news
Congress adjourned for the year this week, ending the first session of the 106th Congress, and thanks to your efforts, no new federal gun restrictions were passed in 1999! Juvenile justice reform legislation, the vehicle the anti-gunners tried to use to further their efforts to destroy the Second Amendment, remained bottled up in a House-Senate conference committee, and never came up for a final vote. However, we can anticipate that the Clinton-Gore Administration and its followers will redouble their attacks on our right to keep and bear arms in mid-January, when Congress is scheduled to reconvene. Keep an eye out for future alerts regarding any legislative activities during the 106th Congress’s second session, and thanks again for your tremendous support in the first session of the 106th Congress!
ROSIE AND KMART PART WAYS
According to a Nov. 19 New York Daily News story, Rosie O’Donnell and Kmart are severing their ties. The article notes O’Donnell’s acknowledgment of her inconsistency in supporting gun control while promoting Kmart (one of the nation’s largest sellers of firearms and ammunition), causing her to conclude, “It’s only fair to Kmart that I stop doing commercials.” O’Donnell’s spokeswoman confirmed that Rosie will continue to be “proactive in her gun control efforts.” The article notes Kmart sources gave O’Donnell her walking papers because it had grown tired of the negative publicity her gun stance was bringing them. Members who wish to contact Kmart to praise this decision may reach them at (800) 63-KMART (56278), or at http://www.kmart.com/b_cust/index.htm (use the “comment” option).
2000 CAMPAIGN SEASON NEARLY UPON US
While Election Day 2000 is almost a year away, campaign season 2000 will kick-off in just a few months. Readers of the NRA-ILA FAX Alert are no doubt familiar with ILA’s Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) program. First implemented for the 1994 elections, NRA-ILA secures an NRA member in each congressional district to serve as the EVC. EVCs act as the liaisons between NRA members and gun owners in their districts and various pro-freedom campaigns. EVCs main goal is to provide these campaigns with dedicated, educated volunteers to assist with phone banks, literature drops, voter registration, Election Day activities, and other campaign volunteer activities. Grassroots staff has already secured a vast number of EVCs to serve in the 2000 elections, but we still have many vacancies. If you are interested in serving as your congressional district’s EVC, being put in touch with your current EVC, or learning more about the EVC program in general, please contact the Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683. We need to have our EVCs in place now, so we may focus our efforts in 2000 on activating the EVCs and their grassroots networks to work with various campaigns. Please call today!
A LOOK AT THE STATES
CALIFORNIA: On Wed., Dec. 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Assembly’s Select Cmte. on Gun Violence will be conducting an interim hearing on the issues of licensing and registration. Please make an effort to attend this meeting which will be held at the Glendale Community College, located at 1500 N. Verdugo Road, in Glendale, to voice your concerns about these issues. For additional information, please contact the NRA’s Sacramento Office at (916) 446-2455.
MARYLAND: In addition to their effort to mandate that handguns sold in Maryland have built-in trigger locks within the next two years, the Governor^s Smart Gun Task Force announced late last week that it is now hoping to implement so-called "smart gun" technology within three years -- rather than the five year deadline that we reported had been recommended by a subcommittee in a previous FAX Alert (Vol. 6, No. 44). Nonetheless, NRA-ILA, the Maryland State Rifle & Pistol Association, and activists throughout the state will continue to work with pro-gun members of the General Assembly to prevent any such mandates.
MASSACHUSETTS: ILA Grassroots Division Director, Glen Caroline, will be speaking at a number of area colleges the week following the Thanksgiving holiday. Information is as follows: Tues, Nov. 30, Simmons College (Boston), 7:00 p.m., Faculty Dining Room and Wed., Dec. 1 Gordon College (Wenham) 7:00 p.m., Jenks Learning Resource Center (debate vs. John Rosenthal of “Stop Handgun Violence.” All area NRA members are encouraged to attend.
Uploaded: 11/26/1999
Uploaded: 11/26/1999