D.C. GUN BAN RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL,

VIOLATES INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO OWN A GUN

This week, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Second Amendment is an individual right and concluded that the District of Columbia's ban on guns in the home is unconstitutional. According to the majority opinion, "[T]he phrase 'the right of the people'...leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual." Also, earlier this week, Second Amendment supporters on Capitol Hill introduced H.R. 1399 -- the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act."

HUNTING PROGRAM ON FLORIDA REFUGE IS UNDER PUBLIC REVIEW A draft Waterfowl Hunting Plan and Environmental Assessment for Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge www.fws.gov/southeast/TenThousandIsland/ (NWR) in Collier County, FL is available for public review until April 3, 2007.

SPACE FILLING UP FAST FOR GRASSROOTS EVENTS AT ANNUAL MEETINGS! The NRA-ILA Grassroots Division will host its FREE Grassroots Workshop on April 13, in conjunction with NRA's Annual Meetings in St. Louis. (Please click title link above for more information or to register.)

SECOND GRASSROOTS EVENT PLANNED FOR ST. LOUIS In addition to the FREE Grassroots Workshop being held in conjunction with NRA's Annual Meetings in St. Louis, the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division is holding an additional FREE event in St. Louis.

STATE ROUNDUP

ARKANSAS

Help Protect Arkansas' Hunting Heritage! Please continue contacting members of the Senate and House Committees on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, and urge them to co-sponsor Senate Joint Resolution 7 (SJR 7). State Senators can be reached at (501) 682-2902 and State Representatives can be reached at (501) 682-6211.

"Castle Doctrine" to be Heard by Arkansas Committee! The House Judiciary Committee will soon be taking House Bill 1027, self-defense legislation, also known as "Castle Doctrine," into consideration. Please contact committee members and respectfully urge them to support your right to self-defense by approving HB1027. Contact information for the House Judiciary Committee can be found by clicking here.

Governor Signs Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Reform! Governor Mike Beebe (D) signed SB 268. This legislation will now recognize all valid RTC permits issued by another state as long as the other state recognizes an Arkansas RTC permit. Our thanks go out to Senator Faris (D-27) and Governor Beebe.

COLORADO

Anti-Gun Legislation Moving Through Colorado Legislature! House Bill 1174, legislation that would repeal the sunset review of the statewide database of persons with Right-to-Carry permits, is heading to the Senate floor this week. Please contact your State Senator today at (303) 866-2316 and respectfully urge him or her to oppose this bill.

Right-to Carry Under Attack In Colorado! Legislation that would invalidate non-resident permits in Colorado, Senate Bill 34, will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee soon. Please contact the committee members and respectfully urge them to oppose this bill and protect your Right-to-Carry. For contact information on the House Judiciary Committee members, please click here.

FLORIDA

"Employee Rights" Legislation Facing Opposition! Your help is needed to pass HB 1417 and SB 2356 and STOP corporate giants from trampling our Second Amendment Rights. Representative Dennis Baxley (R-24) and Senator Durell Peaden (R-2) have filed identical companion bills to stop anti-gun businesses from searching customer and employee vehicles in parking lots and from taking punitive action against people who keep firearms in their vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes. Please email the Florida Legislature today! For a list of all the Senate and House email address, please click here.


ILLINOIS

Gun-Ban Extremists Attacking Right to Keep and Bear Arms In Illinois! Several anti-gun pieces of legislation are currently moving through the State Legislature. Please contact your State Legislators and let them know you oppose al attacks on law-abiding gun owners. The State Senate can be contacted at (217) 782-5715. The House of Representatives can be contacted at (217) 782-8223.


KENTUCKY

Important Kentucky Pro-Gun Bills Need Your Help! There are two pro-gun bills that are currently going through the Kentucky State Senate. Please contact your State Senator and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Appropriations & Revenue Committee at (502) 564-8100 and respectfully urge him or her to support the Second Amendment by supporting HB469 and HB354.


MASSACHUSETTS

Bay State Governor Considering Removing Notification of Expiring Permits! Please contact Governor Deval Patrick (D) and your State Legislator today and respectfully urge them to oppose a budget proposal to repeal laws requiring the written notification of expiring Firearms Identification Cards and License to Carry Permits. The Governor's office can be reached at (617)-725-4000 and your legislators can be reached at (617)-722-1276.


MAINE

Maine Legislature Considering Making Right-to-Carry More Difficult! Your State Legislators need to hear from you. Please call your State Legislators and urge him or her to oppose Legislative Document 778, which will make Right-to-Carry more difficult in Maine. Your State Legislators can be reached at the following toll-free numbers: Maine House of Representatives 1-800-423-2900 and the Maine Senate 1-800-423-6900.


Maine Bill Introduced to Restrict Firearms Sales! Please contact your State Representative at (207)-287-1400 and respectfully urge him or her to oppose Legislative Document 361, which would mandate a 10-day waiting period for the purchase of firearms in Maine.


MARYLAND

General Assembly Still Considering Anti-Gun Legislation! House Bill 617 and House Bill 441 need to be stopped! Please call your State Delegates today and urge them to oppose HB 617 and HB 441. Contact information for your Delegates can be found using the "Write Your Representative" feature found at www.nraila.org.


MINNESOTA

Critical Minnesota Self-Defense Bill Being Held Hostage! Important self-defense legislation ("Castle Doctrine") could be defeated without being debated because of tricks played by the Chairman of the House Public Safety Committee, State Representative Joe Mullery (D-58A). Please contact Representative Mullery by phone at (651) 296-4262 or via email at rep.joe.mullery@house.mn and Speaker Margaret Kelliher (D-60A) at (651) 296-0171 or via email at rep.margaret.kelliher@house.mn and respectfully urge them to support your right to self-defense by allowing HF498 to be heard.


NEVADA

Committee to Consider Vital Right-to-Carry Reform! On Wednesday, March 14, Senate Bill 92, introduced by State Senator John Lee (D-Clark 1), will be heard in the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. Please call the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee today and urge them to support SB 92. For contact information on the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, please click here.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Bill Seeking to Make Right-to-Carry More Difficult in New Hampshire! A bill to make it easier for the issuing authority to deny a Right-to-Carry license in the Granite State has been scheduled for a hearing next week. Please attend this hearing or respectfully urge Senate Bill 44's sponsor, State Senator Peter Burling (D-5), to withdraw the bill by contacting him at (603) 271-2642 or via email at peter.burling@leg.state.nh.us.

NEW MEXICO

Two NRA-backed Self-Defense Bills Need Your Support! House Bill 588 and Senate Bill 111 need your support, please call their respective committee members today. For HB 588, please click here for contact information on the Senate Judiciary Committee and for SB 111, please click here for contact information on the House Business & Industry Committee.


NORTH DAKOTA

Important North Dakota Self-Defense Legislation to be Heard Soon! House Bill 1319 has passed the North Dakota House of Representatives and is now heading to the Senate Natural Resources Committee. State Senator Stanley Lyson (R-1), is considered to be the swing vote needed to pass this important piece of legislation. Please contact Senator Lyson at (701) 572-7025 and respectfully urge him to support HB 1319


TEXAS

NRA-Supported "Emergency Powers" Bill Has Hearing Next Week! House Bill 258 will be brought before the House Defense Affairs & State-Federal Relations Committee on Tuesday, March 13. Please contact members of the committee and urge them to support HB 258 and the Senate companion bill, SB 112. Click here for committee contact information.

VERMONT

The Future of Shooting and Hunting Needs Your Support! New legislation, S. 152 and H. 352, will endanger the future of shooting and hunting in Vermont. The State House of Representatives will hold a special hearing on H352 on Tuesday evening, March 13 at 7:30 PM in the House Chamber in the State Capitol Building. Please call your State Legislator today at (802) 828-2228 or (800) 322-5616 and ask him or her to oppose H352 and S152!

WASHINGTON

Oppressive Anti-Gun Show Proposal Could Be Voted Out of Committee! Senate Bill 5197 could be voted out of committee any day. Please contact your State Senator toll-free at (800) 562-6000 and respectfully request he or she oppose SB5197 should it come to the floor for a vote.

WYOMING

Governor Signs Wyoming Pro-Gun, Pro-Hunting Legislation! Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) signed a measure that would allow for the carrying of firearms during bow hunting season. (Senate File 50)

NRA Gets Reimbursed Court Costs From City Attorney in New Orleans

Fairfax, VA-Today, attorneys for the National Rifle Association of America received a check from New Orleans City Attorney Joseph Vincent DiRosa, Jr. who was ordered to pay partial legal fees and costs to NRA's attorneys for expenses incurred. Mr. DiRosa's delaying tactics were called "wholly unprofessional" by Federal District Court Judge Carl Barbier.

While we are grateful for this small payment, we remain steadfast in our belief that the City of New Orleans continues to be in contempt of court and must make every effort possible to return the wrongfully and illegally confiscated firearms to their rightful owners.

Every ruling thus far by the courts has reinforced the fact that the Second Amendment applies to all law-abiding Americans, including law-abiding residents of the City of New Orleans.

This is in direct contradiction to the absurd claims made by the Nagin Administration that the Second Amendment somehow did not apply in New Orleans.

If you would like to help us with our ongoing efforts in this case please click here.

www.NRAILA.org

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How do youngsters get guns?

JOHN SHANKS is a liar and an advocate to take your freedoms away. The teeth to the US Constitution is the 2nd Amendment! Statistics show that gun violence is DOWN not up! His cigarette example is stupid! Kids still get, use sell and trade them eventhough there are laws against this. There are enough gun laws on the books and more and more gun laws will not stop criminals any more than the 20,000 laws that we already have! Does anyone cry out to ban matches when we know that it is not the matches but the arsonists who are at fault! How about vehicles? Ban them? More people, men, women, chidren, are killed every year on the roads than all the deaths of the Viet Nam war! Come on Shanks - the gun lobby is not to blame. Look at Australia where crime increased 300% AFTER national gun confiscation. The UK and any country where guns are illegal has tremendous crime rates. More gun control makes more crime!

GUN violence in America is on the rise. The number of gun deaths is escalating at an alarming rate. The problem is that it is way too easy for criminals, youth gangs, and other prohibited individuals to obtain and use firearms. Something must be done about the violence.

Last week, 35-year-old Toledo Police Detective Keith Dressel was shot and killed in the line of duty, allegedly by a young gun-wielding teenager just 15 years old, a youngster who might be tried as an adult and could face life in prison.

How do these young people get their guns? They are too young to buy them legally, so who supplies them with handguns? Shouldn't we as a society have sufficient safeguards in place to keep firearms out of the hands of our youth?

Common sense says yes; the gun lobby says no.

Under current law, both of the young people arrested after the shooting were prohibited from buying handguns. They were too young to go into a licensed firearms dealers and buy a handgun. The alleged shooter is too young to buy a pack of cigarettes, but we have laws on the books to keep young people from buying smokes, and a huge enforcement effort to go along with it. So why not guns?

The gun lobby has no rational argument as to why it continues to block common-sense measures that will keep guns out of the hands of criminals and safe from children. The gun lobby cannot and will not respond to the families of slain victims of gun violence and especially not those family members of a slain police officer.

Someone supplied this young man with the gun allegedly used to kill Detective Dressel, either through negligence or through an illegal sale.

We know that an estimated 40 percent of all gun sales are private, not through a licensed dealer, which means they are legal sales. In most states there is no requirement for background checks or record keeping for these secondary sales, and there is no requirement to ask for identification or determine whether the buyer is old enough to buy a gun.

The fact is many of these secondary sales, private transactions between two people, are fueling the criminal element with guns, including the gun used to kill Detective Dressel.

Enough is enough. It is time for the people to take a stand and stop the senseless deaths of our children, our adult citizens, and our public safety officers. These hidden sales need to be regulated.

Background checks and identification must be verified and records must be kept as to who is selling and who is buying guns in our communities. Then we would see an impact on gun crime, and a reduction in the senseless deaths of our citizens.

John Shanks is director of Law Enforcement Relations for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington, D.C., and a former San Antonio police officer.

Toledo Ohio police . . .

. . . are seeking information through the Crime Stopper program about the sexual and physical assault of a 16-year-old city girl on Thursday at Highland Park in South Toledo.

The teenager was approached by two suspects about 7 a.m. as she was putting air into a tire on her vehicle at South Avenue and Spencer Street, police said. She was shoved into the vehicle, robbed, and forced to drive to the nearby park at South and Champion Street, where she was assaulted. A black handgun was brandished, police said.

After the assault, a passerby helped the girl. She was treated at Toledo Hospital.

One suspect was described as white or possibly Hispanic, 17 to 19 years old, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a thin build, brown eyes, thin nose and lips, and dark peach fuzz above his upper lip. His bottom teeth were crooked. He wore a black baseball cap turned to the right, a light blue, hooded jacket with multi-colored print, and black pants with yellow straps at the knee and ankle and the insignia "M+FG."

The second suspect was described as white, 15 to 16 years old, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with a thin build and light-colored eyes. He was wearing a red baseball cap turned to the right, a tan "bubble-style" jacket, blue jeans with orange straps and the "M+FG" insignia, and possibly white tennis shoes, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stopper program. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

So BIG Bro lies and media supports that gun control is in place to help us. That is BS propaganda. The criminals could care less about gun control. If this girl had access to a weapon like a pistol or a stun gun maybe she would have come out of this situation as a winner and not a victim!