Home | Current Legislation | Get Involved Locally | Register To Vote
Contribute | Edit Your Profile
NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 13, No. 29 0721/06
States with updates this issue: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
THE NOT-SWEET 16
As reported in last week's Alert, on July 13, 2006, all 55 Republicans, joined by 28 Democrats and 1 Independent, voted to pass Senator David Vitter's (R-La.) amendment to prohibit the use of taxpayer funds allocated under the Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 5441) to be used to confiscate lawfully-possessed firearms during an emergency or major disaster. Sixteen Senators opposed the prohibition.
In passing this legislation, the United States Senate acted on a bi-partisan basis to protect the self-defense rights of citizens when those rights are most vital, in the aftermath of a major disaster, when law-abiding citizens are left to defend themselves and their families.
Sixteen Democrats (including both Senators from the states of California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York) voted to defeat this commonsense legislation (Déjà vu Note: Under the unblinking eye of the C-SPAN cameras, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) voted against the Vitter amendment, then minutes later he reversed course and voted for it.) These extreme opponents of the Second Amendment are:
Daniel Akaka, Hawaii Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts
Barbara Boxer, California Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey
Hillary Clinton, New York Carl Levin, Michigan
Christopher Dodd, Connecticut Robert Menéndez, New Jersey
Dick Durbin, Illinois Barbara Mikulski, Maryland
Dianne Feinstein, California Jack Reed, Rhode Island
Tom Harkin, Iowa Paul Sarbanes, Maryland
Daniel Inouye, Hawaii Chuck Schumer, New York
While the passage of Senator Vitter's Amendment is significant, enactment into law of the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006" should remain our overarching goal. Introduced as S. 2599 by Senator Vitter in the Senate, and H.R. 5013 by U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal (R-La.) in the House, this NRA-supported legislation would amend federal emergency statute laws to prohibit federal, state, and local authorities from confiscating lawfully-owned firearms during times of disaster.
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative, and urge them to cosponsor and support S. 2599, and H.R. 5013, respectively, the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006!" You can reach your Senators at (202) 224-3121 and your Representative at (202) 225-3121.
MICHIGAN IS LATEST STATE TO ENACT
NRA-BACKED "CASTLE DOCTRINE" LEGISLATION!
On July 20, Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) signed into law a package of six self-defense bills backed by NRA, bringing "Castle Doctrine" protections to law-abiding Michigan citizens.
"I want to thank the Michigan Legislature and Governor Jennifer Granholm for working together in making this victims' rights bill law," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "When you're confronted by a criminal, you don't have the luxury of time. This "Castle Doctrine" package states that if victims choose to stand their ground and fight, their decision will not be second-guessed by the State of Michigan. The ability to protect yourself, your children, or your spouse from harm is important, whether you're in your home or outside."
The six-bill "Castle Doctrine" Package passed with bi-partisan, supermajority support in both houses of the Michigan legislature:
HB 5143, sponsored by Rep. Rick Jones (R-71), creates the "Self Defense Act" and specifies that it is not a crime to use force or deadly force to defend oneself if that person is not breaking any laws when defensive force was used. The person must be facing imminent threat of death or great bodily harm.
SB 1046, sponsored by Sen. Alan Cropsey (R-33), outlines rebuttal presumptions for justified use of self-defense. The bill makes it clear that there is no "duty to retreat" if a person is in a place where he or she has a legal right to be.
SB 1185, sponsored by Sen. Ron Jelinek (R-21), allows for the award of court and attorney fees in civil cases where it was determined a person acted in accordance with the "Self Defense Act" and where civil immunities apply.
HB 5548, sponsored by Rep. Tim Moore (R-97), gives civil immunities to persons acting in accordance with the "Self Defense Act," preventing criminals and their families from suing law-abiding citizens.
HB 5153, sponsored by Rep. Leslie Mortimer (R-65), puts the burden of proof on the prosecutor to show that a person acted unlawfully in the application of force, rather than the person using the force having to prove they acted lawfully.
HB 5142, sponsored by Rep. Tom Casperson (R-108), expands the definition of "dwelling" to include a person's garage, barn, backyard, etc.
"On behalf of all NRA members in Michigan, I want to thank each of the bills' chief sponsors for their leadership in seeing these measures become law," Cox said. "The Castle Doctrine is about putting the law back on the side of the victim; the way it's supposed to be."
Contribute | Edit Your Profile
NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 13, No. 29 0721/06
States with updates this issue: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
THE NOT-SWEET 16
As reported in last week's Alert, on July 13, 2006, all 55 Republicans, joined by 28 Democrats and 1 Independent, voted to pass Senator David Vitter's (R-La.) amendment to prohibit the use of taxpayer funds allocated under the Homeland Security appropriations bill (H.R. 5441) to be used to confiscate lawfully-possessed firearms during an emergency or major disaster. Sixteen Senators opposed the prohibition.
In passing this legislation, the United States Senate acted on a bi-partisan basis to protect the self-defense rights of citizens when those rights are most vital, in the aftermath of a major disaster, when law-abiding citizens are left to defend themselves and their families.
Sixteen Democrats (including both Senators from the states of California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York) voted to defeat this commonsense legislation (Déjà vu Note: Under the unblinking eye of the C-SPAN cameras, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) voted against the Vitter amendment, then minutes later he reversed course and voted for it.) These extreme opponents of the Second Amendment are:
Daniel Akaka, Hawaii Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts
Barbara Boxer, California Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey
Hillary Clinton, New York Carl Levin, Michigan
Christopher Dodd, Connecticut Robert Menéndez, New Jersey
Dick Durbin, Illinois Barbara Mikulski, Maryland
Dianne Feinstein, California Jack Reed, Rhode Island
Tom Harkin, Iowa Paul Sarbanes, Maryland
Daniel Inouye, Hawaii Chuck Schumer, New York
While the passage of Senator Vitter's Amendment is significant, enactment into law of the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006" should remain our overarching goal. Introduced as S. 2599 by Senator Vitter in the Senate, and H.R. 5013 by U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal (R-La.) in the House, this NRA-supported legislation would amend federal emergency statute laws to prohibit federal, state, and local authorities from confiscating lawfully-owned firearms during times of disaster.
Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative, and urge them to cosponsor and support S. 2599, and H.R. 5013, respectively, the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act of 2006!" You can reach your Senators at (202) 224-3121 and your Representative at (202) 225-3121.
MICHIGAN IS LATEST STATE TO ENACT
NRA-BACKED "CASTLE DOCTRINE" LEGISLATION!
On July 20, Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) signed into law a package of six self-defense bills backed by NRA, bringing "Castle Doctrine" protections to law-abiding Michigan citizens.
"I want to thank the Michigan Legislature and Governor Jennifer Granholm for working together in making this victims' rights bill law," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "When you're confronted by a criminal, you don't have the luxury of time. This "Castle Doctrine" package states that if victims choose to stand their ground and fight, their decision will not be second-guessed by the State of Michigan. The ability to protect yourself, your children, or your spouse from harm is important, whether you're in your home or outside."
The six-bill "Castle Doctrine" Package passed with bi-partisan, supermajority support in both houses of the Michigan legislature:
HB 5143, sponsored by Rep. Rick Jones (R-71), creates the "Self Defense Act" and specifies that it is not a crime to use force or deadly force to defend oneself if that person is not breaking any laws when defensive force was used. The person must be facing imminent threat of death or great bodily harm.
SB 1046, sponsored by Sen. Alan Cropsey (R-33), outlines rebuttal presumptions for justified use of self-defense. The bill makes it clear that there is no "duty to retreat" if a person is in a place where he or she has a legal right to be.
SB 1185, sponsored by Sen. Ron Jelinek (R-21), allows for the award of court and attorney fees in civil cases where it was determined a person acted in accordance with the "Self Defense Act" and where civil immunities apply.
HB 5548, sponsored by Rep. Tim Moore (R-97), gives civil immunities to persons acting in accordance with the "Self Defense Act," preventing criminals and their families from suing law-abiding citizens.
HB 5153, sponsored by Rep. Leslie Mortimer (R-65), puts the burden of proof on the prosecutor to show that a person acted unlawfully in the application of force, rather than the person using the force having to prove they acted lawfully.
HB 5142, sponsored by Rep. Tom Casperson (R-108), expands the definition of "dwelling" to include a person's garage, barn, backyard, etc.
"On behalf of all NRA members in Michigan, I want to thank each of the bills' chief sponsors for their leadership in seeing these measures become law," Cox said. "The Castle Doctrine is about putting the law back on the side of the victim; the way it's supposed to be."
