Subj: NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 9, No. 43 10/25/02

Date: 10/25/2002 8:44:33 PM Eastern Standard Time

From: <info@nraila.org>

October 25, 2002

NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 9, No. 43 10/25/02

1-800-392-8683

www.nraila.org

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Election Day 2002?Tuesday, November 5?is right around the corner, and NRA-ILA has been laying the groundwork to ensure the pro-gun community will be able to elect countless pro-gun candidates to office at all levels of government since early this year. We have held 62 Grassroots-Election Workshops in 32 states, reaching nearly 5,000 NRA members with training so they can mobilize volunteers to help pro-gun candidates win their elections.

Now we are in the homestretch, and it is time for law-abiding gun owners over the next 11 days to make the difference in congressional, gubernatorial, attorneys general, and countless other races across the country. Even if you were not able to attend a Workshop, or none were scheduled near you, there is still plenty you can do to help ensure victory for the pro-gun community during this election cycle. Let?s Finish The Job We Started in 2000!

To assist you with this, NRA-ILA has designated an individual in almost every congressional district (known as an NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator [EVC]) who stands ready to plug you into ongoing campaign activities. The EVC in your district is a fellow NRA member who is working to provide pro-gun campaigns in your state and area with volunteers to help with phone banks, literature drops, voter registration drives, precinct walks, get out the vote and Election Day activities, and other campaign activities. To locate your EVC so you can start working on pro-freedom campaigns TODAY, please click here. If your district currently has a vacancy for an EVC, and you would like to serve in this capacity, please call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division and ask to speak with the Grassroots Coordinator for your state.

Finally, you may also refer to your November NRA magazine, as your district?s EVC?s contact information and your NRA-PVF?s 2002 Candidate Endorsements appear inside. Please contact your EVC and begin your work TODAY!

This week, NRA President Charlton Heston, First Vice President Kayne Robinson, Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, and NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox launched a series of "Vote Freedom First Rallies" across the nation. The tour has touched down in six states so far, to encourage NRA members to help elect pro-gun, pro-freedom lawmakers on Election Day - November 5. Thanks to our members, the events have been an overwhelming success.

The tour started on Monday with an evening stop in Manchester, N.H., before an estimated crowd of 700 excited NRA members. On Tuesday, NRA?s leaders moved on to Joplin, Mo., for a noon rally, which saw another 700 NRA members wildly cheering for NRA?s speakers, as well as for U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), who were there to introduce Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Jim Talent (R). That evening, the tour made a stop in West Allis, Wisc., where Governor Scott McAllum (R) was in attendance. On Wednesday, 1,000 members attended a noon rally in Duluth, Minn., and heard from NRA?s leaders, as well as U.S. Senate candidate Norm Coleman (R) and gubernatorial candidate Tim Pawlenty (R). Wednesday evening saw NRA?s Heston, Robinson, LaPierre, and Cox in Sioux Falls, S.D., with U.S. Senate candidate John Thune (R). The first leg of the tour ended in Denver, Colo., on Thursday, for a noon event with 800 in attendance. Six more rallies will be held in key states, and NRA members in these states should have already received the information on these events. With their support and attendance, the second leg will also be a smashing success!

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is once again proposing national gun registration in the name of gun safety. And to no one?s surprise, he is even willing to lie in order to promote his anti-gun agenda. While appearing on NBC?s Meet the Press, Schumer stated that the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) supported his "ballistic fingerprinting" scheme, and he even referred to a release from the F.O.P. he implied supported his claim. In fact, the very release he held clearly stated FOP had serious doubts about "ballistic fingerprinting." The release actually says, "[P]rior to embracing a database of ballistic ?fingerprints? as a revolutionary advancement in law enforcement technology, we would be wise to study its efficacy...." The release also stated, "...with such small chances that ["ballistic fingerprinting"] would be used to solve a firearm crime, suggests to the F.O.P. that these are law enforcement dollars best spent elsewhere." Hardly support for Schumer?s "ballistic fingerprinting"/registration scheme.

While Schumer and the gun-ban lobby try to mislead the public, NRA will continue to work with law enforcement. The Association has supported H.R. 3491, The Ballistic Imaging Evaluation and Study Act of 2001, and its Senate counterpart, S. 2581, since their introduction more than six months ago. Rest assured your NRA will continue to fight against gun registration in all its forms.

The elections are only 11 days away, and NRA is doing all it can to achieve victory for the pro-Second Amendment community on November 5. As we did in 2000, NRA has posted its candidate ratings and endorsement information online, as it is critical that the entire pro-gun community knows which politicians are on its side when it comes to our Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Anyone interested in knowing where candidates stand regarding the Second Amendment is encouraged to visit the website of NRA?s political action committee, the NRA-Political Victory Fund.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is in New Orleans, La., ruled this week that the presence of an NRA sticker does not give police "probable cause" to search a vehicle. The ruling involved a case against an individual who had been stopped for speeding, but whose vehicle was searched after the defendant said he heard one of the officers tell another he suspected a "weapon" might be present because of an NRA sticker. The majority wrote, "Indeed, if the presence of an NRA sticker ... in a vehicle could be used by an officer to conclude he was in danger, half the pickups in the state of Texas would be subject to a vehicle search." The ruling also stated, "[P]lacing an NRA sticker in one?s vehicle is certainly legal and constitutes expression which is protected by the First Amendment. A police officer?s inference that danger is afoot because a citizen displays an NRA sticker in his vehicle presents disturbing First and Fourth Amendment implications."

ARIZONA:

On Wednesday, October 30, NRA members and fellow sportsmen will have the opportunity to make their voices heard on re-zoning proposals that may threaten the future of the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. Combined with increased government efforts to close public land to recreational shooting, range re-zoning could spell disaster for Arizona?s shooting heritage. Gun owners must stand united against these dangerous re-zoning efforts. The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m. at the Paradise Valley Community Center, 17402 N. 40th Street in Phoenix. Please call the Ben Avery Shooting Facility at (623) 582-8313 for more information. Public discourse on this proposed re-zoning plan will not only impact the future of the Ben Avery Shooting Facility, but the future of shooting sports in Arizona; NRA members and fellow sportsmen must make a strong showing.

New Jersey gun owners and concerned citizens must help stop the so-called "ballistic fingerprinting" legislation currently advancing in the State Assembly! Railroaded through committee by the anti-gun, extremist Democratic leadership in the Assembly, A438 requires every newly-manufactured handgun and even certain rifles to be fired and the markings left on the bullet and/or cartridge case recorded and entered into a database before the firearm could be sold. Supporters of A438 would have you believe they have discovered an effective new crime-fighting tool, but the truth is that their scheme was long ago recognized and rejected for what it is?firearm registration by another name. "Ballistic fingerprinting" deserves to be rejected once again. A438 is scheduled for a vote in the full Assembly this Monday, October 28. Please contact your Assemblyman immediately and urge them to vote NO on A438. If you are unsure of how to reach your Assemblyman, please call the main State Legislature information line, (609) 292-4840, and ask for assistance. You can also use our "Write Your Representatives" tool.

NEW MEXICO:

Early voting began on October 16. You can contact your local elections office for information on early voting locations. Please support NRA-PVF endorsed candidates for state and federal office. NRA members can contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683 for information on the pro-gun candidates in their area, can consult the NRA-PVF Candidate Endorsement Guide in their magazine, or can visit www.NRAPVF.org.

TEXAS:

Early voting began on October 19, 20, or 21, depending on where you live. You can contact your local elections office for information on early voting locations. Please support NRA-PVF endorsed candidates for state and federal office. NRA members can contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683 for information on the pro-gun candidates in their area, can consult the NRA-PVF Candidate Endorsement Guide in their magazine, or can visit www.NRAPVF.org.