Fairfax, VA – NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and Chief Lobbyist Chris W. Cox today thanked Senator David Vitter (R-LA) and Representative Bobby Jindal (R-LA) for spearheading Federal legislation that guarantees that the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans will never again be violated during a time of emergency.
Sen. Vitter and Rep. Jindal introduced the legislation in response to the confiscations conducted by officials in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, law-abiding citizens had their lawfully owned firearms confiscated by local officials,” said LaPierre. “When citizens needed protection the most, they were stripped of their right to self-defense. We join forces with Sen. Vitter and Rep. Jindal on this freedom tour to thank them for making sure this type of injustice never happens again.”
The delegation convened this morning at Security Sporting Goods in Alexandria before they embarked on a statewide tour to tout the importance of preserving the rights of all law-abiding citizens to be able to defend themselves in a state of emergency. Other stops included Simmon's Sporting Goods in Bastrop; Lorant's Sporting Goods in Shreveport and Barney's Police and Hunting Supplies in Lake Charles. Please see the attached schedule for a complete listing of times and locations.
“Their leadership has set a national precedent for the rest of the country to follow in implementing individual state legislation that would prohibit federal, state, and local authorities from confiscating lawfully-owned firearms during emergencies or disasters,” said Cox. “We want to thank Rep. Jindal and Sen. Vitter for their leadership in introducing this legislation and seeing these fundamental bills through to passage.”
H.R. 5013, the “Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act,” passed the House on July 25, 2006 with a broad bi-partisan margin of 322-99. Sen. Vitter’s version of the bill, written as an Amendment to Homeland Security Appropriations, passed the Senate by 84-16, the largest margin of victory for a NRA-backed measure. President Bush signed the vital legislation into law last October. This new law was part of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
"Our Second Amendment rights are never more imperative than when law and order breaks down during times of disaster or emergencies, and our legislation provides crucial protection for the rights of individuals to defend themselves," said Sen. Vitter
“Our legislation, the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act, was signed into law last year, and it reaffirms that in times of disaster, you cannot throw out the Constitutional amendment that guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear arms,” said Rep. Jindal
For more information on the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act visit www.nraila.org. To learn more about the confiscations conducted in the wake of Hurricane Katrina please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taU9d26wT4.
Freedom Tour
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
All times are CST.
8:00 a.m.
Alexandria/Pineville Event
Security Sporting Goods
2220 Memorial Drive
Alexandria, LA
10:30 a.m.
Monroe/Bastrop Event
Simmon's Sporting Goods
918 Washington Street
Bastrop, LA
1:15 p.m.
Shreveport/Bossier City Event
Lorant's Sporting Goods
1220 Shreveport Barksdale
Shreveport, LA
4:00 p.m.
Lake Charles Event
Barney's Police and Hunting Supplies
1700 East Prion Lake, Suite 8
Lake Charles, LA
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Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and advocates enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the armed services.
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