NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT
Vol. 16, No. 49 12/11/09
Bloomberg's Billions Buy Opinions
Understanding the Latest Anti-Gun "Poll"
Click here to vote in this week's poll.
This week, anti-gun New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, released the findings of a poll conducted by a political consulting firm called "The Word Doctors," whose slogan is "It's not what you say, it's what people hear." Word Doctors' president is a pollster who has been reprimanded by the American Association for Public Opinion Research and censured by the National Council on Public Polls, and who says that the key to polling is "to ask a question in the way that you get the right answer."
At some other time in our nation's history, an organization like this would not have been commissioned to conduct a poll, and perhaps it would not even have existed. At a minimum, its poll would have been considered biased and rejected by every newspaper in the country.
But today, as the distinction between editorials and news has become blurred, information is treated so superficially that a catchy word or two is enough to get someone elected to public office, and some in positions of authority cannot conceive of the concept of shame.
U.S. House Approves Transporting Firearms In Checked Luggage On Amtrak: 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.
Anti-Gun Lunacy Abounds On Colorado College Campuses: The carrying of firearms on college campuses remains hotly debated these days. Recently, that debate has centered on two prominent Colorado universities.
Hunting Threatened In Mojave National Preserve: The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), in concert with the Sierra Club and other anti-hunting organizations, has filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission to ban most hunting in the Mojave National Preserve, including rabbit and varmit hunting. What hunting remains (resident game birds, deer, and bighorn sheep) would be restricted. The "Petition for Rulemaking Regarding Hunting in the Mojave National Preserve" blames hunters for the declining population of the desert tortoise, a threatened species under the state's Endangered Species Act. CBD filed a similar petition in 2003, but the Commission did not act on it. The Commission will likely consider the CBD's petition next week and could schedule a hearing on it early next year.
The NRA Online Advisory Panel: A few weeks ago, we launched a brand new service -- the NRA Online Advisory Panel -- a community of our most active and loyal supporters.
Help Defend Your Gun Rights One Click At A Time: We have a revolutionary yet simple tool that will allow you to stay connected to NRA-ILA and raise valuable contributions to defend our Second Amendment rights without spending a dime! It's the NRA-ILA Toolbar, and you can make a difference by downloading and using it.
NRA-ILA Grassroots Minute 12/11/09
Grassroots Minute
STATE ROUNDUP (Please note the only items listed below are those that have had recent action. For other updates on state legislation, please go to the state legislation section at www.NRAILA.org, and check each week's issue of the Grassroots Alert.")
CALIFORNIA: Hunting Threatened on Mojave National Preserve The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), in concert with the Sierra Club and other anti-hunting organizations, has filed a petition with the California Fish and Game Commission to ban most hunting in the Mojave National Preserve, including rabbit and varmint hunting. What hunting remains (resident game birds, deer, and bighorn sheep) would be restricted. The "Petition for Rulemaking Regarding Hunting in the Mojave National Preserve" blames hunters for the declining population of the desert tortoise, a threatened species under the state's Endangered Species Act. CBD filed a similar petition in 2003, but the commission did not act on it. The commission will likely consider the CBD's petition next week and could schedule a hearing on it early next year.
The petition contains the flimsiest of evidence that hunting in the preserve is the cause or even a contributing factor of the decline in the tortoise population. In fact, statistics confirm that vehicular traffic and increased tourism within the designated critical habitat of the tortoise have increased substantially since 1994 when the preserve was established. Those activities are believed to be the leading causes of tortoise mortality. Further, there is sufficient research to suggest that predation by ravens and coyotes are also taking its toll on this protected species. The objective of the petition is not to protect and enhance the tortoise population. Rather, it is an attempt by this coalition of anti-hunting organizations to permanently end hunting in the Mojave National Preserve. CBD was also behind the ban on the use of lead ammunition for hunting big game within the range of the California condor, and earlier this year, CBD attempted unsuccessfully to extend that ban to all game species.
Please take a few minutes to contact the commission and ask that they deny the petition. Please address and mail it to:
John Carlson, Jr., Executive Director
California Fish and Game Commission
1416 Ninth Street, Room 1320
Sacramento, CA 95814
fgc@fgc.ca.gov
Hunters are continually being harassed with restrictions on hunting and access to hunting areas for reasons not based on science. Please do not let CBD impose their pseudo-science on those who hunt in the Mojave National Preserve!
COLORADO: Support Needed to Re-Open Rampart Shooting Range! Following an accidental shooting last July, the Forest Service closed the very popular and heavily used Rampart Shooting Range on the Pike National Forest. In its nearly 20 year history, Rampart had never before experienced a shooting-related injury or fatality. Rampart is the only free public range in El Paso County and receives 40,000 visitors a year. The Service called the closure a "time-out" in order to assess whether the design of the range was a factor. An investigation determined that the range was not a factor in the accident. Safety experts have said that the accident could have happened at any range. But after it closed Rampart, the Forest Service devised a scheme to keep the range closed permanently.
The Forest Service has listed requirements that must be met before it will reopen Rampart. There is no timetable for meeting these requirements and likely no money to cover costs. The most significant issue is the requirement of requiring full time supervision. Most ranges on federal lands operate without supervision and this requirement could place all such ranges in jeopardy. Rampart Range is in need of improvements which were identified more than two years ago. Such improvements can be addressed and implemented with the range reopened. The Forest Service has said that it could take up to five years before Rampart is reopened, but there is no guarantee that it would reopen Rampart in that timeframe or at any time in the future.
NRA has been working to get Rampart Range reopened since the day it was closed, but we need the help of Colorado hunters and shooters to show the Forest Service and your elected officials that the federal government cannot continue to close public lands to recreational shooting, and certainly not without replacing those areas lost with other areas of the same or great value. Rampart Shooting Range is an important resource for the shooting community along the Front Range. There is no incentive for the Forest Service to reopen Rampart unless the shooting sports community demands it!
Please send a letter of support for the immediate reopening of Rampart to: Tom Tidwell, Chief of the Forest Service, at ttidwell@fs.fed.us, and copy your letter to Senator Mark Udall at senator_mark_udall@markudall.senate.gov, Senator Michael Bennet at http://bennet.senate.gov/contact/, Congressman Doug Lamborn at CO05ima@mail.house.gov, and Governor Bill Ritter by clicking here. Please stress that keeping the range closed is not supportable by the investigative report; that the closure has robbed the shooting community of a valuable resource; and that needed improvements to the range can be planned and implemented without closure.
INDIANA The Herald-Times Online Thinks Gun Owners are Stupid, Paranoid, and Easily Manipulated! The editors of the Bloomington Herald-Times apparently don't like the feedback they've received in response to their online gun database. Writing on December 7, Herald Times Editor Bob Zaltsberg feigns surprise and takes offense at being targeted in similar fashion as they chose to target lawful gun owners. They paint NRA as irrational and suggest we are erroneously attacking the press while they continue to misrepresent the facts regarding their online gun database, telling gun owners and concerned citizens they don't have their facts straight while attempting to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the public outrage they alone deserve. To learn more and to find how to contact the paper and their advertisers, please click here.
MICHIGAN: Important Pro-Gun Bills Waiting to be Considered! On Wednesday, December 2, House Bill 5302 and House Bill 5303 were not brought up on the floor of the Michigan House of Representatives as previously expected. It is now expected that these bills will be brought up in the coming weeks and we need all the help we can get to get them passed. HB5302, introduced by State Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93), and HB5303, authored by State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-103), would prohibit employers from firing employees who safely and lawfully store their firearms in locked vehicles. Please continue to contact your State Representative and politely urge them to vote in favor of HB5302 and HB5303 without any weakening amendments. Contact information for your State Representative can be found by clicking here.
PENNSLYVANIA: Borough of West Mifflin to Consider "Lost or Stolen" Ordinance
On Tuesday, December 15, at 6:30 p.m., the Borough Council of West Mifflin will consider a proposal that would require gunowners to report lost or stolen firearms within a 72-hour period or face fines and possible imprisonment. This law would not only violate Pennsylvania's state preemption laws, but would also turn law-abiding gun owners, who have already been victimized by theft, into criminals. The meeting will be held on the second floor of the West Mifflin Municipal Building located at 3000 Lebanon Church Road in West Mifflin. If you're planning on testifying, please contact the Borough Office at 412-466-8170. Please contact the members of the Borough Council of West Mifflin TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose this unwarranted, unjust and illegal ordinance. Contact information can be found here. If you are able, please attend this meeting to show your support for the Second Amendment and, if possible, speak against this ill-conceived proposal.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Threat of Your 2nd Amendment Right
By Jackson Lupe
Up to 2 million cases of self-defense occur every year. Some would argue that gun control laws would reduce this number, however, many argue the heart of the Bill of Rights would cease to exist if politicians were able to pick and choose which rights our country should honor, which puts all of our civil rights at risk. The right to defend ones self is a basic human right.
The specific definition of self-defense varies from state to state. The basic definition, however, states that there must be a threat to your life. Self-defense usually is justified if your life or health is in immediate danger requiring you to overcome your assailant using force.
Current law requires background checks on purchasing weapons, waiting periods, and enforces minimum age requirements. Guns remain relatively easy for criminals to access by illegal means, and would be no easier to control with even tougher limits or abolishment of guns. While there is a concern about criminal activity, there is no way to remove hundreds of millions of guns currently available, so regardless of the laws government could place on citizens, the crime rate would likely remain at the current level. Many Second Amendment supporters believe the crime rate would increase and remove the ability to defend ones self.
In 1991, the Department of Justice conducted a survey of the State Prison inmates. The below information clearly shows that gun control is not the way to prevent criminals from accessing guns. 95% of inmates obtained a weapon by illegal means, as shown below:
Family or friends....................31%
Black market or fenced...........28%
Retail outlet.........................27%
Theft.................................. 9%
Other.................................. 5%
We have the right to protect ourselves against these offenders. Without this right, criminals will always have the upperhand against law-abiding citizens.
Regardless of one's position on Gun Control, it is agreed that gun safety is one of the most important methods for reducing the number of gun deaths. Families that own guns have a responsibility to keep them under lock and key. In addition, firearms education makes gun ownership significantly safer. For more information on your 2nd Amendment rights, check out http://www.onlinelupe.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackson_Lupe
Up to 2 million cases of self-defense occur every year. Some would argue that gun control laws would reduce this number, however, many argue the heart of the Bill of Rights would cease to exist if politicians were able to pick and choose which rights our country should honor, which puts all of our civil rights at risk. The right to defend ones self is a basic human right.
The specific definition of self-defense varies from state to state. The basic definition, however, states that there must be a threat to your life. Self-defense usually is justified if your life or health is in immediate danger requiring you to overcome your assailant using force.
Current law requires background checks on purchasing weapons, waiting periods, and enforces minimum age requirements. Guns remain relatively easy for criminals to access by illegal means, and would be no easier to control with even tougher limits or abolishment of guns. While there is a concern about criminal activity, there is no way to remove hundreds of millions of guns currently available, so regardless of the laws government could place on citizens, the crime rate would likely remain at the current level. Many Second Amendment supporters believe the crime rate would increase and remove the ability to defend ones self.
In 1991, the Department of Justice conducted a survey of the State Prison inmates. The below information clearly shows that gun control is not the way to prevent criminals from accessing guns. 95% of inmates obtained a weapon by illegal means, as shown below:
Family or friends....................31%
Black market or fenced...........28%
Retail outlet.........................27%
Theft.................................. 9%
Other.................................. 5%
We have the right to protect ourselves against these offenders. Without this right, criminals will always have the upperhand against law-abiding citizens.
Regardless of one's position on Gun Control, it is agreed that gun safety is one of the most important methods for reducing the number of gun deaths. Families that own guns have a responsibility to keep them under lock and key. In addition, firearms education makes gun ownership significantly safer. For more information on your 2nd Amendment rights, check out http://www.onlinelupe.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackson_Lupe
We Are the People-The Second Amendment
By Joe Hunley
Old Glory, The Stars and Bars, That Grand Old Flag and The Red, White, and Blue. This Statement can only refer to one thing--The symbol of a Great Nation, a Nation of Free people, a Nation that remembers the struggles and the loss of life that it took to achieve this freedom.
We fought, and We declared ourselves Free, free from the rule of the few, the so-called chosen. Yes--We were now the ruling class---A Government of the People. No Longer under the rule of Kings nor Queens, we set about electing Great Men to debate what was best for The People. Men of our choosing---the men we felt had our (The People) best interest at hand. Some of these men would come to be known as our founding fathers.
The Founding Fathers would voice their opinions on many matters, Debate and argue, until they came up with the best solution for "The People". What they agreed upon---would be "The Law Of The Land", because they were chosen, chosen by "The People". That was then!!!!!
This Is Now!!!
The major decision debated today in regards to the Founding Fathers is in no doubt The Second Amendment. If you are not familiar with the Second Amendment it states--" A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Simple, isn't it? Depends on who you talk to, many have used the wording of this amendment to attack the peoples right to firearms---claiming that when the forefathers used the word "Militia"---They were speaking of an organized army controlled by the government. What did these men truly mean?
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms," declared Richard Henry Lee, a First Congress senator. "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms."
"Who are the militia?" asked Tench Coxe, delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress. "Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man gainst his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American... [T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people."
Notice the definition given regarding the word "Militia". Militia refers to the People. There are many examples of the true meaning of the word "Militia" in the eyes of our forefather--these are just a few--and all refer to the people as the Militia.
The battle will keep raging on in regards to the Second Amendment, and numerous arguments will be waged, both by people who deal in Facts and those that deal in opinions. Opinions are the major battle armor of the Anti-Gun People. This is all they have to use for their agenda---opinions---because the Facts do not back them up. Countless "Opinions" on the increase in crime, and murder, are spewed about by the Anti-Gun organizations---problem is--the facts do not support these claims. Confronted with the Facts, they will once again spew opinions, non-educated opinions.
The Anti-Second Amendent organizations are losing ground for several reasons, one being, they cannot argue and win on there opinions---when confronted with facts.
Statement From the Brady Campaign: "We've lost the battle on what the Second Amendment means," campaign president Paul Helmke told ABC News. "Seventy-five percent of the public thinks it's an individual right. Why are we arguing a theory anymore? We are concerned about what we can do practically."
Seventy-five percent? Arguing a Theory? No--your losing the battle because your using opinions to argue against facts!!
In a Video taken in D.C., the Brady Campaign Legal Manager quoted the Second Amendment as follows:--" A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. "
Notice something different about HIS quote-----He left out "Of The People". This is their agenda, an agenda based on getting what they want--even if it means Re-writing the Second Amendment---once again---opinions based on opinions!
The Brady Campaign has waged an assault on the Second Amendment that cannot be ignored. Their methods target those who are not familiar with the facts associated with firearms and the statistics related to them. Therefore forming an Army of followers devoted to their opinions. To combat this, all people ( Firearms owners and those who do not own firearms ) should see this as an attack on freedom, not just firearms. Unite and spread the word---We Are The People!!!
For more State and Federal information regarding the Second Amendment--visit--We The People [http://disarmamerica.blogspot.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Hunley
Old Glory, The Stars and Bars, That Grand Old Flag and The Red, White, and Blue. This Statement can only refer to one thing--The symbol of a Great Nation, a Nation of Free people, a Nation that remembers the struggles and the loss of life that it took to achieve this freedom.
We fought, and We declared ourselves Free, free from the rule of the few, the so-called chosen. Yes--We were now the ruling class---A Government of the People. No Longer under the rule of Kings nor Queens, we set about electing Great Men to debate what was best for The People. Men of our choosing---the men we felt had our (The People) best interest at hand. Some of these men would come to be known as our founding fathers.
The Founding Fathers would voice their opinions on many matters, Debate and argue, until they came up with the best solution for "The People". What they agreed upon---would be "The Law Of The Land", because they were chosen, chosen by "The People". That was then!!!!!
This Is Now!!!
The major decision debated today in regards to the Founding Fathers is in no doubt The Second Amendment. If you are not familiar with the Second Amendment it states--" A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
Simple, isn't it? Depends on who you talk to, many have used the wording of this amendment to attack the peoples right to firearms---claiming that when the forefathers used the word "Militia"---They were speaking of an organized army controlled by the government. What did these men truly mean?
"A militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves ... and include all men capable of bearing arms," declared Richard Henry Lee, a First Congress senator. "To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms."
"Who are the militia?" asked Tench Coxe, delegate for Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress. "Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man gainst his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American... [T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people."
Notice the definition given regarding the word "Militia". Militia refers to the People. There are many examples of the true meaning of the word "Militia" in the eyes of our forefather--these are just a few--and all refer to the people as the Militia.
The battle will keep raging on in regards to the Second Amendment, and numerous arguments will be waged, both by people who deal in Facts and those that deal in opinions. Opinions are the major battle armor of the Anti-Gun People. This is all they have to use for their agenda---opinions---because the Facts do not back them up. Countless "Opinions" on the increase in crime, and murder, are spewed about by the Anti-Gun organizations---problem is--the facts do not support these claims. Confronted with the Facts, they will once again spew opinions, non-educated opinions.
The Anti-Second Amendent organizations are losing ground for several reasons, one being, they cannot argue and win on there opinions---when confronted with facts.
Statement From the Brady Campaign: "We've lost the battle on what the Second Amendment means," campaign president Paul Helmke told ABC News. "Seventy-five percent of the public thinks it's an individual right. Why are we arguing a theory anymore? We are concerned about what we can do practically."
Seventy-five percent? Arguing a Theory? No--your losing the battle because your using opinions to argue against facts!!
In a Video taken in D.C., the Brady Campaign Legal Manager quoted the Second Amendment as follows:--" A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. "
Notice something different about HIS quote-----He left out "Of The People". This is their agenda, an agenda based on getting what they want--even if it means Re-writing the Second Amendment---once again---opinions based on opinions!
The Brady Campaign has waged an assault on the Second Amendment that cannot be ignored. Their methods target those who are not familiar with the facts associated with firearms and the statistics related to them. Therefore forming an Army of followers devoted to their opinions. To combat this, all people ( Firearms owners and those who do not own firearms ) should see this as an attack on freedom, not just firearms. Unite and spread the word---We Are The People!!!
For more State and Federal information regarding the Second Amendment--visit--We The People [http://disarmamerica.blogspot.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Hunley
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