, including in a vehicle, does not violate this right to personal security that the voters of Wisconsin chose to expressly protect in their state constitution.

So he ignored the state constitution in order to impose his anti-gun views on the people of Wisconsin.

After the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Heller case upholding Second Amendment gun rights in 2008, Louis Butler spoke at an Obama for President fundraiser and specifically mentioned “gun control” as an issue that potential Obama appointees would impact.

“Gun control,” Butler said, “may ultimately be decided, and the new appointees can tip the very balance of the court. [The] background, personal beliefs and policy decisions of the justices selected will influence how they will vote on the difficult cases before them.”

There you have it. He is a radical activist who wants to move the courts — and our country — in a new direction. We’ve already had enough “hope and change” for a lifetime. We don’t need another federal judge who will use his radical “personal beliefs” to reshape our society.

ACTION: Please contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to OPPOSE the nomination of Judge Louis Butler as U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin. Butler was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, and could now be voted on by the full Senate at any time.

You can use the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center below to send your senators the pre-written e-mail message.
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm

—– Pre-written letter —–

Dear Senator:

Please OPPOSE the nomination of Louis Butler as U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin.

When Louis Butler first ran for the Wisconsin Supreme Court — the voters rejected him by a 2-1 margin. When he was appointed to that court by Democrat Governor Jim Doyle and then stood for retention by the voters, they again rejected him. This was the first time a member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court was rejected by the voters in more than 40 years.

More importantly, Louis Butler opposes the rights of gun owners. In State v. Fischer, Judge Butler expressly ignored the right to bear arms provision in the Wisconsin Constitution. And after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court Heller case upholding Second Amendment gun rights in 2008, Louis Butler spoke at an Obama for President fundraiser and specifically mentioned “gun control” as an issue that potential Obama appointees would impact.

“Gun control,” Butler said, “may ultimately be decided, and the new appointees can tip the very balance of the court. [The] background, personal beliefs and policy decisions of the justices selected will influence how they will vote on the difficult cases before them.”

Again, I urge you to OPPOSE this nomination. Gun Owners of America will be scoring this nomination and will let me know how you vote on this radical judge.

Sincerely,

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

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Senate Set to Vote on Another Anti-gun Judge

Midway USA

Columbia, MO --(AmmoLand.com)- MidwayUSA, a catalog and Internet retailer offering Just About Everything℠ for Shooting, Re-loading, Gunsmithing and Hunting, was excited to receive word today from President Barack Obama and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke that it is one of five organizations to receive the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for innovation and performance excellence.

“The road to greatness in America has been, and always will be, traveled by those who embrace change and work hard every day to be the best; the organizations we honor today with the Baldrige National Quality Award exemplify that spirit,” President Obama said.

“This year’s recipients have shown how quality, innovation, and an unending quest for excellence help strengthen our nation and brighten the future of all Americans.”

“What a thrill it is to receive this recognition from the National Institute of Standards and Quality,” said Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. “Basic Training in the Air Force, back in 1971, was my formal introduction to the importance of establishing standards and processes and MidwayUSA has always focused on improving the way we serve our Customers. The Baldrige National Quality Award helps acknowledge we’re on the right track for serving our Customers.”

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is given by the President of the United States to businesses—manufacturing and service, small and large—and to education, health care and nonprofit organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results.

Named after former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Malcolm Baldrige, Congress established the award program in 1987 to recognize U.S. organizations for their achievements in quality and performance and to raise awareness about the importance of quality and performance excellence as a competitive edge. Three awards may be given annually in each of these categories: manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care and nonprofit. For 2009, MidwayUSA is one of five organizations to receive the award out of a field of 70 applicants, and the only organization to receive the award in the small business category.

The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) manages the Baldrige National Quality Program in close cooperation with the private sector.

“Adopting the Baldrige Criteria has allowed us to develop and improve our processes for serving our Customers,” said Matt Fleming, President of MidwayUSA. “Baldrige, in combination with other Modern Management Practices, has created a lifestyle at MidwayUSA where we continually improve our business for the benefit of our Customers. Our Vision is ‘To be the best-run business in America’ and our adoption of the Criteria for Performance Excellence from the Baldrige National Quality Program has certainly driven us toward accomplishing our Vision.”

For more information about MidwayUSA, please visit http://www.midwayusa.com/baldrige or call 573-445-6363 x2009.

For more information about NIST or the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, please visit www.baldrige.nist.gov.

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MidwayUSA Receives the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

National Rifle Association

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the McDonald v. City of Chicago case on Tuesday, March 2, 2010.

The McDonald case is one of several that were filed immediately after last year’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the Court upheld the Second Amendment as an individual right and invalidated Washington, D.C.’s ban on handgun possession, as well as the capital city’s ban on keeping loaded, operable firearms for self-defense in the home.

On November 16, the NRA filed its brief with the U.S. Supreme Court as Respondent in Support of Petitioner in McDonald v. City of Chicago. The NRA brief asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment.

As a party in McDonald, the NRA is actively involved in this case and we believe our brief makes a clear and strong case in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment (to see a copy of NRA’s brief, please click here).

Support for incorporation of the Second Amendment is very strong, and numerous additional briefs have recently been filed and signed by both federal and state officials.

Briefs were filed by an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, a large bipartisan group of state legislators and other elected officials from all 50 states, and more than three-fourths of state attorneys general. All are supporting the NRA’s position that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.

The NRA is gratified that so many members of Congress and such a large number of state legislators and state attorneys general have joined this historic effort in support of our Second Amendment freedoms. Along with gun owners everywhere, we are grateful for their participation in ensuring that the Second Amendment applies across the nation—not just in federal enclaves—and look forward to the case moving forward.

Rest assured we will continue to update you on the case as it progresses.

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.

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Date Set For Oral Arguments McDonald v. City of Chicago Second Amendment Case

National Rifle Association

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Is your name the same as, or similar to, that of someone on the FBI’s “terrorist watchlist?” Or, have you been erroneously placed on the watchlist?

You can’t find out because the FBI won’t say exactly why people get watchlisted, won’t say who has been watchlisted, and therefore doesn’t offer watchlisted people the chance to clear their names immediately. In fact, small children, federal air marshals, military personnel who have fought terrorists overseas, the late Sen.

Edward Kennedy, members of Congress, and many other good Americans have even been stopped from boarding commercial aircraft for this reason. The government has reported that there were 700,000 names in the watchlist as of April 2007, and the ACLU estimates that the number has since risen to 1.3 million.

Obviously, these people are not all terrorists. However, politicians who hate the Second Amendment know that some of the good Americans who are erroneously on the list, or who get incorrectly flagged by the list, are gun owners. And, because the FBI won’t reveal its watchlisting criteria, those politicians think that more gun owners can be placed on the list over time, by like-minded bureaucrats making arbitrary determinations about who ought to have guns.

One such politician is Michael Bloomberg, whose hobbies include being mayor of New York City and raising intellectually deficient complaints about gun laws. Never one to concern himself with the facts when there is a chance to get his name in the paper, Bloomberg recently claimed that the recent murders on Ft. Hood would have been prevented if the FBI hadn’t been required to erase NICS-approved gun purchase records after 24 hours.

Mischaracterizing events related to the Ft. Hood murders for political reasons shows disrespect to the lives that were lost there and is crass to the extreme. That said, the reason that the FBI didn’t know about the Ft. Hood suspect’s gun purchase is not that his NICS record was erased after 24 hours. Rather, it’s that he wasn’t on the watchlist in the first place, as NICS checks the list and alerts the FBI if a listed person tries to buy a gun.

Another such politician is Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), author of legislation Bloomberg supports (S. 1317, H.R. 2159 in the House), which would allow the Attorney General to stop watchlisted people from buying guns through NICS. It would also prevent those people from contesting their rejections in a full and open hearing in court. Obviously, that scheme would violate not only the Second Amendment, but also the Fourteenth Amendment’s protection against deprivation of liberty without due process of law.

This week Lautenberg introduced a separate bill (S. 2820), calling for NICS firearm transaction records to be retained for 10 years on a person suspected of being a member of a terrorist organization. That, however, is a smokescreen for another provision in the same bill, to retain NICS records of approved firearm transfers for 180 days for other gun buyers.

While Lautenberg introduced S. 2820 in the wake of Ft. Hood (with terrorism fresh on Americans’ minds), gun control supporters have wanted NICS records retained for longer than 24 hours since NICS’ inception. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a co-sponsor of the Lautenberg bill, argued in favor of a 180-day retention back in 2001. After all, the Brady Act, as passed by Congress, required that NICS “destroy” the records of approved firearm purchases.

Along with the Lautenberg bills described above, gun control supporters are concurrently campaigning for a law to force all private gun sales to be run through NICS. Connecting the dots is a simple task. The goal shared by gun control supporters and by government entities for whom no amount of knowledge about American citizens is too much, is to incrementally increase the amount of information the government possesses on gun owners who, through no fault of their own, end up on a secret government list.

Action: Please call your U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose S. 1317 and S. 2820. You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121.

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.

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Bloomberg And Lautenberg Pair Up To Violate The Second And Fourteenth Amendments