NRA-ILA GRASSROOTS ALERT: Vol. 19, No. 42 10/19/2012

The Biggest Threat in an Obama Second Term

There are many ways a second term for President Barack Obama threatens the rights of gun owners. He wants to bring back the 1994 semi-auto ban; his administration has already imposed an illegal registration scheme on certain rifle sales; and there is no way to know how far he would go to use his executive powers to curb our rights if he didn't have to face reelection.

But without a doubt, the biggest threat would be his potential appointments to the Supreme Court, as highlighted in a new advertisement unveiled this week by the NRA Political Victory Fund.

We already know the kind of jurists Obama will appoint. Even before joining the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor proved their opposition to the most basic rights protected by the Second Amendment.

But this past week, we had the opportunity to get a peek into the legal mind of another Supreme Court justice who recently opposed our rights, and his comments tell us a great deal about what would happen if the majority of the court shared those views.

Watch the Latest Grassroots News Minute

Watch the New "NRA One Vote" Ad

Obama Calls for Gun Bans, But "Nanny B" Wants More

In Tuesday's presidential debate, President Obama said that he supported a ban on "assault weapons" and implied that he supports restrictions on "cheap handguns" too. No surprises there. As detailed on www.GunBanObama.com and www.GunBanFacts.com, Obama supported banning both types of firearms and many more when he was in the Illinois legislature, and supported banning "assault weapons" when he ran for the White House in 2008, a position he reiterated in the most recent presidential debate.

Outrage of the Week: UK Retailer Caves to Anti-Hunting Extremists

In late August, the radical UK-based animal rights group, Animal Aid, launched a campaign to force British bookstores and newsstands to relegate hunting and shooting publications to the top shelf of magazine racks and prohibit their sale to anyone under the age of 18. In a press release, Animal Aid argued that such publications are "front-line propagandists for 'sport shooting'" and contain "lurid, pro-violence content [that] could have a corrosive, long-lasting effect on young minds." The campaign and report came out three weeks before the start of Animal Aid's annual National Anti-Shooting Week. Other campaigns by the group target horse racing, lifesaving medical research testing and all forms of livestock farming.

Successful 2012 Firearms Law Symposium

The 2012 "Firearms Law & The Second Amendment Symposium" was held on Saturday, October 13, 2012, in Philadelphia, PA. Sponsored by The NRA Foundation, the annual symposium focused on recent developments in our nation's courts regarding the Second Amendment, as well as topics that covered the historical, academic, and practical application of firearm law. The symposium featured four panels, including one addressing a national perspective on current firearm-related litigation, and a local practitioners' panel addressing the successes and challenges of current local litigation in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Later panels addressed important new developments, both within federal and state firearms law and Second Amendment scholarship.

Absentee Voting: Bank Your Vote

With more states than ever allowing early and absentee voting, it is critical that those pro-gun voters who think there may even be a chance they won't be able to vote in person on November 6th, ensure they vote via absentee ballot. By banking your vote prior to November 6th, not only will you avoid potentially long lines, but you will also be freed up to assist with the Election Day activities of pro-gun candidates in your area!

In the past, voters could only vote absentee under limited circumstances. Now, more than 70% of the states offer "no excuses" absentee ballots, allowing voters to receive an absentee ballot without having to offer a justification for them not being able to vote in person on Election Day.

NRA-PVF Candidate Grades & Endorsements!

This year's elections may well be the most important in your voting lifetime! The stakes are enormously high, and you need to be fully informed. For up-to-the-minute campaign information, and to see what you can do to help elect pro-Second Amendment candidates, visit the NRA-Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) website, www.NRAPVF.org.

This official NRA campaign site will serve as your one-stop campaign reference guide this election season. The site is loaded with all of the critical information you'll need to make informed decisions on Election Day, November 6. Included on the site are news stories, articles from NRA's magazines, NRA-PVF press releases, and, starting October 1st, a complete listing of NRA-PVF candidate grades and endorsements!

Must-See "GunBanObama" Website

As we enter the home stretch of this year's critically important election, two things are certain: First, the winner of the election will have a profound effect on your Second Amendment rights, and second, it's crucial that you know where the candidates stand on the Second Amendment so that you can make the right choice.

To take a closer look at where Obama stands on issues related to the Second Amendment, please be sure to visit another NRA-PVF website--GunBanObama.com. This website is a comprehensive resource for the facts on Barack Obama's anti-Second Amendment stance.

Put Your Support on Display. Order Your NRA-ILA Yard Signs Today!

It has been estimated that well-placed campaign signs can account for four percentage points on Election Day. Think back to the 2000 presidential election, where 537 votes in Florida separated George W. Bush from Al Gore, and four percentage points seems like a landslide!

While you are focused like a laser beam on the November 6 election, some gun owners may not be aware of what's at stake for the future of the Second Amendment on Election Day.

Go All In! Work Locally with Your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative

Your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative (CFR) is an NRA-ILA staff person who will be living in your area, coordinating our volunteer activities with one goal in mind--ensuring pro-Second Amendment voters turn out to "Vote Freedom First!" on Election Day. Your CFR will be recruiting volunteers to: register voters, make phone calls, knock on doors, generate letters to the editor, distribute candidate information, attend events and turn out the pro-gun vote on Election Day. Please contact your CFR today to find out how you can assist in ensuring pro-freedom lawmakers are elected to office.