Allegheny County Sportsmen's League Legislative Committee Report
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Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League Legislative Committee Report August 2010 Issue 190 ALLEGHENY COUNTY SPORTSMEN LEAGUE ON THE INTERNET http://www.acslpa.org Contacts : Legislative Committee Chairman , Kim Stolfer (412.221.3346) - [email protected] Legislative Committee Vice-Chairman, Mike Christeson - [email protected] Founding Fathers: The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it. --- Albert Einstein In many ways Belanger is the new face of the gun rights Pro-Gun Grassroots Groups movement. Taking the Lead in Gun Rights For decades, the National Rifle Association has been fighting gun-control efforts in Congress and across the country on behalf Fight of its 4.3 million members. But the old "guns vs. no guns" debate that was once the face of the American gun movement is Homespun Organizations Are Leaving being transformed into a "guns vs. more guns" issue, and the the NRA Behind When Pushing for NRA is now feeling the heat from its own backyard. Small, focused, pro-gun, grassroots groups like Belanger's Broader Gun Laws believe the enormous organization has become too bureaucratic By TERRY MORAN and ELY BROWN, ABC News and conservative to focus on their local issues, such as fighting Aug. 3, 2010 — The statistics tell the story: There are about 50 for more open-carry laws. million gun owners in America. Close to half of all American "It's a massive organization that's kind of an umbrella households possess guns -- more than 200 million guns all told, organization for all gun owners and firearm enthusiasts," and we buy 4.5 million more guns every year. Belanger said. "What we are is more of a[n organization for the] Whether you like it or not, for better or worse, it's a fact: right to carry openly as well as concealed, every day." America is an armed nation . And to gun owners – the vast The long-simmering tensions between the NRA behemoth majority of whom are law-abiding citizens -- that's the way it and local gun groups exploded into a nasty family fight this was meant to be. spring when the NRA muscled Congress into exempting it -- Now, more than ever, many gun owners are proudly, and it alone -- from some key provisions of the campaign- aggressively asserting their rights to keep and bear arms . finance reform legislation. At a barbeque in Portland, Maine, a small grassroots "What they did was very much self-preservation," said Philip organization meets to promote one goal: the right to carry van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. weapons openly in public. "The NRA isn't the end all of gun rights ... They are the 800- "We're just out here, exercising our rights," said event pound gorilla." participant Scott Walker. "We're just here to have a good time." A fierce political player, the NRA spends tens of millions of Watch the full story tonight on "Nightline" at 11:35 p.m. dollars every election year -- big money that the campaign- ET. finance law is aiming to regulate. But many politicians fear Shane Belanger, 20, a pre-med student at the University of retaliation from the big gun group, so now it won't have to Southern Maine, organized the open-carry event. He said the comply with the new campaign finance law. group faces a huge task in convincing their fellow Mainers that ABC News asked the NRA several times to comment for this the Second Amendment -- the right to bear arms -- should not story, but it refused. be confined to the home. Revving Up the Gun Debate "I think that it's just they're not used to it, and it's lack of Despite the outrage, actions from both the NRA and smaller knowledge. The more they know, the more comfortable they'll grassroots organizations successfully have pushed the battle over be with it, and that's really why we're here," Belanger said. "We guns back onto the debate floor, catching many gun-control are showing them that lawabiding citizens carrying handguns is advocates off-guard. completely fine and completely normal." Denis Henigan, the vice president of the Brady Center to NRA Bypasses Campaign Reform Prevent Gun Violence, based in Washington, D.C., said there is cause for concern. He said small "extremist" gun groups are Page 2 sprouting up across the country, creating problems for gun- need to realize that we got more votes against Kagan than we control efforts and the NRA. have ever gotten against a Supreme Court Justice that we've "I think these groups are actually willing to act out the opposed -- more than we garnered against Justices Sotomayor or NRA's vision for America," Henigan told "Nightline." Ginsburg. (Imagine, Justice Gingsburg only received three "When you have people who are openly carrying their guns negative votes!) into Starbucks , it causes enormous concern among other people Today, we gained tremendous ground. There were Senators who are going into Starbucks. It causes backlash." who voted against Kagan today who had NEVER before voted Starbucks was the target of a pressure campaign to allow against a Supreme Court Justice. And come this November, we customers to openly carry their weapons in states where it's legal plan to gain even more ground when a new batch of candidates to do so -- that's 43 of the 50 states. take their seats in the U.S. Senate... when we will probably be It was not a campaign organized by the NRA. able to filibuster (and defeat) any future U.S. Supreme Court Pro-gun grassroots groups used social networks, bulletin Justice that President Obama nominates. boards, Internet chat rooms and text messages to get the word So thank you for all your help in fighting this nominee. out -- a testament to their influence, even without the backing of Now, it is time for us to shift into high gear and hold the the umbrella organization. Van Cleave called the grassroots turncoats in Congress accountable. But more on that -- and on efforts "critical." today's vote -- below. "More guns in more public places is what protects people," STAND WITH GUN OWNERS OF he said. http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=11313221 AMERICA While today's loss on the Kagan nomination was Gun Owners of America NEWS RELEASES: disappointing, don't forget that we won a VERY KEY battle last Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alerts week against legislation to squelch our voice 60 days prior to a 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151 general election -- legislation known as the DISCLOSE Act. Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408 This victory means that we will be able to hold accountable http://www.gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm those Senators who stabbed gun owners in the back and voted for Elena Kagan today -- and we'll be able to hold them accountable all the way up to Election Day. U.S. Senate Confirms Anti-gun Radical to So gun owners need to stay engaged in the battle to retain the Supreme Court-- Time to help GOA and reclaim our rights. Even though Congress will be out of hold the turncoats accountable session this month, you can help us INCREASE our voice in Congress -- and INCREASE our ability to reach more gun owners -- by renewing your membership with GOA and "After reviewing Ms. Kagan's record and testimony at her encouraging others to do the same. confirmation hearing, the GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA You can go to http://gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm and concluded that, 'The available evidence portrays her as a join Gun Owners of America for the cost of a box of forceful advocate of restrictive gun laws and driven by political ammunition. considerations rather than rule of law.'" -- Sen. John Thune (R- As you already know, GOA will NOT be compromising your SD), August 5, 2010 rights. We will not compromise on your Second Amendment freedoms... nor will we compromise on your First Amendment ON THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE TODAY freedoms which are necessary to defend those liberties. During debate over the DISCLOSE Act last month, Senator Thursday, August 5, 2010 Senator Thune quoted GOA Mitch McConnell praised GOA's uncompromising approach on accurately. Elena Kagan is going to be a disaster on the the floor of the Senate when he said that the legislation was "not Supreme Court. about the Democrats' affinity for the Second Amendment. If it Our gun rights are hanging by a thread. Prior to the vote in were, they would have carved out an exception for the Gun the U.S. Senate today, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama sounded Owners of America as well. As it is, the GOA vehemently the alarm: "Most Americans are totally unaware [that] the opposes this bill. Why? Because they know it restricts First Second Amendment hangs by a mere thread [by] two 5-4 Amendment rights." decisions recently...." We only have a little less than three months before the He was referring, of course, to the two gun-related decisions election. We need you now more than ever! Please go to over the past couple of years where the Supreme Court narrowly http://gunowners.org/ordergoamem.htm and renew today. ruled in favor of gun rights. HOLD YOUR SENATORS' FEET TO THE FIRE With this in mind, several Senators spent almost an hour Many of you have Senators who pride themselves as being today talking exclusively about the Second Amendment, its independent thinkers. They claim they are "Blue Dog" importance to all Americans across the country, and the danger Democrats who support the Second Amendment.