Firearms Owners Against
Crime
"If the federal government should overpass the just bounds of its authority and make a tyrannical use of its powers, the people, whose creature it is, must appeal to the standard they have formed, and take such measures to redress the injury done to the Constitution as the exigency may suggest and prudence justify."-- Alexander Hamilton (Federalist No. 33, 3 January 1788).
E-Newsletter & FOAC
Meeting Notice
April 15, 2007
Meeting Agenda-
Invited Guest Speakers:
PA Supreme Court
· Maureen Lally-Green (R)
· Cathy Bubash
7.1 Presentation of the past month’s report
8.1
None
9.0 NEW BUSINESS
9.1
9.2
Pro-Gun
Agenda Developments
9.3
Educational
efforts for new legislators
9.4
2007
Election Summary and discussion
9.5
Legislative
Issues to Date
9.6
9.7
Questionnaire
Process
**Upcoming Gun
Show: April 14th &
15th Harmarville PA –
For more information on FOAC
efforts to ‘Protect YOUR Rights’, THE MOST CURRENT VOTER’S GUIDES, donating
to or becoming a member of FOAC please click on this link: http://www.foac-pac.org/
FOAC - 2007
Meeting Schedule
Jan 14, 2nd Sunday, Feb 11, 2nd Sunday, Mar 11, 2nd
Sunday, Apr 15, 3rd Sunday, May 6, 1st Sunday, Jun 10, 2nd
Sunday, Jul 8, 2nd Sunday, Aug 12, 2nd Sunday, Sep 9, 2nd Sunday, Oct 14, 2nd
Sunday, Nov 4, 1st Sunday, Dec 9, 2nd Sunday
**Time of Meeting: 10:00 AM
**Location:
****Coffee and Donuts will be
provided
***Primary Election -- May 15
***General Election -- Nov. 6
Anti-Gun Hysteria Sweeps
Through
Gun owners throughout PA are alarmed and angered by the recent introduction of HB 760, which calls for the mandatory registration of ‘ALL’ firearms. As if that wasn’t enough, this bill also calls for the assessment of an annual $10 fee for EACH firearm as well fingerprinting and mandatory liability insurance. Of course there is also a provision of punishment for those who will not comply with this law.
While this bill certainly deserves ALL of the bad press it has recently received it is by ‘NO’ means the only bill offered in the House that would violate our rights. There are twenty directly anti-gun bills now in the House of Representatives alone. There are five more in the PA Senate.
What ALL these bills share is a common thread of denial of freedoms and a fixation on growing government to deal with the problem of crime when government is at the heart of most of today’s problems with violent crime. They also share a common viewpoint of those who co-sponsor them and that is a disdain for the very freedoms they are sworn to uphold.
In fact most of the supporters of this attack on gun owners comes from the very same legislators who tried the same tactics last year in the Committee of the Whole and lost. The one thing that has invigorated them is the fact that gun owners lost dozens of key gun rights legislators in the 2006 elections. There are currently 43 House members who have refused to answer questionnaires on their position on our ‘Right to Bear Arms’.
With only 203 members in the PA House of Representatives and the fact that we could count on 140 or so legislators to stand with us in the past against gun control and for sportsmen, we are truly in a difficult position. It is conceivable that we could lose a significant number of these votes IF they are held now. Many of these freshmen legislators are having their arms twisted to support these so-called ‘reasonable’ gun laws.
This leads us to the *importance* of the April 24th Pro-2nd Amendment News Conference. Legislators are being told that gun owners support more restrictions. While we know the lie that this is, it is IMPORTANT that we put a face and an individual stamp on the rejection of this clear violation of our heritage and constitutional freedoms. www.acslpa.org
Proposed Anti-gun
Legislation:
HB
0018 HB
0020 HB
0021 HB
0022 HB
0023 HB
0024 HB
0025 HB
0028
HB
0029 HB
0030 HB
0073 HB
0277 HB
0291 HB
0452 HB 0467 HB
0485
HB
0608 HB 0649 HB
0760 HR 0035
Pro-Gun News Conference Developments-Harrisburg—April
24th
Thus far the ACSL
has reserved nine buses for member clubs to bring their members to
Every club and
their members who hear what is at stake to not only our freedoms but to
everyone of the members has voted to send as large a contingent as possible to
Harrisburg to support
These legislators will be introducing a dozen new pro-gun/pro-freedom bills on this day that encompass ending the registration of PA gun owners to protecting gun owners with the Castle Doctrine principle to fixing vagueness in the law and ordering the DCNR to respect Concealed Carry Permit holders right to self defense in State Parks.
The itinerary for this news conference is as
follows:
4:00AM – Depart from assembly points
9:30AM – Gun Owners meet at the rotunda steps inside
the Capitol Building & Organize into teams.
10:00AM – News Conference begins
11:00AM – News Conference ends
11:05AM – Picture on steps with legislators
11:15AM – Gun owners begin 2nd phase of
program – Teams of gun owners fan out to lobby legislators.
The lobbying process includes a specific three tiered
process:
(There is a cafeteria on the lower level for lunch and
departure times can be varied to meet the needs of each club and each team.)
3:00PM – Depart for home locations
7:30PM – Arrive back at departure points
(approximately)
**All materials and research
information will be provided.
This is YOUR opportunity to change the
way YOU are viewed in the halls of
Press Release (04.13.2007)—
Disarmed and Defenseless: An Inside Look at the
Liberal, Gun-Grabbing Agenda of PA House's "Reformed" Democrat
Majority
"There was a war last year in
our Commonwealth in electoral politics and make no doubt about it the people of
But based on the more than one
dozen previously defeated gun control measures being rolled out yet again by
gun grabbing,
Furthermore, are repeated liberal
Democrat-initiated efforts to rob us of our Constitutional right to keep and
bear arms (that each of these legislators have sworn an oath to uphold and
defend), really the type of government reform that our state’s law abiding
firearm owners are looking for?
Even as you’re reading this, Mr.
DeWeese is undoubtedly ducking and covering behind his “perfect” NRA voting
record from past legislative sessions. Meanwhile, his extreme left-wing,
Democrat colleague Representative Cruz’s current, legislative assault (House
Bill 760) to disarm law-abiding gun owners strongly suggests that outside of
Gov. Ed “One Gun a Month” Rendell, the Second Amendment may have never had a
more relentless enemy in Pennsylvania than the current liberal left wing of the
House Democrat Majority.
For starters, if enacted, House
Bill 760 would penalize
In addition, individual gun owners
would be forced to undergo annual fingerprinting, an annual criminal background
check and forever carry a photo registration card with their gun(s) at all
times.
Putting this legislation into
practice throughout all of Penn’s Woods, realistically means that any licensed
hunter who did not break one single law enforced by the Pennsylvania Game
Commission could be charged as a criminal for unknowingly losing their
mandatory gun registration while chasing down a prized buck or mistakenly
leaving their photo I.D. at home on the kitchen table. In other words,
hand over your hunting rifle and show the government your papers.
Which brings us to the most
reprehensible, Orwellian nightmare contained in House Bill 760. If annual
registration is denied for any reason, your firearm(s) would be immediately
confiscated.
Again, House Bill 760 comes
courtesy of the same Philadelphia Democrat Representative Angel Cruz who
recently denounced our bipartisan “National Security Begins at Home”
package. This package is designed to bring an end to the illegal alien
invasion in
What could be more destructive to
our nation’s founding principles than the premeditated efforts of Cruz, Babette Josephs and other like-minded Liberal, gun-grabbing
members of the House Democrat majority to defend the illegal alien invaders for
violating our laws? All this, while at the same time, doing everything
within their power to leave law-abiding
History and violent crime statistics
from around the world confirm two undisputable truths in this regard: the
safest societies are armed societies; and, citizenries deprived of their
right to own firearms by their governments have been denied the most effective
means to defend themselves against those who seek to do them harm.
Regardless of political
affiliation, gun owners across this Commonwealth are justifiably
outraged. Once again, gun owners are being threatened by state government
with the loss of their Constitutional freedoms and personal security due
largely to the City of Philadelphia’s failed “catch and release policy”
concerning convicted gang members and other violent criminals.
I want to encourage each and every
freedom-loving Pennsylvanian to make the time to participate in the Second
Annual statewide “Right to Keep and Bear Arms Rally” on Tuesday, April
24. Beginning at 9 am, in the State Capitol Rotunda, I will join with
other legislators and second amendment advocate groups to unveil a package of
bipartisan legislation that is specifically designed to keep Second Amendment
Liberty in Pennsylvania Second to None. For more information visit
my web site at RepMetcalfe.com.
12th District
(724) 772-3110
(717) 783-1707
April 13, 2007
ACSL & PA Sheriffs Assoc. Stop
Proposed Change in the Sheriff Office
On March 28th Judge Strassburger ruled against Allegheny County Council and Chief Executive Dan Onorato on their attempt to place this office into the hands of the voter’s as a referendum on whether or not it should remain an elected office.
While Judge Strassburger did not get into the Constitutional issues raised by the ACSL he did side with our view, and the view of the PA Sheriff’s Association who worked in conjunction with the ACSL, that this process was restricted by a five year limitation between changes.
Case law of 16 years shows that in every instance the five year limitation for home rule communities has been upheld.
This decision is final and no appeals are planned. www.acslpa.org
Philadelphia Chief of
Detectives Speaks Out!
Apr. 10, 2007- One
Reader's View
Put the blame where it lies: The killers
We have to stop pointing the finger everywhere but at the very people who prey on us each day. Over time we have allowed our value system to erode. We refuse to hold people accountable for their actions and constantly make excuses for their inexcusable behavior. The incessant cry for tougher gun laws is a good example. Until we're ready to strictly enforce the current laws there is no reason for tougher ones.
Yes, there is a need to work on the social ills at the core of much of the unrest, but that does not mean we should accept those ills as a reason to excuse the behavior. Those engaged in this violent lifestyle know exactly what they're doing. They also know it is wrong. And they also know there are no serious consequences for their actions. It's not a matter of not knowing right from wrong, it's a matter of weighing the risk. And today they face very little risk.
Time after time these budding
killers are arrested with guns, only to be returned to the streets with a slap
on the wrist. Is it any wonder we have trouble getting witnesses to speak up?
Instead of holding vigils at murder scenes, groups like Men United for a Better
Philadelphia and Mothers in Charge should throw a ring around the
More than 80 percent of
Joseph Fox
Chief of Detectives
Philadelphia Police
Department
NSC Reports Gun Accidents at Record
Lows
A
new report from the National Safety Council (NSC) shows that accidental
firearm-related fatalities remain at record lows, and accidents involving
youths continue to decline significantly.
The
downward trends are occurring even is firearm ownership rises in the
The
declining trends reported by the JSC are also supported by research available
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the
3DC, in the past decade, all four regions if the
Statistics
in the NSC's 2007 "Injury Pacts" annual
report show a 40% decrease n accidental firearm-related fatalities over a
10-year period ending in 2005. The report also shows firearm-related accidents
involving children ages 14 and under declined 69% between 1995 and 2003.
The
safety council's most recent statistics show 109,277
Meanwhile,
the estimated number of ,citizen-owned firearms in the US has risen to more
than 290 million, while the number of American households with at least one
firearm is now about 47.8 million, according to NSSF.
"By
continuing to heighten awareness of gun safety and responsible firearms
storage, these record low numbers can be driven even lower," said Doug
Painter, president of NSSF, the trade association For
the firearms industry.
NSSF
directs and funds a number of initiatives focused on firearms safety, including
Project ChildSafe©, which, in cooperation with the
US Department of Justice, has distributed more than 35 million free gun safety
information kits-including gun locks-nationwide. NSSF also distributes safety
literature and videos that emphasize outreach to schools. Additional support
by NSSF is provided for hunter safety programs.
"Programs
and efforts that communicate the importance of firearms safety have undeniably
played a part in bringing these numbers to record lows, and continuing that
awareness will only help ensure they continue downward," Painter added.
The
report comes just weeks after the National Rifle Association reported that its
Eddie Eagle GunSafe® accident prevention program for
children in pre-K through third grades has now reached 20 million students
since it was started in 1988.
Other
findings in the NSC annual report show that there were 730 accidental
firearm-related fatalities in 2005, down from 750 reported in 2004. The 2005
figures are down 40% from the 1,225 accidents reported in 1995.
Accidental
firearm-related fatalities among children 14 and under declined 7% in 2005
compared to 2004 data and down 69% between 1995 and 2003. Those involving
teenagers (ages 15-19) were also down, 11% fewer in 2005 tan the previous year.
The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2007
Brit Gun Ban Advocate Admits
by Dave
Workman Senior Editor
One
of the
"Bans have failed utterly," wrote prizewinning journalist Ian Bell in a February
commentary.
The
rare admission by an anti-gun journalist got the attention of Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle
Association, who did a commentary about it on the NBA's website.
Gun
rights activists have slowly begun picking up on the transcript of LaPierre's commentary, but Gun Week obtained the original
But
in what appears to have been something of a moral epiphany,
He
further acknowledged that skeptics of his gun ban mantra 11 years ago stressed
"that it is easy to impose laws on the law-abiding. Criminals, by
definition, don't take much interest in well-meaning legislation. If they chose
to arm themselves while the rest of society was, in effect, disarming,
outraged newspaper commentators and their quick fixes might merely make
matters worse."
He
had decided to declare verbal war on anyone who did not support the notion of a
complete gun ban.
"I
was going to take on anyone who failed to support the banning of handguns,"
he recalled.
But
now, 11 years after Thomas Hamilton's March 1996 rampage claimed the lives of
what
"What
I say then becomes obvious: my idea didn't work," he wrote.
Further,
However,
in the end,
He ultimately admits, despite tight customs checks at entry points, "Let's concede that all the bans have failed." The New GUN WEEK, March 20, 2007
West
HB-3074 amends reciprocity requirements as well as authorizes the state's Attorney General to execute reciprocity agreements with other states pertaining to the recognition of permits to carry concealed handguns. Unfortunately this bill requires a determination of similarity of laws between both states seeking an agreement that could, as this language has in the past in other states, inhibit the successful consummation of agreements. This measure was opposed by some in state grassroots gun groups but was supported by NRA.
HB-2223 would restrict public access to the records of concealed carry permit holders, thus ensuring their right to privacy in a similar fashion to laws that currently protect PA concealed carry permit holders.
Guns in
Here's
a case that Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIL) should
get on right away, and one case where one of their own prominent
members-Chicago Mayor Richard Daley-should be the least investigator, or investigatee.
An
audit
A
federal judge in late February lifted a protective order on the audit reports,
which revealed the status of 133 guns was "undetermined" because of a
failure to record the movement of evidence. Officials also could not account
for nearly $7 million in drugs.
The
audit showed at least four confiscated handguns disappeared from the warehouse
between 1991 and 1995, and were seized again in weapons and drug arrests on the
South Side of the city, The Sun Times added.
Since
the 1996 audit, two police employees have been sent to prison for stealing
drugs from the warehouse controlled by the police Evidence and Recovered Property
Section. No one has been arrested for the guns that left the facility.
In
1996, police Inspector Robert Voight warned that the
department should immediately padlock the warehouse-then located in the
basement of the court building at 26th and California-and move evidence to
another facility, according to the unsealed documents.
The
warehouse was a mess, with "thousands of boxes of narcotics lying in open
boxes on the floor" and "marijuana scattered on the floor," Voight said. A lack of security compromised the value of
the evidence, he said.
Then
in 1998, civilian police aide Jill McClendon was sentenced to 10 years in
prison for trying to steal $1.1 million of confiscated drugs from the city
facility.
But
it was not until 2001-when Officer John L. Smith was arrested for stealing 44
pounds of cocaine from the warehouse that the department moved to open a more
secure warehouse on the
Smith
was sentenced to 24 years in prison. He had bought an Olympia Fields home, a
Schumer Files Bill To Harass FFLs, Increase Lawsuits
by Joseph P. Tartaro,
Executive Editor
Sen. Charles Schumer, (D-NY) has introduced S-77, captioned
the "Anti-Gun Trafficking Penalties Enhancement Act of 2007," a
measure that directly threatens federal firearms licensees (FFLs)
and gun buyers in two important ways. So far Schumer's bill has no co-sponsors,
but has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
First, S-77 would require that currently confidential
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) records on firearms
traces be turned over--0n demand-to any government entity, for any purpose. Currently,
under the amendment to the ATFs operating budget
authored by Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) information from firearms traces can only
be used in bona fide criminal investigations by law enforcement agencies.'°
S-77 would require that these gun trace records be made
available to any government agency for any reason, or for no stated reason
whatsoever, without any justification or respect for privacy.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) and other gun-rights
groups have fought for years to maintain the confidentiality of this data and
not allow it to be abused by anti-gun politicians. S-77 would reverse those
victories.
Anti-gun activists and politicians such as New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg as well as the
As damaging as this provision of Schumer's bill would be
to firearms dealers, another provision could do even more harm. S-77 would
unleash the federal government to harass FFL holders at will on fishing
expeditions, for any reason, as often as it chooses.
S-77 would remove the restriction on ATF that allows it
only one regulatory inspection of dealers per year, and instead grant
unlimited authority to go after dealers without need to show cause. This
change is completely unnecessary. ATF already has significant legal methods
for regulating dealers and enforcing firearm transfer laws.
Finally, and perhaps most ominously, the NRA explains,
S-77 would define certain already-illegal firearm transactions as
"racketeering activity" under the "Racketeer Influenced and
Corrupt Organizations Act" (RICO) statute.
Under RICO, if a person commits two or more acts of "racketeering activity" within 10 years, that "pattern of racketeering activity" can subject the violator to an additional 20-year prison term and seizure of assets, on top of current sentences for the actual firearm violations. Finally, and perhaps even more disturbing, anyone "injured" by a "pattern of racketeering activity" can bring a civil suit to "recover threefold the damages he sustains and the cost of the suit." The New GUN WEEK, March 20, 2007
Study Says Illegal
Aliens Kill More Americans than
by Dave Workman Senior Editor
A
conservative think tank based in
Family
Security Matters (FSM) issued the report last month. The group estimated that
2,158 murders are committed annually by illegal aliens, which is greater than
15% of all
FSM
estimates that some 267,000 illegal aliens are now imprisoned in this country
for a variety of crimes. The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) two years ago launched a
campaign demanding that the White House concentrate on "border control,
not gun control." CCRKBA had learned that there is no accurate estimate on
the number of state and federal prison inmates who are in this country
illegally.
The
report quoted Mike Cutler of
Cutler
told Gun Week that the estimate of homicides committed by illegal
aliens is based on the number of total murders reported annually to the FBI
(about 14,000 to 16,000) and the number of illegal aliens now in prison here.
He estimates that about 30% of the criminal population consists of illegal
aliens.
"All
things being equal," he said, "you're probably getting more than
3,000 (homicides) a year by people who shouldn't be here."
Cutler
suspects that the number of crimes committed by illegal aliens is on the rise.
The reason, he said, is that increasing numbers of illegals
are entering the country, not just across the remote border areas, but through
ports of entry.
"The
reality is," he cautioned, "the entire immigration system is
crumbling. We don't know who we're giving citizenship to."
Cutler
said the government has been trying to convince American citizens that it is
once again safe to go to sleep, so they can go to sleep, themselves. Border
security efforts, he said, are largely an illusion, and he is concerned that
this will not simply lead to increasing violent crime here, but another
terrorist attack.
"I
live in
The
FSM report claims that 95% of some 1,500 outstanding criminal warrants for
homicides in
FSM
also contends in its report that there are presently more than 400,000
unaccounted for illegal alien criminals with "outstanding deportation
orders" in this country. It also estimates that between 80,000 and 100,000
illegal aliens who have been convicted of serious crimes are now "walking
the streets."
The report also asserts that "Illegal aliens are involved in criminal activities at a rate that is 2-5 times their representative proportion of the population." The New GUN WEEK, March 10, 2007
News Briefs:
Learning Murder from Mama
Apparently,
in some places, youngsters still learn things at their mother's knee.
A
According
to Associated Press (AP), Police were searching for her son, Clarence Johnson,
17, who faces a charge of second degree murder in the
death the other 17-year-old,
He
said both teens had walked away after the original fight the previous evening.
"Detectives
learned Johnson went home and shared the details of the fight with his mother.
Johnson's mother, 44-year-old Vanessa Johnson, gave him a handgun and
instructed him to exact revenge on the victim because Johnson had apparently
lost the fight," Narcisse said.
Clarence
Johnson found the other youth shortly afterward and fired several rounds,
hitting him once in the abdomen, Narcisse said. The
other teen died at the city's trauma center.
Vanessa
Johnson was arrested at her home and booked with being a principal to
second-degree murder.
Narcisse also said officers confiscated about eight grams of cocaine from the house, AP reported, but didn't say whether it belonged to the mother or the son. The New GUN WEEK, March 20, 2007
Invader Shot with Own Gun
From
the "How It Should Always Work" file comes
the story of alleged home invader Bryan B. Green, 18, of
Simmons
reportedly did not know Green, who allegedly came in and demanded money.
Simmons told the gunman there was no cash in the house, at which point the suspect
threatened to start shooting people if they didn't "give him something of
value," the newspaper reported.
Something got the gunman's attention long enough for Simmons to make his move, grabbing the gun and putting a bullet into the robber's mid-section. He was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery. The New GUN WEEK, March 20, 2007
Cop Faces Menacing Beef
From
the "Only Cops Should Have Guns" file comes
the story of
This
may be a new twist on road rage, because the neighbor, identified as 33-year-old
Jayson Osborne by The Rocky Mountain News, was riding in
the middle of the street when the incident occurred Jan. 3. Dobson was off
duty and not in uniform when the incident occurred, the newspaper said.
The
report said Dobson apparently was on foot. He allegedly drew his gun and aimed
it at Osborne's head before Osborne called to his brother. The brother
apparently came outside and both brothers knocked the cop's gun away. They kept
the gun until uniformed officers arrived to sort out the situation.
Dobson reportedly had called 911 over concern that the snowmobile was presenting a safety problem. The New GUN WEEK, March 20, 2007
NSSF Bullet Points:
April 9, 2007-/-Vol. 8 Nos. 12-15
·
NSSF ON THE
LEGISLATIVE FRONT . . . A bevy of
e-mails, letters and phone calls by firearms enthusiasts, sportsmen and
firearms retailers was aimed at thwarting two Sacramento City Council proposals
that would target law-abiding businesses and gun owners. Consideration of
the proposals is being held over until an undetermined time in the future,
following an exceptionally strong response from an NSSF legislative alert and
grassroots efforts led by NRA and the California Rifle and Pistol Association. Full
Story.
·
ALBANY MAYOR
BACKPEDALS ON ANTI-GUN PROPOSALS . . . Following
a strong public outcry by sportsmen and gun owners, including a legislative
alert from NSSF, Albany, N.Y., Mayor Jerry Jennings, a member of anti-gun New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "Mayors Against Illegal Guns"
coalition, appears
to be backpedaling on his anti-gun proposals
that would mandate registration of all firearms, outlaw private sales, require
firearms dealers to report all sales to police, ban various types of ammunition
and mandate how gun owners must store their guns. The package of proposals was
never voted on and referred to an unnamed committee.
·
TIME CHIMES IN
ON LEAD DEBATE; NSSF PRESENTS INDUSTRY'S SIDE . . . Following legislative and regulatory threats to ban
lead ammunition in California, Time.com, the online version of Time Magazine, ran
a story last week presenting both sides of the contentious debate. NSSF
director of public affairs Ted Novin, who was
interviewed for the story, was quoted as saying, "I think it's certainly
possible that the gun-ban lobby and anti-hunting groups will use the
unwarranted fear of lead ammunition to help achieve their goal." He added,
"Similarly flawed legislation has failed in each of the past two years in
·
ROMNEY RIPPED
OVER 'LIFELONG HUNTER' COMMENT . . . Republican
presidential contender and former Arkansas Gov. Michael Huckabee
took rival Mitt Romney to task following a statement
by Romney that he is a "lifelong hunter," a seemingly erroneous
claim as the former Massachusetts governor has only hunted twice before.
"It'd be like me saying I was a lifelong golfer because I played putt-putt
when I was 9 years old and I rode in a golf cart a couple of times," Huckabee said.
·
CONNECTICUT
RETAILERS GROUP PRESIDENT RESPONDS TO EDITORIAL . . . In response to a Hartford
Courant editorial praising legislation targeting law-abiding gun owners,
Scott Hoffman, president of the Connecticut Association of Firearms Retailers
(CTAFR), submitted his thoughts to the newspaper. Hoffman's letter, printed in
today's Courant, focused on why it would be "better to educate rather than
legislate" when it comes to preventing straw purchases. CTAFR is an
affiliate of NSSF's National Association of Firearms
Retailers (NAFR). Read
Hoffman's letter (third down).
·
EDITORIAL
PLAYS PART IN POLICE CLOSING LIST OF GUN OWNERS . . . After a Roanoke Times editorial writer encouraged his
readers go online to see who in the area was "packing heat," state
police closed the once open list of 135,000 state residents licensed to carry
concealed handguns, the
newspaper reports.
·
UPDATE ON
ILLINOIS BULLET SERIALIZATION THREAT . . . Following timely and strong opposition to a bill in the Illinois Senate
Judiciary Committee (SB 1095), legislation that would have mandated ammunition
being sold and possessed in the state carry a serial number, the sponsor,
knowing she did not have the votes, failed to attend the hearing and the
anti-gun legislation was never brought up. NSSF is confident the legislation
will not advance out of committee at this point. NSSF led a coordinated
campaign to stop the bill. Special recognition for this sound defeat goes to
Sen. William Haine as well as
·
BILL WOULD
CREATE UNNECESSARY RESTRICTIONS ON RETAILERS . . . A firearms dealer liability bill, AO6525,
has been re-introduced in the New York State Assembly, claiming to "reduce
gun trafficking by making it more difficult for criminals to obtain firearms,
rifles and shotguns from gun dealers." This legislation would only serve
to further inhibit firearms dealers by creating restrictive and overbearing
commercial practices, including more stringent and redundant recordkeeping,
increased liability insurance, additional sales restrictions, additional
employee training and additional licensing requirements. This legislation
stands no chance of curbing the illegal acquisition and use of firearms. NSSF
is urging all FFLs and firearms enthusiasts in
·
VIRGINIA
GOVERNOR STANDS STRONG AGAINST BLOOMBERG . . . New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will have a
harder time targeting
·
LINDENWOOD
LOOKS TO EXTEND STREAK AT COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS . . . In most sports, the story of Lindenwood
University would be a classic David-and-Goliath saga: little school from St.
Charles, Mo., chops down giants more than twice its size -- Texas A&M, Mizzou, Kentucky, Purdue and others -- on its way to a
national title. But in shotgun sports, it is Lindenwood
who stands as the titan. With three consecutive national championships, the
Lions aim to continue their impressive run at the upcoming ACUI
Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships this week at the National
Shooting Complex in
·
NEW YORK BILLS
FOR JUNIOR BIG-GAME HUNTERS NEED SUPPORT . . . New York is the only state in the nation that does not
allow 14 year olds to hunt deer with firearms, but various state assembly and
senate bills in the spirit of the Families
Afield initiative would lower the New York minimum age from 16 to either 14
or 12. Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, new chairman of the state Assembly's
Conservation Committee, has indicated that he has received no e-mail support
from sportsmen for Bill A6900, which would permit a junior hunter who has
completed a hunter education class and has reached the age of 14 to hunt deer
with a parent or guardian. Sportsmen are encouraged to e-mail support for A6900
to Assemblyman Sweeney at Sweeney@assembly.state.ny.us
and to also contact their district's assemblyman.