NRA-ILA | Grassroots Alert: Vol. 19, No. 24 6/15/2012

Grassroots Alert: Vol. 19, No. 24 6/15/2012

Holder Offers a "Compromised" Compromise

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was again on the proverbial hot seat this week as investigations into the infamous "Fast and Furious" gun-walking scandal continue.

While a standoff in the investigation over providing subpoenaed information drags on, earlier this week, Holder suggested that he was willing to make "compromises." In response, on Wednesday House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, (R-Calif.) opened the door to negotiating with Holder, asking the AG to make the committee an offer, so that he might potentially avoid a contempt of Congress vote that is scheduled for next Wednesday, June 20.

On Thursday, in a letter to Rep. Issa, Holder indicated his willingness to partially comply with the subpoena. In what he called "an extraordinary accommodation," Holder agreed to provide some additional documents, but said that other documents remained, "outside the scope of the committee's interest in the inappropriate tactics used in Fast and Furious."

Latest Drop in U.S. Murder Rate Will Confound Critics of Self-Defense Laws

As we reported last week, Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus co-chairs, Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), have introduced very important legislation in the U.S. Senate to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting.

Filed as an amendment to the Senate farm bill, the Tester-Thune amendment (Senate Amendment 2232) contains most of the provisions from H.R. 4089--the "Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012"--which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in April by a bipartisan vote of 274 to 146.

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Giving a positive character to the old expression, "same old stuff," this week the FBI preliminarily reported that violent crime has dropped yet again – for the 18^th time in the last 20 years. According to the report, the estimated annual number of murders dropped 1.9 percent from 2010 to 2011 which, given the increase in the U.S. population during the year, would translate into a drop of between 2.5-3 percent in the per capita rate of murders.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on NRA News

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The NRA-ILA "Jay M. Littlefield Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award" is an annual honor that recognizes an NRA member who demonstrates exceptionally meritorious activism in defense of our Second Amendment rights. Similarly, the "NRA-ILA Volunteer Organization of the Year Award" is bestowed upon a group that has gone above and beyond in defending and promoting our rights over the past year. Nominations for these honors for last year (2011) should be submitted to: NRA-ILA Volunteer Awards, c/o Miranda Bond, NRA-ILA Grassroots Division, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA, 22030. Nominations may also be faxed to Miranda at (703) 267-3918, or e-mailed to [email protected]. All nominations must be submitted by NRA members in good standing and be accompanied by a one-page description of why the nominee is deserving, based on his or her activities in 2011. Winners will be selected by NRA-ILA staff and will be acknowledged at this Fall's NRA Board of Directors Meeting. The deadline for submissions is July 13, 2012.