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.

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

Please do not reply to this email as you will not receive a response. This email is a broadcast email generated by an automated system. To contact NRA-ILA call 800-392-8683.
Address: 11250 Waples Mill Road Fairfax, Virginia 22030

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!

Traffic Ticket Lawyer Guns Down Would-Be Robber

MIAMI Scott Hidnert was driving out of his office parking lot at 720 NW 102nd St. on Thursday evening when he claims a would-be robber pulled the trigger of his weapon, but the gun jammed.

No words were exchanged. Hidnert snapped open his glove compartment, grabbed his handgun, opened the driver's side-door and fired ''several shots,'' according to Jonathan Bennett, office manager of the Traffic Ticket Office, founded by Hidnert.

Another robber, lurking beyond the gate of the parking lot, disappeared into the night.

''I'm lucky to be alive,'' the lawyer said. Hidnert has been called the ''granddaddy'' of ticket defenders. He founded a firm called Ticket Busters in 1992, one of the first to focus on misdemeanors such as speeding and running red lights. The firm's name changed to Traffic Ticket Office three years later.

Last year, a new Florida law was enacted that loosened the standard for self-defense, allowing threatened citizens to shoot first even if attackers don't show a gun. ''I don't expect any charges. He had a gun and was aiming at me,'' Hidnert said. ``If his gun didn't jam, he would have shot me.''

Miami-Dade police spokesman detective Roy Rutland declined to discuss charges. ``The entire case is still under investigation.'' Said Miami-Dade State Attorney's spokesman Ed Griffith: ``As part of the normal procedure, we always review all of the details.''

Miami-Dade's homicide bureau didn't release the name of the slain robber

Guns in homes

We need right to defend ourselves, not run

Re: "Bills would arm owners with right to use deadly force – Legislature: Residents would not have to try to flee first," Wednesday news story.

Marsha McCartney says people defending themselves are not going to jail – "That's just not the case," she says – but that's just not true.

Many Texans who have defended themselves from criminals bent on violent actions found themselves held up to scrutiny as suspects and had to expend funds to defend themselves. Ms. McCartney conveniently forgets that they exist.

Gordon Hale III was arrested for his self-defense shooting of Kenny Tavai and had to wait for a grand jury to no-bill him. Four other Texans were acquitted at jury trial, people who would not have had to go through what they did if this "castle" law were in effect.

The Rev. Peter Johnson says, "The solution to violence is not more violence," and he may be right, but the only response to a violent attacker is adequate self-defense, not retreat.

Texans need the right to defend ourselves, not the obligation to run away.

Jim Longley, Allen

Many law enforcement officials don't support it

Your article failed to mention the numerous district attorneys, police chiefs and other law enforcement officials who oppose this "castle" bill.

You also failed to mention all the Texans who know that you don't fix something that isn't broke. No one is in jail for acting in what a jury decided is legitimate self-defense. This law represents a dangerous step backward in public policy. It encourages the use of deadly force and empoweres potentially dangerous people.

It creates a loophole that allows a shooter to use deadly force as a first resort, rather than a last resort

Lori Jefferson Foster, Dallas

'Shoot-first' characterization is a scare tactic

Marsha McCartney of the North Texas Brady Campaign relies on scare tactics by referring to this bill as a "shoot-first bill." She paints a picture of homeowners basically firing at will at anyone coming on their property.

Regardless of what she wants us to believe, House Bill 284 does not change any of the required legal justifications for using deadly force in self-defense. The legal justification must be met, or that person would be subject to prosecution.

Similar scare tactics were used against the current concealed handgun license bill. Opponents offered images of carnage in the streets; none of those dire predictions came true.

Phillip Herbst, Rockwall

‘Worried’ farmer to lose guns

This is in Australia where there is strict gun control, confiscation and licensing. See how easily a citizen becomes a criminal - USA next?

A FIFTH generation Table Top farmer has lost firearms estimated to be worth $20,000 after failing to safely store them.

Terence Robert Wright pleaded guilty in Albury Local Court yesterday to charges of failing to safely keep a prohibited weapon and failing to safely keep a non-prohibited weapon.

Twelve other charges were withdrawn by police prosecutor Sgt Bob Hanzic.

Wright was placed on a 12-month bond without conviction on the two charges.

Magistrate Tony Murray was told Wright, 56, of “Dundooga”, had seven firearms dismantled and secreted in the roof of his house in an attempt to hide them from his son.

Wright left some gun parts in his gun safe and put other parts elsewhere.

Wright was concerned about his son or his son’s de facto having access to the guns because there was an ongoing dispute between them.

But Mr Murray said it was a poor judgement call by Wright to adopt the approach he did.

“The penalties provided by the legislation are quite severe,” Mr Murray said.

Under the legislation the firearms had to be forfeited and that was a severe penalty in itself.

Barrister Guy Newton told the court Wright had tried to protect his son and his son’s partner and the circumstances of the case were “somewhat exceptional”.

He said Wright has been using firearms from a young age and they were essential in his occupation as a farmer.

The loss of a firearms licence would be a significant penalty.

Kangaroos were causing problems and cockatoos recently attacked a grain storage bunker causing $50,000 to $60,000 damage.

Wright has a 1200ha property running sheep and cattle.

Mr Newton said Wright had no previous convictions.

Wright was suspended from possessing and using a firearm when the guns had been seized on March 20 last year.

One of the guns seized, a .22 rifle with a scope, was given to him on his 12th birthday.

Mr Murray said it was his opinion that the NSW Police Commissioner should not take any action on Wright’s firearms licence and he should retain it.

Guns, a million rounds and a tunnel in Norco

NORCO - Neighbors who lived alongside him for years say they never saw Thomas McKiernan roll up the garage door of his Norco home.

Now they know why.

On Friday, authorities found more than 125 rifles and handguns, about a million rounds of ammunition and 60 pounds of gunpowder stockpiled in McKiernan's home on the 1800 block of Pali Drive -- enough to level several houses in the quiet Norco neighborhood under the wrong circumstances. They also discovered a tunnel beneath the garage.

The cache was found after a fire Thursday.

As Riverside County sheriff's investigators uncovered the arsenal, along with reserves of food and water, they began to develop a profile of the 62-year-old retired machinist, who was identified as the home's owner by neighbors and property records.

"We're possibly dealing with a survivalist," said Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

McKiernan, who, officials said, punched and kicked rescue workers to get into the burning house, is being held for a mental evaluation, Gutierrez said. McKiernan has not been arrested.

Police evacuated the entire neighborhood Thursday as firefighters worked to put out the blaze amid bursting rounds of live ammunition.

Fire crews discovered an eight-foot deep tunnel 30 feet from the middle of the garage to a spot beneath the main house. Local and federal officers pulled three barrels out of the tunnel using hooks and poles, said Norco Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank deBoer. They contained rice, water and cooking oil.

Investigators worked into the evening Friday to locate and remove weapons found in the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. Two locked safes, reinforced with chains, had yet to be opened, he said.

It will take days for deputies and agents with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to catalog or destroy the guns and ammunition, Gutierrez said. It could be days before officials decide whether to charge McKiernan.

The only illegal items investigators have identified so far are five assault rifles, several high-capacity magazines and the 60 pounds of gunpowder. It is illegal to possess more than one pound of gunpowder, Gutierrez said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. Authorities condemned the house because of the tunnel.

On Friday, two-thirds of the driveway leading to McKiernan's modest, shingle-roofed home was filled with ordnance. Cardboard boxes and green metal, military-style containers of ammunition were stacked next to canisters and cookie tins packed with gunpowder.

The ammunition ranged from .22 caliber bullets for small arms to .30 caliber rounds used in high-powered military rifles.

It's not uncommon for collectors to have dozens of guns, but storing that much ammunition is hazardous, said Mike Raahauge, who owns a shooting range in Corona. (Probably left over from the feared infamous Y2K scare)

"You can shoot 500 rounds of shotgun shells in a normal day of hunting or shooting," he said. "But a million rounds - holy Toledo! No normal person would have a million rounds of ammo in their house."

Neighborhood Reaction

Residents -- many of them retirees -- of the quiet neighborhood said they were thankful the damage wasn't worse.

Gary Eppler spotted the smoke and flames coming from McTiernan's roof. While his wife called 911, Eppler banged on his neighbor's door, but got no response.

The screen door was unlocked and he entered. McTiernan was lying on a couch in the living room, seemingly passed out, Eppler said. A small fire extinguisher was within reach.

Eppler helped a staggering McKiernan outside.

"But he went around back and said, 'I've got to save my house.' I don't know what he was doing around there."

According to police and neighbors, it took three deputies to restrain McKiernan, who rambled anxiously after his struggle with firefighters.

Neighbors describe McKiernan as a quiet, soft-spoken man who has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years with no trouble. They said he is a military veteran who sometimes went to a nearby shooting range for target practice with his son, who they said is in the military.

Pali Drive resident Sylvia Madruga described McKiernan as a nice, friendly man with a passion for discussing politics.

"He wasn't radical or anything like that," she said. "He had the same feelings that everyone had, he was tired of the liars in the government, and a government that doesn't listen to its people."

According to Madruga, raised his five children at the home. One of his sons was serving with the Marines in Afghanistan, Madruga said.

Madruga said McKiernan was a voracious reader of politically-themed novels and once borrowed a copy of a book based on the life of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover.

"He was very well read," she said. "He felt that the government was not doing enough to protect and secure our borders."

Profile of a Survivalist

On the surface, McKiernan fits the profile of a survivalist, said James Houston, a criminologist and professor of criminology at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

"Neighbors always describe them as quiet and helpful," said Houston. "It has to do with their strong sense of isolation."

They are working-class individuals who tend to share a distrust of the government and lean politically to the right, Houston said. Survivalists struggle to understand the cultural and technological changes happening today.

The idea that the government is not doing enough to protect them from crime or waves of illegal immigration is often why they stockpile weapons and supplies, he said.

Many survivalists are susceptible to the idea of "culture wars" played up in the media, Houston said.

"Some people to take it to heart, and they have guns to prepare themselves for when the time comes," Houston said.
Reach Sarah Gordon at 951-893-2114 or sgordon@PE.com.
By GREGOR McGAVIN, SARAH GORDON, LAURA RICO and PAIGE AUSTIN
The Press-Enterprise

NEWLY REVAMPED NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT

Striving to Better Meet Your Needs

2007 marks the 14th year of the Friday NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert. Those of you who have been receiving the Alert since its inception, probably remember when the weekly Alert was transmitted exclusively via fax!

We've certainly come a long way from where we began in 1993, and we have always tried to improve both the content and design of our weekly update to better serve gun owners.

With this issue of the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert you will notice our latest improvements.

First and foremost, you'll notice a different layout that is much more user-friendly. To ensure the weekly Alert is easier on the eye, we will provide you with briefer story summaries, along with the option to click the story title if you wish to read the entire piece. This will translate into a much shorter Alert that will allow you flexibility in determining which stories are of most interest to you.

Also, we have made a major modification to the "A Look At The States" section, where we report on state and local activities. Now entitled "State Roundup," this new section will allow you to view alerts from as many states as you wish. By clicking the section title, you will be brought to a map of the United States; clicking any state will bring up corresponding alerts. As for breaking news, each week, we will list specific states that have updated alerts posted, along with a brief description of the issues at hand. By clicking on the specific description you will be able to read the full story associated with that particular alert.

Of course, we will continuously strive to further improve this product. In the meantime, we ask that you work to ensure that your family, friends, and fellow firearm owners are receiving the Friday Grassroots Alert so they, too, may stay on top of developments pertaining to our firearm freedoms, take the corresponding action, and share with their pro-Second Amendment networks. To sign up to receive this Alert, and ILA's other legislative and political updates, click here (link to e-mail sign up) and provide your e-mail address.

We hope that the reformatted Grassroots Alert will better fit your needs as a grassroots activist. Of course, if you have additional suggestions on how we may improve this weekly update, feel free to contact the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683 or via e-mail at ila-contact@nrahq.org.

Thank you for your continued support and readership!

NRA PRESIDENT TO CO-HOST RADIO SHOW: Please mark your calendar and listen to NRA President Sandra S. Froman, as she co-hosts Jim Soloman's radio show Xplor the Southwest, this Sunday March 4, from 7:00-9:00 a.m. You can listen on "The Fan," AM 1060 Sports Radio Phoenix, broadcasting from the new Cabela's store in Glendale (store opens at 9:00 a.m.), or worldwide via streaming video at www.Xplorsw.com. Following the broadcast, President Froman will be discussing NRA and the Second Amendment in the Seminar Room, beginning at 10:00 a.m. If you're in the area, please be sure to stop by on Saturday morning to meet President Froman and hear her speak. If you're not in the area, please be sure to tune in!

CPAC 2007 NRA Members are invited to attend CPAC 2007, the 34th Annual Conservative Political Action Conference, still going on today and tomorrow (March 2 - 3, 2007). For additional information, or to register for the conference, please call (703) 836-8602, or visit CPAC online at www.cpac.org


PLAN TO ATTEND FREE ST. LOUIS GRASSROOTS WORKSHOP! 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.

FEDS CONSIDER REMOVING WOLVES FROM ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT The federal government is holding open house public hearings in different states to obtain public comments regarding the delisting of Rocky Mountain wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Please attend the hearings in your area and let your voice be heard!

FUTURE OF RECREATIONAL SHOOTING ON THE ARAPAHOE AND ROOSEVELT NATIONAL FORESTS UNDER REVIEW The Boulder Ranger District of the Araphoe and Roosevelt National Forests is conducting a planning process to determine how recreational shooting, dispersed camping, and campfires will be managed in the future. Issues concerning these activities have been developed based upon public input through written comments or at one of the public meetings held last May. The final public meeting to discuss solutions to the issues will be held March 3, in Longmont, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., at the Longmont High School, 1040 Sunset Street. Comments may be sent to cluna@fs.fed.us. For more information you may call the District Ranger's office at (303) 541-2500, or go to the website at: www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/projects/ea-projects/brd/ufc/index.shtml.

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

ARIZONA:

Major Self-Defense Bill on Its Way to the Governor! Senate Bill 1302, a much-needed fix to Arizona self-defense statutes, is on its way to Governor Janet Napolitano (D) for her consideration. Please contact Governor Napolitano today toll-free at (800) 253-0883 and urge her to sign this very important measure.

"Emergency Powers" Legislation Clears House, Heads to Senate! "Emergency Powers" legislation, cleared the House this week with amendments approved by the author and Governor Napolitano (D). Please contact your Senator today at (602) 542-3559 and respectfully urge him or her to support this important bill.

Right-to-Carry Legislation Reform Slated to be Heard in Committee! House Bill 2469 is slated to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 5. Please contact members of the Judiciary Committee and urge them to support this legislation. A roster of committee members and contact information can be found by visiting http://azleg.gov/CommitteeInfo.asp?Committee_ID=10.

ARKANSAS:

Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Reform Heads To Governor! The Arkansas Senate passed SB 268, the NRA-backed Right-to-Carry reciprocity clean-up bill. This bill now heads to Governor Mike Beebe (D).

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

CONNECTICUT:

One-Gun-A-Month Initiative Still Awaiting Committee Vote! We are continuing to watch over Senate Bill 938 (one-gun-a-month legislation) for the committee vote which could be as late as Thursday, March 8. A vote must be made by that date, as it is the bill-reporting deadline for the Public Safety Committee. Please visit www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=2625 for a list of committee members.


HAWAII:

Two Important Pro-Gun Bills Heading to Senate Floor! Senate Bill 702 and Senate Bill 1617, passed out of their policy committees with amendments. Please contact your State Senator today at (808) 586-6720 and respectfully urge him or her to support these bills when they reach the floor.

ILLINOIS:

Attention Gun Owners: Please Attend IGOLD on March 14! Pro-gun margins are razor-thin in the Illinois State General Assembly, so NRA is encouraging all law-abiding gun owners to take part in IGOLD 2007 - the Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day, on Wednesday, March 14. For more details, including information regarding busses scheduled to transport activists from across the Land of Lincoln, please contact the ISRA at (815) 635-3198, or go to http://igold.isra.org/.

KENTUCKY:

Five Pro-Gun Bills Need Your Help! Please contact your State Representative and your State Senator at (502) 564-8100 and respectfully urge him or her to support the Second Amendment by supporting House Bill 354, House Bill 375, House Bill 469, Senate Bill 8, and Senate Bill 48.

MAINE:

Legislature Considering Making Right-to-Carry More Difficult! Recently introduced legislation, LD778, would require all new applicants and renewing holders of a concealed firearms permit to show documentation they have completed a firearms safety course that includes at least "6 hours" of course work! Please call your state legislator today and urge him or her to oppose this legislation. Your legislator 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.

MARYLAND:

Senate Committee to Consider "Castle Doctrine" Next Week! Next Thursday, March 7, the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will hold a public hearing on SB 518. Please contact the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee members at (410) 841-3623 Annapolis/Balitmore area or (301) 858-3623 Washington, D.C. area and voice your support for SB 518.

MISSOURI:

"Castle Doctrine" Bill Set for Final Passage Soon! Castle Doctrine legislation, Senate Bill 62, could be on the Senate floor for final passage as early as Monday, March 5. Please contact your State Senator at (573)-751-3824 and strongly encourage him or her to protect your right to self-defense by supporting and voting for Senate Bill 62.

NEW HAMPSHIRE:

Anti-Gun Legislation Looms in the Senate! Senate Bill 44, seeks to change the concealed carry licensing statute to make it easier for the issuing authority to deny a license. Please contact your State Senator today at (603) 271-2111 and urge him or her to oppose SB44.

NEW YORK:

Nomination of Anti-Hunting, Anti-Gunner Advocate Put on Hold! The New York State Senate this week put "on hold" the nomination of Alexander "Pete" Grannis for Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner as it explores the mounting opposition to his confirmation. Please continue contacting your State Senator at (518) 455-2800 and respectfully urge him or her to oppose Grannis' nomination as DEC Comissioner.

NORTH DAKOTA:

"Castle Doctrine" Legislation Heads to State Senate! House Bill 1319 has passed the North Dakota House of Representatives. Please contact the members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and respectfully urge them to pass HB 1319.

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. If you are interested in presenting testimony or need further information on any of the informational meetings please contact John Ryan or Bill Andring at 717-787-3525.

SOUTH CAROLINA:

Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Reform Prevails in the House! In spite of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's efforts, which nearly led to the bill being sent back to the Judiciary Committee for reconsideration, our Right to Keep and Bear Arms prevailed, and HB 3212 passed second reading on the House floor on Thursday, March 1, with an overwhelming 100-2 vote. Please, contact your State Senator at (803) 212-6200 and urge him or her to support HB 3212 in its current form.

VERMONT:

Legislation Takes Aim at Ammunition! The controversial anti-gun "Get the Lead Out of Vermont" report released last month by the Vermont Attorney General and State Department of Health has spawned a far-reaching bill that could allow Vermont municipalities to outlaw shooting ranges and even the mere possession of lead ammunition. Please call your legislator today at 802-828-2228 and ask him or her to oppose H352!

VIRGINIA:

Four Pro-Gun Bills Heads to Governor! With the legislative session now completed, several pro-gun measures are now headed to Governor Tim Kaine (D) for his consideration. Please contact the Governor's office at (804)-786-2211 and strongly encourage him to sign those bills in their current form

WASHINGTON:

Bill Attacking Gun Shows Heads to Senate Floor! SB5197, a measure that would mandate that all firearms sold at gun shows be transferred through a federally licensed dealer, passed out of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, February 27. Please contact your State Senator today toll-free at (800) 562-6000 and respectfully ask that he or she oppose this bill.

WEST VIRGINIA:

West Virginia House Passes Two Important Right-to-Carry Bills! Legislation that would amend Right-to-Carry reciprocity requirements, authorize the Attorney General to execute reciprocity agreements, and restrict public access to the records of carry permit holders passed the West Virginia State House on Tuesday, February 27. Please contact your State Delegate today at (304) 340-3200 and thank him or her for their support and votes for HB3074 and HB2223!

WYOMING:

Wyoming Pro-Gun, Pro-Hunting Bill Heads to Governor's Desk! A measure that would allow for the carrying of firearms during bow hunting season, is on its way to Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) for his consideration. Please contact the Governor at (307) 777-7434 and respectfully urge him to sign this critical piece of legislation.

Upgrading varmint shell worthwhile

I have no idea how many 22.250 Remington heavy barrel varmint rifles are in this area. I am sure that it's a substantial number.
After I served 3 1/2 years in the military, I took up woodchuck shooting. Truth is, I was a dedicated groundhog hunter long before the military called. I served a long apprenticeship, from digging out dens to trapping them. Anything to get rid of those garden pests.

During those years, heavy-barrel varmint rigs were not in vogue. The relatively few varmint hunters who used heavy-barrel outfits had them custom made. As late as 1946, varmint shooters didn't have access to factory heavy-barrel varmint rigs. After Remington's 222 varmint shell won wide acclaim, the picture began to change.

The factory 222 round offered top accuracy even in sporter-type hunting rifles. It was soon learned the 222 offered critical accuracy when fired in heavy barrel rifles. In fact, many benchrest competitors switched to the 222.
By Don Lewis
Outdoors Columnist

Two cats shot with air rifle

A Shropshire woman today called for a change in the law governing the use of air rifles after her two pet cats were shot.

ALERT!! ALERT!!

Two mosquitoes killed with fly swatter!

Of course the cat owner is not responsible for keeping the law by keeping her cats only on her property and not wandering over unto neighbor's yards to leave their shit and kill squirrels and wild birds eating at the bird station while the children observe nature. But the roaming cats also like to KILL these birds and squirrels! So what's her bitch? Keep the cats at your place and all will be fine! People don't come to her place looking for them - do they - of course not!

Unrestricted Tanaka M700 rifle to be released for export

Graham from Ironfoot has been in touch with exciting information about a new, unrestricted export-edition of the Tanaka M700 to be released soon:

As many of you may know Tanaka had dropped their adjustable bolt system on the M700 range of rifles following the new below 1 joule Japanese limit, and the latest rifles were coming without an adjuster and the appropriate parts missing and blanked.

We are please to say that after asking our Japanese agent to lobby Tanaka they have reported to us today that “After hard negotiation with Tanaka and public safety commission about “exporting” the original gun called “Export Version” an unrestricted Gas rifles which non-relating to a new Japanese toy gun regulation “1-joule restriction” it will be ended soon so that we can offer you an original powerful gas gun as before pretty soon I hope.

(Tanaka gas rifles for only “export version” will have power adjustment but no collar in the nozzle for 1-joule restriction as well said Tanaka.)

If Tanaka do hold to this, its great news, it would have been a great shame to have lost the adjustable bolt, as we think its one of the main sales point of the Tanaka, and an extremely useful option for countries with variable maximum powers on Sniper Rifles often from one Game site to another.
Published by Marlowe February 28th, 2007 in Manufacturer News and Retailer News.
Tags: Manufacturer News, Retailer News.

Tips for Choosing between Paintball Guns

Paintball guns, commonly called markers, are crucial to the sport of paintball. Markers are used to fire the paintballs and come in all shapes, sizes and prices. You’ll find markers ranging from as little as $100 to as much as $1000 or more. For someone who’s just starting out with the sport, choosing the right marker can be confusing. Keep reading to learn more about the various types of markers available these days and their benefits and drawbacks.

Pump style markers are some of the most affordable on the market today. These are different from other types of markers such as semi-automatic or automatic because the paintballs must be manually pumped into the firing chamber. Pump markers are thought to be accurate as well as cost-efficient for beginners and advanced players alike.

For all articles: Tips for Choosing between Paintball Guns