KABA Update

HOUSE HEARS CONCERNS ABOUT RICHMOND GUN SHOW 02/19/06

On Wednesday, February 15, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee's
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security heard testimony
from individuals affected by heavy-handed enforcement tactics of the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) at a gun
show in Richmond, Virginia last August.


According to the gun show organizer, Annette Gelles of Showmasters,
dozens of BATFE and local law enforcement officers intrusively
questioned dealers and customers, tried to discourage people from
buying guns, and stopped show attendees on the roads after they left.
In some cases, customers' lawfully purchased guns were confiscated,
and returned only when the customers visited BATFE's office for more
questioning. In other cases, local police officers visited gun
buyers' homes to conduct "residency checks"-intrusive questioning of
family members and even neighbors.


One show visitor, James Lalime, a private citizen who sometimes works
for a dealer at the local gun shows, testified that he was
interrogated by BATFE and other law enforcement personnel who accused
him of dealing in firearms without a license. John White, a show
exhibitor, licensed dealer, and former police officer, testified that
he appreciates law enforcement officials' efforts to prevent illegal
sales, but that enforcement activities went too far-especially in
focusing on buyers who were women or members of minority groups.
Suzanne McComas, an investigator for NRA-ILA, also testified and
provided sworn affidavits from individuals who were singled out for
BATFE attention, apparently on the basis of race or sex.


The subcommittee members were upset with what they heard.
Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble (R-NC) questioned whether the
operations were "a proper allocation of resources," and suggested that
"49 law enforcement officers could have found a better way to curb
criminal activity in the Richmond area." Over the next few months,
the same subcommittee expects to hold additional oversight hearings on
this and other BATFE activities, including both citizen witnesses and
BATFE officials. Watch the Grassroots Alert for more details as
they're available.


If you missed Wednesday's hearing, you can view it in its entirety at
http://judiciary.house.gov/oversight.aspx?ID=214


NATIONAL RIGHT-TO-CARRY RECIPROCITY BILL INTRODUCED

U.S. Representative Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) recently introduced H.R.
4547-a national Right-to-Carry (RTC) reciprocity bill that would
provide national reciprocity for state carry licensees. The bill
would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by
a state to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if they meet
certain criteria. The bill would not create a federal licensing
system; it would simply require the states to recognize each other's
carry permits, just as they recognize drivers' licenses.


For more information on the bill, please visit
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactShe...ad.aspx?ID=189.


Please be sure to contact your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121,
and urge him or her to cosponsor and support H.R. 4547!



DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY


Good news! Once again, you have chance to own a piece of political
history, straight from the closely fought 2004 presidential campaign!
Due to the high demand for the "That Dog Don't Hunt" banner described
in last week's Grassroots Alert, another banner is being offered on
E-Bay.


This distinctive NRA banner, measuring eight feet long and four feet
high, crisscrossed the battleground states in the final weeks of the
contest, and was a significant part of NRA's 2004 election strategy.
Displayed at NRA rallies and gun shows, the banner sent a simple but
effective message: Despite his attempt to pander to sportsmen, John
Kerry has a 20-year record of hostility toward the Second Amendment.
These NRA rallies were crucial in turning out enough voters to give
President Bush victories in pivotal battleground states such as Ohio
and West Virginia.


The banner is in very good condition and¾whether sought after by a gun
owner, political memorabilia collector, or someone hoping to educate
others on truly effective political communications¾represents a
valuable piece of political history.

NRA-ILA Executive Director and NRA Political Victory Fund chairman
Chris W. Cox has signed the banner.


The auction ends February 25. If you'd like to own this banner,
please visit
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=ADME:L:LCA:US




VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN MILWAUKEE!



Once again NRA is seeking volunteers to help at the 2006 NRA Annual
Meeting in Milwaukee, May 17-21. To a large degree, the success of
each year's NRA Annual Meeting is dependent on the contributions of
our volunteers. And you can be a part of that successful effort this
year!

A number of volunteers are needed to help with set-up on Wednesday
and Thursday, May 17 and 18, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During the
actual exhibit and meetings Friday and Saturday, volunteers will work
in the NRA Store, at our Membership Services Booth and at the Airgun
Range. There are a number of additional volunteer opportunities as
well.

To volunteer or for more information, visit any of NRA's web sites or
the Annual Meeting site (www.nraam.org), or contact NRA Field
Representative, Scott Taetsch, at (262) 392-2716, or Dennis Eggers,
Central Region Director, at (270) 522-0909. Their respective e-mail
addresses are: STaetsch@nrahq.org and DEggers@nrahq.org.




D.C. PERSONAL PROTECTION ACT-A TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY

As we continue to note, one of NRA-ILA's top legislative priorities in
Congress continues to be the passage of S. 1082 and H.R. 1288-the
Senate and House versions of the "District of Columbia Personal
Protection Act." This legislation seeks to restore the
constitutionally-guaranteed Second Amendment rights of the residents
of the District of Columbia.

The need for this corrective legislation is obvious. Since 1977, the
District has banned the possession of all handguns not acquired and
registered before that year. D.C. law also prohibits keeping an
assembled rifle or shotgun in the home, effectively outlawing the use
of firearms for lawful self-defense. And despite these Draconian gun
control laws, Washington, D.C., consistently has one of the highest
murder rates in the nation.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and
ask them to cosponsor and support S. 1082 and H.R. 1288.


For a list of Senate cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquer...9:SN01082:@@@P.


For a list of House cosponsors, please visit
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquer...9:HR01288:@@@P.


You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, or your U.S.
Representative at (202) 225-3121.





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.***)

States with updates this issue (click state to be routed directly to
story): Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, South Dakota,
Texas, Wyoming.


ARIZONA

SB 1425, "Emergency Powers Protection" sponsored by Senator Dean
Martin (R-6), passed the Senate Government Committee by a vote of 5-2.
Please contact your State Senator and ask him or her to support SB
1425, as it is headed to the Senate Floor. HB 2076, "Government
Storage Clarification," sponsored by Representative Chuck Gray (R-19),
passed the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 6-3. This
legislation will compel state and local governments to comply with the
2000 statutory requirement to store firearms for citizens when they
prohibit firearm possession on their property. Many government
entities have refused to comply with this requirement. Please contact
both your State Representatives and encourage them to pass HB 2076.
SB 1145, the "Castle Doctrine," sponsored by Senator Timothy Bee
(R-30), passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by a vote of 7-1. Most
importantly, the amendment to return the "Burden of Proof" in state
self-defense cases was adopted. This amendment corrects the current
"guilty-until-you-prove-your-innocence" standard in state self-defense
cases. Arizona is one of only two states in the country that places
the burden of proof in self-defense cases on the citizen instead of
the state. This is simply wrong and must be corrected this year
before more abuses occur! Please contact your State Senator and ask
him or her to support SB 1145 with the "Burden of Proof" Amendment, on
the Senate Floor. Members of the Arizona State Legislature can be
reached by calling (602) 926-4221, for the State House, or (602)
926-3559, for the State Senate. HB 2074, "Elimination of CCW Permit
Refresher Training," sponsored by Representative Chuck Gray (R-19),
will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Please contact members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them
to support HB 2074. To find contact information, please visit:
www.arizonasenate.org/pages/judiciary.htm

IDAHO

State Representative Bill Sali (R-21) and State Senator Gerry Sweet
(R-20) are sponsoring several pieces of NRA-supported legislation:
SB 1401, which amends existing emergency powers law to provide that no
restrictions shall be imposed on lawful uses of firearms or ammunition
during a state of emergency. Please contact the members of the Senate
State Affairs committee and ask them to vote in support of SB 1401
when it comes up for a full hearing. SB 1402 will amend existing law
to revise provisions applicable to the issuance of a license to carry
concealed firearms. Please contact members of the Senate Judiciary
and Rules committee and ask them to vote in support of SB 1402 when it
comes up for a full hearing. HB 686 adds to existing law an exemption
from sales tax for certain fees and membership dues related to
nonprofit hunting or shooting sports organizations. Please contact
members of the House Revenue and Taxation committee and ask them to
vote in support of HB 686 when it comes up for a full hearing. You
can find contact information for all Senate and House Committees at:
http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/how...egislators.htm. To
contact State Legislators in support of all NRA-backed measures,
please call (208) 332-1000, or toll free at (800) 626-0471, for people
outside the Boise area.

ILLINOIS

Anti-gun legislation continues to pose a threat in the General
Assembly. Both HB 4693, a handgun dealer licensing bill, and HB 4694,
a mandatory storage bill, passed out of the Human Services Committee
and are awaiting action by the full House of Representatives.
Anti-gun legislators continue their frantic attempts to build up
support for HB 2414, which seeks to ban certain semi-automatic rifles
and shotguns, as well as .50 cal. rifles. The latest attempt,
Amendment 7, indicates how poorly worded this bill is, as well as how
confused anti-gun lawmakers are when it comes to firearms. Proponents
of HB 2414 felt this new language was necessary in order to exempt air
rifles from the scope of the bill. Please continue to contact
representatives and urge them to oppose HB 2414, HB 4693, and HB 4694.
(For more details on these bills, please refer to previous Grassroots
Alerts). On the pro-gun side, please keep contacting representatives
and urge them to support HB 4529, sponsored by Representative John E.
Bradley (D-117), which would allow FOID card applicants to sue the
Illinois State Police if that agency fails to act on applications
within the 30-day time period mandated by state law. While there are
other anti-gun and pro-gun bills that have been introduced¾including
SB 2963, Senator Bill Brady's (R-44) pro-gun reform that seeks to
repeal the FOID card system¾most remain bogged down and relatively
inactive. Please contact your State Legislators and ask them to
support HB 4529. State Senators can be reached at (217) 782-5715 and
State Representatives can be reached at (217) 782-8223.


KENTUCKY

After defeating amendments proposed by anti-gun legislators, HB 290,
the "Gun Owner Protection Act," sponsored by Representative Robert
Damron (D-39), passed the full House by a vote of 89-7. This critical
legislation ensures the names of concealed firearm license holders are
not released to the public. It allows law-abiding citizens to keep
lawfully-transported firearms locked in their personal vehicles while
parked on company property. HB 290 also prohibits government
officials from regulating lawful firearm ownership during a state of
emergency. An NRA-backed amendment was adopted allowing concealed
firearm license holders to use their license as a substitute for the
background check on gun purchases, as it is done in 19 other states.
This important legislation now moves to the Senate. Please contact
your State Senators and ask them to support HB 290, the "Gun Owner
Protection Act." HB 236, "Castle Doctrine" legislation, sponsored by
Representative J.R. Gray (D-6), is scheduled for a hearing in the
House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 22. Please contact
your State Representative and ask him or her to support HB 236, as
introduced. At least two anti-gun amendments are being proposed that
are intended to defeat this important self-defense legislation. SB
12, "School Property Posting" legislation, sponsored by Senator Katie
Kratz Stein (R-24), should receive a full Senate vote next week. This
bill prohibits the prosecution of gun owners who unknowingly wander
onto property owned by a public or private school if it is not
properly posted pursuant to current law, which requires the posting of
school property. However, if a school ignores this legal requirement,
gun owners may still be prosecuted for a felony offense when
possessing a firearm on the property. Please contact your Senator and
ask him or her to vote to support SB 12 and oppose all amendments.
All members of the Kentucky General Assembly can be reached at (502)
564-8100.

NEW YORK

Special elections will be held on Tuesday, February 28. Voter turnout
is expected to be low, and NRA members are encouraged to head to the
polls and vote for those candidates who support our Second Amendment
rights. For NRA-PVF endorsement information, NRA members are
encouraged to call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE
(8683). Further information will be posted soon to the NRA-PVF
website at www.NRAPVF.org. Be sure to "Vote Freedom First!" on
Tuesday, February 28!


SOUTH DAKOTA

HB 1134,"Citizens Right to Self-Defense" legislation sponsored by Alan
Hanks (R-32), was signed by Governor Mike Rounds (R) Friday, February
17. This important legislation removes the "duty to retreat" when a
citizen is faced with attack in a place that he or she has a right to
be. This ensures that an individual whose home is being broken into
has no duty to retreat before using deadly force.

TEXAS

Texas will hold primary elections on Tuesday, March 7. NRA members
are encouraged to head to the polls and vote for those candidates who
support our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Please be sure to encourage
your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners to do the same. You
can vote early between February 21-March 3. For a list of early
voting locations in your area, please contact your county election
official. Please visit www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/index.shtml for
county election official contact information. For NRA-PVF endorsement
information, NRA members are encouraged to call the NRA-ILA Grassroots
Division at (800) 392-VOTE (8683). Further information will be posted
soon to the NRA-PVF website at www.NRAPVF.org. Be sure to "Vote
Freedom First!" on Tuesday, March 7!

WYOMING

NRA supported legislation, HB 46, the "No Duty to Retreat/Castle
Doctrine" measure sponsored by Representative Steve Watt (R-17), and
HB 78, the Alaska-style concealed carry reform measure sponsored by
Representative Becket Hinckley (R-41), needs your support to pass the
Senate. Anti-gun legislators and the Brady Campaign have targeted
these bills for defeat in the Senate. Due to the short length of the
Budget Session, it is vital that gun-owners contact their Senators,
most notably Senate President Grant Larson (R-17) and Majority Floor
Leader John Schiffer (R-22). Both are instrumental in determining if
these measures will receive the two-thirds vote needed to pass the
Senate. Please contact all members of the Senate in support of HB 46
and HB 78. You can call the Voter Hotline at (866) 996-8683.
(Cheyenne residents call (307) 777-8683), or e-mail your legislator
via the Wyoming Legislative website at: http://legisweb.state.wy.us
..)



.

Updates from the latest NRA-ILA e-mail:

At back-to-back hearings on Tuesday, March 28, the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, continued to focus on enforcement abuses at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), and also aired opinions about a new bill to correct several issues in federal firearms law.

First, the subcommittee heard testimony from people with first-hand experience dealing with BATFE. Virginia lawyer Richard Gardiner, who has represented many gun owners and dealers, focused on the way BATFE handles cases against federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs)--often seeking to revoke FFLs for "trivial, immaterial violations" based on "undefined legal standards." Gardiner described one case where a dealer lost his license even though BATFE itself agreed his records were 99.96% accurate, and the few errors posed no threat to public safety.

Next, Lt. Michael Lara of the Tucson Police Department recounted his personal horror story at the hands of BATFE. After buying a gun as a gift for a friend, Lt. Lara found himself facing federal felony charges as a "straw purchaser." Lt. Lara lost his job, and didn't get it back before a three-month legal nightmare cost him more than $200,000 in legal fees, lost pay and other costs. BATFE never even interviewed him during its investigation, and the jury acquitted him in less than an hour.

At the second hearing, the subcommittee focused on H.R. 5005, Rep. Lamar Smith's (R-TX) bill to make various technical changes and corrections in federal firearms law. Anti-gun advocates have gone through the roof over one provision of H.R. 5005: a section that prohibits disclosure of firearms trace data outside of law enforcement investigations. That language simply makes permanent a policy that Congress has enacted through annual appropriations riders for the past several years. Yet at this hearing, anti-gun New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) hysterically denounced it as a "God-awful" bill that would "facilitate the shooting deaths of thousands of innocent Americans every year." Of course, Bloomberg's real goal--besides publicity in the Big Apple media--is to use this confidential law enforcement information in the city's suit against the firearms industry. Attorney Gardiner took the opportunity to point out that "what the Mayor is saying about this bill simply is nt true," because the trace system is designed to help solve crimes, not to do statistical research.

Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble (R-NC) and ranking member Bobby Scott (D-VA) agreed on the need to focus BATFE's efforts on enforcing current laws against serious criminals, while not pursuing petty violations or undermining civil liberties. To that end, the "Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Modernization and Reform Act of 2006" will soon be introduced. This bipartisan bill will update the legal standards for disciplining violations by FFLs. It also calls for a review of BATFE's enforcement practices, and clarifies BATFE's responsibilities to keep the Bureau focused on its core mission.