Poll Finds 66% Of Voters Want No New Gun Laws
A recent Zogby International poll conducted for Associated Television News found that 66% of the American voting public rejects the idea that new gun control laws are needed.
The poll asked: "Which of the following two statements regarding gun control comes closer to your own opinion?
Statement A: There needs to be new and tougher gun control legislation to help in the fight against gun crime.
Statement B: There are enough laws on the books. What is needed is better enforcement of current laws regarding gun control."
Conversely, the poll found that just 31% of the American public thinks new and tougher gun control laws are needed, and that voters who support better enforcement of existing gun laws are found across virtually all demographic groups, and in all regions of the country.
Jesse Jackson Announces A Day Of Anti-Gun Reckoning--And What You Can Do About It: On August 28, Rev. Jesse Jackson is organizing an anti-gun protest in up to 25 cities nationwide. Not willing to lay the blame for crime on criminals, Jackson and his cronies claim, "people who buy guns from gun shops kill people." Since the sale of every firearm from every licensed gun dealer is subject to a background check, it is unclear how the millions of law-abiding Americans who go through this mandated check and legally "buy guns from gun shops" are responsible for killing people. Then again, though, Jackson is never one to let the facts get in the way of a misguided PR opportunity.
Register To Vote! With the 2007 Election season in full swing in five states (Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia), it is critical that gun owners and gun rights supporters are registered to vote in advance of respective deadlines. With the all-important 2008 campaign already well underway, you can bet the opponents of our freedom will be working this year to gain momentum. It is critical that we as gun owners are registered to vote and that we most assuredly vote on Election Day.
To assist you in registering to vote this year, NRA-ILA has a number of tools available. Please visit www.nraila.org/ActionCenter/GetInvolvedLocally/VoterInformation.aspx?st and choose your state to find out all the voter registration dates, deadlines, and requirements for this year's elections. To print a voter registration application that you can complete and return by mail, please visit https://ssl.capwiz.com/nra/e4/nvra/? action=formhere. You may also obtain voter registration information by calling the ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683).
Let's make sure that we in the pro-Second Amendment community do all we can in registering and voting this year.
STATE ROUNDUP (please click to see any updates on states not listed below.)
CALIFORNIA: California Senate Expected To Vote On Microstamping and Lead Ammunition Legislation Any Day Any day the State Senate could vote on two anti-gun bills, Assembly Bill 821, which would ban the use of lead ammunition for hunting in various hunting zones around the state that incorporate condor range and; Assembly Bill 1471, which would require that after a certain date, the make, model, and serial number of the firearm be microstamped onto the interior surface or internal working parts of all handguns in such a manner that those identifiers are imprinted onto the cartridge case upon firing. Under AB1471, the manufacture, sale, and transfer of handguns that do not include their identifying information would be a crime. Please contact your State Senator today and respectfully urge him or her to oppose AB 821 and AB 1471. Contact information for your State Senator can be found by clicking here.
California Fish & Game Commission Holding A Special Meeting Regarding Ammunition For Hunters On Monday, August 27, the California Fish & Game Commission is holding a special meeting. Some of topics to be discussed are: the authorized methods for hunting big game, non-lead ammunition, and the status of the California condor. This meeting will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Monday, August 27 at the Resources Building Auditorium, First Floor, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento, 95814. Your attendance is crucial to help protect the future of hunting in California.
MISSOURI: Missouri's "Hunting Heritage Protection Act" Being Undermined On July 3, 2007 Governor Matt Blunt (R) signed Senate Bill 225, the "Hunting Heritage Protection Areas Act" into law. Now, NRA members are anxiously awaiting the bill's effective date of August 28. Since passage in the closing days of Missouri's regular session, the Missouri Municipal League (MML) has undermined NRA members' hard work on SB 225 by urging all cities that do not currently have restrictions on hunting and the discharge of firearms to enact such ordinances prior to the effective date of the bill. Now, the MML is also trying to influence your local Park District board to undermine SB 225! Please be sure to monitor your city government and Park District meeting and agenda announcements and alert NRA-ILA of any proposal that seeks to restrict hunting and sport shooting. Please forward any information to Kris Koenen at kkoenen@nrahq.org or (703) 267-1209.
Hazelwood, Missouri Enacts Hunting Regulations Hazelwood City Council decided to preserve Missouri's hunting heritage by continuing to allow hunting and an individual's right to self-defense within the city limits. Our thank go out to the hundreds of NRA members, sportsmen and gun owners who emailed, made phone calls and attended previous public meetings to express outrage at the previous ordinance.
NEBRASKA: Proposed Omaha City Council Ordinance Calls For Destruction of Firearms Your attendance is needed at the Tuesday, August 28, Omaha City Council meeting to help stop the destruction of firearms. The meeting will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday, August 28 at 1819 Farnam Street, Suite LC-1, Omaha, 68183. If you are unable to attend, please call the members of the City Council and respectfully urge them to support Councilman Sigerson's amendment to protect firearms stolen from law-abiding citizens from being destroyed. The general phone number for the City Council is (402) 444-5557. For further contact information for the City Council please click here.
NEW YORK: The Sportsmen's Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) will be hosting its "2007 Right-to-Carry Conference & Second Amendment Rally" on Sunday, September 23, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 12:00 noon). The event will be held at the Sheraton, Long Island, 110 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, Smithtown, NY, (631) 231-1100, (on Motor Parkway on the North side of LIE between exits 53 & 55). In attendance at the event will be: Wayne R. LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President; John Sigler, NRA President; Bob Barr, Former Member, U.S. House of Representatives and NRA Board Member; Jim Fotis, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Alliance of America; Susan Howard, actress and Commissioner of Parks & Wildlife in Texas; and John L. Cushman, S.A.F.E. President and Founder, and NRA Board Member.
Attendees will get the latest information on the Right-to-Carry nationwide and locally. You will meet and network with fellow sportsmen and women concerning your civil rights and those of your children and grandchildren. This conference will raise issues of concern and give suggested courses of action with local and national leaders of Second Amendment organizations and legislators from all levels of government. You will also have a chance to win valuable prizes in drawings limited to attendees only. Admission and parking are free, and the event is open to your family and friends.
NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina Governor Signs Right-to-Carry Reform Legislation Governor Mike Easley (D) signed House Bill 573, the judge-carry bill, into law on Tuesday, August 21. This bill will allow district and superior court judges who have a valid Right-to-Carry (RTC) permit to carry a concealed firearm into a court building housing a court of the General Court of Justice if the judge is in the building to conduct his or her official duties. Our thanks go out to Governor Easley, as well as Representative Arthur Williams (D-6), Representative Dan Blue (D-33), Representative Julia Howard (R-79), and Representative Harold Brubaker (R-78), who were the bill's Primary Sponsors. Thanks also go out to NRA members who helped support this legislation by communication with their elected officials.
PENNSYLVANIA: Pennsylvania Governor Names Panel To Review PICS System Shut Down As previously reported, the Pennsylvania State Police announced earlier this month its intentions to shutdown the PA Instant Check System (PICS) from September 2 to September 6. Now, due to the widespread outrage from Pennsylvania sportsmen and gun owners, Governor Ed Rendell (D) has decided to appoint a seven-member panel to re-evaluate the shutdown of the PIC System from September 2 to September 6. The panel is supposed to come up with a decision early next week. Please contact Governor Ed Rendell (D) and your State Legislators today and respectfully urge them to postpone the maintenance until PICS can perform the needed maintenance without interfering with a law-abiding citizen's right to purchase a firearm. Governor Rendell can be reached at (717) 787-2500 or visit http://sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html to send him an email. The State Senate can be reached at (717) 787-5920 and the House of Representatives can be reached at (717) 787-2382. If you need help identifying your State Legislators, please click here.
Ellwood City Council Unanimously Repeals Anti-Gun Ordinance On Monday, August 20, the Ellwood City Council unanimously repealed an amendment to the city code that would have made it unlawful for any person other than a certified law enforcement officer to possess a firearm in any Borough building, real estate, vehicle or equipment. Earlier, Mayor Don Clyde vetoed this measure, leaving it up to the City Council to make a decision at Monday's meeting. Please contact Mayor Don Clyde and the Ellwood City Council at (724) 758-7777 and thank the Mayor for vetoing the legislation and the City Council for withdrawing the ordinance.
WEST VIRGINIA/PENNSYLVANIA: West Virginia Enters Into Reciprocity Agreement with Pennsylvania On Saturday, August 18, West Virginia Attorney General Darrel McCraw (D) announced that West Virginia has entered into a concealed handgun reciprocity agreement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. West Virginia and Pennsylvania residents, age 21 or older, holding a valid permit in their home state, may carry in each state. Remember, you must be in possession of your permit when traveling in a reciprocating state and are bound by the laws of that state pertaining to concealed firearms.
WISCONSIN: Governor Doyle Pushes a Massive Gun Control Scheme! Governor Jim Doyle (D) has outlined a gun control package aimed not at reducing crime, but infringing on the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding gun-owners in Wisconsin. The Governor's package includes eliminating all private transfers at gun shows, allowing local municipalities to enact their own firearms regulations, using ballistic "fingerprinting" technology, and prohibiting more law-abiding individuals from owning a firearm. Please contact your State Senator at (608) 266-2517 and your State Representative at (608) 266-1501 today and respectfully urge them to oppose Governor Doyle's anti-gun measures. Also, please contact Governor Doyle at (608) 266-1212 and let him know that his priority should be locking up criminals, not eliminating the rights of law-abiding citizens.
(NOTE: Instead of leaving you with the advertisements I usually have at the bottom of each post, I will leave you with one of the videos from Freedoms Watch) [30 second video.]
Gold Star Mother:
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