Department of State at Tallahassee's R.A. Gray Building

Friends,

Today was a great day. We began the day by putting the final touches on my qualifying paperwork. Around 10:45 am I delivered my paperwork to the Department of State at Tallahassee's R.A. Gray Building, making my campaign official. My good friends Representative Frank Attkisson and Senator Carey Baker accompanied me and helped me file my paperwork.

I am honored to have served alongside Frank Attkisson in the Florida House. I have especially been impressed with Rep. Attkisson's leadership on the issue of reducing property taxes this year, and I look forward to passing meaningful and comprehensive reform during the special session next month. I'm extremely grateful for Rep. Attkisson's support of my Senate campaign.

I am also highly encouraged by the support of Carey Baker, a Gulf War veteran who is an inspiration to all of us, especially in these times when national security has been on the forefront of our thoughts. He is a true hero, and his endorsement of my senate candidacy is truly a blessing.

Around noon time today, I had lunch with Dan Abel and John Paul Daly, the Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Leon County Republican Executive Committee. We had a great lunch and a very encouraging conversation. I spent the afternoon making district wide phone calls to supporters. The calls were well received and I got some great feedback and additional support. I ended the day with a very successful campaign fundraiser in Tallahassee.

If you are interested in checking out where I stand on the issues or would like to make a donation, please go to www.dennisbaxley.org.

Thank you for all of your efforts. I am very positive about the groundswell of support that we're continuing to gain. I look forward to the next three weeks, and I'm incredibly grateful to all of my dedicated volunteers.

Sincerely,

Dennis

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/federal-agencies-propose.html

Midway USA

Midway USA

http://www.midwayusa.com/

From time to time I am asked to relate how MidwayUSA got its start. Most people think it was a great stroke of genius, but it wasn't. Simply stated, the beginning of the Company was a little bit of dream and a lot of circumstance.

From my earliest days I was interested in guns, shooting and hunting. I have great memories of being with my dad Gilbert, while he hunted and hunting with him when I was old enough. We hunted mostly rabbits, squirrel, quail and raccoon. Dad had a Remington Model 12, 22 caliber pump that I restocked in high school woodworking class and a Belgium made, 12 gauge hammer-type double-barrel shotgun. Later on, he bought a Marlin 30/30 as the whitetail deer herd in Missouri flourished. My first gun was a Stevens 12 gauge single-shot, handed down from my older brother Marion, on my 13th Christmas.

We were a family of eight, living in rural northeast Missouri (near Ely) and didn't have much money. Reflecting back, Dad's subscription to Outdoor Life must have been a Christmas present. I read every issue as a teenager, reveling at the exploits of Jack O'Connor and the "This happened to me" page. Somewhere I got a Shooter's Bible, again probably for Christmas. What a marvel this was for a poor country teenager. I fell in love with Browning guns, though it would be years before I owned one.

While attending the University of Missouri, I was introduced to skeet by a friend from back home. I loved breaking clay targets and it was a good opportunity to be around guns. I bought a Remington 870 12 gauge with an improved cylinder barrel, for $112.50. It was a wonderful gun and I shot my first 25 straight with it. Brenda and I were married in 1970. We bought her an 870 20 gauge, with a skeet barrel for $116.25. There was no real gun shop in Columbia, but I got to know a local gunsmith named Bill Morgan and regularly visited the few stores that carried guns.

I joined the Air Force in 1971, after finishing my degree in business. My first duty assignment was Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. Here I got to know John Baregi at the base firing range and helped set up the base Rod and Gun club where we built a modest trap range. I made a friend named Truman Wilson, who was also in the Air Force. Truman had a Federal Firearms License and was instrumental in my getting one about 1973. Brenda and I shot skeet regularly at the police department skeet range. When I turned 21, a Smith & Wesson Model 39 in 9mm was my first purchase. Standing at seven yards from a standard upper-torso target, I could barely keep the bullets in the cardboard. This was my first experience with a handgun.

In 1972, I read a letter to the editor from the July Guns&Ammo. It mentioned a man named George Spence, who lived in Steele, Missouri about 12 miles from Blytheville. George was recommended as a source of 8mm Japanese pistol ammunition.

I desperately wanted to meet a man important enough to get his name in Guns&Ammo, so I called Mr. Spence. Brenda and I went to visit him a few days later and my life was again changed forever. As it turned out, George was a locksmith working on the Air Force Base, only a few hundred yards from the building I worked in. Later, when Brenda and I moved to Steele, George and I carpooled back and forth to the base on most days. George was the most knowledgeable person I had ever met in the areas of guns, bullet casting, reloading and wildcat cartridges. There is no telling how many hours George and I spent together, him working and my hanging around asking questions and learning. George was kind enough to loan me some of his fine Hensley and Gibbs four, six and ten cavity bullet moulds when I began to learn bullet casting. I also bought a 7mm Mauser rifle from George that he helped me make up some brass for. We shortened and reformed 30/06 military as new 7mm Mauser brass was very expensive and hard to find.

The most intriguing thing that George did was to make 8mm Japanese Nambu pistol cartridges and lots of them. He used military 38 Special brass and the process was about like this: 1) shorten the case about 1/4" using a modified copper tubing cutter; 2) turn the rim down to about .410 on an old Sears lathe; 3) size the neck down from about .375 to about .345; 4) cast the bullets, lube and size, 5) load the ammunition, package and ship. How fascinating! My cousin Charlie had a Type 14 Nambu pistol. I got a box of ammo for him from George and we shot it off his deck one Sunday afternoon. This wasn't good ammunition. It was too small in the body (some cases would split) and it didn't feed well through the magazines of the Type 14 and Type 94 Japanese pistols. It was, however, the only 8mm Japanese Nambu ammunition being produced for the thousands of service pistols the American GIs brought back from the Pacific Theater after World War II. The base diameter of 8mm Nambu is about .410 and it could be better made from 30 Remington brass, or 30/30 brass with the rim turned off, as the base diameter is about the same. This didn't matter to George. He had an inexpensive source of 38 Special brass, but didn't have any 30 Remington or 30/30 brass to spare.

Brenda and I left Blytheville in July of 1974, just after our son Russell was born. We spent three months at school in Texas, then on to the next duty assignment at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. I was a Lieutenant now and had considerably more flexibility with my time. In Rapid City, I was introduced to prairie dog hunting (shooting) by Ron Burnside, a friend at work. What a blast! It was in Rapid City that all of the shooting, hunting and gun trading made me realize that I wanted to run a gun shop, when my three year active duty commissioning time was up and I got back to Missouri.

With the gun shop idea firmly in my mind, in the spring of 1976, I invited my younger brother Jerry to join the proposed new venture. He agreed and the next fifteen months were full of planning and anticipation. Brenda and I left Rapid City on May 13, 1977, with our two children Russell and Sara. Upon arriving in Columbia, we viewed the building lot for the first time. This was located on Old Highway 40, about a mile west off of Interstate 70, at the Midway exit. The site preparation had been completed, but no other building work had been done. Thirty-five days later, on June 18, 1977, we opened the gun shop for business under the trade name Ely Arms, Inc., named after the community of Ely, Missouri, population 26, before we left.

The Ely Arms, Inc., gun shop was a real gun shop, 1,632 square feet of new and used long guns, handguns and shooting and reloading supplies. Jerry and I had put our gun collections into inventory as part of our equity, so we started with 50 or 60 used guns. We had worked hard to find Smith & Wesson handguns and found three or four sympathetic wholesalers. It was a great beginning. Sales for the period June 18 through December 31, 1977 were $168,000. Most gun shops today are "hunter" based rather than "shooter" based; that is, they cater to hunters rather than shooters. Ely Arms, Inc., catered to shooters, but also did a good business with hunters in the fall of the year.

One of the used guns that Jerry put into our inventory for sale was a Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle in 25 Remington. As it turned out, this gun helped shape our future. At that time, Hodgdon Powder Company also had a distribution business for most brands of guns and supplies. In the fall of 1977, we got a flyer from Hodgdon that listed some Remington ammunition in caliber 30 Remington. This was surplus police ammunition with a 170 grain full metal jacket bullet, in white boxes, for use in Remington Model 8 rifles in 30 Remington. The offered price of $2.00 per box of 20.

Always trying to find an angle, I remembered that 8mm Nambu could be made from this brass and we still had the Remington Model 8 in 25 Remington on the rack, asking about $250 for it, with no ammo and no takers. I convinced Jerry that we should buy some of this 30 Remington ammo and make some "good" 8mm Nambu ammunition and some 25 Remington ammunition that we could sell in a Shotgun News ad. We ordered in a couple of thousand rounds of this ammo, 8mm Nambu forming and loading dies and 25 Remington loading dies. The 25 Remington ammo was a no-brainer. We pulled the bullets, dumped the powder and worked up a load using the same powder that would cycle the Remington Model 8 using Hornady 117 grain round nose bullets.

The 8mm Nambu was a real project. We needed to shorten the cases, but didn't have a lathe. My brother Marion was an engineer and he recommended a three-inch jewelers saw on an arbor in our drill press. Jerry modified a Lyman mould block to allow the lube groove of the mold to catch the extractor groove on the 30 Remington case. He bolted one-half of the mould to the indexing table on our drill press, and with the handles on, clamped the case in the mould. We cut off of the several thousand 8mm Nambu cases with this outfit. George loaned us his Hensley & Gibbs four-cavity moulds that made a beautiful 100 grain cast lead bullet. Cousin Charlie loaned us his Nambu pistol for load development. There was a company in Minnesota that advertised ammunition boxes and the project was rolling.

We got lots of calls for 8mm Nambu from our ad in Shotgun News but there was a limited supply of the 30 Remington ammo. We started looking for someone to make Nambu brass. We attended the NSGA show in Chicago during early 1978, looking for someone who would make 8mm Nambu cases for us. I inquired at the Federal booth and they referred me to B.E.L.L. (Brass Extrusion Labs, Ltd.) of Bensenville, IL. Both B.E.L.L. and Ely Arms were naive enough to enter into a contract for production of 500,000 8mm Nambu cases, with delivery to begin about six months later. Actual delivery of the 8mm Nambu brass began in February 1980, about 18 months past due.

We did some advertising and a press release for 8mm Nambu in the summer of 1978, as we expected delivery by that time. A letter arrived from some attorneys in New York City, who represented the Eley division of Kynoch Industries. They felt that Ely in the ammunition business infringed on their Eley trademark and asked us to cease and desist. At that time we changed the name to Midway (named after the Midway community that our shop was located in). We immediately trademarked the Midway name so we wouldn't have to pay for the same ground twice.

While the Nambu project was going together, we were referred to Starline Brass (at that time in California) to do some part of the project. They said "No!", but suggested that "Midway" should buy and resell their newly made 357 Magnum brass. Starline had been formed by some of the previous owners of Sierra Bullets after the Leisure Group purchased Sierra in 1968. They had always wanted to make brass and now with time and money on their hands could give it a try. Bob Hayden, president of Starline, said they would put the Starline headstamp on the brass, which was fine with us, but if we would purchase 200,000 pieces they would put the Midway headstamp on at no extra charge. We gave them a purchase order for 200,000 pieces and 357 Magnum brass became the first product to bear the "Midway" name in 1979. We couldn't know it at the time, but the 357 Magnum brass, which was a spin-off of the Nambu project, would be the idea that really launched the Midway Company. Midway sold millions of rounds of Starline-produced Midway brand brass each year. It was Midway's offering of Starline-produced brass that coaxed Winchester into the bulk component market in 1984 and Remington to join in 1986. Midway, with the help of others, is given credit with starting the bulk component business, as we know it today.

We needed a box for the new production 8mm Nambu ammo and didn't have much of an idea where to start. Somewhere along the line brother Jerry plugged some sample ammo into a 38 Special Styrofoam tray. It was a little tight, but it did work. We were able to track down the manufacturer of Winchester 38 Special Styrofoam trays. They sold us the "rejects" from the Winchester production. These trays weren't dense enough (too light) to meet Winchester's requirements, but suited ours just fine. Hornady (who was making the 8mm Nambu bullets for us) gave us the name of the company that they got their bullet boxes from and we ordered the outside carton from them. We began shipping 8mm Nambu ammunition in April of 1980.

My brother Jerry longed to move back home and farm, so in March of 1980, he sold his interest in Midway to Brenda and me, moved back to northeast Missouri and bought a farm.

In the summer of 1980, remembering how much trouble we had in boxing the 8mm Nambu, we had the idea that maybe Midway should offer a line of empty ammunition boxes. We had a source of Styrofoam and a source of outside cartons. In October of 1980, Midway began offering boxes of 100 cartridge boxes in three sizes: CB-01 for 9mm & 38 wadcutter, CB-02 for 38 semi-wadcutter and CB-03 for 357 Magnum. This was the third product to bear the Midway name, which is still embossed on the end flap of our plain white outside boxes.

We were selling a lot of 357 Magnum and other new brass and we had a customer in Lancaster, California that ran up about $1,500 in bad checks. We sued for payment, but I had to make a court appearance in Lancaster. As long as I was going to be in Lancaster, I visited the Starline plant for the first time to see where all of the Midway brass was made. Bob Hayden suggested that I should visit Berry's Bullets, a few miles away in Fountain Grove. They were a large producer of cast/swaged bullets and Bob thought that perhaps Midway could be a distributor. While there, Gilbert showed me a plastic ammunition box for 357 Magnum. He had made up a one-cavity mould for this box and sold about 5,000 to a nearby gun shop. The gun shop had gone out of business and Gilbert asked if Midway wanted to buy some of the plastic ammo boxes. By this time we had a couple years of history on the cardboard ammo boxes, so it was an easy decision to buy some of these plastic boxes. Thus began Midway's plastic ammo box line that has contributed greatly to the success of the Company.

By 1987, we were doing about $5 million in business, selling mostly to dealers. The product lines were bulk components and cartridge boxes. The Volkmer-McClure law was enacted in October 1987, which removed the restriction of shipping brass and bullets to FFL holders only. Midway immediately began selling directly to consumers, in addition to selling to dealers.

Computerization has played a major role in the development of Midway. I had one computer class in college, back in 1968. It was a one credit hour class in Fortran. In 1982 I purchased the Company's first computer, an Apple III. In 1986 we bought the first IBM. In March of 1987 we began networking and have never looked back.

So there you have it. The Air Force took me to George Spence, who introduced me to 8mm Nambu. Brother Jerry put the Remington Model 8 in 25 Remington into our inventory. Hodgdon offered the 30 Remington police ammunition. The Shotgun News provided the customers. The spin-offs from the Nambu project were the bulk component product line, the cardboard ammo box product line and the plastic ammo box product line.

Larry W. Potterfield
May 25, 1998

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/midway-usa.html

Sen. Baker and Rep. Attkisson File Qualifying Papers

for Dennis Baxley in State Senate Race

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2007 Contact: Corinne Mixon
Phone: (850) 766-5795

Tallahassee — Today, Rep. Dennis Baxley, Speaker Pro Tem of the Florida House and Candidate for Senate District 3, officially qualified in the race for state senate. At his side were Sen. Carey Baker and Rep. Frank Attkisson, who filed the required paperwork for Baxley to qualify officially as a candidate.

"Dennis Baxley will best represent the people of District 3," said Baker. "I've observed Dennis throughout his years of public service, from his time as Mayor of Belleview and throughout his four terms as a State Representative. Dennis knows the people. He's one of them and can relate to their needs. I look forward to serving with him in the Florida Senate."

Rep. Frank Attkisson joined Sen. Baker in filing the paperwork for Baxley.

"I've known Dennis for many years," said Attkisson, "and I couldn't think of a better Senator for this district. Dennis cares about the core values of our state and our nation. He will stand up for the family; he will stand up against the special interests; he will stand up for Florida. He is the only choice for this job."

"It's official," said Baxley. "We're ready to roll. I have a great team in place already, and it continues to grow every day. Throughout the 13 counties of this senate district, I've received nothing but encouragement and support. I look forward to the Republican primary on June 5 and to the general election later that month."

Baxley's qualifying follows a week of notable endorsements, including endorsements from Sen. Steve Wise and Sen. Carey Baker, the National Rifle Association, 19 local elected officials in Marion County, the Republican Committeeman and Committeewoman in Baker County, and the Dixie County Republican Executive Committee.

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/shooting-sports-information.php?CatID=228043

Redfish on an Incoming Tide

Redfish on an Incoming Tide

written by Ron Brooks

Low tide, a quiet boat, incoming current, and a good creek all come together to make for some fine redfish action.

Captain Mark guides out of Golden Isles Marina on St Simons Island, Georgia. He's a great guy and even better guide and I had the pleasure of fishing with him again recently. We were looking for redfish in the creeks and tidal marshes of the Georgia coastal estuary.

Like most redfish anglers, I had been taught and have practiced all my life looking for redfish on a high, outgoing tide. Several logical reasons make me do that.

First, the creeks I chose to fish were all navigable at high tide, making access safe and easy. Second, reds will find the marsh and mud flats that are flooded on high tide and they will move there to feed. It was obvious to me that as the water dropped on an outgoing tide, these reds would have to come off the flats and into the creeks with the tide. We would always be there waiting for them to move through.

Here is where the difference was in what I grew up doing and what Captain Mark taught me. On this trip, we fished the dead low and incoming tide.

I was convinced as we entered the first creek that we would be waiting for the next five or six hours for high tide. But as the current began to move, Captain Mark took one of his famous "Thunder Chicken" float rigs baited with a live shrimp, and allowed it to drift away from the boat with the increasing current.

Not only did that shrimp get eaten, but every shrimp we put into that drift was taken by some very aggressive redfish.

Needless to say, I was amazed that these fish would be here on an incoming tide. I was amazed until Captain Mark made me think about what was happening.

"The fish you look for on a high outgoing tide have been feeding on that flat for an hour or more," he said. "The fish we are catching here probably have not fed in several hours, and they are headed into the creek to move onto those flats. Which fish do you think will be more likely to take your bait -- one that has already been feeding, or one that is hungry and looking for food?"

I had no answer for him -- just a look that said that light bulbs were turning on in my head. What he said make perfect sense. And for the next two hours, that perfect sense played out with a limit of redfish in the boat and many more than that released.

As the current increased, I caught even more reds. At one point, it was five casts and five reds.

As I drove home from that trip, I began to think about the creek we had fished, and I realized that the exact creek was not important. Any and all creeks that flood out onto a marsh or mudflat will contain fish at some point.

I did my field homework the next week, and went into the Florida Intracoastal Waterway to a number of my favorite creeks that meander off the waterway. This time I purposely went on a low tide, and I found one or two of my creeks that I could navigate at low tide.

I eased my boat in, shut the engine off and slowly poled back into the first creek to the first bend. I quietly pushed the pole into the mud bank, tied off the boat and waited for things to settle.

As soon as the water started moving in, I took a plastic grub and jig -- chartreuse in color -- and began to slowly work the opposite, deeper bank. It took only three casts to hook up with a nice red.

As the current increased, I caught even more reds. At one point, it was five casts and five reds. I also caught some small seatrout and two sheepshead, and catching sheepshead on artificial bait is saying something in my world!

So I think all this points out a good lesson. What we did with Captain Mark is not a Georgia story and it is not limited to redfish. It is applicable in every area that has tidal marshes and any fish that feed on these marshes and flats on a high tide. The key becomes locating tidal creeks that are navigable, at least at an idle speed or with the assistance of a pole, at low tide.

Low tide, a quiet boat, incoming current, and a good creek all come together to make for some fine redfish action - and the other fish are a bonus that will add to your day!

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/bass-pro-shop-fishing-articles.html

CAMPING TIPS

Meeting Your Neighbors

One way to break the ice with neighbors just arriving to the campsites is to offer assistance when these people are backing into their sites. More often than not it’s a traveling elderly couple. Some of these rigs are incredibly difficult to back up, and some sites are more difficult than others.
And if it’s not an elderly couple, it’s usually someone my family’s age and we strike up conversations about kids, baseball, boating, camping, etc. It’s the best way to meet your new neighbors!

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/camping-tips.html

Brownells® Awarded for Service to 4-H Shooting Program

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation presented Brownells® with a service award recently for twenty-five years of continuous support.

The 4-H youth shooting sports program began in 1980 with 150 young men and women in three states. It has grown to encompass 46 states and more than 300,000 participants.

“The 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation teaches youngsters responsible use of firearms, but more importantly it teaches them how to live responsibly,” said Frank Brownell, company president. “We believe this is very important work and will continue to maintain a strong relationship with this wonderful organization.”

The 4-H Youth Shooting Sports program teaches hunting and shooting skills for the next generation of enthusiasts. Over the past few decades, Brownells’ support has helped educate youth about the value of safe, ethical and responsible shooting.

“Brownells has been extremely helpful, beneficial and committed to youth shooting sports,” said John Kvasnicka, National 4-H Shooting Sports executive director. “Their support has provided the necessary resources to make us grow as fast as we have.”

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers educational programs teaching youth and adults important life skills. Using the 4-H youth development model, the program helps students reach their full potential and learn responsible habits as citizens. For more information on 4-H Shooting Sports programs, visit http://www.4-hshootingsports.com.

Brownells is the world’s largest supplier of factory gun parts, gunsmithing tools, equipment and firearms accessories. Since 1939, Brownells has been serving gunsmiths and firearms enthusiasts with the products they need to repair, protect and accessorize their firearms. Today, the company stocks over 30,000 items, and its long-familiar horizontal-format catalog is well-known to shooters and gunsmiths worldwide as being uniquely Brownells. Products can be ordered by toll-free phone, fax or through the company’s Website. For more information, call (800) 741-0015, or visit http://www.brownells.com.

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/brownells-awarded-for-service-to-4-h-shooting-program.html

Quickly Convert Your AR-15 To An Urban Rifle

THUNDER RANCH URBAN RIFLE ILLUMINATION SYSTEM

Installs quickly and securely to any AR-15 standard issue handguard or any other firearm equipped with a Picatinny rail. Steamlight model TL3 utilizes long-lasting lithium batteries and a high-pressure xenon gas-filled, bi-pin bulb to provide tremendous bright-white illumination. More..

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/brownells-webbench.html

Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area

Generations of history come together with miles of fun at Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area
The Setting

The park occupies a series of peninsulas on Lake Greenwood, which itself offers 212 miles of shoreline and 11,400 acres of boating and fishing opportunities year-round.
Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area is one of 16 state parks in South Carolina built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. That history is captured in the park’s CCC museum, which also serves as a popular reception and meeting center.

CCC structures remaining at the park include picnic shelters, a boathouse, water fountain and lakeside terrace.
In addition to lakeside camping, picnicking and hiking, the park also hosts the South Carolina Half-Iron Man Competition, a popular endurance contest, each fall.

The Facility

125 paved sites may be used by both RV’s and tents
5 sires are for tent campers only
Each site has water and electrical hookups
Each site has a picnic table
Many sites accommodate up to 40 feet
All sites are convenient to hot showers and restrooms

Group Camping Area: The primitive group camping area is ideal for organized groups up to 50 people

Dump Station

Park Features

Fishing-Enjoy fishing in Lake Greenwood for bass, crappie, bream, perch, catfish, stripers. A valid South Carolina fishing license is required Boating - Three boat ramps provide private boat acces to Lake Greenwood Picnicking-Four picnic shelters are available for family or other group gatherings. Education Center- The John and Holly Self Drummond Conservation Education and Conference Center features an extensive , interactive exhibit recounting the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the New Deal-era work teams who built state parks and other long-lasting conservation and recreation projects throughout the nation. Trails- The 0.8-mile nature trail begins at the recreation building located in campground #1.

Address:

Lake Greenwood
302 State Park Road
Ninety Six SC 2966
Phone: (864)543-3535

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/bumper-stickers.html

I also was honored with the National Rifle Association's endorsement today.

Good evening, Team.

Thank you all for your hard work. It was very evident today as I spent most of my time in Suwannee County in Live Oak and was happy to see that Baxley signs were everywhere. I spent quite a bit of time with several local businessmen and women who are concerned about the economy, government spending, and the large increases that we have seen in property taxes. President Reagan noted that "entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States." I believe that with my whole heart, and I am committed to doing all I can as a State Senator to keep our economy strong by limiting government spending and by achieving real property tax relief.

I spent quite a bit of time talking shop with officers in the Live Oak police department. Public safety is the top priority for me as it is for them, and I am confident that we can continue to work together for that cause.

I also was honored with the National Rifle Association's endorsement today. This was great news. I strongly support our second amendment right to bear arms, and I support the right of Floridians to defend themselves and their homes. I’m proud to be the NRA Candidate in this race.

If you are interested in checking out where I stand on the issues or would like to make a donation, please go to www.dennisbaxley.org. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have to keep working hard. Get some rest, and I hope to see you on the road soon.

Dennis

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/urgent-florida-action-alert-regarding-hb-1417!.html

GAS WAR

Got this from an email campaign:

GAS WAR - an idea that WILL work

This was originally sent by a retired Coca Cola executive. It came from one of his engineer buddies who retired from Halliburton. It ' s wo! rth your consideration.

Join the resistance!!!! I hear we are going to hit close to $4.00 a gallon by next summer and it might go higher!! Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea.

This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them.

BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can really work. Please read on and join WI th us! By now you're probably thinking gasoline Priced at about $1.50 is super cheap. Me too! It is currently $2.79 for regular unleaded in my town. Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at $1.50 - $1.75, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the Marketplace..... Not sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And, we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. How? Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a price war.

Here's the idea:

For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not selling any Gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. Also, try not to buy gas from Citgo since the owner (Chavez) isn't an American and is using the money he makes against America .

But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do! Now, don't wimp out at this point.... Keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people.

I am sending this note to 30 people. If each of us sends it to at least ten more (30 x 10 =3D 300) ... And those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 =3D 3,000)...and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth group of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers. If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it..... THREE
>>>>HUNDRED MILLION >>>>PEOPLE!!!

Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. That's all. (If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million and all you have to do is send this to 10 people.... Well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician. But I am, so trust me on this! one.)

How long would all that take? If each of us sends this e-mail out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!

I'll bet you didn't think you and I Had that much potential, did you?

Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on. I suggest that we not buy from EXXON/MOBIL UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP THEM DOWN.

THIS CAN REALLY WORK.

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/bolt-bumpers.html

National Rifle Association Endorses Florida House Rep. Dennis Baxley

National Rifle Association Endorses Rep. Dennis Baxley
in Race for Senate District 3


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2007 Contact: Corinne Mixon
Phone: (850) 766-5795


Dunnellon — Today, Rep. Dennis Baxley, Speaker Pro Tem of the Florida House and Candidate for Senate District 3, accepted the endorsement of the National Rifle Association in the race for State Senate District 3.

"It is a great honor to accept the NRA's endorsement," said Baxley. "We have worked together over the years to guarantee the rights of sportsmen and the right to self protection. I'm looking forward to continuing that work as the Senator from District 3."

"Dennis Baxley's superlative record, on issues that are important to gun owners and sportsmen, stands alone in this race," said Marion Hammer, Past President of the NRA and Executive Director of Unified Sportsmen of Florida. "No other candidate in this race has the background of dedicated legislative service for the cause of freedom, the second amendment, and the protection of constitutional rights. We could have no better champion on firearms and freedom issues in District 3 than Dennis Baxley."

The Unified Sportsmen of Florida also endorsed Baxley.

Baxley adds these endorsements to his impressive roll out of endorsements, which includes Sen. Steve Wise and Sen. Carey Baker, 19 local elected officials in Marion County, and the Republican Committeeman and Committeewoman in Baker County.

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/nra-alerts.html

victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado

Guess our national leaders didn't expect this:

On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received
well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every
politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called
expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful,
penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this
man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of
the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the
hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the
seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy
Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother
Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither
was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was
Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how
quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not
a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am
not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that
they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not
believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy --
It was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the
real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the
blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I
wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind,
and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up,
we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and
wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges
began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has
happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so
doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as
terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look
for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more
restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private
liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would
not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can
stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real
villain lies within our own hearts.

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw
his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to
pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I
challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to
realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was
brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by
those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a
sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to
communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at
the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this
country will not allow that to happen!"

Do what the media did not - - let the nation hear this man's speech...
Please send this out to everyone you can.

Americans - Bless God!

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/gun-kontrol-killz.html

STARBUCKS DENIES COFFEE TO MARINES

NO COFFEE FOR THE MARINES

Their coffee is tasting more and more bitter.....

Recently Marines in Iraq wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffees and to request that they send some of it to the troops there.

Starbucks replied, telling the Marines thank you for their support of their business, but that Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it, and that they would not send the troops their brand of coffee.

So as not to offend Starbucks, maybe we should not support them by buying any of their products! As a war vet writing to fellow patriots, I feel we should get this out in the open. I know this war might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground fighting street-to-street and house-to-house for what they and I believe is right.

If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and no one will never know. Thanks very much for your support. I know you'll all be there again when I deploy once more.

"Semper Fidelis."
Sgt Howard C. Wright
1st Force Recon Co
1st Plt PLT

PLEASE DON'T DELETE THIS... ALLOW IT TO BE PASSED TO ALL IN MEMORY OF
ALL THE TROOPS WHO HAVE DIED SO THAT WE MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE TO SUPPORT THEM OR NOT!!!

It's too bad, I liked Starbucks, but no more for me.

Webmaster: I have not checked out the above

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/remember-9-11.html

Theodore Roosevelt's Immigration Speech

Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.



The year is 1907, one hundred years ago......

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...

There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Every American citizen needs to read this!

KEEP THIS MOVING

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/pearl-harbor-wwii-photos.html

ONCE BRITAIN RULED THE WAVES. NOW IRAN DOES.

ONCE BRITAIN RULED THE WAVES. NOW IRAN DOES.Barry RubinJerusalem Post, April 3, 2007 Why is Iran being so aggressive? Why is Britain being so weak? And what is the wider meaning of Iran’s seizure of 15 British navy personnel from Iraqi waters in this new hostage crisis? It is no accident that Teheran is doing everything possible to humiliate Britain. The two countries’ political cultures are not only out of sync, they are operating on different timelines altogether. Britain and the West may no longer believe in imperialism, but Iran–along with most Middle East regimes, opposition movements, and publics–does. Remember the War of Jenkins’ Ear? In 1731, Spanish sailors boarded a British vessel in Spanish waters (which it was entitled to do), and cut off the ear of Captain Robert Jenkins of the Rebecca, which they were not. It was one cause of a war between the two countries. And in 1862, after the murder of a British merchant in Japan went unpunished, the British navy bombarded the capital of the warlord responsible…. In those days, the Western powers were far stronger than those of what we nowadays call the Third World. Britain and France…were ready to remind tyrants of that fact. Sometimes, this leverage was used for…reasonable purposes; other times, it was employed for the sake of greed and territorial acquisition.… This era is long gone, and to a large extent that is a good thing. But perhaps the pendulum has swung too far into a failure to appreciate that power and force are often required, especially against “haughty tyrants,” an apt description of Iran’s rulers… The turning point, of course, was in 1956. Who better embodied that fight against haughty tyrants than Anthony Eden, perhaps even more than Winston Churchill? Eden raised the call to battle against the fascists in the 1930s and warned tirelessly against where appeasement was leading. It was Eden who as prime minister in 1956 secretly worked with France and Israel to overthrow the Middle East’s new—and it turned out archetypal tyrant—Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser…. For so conspiring, Eden was reviled and driven out of office. Yet, in retrospect, wouldn’t it have been better if Eden’s effort had succeeded? And isn’t there some parallel between Eden and Prime Minister Tony Blair—a man who, whatever his mistakes, has striven to uphold the cause of freedom against forces which make Nasser look mild in comparison? What is this latest incident in retaliation for? The mutilation of a sea captain, or murder of a merchant on his way to appreciate the beauties of a Japanese temple? No, the British navy personnel were taken hostage in retaliation for the arrest of Iranian government-sponsored terrorists caught in the act in Iraq. From the Iranian side, of course, humiliation of the West is precisely the goal. Iran is not, moreover, striving for equality, but superiority for its own side. It wants to show, as the revolution’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, once famously said, that the United States and the West in general “cannot do a damn thing.” It is the radical Islamists (and remaining radical Arab nationalists) who want to show that they are the ones with the “gunboats,” or rather hijacking airplanes, to keep up with current technology, who can make explosions in Western cities without fear of suffering meaningful retaliation. In contrast, the West seeks to prove that it is nice. It seeks to apologize, to make reparations, to act as the weaker party… Meanwhile, imperialism has switched directions, running now from east to west. And if that is already so without nuclear weapons controlled by Teheran, what do we have to look forward to? At least up to now, the gap in power that leaves the West the weaker side has not been technological, but rather psychological. It isn’t just a matter of gun-power, either, for the West refuses to use a force as potent as the battleship or aircraft carrier—its economic might. But economic, as well as military, supremacy is being conceded to the extremists and the dictatorships. And thus, British navy personnel—like American diplomats a quarter-century ago—are seized and their government is to be made to apologize. The woman among the prisoners is forced to wear an Islamist headscarf to show which culture is to prevail. The West is having trouble distinguishing between imperialism and self-defense, but this is not the first time that has happened, is it? [Poet James]Thompson wrote: “Rule, Britannia, rule the waves; Britons never will be slaves.” But will they be dhimmis?
budsimmons

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/shooting-sports-information.php

The ant and the grasshopper....updated to today!

The Ant and the Grasshopper

OLD VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances
and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the
cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

******************************************************

MODERN VERSION: This would be humorous if it were not such an
accurate metaphor!

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,
building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and
dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press
conference and demands to know why the ant should
be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, Fox and ABC show up to provide pictures
of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant
in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth,
this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and
everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's
house where the news stations film the group singing,
"We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down
to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with La rry King
that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper,
and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make
him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper
Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined
for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and,
having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is
confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a
defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before
a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list
of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last
bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in,
which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around
him because he doe sn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared
in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related
incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a
gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote.

United Jewish Communities

Sure - take our guns away from us and you take our freedom!

The 15-year-old girl saw the German doctor with the rubber gloves injecting something into the veins of the women at the camp.

The teen was at the bedside of her 19-year-old sister, who had been stricken with typhoid in the last days of the Holocaust. She soon understood that the shots contained poison as each of the women died within minutes.

It was January 19, 1945 and the Red Army was fast closing in on the Nazi camp in Poland.

Zsuzsana Braun was determined not to let her sister Agnes, her last remaining relative, out of her sight.

Their parents, Arthur and Elisabeth Weisz, had already been murdered.

The two sisters, who grew up in Kosice, Czechoslovakia, were saved from being gassed months earlier by a malfunction in one of Auschwitz's gas chambers.

"I did not have anyone except my sister, and I was determined to be with her until the last minute," Braun recalls.

Days earlier, a member of the underground had made his way to the camp to tell the inmates that liberation was almost at hand.

The German physician continued across the room, injecting woman after woman with poison.

Years later, Braun would learn that it was poison against mice that the doctor was using on the Jewish women.

After killing most of the women in the camp, the doctor, eager to flee the approaching Russian army, handed the job over to an assistant, a young German man whom, Braun said, clearly lacked any medical experience, including knowing how to give an injection.

The emaciated 15-year-old, who had had many doctors in her family, quickly turned over the hands of her sister, two other inmates, and her own so that the shot would not enter a main vein.

The assistant injected the poison, but due to the location of the shot, it was slow to act.

Braun felt the right side of her body freeze and knew she had to act quickly.

Using her hands and a straw, she managed to remove most of the toxin from her body, and did the same for her sister and the two other women.

Even today, seven decades later, Braun does not know how she did it.

"I do not know how - it was not me - it was as if fate was directing me from above," she says.

Racing outside in the 40-below-zero cold, with her ill sister on her back, Braun hiked for two days until she arrived at a Polish home, where she and her sister hid under straw in the barn until the Russian soldiers arrived. She fed her sister with milk she found in the barn.

The Russians ordered the Polish family to take the girls into their house, but the sisters were thrown out as soon as the soldiers left, Braun recounts.

She then walked 10 days - this time pulling her sister in a cart the family had given her - until she reached a Red Army hospital, where a physician amputated Agnes's legs, using neither anesthesia nor sound surgical procedures.

Zsuzsana continued to nurse Agnes, and both settled in Israel in 1949, where they subsequently married.

Zsuzsana Braun, 78, now a grandmother, continued to help her sister for years, and the two live on the same block in Tel Aviv.

Years later, Agnes Kreisler - who received prosthetic legs - would herself volunteer in Israeli hospitals, helping patients cope with disabilities.

Six decades later, the tops of their hands are still scarred where the poison was injected.

The sisters' story will be portrayed as part of an exhibition opening Friday at Yad Vashem about women in the Holocaust.

"Hitler brought us to Israel in order to get back our human freedom," Braun says.


JPost.com » Jewish World » Jewish Features » Article


Apr. 5, 2007 22:28 | Updated Apr. 5, 2007 22:51
'It was as if fate was directing me from above'
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS

Talk about guns!

I can feel the excitement in the air, have talked to many of you who are just itching for warm weather and shooting season to unfold. If our recent weather is any indication, well, it's here! If you've been putting off some cleaning, maintenance, or accessorizing, now is the time to really get after it...you don't want to miss out on any shooting time!

Brownells March 2007 WebBench

Urgent Florida Action Alert Regarding HB 1417!

We Must Take Action Now!

A couple of Republicans are wavering under pressure from corporate giants and may vote against protecting the people who elected them!

Some Florida businesses are searching vehicles and trying to ban guns in cars in parking lots. They are violating the constitutional rights of gun owners and Florida law. House Bill 1417 protects you from having your private vehicle searched and from punitive action against you by anti-gun business owners who would deny you your right to have a gun in your car for protection. HB 1417 establishes penalties for these ARROGANT CORPORATIONS who think they can control what private property you have in your private vehicle.The House Environment & Natural Resources Council will hold a hearing on HB 1417 sponsored by Representative Baxley at 8:00am, Wednesday, March 28, 2007. Please immediately send an email to members of the House Environment & Natural Resources Council and URGE THEM TO SUPPORT HB 1417!Below is a list of the email addresses of those you need to contact.(To send one email to all committee members at the same time, block or highlight the entire list and then copy and paste the block into the address section of the email.)IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL PUT: PLEASE SUPPORT HB 1417/Protect Firearms/private vehiclesHouse Environment & Natural Resources

CouncilStan.Mayfield@myfloridahouse.govBaxter.Troutman@myfloridahouse.govBob.Allen@myfloridahouse.govDebbie.Boyd@myfloridahouse.govMary.Brandenburg@myfloridahouse.govFaye.Culp@myfloridahouse.govRich.Glorioso@myfloridahouse.govDenise.Grimsley@myfloridahouse.gov Will.Kendrick@myfloridahouse.govPaige.Kreegel@myfloridahouse.govRick.Kriseman@myfloridahouse.govRichard.Machek@myfloridahouse.govBryan.Nelson@myfloridahouse.govScott.Randolph@myfloridahouse.govTrudi.Williams@myfloridahouse.govMarty.Bowen@myfloridahouse.govYOU MAY ALSO WISH TO CALL THEM:Rep. Stan Mayfield (R), Chair (850) 488-0952 Rep. Baxter Troutman (R) VC (850) 488-9465 Rep. Bob Allen (R) (850) 488-4669 Rep. Debbie Boyd (D) (850) 488-9835 Rep. Mary Brandenburg (D) (850) 488-0260 Rep. Faye Culp (R) (850) 488-2770 Rep. Richard Glorioso (R) (850) 488-0807 Rep. Denise Grimsley(R) (850) 488-3457 Rep. Will Kendrick (R) (850) 488-7870 Rep. Paige Kreegel (R) (850) 488-9175 Rep. Rick Kriseman (D) (850) 488-9337 Rep. Bryan Nelson (R) (850) 488-2023 Rep. Richard Machek (D) (850) 488-5588 Rep. Scott Randolph (D) (850) 488-0660 Rep. Trudi Williams (R) (850) 488-2047 Rep. Marty Bowen (R) Majority Leader (850) 488-2721BACKGROUND:HB 1417 will stop business entities from violating the constitutional rights of customers and employees. Some businesses are discriminating against people who exercise their constitutional rights – they are violating the constitutional rights of gun owners and Florida law.Your Second Amendment rights are at the very heart of this issue. In addition to prohibiting searches of private vehicles in parking lots. The bills also prevent businesses from asking customers or employees to disclose what personal private property is stored in a private vehicle and prevents action against customers and employees who refuse to divulge that private information. Further, it prohibits action against a customer or employee based on information provided by a third party.Corporate giants have been trampling constitutional rights. Some are even attempting to coerce and intimidate gun-owners into giving up constitutional rights as a condition of employment.

Your Rights are in Danger!(1) Your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, to have firearms in your locked vehicle for self-defense and other lawful purposes must be protected from anti-gun businesses;(2) Your privacy rights, against searches of your private vehicle in parking lots must be protected from anti-gun businesses;(3) Your right to freedom from coercion, intimidation and termination of employment for exercising constitutional rights by anti-gun employers must be preserved.

HB1417 protects having a firearm in your locked vehicle for lawful purposes and to park your vehicle in parking lots.Carrying firearms in a vehicle for hunting, target shooting or protection of yourself and your family obviously means you may have the need to leave that firearm locked in the vehicle in a parking lot when you go grocery shopping, to the doctor's office, to the theater, to visit a sick friend in the hospital, to rent a movie, to the shoe store or anywhere else normal people travel to conduct everyday life.The U.S. Constitution and the Florida Constitution clearly and unequivocally give law-abiding citizens the right to have firearms in their vehicles for lawful purposes. Numerous businesses are violating the law and banning firearms in their parking lots.

How can anyone justify telling a woman who is being stalked that she can't have a firearm for protection? In many cases police tell these women to get a firearm for protection, because police can't be there to protect her, and calling 911 is nothing more than a government sponsored dial-a-prayer.A business owner or manager has no more right to say you can't have a firearm in your private vehicle than they have a right to say you can't have a pair of sun glasses, an umbrella, a Bible or a baby seat.They want your money, but don't respect your rights.Businesses are not allowed to discriminate against employees and customers because of race, religion, political party, color of eyes, hair or weight. And they certainly can't discriminate because of the exercise of lawful self-defense. Make no mistake, these gun ban policies blatantly discriminate against people who choose to exercise a constitutional right and take responsibility for their own safety.

Please make these important emails and calls today.

Don’t forget to spread the word to your family, friends, and fellow gun-owners that giant corporations are trying to take away our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms!

Please continue to check www.NRAILA.org for updates on this critical self-defense legislation.

The NRA-ILA Grassroots Division will host its FREE Grassroots Workshop

NEARLY 200 REGISTERED -- WILL YOU BE THERE?

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.

NEW JERSEY TRIAL COURT RECOGNIZES SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHT: The U.S. Court of Appeals decision striking down Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban isn't the only recent court ruling to recognize Second Amendment rights. In a recent New Jersey case, a judge also found that the amendment protected the rights of a would-be gun buyer.

UPDATE ON THE PROPOSED CLOSING OF PUBLIC LANDS TO SHOOTING AND HUNTING! Federal agencies have proposed closing hundreds of thousands of acres of public land to recreational shooting and hunting in Arizona, Florida, and Nevada! It is critical that gun owners and sportsmen attend any upcoming public meetings and let their voices be heard!

BLM PROPOSES BANNING RECREATIONAL SHOOTING ON ARIZONA PUBLIC LANDS -- IRONWOOD FOREST NATIONAL MONUMENT! The BLM will be holding a series of public meetings to discuss banning recreational shooting on the Ironwood Forest National Monument. It is critical that gun owners attend those meetings!

HUNTING PROGRAM ON FLORIDA REFUGE IN JEOPARDY! A draft Waterfowl Hunting Plan and Environmental Assessment for Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (www.fws.gov/southeast/TenThousandIsland/) (NWR) in Collier County, Fla. would ban waterfowl hunting on the refuge. The plan describes two alternatives for hunting on the refuge: (1) the proposed action alternative would open a waterfowl-hunting program, and (2) the "no action" would close the refuge to waterfowl hunting. Currently, waterfowl hunting is allowed on the refuge.

SHOOTING CLOSURE EXPECTED ON BLM LANDS OUTSIDE LAS VEGAS! The Bureau of Land Management has announced its intent to close certain areas within Nye County, Nev., to recreational target shooting. BLM is citing rapid increases in population and growth of Pahrump, Nev., as the reason for closing the area to target shooting. It is critical that gun owners attend the public meetings on the closure and make their voices heard!

STATE ROUNDUP (please click to see any updates on states not listed below.)

ARIZONA

BLM Proposes Banning Recreational Shooting on Arizona Public Lands -- Ironwood Forest National Monument The 128,000-acre Ironwood Forest National Monument is under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and is generally opened to dispersed recreational shooting. A management plan just released for public review and comment is likely to change that if BLM's preferred management alternative (Alternative C) is adopted. Alternative C would close the Monument to recreational shooting. Hunting would continue to be allowed. BLM has scheduled five public meetings to present its plan to the public and allow for comment and discussions. Please attend the public meetings or contact the BLM.

COLORADO

Assault on Right-to-Carry Permits Heading to Colorado House Floor! Senate Bill 34, sponsored by State Senator John Morse (D-11), passed the House Judiciary Committee today and is on its way to the House floor for a vote. SB34, if enacted, non-resident carry permits will no longer be honored if the address on the holder's identification is different than the state where the permit was issued. Please contact your State Representative TODAY at (303) 866-2904, or if outside of Denver, at (800) 811-7647 and respectfully urge him or her to oppose SB34.

Gun Tax Advancing in Colorado Senate! Senate Bill 109, sponsored by State Senator Ron Tupa (D-18), seeks to increase the fee assessed for the instant criminal background check conducted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation prior to the transfer of a firearm. SB109 passed the Senate Appropriations Committee. Please contact your State Senator today at (303) 866-2316 and respectfully urge him or her to oppose this legislation.

Colorado Anti-Gun Legislation One Step Closer to Passage! House Bill 1174, sponsored by State Representative Al White (R-57), is scheduled to be heard in the State Senate in the coming days. House Bill 1174 would repeal the sunset review of the law enforcement database of carry permit holders. Please contact your State Senator today at (303) 866-2316 and respectfully urge him or her to oppose this legislation.


DELAWARE

Saturday, April 14 is Special Election Day in Delaware! A Special Election to fill the seat recently vacated by former Majority Leader Wayne Smith (R-Brandywine Hundred North) has been set for Saturday, April 14, 2007. Smith had been House Majority Leader since 1996, and a House member since 1990. This will be an important race for Delaware Gun Owners. Remember to vote "Freedom First" on Election Day.


FLORIDA

Update on Florida's NRA-Backed "Individual Personal Private Property Protection" Legislation! 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 contact the members of the State Criminal Justice Committee today by visiting http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=2766.


GEORGIA

Georgia Pro-Gun Legislation Under Attack by Big Corporate Interests! Critical NRA-supported legislation to protect our gun rights is being attacked in the Senate by big corporate interests opposed to your gun rights. SB 43 would allow employees to lawfully possess firearms in their locked motor vehicles on their employer's property. Please contact your State Senator at (404) 656-5040 and ask him to vote for SB43. Also, call Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle at (404) 656-5030 and ask him to schedule SB 43 for a vote.


ILLINOIS

Gun Ban Headed to Senate Floor Any Day! Legislation to ban countless firearms and further restrict the type of firearms law-abiding Illinoisians can own is heading to the Senate floor for a vote any day now. Please contact your State Senators at (217) 782-715 and respectfully urge them to oppose Senate Bill 1471 and Senate Bill 16.


MAINE

Bill to Establish Waiting Periods in Maine Killed! Legislative Document 361, sponsored by State Representative Margaret Craven (D-74), "An Act To Create a Waiting Period for Firearms," was voted down in the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee This legislation would have mandated a 10-day waiting period for certain individuals who purchase firearms in Maine. Thanks to your calls and efforts we were able to defeat the first anti-gun measure before the Committee this year!

Mandatory Training Legislation Still Looming in Maine Legislature! Legislative Document 778, introduced by State Senator Karl Turner (Cumberland-R) still looms in the legislature. This measure would require all new CHL applicants and renewing holders of a Right-to-Carry permit show documentation they have completed a firearms safety course that includes at least 6 hours of course work! This bill also removes exemptions to current handgun safety course requirements for an applicant or holder of a Right-to-Carry permit who can personally demonstrate knowledge of the subject matter. Please call the bill sponsors today and urge them to oppose this legislation. 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.


MISSOURI

Missouri Legislature Pushing Second Amendment Forward! The Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 257, sponsored by Senator Kevin Engler (R-3). SB257, also referred to as the "Missouri Disaster Recovery Protection Act," will protect your Second Amendment rights during an emergency or disaster. In addition, the House will soon resume work on three more pro-gun measures: House Bill 462, sponsored by Representative Brian Munzlinger (R-1); House Bill 845, sponsored by Representative Bob Dixon (R-140); and Senate Bill 62, sponsored by Senator Jack Goodman (R-29). Please contact your State Representative at (571)-751-3659 and strongly encourage him or her to support and vote for these important measures.

NEW MEXICO

New Mexico Legislature Adjourns Sine Die! The New Mexico Legislature adjourned sine die at noon Saturday, March 17. Late last Friday, the Senate gave final approval to House Bill 588 by State Representative John Heaton (D-Carlsbad), the NRA-backed bill allowing Concealed Handgun Licensees to protect themselves in establishments that sell alcohol for off-premises consumption. Also, NRA-ILA and the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association were successful in securing just over $1 million in additional capital outlay funding for improvements to Albuquerque's Shooting Range State Park, that will host NRA's National Police Shooting Championships for the second year in a row, this fall. Finally, Senate Bill 39, NRA-supported "Castle Doctrine" self-defense legislation sponsored by State Senator Shannon Robinson (D-Albuquerque) passed the Senate and two House Committees, but failed to be considered by the full House for final approval in the days leading up to adjournment because of procedural maneuvers by two key committee chairs who opposed the measure.


PENNSYLVANIA

Pennsylvania House Committee Schedules Statewide Hearings on "Gun Violence!" The House Judiciary Committee, Chaired by Tom Caltagirone (Berks -D) has scheduled statewide hearings on gun-related crime. This will be an opportunity for gun owners in Pennsylvania to express their concerns regarding the many recent anti-gun proposals introduced in the House of Representatives, that include "one-gun-a-month" schemes and semi-automatic firearm bans. If you are unable to attend these hearings, please call your State Representative at (717) 787-2372 and urge him or her to support your Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Pennsylvania Right to Keep and Bear Arms Press Conference Scheduled! Pennsylvania grassroots sportsmen's organizations have scheduled a Second Amendment Press Conference for Tuesday, April 24 at the Capitol Building steps in Harrisburg. This event will give Pennsylvania gun owners the opportunity to speak out against recently introduced anti-gun bills which include "one-gun-a-month" schemes and semi-auto bans.


TEXAS

Texas Pro-Gun Legislation on the Move! By an overwhelming 133-13 vote, the Texas State House gave final approval this week to the NRA-backed "Castle Doctrine" self-defense bill sponsored by State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) and carried by State Representative Joe Driver (R-Garland) in the House. Also, NRA-backed legislation allowing employees who are Concealed Handgun Licensees to transport and store handguns in their private vehicles while parked on their employer's property, advanced out of both House and Senate committees this week.


VERMONT

Vermont's Bill to Ban Lead Ammunition Appears To Have Been "Hung On The Wall!" Due to the overwhelming and exceptional actions of Vermont's gun owners and sportsmen, H. 352 appears to be dead for the 2007 legislative session. H. 352 is being disguised as a "help the children lead ban" bill to remove lead hazards from homes and businesses. Unfortunately, H. 352 is too broad and leaves interpretation open for municipalities to ban manufacture, sales, and possession of lead ammunition.

VIRGINIA

Committee Formed to Protect Virginia's Right-to-Carry Permit Holders! As we reported earlier, an editorial that appeared in the Sunday, March 11 edition of The Roanoke Times that purported to simply shed a little light on who in the Commonwealth has obtained a carry permit, as well as some of the discrepancies and inaccuracies within the permit record keeping system, actually went a few steps beyond that. In response to the voices of thousands of concerned Virginians, on Tuesday, March 19, the General Assembly's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Council established a sub-committee to study the issue and provide for an appropriate remedy to ensure that such sensitive information is never again used so recklessly and irresponsibly. NRA will be an active participant in the Council's study and the resulting process.

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine Signs Three Important Bills! On Friday, March 23, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D), signed three critical pieces of legislation all sponsored by Delegate Scott Lingamfelter (R-31): House Bill 2653, prohibits gun dealer entrapment schemes, such as those orchestrated by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg; House Bill 2308: provides that counties may adopt hunting regulations as provided by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; and House Bill 2309: eliminates the three shotgun shell maximum when hunting non-migratory game. Please contact Governor Kaine at (804)-786-2211 to thank him for protecting law-abiding firearms dealers.