D.C. CIRCUIT COURT AFFIRMS EARLIER PARKER RULING
On Tuesday, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit, declined to review the decision in Parker v. District of Columbia--the case in March that upheld the Second Amendment as an individual right and struck down Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban. The decision not to review the case means that an earlier ruling by the three-judge panel will stand.
Gun Ban Activists Push More Restrictions at U.S. House Hearing: A one-sided hearing Thursday in the House Oversight & Government Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, chaired by long-shot presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh.), was used by anti-gunners as a platform for pushing the same, old, tired anti-gun restrictions.
UNDERCOVER OPERATIONS MAY "STING" BLOOMBERG: In an effort to end the illegal, covert "Simulated Straw Purchase" stings that anti-gun New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) has been misguidedly promoting of late, Virginia Attorney General Robert McDonnell (R) recently sent a letter to Bloomberg reminding him that Virginia's House Bill 2653--which prohibits gun dealer entrapment schemes such as those orchestrated by the Mayor--will go into effect this summer.
IN MOORE TROUBLE: Once again, filmmaker Michael Moore is in the news, and the news is not good for him. A recent article in the on-line version of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Moore is under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department for unauthorized travel to Cuba.
"THE ACTIVIST'S CORNER"--PEER-TO-PEER EDUCATION: You receive the Friday Grassroots Alert, but do you receive NRA-ILA's free monthly newsletter, "Freedom's Voice"? This free publication is a must have for the pro-gun activist, and as with the Grassroots Alert, it is absolutely free!
STATE ROUNDUP (please click to see any updates on states not listed below.)
ALABAMA: Alabama Governor Signs Pro-Gun Legislation into Law! Put another in the win column for Alabama's gun owners. Governor Bob Riley (R) signed Senate Bill 62 into law on Monday, May 7. The bill will allow a resident to purchase or receive a firearm or ammunition from a non-contiguous state, as well as allow a non-resident to purchase within Alabama.
ARIZONA (1): Help Improve the Southeast Regional Park Shooting Range! Please help continue improvements at the Southeast Regional Park Shooting Range. Written comments to the Chairman of the Committee can be submitted no later than Thursday, May 31, 2007. For more information as to where to mail your comments, please click here.
ARIZONA (2): Arizona Game & Fish Department to Host Meetings on BLM and Forest Service Plans! The Arizona Game and Fish Department will host a series of meetings across the state to provide an overview of the Forest Service and BLM planning processes and how you can become engaged. The plans could potentially include proposed alternatives that change the way you currently enjoy public lands, particularly with regard to recreational shooting, hunting, vehicular access and transportation, designation of open and closed roads, dispersed camping and/or recreation, and motorized retrieval of big game lawfully taken by hunters.
ARIZONA (3): Stop the Bureau of Land Management From Banning Recreational Shooting on Arizona Public Lands! The 128,000-acre Ironwood Forest National Monument is under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is generally opened to dispersed recreational shooting. A management plan just released for public review and comment is likely to change that if BLM's preferred management alternative (Alternative C) is adopted. Alternative C would close the Monument to recreational shooting. Hunting would continue to be allowed for the time being. Let your voice be heard! Please send written comments to the BLM and let them know that recreational shooting is a legitimate use of public lands, and a legitimate and traditional recreational use in Ironwood Forest National Monument.
ARIZONA (4): Arizona Game & Fish Department Seeking Comment on Operational Plans! A series of eight public meetings is being held across the state to present a plan and to accept public comment regarding how the Arizona Game and Fish Commission will manage wildlife, outdoor recreational activities, and its own operations for the next two years. Your comments will play a major role in affecting the management of the AGFD. Help preserve Arizona's hunting and shooting heritage. Your participation is vital if we're to ensure the continuation of hunting and shooting sports for future generations.
ARIZONA (5): The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Tucson Field Office will host a public meeting to answer questions and take comments on the Ironwood Forest National Monument Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. The agency has previously hosted five meetings. The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Pima Community College West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road, Tucson, in the Proscenium Theater, located on the east side of the campus. Sign in for speakers will begin at 9:30 a.m. The meeting will be a question-and-answer format with a panel of BLM specialists. Each person will be given up to two minutes to ask a question or provide a comment, which will be recorded by a note taker. Comments to the plan will be accepted through Wednesday, May 30. Comments may be submitted in writing to: Mark Lambert, IFNM Planner, BLM, 12661 East Broadway, Tucson AZ 85748 or may be submitted via e-mail at AZ_IFNM_RMP@blm.gov.
COLORADO (1): Attack on Right-to-Carry At The Governor's Desk! On Wednesday, April 25, Senate Bill 34 passed the House and is presently on the desk of Governor Bill Ritter (D). If enacted, out-of-state carry permits would no longer be honored if the permit holder is not a resident of the state that issued the permit. Please contact Governor Ritter TODAY at (303) 866-2471 or by email at Governor.ritter@state.co.us and respectfully urge him to veto SB34.
COLORADO (2): Please Urge Governor Ritter to Veto HB1174! If enacted, House Bill 1174 would permanently extend the database of concealed handgun permit licensees. Please contact Governor Ritter and respectfully urge him to veto HB1174. Governor Ritter can be reached at (303) 866-2471 or by email at Governor.ritter@state.co.us and respectfully urge him to veto HB1174.
CONNECTICUT: Connecticut Anti-Gun Bill Still Pending in Committee! Senate Bill 903 is still awaiting referral to the Public Safety and Security Committee. SB 903 seeks to make criminals out of burglary victims by making it a crime to fail to report a gun theft to police within 72 hours of when the owner "discovered or should have discovered" the theft. SB 903 also includes language that would subject gun owners to criminal investigation and jeopardy of prosecution even if they report the theft within the required time period! Please call your Connecticut state lawmakers TODAY at (860) 240-0100 and strongly urge them to OPPOSE SB 903!
ILLINOIS: Illinois Bill Seeks to Ban Commonly Used Magazines and Rifles! Senate Bill 1007, introduced by former gun-ban lobbyist and current Senator Dan Kotowski (D-33), is headed to the House, which could take it up at any time. SB 1007, which bans the manufacture, possession, delivery, sale, and purchase of standard capacity ammunition magazines capable of holding more than ten (10) cartridges. This bill is worded so broadly that it would also ban certain firearms, such as some Henry rifles, which have attached tubular magazines capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. It is critical that you call your State Representative at (217) 782-8223 immediately and urge him or her to oppose SB 1007.
IOWA: Final Hearing By LeClaire City Council To Discuss Custom Gunsmith and Firearms Shop Moving Into The Area! Les Baer Custom, Inc. is no longer welcome in Illinois and has decided to move across the Mississippi River to LeClaire, Iowa. Unfortunately, gun ban advocates are working against them in LeClaire too. Please call the Mayor and City Council and urge them to support Les Baer Custom Inc.'s move to LeClaire. For contact information for the Mayor and City Council, please click here.
LOUISIANA (1): Management Plan Underway for Mandalay and Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuges! The National Resource Planner is taking comments on how Mandalay and Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuges should be managed. Comments maybe submitted until Friday, May 18th. Please address comments, questions, and requests for further information to: Charlotte Parker, National Resource Planner, Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 61389 Highway 434, Lacombe, LA 70445 or call 985-882-2000 or send comments and questions via email to Charlotte_Parker@fws.gov.
LOUISIANA (2): Attention Louisiana Hunters: Help Protect the Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge! A conservation plan has been made available by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service addressing the uses of the Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge. To ensure that our nation's wildlife refuges remain open to hunting, it is important for the hunting community, particularly those who hunt on wildlife refuges, to submit comments for the public record. Comments will be accepted until Monday, May 21 and should be sent to: Central Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 401 Island Road, Marksville, LA 71351. A copy of the plan is available at: http://southeast.fws.gov/planning/.
MICHIGAN: "No-Net Loss" Bill Heading to House Floor in Michigan! House Bill 4597, "No-Net Loss" legislation that would ensure that today's total acreage of public lands open to public hunting will not be reduced, is heading to the Michigan House floor for a vote. Please contact your State Representative at (517) 373-6339 and respectfully ask him or her to support HB 4597.
MISSOURI: Missouri Pro-Gun Bills Making Progress! Two important pieces of pro-gun legislation are currently pending in the Missouri Legislature. Passed by the House Special Committee on Agriculture Business, Senate Bill 225, the "Hunting Heritage Protection Areas Act," will protect some of our nation's most critical wildlife habitats and hunting areas by prohibiting certain development, and will prohibit localities from restricting the lawful discharge of firearms within the protected areas. Please contact your Representative at (573) 751-3824 and strongly encourage him or her to support and vote for SB225. Also, Senate Bill 62, the "Castle Doctrine" self-defense bill, is heading to a conference committee with the House.
MONTANA: Montana Governor Signs "Emergency Powers" Legislation! Governor Brian Schweitzer (D) signed Senate Bill 309, "Emergency Powers" legislation, sponsored by Senator Joe Balyeat (R-34). SB309 will prohibit the confiscation of firearms during a declared state of emergency, such as occurred following Hurricane Katrina. Please call Governor Schweitzer at (406) 444-3111 or email him at governor.mt.gov/contact/commentform.asp and thank him for supporting law-abiding gun owners and the Second Amendment.
NEW YORK: Anti-Gun Package Still Looming in New York Legislature! A broad package of anti-gun legislation that was approved by the New York State Assembly is still pending action in the Senate. Each bill poses a very real threat to our Right to Keep and Bear Arms in the Empire State, so it is critical that you contact your State Senators at (518) 455-2800 and urge them to vote "NO" on Assembly Bill 6525, Assembly Bill 829, Assembly Bill 2772, Assembly Bill 3447, Assembly Bill 7331, and Assembly Bill 76!
NORTH CAROLINA (1): Anti-Gun Bill Moving in North Carolina Legislature! House Bill 1287 seeks to create a new statewide database to which sheriffs would report all individuals who have been denied a permit to purchase a pistol. It has passed the House and now moves to the Senate. Please contact your State Senator today and respectfully urge them to oppose HB1287.
NORTH CAROLINA (2): North Carolina Considering the "Crime Victim Double-Victimization Act!" On Monday, May 14, the North Carolina House Judiciary I Committee will be hearing House Bill 1847, a bill that would require law-abiding gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm to police or face criminal prosecution. This bill would treat anyone who has had a firearm stolen as a common criminal if he or she fails to report the theft within 48 hours of when the crime victim "knew or reasonably should have known of the theft or loss." Please plan to attend the hearing on Monday, May 14, at 3:00 PM. If you are unable to attend, please contact the Committee Members.
OREGON: Oregon Youth Hunting Bill Up for a House Floor Vote! NRA-supported Youth Hunter Mentoring legislation, Senate Bill 892 A, passed the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. It will be heading to the House Floor for a vote very soon.
RHODE ISLAND: Rhode Island Legislation Targeting Semi-Automatics! Firearm microstamping legislation has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. For contact information for the House Judiciary Committee, please click here.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Pro-Gun Bills Marching Forward in South Carolina! NRA-sponsored Right-to-Carry reciprocity reform legislation, House Bill 3212, has passed out of committee and is now waiting to be heard on the Senate floor. Also, House Bill 3310, a bill which clarifies the law pertaining to the carrying of a firearm in a vehicle by someone with a Concealed Weapon Permit, is heading to the desk of Governor Mark Sanford (R).
TENNESSEE (1): Several Pro-Gun Bills Headed to Tennessee Governor Bredesen's Desk! House Bill 1285 and its companion bill, Senate Bill 1597, and House Bill 145, and its companion bill, Senate Bill 135, are heading to the Governor's desk. Please call Governor Bredesen's (D) office at (615) 741-2001 and urge him to sign HB 1285/SB 1597 and HB 145/SB 135.
TENNESSEE (2): Pro-Gun Bills Moving Forward in Tennessee House! House Bill 132 and House Bill 2184, two important pieces of Right-to-Carry reform legislation, have passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. HB 132 now heads to the House Finance, Ways & Means Committee, and HB 2184 has been referred to the House Committee on Calendar and Rules.
TENNESSEE (3): Tennessee Governor Protects Hunting in the Volunteer State! On Monday, May 7, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen (D) signed "No-Net-Loss" legislation into law. House Bill 145 requires the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency to have a base line number of public hunting acres that are always open to hunting, guaranteeing that future generations have the same hunting opportunities that are enjoyed today.
TEXAS (1): Texas Right-to-Carry Confidentiality Bill Heads to Governor Perry! House Bill 991, the Concealed Handgun License confidentiality (CHL) bill sponsored by State Representative Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and State Senator Bob Deuell (R-Greenville), now goes to Governor Rick Perry (R) for his signature. Please take a moment to send a note of thank to Senator Bob Deuell, Senator Robert Duncan, Representative Patrick Rose, and Representative Joe Driver. Thank you for all your calls and emails in support HB 991, which ensured strong, bi-partisan support of the measure in both the House and the Senate. For contact information on the above State Legislators, please click here.
TEXAS (2): Important Texas Right-to-Carry Reforms Pressing Onward! Two important pieces of NRA-backed legislation to clarify once and for all that law-abiding Texans have the right to transport handguns for personal protection in their private vehicles without needing a Concealed Handgun License are moving through the Texas Legislature.
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin "Castle Doctrine" Bill Passes House! Vital self-defense legislation, also known as "Castle Doctrine" legislation, passed the Wisconsin State House on Wednesday, May 9. Assembly Bill 35 now moves on to the Senate. Please contact your State Senator at (800) 362-9472 and respectfully urge him or her to support AB 35 for your right to self-defense.
