On Monday, June 23 the New Jersey General Assembly is scheduled to vote on a bill (A339) that will prohibit law-abiding citizens from purchasing more than one handgun per 30-day period.

A339, sponsored by Assemblywoman Joan Quigley (D-32), will do nothing to stop the criminal misuse of firearms but would criminalize the purchase of more than one handgun per month by law-abiding citizens who have already undergone extensive background checks and fingerprinting. This gun-rationing scheme falsely assumes that criminals follow the law by submitting the proper paperwork and purchase firearms from licensed dealers.  The sponsor believes law-abiding citizens who purchase more than one-gun-a-month are gun traffickers!

Please contact your Assembly members TODAY and respectfully urge them to oppose this assault on our Second Amendment rights.  Contact information for your Assembly members can be found by clicking here.  Also, please contact Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts (D-5) IMMEDIATELY and respectfully urge him to HOLD A339!  Speaker Roberts can be reached by phone at (609) 292-7065, via fax at (856) 742-1831, or email asmroberts@njleg.org.

On Wednesday June 10, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford (R) vetoed S 1143 , a bill that among other things would have allowed for a “tax holiday” from the sales for any firearm sold during a predetermined 48 hour window.  S 1143 simply grants the same basic rights for firearms that many other commercial products all ready enjoy, while providing a needed commercial boost to legal gun dealers all across South Carolina.

This bill will be heard in the House of Representatives sometime next week in an attempt to overturn the Governor’s veto.  Please contact your State Representative and urge him or her to vote for this important piece of legislation.  You can find contact information for your State Representative by clicking here.

Please Attend the City Council Meeting on Tuesday, June 24!

As we reported last week, the Montesano City Council voted 4-3 on Tuesday, June 10 to enact a new ordinance banning the carrying of concealed firearms in the city’s parks, even by licensed Right-to-Carry permit holders. This move is a blatant violation of Washington’s preemption statutes and is similar to one by Seattle’s Mayor Greg Nickels.

Councilmen Albert Collins, Chris Hutchings, and Nick Swinhart opposed the ordinance. Councilmen Chris Thomas, Doug Streeter, Pat Herrington and Rich Klinger voted in favor of it.

The next City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, on the first floor of Montesano City Hall, located at 112 N. Main Street in Montesano. This is an ideal opportunity to show the City Council that Montesano’s law-abiding gun owners will not tolerate illegal and unjust attacks on their Second Amendment freedoms. Please attend this meeting and make your voice heard during the public comment period.

If you are unable to attend, please contact the mayor of Montesano, Mayor Ron Schillinger, TODAY and respectfully urge him to oppose this violation of state law and this unjust and unwarranted attack on our right to self-defense and Second Amendment freedoms. Mayor Schillinger can be reached by phone at (360) 249-3021, ext. 102 or via email at mayor@montesano.us.

Also, please contact the members of the City Council who voted for the ordinance and respectfully ask them to reconsider this illegal and unjustified measure. Contact information can be found below.

Councilman Chris Thomas
360-249-6879

Councilman Doug Streeter
360-249-2805

Councilman Pat Herrington
360-249-2848

Councilman Rich Klinger
360-249-4560

On Thursday, June 12, Senate Bill 370 and Senate Bill 371 passed the Michigan Senate on a preliminary vote and they could be up for final consideration in the full Senate as early as Tuesday, June 17.

These bills would repeal the required “safety inspection” for newly obtained handguns. Michigan law requires anyone who comes into possession of a pistol to take it to the police or sheriff’s department for a safety inspection. The requirement of a safety inspection is a burdensome waste of time for law-abiding gun owners and these bills will address that inconvenience.

There has never been a SINGLE DOCUMENTED CASE that these “safety inspections” have prevented a single injury or death.

Please contact your State Senator TODAY and respectfully urge him or her to support Senate Bills 370 and 371. Their contact can be found by clicking here.

As if the state of New York did not have enough gun control legislation, several anti-gun bills that have already passed the State Assembly and are pending in the State Senate Codes Committee. None of these bills would reduce crime, just reduce the liberties of the law abiding citizens of New York.

Assembly Bill 6525A, sponsored by State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-88), would create new sales and reporting requirements for licensed firearms dealers and require dealers to carry a minimum of $1,000,000 of liability insurance. AB6525A passed by a vote of 85 to 53.

Assembly Bill 9819A, authored by State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-16), would ban the sale of semi-automatic handguns not equipped with so-called “microstamping” technology. The bill requires all semiautomatic pistols sold in the state to microstamp an array of characters that identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol on the firing pin, which would copy the characters onto the cartridge case upon firing. AB9819A passed by a vote of 90 to 43.

Assembly Bill 7331, sponsored by State Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-61), would expand the ban on semi-automatic “assault weapons”, as well as require the ballistic “fingerprinting”(registration) of all semi-automatic “assault weapons” owned prior to a specified date. AB7331 passed by a vote of 85 to 46.

Assembly Bill 3451, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), would expand New York’s failed ballistic imaging program. AB3451 passed by a vote of 79 to 49.

Assembly Bill 2772, authored by State Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington (D-3), would ban the sale, use or possession of any rifle with a bore diameter .50 caliber or larger. This bill would require gun owners in possession of these firearms to surrender them to law enforcement.

Assembly Bill 829, sponsored by State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-4), would prohibit the sale of any handgun that doesn’t contain a childproofing device or mechanism incorporated into the design of the handgun. AB829 passed by a vote of 86 to 46.

Assembly Bill 76, sponsored by State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-20), would require the mandatory storage of all firearms. AB76 passed by a vote of 95 to 35.

Assembly Bill 3447, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), would ban the sale or possession of frangible ammunition. AB3447 passed by a vote of 85 to 40.

It is critical that all of these measures are voted down in order to protect the Second Amendment rights of all gun-owners in New York State.

Please contact your State Senator today through the Senate switchboard at (518) 455-2800 and respectfully urge him or her to vote “NO” on these NRA-opposed measures. To find your State Senator, please click here.