In Washington, D.C., mindful that
National Hunting and Fishing Day
is coming up this month, CCRKBA
Public Affairs Director John Michael
Snyder announced CCRKBA support
for the proposed Hunting Heritage
Protection Act of 2005. Sen. Saxby
Chambliss of Georgia introduced
the bill, S. 1522, with three original
cosponsors, Sens. Richard Burr of
North Carolina, and Lisa Murkowski
and Ted Stevens of Alaska. The
measure, according to Chambliss,
“formalizes a policy by which the
federal government will support,
promote and enhance recreational
hunting opportunities, as permitted
under state and federal law. Further,
the bill mandates that federal public
land and water are to be open to access
and use for recreational hunting
where and when appropriate. This
does not suggest that we open all
national parks to hunting.†It was
referred to the Senate Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources.
Also in Washington, D.C.,
CCRKBA announced its opposition
to H.R. 3540, by Rep. Michael
Castle of Delaware, a bill to require
criminal background checks on
all firearm transactions occurring
at events that provide a venue for
the sale, offer for sale, transfer or
exchange of firearms. Referred to
the House Judiciary Committee,
original cosponsors are Reps. Mark
S. Kirk of Illinois, Carolyn McCarthy
of New York, and Christopher Shays
of Connecticut.
Lawrence Keane, Senior Vice
President and General Counsel for
the National Shooting Sports Foundation,
said that “it is outrageous and
the height of hypocrisy for U.S. Sen.
Christopher Dodd of Connecticut to
take to the Senate floor and pretend
that he speaks for the gun industryâ€
at the same time that he speaks out
against the proposed Protection of
Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. “At a
time when Connecticut is threatened
with job losses from military base
closures, he is working to throw thousands
of Connecticut workers – union
workers – onto the unemployment
line. Nobody should be deceived:
Senator Dodd is an enemy of the
gun industry and we are shocked at
how hard he is working to destroy
our industry and our jobs.â€
Anti-gun U.S. Rep. Steven R. Rothman
of New Jersey wants to amend
federal crime grant programs relating
to domestic violence to encourage
states and localities to implement gun
confiscation policies, reform stalking
laws, create integrated domestic
violence courts, and hire additional
personnel for entering protection
orders. His proposal, H.R. 3594,
was referred to the House Judiciary
Committee.
CCRKBA, during the Senate debate
over passage of the proposal
Protection of Lawful Commerce in
Arms Act, said The Washington
Post editorial board is staffed with
world-class hypocrites who demand
a federal shield law for journalists,
while at the same time condemn the
idea of legislation that would shield
law-abiding firearm manufacturers
from junk lawsuits. The Post editorialized
that the proposed Act would
provide an “unfair and irrational
special-interest shield from civil
justice†while also proclaiming that
“almost all states recognize some
form of privilege for reporters.â€
This contradiction caused CCRKBA
Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb to note
that, “our friends in the press have
been deliberately blind to the fact
that the Second Amendment is just
as worthy of protection as the First.â€
In Alaska, Governor Frank
Murkowski signed HB 184 into law.
This standardizes all firearm laws
throughout the state and nullifies and
voids any local ordinances that are
more restrictive than current state
law. It limits the ability of persons
and entities to restrict the possession
of firearms by law-abiding citizens
in their vehicles. It thereby thwarts
the practice of some employers and
parking lot owners who are prohibiting
the possession of firearms by
law-abiding citizens in their locked
vehicles.
In Atlanta, Georgia, a 68-year
old man, armed citizen Robert Evans,
shot and critically wounded
a 16-year-old boy who tried to rob
him and his wife, according to
www.11alive.com. Two women who
later were found with the injured teen
were arrested after fleeing the scene
in a stolen car.
