From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Tue Jan 24 13:48:51 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Jan 24 13:49:02 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] FC Alert - Winchester Hanging Up their Guns Message-ID: <43D692B3.2070704@firearmscoalition.org> Winchester Hanging Up Their Guns In case you haven?t heard, U.S. Repeating Arms has announced that they are closing the historic Winchester firearms factory in New Haven, Connecticut. USRA parent company, FN/Herstal of Belgium, licenses the Winchester name from ammunition giant Olin Corp. The city of New Haven and the local machinists union are desperately looking for ways to save the factory and the 200 or so jobs that it represents. They are hoping that a buyer for the plant can be found and that Olin would agree to extend the licensing of the Winchester name to the new owners. USRA says that they intend to continue producing a limited number of firearms under the Winchester brand but that those guns will be manufactured overseas. All of the old-line gun companies have been struggling for years with the challenge of continuing operations in the northeast where the cost of living is high, union membership is mandatory, wages are far above the national average, and the political environment is hostile. It is probable that we will see the Winchester name on quality lever-action rifles, slide-action shotguns, and bolt action rifles for many years to come. The name is just too valuable to let it die. The big question is where Winchesters will be made. While New Haven, Connecticut is the historic home of the company, it would make much more sense to move operations to someplace like Arizona or Idaho where the cost of living and the cost of labor are both low and the political environment is much more gun-friendly. Barring a move to the south or the west, it is likely that the guns would be made in South America or East Asia and that would undoubtedly be detrimental to the company?s floundering sales. It will be interesting to hear the buzz at the SHOT Show coming up in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. ******************** The January/February edition of The Hard Corps Report is in final paste-up and should be in the mail in a few days. If you do not currently receive the report, an address and a contribution is all it takes to get on the mailing address. From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Mon Feb 20 14:53:17 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Mon Feb 20 14:53:29 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] 52% of US say Stricter Gun Laws Not Needed Message-ID: <43FA3A4D.1000306@firearmscoalition.org> A new poll by Rasmussen Reports shows that a majority of Americans do not think more restrictive gun laws are needed in the U.S. The poll, a telephone survey of 1000 U.S. adults February 14 and 15 of this year, has a margin of error of + or - 3%. of those 1000 people interviewed, 520 (52%) answered "No" when asked the question: "Does the U.S. need stricter gun control laws?", 39% answered "Yes." Don't expect to see these results widely reported in the general media. Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Sat Feb 25 00:09:02 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sat Feb 25 00:09:09 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Visit Western National Black Powder Shoot this weekend at Ben Avery, Phoenix Message-ID: <4400028E.8000407@firearmscoalition.org> My apologies for the late notice but I want to let everyone know that the Western National black Powder shoot is going on this weekend at Ben Avery Shooting Range outside Phoenix. Spectators are encouraged to visit. Take the kids! This is a rare opportunity to see - and experience - the fascinating world of muzzle loading. If you live in the Phoenix area, I encourage you to go experience this great historical, cultural, and educational event. Shooting starts at 7:00 AM each day and concludes at 5:00 PM with awards being handed out on Monday morning at 9:00. This is a National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association event and is the largest black powder shoot west of the Mississippi. Whether you can attend or not, please forward this information to anyone you know who might be interested and able to check it out. From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Mon Feb 27 17:50:26 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Mon Feb 27 17:50:44 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] A Friend Honored Message-ID: <44039E52.1030807@firearmscoalition.org> A Friend Honored Many of you might have seen the special tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Vernon Baker on NBC just before the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. I think it is worth reporting that Mr. Baker is a strong supporter of firearms rights and the NRA. I first met him and his lovely wife at a Friends of NRA Banquet that I was emceeing in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 2001. At my request, Mr. Baker agreed to be the guest of honor at our Friends of NRA Banquet in Spokane in 2002. Not only did he attend, he also donated several copies of his book, "Lasting Valor" and signed copies of his Medal of Honor citation. You could feel the room swell with pride and awe as I read the citation out loud and when the first items in the auction - an autographed copy of "Lasting Valor" together with an NRA logo blanket - came up for bid, the response was staggering. When the dust had settled the book and blanket had fetched a bid of an even $1000.00! That set the tone for the rest of the auction and all previous records for that event were shattered that night. Vernon Baker's book, "Lasting Valor" is available on line at www.LastingValor.com and I encourage you to consider adding it to your library. *************** Board of Directors Election Many have asked us about our recommendations for the NRA Board of Directors election. If you are a voting member of NRA, you should have already received your magazine containing your ballot. We are planning to distribute a list of recommendations this year but need to tie up a couple of loose ends before releasing that list. We hope to have that completed within a day or two and will send out an alert as soon as we do. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Tue Feb 28 23:05:25 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Feb 28 23:05:39 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Lifetime Carry in Indiana!!!! Message-ID: <440539A5.9050807@firearmscoalition.org> Hot off the Presses -- Our good friend Jim Tomes of the Second Amendment Patriots in Indiana has just informed me that the Indiana Legislature has passed a bill which makes Indiana concealed carry permits Permanent unless revoked for legal cause. The Governor has said that he will sign the bill. This is an example of GrassRoots in action, working the way GrassRoots should. A special thanks goes out to State Representative Troy Woodruff who shepherded the bill through the State House and State Senator Johnny Nugent who managed the bill in the Senate. Senator Nugent is also a candidate for the NRA Board of Directors so those of you who received a ballot in your most recent NRA magazine, be sure to remember Senator Nugent when you vote. Congratulations to all of the hard working volunteers of the Second Amendment Patriots. Good job! You've given the rest of the country a new goal to shoot for. I look forward to hearing the details on how this victory was brought about and will pass that information on to all of you in a future article. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Fri Mar 3 22:50:54 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Fri Mar 3 22:51:03 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Angel Shamaya in Jail Message-ID: <44092ABE.4050807@firearmscoalition.org> Angel Shamaya, Second Amendment activist and founder of KeepandBearArms.com has been arrested in Michigan on firearms possession charges. We join with the many activists who are rallying to Angel's support and encourage our readers to help in any way that they can. Unfortunately, information is limited and more is not expected until Saturday night at the earliest. Some of Angels friends are calling for people who know Angel to submit character reference letters to help convince a judge that this is not a dangerous criminal. More information can be found at: http://waronguns.blogspot.com/2006/03/angel-in-jail.html We will keep you posted as news of our friend's plight unfolds. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Sat Mar 4 23:36:01 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sat Mar 4 23:36:12 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Angel Shamaya Update Message-ID: <440A86D1.9000109@firearmscoalition.org> I apologize to those of you who don't know Angel Shamaya and might not be interested in this case. For those of you who are interested, here is the latest news: Our friend David Codrea updated us this evening after he had spoken with Angel. He tells us that Angel is out of jail and facing 4 misdemeanor counts of possession of unregistered firearms and one misdemeanor count of "menacing." We don't know anything else about the case. Under advice of council, Angel isn't saying anything about his situation but he did release a statement: /To all the people expressing support or concern, just knowing that you are aware of my situation made it easier to bear. I do have legal representation thanks to the Second Amendment Foundation , to whom I am grateful. *Alan Gottlieb* and his team moved swiftly and deftly to secure counsel for me, the result of which got me out much sooner than I would have been able to do on my own. /We wish Angel the best and will continue to follow his case as it develops. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition ******************************************** The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, combining the collective voices of thousands of grassroots organizations and individuals nationwide in unwavering defense of firearms rights. To add your voice to the Firearms Coalition and retain Neal Knox Associates as your personal lobbyists in Washington, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108. ******************************************** From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Sun Mar 5 23:44:58 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sun Mar 5 23:45:14 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] NRA Board of Director Election Message-ID: <440BDA6A.9020502@firearmscoalition.org> We promised you recommendations for the NRA Board of Directors election so here we go: If you are a Life Member or have been an annual member for five or more consecutive years, you should have received an official ballot in your latest NRA magazine. (If you did not receive a ballot, you are not a ?voting member?) This year we are recommending that people vote only for candidates that are not currently members of the Board. Other candidates that we like on the ballot are likely to be elected regardless so we are withholding any other recommendations. At the top of our list are the 5 candidates that were nominated just by petition, starting with Indiana State Senator Johnny Nugent; Jeff Cooper?s granddaughter Amy Heath; Missouri Sports Shooting Association President David Jones; former Georgia legislator Curtis Jenkins; and former NRA Assistant General Council Daniel Zavadil. There are also 4 candidates who are not currently on the Board but who were nominated by the Nominating Committee, they include our old friend John Burtt of the .50 Caliber Institute; New York activist Thomas King; former NRA staffer John Smithbaker; and Todd Walker, Vice Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen?s Foundation. Remember that the fewer candidates you vote for, the greater the impact of your votes so we encourage you to vote for any or all of these candidates but no more than these nine: Johnny Nugent Amy Heath David Jones Curtis Jenkins Daniel Zavadil John Burtt Thomas King John Smithbaker Todd Walker Please circulate this as widely as possible and encourage everyone eligible to vote to send in their ballot -- It's important. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition ******************************************** The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, representing the collective voices of thousands of grassroots organizations and individuals nationwide in unwavering defense of firearms rights. To add your voice to the Firearms Coalition and retain Neal Knox Associates as your personal lobbyists in Washington, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108. ******************************************** From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Mon Mar 13 11:00:43 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Mon Mar 13 11:00:58 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Army General Bans Carry in Alaska! Message-ID: <4415B34B.5080600@firearmscoalition.org> Concealed Carry in Alaska OK unless you?re in the Army! The US military has long maintained rather strict rules about privately owned firearms on their bases but the Commander of the US Army in Alaska has taken gun control in the military to a whole new level ? both on base and off. Last November Major General Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the Commanding General of US Army Alaska, put out a three-page policy statement outlining the most draconian firearms registration, storage, and transportation rules imaginable. These restrictions apply to all personnel living on post, including service members, their families, and civilians living in base housing and carry serious penalties for failure to comply. Recently General Jacoby took his gun control scheme a step farther by releasing a policy statement forbidding any US Army Alaska personnel to carry a concealed weapon any time, anywhere, on post or off post regardless of Alaska law to the contrary. The Policy Statement, which can be found at: http://www.usarak.army.mil/policies/PUBS-ACROBAT/USARAK_Policies/CGCOFS%20POLICY%20STATEMENT%2020.pdf reads as follows: ?Carrying concealed deadly weapons by USARAK Soldiers represents a significant risk to the safety and welfare of this command. Accordingly, all Soldiers assigned or attached to USARAK are prohibited from carrying a concealed deadly weapon in public places off of all USARAK posts. All persons are prohibited from carrying concealed deadly weapons on USARAK posts IAW [in accordance with] USARAK Regulation 190-1.? No exceptions, no excuses, no appeals. This outrage must be answered immediately! SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!! Please take a moment to send a note to your Representative and Senators, the Pentagon, and this very confused General. PLEASE FORWARD this information to everyone on your e-mail list and especially to other local and national gun groups that should be responding to this outrage. Here are a couple of addresses you might find useful: General Charles Jacoby Commander, US Army Alaska 724 Postal Service Loop #5000 Fort Richardson, AK 99505-5000 General Peter J. Schoomaker Chief of Staff of the Army 1500 Army Pentagon Washington, DC 20310-1500 ******************************************** The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, representing the collective voices of thousands of grassroots organizations and individuals nationwide in unwavering defense of firearms rights. To add your voice to the Firearms Coalition and retain Neal Knox Associates as your personal lobbyists in Washington, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108. ******************************************** From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Sat Mar 18 23:02:51 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sat Mar 18 23:02:58 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] No Hotel Space for Milwaukee NRA Convention Message-ID: <441CF40B.1000000@firearmscoalition.org> Milwaukee Hotels Sold Out for NRA Weekend A full two months before the NRA Annual Meeting of Members in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (May 19 ? 22), and there is no room at the inn. The Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau blames the shortage of rooms on the fact that besides the NRA convention, two area colleges are holding graduation ceremonies in the city on that weekend. Whatever the reason, NRA members who wish to attend the Milwaukee meetings are going to be hard pressed to find a room for even one night, much less the entire weekend. Attendees and exhibitors who do not have a confirmed reservation at this time are likely to find themselves commuting from lodgings an hour or more away from the convention site. We have seen no notice from NRA informing members about the problem. One would have thought NRA would have received a guarantee of a minimum number of rooms available for the weekend back when they originally booked the convention into Milwaukee three years ago. How do you bring 30 to 40-thousand people into a city that has no hotel rooms available? If you are hoping to attend the convention, I would urge you to make what reservations you can immediately and contact NRA to find out what assistance they might be providing. To this point, their web site is virtually no help at all. If you live within 100 miles of Milwaukee this SNAFU could be an opportunity for you to enjoy a less crowded convention. If you are planning to go to Milwaukee, please plan to attend the Neal Knox Associates ?Secret Meeting? on Friday night. The ?Secret Meeting? is a long-standing tradition at NRA conventions and we hope to see you there. We will be laying out our plans for actually getting some business done during the pep-rally they call a ?Members Meeting? on Saturday. It will be a great opportunity for you to meet us and your fellow members of the Second Amendment Hard Corps. Details about time and location will be forthcoming. Please forward this alert to everyone on your list who might have an interest in attending the Milwaukee convention, especially anyone you know in Northwestern Illinois or Wisconsin. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition ******************************************** The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, representing the collective voices of thousands of grassroots organizations and individuals nationwide in unwavering defense of firearms rights. To add your voice to the Firearms Coalition and retain Neal Knox Associates as your personal lobbyists in Washington, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108. ******************************************** From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Wed Mar 22 15:22:44 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Wed Mar 22 15:22:58 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Kansas Governor Vetoes Concealed Carry Message-ID: <4421CE34.9060204@firearmscoalition.org> For the second time in recent years Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has chosen to veto legislation providing for system by which law-abiding Kansans could carry concealed firearms. Though the legislation passed both houses of the Kansas Legislature with "veto-proof" majorities, overriding a Governor's veto is a tricky political maneuver that often boils down to basic partisan politics. Those of you in Kansas should begin contacting your legislators immediately demanding a veto override. Please forward and repost this news alert for the widest possible distribution. Together we can be victorious! As always, we'll keep you posted as news becomes available. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition ******************************************** The Firearms Coalition is a project of Neal Knox Associates, representing the collective voices of thousands of grassroots organizations and individuals nationwide in unwavering defense of firearms rights. To add your voice to the Firearms Coalition and retain Neal Knox Associates as your personal lobbyists in Washington, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108. ******************************************** From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Thu Mar 23 15:24:13 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition Alerts List) Date: Thu Mar 23 15:24:17 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Kansas Legislature Overrides Governor's Veto of CCW Message-ID: <4423200D.9010906@firearmscoalition.org> Congratulations to Kansas for joining the ranks of States that recognize lawful concealed carry. The State Senate voted for the override by 30 to 10, a margin of three votes. The State House vote was 91 to 33, seven votes over the two-thirds required to override the veto. The law goes into effect on July 1, 2007. Friend Bob Hodgdon tells us that Governor Sebelius worked the phones furiously, calling every outstanding marker she could rustle up to have her veto sustained, but to no avail. This is the second time Sebelius has vetoed a CCW bill. Her predecessor, Republican Bill Graves, vetoed a similar bill in 1997. It's interesting to look at the party mix of the vote. Thirteen of 83 Republicans -- 16 percent -- voted to sustain the Democrat's veto, while 21 of 42 Democrats voted to override their own party's veto. That's a sigificant breakdown of party discipline on the Democrats' side. It's certainly not helpful to Sebelius's long-term plans. She has been mentioned as a potential candidate for national office, perhaps even President -- a political point that may helped the CCW cause. The Republicans may have found it easier to vote to override her veto knowing that they could be sticking a pin in her ambitions. Regardless of the reasons why, the veto has been overriden and the bill will become law. Congratulations, Kansas! We consider this CCW permit is a good first step and look forward to further restoration of Second Amendment rights. For the Second Amendment, Chris Knox From alertslist at firearmscoalition.org Mon Mar 27 14:03:27 2006 From: alertslist at firearmscoalition.org (Firearms Coalition Alerts List) Date: Mon Mar 27 14:03:35 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Increase in FFL fees and hassle = fewer gun dealers Message-ID: <4428531F.9040003@firearmscoalition.org> Decades-Old Chickens Come Home To Roost The Violence Policy Committee is reporting what they term a "little noticed victory" for gun prohibitionists in a 78% drop in the number gun dealers over the past decade. According to a VPC press release, which has been picked up by several mainstream news outlets (ttp://tinyurl.com/jlg2a), the number of Type 1 Federal Firearms License holders dropped from 245,628 in 1994 to 54,902 in 2005. The drop in the number of licensees is a direct result of Clinton-era policies that included raising the fee for a Type 1 license from $30 to $200 coupled with concentrated "enforcement" (read "auditing") of provisions of the '60 Gun Control Act. Neal Knox wrote of a deeper root cause of the reduction in the number of dealers more than two decades ago. At that time a group of storefront dealers and distributors, banded together to call themselves the "National Alliance of Stocking Gun Dealers." Their stated purpose was to drive what they termed "basement bandits" (home and hobbyist dealers) out of business. Those "basement bandits" included kitchen table dealers, but also gunsmiths and hobbyists who wanted to avoid running afoul of the /still/ vaguely defined GCA '68 prohibition on "engaging in the business" of gun trade, and local clubs that maintained an FFL in order to buy from distributors. Today, we see the results of those dealers' protectionism. When gun owners fail to defend all other gun owners -- and that includes gun dealers -- the result is fratricide. ====================================================================== WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 26, 1984) A major gun distributor who is one of the main supporters of the "National Alliance of Stocking Gun Dealers" is attempting to get on national television programs to condemn the /lack/ of Federal gun regulations. Publisher Andy Molchan has written in "American Firearms Industry Magazine" that the "National Alliance is a protest group ... saying 'We are NOT going to die easily. And if we do die, we are going to take a lot of people with us.'" By that attitude, the "National Alliance" isn't just threatening the smaller or non-stocking dealer, what they're doing may amount to murder-suicide of the interests of themselves and their customers. If they succeed in changing the Gun Control Act, it's unlikely to have any significant positive effects upon their businesses, but it will almost certainly result in even-tighter controls upon firearms users. The distributors and dealers in the NASGD, like most of those in the gun business, are barely surviving financially. The industry's troubles are due to both the general economic downturn and the lessened numbers of firearms buyers. However, the NASGD is blaming "unfair competition" from small dealers operating out of their homes (whom they call "basement bandits") as well as individuals who obtain Federal dealer licenses to conduct their hobby, and are able to buy wholesale instead of buying from a local dealer. But as most in the industry will admit, the real problem is the over-supply of guns and ammunition, which has caused manufacturers and importers to "dump" their excess products at below-normal prices in order to survive themselves. While dealers have undoubtedly lost some sales to low-overhead or no-overhead licensees, I would wager they've lost many times as much to the big discount chains that handle guns as a loss-leader, in order to get hunters into their stores. Those discount chains often sell the most-popular models at prices below what the dealer's supplier can buy them. But since the dealers and distributors can't successfully fight the outfits that are bigger that themselves, a few are picking a fight with the guys that are smaller -- and we're all getting sprayed with the wild shots. I'm beginning to run into the effects of their campaign on Capitol Hill. A Senator's aide recently asked me "What can we do about basement bandits?" Another told me: "I thought you gun people wanted fewer Federal gun laws, but I just talked with a gun distributor who wants more." The immediate object of the NASGD is to reduce the number of FFL's issued, which is the same thing Handgun Control Inc. attempted in a court case a few years ago. Any time my friends want the same thing that my enemies want, it's time to re-evaluate that friendship. From alertslist at FirearmsCoalition.org Thu May 18 12:36:07 2006 From: alertslist at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Thu May 18 12:36:27 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Bills Moving Message-ID: <446CBE97.2090408@FirearmsCoalition.org> Two of the bills that we are supporting have just completed subcommittee mark-up and have been referred to the entire House Judiciary Committee: H.R. 5005 , the "Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act" and H.R. 1384 , the "Firearm Commerce Modernization Act." Now is a good time to contact members of the Judiciary Committee to urge them to support these two bills and keep them moving. Now would also be a good time to contact your Representative and make sure he is signed on as a cosponsor. It would also be worthwhile to call Speaker Hastert to encourage him to put these bills - along with H.R. 5013 the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006" Here are the members of the Judiciary Committee: Hon. Coble (R) North Carolina, 6th Hon. Lungren (R) California, 3rd Hon. Green (R) Wisconsin, 8th Hon. Feeney (R) Florida, 24th Hon. Chabot (R) Ohio, 1st Hon. Keller (R) Florida, 8th Hon. Flake (R) Arizona, 6th Hon. Pence (R) Indiana, 6th Hon. Forbes (R) Virginia, 4th Hon. Gohmert (R) Texas, 1st Hon. Scott (D) Virginia, 3rd Ranking Member Hon. Jackson Lee (D) Texas, 18th Hon. Waters (D) California, 35th Hon. Meehan (D) Massachusetts, 5th Hon. Delahunt (D) Massachusetts, 10th Hon. Weiner (D) New York, 9th I am on my way to Milwaukee - hope to see many of you there. I plan to attend the GrassRoots Workshop on Friday morning. On a personal note; Mom will not be attending, she is in Arizona taking care of my sister Stacey who has developed a serious health problem and is in the hospital - prayers are appreciated. From alertslist at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Aug 1 13:33:58 2006 From: alertslist at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Aug 1 13:35:03 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Tragedy in the Pratt Family Message-ID: <44CFACA6.6060002@FirearmsCoalition.org> All of us morn with the Pratt family at this tragic news and rejoice in their faith and perseverance. Our prayers are with them. (For anyone who might not know, Larry Pratt is Executive Director of Gun owners of America and his son Erich is the Communications Director.) Note from Larry: Dear Friends and Relatives, It is with great sadness (and joy) that we report that Erich?s 23 month old boy, Luke, went to be with the Lord on Saturday. There is sadness because we are missing him terribly as a result of the drowning accident that ended his physical life. But there is tremendous joy in that we know that Luke is with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and that as believers in Him, we will see Luke again one day. He was a very cheerful and loving child. Before the accident occurred, he was last seen throwing a baseball in the yard (with the wrong hand as he had the glove on his right hand), giggling as he went along. We will be having a memorial service for Luke on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. The service will be held at the Harvester Presbyterian Church at 7800 Rolling Road in Springfield, VA 22153. We would love for you to come to celebrate with us at the memorial ? and I do mean ?celebrate.? Yes, we are deeply mourning for him as we miss his presence in our lives, but we are just so thankful that God has made a way to heaven where believers in Him can be reunited. Our hope is in Jesus Christ, as He said, ?I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.? (John 14:6.) In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate donations to the Hispanic Ministry fund at the church. Checks should be made out to Harvester PCA with Hispanic Ministry written in the memo line. Checks can be sent to the address above. God bless. Larry Pratt on behalf of our entire family From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Fri Aug 11 20:09:15 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Fri Aug 11 20:09:29 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Catch Pols During Recess Message-ID: <44DD384B.2000707@FirearmsCoalition.org> Two Action Items from the Firearms Coalition 1. Act Now While Politicians are Home for the Recess 2. Consider a Special Contribution ******************************** CATCH POLITICIANS AT RECESS We encourage you to take advantage of the August Congressional recess to try to catch your representatives while they are in their home districts. There are three reasons why it is critical that you act now: 1. Face-to-face is the strongest form of communication. 2. With the elections coming up, politicians are desperately looking for ways to solidify their base and improve their electability, and that of their Party (and ways to undermine the opposition). Giving gun-voters something to get excited about -- or something to get mad about -- is a proven method of generating votes. 3. Since it is possible, even likely, that Republicans will lose their majority in the Senate this November, now might be the last opportunity to get pro-gun legislation passed for a long, long time. What Gun-Voters Demand from Congress- IN THE SENATE: Immediate passage of S-2599/HR-5013 reinforcing the Second Amendment during times of declared emergencies. The House passed this bill in July and the Senate has passed similar language of a temporary nature -- both by overwhelming majority votes -- but the Senate needs to pass permanent legislation as soon as possible. The Senate should also bring S-1082, repeal of the DC gun ban, out of committee and into the full Senate where it can be voted on. As DC contends with a declared "Crime Emergency", now is the time to restore the rights of DC residents and visitors. IN THE HOUSE: Gun-voters need some solid votes to expose members' true positions. This year more than any previous election, political consultants are advising candidates to present as pro-gun an image as possible regardless of their actual position or beliefs. Campaign books and articles are even suggesting specific phrasing for politicians to use to sound more pro-gun. John Kerry's "I support the second amendment -- as it's been interpreted in our society." Is an excellent example; to him, it has been interpreted to mean that the National Guard can have guns. He just won't say that part out loud. HR-5005, HR-5092 and HR-1384 are all bills that make improvements and repairs to current federal gun control laws. All are waiting for action in the House and all of them have been loudly opposed by Sarah Brady and her ilk. These are good bills that ought to be passed and the fact that there is vocal opposition from the other side makes them excellent tools for pushing politicians off of the fence. The House needs to bring these bills to a vote before the November elections. PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION If you have not made a contribution to the Firearms Coalition recently, we are asking that you please do so now. We intentionally keep traffic on this alerts list to a minimum so members know that when they get an alert form us, it is probably something important, useful, and timely that they are not likely to have seen from any other source. This is a free service to our subscribers but of course there are expenses incurred and we depend on your contributions to keep us in the fight. Long time subscribers are aware that this type of direct appeal is very uncommon from us -- we are in the information and activism business, not the fundraising business -- but the bills must be paid and due to a mailing mishap that is still being sorted out, we find ourselves overextended and in need of a little extra help to keep all of our projects on track. Our new web site is expected to be functional very soon. We will soon be able to offer on-line subscriptions to an electronic version of our Hard Corpse Report. And Chris's book of Neal Knox's articles from the past forty years is in the final stages. The next edition of the Hard Corps Report should be in the mail in the next week so if you aren't a current subscriber, please join us so you don't miss it. Please consider assisting in one of the following ways: ? Subscribe to the Hard Corps Report with a contribution of $25.00 or more ? Order our "I Went Away Mad" cards for gun-unfriendly merchants: $10.00 per hundred cards (Volume discounts and large quantity customization are available, e-mail Jeff@FirearmsCoalition.org for details) ? Make a direct special contribution Contributions may be made on-line via pay-pal (yes we know), over the phone by credit card, or through the mail. Make checks payable and mail to: The Firearms Coalition Box 3313 Manassas, VA 20108 e-mail: Jeff@FirearmsCoalition.org Phone: 703-753-0424 We thank you for your continued support. Please tell your friends about the Firearms Coalition! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20060811/cb1f0fa5/attachment.htm From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Aug 29 14:56:00 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Aug 29 14:56:12 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] California Urgent! Message-ID: <44F4A9E0.70906@FirearmsCoalition.org> IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED IN CALIFORNIA! AB 352, the Koretz Firearms Microstamping bill, has passed the California Senate and could be voted on in the State Assembly at any time. If you live in California, it is imperative that you contact your State Assemblyman immediately and contact everyone you know and urge them to contact their Assemblyman! If you do not live in California, it is imperative that you contact anyone you know in California or anyone you know who might know someone in California? You get the idea. THIS LEGISLATION REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION! AB 352 would declare as ?unsafe? any semi-auto handgun which does not have its make, model, and serial number etched or engraved in microscopic dimensions on internal parts in such a way as to transfer (stamp) that information onto each cartridge case when the gun is fired. The test systems we have researched involve the information being etched onto the tip of the firing pin which then transfers it into the primer. Polishing the firing pin with a whetstone or similar abrasive has been shown to be effective in removing the microscopic figures. The cost of implementing such a technology could be anywhere from a few dollars per gun if the cost is spread to all purchasers nation-wide, to over $100 per gun if only California gun buyers bear the cost. THIS BILL WOULD ALSO GIVE THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (VEHEMENTLY ANTI-GUN AG BILL LOCKYER) THE DISCRETION OF ADDING OTHER METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING AMMUNITION VIA MARKINGS ON THE CASE! That means that Lockyer would be able to add his system for requiring serial numbers on ammunition ? which has been rejected by the legislature ? without having to go through the legislative process. PLEASE TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY! CONTACT LEGISLATORS. CONTACT FRIENDS. WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. For more information, visit: http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_0351-0400/ab_352_bill_20060619_amended_sen.html and http://www.nssf.org Also in California: AB 2714 is currently pending a vote in the State Senate. This bill not only requires positive ID in order to purchase ammunition, it undermines the state?s firearms preemption law and would permit local governments to institute restrictive gun control measures. If you?re in California, or know someone in California, or know someone who knows someone in California... NOW is the TIME to ACT! From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Fri Sep 1 12:12:07 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Fri Sep 1 12:12:14 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] CA Victory! Message-ID: <44F877F7.1040607@FirearmsCoalition.org> VICTORY IN CALIFORNIA! The response to our last Alert was exceptional and the results were demonstrated last night when the California Assembly rejected AB 352 - the Microstamping bill - by a vote of 38 - 34. A similar bill failed last year by just one vote. All of the State and national gun groups came together to raise awareness about this bill and bring pressure on the California legislature to defeat it. Congratulations. Your voice was heard. ************** The latest edition of The Hard Corps Report should be available at FirearmsCoalition.org today or tomorrow and a new, special election edition of the Hard Corps Report will be mailed in early October so if you do not already subscribe, now is the time to make a donation and have your name added to our mailing list. Contribute through our website at: www.FirearmsCoalition.org or by writing to: The Firearms Coalition PO Box 3313 Manassas, VA 20108 Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Sep 5 19:58:29 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Sep 5 19:58:40 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Gun Bills in Judiciary! Message-ID: <44FE2B45.3080005@FirearmsCoalition.org> The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider four firearms related bills on Thursday. The Firearms Coalition sent out an alert recently urging supporters to take advantage of the August District Work Period to push their Representatives to take action on H.R.505, H.R.5092, and H.R.1384. Someone got the message! The House Judiciary Committee will take up these three bills on Thursday. Now is the time to contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and encourage them to support these important bills. ? H.R.5005 the Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act Makes several improvements to current federal firearms laws. ? H.R.5092 the BATFE Modernization and Reform Act of 2006 Provides for incremental and equitable sanctions against dealers for technical violations of the statutes as opposed to the current system which offers only license revocation as a remedy. ? H.R.1384 the Firearms Commerce Modernization Act. Removes the federal ban on interstate sales of firearms by dealers. Since all dealer sales are subject to National Instant Check authorization, there is no longer any excuse for prohibiting interstate sales. Also up for consideration in the Judiciary Committee on Thursday is H.R.1415, Carolyn McCarthy's (D-NY) bill to "enhance" the accuracy and effectiveness of NICS checks by paying states to computerize criminal and medical records for millions of citizens and provide those records to the federal government. The Firearms Coalition and Gun Owners of America are strongly opposing this bill as an intrusive waste of money, while the National Shooting Sports Foundation (representing firearms dealers and manufacturers) is supporting this the bill and the NRA is maintaining a deafening silence on the subject. We encourage you to contact members of the Judiciary Committee and ask them to support H.R.5005, H.R.5092, and H.R.1384 but to reject H.R.1415. Also contact your Representative and ask him or her to support passage of H.R. 5005, H.R.5092, and H.R.1384 out of the Judiciary Committee and to push for hearing and passage in the full House. Here are the members of the Judiciary Committee: Coble (R) North Carolina, 6th Lungren (R) California, 3rd Green (R) Wisconsin, 8th Feeney (R) Florida, 24th Chabot (R) Ohio, 1st Keller (R) Florida, 8th Flake (R) Arizona, 6th Pence (R) Indiana, 6th Forbes (R) Virginia, 4th Gohmert (R) Texas, 1st Scott (D) Virginia, 3rd Ranking Member Jackson Lee (D) Texas, 18th Waters (D) California, 35th Meehan (D) Massachusetts, 5th Delahunt (D) Massachusetts, 10th Weiner (D) New York, 9th The fact that these bills are strongly opposed by Sarah Brady and her bunch makes them even more important for flagging votes. It is imperative that these three bills are voted on in the full House prior to the General Election in November. Your action NOW can make a difference. Yours for the Second Amendment Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition ******************* Please support the Firearms Coalition in one of the following ways: ? Subscribe to our newsletter the Hard Corps Report with a contribution of $25.00 or more ? Order our "I Went Away Mad" cards for gun-unfriendly merchants: $10.00 per hundred cards (Volume discounts and large quantity customization are available) ? Make a direct special contribution To donate, go to www.FirearmsCoalition.org From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Sun Oct 22 18:52:17 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sun Oct 22 18:52:30 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Election Action Alert Message-ID: <453C1241.3010409@FirearmsCoalition.org> What you can really do to help pro-gun candidates. Stick Close to Home. As the elections approach you are being inundated with pleas for money and assistance from every candidate and special interest group in the nation. Voters in one state are being told about, and encouraged to support, politicians in another. All of the information and attention is often overwhelming and can easily become counter-productive. If you?re reading about, thinking about, and talking about candidates that aren?t going to be on YOUR ballot, you?re wasting valuable time and energy that could be being spent talking about, generating interest in, and drumming up votes for, local candidates. National politics gets more media attention but the balance of power in the U.S. Senate has less immediate and direct impact on your life than the balance of power on your local County Board of Supervisors. The Senate usually takes years to get anything done, good or bad, but your City Council can change your world overnight. If you want to make a difference in the coming elections, the best way to do it is to: Pick ONE Candidate and Go to Work. Talk to people and encourage them to do what they can to help your candidate; most importantly, to vote for him. That?s the short answer. Our latest Hard Corps Report has a lot of election information and is now available in .pdf format on our web site, www.FirearmsCoalition.org For the long answer and step-by-step suggestions for maximizing your impact on the elections, read on. (Sorry, it's so long but this is a proven system and details matter.) One of the major problems faced by activists who want to get involved in elections is that they have multiple pro-gun candidates that they want to support. Talking to people about more than One Candidate dilutes your influence. You can promote multiple candidates, but only briefly in passing. You must pick your One Candidate and maintain your primary emphasis on electing that One Candidate. Just convincing a right thinking voter to go to the polls instead of the woods is likely to be a boost for all of the pro-gun candidates so give them One Candidate to go vote for and let them know who else is worth throwing a vote at while they're there. A good system is to have a card or piece of paper with your other picks listed. This can be as elaborate as a sample ballot or as simple as a list of names (preferably in the order they will appear on the ballot). Ignore or make no pick in ?Tweedle-dumb versus Tweedle-dumber? races and avoid including any party designation on the sheet. Have your One Candidate prominently highlighted on the sheet and your other picks clearly marked. After you?ve talked about how important it is to vote for and elect your One Candidate, hand the person the short list and say something like here is a list of candidates I?m supporting this year. Most important is (your One Candidate) but I?m also supporting these others and would encourage you to vote for all of them. PLEASE TAKE THIS LIST WITH YOU INTO THE VOTING BOOTH SO YOU CAN REFERENCE IT WHEN YOU VOTE.? Details: A list of candidates that will be on the ballot in your home district is available from your County Elections Office web site. A Google search for ?_____ County Elections? should get you there. There will probably be a sample ballot that can simplify things quite a bit. Grading local candidates can be tricky. We have posted a number of resources to assist in grading candidates on our web site, www.FirearmsCoalition.org but it is unlikely that any of those resources will go down to county or municipal level. If you can?t find reliable information for a candidate, look on their web site or just pick up the phone and call their campaign office and ask where they stand on firearms rights. Who To Talk To: Distribution is the area where most activists fall down on the job. Many people are either uncomfortable talking with people about politics or they?re somewhat too comfortable talking to people about politics. To be effective you have to be neither too shy, nor too aggressive or talkative. Work within your comfort zone to begin with and then after you?ve had some practice, stretch your comfort zone a bit. Start with family and close friends ? many a gun-voter?s vote has been nullified when their spouse voted for the wrong candidate. Approach co-workers (keeping in mind that some companies have policies restricting political activity at work), people you know at businesses you frequent, people at church and civic or fraternal organizations, the neighbors you know, and the neighbors you don?t know. Think of campaigning like selling Girl Scout cookies. Talk to everyone you know, go door to door, find a busy corner or the front of a grocery store (with managements permission). Recruit friends and family members to help you sell ? campaign. The bigger campaigns or the parties can even provide you with neighborhood ?walking lists? which tell you the number of registered voters, party affiliation, and voting frequency at each address. Sometimes these are useful, other times they are more trouble than they?re worth. What To Say: Know something about your candidates. An ?A? rating from NRA might not be important to many of the people you talk with. Focus on generics like ?He?s an outstanding person and will do a great job in the Legislature.? or, ?She trusts the voters and the voters can trust her.? But do a little homework and be prepared to speak to specific issues when raised by the folks you talk to. Have a basic pitch that you use and modify it slightly to fit your audience and circumstances. When addressing family and friends you might say something like: ?You know I pay a lot of attention to politics and I?m happy to discuss issues with you any time, but right now I just want you to know how important it is that you vote for Joe Smith. Joe is running for the State House from this district and he can make a big difference in the Legislature. ?Your vote can help ensure he is elected. Can I count on you to vote for Joe?? [Assuming they say ?Yes?] ?Great. Let me give you this to take with you when you go to vote, it?s got Joe highlighted and also lists several other candidates I?m endorsing. Put it in your pocket and reference it when you?re voting. ?I appreciate you agreeing to vote for Joe, he?s going to make a big difference in the Legislature. Please encourage everyone you know to vote for Joe too.? Knocking on Neighbors Doors: ?Hi. I?m Jeff Knox; I live around the corner on 14th Street. I came by to ask you to vote for Joe Smith. I know you?re getting inundated with all kinds of political junk and I don?t want to take up a lot of your time. I just want to make sure you know how much we need Joe Smith representing this district and how important it is that you vote for him on Tuesday. Can I mark you down as a confirmed vote for Joe?? (Have a clipboard, pen, and paper.) If they?re agreeable, make a check-mark on your paper and then you?re back to: ?Great. Let me give you this to take with you when you go to vote, it?s got Joe highlighted and also lists several other candidates I?m endorsing. Put it in your pocket and take it with you to the polls to reference when you vote. ?It was nice meeting you. Thank you so much for agreeing to vote for Joe, he?s going to make a big difference in the Legislature. Please encourage your friends and family to vote for Joe too. Would you like a few more of these Voter Guides?? Then Move On. Once they?ve committed, get going to the next sale. If they won?t commit and have questions, try to answer them and then try to close the deal again. If you still can?t get a firm commitment, give them your candidate list with a modified close like: ?Please do look into it. I?m sure that when you compare the candidates you will agree that Joe Smith is your best choice. Let me give you this to take with you when you go to vote, it?s got Joe highlighted and also lists several other candidates I?m endorsing. Put it in your pocket and take it with you when you go to vote. ?Thanks for considering voting for Joe, I?m sure you?ll agree he?ll do a fine job for our district in the Legislature.? Then Move On. The more people you talk to, the greater your impact. If the person is clearly hostile, don?t waste time on them. Apologize for bothering them and Move On. Never take it personally. Make an Announcement at Church or a Club: ?I don?t want to start a big political debate but I want to encourage everyone to be sure to vote for Joe Smith. He?s a really good guy and he will make a great Legislator. ?I have a short list of all of the candidates that I?ve researched and am endorsing. Joe?s name is highlighted and I encourage everyone to put one of these in your pocket and take it with you to the polls to reference when you vote.? (Then just start passing them out, or have your kids passing them out as you?re talking.) If some of the people don?t live in the same district or aren?t sure about their district, just tell them that?s OK, to vote for Joe if they see his name on the ballot otherwise just vote for the others on the list. (You can also create a second list with candidates for all of the districts in your area listed.) If you are a real go-getter you can create candidate lists for other districts and recruit friends in those districts to help distribute them. Each activist should always begin from their own home and neighborhood and work out from there. The Busy Corner: If you want to work a busy corner, County Fair, or other event, the pitch has to be short and to the point: "Vote for Joe Smith! We need quality Representatives like him in Olympia. Take this Voter Guide with you to reference when you vote." You'll be lucky to get that much out before they pass on by but get the sheet into their hand. There are a number of reasons why this system works and you should keep these things in mind as you are putting together your list and deciding exactly what to say: 1. The lower down on the ballot a candidate is the less likely the person you?re talking to will have heard of them and the less likely they are to have made a decision who to vote for in that race. You can be the deciding factor. 2. The closer you are to the person you?re talking to ? family, friend, neighbor ? the more influence you wield with them. Go to your power first. 3. Having your little-known One Candidate as the focus of your pitch avoids discussion and argument about more controversial candidates on the ballot. 4. Not listing high profile and controversial candidates in races where gun rights is not a major issue keeps peoples? preconceived notions about those candidates from overshadowing what you?re telling them about your One Candidate and other candidates you are endorsing. 5. Leaving off party affiliation similarly precludes automatic rejection of your One Candidate and other endorsed candidates simply based on their party. 6. If you can get a person to verbally agree to vote for your One Candidate ? especially if you ?mark it down? ? they will be inclined to keep their promise and follow through with a vote. 7. Since most people are familiar with only the most high- profile candidates, they are swayable on all of the rest. Just looking at your list of endorsed candidates can result in votes that would have otherwise been lost. If they take the list with them into the voting booth, the odds of them voting for ALL of your candidates are very good. There are only 2 weeks until Election Day. Getting out and making a difference in your neighborhood can make a difference in your community, your county, your state, and the nation. ALL Politics IS Local! Please forward this to your local activist organizations, list managers, and friends. The more people who go to work on this in the next 2 weeks, the bigger impact it will have on the elections. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox The Firearms Coalition From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Nov 7 09:22:15 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Nov 7 09:22:25 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Supreme Court Message-ID: <4550B2B7.6050307@FirearmsCoalition.org> Today is election day and there is much at stake. Without Republican control of the Senate, there is almost no chance that any conservative, Constitutional Justice could ever be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Rumors are rampant here in Washington that another Supreme Court Justice is soon going to be forced to retire due to health concerns. Several of the Justices are well up there in years and it is likely that at least one of them will vacate a seat in the next two years - and quite possibly within the next few weeks. While I have maintained the position that there is little risk of losing the "pro-gun" majority in either House, even if the Republicans lose control, there is more at stake than just blocking new gun control. President Bush could be the last hope to balance the Court for decades! Without a Republican controlled Senate, that hope is all but non-existent. REMEMBER THE SUPREME COURT!! Tell your family and your friends! For the sake of a balanced Supreme Court, VOTE REPUBLICAN for SENATE!! From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Mon Nov 13 00:00:52 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Mon Nov 13 00:01:04 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Analysis and Action Plan Message-ID: <45581824.8000402@FirearmsCoalition.org> Where We Stand Now and What to do Next 1. We're not in bad shape 2. Contacting Representatives NOW can have a big impact 3. Gun-voters must be even more vigilant to hold Reps accountable Those of you who read our regular Knox Report in Shotgun News or other publications and our semi-monthly Hard Corps Report newsletter, know that we have consistently expressed our belief that the gun rights majority in Congress was not in serious jeopardy leading into the mid-term elections. Now that the smoke has cleared and dust has settled, we are relieved to report that we were right. Though control of both the House and the Senate has passed back to the Democrats, the ?pro-gun? majorities in both houses were substantially deeper than were the Republican majorities; testament to the wisdom of supporting pro-gun Democrats whenever possible. The Senate: The two most anti-gun Republicans in the Senate were replaced by two anti-gun Democrats; good riddance. Two solid pro-gun Republicans were replaced by proven pro-gun Democrats. And one pro-gun Republican lost to an anti-gun Democrat. Bottom line; we had 54 to 55 fairly reliable votes out of 100 before the election and should still have 53 to 54 reliable votes in the new Senate. The House: Several of the gun rights movement?s most reliable allies fell victim to the democratic process on November 7th, but many of their replacements have good gun rights records. The final numbers in the House sort out something like this: Reliable votes: Before ? 230 Now ? 224 Fence sitters: Before ? 45 Now ? 38 Anti-gunners: Before ? 160 Now ? 175 Where we have enjoyed a pretty solid 25 to 30 vote majority, we must now get by with a somewhat less reliable 11 to 16 vote advantage ? keeping in mind that we?re talking about politicians so they?re unpredictable and require constant supervision. What Now: What gun-voters need to be doing now is building bridges to their representatives ? Democrat and Republican. Whether in small groups or individually, we should be contacting our members of Congress ? both veterans and the newly elected ? and letting them know how much we look forward to working with them in the coming years. It is particularly important that gun rights activists reach out to newly elected Democrats who ran on a pro-gun platform. Let them know what we are expecting and that they can count on us for support as long as we can count on them to support our rights. A letter or e-mail is OK but the best thing is to contact the Representative Elect through his campaign office and ask for a short, face-to-face meeting. Congratulate him for winning the election (no harm in letting him assume you voted for him) and let him know of your deep concern about gun rights. Discuss particular pieces of legislation that you are interested in seeing passed and try to get a commitment from him. The most important thing is to let him know that we are watching to make sure that he keeps his promises to gun owners. The change in majorities means changes in Leadership, which means changes in the make up of committees. It is unlikely that any pro-gun legislation will make it out of these restructured committees for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, anti-gun propositions are not much more likely to come to the floor. Democrats want to hold and increase their majorities in 2008. They also want to win the Presidency. That being the case, it is likely that they will try to stay away from any controversial legislation that will cost them votes in ?08. Bills which they consider innocuous like a ?gun show loophole? bill (which NRA has accepted in theory ? more info on that soon) or a move to ban .50 cal?s might make some moves but don?t be surprised if Nancy Pelosi keeps them from coming to the floor for a vote. She knows that the gun issue has sunk many a politician and she doesn?t want her hard-won majority falling into that trap. Summary: All in all, gun-voters fared rather well in these elections. The Democrats? move toward support of gun rights is a significant development. It would be nice to see some serious competition between the parties with each trying to establish themselves as the party of gun rights. It is very important that we let our elected officials from both parties know that we are monitoring their actions closely and that they will be held accountable for those actions. Take advantage of the next couple of months to get to know the new guys and let them get to know you and perhaps we can even get more out of the Democrats ? who want to prove themselves worthy of our support ? than we have been able to get out of the Republicans ? who tend to take us for granted. Don?t be sucked into the doom-and-gloom mentality. Gun owners are not in bad shape at all and we can improve our position before the new Congress convenes in January by making contact and building bridges. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Thu Nov 16 12:31:18 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Thu Nov 16 12:31:27 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] State Legislature Message-ID: <455CBC86.3070104@FirearmsCoalition.org> Reply to Jeff at FirearmsCoalition.org I am trying to get a better idea of how the mid-term elections impacted the gun issue in the states and would appreciate your input. Analyzing the results of hundreds of elections in all 50 states is a daunting task so I'm asking for your help. There is a tendency to speak in terms of Democrat and Republican, but there are pro-gun Democrats just as there are anti-gun Republicans. Party does make a difference but individual positions are most important. How did the elections turn out in your state legislature? Will the next two years be better or worse for gun owners at the state level? I would be very interested in seeing any data you have in support of your position. Send any comments or information directly to me at: Jeff at FirearmsCoalition.org I appreciate your help. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Nov 21 15:00:42 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Nov 21 15:00:50 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Senate Judiciary Committee Message-ID: <4563770A.4030502@FirearmsCoalition.org> We only have a few days to have an impact on the makeup of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Please contact the new Republican leaders of the Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell and Senator Trent Lott, and urge them to keep pro-gunners on the committee. The Senate Democrats have already made their committee assignments and stacked the Judiciary Committee with the bottom of the anti-gun barrel - Leahy, Kennedy, Schumer, Feinstein, Durbin, Biden, Feingold, Kohl, Cardin, and Whitehouse, but the Republicans are expected to handle that business over the next week or two. Gun rights advocates need to encourage the new Republican leadership to keep proven gun rights defenders on the committee. Republicans will lose two seats on the committee in the coming Democrat controlled Senate. One of those seats is currently held by Ohio anti-gunner Mike DeWine who was not reelected to the Senate. That means that if all of the current members seek reappointment to the committee, one will not make it. The junior Republican on the committee also happens to be one of the strongest supporters of gun rights in the Senate: Dr. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. Unfortunately, under the Senate's seniority system, longevity is generally more important than philosophy. Senior members of the committee include Arlen Specter (PA), Orin Hatch (UT), and John Kyle (AZ) all three of these Senators have delivered knives between gun owners' shoulder blades in the past. Only Coburn, Cornyn (TX), and Sessions (AL) have clean solid gun rights records and Coburn and Cornyn are dangerously low on the seniority totem pole. Please contact Senate Republican Leader Elect Mitch McConnell and Republican Whip Elect Trent Lott, and ask them to keep Coburn, Cornyn, and Sessions on the Judiciary Committee. Mitch McConnell 361-A Russell SOB Washington, DC 20510 202-224-2541 Web Form: http://mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm Trent Lott 487 Russell SOB Washington, DC 20510 202-224-6253 Web Form: http://lott.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Email Here is a sample note that you may use or edit: Dear Senator McConnell, I understand Committee appointments will be decided over the next few weeks and I am particularly concerned about the makeup of the Judiciary Committee. As a member of the Firearms Coalition, I would like to express my strong desire to see Senator Tom Coburn, and Senator John Cornyn continue their service on this important committee. I am particularly concerned about Senator Coburn's status as the junior Republican member of the committee. Senators Coburn, Cornyn, and Sessions, has proven themselves as strong supporter of the rights of gun owners. I believes that it is imperative that the Senate Judiciary Committee have as many strong supporters of constitutional rights as possible. Since the Democrats have stacked the committee with rabid opponents of firearms rights, it is even more critical that men of character like Senators Coburn, Cornyn, and Sessions be maintained on the committee. Respectfully submitted, From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Mon Nov 27 15:27:09 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Mon Nov 27 15:27:28 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] New Congressional Staff Message-ID: <456B663D.3040503@FirearmsCoalition.org> Pro-gun Democrats face many challenges that make it difficult for them to live up to their campaign promises to gun-voters. Not only do they often have Party Leadership breathing down their necks and their peers pressuring them to double cross us, they typically have dedicated, dyed-in-the-wool, anti-gun Democrats making up their staff. These staffers hold a lot of power and can make a huge difference in how a member of Congress performs. All of those newly elected "pro-gun" Democrats are going to be hiring staff for DC and their home offices. Gun rights activists can help these politicians stay on the straight and narrow by steering pro-gun staff candidates their way. If you know a bright young Democrat who is also a shooter or Second Amendment supporter, encourage them to apply for a position with one of these newly elected Democrats. The best candidates for these jobs are pro-gun Democrat staffers who currently work for an anti-gun Congressperson. Next would be pro-gun Democrat staffers who currently work for a state legislator or as a Legislative Assistant in a Governor's office. People who work for lobbying and PR outfits are also possibles. Jobs in the home offices tend to go to people who worked on the campaign and jobs in DC almost always require some prior Hill experience. It is very difficult to break into these positions but the very best time is when there is a big turn-over as we've just had. Interested persons should try to make contact through the Congresspersons campaign office and, if they are interested in working in the D.C. office, submit an application through the House and Senate employment offices. There are also Democrat and Republican Party job banks and some specialized job banks such as the Republican Communications Association. As I say, jobs on the Hill in Washington are very competitive and offer long hours for rather meager wages. Anything above the very bottom of the ladder almost always requires prior Hill experience, and the cost of living/commuting in the DC area is outrageous. All of that said, I have rarely run across a Hill staffer that didn't clearly love their job. There are any number of resources available to assist in a Capitol Hill job search but one of the best is called HillZoo.com http://hillzoo.com/?s=jobs This is a good starting point for anyone interested in pursuing a job or internship in DC. I know it's a long shot that we could get a friendly on Congressional staff but it's a shot worth taking. I just received word from the Virginia Citizens Defense League that Senator-Elect Jim Webb has appointed two local anti-gun Party hacks to hire his staff. That's not good and we need to do what we can to get these new guys started out on the right foot. Please take a minute to give this some thought, shake your contact tree and see if you might have a link to someone who could fit this bill. If you know of a good candidate who needs some guidance, they're welcome to drop me an e-mail and I'll do whatever I can. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations The Firearms Coalition Jeff at FirearmsCoalition.org From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Mon Dec 4 21:03:22 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Mon Dec 4 21:03:33 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] National Parks Message-ID: <4574EF8A.50807@FirearmsCoalition.org> A request from our friends at Virginia Citizens Defense League about Senator Allen?s bill to repeal the prohibition on firearms in National Parks. -------------------------------- We need to bombard Senators Frist, and Domenici with phone calls to get a Floor vote on S 4057. If you haven't done so, time is running out! Here are the phone numbers: The Congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121 Ask for your Senators and ask them to support quick action on S.4057. Also ask them to put pressure on the Department of the Interior to act on the VCDL ?Petition for Rule Making? as a regulatory solution for this problem in case the Allen bill doesn?t get through in time. Also call: Majority Leader, Senator Bill Frist: 202-224-3344 (urge him to fast track S.4057) and Senator Pete Domenici: 202-224-6621 (urge him to expedite a vote on S.4057 in the Energy and Natural Resources committee) For Virginia residents: Senator George Allen: 202-224-4024 (thank him for putting in S 4057 and urge him to get a Floor vote as promised) Senator John Warner: 202-224-2023 (urge him to support S 4057 and to help get it to the Floor for a vote) ------------------------------------ Please act now; time is running out. This is a selfish request. The main road between my house and town runs through the Manassas National Battlefield Park. Even with a CCW, I can not legally drive down that road with a gun unless I stop, unload it, and pack it in the trunk. This is NOT about being ALLOWED to carry a gun in the Parks, it is about having to disarm in the Parks. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox The Firearms Coalition From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Sun Dec 17 18:46:40 2006 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sun Dec 17 18:46:50 2006 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] NRA Gun Show Position Message-ID: <4585F300.9090202@FirearmsCoalition.org> NRA Candidate Surveys Now Posted We have had a number of inquiries about the NRA Candidate Survey we reported on in the latest Hard Corps Report and The Knox Report in Shotgun News. Copies of the survey are also posted there at: http://firearmscoalition.org/links/ At issue is a statement in survey question 6. that NRA does not oppose expanding "Instant Checks" to include private sales at gun shows. This was a fall-back position adopted by NRA back in 1999 when a very bad gun show bill was looking inevitable. We contend that NRA needs to revert back to a principled position on this issue, not start from a compromise, "fall-back" position. NRA also repeatedly declares their full support for all of the current restrictions on machine guns and such. This even though Wayne LaPierre promised to work to repeal the ban on new machine guns that he allowed to be attached to Volkmer-McClure back in 1986. He has never taken any steps to follow through on that promise and now NRA is stating its unqualified endorsement of the laws as they exist. This is a problem. The latest Hard Corps Report is now available on our site: http://firearmscoalition.org/HCR/current.pdf ****************** Stay up to date with the most current information on the fight to preserve gun rights by joining the Firearms Coalition an receiving the Hard Corps Report every other month.