From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Sat Jan 12 16:18:07 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sat Jan 12 16:18:27 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Bush Justice Department Sides with DC to Supremes! Message-ID: <47894AAF.6040603@FirearmsCoalition.org> In typical, "screw your friends and appease your enemies," Republican fashion, the Bush Justice Department has filed an amicus brief defending the DC gun ban in the DC v. Heller case currently before the Supreme Court. The Justice Department calls on the Court to acknowledge the Second Amendment as an individual right, but asks that the Circuit Court's decision in the case be reversed and remanded (thrown out and sent back to the Circuit Court) with instructions to determine whether DC's laws unreasonably restrict resident's ability to exercise their rights. It appears that the "pro-gun," Republican Department of Justice fears that any decision from the Supreme Court which held that banning any class of weapons was an infringement of the Second Amendment, might open the door to challenges against bans on dreaded machineguns. It is worth noting that Congress recognized back in 1934 that banning machineguns would be a violation of the Second Amendment so they instead devised a plan whereby they could control such firearms with burdensome taxes and paperwork restrictions. It was not until 1986 that the first ever federal firearms ban was enacted when NRA accepted a ban on private purchase or possession of any newly manufactured machineguns as an amendment to the McClure-Volkmer, Firearms Owner's Protection Act. At that time, NRA-ILA chief, Wayne LaPierre declared that repeal of the machinegun ban would be NRA's top priority in the next session of Congress. Even though Mr. LaPierre has been the Chief Executive Officer of the organization for more than 15 years now and receives a compensation totaling more than a million dollars a year, no bill to repeal the '86 ban has ever been put forward by NRA. If the Supreme Court follows the government's request in this matter, no firm decision about the practical value of the Second Amendment could be expected for at least another four years; many thousands of dollars, and at least two new Justices from now. Republican politicians and operatives across the country need to hear and feel the wrath of GunVoters over this latest in a long list of betrayals from our oh-so-reliable, pro-gun friends. Write to the President, the Vice-President, your Republican Senators and Representatives, your local Republican officials and your County Central Committee and let them know that your anger will be reflected at the ballot box. This is just another example of why Republicans like Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, and John McCain are completely unacceptable presidential candidates and why Republicans are likely to lose the Presidency and additional Congressional seats due to a poor showing from GunVoters in the coming elections. ******************* We will continue to keep you informed about the important events in the gun rights fight. Thank you for staying on the front lines and helping us play a role. If you do not currently subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, or have not made a contribution to our cause recently, we would appreciate your help right now. Contributions can be made through our web site: www.FirearmsCoalition.org, over the phone at 703-753-0424, or by mail to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108. Your support is the only way we can stay in the fight so please help if you can. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Jeff Knox The Firearms Coalition www.FirearmsCoalition.org P.S. Special thanks to Dave Hardy, Second Amendment scholar and good friend (http://armsandthelaw.com/archives/2008/01/government_file.php) for alerting us to this important development and giving us the, "screw your friends and appease your enemies," quote. JAK From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Fri Feb 15 00:01:18 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Fri Feb 15 00:01:37 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Copy Cats Message-ID: <47B538BE.80609@FirearmsCoalition.org> There was another tragedy at a school yesterday. It might have been preventable. It might have been stoppable. An armed citizen might have ended the killing. But not in Illinois. The Illinois government doesn't trust its citizens with guns. After the tragedy at Virginia Tech I wrote the attached piece. It makes some good points, but there was a major flaw in it. As mentioned in the article, one of the primary motivators for this kind of senseless crime is the public recognition that the murderers receive. They post pictures and videos on FaceBook and MySpace that they know will be plastered on the evening news and they write nonsensical diatribes about the unfairness and depravity in the world as if they are some sort of messiah or avenging angel. The truth is that they are just demented cowards seeking attention. The flaw in the attached article was that I mentioned the names of some of the murderers. The media figured out long ago that it's a bad idea to show streakers and unruly fans at football and baseball games. When some idiot runs out onto the field in his birthday suit the cameras cut away and the announcers just comment that there's an idiot screwing up the game. They never publicize the moron's name or discuss his actions because they know that the publicity will just encourage some other moron to play copy-cat. For some reason they can't maintain that kind of standard when mass murder is involved. They seek out the murderer's family and friends, they publish their rants and photo's and they give the bastards exactly what they want -- fame. I'm just a little-bitty corner of the media; a small voice crying out in the wilderness, but I will never again name a murderer or play a role in keeping his memory alive. I hope that others in the media will grow a conscience and do likewise. I don't expect it, but I will continue to hope. You can help by supporting our work, reposting this and our other writings widely on the internet and at gun clubs and shops, and by supporting Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) at www.ConcealedCampus.org. They are organizing another of their "Empty Holster" protests for the week of April 21 through 25. Students around the country will strap on empty holsters that week as a visible protest against being denied the right to defend themselves. SCCC is looking for students and student groups on campuses nationwide to participate in the protest and for gunowners to help out by spreading the word, donating or loaning holsters, and of course helping to pay for the whole thing. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of this selfish, cowardly monster. My actions and writings will continue to focus on restoring the basic human right of self-defense in an effort to give future victims a fighting chance. These tragedies can be prevented and stopped. It's time to end imaginary "Gun Free Zones" and stop disarming victims. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox The Firearms Coalition *Ending Massacres for Good* By Jeff Knox (Manassas, VA, April 17, 2007) Thirty two students and faculty members of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University were brutally murdered on April 16. The story attracted massive media attention all over the world. Not the worst school massacre in U.S. history, but the most deadly school shooting (the worst used bombs not guns). In the aftermath, a serious concern is that history says such highly publicized criminal acts generate copycat crimes; the greater the media coverage, the more copycats -- and they may take years to act. Every parent of college students in the United States, and every student, needs to be thinking about that fact and devising action plans. No gun control law, no campus alert system, no increased police presence, buddy-system walking plan, or emergency call-box can stop a killer committed to the idea of immortalizing himself through murder. The only gun law which might have mitigated the carnage at Virginia Tech was a law rejected at the urging of school administrators in the past two sessions of the Virginia Legislature: a law forbidding state colleges and universities to prohibit lawful firearms possession on their campuses. If concealed weapons permit holders were not prohibited from bringing their guns onto the campus, would one or more of them likely have been in a position to abbreviate this latest tragedy? That's hard to say, but there can be no argument that the school's policy of disarmament guaranteed that there would be virtually no chance of any of the victims mounting an armed response. The previous "worst shooting in U.S. history" was almost stopped by a young woman who happened to be in Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas having lunch with her parents when XXXXXXX drove his truck through the front window and began methodically executing people. Suzanna Gratia (now Suzanna Hupp), had been convinced to carry a gun by a prosecutor friend and she had done so without incident for quite some time, but had recently begun to worry about the legal ramifications of being caught with the weapon. Texas did not have any provision for legal concealed carry of firearms at that time and Suzanna was worried about losing her chiropractic license. She had left the gun in her glove box rather than carrying it in her purse. When the shooting started, Suzie instinctively reached for her purse before realizing that it would do her no good. In the next few minutes, 23 people were murdered, including both of Suzie's parents, and many more were wounded. Throughout the ordeal, no matter how desperately she wanted it, Suzanna Gratia was unable to psychically transport the .38 S&W Chief's Special from her locked glove box back into her purse where it could do her and the others in the restaurant some good. Another friend, Jacquie Miller, had her gun with her in spite of Kentucky law forbidding it. Unfortunately, retrieving her gun took just a second too long. XXXXXXX shot her just as her hand wrapped around the butt of her Charter Arms revolver. Both of these women suffered greatly and both went on to champion the cause of legal concealed carry laws. Both of their attackers took their own lives after snuffing out the lives of many others. Both of these women knew that they could have dramatically abbreviated these deadly sprees. As Suzanna likes to say, having a gun might not prevent an attack, but it certainly will make one end quicker. Unfortunately, from a PR standpoint, shooting sprees that are cut short by armed citizens don't break any death-toll records and therefore don't receive much media attention. In 1997, after XXXXXXX had stabbed his mother to death and shot and killed his ex-girlfriend as well as wounding several other students in Pearl, Mississippi, Assistant Principal Joel Myrick used a .45 Auto to apprehend XXXXXXX and hold him for police. XXXXXXX still had a lot of ammo and police suspect he was on his way to another school to continue his rampage. Joel Myrick, and the illegal gun he had retrieved from his car, cut those plans short. As students and parents take a closer look at college security and think about the inevitable copycat attacks that will occur over the next year or two, personal security must be carefully considered. A firearm and training should be a part of that consideration. Carrying a gun is like wearing a seatbelt. You don't wear a seatbelt because you expect or hope to get into a car wreck. You wear it because you never know what might happen and wearing it could save your life. * **Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit is included. To Receive the Firearms Coalition's bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, send a contribution to The Firearms Coalition, PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108 or visit FirearmsCoalition.org and ShotgunNews.com ?Copyright 2007-2008 Neal Knox Associates* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080215/4cdcae7d/attachment.htm From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Wed Mar 12 11:14:34 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Wed Mar 12 11:15:08 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] GunVoter.org Needs Your Help Message-ID: <47D80F7A.90602@FirearmsCoalition.org> GunVoter.org Needs Your Help We don't want to pick your pocket. We just want to pick your brain. We have created a new forum site called www.GunVoter.org to serve as a central clearinghouse for information about the fight for gun rights, particularly regarding candidates and elections, but including legislation too. We need you to register at www.GunVoter.org (it must be .org as the guy who controls .com is demanding $10,000 for rights to the site,) and then post information about what's going on in your state. Without your input, the site is just an empty shell. With your help it can become the most comprehensive collection of grassroots gun rights information anywhere. Please go to www.GunVoter.org, register, and post information. The information can be an alert from a grassroots group, an article from a newsletter or blog (with permission and proper credit,) or just your own opinion about the situation in your state. We'd also like to hear from you in the "General Comments/Suggestions" area to let us know what you think of the site, things we could do to make it better, and your thoughts on general topics. Please take a moment to visit the site and post a message just to let us and others know you were there. We're also looking for people who would be interested in helping to moderate the site -- keep porn and spam out and the discussions civil, etc. If you're interested in participating in that way, please drop me a note through a Private Message. We've also put up a "GunVoter Gear" store with hats, T-shirts, etc. to help you tell the world where you stand. We're working on new designs and better graphics and are open to suggestions there as well. We've built this site for you. We think it can be a great resource, but only if you make it so. Please stop by www.GunVoter.org and participate. We've gotten the ball rolling; now it's up to you to build the momentum and roll it right over the antigun politicians in DC and the state capitols. Please share this alert with your friends and other gun rights supporters in your circle, especially club leaders and local activists. Thank you for your commitment to the Second Amendment and the fundamental human right of self-defense. And thank you in advance for participating in this exciting new venue. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director of Operations Neal Knox Associates -- The Firearms Coalition www.GunVoter.org P.S. The value of the GunVoter project depends on your participation. We can't do it without you. We're not asking for your money, just your knowledge and opinions. Please visit www.GunVoter.org and throw your two cents in. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080312/918afa9c/attachment.htm From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Thu Apr 3 23:21:50 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Thu Apr 3 23:22:54 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] News from The Firearms Coalition Message-ID: <47F5BAEE.3050707@FirearmsCoalition.org> * Pennsylvania Rally at the Capitol this Monday April 7, 10:00AM!* Join local activists and leaders along with some of the nation's top gun rights leaders including Jeff Knox, Larry Pratt, and Wayne LaPierre for this important rally. Activists are encouraged to arrive by 9:00AM to organize for a lobbying blitz on state lawmakers. The rally and press conference begins at 10:00AM and should last about an hour. If you can't make it for the whole day, at least try to be there between 10 and 11AM for the rally. For more information visit: http://www.acslpa.org/ ********** * Empty Holster Protest* Remember the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus "Empty Holster Protest" scheduled for April 21 through April 25. If you live near a college or university, have kids or grand kids in college, or are otherwise interested in getting involved in this effort, you are encouraged to go to: www.ConcealedCampus.org/ or visit the SCCC group on Facebook. ********** Rules Endanger Pilots and Public An unintentional discharge in the cockpit of a US Airways flight last month has brought new public scrutiny to the issue of armed pilots. Unfortunately the media is focusing on the wrong questions. They question the program itself - whether pilots should be allowed to carry guns at all; the quality and effectiveness of their training, and the frequency of their retraining. What they're ignoring are the flaws in the rules that force pilots to handle their guns multiple times during a flight. They're also ignoring the fact that until just a few years ago it was common for pilots to carry a concealed sidearm - with no restrictions, no training requirements, no mandatory locks, safety holsters, or handling requirements - and No Accidents. Airline pilots who choose to carry a gun are required to put their careers on the line with intense psychological testing, complete difficult, expensive, and ridiculously inconvenient training, and obey rules that are not only impractical and cumbersome, but downright dangerous. We have posted a video on the front page of our web site, www.FirearmsCoalition.org, explaining some of these dangerous rules and unsafe requirements, the equipment used, and the reason for the US Air pilots UD. Please visit the site and watch the short video. You'll be amazed! Please note that we had nothing to do with the making of this video and the demonstrator's gun handling techniques. ********** * GunVoter.org* Hundreds of activists have joined www.GunVoter.org in the past couple of weeks, but many more are needed. If you haven't registered at our new GunVoter site, please do so now. If you have joined GunVoter, please do what you can to encourage others to join; promote the site on other forum sites, encourage your clubs and groups to get involved, and most important, visit GunVoter.org often and post comments, questions, and information. Help us build GunVoter.org into a powerful tool for liberty. ************ The next Hard Corps Report is due to go to the printers soon. If you are still not receiving our semi-monthly newsletter, what are you waiting for. Just a name and address will get you a few complimentary issues and any Financial contribution of $20 or more subscribes you for a year. Don't miss another issue - join the Hard Corps today! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080404/e1923e8a/attachment.htm From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Wed Apr 30 15:49:10 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Wed Apr 30 15:49:29 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] National Parks & NY Lawsuit Message-ID: <4818E956.1000009@FirearmsCoalition.org> *1. Court Shoots Down Bloomberg! 2. National Parks Ending Gun Ban? 3. The National Anthem* *Bloomberg and NY * A 3 judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has dismissed a lawsuit by the city of New York attempting to hold firearms manufacturers responsible for the costs of "gun crime" in the city. The court ruled that the suit should have been dismissed under the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act passed by the congress in 2005. The 2-1 decision affirmed the constitutionality of that law and criticized Federal Judge Jack Weinstein for failing to abide by the Lawful Commerce Act when it first passed. We can doubtless expect Mayor Bloomberg to try to find some other way to blame gunowners, dealers, and manufacturers for New York's crime problems. *Parks* ** The Department of the Interior has released its long awaited regulatory reform proposals for National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges. The proposed regulations will be open for public comment for the next 60 days. It is critical that gunowners let their voices be heard on this regulation change. As I had expected, the proposed regulations are worded to be as restrictive as possible while still trying to answer the primary complaint. Specifically, the proposed change limits firearms that "may" be carried, to those lawfully carried concealed under state law. Lawful open carry is denied. The proposal also specifically exempts buildings and facilities from lawful carry and it predicates its rules upon those of similar state lands rather than general state law. So in states like Virginia, where gunowners are fighting to regain their rights in state parks, the fight would automatically extend into National Parks. If a state wants to prohibit guns in a National Park, they should have to pass a law to do it. Here is the actual text of the proposal for National Parks: *? 2.4 Weapons, traps and nets.* * * * * * (Added to the end of a complex litany of restrictions and exceptions) (h) A person may possess, carry, and transport concealed, loaded, and operable firearms within a national park area in the same manner, and to the same extent, that a person may lawfully possess, carry, and transport concealed, loaded and operable firearms in any state park, or any similar unit of state land, in the state in which the federal park, or that portion thereof, is located, provided that such possession, carrying and transporting otherwise complies with applicable federal and state law. The proposed reg change for National Wildlife Refuges is virtually identical except for the types of state lands that it cites as comparable. It is obvious that the bureaucrats who wrote these proposed regulations simply don't understand the fundamental principles involved. It is ridiculous that the Department of the Interior would promulgate these convoluted half-measures when a simple statement adopting the laws of the host state regarding the possession and carry of firearms would solve the problem. I think the DOI is concerned about not being able to prosecute someone they catch sneaking through the woods with a scoped 30-06 as a poacher. By limiting the exemption to "concealed" weapons, they think they are bypassing that problem and they are ignoring the other problems such a limitation creates. We have not yet formulated our official response as there are many factors to be considered and we would like to coordinate our efforts with other rights organizations. We will post our response as soon as we can get it put together. In the mean time, here is the official information about posting comments: You may submit comments, identified by the number 1024-AD70 by any of the following methods: Electronically via the Federal rulemaking portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: 1024-AD70; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203 Hand-deliver: 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203 *Public Availability of Comments* Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment -- including your personal identifying information -- may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. *FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: *Mark Lawyer, (202) 208-3181, Mark_Lawyer@ios.doi.gov. I'll send out an Alert in a day or two with sample comment language. National Anthem I'm not big on those so-called "viral videos" that race around the world in unwanted e-mails, but you might enjoy this beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner sung by a group of young ladies in Texas. The group is called The Cactus Cuties and includes: Madeline Powell -- Age 8 Blaire Elbert - Age 10 Tatum Lowe - Age 11 Andi Kitten -- Age 11 Baylee Barrett -- Age 13 They are directed by a woman named Cami Caldwell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284&feature=related -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080430/d7a86ae7/attachment.htm From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Thu May 8 16:49:59 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Thu May 8 16:50:11 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] National Parks Language Message-ID: <48238397.5010001@FirearmsCoalition.org> For those who might have missed the last FCAlert: The Department of Interior has finally published proposed regulation changes to end the total ban on firearms in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges. I am not thrilled with the way they propose to do it or the language they have now, but believe we're not likely to get much better than this. Instead of completely replacing eight paragraphs and numerous sub-paragraphs describing restrictions on the possession of "weapons, traps, and nets," and replacing those with a couple of paragraphs that make more sense, the new proposal is simply an additional paragraph added to the end of the list. The proposed regulation change, as written, is a step in the right direction, but it has some serious shortcomings. Most importantly, it only applies to concealed carry, and it adopts the host states' restrictions for State Parks and similar lands instead of just assimilating existing state laws. I promised in that Alert that I would provide suggestions for comments. Here are those suggestions. After conferring with other organizations concerned about this issue, I am convinced that the best we can hope from the new Park and Refuge proposals is something as close as possible to their proposed language, therefore we encourage our readers and interested parties to submit comments supportive of the proposed regulations, but encouraging modification by striking the word "concealed" every time it appears and by striking the language referring to state parks and similar units of state land. Here is a sample comment: --------------------------- Regarding proposed amendments to regulations pertaining to firearms within units of the National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuges - Reference Number 1024-AD70. I strongly support regulatory changes to end the ban on firearms for lawful purposes in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges and encourage that, at a minimum, the proposals be enacted as published however, I believe the proposals could be greatly improved by striking the language which limits the exception only to "concealed" firearms and the potentially confusing language regarding State Parks and "any similar unit of state land." Open carry of firearms is not restricted in many states and a person hiking, camping, or passing through federal lands should not have to worry about stopping to modify their method of firearm carry prior to crossing onto that property. Also, some people prefer to carry long guns because they are more comfortable with them or simply because that is all they have. Granted this change does not assist in the prevention of poaching, but prior restraint - banning possession of an item because of what a person /might/ do with it - violates the founding principles of this nation. The language regarding State parks and similar lands unnecessarily opens up potential for confusion and abuse. If State Legislatures wish to enact laws restricting firearms on federal lands, they have that prerogative. It is not the DOI's place to make that decision for them based on similar lands. For these reasons I strongly encourage the adoption of the proposed regulations and ask that the language be amended below: "A person may possess, carry, and transport concealed, loaded, and operable firearms within a national park area in the same manner, and to the same extent, that a person may lawfully possess, carry, and transport concealed, loaded and operable firearms in any state park, or any similar unit of state land, in the state in which the federal park, or that portion thereof, is located, provided that such possession, carrying and transporting otherwise complies with applicable federal and state law." These amendments should be applied to the proposed regulations for both National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges. Thank you for your serious consideration of my position. Sincerely, Jeff Knox -------------------- The Firearms Coalition encourages members and concerned citizens to submit formal comments prior to the end of June - the sooner, the better. Comments should reference the number 1024-AD70. Be aware that inclusion of personal information such as address and phone numbers makes such information part of the public record. Submit comments online at www.regulations.gov or mail to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: 1024-AD70 Division of Policy and Directives Management U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080508/7ab44b57/attachment.html From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Fri Jun 6 18:20:29 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Fri Jun 6 18:20:42 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] DC Event & Parks Reminder Message-ID: <4849D44D.1020905@FirearmsCoalition.org> In this Alert: * 1. Special opportunity for our friends in the Washington DC area. 2. _National Parks - Do It NOW!!!!! _ 3. Get Active on GunVoter! * *Special Event this Monday in DC* This Monday evening I am planning to attend a presentation on the historical meaning of the Second Amendment by noted scholars Stephen Halbrook and Joyce Malcom. I expect it to be very informative and look forward to acquiring an autographed copy of Steve's newest book, "The Founders' Second Amendment." The event is open to the public and I would encourage those who are able to attend. Here are the details: */WHEN: /*Monday, June 9, 2008, Reception and book signing: 5:00 p.m., Program: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., Q&A to follow http://www.independent.org/events/detail.asp?eventID=137 */WHERE: /*The Independent Institute, 1319 Eighteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 _Map and directions: http://www.independent.org/aboutus/map.asp#wash _ */RESERVATIONS: /*Complimentary, Phone: 510-632-1366 x118, Email: nbeardsley@independent.org _Reserve online: http://www.independent.org/events/rsvp.asp?eventid=137 _ Copies of /_The Founders' Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms_/, by Stephen P. Halbrook, will be available for purchase at a special discount. http://www.independent.org/store/book_detail.asp?bookID=72 **************************************************** _*National Parks - Do It NOW!!!!! *_ The deadline for comments on the proposed amendments to firearms-related regulations in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges is approaching rapidly. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment right now to go to the government regulations web site and submit a comment. The opposition is working hard and their people are very actively posting comments in opposition to lifting the ban on firearms in the parks. Every concerned gunowner needs to comment on this important regulation. Using the Regulations.gov web site is not as easy as it ought to be, but not as hard as it might seem. The easy way to make sure you're in the right place commenting on the right issue is to follow these steps. 1. Go to www.Regulations.gov 2. Place your cursor in the center search box and enter "1024-AD70" and click on "Search." 3. In the left margin of the screen under "Document Type" will be "-Public Submissions" and "-Proposed Rules," click on "-Proposed Rules." 4. In the middle of the screen it should say, "General Regulations for Areas Administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service." On the next line it should say, "Send a Comment or Submission." Click on, "Send a Comment." 5. In the form that pops up, fill in the information you're comfortable having others see. It is best to include your name and state of residence, but none of the personal information on the form is required to be filled out. 6. Enter your comment. Every pro-rights organization I'm aware of has agreed to recommend the same strategy I advise here for comments; Support the proposed regulation, but encourage them to go further and stop restricting any types of firearms within the parks and refuges. Just a note that says "I support the proposed rule change," is probably just as effective as a carefully structured letter. It's primarily about numbers so whatever you do, get your comment in now, then make sure that your spouse, kids, neighbors, and all the folks at church submit comments in support of the proposed changes as well. Using your own words is best, but here is some sample language to get you started: As a frequent visitor to, and transient through National Park lands and National Wildlife Refuges, I am very glad to see these proposed regulations. This is not a question of why someone Needs a firearm in a National Park or Wildlife Refuge, but rather why a law abiding citizen should be disarmed for simply crossing onto certain federal lands. I strongly encourage the adoption of the proposed rules and would encourage that they be taken a step further to bring National Park and Wildlife Refuge lands into line with National Forest and BLM lands; that is that firearms laws on these federal lands fully assimilate the firearms laws of their host state. The current proposal could accomplish this goal by simply striking the word "concealed" in both occurrences and by striking the words, "in any state park, or any similar unit of state land." I believe these changes would be a major improvement on the current proposal though the proposal, as written, is a good step in the right direction. Thank you for your consideration. The comment period for this proposal closes on June 30. All comments must be received before that date. Along with submitting comments on-line at www.Regulations.gov, comments can be submitted by mail to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: 1024-AD70 Division of Policy a Directives Management U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203 Don't wait. Get your comments in today. *************************************** *Get Active on GunVoter!* If you haven't visited www.GunVoter.org recently I encourage you to stop by and leave some information about the folks you'll be voting for in November. We had some problems early on but everything is working smoothly now so please visit the site and get involved. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080606/6be685c4/attachment.html From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Thu Jun 26 14:44:04 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Thu Jun 26 14:44:25 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Supreme Court Victory -ish. Message-ID: <4863FF94.3060100@FirearmsCoalition.org> We won! Mostly. The Supreme Court concluded today that the Second Amendment does indeed protect an individual right to arms and that the DC handgun ban and requirement that all guns be rendered inoperable within the home, were violations of that protection and must be changed. Specifically, the Court ordered that the District of Columbia must allow Richard Heller to register a handgun and be issued a permit to carry it about within the confines of his home in a functional condition for purposes of self-defense. The Court did not delve deeply into what restrictions would or would not be acceptable under the Second Amendment though their order that Heller be allowed to register a handgun and be issued a permit clearly suggest that they consider such registration and permitting acceptable limitations. In his majority opinion, Justice Scalia also stated that prohibiting felons and mental incompetents from firearms was clearly constitutional and repeated the thoroughly specious argument that he expressed during aural arguments to the effect that weapons which are not, "in common use," are not included within the Second Amendment's guarantees. He specifically gave the example of M-16 rifles being common to military use, but uncommon to civilian possession -- completely ignoring the fact that the only reason M-16's are not commonly possessed is that their sale to private citizens was extremely complicated and cost prohibitive for the first twenty years of that arm's existence and has been completely banned for the past twenty two years. No doubt Scalia and his co-signers included this information -- which has absolutely no bearing on the case at hand -- to assuage the fears of the Solicitor General and others who have suggested that an "individual right" decision would open a floodgate of assaults on existing federal laws restricting machineguns and "destructive devices." Regardless of the motive for the position, it is as totally nonsensical as the ridiculous suggestions put forward in the two minority opinions. The length to which the dissenting Justices are willing to twist history and contort language in attempts to justify their outrageous positions is nothing less than staggering. The intellectual gymnastics engaged in by the Justices in their efforts to support their idiotic, fore drawn conclusions should seriously shake the faith of the most trusting citizen. It is simply outrageous that men and women of intellect and learning would take up a position and then selectively sort through history for tiny threads of support for that position while completely ignoring the full, rich tapestry which displays a clear picture of an absolutely opposite position. The intellectual dishonesty displayed by the dissenting Justices -- and to a much lesser degree by the majority -- should be deeply disturbing to every thinking American. These are not trivial matters that are being dealt with by the Court. These are issues that reach down to the basic founding principles of our republic. How can we entrust matters of such great import to people who demonstrate a willingness to contort history to their own personal beliefs and philosophies rather than examining evidence and drawing rational conclusions based on that evidence. Today's decision by the Supreme Court makes two things abundantly clear: * Defenders of liberty and our Constitutional Republic face a long and tedious battle to secure and defend our rights. * It is absolutely critical that the next President, and every President thereafter, is committed to appointing judges and justices who will interpret law and the Constitution based on history and facts, not their own agendas. The courts have the potential to undermine and ultimately destroy our nation and our way of life. It is incumbent upon all of us to diligently work against the erosion that is eating away at the very foundations of our society. Below is the official syllabus (summary) from the Court "Reporter of Decisions." It pretty well sums up the majority opinion. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ET AL. v. HELLER CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CIRCUIT No. 07--290. Argued March 18, 2008---Decided June 26, 2008 District of Columbia law bans handgun possession by making it a crime to carry an unregistered firearm and prohibiting the registration of handguns; provides separately that no person may carry an unlicensed handgun, but authorizes the police chief to issue 1-year licenses; and requires residents to keep lawfully owned firearms unloaded and dissembled or bound by a trigger lock or similar device. Respondent Heller, a D. C. special policeman, applied to register a handgun he wished to keep at home, but the District refused. He filed this suit seeking, on Second Amendment grounds, to enjoin the city from enforcing the bar on handgun registration, the licensing requirement insofar as it prohibits carrying an unlicensed firearm in the home, and the trigger-lock requirement insofar as it prohibits the use of functional firearms in the home. The District Court dismissed the suit, but the D. C. Circuit reversed, holding that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess firearms and that the city's total ban on handguns, as well as its requirement that firearms in the home be kept nonfunctional even when necessary for self-defense, violated that right. Held: 1. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. Pp. 2--53. (a) The Amendment's prefatory clause announces a purpose, but does not limit or expand the scope of the second part, the operative clause. The operative clause's text and history demonstrate that it connotes an individual right to keep and bear arms. Pp. 2--22. (b) The prefatory clause comports with the Court's interpretation of the operative clause. The "militia" comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense. The Antifederalists feared that the Federal Government would disarm the people in order to disable this citizens' militia, enabling a politicized standing army or a select militia to rule. The response was to deny Congress power to abridge the ancient right of individuals to keep and bear arms, so that the ideal of a citizens' militia would be preserved. Pp. 22--28. (c) The Court's interpretation is confirmed by analogous armsbearing rights in state constitutions that preceded and immediately followed the Second Amendment. Pp. 28--30. (d) The Second Amendment's drafting history, while of dubious interpretive worth, reveals three state Second Amendment proposals that unequivocally referred to an individual right to bear arms. Pp. 30--32. (e) Interpretation of the Second Amendment by scholars, courts and legislators, from immediately after its ratification through the late 19th century also supports the Court's conclusion. Pp. 32--47. (f) None of the Court's precedents forecloses the Court's interpretation. Neither United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U. S. 542, 553, nor Presser v. Illinois, 116 U. S. 252, 264--265, refutes the individualrights interpretation. United States v. Miller, 307 U. S. 174, does not limit the right to keep and bear arms to militia purposes, but rather limits the type of weapon to which the right applies to those used by the militia, i.e., those in common use for lawful purposes. Pp. 47--54. 2. Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court's opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms. Miller's holding that the sorts of weapons protected are those "in common use at the time" finds support in the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of dangerous and unusual weapons. Pp. 54--56. 3. The handgun ban and the trigger-lock requirement (as applied to self-defense) violate the Second Amendment. The District's total ban on handgun possession in the home amounts to a prohibition on an entire class of "arms" that Americans overwhelmingly choose for the lawful purpose of self-defense. Under any of the standards of scrutiny the Court has applied to enumerated constitutional rights, this prohibition---in the place where the importance of the lawful defense of self, family, and property is most acute---would fail constitutional muster. Similarly, the requirement that any lawful firearm in the home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and is hence unconstitutional. Because Heller conceded at oral argument that the D. C. licensing law is permissible if it is not enforced arbitrarily and capriciously, the Court assumes that a license will satisfy his prayer for relief and does not address the licensing requirement. Assuming he is not disqualified from exercising Second Amendment rights, the District must permit Heller to register his handgun and must issue him a license to carry it in the home. Pp. 56--64. 478 F. 3d 370, affirmed. SCALIA, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which ROBERTS, C. J., and KENNEDY, THOMAS, and ALITO, JJ., joined. STEVENS, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which SOUTER, GINSBURG, and BREYER, JJ., joined. BREYER, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which STEVENS, SOUTER, and GINSBURG, JJ., joined. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080626/22d20ac7/attachment-0001.html From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Jul 29 22:58:32 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Jul 29 22:58:48 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] One More Last Chance for Parks Message-ID: <488FF4F8.8030703@FirearmsCoalition.org> * One More Last Chance** for Parks* You have another last chance to post comments about disarming law-abiding citizens in National Parks. Take advantage of this opportunity and Post a Comment, even if you have already posted a comment before! Be sure that your family members post comments too! The decision in the Heller case makes our position stronger and that needs to be brought out. Politely demand that the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service stop denying Constitutional Rights. Adoption of the proposed regulations would be a first step toward constitutional compliance, but the Department of the Interior must go farther. They should adopt the proposed amendment and then take the next steps to stop illegally restricting the open carry of personal defense firearms. They need to either adopt a blanket policy against any firearms possession restrictions on any property administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service -- or any other federal agency for that matter -- or at a minimum adopt state firearms laws in the same way that National Forests and BLM lands do. A couple of anti-gun Senators were able to get the Department of the Interior to extend the comment period on the proposed regulations from June 30 to August 8 as a delaying tactic in hopes of drumming up more opposition to the proposed rules. The Brady's have been busy encouraging people to send in negative comments and many gun groups -- unhappy with the limitations of the proposal -- have been urging unfavorable comments. We must not let this opportunity for a major improvement pass us by. Encourage the adoption of the proposed amendment and urge further action. Don't wait! Get your comments in now! To submit a comment, follow this link: *http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocumentDetail&o=090000648053d497* or *http://tinyurl.com/66frtt* Either of those links should open a page on Regulations.gov with, "Document Details" as the title and, "Docket Title General Regulations for Areas Administered by the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service" Go to, "Add Comments" and click on the little yellow balloon. That will open up a comment form. All fields on the form are not required. Fields marked with a # are going to be publicly displayed so don't put information in those fields that you don't want the world to see. If you don't know what to put in a field or you're uncomfortable sharing that information, just leave it blank. For the comment section, encourage the adoption of the proposed amendment, but also let them know that you would like to see restrictions further eased. Below is the comment I sent in. You are welcome to copy it or use it as a guideline for your own comment if you'd like. *Regarding Rulemaking Proposal, Reference Number 1024-AD70, here are my comments:* *As a frequent visitor to National Parks and Wildlife Refuges, and as a regular commuter through **National** **Battlefield** **Parks** and Parkways, I strongly support the proposed changes to regulations regarding firearms on lands administered by the NPS and FWS. The current regulations are not only bad policy -- placing law-abiding people at risk of arrest and prosecution for having available the means to protect themselves - they are also patently unconstitutional. * *While not perfect, the proposed amendment is a step in the right direction. It could be easily improved by simply striking the word "concealed" from its text. Many gunowners do not have concealed carry permits -- whether as a matter of conscience, government limitations, or a financial issue -- and many do not own a firearm suitable for concealed carry. It is wrong to deny these people their rights.* *I am also concerned about the qualifying language concerning adoption of the laws of host states regarding firearms regulations. The language referencing comparable state lands should be stricken completely. This amendment should, at a minimum, simply adopt the firearms laws of host states in the same manner that National Forest and **BLM** lands do. Ideally -- and constitutionally -- there should be no firearms possession restrictions on any federal lands. * *As a bare minimum I ask that you adopt the proposed amendment as written. * *If possible I would prefer to see the word "concealed' struck from the amendment along with the language about comparable state lands.* *Ideally, I would like to see the entire section of the regulation dealing with possession of weapons, traps and nets, deleted and replaced with language which addresses criminal behavior rather than simple possession of tools. * *Respectfully submitted, Jeff Knox* Please don't delay. Submit your comments NOW while you're thinking about it. Also please forward this alert to everyone on your e-mail list to encourage them to submit comments as well. The Park Service needs to be totally overwhelmed with support for the right to keep and bear arms on federal lands. If they are not overwhelmed by support for the current proposal, they are likely to try to drag this process out in hopes of a new administration taking the regulations in the opposite direction. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director, The Firearms Coalition www.FirearmsCoalition.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080730/74cb2be8/attachment.htm From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Sat Aug 30 09:46:21 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sat Aug 30 09:46:44 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Clearer Choice Message-ID: <48B96B4D.7010503@FirearmsCoalition.org> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- Skipped content of type multipart/alternative From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Sep 16 11:19:56 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Sep 16 11:20:16 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Sarah on Sarah Message-ID: <48CFEABC.9030909@FirearmsCoalition.org> Sarah Brady is not happy about Sarah Palin so she's using her as a fundraising issue. Frankly, if Sarah Brady doesn't like Sarah Palin, that's just one more reason for me to like Sarah Palin. On the other side of that coin, a few days ago Brady sent out another letter praising Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden as his VP running mate. Again, Sarah Brady's endorsement is just more reason to be concerned about Obama and Biden. Below is an "Urgent Alert" sent out by the Brady Campaign Against Guns:* Close Down the Gun Lobby's Office in the White House!* Sarah Palin makes me nervous. The NRA gave her its highest rating during her run for Governor. In a candidate questionnaire for Governor, she equated gun control as being as much of a threat to families as drugs and gangs! With the Republican nomination of lifetime NRA member Sarah Palin for Vice President, the NRA has just what it's looking for to keep its White House office open. You remember, don't you? Before the 2000 election, an NRA Vice President gloated to his members that with George W. Bush as President, "We'll have . . . a president where we work out of their office!" The Brady Campaign needs your support to close down the gun lobby's "office" in the White House. The election is just weeks away. I need your help now to defeat those who will do the gun lobby's bidding and elect those candidates who support sensible gun laws that protect you, your family and your community. Please contribute to the Brady Campaign (Firearms Coalition) today. Thank you. Best regards, Sarah Brady, Chair Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence -- The Brady's have been asking supporters to sign up for automatic credit card contributions of $5 to $20 dollars or more every month. This is really a good idea and we at The Firearms Coalition would be happy to accept such commitments. Having automatic contributions makes it much easier for us to plan and budget and it makes your life easier too. If you would like to have a contribution of $5 or more automatically billed to your credit card, you can drop a note with your credit card information and the amount and frequency (monthly or quarterly) to: The Firearms Coalition P.O. Box 3313 Manassas, VA 20108 or give us a call at area code 703, number 753-0424 and let us know what you'd like to do. We're even offering some small premiums to thank supporters who contribute in this way. Please help if you can. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director, The Firearms Coalition P.S. I hope to see many of you at the Gun Rights Policy Conference in Phoenix September 26, 27, and 28. It is a free event with tons of free books and information and is a great opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow activists and leaders of the gun rights movement. Plan to attend if you can. -JAK -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20080916/1203abd7/attachment.htm From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Tue Oct 7 22:22:15 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Tue Oct 7 22:22:40 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] The Most Important Election in a Generation - Isn't for President Message-ID: <48EC3577.3080406@FirearmsCoalition.org> The Most Important Election in a Generation - Isn't for President It is absolutely imperative that GunVoters get busy and make electing a pro-gun congress our absolute top priority! McCain and Obama are both nightmares without a strong, pro-rights congress to keep them in line. Barack Obama scares the Hell out of me. He is a radical Socialist who has demonstrated a complete willingness to say or do anything, take any position, promise any reward, in order to get the votes he needs to win. He has a long and rather mysterious history of association with radical extremists - including Middle Eastern Muslim extremists. Much of his life is shrouded in mystery and it is unclear exactly who paid for his college, who his mentors and sponsors have been, and how he made his millions. There is even a question as to his eligibility to be President. Not just internet, conspiracy theory questions either. A prominent Pennsylvania Democrat - a former Assistant States Attorney and a Clinton supporter - has filed a suit claiming that he has proof that Obama was born in Africa and is not a natural-born citizen of the U.S. The judge is expected to issue a summary judgment any day on whether the case can go forward. Rather than simply present proof that he is a U.S. citizen, Obama's lawyers filed a motion for dismissal claiming that the guy suing doesn't have standing. That seems a little strange to me, but this is an issue that needs to be completely resolved BEFORE this guy is elected. On the other hand, McCain has proven that he doesn't understand or respect the Constitution of the United States. From campaign finance reform to his gun show bill to his pledge to buy up all of the defaulting mortgages, he clearly sees no constraints on the powers of the President or Congress. His "more government" solutions in the debate tonight prove that he is either too philosophically challenged or just plain too stupid to be president. Were it not for Sarah Palin, I would not give John McCain a second thought. I am impressed with her and think that she brings a lot to the table. I don't know if she would have enough influence over a President McCain to prevent the nominations of more judges and justices like Souter, Kennedy, and Stevens to the Supreme Court and the Federal benches, but she at least brings a glimmer of hope. The only hope we have of protecting out rights - not just gun rights, ALL Rights - is to throw the anti-rights, government is the answer, give us all your money and we'll see to it that it gets spent wisely, shut up and get back in line, privileged class politicians right out on their collective keisters and replace them with Constitutionally-minded, committed, pro-rights, citizen legislators. The nation has been distracted by this circus of a presidential election and the Nimrods on Capitol Hill are getting a free pass. That must be stopped. When it comes to incumbent politicians, the Devil you know is worse than the Devil you don't know. If you know the person you've got now is bad, throw them out - even if their opponent seems worse. At least the new guy will have to spend some time learning the ropes and you can replace them again in a couple of years. Occasionally the new guys realize who brought them to the dance and they will shift their position to try and keep your votes in the next election. The bottom line is that if the Representative you have now does not represent your values and beliefs - FIRE HIM! Imagine Obama with an anti-rights, Democrat-controlled Congress... Imagine McCain with an anti-rights, Democrat-controlled Congress... Neither is a good scenario. Both of these guys have the potential to be a terribly destructive force in the White House. The only thing we can do to suppress that potential is to elect a strong, pro-rights, pro-Constitution majority to Congress. If we don't, I'm afraid the downward spiral is going to continue - politically, economically, socially... I am not one for doom and gloom. I am optimistic about our nation and what we are capable of, but America could be on the brink of some very bleak times and neither man at the top of the ticket is up to the coming challenges. We must bring reinforcements to Congress and begin the long arduous process of rebuilding our economy and restoring the Republic. That process begins with you taking action. Do you know who is going to be on your ballot? Do you know where every one of those candidates stands on individual rights, the Constitution, and limited government? Does everyone you know - everyone at church, everyone at work, everyone at the VFW post, all of your neighbors, and everyone who reads the letters to the editor know who you're supporting and why? I can't answer "Yes" to those questions and you probably can't either, but that MUST change. We must educate ourselves and each other. That's what we created www.GunVoter.org for, to share information and get informed. If you can't find the information you need on GunVoter.org, find it somewhere else and then post it on GunVoter.org to help the next guy. Once we have the information we need, we must get involved; making phone calls, sending e-mails, writing letters to the editor, volunteering for campaigns, calling talk shows, talking to neighbors, friends, and colleagues. This absolutely could be the most important election in our lifetimes - and the Presidential Election isn't the one that matters most; it's Congress, Congress, CONGRESS!!! If you haven't yet registered at www.GunVoter.org, please do it now. Go to the area of the web site designated for your state (or any state you know something about) and see what information is available and whether you can add to it. If there isn't much info there, go find some to post so the next person from that state will have an easier time getting educated. Don't wait for someone else to do it, roll up your sleeves and, "Get 'er done!" Don't wait to see if the ship is really sinking before you start bailing. Get busy now. The first thing you can do to help is forward or post this message so others will see it too. Please support The Firearms Coalition. Follow this link to contribute: http://firearmscoalition.org/contribute/contribute.html All contributors who provide a mailing address will automatically receive a subscription to our bi-monthly newsletter, "The Hard Corps Report. Our subscriptions work on a donation basis - if you get value from the newsletter, please contribute to help us continue our work - if not, please let us know and we'll take you off the list. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director, The Firearms Coalition -------------- next part -------------- Skipped content of type multipart/alternative From AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org Sat Dec 13 14:00:10 2008 From: AlertsList at FirearmsCoalition.org (Firearms Coalition) Date: Sat Dec 13 14:00:33 2008 Subject: [Fcalerts-list] Take Action Now! Message-ID: <4944225A.1000900@FirearmsCoalition.org> 1. All is Not Hopeless: There are actions you can be taking now to build up the levy and stem the flood. 2. Oppose Confirmation of Eric Holder to Attorney General! 3. Celebrate Bill of Rights Day - Support the Second Amendment Book Bomb! 4. Help the Firearms Coalition by educating yourself and others. 5. Latest "Knox Report" newsletter is in the Mail. 1. All is Not Hopeless! The record gun and ammo sales statistics since the election and the chatter on the various internet forums I monitor tell me that people are worried and want to take some action, but there doesn't appear to be much that they can do except prepare for the worst. Even though the political landscape has shifted dramatically and the politicians are making stupid moves which are going to do more long-term harm to our economy and do threaten our future, the good news is that the worst is yet to come. If we can see ti coming, we can take action to prevent it. There are things that you can be doing right now to ensure a brighter future. Preparing for the worst is prudent, but it is not prudent to sit in the boat waiting for the flood when you could be busy reinforcing the levy to avoid the flood altogether. The Brady Bunch and their pals are doing their best to convince the politicians and the public that "the gun lobby is dead." The most important thing we can do right now is let the politicians and the rest of the nation know that the news of our demise has been greatly exaggerated. Just because there was no candidate for President that GunVoters could rally to doesn't mean that Americans no longer care about our rights. We need to let Washington know that in no uncertain terms. How do we do that? Read on. 2. Oppose Confirmation of Eric Holder to Attorney General! The best way to prove we're not dead is to take on a fight in Congress and win - or at least make a good showing. The fight that is currently available - and it is a fight worth fighting - is the nomination of Eric Holder to the position of Attorney General. Holder is a radical opponent of the Second Amendment and should be rejected for the incredibly powerful office of the AG. The Firearms Coalition is calling on all supporters of the Second Amendment to declare teir opposition to, and actively oppose Holder's confirmation. Clubs and grassroots organizations are being invited to sign on to a letter of opposition to Holder as a first step. Learn more about Holder and efforts to block his confirmation at www.FirearmsCoalition.org. 3. Celebrate Bill of Rights Day - Support the Second Amendment Book Bomb! Gun buyers have been sending a message with the record purchases of guns and ammunition since the election, now we have the opportunity to expand on that message by pushing Steve Halbrook's new book, "*/The Founders? Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms"/* to the top of the best sellers lists. It is important that activists be well versed in the fundamentals of the Second Amendment and Steve's new book is a great way to establish a firm foundation. The concept of a "Book Bomb" is to spread the word among supporters who are likely to want to purchase the book to all make their purchases at about the same time. This sales spike pushes the book to the tops of the charts where it is seen by a wider audience perpetuating more sales and maintaining the book high on the best seller lists. To learn more about this effort, go to http://www.secondamendmentbook.com and be sure to read about the related special offer from The Firearms Coalition below. 4. Help the Firearms Coalition by Educating Yourself and Others. Since "Knowledge is Power," The Firearms Coalition wants to help all of our friends become as knowledgeable and powerful as possible. That's why we are offering two great books and one great video DVD as premiums for donations to our efforts. We are doing our part to support the "Book Bomb" program described above by purchasing a number of copies of Steve Halbrook's book, */"The Founders? Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms" /*and offering them to our supporters. We are also offering copies of David Hardy's excellent documentary film, */?In Search of the Second Amendment?/* and the comprehensive book, /*"The Heller Case; Gun Rights Affirmed"*/ by Alan Korwin and Dave Kopel. Contributors of $50 or more may select any one of these great titles and for a contribution of $100 or more, we'll send you all three. And as an added bonus, if you are not a current subscriber to our bi-monthly newsletter, we'll throw in a year's subscription for free. Of course you can acquire these great resources for less money elsewhere, but by getting them from The Firearms Coalition you are also helping to support our efforts to protect your rights. To take advantage of this offer, send your contribution of $50 or more to: The Firearms Coalition Po Box 3313 Manassas, VA 20108 Be sure to indicate your preference of either */ "The Founders? Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms"/* by Stephen Halbrook /*"The Heller Case; Gun Rights Affirmed"*/ by Alan Korwin and Dave Kopel the video DVD, */?In Search of the Second Amendment?/* by David Hardy or all three for a donation of $100 or more! You can also contribute via the "Donate" button at www.FirearmsCoalition.org or by calling our Virginia offices at 703-753-0424 during business hours and using a credit card. 5. Latest "Knox Report" newsletter is in the Mail. We've just mailed our latest /*Knox Report */newsletter. If you are not yet a subscriber, we encourage you to do so to keep up with the latest information and analysis of gun rights news. We'd also like to take this opportunity to wish you all Happy Holy Days! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year. Yours for the Second Amendment, Jeff Knox Director, The Firearms Coalition Neal Knox Associates -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailapp.modwest.com/pipermail/fcalerts-list/attachments/20081213/96fdd1c2/attachment.html