Link Correction: I apparently messed up the link to Tim Wheeler's item in yesterday's mailing. Here is the correct link: Funding The Anti-Gun Culture Wars: http://www.claremont.org/weblog/003796.html --- Gun Rights Policy Conference: You can watch it this weekend at http://freedombroadcastnetwork.com/ --- Oops, Wrong Bedroom: A shot fired by a Colorado woman at a man standing in the doorway to her bedroom may have saved her from a serial rapist who has been preying on women in Denver and Aurora. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3054275 --- RKBA Erodes In Switzerland: The nation that has epitomized the RKBA in Europe is seeing an increase in support for greater restrictions in the sale of firearms on the eve of requirements of further infringements as a requirement to join the European Union. http://www.nzz.ch/2005/09/23/eng/article6107130.html --- Colt Rifles To Be Manufactured In Turkey: It appears that Colt has licensed a Turkish firm to manufacture it rifles, at least some of which will subsequently be exported to other countries. http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=71810 --- Attention Arizona Residents: This message is to inform you that reciprocity with Utah will be cancelled within 30 or so days, depending on when we receive notification that Utah has received the declination of reciprocity. Utah permits will be recognized in AZ thereafter, but only if held by non-Arizona residents. Please make sure your AZ resident students understand this as they will be subject to arrest if found carrying a concealed weapon in AZ using a Utah permit (after reciprocity is officially cancelled). Sincerely, Detective Russ Hamilton Supervisor AZ DPS Concealed Weapon Permit Unit (602) 256-6280 (602) 223-2708 (800) 256-6280 (In Arizona only) (602) 223-2928 Fax --- Attention Wisconsin Residents: Dear Supporters of Personal Protection: Senator Dave Zien would like to cordially invite all of you to show your support for the Personal Protection Act Thursday September 29. Senator Zien will be reintroducing the Personal Protection Act at a press conference in the Senate Parlor at 10:00 AM. Supporters are encouraged to join Senator Zien for breakfast at the IHOP on East Washington Road near I-94 from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM earlier that morning. Supporters interested in attending the 10:00 AM press conference should gather in Senator Zien's office in room 15 South of the Wisconsin State Capitol at 9:00 AM. Please contact our office if you need any further information at 608-266-7511. Now is your time to come out and show your support! --- Police Ordered Not To Seize Firearms: The U.S. District Court of the Eastern District in Louisiana yesterday sided with gun rights groups and issued a restraining order to stop authorities from confiscating guns from law-abiding citizens in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. <>http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050923-105240-4724r.htm http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200509\NAT20050923d.html --- From The NRA-ILA: NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 12, No. 38 9/23/05 MAJOR VICTORY FOR FIREARMS OWNERS AND FREEDOM IN LOUISIANA On Thursday, NRA filed a motion in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana seeking a temporary restraining order to block authorities from confiscating law-abiding citizens' firearms in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Today, we are happy to report, the Court sided with NRA and issued a restraining order to bar further gun confiscations from peaceable, law-abiding victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Federal Judge Jay Zainey granted NRA's motion for an indefinite temporary restraining order and ordered those in power to cease and desist gun seizures. The authorities were also ordered to return guns seized by them or their agents to anyone "...who lawfully possessed them, upon presentation of identification and execution of a receipt therefore." Commenting on the ruling, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said, "This is a significant victory for freedom and for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The court's ruling is instant relief for the victims who now have an effective means of defending themselves from the robbers and rapists that seek to further exploit the remnants of their shattered lives." Joining LaPierre in hailing the U.S. District Court decision was NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "This is an important victory. But the battle is not over. The NRA will remedy state emergency statutes in all 50 states, if needed, to ensure that this injustice does not happen again." The controversy erupted when The New York Times reported that the New Orleans superintendent of police directed that no civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to have guns and that "only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons." ABC News quoted New Orleans' deputy police chief, saying, "No one will be able to be armed. We are going to take all the weapons." NRA also pledges that it will continue its work to ensure that every single firearm arbitrarily and unlawfully seized under this directive is returned to its rightful law-abiding owner. Although this is great victory, we still need to hear from members who have been a victim of this gun confiscation initiative. If you have personally had a gun confiscated in Louisiana since Hurricane Katrina hit, please call (888) 414-6333. Be prepared to leave only your name and immediate contact information so we can get back to you. Once again, we are seeking contact information from actual victims of gun confiscation in Louisiana only. For additional information, please visit www.NRAILA.org , or e-mail us at ila-contact@nrahq.org . CLARIFICATION OF S. 397 AMENDMENTS Recently, there has been a new wave of erroneous overstatements concerning two amendments to S. 397--The "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act." While we have provided detailed information as to the nature of these measures in past editions of the Grassroots Alert, factual information regarding their impact bears repeating. The first measure, by Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), requires federally licensed dealers to provide a "secure gun storage or safety device" with the sale/transfer of every handgun (it does not apply to long guns). The measure, which passed by a vote of 70-30, does not require gun owners to use the device, does not apply to private transfers, and does not create any new civil liability for gun owners who choose not to use these storage devices. Virtually all new handguns today are sold with some type of secure storage or safety device. The amendment has no significant impact on current law. The second measure--an amendment by Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho)--passed by a margin of 87-11, and was offered this year (as it was in 2004) in a successful attempt to defeat Senator Edward Kennedy's "armor piercing" ammunition amendment that would have banned all centerfire rifle ammunition. By providing an alternative to Senator Kennedy's amendment, pro-gun senators were able to marshal the votes to defeat the Kennedy amendment. The amendment restates the existing prohibition on manufacture, or sale by manufacturers, of "armor piercing ammunition," except for government use, for export, or for use in testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General. This law has been in effect for nearly two decades. It increases the mandatory minimum sentence for the use of "armor piercing ammunition" in a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime. Use of armor piercing ammunition in a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime is already a federal offense punishable by five years in prison. The amendment increases the penalty to 15 years, and authorizes the death penalty if the ammunition is used in a murder. It also directs the Attorney General to conduct a study "to determine whether a uniform standard for the testing of projectiles against Body Armor is feasible." In fact, we know such a standard is "feasible" because the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has been testing projectiles aganst body armor since the early 1970s, and has regularly written and updated the standards for testing projectiles against body armor. NIJ's research has saved lives by improving the design and manufacture of body armor. The amendment does not give the Attorney General (or anyone else) any new authority to ban ammunition, nor does it change the definition of "armor piercing ammunition." Under current law, ammunition is only "armor piercing" if it has a bullet that "may be used in a handgun" and that is made entirely from certain hard metals such as tungsten, steel, bronze or depleted uranium; or if the bullet is "designed and intended for use in a handgun" and has a jacket that weighs more than 25% of the weight of the projectile. The current definition has been in place for more than 12 years. And finally, the amendment does not create any kind of new ammunition ban. The only ammunition that is banned as "armor piercing" is ammunition that fits the current definition, and neither the amendment nor the study would change the definition. S. 397, as passed by the Senate, represents our best opportunity to finally enact into law a prohibition on these reckless lawsuits. It is critical that you once again contact your U.S. Representative's Capitol Hill office in Washington, D.C., and urge him/her to pass S. 397 as passed by the Senate! You can find contact information for your elected officials by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org . Or you can call your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121. We can and will achieve our mutual goal of finally enacting this common sense law, but only with your continued assistance. Please help us finish the job once and for all by contacting your U.S. Representative in Washington and urging him/her to support the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" as passed by the Senate. NRA GRASSROOTS-ELECTION WORKSHOPS Virginia is one of only two states holding elections this year, and in preparation for the November 8, election, NRA-ILA is hosting a FREE Grassroots-Election Workshop tomorrow in Virginia Beach (it was necessary for us to cancel the three additional workshops we had previously scheduled in other Virginia cities). At the Workshop, you will hear from pro-freedom candidates and their staff, NRA-ILA representatives, and NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinators (EVCs) on what you can do locally to propel pro-gun candidates to victory on Election Day--November 8, 2005. The meeting will also provide a venue for lawmakers, candidates, and their staffs to reach out to NRA members and explain their positions on our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. The Workshop will be held tomorrow, Saturday, September 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (registration and breakfast begin at 8:30 a.m.), at the Doubletree Hotel Virginia Beach, 1900 Pavilion Drive, Virginia Beach (hotel phone number is (757)-422-8900). Once again, the Workshop and related materials, including food and drink, are FREE! NRA members who are interested in attending, but were unable to register in advance may simply show up promptly tomorrow morning. We hope to see you there! A LOOK AT THE STATES (****For all of the action items below, you can find contact information for your legislators by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org . As always, thank you for your support.****) CALIFORNIA Assembly Bill 996, authored by Assemblymember Ridley-Thomas (D - Los Angeles), is now on the Governor's desk. AB 996 would require all retailers to display and sell ammunition in a manner that is only accessible by an employee, not the purchaser. Any violation of this measure would result in a misdemeanor. Please contact Governor Schwarzenegger's office and urge him to oppose this onerous legislation further restricting our rights! The Governor can be reached at (916) 445-2841. The Governor has until October 9 to sign or veto this legislation, so your immediate action is needed! NEW YORK The Sportsmen's Association for Firearms Education Inc. (S.A.F.E.) will be hosting its "2005 Right to Carry Conference & Second Amendment Rally" on Sunday October 16, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (doors open at 12:00 noon). The event will be held at the Sheraton, Long Island, 110 Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, Smithtown, NY, (631) 231-1100, (on Motor Parkway on North side of LIE between exits 53 & 55). In attendance at the event will be: Wayne R. LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President; John C. Sigler, NRA First Vice President; Randy A. Daniels, New York Secretary of State; Jim Fotis, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Alliance of America; and John L. Cushman, S.A.F.E. President and Founder, and NRA Director. At the conference, you will get the latest information on the Right-to-Carry on Long Island, meet and network with fellow sportsmen, raise issues of concern with local and national leaders of Second Amendment organizations and local legisltors, and win valuable prizes in drawings limited to attendees only. Admission and parking is free and the event is open to your family and friends. VIRGINIA The "Richmond Metro Friends of NRA" cordially invites you to attend its 13th Annual Fun Shoot and Banquet fundraiser, tomorrow, Saturday, September 24, 2005. The event will take place at Sussex Shooting Sports, located on Rt. 460, two miles west of the Town of Waverly. No need to bring your personal firearms--firearm manufacturer representatives will be on hand and provide all the handguns and shotguns you can shoot. Crossbow representatives will also man a special range in anticipation of Virginia's new crossbow hunting season. Gates open at 1:00 p.m., and dinner will begin at 6:00 p.m. There will be a live auction, silent auction, special drawings, and door prizes. Prizes include limited edition firearms, custom knives, and NRA Commissioned Art. Champion Action Pistol shooter Todd Jarrett will also perform a shooting exhibition. Banquet tickets are $35.00 each. For additional information on tickets, event ponsorships, contributions, or to assist the committee, please call Frankie Barham at (804) 598-5425 or visit the committee's web site at www.geocities.com/rmfnra . Also, the "Virginia Shooting Sports Association" (VSSA), NRA's Virginia state affiliate, cordially invites you to attend its Annual Meeting and "NRA Shooting Sports Clinic" Saturday, October 1, 2005. The Annual Meeting and Shooting Sports Clinic will take place at Holiday Lake 4-H Education Center, located on Rt. 723, Appomattox, Virginia. Spend the day shooting air rifles, shotguns, and high powered rifles. Then stay for dinner and hear about VSSA's accomplishments during the past year. The NRA Shooting Sports Clinic is open to VSSA members and non-VSSA members alike, and is a great opportunity to introduce your children or adult friends to the shooting sports. Lodging is available at the center. For additiona information on lodging, meals, and pre-registration, please call the VSSA Office at (540) 672-5848 or visit the VSSA web site at www.myvssa.org/am.htm . --- From KABA: FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS NEW ORLEANS GUN SEIZURES BELLEVUE, WA - The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana this afternoon issued a temporary restraining order on behalf of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and National Rifle Association (NRA), bringing an end to firearm seizures from citizens living in and around New Orleans. District Judge Jay Zainey issued the restraining order against all parties named in a lawsuit filed Thursday by SAF and NRA. Defendants in the lawsuit include New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Chief Edwin Compass III. "This is a great victory, not just for the NRA and SAF, but primarily for law-abiding gun owners everywhere," said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb. "We are proud to have joined forces with the NRA to put an end to what has amounted to a warrantless gun grab by authorities in New Orleans and surrounding jurisdictions. "Over the past three weeks," he continued, "residents who had lost virtually everything in the devastation following Hurricane Katrina had also essentially been stripped of something even more precious, their civil rights, and their right of self-defense, because of these gun seizures. "SAF and NRA had no alternative but to take action," Gottlieb added. "If these gun confiscations had been allowed to continue without challenge, it would have set a dangerous precedent that would have encouraged authorities in other jurisdictions to believe they also could suspend the civil rights of citizens in the event of some other emergency. "What must happen now, and quickly," said Gottlieb, "is for authorities in the New Orleans area to explain how they will return all of those firearms to their rightful owners, and do it promptly. What this ruling affirms is that even in the face of great natural disasters, governments cannot arbitrarily deprive citizens of their rights. Thanks to some great teamwork between SAF and the NRA, this sort of thing will hopefully never happen again." PS Click here to make a contribution to help fund this lawsuit. From JPFO: ALERT FROM JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP America's Aggressive Civil Rights Organization September 23, 2005 JPFO ALERT: THE END OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? A storm is brewing. It has the potential to utterly destroy the Republican Party. For years, under both Democrat and Republican administrations, American citizens -- cornerstones of their communities -- have been falsely charged and railroaded into prisons. Their lives have been ruined. Their families have been shattered. It has all been because of accusations and sham trials that belong in Communist China, not the United States of America. We're talking about the decades of abuses committed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). We're talking about the _continuing_ abuses that are ruining innocent gun owners and gun makers today. Worse, we're now also talking about political cover-up and complicity. A HISTORY OF ABUSE For evidence of the abuses, see: http://www.jpfo.org/alert20050103.htm http://www.jpfo.org/savagebatfe.htm http://www.jpfo.org/savage2.htm People are being convicted on utterly meaningless testimony from "expert" witnesses who don't know what they're talking about and who work for an agency that uses arbitrary testing methods designed to yield whatever results bureaucrats and politicians want. Do the Republicans know about this? Yes. Of course they do. They've known since at least 1982, when Congress recommended curbing the ATF's powers. Instead of controlling the ATF, administration after administration, of both parties, has handed the ATF more money and more power. NEW EVIDENCE OF A COVER-UP But it's worse. Not only does the current administration know about these unjust persecutions, these outrageous, trumped-up charges, they're now blatantly aiding and abetting the very agency that so horribly abuses American gun owners. Here's what we're discovering: Earlier this year, firearm manufacturer Len Savage and JPFO worked together to reveal that ATF Firearms Technology Branch (FTB) actually has NO standards for determining what constitutes an "illegal machine gun"! One agent might decide that a semi-automatic rifle is an "illegal machine gun" if it can be made to fire full-auto after 15 minutes of casual tinkering. Another ATF agent might say another semi-automatic rifle is an "illegal machine gun" if a gunsmith with a machine shop can make it fire full-auto after eight hours of expert modification. But each "expert" can then give testimony that puts the innocent owner of a semi-automatic rifle in prison. Sometimes, they do no real testing or examination of firearms at all. Don't believe it? Watch the video of the "testing" of John Glover's FAL, and see for yourself: http://www.jpfo.org/batfevideo.htm. You'll see an ATF "expert" claim that a semi-automatic rifle is an "illegal machine gun" because it had a broken part and would occasionally fire two shots on one trigger pull. No one from the ATF ever even disassembled the gun to look for the cause of the malfunction before charging Glover with a federal felony! When the Glover footage became public, the prosecutor ordered the charges against Glover dropped. Later, the head of the ATF himself ordered Mr. Glover's guns returned to him. (If you know someone being attacked by the ATF, make sure they have a copy of the footage to use!) GUN OWNERS ATTEMPT TO HOLD THE ATF'S FEET TO THE FIRE Recently, many concerned gun owners have contacted their congressional representatives requesting the FTB's firearms-testing procedure manual. The response has been -- shockingly, but not surprisingly -- that _no such manual exists_. The ATF is now being forced to admit that for decades it's been "making it up as it goes along" -- at the expense of American gun owners. BUT ... Instead of defending gun owners in this simple matter of commonsense and justice, powerful Republicans are helping the ATF cover up! The FTB has _refused_ to release its manual to the Congressional Research Service. Note: It's not admitting the truth -- that there is no manual, that there are no standards. It's just saying it won't release it. And the Department of Justice (under which the ATF now operates) is backing up its underlings. Congressman James Sensenbrenner - Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary - is scrambling to give the FTB time so that it can hurriedly write some sort of fake manual - anything! - to show the public when knowledge of this travesty becomes widespread. But by doing so, the FTB will be facing unintended consequences: If the standards for testing firearms have only _now_ been written, then literally thousands of _previous_ gun owner convictions will become suspect, and may well be overturned. The Department of Justice fears (accurately) that there will be a wave of retrials or even complete exonerations for imprisoned gun owners when the public discovers this fetid coverup. But the current VIPs of the Republican Party and the Bush administration are actually trying to _prevent you and me from learning what their agents are doing to us_. Only one congressman, Phil Gingrey of Georgia, stands alone in opposition to the ATF's domestic terrorism. He has written a bill to force the ATF to video-record all firearms tests. He made the first requests for the non- existent manual. Yes, Gingrey is a Republican, and a courageous one. But his attempts to get justice have been stymied at every turn by Republican James Sensenbrenner and the Republican Department of Justice. We're getting calls from outraged, patriotic gun owners. We're reading angry rumblings on second-amendment blogs and message boards. They're all saying the same thing: "If more gun owners begin to grasp the full depth of their betrayal, the Republican Party will not survive the fallout." Republican betrayal of gun owners is unfortunately not new. The Brady law passed only because a powerful Republican (Bob Dole) enabled it. Republicans who claimed to oppose various Clinton-era gun laws have vigorously supported enforcement of those same laws through Project Safe Neighborhoods. It has been a _Republican_ administration, not a Democrat one that has appointed hundreds of special prosecutors just to handle "gun crimes" (which are often completely non-violent and technical "crimes"). Until now, many gun owners have either been oblivious to the depth of the Republican betrayal or they've held their noses and supported Republicans because they believed the Democrats to be worse. Many Democrats are open and frank in their hatred of guns and gun owners. But for years the Republicans have looked us in the eye, smiled, shaken our hands, asked for our support -- then stabbed us in the back. If this were a just world with an impartial media, this brewing scandal of Republican-supported abuse and Republican coverup would have the potential to make Whitewater or Iran Contra look trivial in comparison. Because the media doesn't care about gun owners, and because gun owners themselves are so often willfully blind to Republican betrayal, we don't know that this scandal _will_ be the end of the Republican Party. We only know an increasing number of concerned, patriotic gun owners are saying that it _should_ be. - The Liberty Crew For more background information and references, see: www.jpfo.org/batfearticles.htm For a copy of JPFO's "BATFE Fails the Test" footage of BATFE testing procedures, see: www.jpfo.org/batfevideo.htm ============================================================ JPFO mirror site: http://www.jpfo.net ============================================================ LET JPFO KEEP YOU INFORMED -- Sign up today for JPFO Alerts! Just send a blank e-mail to jpfoalerts-subscribe@jpfo.org ============================================================= Regain your freedom - download the song "Justice Day" today! http://www.rebelfirerock.com/downloadjd.html ============================================================= Original Material in JPFO ALERTS is Copyright 2005 JPFO, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce this alert in full, so long as the following JPFO contact information is included: Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership PO Box 270143 Hartford, Wisconsin 53027 Phone: 1-262-673-9745 Order line: 1-800-869-1884 (toll-free!) Fax: 1-262-673-9746 Web: http://www.jpfo.org/ ============================================================= -- Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .