Second Amendment Not About Firearms: John Longnecker responds to people=20 who don't like guns. http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/longenecker/ --- "Not Guilty" Verdict In Road-Rage Shooting: After a judge threw out an=20 earlier conviction, a Florida man, who claimed self-defense, was=20 acquitted in a shooting that resulted from a road-rage incident. http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20050806/NEWS/208060351/1= 001/news01 --- Do Protection Orders Work?: Chicago-area article claims that they do,=20 unless the person enjoined is suicidal. (Suicidal or not, a piece of=20 paper does not strike me as a sufficient form of self-defense.) http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/071nd3.htm --- Utah Women Enjoy Trap Shooting: Article favorably describes a recent=20 woman-only trap shooting event in Utah. http://www.harktheherald.com/modules.php?op=3Dmodload&name=3DNews&file=3Dar= ticle&sid=3D61492&mode=3Dthread&order=3D0&thold=3D0 --- New Zealand Police Gear Up As Citizens Are Disarmed: As New Zealand=20 erodes the rights of its citizens to keep and use firearms, its police=20 officers are upgrading to Bushmaster XM15 carbines. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=3D1&ObjectID=3D10339694 --- Meanwhile, In Australia...: Australian prohibitionists are upset that=20 the state of Tasmania has more than twice as many licensed firearm=20 owners as the national average. http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,16177362%255E346= 2,00.html --- From The NRA-ILA: NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 12, No. 31 8/5/05 S. 397 UPDATE As we reported last week, thanks to your great efforts, the U.S. Senate=20 passed S. 397--the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act"--by a=20 strong bipartisan vote of 65-31! This action represents a MAJOR first=20 step toward ending the anti-gun lobby's extreme and immoderate attempts=20 to bankrupt the firearm industry through reckless, predatory lawsuits,=20 and was a ground breaking step forward for law-abiding firearm=20 manufacturers, retailers and owners in this country. There has been some discussion this week concerning two amendments to S.=20 397. The first, by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), requires federally=20 licensed dealers to provide a "secure gun storage or safety device" with=20 the sale/transfer of every handgun (it does not apply to long guns).=20=20 The measure, which passed by a vote of 70-30, does not require gun=20 owners to use the device, does not apply to private transfers, and does=20 not create any new civil liability for gun owners who choose not to use=20 these storage devices. Virtually all new handguns today are sold with=20 some type of secure storage or safety device. The amendment has no=20 significant impact on current law. The other amendment, by Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), passed by a margin=20 of 87-11, and was offered this year (as it was in 2004) in a successful=20 attempt to defeat Sen. Edward Kennedy's "armor piercing" ammunition=20 amendment that would have banned all centerfire rifle ammunition. By=20 providing an alternative to Sen. Kennedy's amendment, pro-gun senators=20 were able to marshal the votes to defeat the Kennedy amendment. Here's what this amendment does: * The amendment (section 6 of the bill) restates the existing=20 prohibition (in 18 USC Sec. 922(a)) on manufacture, or on sale by=20 manufacturers, of "armor piercing ammunition," except for government=20 use, for export, or for use in testing or experimentation authorized by=20 the Attorney General. This law has been in effect for nearly two decades. * It increases the mandatory minimum sentence for the use of "armor=20 piercing ammunition" in a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime.=20= =20 Use of armor piercing ammunition in a crime of violence or drug=20 trafficking crime is already a federal offense punishable by 5 years in=20 prison; the amendment increases the penalty to 15 years, and authorizes=20 the death penalty if the ammunition is used in a murder. * It directs the Attorney General to conduct a study "to determine=20 whether a uniform standard for the testing of projectiles against Body=20 Armor is feasible." In fact, we know such a standard is "feasible"=20 because the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has been testing=20 projectiles against body armor since the early 1970s, and has regularly=20 written and updated the standards for testing projectiles against=20 armor. NIJ's research has saved lives by improving the design and=20 manufacture of body armor. (NIJ standards and background information=20 are available online at http://www.justnet.org/testing/bodyarmor.html=20 .) Here's what this amendment does not do: * The amendment does not give the Attorney General (or anyone else) any=20 new authority to ban ammunition. * The amendment does not change the definition of "armor piercing=20 ammunition." Under current law (18 USC Sec. 921(a)(17)(B)), ammunition=20 is only "armor piercing" if it has a bullet that "may be used in a=20 handgun" and that is made entirely from certain hard metals such as=20 tungsten, steel, bronze or depleted uranium; or if the bullet is=20 "designed and intended for use in a handgun" and has a jacket that=20 weighs more than 25% of the weight of the projectile. The current=20 definition has been in place for more than 12 years. * The amendment does not create any kind of new ammunition ban. The=20 only ammunition that is banned as "armor piercing" is ammunition that=20 fits the current definition, and neither the amendment nor the study=20 would change the definition. As you know, the fight now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives,=20 so it is critical that you once again contact your U.S. Representative=20 and urge him/her to pass S. 397! Members should also express their gratitude to Senate Majority Leader=20 Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), Senator Minority Leader Harry Reid, Senate=20 Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and bill sponsors Sens. Larry=20 Craig and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) for their leadership and stewardship on=20 S. 397. (For a list of roll call votes on these amendments and final passage of=20 S. 397, please go to www.NRAILA.org . Take note=20 of how your Senators voted, and please thank those who voted in support=20 of gun owners and let those who voted against our rights know that you=20 will keep their votes in mind when they are up for re-election. BE SURE=20 TO ALSO ATTEND ANY OF YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE'S TOWN HALL MEETINGS=20 DURING THE "SUMMER DISTRICT WORK PERIOD" [Aug. 1-Sept. 5] and encourage=20 him/her to bring up and pass S. 397 as soon as possible.) ST. LOUIS NAMED SITE FOR NRA's 136th ANNUAL MEETINGS & EXHIBITS The NRA announced this week it will hold its 136th Annual Meetings and=20 Exhibits in St. Louis, April 13-17, 2007. During the weekend=20 convention, America's Center will be filled with more than 60,000 people=20 exploring five acres of guns, hunting equipment and outdoor gear. "St. Louis truly is the gateway to the heartland of America and=20 thousands of NRA members and supporters," said NRA Executive Vice=20 President Wayne LaPierre. "The Second Amendment stands at the gateway=20 of freedom and there is no better place to celebrate freedom than St.=20 Louis." Missouri Governor Matt Blunt welcomed the announcement. "This is great=20 news. Missourians believe in protecting the Second Amendment. I am=20 delighted that the National Rifle Association has selected St. Louis as=20 the host city for their 136th Annual Meetings and Exhibits," said=20 Governor Blunt. "This major national event will bring a significant=20 economic boon for hotels, restaurants, and other merchants. NRA members=20 will experience the superior hospitality of the fine folks of the=20 'Show-Me' state. I look forward to welcoming the 60,000 plus NRA=20 members and their families to the magnificent city of St. Louis." LaPierre noted several reasons for selecting St. Louis as the 2007 NRA=20 convention site. The city is centrally located within a day's drive of=20 1/3 of the U.S. population and 300 miles of 400,000 NRA members. Ample=20 hotel space, new downtown development, and a multitude of visitor=20 services were also key elements in the decision. "This has the potential to be the largest convention in NRA history,"=20 LaPierre said. "We appreciate the warm welcome and excitement of the=20 St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau, and look forward to an=20 outstanding weekend in 2007 in this great city." Last April, the NRA convention in Houston drew nearly 60,000 NRA=20 members, boosting the local economy by an estimated $20 million. In=20 2006, the event is scheduled to be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ALERT US TO AND ATTEND TOWN HALL MEETINGS! Congress will be out for its "Summer District Work Period" through=20 September 5. During this time, your Senators and Representative will=20 be back home in their respective states and districts. Many lawmakers=20 use this time to hold town hall meetings, where they can report on what=20 they've been doing in Washington, and take questions from their=20 constituents. These meetings offer a tremendous opportunity for you to=20 personally voice your strong support for S. 397--the "Protection of=20 Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," and S. 1082 and H.R. 1288--the Senate and=20 House versions of the "District of Columbia Personal Protection Act."=20=20 Please contact your lawmakers' district offices and ask when they plan=20 to hold their town hall meetings during the break. If you do not know=20 the number for your lawmakers' district offices, you can use the "Write=20 Your Representatives" tool at=20 townhall@nrahq.org=20 . TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Information can only be put to good use if it is received in a timely=20 manner. Our campaign to ensure readers of the Grassroots Alert switch=20 from receiving the newsletter by fax to e-mail is paying off! However,=20 we still have thousands of Grassroots Alert recipients who receive the=20 weekly Alert via fax. If you have an e-mail address, but you still=20 receive the NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert every Friday via fax, we encourage=20 you to switch over to our e-mail system. We can send e-mail instantly,=20 at virtually no cost, while each fax incurs the cost of a long distance=20 call, not to mention your cost in paper. E-mail also allows you more=20 flexibility in relaying our information to others whom you know, but who=20 aren't on our e-mail list. If you would like to switch to e-mail=20 delivery, just go to www.NRAILA.org , then=20 follow the instructions through the link called "Sign Up For E-mail."=20=20 Once you start receiving the Alert via e-mail, please callthe Grassroots=20 Division at (800) 392-8683, and let us know so we can take you off the=20 fax system. A LOOK AT THE STATES (****For all of the action items below, you can find contact information=20 for your legislators by using the "Write Your Representatives"=20 tool at www.NRAILA.org=20 . As always, thank you for your support.****) OHIO Come out to the Lorain County Fair and meet your NRA-ILA Election=20 Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) at the NRA Volunteer Tent! OH-09 EVC Emory=20 King is hosting the first ever NRA Volunteer Tent at the fair, which=20 runs from Monday, August 22-Sunday, August 28. The fair is located on=20 Fairgrounds Road a half-mile west of the center of Wellington, Ohio, at=20 Routes 58 & 18. Emory is an NRA member who, in his volunteer leadership=20 capacity as EVC, works with and organizes volunteers to affect=20 firearm-related legislation in Ohio and on Capitol Hill. He also=20 assists pro-gun candidates with phone banks, literature drops, voter=20 registration drives, precinct walks, and other campaign activities. For=20 information, questions, or to help out at the tent, please contact EVC=20 Emory King at (440) 647-4299 or via e-mail at curraheered@hotmail.com=20 . (Fair details, such as hours and=20 events, can be found at www.loraincountyfair.com=20 .) Please be sure=20 to stop by the NRA Volunteer Tent to meet your EVC and learn how you can=20 make a difference in the gun control debate. Emory is also looking for=20 volunteers to help out at the tent for a few hours, so please contact=20 Emory and ask how you can help make the NRA Volunteer Tent a huge success! VIRGINIA On Tuesday, August 9, 2005, a public hearing will be held on a proposed=20 Nelson County anti-gun noise ordinance that was tentatively passed by=20 the Board of Supervisors at an "emergency" meeting held in late June.=20=20 As it is currently proposed, this noise ordinance would negatively=20 impact law-abiding hunters and sport shooters in Nelson County. Please=20 plan on attending the public hearing next Tuesday, August 9, and voice=20 your opposition to the Board of Supervisors' direct attack on your=20 fundamental rights and this misguided noise ordinance. The meeting will=20 be held at the Nelson County Courthouse in Lovingston, and the public=20 comment period will begin at 7:30 p.m. Please be sure to alert your=20 fellow hunters, sportsmen, and Second Amendment supporters! --=20 Stephen P. Wenger Firearm safety - It's a matter=20 for education, not legislation. http://www.spw-duf.info .